Zugos rubbed his chin, tilted his head slightly as he paced around the living room with a faraway look in his emerald eyes. So this wasn’t just a barrier or a hex, but a proper, fatal curse. This was even worse. No witch could have this much power. The few remaining witch hunters had made sure of that. Then again, they were only humans, capable of making mistakes like the rest of the world. He was in no position to judge. The problem now was that curse at the castle. He could break it, that he was sure. Witches’ spells were powerful and dangerous and they can cast it with little to no effort, but the spells themselves lacked complexity. Compare to the enchantment he usually tinkered with, those curses were child play. However, to break the curse, he would have to be there himself and who knew what that witch had in store for them…

 “I see…”- He mumbled after a few moment, then resumed his pacing. –“But now that I know what happened, the next question is why? Witches don’t curse people randomly, princess. I don’t mean to offend, but have you, or anyone in the royal family did something that could be seen as offensive to that witch?” 

 While waiting for his answer, Zugos went to the kitchen in order to fetch some food for the princess. There wasn’t much, as he hadn’t gone to the market this month. Or the last. He had been surviving on cookies and breads for quite a while now. Sighing heavily, he picked up a chipped mug and some cookies that looked remotely edible, then placed them in front of the woman. With a snap of his fingers, the mug was filled with hot coffee, but there wasn’t much he could do about the cookies. “The least I can offer, princess.”- He shrugged, catching a glimpse of her uneasiness. She must be worried, after all, her parents were still trapped in a cursed castle. –“ And I don’t think you should worry too much. If a witch that powerful wants the king and the queen dead, she wouldn’t bother trapping them.”