The Emery Chronicles: The White King's Woman (FIRST BOOK)

Chapter 4

Chapter Four- The Love Spell

The full moon glowed brightly in the skies, and many stars were sprinkled across the dark blue sky. Arwen and her mother made their way to the river on the border of Brigantia and Augustia, the Black Summer Realms. The grass beneath their feet was wet with dew and spring showers from earlier in the day. Flowers of every color bloomed across the path, and insects of all kinds sang in the night air.

Arwen breathed in the fresh scent of nature, and of the rain that had poured earlier. She loved Springtime. She couldn't imagine living in one of the other Realms. Augustia would be too hot for her, with no rain and humid air. Aspentia would be too windy and cool, and no flowers or plants would ever bloom in the hard, cracked Autumn soil. And Soyaltia was completely out of the question; Arwen could never live in a place permanently covered in snow. Arwen felt a new appreciation for her Springtime home, and decided that what she was doing was a good thing. She had to help the king win so that pure, White, Springtime would rule.

Bianca and Arwen reached the river. It was long and wide, the other side a good twenty miles away. Even from the distance, Arwen could feel the difference in the air. On the side of the river she and her mother were standing on, it was damp and cool and alive with nature. On the other side, Arwen could feel the humidity in the Summer night air.

"Take out the supplies while I draw the circle." Bianca instructed. Arwen threw the bag she was holding on her shoulder to the ground and began taking the supplies out. As she did this, her mother began to trace a large circle in the cool soil near the river.

When the circle was drawn, her mother went towards the north and drew an X on that part of the circle, then placed a burning yemonja root candle on the X and chanted, "We call our witch sisters from the north; send us your power to draw in the King, should his heart be unwilling." She moved clockwise, drew another X and placed a burning heartsease candle and chanted, "We call our witch sisters from the east; send us your power to help the King love Arwen." She moved clockwise again, drew an X and placed a burning apple scented candle and chanted, "We call our witch sisters from the south; send us your power to to again help the King fall in love." Lastly, Bianca moved clockwise, drew an X and placed a burning plaintain herb candle and chanted, "We call our witch sisters from the west; help bind these powers and make them stronger."

Arwen grabbed the jar of salt she had with her and began sprinkling it so it traced the circle. "Accept this salt and the rain water embedded in the soil, to purify our spell."

Bianca went to a nearby tree and pulled a piece of its bark off. The piece was small in length, but wide, so it looked like a sort of plate. "Thank you for giving us your offering." Bianca whispered to the tree. She brought the bark to Arwen. "Now, we must place the ingredients onto this bark and place it in the middle of the circle."

Arwen placed a sprig of blessed thistle, to raise power; ginger root for incense; a bit of witch hazel for stronger power; and slices of green and red apples for love onto the bark. Lastly, she had to place a stone on top of all of it.

Arwen took out the two stones she had brought with her: one was an amethyst crystal and the other was a heart shaped rose quartz crystal. The rose quartz on its own would cause the King to merely be attracted to Arwen, but if she placed both the crystals together, he would fall completely in love with her on first sight. Bianca took the two crystals and was placing them on the bark with the other ingredients, when Arwen reached out and stopped her.

"What is the matter, darling?"

"It's just... Mother, I'm going to marry him. And I want at least some of his feelings for me to be true."

"But we cannot risk him not marrying you! We have to place both the crystals together so he will fall completely in love with you."

"But he'll be under a spell! It can still work if we only place the rose quartz on there. He will be attracted to me, but if he ever tells me he loves me, I will know that he really means it. He won't be saying it just because I cursed him to."

"This is not a curse, child. It is a pure spell." Bianca scolded. "We don't have time for him to fall in love with you later on. He needs to marry you right away. You are a simple child of sixteen, what do you know of love? Trust me, child, it is best for him to just propose marriage right away."

"He will," Arwen put her head down and blushed. Bianca sighed and threw the crystals onto Arwen's lap. She stood up and walked to the center of the circle, preparing for the spell. Arwen knew this was her mother's way of saying it was her choice. She could secure her spell to work if she put both the crystals on the bark, or she could only put the rose quartz and hope the King was attracted enough to propose.

Arwen took a deep breath, breathing in the essence of the power around her and calling for help from the spirits of her witch sisters. She finally decided what she really wanted. She placed the amethyst back in the bag, and put the rose quartz on its own on the bark.

"Let's hope you made the right choice," her mother said irritably, but there was a small smile playing on her lips. Arwen grabbed a dagger, that had been washed in rainwater to purify it, from the bag, and grabbed the bark with all the ingredients on it in her other hand. She walked into the center of the circle.

Arwen placed the bark of ingredients on the ground in the center of the circle, then stood up straight next to her mother.

"You know what to do," Bianca told her. Arwen folded her right sleeve up, and placed the cool dagger against her skin. She said loudly into the night air, "I sacrifice my blood to my witch sisters. Let its essence strengthen your power and aid in our spell." Arwen quickly sliced open her skin, leaving a horizontal cut on the inside of her wrist. She barely flinched as her blood spilled from her wrist and onto the ingredients on the bark. When the ingredients were completely covered in her blood, Arwen used a sprig of jasper herb to rub against the cut on her wrist. She chanted some foreign words in an old witch language as she rubbed the cut, and when she took the jasper off her wrist, the cut was gone.

Arwen and her mother held hands over the bark and ingredients and together chanted, "We call the power of our witch sisters. Help and guide us on this night of the sacred full moon. Help the King of the White Spring Realms of Brigantia, in the heart of Emery, come to Arwen your sister. Let him feel us pulling him closer to our sister, let him love and desire for our sister. Let him consummate their connection, and help our sister as she helps him. We call on our sisters near and far, we call on the Goddesses of Love, Power, and Purity. Do your duty; help your sister!" The candles burned brighter, and the salt's pure scent enveloped the mother and daughter as they cast their spell to capture the heart of the White King.

~