A King's Curse

Chapter 4

When they left her, running away laughing, she grabbed the knife and raced to the barn where she hid. Inside, she did as instructed.

Her dad had found her bloodied and screaming. It was the first and only time she had ever seen him tear up. He was distraught to see his little girl, the only thing he had left of his beloved wife, hurting herself. 

The tips of her ears had been removed, and unfortunately, the hospital could not simply "sew" them back on per her dad's demand. Brie received stitches, yes. And the doctors warned her that she would have terrible scars. And they weren't wrong.

Brie's dad pulled her out of school after that. Cursing the ways of public education. It was during this time that Brie spent most of her days reading, trying to escape the horrors she had experienced. Then one afternoon, when had gone outside to play and rest her eyes, she had found a girl in the pasture talking to her horse. The girl said her name was Samantha but preferred Sam, and that she had recently moved next door. Sam was homeschooled just like Brie. And though she was two years older than Brie, Sam became her best friend.

After that first day, the two were inseparable and Brie's father even began to love Sam like his own. However, when she was of high school age, Sam's parents put her in public school. And after two years of begging, she finally convinced Brie's dad to let her go back to school with her. 

On the first day back, a boy had made a crude remark about Brie's ears and Sam had punched him three times for it. And though she got suspended for a week, no one ever dared speak a word about Brie's ears again.

Oh, how she missed Sam.

Brie stepped away from the vanity and went to the wardrobe. Her clothes were dirty and smelled. Maybe she could find an Elven nightgown or something similar to borrow.

Through the help of Sam, Brie was able to get over a lot of her insecurities, but still to this day, the scars on her ears bothered her. Maybe because it was a reminder of how easily she was influenced to harm herself. And she was ashamed for it. Ashamed for also hurting her dad by doing it.

She opened the door and starting flipping through the hangers when a cold gust brushed her face. That was weird. The windows were closed and the breeze felt as if it had come out of the wardrobe. 

Brie stepped inside and tried to feel her way for the back. She was getting some major Narnia vibes when she suddenly had walked completely through the closet and was now standing in a damp and dark hallway. 

Behind her were still the rows of clothes, almost crying for her to come back and not go any further.

The walls were tight and stony, the floor covered in tiny puddles slowly growing from the water dripping from the unseen ceiling.

Brie could see her breath, shivering when another gust blew past her.

Maybe it would lead the way out of the castle; another chance for escape. Then she remembered what Thranduil had said. She could not risk her father getting captured again.

But still, she knew she wanted and needed to explore the mysterious chambers. But not tonight. She was tired, stressed, and drained of all her energy.

So, she went back inside the wardrobe and back into her room where she drew up a warm bath and picked out a soft under gown to sleep in.

***

The next morning, Dessielle brought Brie breakfast, and apologized multiple times for her current state under house arrest, though those weren't her exact words.

She also brought her a silver and blue dress. It was simple, and the sleeves reached down to her elbows, giving her a sort of comfort. The skirt was a little too long, obviously meant for a tall Elf, but Brie assured Dessielle that she didn't need to raise the hem. She kinda liked the sound of the fabrics swooshing across the ground. Dessielle also gave her an assortment of rings.