Cursed child

Ezekiel was pained to see his brother in such distress. He'd never been like that before. Alaric hugged Diona's lifeless figure without crying anymore, as if all his tears had dried up. He continued to rock the body back and forth in his grasp, tuning a song as if putting her to sleep. Nobody had the fortitude to notify the king that the queen had died, and the guards and maidens were grieving silently. They stood there quietly watching the king's damaged state. Savannah stopped at the entrance, unable to move since the situation was overwhelming for her as well. What shocked him the most was the man standing silently and coldly beside the window, observing everything. As he studied his face, his eyes widened. He was shocked to see the state healer, who was known across the world as a spell caster. He never lived in a single country; instead, he traveled from one to the next. Ezekiel was perplexed as to why he was here. Was the situation so dire that he had to come? The counselor noticed that a million questions were clouding his thinking. The royal advisor stood by Ezekiel, placing his hand on his shoulder and nodded to indicate that he would explain everything later.

Ezekiel attempted to console the king as he refused to leave grasp of the queen's body, glaring at anyone who came near him. "Get a hold of yourself, brother." Ezekiel attempted to converse with him, but the monarch shook his head.

"She's sound asleep." Alaric repeated himself several times.

The royal advisor nodded as he glanced at the spell caster. As the man approached the king, Ezekiel took a step back. The monarch raised his head to gaze at the man who appeared to be the most consoling. He placed his hand over Alaric's brow, as if magic had flowed through his fingers. Alaric's eyes closed and he lost consciousness after he whispered a few things that were inaudible to others. Ezekiel, who was standing nearby, grabbed Alaric by the shoulders and requested that the guards take him to another chamber.

A white cloth was draped over the queen's body, and the maidens were instructed to clean the body and wrap it in a white cloth, with a burial to be held the following day. The queen's body, according to Ezekiel, should be stored in the same chamber as it was now. He directed one of the maidens to accompany Savannah to his room and urged her to wait for him there.

There was an unearthly silence all around the castle. The only sound was the slapping of heavy rainfall on the surface. The advisor motioned for Ezekiel and the man to follow him to the dining hall, where he directed one of the cooks to prepare some food for them and send some to the princess, who was in Ezekiel's room. The entire castle was ornamented with flowers that had begun to wither. These days were spent by the queen preparing for the arrival of the new princess. She made certain that everything looked and felt amazing. However, the decorations now appear gloomy and lifeless.

"I suppose you might have a series of doubts, prince." The advisor murmured softly as he looked at Ezekiel, who was struggling to keep his tears from falling. "However, you must first eat." The food was placed on the table and served by the cook.

"How did it happen? I'd like to know." Ezekiel replied, quietly, that it sounded like he was in pain. The advisor nodded after scanning his face.

The door was shoved open, and the king dashed inside. The king rushed to sit by the queen, who was now carrying a little life on her lap, without glancing around. The queen appeared exhausted, and her clothing were soaked in sweat. She gave the monarch a faint grin and showed him their child. The king was taken aback by how small the youngster was. He realized he was late since the maidens had already cleaned and dressed the baby.

"This is our child." The king grinned from ear to ear and exhaled a deep sigh of relaxation. He'd been crying and driving like a lunatic since last night. His heart eased when he saw his family safe and sound, or so he thought.

"Who else?" The queen made a joke, which elicited a faint chuckle from the king. He asked the queen if he might hold the kid, and she nodded, placing the child on the king's lap. The infant wriggled in its slumber, its soft pinky cheeks shone, and it appeared so small and fragile that the monarch wept. "The king has turned into a softie." She caressed his hand holding the infant while smiling.

"What if I injure it because it's so small and delicate?" He was interrupted mid-sentence by the queen's lighthearted slap on his arm.

I am assured that you will make a wonderful father. The king smiled and touched his forehead with the queen. "Please look after our child well." The queen murmured in hushed tones, and the king took a moment to comprehend what he had just heard. He drew back and stared at the queen, who had just given a feeble smile. He had observed how weak she appeared and how her hands were becoming limp.

"What?" Diona chuckled and reached her hand for her hair. She removed the hairpin that the king had given her, allowing her hair to fall down on her shoulders. She took a look at the hairpin, then at the king.

"You asked me to take care of this." She reached out her hand. "Take it." She muttered. The king shook his head and stared at her, puzzled. He looked around and saw the guards, royal physician, and maidens all had their heads dropped. His eyesight traveled to the window and discovered the state healer.

"How come the state healer-." He was cut off in the middle of a sentence.

"Say you'll look after our child no matter what?" The king shook his head and pursed his lips in a narrow line in response to Diona's comments. "Please tell me." Diona let out a sob and began crying, her head drooping and her hands limp. "Please." She murmured once more.

The king was heartbroken to see Diona in such a state; he had never wished to see Diona cry and responded "I will, indeed. I promise. " He handed the infant to the head maiden and cradled the queen, who was gradually losing consciousness and laid her head on the king's shoulder. He embraced her and locked his gaze on the state healer, who was murmuring something inaudible. Diona's cries subsided slowly, and her hands slid to Alaric's arms. The king attempted unsuccessfully to shake her awake. She was no longer breathing and her movements had ceased. The head maid took the infant into the other room while the other people in the room mourned in silence.

Ezekiel kept crying as he listened to what had happened, making him shudder. The advisor gave him a warm hug and patted his back. "She was like a sister to me." Ezekiel hugged the advisor tightly, causing his voice to be muffled as he spoke. "How about my brother?" The advisor refrained from crying.

"The child should be a concern for you." In a severe voice, the state healer spoke. After releasing the hug, Ezekiel turned to face the state healer. "I presume you are aware of what is bound to the child."

For a moment, Ezekiel thought, trying to recall his discussion with the king about the curse and how to break it. He wiped away his tears and turned to face the state healer in search of an explanation. He questioned, "What about it?"

"You need to find a cure for the spell before it's too late." He paused. "It surprises me that the small life survived the spell. It's not a typical spell at all. It is thrown out of ferocious wrath."

"Can you get it to break?"

"Unfortunately, I am unable to. I'm merely a healer who treats physical suffering with a tiny bit of magic. I am unable to use dark magic."

"But how?"

The healer spoke while shaking his head. "The spell was the reason the queen is not between us. She sacrificed her life for the unborn kid, even I am unsure of how long the infant will remain safe."

Ezekiel shook his head and got to his feet.

He inquired, "Where is the child?"

The advisor rose from his seat and nodded, escorting the prince to the room where the baby was secured. He had a worried expression on his face. He was no longer crying, but he was determined to save the child at any cost. The advisor reached out his arms to push the door open, but he stopped when he heard a faint humming from inside. He exchanged a look with the prince before pushing the door open softly.

When Ezekiel saw Savannah rocking the baby to sleep, a faint smile slid across his lips. She hummed a sweet tune that instantly soothed the baby. She hadn't noticed their presence until she turned around and saw them standing at the door. "She was crying," she said.

"Is it a girl?" Savannah nodded when Ezekiel asked. In her sleep, the baby smiled.

"She's so small and beautiful." Savannah softly admired the baby's characteristics. She handed the infant to Ezekiel, who held her with such tenderness that a gentle chuckle escaped his lips as he saw her.

"She has amber eyes like her mother." When the infant opened her eyes and smiled at him, he said.

"She couldn't stop crying until the princess took her in her arms." The head maiden whispered. "What a terrible fate she has. Her mother died today." She said, with a sorrowful look, that she had always considered Diona as her daughter and that she, too, was broken.

"You're not alone." Savannah smiled as she bopped the little girl's nose lightly and she opened her mouth. "You deserve the world." Ezekiel continued and hugged her.

We'll introduce her to the rest of the kingdom two days from tomorrow; let everyone know about the funeral and the anniversary of her birth. Ezekiel handed the order to the advisor, who agreed with a nod.