Zorander sees the reflection on his side of the mirror begin to change and he knows she has done it. He stands and drops the book he is pretending to read. He has never felt so nervous. Smiling a big, silly smile and holding up a parchment he wrote months ago and expected never to use.

He sees Annaliese come into focus then watches her hands shoot to her face, covering her mouth and, he can just hear it, a gasp must have escaped her lips. Maybe a scream. Unfortunately, sound cannot travel through the portal. It is a vision enchantment only. He sees her walk closer to her mirror and touch the glass. She frowns as she finds it solid. A puzzled look on her face.

Zorander holds up a finger. He speaks softly and a quick note appears on the parchment. He holds it up, walking closer so she can see the smaller print of the longer message

"It's not a doorway we can pass through, Princess. However I do have one more surprise."

After he is satisfied she has had time to read the words, he waves his hand over the parchment and the words disappear. He mouths quietly one more message.

"I left an enchanted parchment like this in the writing desk. Just speak the words you want to write and they will appear. Just say "imago speculo" at the end."

Her eyes widen and she smiles a delighted smile. She has never been more radiant and he has desperately missed her face.

Looking up she shakes her head in disbelief and mouths an over-exaggerated "Thank you" at the mirror. He seems to understand, nods, and locks his eyes into hers.

She feels the blush creep up into her face. Standing in the middle of his bedroom, alone yet looking at his face, she realizes how intimate this moment is. She rushes to the writing desk to find the paper.

She turns back to the mirror to find him watching her intently. She walks to the mirror and mouths over the parchment "This is the most amazing spell. Thank you for giving me the mirror but also letting me brew it myself."

His lips move and she sees his mouth curl into that smirk she has missed.

"I'm impressed", he mouths and the words appear. He waves his hand over them again. "I wasn't sure if you would stick with it each day". Wave.

"Did you cheat and flip ahead." The words appear and he raises an eyebrow at her.

Annaliese shakes her head no and makes a cross over her heart.

"I wanted to but the surprise was worth it... imago speculo."

She shows him the words and walks closer to the mirror. Closer to her sorcerer. She sees him take a step closer as well and places one hand on the glass, leaning casually forward.

She watches his mouth move but his eyes never leave her. The heat rises once again and she takes quick shallow breaths. His hair hangs almost to his eyes, having grown slightly. Otherwise, he looks exactly as he did the day he left. But to Annaliese, he's never been more handsome.

His paper reads "I'm glad you finished it. I'd deny it to anyone else of course but it's not the same practicing magic without you around to distract me."

Annaliese lays a hand on her side of the glass, over the place his hand is resting half way across the world. She sees his gaze move from their hands back to her face and surprise reaches his eyes. Had he been flirting with her? Her eyes meeting his, head slightly lowered so she is looking up at him through dark lashes, she smiles and instructs her paper to read "Visiting your tower every day, reading each message from you, is how I made it through the year. I miss you being here."

His eyes move to focus from her right eye to her left then back again. Searching for something but she doesn't know what. How much more clear can she be? She closes her eyes and leans deeper into the mirror, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. After a moment she stands back up and shakes off this moment, whatever it was. She smiles and says "Can we meet here and talk sometimes? I want to hear all about your time with the council and I don't want to wait until you return".

Zorander backs away slightly and his usual expression returns to his face. He mouths and the words appear "Yes well I'm sure we can arrange something but I'm very busy here you know so I can't make any promises."

There's the Zorander she knows. Except now she knows he doesn't mean that. All of this effort? He will make time for her. He probably has for a long time now. She recites, "Let's meet back here tomorrow after sundown ok? I should probably go to sleep before anyone starts to wonder about me." After a moment she leans forward and kisses the mirror where his face would be, that same slight linger from a year ago. She grins as she moves away and waves her goodnight. He looks a little dumbstruck.

Annaliese places the enchanted parchment on the writing desk and, with one last look at the mirror, turns and begins to climb the stairs back to the top of the tower. Out of sight of the mirror she stops in the stairwell and leans heavy against the wall. She turns her face up to the passage winding upwards and give a tiny little squeal of delight. She runs the rest of the way up and glides back into her room.

When she removes her gown she looks at herself in the gilded frame mirror on her vanity. Admiring her slim figure and full bust, she starts to wonder. To hope. Is it so far-fetched? He's older but the gap doesn't seem as far as it once had. She doesn't see a little girl in the mirror anymore. Annaliese turns her body to the side to look at her profile. She runs her hand across the expanse of her chest and down her trim stomach. "He would like me", she thinks. Turning back to face herself she smirks a flirtatious smile and imagines standing in front of the other mirror like this, imagines his face. Would he be shocked? Would his mouth drop open in surprise at her boldness? Or would he sneer his lip into that sexy smile, locking eyes and trailing one hand down her side, imagining him.

Annaliese feels flush and shakes it off, smiling devilishly at herself.

Then there is the question of her station, her expectations. The smile falls from her face and she pulls her nightgown over her head.

Ashlyn had done exactly what had been expected of her and she was happy. But Annaliese had no desire to marry herself for a kingdom.

Now she feels she is ahead of herself. Would Zorander even have her? Marriage is a long way from her adolescent fears that amount to "will he want to kiss me?" and "does he think I'm pretty?"

She climbs into her massive bed and looks at the tower across the courtyard and smiles. She has her sorcerer back.

Across the world, Zorander is pacing his chambers, unable to sleep. What in the world has he done? What did he expect? The young girl with a crush is a lady now. Leaving her this potion, opening them up to such a new relationship...of course she was going to respond. Did he think a year would pass and her feelings would change? Yes, in truth, of course he did. He never even expected her to finish the spell.

Perhaps he thought HIS feelings would have changed. A year of study with the most brilliant mystic minds in all the kingdoms and she just a .. a girl. A pampered Princess with days full of tea parties, grand banquets, and music lessons. Yet she had completed the most complicated bit of magic.

He is almost in love with her for simply that. He knows now he cannot wave her away as an insignificant, shallow child. She runs too deep and always has.

Then to see her again was his undoing. A year had blossomed her from a pretty young lady to a woman with fierce eyes and a maddeningly defined body. The petticoats and frills did nothing to distract from the creamy skin of her neck or the sway in her hips. He finds himself growing ever more uncomfortable as he remembers her looking up at him, with suggestive eyes demanding, daring him to act.

Zorander flops onto his bed and stares at the ceiling above. He may have just made the biggest mistake of his life. He could do everyone a favor and tie the noose for the king himself.

Yet knowing she is as close as the other side of a mirror, he sleeps better than he has in months.