Enchanted in Time (Enchanted After Thirty #1)

Chapter 14

14

W ho was the being who pronounced the curse?” asked Hannah, who had been silently listening to the prince’s story.

“Isn’t that obvious?” growled the bear. “It was Mirabelle von Taustein!”

Hannah looked over at the balcony the girl had used to flee so many years ago and that she’d returned by in order to seek her revenge. “But how could she learn to cast a spell in four weeks? And to fly?”

“That is the great mystery.” The bear heaved a sigh. It sounded so human that Hannah wanted to lay her hand on his paw.

“Why didn’t your father tell you about it? How could he leave you in the dark and expose you to this?”

“He didn’t believe that the curse had passed to me until the moment of his death. Of that I’m sure.”

“Did you learn more by some other means? Did your teacher tell you how to break the curse?”

“No, in my mother’s name, she just repeatedly tried to impress upon me that I should find a wife and marry young so that I would be spared the curse.”

“And why didn’t you do that?”

“I had to live through my parents’ terrible marriage. They were extremely unhappy and not at all suited to each other. They didn’t love each other and weren’t even on friendly terms. I swore to myself that I would only marry for love. And to be honest, I didn’t believe in the curse either until it first took effect. I thought it was some trick on my mother’s part to get me to marry young and ensure the continuation of the line.”

Hannah observed him carefully. She could tell that he regretted his decision, and she felt compassion for him. Someone needed to help him! She leaned her head back and looked up at the endless, starry sky. It wasn’t cold out, but she was shivering, and she hunched her shoulders and rubbed her bare arms.

“So, Hannah, have you finally calmed down?”

Hannah and the bear looked up, exchanged astonished glances, and then stared into the fountain, where they saw Frieda’s pointed face on the dark surface of the water.

The bear immediately leapt up and leaned against the side of the fountain with his paws. He bent down close to the water. “Godmother Friederike, why did you not appear when I called you?”

“Frieda, how are my children? If you harm so much as one hair on their heads...” Hannah said, clenching her fists.

Frieda shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. “I was under the impression that the time for recriminations was past and that you were ready to receive the information you needed to break the curse. But if you still want to bicker...” And with these words, her face started to blur.

“No, stay!” Hannah and the prince both cried at once.

The image of Frieda’s face became sharper again, and she smiled. “That’s right, you two. Always nice and cooperative. And your children, dear Hannah, are sleeping blissfully in their beds, as they should be at this hour. So that you can return to them quickly, I suggest you hold back such comments and grumbling and listen.”

Hannah wanted to threaten her old neighbor, to make the nastiest accusations. She had a host of snappy retorts on the tip of her tongue, but she choked back her resentment, gritted her teeth, and nodded.

“What answers do you have for us, Godmother Friederike?” growled the bear. “Who was the evil magical being that cursed me? Mirabelle?”

“You need to understand the history, otherwise you will fail.” Frieda looked them both deep in the eyes before going on. “The evil one—the guilty one, the one responsible for the curse—was none other than your father. His arrogance and vanity were so hurtful to the poor young girl that they almost broke her.”

The bear let out a furious growl and was about to strike the water with his paw. Hannah laid her hand on his arm in spite of his wild gesticulations. “Calm down, or she’ll disappear again!”

The bear snorted and lowered his paw.

“What happened to Mirabelle back then?” Hannah asked, turning back to Frieda.

“She fled to the woods. She was desperate and heartbroken and wanted nothing more than to throw herself down a ravine to her death. But someone found her just in time and rescued her. She put her trust in one who promised to take revenge on the arrogant prince.”

“Who?”

“A powerful being, older even than me and more powerful than anything else in this forest. That being flew into the castle on the night of the subsequent ball to pronounce the curse.”

“How do you know all this? And how does it help us?” the bear roared.

“Only one with enormous powers could have cast the curse. That is one of the essential laws of magic. And the essential laws of magic also include the following: there is an antidote.”

The bear looked up. For a moment, his dark eyes shone with the sea-green color of his human form, and in those eyes, there was hope. “An antidote? What do I need to take?”

Frieda chuckled. “You don’t need to take anything. It’s very simple. You do need to understand that the magical being is not at fault and that the circumstances led to the curse. The being merely wanted justice for Mirabelle. To break the curse, all that was required was for your father to apologize to Mirabelle—and for Mirabelle to forgive him.”

“That simple?”

Hannah and the bear looked at each other, stunned.

“Why didn’t he do that long ago?” Hannah asked, incredulous.

“Pride? Arrogance? To be honest, your father, dear Maximilian, had no desire to be reminded of the curse for even one more second. In his mind, his marriage had staved it off. I warned your mother that the unfulfilled curse had passed to you at your birth. But your father would not believe it. He pretended it never existed when he could have broken the curse so easily.”

“Is Mirabelle still alive?” Hannah asked. This, in her eyes, was the most important question.

Frieda nodded. “Yes, she lives hidden deep within the forest.”

“That can’t be!” The bear prince flew into a rage. “I’ve been searching for her all these years, and I’ve never seen anyone—not a single human dwelling. You must be mistaken!”

“Absolutely not.” Frieda shook her head as if that were impossible. “My dear godson, I promised to send someone who would help you break the curse. On your own, you would not find Mirabelle. But with Hannah by your side, you shall.”

“You want me to take Hannah into the enchanted forest? That’s far too dangerous! Conjure her back to you. She needs to get back to her children.”

Hannah’s heart leapt and tears welled up in her eyes, although she immediately wiped them away. She wanted to jump for joy and cheer, even throw her arms around the bear’s neck, when she felt a sudden pang in her heart. What if he couldn’t do it alone? What if he remained a wild beast forever, only because she had left too soon? Frieda had set her by his side for a reason. Hannah hesitated and looked at her elderly neighbor, who had raised her forefinger in rebuke.

“My dear Maximilian, I would certainly not have sent her if you could do it on your own. You need her. Otherwise, you shall be lost.”

The prince glanced at Hannah, and a look of regret came over his bear face. Turning back to Frieda, he said, “The forest is too dangerous for her. I don’t know that I can protect her from the magical creatures.”

“Of course you can. But there’s no need to worry—simply follow the brick pathway. As long as you do not stray from it, no harm shall come to you.”

“I have followed that path for days on end. It does not lead to Mirabelle!”

“As I said before, you can’t find her without Hannah.”

“But what does all this have to do with me?” Hannah suddenly cried out.

“I don’t really know myself,” Frieda replied, chuckling. “Time will tell.”

Hannah gasped indignantly, but Frieda raised her forefinger one more time. “Let’s focus on the important questions instead.”

Hannah pressed her lips together. That old shrew! “Where in the forest can we find Mirabelle?”

“Follow the brick pathway. It will lead you to her. There is, however, one more thing you need to know. You do not have an infinite amount of time to break the curse.”

“Meaning what?” asked Hannah.

“How much time do I have?” growled the bear.

“One hundred hours.”

“A hundred hours?” Hannah did a quick calculation in her head. “That’s not even five days!”

“As long as you don’t dillydally and stray from the path, it should be easy to do.”

Hannah looked at the bear prince. “And what happens if we don’t succeed?”

“With each passing day and hour, the animal side in you will grow stronger, Maximilian, and your human side will fade. After one hundred hours, the transformation will be complete, and you shall remain a bear forever.”

The bear prince looked up at the stars.

Hannah bent down closer to the water. “Why did you send me to him, Frieda? You must have had a reason for choosing me in particular. What part do I play?”

“That you will both discover soon enough. Now go. Don’t look back. Then you shall soon have averted the curse.”

“Frieda, what will my children say if I’m not with them in the morning?”

“You may call us whenever you go past water. We shall always keep the magic mirror by our side.”

Hannah looked at the brown bear. She was searching for a glimmer of green in his eyes so that she could see the prince and not the beast. “I will go with you and help you.”

The bear growled, and she caught a glimpse of that green in his dark eyes. He bowed to her and leaned over the side of the fountain one last time. “Can you give us any more clues?”

Frieda chuckled. “Good luck!” And with those words, the image of her face on the water’s surface started to blur.

“We had better get going right away. The sooner we find Mirabelle, the sooner you’ll be with your children.”

“I thought the forest was too dangerous at night.”

“It is by day as well. But as long as we stay on the brick pathway, nothing will happen to us.” The bear tried to walk on his hind paws, but he was having trouble keeping his balance. He was staggering and swaying back and forth.

“Why don’t you walk on all fours?”

“Because I’m a human being and not an animal!”

“All right. At least this way I can keep up with you.” Hannah rose from the fountain and looked witfully at the water one last time, as if the gateway to her beloved children were hidden inside it. But when there was nothing to see, she ran after the big bear and walked beside him. “Is there a way out of the castle garden that leads directly to the forest?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s the way we’re going.”

“Wait, are you saying we’re going to the forest now?” She shook her head vehemently. “Who knows how long it will take? We’ll need provisions—a bag, bandages, and so on. Besides,” she added, laughing, “we should pack you something to wear. If you happen to change back, then?—”

“Brrrmmmmm,” growled the bear. That was probably his way of agreeing.

“Also, it would be wise to pack a flashlight. Oh, wait, they don’t even exist yet. What do you have? Lanterns? Something so that we can see in the dark forest. Speaking of which, what’s in the enchanted forest anyway? Why is it dangerous? Who lives there? Who enchanted it? The same magical creature that cursed your father? Have you been there before?”

“Brm,” he growled again.

“Is the animal in you the reason you can’t give me an intelligent answer? Or are you just a man of few words?”

“I’m trying to decide which of your thousand questions to answer first. Do you always talk so much?”

Hannah shrugged. For years, she had done nothing but listen and console, read and sing to her children. She didn’t know herself why she had been babbling so much since she’d come to the castle. Maybe there was something inside that was finally breaking free.

They marched through the door and back into the castle, where Hannah had fled from the bear hours ago. No candlelight illuminated the long corridor, which appeared a bit menacing in the silence and darkness. Unaware of what she was doing, Hannah walked a little closer beside the powerful bear, who noticed it with some surprise. This woman was not afraid of him.

He thought of all the others, the guests at the ball, who had run from him, screaming—every single night. Even the servants and every last guard had taken off since they believed there was no longer anyone to obey. Where did she get her courage? And trust? Maximilian resolved to protect her. And when it was all over, he would demonstrate his gratitude for her help... But was there any chance that this story would have a happy ending?