Chapter 3: The Curse Kingdom

"It's been three days since she got here but she still hasn't woken up, it's bad for her health to stay in this kind of environment." Arabelle heard a conversation from outside when she regained consciousness.

The beauty sat on the bed and looked around, seeing only an old wardrobe and a wooden window. She cautiously took off the blanket and lowered her feet to the ground.

Her eyes widened as she noticed that the wounds and scars on her body were all securely bandaged.

"Grandpa, sh—she's already awake!" a voice yelled from nowhere, causing Arabelle to look at the door right away. Her eyes grew even wider when she saw a creature that resembled a chick having huge wide eyes and had a fluffy body, covered in thick gray feathers and as big as a 10yrs. Old child. It ran outside in a hurry.

Heading in the direction of the room where she was, she heard both sprinting and strolling footsteps.

"Slow down Gretel, you might trip!" an elderly baritone voice warned.

The footsteps suddenly stopped as she heard the door gradually open even further. An owl who was about 7 feet tall and with glasses that indicated its old age, and the previously small creature had both been spat out of the door.

"I'm glad to know that you're already awake, Priestess," it said, as it walked into the room and went to the bed where the lady was sitting. The owl shrank back a bit as it sensed the young woman's fear. "Excuse my unexpected approach, Dear Priestess." Lowering its head.

"Let us introduce ourselves first," the bird said gently. "My name is Mago; feel free to call me whatever you like, Priestess," introducing himself to the lady . "Gretel, don't be shy, introduce yourself too," Mago said to his little companion who had been hiding under his wing for a while.

"I-I'm Gr-Gretel, Dear Priestess, the Granddaughter of Grandpa Mago," the owlet stammered as it boldly introduced itself when it first emerged from hiding. However, the maiden responded to them with silence.

"Priestess! You're awake already, what perfect time I brought some clothing you may change into," exclaimed Ulula, who had just entered the room.

"Ulula!" as she called the familiar owl. "Where am I? W-what place is this?" she asked one after another.

"Priestess, have you forgotten that we are in the Kingdom of Asio Flammeus?" Ulula replied to the beauty and walked over to where the lady was sitting. The difficult circumstances that had happened to Arabelle came back to her mind: the hawks hunting her, the time she had jumped into the hole and then fallen out from exhaustion and weakness when they had arrived at the kingdom.

"People." Arabelle suddenly said, making her companions turn to her. "Are there any people who can assist me in getting out of here?," she asked, but Ulula didn't say anything. "Ulula, answer me? Where are they?" The beauty was about to stand up.

"You don't have to look for them My Dear Priestess, Because we're already here in front of you, we are the people of this kingdom," Mago unexpectedly answered.

Arabelle frowned as a result of what she heard and the fact that no matter how many times she blinked, all she could see were owls and not a human.

"What do you mean, Mr. Mago?" the maiden inquired.

"Come, Dear Priestess, we will show you something," Mago said as he approached the large window. Arabelle stood up, followed by Ulula and Gretel to the window.

The beauty's eyes widened, and she couldn't determine whether she was afraid or amazed by what she saw. She can view the entire community from the outside, a community whose residents are various sorts of owls.

"Do you understand what I mean now?" the old bird asks.

Arabelle stood silently watching the creatures; she noticed a market with an owl selling, an owl cook wearing an apron, owls buying and carrying baskets, and a random owl pushing a cart with goodies. The maiden also sees structures as if they were human houses, with an owl tending plants, gardening, and hanging laundry. Suddenly, she remembered what Mago had said recently: "We are the people of this Kingdom." She now realized what the old man was trying to say.

"I get it now," Arabelle interjected, her gaze drawn to the small Owlets the size of Gretel chasing and playing on the side of the uneven road. Her companions exhaled a breath of relief.

"Then we're relieved to hear that you understand our predicament now, because we've been subjected to a—"

"A type of Mutation," Arabelle persistently interrupted the old owl, slamming her right fist into her left palm once.

"Yes, a type of Mutation," Mr. Mago remarked absentmindedly. "Huh-ha mutation? W-what do you mean by that, Dear Priestess?" As he realized what he just said. Ulula smacked her own forehead.

"W-why? Did I say the wrong thing?" Arabelle inquired, stammering.

"We've been subjected to a curse, Priestess, a curse" Ulula spoke, hiding a giggle.

"Oh, I see," She said, nodding. "A curse huh?" Her eyes widened again as she realized what she had just spoken. " 'W-what? A curse!" the beauty shrieked in surprise. Ulula motioned for her to speak more calmly. Arabelle turned to face Mago, who was now silently admiring the moonlight.

"We've all turned to look like this because of that catastrophe," the old owl declared. He looked at Arabelle and saw in her eyes that she wanted to know everything about what had happened. Mago had no choice but to sigh before continuing to speak.

"It was the day of the next King's coronation, and as a butler to the King-elect Prince Aegolus, I'd been following him wherever he went... I knew everything about him even— in his secret relationship with the Guardian, I was the witness to the commitments he made to the Great Scandiaca." "If only I had known this was going to happen, I would have stopped them right away... ended their love," he says, a touch of sorrow in his voice.

"What happened?" Arabelle exclaimed unexpectedly.

"Prince Aegolus told Mirabela the Great Scandiaca that if he became King of the Kingdom, he would make her his Queen, so on the day of the coronation, as part of the affirmation in stating, that Prince Aegolus would be the new King, Mirabela's agreed but..." Mago interrupted. "He deceived the Guardian, duping her with false promises in order to gain the throne that should have been his older brother, Prince Stygius." Its beak tightened. "Prince Aegolus chose to be engaged with the Princess of the Kingdom of Virginianus, leading the Great Scandiaca to flame with rage... with so much hatred and despair, everything ended in a curse not only on the Kingdom of Asio Flammeus, but also on the Kingdom of Virginianus." Suddenly, the wind got stronger causing some of Arabelle's hair to be blown towards her face.

"Only I can change this curse," a voice that appeared to emerge from the wind whispered. The beauty instantly looked at her companions, but she appeared to be the only one who heard it.

"I simply wanted to ask, why do you call me Priestess? That's what you've always called me since I got here." Breaking the silence of the entire atmosphere.

"Because it was said in the oracle... The Bathala will send a chosen one to end the wicked plague that has surrounded the entire Kingdom." Mago answered.

"How did you know it was me? What if it's someone else?" The old owl remained silent about what she said. Instead, it turned to face Ulula.

"Only Ulula knows, for she is the oracle," the creature stated. Arabelle looked at Ulula. The creature merely smiled at the beauty.

"Oh look! Time goes so fast, Lord Mago, you and Gretel are about to go to sleep earlier, so let's let the Priestess rest too, especially tomorrow there will be a celebration for her, right?" Ulula exclaimed as she led the two creatures out of the room.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, then we'll see you tomorrow, Dear Priestess," the old bird said.

"Farewell, Dear Priestess," Gretel says joyfully.

"Hurry, let's go," Ulula urged hurriedly.

"Ulula, hold on a second! We need to—" Arabelle didn't continue her sentence when they exited and shut the door. She sighed as she returned to her bed.

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On the other hand, a black origami bird fluttered out of the window frame where it had been hiding since the beginning from Arabelle's chamber. It soared straight into the woods, traversing various rivers and even mountains, until it arrived in a tower and landed on the window, where nothing but darkness could be seen within. It chirped strangely, as if it were conversing with someone in the dark.

"Hmmm… a celebration for the Priestess tomorrow?" "It appears that they forgot to invite me," said a mysterious voice hiding in the tower's darkness. The bird chirped again as a pair of hands appeared in the darkness, the bird-shaped origami perched on one of its fingers, with long, shiny, and sharp black nails. "Don't worry, I'll personally convey my warm greetings to our guest," it said as it approached the window, exposing a daring smile coming from its blood-colored lips.

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Everyone was busy organizing and preparing for the celebration the next day. They hung lights and flags of various colors, set up long tables in the middle of the road, and connected them.

Every hens transports their own cooked food and puts everything on the table. The owl musicians began to play music. Everyone is overjoyed and excited to meet the priestess.

Ulula, on the other hand, is busy preparing for Arabelle.

"Too tight!" Arabelle complained as Ulula tightened her corset. But the creature didn't listen.

After dressing her, Ulula fixed her hair.

"Ulula, it's already morning right? Why isn't the sun still rising?" the beauty asked the busy bird.

"That's also one of the curses that been given to us by the Guardian, Priestess, that no matter what,"

"We'll/ you'll live in darkness forever." Both of them were stunned when they uttered that word at the same time.

"Priestess you know it too?" Ulula asked while still fixing Arabelle's hair.

"I don't know why it suddenly came out of my mouth either," the beauty answered in confusion.

They all headed to the celebration with Mago and Gretel after getting ready. The bird-citizens welcomed her enthusiastically, and the festivities continued with some singing, dancing, and games for the owlets. Everyone was delighted when the lights on the lanterns suddenly went out, and the musicians came to a halt as they heard an evil laugh from the sky.

"The Scandiaca."The owls cooed quietly.

The hens immediately hid their owlets while Mago hid Arabelle and Gretel under his wings.

"Don't make any noise," Mago urged, warningly.

Mirabela greeted everyone with a loud flap of her wings as she landed on the table, causing all the food and decorations to fly away.

"Looks like you're all having a good time here?" Mirabela inquired, only to be met with silence. "Oh, don't be ashamed of me; I only came here to personally and warmly greet the arrival of your priestess," she continued, lifting one foot of her claws to show everyone her razor-sharp nails. "So tell me, where is she now?" she asked as she moved over to the table.

"There is no arrival of a priestess that occured, Great Scandiaca, this is just a simple fiest," Mago explained.

"Ah, really?" she inquired, dubious. "So you're implying that those flying rumors are false?" she asked, raising her brows and glaring at the old man.

Mirabela spotted two pairs of feet beneath Mago's wings, one human and one owlet. The scandiaca smirked audaciously, knowing that the inhabitants were attempting to protect Arabelle from her, so she decided to ignore it.

"I guess you're right, it looks like a simple gathering," the guardian replied, turning her back on the old owl. "But not inviting someone like me to this kind of feast is something I don't want to happen again." And immediately showered a deathly gaze on everyone.

"It won't happen again, Great Scandiaca," they said all together.

"And next time Mago, don't speak if I don't give you permission." While she was looking at Mago's feet again. "You don't want your grandchild to lose her Grandpa, do you?" Mirabela speaks intentionally.

"I apologize once more, Great Scandiaca," Mr. Mago said.

Mirabela did not hesitate to leave the banquet after speaking, evilly chuckling. The party did not continue after what happened, and they promptly left. Although the elderly owls were left behind, they had a discussion about giving Arabelle to the palace in order to protect her from the evil guardian, which they all promptly agreed upon and sent a letter to the prince.

The letter had arrived at the palace, where it was quickly placed on a tray and handed to a room. The owl servant placed the tray on the floor and pushed it through the open slit, lower part of the door.

"Are they trying to make me laugh?" a creature exclaimed after reading the letter that had been received. "Priestess, huh?" Its eyes gleamed, despite the fact that the entire chamber was dark.