The spell was finally broken, but I had a feeling that all this wasn't over yet. Sam was gone, as was Cilla, and Ignis hadn't even spoken to me since the spell was lifted off of me. Was she gone now? I really needed to talk to her about all this, just to make sure the spell was for sure lifted.
"Ignis, please, come here, or I'll come to you. Either one."
She was silent for a moment, then I heard knocking on my bedroom door. It was the day after Sam left, and I was the only one in the house. I knew instantly who was on the other side of the double doors to my room. I went up to them and opened the right-hand door, and there was Ignis, all in black, and she was grinning at me.
"How does it feel to have the spell completely lifted?" she asked, and I turned around and sat on my bed, facing the door. Ignis came in.
"Well, it's nice that I don't have to worry about the spell anymore, and I don't have to worry about losin' my fame, but... Sam's gone. I thought she would stay."
Ignis came and sat on my left as I stared at blank a space of the burgundy carpet near the door. I knew she could sense that I was down. She said, "The spell can be broken even if the person doesn't intend on staying. The words and feelings need to be there, and they were, and that was what broke the spell." She put a comforting hand on my upper arm. "I'm sorry that she left, Elvis. She called me last night and told me everything. And... I in turn told her everything, too."
My heart jumped, and I looked over at her, at her pretty face with all the makeup on it, like usual. "Hold on... Everything, as in everything."
"Yes. I already told her about the spell before, but also what we've been through. She wasn't too surprised about it all, and she was actually happy that she was the one who lifted the spell off of you."
Honestly, it wasn't surprising that she wasn't surprised, finding out about the spell. "Does she still love me?"
"What do you think? She pines for you, but she knows that she can't be with you. I'm sad she left. She will still be a good friend to me, and I think because of her, I'll practice my transportation spell over farther distances so I can hop over to Colorado whenever I want to see her."
"It's nice that you can do that," I grumbled. "I have to take a plane. So... it's really all over? The spell?" She nodded once. "Are you leavin', too?"
"I thought about it, and..."
"Please don't say you are. I'll have to figure out some way to get to France. That's still somethin' you wanna do, right?"
"Well, of course, I would love to actually go to France..."
"But you wanna stay here since I'm here," I inferred, and she was silent for a moment. My heart started to sink more. "Ah, no... Ignis, please, don't run off to France."
"Elvis, I didn't say anything."
"You were thinkin' it. You think that you're no good for me, too."
She pressed her lips together, lips that were in a deep red, not the black she had often. I liked it on her since it reminded me of being in that spectacular ballroom. "Sam and I talked about this, and... I think the same way as her. She thinks you and she would never work... never fit. And I think the same thing regarding the two of us. It's just not right."
I ran my hands down my face. "This can't be happening..."
"I think you should contact Priscilla and get her back here. You love her."
"She's moved on. She's with another guy now."
Ignis knew this since she could read my mind. Some time ago, Cilla called me and said that she started something with a guy that was closer to her age... a guy who looked like me. Figures. Well, her parents were happy. They were never thrilled about her being involved with me.
"Still, Elvis. You should call her."
"Or you can stay here."
"I don't know what I'm going to do at least for the distant future. Now, I should get going. I'll let you know what my plans are."
She about stood up, but I took hold of her arm, keeping her down. Our gazes held, and her pale face started to turn red. I leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips, then I drew away. I smirked. "Hopefully that will play into what you're gonna decide."
She said nothing, just disappeared right before me. I sighed through my nose, letting off some emotion. I really, really hoped that at least one girl wouldn't leave me. Even though I had my family around, this place felt empty without a girl I loved in it. I felt lonely. I would just hope that if she left, she would come back. I would just have to wait with an open door.
~ ~ ~
Ignis made her choice, as did the other women in my life. Sam was gone to Colorado, and Cilla was staying in New York. Ignis decided that she would go to France. Yes, France, where she originally said she would go. I couldn't get to the airport fast enough. I missed her boarding, and I literally saw the plane she was on take off and fly away.
My heart was at my feet. They were all gone. I couldn't hold any of them back. But if they decided to come back, I would welcome them back. Mainly, I wanted...
No, she would stay there. But I was desperate to get to her. She was the one I really wanted out of all of them. It had been a week since she left, and I was doing everything in my power to make sure that I could get myself over there. But it wouldn't be easy.
"Elvis, I already told you it's not possible," said my manager, and that was that until 1966 hit. I was scheduled to do some films this year, but we weren't starting on those yet, so I figured that this would be a good time for me to try again.
"There's a way I can get over there and be there and not be seen, so there's no need for detail or none of that," I said in the living room as it was snowing outside. It was mid-January, and my father and my manager were present as the boys were outside having fun in the snow. I would be out there with them, but this was serious, what we were talking about.
"How in heaven's name is that even possible?" asked the Colonel, seated in the white armchair near the fireplace. "You'll be seen."
"I'm seen here," I retorted. "It wouldn't be different. But I'm sayin' that there's a way that I wouldn't be recognized. Trust me on this."
"What? A disguise?" asked the Colonel. "Elvis, this is all nonsense."
"It's a disguise, yes, but it's not one where I have to put on different clothes and a wig." I looked over at Daddy, sitting on my right. "I told ya what happened that time on the 4th of July. I was out on a busy street and no one recognized me at all. They thought I was some other guy."
He nodded. "Yes, and I'm still trying to believe it."
"What are you talking about?" the Colonel interjected, and I looked over at him. Then at my father. He gave me one nod. That was the go-ahead.
"Alright," I said, looking at my manager. "I'm gonna tell ya somethin', Colonel, and you're gonna have to have an open mind, okay?"
He squinted his eyes. "What are you up to, my boy?"
Well, I told him everything, from when Ignis showed up to now, including her writing me near Christmas and telling me that she practiced her incognito spell so that a person could go unrecognized for a full week. She also said that she could transport herself about one-hundred miles. She was getting good.
"This is a load of hogwash," said the Colonel after everything I told him.
"It's true, Colonel," said Daddy. "It's all real. It happened, whether you believe it or not. And I think it's a great idea."
He huffed through his nose. "Okay, say I believe this fairytale nonsense. How do you suggest he get over there by plane with an ID saying 'Elvis Presley' when no one will see that it's him?"
That was a good point. "Yeah, you're right. But I have to get over there somehow."
"She can't transport you, can she?" asked Daddy.
"No. She can only transport herself about one-hundred miles."
"Then... maybe change your ID somehow? I mean, it will still say your name, but when people see it, they see a different name and face?"
I nodded, thinking. "That could work."
"You two are absolutely out of your minds," said the Colonel. "You do hear yourselves, right?"
He wasn't going to believe this no matter what, but I was determined to get over there. "This is gonna happen, Colonel. I'll write Ignis, and we'll think of somethin'."
The Colonel shook his head, not liking this at all, and not believing it. But sooner or later, he would, since Ignis would prove that it was all true. I just had to contact her and ask her what we could do. She already made it clear that she wasn't coming back to the states again. She loved it over there. It was a place she could be herself and do what she did best.
But it was straining my heartstrings, her being that far. I would get to her no matter what.
~ ~ ~
It was a miracle. I came out the airport in Paris, and no one knew it was me. This was a labor of love, getting me over here. The Colonel was adamant that I not go, but I went anyway. He didn't want to leave the country, so he was back at home, and for a reason he was adamant of not telling anyone. I came with Daddy and Jerry, and Ignis was able to put the spell on them so no one would recognize them. And, yes, she charmed our IDs. It was incredible, what we were doing. Maybe illegal. But no one would know the difference. I was gone, but no one knew that, at least the press and fans. As far as they knew, I was at home at Graceland and would be for the next week.
"Let's get to the hotel," said Jerry, and we were off. The men with me stayed back in the posh hotel in the middle of Paris, and I took a car out of the city to get where I wanted to go. We all would go sight-seeing later, like to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and other historical places. But first, I needed to see someone. I ached to see her. It had been months since I saw her in person last.
About half-an-hour later, the grand building started coming into view, and like my last visit, this was only a small portion of a great whole. But where I wanted was in this little section. I exited the car and came into the palace complex and stood where I stood the last time... only this was real. I could feel the majesty and history emanating from the looming building. I also could feel the presence of the girl I made this trip for. She was in there, waiting for me.
I came into the building with several other people, and what a relief that no one took a second glance at me. Well, there was the occasional woman who said to her female companion that I was handsome, but that was it. It was like this the whole way here. I loved not being my famous self once in a while.
The tour veered off into a hallway to the right, and while that part of this magnificent palace was beautiful, I was heading to a place even more so. I knew at this hour, when the sun was going down, that the room was closed. But I went to find it anyway.
"Holy mother of Moses," I awed as I entered the room as I wore a full black suit and gold tie to match the interior. "It's more beautiful in person."
I walked around this massive room, clacking the floor with my shoes, taking in the beauty and admiring the mirrors, gold and the exquisite paintings on the ceiling. My neck was craned up as I was gazing around at all the paintings, and tears were coming to my eyes as my heart was full.
"It's more breathtaking in person, isn't it?"
That familiar female voice immediately jolted me out of my admiration, and I looked to where it came from. What I saw was a young woman with long brown hair, huge brown eyes, and she had on a white blouse and a pair of black trousers.
"It is," I said. "Ignis, you know that look isn't you."
She smiled, and her appearance changed to what I had been seeing the whole time I knew her. I grinned and came up to her, adoration and love in my eyes. "That's more like it."
"Are you sure? You're risking quite a lot, pursuing a girl like me."
"If you weren't who you are, you wouldn't be the girl I fell in love with. I like the edginess about you, and I love your large heart and beautiful face. Oh, and the fact that you're a witch is excitin'."
Her look turned almost seductive. "I prefer enchantress."
"I'll say. You sure enchanted me."
She came closer, and from the evening light coming, reflecting off the shimmering mirrors, I could see some gold flecks in her brown eyes. "Literally or figuratively?"
We came so close, I would just have to lean down a little and... "Both. So... will I have to go through all this every time I wanna see ya?"
"You said it yourself: you like to not be yourself for a little while sometimes. Makes me think that the spell should've fallen through."
I said in a low tone. "Then you'd be gone. I don't want that. In fact, I think I was always meant to be with you. I thought farther back, and... maybe I became famous because this was meant to happen. I showed my talent and entertained some people, yeah, but... if I wasn't famous, you wouldn't have felt the need to enter my life."
She smirked with her deep-red lips. "I think you're thinking too much about it. Are you sure about me?"
"I'm here in France, aren't I?"
She nodded. "You are. You know, in that conversation I had with Sam, she partly left because she wanted us to be together. When she found out about this trip, she was rooting for us."
I had a feeling that Sam would be all for this. She started a new life over there, and she met a guy who came to love her as quickly as I did. "She'll be happy to know that we're continuin' what we started." My heart pinched, and we turned more serious. "You know, when you left, I never thought I'd see you again."
Our noses were brushing each other, and my heart was starting to hammer in my chest, and my whole head felt hot, regardless of the cool of the room. Really, I wanted to look at this girl and not the glimmering room we were in.
"Well... you've seen me. So?"
"So... what?"
"What have you learned from experiencing the spell? I'm only curious."
I took her waist, and her curvy front pressed against my front, and my mouth was nearly on hers. "Well, I learned that I'm into dark chicks for one."
"You know what I mean."
My hands felt her waist, and my gaze was glued to hers as she looked up at me. "I learned that love is everything, not fame. Pure, nonjudgemental love. The kind that I feel for a girl I thought I would never fall for."
"I couldn't have said it better myself. Elvis... I love you."
"I love you, too, Ignis."
The distance was closed between us, and our arms wrapped around each other in a warm, beautiful embrace as we stood in the middle of this hall of gold and mirrors.
Yes, fame isn't everything... The love of someone who sees you for you and who you are is what's most important, no matter who you are and what you do. And thanks to Ignis, the girl who put a spell on me and gave me the most memorable experience of my life, I would never forget it.
🌹 🌹 🌹
THE END
Thank you all for reading! Check out my other Elvis stories!
The next one I will be starting soon!