Cursed

Lillian.

My luxury prison offered comforts I didn’t ask for… Starting with a four-poster bed, with little engravings of fae, flowers, and sweet mini butterflies along the top, curtains I could pull closed on the brightest morning. No one was allowed in without approval… Or out. My father made sure of course to have this floor of ours changed to house me permanently, I, however, found a way around that. I found the long forgotten servant passage. A painting of my grandmother sat on the ground blocking it from my view. My father had commissioned a new passage… put in that lead straight to the kitchen, as to bypass any guest that might be curious.

Allowing only my lady’s maid, and one guard. The window is my only way of seeing the outside world, my view wasn’t the village below, it couldn’t be, the villagers would know that I, Lillian, first daughter of the king, and queen of Morrowhearth had still been here. All this time.

My window overlooked the river that flowed below the castle, a little rock path that lead into the forest. I remember the stories my mother used to tell me of a great, and powerful witch. “She was a strong and powerful witch, not a single wizard could hold a candle to her.” I would sit in awe as I listened, I remember wanting to find her, beg for her help. “She had to flee the kingdom, for a jealous man deemed her dangerous.” I felt so sad for her, how lonely she must have felt, back then my family still visited me. Still brought me toys and books to read. Still tucked me in. I asked her if the woman was really dangerous. “No one knows for sure, but there was talk that a king asked for her hand in marriage.”

He deemed her the most beautiful in the whole kingdom. And had to have her. But she refused his hand,” mother deepened her voice. “If you will not marry me, then leave this kingdom, you are no longer welcomed here. Everyone will learn of your use of dark magic.” My eyes had widened; I was angry with the king. How could he go from wanting to be married to her, to wanting to punish her for her witchcraft. I asked if she really used dark magic. “No, of course not, but a jealous king can make a powerful enemy.” that was the last story she told me. I didn’t see her much after that.

“Lillian are you listening to me?” Idel asked. Pulling me from my thoughts.

“I.” I shook my head, the veil that covered my face softly moved along. “No, I apologize. What were you saying?”

She let out a soft sigh, one that said. She knew I wasn’t going to pay attention, unless it was about what was happening down below on the main floor of the castle. “Your sister looks gorgeous in her wedding dress.”

I couldn’t read any longer. I wanted to know more, I wanted to see how sweet my dear little salise looked. How bright her smile will be. How much she has grown into a beautiful woman. A dull ache began in my chest; I would never get that. I would never marry or even be able to simply be view by another person. This luxury prison was my home. Idelly was my only companion.

“It will be a fantastic ceremony, people from other kingdoms are already arriving.” Idelly spoke was she carefully put my hair into a style no one would see. On my worse days I want to refuse to let her dress my hair, but even on those days I have a tiny mustard seed of hope that the curse will be lifted. It won’t be, but I still have that annoying small mustard seed.

“Are you going to be okay alone?” Idel spoke as she moved to the door, “I have things I need to help with downstairs.”

We both knew the answer to that. “Of course.” I politely smiled, giving her a small nod.

I tried to read. I tried to paint. I tried to study.

But my mind kept diffing back to my salise, and how happy she must be. And how lonely I felt. I laid down on my bed the dull ache was of a painful wound now, I felt the heat in my eyes, it was a familiar pain, I had grown used to not seeing family. Not seeing my father, or mother. Not knowing how my little sally whom I loved so dearly, was really doing. As the tears slowly fell. I closed the curtains around my bed, letting the darkness shallow me up.

I rolled over when I heard the faint creeks of the door opening, I didn’t move, just closed my eyes. It was probably just Idel sneaking in a few desserts.

I heard someone pull open the drawers on my desk. “That is not Idel.” I murmur to myself. I moved slowly to the side of the bed, dropping my feet as quietly as I could. The pounding of my heartbeat deep in my chest, warned me to step carefully. I stood up grabbing the first thing I could. I walked as light on my feet as I could. Years of sneaking to the library in the middle of the night taught me how to step on every other broad, how to slow my breathing when someone was near, how to hide in the darkest parts of a room. I inched closer, holding my weapon high, “Who are you!”

The thief jumped,” I’m a guest of the king, as I’m sure you are aware his only daughter is getting married.” he spoke casually, “I was only exploring, I know it’s terribly rude of me.” He slowly turned. “I was just.” his voice trailed off.

I studied his face for a moment, the way pieces of his messy red curls fell over his forehead. The way his beard had been long enough to give certain elders more than enough to scold him. The way his brown eyes had little flakes of gold in them, like looking into freshly packaged honey. I could lose myself in them.

When a gut-wrenching thought crossed my mind, my veil! I faced away from him, criminal or not, I could not live with myself if I hurt another person. It was mind-altering, It was cruel, and I would not in flicked that pain on anyone else the way I had pained others, with the knowledge of their deaths.

I move my hand to where the thick covering that sat in my headpiece. A sigh of relief left my lips, “Still there.” As I ran my hand down the front of the covering. The dark Lacey trim at the ends of my veil suddenly felt itchy, like I needed to get it off.

“Are yo.” his words were cut short as the only guard burst into my bedchamber. “How dare you sneak your way into the private quarters of the princess.” he pulls the man from my room in seconds. I could hear him dragging him down the servant’s staircase. No doubt he was going to throw him into the dungeons.

My heart still pounded furiously against my ribs as thought it might burst free from my chest. Each frantic beat echoed in my ears, like a bell ringing out in the night. Moonlight spilled over my desk, and on to the floor of my bedchamber, in pale sliver shades as I gazed out the open window to the river below, the light from the castle dancing along the river's edges. Confusion twisted around my mind, “What had he been searching for?” I stood still for a moment, letting my breath slow as I watched the sliver pools of moonlight dance on the water. I glanced at the tree line, when I noticed a pale blue light move behind the tree line.

A moment later, the king burst in. I had just lit the candles in my bedchamber to see more clearly. I moved around to face him. My breath caught in my lung, I hadn’t seen him in years. He never graced me with a visit. His hair had turned gray, his once smooth skin covered with wrinkled with the stories of the life he had. “I.” I softly nodded trying to regain my composure. “Your majesty,” I gave a quick, but proper curtsy. I set the candle I grabbed when I was trying to protect myself. “A candle? I was going to hurt with something that would break so easily.” I mutter to myself.

He paused for a second. “Lillian, Did he see you?”

Did he see me? That was what he worried over? That’s what he came in here to see? Not check on me. Simply to see if his secret cursed daughter had been seen?

“No.” my voice came in a respectful tone. As though he was a stranger, as though we were nothing more than people who met on the way to the baker. A small twinge of pain shot through me, I did not want it to be like this.

“Good. I will send your lady’s maid in to see you.” With that he left, not giving me a goodbye, or even a second look.

I took the seat in front of my desk, pulling my veil off. I felt free without it, I could finally breathe, it was dense to the point it could smoother somebody but enchanted by Akalis for me to see others through it. Late nights like these were my favorite even with all that happened, it was the first time since I was 16 that I had any interactions with someone other than Idel. I didn’t care who he was, he spoke to me as though, I was just another person. Thief or not it felt good to talk to somebody.

The sound of a soft knock on the door drew me form my thoughts. I pulled the thick layer of cloth back on. “Come in.”

“Oh, dear are you okay?” Idel glided with the kind of grace one has after a decade on the job, watching those of lower class interact with ones born of nobility teaches one how to behave.

I thought about that for a second, not sure why I felt so okay. He was a thief. He could have been a killer, sent to take me out for the pain I’ve caused. “I will be. I would like to be alone now.” I stood from my seat, grabbing the candle and taking the spot in the window. My mind kept drifting back to the man. He said he was a guest for the wedding, I guess that could be true. I shook my head. “Of course he’s not a guest.” I looked out at the forest, the fireflies lighting up the edges, the way the trees swayed back, and forth. The smell of rain, and faint sounds of the ceremony still going on the other side of the court.

Still, I want to know what he was doing in this part of the castle. Why he hadn’t taken anything. Simply put I was curious. I wanted to know more. No way was I going to make it out of here with my father, and the guards on edge. I stared out into the forest, watching the fireflies float around the bottom of the trees. My eyes started to grow heavier as I watched them..