Page 27 of Once Upon A Bear

They would still drink the potions she gave them, though she wasn’t sure why.

They continued to walk home in silence, and Guinevere tried not to look at Gideon as they walked past his den. She could only imagine what he must feel like as he walked past it, probably hoping that he would never need it again.

She hoped that too—for his sake and for hers. Because if she could help him with only one potion, she could imagine that perhaps her skills as a healer were changing for the better.

And if it proved to be like all her other attempts, patience and consistency would have to be enough. At least she could be proud of that.

She snorted, then looked up at him in horror as he turned to her with a slight grin. He didn’t say anything, but the hint of a smile on his face was enough to make her want to see more.

“It’s a good thing I don’t do that often,” she said, “or I would be unbearable.”

She stressed the middle part of the last word, and that made him turn to her, his eyes flaring. For a moment, she wondered if she’d gone too far.

But then he grinned.

“I suppose you’re right,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. “I should have to grin and bear it.”

Guinevere laughed all the way back to her house. Granted, it was only another moment’s walk, but still.

“I’m glad that you can have some fun at your own expense,” she said.

“If I couldn’t, life would be very dire indeed,” he replied. “My mother always wanted us to be able to laugh at ourselves. Now, whether we succeed is another thing entirely.”

He paused.

“My brother Kellan, in particular, has a hard time with taking himself far too seriously, though I’m sure I haven’t helped with that. And I’m turning his hair gray before his time with my constant disappearing and inability to tell them why.”

His tone turned bitter.

“I wish it could be different.”

“It will be,” Guinevere said softly. And if she couldn’t break his curse soon, she would offer to tell his family for him.

As they approached her home, they paused outside.

“Are you ready to try to break your curse?”

Gideon looked down at her, fire in his eyes.

“Absolutely.”

Chapter twelve

Gideon

Gideon entered Guinevere’s cottage with a sense of peace.

No matter how many times she warned him that this might not work, he was just grateful to have someone who knew about his problem and was trying to help him fix it. Whether or not this first potion would work, he had faith in her and in her ability to not give up until she figured it out.

Still, he should have asked Alexander how many potions he had to drink before his curse broke.

The wind snaking through the forest had been a bit blustery. Inside, Guinevere’s cottage was warm and cozy. There was a small fire in the fireplace, with a pot of something bubbling over it, and amidst the mess on the table, a bottle of a glowing yellow liquid.

If it wasn’t for the fact that it was glowing, he might have guessed that it was honey. Unfortunately for him, he had a feeling that this potion would not taste quite that good.

Maybe he should have some honey ready to take after he finished drinking it.

He wasn’t looking forward to that part…but he was looking forward to seeing what it did.