A cursed past

(Amelia)

Once we arrived, a gasp came from my mouth as I stood there staring at the castle-like building that was in front of me. 

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the fog as I felt a hard push that had me stumbling forward. 

Turning to glare at my kidnapper, he smirked and told me to hurry. I only huffed in return and continued to look at the majestic view of the building. 

Why was I here exactly? 

This doesn't seem like the type of place for me to be. I started to fidget nervously as I entered. One more push and I was ready to fight. I turned around and was about to raise my voice and ask him to stop when someone interrupted me. 

"Sir Damien it's good that you're back. King Alastair is waiting in the great hall for the meeting." The man said to my kidnapper, whose name I learned is Damien. 

"Thanks, Phillipe, I'm on my way there now," Damien replied. 

"Your name is Damien? It doesn't suit you." I said, trying to insult him as we continued to walk. 

"What name suits me the best then?" Damien asked. I smirked when I realized how badly I wanted to play this game. 

"More on the lines of Gerald or Samuel." Damien only scoffed and told me to keep moving. 

Once we got to the great hall, he knocked on the door, and it opened shortly after. 

"Hey Henry, I brought the king a present." Henry nodded his head and allowed us to enter without any problems. 

There, sitting on a throne is a wrinkled old man with long white hair. 

He held so much power and authority despite his age. 

Damien pushed me forward once more, almost making me lose my balance, but I didn't say anything because I was too focused on the king. 

"Dear God Damien, you finally managed to succeed?" King Alastair asked in a disbelieving tone. 

"Yes. I brought some of my men to capture them, but they shifted during the run and I had to deal with it myself." I could hear the annoyance in his voice, but I couldn't care less. 

"Thank you, I'll be sure to pay you greatly for what you did. Now, I'll talk to you after I'm through here. You're excused." King Alastair said to Damien who bowed his head and left. We were now alone, and I started fidgeting because of the way he was looking at me. 

"You're your mother's daughter for sure." King Alastair said, before standing up and making his way towards me. I started backing away, but he stopped and sighed. 

"I'm not going to harm you, I'm only asking a favor from you." I scoffed and folded my arms.

"If you simply needed a favor from me, my mother wouldn't have us running scared in the middle of the night only to be caught, and now she's nowhere to be found," I argued back.

"You're right. Sorry about that. Now may I explain as to why you are here?" I nodded my head as curiosity got the best of me. 

"Centuries ago, I met a woman whose name was Athena. We fell in love and got married, but things didn't go as I had hoped it would. Athena and I had tried to have a baby, but couldn't. We failed multiple times and because of this, she cheated on me." I kept quiet as I listened to his story, not sure if I should believe him or not. 

"When I found out that she cheated on me, I had her hanged along with her lover." I gasped and took a step back from the cruel man. He only chuckled while shaking my head. 

"A witch found out about it, Athena's sister to be exact. She placed a curse on me. I was unable to leave my castle during the day, and at night, I would be trapped in a nightmare that would replay over and over. As much as I tried not to sleep, when the sun goes down, I have to." He made his way back to his throne while sitting down. 

"Over the years, I went from being a young man to an old withering creature that cannot leave, no matter how hard I try to. I'm trapped here until my last breath and that can only be stopped if I get the right assistance." He looked at me and that's when I started putting the pieces together.

"I don't see where I fit in with all of this. I'm a mere mortal who has been walking this earth among humans. Last time I checked, supernatural beings did not exist." That only made him laugh. 

"Your mother is a fool for keeping such a secret from you. You may have figured it out by now, that witch that I burnt was your mother's sister. Her grief allowed her to place that spell on me and knowing that you're a witch, you should know how to break the spell." It seems as if no amount of convincing could change his mind. 

"If you're so sure, why didn't you take my mother instead of me?" I asked. 

"I'm sure Damien will explain everything as to why your mother is not here, but you are. You reek of a witch's blood and I bet that somewhere deep inside you, you want to know the truth." He was right, I might have deemed him to be an old crazy man, but what if he was telling the truth? 

"My mother had never told me such a story; if it were true, I'm sure she would have told me by now." The old man groaned out of annoyance, but it was not my fault.

"You are as stubborn as your Aunt. I'm sure you must be tired from the journey. Leave, Damien is right outside waiting to take you to your room. We will resume this conversation some other time." I walked away as quickly as I could, not wanting to be there anymore. 

He was filling my head with lies, I'm sure of it. If only my mother was here so that I could ask her whether it was true or not. 

As soon as I opened the door, Damien grabbed my arm in a tight grip, as if thinking that I would escape. I was going to try, yes, but he didn't need to know that. After a while of struggling for him to let me go, I gave up when he didn't and decided to annoy him with some questions instead. 

"So, your king believes in the supernatural. What are you to be exact?" He groaned and shot me a glare. 

"I'm a werewolf." He replied, making me laugh. 

"A werewolf? Next thing you're going to tell me that fairies are real." I joked, but he took it seriously.

"Of course they are, this castle is swarming with them. Now, keep quiet so that I can concentrate." He snapped, making me flinch. 

I was surrounded by lunatics I tell you! The king wanted me to use my powers, and I knew that I didn't have any. He thought that I was a witch, and I'm sure that I was a hundred percent human. What are these people smoking? I have to get out of here. 

"Do you know where my mother is?" I wasn't trying to annoy him this time, but it seemed as if every time I opened my mouth, he would get annoyed. It's not my fault; if they had only left my mother and me alone, he wouldn't have me to deal with.

"If I knew I would tell you. That bitch disappeared before we could get our hands on her. It sucks right?" He asked, making me confused. He chuckled and rolled his eyes. 

"It sucks that your mother kept you in the dark. She didn't tell you anything and here you are acting like a damn fool. You are what, eighteen?" I shook my head at his question. 

"I'm twenty, last time I checked though," I replied. He only grunted but kept quiet. 

"Here we are, this is the room you'll be staying in. A fairy by the name of Giselle will be attending to your needs. She will be here shortly. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He made sure that I was in my room before closing the door. 

I wasn't going to stay he

re if that's what he was thinking, I'm going to try to find a way out starting right now.