Cursed 2

THIRTY EIGHT

In the wide room lit by only the light of a candle, Alexandre was reading a manuscript in bed before sleeping next to Briana who was staring at the opposite wall, absorbed in her thoughts.

“The talk you gave our daughter before dinner worked” Alexandre said without taking his eyes off the paper, “The dinner was a success and in two days our status will rise. You'll be able to meet your friends again and I will be able to pay off gambling debts.”

The long silence of his wife disturbed Alexandre causing him to turn towards her.

“Briana, you've been very quiet throughout dinner and now you don't say anything. Is something wrong?”

After a pause organizing her thoughts, she began to speak.

“Did I ever tell you that when I was young I wanted to have my own pastry shop? I used to make stuffed buns at home and gave them to my neighbors' children. I loved to see the happy faces of those children as they ate them.”

“Yes, you ever told me” he replied nonchalantly.

The silence returned, the candle was gradually consumed and when he believed that the conversation had finished Briana broke the silence.

“Alexandre, do you think she'll hate us?”

“Who?”

“Caili. Do you think we are doing the right thing with the wedding?”

“What do you mean?” he asked puzzled.

“Caili told me she wanted to be a knight” Briana replied sharing those words her daughter confessed to her.

“Knight?! That is absurd, women cannot be knight.”

“Why?” she uttered with a frown, “when I was young, my brother and I used to train with the sword.”

“It's one thing to play with the sword and another to be a knight, Briana. Now let's go to sleep, it's been a long day.”

Alexandre put the manuscript on the table, blew out the candle and closed his eyes as she stayed seated restlessly on that bed in the middle of the darkness.

Meanwhile, in the stone fountain of the square of Castle Combe, the two girls were sharing their last moments alone before the impending wedding. There were only two days left for Caili to get married and depart for a new life in a great unknown city together with her husband, and her entire past life would be left behind.

“Where is Owen?!” Nora said annoyed placing her hands on her hips, “Surely the idiot is eating somewhere and on top of that he knew it would be the last time we would see each other before the wedding.”

The young woman stopped speaking when she looked at her best friend who was sitting silently with her head resting on her knees.

“Are you okay, Caili?”

“I want to find her” she said suddenly raising her face.

“To who?”

“To the Blood of Wolves Witch... Sometimes I dream that I am her, free, reackless and with no one to tell her what to do. I want to see her with my own eyes.”

“Luckily you're not her, the Church will end up killing her sooner or later” Nora declared.

The gentle night breeze brushed Caili's face like a sweet and pleasant caress that carried her away from that square to a place with tall green trees, where a young woman with long wavy hair looked at the horizon with her hand on the handle of a strange sword.

“How are things at home?” Nora asked suddenly making Caili to land from her thoughts.

“Not very well, I had to sneak out because my parents don't want us to see each other.”

“Well, that's not something new” Nora laughed trying to downplay it so that her friend would regain her spirits, but it didn't work.

“I know, but it's different, everything is different now” she sighed, “Who would have said that my future is to be a wife.”

“I know you and I know you won't settle for just being a perfect wife. You are ambitious, intelligent, dreamy and I know that you will accomplish everything you set your mind to.”

“I don't think my future husband likes the idea that I want to be a knight.”

“And matters?! You do not depend on anyone.”

A slight smile appeared on Caili's lips, her friend always made her feel better, however, Nora's face was serious when she suddenly approached her.

“Caili, I've decided to leave this town in two days” the young woman said, “you know I have no family and never felt this place like home. Now that my best friend is going to that big city, nothing is holding me here.”

That moment felt like a true and bitter goodbye. Caili got up from the ground and stood in front of her.

“You're my best friend” Nora added, “and I know that I will never find anyone like you.”

“Enough, you're going to make me cry!” she exclaimed with voice trembling and her eyes glassy, “If you see the witch, will you tell her about me?”

“Of course! I'll tell her you're her biggest fan.” she grinned from ear to ear showing her teeth.

The two merged in a strong and warm hug before turning their backs on each other and heading down different paths. A few meters away, Caili stopped short and turned abruptly towards her friend.

“Nora!” she yelled running towards her holding out her pinky to her, “you will always be my soul mate!”

“And you are mine!”

Their pinkies intertwined as tears spilled from their reddened eyes, not for goodbye but for the time they spent together and would never happen again.