The Cursed Lands: A Dream of Apples and Roses

Chapter Two - Gryffyn

I rushed after the woman who had introduced herself as Pridy, but when I turned the next corner she was gone. I spent the next hour trying to trace her scent to discover where she had come from, but her path proved to be elusive. I found the chair in the library where she had evidently spent some time reading, but after that the trail went cold. Confused, I retreated to the stable to saddle up Maximus. Perhaps a ride would help me think.

My thoughts drifted as we trotted through the small forest on the castle grounds. My father would have reacted to the presence of a stranger in the castle by tearing the place apart until they had been found, but then again, he was a harsh man. He despised weakness and ruled with an iron fist that sent servants scurrying at the mere sight of him. His rule was very uncompromising and punishments, even for the slightest of infractions, were severe. I suppose I have him to thank for how the curse treated me. I had been well on my way towards turning into a man just as bad, if not worse, as him.

I didn't have any good fairies or godmothers around to help me survive the curse. My fathers iron rule over the country assured that. But, instead of killing me like it had so many other young royals, it twisted my once handsome features into a creature that sent most people running. My claws were as sharp and fearsome as any bears, my new jaw and fangs more powerful than a wolf, my body covered by a thick fur that looked like it had come from some large feline. The only thing that remained of who I once was were my eyes, a piercing blue that I had inherited from my mother. It was a wonder that any of my clothes fit anymore, but the servants who stayed did what they could with my old wardrobe.

At first I had raged, torn the castle apart, stopping just short of actually killing someone. My thoughts skittered away from that dark memory, not wanting to revisit that horrible night when I almost gave in to the animalistic urges that had fueled me for so long. In that, at least, I was not my father.

The servants were terrified to show their faces for a long time, even after I had calmed down, instead choosing to cleaning up after my rampage when they were sure I was gone from an area. My meals would show up in my chambers while I wasn't there, same with altered clothing to fit my new form. After a week I was so physically and emotionally exhausted, I sometimes wonder how I managed to live, to get up. But then I was visited by a good fairy.

"Gryffyn," She said, looking down at me as I lay on the floor in a miserable heap, "We fairies managed to spare some magic to help protect you from the full effects of the curse, but you are going to have to find a way out of this mess on your own. You are the ruler of Northmere, but you need to learn how to act like a king and not a spoiled brat." She had looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust, her wings flapping lazily in the air. "Your father was not a good ruler. He did not know how to love, not even his own wife and child. If you are to break the curse and become a good king, you need to learn how to love." She sighed and shook her head. "You need to remember the lessons of your mother before she died." And with that, she had zipped away in a ball of light.

I had tried to stir my rage at the fairies harsh words, but that fire had been depleted. Only despair remained. How was I going to learn how to love if my face scared everyone away? Except, Pridy had not run from me. That thought fueled me deep into the night before sleep claimed my thoughts.

***

The next morning found me in the garden, weeding the area that I had been attending to before Pridy's ringing laughter had disturbed me from my work. I chuckled grimly to myself; seeing me do such manual work would have sent my father into a rage that would have only ended with someone being whipped within an inch of their life, probably the head gardener, with myself being forced to carry out the gruesome task. I would have hated him for it, but that would have only pleased him more.