Wryn thought Elowen looked gorgeous. Her dress had a high lace collar that surrounded her neck and looked like icicles. Encrusted with sparkling diamonds, the beautiful bodice of the dress tapered into a full skirt that resembled a cracking, frozen pond.

She hadn't expected to find Elowen with the royals. Her stepsister usually tried to stay in the shadows. Elowen hated parties and dressing up, but here she was on the arm of a prince.

"Good evening, Prince Bastien," the new prince said. "Who is your guest?"

Elowen's audible gasp when she looked at Wryn drew everyone's attention. Her stepsister's jaw dropped slightly, and she swallowed before she was able to speak.

"That's my dress." Elowen sounded flabbergasted.

Wryn's face heated as all the Cyrans looked at her with looks of shock. Elowen seemed to turn more and more pale as she looked at her. Wryn hoped her stepsister wasn't about to pass out.

Bash squeezed her hand. "We can explain, Elowen. I took the dress for her. She didn't think that you'd mind. We tried to locate you, but we couldn't find you in the crowd."

As if sensing his lie, Estefania's eyes narrowed. "Bastien, what is going on?"

"It's a long story, Steffie," Bash said. "But Wryn and I—"

"Wryn?" Elowen looked stunned. "How are you even here?"

Tears pooled in Wryn's eyes. She hadn't expected to come face to face with Elowen. At least not before her curse was broken. She tried to push her quivering lips into a smile and she took a deep breath. It was time to tell Elowen the truth.

"I'm cured, El," her voice was faint. "Bash helped me find out what the countess was doing to me and then he set me free from the magic tether on my room."

"It took a while to gather the right ingredients, but I was able to break the barrier around Wryn's room," Bash said. "She's still weak, but she's certainly not patient zero, as Countess Monique has told everyone. Wryn is just being drained as the consequence of a wish."

The oldest prince adjusted his cane. Wryn tried to remember his name. It came to her a moment later—Fletcher—as he spoke.

"A wish did this?"

"Yes," Bash said. "I've learned everything I can about magic in sixteen years. I can't break the magic, but I've studied it. It's happened before. A woodcutter once wished he could live forever. His child lived in incredible pain and weakness while the woodcutter never aged. The child became better when the woodcutter died in a logging accident."

The two princes looked at each other with something dark in their gaze. Prince Fletcher's fingers tightened on his cane, making his knuckles turn white. It was the marquis who spoke next, though.

"Is there a way to break the curse without killing the person who made such a rotten wish?"

The marquis stared at Wryn with a dazed expression. His green eyes were bright and somehow familiar. He reached up a hand to his hair to push back the messy golden locks.

"I'm not sure," Bash admitted. "I'd need to do more research, and I don't know who Wryn is tied to. I don't think the countess is her mother, and I can't do more without finding out who her birth parents are."

Then the marquis stepped towards Wryn and grasped her hand. His touch was icy, and she wanted to pull away, but he turned her arm to view the birthmark on her skin. She didn't understand how he'd seen it, but the wine-like stain had been on her forearm as long as she could remember. The shape reminded Wryn of a kiss.

"No way." Lorenzo's breath caught. "How did you know?"

"She looks like my mother," the marquis said. "And she has our father's eyes."

Wryn felt like her world was shifting off its axis. She thought that his eyes seemed familiar. Wryn wondered for the first time with clarity if maybe the countess really wasn't her mother.

The marquis didn't release her arm. Instead, he silently conferred with Fletcher. The crown prince's face gave nothing away, but he finally cracked a smile. Wryn released a sigh of relief.

"It seems the Marquess Caitryn de Ryne has come home," Fletcher said. "Welcome to our home, little sister."

Wryn shivered as the marquis let go of her arm. If he really was her brother, she really needed to learn his name. Bash pulled her against him and she was grateful for his support. Her mind was more questions than anything. She was the marquis' sister? That meant the princes were also her half-brothers.

The countess had somehow stolen the daughter of a king and passed her off as her own daughter. She'd tricked Wryn into thinking she was sickly and broken. If Bash was right about her curse, that meant that her energy was being drained by the king.

She looked at each of her brothers. Lorenzo rubbed his temples. Fletcher leaned on his cane like he might fall over without it. They all looked exhausted and broken, even the marquis.

"What do we do now?" the marquis asked. "We've found Catiryn, and she's suffering like us. Bastien says we're all being drained by someone who wants to live forever, and the three of us know someone who hasn't aged in two decades."

Wryn followed Fletcher's gaze across the ballroom, where the king sat laughing with his courtiers. He was her father, she realized, and he didn't look like he was older than her. His youth had remained while his children suffered.

"Why would a fairy grant such a selfish wish?" Elowen asked.

"Because the fairies were meant to serve our desires," Estefania said. "The Brothers always taught me that people used their wishes for self-serving gains. They claimed it was better now that people were free of the temptation."

Magic had hijacked her life. Wryn was always weak and sick. The countess's magic hadn't made it better. Instead, it seemed she intentionally made it worse.

"We should still help," Elowen said. "It isn't right to let Wryn suffer."

"Elowen is right," Estefania said. "There has to be a way to reverse the magic."

"Without killing the most powerful man in Cyra?" Lorenzo didn't look optimistic. "I mean, I mostly get headaches, which isn't making me want to commit patricide. Anyone else want to stab dear old Papa?"

Wryn didn't know the king. Her brothers did, though. Fletcher's eyes were trained on the floor as if he was trying not to contemplate killing their father.

"I need time to think," Fletcher said. "This is a lot, and it's taking everything for me to stand up right now. If it really is Father's fault..."

He seemed to fall against Elowen before he trailed off. Wryn understood his pain. There were days she barely had the strength to move. Bash's body against her was the only thing that was keeping her on her feet.

"What do we do about the countess?" Bash asked. "She had Wryn imprisoned for the fairies' sakes."

"We don't have magic, Bash," Estefania said. "Confronting her would end badly, and we've already been cursed once. We cannot afford to cause our kingdom more damage."

"We could challenge her," Bash said. "Fairies had a tradition of challenging each other to a wishing trial."

Wryn wondered if he would really do that for her. The countess was a frightening woman, and as Estefania pointed out, none of them had any magic. Bash would need to find another way. She wondered what that might be when she saw Elowen pale again. Then she heard the voice.

"YOU DARE DEFY DESTINY!"

She turned and stepped away from Bash for a moment. A strange woman with massive bat-like wings stood at the top of the ballroom. Her face was shrouded in shadow, but a shiver went down Wryn's spine the longer she stared at the fairy.

The fairy pointed at Bash and he flew in the air towards her. Wryn wanted to scream and run after him, but Lorenzo caught her wrist and held her back. His other hand was on the sword at his waist and he gave an imperceptible shake of his head as if he were warning her not to move lest she draw the attention of the fairy.

Wryn watched in horror as Bash transformed into a toad right in front of everyone. His scream echoed in her ears and drove itself into her skull. The fairy laughed as she scooped Bash into a jar.

It was impossible. Wryn bit her lip, but it couldn't stifle her whimper. Without Bash, her legs were weak, and she jerked out of Lorenzo's grip and fell to the ground on her knees.

Estefania stepped forward. "Release my brother."

The fairy sneered and when Wryn blinked, she realized she was looking at the countess. "He took something that wasn't his because his curse wasn't enough for him. Now he's a slime for all time. That is what happens when you get in my way."

"He freed an innocent girl," Estefania said. "One you imprisoned for no reason. My brother is a hero."

The countess laughed. "Stupid girl. You're so much like your father. You think you're a judge, jury, and executioner. Tell you what. Tomorrow, at the ball, I challenge you to a wishing trial. If you can create something more elegant than a seasoned fairy, I'll return the girl and your brother. If you cannot, you'll face a new curse I'll craft. I'll make sure you never ascend the throne of any kingdom, you beastly girl."

The marquis glared at the countess. "Why should she agree to your terms?"

The countess looked at her brother. Then she seemed to size up each of the Cyran royals. Her eyes fell on each of the princes and then on Wryn. Nausea rose in her stomach and she was certain that the countess might kill her.

"The Marquis de Ryne," the countess's attention broke away from Wryn. "Don't you understand that you and your sister only exist because your father thought he could cheat his wish? Having more children doesn't improve the quality of life of the others. You should kill him and free yourself."

"Be gone, fairy," Fletcher said. "You're not welcome here."

"Weak words for a dying prince," the countess said. "Do we have a deal, Princess of Sahar?"

"You'll release my brother and Wryn if I win your challenge?" Estefania asked.

Wryn couldn't believe that the princess was willing to stick her neck out for a girl she'd just met. She wanted to thank Estefania, but she realized that that wasn't wise at that moment. After all, the countess hadn't agreed to the terms yet.

The countess nodded. "I give you my word. The word of Mona, beloved adopted daughter of the Fairy Empress Cressida."

Wryn sensed something was wrong. She knew the countess. The woman never did anything without something for her own benefit.

The princess smiled. "I accept the terms of the challenge."

"Excellent," the countess's smile reminded her of the many times she'd punished Wryn over the years. "We will have our challenge tomorrow at the ball. I think we need an audience."

The countess snapped her fingers, and suddenly, Wryn's body turned into smoke and disappeared. She didn't know where she was for a moment, and then she realized she'd been transported into the jar alongside Bash. Her body was tiny and incorporeal. She smashed against the glass with her smoky fists, but she made no sound. She wasn't even certain that anyone assumed she was still alive.

Wryn couldn't even see what was happening. She slumped against the jar and Bash croaked. The countess had taken away his voice this time. His screams were his final words.

"Please," Wryn begged. "Please stop this."

But she knew it was hopeless. The countess had never listened to her before. She wouldn't start today. Wryn knew in her heart there was nothing to do but wait and wish that somehow the countess would show mercy.

Hi friends!! I hope you enjoyed this short story. I received many comments about Bash and Wryn, and I wanted to expand on their stories. Since most of their story happens off-page, I thought this was a nice way to show their relationship. I really hope you enjoyed this. Let me know what you think!!