A Curse for True Love

Apollo orders Jacks to be captured and leaves Evangeline in the care of her maids while he tends to important business. Though Evangeline can’t remember anything, she is amazed by the lush beauty of Apollo’s castle, which seems familiar somehow. As the maids help Evangeline dress in a gown fit for a princess, Evangeline remarks that Apollo has thought of everything. One of the maids replies that he tries, but her hesitation makes Evangeline wonder about him.

A physician questions Evangeline to find out what she remembers, which is very little. As he does, a second man quietly enters the room, pressing one finger to his lips so Evangeline won’t reveal his presence to the physician. When the physician leaves, the man gives Evangeline his card and tells her to find him for answers, then disappears. Evangeline dozes off and wakes to Apollo carrying her. She asks if they can bargain with Jacks to get her memories back, but Apollo insists it isn’t safe. Jacks did terrible things to Evangeline, and Apollo believes she “might be happier if those things stay forgotten” (26).

In truth, Apollo never died; he was only cursed, but he spreads rumors of his death to build his reputation and legacy. While cursed, he realized Evangeline loves Jacks, but Apollo took her memories so she’d forget Jacks and be with him instead. Apollo knows Evangeline won’t hesitate to get her memories back if she has the chance, so he “did not plan to give her a chance” (32).

Apollo orders a local reporter to repeat and embellish his articles about Jacks’s crimes, and then he meets with the members of the Magnificent North’s great houses, including the ancient Valor family. The council meeting quickly gets out of hand as the lords and ladies argue that Apollo must produce an heir to protect himself and his throne. Apollo knows this is true, but he cares too much about Evangeline to force her into anything. He insists again that Jacks is the true problem and then leaves.

In the morning, servants and seamstresses bustle around Evangeline, measuring her for a royal wardrobe. Amidst it all, Evangeline notices a scar shaped like a broken heart on her wrist, and though she doesn’t remember where she got it, it feels like it’s “warning her that everything wasn’t perfect” (44). A physician comes to ask about Evangeline’s memories, looking relieved when she still can’t remember anything. Evangeline wonders if Apollo is right to say that she’s better off forgetting, but she feels uneasy about it since all she has is his word.

Later, Evangeline goes for a walk with Apollo. They pass a wanted poster for Jacks, and the anger she feels from Apollo frightens her. At the top of a high tower, they watch thousands of bonfires burning below in tribute to them. Evangeline’s heart pounds, though she isn’t sure if it’s from fear or elation. She kisses Apollo and as his arms come around her, she feels safe.

The next day, Evangeline learns a bit about her history. She begins with a book that is supposed to be about her and Apollo, but the story curse of the Magnificent North that affects all tales changes the story, making it about Evangeline and the Prince of Hearts for a moment. One picture shows Apollo dressed as the Archer from a fairy tale, The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox, and the image makes Evangeline’s heart ache. She realizes she must get her memories back even if it’s painful because “some things were worth hurting for” (61). She decides to meet with the reporter who visited her a few days ago.

The next day, Evangeline asks the guards to escort her to the reporter’s office. They refuse, saying Apollo ordered them to make sure she stayed on the castle grounds where she’d be safe. Evangeline goes to demand an explanation from Apollo but finds him in a meeting with a man who’s hunting for Jacks. She finds out that the scar on her wrist is Jacks’s mark—it links her to him, which means the hunter can track Jacks with Evangeline’s blood.

Evangeline doesn’t like the idea and asks for time to think about it. The hunter summons his bird from the rafters, which swoops past Evangeline and cuts her so the hunter can collect her blood. Afterward, Evangeline rants at Apollo for letting the hunter ignore her wishes and for keeping her trapped in the castle. Apollo asks for her forgiveness, citing how dangerous Jacks is to her and the kingdom. Evangeline accepts but stays mad because “just because he was all she had didn’t mean that she needed to give him all the power” (76).

A lord arrives with news of Jacks. Apollo forbids Evangeline from being part of the meeting, saying it will look less suspicious for anyone who thinks she’s in league with Jacks. Evangeline leaves in anger. Apollo feels bad for only a moment. After all, he thinks, she is his and he will make her want him as much as he wants her.

The next morning, Evangeline learns Apollo left the castle at midnight on a secret mission and has not yet returned. She receives a note from her tutor to meet her at a wishing well in the gardens. When she gets there, a thick fog surrounds her, which Evangeline uses to lose her guards. As she approaches the wishing well, someone pushes her, and with a scream, Evangeline falls into the well.

Evangeline lands in freezing water and loses strength quickly. Someone lowers the well’s bucket and hauls her up. At the top, Evangeline falls into her rescuer’s arms, which triggers a memory. She remembers him holding her so tight that it hurt, but she didn’t care because she’d “let him crush her, let him break her, just as long as he never let her go” (93). As quickly as he appeared, her rescuer and the memory are gone. Evangeline’s guards find her alone and bring her back to the castle. Apollo returns that night and promises he’ll always protect her and never let her go.