The Cursed Prince

"Your Majesty!!"

Mars had never felt happier when he heard Gewen's voice at the door, calling him with honorifics. He immediately dashed and hugged the man warmly. The knight who brought Gewen in understood that the man who came just now was really King Mars's friend.

He let out a sigh of relief and decided to leave them to have privacy. Mars and Gewen exchanged hugs and patted each other on the back. It was so good to see their dear friend still alive and healthy.

Mars couldn't wait to hear what happened to Gewen after he left Draec, but he managed to hold back and asked a servant who was waiting outside to call Edgar to his chamber.

He wanted the three of them to talk together and exchanged news. He didn't want Gewen to repeat his story if Edgar was not here to hear him the first time.

Edgar came rushing when the servant told him about Gewen's arrival.. He entered the king's chamber almost at the same time as the servant who came to bring wine for Mars and his friends.

"This is the wine, Your Majesty," said the servant respectfully and bowed down to the king. After Mars nodded to acknowledge him, the servant carefully placed the tray with a jug of wine and three cups on the table. He asked politely, "Should I pour the wine now, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, please..."

After the servant poured wine into three cups, he took his leave. Gewen was the first to snatch the wine cup and gulped it down.

He looked like a parched man who had traveled in the desert for one month without finding water. 

Well, he almost looked like one. He let his hair and beard grow and his appearance was very disheveled. Only his smooth and glowing skin convinced his friends that this man was really Gewen Athibaud, the former womanizer.

Mars and Edgar chuckled when they saw Gewen's attitude. They took their own cups and started sipping their wine, patiently waiting for Gewen to share his story with them.

Gewen poured more wine into his cup and this time started drinking more slowly. After he took a deep breath, finally he started recounting his experience.

"I reached Castilse after one month of riding Sand. It was such an amazing experience," Gewen said. "You are right, Edgar, their country is quite advanced and very big. I also admire their capital and spent a lot of time in the biggest library I have ever set foot in."

"So.. did you see Emmelyn?" Mars had to hold back from choking Gewen who didn't immediately tell him what he wanted to know. He couldn't care less about Summeria being a big and advanced country. He only cared about his wife!

Gewen shook his head weakly. "I am sorry, I didn't see her. She already left Castilse when I arrived."

"Oh.. where did she go?" Mars clenched his fists. His mind was in a mess. Did Emmelyn go with Maxim?

He could imagine his wife spending so much time with another man, it could create more opportunities for Maxim to get closer to Emmelyn and try to win her heart.

"They went to Myreen..." Gewen said. "She and King Loriel."

Mars was so annoyed when he heard Gewen's words. He already suspected this, but still, hearing it directly from Gewen made him feel mad. 

"I think King Loriel only took her to Myreen to break the curse," Edgar said calmly. He could see Mars feel upset and so he tried to say something to make the king feel better.

Mars turned to him asked, "Is Myreen far from Summeria?"

Edgar nodded. "Yeah, quite far. I have got some information about Myren when I came to Atlantea for the first time and from what I gathered, it is not easy to get there. The Summerian royal family has this powerful wizard who raised three dragons, working under them. I think King Loriel's best chance to find Myreen is by going there with him and the two remaining dragons." 

Hearing that Emmelyn and Maxim probably traveled with another person made Mars feel better. He downed his wine and poured another cup.

"Okay, so how long have they gone?" He asked Gewen.

"When I arrived there, they had gone for more than one month. I intentionally waited in Castilse to hear news about Emmelyn, but there was nothing," Gewen explained. "I met Emmelyn's new friend there. Her name is Kira. She was also waiting for Emmelyn to return. I told Kira everything and when I left Castilse, I begged her to tell Emmelyn the truth after she returns."

"Oh, I know Kira," Edgar said with a smile. He remembered that awkward girl he met in the Summerian royal palace when he was summoned to meet King Loriel. He was very surprised to see Emmelyn there, of all places.

There, Emmelyn introduced him to her friends, one was King Loriel Ashborn whom she called Maxim and the other one was Kira. Edgar could tell easily that Kira was a commoner from her awkward attitude and her weird language.

"Ah, yeah.. she still remembered you," Gewen said with pursed lips. Now, he remembered how Kira's eyes lit up whenever they talked about Edgar. He looked at his friend suspiciously. "What do you think about her? Do you like Kira?"

Edgar was surprised by the sudden question. He shrugged nonchalantly, "She seemed like a nice girl."

"No, she is NOT a nice girl. Her father is the most feared pirate lord in the seven seas, and she is a scary woman. She could kill six wolves easily without batting an eye," Gewen blurted. "You must stay away from her!!"

"Huh?"

Edgar and Mars exchanged glances. Mars then asked Gewen, "She sounds dangerous. Did she ever hurt you?"

Gewen lifted his nose smugly. "Of course not. A girl like her couldn't hurt me. But I just want to warn Edgar not to get close to Kira. She is dangerous."

Edgar finally nodded. "Understood. I don't think we'll cross paths again in the future anyway. So, I don't even have to try."

Gewen scoffed. "Good."