Cursed Royalty

chapter one

The howling wind made its way into the chilly winter night, causing the leaves to shake violently. Only making the temperature worse than it already was. Freshly fallen snow glistened the entire kingdom for the millionth time. Scarves were tightened around necks, coats clenched tightly around bodies to prevent catching a cold, gloves covering hands from freezing, and teeth chattered against one another.

Some were preparing hot chocolate or setting up a fire to cope with the harsh weather that only got worse with each passing day. Winter never left their kingdom, half of them had forgotten what it felt like to stand under the sun's heat and soak in the warmth that it brought but they never complained. Instead, the people of Burgess made do with what they had. Piling up on more winter clothes and wood so that they'd be prepared for however severe the snow may be the next day.

In a small bakery shop the bell on top of the door jingled, signaling someone had entered. The baker looked up to see a young man shaking some snow off his coat as he further advanced inside. "The weather's that bad, huh?" He asked, pointing a finger to the wet droplets on the man's clothes and hair.

The young man shrugged, putting a loaf of bread in front of the baker, watching him take out the wrapping paper. "I mean, it's expected, isn't it? I just hope the King finds a way to free us of this curse because each day the snow only gets worse."

"His Majesty, always tries to do what's best for us, I have faith in him." The baker replied.

"As do I, but if the rumours are true then there really is no point in having faith."

"Rumours?" The baker questioned, prompting the boy to explain what he meant.

"You know.." the boy paused awkwardly, unsure if he should continue or not since such words that haven't been confirmed to be true or not against the king could tarnish his entire reputation. Seeing how the baker was waiting for him to continue, he reluctantly spoke again, "... the rumours about how he has killed some of his own people."

It took awhile for the baker to let the boy's words sink in but when they did he was quick to stand up for their ruler, "Even if such horrible words were to be true he is still our king, we cannot blame him for this entire tragedy. We're just unfortunate that there are lots of dark forces out there that are hell-bent on using their powers to harm others."

The boy nodded, understanding what the older man was saying. "I guess you're right."

The baker had finished wrapping the bread and as he passed it to his customer he smiled, "Everything happens for a reason."

"We've had better days, that's for sure." The boy muttered out.

"Don't you worry, I have a feeling that things are going to change."

The boy chuckled, sliding some change across the counter for the bread. "It's good to have hope, that's for sure. Especially since we're uncertain of what's truly going on but thank you for the bread, I'll take your leave now. Have a great day, Sir."

The baker watched the boy leave and thought back to the conversation that had just taken place. He was certain that their king wouldn't let them suffer for any longer than they already had. It may have been foolish to think that a change was coming since everyday was the same but even the littlest bit of hope was better than nothing.

And what else could they do other than hope, for Burgess was stuck in an internal winter and the curse that was threatening their kingdom so sinister that nobody dared speak of it.