Cursed by the Phantom Prince (Once Upon A Curse)

Chapter 27

27

RHAN

T he cave that I’d dropped into was familiar and I immediately knew exactly where I was. It was the cave I’d been born in. It looked exactly the same as my memories but this was no memory. This was something else.

At first glance I didn’t see anyone but I knew that someone else was there. I could feel it just like I felt the Fae when they’d crossed into the human realm. There was someone here waiting, watching, for what I wasn’t sure, but I was a patient person. They would reveal themselves eventually.

Memories of my mother filled my thoughts as I perused the cave like it was my first time seeing it. The stone was dark in color with a red hue that reminded me of the red dirt found near rivers and streams back in the human realm. The air was clear and fresh which didn’t match with the underground cavern. It should have been musty at least but nothing of the sort registered in my nostrils.

Was this a dream?

If it was, my mother would have been here whole, unbroken, and full of life. But she wasn't, which made me even more suspicious. I fought the urge to call out and demand to know why I was here, but something told me that patience would get me further than demanding answers.

I explored the cave, marveling at the amount of detail gone into making this seem as real as possible. This was some strong magic that was incredibly detailed. In order for it to be this realistic the magic caster must have been there before. Had become intimately acquainted with that cave.

My mind spun with all sorts of possibilities while most were impossible. I tried to imagine what had driven the person to create such a detailed mind-scape. Did they also have a memory in this cave?

Lost in thought I didn’t immediately realize that I wasn’t alone anymore. An old man sat on a boulder a couple feet from the place that I’d been born. His hair was white, as was his beard that was so long it touched his knees. He wore simple clothes with a dark cloak tied around his neck. He looked entirely unremarkable.

His ears weren’t pointed, which meant he was human or wanted to appear human. To most Fae humans weren’t threatening so I could see why someone would disguise themselves as human. I didn’t sense any sort of illusion, but a well versed Fae or deity could cast an absolutely believable illusion with little to no effort.

“Hello Rhan,” the old man said and I noticed that his eyes were an intense shade of blue that made him look youthful if it wasn’t for his white hair and wrinkles.

“Hello,” I responded carefully. If this man was indeed Fae I needed to tread carefully and choose my words wisely. “Is this your mind or mine?”

“Perceptive,” he said but I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself. “This place is a bit of yours and a bit of mine.”

“I see,” I responded, strolling to another stone that was directly across from him and sitting. “We are both familiar with the same cave.”

“It would seem so,” he grinned, though his long mustache hid most of it from view but all the hair couldn’t hide his eyes that crinkled at the sides.

“I’m guessing that I’m here for a reason,” I raised my eyebrows, hoping that he got the hint and explained.

“I think that is safe to assume.”

“Did you bring me here?”

“This is a pocket of consciousness that was arranged if a specific set of circumstances were met.”

I blinked, his sentence throwing me off guard for a moment.

“What sort of circumstances?” I asked, thinking back to the most recent events and wondering which were the ones that led me here.

“All of them.”

“Riddles,” I grumbled, mentally preparing myself for all the double meanings.

“Riddles are my favorite.”

“Great,” I replied sarcastically. “Let's start with introductions. You clearly know who I am but I have no idea who you are.”

“I’d like to say that my identity isn’t important, but unfortunately it is,” he sighed, his shoulders drooping like he carried the weight of the world on them. “My name is Emeriss, but you’ll most likely know me by the name of Merlin.”

Merlin?

Merlin!

“You are the meddling wizard my mother warned me about,” I accused, pointing my finger at him as anger rose unexpectedly inside my chest. “You ruined my family.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘ruined’ necessarily. I think altered is a better word.”

“Altered enough to cause my mother and grandmother’s deaths.”

“Those were sad but necessary.”

“Sad but necessary? How dare you!” I shouted, surging to my feet wishing I had a weapon in my hand because at that moment I wanted to kill him.

“Calm down. This place isn’t entirely stable.”

“I don’t care!” I roared, the cave beginning to quake under my feet.

“You will when you hear what I have to say.”

“I won’t believe a word you say, old man.”

“I haven’t spoken much yet, have I?”

I clenched my jaw, infuriated but also charmed by his personality. He was completely at ease like he knew, no matter what I did or said, I would hear him out. The words cocky and arrogant came to mind but he was neither of those things.

“Why should I listen?”

“Ah, now that is a great question. Why? You know I think it might be my favorite question of all.” He chuckled, clearly deranged but I couldn’t help but feel intrigued. “Come now. Sit down and I’ll explain what I can.”

“Why can’t you explain everything?” I wondered, reluctantly sitting back down on the boulder.

“Explaining everything would take a tremendously long time, plus the majority of it would be irrelevant, so unfortunately, we don’t have much of it at the moment. I’ll do my best to explain what I can in the time we are given.”

My mother never mentioned anything about Merlin except to tell me he was a meddler and the cause of all of my family issues.

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“Splendid! You know, I thought you’d put up more of a fight, but I can see that you are logical. Something that is rare in this day and age,” he babbled like he wouldn’t run out of time, despite him already having explained that we didn't have much of it. “You do look extraordinarily like your mother and grandmother. It’s the eyes. Such an unusual shade but a striking one nonetheless.”

“Stop rambling,” I muttered, shooting him a look that clearly read ‘get on with it’.

“My apologies, my dear. I tend to blather on instead of getting right to the point. It was a subject that quite irked my mother when I was a boy.”

Here we go.

“But alas… a story for another time I suppose,” he continued, seeming to return to his original train of thought. “There is a tremendous amount to explain so please refrain from interrupting. I’ll answer questions afterward. Now… where to begin?”

This was going to take an eternity.

“It all started when your grandfather desired his enemy’s wife. Consumed by passion and lust for that which was not his, Uther requested my help. Being loyal to the great king I obliged, seeing nothing wrong with a bit of mischief in times of war. I disguised Uther as his enemy and watched as he strolled into the enemy’s camp with no one the wiser.” He chuckled at the memory. “I didn’t think to question Uther’s intentions, choosing instead to return to my studies. The next morning when the king returned was when I learned what he had done.”

“With the face of his enemy Uther killed his doppelg?nger. Thinking their king had thwarted a dirty trick sent from their enemies, they celebrated late into the night. Taken by her husband’s ingenuity, Igraine led him into their tent and proceeded to indulge in intimate things. The next morning the spell had worn off and Igraine woke to her husband’s enemy in her bed. She was distraught naturally by what she’d woken to but also later when the knowledge of her king’s dead body was discovered.”

“Victorious, Uther commanded a procession be put together as he and his newly conquered subjects would return to their homes under the banner of a new king. Uther took Igraine with him and paraded her around as confirmation of his victory,” Merlin paused, running his fingers through his beard while he was lost in a memory. “I thought the king was quite clever and celebrated with the rest of the kingdom. Soon after was when things changed.”

“Changed how?” I wondered, completely enthralled by this story. Flora had told me about my grandfather and uncle but she only heard things second hand so them being true or not was up for debate.

“No questions,” Merlin reprimanded, and I mimed buttoning my lips closed. “Soon afterward Igraine discovered she was pregnant with Uther’s child. By that time Uther had begun showing signs of corruption. I was arrogant and ignored them believing that I knew best and could use magic to undo whatever I needed it to. That’s not how magic works though.”

“When I cast the disguise on the king I didn’t realize that doing so would change Uther. Magic became his addiction. He came to me and asked many things of me that I obliged reluctantly, having suspicions that something wasn’t right with him. When your mother fled the castle I knew that what had started off as innocent fun had quickly turned into something much more sinister.”

“Your mother blamed me for everything, which she was completely in her right to do. When Uther took the first human magic user I knew that I needed to do something before it got any worse. So I did the next best thing as an arrogant wizard who thought the world and magic was mine to change, to mold into what I wanted.”

“What did you do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I traveled back in time.”