The Blessed Curse

The Cursed Blessing-Vivtersa's Story

"Vivitersa, calm down, you'll scare the flying horses!"

"Sorry, sis!" I stopped bouncing up and down in my carriage seat, my feet now tapping instead. I was going to see a baby princess! This was the first time in four generations our family had been invited to such a thing, since last time my great grandfather, Gorbishburg the Third, accidentally turned king Ronan Setelbrinck into a poached egg. Yeah, that was the last time our family cast a spell for anyone but our own family. And I guess it didn't help that he had a lisp. But, hey, it's the thought that counts! Right?

"Hey, Mal, do you think... are you going to give the baby a gift?"

"Huh?..." There was an awkward pause, suddenly broken by my sister's raging laughter. "Yeah, right! Ha, good one!"

I chuckled, pretending it had been a joke all along. "Yeah, good one..." I sighed, looking out the window. What's so bad about a simple gift? Our family had never been cursed by a fellow witch or wizard, so we lawfully weren't prohibited to give gifts. Besides, it had been ages since we'd given a bad curse. I know I'm only 340, which is probably fifteen in human years, but still why can't I give anyone a gift? A harsh bump and abrupt stop pushed those thoughts away.

"Malissvera, Vivitersa, we have arrived." Our coach man opened the carriage door, and we stepped out.

My jaw dropped. The castle was HUGE! We could fit, like, 58 of our houses in there, and still have room. It was ornately decorated with carvings and statues and...

"Come on, Vivitersa!" Mal dragged me up the steps by my wrist, rolling her eyes as I gaped at the inside of the dining hall.

The doors closed behind us, and we were escorted to the end of the table, the lowest degree of honor. It was boisterous and loud, so I could barely tell what Mal was mouthing to me. I clicked my fingers twice and tapped her on the head, so I could hear her.

". . . AND THEN THE KING WILL PRESENT THE CHILD!" She clamped her mouth shut, the whole room silent. "SORRY!" she tried to whisper, but it came out in a roar. She glared at me, rolled her eyes, and snapped her fingers both at once.

The talking resumed. "You're supposed to snap your fingers once, not twice. Besides, you shouldn't use magic."

I looked at my feet. "Sorry, Mal," I whispered. "I just wanted to hear you."

She firmly placed her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, just ask a different witch to do it for you next time."

I nodded.

DING! DING! DING!

I jumped in my seat.

The king set down his glass. He smiled at me, or, perhaps at someone in front of me. "Hello, all, and welcome! It is a great pleasure to have you here, in honor of the birth of my daughter Elanore. We have a wonderful feast planned after which I will invite all who have gifts for the princess forward. For now, enjoy the meal!"

All of a sudden, fairies—most likely domestic ones—dropped in, flying plates of food onto the tables in a flurry. I immediately grabbed for the food, but Mal smacked my hand.

"Wait for others!" she muttered in my ear. "We were the last invited, so we should be the last to eat."

I frowned, but passed the plate along with a forced smile. Why can't they see that not everything our family does is bad? We're always shunned, and no one will accept us unless we can prove we can be good.

My face lit up, but I immediately covered it. No, that's crazy! What if you hurt the princess? But... it's worth a try... isn't it?

I calmly waited for the feast to end, my plan rolling through my head. This isn't just for me. If I do this, Mal and my father can have a future. It's what my mother would want. I took a deep breath. They had just started the gifts.