Spifey awoke in a barren black place. It wasn't dark- he could see himself- but everything around him was black, except for one thing.
"Congratulations," Ivyne's voice rang. "You brought the prince to Jeriques and broke the curse."
"I didn't break the curse," Spifey wailed. "I failed, and now Zelkam is dead!"
"Why do you say that?"
"He never got a kiss from Johanna. We were right there, but he thought he wouldn't make it, so he kissed me instead."
"You kissed back, did you not?"
"I shouldn't have. I should have pulled away and ran to the castle." Ivyne started laughing, as if Spifey had told a joke. "What's so funny?"
"The thought. I would have loved to see the looks on your faces when you realized that Johanna's kiss would have done the prince no good."
"What are you talking about?"
"Seriously?" Ivyne asked. "Come on, Spifey. If this were a book, the readers would have already figured it out. I never specified, ever, that Prince Zelkam had to be kissed by a woman. You broke the spell, because you were the one he needed. Everyone just assumed it had to be a woman because of the situation. It's funny, really." Spifey stood in shocked silence, processing what was said. "I've never had a problem with what Zelkam is. I just did my job. I guess I'll get my fun in the form of seeing the King's face when his son returns home with his new boyfriend."
"I don't believe you. You're a wicked woman."
"A wicked woman I am, and a wicked woman I may be," Ivyne retorted. "But I am a wicked woman of my word. I may throw hurdles at you, I may put cruel curses on people, and I may try to trick you into doing something other than what you were supposed to, but if you figure out how to get around me, then I lift the curse. I just knocked him out with that shudder to give you a scare."
"Wait a minute," Spifey kept his eyes locked with Ivyne's. "If you so badly wanted us confused, why did you keep coming after us, huh? Why not let me take Zelk to Johanna?"
"Like I said when you trusted the woman from Siodt, I don't want to let you win- that's no fun. So how is it any fun if I don't give you a chance either?" The beaver couldn't answer. He just looked on as Ivyne walked out of view into the misty black fog, and darkness covered Spifey's vision once more.
YOU ARE READING
Of Love and Curses: A Spifelk Story (Fantasy/Medieval AU)
FanfictionDISCLAIMER: When I wrote in Prince Zelkam's crush on MegaPVP, the news that he is 16-17 was not revealed. It's gonna be near impossible to just write out, so Mega is canonically, in this universe, 20. If I had known he was a minor when writing this...
