Elwin gasped. “I’m so sorry!”

Prin leaned farther forward. “Does that mean you saw her . . . not alive?”

“I did.” Captain Thompson said, followed by a long moment of silence. “I eventually made my way back there. That last conversation I had with her did bother me, now and again. Especially late at night. But there were so many things . . . and I was easily distracted.

Of course I comforted myself with the thoughts that everything would have blown over, haha, regarding the big storm, by now.

It was near on a year later, and at first it did seem that my predictions had come true. The villagers, with their rebuilt shops and tentative friendliness seemed sheepish. They acted as though a weight had been lifted. One even directly told me that I should bring the rest of the men back with me next time, like we used to do.

Just as though a year before they hadn’t told me not to come back.

I tried to be polite, because I was relieved as well. And after all, I figured I would be spending a lot of time on this island over the years, with my daughter. And maybe even retire there some day, in the far future. Of course, that would be if I made it to old.” He laughed. “I never tried to make too many plans in that direction, not trying to count on it. Not back then anyway . . .”

So I hurried out of town to see my family. I remembered she had been very angry with me last time, but I figured now that things were returning to normal, we could have a good laugh about the whole thing!

I brought gifts and feasting supplies, to further sweeten the mood. Ya’know?

I have never, to this day, had that feeling again. That everything would be alright. Because after that day, everything never was alright for me, ever again.

Oh don’t look at me like that, young ones. I’ve had happy days, and good times aplenty since then.

You know what I mean, that feeling of being assured a future? Eh, you will someday.” He waved his hands. “Never mind. I’m just being a dramatic old fool. I will have another good day today, as a matter of fact, because today is one of the days I see Rose.” He winked. His expression changed again quickly, and he lost his joviality. “Where was I? How long have we been talking?”

“Not long.” The prince said, even though he had not been keeping track and had no idea how long it had actually been.

“I suppose I can’t stop here, leave y’all hanging.” The captain said.

“We haven’t even gotten to the curse!” Prin, at this point, absolutely must have the end of this story, without delay. It was so good that he almost forgot it was a true story.

“Right, right. It’s coming.” The captain said darkly. “Very shortly. But first, let me tell you about the time a giant whale attacked the ship – I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He laughed at the little noise of frustration Prin let out.

“So, when I got to the house in the woods, it had been burned to the ground. And not recently by the looks of it. There was no sign that anyone had returned after the fire, not that there would have been much to salvage. Not after that.

I sunk to my knees, momentarily blinded by disbelief. How could this have happened? I figured they had both perished in the fire. Just as my denial was melting into a slow burning grief, a familiar whiskered snout peeked out from behind a tree. It was her dog. All black hound dog, she was, but for a small white dot on her forehead. I’d say just unusual enough to be difficult to mistake for another.

I wondered if the poor pup was hungry, if anyone was taking care of her. So I called her over, but she wouldn’t come to me. Just kept looking at me and wagging and dancing to the side. It doesn’t take some kind of expert to know that she wanted me to foller her.

I never gave a thought to getting lost in the forest. It just didn’t occur to me as a thing to worry about, being much more accustomed to the perils of the actual sea, not a sea of trees.

I followed the hound where she led, followed her until it got too dark outside to see her. Black as night itself she was. She had to come back and take my hand in her mouth.

Luckily there wasn’t too much farther to go.

The first tip off that we were on the edge of a swamp was when I sunk halfway to my knee in the muck. The trees had thinned out and there were fireflies, or some kind of small glowing things of a flying variety, like little embers, in the air. After my eyes adjusted I could see well enough to see there was a floating platform with a small cabin, little more than a shack built on top.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The dog led me across a rickety board that served as a bridge over the swamp water and onto the platform. I don’t know why, but I just kept following.

I could hear each step, clomp, clomp. There was nothing I could do to conceal my approach. Whoever was in that shack was going to know someone was coming.” The captain seemed to be getting really into his own story, locking eyes with Prin, his rapt audience, as his voice rose and fell to emphasize the creepy parts. As though, at this point even he had forgotten this was a true story. One that ends in personal tragedy.

“There was a fire burning in the shack, the smoke exiting through a thin pipe, it was the only source of light. When I went to the open doorway, it was hard for me to even make out what I was seeing in the flashing flame and shadow, do you know what I mean?

But, there was my lover, my witch woman. She looked like she had aged a decade in the last year, and she was hunched over. She called the dog to her side and rubbed its head. The way she moved, and carried herself, you could tell she had been badly injured, bones had healed improperly. Mangled and twisted.

I must have stood in the doorway silently for a small eternity before mustering the words.

‘Why didn’t you leave?’

I knew something terrible had happened. What I couldn’t fathom was why she was still there.

Her answer chilled me to the bone.

‘I was waiting for you to return’. Captain Thompson shuddered. “I’ve already gone this far. Let’s get through this next part quickly.”

“No, take your time.” The prince said.

“Let’s just get on with it.” The captain said. “She told me that the villagers had come to her house to kill her and they put in a good effort at it before burning her house to the ground. She tried to get Almandine out but her broken body wouldn’t cooperate, and the babe had died before she could get to her.

She said all this coldly, without emotion. Though there was something in her eyes when she met mine, like a flint arrowhead, like an ice chip.

As the culmination to the story, she went to the corner of the room and pulled a blanket off of a glass box, one I had given her in the past I believe, but that’s neither here nor there.

There was little Almandine. Her face was mottled, dark with death, but plenty recognizable. Still sweet.” The captain’s voice cracked.

Elwin put his hand hard on Prin’s knee, almost a rebuke. “We’re so sorry for your loss. And sorry for making you talk about it. You don’t have to continue.”

Prin shot him a look. Why would he be trying to stop him now? They were almost to the curse.

“You didn’t make me do anything, remember? I wanted to tell you about it.” The captain assured. “It was a very long time ago. Close to forty years. It’s okay.

She told me, you could have prevented this. It’s your fault she’s dead. If the child was a boy, you would have taken him with you.

I tried to protest, to tell her I couldn’t have loved her baby any better. I loved her as much as I was capable. And I was sorry.

She refused to hear me. She put up her hand, and I could no longer speak. The words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat.

She said there was no point in killing me. That she had considered it, but there were worse fates. Death was easy.

She said she had been working on something just for me, and that she wanted me to know about it. So that when it came, I would not forget who had sent it. And that it was all my fault.

The witch woman said that someday I would finally have my precious son, and when I did he would be the most unlucky and wretched boy. And that none of my money could buy him out of it.” The captain’s cheeks were flushed, and he finally released his lock on Prin’s eyes and looked at the ground. “That was all she said, she didn’t go into any details. But at this point, its obvious that it was a rather potent spell.”

The prince frowned. “Lots of people go blind though. I have heard there are even special schools they can go to . . .”

Elwin shot him a look. “I think what Prin is trying to say is, how do you know the curse did anything at all?”

Prin nodded. “What if it was just . . . mind games?”

“Well,” The captain said. “His mother died when he was a baby. And every wet nurse and nanny goat we tried to procure milk from, the milk caused him to break out all over with painful hives.

Then, when he was still small, he caught every fever inducing childhood illness there was to catch. His sister caught none. The doctor said the high fevers were the beginning of the vision loss.

I bought him a guide dog, that is supposed to help the blind. It died of a freak accident. This happened three times.

Valor was chasing his sister, when he was small and still had some ability to see. And he fell in a well. Took seven days to get him out.”

Prin could feel his eyebrows raising up into his hairline, a glance over at Elwin showed he was feeling much the same.

“His pony went insane, or contracted rabies, we aren’t completely sure. It had to be put down.

Every bumble bee he passes by sacrifices its life to sting him. Every snake, to bite him. Luckily we don’t have venomous snakes on the island.

I’m probably forgetting some things, but that’s . . .”

“Still . . .” Elwin said cautiously. “He could be just . . . Sickly and regular unlucky, versus cursed unlucky.” His voice didn’t sound very sure of this.

“Valor has been struck by lightning twice.” The captain said.

“Damn the gods.” Prin said softly. “He is definitely cursed.”

“I didn’t think that was even possible.” Elwin said in awe.

“Oh, its definitely possible.” Captain Thompson assured. “One more thing, any servant hired especially for him? Either disappears under mysterious circumstances, or simply quits abruptly. So, that’s why the two of you work for me, not for Valor.” He winked.

“We have to definitely renegotiate the terms of our employment.” Elwin said gravely. “Big time.”

“I figured you would say that.” The captain said.