Disclaimer: I do not own Rune Factory

Warnings: Still the same as the last chapter.

Curse

Eunice blinked groggily as the sun's rays hit her eyes and she rubbed at them, hoping they weren't puffy after her crying last night. Her head was pounding in pain though and she groaned softly before getting up, feeling as Ivan's cloak slid off her shoulders. Surprised that she still had it, she quickly gathered it up before she lifted her body from the ground, stretching the muscles that were sore from sleeping on the hard surface. Ivan was already breaking down the camp and she gave him a small smile of gratitude, too ashamed and embarrassed of her outburst last night to do anymore, before she handed him his cloak and started helping.

Soon enough they were on their way again, the silence between them only slightly awkward before Ivan slowed the cart down so she could hear him talk. "There's nothing wrong with you, Eunice. You don't need to feel ashamed or embarrassed because no one else is going through what you are going through. I'll always be here for you to come to, even if not physically you can always send a letter…" Eunice knew he wanted to say more, but he trailed off as he saw the entrance to Trampoli come into sight. He slowed the cart to a stop and Eunice jumped down to grab her flower basket and rucksack from the cart's interior. She had told Ivan that she wanted to be ready to take the flower to Lara right away, so he had stopped for her to grab it, but she felt like walking now to ease her cramped leg muscles.

"I know Ivan, and thank you," Her words were soft, but she knew he heard them since he smiled. "I'm going to walk the rest of the way though, my legs are stiff and this way you can still be a surprise!" She sounded more cheerful because she felt more cheerful now and she was grateful to her friend for helping her when he certainly didn't have to.

"Well, I don't think it will be much of a surprise since Raguna is walking over here right now," Ivan announced as he watched his younger brother come towards them from the town's small gate. Eunice twirled around in surprise before smiling as she saw Raguna, who looked very surprised at Ivan's presence, and happy. He looked so happy… "Wait… no, I knew they hadn't given up!" Ivan's voice was aggressive and Eunice saw where he was looking. Just inside the trees a mage with the Sech Empire crest on his staff was gathering power for a spell and her feet moved on their own as she saw the curse being released. "Eunice, no!"

Time seemed to slow down as her eyes tracked the red beam of light and she was sure she wouldn't make it in time to push Raguna aside. She was quick now, but she knew she wouldn't make it to Raguna in time, the spell was closer to her though, and so she blocked it. She screamed as the curse hit her eyes and they burned, they burned so bad, but she refused to move as the curse kept hitting her because she didn't want to see Raguna hurt. He may not love her, but she loved him and she didn't want him to feel such pain. The sound of Ivan's sword being pulled from its sheath was the last thing she heard before darkness overtook her and the pain no longer registered.

"Ivan, why did she block it? How did she even know what you were talking about?" Raguna asked and Ivan looked up from Eunice's troubled face. He knew the curse she had taken and he feared this would be what broke her completely. The mages at the palace had spoken of a new curse, one which caused the person hit to sink into a coma where they would face their worst fears, and it severely damaged the nerves of whatever place it hit. Eunice's violet eyes were blank, unseeing, and he knew that that would hurt her even worse than facing her fears, because it's one of her fears actually coming true.

"Eunice has been a friend of mine for a very long time, and she was a friend of yours for a very long time too, before you forgot us." Ivan began, knowing that Eunice would hate him for this, but also knowing that it was time for Raguna to know who he once was.

"That means…you both knew me? You know my past and yet never told me?" Raguna sounded angry and Ivan had a feeling this was what would cause the kind hearted man to feel anger. It was better than the shock, to show at least a little bit of feeling surrounding what had happened not even a few hours ago. The hours between had been spent curing Rita and attempting to use the flower's healing properties to cure Eunice, but to no avail, she wasn't to be healed and would have to endure the coma and wake to find she was blind.

"Yes, of course I knew you, I'm your brother, but you seemed so happy that I didn't want to ruin your new life… I had duties to attend to that kept me busy, like taking care of Terrable, so I didn't regret not telling you. Eunice was terrified to tell you though, because she had loved you when you were Kael and she still loves you now, and that's why she protected you. She loves you despite that you won't ever return her love again and you never even noticed…" Ivan knew he was being harsh in his revelation, but he was angry at Raguna on Eunice's behalf. She had sacrificed everything just so Raguna could be happy and his brother hadn't even noticed it. Gently closing Eunice's eyes and trying to ignore her whimpers of fear, he held her hand as Raguna started asking questions.

The wind blew savagely through the trees, causing harsh screams to echo throughout the air and Eunice covered her ears as she kneeled on the ground, trying to block out the horrible sound. She didn't know where she was, but the land around her was dying and it was killing her, she could feel as the trees cracked and splintered, as the flowers wilted under the harsh conditions. It felt like she was burning alive when she smelt the smoke from the burning woods. Her affinity for the earth was killing her, going against her like she had always known it would. It was her connection to Kael and it was rejecting her too.

Her limbs shook, but she forced herself to stand as the smell of smoke got stronger, and she hurried away from it. She didn't know where she was going, but she had to get away from here before she died. Slowly, so very slowly, too slowly, she limped away from the screaming forest, her pain subsiding more and more with each step. Then the ground was no longer beneath her and she was falling, the wind screaming in her ears like the dying screams of the trees. She curled herself into a ball to brace for the impact, but there was none as she suddenly found herself curled up on the ground in a flower-filled meadow.

"Our meadow…" She whispered, recognizing the meadow she had met Ivan and Kael in. It had been her secret place, but then it had burned and she had tried to stop it. Kael and Ivan had helped her grow more flowers and it became even more beautiful than before, but it also held so many cherished and painful memories. Eunice closed her eyes, she didn't want to be here; she didn't want to remember the broken promise. They were supposed to be married here, like they had planned in those last few letters, but that was all gone and she didn't want to remember!

Wedding music filled the air and Eunice glanced up from where she was still on the ground before she closed her eyes and covered her ears as Raguna and Mist said their vows. "No, no, no, no, no, no…." She repeated over and over, because that wasn't the Raguna she knew today, that was her Kael, standing in his royal clothing and he had looked at her with such hatred. "No, why is this happening…? Why?!" She pulled at her hair, hoping the pain, something, would distract her from the happy couple standing only a few feet away, but their laughter filled her head painfully and felt the tears run down her cheeks before they stopped as her eyes burned.

She screamed as the pain overtook her, it was as if that curse was hitting her again, but she stopped as she heard someone calling her name.

"Eunice? Why are you screaming?" Ivan was asking before he helped her to stand. She couldn't see him, all there was around her was darkness, but she could recognize his voice.

"I…Ivan?" She asked hesitantly, her voice hoarse from screaming, and Ivan chuckled lightheartedly.

"Of course it's me, now come on, we're going to the Flower Festival today and I know you don't want to miss all of the blossoms. Hurry, Kael is waiting there for us!" Eunice nodded and stumbled along as Ivan pulled at her hand. She couldn't see as he pointed out all of the flowers she loved to stare at. She couldn't see the beauty of the world around her and her eyes just burned more when she wanted to cry. Her tears wouldn't come and she let the sobs escape her mouth. The world was lost to her, all of its beauty, and she let herself fall as someone pushed her aside. Ivan was shouting but she could do nothing as Lynette's voice rang out and her friends forgot her…

Everything seemed to pass by her in a rush, but she couldn't see it, she could only hear as her mom screamed her dying screams, the sickness having taken her.

As the village died around her, the island no longer floating above, she couldn't see to help and she could only join in the screams.

Her hands were curled up around the tiny ones of her baby, but the skin touching hers was so cold and still and she felt sobs rack her body as her stillborn baby was pulled from her arms. "I knew loving you was a mistake…" Raguna's voice echoed in her head and she felt empty inside as everything went silent.

She was alone, no one was there for her, and she knew she would always be. No one would love a broken girl like her and they had left her alone, so very alone…

Ivan stirred from where he was dozing as Eunice's sobs and whimpers stopped completely. She had been screaming earlier and had clawed at her eyes, but after that she had been only crying. He looked at her closely and her face seemed relaxed, which meant she was only sleeping now. Gently, he moved her hair out of her face and traced a finger along her cheekbone before pulling his hand back. The talk with Raguna earlier had been tense, but his brother knew everything now. Still, it had been too late since Raguna and Mist had married while Eunice was away from the village for those two weeks (the Shadow Rose was really quite hard to find and normally in monster-infested areas), and although Raguna felt guilty, Ivan refused to force his brother into a relationship that was no longer there.

Raguna, though, had revealed something to him he had never even noticed. After everything they had talked about, his brother had left with only a few parting words. 'I may not love her the way she loves me, but I can tell that you do.' He had always cared for Eunice, but Kael had always been the center of her life, and so he had never really thought about caring for her romantically. She had been his best friend, and he had remained blind to the feelings he was developing for her. Ivan shifted in his seat uncomfortably, wondering what Eunice would think. Her world was filled with such depression and he wanted to fix that, but he wasn't sure if she would let him fill the void the loss of Kael had caused…

"No…" Eunice whispered softly and Ivan stood up to get closer to her as she shook her head in denial. She was awake and he suspected she knew what had happened.

"Shhh, Eunice, it's okay, just calm down and I'll explain everything, okay?" She started at the sound of his voice, and he wondered briefly what her fears had been, before he gathered her in his arms and held her still. "It's me, Ivan; I promise everything will be okay…" She sobbed into his chest and he cried tears for her and himself as he rocked her gently. He was going to make her happy again, he swore it.

A/N: I wanted to go into more detail on the facing her fears part, but the rating can't go higher than 'T' for the contest and I don't want to push it too much. It's there to help Eunice understand what it means if she doesn't start moving forward.