The Queen's Curse by Natasja Hellenthal

day they spent crossing the first mountain range that was a natural border , with the only land lying to the west; Dochas. Eventually it stretched all the way to the sea; a sea no human had ever seen –; no human outside of Dochas that was; if the stories were right about no men living within its boundaries, save for the sorceress, if they were to believe the old lady.
    It was not reachable by boat either , as if it was magically protected, ships had never been able to sail the waters around Dochas. Was this mysterious, clearly powerful person, if she was responsible for all this, even human?
    Besides, from fear of the Magical Land, people did not easily climb these mountains either to reach it; for it was very steep and treacherous indeed, and no one ever did make it back.
    As they made their way t hrough the pass, crossing one ridge after another, the two women were quiet and concentrated. Their mounts were sturdy, but had a hard time with the rocky and muddy path. Only a few weeks before, the snow had begun to melt in this area and as a result, there were many small streaming rivers and slippery soil, and moreover, loose rocks. There were even vast lakes in the mountain meadows with flocks of all kinds of water birds.
    Here the air was pregnant with springtime; they could smell its sweet , fresh scent rising from the mixed woods below them and the grassy mountain meadows. There were many tiny bright flowers with thick or prickled leaves, growing in the watery area and other plants that adapted themselves to the constant wind. The flowers already attracted early butterflies with colourful fragile wings and humming bees. Tirsa’s horse faithfully climbed on and on whilst she stood up in her saddle, making it easier on her to ascend. And she thought about the old advice from a horse to its rider from an old tale she once heard: ‘Do not make me run down a decline, do not urge me going up a hill, but spare me not on level ground.’ She had made her own version of that; ‘Uphill spare me; downhill bear me; plain way, spare me not; let me not drink when I am hot.’ Tirsa always treated her horse kindly and with respect.
    When they reached the highest top, the view was breathtaking. Ceartas was nothing but green woods , both broad leaf and pine with its lowlands in the distance. When they looked in the direction of Dochas, it was also nothing but woodland, except for the high, snow-capped mountains rising like a grey and white wall behind the woods. The border river lay well hidden down beneath the canopy of leaves. The sky was not clear enough to see all the way to the ocean, which at a rough estimate lay a dozen days travel away.
    On the mountaintop they found a cairn of small rocks, which was unmistakabl y made by other travellers marking their presence.
    Sometimes the two of them spoke a few words or exchanged a look , no more. The commander and the queen felt minuscule in this dramatic landscape.
    Descending the mountain was a lot easier and quicker for the horses , although they still had to pay attention to the ground beneath their feet. In the afternoon, they left the mountains behind and entered a huge, dark ancient pinewood.
    Tirsa stared at the enormous pine trees , unable to see their tops, and their branches were covered with so many green needles no light could ever reach the damp, cold brown floor.
    ‘Amazing ,’ was the only thing Artride could say.
    ‘I have heard about these woods; some call it the Silent Place,’ Tirsa started in a calm voice. ‘For they say no sound can be heard from within. Every sound you make is caught and swallowed by the trees.’
    Artride turned to Tirsa, looking a little frightened. ‘But we haven’t even reached the Magical Land yet.’ Tirsa gave her a mysterious look as she responded, ‘Who said no magic can be found outside of Dochas?’ and softly urged her horse to ride on with a soft dig of her heels, leaving an astonished queen behind.
    ‘Commander wait.’
    They