He walks down long hallways, and as he was walking, he sees portraits of the same black haired young woman scattered all over the floors. Most of these pictures of the young woman are ripped apart and broken. Arthur picks up one of the small portraits of the young woman and stares as if he seems to have known her.
Arthur hears screams and roars coming from down the hall. Arthur throws the portrait aside and pulls out his sword. Prince Gary and Roddy bolt down past Arthur in horror, screaming insanely as the roars grew louder. Arthur gets into a fighting stance as the beast is coming closer. Then, appears the monster. It has the head and wings of a hawk, deer antlers, a snake-like torso, and its legs are as strong as a bear and look like them too. Arthur starts to battle the beast all around the castle. From the kitchen to the dungeon, he brawls with this monster. After a long fight, Arthur conquers his beastly foe and is about to slay the creature. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a gold ring of nobility on its winged finger. “Where did you get that ring, beast?” asks Arthur. “I got this ring because I am of royal birth,” answers the beast.
Arthur let his guard down and pointed his sword towards a huge portrait of the young woman he saw earlier, now dressed in royal garb, sitting on a throne. “Is that you?” asks Arthur. The beast sighs as Arthur grabs its wing to help it up. “I am Princess Jessica of the Kinling Kingdom. Now who are you?” asks Princess Jessica. “That’s enough,” yells a mysterious voice. Jessica growls, and Arthur turns around to see Prince Gary holding a sword up to Roddy’s neck. “Your highness, what are you doing?” asks Arthur. “You are a part of my royal guard, are you not? Now kill this beast,” cries Prince Gary. Jessica growls and stares angrily at Prince Gary. “What are you doing here?” yells Jessica. “You know him?” asks Arthur. Jessica exhales and explains that her and Prince Gary used to be lovers. That is until one day she caught Prince Gary having an affair with another woman. Jessica breaks up with Prince Gary in anger and she has been filled with rage ever since. But one day, while she was horseback riding, she accidentally hits a wizard and refuses to give him aid. Thus, the wizard curses her and turns her into a monster and could remain one forever. Jessica tries to tell them how the curse can be broken, but before she can, Roddy breaks free of Prince Gary’s grip and wrestles him to the ground.
Arthur grabs Roddy and throws him against a wall.
Arthur helps Prince Gary back up and reaches out his hand, but Prince Gary swats it away. Arthur and Roddy begin to argue while Prince Gary spots a knife on the ground. “What the hell, Roddy, we’re supposed to protect our prince, not attack him,” yells Arthur. “The bastard started it. And if I were being honest, I believe you believe this monster is speaking the truth,” says Roddy. Jessica tries to get up but before she can, Prince Gary grabs the knife off the ground.
Prince Gary starts to laugh madly, and out of nowhere stabs Jessica in the heart. Arthur rushes to her aide as Prince Gary tries to stab Arthur before Roddy tackles him. Roddy grasps Prince Gary’s knife and tosses it away. “What’s your deal man?” asks Roddy. “You fools, don’t you find it odd that a wizard brought us here to a cursed castle, where my alleged former lover used to be? Why would you believe this nonsense?” yells Prince Gary. As Arthur puts bandages on Jessica and holds her winged hand, a thought pops in Arthur’s head. “You planned all of this. It was you who hired the wizard to teleport us here and curse Princess Jessica, but why?” questions Arthur. Prince Gary sighs as Roddy holds him to the ground. “I did because of regret, I should have never cheated on you Jessica,” said Prince Gary.
Jessica holds her hand on her heart and coughs blood while Arthur continues to tend to her wounds. “But why curse me? I would have easily taken you back,” pleads Jessica. “Because you broke my heart, Jessica. And you too left me for another man,” says Prince Gary. Jessica is confused because she has no memory of this mysterious man that she had been with after Prince Gary left her. Suddenly, something clicks in Arthur’s head. He begins to remember that he had a different life before he became a knight. Then it dawns on Arthur, could he be the mysterious man that Jessica fell in love with?
Arthur looks into Jessica’s eyes as she lays wounded with a literal broken heart. He sighs and looks up at the portrait of the young woman and looks back down to Jessica. “It was me wasn’t it, your highness?” asks Arthur. “You catch on quick. Not bad for someone whose memory was erased,” said Prince Gary. Prince Gary begins to laugh, and Roddy starts to twist his arm. “Now tell us how we can break the curse?” yells Roddy. Arthur and Jessica stare at each other as Arthur strokes her face. “I think I know how,” exclaims Arthur. Arthur leans in for a kiss and Jessica refuses at first. “Arthur, what are you doing?” asks Jessica. “Please, just trust me Jessica,” states Arthur. Arthur kisses Jessica and after that, they embrace each other.
As Arthur and Jessica embrace, the abandoned castle begins to come alive again. The dust disappears, the shredded portraits are no longer shredded and back up on the walls. Sunshine comes in through a stained-glass window. Jessica opens her eyes to see all these changes. Jessica feels her wound and it has been healed. That is not the only thing. Jessica looks at her hand and it is human again. Jessica rushes over to a mirror and looks at her reflection to she is no longer a beast, but a woman again. Jessica jumps up and down with joy. “You did it Arthur, you broke the curse! Arthur where are you?” asks Jessica. Jessica looks around the castle for Arthur, but he is hard to find. Jessica makes her way to the kitchen to see Roddy cooking. “Roddy?” asks Jessica. “Wow, it did work! You’re human again,” shouts Roddy. “What are you doing down here in the kitchen? And where’s Arthur and Prince Gary?” asks Jessica.
Roddy explains that after the curse was broken, everything turned back to normal. Roddy was never a knight who served Prince Gary. He was the castle’s head chef. Meanwhile, Prince Gary was tried, convicted, and dethroned for war crimes and his brother now rules the Kingdom of Shottingdum. Jessica wants to know where Arthur is. Roddy has no idea where Arthur is but tells her to check the stables. As Jessica leaves the kitchen and Roddy waves goodbye as food is burning behind him. Roddy spotted the burning food and put out the fire.
Jessica eventually finds Arthur in a stable putting a horseshoe on a horse. Jessica waves to Arthur who smiles back. Jessica runs over towards Arthur in the stable. Arthur sets his stuff down as Jessica runs into his arms. Jessica and Arthur embrace each other once more as Arthur looks into Jessica’s eyes. “It feels good to be human again. I’m not a monster anymore,” says Jessica. “Princess Jessica, you never were a monster,” responds Arthur. “What happens now?” asks Jessica. “Hopefully, happily ever after. But for now, I’m just a stable boy and you’re a princess. Let’s play it by ear,” says Arthur. “It’s weird, my memories of you are coming back to me now. I remember you,” says Jessica. “Same, now there’s one thing that I remember we didn’t finish due to the curse…,” says Arthur. “What was that?” asks Jessica. Arthur walks away for a second and returns with two horses. “I was with you on the horse-riding trip. It was the day you were cursed, and the day I lost my memories of you. Shall we go for a ride, my lady?” asks Arthur. Jessica laughs as Arthur helps her get onto a horse. The sun shines bright over the Kinling Kingdom as Jessica and Arthur ride through the forest together enjoying every moment. It may not quite be happily ever after, but it’s a start.
THE END
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