Happily Ever After......NOT!

Chapter Fourteen

       I walked quietly with Hayden through the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak. The pain and heartache I felt inside me was overbearing and the smell of all the corpses on the ground was starting to make me feel sick. I looked at Hayden wishing so bad I could tell what he was thinking, how do I comfort him? How could his lover cheat on him, and then leave him saying she never loved him!
     I turned to him, "Hayden I...... I'm soo sorry.." I paused, "I didn't realize.."
     "It's okay Amaya, like I said it was a long time ago." He smiled at me, but his smile seemed forced.
     "Hayden your curse...."
     "It's my fault." He paused, "I got upset and mad."
     "You had all the right to be upset and mad! Your love had fallen in love with someone else and left you! Then the Great Wizard took advantage of the position you where in and cursed you!" My face softened, "You were going to marry her..."
     Hayden nodded, "Yes, I was... Her name was Killia. She was the most beautiful girl from where I came from." When my eyes questioned him where that exactly was he grinned at me his old teasing back, "Which I'm not going to tell you."
     I rolled my eyes playfully, "Of course you and your secrets."
      Hayden pretended to look wounded, "I have to have secrets!"
     I smiled, "You mean you have to have walls build up around you."
    "Exactly." He said as we walked.
    For a moment I had forgotten where we were, forgotten all the pain and heartbreak that I was feeling from all those who have walked here before us.
    I frowned thinking of how Hayden worked for The Great Wizard, "Wait Hayden, the Great Wizard gave you the curse, why did you agree to work for him after what he did?!"
    "It wasn't always that way. I was angry and upset that Killlia left me. Staying in that bloody town any longer was too much for me. So I sold what land I had and quit my job at the blacksmith. Then I went around from city to city. I realized I liked traveling. So I went in search for the Great Wizard, I wanted him to take the curse back, I didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life. I wanted a family....."
     "Then what happened?" I asked softly.
     "He said he couldn't do it, once you're cursed you're cursed and there's no way to get ride of it unless you break the curse. Instead he started offering me jobs, to travel and get something and he'll pay me in whatever I wanted. That's how it's been for ever since."
    "How have you survived not being able to tell someone you love them?" I asked.
    He shrugged, "it wasn't too bad at first, I didn't have much friends. I just kept to myself and didn't open up to anyone." He smiled at me, "Of course nobody I have meet has been annoying and talked way to much like someone I know."
    "Ha-ha." We continued walking. The smells of dead corpses didn't bother me now, like oh there's another dead body oh well. I was getting used it it. Used to the bodies laying around, used to the pains and crying that filled the trees above our head, and used to the constant pain in my heart as it broke along with all the other souls that have walked the Enchanted Forest of Heartbreak.
    "Hayden? Whatever happened to Killia?"
    He shrugged, "I suppose she's off somewhere sailing with the pirate she fell in love with. I never saw her again." He looked over at me, "Honestly, Amaya you don't have to keep asking questions, I'm over her."
    Cries echoed around us nearly drowning out Hayden as he spoke. I shivered the pains hurt so much, yet Hayden walked calmly as ever. "Don't..... Don't you feel heartbreak and hear the cries?" I asked drenching wet and cold from all the rain that poured down on us never once stopping.
     Hayden nodded, "I used to, I still do.... I just drown it out with other thoughts."
      "Like what?"
     He grinned, "Like how much your talking annoys me, Princess."
    I laughed which made me feel slightly better, "That again!"
    "Well you are very annoying."
    "Says the guy who kidnapped me and now is freely walking with me to Agog."
    He shrugged but grinned, "True. Honestly I just think of happy thoughts, happier places and it keeps me going."
     "Like Henry and a pond full of frogs?" I said referring back to his little brother.
     He smiled, "Especially Henry and a pond full of frogs."
     Again I wondered what happened to Henry. Hayden has said so little about his little brother that he adores. All that Hayden would tell me was that he was dead and that they used to spend a lot of time together catching frogs and doing boyish things. I bit my lip, I wanted to know more about Hayden and his brother. Yet I didn't know if I should bring it up. Slowly and unsurely I asked, "Hayden..... How did Henry past away?"
     Hayden laughed which startled and confused me, how could he laugh about someone who is dead? When he was done laughing he said, "You make it sound like he just up and left."
     I was quiet wanting him to continue.
      Finally he did, "Henry was..... He was... He was killed by a.... By a monster." Hayden choked out wiping the glimpse of tears off his face.
    I reached out and took Hayden's rough hand, "Hayden I'm so sorry." I paused thinking it over, "What kind of monster." I asked wonder how such a young life could be lost in such a tragic way. What it must have felt like to Hayden to have his younger brother die.
     Hayden shook his head as if trying to clear his head of a horrid memory, he turned to me, "One you'll never want to be around." He said slowly as we walked the never ending enchanted forest.
        My head puzzled over how I had read so many books in the Royal Library about monsters.  Ones about sea monsters that ruled the high seas threatening pirates and Kings' navies who sailed the seas. Monsters that lurked behind trees waiting to pounce on weary travelers. Then there was ones I read about monsters that killed for the taste of blood. Monsters were really everywhere the more I thought about it.
    Even Prince Adam from far away castle was cursed into a beast because he was selfish and unloving and now hid in his lonely castle with no hope of someone ever loving a beast. Although I had faith he'll find someone to love him and break his curse. Just like I have faith that we're going to make it out of this enchanted forest.
      We walked and walked, past trees, past dead bodies. But no matter how far we got, the pain and heartbreak always followed us constantly reminding us where we're at. My feet ached, and my heart felt heavy. All I wanted to do was get out of this horrid forest; it seemed like we've been here a decade. Though I know it has only been for a few hours.
     Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse I saw hope; or more accurately sunlight ahead just barely dancing through the trees. Sunlight sparkled down on us through the tree tops as if telling us don't give up yet. My heart lifted we're so close to being done with this forest! I couldn't be more glad until another fog of smoke rolled toward us and stopped us in our tracks.
     Annoyed with the forest already I started to push past it, I just wanted to get out of this forest and all it's heartbreaks.
    Hayden grabbed my arm, "No Amaya, not yet."
    I yanked my arm from him, "You want to stay longer in this forest?!" Screams and cries of heartbreaks seemed to yelled at us pounding in my ears making them throb. I covered my ears with my hands to block out the horrid cries.
    Hayden shook his head and removed my hands from my ears, "Of course I don't want to stay here, but the enchanted forest isn't going to let us leave until we watch the last heartbreak." Suddenly it dawned on him that the forest has already shown his heartbreak, so there wasn't anyone's left except..... He turned to me his eyes widening, "Amaya, turn away, you don't have to watch this."
    "What? What are you talking about?"
    "The enchanted forest has already shown my greatest heartbreak, so this one has to be your greatest heartbreak."
     I laughed, "That's crazy, I may be cursed with unhappiness, but Hayden, I've never had my heartbroken. So it's okay!"
     Hayden shook his head, "That doesn't mean the forest still won't find something to use against you." I moved around him and he called out, "It's going to try to bring out your weakness don't look at it Amaya!"
    I froze in my tracks as the fog cleared it's image coming clear like it was just yesterday. Tears flooded my eyes as I saw my beautiful mother in her green gown with its black trim. She was standing by the big window in the Royal library. Through the fog I saw myself walk into the library and go to my mother. She smiled and patted my hand, "Tell me, how did your walk with Prince Goliath go?"
    No... The library, us having this conversation, her favorite green dress. I reached my hand out to brush the image of my mother, just  aching to being able to touch her again, but my hand slipped right through the image. I let out a sob, "This is the day she died. We were having this conversation about boys and....... And I left her to get some tea." I cried.
     Hayden wrapped his arms around me as we watched the image together.
      I watched in horror as I laid my helpless mother on the velvet couch when she got her headache, then I left the Royal library. Oh if only I had stayed there with her she won't have died! I thought once I left the room the image would follow me to the kitchen were I made the tea, but instead it stayed fixed on my mother. She laid quietly on the velvet sofa her one hand dropped across her forehead, the other across her abdomen.
      I was confused, why would the image stay fixed on my mother?
     I continued watching the image and saw my father stroll in and go to my mother. He patted her hands, "Do you not feel well, dear?" He asked kneeling down beside her.
     She squeezed his hand, "Just one of my headaches,  Amaya went to get me some tea." She smiled weakly.
      My father lowers his gaze, "Speaking of our daughter, we have to do it."
     Even though she was in pain Queen Macie sat up on the velvet sofa and looked at her King, "Do what exactly?" She asked even though they had already talked about it.
     He sighed, "You know what we have to do. I mean this can't continue!"
      She shook her head sadly, "When we got her as a baby..... I ..... I always hoped that it was a mistake, that she wasn't cursed." Tears fell from her face.
      "That's why we have to have her betray the kingdom. Her curse is just so powerful, if this keeps going she'll destroy this kingdom and everything we've built!"
     "But what about Amaya? there has to be another way!"
     "She'll be fine, I'll have her put in the dungeon and then eventually have her death be quiet and unheard of. No one would know."
      Queen Macie closed her eyes, "Okay... what do we do? And when?"
     He held up a bottle of poison, it's ugly skull picture staring back at her. "We do it now, I'll slip this into your teacup when she isn't looking and then you'll drink it, darling."
     Queen Macie's eyes widened, "You want me to die!?"
     The King's dark eyes gleamed back at her, "I wish it won't come to this, but there's no other way. I need to turn the kingdom against her. What better way than my beloved Queen being poison."
     Queen Macie looked away her hands shaking.
     King Jack placed his hand on hers, "You know what you must do for the kingdom." He paused, "You do understand don't you?"
     Tears falling down her face she turned to him, "Yes love, but promise me you won't hurt her, she may not be our daughter by blood, but I always thought of her like she was my own."
     "She'll be fine, now lay back down with your headache dear, and I'll be back." King Jack kissed her for the last time and turned walking out of the Royal library with his boot steps echoing on the tile floor. Quietly he went down the servants' staircase to the Royal kitchen. He couldn't go down the grand stair case in fear someone will see him.
    He smiled when he ducked into the kitchen to see Amaya and the Royal chief busy at the kitchen sink they won't notice him at all. Luck was in his side when he saw the two teacups and tea just sitting on the wooden table. He opened the bottle of deadly poison and without a doubt emptied the poison into the Queen's tea. Then he turned and quietly went up the way he came.
    I stood shocked, my father the King killed his own queen! Just to get me out of the way because he didn't want me! The cloud of fog vanished and I fell to my knees my heart melting into the dirt around me. My cries echoed in the forest as I sobbed. My father didn't want me because he knew I was cursed, and killed my mother just to make sure I'll never rule Rollick. I dug my fingers in the dirt and cried. Everything hurt, all the pain from others and my own pain. Laying down with all the corpses sounded so wonderful now.
    Hayden got down and looked me in the eyes, "Are you okay?"
    I shook my head tears falling as he wiped them, "I can't..... I can't do it anymore." I sobbed shoulders shaking.
     "No Amaya! You can't give up! Look at how close we are, don't you see the sunlight?" He pointed to the trees ahead of us.
      "No I don't want to do it anymore." I cried.
      "I know you're hurting Amaya, I am too." Tears fell down Hayden's face as well as he tried to get me to look at him, "But we can't quit, we're so close!"
     "Please don't make me Hayden." My voice trembled, "I'm so tired."
     "No! Don't  you see? If you stay here Amaya, you're going to die. Now come on." He pulled on my shoulder getting me to my shaking feet. "Come on let's go."
     My legs felt weighed down by heavy weights. I stumbled and fell, Hayden picked me up like I weighed nothing and nearly ran out of the enchanted forest.
     As soon as we stepped out of the forest it was like something washed over us. All the cries and pains of the forest was gone, replaced with a sense of peace and quietness. But the one thing it didn't take from me was the truth and the pain that my father had killed my mother and made me take the blame for it.