Ted the tubby

Free

"Well well well." Sir Freten the Strong clicked his boots as he strode into the village pub. Sir Freten the Strong was an interesting character. He was strong but he was also cocky, a dangerous combination. He was also known for his voice, which was the deepest octave one could get. This unusual man slunk behind our Sir Bryan the Brave, who was seated soundly on a bar stool with three empty cups in front of him.

"Oh what have we come too?" Sir Freten the Strong laughed. His four dimwitted sidekicks laughed too. A female piano player cast dark looks in Sir Freten's direction and changed her music to a sinister tone. "Sir Bryan the Drunk? Having problems with Jessie? Maybe she finally realized about you, coward." (Sir Freten had also drunk a great deal of rum as it had happened) Sir Bryan the Brave gave a grunt in response. Sir Freten continued, slurring his words. "I always liked your Jessie. She was sassy and sexy and that body! WOW! I mean WOW, I haven't seen one like that in a while. But I always prefer the wholesome gals, and your Jessica, well she was a bit of a whor-" It was too much. Sir Bryan the Brave snapped as the piano music screeched to a halt.

He didn't know what happened until the glass broke. Glass had a certain quality that attracted attention. The smashed bottle alerted Sir Bryan the Brave to move his head so the glass wouldn't slice his face.

Jessie stopped at the edge if the woods. Henry was in trouble, she could feel it. But there was something else. An unease. So Jessie turned, undoing her headscarf and let her hair tumble over her shoulders. Just a quick look. A scouting of the town. Maybe an apology. And then straight back.

Sir Freten the Strong was bleeding under his eye. The broken bottle was raised above his head. Sir Bryan the Brave growled, aiming a hopeless punch at Sir Freten. The four other men tried to restrain their leader and Sir Bryan the Brave spat blood on the floor. His fists clenched in a drunken feverish bloodlust.

Jessie glanced at darkened window after darkened window but the town was silent. Even Jessica's own house was deserted. She passed the laundry house and heard the upraised voices in the bar. Jessica rolled her eyes. The bar was always loud, even this late. The sun had only just brightened the tip of the hills. Jessica turned to move on when someone screamed.

Sir Bryan the Brave charged at Sir Freten the Strong, determined to rip him apart. His opponent pulled away from his mindless friends with his bottle raised. Before anyone could move, the men clashed, and the piano player screamed.

Jessie opened the creaky door of the bar, snagging her skirt on the loose nails. Her beautiful eyes sought out her husband, but there were too many people in the closed circle around some commotion. Jessie moved in closer.

Sir Bryan the Brave's body clashed with his opponent's but Sir Freten had already won. The broken bottle in his hand buried itself under Sir Bryan the Brave's rib cage, sinking deep into his stomach forcing a loud scream from the hero's throat.

Jessie elbowed her way into the crowd until she saw the scene. And even then she just stared.

Sir Bryan the Brave hit the floor.

Dead.

Killed.

Falling.

Just like Stephen.

But this time her eyes were wide open.

"Bryan..." Heads turned to take in the voice. Jessie tucked her headscarf under her hero's head. Sir Freten the Strong raced from the bar, horrified by his drunken actions. Simple events, but ones that burned into Jessie's mind. She didn't cry. She didn't scream. She didn't do anything besides neatly fold her scarf under Sir Bryan the Brave's head.

Something left. And Jessie felt free.

No one knew that the curse could be broken by death, not even Sylvia. After all, love doesn't end after death. But curses can't create love. They can't even mimic it. The can just pull people together and hold them there, like wooden puppets in a show. And curses can't stop fate either. Fate knows it's path. Fate is what allowed Ted and Henry to burst into the bar at that exact moment. Fate allowed the elderly bar tender to have the strength to move Sir Bryan the Brave's body out of harm's way. It was fate that let Jessica's headscarf cling to his shoulders, never to fall off. And it was also fate that caused Sylvia to land outside the bar at that exact moment.