Escaping Her Curse—Completed

Chapter Six

Jessie sat uncomfortably in between Prince Oliver and Duke Simon as they rode along the countryside towards the Royal City. It wasn’t that the carriage itself was uncomfortable, it was the fact that the silence was palpable. It was quite evident that the two men were feuding. Jessie was blissfully ignorant of the contents of the argument as she gazed out the window. She watched the rolling hills’ attempt at reclaiming their foliage.

The war had devastated the land, and even 50 years later, things had not yet recovered. The cities were better than the countryside when it came to the clean-up, but the evidence of the war was still very prevalent. The old structures littered the side of the road, and Jessie found herself envisioning what life used to look like all those years ago. Most of the buildings were old even before the war. They were made of materials no longer accessible to the kingdom. It was eerie to Jessie to see things from so long ago and knowing that even the brightest minds couldn’t figure out how their ancestors had created such things.

An old, rotting piece of metal caught her attention. It was curved in front and flat on the back end. Four round circles held it up. She had learned about these things long ago–they were called automobiles. However, their researchers still hadn’t determined a purpose for them. They were similar to a carriage, yet they didn’t understand how the thing moved without animals pulling it. Their ancestors appeared to act like gods based on their technology, and Jessie wondered how a people could fall so far from where they’d been in such a short amount of time. Few people remembered the olden days before magic was banned. Before the war and before people were stripped of their rights.

The royal family had been harsh towards magic users, putting the sole blame on their shoulders. One magician in particular had dabbled too deeply in the arts in search of answers long forgotten and had created an army of the undead to overrun the palace and claim ownership, stating that he was in fact the rightful heir to the throne. He had used his dark magic to bring the dead back to life, and with hundreds of thousands of disposable bodies to constantly fill his army, most armies were overrun or surrounded immediately. Had it not been for the royal knights, the world would have drastically changed. Commander William Mason had led his knights to victory, using the holy power of the church to decimate the undead and defeat the evil covering the lands. It had been a long, hard battle, but once the commander had ripped the sorcerer’s head from his body, the undead army broke apart, falling back to the earth where they belong, or so the story went. The commander then presented the head to the king, earning his title of hero. Every year, there continued to be the Festival of Holy Power to celebrate the victory, and though magic was banned shortly after, the Church allowed the festival in honor of the brave men who sacrificed themselves to save the world.

After the event, the church solidified itself as a power to work in tandem with the royal family, and the royals promised to send all magicians found to the church before letting them back into society as slaves. If they were able to return to society as slaves. The Church was notoriously harsh in order to keep the king happy. Also, anything related to the dark arts, magic, or witchcraft were punishable by death. Most books or items related to such things had been burned, and though occasionally items would reach the surface, the Church was cautious to quietly take care of it as quickly as possible.

The Church was in charge of keeping the people subdued and keeping up the image that everything was perfectly fine. They used their Holy Army to quell unrest and squashed any rebellion before it had a chance to gain ground. If the royal family lost power, then the church would lose their hold over the people as well. Without one, the other was powerless, which made for a solid foundation for both to portray that nothing was going awry.

Jessie sighed as she continued to watch the landscape gently slide by her while her thoughts drifted to the history she’d learnt as a girl. She never could get used to the war-torn look the battles had left behind. Things were definitely overgrown, and it was obvious that nature was trying to back what was stolen from it, but she still couldn’t fathom how the world had lived before her time.

“That is the third time you’ve sighed, Miss Jessie,” Oliver stated, finally breaking the silence that had plagued them almost the entire journey.

“Oh!” Jessie exclaimed, her face turned red. “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I shall refrain from making such noises.”

Oliver gave her a half smile. “That’s not what I meant. It just seems like there’s something on your mind. What’s wrong?”

Jessie studied her hands for a few moments. “I’m sorry, m’lord. I just, you see… It’s been so long since I’ve seen the areas affected by the war. I’m both fascinated and terrified by it all.”

“Tell me about it,” Simon interjected. “What about this old junk could scare you? Or could be interesting to you?”

“Yes, please,” Oliver said.

Jessie blushed further. She hadn’t expected either gentleman to be curious about her nor actually interested in what she had to say. She was a mere maid.

“Oh, well, sirs–”

“Simon. Please call me Simon when it’s us,” Simon said with a cheeky grin.

Jessie bit her lip and slowly nodded. “Alright, um, so everything looks so foreign and aged. I mean, I understand it was used not even that long ago, but we don’t even know how most of it was operated! How can that be?”

“Can I let you in a little secret?” Oliver asked, mischief in his eyes.

Jessie nodded eagerly.

“Well, this stuff was outdated long before the war ended. Scientists didn’t want the general populace to know, but the knowledge has been lost for over a century. They say that one day, the people with the most intelligence about how to work it all just vanished. They were never seen again, and their notes and research were gone with them.”

Frowning, Jessie asked, “How can that be? That sounds like gossip.”

Oliver shrugged. “I’m just saying what I was told, you know, royal secrets and all.”

“Why would they keep it a secret?” Jessie then asked.

“It would look bad if people knew that their own government and officially didn’t know how to use anything from the past, wouldn’t it?” Simon questioned.

“I suppose,” Jessie stated,

Simon continued, “And how could the general populace trust the people in power? Society would fall apart. There could be anarchy or worse, another war.”

“Yeah,” Oliver agreed. “It was difficult ending the last one. The last thing the kingdom wanted was another uprising, especially if the magicians were involved. It was hard enough suppressing them the first time. I can’t imagine the state of things were it to happen again. This is why we need to keep them in-check.”

“By taking away their rights and enslaving them?” Jessie asked before she could stop herself.

She mentally groaned at herself for losing her composure and asking such a stupid question to the prince of the kingdom. This kind of talk could easily get herself investigated and killed, without even being magical. Any talk of supporting a magical rebellion was highly scrutinized and usually ended with death.

“I mean…” She attempted to say.

“No, no. I see how it looks,” Oliver said. “I know it sounds harsh to strip people of their rights, but if it’s to keep a nation safe? It’s hard to refute. I’d do anything for this country, even if it means quelling a rebellion before it happens.”

Jessie only half smiled at the response. She was grateful that the prince had let her question pass.

“Ugh,” Simon groaned. “How much longer? I hate long carriage rides.”

“You didn’t have to come along with us,” Oliver retorted, annoyance lacing his words.

Simon winked at Jessie before saying, “And miss a chance to talk with the beautiful Miss Jessie? Never. I would happily double the time it takes to get to the palace if it meant I could be in her mere presence.”

Jessie’s blush surfaced again. She had no idea how or why these two handsome men had taken such an interest in her, and she certainly didn’t know how to take their compliments.

“Oh cut it out, Simon,” Oliver grumbled. “You’re just jealous that Duke Laroche let me employ Miss Jessie and not you.”

“You better believe I’m jealous,” Simon pouted. He then turned toward Jessie and continued, “The moment you’re unhappy or he doesn’t treat you right, please notify me immediately. I’ll take you away from the horrible palace. You can work for me, or not and just live in my house. I’ll treat you right.”

Jessie giggled and patted Simon’s shoulder. “Thank you for the offer. I suppose I’ll have to figure out my response if it ever comes to it.”

“It won’t,” Oliver growled. “You’ll be very happy with me, Miss Jessie.”

Once the silence was broken, the three carried on with light conversation for the rest of the journey. The two men spent the most time trying to make Jessie laugh harder than the other, and she finally begged them to stop once her sides were hurting and her cheeks burned. It was then that the Royal City came into view. It dazzled in the dusk light and seemed to hold a romantic atmosphere.

Jessie’s breath hitched when she saw the spires of the castle looming over the city. The sight was truly breathtaking. The Royal City was surrounded with luscious trees and a river hugged the northern side. With vibrant colors that danced around in the sunshine and moonlight alike, the palace always looked alive and inviting. Few knew how cold it was on the inside. The architecture was complex with intricate designs and swirls of beautifully sculptured marble. Blown glass in a multitude of colors adorned every side of the giant building, letting everyone know the history of the area as well as how wealthy the kingdom was. It was the only building of its kind, and thus it was named the Royal City centuries ago.

Some speculated that magic crafted the palace, and others said that human craftsmanship was the true magic. Jessie didn’t care who made it, only that they did, and she stared in awe of its beauty.

“I’ll give you a tour of it tomorrow, if you like,” Oliver offered.

Jessie grinned in response, she couldn’t even take her eyes off the building until it was out of view of the carriage window. They had finally arrived inside the gates and were being ushered to the front steps. As is customary, the entire staff of the palace were standing outside, waiting to greet the prince and his cousin. Jessie then gulped in nervousness as an unfamiliar face stepped outside to exchange introductions. The king himself stood in front of the large, wooden doors, a grim expression on his face.

Jessie didn’t quite catch the curse that flew out of the prince’s mouth before he stepped out of the carriage and swept into a low bow before his father. She did, however, notice the fake smile plastered on his face.

“Your Majesty,” Oliver said gallantly. “To what do I owe this pleasure that you should grace me with your presence?”

“I heard that you have obtained a new assistant of sorts,” King Tyson said gruffly. “I’d like to meet her before she begins in order to welcome her here.”

Jessie felt frozen in place, and it took Simon’s help to push her out of the carriage, where she immediately fell into a low curtsy.

“Rise, child,” Tyson said. “Let me look at you.”

Jessie obliged, and rose out of her stance. She kept her eyes glued to the floor and waited as the king circled around her.

“Hmm,” he mused. “Very interesting indeed. I’d like to meet with you personally tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

Before Jessie could answer, the king walked back through the doors and disappeared into the palace. She turned to seek guidance from Oliver, but he only had a grim expression on his face and then stormed into the palace himself.

Simon came over to her rescue and the two entered the palace as well.