The Cursed Prince

1001 Rowena In The Ice Cave

After she left the palace, everything was a blur for Rowena. She took one pegasus who was grazing the grass outside of the palace and jumped on it. Somehow the mythical animal didn’t resist her and immediately jumped high into the sky, taking Rowena to fly with him.

She didn’t know where they went. It felt like only minutes had passed by when she suddenly realized the sky was no longer decorated with two moons. This was not Cretea, she thought to herself. The two moons were the most distinctive features of that realm and one of the things that she loved about it.

“Where am I?” she asked herself. Rowena patted her pegasus and rubbed her eyes, trying to see where she was. She was flying over a vast sea. Everywhere she looked, there was only water below her and clouds above her.

She rested her head on the pegasus’ back and whispered dejectedly. “Do you know where we are?”

Of course, the animal couldn’t respond. Rowena felt so tired and lonely. She was still shaking when she remembered how her father was covered in blood. Did he make it? Was he dead?

No matter what the outcome, things didn’t look good for Rowena. She was now a fugitive. What should she do? Where should she go? Should she just kill herself?

Dark thoughts filled her mind, and she was extremely sad and tired. In the end, she didn’t know what to do. She just rode her mound aimlessly and let the pegasus bring her wherever it wanted.

Rowena didn’t know that a special mythical creature like pegasus would take her where her heart desired the most, and it could also cross realms. She only realized what happened when slowly, the scenery felt familiar.

They had left the waterfront and were now flying above a small forest, and slowly but surely, she could see the hill where the ice cave was located.

.....

It was where her wretched father kept Julian’s body.

Tears streamed down her cheeks again. Rowena had cried so much that she didn’t know she could shed another tear, but she did.

“Oh, Julian...”

When the pegasus landed by the cave entrance, its presence shocked all the knights who stood guard around the place. However, before they took out their swords to attack the mythical animal, they suddenly saw their crown princess on its back. Rowena raised her head and looked around her in awe.

Cretea was so beautiful and majestic, but seeing this place she was now gave her so much relief and happiness. That made her realize that Cretea was not her home. It was only home because Raphael was there, but now that they were no longer together, all her ties to Cretea were gone.

“It’s me...” she said in a small voice.

“Your Highness!” Knight Jarvis was one of the knights standing guard around the cave. He just happened to visit his men on that day and saw Rowena come. The princess looked like she was going through a calamity, judging from her dark expression and... blood on her dress. Was she hurt?

“Knight Jarvis...” Rowena greeted the knight tiredly.

“Princess! Are you okay?” Jarvis came to her rushing. “We need to get you help.”

Rowena was glad the knight showed a genuine concern for her and didn’t even ask where her father was. She wouldn’t be able to answer him if he did.

“I am fine...” She waved her hand and rubbed her temple. She looked absent-minded. “I need to go in. Please make way.”

The knights exchanged glances. They were given orders by the king not to let anyone enter the ice cave, especially the princess.

“Make way.” Suddenly, Jarvis made the order. He looked at his men with a stern gaze and raised his hand to emphasize his point. “You’ve heard Her Highness.”

He would make an exception this one time since the king was not around. His knights looked reluctant, but after Jarvis repeated his order with an annoyed gaze, they slowly backed down and gave Rowena a way to enter.

“Thank you, Knight Jarvis,” said Rowena to Jarvis as she walked past him and entered the cave. The pegasus stood calmly where it was. Everyone around it was fascinated by its presence. They had heard about flying horses but only in legends and stories. None actually thought that pegasus was real.

Today they were proven wrong.

***

Rowena felt each step she took become heavier and heavier. The freezing cold inside the cave didn’t help either. However, she didn’t falter. Her heart was warm and full. Seeing Julian again gave her so much happiness.

Finally, they both could be free from her father’s clutch. She would take Julian’s body away from here, give him a proper burial, and then she would think about what to do with herself.

“You’re back!”

Rowena’s eyes bulged when she saw Julian sitting on the stone slab. He was rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. It took Rowena a moment to realize she must still be hallucinating. Julian was dead.

The man she saw before her now was not real. She just missed him so much that she kept wishing he was still alive.

Gosh... how things would have been so much easier if it was true.

“I miss you,” she said with a hoarse voice.

“Where did you go?” Julian asked her with interest.

“You wouldn’t believe this...” Rowena wiped the tears from her eyes, but they kept streaming down harder.

“You know I am down for anything...” Julian chuckled. “I will believe you no matter how crazy you sound.”

Rowena bit her lip and smiled faintly. “I went to where the gods live... I went to Cretea.”

“Wow... really? That is amazing!! Tell me everything!”

Rowena shook her head. “No... not now. We don’t have much time. I need to get you out of here.”

She would beg Knight Jarvis to help her one last time. If he helped her once today, she was sure he would help her again. Knight Jarvis would carry Julian’s body to the pegasus, and soon Rowena would take Julian back to their valley and bury him there.

It was best if they didn’t stall. Her father might come soon, or he would send people from Cretea to chase after Rowena. They should go as soon as possible.

“Julian... we should go...” Rowena walked toward the cold stone slab where Julian’s body was laid down.

She reached out her hand to touch the man. Suddenly, Julian, from her hallucination, was gone, and she could see his cold, lifeless body. However, before Rowena could touch him, suddenly, a voice from behind her made her halt her steps.

“Rowena...”

Raphael sounded so worried.

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