Prince Elliot

As my men and I reached the gates of my kingdom, I knew immediately that something was amiss. The gate was almost falling off its hinges, and the guard towers had all but crumbled to the ground. It looked as though the place had been abandoned for years, but I knew that was not true. I had only left two days ago, so there was no way that this could have happened in just two days unless, of course, magic was involved. Still, I knew that Lillian would not let that happen unless she had been defeated herself.

As we made our way through the town, I kept watch for any sign of what might have actually happened here—the houses of the people were caving in and falling apart. I saw no one in the streets at all. Not even the town square that had once been so crowded, it was hard to walk through, was almost vacant. The only person in the square was an older woman who was sitting on the broken fountain in the center of the square. She looked to be trying to pull some clean water out of the fountain and into her bucket, but it was no use as each time the water entered her bucket, it turned into a green sludge. As I approached, I realized she was muttering to herself. 

"Ma'am," I said, reaching my hand out and placing it on her hunched shoulder. She turned towards me, and that's when I was struck with horror as her dull green eyes met mine. "Maria?" My voice cracked as I said her name. This was the woman who had been the royal seamstress, but that wasn't possible. She was not old; she was only in her thirties. Her hair should be the raven black it had always been, and her hands should be smooth and soft as the fabric that she made my suits from. I had to stop myself from turning and running as she took my hand in hers. 

"I am glad to see that the curse has not affected you, Prince Elliot. It would be a shame if she took your beauty too." I pulled my hand back from Maria, my heart racing. No! No! This is not possible. I backed up into one of the knights, who barely caught me. I turned to look at him, but the moment I saw his face, I knew something was terrible was happening within the walls of my father's kingdom. The knight who just before had looked to only be in his twenties now looked as though he was entering his fifties. "Your Majesty," he said, his voice cracking. I backed up from him so quickly I tripped and hit the ground hard. 

"No! No! No," I screamed until I was sure my voice would give out. I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the place. I hopped over the debris from fallen houses and dodged the animals that now ran through the streets. All I could think was that I needed to get to the throne room and see my father so he could tell me what was happening.

When I through the doors open to the throne room, I saw, to my horror, my father sitting on a throne made of stone that was slowly crumbling around him. He looked like those I had met in town, older as if aged overnight. His hair was a light grey, and his right eye had gone a milky white color. As I moved towards him, I could now see the state of the whole throne room. It looked as though a gust of wind could cause it all to come crumbling down around him in a single moment. It made my heartache.

"Father," I said, my voice sounding strange to my ears, "what has happened." He looked at me, but it was like he did not see me. It was as if I was merely a memory to him. "She has betrayed us, my son. The Witch has gone and left our kingdom to rot." I stared in amazement at my father's words. Lillian had left the kingdom, and now it was in pieces, but she would never do anything to hurt us. She had been in our domain since before I was born. She had played with me as a child. She had cured my many injuries and helped me learn everything I knew about fighting. "But why would she do that? She loved it here. This was her home," I questioned my father moving slowly closer. My father shook his head. "She became angry at me and put a curse on our kingdom. She said we shall rot because I was not paying her fairly. She came to the throne room and attacked me with a knife."

I took a step back and thought for a minute. Lillian had granted me the strength and courage on my mission, and I had thanked her. That was all she ever asked for was thanks. Never a penny more and to attack my father that didn't sound like Lillian at all. If anything, it seemed as though something my father did had set her off. "Father. She has never asked for anything like this before; why would she ask now?" My father stood and swayed a bit before falling back onto the throne. He coughed into a cloth, and when he pulled it away, I could see the crimson blood that stained it. He tucked the material back into his cloak before continuing. "She has become power-hungry, my son. That is why what I tell you next is so important," he said, shifting on his throne, "I want you to kill her. It is the only way to break the curse." 

I didn't think I could kill Lillian; she was far too powerful for me, but I know I had to follow my father's orders. He was in such a fragile state that had I even thought of denying him; he may try and have me killed. I kneeled down in front of my father. "Of course, father." My father nodded at me before waving a hand in a sign of dismissal. I rose and made my way to the throne room doors. I looked back only once to see my father go into a coughing fit.

Once in the hallway, I made my way to the armory. I would need the best sword and shield the kingdom had to offer, but I knew that if Lillian was going to try and hurt me, she would use magic, and I would stand no chance. There was no defense for magic besides other magic. That's why Lillian had been so crucial to our kingdom during battles. If we knew the other side in a campaign had a mage, we would call on Lillian, but now that she was the one I was fighting, I was worried. So, the least I could do would be to have a good sword and shield on me to try and compete.

I knew Lillian was an active fighter, even without her magic. She could handle a sword better than most men in our army, and that's what scared me the most.  In fact, she had been the one to train me. My father had been too busy with battles and strategizing that he had asked her to do it. This meant she knew my every weakness. The way I held the sword wrong how I didn't protect the left side very well. Even how I swung weaker on a backhanded swing, I knew the only useful weapon against her would be a bow and arrow, but I am no good with that weapon, no matter how hard I try. I could not shoot straight, and if by some miracle I managed to send an arrow at her, she would just stop it with magic before it would ever hit its mark.

Once I had retrieved my sword, I made my way outside to the stables only to find all the horses gone. I knew they had probably escaped with whatever curse Lillian had put on the kingdom. A stable boy nearby looked at me with pain on his face. I noticed the curse had just started to affect him.  "I am sorry, Your Highness, but when I got here, they were gone." I nodded at the boy's words. I knew not to get angry at trivial things. Lillian had always said. I stopped myself from thinking about her turning my eyes back to the boy who was not starting to look like a young man.  "No need to worry, kid. I have seen the weird things that are happening, and I am going to stop them." The boy bowed to me before taking his leave. I watched him walk away towards the center of town.

My heart ached for my kingdom, for my father, and for the time I had been away. If I had been here, I could have stopped her, I thought bitterly to myself. I took a deep breath and started my trek towards the one place I knew Lillian would go, the forest. It would be a long walk, and if I wanted to make it before sundown, I would have to move quickly.