Chapter Fifty

Mihai

Mihai groaned, feeling uncomfortable as rocks poked at his back and he moved his head from side to side, fluttering his eyes open. He sighted a figure sitting on the rock two steps away from him and he narrowed his gaze, making out the figure to be that of Gwen.

"Regina?" He coughed and the figure walked over to his body and crouched. "How did I get here, what am I doing on the floor?"

The figure felt his head for his temperature and Mihai shrugged, not remembering Gwen's palm to be this rough. He sucked in a breath and winced when it hurt his ribs like a sword piercing through. He feared his teeth might have broken because of the hard impact they made on the ground, so he felt his teeth with his tongue and heaved a sigh of satisfaction when nothing was missing.

"Regina, I missed you." Mihai shut his eyes tight and tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

"You might want to lie down for a bit." The figure voiced and Mihai snapped his eyes open, springing up and grabbing his stomach.

He shook his head and peered at the figure in front of him.

"You!" Mihai seethed when he saw the same oversized hood and it hurt his head when a memory of him walking into the cave struck him. He picked a stone and held it above his head, ready to throw it at him.

"Rest." The man strode back to the rock and sat before crossing his leg. "You were poisoned, and I saved your life."

Mihai dropped the stone and staggered to a rock and sat on it, massaging his temples for a bit before glancing up at the man. The moment he realized the man wasn't sitting on any rock but floating in the air, he widened his eyes and jolted.

"Are you scared?" The man asked, sounding like the dead of the night and calm at the same time.

"What?" Mihai massaged his sore shoulder and cleared his throat, composing himself and wearing his mask of fierceness. "No, I'm not."

"Good, because you'll need to get rid of your fears to break the curse. You have to be stone cold." The man crossed his legs and pointed out his two fingers as if he was using an invisible rope to pull his bag towards him. The brown bag floated in the air and rested on his thighs.

"How did you know I was cursed?" Mihai questioned with lines of confusion, folding on his forehead.

"The same way I knew you were poisoned." The man shrugged, pulling out a small bottle the size of his thumb that had a cork pushed into the mouth. "Drink this, it'll heal your wounds faster and stop the sharp pain." He sent the portion and it floated in the air and hovered over Mihai's laps.

"Who are you?" Mihai dwindled his gaze at the man, trying the decipher the man under the hood.

"Do you want to know how to break the curse, or do you want to waste your time knowing who I am?" He asked with an impatient tone, balling his palms into fists.

"I want to know who cursed me and-" Mihai paused, watching the man dig his bag for something. "-and also know who or what you are."

Mihai rubbed his arm and felt a stitch scratching back his fingers. He spared his arm a glance and noticed his wounds had been dressed.

"Are you a witch doctor?" Mihai asked and the man threw a stank eye his way.

"Nope." He returned his eyes to the bag and let out a shout of glee when he finally found what he was searching for. "This is the reason for your curse."

He held out a black hand mirror and Mihai let lines of unrest camp on his face, he was dazed.

"A mirror?" He questioned, flitting his gaze from the man to the mirror.

"No, look into the mirror. Come closer..." He drawled, sounding like a whistling wind at night.

Mihai hesitated and gave the man a long look before shuffling close to him and gaping at the mirror.

He blinked, a little disturbed as all he could see was his miserable face and treated wounds.

"I am the reason?" Mihai pointed at his chest in askance and the man flipped the mirror so he could view the glass.

"Oh, my mistake." The man hit the mirror twice and cleared his throat, showing the face back to Mihai. "This is the reason." His voice made Mihai's stomach flip.

Mihai gasped, feeling a sword slicing his heart into fifty pieces when he beheld her sweet smile. He staggered backward and caught his breath before rushing back to grab the mirror.

"My mother?" Mihai asked, hurt flashing in his eyes as his heart thrummed in his constricting chest. "I don't believe."

"Well, it's true. Why would she send your brothers after you and why do you think it was that easy for her to banish you?"

"She banished me because they are the rules." Mihai retorted, feeling a bile rush up his throat at the accusing man. "She's my mother, she would never hurt me."

"So you think. She's not your mother." The strange man steadied himself on the rock and got to his feet. "She cursed you by making a deal with the devil to kill every of your bride on your wedding night because-" the man halted, letting his shoulders droop. "-she doesn't want you to be king. She wants one of her sons to be king. Without a wife, you can't take the crown."

"That's a lie, how dare you speak of my mother in such a manner?!" Mihai jumped at the man and gripped him by the collar but gasped immediately he saw the man had disappeared, leaving the clothes in Mihai's clasps.

"Easy, tiger." The man sounded from behind him, and Mihai spun with a flicker of anger in his eyes. "Listen to me before she dies like Shimeca."

He showed Mihai his eyeballs and the prince moved back a bit, still wearing his confidence even if the thunderbolt the strange man had for eyeballs crept him out

"How-"

"Silence you stubborn child!" The man waved his hands up in frustration and a gust of wind threw Mihai off his feet. "Listen to me. The only way to break the curse is by decapitating your mother and ripping out her heart."

"But she's my mother." Mihai dropped to his knees and tears streamed down his cheeks as his heart ached, heavily laden with agony.

"No, she's not." The man placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gripped it, giving it a little squeeze.

"What if you're lying?!" Mihai barked, baring his fangs at him.

"She wouldn't banish you if she was. Go break the curse now and be free," the man said, searching his bag and pulling out his dagger. "Put the blue diamond on it and stab her heart with this. Take it."

Mihai shook his head in dismay and moved back, feeling a lot better and more agile. He said, "Why would she do that?"

"Go find out. Now, take." The man persuaded and Mihai took it, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Set yourself free so you could marry Gwen and avenge the death of your innocent brides, including Shimeca."

The strange man turned his body and took a step forward. Mihai glued his eyes on the man's body and watched him halt in his tracks. He craned his neck and said, "Go now before it's too late for Gwen. Be happy because you can finally be with her, and she is your soul mate."

Mihai glanced up and parted his lips to speak, "Who are you?" He glanced down, watching the back of the stranger.

"Nobody." The man slurred and his voice echoed throughout the entire cave. In one insane second, he disappeared into thin air, leaving Mihai dumbfounded.

****

Mihai raced down the streets, running with his heart pounding in anticipation to see Gwen again, to hold and taste her cherry soft lips. A smile crawled up his lips and he ran faster, feeling air rush into his lungs, filling him up with purpose and hope.

The moment he was in front of Gwen's house, he halted and mustered the courage to knock on her door. There was no response. He knocked again, almost violently as he couldn't hold his patience anymore.

"Regina!" He banged the door. "I found the way to break the curse."

He paced around her porch, realizing that it was midnight, and she must be asleep. Glancing around to make sure there were no onlookers, he floated in the air and flew to her window. The house was empty just like his heart without her in his life. He sat on her roof, scanning the entire environment for his princess.

What if she's at her friend's place?

His inner man asked, and he nodded in agreement, transforming into a bat and flying into the clouds, looking down at planet earth and trying to sniff the air for her. He couldn't feel her nearby either, he was confused but he flapped over to Armani's and transformed into his human form in a dark corner going up to her apartment.

He knocked on the door, growing impatient with each second that passed. There was no response, and he became tensed, going over the files his head made about her whereabouts. Just when he was about to leave, a voice sounded in his head, reminding him of Paris. He clenched his jaw, feeling his jealousy bubbling.

He pulled up short, furrowing his brows in confusion when he met his apartment door detached and lying plainly on the floor. He invited himself into the dusty sitting room and he wondered if a war had happened there.

His gaze fell on Paris' wounded body on the floor and immediately, hatred oozed out of his body, and he gnashed his teeth. Mihai jumped on Paris and held his collar, questioning him about Gwen's whereabouts.

"They took her." Paris wheezed, trying to sit up but couldn't, he was too wounded.

"They who?" Mihai's frown grew deeper as he squeezed the shirt more, slightly choking Paris. "Who?!"

"Your brothers and Ioan." Paris managed to say, and Mihai released his grip on his shirt. His chest heaved. Clenching his jaw, his heart skipped a beat and his throat dried up.

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to stop them, but they overpowered me and took her," Paris muttered, wincing and cradling his head. "I'm sorry about what I did, Mihai."

"What did you do?" Mihai frowned. "Did you touch my Regina?!"

"No, no... I mean for telling the Queen on you." Paris croaked and Mihai turned red, anger kissed his cheeks.

"You bastard!" Mihai gave him a slap across his face and Paris coughed out blood.

"You need to save Gwen, now." Paris shuddered and just when Mihai was about to bury his fist in his face, Paris whispered, "I'm sorry, I tried to protect your girl. She needs you now."

Mihai placed Paris on his shoulder and flew in the dead of the night, rushing him to a place he knew they would treat him well–his cousins.

After dropping Paris, Mihai charged into the wind and snuck into the kingdom like a thief in the night.