Breaking a Curse

Mangled by the force of the fall, it did not take long for the hatch to be opened. But the precious seconds were enough for Dania to cut down Alaron, and the Guardian to get in a protective stance between her and the tilted entrance.

Muffled voices spoke on the other side of the metal. They seemed emotionally charged, but due to the reverberations inside the cavity, the people inside could not tell too much more about those who sought to open the vessel.

Slowly but surely, the hatch was pried open. An extra burst of water spat out, forcing those who had opened the hatch to move out of the way as it drained. All was quiet for a moment.

"Is anyone alive in there?" A voice called over the rush of liquid.

"What kind of question is that?" A second voice scolded.

"An honest one!" the first defended himself.

Dania pushed past Alaron, her face flushed. "We are alive!"

Jaymes peeked into the underboat with an incandescent smile. "See! Dania knew what I meant!"

Eliana also looked into the hole, her face very relieved. "Are you alright?"

Two more curious faces appeared to block the stream of sunlight. Based on their outlines, it was two males.

"If you let us out, we will know better," Alaron said, trying not to sound too sarcastic.

Those hindering their exit quickly moved, and Dania and Alaron crawled out of the metal prison. When the Guardian saw no immediate danger, he sprawled out on the beach utterly exhausted.

"What happened?" he asked. The question was both for himself and the others. He no longer felt the pull of the curse, which was a relief, but he also felt a tingling sensation he could not name.

"The water bubbled up all black and angry and then KABOOM! The lake was suddenly in the sky and nearly drowned us, but Alvar woke up and held onto me at the last minute or I might have washed away. It was incredible!" Jaymes turned to the elf beside him with a grateful nod.

Dania looked at the golden-skinned he-elf. He looked badly battered. "I assume you are Alvar."

"Prince Alvar," Eliana added for Dania's benefit.

"Thank you, Prince Alvar, for saving my brother," the scientist bowed her head reverently. Then she caught her younger brother up in a huge hug. "I have missed you so much! I think you have grown at least a head taller since the last time I saw you."

Eliana wrapped her embrace around the other two. "He will be taller than both of us in no time. I am just glad you made it back to see it."

"Me too," Dania responded with a silent sob. The sisters' eyes filled with happy tears. They were together once more.

The boy, however, was uninterested in his sisters' tenderness. He hugged them briefly before pushing away to continue his tale.

"But Dania! You didn't even wait for the best part!" Jaymes lifted his hands high into the air. "You went with the water high into the air and then came crashing into the dirt like a rock." The young man slammed his fist into his palm. "Are you sure you didn't reach the sun? And how in the world are you alive after that?"

"I doubt that we got anywhere near the sun and the only reason we survived was because Alaron suspended us in the middle of the underboat. I am not sure how his body withstood the strain!"

"It was nothing," Alaron groaned. Compared to the pain of the curse, being ripped in two directions simultaneously while he held onto a woman for dear life was a walk in the park....sort of. His body ached, but he believed that being a Guardian would help him heal soon enough. Until then, he would lay on the ground while the others chatted on.

"Do you think we need to seek shelter?" Gandr looked warily toward the sky and then the far off camp. There were no more flying abominations, but there was a possibility that that could change at any moment.

Alvar squinted and then smiled. "Look there, cousin! Do you see what I see?"

Gandr stared at the spot which the elven prince indicated. His face also broke into a grin. "It seems reinforcements have arrived. So much for fairies not fighting. Though I suppose using ice to cool off the enemy is not the same as hand-to-hand combat."

"I don't understand," Dania and her siblings did not have the advantage of their exceptional eyesight.

"Perhaps it is better if we just go and see," Gandr suggested.

"Is it safe? Is it over?!" Jaymes asked as he bounced up and down excitedly.

"I don't think they would be letting you jump and scream like that if they thought we were still in danger," Eliana pointed out gently.

"We are safe," Gandr assured them as he rolled his shoulders. His body was slowly beginning to feel better after all the magic he had spent. "But we should probably take our time. It will give the former abominations some time to get clothes."

Relieved that Gandr had made the call, Alvar plopped back down on the shoreline. He rinsed his hands and hair in the refilled lake.

Alaron turned his head toward the elf. "You look like death," he said bluntly.

"You should know," the other prince responded with a bland smile. Although Alvar's helmet had taken a lot of the damage, there were still bumps and bruises covering the elf's face. The Guardian did not look much better.

"I nearly found out again," Alaron began to feel his body. The wounds were still there, but were no longer infected. It seemed his body would have to heal naturally now that the injuries were more natural as well.

"What do you mean?" Jaymes cocked his head curiously.

"I mean right before we were launched into the air, your sister was about to murder me," Alaron cut his eyes toward the beautiful scientist.

Dania audibly gasped as her face paled. "You were about to turn into an abomination. You TOLD me to kill you. What was I supposed to do?"

The Guardian's eyes flashed with mischief. "I don't know. You are clearly the brains of the operation. You could have done anything to avoid plunging a knife into my heart."

"Maybe you should have kissed him!" Jaymes clapped his hands together decidedly.

"What?" the two's banter abruptly stopped as they looked in shock at the boy.

"Like in the story books. The best way to break a curse is a kiss, right? Maybe that would have been better than stabbing him. I mean, he did say he would marry you."

Alaron was suddenly on his feet and backing away quickly. "I said nothing of the sort!" Dania was now glaring at him with the fire of a thousand suns.

"You want to have me go from one arranged marriage to another, Guardian?" Her eyes turned so deep of a green that the fallen prince felt like running for the ice barrier straight across the water.

"Eliana was there," Alaron said helplessly. "I did not agree to marry anyone!"

But the elder sister was enjoying the moment just a tad too much. She shrugged. "You also didn't refuse. In some cities, that is a form of agreement. Legally, I mean."

"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance," Dania narrowed her gaze.

Alaron gripped his head. "I knew it! I knew you would enjoy ending me!" He took an unsteady step backwards and a loose stone took his legs out from under him.

Falling onto his rear, The Guardian groaned loudly. His leg screamed in pain. In an instant, Dania was at his side, her face overwrought with concern.

"Are you alright?" Dania tore the bottom of her dress and began wrapping it around Alaron's leg. It was bleeding again, but this time just the normal crimson trickle.

"I'll be fine," the Guardian assured her. "I just overdid it a little."

"Well, don't," Dania said firmly. "I might have joked a moment ago about your death, but I would very much prefer you live a long and happy life."

"Guardians generally do at least one of those," Alaron gave her a lopsided grin.

"Well, do them one better and try for both." The two locked eyes. It was clear Dania meant her words.

"I shall try," Alaron promised her, all the humor gone from his voice.

"Good," Dania nodded determinedly and finished tying off the bandage. Alaron moved his leg back and forth. "Careful!" the scientist advised him.

"It's better than it was." The Guardian began to rise. "With Gandr's help, I am sure I'll be able to make it back to the others."

Gandr pursed his lips. "I've got to carry Yumeto. Though after all the trouble he caused, I would be happy to leave him here."

"I can help!" Jaymes offered. He looped Alaron's arm around his shoulder. "You can trust me to help."

And like that, the small group wandered slowly toward the camp, both hopeful and fearful of what awaited them.