Chapter 35: Curse.

Months passed and Steven and Crystal grew closer. Steven falling deeper in love with Crystal, and Crystal beginning to fall in love with him. He got to meet Crystal's older sister and Crystal's daughter, Dalia who now calls him "father."

As they spent time together in Crystal's home one day, Steven proposed to Crystal again, "marry me, Crys."

Crystal looked at him, her heart screaming yes but she turned him down. "I'm sorry, Steve, I can't."

Steven heaved a deep sigh, "is it because of my arranged marriage with the princess?" He asked but Crystal said nothing.

"I'll call it off," he said and her eyes widened.

"No," she shook her head. "You will do no such thing because of me. Marrying the princess is a great opportunity for you and your family...Do you know how many men are dying to marry the princess?"

"Do you know how many women are dying to marry me?...The princess isn't the only most wanted item in the market," he replied and she sighed.

"Do you love me, Crys?" He asked.

"You know how how much I love you," she replied.

"Good," he nodded. "Elope with me," he offered.

Her eyes flashed with anger as she rose up, "elope with you? Can you hear yourself?"

Steven was surprised, he didn't expect her to get mad.

"Do you think I'm happy living as a vagabond?" She said.

"Eloping and being exiled are two different things." he said.

"They aren't. Eloping is sending yourself to exile because your society doesn't accept you," she insisted.

"Please, Steven, I know what I pass through everyday. I don't want you to pass through the same thing," she continued.

"Even if you call off your marriage with the princess, we'll never get to be together. No one will let their acquaintance get involved with the village's shame," she said, her eyes wet with tears.

"I told you to stop calling yourself that." Steven held her close. "You're my glory, my crystal," he cooed to her.

"Do you love me, Steven?" She asked, sniffing in her tears.

"More than anything in the world," he gave a heartfelt reply.

"Marry the princess for my sake," she urged him.

Steven turned away from her in anger and disappointment. Crystal sighed and hugged him from behind, her tears falling freely, wetting his back. He tried to turn but she held him still. "Please, do it for me," she pleaded.

Steven finally married the princess according to Crystal's words and her pleas. He kept meeting with her secretly and their love grew stronger.

Months later, a terrible plague broke out in the village and across its borders, affecting almost everyone. Amongst the victims of the plague were Crystal and the princess.

Soon a cure was found for it. But the cure was difficult to get. Only the strong and skillful ones were able to go on the quest, and only a few of them came back alive with the cure, a magical flower.

Steven made up his mind to go for the cure with only one person on his mind, Crystal. As he set out for the journey, he went to see Crystal first.

His heart broke seeing her lying sickly in pain. "Don't just get one flower for me alone, get an extra one for your wife." Crystal told him. She was very much aware of his plan, even though he didn't tell her.

Steven didn't respond and just tended to her.

"Promise me, Steven, that you'll also get a cure for the princess," she begged him.

"I promise," he had no choice but to do as she said.

Before he left, Crystal's older sister being a shaman, empowered Steven with extra power, and she taught him survival instincts for his journey.

Finally Steven set out for his journey, his journey being a rough and trubulating journey.

After two weeks he returned with the cure, but with one only, the only one left in the mountains. Without thinking much, he took the cure to Crystal but instead of just taking the cure, she questioned him. "Where is the princess's cure?"

"Get yourself well first before you think of someone else." Steven replied.

"I won't take this cure until you show me the princess's cure," she said defiantly.

Steven sighed frustratingly. He knew her, she always stuck to her words. "Fine. I could only get one, the only one left," he replied.

"Take this to the princess," she pushed the flower to him.

"Crystal, please...don't do this," he begged her.

"I'm not your wife, the princess is," she said.

"You're my life, Crystal. You're dying. Please, don't do this," he pleaded with her, but she was defiant.

"I won't take this cure. So don't let your sacrifice go to waste when both me and the princess dies. At least save one of us, and the person you have to save is the princess," she urged him.

In frustration and having no other choice but to obey her, Steven took the cure to the princess.

Just as he finished administering the cure to the princess, Dua's older sister arrived at the palace in fury, killing everyone who tried to get in her way to Steven. She wasn't home when Steven was with Crystal. But upon hearing from Dalia that Steven had returned with the cure, but took it to the princess instead, she was enraged.

She finally reached the princess's chamber where Steven and the princess lived. "How dare you come into my sister's life, toy with her and then dump her?" Crystals older sister was furious.

Steven understood exactly what she was talking about but he felt too guilty to speak. After administering the cure to the princess he regretted not forcing the cure down Crystals throat by all means.

"Who do you think you are to speak to my husband in such way?" The princess was mad and Crystal's sister angrily struck the princess with her staff and she fell dead instantly.

Then she turned to Steven, "I curse you this day, Steven, you will watch everything and everyone you love and cherish die before your eyes. You'll roam this world alone as a ghost, having no rest until a thousand years and you'll finally die a painful death. The coldness in you that you showed to my sister will forever lock physically in your heart, hurting and torturing you in the most ruthless way ever."

"Hey," Shane stepped forward to her. "How dare you say such things to my brother?!" He challenged her.

"My brother gave the cure to your sister, it was she who turned her down!" He yelled at her.

"I don't care, and I don't want to. He should have forced it down her throat," she was burning with rage.

"She's right, brother, I should have forced it down her throat...I deserve this." Steven said.

"You'll pay for this, I swear I'll make you pay!" Shane threatened her and she scoffed.

"Since you're such a compassionate older brother, be compassionate to the very end," she cursed him too.

"Sister!" Crystal yelled as she appeared in the room.

"Please, don't hurt him. I permitted him to do so, please," she fell on her knees.

"Too late, I already did," her sister replied and her eyes widened in horror.

Crystal's sister turned to leave and Shane drew his sword, cursing at her, "you wench!"

She turned and with a turn of her head, Shane was flung across the room, hitting himself hard against a pillar, and just like that she disappeared.