The Seelie Curse

Chapter 83

Someone nudges Rowan's arm and speaks, their words blurring together. Rowan murmurs in protest, shifting against the hard surface beneath her. Her neck hurts and her lower body is sore. The person speaks again and she groans, cracking an eye open. Andrian's face swims above her, slowly coming into focus.

"There you are, Ro!"

Rowan blinks and stretches, trying to work out the crick in her neck. Andrian is on his knees in front of her, hands resting on his legs. Rowan frowns.

"When did I fall asleep? How long have I been asleep?"

Astrila steps into view, grinning. "You've been sleeping for an hour, here for a half-hour past that and he woke a few moments ago."

Rowan jerks. "An hour?!" At Astrila's nod, Rowan's attention quickly turns to Andrian. "What were you doing?!"

Andrian frowns in confusion. "It's not my fault you fell asleep."

"No, but you did something that exhausted you so much that you were unconscious for another hour and a half after we found you."

Andrian winces. "Alright, I suppose that's fair. I was . . . trying to get through the passage."

Rowan raises an eyebrow. "And it didn't let you through so you kept trying until you passed out?"

Andrian flushes. "Yes?"

Rowan shrugs. "I suppose that's dedication at least."

Astrila doubles over behind Andrian, a hand held over her mouth to muffle her laughter. Rowan shoots her a glare and looks back to Andrian, rising to her feet at the same time he does. She giggles slightly when he stumbles on his feet, Andrian must have enough energy to be awake but not enough to fully be himself. Almost as if it's on cue, he yawns and shakes his head, gaze flickering to her.

"Why exactly was the passage closed?"

"The river was iced over."

Andrian freezes. "It was what?! It doesn't even freeze to that extent in the heart of winter!"

"I'm not sure what to tell you, An. The river was frozen over."

"Ice can't block the passage, we would just come through on the surface."

Rowan frowns. "It wasn't . . . it wasn't just ice."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a barrier. A magical one."

"Why would there be a barrier blocking the passage?"

"Ciorsdan must have known about my connection to the kelpies and stopped me from reaching you and so she stopped you from reaching me."

Andrian blinks. "Am I . . . missing something? Who's Ciorsdan?"

"The Seelie King's daughter."

"I thought your grandmother was his daughter."

"Half-sisters."

"And . . . she blocked the passage? Why would she even want to do that? She must have known what he was like."

"I don't think she cared, not fully. It was self-preservation on her part."

"Why . . ."

"She thought that if we fulfilled the prophecies, that if the curse was broken, it would result in her death. But I think it was the process of trying to stop us that caused her fate."

"No . . ." Andrian frowns, like he's trying to identify a foggy memory.

"What is it?"

"I was trying to get through the passage because . . . whatever you did worked, the curse is gone."

Rowan's eyes widen. "Really?"

Andrian grins. "Come and see."

Rowan follows eagerly as he leads them towards one of the village clearings. She can hear music long before they get there, steadily growing louder. Her mouth falls open at the sight. The clearing is full of dancing kelpies and bright decorations. It resembles a festival.

"How long has this been going?"

"They started setting it up the moment we all felt the curse break."

Andrian's brothers appear through the crowd and head towards them, a few friends in tow. Cáel grabs Kyma's arm and pulls her into the dance before she can protest, but Rowan can soon hear the girl's delighted laughter. One of the other boys takes Astrila's hand and flashes her a flirtatious smirk.

"Dance with me."

Astrila quickly extricates her hand from the boy's hold, grimacing slightly. "I have a Siqiniq." She sighs at the boy's blank expression and steps back before he can take her hand again. "I have a cridhe."

The boy flushes. "Oh."

Then he turns and disappears back into the group of dancing kelpies, clearly trying to escape embarrassment. Rowan laughs and turns to Andrian, holding her hand out.

"Would you like to dance? Or do you need to rest?" The last few words are teasing.

Andrian takes Rowan's hand with a laugh. "I think I would like to dance."

With a few quick steps, they meld into the ring of dancers. Andrian spins Rowan, her hair swinging out in a shining red sheet. She laughs as she spins back towards him, her cheeks flushed.
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Festival time! Fun! The poor boy that Astrila shut down. She was a bit harsh, wasn't she? What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out