Lucky Charm

by J. A. Armitage

  “I don’t remember undressing myself last night,” he whispered in my ear. When he pulled back, he gave his eyebrows a wiggle, which made me laugh.

  “You look stunning, by the way. That blue really suits you.” I kissed his cheek and took my place at the table. Even though I tried not to look up at the waiters dotted around the room, I couldn’t help but glance up at them. Cynder wasn’t there. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or upset. I decided on the former after my decision last night. Seeing him again would only complicate things. Instead, I concentrated on getting to know Luca’s family a bit more. I made small talk as we all ate. Breakfast was a rather hurried affair as we were all expected for photos and interviews.

  I thought we would be taken to a room in the palace, so I was rather surprised when I followed the rest of the family down to the courtyard where a carriage awaited us.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Luca as he helped me up into the beautiful black carriage with the royal crest on the side.

  “The TV studios.”

  “You don’t let the cameras into the house?” I asked, thinking back to last year when there seemed to be TV crews in my palace all the time.

  “Not if we can help it. The studios have a special room just for royalty. Any time you’ve seen a professional photo of the Thalian Royal Family, it’s been taken there.”

  As we headed out of the castle gates, a roar went up. Just as they had in Silverwood, the people came out to see the royals in Thalia. Thousands of people lined the streets, waving both the Thalian flag and the Silverwood flag. It was a pleasure to see and made me feel more confident about my presence here.

  The journey itself only lasted about ten minutes. On arrival, there were hundreds of people behind barriers, most of whom held bunches of flowers. I walked down the barriers accepting bouquet after bouquet. Those that could not reach me, who were two or three people deep into the crowd, threw their bunches so the ground around me was littered with flowers. I smiled a genuine smile trying to speak to as many people as I could before I was finally ushered in. Once inside, we were all taken to a huge room filled with lights. A mock-up of a castle room had been made with a painted backdrop, and a long red velvet sofa sat in front of it.

  “We’ve had our photos taken in front of that backdrop so many times, I’m sure that’s where people think we live,” whispered Luca into my ear. I grinned. I was feeling so happy, thanks to the warm welcome from the people of Thalia, that nothing could upset me today. The photographer came in and put us into the position he wanted us to shoot. The theme of the shoot was our upcoming wedding, so the rest of the family were only needed for a few shots, while Luca and I were put in pose after pose until the photographer was satisfied.

  Then came the interview. I was prepped beforehand. It was to be a light-hearted interview about the wedding. I was assured that, even though I’d be the center of attention, there’d be no difficult questions. I felt calm and happy as I took my place in front of the cameras on a sofa. Luca’s parents sat on one side, and Tomas and Seraphia sat on the other with myself and Luca in the middle. I smiled. For the first time ever, I was excited to be interviewed. My mother had talked about the upcoming wedding so much that if I was asked any questions about the dress or the flowers for the ceremony, I’d be able to answer almost without thinking.

  I arranged my dress so it wouldn’t crease and waited for the interviewer.

  The door opened, and a tall wispy man walked in. My mouth dropped when I saw who it was. I’d almost forgotten about Frederick Pittser and the way he assaulted me in my own palace. What was he doing here? He introduced himself to the camera before welcoming me to Thalia.

  “It’s wonderful to have you here, Your Majesty. Thank you for coming, and welcome to the rest of our royal family. If I may start with you, Princess Charmaine, how did you feel when you found out you were going to become the queen?”

  “I was initially upset,” I replied, trying not to sneer at him. Where was he going with this? I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. “My father had just passed away. Eventually, I began to see it as a great honor, a way to make Silverwood better again.”

  “But Silverwood has descended into chaos since you took over.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s chaos,” I argued. “We have problems as does any kingdom, but I feel confident that Luca and I will be able to work together to help to solve them. Our wedding is coming up in a few months, and we are fully prepared to put our kingdom first.”

  “Forgive me Your Majesty, but were you putting your kingdom first this morning when the news of another riot in the capital of Silverwood came in because I’ve not seen you responding to it yet?”

  I looked to Luca for help. No one had told me about a riot. I wanted to stop the cameras and find out what had happened, but we were broadcasting live.

  “I wasn’t aware of that,” I said, trying to keep both the aggravation and the worry from my tone.

  “It seems that the unrest has grown since you abandoned Silverwood. There are reports of numerous demonstrations from both sides, both Magi and non-Magi. What do you say to that?”

  “As I already stated, Mr. Pittser. I’ve not been made aware, but I assure you, I’ll look into it as soon as we are off air. The welfare of my people is my utmost concern.”

  “So what are you going to do about it once you make yourself aware?”

  His hostile tone was unmistakable and making me nervous, and yet, I kept my composure.

  “She’s already said, she’ll look into it,” interjected Luca, saving me from having to answer. “Once we know what we are dealing with, we will do everything we can to sort out the situation. We were under the impression we would be talking about our wedding today.”

  “Yes, I apologize. I’ve noticed your lovely tiara, Princess Charmaine and the beautiful bracelet on your wrist. Can you tell us all where you got it?”

  I looked down. There on my wrist was the simple silver charm bracelet that I’d put on last night. I’d forgotten to take it off. Frederick Pittser knew exactly where it had come from. I don’t know how he knew, but he knew.

  “The tiara belonged to my mother.”

  “And the bracelet. It’s rather unusual.”

  “I don’t recall,” I replied. “It’s one of those pieces of jewelry that I’ve had for a long time.”

  “And yet, you were seen wearing it a lot last year.”

  “I like it,” I replied, feeling sick. With every second that passed, I was waiting for him to tell the whole of Thalia about Cynder. His questions about the bracelet were a warning, but I didn’t know what he wanted me to do except stop the Magi coming back, and I wasn’t prepared to do that.

  Thankfully, King Theron began to chat about how proud he was of Luca. As Theron was a big talker, he chatted about the upcoming wedding for the rest of the interview, saving me from having to speak further. As soon as the small red light on top of the cameras went off, I dashed out of the studio to the nearest bathroom and was sick. A minute or so later, I heard a knock on the cubicle door.

  “Charmaine? Are you ok?” It was Seraphia.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “Just a bit tired.”

  I opened the door to find her concerned face looking at me.

  “I’m not surprised. You had a long journey to get here, and we all drank a little too much last night.”

  I wanted to tell her that I wasn’t suffering from a hangover. I’d not really drunk much at all, but then I realized it was better than the truth.

  “I think I just need a nap.”

  “If we head back now, you’ll have time to nap before the ball.”

  I’d forgotten about the ball that had been organized for me. It was a way for the lords and ladies of Thalia to meet me. As it wasn’t scheduled for hours, maybe Seraphia was right, and I’d be able to fit in a nap. I just wanted to block everything out, and a nap was the perfect way to do it; but first, I had to find out what was going on in Silverwood. Frederick Pi
ttser had said that both the Magi and the Anti-Magi had been involved in riots, but I’d not see the Magi demonstrating in Silverwood for over half a year.

  I found Luca waiting for me just outside the bathroom.

  “Are you ok? You dashed off pretty quickly.”

  “I’m fine. Do you know anything about the riots?”

  “No. That’s the weird thing. When I questioned the news team about it, they had no knowledge of any riots, nor has anything been reported here about them. I asked the station manager to call one of his royal reporters near your palace, but all he could tell him was that a whole bundle of fabric had arrived for the bridesmaid dresses. I was going to ask that ass Pittser about it, but he skedaddled quick as a flash once the interview was over.”

  “What about the rest of Silverwood? Any riots anywhere?”

  “No. Nothing at all. Pittser was obviously a moron with bad information. Don’t worry about it.”

  But I did worry. If Luca was correct and Pittser was making it all up, he was playing a game with me, and I didn’t know the rules.

  There were still thousands of flag-waving people lining the streets as we left the studio. I tried to smile, but my heart wasn’t in it. As soon as we got back to the palace, I bounded up the stairs to my room, desperate to have some time on my own to figure out what it was that Pittser was up to.

  I opened the door to find someone on my bed.

  It was Cynder.

  Two men, Two kisses.

  I stood staring at him, not sure if I was just so tired that I’d hallucinated him.

  “Cynder?”

  He was as beautiful as I remembered him and now all those months of dreams had crystallized into reality, I could barely breathe. In that second I knew that I’d not gone looking for him earlier to tell him I was sorry, but to look into his eyes just one more time. I couldn’t deny it to myself any longer.

  “I heard that someone came down to the kitchen last night and scared the kitchen maid so much she broke all the dishes.”

  “I was looking for you,” I whispered, knowing that him just being here was wrong.

  “I figured.”

  It wasn’t the meeting I’d imagined so many times. In my head, I’d run into his open arms and kissed him. There was never anything after that. Just an endless kiss. However, I was standing shell-shocked by my door, and Cynder was making no move to come towards me. We just stared at each other as if there was an invisible barrier between us and that barrier was my engagement to Luca.

  Neither of us had moved when the door opened behind me. I turned quickly to see Luca walking through it.

  “Are you ok?” he said, turning to me. “You’ve looked pretty down since the interview, and then you rushed off so quickly when we got home.”

  “I…I…” I stammered, not knowing what to say. Cynder was laying on the bed right behind me. Luca only had to glance over my shoulder to see him.

  “The interviewer was unbelievable,” he continued “Are you sure you are ok?”

  I stood stock still, barely breathing. Luca took my hand and led me to the bed. He sat down mere inches from Cynder’s leg. He’d still not noticed him. How was that even possible?

  Luca patted the bed next to him, and I sat too, being careful not to sit on Cynder. I glanced his way for a second and noticed he had a sly grin on his face.

  Luca moved forward and kissed me. I nearly passed out with the sheer adrenaline and fear of the situation. I tried pulling back, but Luca was insistent, following me.

  Seconds later there was a loud smashing sound behind Luca. A light bulb had fallen out of its socket and smashed on the floor.

  “What the…” Luca got up and checked the socket. “How strange. It just fell out. I’ll get someone to come up and clean the mess up.”

  “Don’t…worry,” I stammered, glancing at Cynder. His wand was out, and he had a curious expression on his face. I turned back to Luca. He was looking straight at me now. I was inches from Cynder, but it was obvious that he didn’t see him. “I’m really tired,” I said “I need a nap. I’ll get someone up to tidy it later.” I just needed Luca to be gone so I could breathe again. Being caught between the man I was betrothed to and the man that held my heart, was both terrifying and electrifying. I felt the blood draining from my face.

  “Ok, if you are sure. You are looking a little peaky. Perhaps a nap would be the best thing. Just don’t stand on that glass in bare feet. We have a lot of dancing to do tonight.”

  I got up and walked him to the door. As he left, he pecked my cheek.

  “I love you, Charmaine.”

  I kissed him back quickly to save me from answering. I’d never felt more wretched in my life. When he left I locked the door behind him and took a deep breath. I waited until I heard his footsteps walking away along the corridor outside before I spoke.

  “He didn’t see you.”

  “Did you forget I’m a Mage?” Cynder wiggled his wand and then returned it to his pocket.

  “Why were you caught last year if you could just make yourself invisible like that?”

  “I wasn’t invisible, you could see me. I just made it so that Luca couldn’t. If he was expecting me to be here, he’d have seen me. I tricked his mind that’s all. The people who captured me knew what they were looking for. They were experienced Magi hunters. That little trick wouldn’t have worked on them for a second.”

  “Oh,” I sighed, trying to bring my heart rate back down to an acceptable level.

  “What was Luca saying about an interviewer? I didn’t see the broadcast.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “There is an interviewer who threatened me last week at the palace in Silverwood. He said that I have to stop my crusade for Magi rights. He followed me here to Thalia and somehow managed to get a job at the local news network.”

  Cynder sat up on the bed, interested in the information. “What do you mean ‘threatened you?’ Did he hurt you?” I could see the anger in his face. I was ashamed to admit it to myself, but it made me happy. It meant he still cared about me.

  “He bruised my arm, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle,” I lied.

  Cynder looked thoughtful for a moment. “A lot of people don’t want to live in peace with the Magi. You know that. He’ll be some crazy fanatic. I’m sure Luca will get him fired, and he’ll crawl back under the rock he came from.”

  I sighed and straightened up on the bed. “He knows about us.”

  “What?” Cynder sat up straight, matching my own posture.

  “He told me when he bruised my arm. He said that if I don’t stop what I’m doing, he’ll tell the world about you and me.”

  “How can he know?”

  “I don’t know. I told Elise and Leo about us, but no one else.”

  “What do you know about Leo? Could he have told someone?”

  “No. It’s not possible. Leo is as fanatical about Magi rights as the interviewer is against them. Besides, he’s a good friend, not to mention my new brother in law.”

  “What’s this guy’s name? I’ll ask around and see what I can dig up about him.”

  “Pittser. Frederick Pittser.”

  Cynder’s hand went up to his chin. I could still see the faint scars along his jawline where he had been beaten. I wanted nothing more than to kiss them, but I held back.

  He got up from the bed and walked over to me. I could feel my heart rate increasing with each step he took. I should have stopped him. I should have said no, but I didn’t.

  When he kissed me, I felt like my heart might explode. His kiss was soft and sweet and way too short.

  He pulled away leaving me breathless and desperate for more. Even though Luca kissed with such passion, it was nothing compared to the utter abandonment of my senses that Cynder made me feel. When I kissed him, I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, my body more alive than ever before. I never wanted it to end. It also made me feel like the most wretched woman in existence. I pulled back quickly, my rational side taking
over a fraction too late.

  “This can’t happen. I’m engaged to someone else, someone who will be good for the kingdom.”

  “That’s why you are marrying him? Because he’ll be good for the kingdom? What about you? Will he be good for you?”

  I looked into his eyes. I could see him searching right into my soul. I wanted to tell him that I loved him only, but what was the point? I’d only end up hurting Luca and destroying the tiny bit of credibility I’d managed to build up among the people. I’d promised myself that Luca was the way forward for me, so why was it so hard to answer Cynder’s question.

  Because you are going to have to lie to him, that’s why.

  He’s a good man. He cares for me, and I care for him.

  “Do you love him?”

  “Does it matter? You and I can’t be together. It’s impossible. Luca will help me make Silverwood a better place for the Magi, a better place for you.”

  “And I couldn’t, right? I’m just a kitchen hand, and he’s a prince! I get it. You’d be a fool to choose me.”

  He brought his wand out and casually flicked it so the broken glass on the floor rearranged itself back into the light bulb it once was. I watched as it rose up and fixed back into place.

  “That’s not it at all. You know I don’t care if you are a kitchen hand.”

  “But you care that I’m a Mage. Despite all your words to the people of your kingdom, you don’t have the guts to stand up there and tell them about me. You are scared that some interviewer will tell the world and what would it look like? The new queen having an affair with a piece of scum Mage?”

  “Stop it!” I cried. “You know that’s not the truth. I made a promise to Luca and to my people. You being a Mage has nothing to do with that. Luca will help me make Silverwood safe again for the Magi. You’ll be able to come home.”

  Cynder laughed mirthlessly. “There is nothing for me in Silverwood now. Everything I wanted has gone.”