Charming, Volume 2 by Jack Heckel

opened on his. “I have wished for it ever since the night we met and I tried to claw you to death.”
    They both laughed in a mutual sigh of relief, and then they found themselves engulfed in another silence, only this one felt so comfortable neither wanted to break it. They sat there a while in the middle of the road, hands entwined, the horses beneath them occasionally shifting impatiently on their feet.
    Finally, Elle said, “I have to go.”
    â€œI know,” Will replied slowly, but did not release her hand.
    She leaned forward in her saddle, her face a pale flower within the folds of her hooded cloak, and kissed him softly on the check. He breathed in her heady jasmine scent and then, reaching up, slowly lowered her hood, and ran his fingers through her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. Her eyes, wide with shock, were two brilliant emeralds shining in the afternoon sun. Kissing her hand again he said, “Fair travels, Lady Rapunzel.”
    â€œFair travels, Lord William,” she replied softly.
    She began to turn her horse. The moment of mastery past, he stuttered, “Oh, I . . . I was supposed to give you this.” He held out the dripping mess of her soiled handkerchief.
    â€œKeep it as a token of my devotion until our next meeting,” she said and pressed it back into his hand.
    Long after she had gone, Will sat on his horse holding the handkerchief and staring after her. Finally, he turned his horse and trotted after the King. For the first time since the dragon died, he found himself thinking about the future. He did not know what life held in store for him. Perhaps one day he would be king. Perhaps the Prince would return in triumph and he would find himself back on the farm in Prosper. But none of that mattered anymore, because one thing was certain. He was in love.

 
    Chapter 3
    Dark Days in Castle White
    PRINCESS GWENDOLYN DROVE her fingernails into her palms, her face twisting with anger, as she watched the unfolding of Elle and Will’s affair from her darkened sanctuary in Castle White. “That little harlot,” she snarled as she hunched lower over the glass ball and stared at the flickering images.
    â€œJust look at her!” she urged the dead faces. The shadows twisted and stretched from their corners to peer over her shoulder. “Fluttering her eyes like a common streetwalker. ‘ Fair travels ,’ ” she mocked, and there were whispers of cold gaiety from her bodiless companions.
    The shades were ever-­present now. Even when she was in the middle of court, she could see them mingling with the other nobles, whispering secrets and staring boldly down the dresses of the ladies. She knew that she should be afraid of them, but she was not. They were familiar, and even if she did not trust them, she would have felt alone without them.
    â€œHe will be mine,” she said with a conviction that was belied by the worried frown that came unbidden as she watched Will stare after Elle. “He must be mine. There has to be someone for me,” she pleaded in a voice that belonged to a young woman from decades ago, a scared young woman who believed that love could be found in a wish. For a brief moment, the shadows withdrew, but, within a heartbeat, they were back in numbers drawing Gwendolyn’s attention away from the scene and her mind back to the present.
    With a forced serenity, she said, “Of course, the boy will want me. I am Princess Gwendolyn Mostfair. I am the most beautiful woman in the world. I am his desire, and he will get his fill and more.” By the time the last word escaped her lips, calm confidence colored her tone.
    She thought over her plans, and a sly smile replaced the worried frown as she tapped her crimson nails against the glowing ball. All was in readiness. The charms for Will and the King were finished. For the power of the fairy to work, all she needed was their presence, and they were