Elara's breath came in shallow, hurried bursts as the prince stepped closer. The oppressive weight of the curse hung between them, thick and suffocating, pulling her toward him. Her heartbeat quickened, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts.
The prince, now standing just a few paces away, seemed calm, his presence commanding and still.
His silver hair shimmered in the faint light filtering through the trees, catching Elara's attention for a fleeting moment. His eyes—icy and unyielding—never left hers, and in them, she saw the weight of centuries of suffering.
This was not a man merely cursed by fate. He had chosen this path, and now he expected her to help him walk it to its conclusion.
"I don't want any part of this," she repeated, her voice barely steady as she took a step back.
"And yet," the prince replied, his voice smooth and unwavering, "you are already a part of it. You always have been." Elara shook her head, her thoughts scrambling to make sense of his words.
"What are you talking about? I've never even set foot in your kingdom. I had nothing to do with the curse."The prince's gaze darkened, and for a moment, Elara felt a flicker of something beneath the surface—something more than his icy demeanor. Pain. Regret.
But it vanished as quickly as it appeared."The curse is not just mine to bear," he said, his voice low and measured. "It was born from a power much older, much darker, than either of us. And that power... recognizes you."Elara's stomach tightened.
"Me?" Her voice wavered. "What do you mean?"
The prince stepped forward, his boots crunching softly on the dry earth beneath them. He moved like a predator, slow and deliberate, every step a calculated motion designed to draw her in.
Elara's feet remained rooted in place, her body unwilling to flee despite the instinctive urge to run.
"You felt it, didn't you?" he continued, his voice almost a whisper now. "The pull of the earth. The way the curse reached for you."Elara's heart pounded.
She had felt it—the strange connection, the way the darkness had seemed to know her, to recognize her as something more than just a healer.
But she had pushed those thoughts aside, refusing to believe that the curse was anything more than a twisted magic wrought by the prince's reckless pursuit of power.
She shook her head, taking another step back. "That doesn't mean anything. The curse—"
"The curse is alive, Elara." The prince's voice cut through her words like a blade. "It is not just a spell or a hex. It is something far more ancient, far more powerful. And it sees you."Elara swallowed hard, her mind reeling.
The weight of his words pressed down on her, suffocating in its intensity. How could the curse know her? How could something so dark, so twisted, have any connection to her?
"I don't believe you," she said, though her voice lacked conviction.The prince's eyes narrowed, his expression hardening.
"You don't have to believe me. But it changes nothing."He took another step closer, closing the distance between them until they stood just a breath apart.
Elara could feel the cold emanating from him, the dark energy of the curse swirling in the air around him like a storm waiting to break."You are the key," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
"You will either break the curse, or you will be consumed by it."Elara's throat tightened. "And what if I refuse?"
The prince's lips curled into a thin, cruel smile. "You won't."The certainty in his voice sent a chill down her spine. Elara's hand instinctively went to the small dagger hidden beneath her cloak, her fingers tightening around the hilt.
She didn't trust him—couldn't trust him—but she didn't know how to escape this. The curse was closing in, and it was only a matter of time before it swallowed her whole.
"I won't let you use me," she said, her voice trembling with defiance.The prince's gaze flickered to her hand, where her fingers clenched around the dagger.
His smile widened, but there was no amusement in it—only cold, calculated malice.
"Use you?" he repeated softly. "No, Elara. You misunderstand."He reached out suddenly, his hand grasping her wrist with surprising gentleness, though his grip was firm and unyielding
Elara gasped, her body freezing as his cold fingers pressed against her skin. The energy of the curse pulsed through him, dark and overwhelming, and she could feel it in her bones, like the beat of a second heart.
"I do not wish to use you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wish to bind you."
Elara's breath caught in her throat. "Bind me?" she whispered, fear creeping into her voice.The prince's gaze held hers, his expression dark and unreadable. "You are the key to breaking the curse, but you are also its vessel. It will cling to you, devour you, unless you take control of it. But you can't do that alone."
His hand tightened around her wrist, and Elara felt a strange energy flow between them—something dark and powerful, but not entirely hostile. It was as though the curse recognized her, as though it had been waiting for this moment.
"You need me, Elara," the prince said softly. "And whether you like it or not, I need you."Elara's heart raced. Her mind screamed at her to pull away, to run, to fight—but she couldn't move.
She was frozen in place, trapped in the web of his words, of the power that bound them together.The curse was not just his to bear. It was hers as well.
"I... I don't understand," she whispered, her voice barely audible.The prince's expression softened, just for a moment, and for the first time, Elara saw something in his eyes that wasn't cold or calculating. She saw pain.
"You will," he said quietly. "Soon enough."The darkness around them deepened, the air growing colder as the energy of the curse swirled in the space between them.
Elara could feel it now—its pull, its power. It was inside her, just as it was inside him.And she didn't know how to stop it.The prince released her wrist, stepping back, though his gaze remained fixed on hers.
"You have a choice, Elara. You can fight this and be consumed, or you can accept it and take control."Elara swallowed hard, her mind spinning. She didn't know what to believe anymore. The prince's words were like poison, sinking into her thoughts, twisting her sense of reality.
But deep down, she knew he was right.The curse wasn't just something she could run from. It was a part of her now.
"What... what do I have to do?" she asked, her voice trembling.The prince's smile returned, cold and calculating.
"Come with me. Together, we will break the curse."
Elara hesitated, fear clawing at her chest. Could she trust him? Could she trust herself?She didn't know. But she didn't have a choice.