Chapter 24

“For all I know you don’t even have a sister,” King Evander said, “but to be on the safe side I will take your advice and we will stay in disguise as we make our way back to the castle. We will leave now as I already know that the wizard doesn’t come out of his house this time of the day.”
“That is correct your majesty,” the spy says.
“Is there a reason for that?” King Evander asked, signaling his guards to get ready to move out.
“Yes, your majesty. Enchantresses are most powerful this time of the day and if Lacosta is not there to keep her powers under control by using his own powers on her she will escape,” the spay said.
“Good now I have a way to test you,” King Evander said as they made their way back to the castle.
“Good, that is good to know, I will do anything to gain your trust, your majesty,” the spy said, his parents mumbling in agreement.
“You will never gain my trust, not now,” King Evander snorted.
“Tell him,” the spy’s mother whispered.
“Shhh, woman,” her husband hushed her.
“Out with it,” King Evander said.
“Princess, I mean Queen Cerena and her parents are with the wizard,” the spy informed him.
“What?” King Evander exclaimed loudly, drawing attention to them.
King Evander calmed himself and they proceeded to the castle.
Arriving at the castle, King Evander had the spy and his parents locked up.
“Tomorrow you will go to Lacosta as usual but earlier, during the time he normally leaves his house, my guards will grab him with you. If what you say is true your sister should be able to set herself free, right?” King Evader asked, telling the spy his plan.
“Yes, your majesty that is an excellent plan,” the spy agreed.
The following day all went to plan and soon Lacosta was locked up along with the spy and his parents.
King Evander listened to them bickering and wondered if it was all an act.
“Where is your magic now wizard?” King Evander dared him.
“Your majesty, he needs his wand and a few special plants to create magic,” the spy explained when Lacosta refused to speak up.
“I will kill your sister for this, all of you, I will kill all of you!” Lacosta hissed.
“Why did you try to use a paste on Cerena’s face to kill me? Why not just put an invisible spell over yourself and end me like that in my sleep or something?” King Evander wondered.
“I cannot kill while using magic,” Lacosta spat.
“You killed plenty with the slingshot contraptions,” King Evander said.
“They were not under any spell when they started to attack you fool,” Lacosta shouted.
King Evander was about to grab Lacosta through the bars when the spy stopped him, “no don’t!”
King Evander stepped back and away, “why not?”
“Without his wand,” the spy started.
“Shut up you fool,” Lacosta shouted at the spy.
“Without his wand, he cannot do magic unless he has hold of you, skin to skin then he can do some direct magic to you. It won’t kill you but he will be able to control you,” the spy warned.
“You better hope your sister shows up,” King Evander said to the spy, finding himself wanting to trust the spy.
Lacosta ran to the side of his cell where the bars are connected to the cell that the spy and his family are in and pushed his arms through, trying to grab the spy in a raging fit.

King Evander’s men waited patiently for the spy’s sister to make an appearance and when she didn’t, they went to investigate and found the house empty.
“The spy sure did try his luck,” one of the guards said to the other.

EARLIER WHEN LACOSTA DID NOT RETURN
The spy’s sister used her magic and freed herself along with Iris, knowing that she was just a servant girl trapped in a queen’s body as it was her that performed the body swop magic.
“Where do you think you are going?” the princess stopped the enchantress and Iris from leaving.
“Far away from here!” the enchantress fought back and together she put an invisible spell over herself that will also render anyone that touches her invisible. She grabbed Iris’s hand and started to run for the back door but by the time they got out of the house the princess and her parents were all holding on to her, all staring at the guards, watching the house.
“See my parents to safety and I will see to it that Lacosta lets you and your family go,” the princess said.
“Repeat after me; I princess trapped in this body promise by the half-day sun,” the enchantress started what sounded like a magic spell.
“I princess trapped in this body promise by the half-day sun,” the princess repeated after her in a whisper.
“To set you and your family free,” the enchantress continued.
“To set you and your family free,” the princess repeated.
“If I don’t, I accept to be stuck in this body forever.” The enchantress said the last line, making it all seem real even though it was not real.
The princess hesitated for a moment but then said the final line, “if I don’t, I accept to be stuck in this body forever.”
“What about my parents?” Iris whispered with hope.
“I told you once we swop back, I will return you to your parents,” Princess Cerena said, as they all walked away from Lacosta’s house and the king’s guards.
After walking for a while, they reached the outskirts of the kingdom.
“This is where I leave you, I have to go take care of my own family now,” the enchantress says.
“I am coming with you,” Iris said.
“No, you are not,” the princess said, grabbing her, “the king will kill you!”
“He won’t kill me, he loves me,” Iris protested.
“Wake up! He loves my body and that is it. If he knew who you really were he would have burnt you a long time ago,” the princess laughed hysterically.
“She is right my dear. Go back to the castle, kill the king and get us our kingdom back,” the princess's mother pleads with her.
“The enchantress can say that Lacosta kept you both as prisoners,” the princess’s father suggested.
“You will, won’t you?” the princess pleaded.
“Let’s go, they are on their own now,” Iris grabbed the enchantress's hand and pulled her along.
“I will see you soon, I love you both so dearly,” the princess sobbed, embracing her parents.
“Go dear, go, we love you, always,” her parents encourage her to hurry along.
“Will you help me by telling the king who I really am?” Iris asked the enchantress.
“The princess is right, he loves her body, her exterior. If he truly loved her he would have known that the interior is not her,” the enchantress said as they hurried along to the castle.
“Maybe he desired her exterior, but he got to know me as the interior. He never knew her besides what the eye could see, I trust that he will love me still, especially if he cares only for the exterior, right?” Iris questioned, all of a sudden doubting.
“Do you really want to risk it?” the enchantress questioned as her magic started to wear off as the time of day changed.
“The queen!” a guard called out and brought everyone’s attention to them.
The princess quickly grabbed Iris’s hand, “just remember if I die you will never find your parents ever again.”
Iris pulled her hand from the princess.
The guards caught up with them and grabbed them.
“Get your hands off us! I am your queen and these two women are my servants, this woman saved me and you will treat her like gold!” Iris demanded furiously at the way the guards grabbed them.
The guards fell to their knees pleading for forgiveness.
“We were told you ran away with your parents,” one of the guards explained, justifying their behavior.
“I was abducted by the wizard Lacosta,” Iris said, “now escort us to the castle, I need the loving arms of my husband.”
The guards were a bit unsure as to what to do since the king ordered them to shackle the princess on sight.
One guard ran ahead to inform the king.

“Your majesty, the princess is on her way, on her free will with her servant and a woman; she claims the woman saved her,” the guard said out of breath.
“I will be damned; the spy was telling the truth. Go get him and his parents from the dungeons but be sure to stay clear from the wizard,” King Evander said, rushing out of the castle.
King Evander grabbed the nearest horse and got onto it. He didn’t have to run far to reach his queen.
“Run to him,” the princess whispered.
Iris rolled her eyes before looking at King Evander.
‘I truly missed him. Don’t fool yourself, Iris, stick to the plan. Don’t fall in love with the monster,’ Iris told herself as she started to run towards King Evander that got off his horse and when she flung herself into his arms it was as if her whole being felt at peace, loved.
“I am never letting you out of my side ever again, my queen, my love, my everything,” King Evander said after swinging her around. He kisses her, still holding her, not caring that she smells bad or looks bad.
King Evander put her down on her feet, his hands on either side of her face, “why is your servant clean and dressed like a queen but you look like this?”