The Cursed

[SkySong278]

She followed after him on Storm towards the bridge and main road, hearing everything he said while doing so. "Oh, and sure. Nope I don't mind at all," she said in reply with a small blush of her own. "Should I wear anything specific?"

[AroaraAngelwolf]

" Something green or pale yellow, with the fall flowers and the backdrop of the leaves the courtyard would be perfect. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to also include your father's statue in it as well. After all he is your new father and is officially part of the family, I'll add him to our family tree too. I'm sure that'll make him very happy and proud too.  I understand him in a way... Waiting so long to be included and loved after loosing nearly everything. I didn't have to wait centuries however.... I never understood why people thought the statue was hideous, mum and I always thought he had a handsome fox face. I made sure he had the best offerings and still do. " he was rubbing a tear from his cheek. "I'm glad he's now entirely included in the family who snubbed him before. My ancestors really deserved it for being so superficial about such tings. "

[SkySong278]

"Oh, okay and of course he should be included. I'm also glad he's part of our family now, and will be added to the family tree as well. I'm sorry to hear that it took you this long to be happy, but I'm also glad that you are and that I'm the one that can do that. That's good," she said in reply to the first few statements or so before kissing him softly on the cheek when she saw him wipe a tear from his eye out of the corner of her eye. "I think they're happy as well that the curse is broken, and I bet they're regretting what they did."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

He smiled at her when she kissed his cheek, reaching over to hold her hand as they rode into the gate and back up the mountain through the town and twords the castle. "Let's stop by and see how the people we rescued are doing, and if there's any word from the witches' families yet. There's one that hasn't heard anything yet, and I want to know how they are adjusting. One now lives and  works in the bakery, so we should see how she's settling too. I've been receiving reports that a few of the former slaves of that wretched man are finding their niche in the city. Oh and remember the elderly couple? Harold fell the other day and broke his ankle, I'd like to check on them too, see if there's anything they need in the market and call a knight to take care of things. " he said looking up at the sky, it was barely afternoon but the sun was already getting ready to dip behind the mountains and the torches where lit in the city streets. 

[SkySong278]

She squeezed his hand a bit still with a smile on her face before listening to everything he said afterward. "That sounds like a good plan. I'd like to see how they're doing, too. I'm sorry that he broke his ankle, and I'd be okay if we checked in on him and his wife as well. Maybe we can also make a meal together and bring it over to them to help them out so that they don't have to prep anything," she said in reply while also noticing that it was starting to get dark although it was barely in the afternoon. "We should probably head off to do those things before it gets too dark," she added a few minutes or so later before having Storm pick up the pace and head towards the part of town that the bakery might have been in.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Agreed, however, your stones have helped out a lot..see?" He said letting go of her hand and pointed to a particularly shadowy corner as a man tapped the light post twice and shouted the word for light and then the street was washed with a bright yellow glow and others down that road flicked on as well. "There's too many lamps to switch all the stones just yet, but it helps with the darker streets immensely. " he stopped in front of the bakery and dismounted, helping her off her horse. 

[SkySong278]

"Oh and I'm glad," she said in reply while watching as the light stones worked in lighting the darker corners of the streets to make them much brighter. "I understand and I'm also glad they're coming in quite handy," she said just as they stopped in front of the bakery and he helped her off of Storm's back. She nodded in thanks to him before kissing him softly on the lips, and then pulling away afterward before heading inside the building soon after.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Quadir blushes and follows her inside the bakery. One of the witches was behind the counter and waved at them in greeting as she was helping another costumer. The baker herself came out and greeted them and Quadir had a quick word with the woman about her new employee and how the woman was adjusting before addressing the woman in question herself. 

The witch bowed to them both very lowly. "I can't thank you enough for this opportunity and second chance at life. " She said softly.

 

Quadir kneels down before her tilting his head slightly. "A Lord does what is best for his people, land and lives in his care. Please don't thank me for doing what should have been done. I simply gave you a life back, it is yours to do with what you will. Again, if you want to assist more here we can use the stones you can make for lighting and small household things like lighting fires or heating water for baths... And again, I am asking you, not forcing you to help with those stones. Compensation is included of you or the others are willing to help." He said in a soft tone like he was speaking to a child or a wounded animal. The woman shifted on her feet. "I really want to help more but.....My gift is for making treats and candy that'll heal or make people tell the truth... Or help them fall asleep and such.... The stones I made where of very low quality and where very cloudy....it wouldn't be much in helping." She said like she was ashamed of it. 

 

At this Quadir's eyes lit up. "Really? I know gifts are all different.... Look, I don't mean to frighten anyone here however... There's some monsters heading this way that are difficult to kill. If you help us by preparing some food that would knock out a snowbeast, and some other things to gain strength, or heal my men, that too would be equally worth any stones. Magic gifts are special and unique to each who received one.  Each item you bake I'll give you five gold for payment. If you give me a list of things you need to produce them, I'll get them immediately as well." The witch looked up in shock at the amount he'd offered to pay her to put her magic gift to use.  "Really? I can do what I'm good at and still be helpful? " Quadir nodded. She grinned and jumped up and down. "I'll get to work right away! Boss, do you mind if I use the kitchen after hours?" The baker nodded and chuckled as the young girl ran off right away. 

 

(( Let me know if it doesn't make sense. Sleepy while I wrote this.))

[SkySong278]

((it makes sense 😊))

 

Alivia smiled at him before following him into the bakery, and then nodded in greeting to both the witch they helped and the baker who owned the building. She then looked around the inside of the building while Quadir talked with the baker, turning her attention to the witch afterward when the conversation shifted to be between him and the former. She smiled softly when she heard what she said in thanks to the both of them before hearing his response along with his offer of her (the witch) helping her (Alivia) with the witches stones.

 

She then frowned a bit when she heard her response along with her saying that she felt helpless. She tried to find something she could say to her to help her feel better and comforted, but then Quadir said a few other things that ended up helping her feel better. She then smiled again when she heard the witch's response and then giggled at the same time that her boss chuckled when she watched the other run off excitedly.

 

"It looks like she's doing really well while working here," she said to the baker with the smile still on her face.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Quadir nodded and purchased some bread before leaving and walking up a few houses to where Mr and Mrs Horus live. "Now to check on the elderly." He chuckled and knocked on the door. Jane let them inside the small house and Quadir spoke to Bob who was laying on the couch. 

[SkySong278]

Alivia waved goodbye to the witch's boss after Quadir had purchased a loaf of bread and before she walked out with him towards where the elderly couple they saw four or five weeks or so back lived. She giggled in response to what he said before he knocked on the door, and then smiled in greeting to Jane when she opened the door for them and let them in. She chatted with her for a bit while Quadir talked to Bob who she saw was laying on the couch out of the corner of her eye.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

After a brief conversation, he then took his wife's hand and left to head home. "He said they don't need any assistance with anything yet, but would send his pigeon if they do require some help. Now tomorrow we should work on more arrowheads for the Horns and would you help me check the reports for the week for any unusual activity tomorrow evening?" He asked softly. 

[SkySong278]

"Okay, and I'd love to help you look over those reports as well as make more arrowheads," Alivia said in reply to his first few statements while walking hand in hand with him back home. "Will we be having dinner and then going to bed when we get back or do you have anything planned for before we go to bed?"

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Dinner then bed, I think I tired you out enough for the next few days. Shall we read together before sleeping?" He said with a low chuckle. After dismounting their horses he took her hand in his and headed to the front of the castle.  "Tomorrow we'll visit my friend the snowbeast after reading the reports. How does that sound?" He asked and stopped at her father's statue. He bowed lowly to it. "Thank you Ada for your blessings. " He placed a offering of a snowberry croissant in the bowl at his feet. "And thanks for blessing this marriage. " He said and kissed Alivia 's hand softly. "Let's go have dinner now." 

[SkySong278]

"I was asking in case you wanted to go back into the catacombs or something else and not...that," she said in reply with a small blush when she heard what he said along with his low chuckle. "That sounds nice actually. Reading together before we go to bed I mean as well as visiting your snowbeast friend," she said in reply before they dismounted Lilith and Storm and headed towards the castle with him on foot. She also bowed to the statue of her dad as she heard what he said to him and she. "Alright," she said in reply after he kissed her hand and hearing his question.

Edited January 30 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Why would I visit the catacombs? Im sure mother is there every once in a while to check in, but since you broke the curse, I feel her presence less than before. " He said pulling out a chair for her in the dining area ignoring the giggles from the house staff as they took where eating in the smaller dining room. They got served a plate of grilled fish, and steamed veggies, another slice of their wedding cake being added to their dessert. "I thought this was all gone. Glad to have it again. "

[SkySong278]

"I didn't know if you wanted to go there again but okay if you don't want to go again. Okay. She told me to tell you that she would always be in your heart after I told her that I broke the curse so maybe that's why her presence isn't as strong there," she said in reply while walking with him to the dining room and before nodding in thanks to him pulling out a chair for her. She sat down soon after, also ignoring the giggles coming from the house staff in the smaller dining room and then started to eat the dinner that was set out before them. "This is really good, and I'm also glad they still have some of our cake. They probably froze it so that we could have it whenever."

Edited January 30 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Lemon cake dose seem to freeze well up here in the mountains. I'm glad they did. " He said after finishing his entree and starting on the cake. 

[SkySong278]

"Me too," she said in reply before also finishing eating dinner and then starting to eat a piece of cake afterward. "Mm just as good as when we had it at our wedding."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"indeed it is." He said taking a bite of his cake slice. "It was a wonderful day today. Tomorrow I think we'll start on getting everything ready for winter and the horns incoming. That means cutting our honeymoon shorter unfortunately." He said begrudgingly.

[SkySong278]

"It was and oh, okay. Aw alright but maybe we can make up for it by spending a bit more time with each other before we go to bed each night," she said in reply before getting up from her chair and then going behind his chair to rub his shoulders a bit soon after. "Will we be prepping for winter before or after we visit your friend?"

Edited December 17, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Yes, I keep forgetting about that. He knows sign language, their language is mostly noises and body language so I'll translate for you. " He said putting his fork down. "You want to cuddle and read a book before bed tonight?" He asked leading her upstairs when they where done with their cake.

[SkySong278]

"Ah okay and thank you in advance for that. Sure I'd love that," she said in reply before walking with him back to their room for the evening.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Quadir got into his pajamas once they entered the room and laid down on the bed with his book only to start laughing at the door rattling and two sets of paws where smacking under the door. "Would you let our children in? I bet they missed us the whole day." Once the door was open, a explosion of cats came as both bounded into the room crying. Void immediately jumped on the bed and attacked the lumps of Quadir's feet under the blanket in protest as truffle head butted Alivia affectionetly. "Ow! Upset with me are you? Little girl.." Quadir growls playfully and pushes the kitten so she attacks his hands instead. 

[SkySong278]

Alivia also got dressed into her pajamas before joining him on the bed briefly. She then started giggling when she also looked over at the door to see the two sets of paws under it and hearing the rattling that followed from the paws. She nodded when asked if she could open the door for them to let them back in and did so. She giggled again when she saw Void attacking Quadir's feet under the covers, sitting on the bed again before she was joined by Truffle and head-butted affectionately afterward. She did it back to him before pulling him into her lap to pet before asking him, "Did you miss me? I missed you too." She then smiled over at Quadir and Void soon after while continuing to pet Truffle.

Edited December 22, 2023 by SkySong278