The Curse~

In the center of a huge hall laid a big round table with a round pot filled with water. The hall only had a round table with a pot filled with water on it, few paintings hanging on each side of the wall, a huge square-shaped chandelier hanging on the ceiling, and two ladies standing on the opposite sides of the table. On one side of the table, stood a black-cloaked lady with her mouth chanting few words and her hands spinning in a rotatory motion around the water in front of her. She was around her late 50's. And opposite to her sat a pregnant woman around her early 30's wearing an exquisite long-sleeved white gown which was glimmering under the light of the huge chandelier that hung right above the water pot. She was just termed as an angel. Her magnificent eyes, her blonde hair scattered freely onto her shoulders with few beautiful flowers which were honored by her hair. Her face glowing white with a pink cherry lip which was neither speaking nor relaxing, it was stuttering silently. She was 8 months pregnant which her baby bulge on her belly clearly showed.

"What's it?" asked the pregnant woman, her eyes filled with fear and stress.

"It's taking its effects, Queen Heather." replied the black-cloaked lady in a calm and slow voice, who now stopped chanting words and started looked deeper into the pot of water, lost in thoughts.

Hearing this she fell onto her feet, crying as two maids who were nowhere to be seen till now came running out of nowhere screaming "Call his Majesty!". They were ladies between 20 to 30 years old and wore a black corset and white color-collared gown. Minutes later, a troop of maids and guards surrounding the hall caused a great commotion all around in the palace.

"Love? Are you alright?" called a voice before which the commotion died all of a sudden and the guards stood out of the hall, erect with their hands on their sides, their backs just a few centimeters away from the walls of the hallway and standing apart from each other in equal distances.

The maids got up and stuck to the corners as the man walked in slowly with four soldiers behind him. He was tall and had a domineering aura around him wherever he went. He was wearing a red cloak that touched his heels when he walked and wore a cylindrical jewel on his hair. It was golden in color with 11 different gemstones embedded in it. There were also two words carved in the middle of the crown and it read 'King Gargoil'. Apart from the crown, he wore a golden shirt and trousers with a coat of the same color. He was King Hercular, the 456th ruler of the country of Pheonoria, and Princess Heather Hurmoil's husband, which now made her the Queen.

"Your highness.....," whimpered Heather with tears flowing out of her marble-like eyes as she saw him walking in. He took a glance at the Saintess standing opposite to her still lost in thoughts and looking onto the pot of water, not noticing his arrival. He then walked near her and helped her up and hugged her tight giving her the warmth she needed right now.

Just then a guard came running, into the hall. "Sorry, Your Majesty. But it's an emergency" said the guard before bowing before the King who was holding onto his Queen. "King Renard is here. He requests to meet your Majesty and Her Highness." continued the guard, with his head still not going back up.

"Tell him Her Highness is not well and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay Your Majesty." replied the guard still bending down.

"Bring him to my study."

"As you say, Your Majesty." said the guard finally standing erect again and saluting to his King.

"All except Saintess Marly may leave now. Her highness needs some rest," he said with his coldest voice which made all the maids stuck to the corner, go pale white as the blood drained away from their face but still had no effects on the Saintess who was still in her world. Within seconds, everyone left the hall leaving King Hercular, Queen Heather, and Saintess Marly alone with the water pot. There was a minute of silence.

"Your Majesty.....?" The Saintess broke the silence.

"What is it?" he asked still holding his wife in his arms whose tears wetted his golden coat and his red cloak while he looked into the water following the Saintess' gaze.

"I tried my best...." she said in her lowest audible voice looking up at his wife who was crying badly in his arms and now seemed to run out of her tears.

"Tried your best?" he scoffed.

"Please remember that this is not something we can give it a try and fail..." he said as his eyes had a spark of anger and gazed coldly at her.

"It's my child's life, the life of the future heir to the throne of this whole country." he continued, his eyes now taken by fear.

"His Majesty should understand that I'm not an immortal to take this curse away. I'm also just like Her Grace who's helping the needy with whatever I know and have. I'm just traveling in the path that God has created me. But I cannot be a God." she ended.

He stayed silent for a minute and then replied, "Sorry Saintess Marly, I was just being impulsive seeing her suffer like this." he apologized while his eyes were fixed on his wife in his arms who was now totally tired and weak due to crying.

"It's fine your Highness, I can understand the pain of the parents whose child's life is at stake. The pain that the mother will have after knowing that her child's life will be at risk if it comes out of her womb...." she paused. "-Is like a thousand needles pricking her heart. It's hell!" she finished."I've tried for the 54th time now, and It hurts to say that I could only do this much for that innocent being in her womb." she said as her eyes drifted towards the baby bulge on Heather's belly.

"Sorry and thanks for doing all you could," he said meeting with her eyes.

"Mention not your Majesty, after all, I did nothing in this thing except trying and trying. I don't deserve any of your grateful words. But I'll pray to God to bless this child and help it thrive through all the hardships it's going to go through. Even all the people of this country are wishing for the same." she concluded, her eyes lowered.

"Thank you Saintess Marly, for your words. I hope the lord to show mercy on my wife and child."

"He sure will, Your Majesty. Then I'll take my leave now."

"Sure. Please see yourself out. I can't leave her alone now." he said as his eyes shifted to his wife who seemed to drift into sleep in his arms.

"It's fine. She needs your presence the most right now." she said following his gaze and turned to leave but paused, and added, "I got to see a hint of the future of this country just now while trying to see through the answer for this cursed riddle."

He looked up at her in shock. "What did you say, Saintess?". She faced him again.

"I got to see the hint of future after your child's birth....." she paused and closed her eyelids. "-And it doesn't seem to be a good future Your Highness, My Majesty....." she added and again paused and opened her eyes and looked at him in the eye. "It hinted me of ' Death and Destruction ' !" she said in her calmest voice.

"Let's just hope for a miracle to happen and leave the future to this child." she took a glance at the bulge on Heather's belly again, turned around, and left without looking back.

After she left-

"Oh my love, I expect you to be happy and I want my child to step onto this world healthily as a father and a husband, but at the same time I wish for the welfare of our people as a good King. Jesus, please don't put me through this. It's really hard for me to put my people's life at stake for the sake of my child. As she said, I'll leave this to my prince or princess," he said while looking at his wife who was half asleep now due to exhausting herself by crying.

He scooped her up in his arms and walked through the magnificent hallway which was filled only with air and light and took her to their room. He laid her down on their enormous king-sized bed and kissed her forehead. "Trust me, Heather. I'll try all my best to protect our child but not at the cost of our people's life. Because I'm the father of this child but before that I'm a responsible King of this country." he said to his wife who now has fallen into a deep sleep and then pecked her lips.

At his study-

"Good evening my old friend." said a manly voice just when he opened the door of his study. He looked in the direction of the voice and found a man sitting on a wooden carved chair, sipping tea from a small yet elegant teacup while his other hand was placed on the arm of the chair. He wore a marine-blue long-sleeved coat with a red cloak pinned to his shoulders and was let loose behind his back freely allowing it to wave in the air that entered the room through a 20 feet tall window that was kept open. His hair was silver in color and was set frizzy in the front and let it cover his forehead's sides while the hair on the back of his head seemed to be un-trimmed for a few months and touched his neck. He had a short yet rough beard which too seemed to be unshaven for a few months. And there was a golden color jewel laying above his hair which had 9 stones embedded in it and was carved out with the name 'King Sinclair' in its center.

The room was made up of thousands of high shelves which were filled only with more and more books. The books were mostly related to historical relics and all about the kin

"Renard....." he called out after taking a look at him. "How are you my old friend?" he asked walking in and shutting the door after which he walked past him and stood in front of him, extending his hands for a friendly hug.

"I and my country are blessed with both wealth and health. What about you? How are you?" he said standing up and closing the space between them and retrieving himself after few seconds. There was a few seconds of silence.

Getting no reply from his friend, he sighed. "I've heard rumors about Queen Heather and your child. Seems like it is true?"

"Yeah. I'm trying my best to stay strong but she....." he paused. "She's not strong enough to bear the pain of her child's death. This is also our first child. I can't afford to lose it but also I can't put my citizens' life at risk." he added massaging his temples.

"I heard the Saintess of Mt.Eleonora visited just now?" he asked waiting for an answer.

"Yes. But she has already tried her best in lifting this curse. It was no use calling her again." he answered, looking at his shoe.

Seeing him in this state he sighed. "I've come to see if I can lend any help. Do you want me to help with this?"

"But Saintess Marly already said that we could only hope for a miracle to happen and there's nothing we could do right now. I'm almost losing my hope now," he said looking at the sky through the open window. It was pitch dark. Clouds gathered, they soared and rumbled and suddenly there was a thunder loud enough to announce that it was going to rain.

He walked further near the window and paused near it. "Now my family and my country are just like this sky," he said pointing out sadly at the sky.

Renard joined him near the window. "You've seen rainbows after storms, right? It's just like that. There will be a clear sky after the storm sweeps away. We've to just wait for the time to pass by." he said his hands at his back, standing erect next to his friend. "But first.... tell me the whole thing." he requested looking at his friend who now seemed to regain a bit of hope he lost.

"Do you remember our childhood?" he asked after he let out a sigh and took a seat opposite to which his friend was sitting previously.

"Yeah. Those days were unforgettable," he replied taking a seat on where he was previously sitting before and sipping his tea leisurely.

"I know. Do you remember us studying curses and boons during our learning ages?" he asked looking up.

"Do you remember us once reading about some rumoured curse on my family?" he asked still in the same position.

"Yeah? I guess I remember reading something like curse that was passed onto generation....." he paused and looking at him, terrified. "Is it true?"

"Yeah. And here it is. Trying to shatter mine and family's life into pieces just because i was born into this lineage." he paused and stood up looking out of the window. "I never thought it would be particularly me, Heather and our child going through this curse." he ended.

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