The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

  “You can continue, she can be trusted,” Jonathan said.

  “But she’s a woman.” Oh, that’s enough. I will not stay here to be insulted. Midnight hissed at him. “And she has a tiger with her,” the man said and pointed at Midnight.

  I stood but Alec caught my arm and urged me to sit down. He looked at the man. “Are you feeling lucky that you are alive?”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Alec pointed at me. “Then it’s all thanks to her, so please treat her with respect. And her cat too.”

  The man looked at me, but I didn’t see hate just curiosity, and then bowed. Then he spoke with Jonathan and Alec, but I didn’t pay much attention. I took the opportunity to try to contact Ritta. “Ritta. Hello? Anybody there?”

  She answered instantly. “Always. How are you doing? How is the war going?”

  “It’s over.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we say something is over, we usually mean that it has reached an end.”

  “And why don’t I know that? Why aren’t the gates open?”

  “Maybe they wait for things to settle a little bit?”

  “When did it end?”

  “Apparently, a few hours ago, and now we are eating or at least trying...”

  “What do you mean, apparently?”

  “Um...”

  “Were you there or not?”

  “A bit, it’s complicated.”

  “It’s always complicated with you. Tell me what happened.”

  I told her and prepared myself for her yells, but they never came. “Ritta? Are you there?”

  “Yes. I am trying to absorb everything you told me. You died? Is that correct?”

  “Apparently.”

  “Again?”

  “Yes. You are not mad?”

  “Surprisingly, no, since you are still alive. I am more confused about why it happened. Maybe I should research your powers a bit from here because that’s not normal. You didn’t die when the Black Knight attacked and now this. Or you die and come back to life, which is impossible, or you are immune. We should have researched your powers sooner you know...”

  “I know, I was just busy.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “South of France in the same inn as before. The former king is going to be tried in Versailles, but he is not coming to Spain because probably there is not much Spain left, but I don’t know when. We have to see what’s left.”

  “When are you going to return? And where?”

  “I think I am going to take my things, or what’s left from my things, from Portugal and then go to Spain to assess the damage.”

  “I see. Well, good luck. We will come to help you as soon as the gates open. We love you.”

  I felt a smile playing on my lips. “I love you too. I have to go or they will wonder why I find the tablecloth so interesting.” I felt Ritta laughing. “Stop laughing or will start too.”

  “All right, kiss Midnight for me.”

  “Oh. I didn’t tell you what this stupid one did.” And I told her what happened in Bretagne.

  “Poor cat. She was so confused and afraid.”

  “Yes. It’s his fault.”

  “You can’t blame him for that.”

  “Yes, I can and I do. I have told him that we shouldn’t utter the words ‘bath’ in front of her. Obviously, he didn’t listen. Oh. I swam in the sea. It was great.”

  “I hate you. I want to go swimming too. You will have to teach me when we come back.”

  “In Spain’s sea first and then we can go to Bretagne to see that phenomenon. It is really strange. I have to draw it.”

  “I have to go.”

  “Send my love to my mother.”

  “Sure thing.”

  The connection was lost, and I returned to reality to find they were still talking so I hadn’t missed anything. The man stayed a little after when I had finished my dinner and the boys started eating theirs again.

  “It’s cold,” Jonathan said.

  “Well, I could have told you that. What? You expected the food to wait and stay hot for you until you finished talking?”

  He smiled awkwardly. “Can’t we do anything?”

  What? Did he expect me to do magic or something? “You can put it on the fireplace for a while, but it won’t taste as well. That’s why they say eat your food before it gets cold. If you heat it up again, it loses its taste.”

  Alec sighed but they put the dinners on the fireplace. The food warmed quickly, but as I said, the taste was not very good. They ate it anyway with no complains.

  There was another knock at the door. I didn’t pay attention and I slipped into the bedroom, climbed into the three-person bed, and closed my eyes. Midnight came to keep me warm, and I fell asleep listening to the rumble of the voices.

  When I woke up, Jonathan and Alec were still asleep. I left the curtains closed. I didn’t know what time they went to sleep, so I let them be. Someone knocked on the door. It was a man for the king and I sent him away. “But there are things that need to be settled,” the man complained.

  “I am sure the things won’t move until he gets up. I wouldn’t worry.” As he turned to leave, I saw Alicia.

  “Rough night?” she asked.

  We went to the balcony with Midnight. “You can say that. They kept knocking all the time yesterday until I fell asleep. I don’t know what time they went to bed.”

  She nodded. “We were hearing the knocks too. I wouldn’t want to be in his place. So how is it now that you are friends with a king and a prince? Now that they are not in exile?”

  I laughed at the question. “It’s no different than before. We met when they were both princes...”

  She looked at me amazed. “Oh. That’s really amazing. They are better than most princes and kings I have heard of...”

  I smiled. “Yes, but still stupid.”

  She laughed. “Will you still visit us?”

  “Of course, I will. I promise. I want you to meet my friend Ritta. You remind me of her a lot, and we can go swimming in Bretagne.”

  She clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Yes. Yes.”

  Meow. Midnight started waving her tail. Someone that she knew must be coming this way. I turned and saw Alec and Jonathan with a basket. Why a basket though? Were we going to a nonexistent market?

  “Good morning,” they said in chorus.

  “Good morning,” we replied. “Where are we going?” I asked.

  Jonathan shrugged. “Nowhere.”

  I pointed at the basket and he smiled—that sarcastic smile that makes you think that he’s up to something. “Oh. For a picnic for breakfast.”

  I liked that smile of his. “Where to? And aren’t you two busy?” I asked. As far as I knew, the city was still destroyed, and there was no way we were going to sit in ruins or next to bodies.

  “In here. Don’t worry about the work. It’s been taken care of... for now.”

  I raised my eyebrows. I couldn’t believe he came up with this idea on his own. We set down the blanket, and we invited Alicia who gladly accepted. The boys joked with each other and Alicia laughed. I would miss that. Sometimes I wished moments could last forever.

  “What are you looking forward to?” Alicia asked me.

  “Seeing my mother and my friend,” I responded smiling. I missed them.

  “Oh. That’s nice. Be sure to bring them the next time you visit.”

  I thought my mother would like Italy. It was a more free and respectful country, especially toward women. She would like the foods too.

  After we ate breakfast, we stayed and enjoyed each other’s company until noon. I had to go in search of a market, and I might have to travel a little to find one. We gathered our things and went back to our rooms. Alicia said they would leave during the day so I went with her to say goodbye to her parents. Her mother took me to the bathroom. “You can’t go home like this. They won’t recognize you. A hero needs to be recognizable.”

&
nbsp; A hero? “I just helped a little,” I said shrugging.

  “No. You are a hero. You saved the people. You helped those two when they couldn’t help themselves. That’s not a small task.” That was true.

  She removed the hair paint, and when I looked in the mirror, I saw my real hair. Black like the raven’s wing. “That’s better. That’s more you.”

  I laughed. “I guess and now I have to go back to a destroyed city.”

  She combed my hair. “And you will build it again. I am sure it will be more beautiful. Sometimes things need to get destroyed to bring out their real beauty.”

  Strange. That’s what my mother had said. Maybe they were right. When I left the room, Alicia clapped and Jonathan stared at me. “What?” I asked.

  “I had forgotten how your hair was.” I smiled. “It’s beautiful,” he said and I blushed. Now, why did he have to say that? We said our final goodbyes to Alicia and her family. Midnight licked them all, and we returned to our room.

  I prepared lunch and I saw that I was right. I would need to find a market today. Our supplies were really low. During lunch, Jonathan said, “Eva, we will leave tomorrow, but we are going to Austria first. Do you have a problem with that?”

  Why even ask? “No, I will take the tunnels from Austria.”

  The boys looked puzzled. “Why take the tunnels?” Alec asked.

  “It’s faster to get to Portugal. Don’t worry. I know the way from there. It’s a small country and not that complicated.”

  Jonathan looked like he had seen a ghost. Was he afraid of me being in the tunnels alone? “Why you are going to Portugal?” His voice was barely a whisper.

  “To take my things. If there are things to take, that is.”

  He nodded. “But after you are going to return to Spain?”

  “Yes, I don’t think I am in exile anymore.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “We can take you there,” Alec offered.

  “No, it’s fine. I like to ride, and besides, you will have other matters to think about.”

  They sighed. “Unfortunately,” Alec said.

  “Although I will miss that house, maybe I will paint birds into mine too.”

  “And make a secret cellar too,” Alec said, smiling.

  I smiled mischievously. “How do you know there isn’t already one?”

  Alec stared at me in awe. “Really, I didn’t see it the last time I was there.”

  “But that’s precisely the use of a secret cellar.” We all laughed.

  “We should make one too,” Jonathan said.

  “And exactly why do you need a secret cellar?” I asked. “You don’t need a secret cellar in a palace. You need cellars which I am sure you already have.”

  After we ate, I prepared to go to the market. The boys offered to go with me, but I declined. “I can find a market, and besides, you are busy.” Jonathan opened his mouth to say something and someone knocked at our door. “Busy,” I said and left.

  I asked around, and as predicted, the market was in the next city, so I took Sunshine and I found the market. I obtained enough supplies for their trip to Austria and hopefully mine to Portugal. I put some of the supplies in my basket and others I stored in the horse bag that I had bought for Sunshine. I returned and found them waiting for me. “What, you can’t stay on your own for a couple of hours?” I asked while I prepared dinner and they helped me.

  “We can but we were worried for you,” Alec said.

  “No need. I can take care of myself.” We sat and ate. Afterward, I packed my bag because we would be leaving early the next morning.

  The next day was sunny. After breakfast, we mounted our horses and took the route to Austria, but we didn’t pass through Versailles again. I would never see the palace and its outside design style. Everyone I talked to had told me it was “French style” or “French mode,” but I have seen neither. Just wigs and treachery. Not much if you asked me.

  We reached Austria and stopped for a rest and lunch. “Now what?” Alec asked. “How are we going to find them?”

  Jonathan shrugged. “We can ask.” He shot me a questioning look. “How are we going to ask?”

  “Do you speak Austrian or German? Because I certainly don’t.”

  He gave me an awkward glance. “Oops.”

  “I will go and ask the vendor over there. Maybe he knows something.”

  Jonathan threw his hands in the air. “But you just said you don’t speak Austrian.”

  “I don’t, but I talk business.” I smiled and went to the man who had an injured arm. With some gestures I made him understand that I needed to find a farm, and he pointed to a map and showed me three farms near the main road. I bowed as thanks and he smiled. I took out some herbs, mixed them, and gave the medicine to him for his injured arm. He raised his eyebrows, and I pointed at the injury. He applied the medicine. It had instant results—obviously—and he started speaking rapid Austrian, but by his gestures, I understood it was a thank you. I smiled and left.

  “There are three farms near the main road. Two are toward there”—I pointed at the street—“and the other is there. Take your pick.” The boys shrugged, and I looked at my cat. “What do you say Midnight? Which way?”

  My smart cat started heading toward the lonely farm. I could have used her in the beginning to find it, but I didn’t want to increase the boys’ belief that I had a “supernatural” cat.

  “Shouldn’t we try the two farms first?” Jonathan asked.

  “You refused to answer, so Midnight picked, and we are going that way.” We mounted the horses, and we followed Midnight at a slow but steady pace. When Midnight turned, we turned also, and we saw a sign with Austrian words and a picture of a farm below the letters.

  I knew that this was the place we were looking for. There were children playing, and Jonathan called them. The children turned, and they were indeed his two brothers and one sister. I had heard a lot about them, but I had only seen them once. They had black hair like Jonathan, but none of them had Jonathan’s blue eyes; they had brown eyes. I remembered the names he had told me: Margaret, Luciano, and Raphael. The children ran toward us with big smiles and hugged Jonathan and Alec too. A man, who must be the servant who had brought the children here, stood a short distance away. I could see the love for the children in his eyes. The young boys turned and introduced themselves to me. Luciano was the older boy and Raphael was the younger boy. Margaret told me she liked my hair, and I told her I liked hers too.

  “How are we going to return now?” Alec asked me while Jonathan talked to his brothers and sister.

  “What do you mean? You are taking the horses, and I am taking the tunnels.” I couldn’t see the problem.

  “Yes, but we have two horses. We must find another for the children.”

  I smiled. “Actually, you have three. I can’t take Sunshine to the tunnels. She will be scared. She’s not a supernatural horse as far as I know.” He nodded. “Take her with you, and I will come and get her from the palace.”

  I went to Sunshine and kissed her on the head. “You be a good girl for me, yes? Take care of the children.” Sunshine neighed softly like she understood.

  “Won’t you say goodbye?” Alec asked.

  “It’s not a goodbye. I will see you soon enough.”

  I smiled and walked toward the door I saw. “Be careful,” Jonathan yelled, and I waved. He was one to talk. I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to ruin their happiness, and I would be seeing them soon but not for long. Royals didn’t have time for friends. I entered the tunnels with Midnight and took the road that would take me to Portugal and then home. “Come on. Let’s go home.” Meow.

  Returning

  Midnight and I arrived in Portugal quickly. The city was not as destroyed as I expected. Half the palace was missing and some big houses were missing walls, but those things were fixable. People were arriving in Portugal by horse, carriage, or even by boat. I hoped everyone escaped.

  I went to my hous
e, which was not damaged, and put everything I needed in my bag. I packed books, paintings, and herbs. I left some things because I might return to this house someday. My recent experience had taught me it was good to have a second place to hide. I went to my shop, which had some minor damage. I set aside the jars that had been damaged and cleaned up the mess before I packed the items I wanted to take. I put a sign on the door that read: “I will be in Spain, but I will return in the summer. If anyone needs help before I return, you can send a pigeon.”

  Midnight and I plunged into the darkness of the tunnels again, and shortly after we arrived in Spain.

  I wished I could say home sweet home like the humans said. The place—if anyone could call it that—was a disaster. Only the palace was left standing. There was nothing else left standing, not a house or even a rock. I sighed. Now what? I walked toward my house through the wreckage of what used to be houses.

  I arrived at the spot where our house used to be standing; only a quarter of it remained standing. We had never magically protected our house before since there was never such need, but now I wished we had. Fortunately, the house was small or it would take months for rebuilding and cleaning and removing rocks. I put my bag down and started working. I kicked away stones, cleaned the wreckage, and hung a bed sheet as a temporary roof. That would have to do for now, and hopefully, I would have a real roof before the rain came.

  I went to the secret cellar, but nothing was destroyed there. Since it was underground, it had escaped most of the destruction. I picked up the jars and papers that had fallen and put them back on the shelves.

  I went back upstairs and stacked everything that couldn’t be repaired outside. I put the food and other items that were in my bag into the drawers that still worked.

  I sat to take a break and think about what to do with the rest of the house.

  “Excuse me?” someone said.

  I looked around and saw a girl. “Yes?” She seemed a little lost and held a younger boy.

  “Can we... can we stay here for the night? We don’t have anywhere else to go...”

  “Where are your parents?”