'I know what you must do,' said the nanny when they made it to the room. 'When looking for answers, you must listen to the ones who lived a long life and who maybe went through the same trials you are going through now.'

'Who are they?' asked the girl in her old voice.

'They are the wise of the world.'

'But you know I cannot show myself in front of the Council of the Wise.'

'You speak the truth, child. But those are not the wise I was talking about, but others, those who passed on long ago. Maybe you cannot speak to them, but the advice of those who lived before time was made of holy things, priceless, gathered and kept in most suited bowers.'

'The library...' whispered Eliza.

That very night, Eliza decided to begin her search for the book that was to bring her life back. She was determined that, once the cure was found, she would tell everybody the truth, ask for forgiveness, and bear any punishment. Even if that meant giving up her life as a princess. But the words of the witch, that only water from the Fountain of Youth can heal her, ringed inside her head.

When she was ready to go out the door, a wind blast came out of nowhere and blew off the black cloth covering the mirror and she saw herself in all her hideousness. The look of her face made her shiver. After the last song she sang, she had turned into Witch Guzma completely. Same eyes, darker than hell itself. Same disheveled, hemp-like hair. Her whole face was crossed by wrinkles. Her nose became crooked and bent like the beak of an eagle. And her mouth... Her mouth was the ugliest part of her face. The blue lips formed a dark abyss when opened. Her teeth were all gone, so speaking and eating were torture for her. Not only had her face fully transformed. Her body was bent over and a hunch was towering her back. Her skin became ash-like. Hands and feet looked like winding, crooked tree roots.

Eliza let out a short frightening shriek when she saw her image in the mirror. She couldn't recognise her own self. She was living a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. But she knew that whining and lamenting were not much help for her. So she covered up her hideous looks and left the room.

●

The way to the library was long. She had to pass through many floors, being careful not to be seen. But this was difficult ever since the spell stole her youth. She could barely drag her body along and needed a cane to move forward. But getting to the library took her ten times longer than it once did. Luckily, there were fewer guards on that side of the castle. The Prince had asked them to guard the most important rooms of the palace—the Armory Room, the Throne Room, and the Council Room. And, of course, the Prince's chamber.

The light from the candle she took was barely enough to see where she was walking; the entire side of the castle leading to the library was completely owned by darkness. This time, Eliza was comforted by the darkness surrounding her, feeling freer than she did during the day when she barely left her room.

She was finally in front of the library, nudging the door, almost too heavy to be opened. Without sparing a single second, she searched through all the books, one shelf at a time. The deed was now heavier and more troublesome to perform, with no book to magically shine, begging to be discovered. The moonlight shone through the window ceiling so she could read easily. She discovered, one by one, the most curious, weird and unusual books she's ever seen. They opened before her eyes dreamy, fantastic realms, true stories, acts of bravery and cowardice, lost wars, past mistakes, true lessons to teach generations to come. But none of them spoke of breaking a spell as terrible as the burden she was carrying.

Soon, the nocturnal visits became more frequent, a true escape for a tormented soul trapped in a helpless body. And even though the journeys were real adventures, Eliza wasn't giving up. Until the coming of spring, she either had to find the cure or leave the palace and... the Prince forever.

Helped by some pulleys hidden behind the shelves, Eliza managed to bring down dozens of books every night and carefully go through them. She always liked to read, to get lost in those wonderful worlds where only your mind could take you. Even though her father couldn't afford to buy her books, Eliza would borrow them from the few wealthier villagers and read them in a blink of an eye. And now she was happy she could learn so many new things...

One night that seemed like any other, Eliza was heading to the library, as usual. By now, she had decided not to hide her face, as no one was going through that part of the castle.

But this time, she was wrong. Dragging her body and leaning on her cane, Eliza would have frightened even the bravest soldier. Her breath was heavy and wheezy from getting tired and sometimes, she would give out a sigh that could terrify the most courageous heart. So, without notice, she came head to head with one of the servant women who was doing heaven-knows-what that late hour. The woman froze at her sight; but before Eliza could do anything, she gave out the scariest and ghastly scream. The Princess could barely hide behind the secluded columns of a small hall while the entire castle was beginning to rattle with screams and people running about. The guards were alerted, the Prince himself was woken up, and the search began. With the Shadows' threat, it wasn't a big surprise that all lieges were on their toes at every incident. And such a phantasm couldn't have been something good.

Eliza blew off the candle and hid in a corner, like a rabbit being chased by dogs, waiting to be discovered in any second. She heard steps approaching, leaving and coming back again. The steps were getting closer joined by a small flicker of light. When the light became stronger, Eliza covered her face and closed her eyes, waiting. The footsteps stopped in front of her, but she couldn't dare to look. She only felt a hand resting on her shoulder. A hand she could have recognised in a thousand. It was Nanny Ana's.

'Come, child,' she whispered gently, helping her get up. 'Trust me; I'll get you out of here.'

And, covering her gently in a blanket, she took her by the shoulders and made it for her room. They carefully went around the groups that were searching in every corner, then hid in dark recesses and finally arrived. The nanny carefully placed her on the bed and gave her a cup of chamomile tea to calm her down. With every sip, the scare seemed to disappear. When she managed to get her thoughts together, Eliza whispered:

'Now what? What am I going to do, nanny? I still haven't found the book to break the spell. How can I go back to the library without being seen?'

The nanny smiled. 'Don't worry, my girl. From now on I will join you each time and I will watch the library door so that no one disturbs you in your search. But you have to be patient. I know there's not much time left, but we have to wait a couple of days for things to get back to normal...'

●

Nanny Ana was right. After a few days, the concern in the castle lightened. After the servant woman told everyone how hideous was the being she had seen, after everyone expressed their opinion on what it could be and what it could be doing there, the everyday work filled the place for such fears or curiosities. Some thought it could be a lost ghost, others thought that the late hour of the night and darkness might have affected the servant's imagination. Everyone was careful not to mention the Shadows, like the sole mention of their name could be bringing them back.

When the incident was forgotten, Eliza went back to her search inside the library. After reading through hundreds of books, she could now read a book at an amazing speed; so fast, that in a few weeks she went through well over half the books in the library. Of course, besides her mother tongue, all the others were unknown to her. But she examined anyway all symbols and drawings she found in those old books. She even took notes of anything that could be related to the spell she was tortured by. Unfortunately, the books about spells were few and hard to find, tucked away in the darkest corners of the library. That is because the Prince hated anything that had to do with witchcraft and the dark side of the world.

This time, she got help from Nanny Ana so she could focus her attention on her reading, instead of looking out for every sound. The nanny was watching the door while Eliza was picking a heavy book off the top shelf. When she finally made it, she almost let out a joyful cry. Finally, a book on witchcraft left by who knows who on the top shelf. After cleaning the dust off the thick front cover, before her eyes appeared a wizard's staff and hat. She put it on the table so the moonlight landed right on the book. And although the language it was written in was unknown to her, Eliza could understand every word. This truly was a magical book.

After going through about a hundred pages about different spells and cures, one particular page drew her attention. It was a drawing whose colours were washed by the passing of time, yet clear enough to figure out what it was depicting. It was showing a weird being—half young and beautiful girl, wearing an ethereal dress while the other half was old and hideous with eyes as dark as night and a gnarled hand supporting a crane. She turned the page and read on—Spell of rejuvenation.

It was the spell she was looking for. The magic potion, the amulet bracelet, and altered body. Everything was written down, black ink on yellow pages.

After reading every word in a breath, she found what she was looking for—the cure. As nothing is as easy as it seems, this cure was a riddle. Eliza read it only once, and the words were stuck in her head forever:

Find the fairy always near, Find her in the dead of night. And then when your heart is clear You'll be young again, all right.

Eliza looked in her pocket for something to write the riddle down on, although she doubted she would ever forget it. But the notebook slipped through her fingers and fell on the cold floor with a loud thud. Leaning on the big table, she began looking for the faint candlelight. She saw it a couple of steps away. Yet, she had the strangest feeling. A great fear coming over her. As if she was feeling a presence close to her; a presence which made her freeze and her hair rise up with fright.

From where she was standing, she could feel a cold wind blow and noticed that one of the tall windows in the library was open. The draft swelled the curtains; and the curtains took the shape of a human silhouette.

Eliza looked a little closer and, to her terror, what her eyes saw left her speechless. That presence was her. Her young, beautiful self, a little smile at the corner of her lips. Her hair was falling over her shoulders in heavy waves and on her white hands, she was wearing rings with rubies and sapphires. Just like the ones she used to wear a while back. But the eyes, although identical to hers, had a strange shine, showing all the hate that dwelled in the witch's wretched heart. For there was no doubt this was Witch Guzma, enjoying the beauty and youth that were once hers.

'There you are, Eliza,' the Witch spoke in the voice that once belonged to her. 'I see you cannot find rest. You cannot bear the thought that you will never be young and beautiful again.'

Eliza headed for her piece of paper, but the witch pushed it away with the tip of her shoe.

'What do you want from me?' sobbed Eliza in her old voice. 'You got what you wanted already.'

'I want you to stop your worthless pursuit and to be ready to leave this castle once and for all!' cried the Witch. 'No one will ever believe that you are the Princess, now that I am here.'

'I won't let this Kingdom fall into your hands!' said Eliza as determined as she could be. 'Sooner or later, everyone will make out who you really are.'

The Witch burst into laughter, her voice sounding throughout the library, surrounding the girl.

'By then, it will be too late. I will already be Queen and will reign over the Kingdom conquered by your sweet Prince.'

Eliza was shaking. She just realised what the Witch was after the whole time and despair came over her, little by little. The witch stepped closer to study her carefully, shaking her head.

'My, you are ugly... You could scare off the bravest knight. Who do you think can even bear looking at you? You would be better off running away from the castle. Otherwise, you will be locked up in a dungeon never to see the light of day again. And I will personally make sure of this.'

'Why are you doing this to me?' whispered Eliza. 'What have I ever done to you?'

'Who said you ever did anything to me? You see, little girl, I have waited for so long for this; since before you were born... since the day your mother came to see me.'

'You knew my mother?' whispered Eliza, not knowing if she must believe the words of the witch.

'Of course. Your mother, your father, your sister, the father who raised you, all your friends. As I told you when I first met you—I've known you your whole life. I never let you out of my sight.'

Eliza was holding on to the table to be able to stand and not lose balance.

'I have a sister?'

'Let's take it from the beginning. Your mother, the Queen of the Kingdom of Hope, wanted to bear a child. She wanted this so much, she was willing to look for the darkest means to accomplish her dream. I think you are very much alike, for that matter. When you and your sister were born, I showed up to take what was rightfully mine—one of the baby girls. Obviously, the Queen and the King would not agree to this. So I had to take one by force. I took the one that was the loudest. You, that is. I wrapped you in a rug, laid you in a basket and flew off with you in a blink. So fast, that your godmother, the Dawn's Fairy, could not bestow upon you the same gift she offered your sister at birth—the gift of healing through singing.

'But you see, your godmother would not let go on you that easily. She flew off, following me in the middle of the night. I might have gotten away if my robe didn't get caught up in the wheels of a mill, making me drop the basket. The Dawn's Fairy caught the falling basket and laid it on soft ground. That is where you were discovered by that pitiful miller that was to become your father. After he found you, he never left your side, so your godmother considered you were in good hands.'

Eliza was troubled and upset by everything she has just heard. Mara was her sister. The King and Queen were her parents. She had a protecting godmother. But where was she now? Why she never met her?

'I see this comes to you as a surprise,' said the Witch. 'But wait, this is not all. You see, my plan was to replace Princess Mara with you around the time she was to meet the Dark Prince. You were to become Queen and the Kingdom to end up under my reign. It was not a coincidence that I sent out the Shadows to lay the grounds ahead of my arrival.

'As for you, I followed you all your life, but the miller and that boy, Adrian, would not let you out their sight. Something inside you was telling you were a princess. It was your utmost duty. So my plan was fulfilled without me raising one finger. And here we are. 'You see, maybe you didn't have your sister's voice, but you had something of more value—courage and determination. This determination didn't let anything stand in your way. Yet, the same determination was to crumble all your dreams.'

Eliza lost the count of how many new things she was discovering. Her attention was grabbed by a faint noise coming from a dark corner, where candlelight could not reach. Then she heard a most familiar knock and Constantin made his appearance.

Eliza was relieved. 'Most Wise Constantin, before you say anything, please listen to me!'

But Constantin seemed to not even hear her. In slow steps, he headed towards the divan where the Witch laid and took a deep bow.

'Here I am, Mistress. The time has come.'

Eliza insisted, 'Constantin, listen to me. She is not the Princess. I am.'

Constantin looked at her. Then, he said as calmly as can be: 'Of course, she is not the Princess. She is Witch Guzma.' 

Thank you for reading! Please vote, comment, and share Eliza's story with your friend! It would mean the world to me!