by Kris Black
She had read this curse before; the parchment tucked between the sheets of The Complete History of the Fae Folk. Christian had hidden it there for her to find, for her to figure out his curse. At the time, she hadn’t realized that she was the other person referred to - the maiden beloved of fae and men. Because she was half-fae, a royalty of both.
That was it?
They were forever cursed, and they would die? She thought she would find more there than what she had at Christian’s castle. Their lives were the payment for the war. The dark faerie wanted to destroy their family lines. Maybe she had been wrong the whole time. Was there nothing to be done? Would binding their familial lines solve nothing and invoke nothing but more ire from this faerie?
Alina’s lips quivered and tears fell from her eyes.
She and Christian would die.
“Is there nothing we can do to stop this?” Alina squeezed out, her voice hoarse and eyes blurred through the tears. “Surely there’s a way to break the curse. There has to be.”
Belmont frowned sadly at her, reaching over to the table and silently setting a second scroll down beside the first.
“This is what Breena died for,” he said in almost a whisper. “An amendment to the curse that drained her magic so much that it destroyed her.”
Alina wiped her tears gently on her sleeve and stared at this second bound scroll. This, this was what her mother died for. This simple parchment paper consisted of the words she used to reweave the spell that killed her. The scroll looked much the same as the first, but the energy coming from it was vastly different. Alina still felt the need to read it, but instead of insistence and a focus-stealing drive, it was comforting. A warm bath on a cold day or the caress of cool wind. Like the hug of a mother. Alina allowed herself to soak up the energy for a few moments, basking in a sense of belonging like she had never known. This scroll, this spell, contained the essence of Breena - the essence of her mother. It was a solace she hadn’t realized she had been missing all of these years, the tender love of the woman who had helped create her.
Alina composed herself before reaching reverently for the scroll. Her fingertips tingling when she caressed it as she pulled the ribbon and unfurled it beside the first. The two pages of spells like sisters to each other.
My sister’s curse be yet unfair
In deciding the fate of these young heirs
A “curse forevermore” shall be amended
To a curse that may be ended
The boy loses four and two legs gains
Whenever the moon shall wax and wane
And though his land still be hewn
It can be found under the light of a full moon
The girl who is beloved by all
Shall grow beautiful, strong and tall
Thistle’s prick shall not be her end
But instead, her kingdom suspend
This vile curse can be ended
When the rift twixt three kingdoms is mended
We shall have a land undivided
When the heirs are united
Alina read it through once fast. Then twice again, this time more methodically as she analyzed each piece of the spell. She leaned back in her seat after the third time. There was so much information to analyze, so many possibilities.
What did it all mean? This left her more confused than ever.
“Her sister’s curse?” Alina said finally, addressing the first line. “As in my mother’s sister?”
“Yes, your aunt I suppose and regrettably the only one you have.” Belmont’s face looked murderous in rage. “Maeve.”
“Is Maeve still alive?” Was she on the Isle of the Fae now? Was that why they had withdrawn from the mortal realms? What did Queen Titania think of her daughter causing the death of the other?
“We aren’t sure.” The wrinkles in Belmont’s head were more prominent as he pondered. It was plain that speaking of Maeve made him more than frustrated. “They exiled her from the Isle of the Fae for her part in Breena’s death, of that much we are certain. We haven’t been able to locate her since then.”
“Exiled from the Isle?”
“Their parents, your grandparents, though I am sure the queen would hate to be called that, loved both of their daughters. It broke their heart that Maeve would curse their bloodline and caused the death of her sister. Children are rare in Faerie and fate blessed the king and queen with two. Now, they have one dead and one exiled.”
“So, my aunt tried to kill me.”
“So it would seem. Not so uncommon in royal families, regrettably. The ancestors of our line were just as ruthless, I assure you. Not that that makes any of those situations just. Just a common occurrence. Be careful who you trust, even if they are family.”
She had already been poisoned here, an attempt at her life and her crown no doubt. Likely, if it was for the crown, by a distant cousin at the very least.
Alina looked over her time-beaten father. The man who lost his wife to death and then his child for years to poverty. He bore the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders along with his own grief. She had few people in the world she would trust with her life more than Belmont - she could count them on one hand and most of them wolves during a night of the month.
“I trust you with my life.” Alina wanted him to be sure she had no doubts about him.
“I would give my life for yours in an instant,” Belmont said gravely. “If I had the ability to take this curse from you, I would. I would do it gladly.”
“But we can end the curse.” Alina unfurled the second scroll and re-read the last two paragraphs once more. “When the rift twixt three kingdoms is mended.”
“The last paragraph is key, yes,” Belmont frowned. “But Breena didn’t have time to discuss it with me. She acted swiftly as soon as Maeve cast the curse. Those first few months following her death, we tried to decode the paragraph. I was determined to get you back as soon as possible. I have even sent groups out during the full moon to find the hidden path. None have found it, at least the ones who returned.”
“Some didn’t return?”
“Sometimes just a few people from the group. Sometimes, whole groups. I’m still not sure what happened to them and the weight of their lives on my shoulders was too much for a chase that may not have come to fruition.”
“And the three kingdoms?” Alina speculated. “Faerie, human and… the beasts that Maeve turned the cursed castle into?”
“That’s what we theorize, yes.”
The three species: wolves, faeries and humans. They needed to have the rift fixed. But what exactly did that mean? Was it some sort of ritual ceremony?
But… she and Christian had completed a wolf ceremony. They had mated before she left. Would that be it then?
The human tradition… surely that would be marriage?
“What do we know about the faerie traditions?” Alina asked hurriedly, her heart racing. A human marriage was remedied easily enough with a priest tomorrow, no fuss or fanfare needed. The faerie traditions would be all that they would need to do to break this curse forever. The Complete History of the Fae Folk had mentioned nothing about their ceremonies.
“Nothing really,” Belmont replied. “They are very secretive. Even Breena wouldn’t tell me of their ceremonies and I tried not to pry. Her mother and father weren’t happy when we married, so they never recognized us in Faerie.”
If they didn’t recognize her parents’ marriage, would they recognize her as legitimate when she found them? And she would find them. If they didn’t like Belmont, what in the world would they think of Christian, the man who turns into a wolf whose mother slaughtered their kind?
They would cross that bridge when they got to it, she decided. Right now, she only needed one thing - to figure out how to get to the Isle of the Fae.
“How do I find the faeries?”
“I’m sorry?”
“How do I get to the Isle, Belmont?” She pleaded. “Surely you know a way.”
; “I… I don’t,” he said. “They retreated into their own lands shortly after Maeve cast the curse and they banished her. We haven’t heard from them since.”
Alina bit her lip, trying to recall everything and anything she had read about faeries. They loved… hills? Circles? The exact details were hazy, she had been too focused on their spell-casting and weaving to focus on tiny specifics - like how to find a faerie grove. Or was it called a faerie grotto? Her hands itched for a book. She looked up and eyed the shelves and shelves of tomes around her.
“Even if we discovered a way to reach the faeries, we can’t find the cursed prince. We’ve tried. It doesn’t do to dwell on it, daughter. I’ll send out another party to search if you like.”
“No,” Alina said. “You don’t have to do that. I have something I need to tell you.”
Belmont raised his eyebrows, listening. Only to have some knock loudly on the door, startling them both.
“Your Majesty,” a deep voice called from the other side. “Your dinner guests are waiting. Queen Calista is quite anxious.”
Belmont glanced over at the grandfather clock in the corner, ready to strike in only a few minutes.
“I must leave, I’m sorry,” he walked over and kissed Alina on her head gently. “You can tell me next time?”
Alina just nodded, her heart thudding hard in her chest. She was closer now than ever to uncovering the secret to breaking the curse.
Chapter Twelve
Basic Geography
The Duke of Northurst arrived last night,” Ella told Alina while they had breakfast together in the princess’ sitting area. “It’s so bizarre. He almost never comes to court.”
“The Duke of Northurst?” Alina paused. Where had she heard that name before? “Isn’t that Felix’s father?”
“The one and only.” Ella set down her teacup. “My father can’t stand him. He told me yesterday that he won’t be in court until the duke leaves.”
“Is he that terrible? Felix seems nice enough.”
Felix had never really been anything but kind and accommodating to Alina. She couldn’t imagine him having such a terrible father that courtiers would leave just because he arrived. But then, Alina remembered the way that her sisters had treated her while they were growing up, how her aunt cursed her to die and caused the death of her mother.
“Felix is lucky that he became a Ward of the King when he was practically a toddler. He only sees his father a few times a year.” Ella scoffed. “He is much better off for it too.”
“Why do you think the Duke of Northurst has come so suddenly?” Alina pondered as she took a drink. “Since he comes so rarely.”
“Rumor has it that you’re the cause of him coming down from the north.” Ella picked up a pastry from her plate and took a testing bite. “They think he wants to inspect the new princess. It’s likely that he is staying until after your coronation.”
“Inspect me?” Alina didn’t like how that sounded.
“Northurst has been trying to squirm his way closer to the throne since he was a teenager. He seizes any opportunity that may present itself.” Ella paused for a moment. “He sent his only heir away to get closer to the king. When you meet him, I hope you stay on your guard.”
“He sounds lovely.” Alina frowned.
“Yes, as lovely as an adder.” Ella finished off her pastry. “Luckily for you, you won’t meet him until at least tonight.”
“Why’s that?”
“The queen has requested you for another lesson this afternoon.”
Alina scowled, remembering the last lesson she had with the queen. If learning to sit and walk properly had gone so poorly, imagining any other lesson seemed akin to torture. “I’m not entirely sure I agree with your definition of lucky, Ella.”
“This is basic geography.” Queen Calista sighed, and it tempted Alina to sigh along with her. Why did she always have to be present at these lessons? The queen constantly berating her made the lessons near intolerable. “I thought this, at least, would be easier for you.”
She thought geography would be easier than walking and sitting. Alina wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or flattered.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a map of the kingdom. We didn’t have one where I grew up.” Alina explained futility, but she didn’t want Felix, her teacher for the day, to think her stupid. She had been lucky that Charles had noticed she was practically illiterate when she was eight and took it upon himself to teach her to read. Otherwise, she probably would still be sounding out letters.
“That’s quite alright, Princess. I’m sure you’ll get it down. It’s a lot of information to bombard you with.”
“I know our kingdom at the very least. Lormount. Our capital city is Eastwater, where we are right now. I’m from a town in the mid-south called Fairbarrow. That’s all easy enough.”
“My father’s dukedom is?” Felix quizzed.
“Northurst - in the north. It borders the country of… Shelby?”
“Welby.” Calista deadpanned. “The country I’m from. My marriage to the king brokered peace between us.”
“Right. Welby.” Alina flushed.
“And below Lormount?” Felix prompted.
“Aldholt,” Alina said definitively. “Since their royalty has vanished, along with the capital of Prydell, the House of Lords have been ruling the country as a senate.”
“At least you remember that much.” The queen rolled her eyes.
“No, that’s good. It’s only been one session. I think you’re being too harsh.” Felix seemed to be the only person with the power to reprimand the queen and get away with it.
Alina remembered Aldholt so well because she had a keen interest in it. She had realized early on that Aldholt was Christian’s country. Christian is the crown prince until his curse is broken and they crown him king. Prydell was the mysteriously vanished city - their capital on the border of Lormount - where Alina had spent the past few months. She was willing to bet that ruins of the houses surrounding the castle were interwoven between the lush forest.
“Regardless, it’s for the best that those nasty monarchs are gone from Aldholt. That warmongering queen nearly destroyed us all with those blasted faeries.”
“The prince was just a boy. He had no say in what his mother did,” Alina retorted. She didn’t believe there would ever be a time when she and Calista would see eye-to-eye on anything.
“What about the continent across the sea?” Felix turned the conversation back to geography.
Alina drew a blank. She had tried to pay attention but had drifted by the time they reached the eastern continent.
“I don’t remember,” she sighed out.
The queen snorted but said nothing this time. Felix shot her a look. “Dorview and Morley.”
“Right. One government rotates based on popular opinion and the other is a… Queendom?”
“That's right. Morley is a matriarchal society where women are in charge of the household and the monarchy passes through the matriarchal line.”
Felix unrolled the map again, pointing each country out for the fourth time that day, along with the important landmarks and port cities. When Alina’s eyes began glazing over, Felix noticed and rolled the map back up.
“Maybe that’s where we should end things for today. It’s a lot of information.”
“I hoped that we would get further.” Calista frowned at the map as she stood. “The king has instructed me with your education and so far, I have nothing but disappointments to report to him.”
Alina’s heart sank at the thought of Calista telling Belmont that his daughter was daft, uneducated and clumsy. What would he think of her? They had barely enough time to get to know one another, without Calista’s venomous words souring him to her.
“Perhaps we should continue?” Alina hesitated. She didn’t want to disappoint the king, but her brain also felt like mush. Alina was fairly certain it would shut down if they attempted to push more information in.
>
“Absolutely not,” Felix said resolutely. “Your Majesty, I thought you had new bath milk imported that you wished to try? If you do so now, you’d be glowing by the time you wanted to meet with Lady Ashfield and Duchess Briarbay.”
“Hm, that’s true.” Calista tapped her chin with a perfectly manicured finger. “I suppose I can’t argue with your logic, Felix. We can postpone this elementary lesson until later.”
Calista picked her hand-mirror up from the nearby table and tucked it away into her skirts before swiftly making for the door. “I expect you at dinner tonight, Felix.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” He bowed low as she exited the room.
“How do you do that?” Alina turned to him. “She listens to you. How do you get her to do that?”
Felix shrugged. “She’s known me since birth, practically. I guess she just humors me. She’s been in charge of my upbringing for as long as I can remember.”
“And your real mother?”
“The Duchess of Northurst? She’s ill a lot and doesn’t travel far from the manor. My father sent me here as a ward of the king to garner favor, but also to ensure that I made connections with the other nobility. If I’d stayed, I’d have been holed up in the house in the country.” Felix picked up the folded map and tucked it under his arm. “I need to return the map to the royal library. Would you like me to walk you back to your room?”
“That’s kind of you, but I’m in the opposite direction and I have my guards with me. I’ll be fine.” Alina smiled and Felix reached out and squeezed her hand gently. She pulled her hand from his. “Thank you for the lesson, Felix.”
“Anytime, Princess.” Felix frowned at his empty hand.
Three sharp raps sounded on Alina’s door before it cracked open. “Your Highness, your brother is here to see you.” Henry motioned towards her eldest brother, standing just behind him.