The cold harsh clang of metal hitting metal echoed rhythmically throughout the kingdom. The roaring open flames sent blistering heat into the shop on a bright mid-summer day. William wiped away his sweat with a towel and continued to hammer a heated blade into a sharp edge. He doused it in a bucket of water, steam rose up in reaction to the heated sword hitting the water. The heated vapors seared his hands, and he pulled it back out to begin hammering again. After a moment, he set the sword aside finished with that phase of the process.

He looked out the entrance of the shop and saw several children staring in awe. He gestured for them to leave and they scampered off. Another man came in.

“Horseshoe is loose again.” The man informed and William came up to him.

“Lead her out back.” He told the man, picking up a smaller hammer and a few nails. He walked out the back door and saw the man standing next to a dappled gray mare. Her tail whisking the pesky flies off her back.

“Which hoof?” William asked and the man pointed to the front left. William carefully grabbed the horse’s ankle and lifted it up. It shook it’s mane in response and lowered it’s head to his level.

He picked up the hammer and a nail and lightly tapped it into the horseshoe tightening it back up. He set the horse hoof down and addressed the man again.

“Do you want me to check the other shoes?” The man shook his head and lead the horse away. He reached into his pocket and flipped a gold coin into Williams hand.

“Thank you, good sir.” He muttered and went back into his shop. He tended the fire to keep it from burning out and continued with the sword.

He heard thunderous hooves approaching as several horses galloped closer. William sighed as he knew the royal snobs had returned from their hunt. The horses stopped as three boys dismounted and entered the blacksmith.

“Hey, it’s our old buddy!” One proclaimed cheerfully.

“Good afternoon, Sir Roland, Sir Isaac, and Prince Noah.” William coldly greeted, not looking up. One that had fair skin and an angelic face came up to him, his cold icy blue eyes taunting him.

“I hear you’re playing around with the swords every night. What did you call it again? Training?” The other two laughed, “no matter. No one will stop you, because you will never be a knight anyway.”

“Don’t be rude, Isaac. You’re crushing his hopes and dreams!” The first boy mocked. He had dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His black eyes sharp and distant glanced at William and back to the other.

Prince Noah held up his hand for the other two to fall silent. “You have my sword ready?” He sneered, loathing every moment William was in his presence.

William briskly handed the prince a fancy sword sheathed in a shiny black scabbard. The prince removed the sword and examined the blade carefully, searching for any minor flaws.

“There is a reason I only come to you. Despite your family’s previous ancestry... You seem to be the only one who knows what’s he’s doing when handling a blade.”

‘Despite your family’s ancestry...’ The words repeated in his mind and he clenched his teeth. The prince dropped a small bag of gold on the counter and turned away. William had to force himself not to say out loud the thoughts he came up with to reply to the hollow words the royal snob had said.

He set down the tools and smothered the fire. He closed up shop early today to help his mother. He locked the doors and set off to the field to collect the herbs and plants his mother had requested. One brave little girl shadowed him and followed him to the bridge. William crossed the bridge without a second thought.

She hesitated for a moment then continued to follow him.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he told her calmly.

“Not true!” She replied. “I’m allowed as long as I have someone out here with me!” She looked at the dark looming trees. “They’re not as scary as everyone makes them out to be.” The girl firmly stated.

“Oh, they’re scary alright. Not even I would dare step into there without a sword in hand,” William told her. She came closer to see what he was doing.

“The cursed aren't scary either! just misunderstood.” She added as an afterthought, “my brother turned into one a week ago. We were so surprised and I thought he was going to kill us! But, he shrieked when he saw his eyes and ran straight into the woods.” She plucked some of the plants and handed them to William.

“I know he’ll return once he found himself again! Maybe he’ll have the power to fly!” She enthusiastically jumped up with a wide smile. William smirked at the girl.

“Most blessed powers are so subtle that people wouldn’t know they’re cursed until they see their eyes. I’ve never met an elemental blessed, but I doubt they’ll use their powers in public anyways.” He told her and she looked glumly at the tree line.

She plucked more plants for him and they crossed the bridge back into town.

"What’s the castle like?” She interrogated.

“It’s big, dark, and cold.” William answered bluntly.

“Do you think I could live there?”

“Sure, if you want to live like a slave and serve the royal family for life.” He told her. She thought for a moment.

“Does your wife work there?”

William shook his head no. “My mother works in the medical wing. She’s skilled in a way that she didn’t require any training.”

“She’s blessed!” The girls stared in amazement. “That’s so cool! I wish I could be blessed...”

He stopped and looked at her confused. “Why? Being blessed is not something a person would normally wish for.”

“Because... My brother has been cursed and he’s my twin. I don’t care if it’s a lonely road just as long as me and him are together.”

They continued on with an eerie silence between them and made their way to the medical wing of the castle.

Inside was complete disarray. Nurses rushed back and forth trying everything to help someone they crowded around.

“What’s going on?” The girl asked William, tugging on his sleeve.

“Either someone is having a baby, dying, or the unmentionable other.” He told her calmly. They were then distracted by a lady screaming and crying uncontrollably. She held in her arms a young boy as she ordered everyone to do something.

“There’s nothing we can do.” William’s mother spoke and the room fell silent. “I am truly sorry, my lady, but this isn’t something we can cure with medical herbs and potions. Let fate take it’s course and let him go.” The lady stood up and slapped her across the cheek.

“That’s easy for you to say! You’re son is fine and healthy. You broke your curse! What about my son? He’s only three years old!” They saw within the child’s clear gray eyes two pentagrams in a bold black color. The lady pressed her red blotchy face against his cold distant one. He was apathetic to everything around him.

“My lady, listen to yourself. He’ll be fine and he’ll grow up strong. He’ll return to you one day.” William’s mother soothed. The lady numbly listened and released the boy. She gasped painstakingly as some of the other nurses snatched the boy and carried him out.

“Where are they taking him?” The girl asked.

“To the forest and leave him there.” William dropped the plants on a counter and hugged his mother. “Did it hurt mother?” He asked eying her red cheek.

“No, it didn’t. I’m tougher than that!” She walked over to a counter and picked up a small vial which she handed to him. “Make sure he drinks all of it.”

They left and the girl looked out to the forest. William then asked, “do you still wish to be blessed? You’ll have to go through the cursed phase first.”

“Yes, I do. But, I noticed that unlike my brother, who went berserk. That boy was like a doll, emotionless, expressionless. There was nothing inside him. Is it different with everybody?”

“I don’t know.” He whispered, thinking back to the princess and briefly wondered about how she turned out to be, if she’s still alive.

“Willow! Come on home! Dinner's waiting!” A women called out. The girl jumped.

“Coming mother! See ya later, mister.” And she ran off. William trudged home, abandoning the thought of the girl fifteen years ago. He didn’t need the burden of knowing what he did, haunting him.

He walked out of town and followed along side the forest. It stood silent and calm, a complete facade to the obvious danger, showing no signs of anything living contained within. There were no birds, not even the hum of any bugs, nothing dared to cross the threshold and face the cursed.

William was used to the eerie silence and kept walking on. He purposely lived outside of the town for the reason that he wouldn’t have to deal with the unexpected visitor. They couldn’t stand the silent walk from the town to his home. Silence was the best way to set the mind into motion, letting the tension build up, and so, William had, countless times, found a villager or two shivering and trembling in fear, trying to brave the walk to his house.

It stood there lonely against the dark woods, with faded blue paint and clean windows. One chimney to heat the house and in the back a small garden with rare and uncommon plants that his mother had planted long before she became a castle nurse.

He went inside without looking back and locked the door behind him. He started a fire in the fireplace and began cooking his dinner. He walked into the back room and saw his father on a cot breathing heavily.

“You let the fire go out again...” He stated. The old man didn’t reply. William sat down next to him on the cot and lifted him up enough to get him to sit up.

“Mother said you need to drink it all.” He told his father, pulling out the vial and removing the lid. The old man was unresponsive as he tried to coax his father to drink it. He profusely refused the potion, avoiding it in every way possible. Finally, William got up, made some soup, poured the contents of the vial into the soup, and returned to his father.

“Here, you need to at least eat something,” and forced his father to drink every last drop of the soup. He got up and carried the bowl away.

His father coughed harshly and attempted to get up. William went back to him and leaned him back down.

“You’re in no condition to move.” He got up and watched as the sun started to set. He reflected on the events of the day and sat down in front of the fire.

“Sometimes I wonder if the cursed are the ones who we label as cursed, or the one’s that known or held them dear before they changed.” He looked back to the room in which his father laid. “I met someone today. She told me, she wanted to be blessed… To join her brother...” He waited for a response... He was met by silence.