I Love You, My Cursed Prince

Muriel found herself wondering about the mark on her toe. Maybe she could talk to Prince Vidar about it. He would empathize, wouldn't he? He might even be able to help her figure out what possible spell could have been placed on her, and whether it was a curse or a blessing.

She brought it up during an innocent conversation with Prince Vidar. She almost forgot about it, though, because she had been laughing and enjoying his scent.

"Oh, I've been pondering something, but it's a hurtful subject."

"A hurtful subject?" His voice and warmth was on her right. He had began sitting on cushions. Muriel knew because she'd seen the cushions on the floor near the chair before she'd been blindfolded. "What hurtful subject could you think of? Don't you live well?"

"I live incredibly well," Muriel said with a nod, "but I hope you'll humor me when I ask this. When you were cursed, how did you know?"

A pause.

Then, "I felt pain, a sort of pain I don't want to describe to you. My body morphed and altered itself within ten minutes, which was even more painful. Then I fainted."

"I ... I'm sorry." Muriel swallowed some of her nervousness down, but not all. "Where's your mark?"

"The fairy's mark? On my ankle."

"What does it looks like?"

"It's a dark purple, nearly black, and it seems to be a half circle."

Muriel took a breath. "The fact that you're cursed, that alone doesn't embarrass you, does it? You're embarrassed because of what the curse did to your body."

She heard him adjusting his weight on his cushion. "What's sprouting in your brain, Muriel?"

"I was wondering if you've met anyone else with fairy's marks."

"Ha ... well ... some people have spells that are more obvious, but some are more subtle, and those sorts ... I can't make any sufficient analysis with those sorts."

Muriel's fingers danced in the air as she pretended to be cheerful. "As for the latter, what if those people don't know spells have been cast on them?"

"Hm? How couldn't they know?"

"Well ... what if there are spells out there so subtle and so easily hidden that even the target doesn't know what it is, or doesn't even think the mark is a true fairy's mark?"

More shuffling of the prince's weight. "That's dangerous. What if that person accidentally harms someone?"

Muriel's fingers stilled as her courage forsook her. "That ... that's a frightening concept."

She worried about it for the rest of the day, even into the night. She rolled around in bed very miserably. It was as if her pillows no longer functioned properly.

Muriel gave up and got out of bed. The moon was so bright, peeking out from between closed curtains on her window, leaving a sharp line of light on the floor. She rubbed at her eyelids and decided to put on an easy outfit with quilted jumps and a cloak. Then she went for a walk.

Her sinuses felt a bit irritated, even swollen. So irritating! She was snorting and blowing her nose all the way down the castle's halls, her small oil lamp quivering. She thought that some fresh air might do her some good. So, she went to the nearest exit, held her cloak tighter, and went out into the cool night air.

A potentially dangerous spell ...

Muriel's sinuses cleared up, but she wasn't happier. She was s.u.c.k.i.n.g on the insides of her cheeks and grinding the grass with her slippers as she wandered around.

What if she ended up hurting someone?

What if she hurt poor, sweet Vidar?!

What if she ended up killing someone?!

Damn it, who marked her? Why? What was the spell?

Was it even a spell?

Could anything be done?

Muriel couldn't think of anything. She worried that even if she told her kind patrons about her mark, they wouldn't be able to help her. They might even worry that she might harm them. They wouldn't be cruel about it, though. They'd try to be kind, but Muriel believed she might be dismissed from her position very quickly if they thought she was dangerous.

But ... would that be a bad thing? Wouldn't it be best for her to leave? But then she'd end up with her family, and she'd hate to harm them even more. Should Muriel become a damn hermit just to be safe?!

No.

Muriel shook her head.

This might have been a selfish thought, but she wasn't about to ruin her own life over a possibility that lacked strong evidence. As far as she could tell, she wasn't hurting anyone. Maybe the curse was weak, if it even was a curse.

A sudden noise, far up somewhere! Thudding and scraping!

Muriel looked up. She didn't quite know where she was. Her eyes searched the roofs of all the buildings, including the keep and its many sections and towers.

Hm? A ... a dark shape ... its details weren't visible. It was a vague shadow of a thing. It seemed to be hanging off an edge of a conical roof of a tower.

Then it moved up, and then around to a place Muriel couldn't see.

The f.u.c.k was that?! A really big bird?

Right then, Muriel decided that walking around at night was not the best thing in the world to do. She went off to find an entrance to the castle's keep.