Forgotten Magic

Chapter 27

I should turn back to me. Sorry. Um...

~ ~ ~

About a week after Nickolas disappeared, he reappeared just as mysteriously. Just...one day he was gone and the next, he was there again. I can't say if I was relieved or annoyed. One one hand, everyone else was usually a bit nicer than him. On the other hand, some of the guards were, in fact, worse than Nickolas. And it was always a draw, every single day, whether they'd be friendly or...not quite so.

So...least to say, I had conflicting feelings when he was just there, in the morning.

But I decided he wasn't worth my time. Instead, I was thinking about running.

No, not about running from the castle. About running from Corona. I was thinking that maybe this was my time to leave. I had always thought there might be a time where I was forced to depart. I could just abandon the life I made here in Corona-with my friends and the black rocks-and leave. Steal the things I needed from houses on the way out. Perhaps travel to Bayangor. I hadn't been there before. I wouldn't be chased. I could visit Taylor, if they were still there. It would be simple.

But then, I thought, I'd be losing it all. I'd be losing the princess, Cassandra, Eugene. I'd be losing Quirin. I'd be losing Varian. My friends. My family.

But when had I not done that?

The answer was I couldn't. I'd simply spent too much time here to leave.

Some arguing caught my attention. I sat up. There was a woman's voice. Sort of harsh. And of course there was Nickolas's. And then silence.

I watched the door intently until it opened. The guard's face peaked in, defeated and tired. "The princess wants to talk to you. You don't talk unless asked a question. And you don't make any sudden movements. Got that?"

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed. And then I realized. The princess?

"Hey Ann."

I heard the door slam shut, and two pairs of footsteps approaching me. I stared at the wall in front of me.

"Hey."

"I didn't know you were here," she told me. I felt the weight shift on the bed and Rapunzel's face peaked into my field of view. "What happened?"

"I, uh, it is...a long story," I answered. "Not much to say. I maybe stole a little. I'm planning to leave. I thought I'd be arrested but, um, yeah."

"Oh...so...when are you going?"

"Um...mmm, probably at the end of the week." I was fibbing, of course. But I didn't know why. "I dunno yet."

"Oh...what-what about Varian?" The princess's face drops. "How is he? He came to me for help and I-"

"Oh...um...well..." I waved my hands around in a 'y'know' sort of way. "He's fine." Another lie.

"A-Alright...i-is there any way I could convince you to stay?"

"No." My answer was blank.

"Oh...well...do you mind if I try?"

"Go ahead, I guess."

That was a mistake.

. . .

The princess came back the next day. She told me she'd heard of a painting class in Corona, and thought it'd be a good way to bond. I agreed, deciding it would be nice to get out of the castle for once.

It took a bit of convincing to get Nickolas to let me go. He would be salty later, but Rapunzel insisted it was worth it.

She led me out if the castle and through town. We ended up at this circus tent in the middle of town. I was a little hesitant to enter.

It was a simple little classroom. In the center was a small table with a hidden object on it. Set around the table were canvases. It seemed alright, I supposed.

"Ah! Rapunzel! You've decided to come." A pale lady with green eyes and dark gray hair tied in braids appeared from the shadows, leaning on a cane with a goat skull at the top. She gave off an eerie feeling as she tapped towards the princess and I. "And who is this? A friend, perhaps."

I noticed how her bright green eyes moved from my face to my hair and to the purple pin in my hair. And how they stayed there.

"Oh, this is-"

I felt a tingle from my pin.

"I-I'm Alice. Alice Cardew," I fibbed quickly.

"A-" Rapunzel began. I gave her a look. "Alice," she finished, "this is Mrs. Sugarby."

"A pleasure," I answered, eyebrows raised.

"Welcome, welcome, my dear," Sugarby replied, eyes still fixed on the pin in my hair. It was the same one I used to hold together my cloak. The same one that glowed when I wanted it to.

I put a hand to the clip and cautiously walked over to join the princess. I had a bad feeling about that self proclaimed art teacher.

Once each easel had been filled, Mrs. Sugarby started the class.

"Good morning students," she greeted everyone, tapping her cane up to the table in the center of the tent. "I have some very exciting news. We have three new students joining us on artistic odyssey. Princess Rapunzel, Alice Cardew, and Lance Strongbow."

"Hi everybody." Rapunzel waved at the rest of the people in the tent. "I can't wait to start learning and get painting!"

"And I'm here to help the princess," Lance Strongbow explains. I hear him mutter "And make some extra cash on the side..."

"And you, Alice?" Sugarby asked in her dreamy voice.

"Oh, I..." I hesitated. "I'm just hoping to get my mind off some recent events."

"Now onto today's subject," the gray-haired lady announced, removing a cloth from a rather old and withered tree in a turquoise pot.

I could hear the princess preparing herself beside me. I, however, kept an eye on Sugarby as I painted. She surveyed the class for a few minutes, skulking behind each student and whispering remarks, and then headed straight for Rapunzel.

"What's the matter?" the old lady asked. "Drawing a blank?"

I listened in on the conversation.

"Mrs. Sugarby, I don't know what it is," Rapunzel admitted. "I have this painter's block. It's like I want to paint, but when I try to...I just can't make a decision."

"Ah yes, I've seen this many times before," Sugarby comforted the princess. "Everyone wants to put their own spin on their subjects, but that can lead to overthinking, dear. There is nothing to think about. No decisions to be made. Just paint the tree exactly as you see it."

"Okay," Rapunzel agreed. "I'll try."

I was thankful I'd given this eerie lady an alias.