Gently, as she had seen Morgana do, Corinna touched her throat with her fingers. The contact points felt cold instead of the warm that usually came from touching skin to skin. Like a message, the cold spread down into Corinna’s chest but was not uncomfortable. In fact, it felt rather nice. Corinna let it chill her heated lungs for a moment and then pulled her hand away from her throat. The cold receded until it was no more. That didn’t seem to be a magic spell, but it was definitely healing. Perhaps it was simply a power that came from being of magic.
The fire danced beyond Corinna’s feet and caught the girl’s eye. She set the mirror gently down on the bed and took a deep breath of her bedroom’s heated air. Alexander’s cloak hung by the door, damp but ready. It was a welcome warmth outside, but now Corinna couldn’t remember it being anything but cold in comparison to her fireplace. With thoughts of magical fingers and beautiful fires in the winter, Corinna felt herself grow weary and then slip off into an afternoon of anxious dreams. She didn’t remember them when she woke up, but with her eyes still closed, they were filled with electric green snake eyes and rugged, working class noblemen.
------------------------------------------------
“Are you sure you should be in here?” Alexander asked. Corinna groaned and sighed. She looked up from the book she was reading and over at Alexander. The prince was holding Corinna’s magic mirror and staring into it, tilting his head every few moments to get a different angle on whatever he was staring at. The curtains were drawn for the night, but the chandelier was bright and illuminating enough to be its own star. A fire burned and licked fog up the windows.
“I’m honestly getting tired of that question,” Corinna said. She tapped the cover of her book contemplatively and then nodded. “Yes. I feel fine.”
“You can’t blame us all for being worried,” Alexander said. He let out a grunt of a noise that Corinna thought was meant to be the prince clearing his throat. “You’ve been doing a horrible amount of coughing these last few days.”
“You’re exaggerating,” Corinna assured him and looked back at her book.
“You coughed once at both lunch and dinner yesterday, and the day before, and your fit in the snow the day before that. You didn’t cough at all a month ago. Is there something you’re not telling me?” Alexander asked.
The way he said ‘me’ instead of ‘us’ caused Corinna some slight joy. Alexander wasn’t the type to make things personal, but he was specifying himself in the question. Corinna almost wished she was hiding something so she could reward Alexander for the pronoun usage. Sadly, she had nothing. Alexander was right in the fact that Corinna had been coughing more often, but since that day in the snow, she had not coughed up even the slightest amount of blood. It must have been Morgana after all. And coughing wasn’t a secret. Corinna really had no clues to the cause.
“No. It’s probably just a raw throat,” Corinna said. She was tired of needing to defend her body’s automatic actions. “What are you looking at in there? You’ve been doing it for almost an hour.”
“Nothing,” Alexander grunted.
“Now who’s hiding things?” Corinna teased. She held her book up to her face so her eyes were the only things peeking over the top and grinned. “Who is Prince Alexander looking at?”
“No one,” the blonde replied a bit too hastily for Corinna to accept it as true. “I was just checking on my father.”
“Oh?” Corinna lowered her book but was not convinced. She still let her lips tug upward at their own whim. “And how is he?”
“Recovering. Whatever Michael is giving him seems to be working. Today he was back in his throne to meet the people and hear their needs. He didn’t move much, but the color has returned to his features, at least,” Alexander said, setting the mirror down.
Corinna caught sight of a bright blonde figure in the glass before Alexander’s fingers moved off the handle and it returned to being normal glass.
“That’s good,” she said. “I suppose the court won’t be calling on you, though.”
“I suppose not,” Alexander agreed. “That’s alright, though. I’m happy enough here.”
“Hmm. I feel sorry for the people of Paesaggia,” Corinna said. “You would make a wonderful king.”
Alexander sat unmoving for a moment in which the clock on the mantle seemed to stop ticking, and then he snorted. “How would you know what a good king is or that I’d make one? We never discuss politics.”
“I read one of the books in the library,” Corinna said.
“One?” Alexander slapped his knee and a rumble moved in his throat. “I’ve read them all.”
“See? You’ll make a great king. I bet you’ve read every single one of the books in that library.” Corinna closed her book and set it to the side. She smiled, but Alexander’s grin evaporated. He looked as though Corinna had stabbed an old wound, insulted him rather than complimented him.
“I have,” he answered truthfully, “But there is a great difference between reading how to run an economy and a kingdom and actually performing the task. I haven’t met my people since I was fifteen, Corinna. My hopes for their loyalty are not high.”
“Nonsense,” Corinna said, shaking her head. “You are their prince. They will welcome you back with a party so large, you won’t know who to talk to first. All the beautiful girls will be dying to dance with you, and all the nobles will want to get close to you and show their eternal support.”
“Right. They’ll show their support so long as I’m cured of my curse first,” Alexander said. “And the girls will dance with me so long as I don’t have huge bear feet.”
“And you won’t,” Corinna assured. She stood from her couch and walked calmly to Alexander’s. Her fingers found the handle of the mirror and lifted it up to her chest, where she held it like a treasure. “You have someone special in your heart, Alexander, and they will break this curse for you.”
The blonde in the mirror… It could only be two people. Either Alexander had reverted back to looking into mirrors to remember his past glory, or he was checking up on the one he cared for. Corinna didn’t want Alexander to return to his old narcissistic ways, but the idea of Alexander looking in on someone he cared for deeply didn’t feel right either in Corinna’s chest.
She should be happy for Alexander. The prince had mentioned once before that he cared for someone. That person could break Alexander’s curse, could free him from the coat of fur and the loneliness. That person could be everything Alexander needed and wanted. And yet Corinna felt a cold throb deep in her chest. Why did it feel like losing Alexander? Why did it feel like losing someone dear all over again?
Corinna had left her home to come and live in this manor. She had left her friends, her best friend, her uncle, and her mother. She had left them all and come to live in a cage with strangers poking sticks in at her. She had broken her own heart to come here, but a lot changes in five months. Five months ago, Corinna didn’t think she would be friends with the servants. She didn’t know she would have a central role in helping to break a curse or be on friendly terms with a witch. Five months ago, she wouldn’t have guessed that her bloodline held magic tucked away. Five months ago, Corinna would have loved for Alexander to return home and let them all leave to go their separate ways.
This was not five months ago. Corinna didn’t want to lose Alexander anymore than her uncle or Alastar. But what was she to do but let Alexander find true love and get his proper life back?
“Someone already is trying to break this curse for me,” Alexander said. He reached his hand up and took hold of Corinna’s arm below the elbow. He gently pulled Corinna down to sit on the couch and gave an awkward, anxious smile in the gardener’s direction. “What more could honestly I ask for?”
Corinna felt her chest expand until it was almost painful. She let out a deep sigh and smiled gently.
“Alexander,” she began, “Sometimes you can’t string two kind words together to help yourself. Sometime you stumble over
yourself to fix something mean you said. And sometimes you’re the most charming person I know. Thank you for the compliment… but trust me - there is someone out there better suited than me for breaking your curse.”
“You’re a wonder, Corinna. How do you do it?” Alexander asked, slouching his shoulders. “You open your mouth and exude humility and determination in the same breath. You’re confident and exuberant and yet completely placid at the same time. I think I would need to spend a lifetime with you to learn to be as gallant as you. Who made you this way?”
Corinna felt her cheeks heat and her chest constrict, and she lowered her eyes to the mirror still held down against her chest. “My mother taught me everything I know – from how to treat others to how to treat plants. She is my inspiration,” she said.
“Can I see her?” Alexander asked, motioning toward the mirror.
Corinna wanted to say no, but Alexander looked much too expectant. He was excited over something so small. Corinna couldn’t deny him, especially when her own heart throbbed with expectation. She pulled the mirror out and took a deep breath. It would be her first time seeing her mother in five months. Her stomach knotted in anticipation.
“She’ll probably be getting ready for bed,” she warned as the mirror began to shift.
The room in the mirror was lit by a bedside candle and the fading evening light through a half opened window. Corinna’s mother was lying in her bed, in much the same way she had seen her when she had first received the mirror. The sheets were drawn up to her chest, and she lay on her side. Even in the restricted light, Corinna could see her paleness. She looked even worse than the king had a week ago.
A plate of food sat on the bedside table. A bowl and rag were set on the floor by the head of the bed. Despite the small size of the picture, Corinna could still pick out her mother’s shivering. Alvar entered the scene and placed his hand to his sister’s forehead. A violent shudder ran through her body and then she lay still. Alvar frowned and pat her shoulder. His lips moved but no sound was heard. Corinna didn’t want to hear it.
“She’s…,” was all Alexander could manage to think up. Corinna’s fingers felt weak, and she gripped the mirror tighter to try and find their strength.
“She’s sick,” Corinna murmured. The image in the mirror faded and was overcome by a view of the stables out back. “She’s… She looks like Father.”
Corinna let the mirror drop to her lap, but her eyes stared straight ahead. She felt as though she was shaking like her mother, but it was entirely internal. The mirror and its frame were motionless in her grasp. Corinna turned to Alexander and gripped at the older man’s arm.
“I think she’s dying,” she gasped. The inner corners of her eyes burned and felt moist.
“No. No, your uncle is a physician. She’ll be alright,” Alexander tried to assure her, but the prince sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than to convince Corinna.
“No,” Corinna snapped, her fingers gripping Alexander’s arm tighter. “No, he was frowning. He only frowns when there’s nothing he can do. Alexander, let me go home. Tell Morgana to let me leave so I can help her, or at least let me be there before she leaves me.”
“But -,” Alexander began and then swallowed his words. Corinna tried to plead with her eyes, which were damp with worry. “What about everyone here? What about the cure?”
Corinna ripped her fingers back from Alexander as though she had been burned. She stood and took a step back from the couch.
“What about the cure?” she repeated. “Alexander, she could be dying!”
“I’m dying!” Alexander roared. “Aren’t you the one who told me that? I’m dying too!”
“But she’s my mother,” Corinna pleaded. “She’s all I’ve got left.”
Alexander rose to his feet as well and looked down from his foot above Corinna’s head.
“I’m sorry, Corinna, honestly I am. But I will not tell Morgana to free you. You’re stuck here until my curse is broken or I die, whether you like it or not. I’m not letting you go,” he said, and there was a guttural growl accompaniment.
Corinna’s eyebrows knit together and she clenched her fingers around the handle of the mirror. She wanted to smash it to pieces in her anger, but the truth of what the mirror was kept her from doing so. She grit her teeth and took a deep breath.
“I thought I taught you that family meant something,” she huffed. Her every muscle felt tight, and her mind was on Alvar’s frown.
“I suppose you thought wrong,” Alexander grunted back.
Corinna shut her eyes until her eyelids almost melded with her cheekbones. Then, with a stamping of her foot, she turned and walked away from Alexander. As she passed one of the couch side tables, she flung her hand out and collided it with the newly replaced vase, sending it shattering to the ground. At the door, Corinna turned back to look at the beast, who had not moved an inch.
“That was the sound of my respect for you,” she hissed and then threw herself through the doorway.
Before Alexander could even contemplate coming after her, Corinna launched herself across the stairwell and into her rooms. Her mother was sick and probably dying. She could pass at any given time. It was luck that had let Corinna know before she was already gone. Corinna was not going to let this opportunity pass. She would not miss out on saying goodbye to her mother as she had already done with her father. So, before she lay down to bed that night, Corinna packed her bag full of her personal belongings and began to plan her escape. Neither beast nor vindictive witch would keep her from her mother tomorrow.
Chapter 21 – Receiver of the Curse
“Corinna, stay down,” Belle ordered, pressing down hard on Corinna’s shoulder. The sorcerer fell back into her mattress with as much resistance to the force as air. Belle drew her hand back to her chest and gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
Corinna squeezed her eyes tightly shut and let out a raspy breath. When she opened her eyes and looked up at her friend, Belle seemed even more apologetic than before. Corinna cast her eyes sideways a moment to where Veronica waited by a window, but the movement made her dizzy, and she returned to watching Belle. Belle was constant.
“Not your fault,” Corinna murmured out in a heavy breath. “I just can’t… seem to find any strength.”
“You’re sick,” Belle said, anxiety welling up in her throat. “Just stay in bed, okay? And you need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” Corinna frowned at herself and avoided Belle’s gaze. She knew eating was for the best, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel any hunger. Belle pulled a rag from a small bowl of water by the bedside and rang it out. Then she set it gently on Corinna’s damp forehead.
“I’ll bring you some things to snack on if you do get hungry,” she said and smiled sorrowfully down at her. She nodded and turned away from the bed.
Corinna’s head was pounding and refused to give her rest, but she didn’t want to give into it. She saw Belle getting closer to the door and frowned. Remembering her manners, Corinna opened her mouth to thank her, but instead she began to heave and cough. The rag on her forehead slipped off. Belle was back to her side in an instant, pouring her a glass of water.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Corinna felt something wet on her mouth and knew she had spit on herself. Belle wiped it up quickly and then helped her drink. Corinna hoped it was just her and that Belle wasn’t truly shaking.
“I-I’m sorry,” Corinna said. She felt immeasurably dizzy after the fit and let her head fall to the side in an attempt to find stability. She felt close to Belle and yet very far away at the same time.
“By the heavens… Corinna, just rest. I’ll be right back with some soup for you. Okay?” Belle said.
Corinna felt she would cough again if she opened her mouth, so she made a soft affirmative noise and pressed her lips hard together. Then Isabelle was gone from the room. As soon as the door shut, Veronica stepped closer from her perch on the wall. She inched a chair close to the
bed and set herself daintily down in it. She frowned contemplatively down at Corinna, her eyes deep with curiosity and confusion.
“You were healthy yesterday,” she commented. Corinna let out a sigh instead of answering. That much was obvious. Corinna’s sudden disease was more frightening than anything she had yet experienced. But still, Corinna didn’t want to feel irritated with Veronica, and so she suppressed the bubble of anxiety down in her stomach.
Veronica held her hands together tightly and worried her fingers against each other. Her dress was cleaner than average, and Corinna almost wondered if it was new. It looked the same though, and Veronica wasn’t showing it off like Morgana and her new cloak. It was surprising how things looked through dying eyes. Veronica’s hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, save for a flyaway bang that hung down like a crumpled streamer just past her left eye. Her neck appeared tense, and her forehead grew more lines than an old war-veteran.
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