by C S Patra
“As did I but I guess he changed his mind. I want you to be very careful. He could target anyone at any given moment. Make sure you lock your doors and windows at night. I don’t want him creeping into your bedroom.”
“I’ll be careful, Mother.” She promised. “I won’t let anyone into my room at night without permission.”
“Very good.” The queen sighed, looking at her daughter. “Oh, I’m glad you made it back. You should be careful when you go into the village. At least tell me where you are headed.”
“It’s all right. I only went to the bakery. I swear I didn’t touch anyone or talk a lot. All I did was ask for an order of cookies. It was just for a snack!”
“That’s fine. As long as everyone is all right, I’m not worried about you buying anything from the bakery. Don’t spend too long in the village. The morning is perfectly fine as not many people are up.” The queen looked out of the window. “I know you want to spend more time out there and I do not fault you for feeling that way. I wish there was a way for you to enjoy it and be with the people you’re going to rule one day.”
“How can’t I rule a kingdom if I don’t know anyone?” She asked. “How can I help them if I’m not allowed get close to them? A queen needs to be visible to her people. They have to turn to her in times of need. If I’m not there, what’s going to happen to them? What will they do?”
“Believe me, my dear, I have also thought about that. I don’t like hiding you from the world. I want you to be out there and enjoy everything this kingdom has to offer.” The queen explained. “However, I also fear how people will treat you when they learn the truth. This is a curse that cannot be controlled so easily. I fear that if find out, I won’t be able to protect you. For the time being, I need you to stay close to the castle walls. Go out only when there won’t be so many people. Keep your communication at a minimum. Make sure you are home before dark. Above all else, touch nothing with your bare hands. That is all I ask.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Lavinia did just as asked, and kept everything to herself. She woke up in time for all her lessons, ate her meals, roamed the castle walls, walked around the castle but barely went beyond it, and talked to those who lived here. Sometimes, she would sew or paint or read the books that were on her shelf. She loved stories about the strange and unique worlds out there. It was from these books that she learned about the ‘Falling Ashes’ curse. She was not the first one to have gotten it and she certainly wouldn’t be the last. She knew that people had a hard time living with this curse and many had accidentally killed people or other living things simply from a brush against their skin. These people were often jailed or sentenced to death even though everything was an accident. They were cursed and not wanted because of the fact that they couldn’t touch a living thing.
It’s just so sad. They’re not evil. They were just stuck with the same curse I have. She thought as she went to her room and found the book about the curse. There were several eyewitness accounts and stories about what people had seen these ‘Falling Ashes’ monsters do. It was never anything drastic. One woman walked by a child and accidentally brushed her bare hand against the child’s cheek. Another person was tending their livestock when everything they had suddenly fell to the ground and died. The panic that this caused was enough to set laws in place for people who were cursed. They were never to leave their homes for anything. If they needed something, they had to send someone else to fetch it. They were never to touch anything that was alive. Anyone found doing so, accidentally or otherwise, was to be locked up and kept away from society. Lavinia wasn’t thrilled at all upon hearing this and wondered if there was a way to change these laws.
“People don’t need to leave like this. It’s cruel,” she murmured. As queen, she would make sure this law was abolished and that a cure was found for these people. She was not going to have anyone living like animals locked up in cages. The death penalty would also be abolished for these people. There was no need to spill more innocent blood here.
Before I can do any of this, I have to break my own curse. She realized, looking down at her hands. I’m not sure how but I need to get out of these castle walls. I have to find a way to live life like anyone else. The only way to do that is to leave and find that cure. This kingdom needs someone who doesn’t fear them. I don’t want to be the queen they fear.
She put the book away and began to plot her escape. It couldn’t be today and perhaps not tomorrow, but it would be soon. She had to leave everything behind or she would have to live without being able to hold anything in her arms. It would hurt her parents and the others who knew her, but it needed to be done.
She had to get rid of ‘Falling Ashes’.
Chapter 3
The night had fallen so Lavinia had to be home before anyone suspected that she had walked out. As long as she was behind the castle walls once night came around, she was fine. She had made her way back to her bedroom and covered herself up with the quilts on her bed. For some reason, it always got cold once the sky went dark and she could no longer sleep with the window opened. That annoying thief had not disappeared, so she made sure everything was locked up and hidden. He would not be able to find her valuables.
Even though most of the castle had gone to bed, she couldn’t sleep. She paced around in her room as she thought about Alice. There was a very bright, sunny smile that could make flowers bloom around her. She didn’t think that Lavinia was strange by the way she was dressed. She treated her just like all the other people who came into the bakery. Just thinking about her kindness and gentle nature was making Lavinia blush.
“I wonder if I can go back tomorrow,” she murmured. There was no need for more baked goods but being able to talk to Alice made her feel special. She felt like she belonged in this kingdom. If other people were just like Alice, she would have no issues ruling them. She wanted to be the ruler they could look up to.
But my curse is still there. I don’t know when it will go away. She looked down at her hands, now bare and free from gloves. It was safe to touch things because there was nothing alive in her room. She could hold onto anything and not worry about it withering away in her grasp. Right now, she gripped her covers and walked around with them over her shoulders. It was her way of pretending she was the queen. She would pace around her room and try to act like she owned everything. One day she would be a queen, so she needed to get a head start. She had to act like one.
As she walked, her confidence seemed to dip down. She was learning all this for no reason. No one knew of her. No one knew what she was capable of. No one wanted to give her a chance. While she understood what her father and mother were trying to do, it just felt hopeless. They were keeping her from growing and learning about herself. The only way she would be able to break her curse was to go out into the world and find a way. Sitting around in the castle wasn’t going to do much.
She took one of the books from her shelf and began to flip through the pages. It was filled with maps and information about neighboring kingdoms. As a child, she used to enjoy the pictures in that book but now she could read about it. She learned more about them in this book than anyone had told her. If any book would have information about breaking a curse, it would probably be this one.
One of the pages she landed on was about a land filled with ice and darkness. Unlike other kingdoms, it was supposedly uninhabited because of the harsh weather. Very few people had gone to this kingdom and had come out of it alive. The ones that survived were never the same again. They didn’t leave their homes or speak to anyone. They had also picked up illnesses that affected their bodies. When asked about what they saw, all they could reply was that they had been cursed.
A curse. Maybe there is something found in here about mine. Lavinia kept reading in hopes that there would be more information on it. She scrolled down the page with her finger and looked for anything else that sounded like a curse. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much. All that this page ta
lked about was how dark and cold this kingdom was. There was nothing about how to break a curse.
“I think I’m looking in the wrong place,” she sighed, closing the book and trying to go for another one. This book talked about magic and mystical creatures that lingered around. She flipped through that and tried to find a section about curses. There was a part about spells and witches, so she kept reading. “Witches have an ability to curse anyone that they want. For this to happen, the witch has to be offended for the curse to take effect. There are few ways for a curse to break and that will usually depend on the type of curse.”
That did help her a little, but it also meant more work for her. She had to figure out what would be best to break her curse. If it involved touching a living being, then she was doomed. She would never be able to pull it off. The hardest part of all would be leaving the castle. She couldn’t explain where she was going to her mother and father. There was no servant out there that she trusted with secrets either. They would immediately let her family know where she was going, and then they would once again lock her in the castle. The worst part was that she read what some curses required, and they were live plants and creatures. A dead one would not work. If she wanted her curse to be broken and it asked for living creatures, she had no hope.
No, I can’t give up. There has to be a way to break my curse and it has to be an easy way. I can’t be the only one who has ever been cursed. She told herself, flipping through the rest of the book. I don’t know of anyone else who has the ability but maybe I can find someone to help. I just have to be able to trust them.
Her first thought went to Alice who she wanted to know better. Alice would believe her and would probably do anything to break that curse. She would understand what a burden this was. If she cared about people and especially her future queen, she would be able to help. However, there was the other option that Lavinia didn’t like. She would be dragging Alice into a world and adventure that could put her in danger. The last thing she needed was for Alice to get hurt.
If I’m going to break my curse, I’ll have to do it alone. She realized, closing the book. I have to venture out of the castle walls and get what I need. I’m just not sure I can do it by myself. The best I can do is ask Alice and see what she says. We might need another person. I just don’t know who else I can get to come with us.
She heard some noise in the next room and sat up. Everyone had gone to bed and she was sure none of the guards were close by. They usually kept their distance from her bedroom and didn’t come running until she called for them. Curious, she grabbed her robe, threw it over her shoulders, and slowly stepped out of her bedroom to see who it was. There was no one in the hallway so she went next door where many jewels and priceless artwork was locked away. A horrible feeling filled up her stomach as she made her way into the room and slowly opened the door.
“Is someone in_” She paused when she saw someone holding up a few of the priceless jewels that had been locked in the drawer. It didn’t take very long for her to register that this person dressed in black from head to toe was the infamous thief that had been all over the kingdom. “You! What are you doing?!”
The thief tucked the jewelry away and tried to make his way out of the window, but Lavinia stepped forward to stop him. In doing so, she tripped on the rug and ended up trying to grab a plant nearby to balance herself. She ended up on her knees and the plant withered away in her bare hands, turning into dust. She tried to collect herself while the thief stared at her wide-eyed. In the moonlight, she could see that his eyes were a deep green and he was completely terrified by this.
“What did you do?” He asked. His voice was youthful, so she knew he couldn’t be any older than her. He kept looking at the remains of the plant, knowing that this had happened from her touch. The plant had been healthy and blooming up until this point. “What are you?”
Lavinia stood up, letting go of the remains of the plant. “I had a feeling someone would find out. You must not tell anyone what you’ve seen. What I’ve done to that plant I can just as easily to do you.”
“But how? I don’t understand…” He composed himself quickly and stood up. “Well, that doesn’t matter. I got what I came for.”
“Oh, don’t even think of escaping!” She tried to scream to the guards. “Someone, help! Thief! The thief is here! The thief_”
Before she could get them over to her aid, the thief threw something down on the ground and it exploded into a cloud of smoke. “Forgive me, your majesty, but I can’t let you capture me. Not this time!”
“Wait!” Lavinia coughed, coming up with another idea. “Thief, wait! I need your help! I want you to do something for me! I’ll reward you handsomely if you help me!”
It was no use. By the time the guards burst in and the smoke started to clear up, the thief was already gone. The window was still wide open but there was no sign of him. Lavinia felt her heart racing as she thought about what he had seen. He knew the truth. Not only did he know she existed, he knew what she was capable of. He had seen her powers and he had every opportunity to let the whole world know. He could tell Alice and the rest of the kingdom about it.
“Are you all right, your majesty?” One of the guards asked.
“I am fine, but we need to find that thief.” She told him, brushing the dirt off her robes. “He has stolen too many things and I don’t know when he’ll strike again.”
“Understood, your majesty. We will send people high and low to search for him. By any chance, were you able to get a look at him?”
Lavinia thought about how wide-eyed and scared that thief had become when he saw her kill that plant with a touch. “I only remember his eyes. They were green like the fields below and he seems as young as I am. Other than that, I know nothing.”
“That can help us. You do not need to worry, Your Highness. We’ll find him.”
She nodded and then added. “Can I request one thing? When you do find him, do not send him to the dungeons. Send him to see me.”
“You wish to see him?”
“Yes. I need to find out some information that he most likely has,” Lavinia decided. “When you find him, do not hurt him. Bring him straight here.”
The guards were confused by her request but agreed to do it. They would search every part of the kingdom until they found him. Lavinia stared out the window and looked down at the kingdom that she was supposed to rule. Her mind went from the thief to Alice who was probably fast asleep. It seemed strange how all these people were within her reach, yet she couldn’t touch them. Most of them didn’t even know that she was real. The day that she became queen, many of them would be in for a surprise.
And even then, I can’t reach them. She realized, looking at the crumbled pieces of plant in her hand. It was hard to grasp that this plant was once alive. It had been growing in this room because it was a room filled with sunlight and hardly anyone would go in it except to water it. Until I break this curse, I won’t be able to grant any of their wishes. I won’t be able to help them.
Then another thought filled her mind. There wouldn’t be any harm in asking Alice for help on something. She wouldn’t tell Alice what it was for, but she could certainly get her to do some work. Together, they would be able to find an answer behind the curse and learn how to break it. It would give her time to get to know her new friend better and find a way to cure herself. This was no way to live. There was no way she could survive by killing everything she touched with her bare hands. She wanted to be able to hold people, climb onto trees, pick flowers, roll in the grass, and so much more without turning any of it to dust. It hurt not being able to touch her mother and father, let alone anyone else. It didn’t feel right.
The thief could also be of use, which was why she wanted to see him. She could easily pardon him and give him a handsome reward if he would help her break this curse. He was someone who could easily break into places and take what he wanted without being detected. If a live creature
was needed for this, he would be able to get that for her.
It’s settled then. She decided. I will go and see Alice tomorrow with a task. At the same time, I hope I come across that thief. If anyone can help, it’s those two.
She should have been scared about this, but she wasn’t. She had a plan now and her curse was going to break. Neither Alice nor the thief knew it, but they were all about to venture on one of the biggest tasks of their lives. One way or another, she was going to get rid of her curse.
Chapter 4
Alice was pleased with the way things were going in regards to the princess’ birthday treats. Most of the cookies had been finished and the cake was still being worked on. Kian had been hard at work trying to make the perfect rosettes to place all around it. He had messed up a few of them but Alice wasn’t hard on him. She knew he was nervous about getting everything right and he was tired of working on them. Nonetheless, he did not complain.
“It’s a tough job but I can handle it,” he promised, looking at the new row of pink rosettes that he had made. “Do these look fine to you?”
“Amazing,” Alice nodded. “Take a break for a little bit, Kian. I think you’ve earned it.”
