Breaking Curses

Part 2

We were one of the last groups to arrive at the village center so it was pretty packed, but we managed to find a good spot to stand and watch. The main event of the coming of age ceremony was really just a hunt. King Henri would announce what would be hunted, then he would tell who the two or three of the villagers and training master who had been chosen to assist the now-seventeen-year-old-boy in the hunt were. Just then the King and Prince Xander stepped up on the raised platform at the end of the village center and a cheer rose up from the assembled villagers. King Henri started his speech with all the usual pleasantries and formalities and I tuned out, staring at the Prince. Alec glanced at me and snorted at my 'kill me now' expression. He was just such a classic prince with his wavy, sand-blond hair, Caribbean blue eyes, deep tan and confidence coming off him in waves that were almost visible.

"How can you hate him so much?" He whisper asked me.

"Quite easily. In fact how do you not hate him?"

"Well, he's our future king so it's best not to hate him, I guess." Alex piped in.

"But he's just so condescending," I whined. "Look at him standing up there looking down at us."

"Um, Della, he's standing on a platform. He can't not look down on us." Alec replied calmly. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You three, be quiet!" Aunt Linda hissed at us. We obediently returned our attention to the King. At this point he was finally announcing what would be hunted.

"How much do you want to bet that he chose something really easy because it's his own son" I whispered to the twins.

"No way! The king would never do that! Right?" Alex whispered back.

"Right that's just not possible." Alec added. I shrugged and waited for the King to tell us.

"Now the moment you have been waiting for," The King began dramatically in his booming voice.

"Tonight the Jackalope will be hunted!" His announcement was meet with complete silence. Alec and Alex gaped at me. My prediction had been right, the only thing remotely challenging about hunting Jackalope was that the creepy little things were nocturnal. I couldn't help but snicker a little.

"Well it is his son. You wouldn't want your own child to get hurt." Uncle Jack said cheerfully. We all stared at him.

"What?" He protested. Aunt Linda just shook her head.

"Now for the members of the hunting party." The king went on undaunted, as if he didn't even notice the stupefied silence that his previous comment had been revived by.

"Wow I'm glad I'm a girl and won't be chosen. That would be a let down!" I laughed.

"Yeah, you can laugh," Alex said with fake self-pity. "We won't ever be chosen because we're medics!" This made me laugh again.

"Silly, you're still only trainees!" I teased them playfully and they mock glared at me as if they couldn't believe I would doubt their abilities. Although, in all honesty, they were both remarkably talented. The king continued again, snapping me out of my reminiscing.

"The trainer in the party will be Brawly Duncan!" A thunderous roar of approval went up from the crowd and, even though I kind of pitied him, my voice was the loudest. It was a great honor to be chosen for the hunting party, no matter what you were hunting.

"Now for the younger members." The King began again. This was where the real tension was. You had to be younger than seventeen to be picked so this was where kids tried to prove themselves. Not that you would be picked if you had no skills at all, of course. People had really trained for this and the air crackled with tension you could cut with a knife around us. Finally the king announced who the remaining members were.