Charmed

by J. A. Armitage

  “They were fighting for Silverwood,” I smiled. “What happened to Luca?”

  He was surrounded by a thousand people in no time. Even with his guards shooting, they were hopelessly outnumbered. Chief Inspector Copper was able to go in there and arrest him. You should have heard the people as he was led outside in handcuffs. Hundreds of thousands of them cheered. It was amazing. I just about heard it as we put you into a carriage to bring you here. We are at the hospital. If you look outside now, you’ll see thousands of well-wishers, just waiting to see if you are ok. They’ve been camped out there for three weeks.”

  I smiled at the thought of it, but I could see in Cynder’s face that he had bad news. My mind flashed to the bodies of Daniel and Dean.

  “Daniel!” I sat up away from my pillows.

  “Daniel is fine. He had the room next to this, but Dean took him home a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Dean is ok too? I thought they were dead. I saw their bodies.”

  Cynder sighed. “I’m not going to lie to you, Charm. There were a lot of casualties—over a hundred on both sides. The hospital here is full of people who are injured. A lot of Luca’s men have been arrested; some have fled.”

  I closed my eyes. So many lives had been lost. Silverwood had hit rock bottom and yet there was hope in the story. The thousands of people outside attested to that.

  “Maybe you should get the nurse now,” I said. My eyes were heavy and it was a lot to take in.

  “There’s just one more thing, Charm.”

  I could hear it in his voice. Whatever he was about to tell me, this was the bad news.

  “Hmm?”

  “Luca did put the crown on a split second before you went on air. He is officially the king of Silverwood.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Having the title of Queen was not something I’d ever really wanted, but with him being the king, he was still entitled to murder all those people. My eyes widened as I realized the consequences. The mass execution was supposed to be two days after the wedding. That was three weeks ago.

  A sharp pain tore through my side as I pulled in a deep breath.

  “It’s not happened yet,” said Cynder quickly, reading my mind. “But it could happen.”

  “Could? It will happen. I’m only surprised he’s not done it yet. Why has he waited so long?”

  “Because he doesn’t know he’s the king yet. We’ve told him that it was so close that we’ve had to review the footage. It’s taking a long time.”

  Cynder’s face broke into a grin. I wanted to smile along with him, but I couldn’t. The consequences of this were massive. Luca had been right about one thing. If he was king, he was still in charge of the police. He’d have complete control. Once he got out, he’d not only kill all those that he’d already planned to, but also all the officers working at the police station.

  “What are we going to do?”

  Cynder shook his head. “We don’t have to do anything. Jason Copper is now the chief inspector again. The man Luca hired to replace him died in the cathedral. Inspector Copper has told his staff to hold Luca until they get confirmation that he’s king.”

  “But you have confirmation,” I argued.

  “Yes,” replied Cynder, his face beaming. “but they don’t know that.”

  I closed my eyes. It was too much to take in. Officially, Luca was now the ruler of Silverwood, and yet, thousands of people were cheering for me outside my hospital window. It had been the people of Silverwood that had come to my rescue, both Magi and non-Magi alike. If Luca was told the truth, a death sentence would hang over all of our heads, but if he wasn’t, I’d be gaining back the monarchy by deceit. I mulled over the two options as Cynder brought the nurse to check me over.

  By that night the dilemma was still taking over my thoughts. It would be so easy to leave Luca where he was. He certainly deserved no better, but if anyone ever found out what I’d done, I’d be taking his place in the cells.

  I could now hear the people outside. They were singing the national anthem. It brought a smile to my lips, but it was a sad smile. I wanted to do what was best for them. It was all I ever wanted.

  The next morning, I had an unexpected visitor before official visiting times.

  “My darling!” Jenny rushed over to me and handed me a bacon sandwich. “I was going to bring you flowers, but Cynder insisted I bring you this instead. I can see why now”

  I took the sandwich gratefully. It was possibly the most delicious thing I’d tasted in all my life. Much better than the hospital breakfast of cereal and toast I’d eaten earlier.

  “What’s wrong?” Jenny asked. I’d had a smile on my face since the second she stepped through the door. She’d always known me so well. Better than I did myself most of the time.

  I explained my dilemma. When I’d finished, she crossed her arms and huffed.

  “He deserves to rot in that jail cell forever. I can’t believe you are even considering letting him know the truth. You should see how the people are coming together since he’s been in the cell. People are inviting the Magi into their homes. People who up until a few weeks ago were self-proclaimed haters of the Magi are now putting on fundraisers to build them homes.”

  I sighed. “I understand that putting him back on the throne is madness, and yet being the queen under false pretenses feels wrong. I’ll be breaking a law of my own kingdom.”

  “Charmaine, I’ve known you since you were a baby and I’ve brought you up to be honest. If I’d have known this was going to happen, I’d have brought you up to be a liar and a cheat.”

  I snorted and gave her a playful swipe. “No, you wouldn’t.”

  “Ok, no, I wouldn’t, but look at it this way. You’ve finally gotten what you always wanted for Silverwood. Everyone is coming together, and they are all on your side. They need you now more than ever. Do you really want to spoil that for the sake of half a second?”

  “Is that all it was? Half a second?”

  “Half a second. If you’d have shown yourself on camera just a fraction earlier, you wouldn’t even have to worry about this.”

  I knew that she was right and yet the whole thing weighed heavily on my mind. Luca had hardly played fair from the start, but this wasn’t a game, and I wasn’t in the habit of playing.

  “Jenny, can you get me the footage from the day of the wedding? I want to see for myself.”

  Jenny looked uncertain. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to relive it, you’re still not well.”

  I stared at her heavily. “I want to see it. Please go to the TV station and ask for it. All of it. I want a TV brought into my room so I can watch it.”

  Jenny clucked and fussed around, but eventually, had to agree. She knew if she didn’t get it for me, someone else would.

  “Good morning.”

  Cynder came through the door. As it had been the day before, his expression was dour.

  “What’s happened?” I asked. Cynder never looked like that unless he had reason to. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Jenny.

  “You remember what I told you yesterday? Chief Inspector Copper has just told me that tomorrow is the last day we can hold Luca. By law, we either have to release him or charge him. He’s going to be charged with attempted murder whether he is king or not, but if he is the king, he can change the laws as he sees fit. He’s already told the chief that he intends to change the law over murder and attempted murder. When he finds out he’s king, he intends to make it legal.”

  I closed my eyes. How could he legalize murder? “I need to go and see him.”

  Both Cynder and Jenny acted exactly as I expected them to act with such a proclamation.

  “No!” they both shouted at once.

  “You are not going to see him. What do you think you’ll accomplish?” asked Cynder.

  “You are too sick to leave the hospital,” added Jenny.

  There was no point arguing with either of them. They were both as pig-headed and stubb
orn as I was. I just wasn’t going to give them any choice in the matter.

  When the footage from the cameras came that night, I sat up in bed to watch it. Seeing Luca cackling like a maniac all over again and knowing I was going to see him pull out a gun and shoot me made me feel uncomfortable, but I made myself sit through the whole thing. I watched the footage of Luca first, following it with the footage of me jumping in front of the camera. Jenny was right. Luca had forcefully taken the crown from the priest and jammed it on his head just a fraction of a second before I appeared onscreen. If only I’d have run quicker, or not stopped to help Theron, Sarina, and the others, this nightmare would be over now. But it wasn’t. The proof was there onscreen in front of me. Luca really was the king, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  The Cell

  I rewound the tapes and watched them again and again, thinking about what Jenny had told me earlier, how hard would it be to delete just a couple of seconds of the tape showing me? That way, I’d appear onscreen sooner, and I’d still be queen. I knew the consequences if I didn’t do it, and yet, the thought of keeping the crown by illicit means still didn’t sit well with me.

  Making sure that none of the nurses were nearby, I found my clothes and got myself dressed. The hospital wouldn’t like letting me leave, but I wasn’t going to give them any choice. I might not be the queen anymore, but they didn’t know that...yet.

  I needed to speak to Luca. To see him one last time. I had to stop him from his madness. I had no idea what I was going to say to him, and I wasn’t sure if anything I said would make a difference, but I had to try.

  “You can’t leave!” The head of the hospital herself, blocked the main exit, stopping me from going through it. “You need rest.”

  “I’m going. I’ll be back later tonight.” I wasn’t even sure if that was true, but I pushed past her anyway. When the people outside saw me, a huge cheer went up. Dozens of cameras started clicking, flashing, and rolling. In my haste to leave, I’d forgotten about the press. Cynder was going to see this on TV and come straight down here. Actually, he’d go straight to the place where he knew I was planning to go myself. I had to be quick.

  I forced a smile and waved as I rushed by the people. Thankfully, there were barriers separating the entrance and the crowd, but once I walked past them, I was going to be mobbed. Part of me wanted to turn around and go back to the comfort and safety of the hospital, but the queen in me knew that this was my only chance to persuade Luca to let everyone live.

  I saw my opportunity in the shape of a tied up horse and took it. Being on horseback made it simple to cut through the crowd, and a minute later I was heading through town.

  The police station looked as foreboding as ever as I pulled up. Tying the horse up at the front, I ran in and demanded to be let into the cells. A surprised guard at the reception desk let me through without questioning me. One of the perks of having a famous or maybe infamous face.

  Jason Copper was seated at his desk. I tried to walk right past him, knowing he’d try and talk me out of speaking to Luca, but I was too slow. He jumped up and grabbed my arm.

  “Cynder told me you’d be coming.”

  “How did he... Ah, the talk stone.”

  Copper shook his head, his brow furrowed. “You don’t want to speak to him. No good will come of it.”

  “I need him to see reason. I can’t act as I’m above the law because if I do, I’m not fit to be queen.”

  Copper lowered his voice. “If you don’t slightly bend the law, you won’t be the queen anymore, and that lunatic over there will kill us all. It won’t be just you. He’ll kill Cynder, he’ll kill me, he’ll kill your mother, Elise, Leo, and hundreds more. Charmaine, he’ll kill Grace. Do you really want that?”

  “Hello, wife!” Luca, having just noticed me, shouted from his cell. His was the only one occupied right now, but I knew if he got out, he’d soon fill them all again.

  I pulled my arm from Copper and walked towards Luca’s cell slowly.

  His expression didn’t change as I stood before him.

  “How nice of you to come visit,” he sneered.

  “You are the king, Luca. I saw the footage. You beat me.”

  His expression changed before my eyes. The anger had fled to be replaced with a look of superiority.

  “I knew it. I knew I’d beat you.” He looked at me with such an expression of malice that I almost shivered under it.

  “I have a proposal for you,” I said, trying my best to keep eye contact with him under the weight of his stare.

  He raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Hmm. And what is it that you, a lowly commoner, could possibly have to offer me, the king?”

  I took a deep breath. “In exchange for letting my family and my friends live, and letting them move to another kingdom far away from you where you’ll never see them again, you can have me. I am already your wife, and I will play my part well. I will tell Silverwood how wonderful you are.”

  “Why would I want that?” he spat. “You have been nothing but a thorn in my side from day one.”

  “Your reputation is ruined, Luca. The people hate you. I think they are planning some kind of revolution. They want to overthrow the monarchy after what you did to me on live TV.”

  It was a lie. I had no idea if the people were planning to overthrow him, but it was the only thing I could think of to make my argument more compelling.

  “They love me,” I continued. “There are thousands of people outside my hospital room right now just waiting for a glimpse of me. Do you know how many are standing outside the police station to see you? None. Not one.”

  I moved closer to the bars now. “I can make you great again. I can make you the king you want to be.”

  I waited, trying to read his expression. It looked like he was weighing it in his mind. A full minute passed without either of us speaking.

  “I don’t think so,” he roared, his expression now clouding with thunder. Quick as a flash, he put his hand through the bars and grabbed my neck, pulling me towards him so that my face was crushed between them. With his other hand, he began to choke me.

  I felt the life dripping from me as he squeezed harder and all the while he cackled.

  As the light began to dim, I heard a crack and the pressure lifted. Luca’s body fell to the floor, a puddle of red appearing beneath his head.

  He was dead. I turned to see Copper holding a smoking gun out in front of him.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, running towards me. I pulled in a painful deep breath and bent double. I was going to need more time in the hospital; that was for sure.

  “Charm!”

  I looked up to see Cynder running towards me. He scooped me up in his arms. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt safe. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

  “What happened?” he asked Copper.

  Copper replied. “It’s over. The king is dead. Long live the queen.”

  Six Months Later

  The only sound I could hear as I made my way down the sunlit forest aisle was the cute gurgling sounds of a newborn, happily snuggled in Elise’s arms. More beautiful and wondrous than any world-famous orchestra.

  Everyone I cared about was there. My mother, Leo, Elise, and of course, baby Grace. Daniel held my hand as we walked side by side over the layer of fallen leaves. Other friends and family sat on fallen logs that Daniel and his father had quickly carved into makeshift pews, and the sun shone down through the leaves creating patterns on the floor.

  It was perfect.

  Unlike my last two weddings that had been full of pomp and ceremony, not to mention thousands of people watching on the TV screens, this was the wedding of my dreams with no photographers, no journalists, and more importantly, full of the friends I’d made over the past year.

  I smiled as I walked past Jenny, Xavi, and Agatha, all sitting together on one of the pews.

  My dress was simple, made out of plain white cotton with no e
mbellishments and I wore only flowers in my hair instead of jewelry.

  As I looked upon the faces of the people as I walked past, I had a memory of each one. Memories that would last a lifetime.

  These people had become intricately linked to my own life. For the Magi among them, they would now be free as long as I ruled, and with luck and a lot of work, our society would become a better, more accepting place.

  Memories of the last six months flooded through me as I made my way up the aisle, Daniel taking the place of my father and escorting me.

  News had gotten out pretty quickly about Luca’s death, and once again, my picture was emblazoned on the cover of every newspaper for weeks. I had yet to give an official interview despite many requests for one. Only three people knew what had happened in that police cell and I wanted it to stay that way lest Jason lose his job and end up in a cell himself. He’d killed Luca in self-defence, but there were still enough of Luca’s supporters out there who would see it differently so the world was told he’d died of a heart attack.

  Even though I knew it was for the best, I still felt guilty about taking back the throne. With Luca being the rightful king, the kingdom would have passed to his eldest nephew on his death, but Jacob was already first in line to his own kingdom’s throne. I worried about whether to tell the Thalian royal family the truth for two whole days until something happened that changed everything.

  There had been three cameras running the day of Luca’s and Drusilla’s wedding. I’d watched the one showing Luca and the one showing me a hundred times, but it was only later I watched the third. It had been pointing towards the pews to show footage of the guests. What it also caught, just at the very bottom of the screen was Seraphia waving her wand and turning my features back into my own. It was a good minute before Luca put on the crown. I was rightfully the queen of Silverwood again.

  As I gazed up, I saw the one person who’d stood by me, whom I knew would always be by my side.