Happily Ever After......NOT!

Chapter Thirteen

  
      The fog had cleared so Hayden and I started walking again. After my horrible nightmare where Hayden had died I couldn't stop myself from stealing glances at him to make sure he was alright. I flushed a light pink as he caught me looking at him.
      "You know you don't have to keep looking at me every five seconds." Hayden said he couldn't keep a grin from showing on his face.
       I blushed, "Sorry, I don't mean to. I'm scared that you're going to die in front of me."
       "Well that sure is assuring." He joked, then he gave me a comforting smile, "Don't worry, Amaya, I don't plan on dying any time soon."
       "Good, because I can't get it Agog without you!"
      He grinned, "It always feels good to be needed, especially by a princess as charming as yourself."
      I laughed, "So you think I'm beautiful?" I smiled loving the look of embarrassment that washed over his face.
     "You could be beautiful, if we haven't been traveling for days with no baths." He teased that delightful glimmer in his eyes.
     I rolled my eyes, "So you think I smell, geez thanks I like you too buddy." I joked.
     Suddenly a big clap of thunder echoed shaking the ground beneath our feet. Startled I looked up at the big thunder clouds rolling in. I forgot before the fog came the sky was getting dark. Now the clouds where so dark it made it looked like night had fallen; even though we still had hours before sunset.
     "It's getting worse." I said as rain started to sprinkle all around.
     Hayden looked up as well, "Yes, we're getting close to the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak. Once it's a down pour we'll be at the entrance of the forest." Hayden yelled to be heard over another clap of thunder.
    Sure enough he was right, ten minutes later we were at the entrance of the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak. Rain poured down drowning us in water. I couldn't breathe through my mouth without getting a mouthful of rain.
    Drenching wet and cold I stared into the enchanted forest, it was so dark inside I couldn't see very far in front of me. Turning to Hayden and sputtering as rain water got in mouth I said, "It's so dark inside."
     Hayden wiped his soaking wet hair out of his eyes, rain dripped off his long dark eyelashes, "Have you ever had a heartbreak that was bright and cheerful."
     I paused he had a point, heartbreaks were dark and sad. "So the enchanted forest is dark because heartbreaks are dark, and while we're in it we're going to feel all the heartbreak and sadness of those who have walked through it in the past?" I said trying to remember all that Hayden had told me about it.
    Hayden nodded, "Precisely."
    I shivered wiping my wet face with my hand, my vision was getting blurry from all the rain coming down. "I don't know Hayden, it sounds dangerous. We should just walk around the forest and get back on the path, instead of going through it.
    Hayden shook his head, "It's impossible Princess, the enchanted is all the way around the forest, going around we could get lost and travel for days without finding the path." He paused, "the only way to do this is to go through the forest, and do it as fast as possible."
    I glanced into the dark mystical forest. "Okay let's get this over with." I took a step towards the forest, but Hayden quickly pulled me back.
    "Amaya, there's one more thing...." Hayden glanced towards the forest a look of fear on his face. Water dripped of the brim of his nose and his clothes clung to his body.  "You don't just feel the pain and heartbreak from people that have walked through here.... The enchanted forest also brings out your greatest heartbreak."
     I stepped away shocked, "What are you talking about?"
   "That's its weapon. The Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak pulls out your heartbreak and uses it against you to make you weak and vulnerable...."
    "Hey..." I took Hayden's rough hand in my soft one and gave him a gentle squeeze, "Don't worry about me, I've never had my heart broken. We're be okay."
    Hayden shook his head, "You don't get it, even if you haven't had your heart broken, it'll still find something to use against you."
    "Hayden, we'll be fine, it's going to be okay. We're just go as fast as possible like you said." I gave him an encouraging smile.
    "Yeah." But he didn't looked convinced.
    Together we walked side by side into the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak. The trees loomed over us like a giant canopy catching most of the rain as it pour down on us. The path was muddy and slippery from all the rain. The forest had this dark depressing look to it.
    I gulped I didn't feel right inside. I felt different, like someone else was in my body. My heart felt empty and broken. I felt sad too.... Terribly sad. I felt the lost of a mother having her child taken from her. The pain she felt I now had. I felt the loneliness she  had, and the nights she cried for her child. 
    We trudged on silently. Did Hayden feel all the heartbreaks that I did? If so he didn't say anything.
    I felt the betrayal of a love one, and all the anger and tears that were spilt over it. Most of all I felt the dying of a loved one and how much sadness that it caused. I couldn't help the tears that fell. The remorse I had was so strong. 
    I felt all of the heartbreaks, feeling lost, empty, lonely. The feeling that you didn't matter in life. It was never going to end. I started regretting going into the this enchanted forest. It was not as pleasant as the Enchanted Forest of Truth. I wished it would all end. All the heart break and sadness, why couldn't it just go away and leave me alone? I just wanted to be left alone. Why did have to hurt so much.
   Even though I had Hayden with me I felt so completely alone and afraid. I didn't like it. I didn't like the way the enchanted forest was making me feel.
    All the pain and heartbreak I was felling was suffocating. It was everywhere, and it won't go away. My heart sobbed as I felt the lost of a love one, I felt weak stumbling on the path  I fell to the ground.
    Hayden stopped and came back, he pulled me to my feet. Looking into his dark eyes I could see moisture of tears in his eyes. He felt the heartbreak too. "Are you okay?" He asked.
    I nodded, "You?"
   "I will be, when we get out of this bloody hell."
   Hayden held my hand in his as we walked. I was thankful to have him so close, and to know he was there for me. On and on we went not once stopping to rest. The Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak was gigantic compare to the Enchanted Forest of Truth.
    The rain poured and poured never showing a sign of stopping. My heart felt heavy with the burden of all the pain and heartbreaks. Lifting my head up hoping to see a clearing in the trees I gasped for what I saw instead. A few trees ahead of us a skeleton corpse of a human laid propped up against a tree. It's haunting boney face staring back at us.
   I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I just got a mouthful of rain. I stood frozen in place with fear.
    Hayden stopped to and followed my gaze to the skeleton. He squeezed my hand gently. "It's okay, Amaya." With him tugging me forward we moved again.
    I wished that was the only corpse I saw, but it wasn't. Nearly every-other tree had a corpse laying against it, or flat on the ground. Some of the corpse where just a day or two old, others have been dead for weeks, maybe even years. The smell of decay made my stomach churn. I felt vomit at the back of my mouth as we passed another body.
     Passing a body that hadn't been dead long I started to notice a pattern. None of the bodies had injuries of a wound. Also the corpses that had just died a few days ago had tear stains on their faces like they've been crying.
     My heart tightened in my chest, finding my voice I asked, "What happen to all these people?"
    Hayden stopped and turn towards me his eyes brimmed with tears, "They got lost, all the pain and heartbreaks of the enchanted forest became to much for them. They couldn't do it anymore."
    "All of them?" I gasped, "All of them lost hope in everything?" Tears welled in my eyes.
    Hayden nodded looking around at some of the corpses, "You know how they felt, you feel it too...."
    I shivered, my eyes widen, and I stepped back letting go of Hayden's hand, "My dream." I whispered sickly more to myself than anyone.
    Hayden heard it and frowned, "You dream?"
    "My dream Hayden! You died! you did!" I started to cry and shake uncontrollably, "That's what's going to happen to us isn't it? My dream is real, I'm going to have to watch you die!" I cried.
    Hayden grabbed my shoulders with his hands, water dripped off us was he forced me to look him in the eyes, "Don't say that, Amaya. Don't!"
    I trembled, "We're going to lose hope like all these people and die.... We're never going to get out of here."
    Hayden pulled me to his chest and stroked my hair, "Don't do this, don't. We're going to get out of here you hear me?" He kissed the top of my hair.
    I clung to him and sobbed, "I hear you" I mumbled into his leather jacket.
    Hayden waited till I calmed down, then he wiped the tears and rain water from my flushed face. "It was a dream, Amaya." He said gazing into my blue eyes, "We're going to win this, we're going to get out of here. We just need to keep moving."
    My legs shaking a little we moved on it seemed like hours have gone by. The heartbreaks seemed stronger now, the feeling more powerful. Suddenly right in front of us came a fog of smoke blocking our path.
   Hayden reached for my hand and held on to it, while the fog started moving around. "Amaya, the enchanted forest is going  to try to temp us into giving into the heartbreak by showing us one of our owns." Hayden whispered hoarsely. "Don't give in to it, just look away from the images it shows in the smokey fog don't watch them." The image cleared until we could clearly see a couple laying in bed. Hayden's face changed, "Never mind, this one you can watch."
    I fixed my eyes on the image. A woman with soft brown curls covering her beautiful face smiled up at handsome blond guy. A clean white sheet covered them as they laid  lazily in the bed. I frown I have never seen this couple before in my life, so it wasn't my heartbreak. My eyes softened as I realized it must be Hayden's... But that guy wasn't Hayden. I glanced up at Hayden as he watched the images not even flinching a muscle. I turned back to the image of the happy couple.
    The woman leaned in and kissed the man then she moved her lips down and kissed his neck. "I'm going to miss you when I sail away at dawn tomorrow." The man said as she kissed him.
     She stopped and smiled lovingly into his eyes, twirling a lock of his hair in her finger.  "Me too, love." She kissed his cheek.
     He grabbed her hand and pulling her to him kissed her deeply, pulling away he said, "You should come with me!" He grinned mischievously, "We can sail away together."
     She traced his jaw line with her finger, "I wish, but." She sighed.
     His face changed, "It's him isn't it?" He moved away keeping his distance, "I thought things where over with you two? I thought you chose me."
    She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I do choose you, I love you Mitch!"
    "Then prove it! Leave him for good and sail away with me!"
    "I will!" She promised they sealed it with a passionate kiss.
     The fog moved forward showing a different images. This time Hayden in a run down dirty cottage. He turned towards a door as it opened and smiled of delight shone on his face. It was the woman with the curly brown hair.
    She smiled as Hayden swooped her up and spun her around. Before placing her on her feet and kissing her.
    He didn't kiss her long before she pulled away from him. "Hayden." She said.
    He smiled at her clearly in love with her. "I've looked everywhere for you. I got out of the black smith job early and when I couldn't find you I went to see my brother's grave.....then I thought maybe you're off planning our wedding that's coming up."
    "Hayden!" she interrupted sharply.
    Hayden wiped his hands hands on a filthy rag, "What is it, Love?"
    She sighed, looking him in the eyes she blurted out, "There's someone else."
    Hayden's smile disappeared, "What do you mean?"
    "I fell in love with a man, a good man. I'm so happy Hayden." She said hoping that saying she's happy would change things.
     Hayden placed both hands on a rotting old table, he couldn't bare to look at her, "You love someone else. What about our wedding? I thought.... I thought you loved me."
     Her faced softened, "I didn't know how to tell you, I'm sorry." She looked away, turning her eyes back to him she said, "I've never loved you Hayden, you had to know that."
     Her words stung and hurt like a knife was stabbed in his back. He refused to say anything.
    She sighed loudly annoyed that he won't answer her, "So that's all I have to say to you." She turned and went for the door before turning back around, "And don't worry you'll never see me again, I'm leaving at dawn with the man I love." With that she slammed the door that was missing a hinge.
    Tears ran down my face as I stood speechless watching as the image of Hayden threw the table and two broken chairs at the door where his woman had just left. Heartbroken he yelled angrily, "I swear I'll never love somebody else as long as I bloody live!"
    "Well that certainly is a long time!" A voice said from the darkness of a room off of the kitchen. The Great Wizard stepped out of the shadows a grinned on his face.
    "Who are you? And what do you what?" Hayden spat.
    "I'm The Great Wizard of course and I'm here to cast a curse."
    Hayden glared, "What are you talking about?"
    "Since you don't want to love anybody as long as you live, you no longer shall!" With a wave of his hands a heart appeared above the Great Wizard's hand. Twisting his hand he sent the heart into Hayden's chest.
    Hayden gasped, "What did you do?!"
   "I cursed you, from now on you're cursed with the Curse of Love. If you dare say the words 'I love you' or even tell someone your feelings your heart will stop." With that he vanished leaving a heartbroken Hayden behind.
    The foggy smoke disappeared and I stared at the real Hayden that stood before me. Tears fell down my face, Hayden's heartbreak was that his lover left him for someone else. "Hayden." My voice cracked, "I'm SO sorry."
    Hayden stared down at the dirt, "It was long time ago." He turned his gaze to mine, "Let's keep moving."