Chapter 25

The Phoenix’s Curse

Arthur stared at the first page in awe, his body hair standing at full length. On that page, a beautiful woman stood and her face portrayed a cunning resemblance to the painting of his mother from the secret chamber. Her long and curly golden hair flowed across the parchment and above her, a flaming bird expanded its wings with great elegance.

“Once upon a time…” Katarina began after turning to the second page. “In the Mighty Kingdom of Pendragon, there lived an enchantress named Florafyr. She was a beautiful maiden, her hair as golden as the moons of Dillunelle, her skin as white as the clouds, and her eyes as lush as the trees of spring. It happened that she was powerful as well; her magic, enough to subdue a dragon, a griffin, and a phoenix. Lovely and strong, many women of the noble houses hated her, for they envied her beauty; while men both hated and adored her, for they envied her strength and longed to have her.”

“So her name’s Florafyr? Doesn’t that mean the ‘blazing flower’?” said Arthur, glancing at his grandmother with an innocent look. “She’s strong and beautiful too... Isn’t she like Granny?”

Katarina laughed at his remark, shaking her head amusingly. She ruffled the boy’s hair before turning the page again. “Suitors lined across the doorstep of her castle every day, hoping to capture her heart, but none of them succeeded to do so. One day, Florafyr was strolling in the forest behind her home when she found a gravely injured Adventurer lying on the ground.”

“‘Help me, my lady,’ the Man pleaded. ‘For I am in great pain and distress. Cast thy mercy and I promise that I shall serve thee with all my life.’”

“Filled with compassion and pity, Florafyr helped the Man and brought him home. She called many healers and shamans to her home for she didn’t know any healing spell. Yet, none of them could cure the Man. He was so ill and injured that no sorcery or potion was potent enough.”

“Florafyr helped to nurse the Man day after day. She cooked his meals, fed him, wiped his body with the softest cloth and even played her lyre to soothe his pain –”

“I knew it!” Arthur interrupted again before he could stop himself. “She’s just like you. She’s charming, strong, and now…” He paused, catching his breath. “And now, very kind… very, very kind!”

Katarina pursed her lips and gave Arthur a saddened look. “Honey?”

Arthur almost immediately, without thinking, covered his mouth with both hands. “Sorry… sorry… I won’t interrupt again,” he said, but his voice came out muffled and barely recognizable.

Katarina couldn’t help but laugh again. “However, as time passed, the Man became more ill while Florafyr became more drawn to him and his presence.”

“‘Am I falling for this Man?’ She uttered under her breath one night, while she watched him in his sleep. As she came into terms with her feelings, she began to grieve beside the Man, her tears falling in his chest. Unbeknownst to many, Florafyr had the mysterious power of the phoenix. Her tears had the power to cure any illness.”

“Behold, the flesh of the Man that began to rot was restored, his fever died down, and he woke up. Seeing her sorry state, the Man wiped her tears, placed his right hand over his left abdomen, and knelt before her. ‘This lowly Adventurer can’t fully express my gratitude to thee. If her ladyship has a wish, even if it’s my life, then I shall comply.’”

“Florafyr smiled and said, ‘Then, shall you take me as your wife?’”

“The Man jumped in delight and clasped her in his arms. ‘It’s my utmost pleasure to comply.’”

Arthur thrust his hands on his mouth even further. Well, that escalated very quickly, he thought though he didn’t dare to say another word.

“However, unknown to them, behind the partly opened door, one of Florafyr’s maid watched the whole event in silence. Her hand covered her lips, desperate not to let any sound come through. And thus, the news of Florafyr’s mysterious healing powers spread like wildfire in the Kingdom that it even reached the ears of a large phoenix nest in a distant mountain.”

“‘Is she your child?!’ bawled the Phoenix Queen to the Phoenix King, the blue flames that usually adorned her whole body turning red-orange.”

“The King couldn’t answer because he knew that the Queen knew that he once assumed the body of a human and traveled across many continents. No one was aware, however, that he fell in love with a human and it was Florafyr’s mother.”

“Seeing his silence, the Queen screeched in rage. She invoked her strongest magic towards the king and he was extinguished in that instant. She didn’t grieve, for she knew that the King shall rise from ashes after a year.”

“Soon afterward, while Florafyr and the Adventurer planned their wedding, the Phoenix Queen met with her friend Dragon and paid a great amount of platinum to summon its strongest warrior. She said, ‘Great Draconian Warrior! Extinguish Florafyr with your fire. Do so and I’ll pay more platinum than you have seen in your life.’”

“The Dragon Warrior heeded and soared to the sky. By dawn, he attacked Florafyr’s castle and roared, ‘Show yourself, Florafyr! I have come to end your life.’ Then he sent a scorching breath to her dwellings.”

“To the Dragon’s surprise, the Adventurer raced out of the house and fended off the attack. Then the day-long battle between Florafyr and the Adventurer against the Dragon Warrior ensued. By dusk, the two defeated the Dragon and resumed planning for their wedding the next day.”

“Like her healing power, the news of Florafyr’s and the Adventurer’s battle against the Dragon Warrior spread like wildfire in the Kingdom. It reached the ears of the Phoenix Queen, from which the queen screeched in great disappointment.”

“This time, she hurried to her friend Griffin and asked for his mightiest warrior after paying a large sum of titanium. Once the subject stood before her, she declared, ‘Mighty Griffin Warrior! Crush Florafyr with your beak and claws. Do so and I’ll pay more titanium than you have seen in your life.’”

“The Griffin Warrior flapped its wings with vigor and flew to the sky. By dusk, he reached Florafyr’s castle. ‘Show yourself, Florafyr! I have come to crush you!’ he roared before charging its body to Florafyr’s dwellings.”

“However, to the Griffin’s surprise, the Adventurer had already raced out of the house and blocked the attack. Thus, the night-long battle between Florafyr and the Adventurer against the Griffin Warrior ensued. By dawn, the two defeated the Griffin and resumed planning for their wedding the next day.”

“The news of their battle spread once again across the Kingdom until it reached the Phoenix Queen, who shuddered in anger and humiliation. ‘Florafyr must die,’ she shouted. ‘Even if it cost me my life.’”

“Blinded by hate, the Queen decided to confront Florafyr herself. She soared into the night sky and traveled across the land to kill the Enchantress. By the time she reached her castle, no one was home - no Florafyr, no Adventurer, no maids, no gardeners - no one was there. In anger, she proceeded to the nearest town and ran havoc, burning everything in her way.”

“‘Show yourself, Florafyr!’ She declared, her voice enveloping the town. ‘I have come to end your life!’”

“Hearing this, Florafyr who was wearing her white long dress adorned with elegant stones and pearls raced out of the church and confronted the Phoenix Queen. Her groom, the adventure, who also wore his luxurious white suit, followed behind her. Thus, a fiery and sanguine campaign against the Phoenix Queen began.”

“Many died, bathing in flames. Their blood spilled like water across the town in a matter of a few days. At last, on the seventh day, Florafyr, the Adventurer, and the town knights and paladins managed to vanquish the Phoenix Queen.”

“In her dying breath, the Phoenix Queen said, ‘I curse thee, Florafyr, the blazing flower. Any boy who'll be born from thee and thy descendant shall turn into ashes, and any girl shall live, and yet devoid of any power! May she live a miserable life that she wishes that she is never born.’ Using her remaining Mana, and the life force of her second life, the Queen invoked the curse before finally turning into ashes.”

“Years passed and Florafyr gave birth to a twin, a boy, and a girl. However, as the curse exacted, the boy died as soon as he left her womb. He burned in agony until he turned into ashes. Florafyr, who witnessed all this, succumbed to her sadness and died months later. Needless to say, the Adventurer, who lost both his son and wife, also died from grief years later. Thus, the last remnant of Florafyr’s family was the girl, who was later given the name, Flora de Florencio.”

“By this time, the Phoenix King has already revived from the ashes, and for the last time, he took the form of a man and took care of Flora. As time passed, he realized that the girl had no magical prowess. Even though she was already seven, she showed no sign of awakening. The Phoenix King grieved, for in this cruel world, magic was a necessity, and only suffering awaited the poor child. The king mustered all he could to lift the curse but to no avail. In the end, he used his life force to alleviate the effects that finally awakened the girl’s power; and enchanted his gift of enchantment to the child that shall be passed through generations before he lost his life.”

“In time, in the memories of Flora de Florencio and her parents, Florafyr and an unnamed Adventurer, Florencio became the first matriarchal noble house in the mighty Kingdom of Pendragon.”

Arthur wanted to ask a lot of questions as Katarina narrated the story but he couldn’t bring himself to. Somewhere along with the story, it began to sound like a song, a tragic lullaby that began to lull him to sleep. Amid his leaving consciousness, he asked, “Why did they all die in the end?”

“Well…” Katarina stood up and covered Arthur’s body with a blanket. “I don’t know for sure, honey. But this was how grandmother had been told until she finally decided to write this picture book. Since it had been passed orally before it was written, perhaps, that wasn’t what happened. Perhaps, something changed...”

Arthur nodded, doing his best to fight the sleepiness. “Then the curse isn’t true? I mean, I'm a boy and still alive.”

“Maybe…” Her lips curved into a bitter smile, even though Arthur failed to recognize it since his eyes were barely open. “Maybe not… Or maybe it broke along the way.” She sucked a deep breath. “Anyways, time for bed, honey. It’s late. I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow.”

Arthur still hasn't responded yet when Katarina clapped and the boy immediately fell in a deep slumber.