It revolved slowly in the air with a solid artistic beauty.
Strands and lines were woven together so minutely. It was the height of
intricacy, and Tinasha reached a finger toward it.
Two spells intertwined, canceling each other out, just like what I saw
back then.
The opposed forces brought together natures that were averse yet
strongly attracted to each other.
Both of them were love, and both of them were hate.
That which devoured from the inside even as it protected, and that which
supported even as it caused harm.
Within, Tinasha saw powerful emotions, and she sighed. Fear struck her
at the thought that she would soon have to manifest one-half of this pair.
"It's all right."
She wouldn't go back on her promise. Tinasha had slept for four
hundred years for this. At the very least, she owed it to him to get it done.
She summoned an array of assorted crystal balls into her hands. Then
she began the long recitation to create the magic implements she would
need.
When Tinasha visited Oscar in his study, he noticed dark circles under her
eyes and frowned. Her face had been lined with exhaustion the day before
during their practice, too. Censure bled into the king's voice as he inquired,
"Are you getting enough sleep?"
"I don't think I've slept in two days."
"Go to bed! Now!" he barked, and she gave a wan smile. Lazar glanced
over, concerned.
Tinasha leaned against the wall by the door and held up a hand. "I came
to tell you that I've finished the analysis. I'm going to break the curse
tonight. Until then, I'm going to take a little nap… so I won't be able to
make our training today. Sorry about that."
The news she dropped so casually struck both men dumb. Neither could
manage a single word for a moment.
Noticing their reactions, Tinasha grinned and looked away. Neither
could be confident if she did so from exhaustion, shyness, or something else
entirely. However, it was curiously alluring, and it caught Oscar's gaze.
After sufficient time, he let out a deep sigh. "I didn't think you'd make it
before the deadline."
"Of course I did. Anything less would've inconvenienced you, after all."
"You said it would require half a year, but I thought three years for
sure."
"Don't just add on time based on a groundless assumption!" Tinasha
snapped, pushing off from the wall. She looked unsteady on her feet, which
made Oscar regret teasing her.
Biting his tongue to keep himself from prodding her further, he steered
the conversation back on course. "So, do you need anything to break the
curse?"
"No. I'll do it while you're sleeping, so go to bed early."
"Why do I need to be unconscious?" he asked.
"It's dangerous if you're awake during the spell," Tinasha explained
while massaging her temples. It looked like she could pass out at any
moment.
Noticing that, Oscar nodded. "All right. Just go get some sleep."
"I'll come to you tonight," she said before teleporting away.
Lazar exhaled, amazed. "It feels like time has passed in a flash. It
doesn't seem real yet that Princess Tinasha will be returning to Tuldarr."
"Those were the terms she came here with," Oscar reminded him, his
inflection free of sentiment. There was less than a week left until Tinasha's
coronation. It was strange for her to still be here so close to the deadline.
She had done so to break his curse, but that excuse would be gone after
tonight. A profoundly mysterious emotion coursed through Oscar's body.
Impatience, hope, loneliness, worry—no, none of that.
He was unwilling to acknowledge that unnamed sensation, but he did let
his thoughts turn to how hard Tinasha had worked to reach this point.
Tinasha came to Oscar's chamber an hour after he retired for the night. The
color had returned to her face, if only somewhat, likely thanks to her nap
during the day. Oscar looked her up and down from his spot next to her on
the bed. "Those dark circles aren't going to go away in time for your
crowning. Legis might be upset with me."
The future queen dismissed the concern with a smile. "I can use magic
to conceal them if they don't." She poked at Oscar's forehead and chest.
"Take off your shirt and lie down. Once the spell begins, I don't think you'll
wake up until it's over. But I want you to fall asleep naturally. If I put you to
sleep with magic, there will be too many spells going."
"It's not easy to pass out on command," Oscar complained, but he
stripped off his shirt obediently and lay faceup on the bed.
"Should I wait until you're unconscious and then come back?" Tinasha
asked.
"It'd all be the same. I'd be on edge, subconsciously wondering when
you would return."
"That's true. It would be like knowing someone was going to creep into
your room… I should have just done the spell without giving you any
warning."
"That would have been very suspicious, so forget that notion. I'll do my
best to fall asleep."
"Thanks."
Both of them closed their eyes, and silence blanketed the room.
Knowing that Tinasha was nearby didn't make Oscar anxious. For as
long as he could remember, he'd always been sensitive to the presence of
others. This girl was probably the only person who wouldn't keep him up.
Perhaps it was because she held her own without growing overly close to
him.
Tinasha was the type of ruler who kept her head high and never relied on
anyone else. That was who she was, yet in Farsas, she was free to act as she
pleased. Maybe that was the reason it felt so natural for her to be at Oscar's
side, and why it gave him a sense of relief.
He opened his eyes to see that Tinasha had about twenty small crystal
balls spread out in her lap. She picked them up one by one to inspect them
carefully.
It looked so much like she was playing a children's game that Oscar had
to speak up. "What are those?"
"Hey! You're not asleep!"
"Who passes out that quickly?!"
Tinasha twisted around to show him a crystal ball in her palm. "It's a
magic implement. Each one contains a spell. I'm preparing these to draw up
the larger spell."
"You need that many?"
"A witch cursed you. This isn't your everyday magic," she replied, lips
forming a smile that seemed to be both self-deprecating and relieved.
Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks. The half of her
porcelain face bathed in the moonlight from the window glowed pale,
transforming her beauty into something ethereal. Before Oscar knew it, he
was staring at her.
"It's already been half a year," he blurted out.
While he was no Lazar, it really did feel like the time had gone quickly.
She grinned at that. "Right on schedule, just like I said."
"And you've managed to cause no end of trouble in such a short while,
too."
"Because you let me be free."
That was the truth, and she knew he was no different.
Each day they spent together was nothing like the one before. Tinasha's
utterly carefree demeanor, her immense power she wielded like it was
child's play… It was so novel and new that it left Oscar amazed and filled
with a wondrous sense of liberty.
"You do the most unexpected things. Like sleeping underneath a castle
for four centuries," he commented dryly.
"I was the one who built that underground chamber. I was only making
good use of it."
Oscar recalled the sight of that verdant subterranean garden, removed
from the flow of time.
The young woman sleeping on the white bed had spoken his name when
she arose.
"When I first saw you—I thought you were made for me," Oscar
confessed.
Because he discovered her while seeking a way to break his curse, his
first thought was that this must be his bride. The curse that had always
mystified him—even that made sense once he met her. He felt like maybe it
had all been leading to that moment.
Calmly, she spoke into the silence of the room. "Yes. I did come for
you."
It echoed what he had said, but it was not the same. Still, both
encapsulated emotions that were too large to hold.
Whatever sounds there were beyond the room didn't reach Oscar. The
chamber was cut off from the outside world. The flow of time was different,
as if this place were submerged. Amid the quiet, everything floated to the
surface.
To Oscar, it felt like he might see every corner of the room if he
squinted. He closed his eyes again, however.
"Tinasha."
"What?"
"Nothing…"
He didn't know what to say, or how. There was a desire to express
something, but hesitation as well.
In the end, he asked something that was almost what he wanted to ask,
yet not quite. "Can you really break the curse?"
"I've come this far. Just trust me," she responded confidently. There was
no trace of uncertainty in her voice. The girl who had cried in front of Oscar
was gone. While that was a relief to him, he also felt loneliness in equal
measure. Whether or not that was oversentimentality, he couldn't be sure.
If it was… then maybe, he ought to just say it.
This time he asked what he really wished to. "Are you really going to
break it?"
There was a long silence heavy with something that hadn't been there
before.
Tinasha answered in a clear voice. "I am."
It sounded like she was reading a line prepared ahead of time. Like the
young woman had already convinced herself.
Oscar snorted at that resolute beauty.
She's struggled with it that much, huh? I suppose that only makes sense.
From here, she would go on to become queen. Another thing that made
sense.
Oscar had posed a foolish question. He made a face, regretting his
inquiry. Now that they were here, he realized for the first time that this was
what he had been wavering on all along. He'd been even more shaken up
over it than she was.
However, Oscar refused to falter anymore. This would put an end to it
all.
"Go ahead," he urged before sinking deep into slumber. He let it carry
him away.
As the king of Farsas fell into a soft dream, he had the faintest sensation
of someone taking gentle hold of his hand.
Tinasha paused before the transportation array located deep in Farsas Castle
and looked back.
No small number of people had taken breaks from their duties to see her
off. She gave them all a bashful grin. Before the expression had faded, she
bowed to the man who was approaching her. "I owe you a great deal."
"And I you. Sorry I never let you take it easy," he replied.
"I had fun. If there are ever any conflicts in the future, please call on
me," Tinasha said. She carried nothing with her, for her effects had already
been cleared from her room.
She lowered her head to the others present. Sylvia bowed in return,
looking like she was about to cry. Tinasha smiled to see that, knowing that
she would miss her friend, too.
Oscar gazed down at Tinasha. "I'll see you next at your coronation. It's
fast approaching."
"Oh, you don't have to come if it'll inconvenience you."
"Just how heartless do you think I am?" he groused, lightly pinching her
cheek.
Tinasha fought him off. Punctuating each of her words with a slap
against his chest, she retorted, "I thought you hated diplomatic events like
that!"
Chastened, Oscar released the young woman. "I'm going anyway. Try
not to mess up."
"I've done it all once before!" she snarled, her petite shoulders squared
in anger. But soon enough, her expression relaxed. One blink and her eyes
glowed with affection. She scanned the assembled group, her gaze not
landing on anyone in particular, until she looked up at Oscar. For a moment,
her beautiful face appeared more adult, and she beamed lovingly at him.
In her gaze was clear, selfless love. The emotion was profound and
boundless. Oscar felt his chest tighten.
It was fleeting, however, melting away to reveal Tinasha's usual
childlike nature. "I'll be off, then. Thank you so much for everything."
With that, she turned to walk away from him. Her black locks swayed
like silk. Even now, her petite frame exuded nobility and solitude.
She stepped onto the transportation array.
The teleportation magic activated, and the beautiful mage disappeared
from Farsas.
Oscar closed his eyes, grinning bitterly.
Her image was burned into the inside of his eyelids, vivid and striking. It
would be a long while before he could forget her.