Enchanted Beauty

by Marly Mathews

  “It is nice to be graced with your presence again.”

  She looked up at the familiar voice.

  “Lord Gabriel?”

  “Aye. That’s one of the names I still go by.” His image appeared in the mirror. “What happened to you? You’ve been crying—don’t deny it.”

  “I’ve had some upsetting news.”

  “Ah. You have been put on the path.”

  “The path? What are you talking about?”

  “In my capacity as the magic man in the magic mirror I am given small gleans of future destinies. Yours is a troubled, yet promising one.”

  “Troubled? You mean like my cousin turning out to be an evil changeling sent by King Roland and Lord Blackburn?”

  “Yes. I knew what she was when she first came onto the lands with your…with Delbert Morton. I cautioned Malachi to the best of my ability without giving him the full truth. You needed to find out the way that you did, Annabelle. You must find your inner strength, and embrace it. You cannot be weak when it comes to the battles that await you.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call myself weak. I am not opposed to fighting…”

  “Yes, you are. When you find out who you must fight, you will rebel against it with the very fiber of your being.”

  “Not Malachi.”

  “No, not Malachi. You can trust him.”

  “Can you tell me who I really am?”

  Gabriel frowned. “Who you really are bears no impact on your true life history.”

  “I need to know, please,” she implored.

  “I am never one to deny a lady her true heart’s desire. However, you must remember that you asked to be told. Sometimes, what we don’t know truly is the best medicine.”

  “I don’t want to die not knowing the truth about myself.”

  “I hardly think that Malachi will let you die. He will fight tooth and nail for you, Annabelle.”

  “I must know.”

  Gabriel sighed. “If you insist. Instead of telling you, why don’t I show you?”

  She nodded her head.

  White mists rolled through the mirror as Gabriel’s image faded away. The mists kept swirling, a woman’s voice filled the room.

  “He can’t have her. He can’t find her. I must get her away from here, away from me as soon as possible.”

  “You won’t be able to shield her from him—his magic will sense her, he will seek her out. You know as well as I do that you will never be able to hide her.”

  “I can, if I bind her powers and take the mark of magic from her—then, she will be safe. She will be safe among the pure of heart.”

  “You can’t do this. I won’t let you give her up. We can find a way to…”

  “No, there is nothing we can do. He is my husband, and he is a monster. He will make her into what he envisions. He will use her power for his own means. And if she resists, he will imprison her like he tried to do to me. Even now, he believes I am in the tower. Only because of your help are we able to trick him.”

  “You must place her with me then.”

  “No. He will look for her with you. He knows of our friendship. You must find another home for her. My handmaiden recently lost her own child. She will take this child as her own. In a strange twist of fate, she also shares your husband’s family name. He is very distantly related to her.”

  “Then, we must act swiftly. If he discovers that you have had the child, and that you did not have a still birth as you originally told him…”

  “His ire will be all consuming. Yes, I know. I must bide my time to revolt against him. Right now, he is too powerful. But as my powers grow, you will know the right time to come for me.”

  “I will see it in my dreams.”

  “Yes. Thank you for helping me, dearest Melody.”

  “You are my childhood friend. You knew I would aid you in your fight against Roland.”

  “I will miss her.”

  “I know. As mothers we would do anything for our children.”

  “Please, just make sure she never knows who her father really was…”

  “I promise. You shall be able to tell her when you finally escape Roland’s hold on you.”

  “I will never be able to break the bond we share. We once loved each other—until I found out what he believed in. His goal to eradicate the non-magic kind, is not one I wish to see.”

  “Then, how can Annabelle possibly be safe if you take away her mark of magic? You are denying her birthright.”

  “I am protecting her because I am denying her birthright. If Roland knew she lived, he would take her from me. He would raise her in darkness…she would never see the light. I will not let him do that to her.”

  “We should part our ways soon. Your handmaiden, I trust she is ready to go on a trip to my region of Thaliana?”

  “Yes. She is packed and waiting in her quarters.”

  “May the graces be with you, my friend.”

  “And with you, my friend. Melody, I will be forever indebted to you.”

  “Zara, I do not understand why you want this. You could just leave with me now…”

  “I must stay. Roland may still see the light.”

  “He will never see the error of his ways. That beast Blackburn controls him.”

  “I still must stay.”

  “You have made your choice. I will come for you when you need me. And, I will watch over your daughter until my last breath.”

  “You must go—now! Roland is coming. I can feel him riding across Snowdonia as we speak.”

  “Until we next meet, my Queen.”

  “Until we next meet.”

  The mists rolled in and then parted to reveal Gabriel’s somber face.

  “You showed me my past, didn’t you?” Her heart leapt into her throat. “My father—the man I know as my father—isn’t my father.”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “And, my mother. The mother I loved and who died of heartbreak, she didn’t die of heartbreak over my father. She died of heartbreak mourning the child she lost before he or she was even born.”

  “Yes.” Gabriel nodded solemnly.

  “My mother…”

  “Your biological mother truly does love you. She cares deeply for you. Even now, her heart is reaching out to you. She knows of your existence, and she is coming for you.”

  “I am dying. She will be too late. She gave me up. She gave me up not because she wanted to protect me, but because she feared what I would become. She feared I would become just like Roland.”

  “I do not think so. You are not thinking clearly.”

  “No. My thoughts are crystal clear. She gave me up, because she wanted me to be raised without my powers, and because of her, I cursed myself. It was no accident that the spell backfired on me. When Malachi said I had latent powers, he was right. She hid them from me. She bound them for me. She took away my right to magic.”

  “You must not think so ill of her. She does love you. She loves you enough to come for you now that she knows Roland seeks you out.”

  “I am a pawn. I am a pawn in their struggle for power. Both of my parents are so blinded by their urge to control—to reign that they have forgotten how to love.”

  “Your mother is fighting for Thaliana. What Malachi told you of your father’s country is the truth. He is fallen from his path. He has become the servant of Blackburn. He will do whatever Blackburn wishes, and damn the consequences.”

  “So, Malachi is the most powerful wizard that Thaliana has seen in centuries—and I’m what? What am I?”

  “You are Annabelle Hawthorne. Princess of Thaliana.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m no princess. In fact, I will not be a princess. I will not be her daughter, and I will not be Roland’s daughter either. As far as I’m concerned, they can both go to rot.”

  “I concur with your sentiments concerning King Roland, but as far as Queen Zara goes, I must wholeheartedly disagree.”

  “She isn’t my mother.” />
  “She is your mother. You are her very image. Why do you think that Malachi was so startled when he first saw you? Your beauty is even greater than what Zara possesses. However, you do resemble her in quite an uncanny manner.”

  Her heart fell. She didn’t know what to think about the information Gabriel had given her. Perhaps she should have just stayed in the dark, it would have spared her the headache that throbbed behind her eyes at the moment.

  “Malachi is searching high and low for you. He can’t find you through magic, and that is terrifying him.”

  “Why can’t he find me?” Annabelle asked.

  “I don’t know, you must be doing something. You must be using your magic without knowing. You must have the ability to veil yourself. That is a gift that is rare, and one that will work to your advantage when it comes to Roland. You must learn to master your magic. If you don’t, you will be more vulnerable than you can even imagine.”

  “I can’t use my magic.”

  “That was only when you didn’t know about it being there, waiting inside of you.”

  “My mother stole my magic.”

  “No. She only bound your magic until your twenty-first year.”

  “I am in my twenty-third year.”

  “Exactly. This would explain, why Roland has been so persistent in invading Thaliana. When your powers were released, he sensed it. He realized in that instant, that you were still alive. You now have full control over your magic should you wish to use it. I would, however, advise caution in using it until you learn more about how to harness it. Using magic blindly can result in severe injury as you already found out when you trying to make that potion back when your powers were still tied.”

  “Thank you for giving me that gentle reminder. I will need to allow Malachi back into my life.”

  “You do not need to fear him. He did the right thing by vanquishing the changeling. I am sorry that she integrated herself into your life in the first place. It was most surprising to find that she had been with you for the last two years.”

  “Only two years. Before that…”

  “Glynnis was really Glynnis.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I feel so lost.”

  “Then, let Malachi find you. You can both lean on each other, draw from each other’s strengths. You are both lost, now you must find each other by being with each other.”

  “I have little choice. So far, Malachi seems to be the only constant in my life, and I’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours.”

  “You’ve known him for much longer in your heart—look deeply and you will find that out for yourself.”

  She winced. She had to admit, Gabriel was quite insightful far more than she had anticipated.

  “Annabelle?” Malachi’s voice rang through the corridors to her.

  “I am here.” She released whatever she’d been doing to veil herself from him. Relaxing her mind against him must have worked to reveal her position because he entered the room seconds later. She heard a shuffling noise, and when she looked back toward the mirror, it had vanished.

  “The mirror…” her voice trailed off.

  “What are you doing in the music conservatory?” At his question, she looked around and found herself staring at an assortment of instruments. She sat in front of the most beautiful harp she had ever laid eyes upon.

  “I had a conversation with Gabriel.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. He’s as besotted with you as I am. Too bad, you’re my wife.”

  She smiled, despite herself. “He told me you were right in getting rid of the changeling…I just couldn’t stomach it.”

  “That’s not surprising. You aren’t used to the ways of the magic kind. You are not used to seeing what happens when we fight each other.”

  “That has to change.”

  “I don’t understand,” Malachi shook his head in confusion.

  “I am Zara’s daughter,” Annabelle announced sadly.

  When she looked at him, he stared back at her in silence. He didn’t look surprised at all.

  “You knew.” Her words sounded accusatory.

  “I suspected. I didn’t want to believe it. But…”

  “But I remind you of her.”

  He nodded his head. “I didn’t want to jump to any undue conclusions.”

  “What do you think of having Roland’s daughter as your wife?”

  “I care not. You are still Annabelle. But you must know that he will continue to come for you. And I will fight him.”

  “According to Gabriel, Zara is heading here as well.”

  “She is days away from the castle. She will not be able to blink that far of a distance, and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. Only Hawthorne blood can blink onto this land.”

  “Then, Katrina…?”

  “Katrina is not of the Hawthorne line. You are safe from her, for now.”

  “I’m not worried about myself. How funny it will be to look upon my parents face when they realize they can’t use me.”

  “Use you? Is that what you think your mother intends? She doesn’t want to use you. I have no doubt, she seeks to only protect you from Roland. You must not think so low of her. I know it must have been very hard for her to give you up.”

  “What do you know of my mother’s emotions?” She looked away from him. He closed the distance between them.

  “You can’t harden your heart to her. You need to let her into your life.”

  “I will not.”

  “Do not squander what you still have. My mother gave up her life working for Zara’s cause. I will not have her death and my father’s death go for naught.”

  “Then, you must train me.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You heard me. You must train me. You must teach me in the magic kind ways.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You will. I have the mark. My mother has only hidden it from the rest of the world when she arrives, I will tell her to remove it.”

  “You are not ready to use your powers,” Malachi whispered.

  “I am.”

  “You are not. You still do not believe in yourself.”

  “And you believe in yourself?” she challenged.

  “I believe in my magic, and I believe in my ability to use it for the right reasons.”

  “You are afraid I will turn into a living image of my father. Do not deny it!”

  “When you start to willingly use your magic you will start to become even more tangible to Roland and Blackburn. They will be able to find you that much easier.”

  “Katrina already knows where I am,” she gasped.

  “What did you say?” He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her toward him.

  “I said, Katrina already knows where to find me. I agreed to stay quiet so she would not hurt you.”

  “Oh, dearest, Annabelle, there is very little she can do anymore to hurt me. She has already taken far too much from me. She will not take you as well.”

  He kissed her. Long and hard, and torturously sweet. She lost herself in the feeling. Winding her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer.

  When he finally pulled away from her, he turned to the harp. “This used to be my mother’s. Now it is yours.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “When you play it, your magic will play with you. It is a relaxing mechanism for witches. You will find that everything becomes clearer when you are playing. It just might help you to become in tune with the power that lies inside of you.”

  “I wanted you to teach me.”

  “I can’t teach you. Not at first anyway. But I will help you, to the best of my ability.”

  She reached for his hand. “You are avoiding me.”

  “I would never do that.”

  “Yes. You are. You are avoiding me so you can go…” her voice tapered off. “You’re trying to figure out how to save me.”

  “I must find the right spell.” A look of fierce determination lit his
gorgeous green eyes.

  “I don’t want you to worry yourself sick over this.”

  He gave a hard laugh. “I couldn’t possibly do that. I am a wizard. Creating spells and healing potions is what I do.”

  “No…you don’t understand. I don’t want you to cure me.”

  The stunned look of utter confusion that crossed his features made her frown. “You can’t be serious,” he said incredulously.

  “I am. I want you to stop.”

  “I will not.”

  “You have only known me for a very short period of time. I do not expect you to do anything for me.”

  “I am your husband.”

  “You are. This is true. But you do not love me.”

  “I do.” Her heart stopped. She couldn’t quite register his words, but by the look on his face—she knew he was sincere.

  “Love can’t come so quickly,” Annabelle argued.

  “I disagree. We’ve always been meant for each other. We are destined.”

  “I don’t believe in destiny. If I did—well, I’d be more than a little bitter with the way that mine has unfolded. The Fates must hate me!”

  “Your destiny has not come to fruition. You are still so young, your life is before you. And, we will share it together.”

  “No. I am at peace with the future I created for myself. It was my fault that the spell backfired in my face. I wounded myself, and I will live with the consequences.”

  “No, you won’t. You will die with them.”

  “You are right.”

  “I won’t let you do that. You are punishing yourself. You are hiding from life so that you won’t have to deal with what your mother did by giving you up. You are running from your emotions. You are running from your heart.”

  “I am not!” In a burst of energy, she lunged herself toward him, kissing him in the same way he had kissed her only moments before. “Take me to bed.”

  “Not like this.”

  “You said my wish was your command.”

  “I…”

  “Malachi, for once, grant me my wish.” With that, he took her hand, and kissed it.

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Annabelle clung to him, as they walked through the castle to their bedchamber. She knew she was being incredibly reckless, and she reveled in it. She had never done anything by the spur of the moment before in her life, and taking Malachi as her true husband was the first step to reclaiming her hand on her life. No more would she live for others, no more would she wait for adventure to come knocking at her door.