Cursed Crown

by Laura Greenwood

  She dipped her head under the water, feeling instantly refreshed and more alive as she surfaced, her honey coloured hair turning darker as it took on water. Her father would probably kill her if he saw her like this. It would be highly improper. Maybe she should let Xavier come across her partaking in unmaidenly activity. He'd never want to marry her then. Or he still would if what Cienna suspected was true. She'd heard rumours that Demetra's treasury was depleted and there was nothing left. In which case, Xavier was probably looking to marry her to take advantage of her spinning skills rather than anything else. And considering she was the only one who could spin straw into gold, it was her or no one for the desperate King. Then she'd have a sadistic husband and be locked in a tower for the rest of her life. And she didn't even want to think about what else he'd make her do. She shivered, despite the warmth of the water as thoughts she didn't want entered her head.

  "Are you all right?" a male voice asked, making Cienna jump and let out a small shriek. She glanced around quickly, trying to tell where the voice had come from, but not seeing anyone about. Yet the voice, had sounded close. Really close. Almost like there was someone else in the lake with her. But that couldn't be right. She'd have noticed if there was another person disturbing the water around her.

  "Yes?" she replied, her hesitation turning the one word into a question.

  "Are you sure? You don't seem it." The voice sounded a little amused and Cienna scowled. The man must be messing with her. She crossed her arms over her breasts, hoping that he couldn't see through the thin, wet fabric that was clinging to every inch of her body.

  "I will be if you show yourself." She tried to infuse her voice with a strength that she certainly didn't feel, and only seemed to result in the man chuckling.

  "I'm not hidden."

  "Well I can't see you." She huffed. Dissatisfied with how obtuse he was being.

  "Then look down." She did, expecting to see a man's face peering up at her. Instead, she noticed a small, emerald green frog sitting on one of the lily pads directly in front of her. The frog lifted one of its front legs and gave what almost looked like a wave. It was all Cienna could do not to give out another shriek, but she just about contained herself. Now wasn't the time for freaking out. Now was the time to figure out how the frog talked. Then again, Madeline had said that she should travel west, and that's what she'd done. So maybe Cienna was supposed to meet the frog. She did have to wonder whether she was going a little bit crazy for thinking that though.

  "Erm, hello," she said.

  "Good evening," the frog replied, lifting himself on his hind legs and giving an odd kind of half bow to her. A polite frog, now there was a novelty.

  "Do you have a name?" she asked, curious and still trying not to freak out.

  "I'm Harry," he replied, his mouth widening so that it was almost a smile. She found it odd that she was giving human mannerisms to a frog. But then, it was odd to have a conversation with a frog full stop.

  "I'm Cienna." She crouched down in the water so that her face was level with his lily pad, finding that there was a conveniently placed rock on the lake's floor for her to sit on.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cienna. What brings you here?" he asked, sitting back down so that he looked more like a frog should. She wasn't sure whether that reassured her or not. There was something endearing about him acting like another human would.

  "And to meet you, Harry. It felt like a good place to stop"

  "You're the first person not to run away screaming." He sounded sad, and she wondered how long he'd been alone at the lake.

  "Well it is kind of surprising having a frog talk to you." She could hear the amusement in her voice, and was rewarded with another froggy smile, but something in his large green eyes made her think that there was an edge of sadness to it. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

  "It's not problem. I guess I'd be surprised if a frog started talking to me too."

  "Do the other frogs not talk to you?" she asked curiously.

  "Not in any language I understand." He sighed and propped up his head on one of his hands. Were they hands? Cienna wasn't sure, but it was the nearest comparison she could think of. Leg just didn't seem right for what he was doing, and paw didn't seem right when talking about a frog. Though to be honest, the whole situation was too surreal for her to really spend too much time debating on whether frogs had hands.

  "Does it get lonely?"

  "Very much so." He glanced away, a faraway look entering his eyes.

  "And no one's ever talked back to you?"

  "Not in the three years or so I've been here."

  "Three years?" she asked, horrified, and wanting to take him in her arms and make everything better. Which was a stupid thought to say the least. For a start, he was tiny compared to her.

  "About that. But it's hard to keep track of time when you're a frog."

  Cienna frowned. She supposed that was true.

  "How did you end up here?" she asked, curiosity taking over from propriety. Though she wondered if there was such a thing as propriety when talking to wildlife.

  "I annoyed the wrong person I think. One day, I was just Harry, the next day, I'm here and a frog, with only the occasional person passing through, though I can't say any of them stopped to talk."

  "I'm sorry," Cienna said, truly meaning the words. From what he was saying, she suspected that he hadn't always been a frog, but she didn't want to pry too much. Getting turned into an animal can't have been easy on him, nor was it easy magic. Even Merelda couldn't do it, and she'd already spent some time studying with the nuns back home.

  "No need to be sorry. You're giving me more than I could ever have imagined by talking to me now. Though I suspect you'll need to leave soon."

  She nodded, he was right. She could hardly fend off Xavier's advances if she was too tired to function. Even if she didn't want to leave.

  "Can I come back? Tomorrow maybe?"

  She wasn't sure what made her ask, but something about the way the frog was speaking to her made her feel safe and like this was where she should be. Maybe it was because he was talking to her as an equal and not as something to look down on or that should be there as a mere ornament. Weird how it took a frog to do that when no man could.

  "Are you all right?" she asked him when he was silent for a little too long.

  "Yes, sorry. I wasn't expecting you to want to."

  Her mouth opened, creating an 'o' shape. She hadn't considered that he might be surprised that she wanted to return, it just felt so right to.

  "I want to. So far, you've been the highlight of the visit." She smiled at him, barely refraining from learning down and pressing a kiss to his small green head. She wasn't sure where that urge had come from, but like promising to come back, it felt natural. Even so, she held back. She'd just managed to make a friend here, she didn't want to make him feel too weird.

  4 Svetlana

  She smacked her lips together, despite that not being how she ingested life force. It was far simpler than that. All she really had to do was touch a person and think the right thing. Words which could never be muttered aloud, or they'd not only stop working, but undo everything that they'd ever done. Meaning she'd revert back to the woman she should be, rather than the woman she was. Maybe now, that wasn't so much of a problem. She was only twenty summers old, being young and beautiful was a given. But in another twenty years, she'd feel completely different. She shivered, hating the knowledge that without a few simple words, she'd be forced to grow old. Of course that would happen if she ran out of life force too. She really needed to be careful with her power reserves or she wouldn't just age normally, she'd be old before her time.

  Svetlana picked up the box containing her new dress from the counter on which the dressmaker had placed it. The woman had done a good job, and it was almost a shame that she couldn't keep her around. But Svetlana needed the woman's life force in order to travel home. Only then could she put the rest of her plan into motion.

/>   With a mere thought, she evaporated into smoke, arriving back at the miners' home almost instantly. She threw the dress box on the kitchen table, where it would likely stay for the next few days. It wasn't like she needed to eat anymore, and she certainly wasn't about to cook for herself.

  She stalked through the house, towards the small room in which she kept the one possession she'd managed to bring from the castle when she'd left. It amused her greatly that it wasn't even hers. It had belonged to her stepmother, and while Svetlana had originally taken it out of spite, once she'd discovered how it worked, she'd realised the true power her stepmother had. And the true power that Svetlana now owned.

  The large dark mirror hung on the wall, the only piece of furniture in the room. Its golden scroll frame made it look far more ornate than it should, especially as the mirror's glass didn't seem to show a reflection. Which is what had confused Svetlana when she'd lived at the castle. Her stepmother had been obsessed with looking into it, to the point where she'd once spent hours staring into the dark surface. At first, she'd thought that it was just the Duchess' vanity, but the moment Svetlana had looked into the mirror and not seen herself reflected back, she knew that it must be something more. Now she knew though. And now she had the immense power that had only belonged to the woman running her life.

  "Mirror, mirror on the wall," she muttered, a twisted smile on her face. Nothing happened when she spoke, but she hadn't expected it to. Mere words weren't enough to awaken the mirror. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her finger to the cruel looking spike on the bottom of the gilt frame. A bead of blood slid down the spike and she watched as it was absorbed, disappearing so that there wasn't even a stain left behind.

  Colours swirled in the dark surface of the mirror and an image began to form. In it, Xavier watched another woman with a predatory gleam in his eye, not unlike the one that Svetlana was giving him. The other woman was a stranger. Or at least, Svetlana had never seen her while spying on Xavier’s Court before. In fact, she seemed too vibrant to be there, a shining beacon of light in the otherwise repressed Court. Svetlana would enjoy draining her too.

  "Tell me about her," she demanded of the mirror, which zoomed in on the woman, revealing every detail of her perfectly oval face and honey brown hair.

  Jealousy unfurled in the pit of Svetlana's stomach. This wasn't a woman who'd faced death multiple times, or needed to find a way to make sure she lived another day. And this certainly wasn't a woman who deserved to be on the arm of a King like Xavier. He needed someone who had power already. Someone that would help him gain more of it, and challenge him in his own right. Shame he was never going to get a chance to find that woman. It would have been interesting to see how he'd change the world if Svetlana let him live. But she couldn't. Not when she needed the power it would bring.

  "Lady Cienna of the Northern Marches. Parents, the Duke and Duchess, one younger sister rumoured to have powers of her own. Can spin straw into gold. Currently at the Demetra palace." The mirror's voice was dull and monotonous as it reeled off what it knew about this Lady Cienna. It was interesting to learn, particularly as she was technically Svetlana's peer as the eldest daughter of a Duke. But she'd definitely need to consider catching the woman on her own. She had no idea how much life force someone with the power to spin straw would bring her, but she could imagine that it would be more than normal. Maybe even as much as from Xavier himself. After her trip to the ball in Demetra, there'd be no stopping her.

  Then, she'd come after her stepmother, and exact the revenge that she'd been planning ever since the very first sip of poison.

  5 Cienna

  Getting through the day had been difficult. Which wasn't really that surprising given Xavier's cold personality. It had even made Kayla quieter than normal, and Cienna hated seeing her friend that way. The only person that seemed unaffected was Madeline. She was still as happy as ever, and Cienna dreaded to know why. She was normally only like that when one of her prophecies was about to come into play, but if that was the case now, then she hadn't told Cienna yet. Which probably meant that the prophecy was about her. Or even worse, involved her having to do something that she wouldn't like. Hopefully, it wasn't marrying Xavier.

  She’d managed to leave the palace again the night before, and had travelled to the clearing.

  As with the night before, she dropped her dress to the floor and entered the water, enjoyed the still feel of it against her skin. Maybe should have thought twice about removing her clothes, but then, Harry had already seen her this way, what difference was once more time really going to make?

  "You came back." He sounded surprised, making Cienna both glad that she'd managed to get away, and sad that he thought she might not have come.

  "I did. I brought you something too." She put her hand into the pocket of her shift and withdrew a small golden ball, holding it out to the frog. Harry lifted out his front two legs and took the ball from her, studying it intently.

  "Thank you," he said.

  "I'm sorry it's not much," she added hastily. "They watch me all the time during the day, so I couldn't get anything better. But I found some straw and a spinning wheel, so made this."

  "You can spin straw into gold?" Harry asked, cocking his head to the side in a highly human gesture.

  "Yes."

  "What's that like?"

  "Sparkly," she deadpanned.

  Harry made an odd sound between a chuckle and a croak, making Cienna smile to herself.

  "I meant what's it like having that power?"

  "Hard work. I don't mean the spinning bit, that's easy, but the expectations it brings. Sometimes I wish I couldn't do it."

  "But then you remember that someone else could have the same power and abuse it, while you wouldn't."

  "Yes, how-"

  "Because before I became this, I was in the same position. I had power that most people would envy, and sometimes I resented it. But most of the time I was able to remember that other people would use it for far more nefarious reasons. I felt better then." He seemed sad as he spoke and Cienna held out a finger, which he took with one of his hands after placing the golden ball at his feet.

  "Do you miss it? The power I mean?" She was curious now. She'd never met anyone that felt the same way she did, and it was a revelation to have someone so honest about. She kind of liked it.

  "The power itself? Not at all. The good I could be doing? All the time. I think of the people I could have helped in the past three years, and my heart breaks for them. I hope that the person standing in for me is doing right by them. I think so, but I don't know for sure." He looked away, sadness returning to his eyes.

  "Is there any way I can find out? I can send a letter, or ask about, or do something to help those that you can't?" She was desperate to find a way to make Harry smile again. He didn't deserve to be left so down by the mere fact he was trapped in another form.

  "Thank you, but I'm not sure there's anything you can do."

  "Harry…"

  "Please, Cienna. It's all I can do not to think about it. Please don't make me."

  She nodded once. He was right, it wasn't fair of her to push him on this, particularly if there was nothing that could be done.

  "Tell me about where you're visiting," he said.

  "Demetra?"

  "Is that where we are?" He almost frowned. Odd how she was seeing such human expressions on his face. But then again, she was sure that he'd been a human at one point, so it only made sense that he'd retained the same mannerisms and expressions as he'd previously had.

  "Yes."

  "All right, tell me more." He propped his head up on his hands as he looked up at her, making her feel like a giant even from where she was perched on her rock.

  "It's awful. There's no life in the palace and the Court seems to be constantly on edge, but no one will tell me why. And then there's Xavier..."

  Harry scowled.

  "I've not heard good things about him," he acknowledged.

&n
bsp; "No, I can't say I've heard any either. He’s very cold. Like he doesn't quite know how he should be interacting with people, but still expects them to do what he says."

  "Are you always this astute about people?"

  "What do you mean?" she asked, confused by his question.

  "I was introduced to him briefly at one point, that was my take on him too."

  "You could tell all that from a brief meeting?"

  "You couldn't?"

  "All right, good point. My father wants me to marry him," she whispered the last part, trying her best to keep the horror out of her voice.

  "Why?" Harry almost shouted, his voice surprisingly loud for his small size, yet more proof that he was more than just a frog and that there was likely some magic involved somewhere along the lines.

  She wished that she knew more about it, to see if she could undo Harry's curse, for that's surely what it was, but she was clueless. Maybe if Merelda was about then she'd stand a chance.

  "My father wants me to marry royalty. There were two options, Xavier, or Prince Henry. But Henry's been missing for years." She looked away.

  "You seem saddened by that." His tone was odd, as if there was some knowledge that she was missing.

  "I met him as a child. He was kind to me when not everyone would have been. I think he'd have grown into an amazing man, and I don't think..."

  "You don't think?" he prompted, and Cienna sighed, not quite wanting to voice what she was going to, but knowing that she needed to.

  "I don't think he'd try to force me to marry him if it wasn't what I wanted." She watched closely and saw Harry's eyes flare with anger at her words.