Theresa had not realized how tired she felt until she reached the comfortable room she had been assigned. For the first time since escaping Francine, Theresa had a room entirely to herself.

She did not know where Daphne was situated and for once Theresa truly did not care. Her sister was likely with Sir Thomas and Theresa would find her soon enough.

The maid left and Theresa discovered that all of her borrowed possessions from Wildwood were already in the wardrobe, most likely thanks to the maid who had accompanied them.

She selected a nightgown, changed with some difficulty and crawled into bed. She truly was exhausted and there was little enough for her to do before their meeting with the king the next day. She closed her eyes and tried to drift off into sleep.

Theresa could feel a sort of heavy feeling on her chest and her mind felt disconnected. She had a niggling feeling of unease in the back of her neck, as if all her hair was standing on end.

She was certain something was wrong. Perhaps there was something she had forgotten. The world around her seemed murky and insubstantial.

She decided to get up and find out what was the matter. Lying in bed would do nothing to solve potential problems. She tried to move her arm, but found it quite unresponsive. She pushed harder with her whole body and nothing moved.

She was paralyzed.

Long moments of panic flew by as she tried to comprehend what was wrong with her body with a fuzzy mind. This had happened to her before, but Wildwood had no cause to interfere with her movements when she was lying bed.

There was only one wizardress who might have a reason to inflict such magic upon her, but what even might Francine gain from this?

It did not feel exactly like paralyzation, however. It felt different, like the true problem was in her mind.

If it was coercive magic, it was stronger than before. Francine was clearly putting more power into the spell so Theresa could never escape again.

Theresa could feel her stomach heaving and she thought she might be sick. She did her best to remain calm.

Finally there was a knock at the door and a maid entered the room. She asked if Theresa needed help getting dressed.

Theresa's mouth agreed. Theresa could barely comprehend what was happening. Her body moved as if she was merely a drowsy spectator in her own mind.

Once ready, Theresa was escorted by Wildwood towards the throne room.

"We're early, Lady Theresa. Might I have a word with you?" he asked.

She agreed but her mouth did the talking.

He led her to a small sitting room and sat down with her on a settee.

"Lady Theresa, I must confess something. I have admired you since the moment that I returned you to human, and I should like to spend the rest of my life with you, if you'll have me."

Even in her dizzy and fearful state, Theresa's heart danced happily in her chest. She realized the idea of his regard pleased her greatly, though she had been loath to admit it before.

"I'm sorry, Lord Wildwood. I cannot return your feelings," she heard her mouth say, as she had rejected so many suitors before.

Theresa panicked in her mind. She wanted to dissolve into tears and tell him that she was being controlled again, but her treacherous eyes would not even tear up.

"I appreciate everything that you have done for me, my lord. I suppose our close association has given you the wrong impression of my feelings."

She wanted to shut her mouth, scream, slap her own face, bang her head against the wall, anything to signal that something was wrong. She did none of those things. Anything to let him know that she was not in control of herself.

"I understand my lady. You are safely in the king's protection, so I will take my leave. If you have need of me, you can find me at my estate."

"Thank you, Lord Wildwood," her mouth said politely. He left.

Theresa wanted to run after him and somehow fill the aching void in her life, but instead she demurely shook out her skirts and made her way to the throne room.

She stood before the king and she said all the wrong things. Francine was given back control over Theresa's and Daphne's fortunes. Theresa wished that she was dead as her mouth politely thanked the king.

* * * * *

Theresa sat up in her borrowed bed, covered in a cold sweat.

It was all just a mixture of memories, a dream, a nightmare.

Theresa was shaking. It was merely her worries coming alive in her mind.

She wanted to talk to Wildwood. Unfortunately the queen had monopolized him.

It was ridiculous to feel jealous because he was talking with his cousin. That nonsense was probably just an after affect of her nightmare.

Obviously, she really wanted someone to take care of her, or she was feeling guilty because she had imposed upon Wildwood for so long, or perhaps her sleeping mind was suggesting that she marry to remove Francine from control.

It was an absurd idea. Francine would never give her permission for Theresa to wed anyone, even if there was someone who would look in such a way towards her. Again, her only hope lay with the decisions of the king.

Analyzing her nightmare was getting her nowhere. Theresa looked around the room. Light was streaming in the windows, showing the day had already dawned. She gave a pull to the bell pull and waited. A few moments later her maid entered the room.

"Did you call for me, my lady?"

"Yes. Please help me dress," Theresa said. The maid helped her into her clothing and did up her dress at the back. Theresa sat silently while the maid did her hair.

"Are you aware of the whereabouts of my sister, Lady Daphne?" she asked. Theresa did not feel like being alone.

"I believe she said she would be with Sir Thomas, my lady."

Of course. Theresa did not know why she had bothered asking.

"I see. Do you know where they are?"

"I am afraid not, my lady."

Typical.

Theresa did not want to sit in her room and wait the entire day. She had to think of some way to busy herself. "Is there a library?" she wondered. At least books were a slight distraction.

"Yes, and I even know where it is, because I passed it several times yesterday, my lady. Shall I show you?" offered the maid.

"Please," agreed Theresa.

The maid led her through the halls of the castle and Theresa was careful to watch where they went. She was reasonably sure she would be able to get back to her room.

They turned a corner and Theresa lifted her eyes and saw her aunt.

Francine was walking down the hall in the opposite direction. Theresa felt as if time stopped.

Francine merely smiled kindly and nodded her head at her niece as she passed.

Theresa's stomach was instantly full of knots. She was thrown back into the nightmare she had come out of so recently.

How would she ever escape if Francine began to control her again?

Theresa suddenly realized that she had stopped dead in the hallway. The maid was still walking, and Theresa hurried to catch up.

Theresa wondered if she could ever be truly free of Francine.

* * * * *

The royal library was quite large. Theresa dismissed her maid. Theresa just wanted to be alone for a few minutes.

As soon as the library doors swung shut, Theresa found a chair in a corner and collapsed into it. She was shaking.

Even just seeing Francine seemed to turn her into a sniveling coward, she thought with growing anger at her own frailty, the situation, and most of all her aunt.

She preferred anger to the horrible fear she felt whenever she remembered being controlled. Her dream had been awful and brought it all to the surface, the horror was still fresh in her mind.

Her dream had not been truly accurate. If Francine used compulsion magic on her, she probably would not even know enough to be upset. Everything would be hazy.

It was only after she had broken out of her aunt's spell last time that she truly appreciated the atrocity her aunt had inflicted upon her. Francine had stolen her will, her personality, and had left her an empty shell for years of her life. She had been nothing more than a mindless puppet on her aunt's string.

Or perhaps she had known, deep down that she was being suppressed. Perhaps her time had been like a nightmare, horrifying while she was in it, but quickly forgotten once she woke up. Had she spent the whole time knowing, but forgotten when she was finally freed?

The thought was too horrible to think about. She had to keep Francine from controlling her ever again.

But for now, to distract herself, Theresa grabbed a random book off a nearby shelf and opened it to the middle.

Potions of Love

Love potions are commonly used to captivate a subject usually against the subject's will using magically manufactured emotions. Subjects in the presence of the potion's user often experience feelings of joy, excitement, contentment, trust, jealousy, and obsession as long as the spell remains in effect. However, the effects vary with the subject in question.

Potions of love are relatively simple to make, as most recipes call for common and inexpensive ingredients and require a charm of only moderate difficulty. Indeed, a charm of love or enthrallment could be cast on simple water, however, in such case; the effects of said potion last only briefly and it must be used nearly immediately or the spell may lose its efficacy.

Rose oil and mint extract are often used in said potions due to both their pleasant odors and their longstanding abilities as magic retainers, that is, substances that increase the length of time that a charm is efficient. Snake oil may also be used, but it is far more difficult to convince or trick an unwilling subject into drinking a more unpleasant flavored potion. Salt in conjunction with the other magic retaining materials may also increase the length of time that a potion may retain its magic, but like snake oil it can (in certain cases) have the undesired effect of making the subject resistant to consuming the potion.

Ideally, when one wishes to cast a love charm upon an unsuspecting subject, it is best to find an appealing method. Love charms can also be cast upon certain food items. The juice of apples is moderately effective for retaining charms of love and can be easily added to many dishes. It is important that the apple juice remain raw as cooking apples changes the chemical composition of the fruit causing it to lose the desired retention property. When adding apple juice based love potions to cooked foods it is also important that the food has sufficiently cooled.

Magic potions are the most effective when made specifically for the person who wishes to use them to entrance their subject. The length of the effect of the potion also varies due to the magical traits of the ingredients, the skill of the caster, and the difference between the emotion caused by the potion and the true emotions of the subject.

An effective charm of love can be found on page ninety six. An effective charm of enthrallment can be found on page one hundred and one. Common recipes for creating potions of love can be found on page one hundred and eighty. Common errors when concocting potions of love can be found on page two hundred and sixteen.

Disclaimer: Kingdoms and countries may vary in their regulations and laws regarding the use of potions of love. The author bears no responsibility for any negative repercussions which the reader may incur upon following the instructions in this book.

"Love potions?" Theresa heard Wildwood ask, his tone amused.

She jumped.

"Seems your interests are expanding."

She glanced up. He was smiling wryly. She had not heard him come into the library. "It was the first book I grabbed."

"I understand."

She felt awkward, so she commented, "I did not know that you could make love potions."

"I can't. Potions are external magic, the stuff of witches and warlocks," he explained.

"Theresa nodded. She remembered reading about the types of magic. "You never do external magic?" she asked.

He sat down in a chair next to hers as he answered. "The literature suggests that the two types of magic do not mix well together. My magic comes from inside of myself."

Theresa nodded. "So wizards can't make people fall in love?"

He answered with a sort of slightly affronted dignity that Theresa thought amusing. "Wizards can do anything that a warlock could do and much more."

In spite of everything she worried about, she could not help smiling.

"So you could make someone love you?" she wondered.

Wildwood paused. "For a time I, or rather, a wizard could influence someone's feelings. They would feel something like love during the time the wizard maintained the spell, but they presumably would not if the wizard allowed the spell to wane. Whether or not it truly would be love is anyone's guess. Like wine, it can make you feel relaxed for a time, but the feeling fades once the effects of the wine wear off. Of course, this is all theoretical. I've never attempted."

"I suppose," Theresa agreed vaguely. "Are you here doing more research?"

"Actually, I came looking for you."

"Really?" she asked and then bit her tongue when she realized how pathetic she sounded.

No matter the part of her nightmare he played, she did not need Wildwood, or anybody. She flipped the book shut in her hands and glanced at the cover. "Charms and Curses of a Most Lucrative Nature" shone up at her in gold lettering.

"I thought you might appreciate a chance to accompany me and the Wizard Jim to Rothforth's Magical Academy," he suggested.

"Isn't that where you went to school?"

"Indeed it is."

"I would like to go," she said, privately thinking that she would be happy to go anywhere which was farther from Francine than she was at the moment.

Going with Wildwood did not make the prospect sound better at all, she informed herself firmly.

To distract herself she asked, "What do you think we will find at Rothforth's?"

"The greatest magical library in the country."