The Cursed Wish | ONC 2024

Ch 13: The Curse of Mona

Estefania remembered her mother once telling her something when she was very small. The wise woman told her that every problem had a solution if you reassessed the angle. She's always been clever when Solomon or the Brothers tell her something is impossible.

She was always able to convince them to budge once she found the right angle. Solomon often praised her savvy thinking and said that it would make her a great queen. Here in the trial, though, she needed to slow down and understand the wish before she could respond. 

The second wish Trix presented was seemingly simple. "A young woman wishes for luck in her goals." Still, the princess ruminated on the fairy's words. It had to be more complicated than it seemed. 

She thought back about her own mother, who'd been gifted with wisdom. Luck, after all, was a force of the universe. Would it make the girl conscious of changing things around her, or would the world mold to her will? 

There was also positive luck and negative luck. Would the wish curse the girl and hurt the people around her? That was a "dangerous consequence," as Mona would call it. 

"Still need a moment?" Mona goaded. "A real fairy would know almost immediately how to answer such a common wish."

Elowen was right. She couldn't let the countess or Mona or whatever she called herself get under her skin. She could take her time, especially with the stakes so high. 

"Why don't you tell your answer, Mona, if you're so impatient," Trix said. "After all, tradition dictates you take turns answering first."

Mona glared at Trix. The other fairy shrugged unapologetically. Estefania had to admire that if Mona was going to enforce archaic rules, Trix would make sure Mona was a slave to the same laws. 

Still, there was nothing the cruel fairy could do. She just hissed at Trix and flipped her hair back. Then she gave her final answer.

"Naturally, luck is a forbidden wish, which is difficult to quantify and control," Mona said. "So I would advise the girl to seek a wish with the ability to think creatively so she can solve her own problems."

Trix raised an eyebrow, and she looked at Estefania. It was almost like the fairy was trying to give her an opening. 

She thought about Mona's answer. Thinking creatively would be an open wish that could have wild and varying interpretations. There was a very fine line, she realized, between a wish that was a blessing and a curse. 

Luck was just as dangerous as creativity. There had to be a way to fulfill the wish in a better way, and she had moments to figure it out. 

"Every problem has a solution," she muttered to herself. 

"What was that, princess?" Mona demanded.

Estefania knew she needed to stall. "Every problem has a solution. It was something that my mother taught me, countess."

Mona laughed. "Your mother was a backwoods floozie who found her way to a prince though a stupidly granted wish of luck just like this one, and she slept her way to the top."

Estefania's face burned. She knew her mother had been a commoner in Sahar, but it was her wish for wisdom that elevated her to the status of princess. Her father had known the moment he saw her mother that she would be a perfect bride. 

"My mother was wise," Estefania argued. 

"I cannot lie in the trial," Mona said. "She deserved to die. She took everything from a deserving woman, and she ruined a life. She turned Hadrian against his affianced and took a crown for herself."