Joceline takes a seat inside the carriage while Caleb mounts his horse. I wait for the carriage to roll again, then I jab Falada in the sides, maybe a little too hard, to get him to walk behind it. Caleb follows, and when we come around the next bend, the carriage stops and Darren jumps down. He disappears along a trail.
Darren re-emerges a minute later and points into the trees. “There’s a clearing at the end of this path. It’s private enough. We’ll wait here for you. Please scream if anything happens, and Caleb and I will come.”
I slide down from Falada’s back. “Thank you, we won’t be long.”
Joceline gets out of the carriage holding a gold chalice. “Would you like a drink, Your Highness?” She steps onto the path, and I follow her, smiling.
At the end of the trail, we emerge into a small clearing as promised. Joceline glances around. I wait for her to speak, or do something, because she is the one casting the spell, and if I’ve learned anything from my mother over the years, it’s that the spell caster is the one who has to make the decisions.
Or perhaps that’s just my mother.
Joceline goes to the edge of the stream and dips the cup into the water. She sits on a rock by the water’s edge and waves me over. I brush the dirt off another rock and settle beside her, adjusting my skirt so it doesn’t fall into the water.
“What happens now?” I ask.
“We need something to offer,” she says. “A personal item.”
“My belongings are in the carriage.”
“It doesn’t matter what it is. It can be anything. And you can keep it. We just need to put it in the water as we say the spell.”
“I have the handkerchief you made me.” I pull the small square of fabric out of my corset.
“And I have a ribbon.” Joceline pulls the tie from her hair. She also takes a small dagger from the folds of her skirt.
“What’s that for?” I ask, leaning away from it.
“The blood.” She looks at me with her eyebrows raised. “We need blood from each of us for this to work.”
“Right.”
My palms go sweaty. I twist my fingers into the fabric of my skirt. My stomach flops, and queasiness settles into it. What am I doing? Is this going to work? Can I really become Joceline, then do as I please? There’s no harm in trying. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll just have to accept the fact I’ll be a bride before my twentieth birthday.
Joceline sets the chalice and the dagger on the rock between us. “Ready?”
“Ready,” I reply before I can run away screaming that I don’t want to do any of this.
She takes a deep breath and stares into the chalice. “You are me, I am thee, and to this switch we both agree.” She drops her ribbon into the water and motions for me to do the same with my handkerchief.
“A parting gift in exchange, a drop of blood will seal this change.” She grabs my hand, pricks the tip of my finger, making me wince, then pricks hers and holds it over the chalice. Her blood drips in, and I copy her before sticking my finger in my mouth and sucking on the tip.
“Not a person can be told of this promise we uphold. I am thee, and you are me, unless we both agree in turn, to drop the mask and return.” Joceline dips her finger in the chalice and stirs the water. She pulls my hand away from my mouth and puts my finger in the chalice as well.
I stir the water, anxiety squeezing my chest, and stare into the chalice. Our faces reflect back at us, distorted by the swirling surface of the water. Did it work? What if it did? I’m going to look like Joceline. I will have to pretend to be my maidservant.
What have I done?
I pull my hand away and bump the chalice. It tumbles off the rock and into the stream, wedging between two river stones. The ribbon and the handkerchief slip out and float away on the trickling water.
“Oh, no!” I jump to my feet.
Joceline’s eyes are wide and her mouth open. “I’m sure it’s fine,” she blurts. She reaches in to retrieve the chalice. “The spell should still work.”
I sit back on the rock and twist my hands together in a knot. I’m not only worried about what we’ve done but also losing the handkerchief. Mother cast a spell to protect me using it and my hairpin. What will happen now that I’ve lost half of what she enchanted? I turn to Joceline to voice my worries, but my words fall dead on my tongue. She stares at me, her mouth forming an O. I try again to speak, but no sound will come out.
My hands shake as I lift them to my face, touching my lips and my cheeks. They feel different beneath my fingertips. Rounder and not as angular. I twist a lock of hair around my finger and stare down at the strands. They are no longer curly like they should be. Joceline puffs out a breath, and I stare back at her face—my face—as though I’m staring into a mirror.
Chapter Four
JOCELINE OPENS AND closes her mouth a few times.
“You ... I ... look like a fish.” I cover my mouth. “And I sound like you!”
“It worked,” she squeaks in my voice. “I can’t believe it.”
My mouth drops open, and I probably look like a fish as well. “What do you mean?” I stammer. “I thought you said it was a simple spell?”
“It’s okay. Calm down. Everything will be fine.”
I take a few heaving breaths. What have I gotten myself into? Why did I let her do this? What was I thinking?
Joceline looks like me!
I look like her.
We sound like each other.
“Do you feel any different?” Joceline asks.
I frown. Different? “No, I don’t think so. I mean, it’s disorienting looking at you ... me. You as me ...”
“Yeah, it’s weird.” She grins. “But now, we can go to Rivergate, and you won’t have to marry the Prince if you don’t want to.”
Nodding, I get to my feet. “We should go.”
When I take a step away from the water, my knees buckle, and I sit heavily on the rock again. I don’t look, or sound, like me anymore. But I’m still the same person. And Joceline said we can reverse the spell any time we want.
I stand again, and this time I don’t stumble.
“Princess Aria?” Caleb calls. “Your Highness? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine,” Joceline replies in my voice.
I search the trees to check if he’s come close enough to see us, but he hasn’t. “We won’t be long,” I add in Joceline’s voice.
“Wait,” Joceline says, following me across the clearing. “We need to swap our clothes. I know men aren’t the most observant sometimes, but Sir Caleb and Sir Darren may notice we’ve switched dresses.”
“Well, they wouldn’t think we’ve switched faces.” I stare at Joceline, then I burst out laughing.
She joins in, giggling at first, then laughing so hard she hiccups. We laugh together until we’re crying.
“Your Highness? Joceline?” Caleb calls again.
I take a deep breath to calm my laughter. “Coming!”
Joceline helps me out of my corset and gown and lays them on the ground. Her dress is far simpler than mine, and she gets it off easily. She helps me into the burgundy dress and plain black bodice that laces up the front. It’s so much lighter than what I’m accustomed to wearing. The fabric is thin. I shiver and rub my arms. Does this dress keep Joceline warm, or does she always feel the cold?