Eva's Journal

CHAPTER TWELVE

Eva's view

I rode slowly taking in the night's air. The sky was clear and the stars sparkled above me. I leaned back on my horse staring at the perfect nature surrounding me. Tears dripped slowly from my eyes staining my face. I hated that I left Anna and I didn't tell her what happened. I should have told her everything but I still didn't understand it all. I would talk to Agatha and get her to tell me everything she knew.

Once we entered the small village, I got off my horse and took off all my things. I left my heavy books behind to protect my steed. Once the saddle was off, he walked to a patch of grass and settled down. I carried the bags into the house and dumped them on the floor of where my room would be. The bed looked more inviting than the pile of stuff and soon I was asleep on it.

The sweet smell of my mother's cooking lingered in my room. I got up stretching my muscles and walked out of my room into the kitchen.

"Morning, my child. I didn't even hear you come in last night." She turned away from the stove, smiling at me. It caused me to smile back and I sat down at the table, which collapsed the chair. I landed in the pile of wood with a thump.

"I think you need to fix the house, mother." She laughed and handed me a plate of bread, meat and beans. I ate it on the floor as she sat on the only good chair in the house.

"Well today, maybe I can teach you how to use your magic." I choked on my bacon.

"I have magic?" She laughed and nodded. I stared down at my hands and wondered if I had ever used magic before and I didn't realize it.

"Mother, I need you to tell me why the king did everything to us and Anna." She sighed pondering as I took her empty plate and placed them on the sink.

"Okay, I will tell you. I will teach you how to use your magic and then tell you the story of what happened."

We spent the day practising my magic which was a pale purple like my mothers and her telling me about the curse.

My first task was to fix the chair I broke. Agatha said it was a simple spell as I just needed to bind the wood together. She showed me how to do it, even without her magic, and then I followed her example. I knew my face was strained as I concentrating hard.

She spoke and watched me mend the chair. "When the king came to me, he promised that you would be taken care of. I didn't realize he would take you away from me but when I cursed you, my magic was gone, leaving us defenceless. He took you and used you as leverage to stop your father from invading the land. The king of Borealis threatened he would kill you if Leopold ever invaded. He believes to this day that I am dead, killed by the king and you are living in the kingdom. I am too ashamed to go to him and tell him what I did. I can't forgive myself for it." She slumped into the chair shaking her head. I couldn't imagine what she had been through.

"Why didn't you come back for me?" she sighed and looked at me.

"I was afraid. I didn't know if you would want to see me or if you would ever be ready to accept such an intense story. Who would want a mother like me?"

When I used the magic to mend the chair, I sat down and took my mother's hands in mine. I smiled at her, wiping the tears from the cheeks.

"You tried to protect me and that's what counts. I always knew I was loved and you are proof of that. We can be happy here together." She smiled and embraced me tightly.

"You fixed the chair, Eva! Well done sweetheart." I looked down and realized I had. I didn't even notice at first. We embraced again and Agatha showed me more things for me to fix. Soon as the day wore on, I fixed up the whole house, including the broken gate out the front. I was exhausted by the end of the day but I finally had fixed the home and what felt like my heart. I stepped outside and looked at the houses and then at my home. It finally fit in with the village and I smiled. I looked over and saw my horse still grazing. He looked very at home and I felt hope for once in my heart.

The next day I wandered into the village collecting foods for the pantry that I rebuilt the previous day. In the small village, I saw Olivia walking into the post office. I quickly followed behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Wow! Eva, you're here!" we embraced and she smiled brightly at me.

"How is everything? I haven't seen you in what feels like so long. We hardly had time to speak when you came over last week." I smiled at her and planned to meet up with her in the evening for dinner. She spoke to the post lady who was handing out any letters or packages from nearby villages.

"Excuse me, do you live in the house on top of the hill?" I nodded at her and she got out a letter, addressed to me. I took it wondering what it could be, thinking it was probably an invitation to Anna's wedding. I pushed it down into the bag of food and walked back up to the house.

Agatha was pacing in the room holding something in her hand. She decided she was going to sort out my clothes so she can buy me more, which I tried to refuse. I put my bags down on the table and watched her mutter under her breath.

"Mother? Is everything okay?" I asked her making her jump.

She showed me the invitation to Anna and Atlas' wedding. I pondered before taking it from her hand. That was what Anna put in my bag.

"Please go, Eva. You need to find your happiness." I sighed before aggressively putting away all the food I collected for the day.

"I already told you that wasn't going to happen. They believe they are soulmates. It is nothing to do with me. They love each other. Atlas will never love me." I took the letter from the bag and hid it inside my cloak, not wanting mother to find it.

"What about me? If you break this curse, I will be restored and have my magic back. I will be able to marry your father, and you Eva will finally have everything you were destined to get. You will get your family and your soulmate." She was beyond angry and I, being as hot-headed as my mother was angry too.

"I already told you. It's your choice to not go back to Leopold. Do not put that one on me. Maybe if you thought clearly before, we would already have everything." I screamed out. My body fizzed with the instant regret of my words and Agatha looked down to the floor. I breathed loudly, my chest rising and falling fast as I tried to control my anger.

"I didn't mean it, mother. I am so sorry. I think this letter," I pulled out the letter from my cloak and placed it on the table, "is from Atlas. If he tells me, he feels the same way then I will fight for him. If it isn't then I won't. But for now, I am going to Olivia's for dinner. I won't be back late."

She took the letter from my hand and put it on the table in between two pots, one filled with the purest white snowdrops and another an exotic purple flower. The two pieces of paper filled my mind, knowing they held multiple futures, dependent on what was said.