A Touch of Magic

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

Night Cast

Age 17

The moon often reminded me of myself. Distant, mysterious, untouchable. Except for tonight. With NightShade curled up in my lap, I watched its bright and calming glow. My nose relished the sweet scent of night and freshly fallen rain.
With the wedding only one year away, Hazel had been working nonstop to perfect every detail.
"Darling, there are maids for this."
I had told her. She, however, wanted to be the one in charge of making sure everything was perfect. As a result, I had barely seen or spoken to her in weeks. Hazel didn't seem to mind.
I laughed softly. I believe even Prince Mildred was tiring of her antics as he would often seek shelter and peace of mind in conversations with me.
Tonight was one such night as his past twelve hours purely of taste testing more than fifty different cake flavors and giving descriptions of exactly how each one tasted.
So I wasn't surprised when he came by and sat under the weeping willow tree with me. I laughed in spite of myself when he came near. He looked even more drained than usual today.
"My advice is to change your name and sail across the ocean."
I said as he sat down next to me. He laughed. First time all day. Yes!
"I wouldn't want my fiance to send out a search party for me or assume I was murdered."
I hated it when he reminded me that they were engaged. It wasn't like I didn't know, but having him say it out loud made it feel real.
"What's wrong?"
I asked.
"Were none of the cake samples to your liking?"
I teased. Anouther laugh.
"We ended up selecting chocolate hazelnut."
I rolled my eyes.
"You both sample over fifty different unique and exotic cake flavors, and she chooses boring old chocolate!?"
He smiled.
"That's exactly what I told her, but she said it's her favorite."
I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.
"You poor thing. How will you survive?"
He didn't respond. His eyes were looking directly into mine, but they seemed to be elsewhere entirely. I sat up.
"What's really bothering you? You haven't been yourself as of late."
He looked up at the endless sea of stars.
"It's terrifying how fast life can change....."
I was still confused.
"Are you not happy that you are getting married to the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?"
I asked. His hand found its way into mine, his fingers twisting around my own. I looked at him in surprise.
"No Night Cast. I would be very happy. Very, very happy."
He stared into my eyes as he said these words. Everything after that happened so fast that I could barely recall in what order they came.
His hands in my hair, his breath on my neck, his quiet whispers... but most of all, his lips connected with mine. The way it all felt so wrong, but all so right at the same time. The look in his eyes, so full of love, so full of desire. A desire I was much too weak to battle.
Before I can think, before I can move, his hands are back in my hair, and his lips are on my neck. I'm lying on the grass underneath the weeping willow tree as we discover each other for the first time.
In the morning I will regret this. In the morning, I will have betrayed my sister.
But the morning hadn't come yet, and my actions were conaslead under the thick blanket of night. Now, I was touchable, reachable, and lovable.