The Search for True Love's Kiss

She lost the ability to teleport to the Outside world, and her home became her prison, just as ours became Lara's,” Arthur explained.

“Let us go to her, so you can undo what you have done to her and she can release our daughter from this curse,” Zara suggested.

“I went to her on Lara’s eighteenth birthday, seeking freedom for our daughter in exchange for her own. But she laughed at me and revealed that Lara’s beauty would destroy the lands, breaking the laws of nature. The world would turn against me, and only then would she come to fight, when I have lost the mercy of the universal order,” King Arthur recounted.

“What shall we do then?” Zara asked, her voice filled with worry.

Arthur stood up from his throne, knowing his next words would strike Zara like lightning. As gods, they were only allowed to bear one child for each woman they had intimate relations with. He knew that doing what he wished to do would set the kingdom free and keep Lucy locked in the night realm forever. He remained silent, sadly gazing at Zara’s face. Whom was unaware of his thoughts, Zara decided to read his mind to understand his innermost desires. However, Arthur had shielded his thoughts from her, using his blood to prevent her from accessing them all these years. Zara froze in shock, realizing she couldn’t hear his thoughts anymore, remembering that the day she started asking questions about Lucy’s curse on Lara was the day his thoughts became inaccessible. She rose from her seat, approached Arthur, and placed her hands on his shoulders, longing to understand his thoughts.

“What is it? Talk to me, for you know you have shut me out from knowing your words without the movement of your lips,” Zara pleaded.

“The only way to keep Lucy locked in the night realm is to kill our daughter, Lara,” Arthur confessed.

“No, you mustn’t do that. As a goddess, I can no longer bear any children for you, for the universal order has decreed that we gods can only have one offspring each,” Zara argued.

“If I don’t do this before her twentieth birthday, her beauty may break the laws of nature, and the curse will spread everywhere, affecting everyone who would want to have intimate relations with her. Lara cannot be killed by mortals, and it is not her purpose to kill them either. If she intentionally does so, she will join Lucy, and together they will rule the world and all realms. I cannot let that happen. My father, Sylas, will be forever displeased with me, and I will be unable to join him in the universal realm of gods,” Arthur explained, his voice filled with anguish.

“There must be another way,” Zara pleaded desperately.

One of the new maidens, born from the womb of a defeated witch, happened to overhear their conversation. She entered the room with boldness, as if she were a goddess herself.

“There is a way, my queen,” Hellas declared.

King Arthur’s gaze shifted towards Hellas, who possessed the same dark magic as her defeated mother, as well as the light magic of a demi-god with whom her mother had laid.

“What manner of solution do you propose?” Arthur questioned. “I have tirelessly sought answers, only to come up empty-handed.”

“Silence, my husband,” interjected Zara, addressing Arthur. “Allow the maiden to speak, for she is a chosen goddess who has found favor in my eyes.”

“Thank you, my queen,” Hellas began apologetically. “My king, I do not wish any harm to befall this kingdom. I offer my assistance as a token of gratitude for sparing my life months ago and appointing me as the queen’s personal mini goddess.”

Arthur nodded, granting permission for Hellas to continue. “You may speak,” he said.

“Send the Princess to an alternate universe, far beyond the reach of your people, where she can live as the goddess she truly is,” Hellas proposed.

“But I know of an alternate universe,” Arthur countered. “My father, Sylas, visited the god of that realm. What guarantee do we have that its inhabitants will not desire her?”

“My king, the curse was directed at your people and not the inhabitants of another universe,” explained Hellas. “The curse will lose its power there, and when she finds true love, only a genuine kiss will break the curse. She cannot obtain this here. Send her away to find her true love’s kiss.”

“How will she know if the curse has been broken?” inquired Zara.

Hellas closed her eyes, suspending herself in the air for a few moments, creating a sense of anticipation. Suddenly, a golden bracelet materialized on her wrist. Descending from the air, she presented it to the king and queen.

“My king and queen, this bracelet in my hand is enchanted,” Hellas proclaimed. “I have placed a curse upon it so that when Princess Lara finds her true love’s kiss, the bracelet will break free from my wrist.”

Arthur hesitated before expressing his doubts. “Hellas, I do not wish to doubt your abilities, but how can we be certain that it will work?”

“Summon the princess,” Hellas suggested. “Instruct her to kiss one of the guards. If she kisses someone who is not her true love, the golden bracelet will turn silver for an hour.”

Acting upon Arthur’s command, Princess Lara was summoned and entered the room, visibly surprised to find Hellas and her parents engaged in conversation.

“Father, you sent for me?” Lara questioned.

“Yes, my dear,” replied Arthur. “Kiss one of the guards, so we may ascertain whether Hella

s’s bracelet indeed works.”