“Who?”
“A powerful being, older even than me and more powerful than anything else in this forest. That being flew into the castle on the night of the subsequent ball to pronounce the curse.”
“How do you know all this? And how does it help us?” the bear roared.
“Only one with enormous powers could have cast the curse. That is one of the essential laws of magic. And the essential laws of magic also include the following: there is an antidote.”
The bear looked up. For a moment, his dark eyes shone with the sea-green color of his human form, and in those eyes, there was hope. “An antidote? What do I need to take?”
Frieda chuckled. “You don’t need to take anything. It’s very simple. You do need to understand that the magical being is not at fault and that the circumstances led to the curse. The being merely wanted justice for Mirabelle. To break the curse, all that was required was for your father to apologize to Mirabelle—and for Mirabelle to forgive him.”
“That simple?”
Hannah and the bear looked at each other, stunned.
“Why didn’t he do that long ago?” Hannah asked, incredulous.
“Pride? Arrogance? To be honest, your father, dear Maximilian, had no desire to be reminded of the curse for even one more second. In his mind, his marriage had staved it off. I warned your mother that the unfulfilled curse had passed to you at your birth. But your father would not believe it. He pretended it never existed when he could have broken the curse so easily.”
“Is Mirabelle still alive?” Hannah asked. This, in her eyes, was the most important question.
Frieda nodded. “Yes, she lives hidden deep within the forest.”
“That can’t be!” The bear prince flew into a rage. “I’ve been searching for her all these years, and I’ve never seen anyone—not a single human dwelling. You must be mistaken!”
“Absolutely not.” Frieda shook her head as if that were impossible. “My dear godson, I promised to send someone whowould help you break the curse. On your own, you would not find Mirabelle. But with Hannah by your side, you shall.”
“You want me to take Hannah into the enchanted forest? That’s far too dangerous! Conjure her back to you. She needs to get back to her children.”
Hannah’s heart leapt and tears welled up in her eyes, although she immediately wiped them away. She wanted to jump for joy and cheer, even throw her arms around the bear’s neck, when she felt a sudden pang in her heart. What if he couldn’t do it alone? What if he remained a wild beast forever, only because she had left too soon? Frieda had set her by his side for a reason. Hannah hesitated and looked at her elderly neighbor, who had raised her forefinger in rebuke.
“My dear Maximilian, I would certainly not have sent her if you could do it on your own. You need her. Otherwise, you shall be lost.”
The prince glanced at Hannah, and a look of regret came over his bear face. Turning back to Frieda, he said, “The forest is too dangerous for her. I don’t know that I can protect her from the magical creatures.”
“Of course you can. But there’s no need to worry—simply follow the brick pathway. As long as you do not stray from it, no harm shall come to you.”
“I have followed that path for days on end. It does not lead to Mirabelle!”
“As I said before, you can’t find her without Hannah.”
“But what does all this have to do with me?” Hannah suddenly cried out.
“I don’t really know myself,” Frieda replied, chuckling. “Time will tell.”
Hannah gasped indignantly, but Frieda raised her forefinger one more time. “Let’s focus on the important questions instead.”
Hannah pressed her lips together.That old shrew!“Where in the forest can we find Mirabelle?”
“Follow the brick pathway. It will lead you to her. There is, however, one more thing you need to know. You do not have an infinite amount of time to break the curse.”
“Meaning what?” asked Hannah.
“How much time do I have?” growled the bear.
“One hundred hours.”
“A hundred hours?” Hannah did a quick calculation in her head. “That’s not even five days!”
