Happily Ever After......NOT!

Chapter Twelve

  
     Hayden pulled his arm away from me, "Good, because that's the last thing you need is to fall in love with me." With that he started walking down the path.
     I ran after him, "What's that supposed to mean?! You think I can't fall in love with you?!"
     Hayden laughed a cruel laughed, "No I know you can't love me, I'm a basket case, you never know when I'm going to blow up. No one can love me."
     "Hayden stop!" I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. I ran my fingers through his dark curly hair, "I'm sorry I upset  you, but please don't give up hope so fast. If I have hope that my curse can break you can have hope too! I promise I will think of a way to break your curse so you can love."
     Hayden moved his head closer to mind till our foreheads touched. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, "You better slow down on your promises, Princess." He said softly. "First you said you'd promise not to fall in love with me, then that you'll help me break my curse. What next? You'll promise to marry me to help save your kingdom?" He teased taking a step away.
     I laughed, "You wish."
     A slight wind blew from the east as we walked gavel and dirt crunching under our boots.
    I glanced up at the sky where the sun was starting to disappear behind some nasty looking dark, grey clouds. The tall wild grass dipped away to hills and valleys. Wild horses roamed in the distance. All the while the dark grey clouds got darker and darker. They were so dark if you put a candle behind them you won't be able to see the candle's light on the other side. The clouds were darker than Hayden's eyes! But to me that wasn't saying much, I've never seen anything as dark as his beautiful eyes.
    Hayden saw me looking up at the sky and it's darkening premises. "We're almost there, Princess."
    I rolled my eyes at him calling me Princess again. Would it hurt so much for him to say Amaya? I caught him smiling at my roll of eyes. "So we're close to Agog?"
    "Wow you can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" He teased. "And no we're not close to that, I was meaning the storm clouds." He pointed to the dark sky that was threatening to spill rain drops any minute.
    "What about them?" I asked confused, they looked like regular rain clouds to me.
    "They're getting darker so that's mean we're almost to the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak."
     "Another enchanted forest!" I explained surprised. Then I frowned, "But the weather never changed when we neared the Enchanted Forest of Truth, so why is this one different?" I asked glancing up at the clouds again.
     Hayden shrugged, "Every time I've gone through The Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak it's rained. I don't know if it's a legend or not, but a guy once told me that the raindrops that fall in the enchanted forest are all the tears that people cried when they were heartbroken. I've only heard it from him though, and he was drunk so who knows if he was telling the truth or not."
    I laughed, "If Hayden Marx says it's a legend then it's a legend." I joked, then my face turned serious, "If what that man says is true, then that's sad." I shivered just thinking about how many tears that'll have to be to become a storm.
   There was a long silence with nothing but the sound of gravel crunching under our feet.
    "The Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak, do you hear people's heartbreak like how the Enchanted Forest of Truth you hear the truth?"
     Hayden shook his head silently, "No." He paused thinking it over, "You don't hear the heartbreak, you feel the heartbreak of everyone who's walked through the forest. All their pain, lost, and suffering....."
     "Hayden." I whispered worried, "Why are we going to go through such a dark depressing Enchanted Forest?"
     He shrugged, "It's the fastest way to Agog." He paused thinking it over, "In fact it's the only way."
     "Ummm." 
      "Hey, it'll be alright, Amaya." He flashed me an assuring smile. Then glanced up at as we heard thunder in the distance, "We better pick it up, the storm is getting closer." Hayden picked up his pace and I jogged a little to get catch up with him. His legs were a lot longer than mine, making it difficult. "Princess, here." He crouched down in front of me, "Hope on."
     Not arguing I wrapped my arms around his neck and he placed his hands on my lower  legs lifting me up unto his back and we started moving again.
    Suddenly an hour later and with no warning fog completely surrounded us swallowing us in it's thickness. Hayden look all around us, he couldn't tell where the path was anymore. He came to a complete halt so fast it nearly sent me flying over his shoulder.
    He turned his head to the side, "Are you okay?"
    I clutched the cloth of his leather jacket tightly in my white fingers. I nodded my head still holding onto him for dear life.
    He slowly and gently placed me on my own two feet. "I have no clue where this fog came from, but we can't travel in it." He looked around, unable to see anything. "We're going to have to wait this one out." He took my hand so we won't get separated and with only his ears to guide us he walked to the left until he couldn't hear the crunch of gravel under our boots  anymore. Then he crouched down and patted the earth and felt grass. "We'll stop here. I don't want to go too far off the path and not be able to find it again when it clears." He helped me sit down beside him. We sat silently looking at the fog that surrounded us and engulfed with it's thickness. Hayden cleared his throat, "So since we're going to be waiting around for awhile entertain me, Princess. Did you know your whole life you were adopted?"
    I shook my head, "No, I didn't find that out till my father had me arrested for murder. It kinda just came out." I paused, "I'm not so sure my parents were ever going to tell me." I said softly.
    "Ouch, that sucks." Hayden was quiet as we both sat lost in our own  thought.
   "Since you didn't kill the Queen of Rollick..... Who did??"
    I shrugged, "Your question is as good as mine. I have no idea. It's one more thing to add to my list." I smiled sadly.
    "You really think you can break your curse?" He asked.
    "Oh I know I can break my curse." I said positively. "And yours too, there's got to be a way." I placed my hand on his and gave a light squeeze.
     He chuckled, "That's one thing I admire about you, Princess. You always have hope." He gazed at me with those dark brown eyes that held so much back, "You always see the good."
     "Nobody should be unhappy." I pointed out.
     Hayden lowered his head and stared at the cold ground, "And yet the world is filled with evil and unhappiness." He was quiet for so long I didn't think he was going to say anything. "If you have hope that you'll break your curse and break mine as well, then I'll try to have hope and help you with whatever is needed."
    I let out a laugh of joy and threw my arms around him, "Thank you!"
    He smiled, and gently hugged me back, "So what is the plan for breaking the Curse of Unhappiness and the Curse of Love?" He asked.
    My laughter gone I frowned deep in thought, "I honestly have no idea. I mean The Great Wizard said only my birth mother could give me the answer to why I'm cursed. I'm hoping with that information she gives me that I'll be able to break it by finding true happiness." I paused thinking.
    "So if in order to meet your mother, first we have to finished the mission to Agog to retrieve the necklace for The Great Wizard." Hayden said remembering my deal with The Great Wizard.
     I nodded, "That's the plan." My eyes light up, "If I just need to find true happiness to break my Curse of Unhappiness, then won't you just need to fine love to break the Curse of Love?" I asked.
      Hayden shook his head, "Impossible, remember if I say the words 'I love you' or express my feelings for someone I die."
     "Oh right." I said sadly my eyes fill with sadness for Hayden. How awful it must be not to say 'I love you' to someone you really care about.
     Hayden snapped me away from my thinking, "Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault I'm cursed."  He handed me a piece of jerky to snack on.
     "Thank you." I said taking it gratefully.
     We sat there silently eating jerky for lunch and waiting ever so patiently for the fog to clear up. With food in my belly I started to feel drowsy, my eyes fluttered and my head started to lean towards the side as I drifted off to sleep.
                                                         ~
   I was the place garden again in my dream, but it was so different this time. Where was the water fountain that Prince Goliath had fallen into?
    The fountain wasn't the only thing missing. I stood shakily to my feet, flowers and wild grass was everywhere, but where was the clean kept path and hedges? Why hasn't the royal gardener kept it clean? Thoughts swirled in my head as I looked all around me. Why where was the castle?! I looked around me terrified, behind me where the castle should have stand in all its glory was nothing but grey skies. What was going on? Terrified I ran stumbling a few times in the gown I wore. I came to a sudden halt when I reached the edge of a cliff with nothing below except deep valleys. I gasped and looked all around me. The whole kingdom of Rollick was missing!
     I felt my knees grow weak and I fell to the ground, but wait. Was I even in Rollick? I though for sure I was, but now I'm not so sure. I glanced around me, flowers everywhere and tall grasses, almost like I was in a meadow. Yes, I must be in a meadow, not in Rollick at all.
     Then I caught sight of Hayden far off walking towards me. I sighed with relief seeing his familiar face. He looked so handsome sunlight shining on his dark hair as he made his way towards me. He was walking really slow..... Almost like he was having trouble walking.
     Suddenly before my eyes had time to blink he fell to the ground. I expected him to hop to his feet and shout 'Got you, Princess!' But he didn't. He didn't hop up, he didn't make a noise, he didn't raise his hand.
     Fear sank inside me like a sinking ship, snatching up my gown I ran as fast as I could towards where I saw him fall. The closer I got I could see his body limp in the tall grass. "Hayden! Hayden talk to me!" I fell down beside him flipping him over so he laid on his back. My hands traveled up to his chest and then I ran a hand through his curly, dark hair. "Hayden!"
    He coughed and his eye lids opened slightly, he smiled weakly, "Princess."
     Delighted he was alive I cried, "Oh Hayden, I was so scared you were gone from me!"
     He gasped struggling to breathe which scared me.
     "Where are we Hayden? What happened to the fog?"
      "Fog?" He asked, "Listen to me Amaya, you can beat this. You can!" He struggled to say the words. He looked off to the distance like he didn't even see me.
     I frowned confused, beat this, beat what? "I don't understand, what do I need to beat Hayden?"
    He coughed and dark red blood oozed out of his mouth and down the side of his face.
     "No Hayden! What do I have to beat?!" I let out a sob as he didn't respond, "Hayden please don't leave me! I need you!" I cried banging my hands on his chest as I sobbed into him. Raising my head my eyes glistering with tears I whispered, "I love you."
    "Kamille. Kamille wake up!"
     Someone shook my shoulders.
     I gasped shaking horrible I saw Hayden holding my shoulders looking at me concerned. I couldn't believe it, I placed my hands on his warm cheeks, "Hayden? You're alive!" I gasped relief filling my pounding heart.
     Hayden chuckled, "Of course I'm alive."
     I threw my arms around him holding on to him for dear life. I didn't want him to ever let me go. Shakily I looked at him again to make sure it was real. "No you don't understand Hayden, you.... You died." I didn't dare tell him the other part of my dream, the part where I told him I loved him.
     "Amaya look at me," he pulled me gently away so I could look him in his eyes, he brushed my hair with his fingers, "I'm alright okay? You where asleep, it was just a dream." He wrapped his arms around me again.
     I sobbed into his shoulder, "I was so alone, it felt sooo real. Hayden."
    "Shhh." He shushed me gently stroking my hair, "It was only a nightmare, it was only a nightmare."