Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

I landed on my ass with a thud that left me gasping for breath. I scrambled to my knees, desperate to suck in air. For a second, I paused, glaring at my opponent through a curtain of red hair.

“Are you going to do something, or are you going to pose for a painting?” the dark-haired woman asked. She even had the audacity to gesture for me to come get her.

I swiped my hair out of my face and growled as I leapt into action. Using everything I had been taught during my time at the nunnery, I attempted to be cunning like a fox, quick like a cheetah, and strong like a bear. I swung my leg out in a swift kick, but the woman anticipated my move, countering with a well-executed sweep that landed me on the forest floor once again .

It never mattered what I did: I always ended up on the ground, gasping for air.

“Enough, Lady Jane, I can’t handle having the wind knocked out of me one more time today,” I said as I lay on the ground looking up at the light filtering through the deep green leaves of the forest trees. “One day I will best you in hand-to-hand combat. However, that day is not today. Now help me up off the ground you so kindly laid me out on.”

A laugh escaped Lady Jane as she held out her hand. I clasped her proffered hand and practically flew to my feet as she helped me up. I’d been trying to beat Lady Jane in a fight for years now. It didn’t help that my friend was at least a head taller than me and built like the warrior nuns my father had sent me to study with six years ago. Lady Jane arrived at the nunnery shortly after I did. It wasn’t long before we became friends. A friendship that was forever solidified after the Incident. It was a chapter of our lives I preferred not to revisit, but the event lingered in the bond we shared.

“Maybe one day, but first you’ll have to figure out how to take advantage of how you’re made and how you think. You’re still trying to fight like we’re the same instead of using our differences to your advantage.” Lady Jane threw her arm around my shoulders as we walked back to the dormitory rooms. “Now, get cleaned up for your birthday feast and our farewell party. You wouldn’t want to be late to an event honoring you.”

I was finally going home, and I had convinced Lady Jane to come with me. “I can’t believe we leave tomorrow for Lockersley. It feels like we just barely got here. And somehow, it also feels like it’s been forever.”

The brief jaunt through the forest brought me to the stone dormitory building, its sturdy walls and surrounding colorful oak trees stood guard like sentinels, a reminder of how long it had endured there. I opened the door to my home for the past six years. It was simpler than my rooms at the castle, with only a small bed and washbasin, which thankfully was already filled with water. I peeled off my training clothes and washed as best I could with the tepid water and small towel that had been left for me.

I grabbed a fancier version of the uniform I’d worn every day here at the nunnery. The outfit included loose pants that almost looked like a skirt until they cinched at the ankle, something I absolutely adored. The long tunic dress laced up on the sides from under my arms to my hips; there, the fabric split open all the way to the bottom of the tunic. I picked out my favorite color for tonight, a deep teal that made my eyes really shine. I took one last look at myself in the mirror and smiled. I felt pretty as I headed to my farewell party.

“Rowan, you look so pretty tonight. That color on you is magnificent.” Lady Jane folded me into a bear hug.

I wrapped my arms around her in return. “Thank you. But you didn’t give me a chance to see what you’re wearing.”

She held me at arm’s length. Lady Jane looked stunning in a deep purple outfit that was the same as mine, but hers fit her willowy frame to perfection. It would be easy for me to always look at my friend through jealous eyes. She was tall and beautiful. I was not. In fact, I would describe myself as short and squatty.

Lady Jane grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s go dance.” She dragged me to line up with our fellow classmates and the nuns all waiting for the band to play the music for the next dance.

The first notes of the song drifted across the room, sounding like the footsteps of a fairy through a magical forest. As the music built, all the dancers took their first steps, weaving around each other, turning, and promenading until I couldn’t help but laugh. The moment was so carefree and happy; I wanted it to continue for as long as possible.

It was hard to believe that my time at the nunnery was at an end. My father had sent me here when I was fifteen. When he told me I needed to learn from nuns, I threw a fit, screeching, stomping, and slamming doors until I threw myself onto my bed sobbing. I hadn’t wanted to go and my father sending me away felt like a rejection deep within my soul.

Now that it was time to go home, I had to admit he was right. Studying here was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. I learned more from the nuns than I ever thought possible. When I arrived, I assumed I would only be learning about running a household and the skills related to that task. I should have trusted my father though, because this place was like no school or nunnery I had ever heard of; while I was here, I learned about archery, fighting, battle strategy, and so much more. After being away for so long I was excited to show my father all the skills I had acquired.

“Now is not the time to be deep in thought,” Lady Jane said, interrupting my reminiscing .

I shook my head to bring myself back to the present. “You’re right. I’m rather thirsty. Let’s get a lemonade or maybe something stronger to drink.”

Lady Jane laced her arm through mine and together, we weaved through the crowd, smiling and nodding at everyone who acknowledged us.

Jane leaned in. “Do you think the headmistress is going to miss us, or is she secretly doing a happy dance?”

“Did you not see her on the dance floor? There’s nothing secret about her celebrating our departure. I’m pretty sure we were both her best and worst students.” I pointed to where the headmistress was currently twirling and skipping.

Jane laughed. “You’re somehow right. Both of us were quite diligent in our studies, with a tendency to start fires. They really should have stopped trying to teach us how to cook after the Incident.”

I shivered dramatically. “No, you must never ever bring that up again. I cannot stand to relive that,” I said, shaking my head. Did my friend have no compassion? It might be the basis of our friendship, but it had no place in tonight’s festivities.

She poured herself a glass of lemonade and gulped it down as quickly as she had filled it. Then she grabbed my hands and pulled me to the dance floor. “Come on, we must dance all night before our new responsibilities come crashing down on us.”

I spun under her arm. “Lockersley could never feel like a burden, or anything like a responsibility. Wait until you see it, you’ll understand what I mean in an instant.”