***wooo.... little woozy. just got back from a movie party and before that i was MAKING a movie with my buddies and before that i was at school (school needs to die) so forgive me if this chapter is a little.... yah. you know. well you should. tipsy. yah. like i am. okay lets just get on with it.********

Walking blindy down the streets in the growing dark, I made my way to the inn. Hoping to find find someone to talk to, I instead found Will. I bumped into him as I made my way through the kitchen. He was coming back inside it, breathless.

"Ella!" he exlclaimed, his hair hung slightly over his face. He forced a smile, clearly betraying his thoughts. "I wondered where you'd gone off to! How's Mandy?"

I stammered, "M-Mandy? W-what about h-her?" I was blinking furiously without knowing why and feeling dizzy. I sat down heavily on a chair as Will patted my shoulder comfortingly.

"She left," said William. "She said she was sick." He took a seat beside me.

"She's f-fine," I mumbled, holding my head. It was the worst headache I had ever had, splitting my head in two. I thought for a moment that maybe it was a result of not following orders back at the cottage, but thinking hurt it more so I ceased immediately.

The next thing William said must have been jumbled, for what I heard was, "Ella, about what we talked about earlier. About"--here he blushed furiously and giggled slightly, even though men don't giggle--"love. Well, considering that you love me and I love you, I think that there is no other way to go but up, so... How about it?"

"About w-what?" I said, my headache dying away slowly.

"Marriage. I want you to marry me." He gulped. He must have been nervous.

"Marriage?!" I shrieked. I jumped from my chair as if a porcupine was napping in it. "To whom?!"

Will looked taken aback. "To ME, of course, after what we talked about. Wouldn't it be sensible?"

I shook my head furiously, hoping to rid myself of the thoughts swirling in my head. "Oh, my," I said quietly, slouching in my chair again. "I need a drink."

William fetched me a mug of water almost immediately, like a dog obeying his master. He then sat in the chair opposite me again, as he had risen the same time I did, and stared at me pointedly until I answered.

"Well, that IS the sensible thing to do," I said. I finished off the water and sat the mug down heavily on the table top.

"Listen, Ella," William said. He moved closer to me and took my hands as if that was the only way he could communicate. "I know I've only known you for a month, but some people only need a month. Some people need four years, others four months."

"In our case, it would be four weeks, right?" I said, finishing the well-known saying. "Yes, yes, of course."

"So you'll marry me?" Will said hopefully.

I faltered. Did I really love Will? Was Char just a figure of the past, someone I could forget about with another person entering my life? No, I would not forget him or his friendship, but I would forget his love as much as possible. I had to move on. There was no way I could marry the Char, unless the curse was brok--

"WAIT!" I said, jumping to my feet and pacing the length of the kitchen. Will, of course, followed suit and stood up.

"What is--"

"Will!" I said. "Tell me to do something!"

"What?"

"Tell me to do something! Anything! Something ridiculous!" My breath was coming in short takes now.

Will gave me an odd look, then consented, seeing as I was his one true love. "Go... Dance on the counter with a pot on your head, Ella."

I braced myself for the curse to take hold. Ten grueling seconds were spent, resisting the curse that didn't seem to be there. Nothing happened. I didn't feel dizzy or sick or anything. Just--nothing. I climbed on the counter. I climbed off. Still nothing.

It took me a moment to register it, but I finally caught on. I threw my arms around Will and laughed gleefully. "Ha-HA!" I exclaimed, and he twirled me around, not knowing why I was so happy. "The curse is gone! I don't have to follow orders! Nothing! I can talk to Char now!" I inhaled sharply and removed my arms from Will, forcing him to take his hands off my waist. "CHAR! I don't have to stay away from him! I can marry him!"

The look on Will's face was all at once confused, sad, and happy. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Will!" I said. I pulled him into a friendly embrace. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll explain everything later! But right now I have to find the prince!"

I ran outside the kitchen, skimming the front room. No Char. Well, of course he wouldn't be in such a rowdy place. I turned to run up the stairs, but met Will instead.

"Prince Char is gone," he said dreadfully.

"What do you mean, gone?" I said, my heart sinking.

"He left naught five minutes ago," said Will. "He said he hated this place and hated Frell, but he had to return to Frell where so many memories were. He said he would never return to anyplace but Frell."

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