A kiss. Just a simple kiss. Not True Love’s kiss, not even a kiss from a specific person or type of person. Just a kiss, and he was a man again.
And that’s when the trouble started.
He hadn’t been human is so long that it took more than a few seconds for him to realize what was missing when he changed back. The young lady who’d kissed him realized it much sooner because what was missing was clothes.
People put such importance on clothing. As far as he was concerned, it was annoying and uncomfortable. It restricted his movement, itched, and was hot. He was always uncomfortable.
Then there were the people. Had they always been so nosy and pushy? Had he just not noticed it before the curse had been laid on him?
They knew he was a prince – only princes were ever afflicted with that particular curse, so that much was a given. There was more than a little confusion over his status in the Princely hierarchy though. This was not his kingdom and none of the nearby kingdoms were currently missing a Prince. They didn’t even have any unaccounted for in their histories.
How long had he been a creature of land and water? He didn’t have a clue and it seemed no one else did either. Time hadn’t mattered to him in that state. He’d instinctively kept track of the seasons, but not how many times each one had passed by.
The curse had kept him from aging in his alternate form. And he’d been lucky in the version of the curse he’d encountered. When he’d return to his true form, he didn’t age. He was the same age as he had been when the curse had been laid on him.
That was about the only thing that was simple anymore. He didn’t remember people being so complicated. He was realizing that he didn’t particularly like people anymore. They wanted too much from him. They assumed too much.
That was working to his advantage at the moment though. He’d asked about the witches who could cast a curse like the one he’d been under. And everyone had assumed he wanted to find the one responsible to get revenge.
When they realized he’d disappeared, would any of them put it together? Did he care? By the time they knew he was gone, he’d be far past caring.
His life was about to go back to being simple.
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