Spellbinders Secret

Stronger

Callum swung his sword at the knight in front of him. Sweat glistened on his forehead like diamonds. The sun beat down on him, making it uncomfortably hot, but never once did he relent. After all, he wouldn't be able to give in when he rescued Ella. 

Bearing that in mind, his sword thrusts became more aggressive, surprising the amour clad knight and knocking him to the ground. The knight's sword fell soundlessly onto the green grass, which was now the same emerald colour as her eyes had been. Three weeks. Three torturous weeks and everything he looked at still reminded him of her. 

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him. 

"Wow! That was so amazing! I feel safer now," an annoyingly familiar voice whispered, in what she thought was a seductive voice, in Callum's ear. To him, it was like a pesky fly; bothersome and meaningless. Callum ripped himself away from Cynthia's hold and walked away, both fury and loss crashing together within him, like waves in storm. 

Ever since that horrible night, Cynthia seemed to think that Callum was available, especially for the likes of her. No matter how many times he'd told her that he wasn't interested, she continued to pester him. Honestly, Callum wasn't sure why, in spite of his Mother's obvious hatred of Cynthia, that they'd let her stay at the palace- an offer Cynthia readily took. But every time Callum had asked about it, his parents would say; "but it would be rude to turn her away, wouldn't it?" and then they'd just continue on, as though nothing had happened. 

"Oh Callum..." her irritatingly sweet voice called out across the practice fields. He kept walking, as though he hadn't heard anything. In truth, he wished he hadn't. "So I was thinking... a nice dinner watching the sunset would be romantic, right?" Cynthia continued to titter, not getting the message Callum was so clearly sending. 

"Yes, it would be, but not with you," he replied dryly. Cynthia glared at him. No matter how many times he told her he didn't want to be hers because his heart belonged to another, she just sniffed and said something she would come to regret time and time again. Why? Because she would always say something about Ella. 

"Oh, you mean with the wretch, don't you?" she snarled. Callum's fist tightened around the hilt of his sword. 

"No," Callum said calmly, an Cynthia's expression changed from that of fury to curiosity. 

"Who then?"

"The one and only love of my life. Her name is Ella, in case you were wondering," he snapped. "Now leave me alone!" he yelled at her. Cynthia gathered her signature golden gown and walked away in a huff. Callum wasn't exactly worried about hurting her feelings by this point; he knew she'd be back. She always was. In a way, she reminded him of those human wack- a- mole games. Just as you'd hit the mole, it would spring right back up again, completely fine and unharmed. 

Unfortunately for her, he was going to ensure that she didn't get another chance to come back. 

***

He entered the throne room, ignoring the black cloaked, old women in the center of the room, but instead, turned his attention to his parents, sitting on the thrones. They looked up as he strode across the marble floors, smiles of delight and relief on their faces. 

"Ah, Callum. We were just about to send a page boy out to find you," his father greeted him warmly. Callum frowned. His father's tone was missing its usual edge of caution that he'd gotten used to whenever his parents had spoken to him over the past few weeks. They always acted as if they were treading on broken glass round him. Sometimes he felt like a bomb, ready to explode at any moment, but he'd save that for Arran. When he came face to face with his monster of a brother, he'd make him pay for everything; starting with Ella. 

"Well, I came here to ask you to send Cynthia back to Slolaria. I can't take it anymore. She's driving me nuts!" he exclaimed. Much to his surprise, the King and Queen nodded in agreement. 

"Of course. We think we may have found a solution to your problem as well..." his mother ventured carefully. Callum's face lit up. Were they going to help him get her back? His father coughed loudly, taking over. 

"We know that you've been training so that one day soon, you'd be able to rescue her," he said. Callum nodded eagerly. It was no secret that he was going to the Kingdom of Nightmares so he could rescue Ella. "But your mother and I... we think it's too dangerous."

Callum stilled. He didn't like where his father was going with this. 

"And... to be honest son, Ella's a lost cause. Yes, she saved your life, but that's her job. It literally says in the contract of the responsibilities of a Protector that she was supposed to take care of you by any means necessary, and she more than fulfilled that, even at great personal cost-"

"So you're just going to treat her like she's dead? Like she never was? Well guess what? She's alive and I'm going to rescue her, whether you like it or not," Callum protested. The King and Queen looked taken aback. They'd expected him to be upset, not angry. 

"Callum, I know you care for her, but-"

"Care for her? I love her!" he snapped. 

"Callum!" His father yelled. Callum straightened, shocked by his own actions. 

"Yes, you may have loved her, and whether you like it or not, you're staying here and that's that. You are the Prince of Emerald, and you have a responsibility to your people. That doesn't mean to say we won't give you something to ease the pain," the King explained, his eyes wandering to the old woman. Callum stared at her, trying to hide his confusion, but failing miserably. 

"Who's that?" he asked, fear and bewilderment creeping into his voice. 

"That is Elder Wise. She's a Matchmaker. They're people who have a gift, like Ella. But, unlike Ella, their gift is the ability to see who people's Matches are," The Queen explained uneasily. Callum felt as if a cold stone had been dropped into his stomach. It sat there, weighing him down, anchoring him to the spot. His tongue felt dry and palms became sweaty. 

"A-and what if it's her?" he asked shakily. 

The King and Queen stiffened. Apparently this hadn't occurred to them. The King cleared his throat.

"On the off- chance that Ella might be your Match, I will allow you to find her. No one, not even Selena de Argent, can keep a Perfect Match apart," he negotiated. Callum breathed in. Soon, in just a few seconds, he would learn who he was meant to love for all eternity. Too say he was nervous was an understatement.

"I agree."