"Me? Are you sure my lord?"
"To be honest, absolutely not. But I need you to come with me for two main reasons: One, I need you to be a witness so if someone runs off, my dad won't think I neglected to grab them. Two, you're going to be my meat shield. Not everyone likes to follow my father's orders willingly." If Maria was shocked by the sudden request she didn't show it. She simply nodded and lightly trotted off back to the kitchen to remove her apron. Upon coming back, it seemed like she washed the oil off her face. She looked a little more alive than before.
"I am ready my lord."
"Good, just follow me for now." Maria followed Jacobs steps to a tea, almost as if she was his shadow. Jacob noticed this and turned around for a moment, prompting her to stop. "Could you maybe follow me a little less...perfectly?"
"As you wish." Finally, she seemed like a normal person following him. Leaving the palace, Jacob was assaulted by the sweltering summer heat. He put his hand over his eyes to block the sun for a moment before continuing forward. The streets of his kingdom were flooded with markets and stores. Children were chasing each other around playfully, fruit stands and hardware stores had lines of people waiting to buy their goods, music was serenading through the air from street performers. Jacob felt a sense of pride knowing this was all going to be his someday. He came closer to Maria so she could hear him through the yells of the citizens.
"Keep an eye out for a fisherman. He should have a stand somewhere around here."
"My lord."
"What? What's wrong?"
"I forgot to mention something to you. I meant to tell you back at the dining table, but it felt stupid to mention in the moment." Jacob started getting frustrated.
"Just tell me. Did you do something wrong?"
"No. I feel...different." Jacob started scratching his head.
"What? What do you mean different?"
"I don't know how else to describe it, I'm sorry my lord." Just then, Jacob had a sudden dreadful thought cross his mind.
"Oh no... please don't tell me you're... PREGNANT?" For some reason, Jacob screamed this last part which made a few bystanders throw them weird glances. For the first time since meeting her, Jacob saw Maria's face turn a bright shade of red.
"N-no, my lord. I am not pregnant. But something definitely feels off." Jacob felt like slapping himself in the face.
"Well, if you can't fight, at least you can block some arrows or something. And good timing too, because the man we're looking for is right over there." Jacob pointed to a man running a fishing stand. Multiple kinds of fish laid inside boxes; fishing gear hung on the walls and long threads were wrapped around sticks. The man was large, had broad shoulders and wore a stained yellow shirt with dark brown overalls.
"What do you need me to do my lord?"
"Just go over to the man and tell him the king demands his presence at the palace. If all goes well, he won't put up too much of a fight." Maria nods and makes her way towards the man.
"Pardon me sir, but the king needs you at his palace. He requested you by name personally." The man seemed to just notice the woman at the front of his stand.
"Hey, a customer! Sorry, I seemed to be dozing off a bit there. Let me get you hooked up! These fish were caught fresh today!"
"I'm sorry sir but I need you to-"
"No no no wait! I knew you looked like a fisherman! It's the rods you want! As you can see you won't find better quality anywhere else. These rods can handle fish up to-"
"The king really needs your help at-"
"Stop right there! Third times the charm. You need a new fishing line! Did you know I was ranked second best fishing line salesman during-"
"Hey fat ass, shut up and listen to the girl already." The young prince stepped toward the counter this time. The fisherman's face tensed up at the sight of the young man.
"Oh, young lord! I didn't know... Anyway, how may I help you?" Maria seemed like she was gritting her teeth for a moment but calmed herself before answering.
"The king orders you to the palace. He needs extra hands for a project he's working on."
"Why yes, of course. Anything for the king. I'll head there right away." Maria held a stern glare at the man as he walked away.
"Don't worry about that, not everyone has beginners' luck. Let's try the next one." After Maria calmed down, she and the prince wandered for a bit longer before finding the next gentleman. He sent Maria forward again in an attempt to redeem herself. However, the moment she approached the man's stand his faced turn white with fear.
"G-g-g-GHOST! I HAVE TO INFORM THE KING! WE'RE BEING HAUNTED!" And just like that, the man ran towards the castle screaming for his life. Jacob coughed into his hand.
"Well...you still technically did it so... good job?" Surprisingly, Maria didn't care seem to care what the man said or at least didn't show it. While walking to find the next person, Maria decided to lead the way. Jacob took out a handkerchief and placed a hand on Maria's shoulder. Immediately she froze completely still, her face hidden by her dark brown hair. "Listen, you don't seem too good at this. Maybe I should take the next-" But before he could finish his sentence, Maria grabbed hold of Jacob's arm and threw him effortlessly over her shoulder. His body slammed against the concrete with a loud quake, causing bystanders to back up in fear. The stone tiles under Jacob cracked outward from the impact. Too stunned to speak Jacob looked up at Maria. For the first time, a clear emotion was taking root on her face: fear. Next thing he knew, Maria wrapped her arm around his neck from behind in a chokehold. Jacob tried to kick free, but it was useless. He was slowly starting to lose consciousness. "I'm your prince...Unhand me you bitch!" Upon hearing these words, sense seemed to find its way back to Maria, allowing her to let go. Jacob fell on the ground coughing and holding his ribs. 'What the hell was that?' Maria curled up in a ball on the stone and started sobbing quietly to herself.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Jacob struggled to stand up, still reeling from the surprise attack.
"You...You'll pay for this!" walking toward Maria, he lowered himself to her face to meet her eyes. They were filled with tears, some running down her cheek as she laid sideways. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" Instead of responding, Maria continued to quietly sob, holding her legs to her chest. Taking a moment to review what just happened, Jacob realized something even if Maria didn't. She gained a power. Not just any power, but a curse power that enhances her strength.