A/N: I cried while writing this chapter multiple times lol. It just really got to me. :'(

Please enjoy!

Feedback is always appreciated!

"...If I never knew you (there's no moment I regret)
If I never knew your love (since the moment that we met)
I would have no inkling of (if our time has gone too fast)
How precious life can be, ooh (I've lived at last)..."
—"If I Never Knew You" by Jon Secada & Shanice

︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵

Present Day...

.:Serenity:.

The cold was deepening. My thick layers of clothing did little to shield me from the frigid wind, as if the elements themselves fought to thwart us. But the chill was nothing to the icy fear seeping over me the closer we got to the border of Elysion—closer to the winter palace—and the sense of foreboding tightening my stomach.

Mina and I traveled a lesser-known route Endymion had told me was often neglected by the king's men, and true to his word, we encountered no one on our journey through the snowy Elderen Wood. But this alone wasn't enough to convince Mina we weren't riding into a trap carefully laid by the enemy.

She seemed uncannily calm, an emotion that seemed to have only worsened after the hours she'd spent immersed in the records outlining the relics Elysion had required throughout the generations. I wasn't certain what sort of information she'd discovered or what relevance it had to our quest—especially when she made it a point to elude my questions—only that it left me uneasy, a foreboding that enfolded me more thickly than the frosty air.

I rubbed my hands to try to warm my chilled fingers. The journey had been long and onerous, though thankfully short enough to complete in a single day considering the winter palace was near our kingdom's border. We'd risen before dawn and had been riding for hours. My body protested not only the elements but the length of time riding in the saddle, especially after the days I'd spent on horseback only a few days prior.

Anxiousness had accompanied us, along with Mina's frosty silence, for she and I still weren't speaking. The thick tension was made more unbearable considering it'd been caused by my actions, ones I still didn't know how to amend.

The Relic of Peace will do more than heal the kingdom from the feud; it will amend your relationship with Mina. The thought was reassuring, especially the closer we came to our destination. Surely with it I'd be able to fix everything that was currently broken.

The sun was sinking against the horizon when I finally caught sight of a castle in the distance, its stone turrets jutting above the dense, snow-covered trees surrounding it. Standing midst a grove of pines was a single rider whose silhouette I immediately recognized.

"Endymion," I breathed. Beside me, my guard immediately tensed. "He's alone, Mina."

"So it appears." She didn't move her hand from its position above her sword as he rode closer. His wide smile faltered when he noticed Mina flanking me.

"She insisted on coming," I explained. "The only reason I can think of her cooperation is that she's up to something."

Mina glared at me, as if I'd betrayed her by speaking of her suspicions out loud. I glared right back.

Endymion eyed her with misgiving before his smile returned, tighter than before, as if he was forcing it solely for my benefit. "Serenity." His warm tone was a welcome respite to the cold seeping into my skin, not just from the frigid weather but the uneasiness that had accompanied us throughout our journey. "Four days, Sere. A new record."

Some of my tension eased at this familiar pattern of our relationship. "Even four days is too long, though not as long as I feared; I confess that when we parted last time I believed I'd never see you again."

"I'm not giving you up that easily, even if I did lose the last round." His tone was a mixture of reassurance and teasing.

"I did win, didn't I?" But the lightness of our exchange faded as worry crowded it out. "How's your head?"

"Doing much better." His hand lifted to prod where Mina had hit him. "It was, admittedly, an effective strategy for your victory."

I knew his attempt at humor was to help stave off any lingering guilt I might be feeling from the exchange, and though it didn't work, I did my best not to betray my remorse, lest it cause him to worry.

I straightened loftily in my saddle. "Does my being the current victor warrant me a prize?"

Though the comment was made in jest, his eyes lit up, as if he actually had one in mind. "Now that you mention it, I do have something for you."

He urged his horse, Destrier, closer, but before he could get far, Mina drew her sword and darted in front of me to shield me from his advance. He slowed, eyeing her weapon with great trepidation.

"An assassination is the not the prize I had in mind," he said wryly.

Mina scoffed. "So you claim, but promises are easily broken. The cost of you going against them is far too high for me to risk it."

He sighed as he reached into his cloak and withdrew a small wooden box. "As reluctant as I am for you to see Serenity's gift before she does, I'm more keen on giving it to her than not at all. You have my permission to inspect it to sure it's safe."

I watched enviously as Mina accepted the box and examined what was inside. After a long study involving much poking and prodding, she handed it to me with great hesitancy.

My breath caught as I eagerly opened it. Inside, resting on a blue velvet cushion, was a silver pendant outlined in pearls and diamonds, carved in the shape of a miniature candle. A unique gift, but one I already adored. I caressed it with my fingertip before looking up in wonder. "Oh, Endymion...it's beautiful."

He seemed pleased by my reaction. "Candles symbolize light shining even in the thickest darkness, which I found fitting." His gaze was soft with hope as he added, "Consider it a promise pendant." He nudged Destrier around Mina and leaned towards my ear. "One that happens to be enchanted, but it's up to you to discover the spell."

I carefully took the necklace from its box and he made to help me put it on but froze at Mina's firm shake of her head. "You get that close to the princess's throat and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Endymion's jaw clenched but he obediently backed away, leaving me to put the necklace on myself, not at all the same as having him do it.

The Relic of Peace will change everything, I reminded myself as I fiddled with the clasp. We're so close. In a few hours everything will be different.

Eager to finally end this ridiculous feud, I turned Luna towards the winter palace. Endymion urged his own into motion and joined me on one side while Mina rode close to my other, her hand still poised over her sword, as if she anticipated needing it for whatever lay ahead. I tried to ignore her heated, suspicious attention as I turned to Endymion.

"Have you had a chance to search for the relic?"

"I haven't yet explored the castle; I wanted to wait for you."

I ignored Mina's derisive snort at his comment as determinedly as she seemed to ignore my glare. Not for the first time I regretted her accompanying me and forced myself to remember it was a small price should we succeed in acquiring the relic.

Endymion leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Her distrust is a small cost. I'd much rather deal with it than the risk should you have travelled alone. Though the route I gave you is the safest, the thought of you in Elysion at all..." He released a shaky breath. "Perhaps this plan was unwise. I should have met you in Clariness in order to escort you myself. We're just so close that I didn't think—" He couldn't seem to finish.

"There would have been greater risk of discovery should you have come to Clariness to escort me."

Though he nodded, the words did little to reassure him, and he wasn't the only one ill at ease; despite knowing the relic was only a short distance away, rather than anticipation I only felt an increased sense of foreboding, an emotion it didn't take him long to notice.

His brows drew in concern. "Serenity?"

It took me a moment to find the words to describe my unease. "I just feel...like something is going to go wrong." Worry caused my voice to hitch. If my fears proved founded, I'd just lost my final chance to fight for Endymion before Mina exposed our relationship, causing me to lose him forever.

"Nothing will go wrong, Sere," he said assuredly. "The Relic of Peace is within that castle, I'm certain of it."

And though I trusted him, I couldn't shake off the apprehension curling itself around my heart.

We rode in silence for a time, the only sound being our horses' hooves crunching the snow, the forest's swaying branches, and of course my pounding heart. Endymion shifted in his saddle, as if he found the quiet as unsettling as I did. He was the first to break it.

"Did your guard inform your parents about us?"

"Not yet," I said, grateful for a distraction from the worried crowding my mind. "And your father...was he angry I escaped?"

Endymion's jaw clenched, and I took that as a yes, King Eldas had been angry, undoubtedly furious. It was a while before he spoke. "This game has become even more dangerous. I fear the repercussions should we not succeed today." He lifted his chin. "But we will; we have to."

His desperation joined mine, shrouding me the remainder of the journey; it only grew heavier when we finally rode through the abandoned gates.

"Were are the guards?" I asked as Endymion helped me off Luna, all while Mina watched us through narrowed eyes.

"Enchantment protects this palace whenever the royal family isn't in residence, making guards unnecessary, but I know of a secret passage that will allow us to breach it."

Though my apprehension was as heavy as ever, I still managed a smile. "Secret passageways are your expertise."

He winked, a gesture which helped calm my escalating pulse, but only just.

We accessed the passage via the eastern wall, the switch that opened it hidden behind a carving of a dragon. As the stone wall slid open Endymion explained that another entrance was hidden in the forest near a gnarled tree should one ever need to sneak past any guards posted at the gate, as well as describing the different sections of the castle that accessed the passageways, including the dungeon.

Mina insisted on entering first so she'd be the one to encounter any ambush that might be lying in wait, but like the entire journey here, we never met another soul. We squeezed into the narrow stone passage, and though it snaked in several different directions, Endymion navigated each of the many twists and turns with a confidence that could only have come from great familiarity.

We walked for nearly a quarter of an hour, our only light the flickering torch Endymion had lit at the entrance and the only sound our echoing footsteps. Though Endymion kept his hand woven through mine as we traversed the passage, with every step closer to the object that would finally bring us together I almost sensed he was slipping further away, as if our time together was sand in an hourglass that had almost run out.

We finally emerged into the dark and frozen castle shrouded in an air of neglect near the gallery, which Endymion's second letter had informed me was where he believed the relic resided.

Rather than entering a room filled with paintings and sculptures, we found a chamber lined with pedestals, each containing an object. To the untrained eye they appeared to be nothing more than fancy, elegant ornaments, but upon closer inspection each possessed an almost mystical aura, hints to the magic contained within each one.

Mina remained close as we wandered the room, searching each object carefully. And though we were closer than ever, my fear only escalated, as if it too followed us, as thick a presence as the shadows filling the dreary chamber.

"Is this it, Princess?"

I paused at the sound of Mina's voice and turned to find her gaze riveted to an object tucked into a corner. I had little time to wonder why she would be the one to point out the object we sought, for the moment I saw the relic I recognized it—an intricate olive branch carved from silver.

Upon capturing my attention, the object glowed, making it impossible to look away. Mesmerized, I found myself stepping closer. The relic contained an almost eerie sort of glow that tantalized my thoughts and encouraged me to touch it. I felt drawn to its power, to what it promised to give me, while at the same time I sensed a darkness about it, as if a shadow I couldn't see hovered over it.

"Is this it?" I whispered, glancing at Endymion.

Endymion nodded. "It looks exactly like its illustration in the book of relics we studied." Excitement filled his expectant gaze, compelling me to reach for it. I didn't need his encouragement to heed the seductive lure, for the relic's light seemed to have curled around my thoughts, drawing me in.

I reached for it, only to pause inches away. I hesitated, frozen by the part of me that wondered whether peace really was the relic I should acquire for my kingdom rather than abundance, but I hastily pushed through these lingering reservations and allowed myself to succumb to its pull.

The moment my fingers caressed the metal, a burning pain encased my hand before rippling up my arm, bringing with it a suffocating darkness that immediately pulled me under. I gasped sharply, but before I even had time to wonder what had happened, the blackness started to overcome me.

Before all was lost the last thing I saw was the twisted face of a boy who looked as if he'd just lost his entire world.

︵‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿︵

.:Endymion:.

The moment Serenity touched the relic she stiffened, eyes wide with pain, before she crumpled with a sharp gasp. I barely had time to lurch forward and catch her before she fell to the stone floor. I gently lowered her and rested her head in my lap. "Serenity?"

She didn't answer, her eyes closed, her face deathly pale.

Fear seized my heart. "Serenity? Serenity?"

At my urgent shake she released a shaky breath and her eyes opened a sliver. For a moment she looked blearily around, her expression disoriented, before she groaned in pain and her eyes slid closed once more. My fingers desperately stroked her cheek, icy to the touch.

"Serenity?"

She stirred at my caress and appeared to be struggling to speak, but after another groan she slumped against me and went still; if it weren't for the subtle rise and fall of her chest, I'd have feared she was dead.

My panic rose, cinching my chest. "Serenity? Serenity!"

She didn't answer. She didn't even move.

I exchanged a panicked look with her guard, Mina, who had crouched beside me, her frantic gaze riveted to Serenity's face, growing paler by the moment. She met my gaze and, for the first time, it was absent of any hostility, filled with only fear. My own despair slowly eclipsed me, extinguishing the light which had guided me until this point.

"What's happening?" Desperation wrenched my voice.

"I—I don't know." Mina rested the back of her hand to Serenity's brow. "She appeares...to have suddenly fallen ill."

"She's dying."

We startled at the unexpected, almost musical voice filling the room I'd believed to be empty. I swiveled around. Standing beneath the gallery archway stood an enchantress shrouded in a blue-hued light that emanated from her to fill the shadowy chamber, but she wasn't just any enchantress, but Princess Beryl of Nemeth, the woman my father intended for me.

I had little time to wonder how or why she was here, every question lost as the meaning of her words pierced my heart. "Serenity is...what?"

Beryl stepped more fully into the room, her cold expression almost serene as she took in Serenity lying limply in my arms. "She's dying."

The words were, if possible, even more horrible the second time. I felt as if the air had been knocked out of me; it was a struggle to breathe, let alone think.

I could barely speak past the horror clogging my heart. "No, she can't—you're wrong, you have to be. Please."

"The object she touched was cursed." Beryl lifted an elegant chin towards the relic still resting on the pedestal. "Many relics have an enchantment of protection that must be broken before they can be claimed." Her look was accusing.

"But the Relic of Peace has no curses protecting it—"

Her harsh laugh cut off the remainder of my words. "True, that relic is an exception; however, this is not the Relic of Peace, but the Relic of Illusion."

Her footsteps echoed through the gallery as she approached the pedestal. Upon waving her hand over the silver olive leaf its image melted away, leaving a silver sphere in its place.

"Its true form," she explained. "A fascinating relic. Its power is to take on the form of whatever one is searching for, a power it uses even before it is claimed. The enchantment protecting it, if not broken before acquiring it, brings death to all who touch it. You should have ensured this was truly the Relic of Peace before trying to claim it. Now, thanks to your negligence, she'll be dead within the hour."

Guilty penetrated my wave of despair. If I'd been more diligent... Better yet, had I been the one to touch the object first, then Serenity wouldn't have... My arms tightened around her in a futile effort to protect her from the dark magic slowing stealing her precious life.

"We must do something!"

Beryl shook her head. "There's nothing to be done."

"That's a lie," I hissed. "We're speaking of magic. As such, there's always something."

Beryl's ocher eyes glistened. "It appears the prince is aware of the rules of magic. Or, at least, some of them. You're correct in your understanding that anything is possible...for a price."

Hope stirred my previously sinking heart. "Whatever the cost, I'll pay it."

She tilted her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said fiercely. "I'll do anything, anything..."

She lifted a coy brow. "I sense your sincerity, but is your willingness to sacrifice truly wise? After all, anything can be a rather high price to pay, Prince."

"I'll pay whatever you require," I said. "Nothing means more to me than Serenity. Nothing."

"Which will make determining the appropriate cost all the easier." By her calculating glint I suspected that not only had she already determined a price, but it'd be one I wouldn't like. The fear pooling in my stomach deepened.

My attention immediately shifted when Serenity suddenly stirred from her place in my lap and fumbled for my hand. "Serenity?" I murmured gently.

"D—Don't," she pleaded weakly. "Whatever she asks, you can't—"

I stroked her hair. "Not to worry, Sere, all will be well." I brushed a kiss to her brow, my lips stiff with tension.

"I see you care for her," Beryl said.

"She's my life."

"So I see." Her responding smile was without feeling. "I sense the love you have or her, one that is quite powerful, even more because it's forbidden love. Fighting so hard for one dear to your heart has only increased its power."

Her words caused Mina to startle beside me. "You speak of love, but he doesn't love her. He's only using her to—"

Beryl's laugh silenced her. "That is an assumption made in prejudice; hatred truly can be just as blinding as love. I hope in your ignorance you didn't make an irrevocable mistake that will cost you your dearest friend."

Mina's shock seemed to have rendered her speechless, her eyes wide with horror, even guilt.

"My magic allows me to sense what you refuse to see," Beryl continued. "These two are in love—a love that is deep and true."

Still Mina didn't answer, but she shook as she reached for Serenity's other hand not enfolded within mine.

Beryl's gaze slid back to me, and though her expression didn't change, her eyes hardened. "You and I are supposed to forge an alliance, Endymion."

If she was attempting to make me feel guilty for being unfaithful towards an arrangement I not only didn't want, but hadn't even formally agreed to—it wouldn't work, especially in a moment like this. "We have no formal understanding."

"Not yet," she conceded with an almost mocking smile.

I tightened my jaw. "That arrangement is my father's ambition, not my own."

"So I've come to understand," she said. "I sensed your heart had already been stolen when we met shortly after the discussions for an arrangement between our two kingdoms began. I confess, I never imagined it'd been claimed by the one woman you cannot have. But not to worry, I take no offense."

Her overly sweet tone contradicted her words; I'd clearly insulted her with my lack of interest. My sense of foreboding increased.

"You played your game valiantly," she continued with a tight smile not at all befitting the tension surrounding us. "Too bad it was one you were doomed from the very beginning to lose."

"I will only lose if Serenity dies," I said. "We've already determined you know how to help her, so speaking of personal matters is only wasting precious time."

"Oh, we have a little bit of time; this curse is a slow-moving one, after all." Dark satisfaction curled her mouth as she took in Serenity, pale and lifeless in my arms.

Anger momentarily crowded out my despair. "You seem pleased we find ourselves in such a dire circumstance. Are you so upset by my disinterest in our arrangement that you'd hurt Serenity for revenge?"

Her eyebrows rose "Revenge? Certainly not, Prince. After all, I didn't force her to touch a cursed object, nor did I create the rules that governs how my powers—should I choose to use them to save her like you so fiercely desire—are to be used."

I sensed there was a loophole she wasn't telling me about. I ached to convince her to share it, but our interaction had already taken too long; time was slipping away, each moment Serenity had remaining too precious spent arguing with the cold enchantress.

"If a way to help Serenity exists...I must...please."

Beryl's lips curled into a smile once more, as cold as the frigid air surroundings us. "Magic follows a specific set of laws. Luckily, a love so strong is a powerful price for the magic I'll need to save her."

My breath hitched. "Quit speaking in riddles! What do you mean?"

"There is no greater force—indeed, no greater magic—than love," she went on at a leisurely pace. "And your love for Princess Serenity is one of the most sincere I've ever seen. Such things are special, and powerful. All magic comes at a cost, and the greater the cost the stronger the spell. With love, I may very well be able to save her."

For a long moment her words rendered my thoughts frozen with disbelief, before their meaning penetrated my shock. She can't possibly mean... Yet, by her heartless smirk, I knew she meant every word. Dread seeped over me, a cold, all-consuming darkness, as if I were slowly being dipped in ice.

"What?" Surely I'd misunderstood. I couldn't possibly lose my love for Serenity; she was the only light in the darkness filling my life, the anchor that kept me from sinking and becoming what I most feared. If it were to be extinguished... "You're going to take...our love?" Fear choked my words.

She tilted her head, her look almost mocking. "Oh? Is your willingness to pay anything to save her already too high of a cost?"

"No, I—" I couldn't finish, the horror seeping over me too acute to form into words.

"You must sacrifice your love in order to save her life," Beryl confirmed. "I wish that was all my magic required, but I'm afraid there's more I must take from you both."

My horror escalated to anger at her words. "What more could you possibly have to steal? Nothing means more to me than Serenity! If I no longer feel for her, then—"

"Is her life worth more to you, Prince Endymion? If you keep your love, then she will die, an impending event that draws ever nearer."

My gaze shifted down at Serenity cradled within my arms. My hand went to her cheek to stroke her jawline with my thumb. "I won't love her anymore?" The thought of no longer caring for her was unimaginable, especially when my love for Serenity had been a part of me for so long.

She nodded. "Nor will she love you. Unfortunately, with the cost required for such a spell, it's likely that more than your love for one another will be taken."

My dread increased. This bargain was growing more and more dangerous, yet it left me with no choice. Even if these feelings were about to be taken from me, I felt them now, feelings which left only one course of action open to me.

"What more could you possibly steal? If love is as powerful as you say, what other price would be required?"

"To lose more than your romantic love, but also the love you feel for others."

For a moment I was speechless, before determination settled over me. One course only. And I'd walk it for her—always, for her.

But only on one condition. I met Beryl's calculated gaze evenly. "Perhaps you and I can negotiate the terms?"

She nearly scoffed. "There is no room for negotiation! The rules of magic are unalterable: a price must be paid in full."

"Yet, it doesn't matter how it's paid, so long as it is. Correct?"

She tilted her head. "Does the prince have an idea?"

My mouth had gone dry but I pushed forward, my love lending me a strength far beyond my own. "If a price must be paid, then I will be the only one to pay it. I understand she has to lose her love for me, but don't steal any more of Serenity's love. She gives it so freely—it's the thing I admire most about her. I can't bear the thought of it being taken."

Beryl pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Such conditions are...possible. I'm afraid you don't fully understand the cost of what you're proposing, however. If you pay her love in addition to your own, too much will be taken from you. You will not only lose the love you feel now, but the ability to ever feel—it will leave you—"

"Don't tell me," I hastily pleaded. "I can't afford to change my mind. I can't bear Serenity losing that part of herself, of losing any possibility of a future filled with love—not just for her family and people, but even with...another man and their children."

My heart wrenched of the thought of her future spent apart from me, of my own future empty of her. I couldn't even imagine losing the ability to love, not just her but at all; a life without a heart. It had been solely in Serenity's possession too long for me to ever want it back, especially absent the most important emotion I'd ever experienced. But while I would lose mine, at least Serenity could move on to live a life...without me. An agonizing thought, though nothing to the pain of her being robbed from me.

My hand went to her icy cheek. She was growing paler as her life slipped away, a thought that caused my fear to fully analyze what would be required to have her. Serenity was all that mattered—all that could matter.

"I choose Serenity. Take what you must to save her!"

But despite my declaration, Beryl didn't immediately perform the spell, her confidence had faltered, leaving her hesitant—a hesitancy that threatened to slither towards me in order to curl itself around my resolve, something I couldn't afford.

"I choose Serenity," I repeated firmly. "I will always choose her. Thus, you will take my love to give power to the spell needed to save her!"

"It's unwise," Beryl said. "Taking so much love from one person—you shouldn't—you don't understand all of the repercussions—"

"Do it!" I hissed. "I've already told you I care more for her than anything else. I will not be moved."

She studied me for a prolonged moment, as if searching for my sincerity, before she finally nodded. "Very well." She lifted her hand.

Despite my determination, I wasn't at all prepared for such a cost. My panic rose. "Wait!" I clutched at Serenity desperately. "Swear to me that she will be unharmed." I needed to be absolutely certain.

"You have my word," she said, and in this instance she sounded sincere. "While her love for you will also be lost, I will take nothing else from her, as you desire."

She extended her hand to shake on our bargain, but before I could Mina lurched forward to rest hers over mine. I glanced towards her, confused by her interference in anything that would help Serenity, only to find her staring at me as if she'd never seen me before now. A myriad of emotions I couldn't decipher filled her expression before she glanced towards Beryl, who watched us through narrowed eyes.

"It's true that all magic comes at a price," Mina said slowly. "But in the event such magic creates a curse, it also creates a timeframe during which it can be broken."

Beryl's eyes widened. "Where did you learn that, girl?"

Mina didn't answer, simply waited for the enchantress to confirm.

"It's...true that there's always a timeframe in which a curse may be broken," Beryl said slowly. "Often twelve full moons from when the spell is cast before it becomes permanent."

Mina nodded. "That's all I needed to know." After one last searching glance, she released her hold on me. I stared questioningly at her, but she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"You must take Serenity away," I told her. "I'm afraid if my love for her is gone...if I've forgotten how important she is to me—I couldn't live with myself if I harm her in any way. Please."

Mina stood and lifted Serenity's petite frame from my arms. Her absence lingered as I rose, too, my hand still on Serenity's cheek. I stared long and hard at her, trying to quench my need before a permanent fast, as if the act could etch her delicate features on my heart even after I forgot everything else. I already knew them so perfectly that I couldn't imagine ever not remembering. Could magic truly be so powerful as to take this feeling away?

"I love you, Serenity," I whispered.

She only moaned in response, too disoriented to hear my words, or return them; a thought which made my already heavy heart ache further. I tried to remember the last time she'd spoken them to me and held fast to this memory so that I could keep it at the forefront of my mind for as long as I had remaining.

I stroked her cheek, savoring the feel of her skin, my thumb lingering in its favorite place in her dimple. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers for what would likely be our last kiss, one I hoped contained all of the feelings in my heart—ones I was experiencing for the very last time. Even in her half-conscious state her lips pressed gently against mine, having enough strength to return our last kiss, a small mercy.

"Please be happy," I murmured as I pulled away, and finally let her go.

As I withdrew, a single tear slipped past the barrier I'd erected to guard my emotions and landed on her cheek. As if this tear had caused her to gain some awareness as to what was happening, Serenity stirred, fumbling for my hand, but her touch slipped from my grasp as Mina pulled her away to carry her swiftly down the corridor towards the palace's exit.

"Endymion?" Serenity moaned, and when I didn't answer or follow, her voice rose, becoming more desperate and hysterical. "Endymion? Endymion!"

Her voice echoed across the stones before it faded, and then she was gone.

I stared after them long after Serenity had disappeared, feeling as if my heart had already hardened past feeling. To think I'd never see her again, and if I did... I'll remember nothing. The thought that without my memories of our love I could potentially harm her was torture of the worst kind. I fervently prayed such a day would never come.

Even before the curse worked its evil magic I already felt as if a candle had been extinguished within me, leaving me trapped in nothing but icy darkness. I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands, waiting for Beryl to steal my love.

She crouched beside me and lifted my chin with her finger to force my gaze to meet the smirk toying the corners of her lips. "It will all be alright, my prince," she crooned, as if to a lover. "Soon you shall forget all about her. Without your love, her loss won't even be painful."

As cold as I felt, her touch burned me. I yanked away with a glare.

She cradled a bulb of pale-blue light in her palm and my fear grew, clutching me with its icy fingers. I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn't see her spell coming.

In this moment I thought of every memory of Serenity, clutching at them desperately as if the gesture could keep them from slipping away. Each one caused my heart to swell with a love so beautiful, so pure—surely too strong truly to be forgotten. I tuned out Beryl as she began to murmur words in an ancient language that I didn't understand.

"I love Serenity," I whispered desperately, over and over. "I love her, I love her, I love—"

I sucked in a startled breath as I felt a force hit me in the chest. The moment its iciness touched me it began seeping into my mind and my heart, where it seized not only her name, but everything having to do with her. I barely noticed the strange absence, the emptiness.

Suddenly an excruciating pain overcame me as coldness as intense as I'd ever experienced seeped into my chest and squeezed my heart so tightly I felt it'd break, a pain which caused my to keel over. The curse's clutch tightened, encasing it in ice; transforming it into ice. As it did, the last of any memories of...something faded before I forgot that anything was missing at all.

In an instant it was all over and I felt nothing, save for a hollowness in my chest I vaguely recollected was new, yet I quickly adjusted to the feeling—a state of complete indifference, as if it'd always been a part of me.

I straightened and glanced around the winter palace, wondering idly how I'd ended up here and why, when I suddenly noticed a woman possessing a hard, icy beauty standing beside me, whom I recognized as my soon-to-be intended.

"Princess Beryl," I said, disregarded to how impolite my tone sounded.

"Prince Endymion." She was studying me closely with a rather curious look, one I found rather aggravating.

I glared at her. "What is it?"

"Nothing at all," she said smoothly. "Though, I do have a question for you: do you know what love is?"

I wrinkled my brow.

Love? What was love?

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à suivre...