Eva's Journal

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Ah, hello Eva. Come in and I will help you with what you seek." My mouth fell open like a fish, however, I still walked in through the door into the witch's house.

"So, you are Agatha, yes?" she nodded her head before reaching up and getting a book.

"What do you seek my child?" Agatha was a small old woman in a dark purple gown covering her entire body except for her head. She had dry, grey hair and dark purple eyes. She showed signs of age but I knew she would be much older than what she showed. She was after all a good witch.

"I need to stop myself falling in love with someone. If I fall, I will not help my friend." She frowned and pulled a large dark book from the bookshelf behind the table and slammed it on the table, making me jump. I sat down opposite her watching intently.

"That is not the issue my dear. The problem started long ago when a man came to me in search of a spell. He wished for his daughter to find her true love." I nodded as she flicked through the book almost reading it as a story.

"His daughter, like everyone in any kingdom did have a soulmate. Her true love was a person of no significance and no fortune and therefore to the father, no future with his daughter. He grew angry at this and demanded I find the girl another. When I tried to deny him, he promised to give me what I most desired in exchange for heavy dark magic." She sighed turning the book slowly with each sentence. It thudded with every turn.

"So, to please the father, I created a spell which took away a girl's soulmate and gave him to his daughter. The young girl had no value to the father and so without a soulmate, that girl was without hope. She was abandoned as a baby and taken in by a young servant girl where she was raised in the castle. The father died before the girl came of age but the spell was done and could not be undone. The two girls grew up close together and become the best of friends. One was a princess and the other was a warrior." I nodded and looked at her confused.

"I am sorry, Agatha. But how does this have anything to do with me?" The book slammed on the table a final time to show the king's seal on a contract to change a soulmate. It was the seal of Borealis.

"That's the king's seal... So, Anna is... And I am the... So that means Atlas is?" she nodded.

"Atlas is your soulmate, not Anna's. I never thought I would be able to correct my mistake but the two of you have a stronger love than the magic that binds you apart." I shook my head, stood up and backed away from her. I had been lied to my entire life by people I considered my family. The king took me in but stole everything from me. He stole everything from Anna. I might have been able to have a normal life. Instead, I have one with no love, no hope and no emotions.

I was a monster because of him. I had nothing because of him. Anna had lost her soulmate because of him and now her life would never be the same again. I had no idea what to do, what to say and who I was anymore. But I knew one thing and that was I needed to give Anna her best chance of happiness.

"I cannot ruin her life. Atlas and Anna are to marry. I am nothing." She sighed, angry, her forehead creasing. She placed a small pink bag on the table with some powder inside.

"You are not nothing, Eva. I see a great deal of potential in you but if you want to take away your feelings for your soulmate, here is black poppy dust. To take away love, brew this in hot water and drink the tea. You will forget who you love."

I thanked her and she helped me back out of her house. She held my hands and wished me luck before closing the door behind me.

The walk back to Olivia's cottage was a lonely one. The village did not have the same warmth as when I walked through it earlier. My feelings were overwhelmed by the betrayal of those closest to me. The king lied to me and Anna. Now we were in love with the same man. And poor Atlas; he was caught up in what the king thought was best.

"Eva, you're back. Where did you run off to? Eva, I'm talking to you!" I walked away from Atlas straight into the house. He followed me and continued to shout my name.

"Atlas please leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you right now. I need to be alone." I made my way up the stairs into the bedroom Atlas had been sleeping in for the past few nights. As I went to shut the door, he pushed it open and closed it behind him.

"Atlas, I said leave me alone. Please, I don't want to talk to you." He sighed and went to leave before turning.

"I'm here for you, Eva. I promise I will always be here for you." His words should have left me shocked but I wasn't so surprised. He may have been engaged to Anna but his feelings for me were not hidden.

"Thank you, Atlas. Please go and tell Olivia we will be leaving in the morning to Sceneria. I believe it's time to get Anna." He was dejected as he left the room and I sat on the bed thinking of what would happen in the future. I would have to watch Anna get married and have children with this man. I didn't know if I could do it. I looked at the powder in my hand and pondered if it was what I needed. I kept picking it up and then putting it on the nightstand. It was a dark, glistening powder that seemed to be heavier each time I picked it up. Eventually, I tightened the bag and put it in a drawer.

Olivia cooked us dinner and we sat and ate in silence. She tried to be a good host but had the worst company. I wouldn't wish us to anyone's house that evening. The silence slowly consumed me and my thoughts of the powder rang in my mind. I didn't know what to do. I knew that any magic was a dangerous thing and I wouldn't risk anything stopping me from rescuing Anna. Despite my love for Atlas, my love for Anna was far greater. I would protect her no matter the cost to myself.