Cursed by Darkness (Once Upon A Curse)

8. Bodin

EIGHT

Bodin

The people cherished their gift of magic, but too soon, they also began fighting for more power. Neither kingdom was content, and so, they tried to claim the land surrounding the lake—the Valley of Stars, it came to be called.

H ours passed before Bodin and Raphael finally settled on an agreement—with a few of their advisors joining the conversation mid-morning. In the end, they decided that Forosse would send one battalion to the front lines immediately, and another half would arrive a fortnight later. There would also be soldiers sent here to protect the capital. It wasn’t going to win them this war, but it would help them survive a little longer while he tried to come up with another plan.

To his surprise, Prince Raphael was reasonable and respectful. He behaved nothing like his younger brother, who hadn’t returned for the negotiations—not that Bodin was going to complain about that.

After their advisors were dismissed, Bodin and Raphael adjourned to his private study. He poured them each a glass of rum—brought by the prince from Forosse—before each sitting in one of the armchairs. Raphael took the opposite seat and said, “I wanted to thank you for earlier.”

Bodin’s brow furrowed. “For what?”

“Defending Juniper,” he said with a small smile. “Standing up for her and treating her well.”

“I meant every word.” Bodin sighed and set his glass on the side table. “She didn’t choose to be used in this agreement, and I’m going to make sure she doesn’t suffer for it.”

Raphael shook his head a fraction. “You know, the stories about you paint a much different picture, and I told her they weren’t true, but I’m glad I was right. She deserves a happy life. That’s why I…”

“Why you pushed for the marriage alliance?” They were approaching the conversation he wanted to avoid. It was necessary though. He’d wondered why they had included Juniper in their deal when he had only requested the soldiers. They had initiated talks of a wedding, not him. “After all these years… You know, my father expected you to renegotiate. But when Elias was killed, your family took her into hiding instead.”

Her brother stared down at his hands, at the amber liquor in his glass. “It was too dangerous. My parents thought you would be targeted next and didn’t want her caught up in the middle.”

“So, they locked her in a tower?” Bodin huffed out a breath and shook his head. He couldn’t bring himself to address the rest, to tell this man that he’d been the first target. His much younger brother had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I’m sorry,” Raphael said, lifting his gaze. “I remember Elias well. He was a great boy.” Apparently, Bodin wasn’t getting an answer about the tower. The prince seemed sincere, but he was very clearly redirecting the conversation.

Bodin’s throat tightened. He took another sip of his rum to give him a moment. “She doesn’t know, does she?”

The prince sighed. “What good would that do anyone? She was six and didn’t know him as anything but a friend she met while visiting.”

“She deserves the truth.”

Her brother tilted his head. “If you want to tell her, be my guest. I just don’t see what difference it makes.”

“She was supposed to marry him ,” Bodin hissed. “Not me.”

Raphael was quiet for a long minute. The grandfather clock ticked in the corner of the room, and the faint crackling of the low fire filled the air. Otherwise, it was silent until he simply whispered, “I know.”

Setting his glass down, Bodin groaned. This was a nightmare. Raphael had a point; in the end, it wouldn’t make a difference. Juniper didn’t know that her last visit here as a child had been so that their parents could sign the marriage agreement. She had no idea that Bodin wasn’t the first man she was promised to without her consent. But he still hated the thought of lying to her.

“She’s a good girl,” Raphael continued. “Smart and incredibly kind, despite being shoved into the shadows her entire life. The world tried to forget about her, but she still cares about others with her whole heart. When we got your missive, I thought it could be her chance to get away and start fresh. She never fought it or questioned it, so I’m sure she felt the same.”

Bodin nodded in understanding, even as his heart broke for her. “She’ll be free here.”

“Thank you,” Raphael whispered. “And thank you for not…” He cleared his throat. “She seemed happy this morning, not terrified or… in pain. Fuck . I hate this.” He ran a hand through his brown hair with a chuckle then downed the rest of his rum. “I do not want to talk about last night… or hear any details. I just wanted to say I appreciate that you didn’t hurt her.”

It was impossible not to smile at the squirming prince. He could ease his mind and tell him nothing happened, but he wouldn’t risk their arrangement. Instead, he said, “I will never intentionally hurt her. In fact, I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe. You have my word. I’d like her to be happy here, and I’ll do what I can to make that happen.”

Raphael mumbled his thanks again, but he seemed to want to say more. Setting his glass on the table, he sighed. “Why? You don’t know her.”

“I don’t need to know someone to wish them well.” Crossing his arms, he added, “Besides, I know what it’s like to live in the shadows, to want more in this life. I’ve experienced trauma and misery. More than that, I know what it’s like to have a younger sibling to protect.” Even if he had failed Elias. “I get why your family left so suddenly after Elias was killed. It was a dangerous time to be in a kingdom going to war. But I don’t understand why she was kept in a fucking tower for the past decade and a half. However, regardless of the reason, I have the means to make sure she never has to experience that again.”

“You’re a good man, Your Majesty.”

He waved a hand. “Please, we’re brothers now. Just Bodin.”

Raphael nodded. “Rafe.”

“Can I ask you a question, Rafe?” When the prince nodded again, Bodin said, “Why didn’t you stop her? You and her guard knew she was sneaking out of the castle in the past; why didn’t you make her stop?”

“Could you?” he asked in a soft, almost broken tone. “If you had a little sister that you cherished more than just about anything and she’d been locked in a tower, would you stop her from escaping when she hadn’t done anything wrong?”

Bodin’s jaw clenched, the back of his eyes burning. He never would have stopped Elias. He thought about Nadine too and how he would have reacted if something like that had happened to her. His chest tightened.

“She was a fucking child when they put her in there, Bodin. She was six years old,” Rafe said.

“Then, why didn’t you get her out?” His anger started building within. Juniper had seven older brothers, and not one of them convinced her parents to let her free?

“My father is a cruel and vindictive man. You don’t disobey his orders or question him. People who do are punished or hanged. Ask Hugo.”

Bodin’s forehead creased in confusion. He couldn’t imagine a parent harming their own children. His own father had gone to war over one of his. A pang of grief made Bodin’s chest ache, and he took another sip of his alcohol. It had been years since he lost his parents, but the pain remained strong.

“I didn’t stop her from leaving, and in truth, I hoped she would run away,” Rafe went on. “But she always came back. Out of fear of our father. So, I would follow her from the shadows when I could. Richard was always with her, whether she knew it or not. And we watched as she brought her jewels to struggling families for them to sell. She saved portions of her meals to bring to those who were starving. She brought children her own clothes and toys. She made friends beyond the high walls of the castle who didn’t know she was the princess.”

With every revelation, every new thing he learned about Juniper, Bodin’s resolve strengthened. She was pure light in this dark world, and he would do everything in his power to protect her, to keep her shining bright.

“She’s the most selfless person I know,” her brother added, and Bodin agreed without pause. Rafe’s smile went from sweet sorrow to amusement. “But she can also be… feisty. Don’t let that sweet fa?ade of hers fool you.”

Bodin laughed. “Oh, I’ve seen beneath it. She also has a filthy mouth.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “A habit she picked up from the sailors near the docks she frequented. She’s always loved the water, so that was where she spent a lot of time. Much to our chagrin, that was also where she slowly made a close friend. He didn’t know who she was, of course, but he looked out for her.”

A strange sensation stirred in his heart. Almost like jealousy.

It couldn’t have been that though. He’d never really been a jealous person, not even with his first two wives. And he refused to have such feelings for this woman. No matter how perfect she seemed, she wasn’t his. He would not let another person in only for them to be ripped away like the others.

The grandfather clock chimed, and they both looked at the time.

With a sigh, Rafe pushed to his feet. “Well, Bodin, I should head out so I can tell my father about our arrangement. I’d like to make it to Marsonia before nightfall so we can stay at the inn there.” He grinned. “Care to tell me where you sent my sister to distract her?”

Convincing Rafe to go prepare for his journey while Bodin went to find Juniper was harder than negotiating for soldiers had been, but he managed it. He reached the room of portals and closed his eyes. Having made each one, he could sense when they were used. He could feel when others were on the other side of the portals, along with hints of their emotions while in them. Though, the only people who knew about them were Laurent and Nadine… until now. They visited from time to time, but not as often as they used to, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that would change with the arrival of his wife.

With a smile, he basked in Juniper’s joy. While he loved getting to feel his friends’ appreciation for the magical lands, there was something so refreshing about his wife’s emotions flooding into his mind and soul. This was new to her, and her wonder was intoxicating.

Bodin needed more, needed to see her smile as she realized just how free she could be here. Opening his eyes, he went to the first door to the right of the stairs. He turned the knob, but it was locked. Good . That meant Laurent was following the rules they’d agreed upon years ago. Bodin put his palm against the door and took a deep breath. He focused on the lock, on how it worked, and poured his magic into it, waiting for the click to sound. It took a lot of energy to use his magic this way, but if he used caution, making sure not to force it, it didn’t drain him too badly. As soon as the lock clicked, he pushed inside.

Or rather, outside.

He closed the door behind him and headed toward the trio sitting in a clearing near the meadow, where the grass was shorter and easier to traverse. Juniper’s eyes snapped to his, and his steps faltered. Her kingdom didn’t accept magic, but he’d hoped she would be different. The last thing he wanted was for her to fear him or these places.

Before he could speak, she scrambled to her feet, which tangled into her skirt in her hurry to get up. He reached out to steady her and thanked the goddess when Juniper didn’t pull away. Instead, she waved a hand around excitedly to indicate the wildflowers and forest. “It’s beautiful.”

Laurent and Richard stood as well, but Bodin’s attention was wholly on his radiant wife. He nodded and moved closer. “I love it here. It’s peaceful.”

“You… have magic,” she whispered. “But how did you create portals?”

He didn’t see any reason to lie. Not after he’d already let her in this far. “I don’t know exactly how I have the ability to do it. The books on Noxian magic don’t usually mention it. I’ve only been able to find a vague explanation of it possibly existing hundreds of years ago.”

She nodded and looked around. “So, where are we?”

“This was a meadow I played in as a child. It’s near our summer home.”

“We have a summer home?”

“We do,” he said with a smile at her use of we . He held out a hand and waited to see if she would take it. “Your brothers are leaving soon. I thought you’d like to see them off. Or at least Rafe.”

At that, she let out a small laugh that was one of the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard. She moved closer and entwined their fingers. “Can I see more of these places after?”

“Of course.” He led her to the door, with the other two men following.

Once they made it back into the palace and began the trek up to the ground floor, Juniper asked, “Did you two come to an agreement? Will he send a full battalion?’

“One now, and another half in a couple of weeks.” He pushed open the door at the top of the stairs. Glancing back, he gave Laurent a nod, and his friend paused to lock it behind them.

“Will that be enough?”

Contrary to her brother’s reaction, Bodin liked that she was asking these questions. It showed how much she cared, which he could have seen even without Rafe’s stories earlier. Bodin had entered this marriage intending to keep her out, just as he had with almost everyone else for the past decade, but he couldn’t with her. It seemed physically impossible. Juniper made him want to trust her immediately, and that wasn’t something he did lightly. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Maybe that would end horribly, but he was tired.

Tired of hiding. Of fighting.

Of being alone.

Though, he couldn’t let her in completely. His heart had blackened long ago—he’d had his one great love in this life and lost it—and there was nothing left to give in that sense. But he could make sure she didn’t become bitter like that too, and he could see them becoming friends at least. Perhaps then, she would stay safe from whatever in this universe had decided to keep taking away people he loved.

“It will help until I can figure out a better solution,” he told her.

They made it to the main entrance and out the doors to where a couple of carriages awaited the princes and their envoy. Hugo stood leaning against one with his arms crossed, and at the sight, Bodin made a mental note to ask Juniper why the man was so disagreeable. Was it because of what Rafe had hinted at earlier? Had he learned the hard way not to question their father? Was that why he behaved like he did?

Juniper tensed, but she wasn’t looking at her brother. Releasing Bodin, she turned toward her guard.

“I… I don’t want to say goodbye,” she said in a quiet tone.

The older man appeared confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened and he shook his head. “I’m not leaving, Your Majesty.”

“Wh-what?” It was barely more than a whisper. Prince Rafe came out then, bounding down the gray stone steps toward them. Juniper whipped her head in his direction. “Is it true? Is Richard staying?”

Rafe smiled in earnest, as if understanding how important this was to her. The prince nodded. “He’s been assigned to stay here as your head guard.”

If Bodin hadn’t been watching her so closely, he wouldn’t have seen the flicker of sadness in her green eyes or the way her grin slipped for a fraction of a second. But she seemed skilled in the art of hiding her emotions—a trait they shared, apparently.

Juniper moved to hug her brother, and he didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, much to Bodin’s surprise. The people of Forosse weren’t known for being warm and loving. But Rafe seemed to truly care about his sister, and Bodin was glad she had at least one family member to count on.

“I’ll miss you,” she said.

He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll miss you too, Juni. Write to me, and I’ll try to visit as often as I can. All right? It’s only a week-long trip—less if I’m on my own and traveling by horseback.”

She agreed and released him. Pain filled her gaze as she faced Hugo. With a dramatic sigh, he pushed off the carriage and closed the distance between them. Bodin took a step forward, but Rafe put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from interfering.

Hugo tugged her into his arms, and she visibly relaxed against him. “Be happy, Juniper,” he whispered into her hair.

He said something else too quiet for the others to hear. She sniffled as he let go of her. He inclined his head once toward Bodin, glared at Laurent, then marched to his carriage and climbed in. Rafe said goodbye one more time before following into the same coach.

Juniper waved as they took off, and Bodin slid his hand around her free one, letting her know he was with her. She’d spent so much of her life alone. He would make sure she never felt that way again.