Fake Princess
CHAPTER 7
The room seemed to change, its familiar shape changed until I was not sure I still knew him.
“ What?” i gasp. My esophagus is too small, the air flows less, and I can't breathe. “ How? I don't-I don't-“
The queen hid her face behind her hands, and the king touched her shoulders.
“ We can't just send the princess away, because any evil that is in the prophecy can go looking for her. We have to make it look like we're here, living in a palace. There's a spell,” she said, “ to make you look like the princess to anyone's eyes, be it magic or not. You were chosen because it looks like it will look similar to him growing up. But the spell gave you her birthmark, and a magic charm that would make any nosy witch think you're royal blood. Our daughter. His magic was extremely powerful, forged by the strongest magicians alive at that time. However, now is the time to cast that spell.”
Omar came forward, his hands raised. He did not speak to me as he raised his palm over to my ningku, his gaze black & deep eyes fixed on my face.
I wanted to say, stop, but Omar was already reciting the spell in a slow voice. A spell, I realized, & a difficult spell, because a grain of sweat appeared on his forehead full of wrinkles.
A golden cloud formed around me, making it difficult for me to see. I tried to say no, but it couldn't be said. The golden cloud suddenly looked brighter, and something that I did not even notice its presence, came loose, like a cloak that fell on the floor. Then, the golden cloud faded, and Omar retreated, his hands pressed against his chest.
Trembling I stretched out my left arm, twisting it until my palm was facing up. I've had birthmarks for as long as I can remember. Three small reddish dots that almost formed a triangle on the inside of my arm, just below the elbow curve. I saw it for myself, the marks were fading, slowly disappearing until only the skin remained spotless.
“ That's a trick,” I said, but slowly.
“ But a trick to deceive the world. So it can definitely trick you too.”
For a moment her face softened, and I felt the urge to run up to her, just like I did when I was a child. However, disappearing again, he turned into the face of the king, not mine.
“ Who knows?” I asked bland.
“ Very little.” He pointed at the two witches.
Omar was still panting, Melani clasped his arm anxiously, but the man looked up at the king's words.
” We came to Omar, but this is Melani's plan. Even then he showed his talent. They & Tanos, the head of the campus librarian & a truly great magician, created the spell & cast it. Once every few years one of them renews his spell as it begins to weaken, then removes your memory of the renewal of the spell. Since Tanos died seven years ago, only Omar & Melani knew all of this, until recently. Even Ronald only found out today.”
“ And sang ...” I fell silent, unable to finish the sentence, unable to name the name I thought was mine.
It seems the king knows what I am about to say. “ Diana grew up in an orphanage near here, Melani took her to that place a few days after her birth. He believes himself to be an orphan, but has a noble guardian. Everyone believes the same thing. She was given a noble education, well taught as a princess should have received.