[Short] Curse — The Immobile Spring

―― short story ――

In a land where the snow never ceased, the King continued to cast a barrier.

One day, a girl came to this land.
Looking for work.

The girl was always quiet and only spoke when necessary.

Her kindness did not take the form of favors.
She simply did not encroach upon the space of others.

The King was captivated by this.

In a place that neither sword nor barrier could fill,
she sat without touching anything.

One evening, the girl looked out beyond the castle walls for a long time.

In the distance, a traveler's campfire flickered.

The King looked in the direction of her gaze.
“...Do you wish to go outside?”
The girl did not shake her head.
She did not affirm it either.

That ambiguity was painful to the King.

That night, the King cast a curse.

——The moment her heart turns toward another, her body will cease to move.

It was not a punishment.

——It was a clasp.

The next day, the girl stopped in the garden.
Even when the wind blew, her sleeves did not sway.

The King watched her from afar.

“...I cannot move.”

The girl did not look troubled.
She did not blame him either.
She simply looked up at the sky.

“It is spring, isn't it?”

The King approached.
He did not tell her the conditions of the curse.
If he told her, she would surely move to break it.

——This is fine.

The King smiled.

Several days passed.
The girl remained in the same spot within the castle.
The King continued to care for her.

And he felt relieved.

“Your Majesty.”

Called by her, he realized for the first time.
Her heart had not turned toward anyone else.
She had simply looked at the outside world.

The girl had quiet eyes.

The way to break the curse was——

The King hesitated.

That would be an act of possession.
It was an act that would destroy her quietude.

The girl waited, unable to move a single step.

The King, holding a dull pain, kissed her.
Briefly, as if to confirm.

——The curse was broken.

The girl began to walk as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you very much.”
Leaving only her gratitude behind.

The King did not follow her back.
He could not follow.
It was not she whose curse was broken.
It was the King's.

From then on, the King would never bind anyone again.

Because he had learned that those who touch such quiet kindness,

become unable to move, even without being bound.