Breaking the Curse

Chapter One

She waited, wait for the red sails that would bring him back. The young girl stood on the cliff, high above the sea. Even from how high she was she could still smell the fresh salt water. The wind whipped her long brown behind her and her white dress flared around her. It started to grow dark and she knew she should return home. She took one last glimpse before she headed home and saw them. Just a small dot but a small dot of red. They were back.

The girl ran as fast as her legs would take her. She ran down the path to the stone city yelling, "They're back! They're back!" giggling the whole time.

The city was set up on the cliffs, gray stone against the brown cliffs. The castle was in the inner part of the city and stood even higher, it’s stone towers piercing into the clouds. It was a beautiful city and stronghold.

By the time she made it to the beach the ships had beached. She pushed through the people looking for him till two hands wrapped around her. "Papa!" she exclaimed as she was hauled up into the air.

"Little Yvain how much you have grown!" boomed her father. "I cannot believe how tall you've gotten."

Yvain wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so happy you've come back."

"Well of course I did." He pulled her to one arm and kissed Yvain's mother. "Has our little princess been behaving?"

Yvain looked much like her mother. She had the same brown hair and gray eyes. The only difference was that Yvain had her father's tallness.

"Of course she hasn't, she is your daughter,” her mother replied.

Yvain giggled and kissed her father's stumbled cheek. “You said you would only be gone a few weeks but you were gone for a month! Why did you leave for so long?”

King Renan smiled sadly at his daughter. “I had to go a help a friend so he would one day help me. Now how about we go eat? I don’t know about you but I’m tired of shit food.”

“Papa you’re not supposed to say words like that,” Yvain giggled as they made their way to the stone castle.

“Well I’m the king and a king can say whatever he wants.”

“Really?” She looked at her mother.

The Queen shook her head. “He might be able to say whatever he wants but you are a lady and ladies don’t say dirty words like that. Even a king shouldn’t speak like that in front of ladies. Maybe you could teach him a few lessons Yvain since he’s clearly forgotten some of his.”

“Oh no,” King Renan snorted. “I’ve been on that dam… darn ship for weeks. I deserve to be a man and damnit woman you’re going to let me.” He grabbed his queen with his free arm and kissed her.

“Ewww!” Yvain tried to break free from her father’s hold, not wanting to be in between her parents kissing. “That’s gross!”

They had a huge dinner that night and Yvain couldn’t be happier to have her Papa back. “So tell me about the battle! How many men did you kill? I want to know everything!”

“Yvain that’s no question for a lady to ask,” her mother scolded.

“Now dear she is the only heir,” King Renan soothed to his wife. “You know she has too much of my spirit to be a true lady.” He winked at Yvain.

The queen shook her head. “Even so she’s still only a child.”

“Our little princess is eight, she’s almost a woman.” He put Yvain on his knee and bounced her up and down. King Renan wasn’t known for his kindness. He was ruthless and harsh but not when it came to his daughter. With Princess Yvain he was sweet and nothing could get in between him and his daughter. She was his pride and joy.

King Ranen tucked his daughter into bed after dinner. “Papa tell me a story please,” Yvain begged as she crawled into the massive bed. “You’ve been gone for so long.”

“I know Sweetie but I had to. I needed Lengin to be on my side so he can do me a favor one day,” he answered. “So before I tell you a story why don’t you tell me how you’ve been? What have you been doing since I was gone?”

Yvain crossed her arms. “Nothing really. Mother wouldn’t let me do anything fun and Kalen is making me do my studies. Is not fun without you.”

“I know but you do need to learn your studies and your mother is human. Human women are expected to behave and be ladies.” He cupped her cheek. “You have the freedom of the world and your mother doesn’t understand that. And Kalen is your tutor. He’s always been like that.”

“A suborn old man?”

King Ranen laughed. “For a little girl you sure do know your elders.”

“That’s because I learned from you Papa!” Yvain jumped up and down.

“Yes you have.” He laughed. “Now how about a story…”

One day when Yvain was twelve she was walking with her tutor talking about her future. "Yvain you do understand what you mean to your people don't you?" Kelan asked. Kelan was a tall thin man with a long gray beard that reached down to his belt. His gray hair was tinning but his black eyes never missed anything.

Yvain thought over the question. "My job is to be the next queen and bare the nest heir." They were walking through the garden and Yvain kept running ahead to smell the flowers. Spring was her favorite season since she could smell all the new flowers.

Her tutor shook his head. "You my child are much more important than baring children. From our lessons how long ago was the last princess?"

She thought back. "Um wasn't it my great-great-grandmother?"

"Yes and what happen to her?"

Yvain stopped by a rose bush. "She was killed by the Pures."

“Do you know why?”

“The Pures don’t like us.” She frowned. “I don’t understand why they hate us so much.” She though back to her cousin who had just been killed last month. He had gone out of the city walls to pick her a flower and they killed him. If only she hadn’t asked him to he would still be alive but since it was his eighteenth year and he was outside of the walls they were able to kill him and they did. The Pures attacked him like crows to bread crumbs. “I understand that we were cursed in to these forms. But why? Just because some of our ancestors messed up why should we pay? We didn’t do anything wrong.”

Kelan shrugged. “Why are flowers different colors?” he asked. “Some things are just the laws of nature.”