“The Story of Jasmine” snippets continue (Scene 2, according to notes):

Again, the nervous horses of the two riders rubbed against each other. Ermengarde* grabbed the mane of Arlet’s steed with her hand. The animals slowed their pace while Ermengarde kept the horse’s hair in her grasp. Ermengarde sighed. There was so little time to prepare for the unknown danger which awaited them.

“Listen,” the old matron tried one more time to reach her, “there is so much you don’t understand… about your mother… about your birth… about me… about a wizard called Erlkyng…”

Arlet replied with the only words she had spoken since late morning, “The dark prince calls me and I must go to him. Nothing else matters.”

Arlet was spellbound. Without knowing the nature of the enchantment, Ermengarde was reluctant to take measures to counteract it. Besides, she had not practiced this type of magic in years.

To end the spell, Ermengarde thought up a simple strategy. Let Arlet meet her “dark prince.” Then, before the princess could be bound by another spell, Ermengarde would intervene magically. Her plan depended upon complete surprise.

To achieve this, she must be dismissed as a feeble old nurse. Ermengarde let go of Arlet’s horse. For sixteen years, she had played the part of an old crone. Nobody knew who she really was. Her chances for success were good.

There was only one unknown, which bothered her. Who had cast this spell, and how? “Oh master,” Ermengarde prayed, “Let’s hope I can handle this charlatan.”

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This page was typed and will be presented in bite-sized pieces.

*Ermengarde is Heta, but we don’t know it yet.

© 2018 DARLENE