Page 77 of Enchanted in Time
It was already early dawn when they reached the river sometime later. A soft light blue was driving away the blackness of the night and, with it, the Evil that had been such a force in the forest.
The sound of loudly splashing water reached their ears. Hannah peered through the trunks of the spruces and firs to the river below, which was making a loud rushing noise as it roared through the woods. Large rocks were sticking out of the raging water, and over to the side was a tall cliff that harbored a cave. Right at that moment, out of the cave came Prince Maximilian—in human form... and stark naked.
“It worked!” cried Hannah and resisted the urge to immediately fling herself into his arms. She grinned and turned her head to the side.
“Hannah?” On seeing her and Irmgard behind her, Maximilian blinked in confusion and then looked down at himself. His eyes grew wide as he noticed his human hands andlegs. He rubbed his chest, felt his head, and burst out laughing. “I’m human again!”
“Just as God created you!” Hannah threw him the bag of clothes. “Here!”
She could hear him coughing and grunting a bit, almost like he was a bear again. A short while later, he called her name, and she looked in his direction. He was wearing his trousers and drying himself with a towel as the water dripped from his body. He spread his arms, and Hannah started to run. She flew toward him and fell into his arms. They held each other tight as though they had known each other all their lives.
“I’m so glad we were able to make it work.” Hannah was trying not to sob. God knows, she had already shed enough tears! “I’m so relieved. The curse is finally broken!”
“Pleased to meet you, Prince Joachim!” Irmgard whinnied.
“Prince Maximilian,” Hannah said, correcting her as she stayed in his arms. It felt so warm, so right, to be with him. She nestled her face against his chest and inhaled his scent so that she would never forget it.
“How did you manage to do it? Did you subdue Mirabelle?”
“It’s a long story.” And Hannah gave him a rough idea of what had happened. The prince was in awe, and he bowed to Irmgard and Hannah in thanks.
The first few rays of sunlight had made their way through the trees and were bathing the morning in a golden light that sparkled on the surface of the water.
“Mommy! Mommy!” came the sound of excited voices from the water.
Hannah immediately took two steps toward the shore to see her three children’s beautiful faces reflected in the rushing stream. “Emi, Leon, Marco!” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Mama, that’s not a bear behind you—that’s a man!” Leon cried angrily.
“That’s Prince Maximilian. He’s been freed!”
“The prince?” Emi’s eyes were shining as she looked at him.
“Wonderful!” cried Frieda, whose face had appeared beside the children’s in the water. She broke into a huge smile that clearly revealed her large front teeth. “I knew you would do it, Hannah, or I never would have sent you on this journey.”
Hannah raised her eyebrows in disbelief—they could clear that one up later!
“Godmother Friederike,” Prince Maximilian broke in, “I thank you for your tireless aid in breaking the curse. And now, if you could help this enchanting lady...”—he motioned toward Hannah, who, with her tattered gown and disheveled hair, was hardly the picture of an enchanting lady—”to return to her children at last.”
Hannah turned to him. Her first impulse was to object. She was about to say that she wanted to spend the day with him and walk to the castle together, when her children started shouting joyfully, “Mommy’s coming back! Mommy’s coming back!”
She sighed and laid her hand on the prince’s chest. “I’m glad you can lead a free life now, and I wish you all the best.”
Prince Maximilian held her in his arms one final time. He rocked her back and forth and whispered, “Thank you, Hannah. You saved my life!”
They separated for a moment, but he immediately bent down toward her again. Was he going to kiss her? Her heart beat faster—it was pounding. His lips came close to hers, but then he turned his head to the side and whispered in her ear: “Don’t forget what I promised you!”
She felt a pang in her chest and had to think about what he meant by that. But then it came to her: the treasure chest—the gold and the gems that he wanted to give her as thanks! She started to object, to say that that was not why she had done it, when the prince pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. Itwas a kiss that promised so much and yet tasted so bittersweet, for it was, after all, the first and also the last. For a moment, Hannah was lost in another world as she felt his lips against hers and every inch of her body longed for more.
As they moved apart and she opened her eyes, she could feel an infinite lightness in her heart. For them, there would be no “happily ever after.” But the prince had left her with a gift: his warmth. And as she looked into his eyes, she knew that his heart belonged to hers as well. She caressed his arm and smiled at him in gratitude.
She turned to the unicorn, who was silently holding back a couple of glistening tears. “My dear Irmgard,” she said, “I thank you with all my heart for staying by my side and helping me to free Maximilian so I could return to my children. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“It was a superb experience, dearest Hannah. I’ve come a long way because of it.”
“Will you go back to your herd now?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but I’m happy to know I can do so at any time. And we don’t need to leave and can spend many more generations in this beautiful forest of ours.”
