Encircled

by Laurie Lucking

“We would enjoy that immensely, Miss Melia.” Sir Teppen winked and tucked his handkerchief back into his pocket before dipping into another bow. “The Eastern Realm will be in good hands now.”

  “May the sun shine upon you, little miss.” Sir Lennox patted my hand once more, then shuffled out behind his friends.

  I waved as they disappeared through the doorway. Garrick closed the tall, oval-shaped door behind them, then perched on the chair next to mine.

  My heart fluttered a bit at his nearness. He’d been my almost constant companion over the past few days. He patiently answered my countless inquiries about the dryad realms, reminisced about my visits to his tree throughout my childhood, and even asked to learn the songs I used to sing while wandering the forest path. While I remained wary of dryads in general, my crush on Garrick hadn’t taken long to return. Or intensify.

  I crossed my legs. “I still can’t believe the queen is gone. How brave of Aiken, to take matters into his own hands. I’ll need to thank him when I have a chance.”

  “Of course.” He frowned and rose, pacing away from me.

  Apparently, I’d killed our moment before it had even begun. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. No, you have every right to be grateful to him. First for sparing your life, now for securing your rightful throne in the Eastern Realm. I’d just hoped...well, it’s not important.”

  I hopped up and crossed over to him. “I’m sure it is. What were you going to say?”

  A touch of red tinted his brown cheeks. “I’ve long dreamed of—” He looked down at me, his eyes like dark, endless pools. “But Aiken is very deserving, and of course I wouldn’t interfere.” He turned away.

  My heart no longer fluttered. It beat wildly like a caged bird trying to escape. I touched Garrick’s shoulder. “Aiken deceived and nearly killed me. I’m grateful for his change of heart, but I have no interest in him beyond a friendly truce.”

  “Truly?” He pivoted back to face me, wearing the brightest smile I’d seen yet.

  The tingling coursing through me had nothing to do with my newly-awakened Darach.

  His fingers trembled as he buried them in my hair. He grasped my upper arm with his other hand. “I have loved you from a distance for so long. Until the past few days, I never dared hope I might one day be fortunate enough to hold you in my arms.”

  His hand moved to my waist, pulling me closer. I tipped my head back as he bent, his gaze intent on my lips.

  No wonder I could never resist the pull of Bradaigh Forest, with such a love calling out to me.

  His mouth met mine with a gentle brush. I rose on my tiptoes, my fingers twining at the back of his neck. He smiled against me, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

  When he broke away, he took my face in his hands. “Will you enter into union with me, Melia? We could one day unite the Southern and Eastern Realms under our rule—I, with full knowledge of the dryad realms, you, with new ideas from the outside world. Together. Finally.” His thumbs stroked my cheeks.

  “That sounds wonderful.” I closed my eyes. His plan was so enticing, I could easily be swept up into it. But there was no rush. Locking my gaze on his, I removed his hands. “But not quite yet.”

  Curiosity tempered the disappointment in his expression.

  “You’ve had years to get to know me. From afar, anyway. But I’m still adjusting to all of this.” I gestured around the room. “I’d like a little more time to get to know you first. And my new home.”

  His grin returned. “Well, in that case, Roslyn said you were allowed to walk a bit today, didn’t she?”

  I nodded. With my strength returning and Queen Espina gone, there was nothing left to hold me back.

  He kissed my hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. “Then let’s get started.”

  THE END

  About the Author

  An avid reader practically since birth, Laurie Lucking discovered her passion for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. When she gets a break from playing superheroes with her two young sons, she writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of fairy tale romance. Her debut novel, Common, won third place in the CWRC Reader’s Choice Literary Lighthouse Awards, and her short story, “Threshold,” was published in a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology titled Mythical Doorways. A Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota. Find out more by visiting www.laurielucking.com.

  A Heart’s Desire

  A retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

  Tori V. Rainn

  Chapter 1

  TOWNSFOLK CHATTERED ALL around as I strolled down the snow-covered cobblestone street cozied in my scarf. Wooden framed stack homes stood on both sides of the street. Sellers of blankets and bread advertised their items in front of their shops. I spotted a familiar moss-colored cloak whip out of an archway alley. Reyna. Goodness.

  Reyna! I waved frantically at her. Nearly a month had passed since I’d seen my only friend. When I tried to find Reyna at her home, her brothers always said she was unavailable.

  Head dipped and covered by her hood, she trudged toward me, her cloak dragging behind. “Desiree?” she blurted, as if surprised.

  “Reyna! Where did you disappear to?” I planted a kiss on her cheek. The dark circles under her brown eyes were unusual, and she kept her head low.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you.” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.

  “Why your long absence?”

  She pulled away, her hood casting shadows down her face. “I’ve been going through…changes.” Her tone wavered.

  “Were you ill? Is there anything I can do to help?”

  She smiled. “Thank you, Des. But it’s something I need to handle on my own. That’s all I wish to say on the matter.”

  A coldness gripped my throat. She always told me everything. I bit my lip before I could violate her wish for privacy. “Understood…” An awkward silence hung between us. “What about the ball? Can you at least tell me that? Did you ever attend?”

  Her lips pressed into a thin line. We walked our way through a tent pitched market, her head still hidden. “A bit dull for my taste. You were right not to go.”

  I raised a brow. “It couldn’t have been that awful.”

  Reyna pulled her hood back. I rested my eyes on her naturally rosy cheeks blending into dark skin that complimented her wavy, brown hair. Her full lips and oval-shaped face were something people often couldn’t stop gawking at. In the eyes of my father, we could almost be twins. But the townies of Old Lerhurst often proclaimed in gossip that Reyna was the prettier one of us two. I didn’t mind. With similar complexions and hair, we were close enough to look like sisters, so it could be a compliment.

  Her chin lowered. “Honestly, I grew bored and left the ball early with my brothers.”

  “What? I recall you blustering about the party for months, and you suddenly left?”

  She chuckled. “Not what I had hoped for, I guess.”

  At least she was smiling and the awkwardness was put to an end. “How disappointing. I was looking forward to a glamorous story about you sharing a dance with the most handsome gentleman there.”

  She pulled her hood back on and giggled. Her head dipped lower. “Tell your father I said hello.”

  “Tell him yourself. You’re free to join us for dinner. Maybe we can catch up?”

  “Yum! But my father will be out of town for a few days, and Mother always wants us there when he’s gone. Next time?”

  I nodded, trying to shove away the gnawing at my stomach that hinted she was avoiding me. “Of course. I just—”

  Out of nowhere, a minstrel with a wool hat and spiffy trousers belted a note that could put a professional to shame. The gray and black–haired man offered me his hand. “Care to join me, my lady? We shall sing our joys to the sky.”

  Reyna must have scuttled away into the crowd because she was already across the stree
t, disappearing into the alleyway. What in Old Lerhurst had gotten into her? I should show up at her home once more and demand an explanation.

  I shook my head and addressed the minstrel. “I’m a pianist, yes. Singer, no.”

  His singing stopped. I brushed past him, but he tugged on my sleeve, studying me. Then he reached up and tried to place a wreath of brass bells around my neck. What the—

  I pulled away, slipping my head free. “Sir! Good. Day.”

  The minstrel winced as if I’d clawed him. If he did that bell move one more time, I just might. What was I, livestock? Who put brass bells around a lady? Old fool.

  I rushed away until my feet carried me to my father’s cottage outside of town on the snow-covered field. Father was bent down by the coop, closing off the chickens.

  He turned to me. “Des, help me lock up. Looks like a big blizzard is coming.”

  Other than the sun setting and a few snow flurries, there was not a threatening cloud in the sky. “Father, you always say that.”

  He clucked his tongue. “This time, I feel it. Something bad is coming.”

  Shaking my head, I followed orders and hurried inside to get the hearth started. Father slipped off his boots and warmed his feet by the fire. He rubbed the spot on his arm where a robber had broken it five years ago. The incident still enraged me. I forced my thoughts to steady. The carrot soup I prepared filled the little cottage with an aroma that invited Father to the table quicker than I could serve him.

  I sat across from him.

  “Did you meet anyone new today?”

  By new, he meant: had I met a man. “Well, I finally spoke with Reyna.”

  “Oh, how is she doing?”

  “Fine, I suppose. We’ve never been apart so long without our usual chats. Now I can’t help but feel she’s avoiding me. I thought she’d talk my ear off, but she was odd and distant.”

  He slurped the soup in his bowl. “Maybe she’s mad because you didn’t attend the ball with her.”

  “But that was a month ago. She couldn’t be angry with me over something so little.” My lips tugged to a frown. Could she?

  His brows knitted together. Strands of gray glistened along the sides of his head. “Now why was it you didn’t go with her? You could have had fun…with other people.”

  There he went again with the subtle “why didn’t I attend to find a man?” question. “Flashy dresses and dancing aren’t my scenery.” A classier woman would better suit such a grand palace.

  “And remaining with your father is?”

  I forced a grin.

  His hand reached across the table and rested over mine. “I’m just concerned, is all. You and I aren’t getting any younger, and I would like for you to have what I had with your mother.”

  “Not everyone can be as fortunate, Father.”

  He grinned. “I once thought the same thing when I was your age, but there is nothing like finding the right person to put things in perspective.”

  The adoration in his tone bled through. If only I could feel the same for my mother. It was hard to adore someone I never really knew. For what seemed like forever, I had blamed my birth for killing her.

  A loud crash sounded outside. I sprang up and glanced out the window. The barn door flapped in the breeze.

  “It’s the barn door.” I hurried to bundle myself up. “I’ll get it.”

  Father slipped on his boots. “No, you will not. Allow me, please. Sit down and stay warm.”

  “But Father, I can manage.”

  “I know you can.” He leaned in to kiss the top of my head and started for the door.

  I sat back down and finished my meal. A heavy gust of snow slammed against the door, startling me. I glanced out the window. The barn door was shut, but Father was nowhere to be found. How long had he been out there?

  Before I jumped to conclusions, I forced myself back into the chair; it creaked under my fidgeting. Oh, who cared if Father thought me worrisome? He was all I had, and I had every right to act concerned. I hurried, covered in warm layers, then made my way outside.

  Snow squeezed under my boots. The scarf around my mouth did little against the wind. Sheets of snow blasted me as I trudged toward the barn. So my father was right about the bad weather coming. I gripped the barn handle and pulled. Locked. As I whirled around, a man stood in front of me. Other than exposed beady eyes, his mouth and nose were wrapped with a black rag. A wool hat hid his forehead.

  “Who are you? What is your business here?”

  His hands shook. From the cold? I had no clue. He rushed at me. I tried to turn and run, but firm hands held onto my arms.

  Screams escaped me. “Let me go!”

  Bells rang, something I remembered from town. The old minstrel? Then a wreath of bells was slipped around my neck. A strong hand smashed my lips closed as the other pinned my wrists together.

  “Hush.” The stranger quickly gagged me and tossed me over his shoulder. “Just come with me and do everything I say, understand?”

  I barely managed a shake of my head, ringing the brass bells. What in Old Lerhurst where these things for? Some kind of sick ritual?

  The man tripped over a chunk of snow, dropping me. I pushed up to my feet and sprinted.

  “Wait—” He called out.

  It was impossible to scream with the gag, but at least I could run. I groaned when a pair of hands wrapped around me and lifted. No! I kicked and kicked, but he wouldn’t set me down. The stranger carried me across the field. His breathing was rapid, and he occasionally paused, as if I was a pile of stones that weighed him down. Good.

  The end of my dagger’s handle rubbed against my skin. It was strapped around my ankle. Fool! I should have reached for it before, but instinct had told me to run. After that robber, Father was right to give me the weapon. I never thought I would need the blade, but now I was counting on it.

  The snow-topped forest surrounded us. The stranger brought me to a wagon hidden by brush. He shoved me onto the wagon seat, then climbed up and sat next to me. If I bent down to reach for my dagger, he would know. I needed a distraction.

  He leaned back to grab a coil of rope. “Press your wrists together.”

  My words distorted under the gag. He frowned and removed it.

  I was tempted to scream again. “My father. What have you done to him?”

  He sighed and bound my wrists. “I wouldn’t harm him. It’s not my wish to hurt anyone… Just do as you’re told and you’ll see him again, okay?”

  A softness caressed his words. Genuine. Or was it deceit? Either way, I knew that voice. The minstrel from town.

  “Why the bells?” I asked.

  “For my protection, of course.”

  “From what?” I practically yelled.

  He shook his head. “Please, just be quiet until we get there. We don’t need to catch the wolves’ attention.”

  The minstrel clucked to the horse, and the wagon jerked forward. A chill lived in my body and wouldn’t stop shaking every muscle as we traveled, mile after mile. Get where? The question plagued me. This man was going to take me far away to kill me. I had to get away. If I was met by wolves during my escape, then so be it.

  We must have traveled for miles. Each bump we hit jingled the bells around my neck. Unsavory things! The tip of my nose burned, and my hands grew numb.

  “Can you please take this rope off? It’s hurting me.”

  “Easy. We’re almost there.”

  My heart plunged into an icy pit. Where was he taking me?

  With the sun gone, we traveled slower, guided by the lantern he told me to hold. Hard to do with bound wrists, but I managed to cup the handle with my palms. I could slam the lantern against his skull, but that would leave me without light or any way of returning home without freezing to death.

  The man directed the horse onto a subtle path that had a slight incline. I stretched the lantern high. Oh my. Stone walls reached the tree canopies. A massive iron gate stood locked in our path. With a
dragon-shaped face for handles.

  The man sighed. “I need to open the gates. Don’t try and run, because I will catch you.”

  He hopped off, leaving me holding the lantern. Now was my chance. I carefully set the lantern down on the seat and leaped out of the wagon like a free bird. With no clue where I was going, I sprinted down a moonlit path.

  “Hey!” The man shouted. He was quickly at my heels.

  As I sprinted, the bells jingled. A herd of cows was quieter. Running with bound wrists didn’t help either, but I filled my lungs with air and pushed myself. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and lifted. I kicked and screamed.

  “Calm down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “Just let me go,” I begged. “I won’t tell anyone. You can let me go.”

  He dragged me back to the wagon and deposited me on the seat with a thud.

  “Can you please settle down? I don’t want to have to bind your legs, too.” He gave me back the lantern. “Now hold the light up.”

  Trembling, I listened and held the light out in front of me. The man pushed the gates back, the squeaking hinges bringing anxiety into my chest. What was behind these walls?

  The man drove us inside to a courtyard. The horse’s hooves imprinted on the snow-covered cobblestone that circled around a frozen fountain. A monolithic castle soared into the dark clouds, like icicles sculptured by angels, but the sculptures around the towers and pillars were anything but angelic. Human-sized gargoyles leaned over the stone balconies and smaller ones lined the edges of the castle walls.

  The man hopped off and helped me down. Nothing could pry my eyes off the castle, or shake the feeling that the palace itself was watching me. I turned to my captor. “Why have you brought me here?” I stifled a whimper.

  He guided me up the flight of steps and to the massive doors. “Now, it’s only fair you do what is right.”

  “What?” I struggled, but he shoved me inside and closed the doors behind us, the annoying bells announcing my presence to whatever lurked within.

  In the foyer, the ceiling stretched thirty feet high. Iron wall brackets held flickering candles. Spiral stairs on each side led to unseen hallways. Everywhere I turned, the shadows appeared as if they were tearing away from the walls, but they were mere sculptures of more gargoyles. Crooked paintings hung alongside dusty curtains. The air was stagnant. I couldn’t be here. Something was wrong with this place, and I needed to leave as soon as possible.