The Cursed Prince

"Huh?" Alexei's eyes widened at the reply and then frowned a little. "Go through what? You mean your search for the Ice Prince… you'll do it all by yourself? Why not hire mercenaries or trackers to help aid you on your quest, Your Highness?"

"I don't have much money, okay?" Harlow said. "Besides, how can I trust that these people will not betray me? I need someone who I can count on, and so far, Icecube is the only candidate."

"Pfft… you say that while you're eyeing me?" Alexei chuckled and crossed his arms. He grinned confidently at her. "You were considering me, right?"

Harlow was satisfied with that kind of answer and smiled back. "I'm already looking for a presumptuous man, I can't imagine going across the realms with another one. It'd be too troublesome already."

"Hey…" Alexei pouted.

A part of Harlow really wanted to enlist the young god's help in going to the elven realm and searching for the Ice Prince. However, she wasn't so sure if it was going to work out if she took this guy as well.

What would happen when two gods clashed? 

Harlow didn't want to find out.

The princess hoped to never discover the answer.

"Your Highness, I think I have some men in my kingdom who can aid you to find the whereabouts of portals to the elven realms." King Alexander smiled and intervened in the conversation between the two young people.

"That would be perfect, Your Majesty," Harlow brightened up and curtsied. "I am quite grateful and will not prolong my stay here any further. I will go on my way now."

"Safe journeys, Princess."

***

Harlow met with one of the soldiers of King Alexander, recommended by the king to help her. Apparently, this guy encountered a female elf while he was away from Myreen.

Before the man became a soldier, he was a traveler first and he sought to look for a place beside the paradise of Myreen. On his journeys, he found a small river and started to drink from its waters. 

However, while he was drinking, the man heard giggling. He raised his head and saw a beautiful elf. He said it was love at first sight.

Unfortunately, the poor man ended up slipping into the river when he tried to approach the woman. After he went up to the surface, he found himself returned back in Myreen and wasn't able to get back to the elven realm ever since, no matter how hard he tried.

It seemed like he wasn't capable of entering the river's portal twice.

"Is there a reason why this guy can only pass through the portal once?" Harlow frowned as she looked at the map with a red circle indicating where he last found the river. 

That was one of the many other portal locations provided to her.

Accordingly, there were other places that those people in Myreen also visited when they were struck with the desire to explore beyond the paradise of the kingdom of Myreen. 

It was actually something that surprised Harlow. She thought the residents of Myreen enjoyed such a good life, but why did they still want to leave their country? Myreen was freaking beautiful!

"Why would people want to leave such a nice kingdom? Oh, wait— cough cough." Harlow halted her words and coughed a bit while she was atop Icecube. "I am also leaving my own kingdom. Who am I to judge other people?"

How could she utter such a foolish question? She was a princess who also left her palace despite having everything she could ever want. Haha.

Of course, people left their homeland for whatever reasons, no matter how beautiful it was.

***

Eventually, Harlow ended up arriving at the location and she would find herself devastated to see what happened to the river. 

She groaned and started crossing out the river… or rather the dried-up riverbed.

"Okay, the river is gone and so has all the water which sucks really bad. I don't think I can just step on the dried-up riverbed and end up in the elven realm, can I?" Harlow muttered to herself and glanced at Icecube. 

The ice dragon glanced at the empty river and eventually shook its head.

"Oh, can you actually tell or do you want water?" Harlow approached her dragon and patted its back. "We have at least four more places to go, and I'm hoping that those other places are at least in a better state than this one."

It didn't take too long for her to take off and head for the next destination.

***

"Why couldn't you have told her to bring me along?" Alexei glanced at the King of Myreen who was sitting on his throne with a tired expression. The conversation about Raphael and then heading to the elven realm had made him a bit drained.

"Alexei, you know that you need to stay here in Myreen until Dimitri comes and picks you up again," King Alexander said. "Besides, I do not think you are prepared to go and render aid for the princess."

"Huh? But I'm more powerful than her!" Alexei protested. "She could have used someone to protect her."

"Perhaps so… but what happens when you encounter Raphael?" King Alexander raised a brow. "You seem to have a lot of opinions about the god for someone who has never actually met him."

Alexei's face colored bright red and he waved a hand. "You don't know the stories about what people tell in Cretea about him. I mean, isn't there a reason why he can't go to Cretea as freely anymore and how he ended up in that witch's den?"

"You mean Lady Marguirette's Ice Castle, Alexei."

"Whatever. But like, he's not…" Alexei coughed and the young god glanced at the king who was healed by the God of Healing. "Well, you know? I mean, you've met him compared to me. Although I'm sure he hasn't told you everything though."

King Alexander chuckled and looked at the young god.. Compared to the king of Myreen, this young man was immortal and would outlive him, however, there was much for him to learn and the king had every intention of imparting wisdom.