Cursed by Malignant Magic (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 36

Chapter

Thirty-Six

S everal months later, I swung open the door of an inn. Legacy and I strode into the warm embrace of the crowded room, drinking in the sight of old wooden beams and the golden glow of candlelight. The scents of roasted meat and spiced ale stirred my senses.

The inn was located on the border of the Caputo and Montrose kingdoms, just a short distance from where we now lived. We wove through the tables, receiving plenty of acknowledging nods.

And then there she was. Princess Varna Caputo.

"Would you look at that?" I said with a grin, nudging Legacy's elbow.

Varna sat slouched at a small table near the hearth, looking more rogue than royalty. Her pristine attire had been swapped for travel-stained leathers. A mischievous grin played on her lips when she saw us.

"I only recognize her when she ditches the silks and satins," Legacy said with a smirk.

I chuckled.

We approached the table, and Varna's grin widened, revealing teeth white against the grime of her recent trials.

"I got your message obviously," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I sank down beside her, and Legacy sat across from her.

"I believe you have some explaining to do," I told Varna.

"Oh, that. Right. I've developed a taste for adventure. And I’m allergic to corsets." She laughed. "It's good to see you both outside the confines of war."

"Likewise," Legacy said, signaling for drinks with a raised hand.

I waved for Varna to continue. “Dungeons and capture. Why, Varna? You certainly didn’t have to.”

Varna's eyes met mine, and for a moment, the playful twinkle was gone, replaced by an intensity that made me sit up straighter. Legacy leaned forward too, her blue eyes fixed on Varna with equal parts concern and intrigue.

"I never much cared for being a princess," Varna began, her voice low. "Not in the way my mom and the court wanted me to be, at least. My place in this war… Well, let's just say I took matters into my own hands."

"By willingly walking into enemy clutches?" I asked.

She nodded solemnly. "I needed to understand what our people and Montrose people were enduring, to see the conditions of the prisoners with my own eyes. Only then could I gather the intelligence we sorely needed."

Legacy’s eyes widened. "Wait, you mean to tell us you got yourself captured on purpose?"

"Sometimes a cage can reveal more than a throne ever could," Varna said, a shadow crossing her features as she touched a scar that marred her otherwise smooth cheek. "And from within those cages, I learned truths that changed the war."

"You unruly princess," I muttered, trying to wrap my head around the notion of such self-imposed captivity.

It was one thing to sniff out magic and sense danger; it was entirely another to stride willingly into its jaws, though I’d done that a time or two myself.

"Very unruly," Varna agreed, the corners of her mouth lifting in a wry smile. "But it was necessary."

“Did you know about this?” I asked Legacy. “Is that why you had her go into my cell so we could talk?”

Legacy shook her head. “No, I was just trying to fight my sudden, powerful feelings for you, but instead, I did something nice.”

My mouth dropped open as warmth suffused my chest until I feared it would pop. “Well, thanks…”

She shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

“General Ehuna knew,” Varna said. “I think she was the only one, though.”

I chuckled. “Of course she knew.”

I hadn’t heard from Ehuna in a while. Without the war, what would she do? Who would she be? Just a High Mage or more than that? I should send her a note to let her know I was thinking about her.

A barmaid dropped off our tankards of ale then. “On the house. War heroes drink free.”

“Thanks. The perks keep coming.” I raised my tankard to both Legacy and Varna with newfound awe. "To necessary unruliness."

“To necessary unruliness,” Legacy and Varna agreed.

The three of us toasted and drank deeply.

"Your unruliness might just be the boldest thing I've ever heard of." I leaned back in my chair, studying Varna, specifically the lines of her scar—the physical cost of her bravery etched into her skin. "You've got guts, Varna. And here I thought sneaking into enemy territory with nothing but a dagger and a bad attitude was impressive."

"Bravery or sheer foolishness, I'm not entirely sure," she confessed, her mischievous grin softening as if she were trying to reconcile the two.

The candlelight danced across her face, throwing her features into sharp relief, highlighting the duality of her nature—royalty with the heart of a rebel.

“Your selflessness is the kind we sing songs about,” Legacy said. “The kind that makes legends."

"Legends don't scar quite this easily." Varna winced slightly as she shifted in her seat.

She had more battle wounds than she let on, it seemed.

"Then they're not doing it right," I said simply.

Legacy smiled and raised her tankard again. "To legends, then. May they keep scarring, keep fighting, and keep winning."

"Cheers to that," I agreed, clinking my tankard against both of theirs.

We received a refill, and we drank in companionable silence for a moment. The inn was brimming with the kind of infectious energy only peace could bring, but our little corner felt like an intimate world unto itself.

I glanced at Varna, who still had a few dark shadows under her eyes. My chest tightened as I considered just how close I'd come to losing her, just like I’d lost Legacy.

"Collie?" Legacy's soft voice pulled me back, her blue eyes searching mine.

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head slightly as if to clear away my darker musings. "Just thinking about how lucky we are. You don’t know how to swim, Varna. You could have drowned. All those times you could’ve died, all because of me."

"No, not because of you," Varna countered. “You saved me, remember? We're still here, aren't we?"

“All three of us,” I whispered, yet it carried the weight of unyielding gratitude.

The familiar surge of protectiveness rose within me. The thought of losing either of them—again or for the first time—clawed at my insides, leaving a trail of icy fear. I realized then that my instincts were not just about survival; they were about safeguarding the ones I cared about.

"Hey." Legacy reached across the table for my hand. "You've got that look again—the one that says you're about to charge headlong into another battle."

"Old habits," I muttered, my head spinning slightly. “And maybe the ale.”

There was no hiding anything from Legacy, not when she had a knack for seeing right through me.

Her fingers squeezed mine.

Varna leaned forward, her hands clasped before her.

"So, I've been thinking," she began, "about what comes next. There are so many out there who have lost everything to the war. Homes, families…hope. What if we offered to mend what's been broken?" Her eyes, alive with fierce resolve, locked onto first mine and then Legacy’s. "I want to help those people. To give them a place where they can find peace, even after all they've endured."

"We’ve talked about the same thing,” I said, gesturing to Legacy. “Build a new world from the ashes of the old."

"A lofty goal, I know," Varna said.

Legacy nodded. “I’m in.”

"What are we waiting for?" I asked, my voice much too loud because of all the ale I’d drunk. "Let's toast to the future."

Our glasses clinked together, and laughter spilled from our lips, genuine and free.

Legacy downed the rest of her ale, stood, and helped me to my feet. “And on that note, I’m afraid I need to get this one home since she seems to have had too much to drink.”

Her hand on my waist stoked a fire inside of me, more than just desire, but the stirrings of hope too. Hope for our future. Hope for us. Because the most potent magic was the kind we forged together.

"Go on, then," Varna replied with a smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Legacy laughed, bright and daring. "That leaves very little off-limits, doesn't it?"

My grin widened. "We’ll plan details very soon. Minus the ale so we can focus better."

“It wasn’t the ale that made me lose my focus,” Legacy muttered on our way out. “It was you.”

We exchanged a look, one full of heated longing and promises. Of love and lust and life itself, carved into the space between us.

We walked home under the stars that had guided us through the war, our footsteps in sync as we made our way through the winding streets of the town. We had two homes, one right next to each other, but we made sure we were always together in one or the other.

As soon as we stumbled through my home’s door, Legacy traced the curve of my jaw with a touch as soft as moonlight. Moaning, I drew her into a kiss that was both a surrender and a claiming.

Stripped of our roles in the war and our kingdoms, we could finally be ourselves.

Her soft lips tasted of sweet ale and desire, igniting a fire deep within me that threatened to consume every inch of my being. Legacy's hands roamed my body with a tenderness that left trails of fire as she explored every curve and contour of my skin.

The sound of our ragged breaths mingled together as I pulled her closer. The heat between us intoxicated me, the air thick with anticipation and raw desire.

With trembling hands, I began to unbutton Legacy's tunic, revealing the soft curves of her body. She did the same to me, starting with my pants.

As our clothes fell to the floor in a haphazard pile, she reached out, her fingers tracing the line of my collarbone, her touch coursing magic through my veins.

We moved towards each other until the lines of our bodies blurred, our lips meeting in a kiss. I couldn't help but moan as her hands found their way to the apex of my thighs, her fingers teasing and stroking. Gently, she pushed me toward the bedroom and onto the bed with my legs parted, revealing the heated core of my desire to her.

Her eyes met mine, filled with a hunger that matched my own. She leaned in, her mouth descending upon my throbbing center.

Shockwaves of pleasure bolted through me, reverberating in every inch of my being. I moaned, arching my back in response, my hips bucking involuntarily as her lips and tongue worked magic.

In return, she moaned against me, the sound vibrating into my center. Her hands gripped my thighs, pulling me closer to that wicked mouth, that talented tongue that brought me to new heights every time we made love.

The building tension within me was almost unbearable, the anticipation of release a thrilling torment. Legacy's fingers found their way inside me, her movements in perfect sync with her eager lips.

My pleasure peaked, and Legacy expertly stretched it out for as long as possible. As I came back down from that ultimate high, I reached down and guided her back up my body. She didn't resist, her lips meeting mine in a fervent kiss as I pulled her closer.

Rolling on top of her, I traced the curves of her breasts and hips, the lines of her abs. She arched into my touch, her breath catching.

I moved lower, trailing kisses along the line of her jaw, down towards her neck. She moaned softly, her head falling back when I found the sensitive spot beneath her ear. I knew her body by heart now, knew what made her whimper and sigh and shiver.

I continued my descent, moving my kisses down her body to her breasts. She cried out when I pulled a nipple into my mouth and bathed it with my tongue. I brushed my fingers downward and slicked my fingers into her wetness, and her hips lifted from the bed to meet my thrusts.

Legacy’s heavy-lidded eyes met mine as I continued downward to taste her, to love her, to bring her back to me from the precipice of death again and again.

Her fingers tangled in my hair as she rode my kisses toward her own orgasm, and when it came, she burst apart.

My former enemy. My beautiful Legacy.

“I love you,” I whispered, savoring her taste on my lips as I crawled into her arms.

“I love you too,” she breathed, holding me close.

Happy, in love, and sated for now, I carried with me the certainty that tomorrow would greet us with open arms, ready to be shaped by the love that bound us together.

Through war.

Through life.

And through death.

We’d proven that much.