When the door closed with a bang Valia saw her father’s scowl had
deepened. Though he stood at a distance,
she sensed his anger. His boots clicked
on the marble squares of the floor. At
the king’s side, the wizard appeared to glide.
“Daughter, what am I going to do with you? Hoggen was the last of the princes available
for you to wed.” The king’s eyes sparked
with anger.
Valia smiled. “Father, do you
think I am beautiful?”
“That has nothing to do with your need for marriage. You must beg one of the princes to
return. Surely there is one who is less
offensive than the others. I must have
time to train my successor to rule when I am gone.”
Valia’s heart skipped a beat. “Do
not think that way. You are only of
middle age.”
“I must consider the future.
Lanton must have a strong ruler.
Since you cannot choose I will.”
“Father, no.” Valia’s hands rested
on her hips. “I refuse to marry a man
who can say nothing about my beauty. I
will gladly wed one who adores me. He
can take on the boring chores of a king and leave me time to spend maintaining
my beauty. I will not wed a man who wants
me to worship him.”
The king turned to the wizard. “Do
something. Cast a spell to make her
change from the vain and selfish woman she has become.”
The wizard smiled slyly. “Sire, I
can devise a spell but you might not be willing to pay the price.”
“Gold, silver and jewels will be yours.
I will gladly pay you to create a spell.”
Valia stared at them. “Have I no
say?”
The king shook his head. “You will
do what must be done. Wizard, you will
have what you desire. I must have a son
to rule when I grow old.”
“As you command, Sire.”
Valia scurried toward the door.
Her father grasped her arm. “My
child, you must wed before another year passes.
You have reached your twentieth year.”
She did not trust the wizard and she had no idea why she felt this distrust. “Why must you be this way? Am I not your greatest treasure?”
“You are and there must be a strong man to guard you when I no longer
can.”
The wizard stood on her other side.
“The spell I will cast would best be done in the garden.”
A chill rolled along her arms.
Couldn’t her father sense what she felt. The wizard reminded her of the
rejected princes. His arrogance was more centered in his power than his looks.
Since his arrival, her father had turned from her and halted his lessons in
statecraft. She had changed, too but how she wasn’t sure.
Though Valia wanted to flee she would not let this man know she feared
him. She walked between the men to the
garden. A breeze carried the scent of
summer flowers. Chimes in the trees
produced a sweet song. With a wave of
his hand her father sent the guards and gardeners away.
A strange lethargy stole over Valia.
She sank onto a garden bench. Her
father sat on another one. The wizard
spoke quietly. Her father’s eyes
closed. When Valia tried to rise she could
not move. She called to her father but
he failed to answer.
The wizard approached her bench.
His midnight blue robe swirled around his ankles. As he raised his arms the wide sleeves
billowed. He held a wand. “Sire, do you agree to the terms I set?”
“I do.” The king’s voice sounded
as though he was at a great distance.
Valia frowned. What were the terms
and what did they mean for her?
Shouldn’t she be the one to accept or refuse?
The wizard chanted strange sounding words. He walked three times in a clockwise and
three times counter around the bench.
The seventh circuit followed the clock.
Valia felt as though the bench formed a cage to keep her in place. Images of becoming a marble statue for the
duration of the spell brought fear. How
could she fulfill her father’s demand to wed if she remained an unmoving figure
seated on a bench?
The wizard faced her. He waved his
wand from side to side. Her gaze
followed. His gibberish changed to words
she understood. They unnerved her.
“For seven weeks this new form will be yours. There is but one chance to escape your
fate. If you find a prince and convince
him to kiss you, you will return to your own shape. To do this you will have a single word. The first one you utter to another will be
all you can say. If seven weeks pass and
you have not found a prince you will become my smiling silent bride.”
Valia wanted to protest. She had
no desire to be the wizard’s wife. She
looked at her father. He appeared to be
asleep. Had the wizard cast a spell on
the king?
The wizard’s wand twirled faster until Valia could no longer see the gem
at the tip. The sight transfixed
her. “Seven times seven,” the wizard
shouted. “The spell is complete.”
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