AaBack's Grimm: Dark Fantasy Fairy Tale #2 Friends Reunited: The Janus Beast, The Rose Beauty, And The Cursed Duckling

by Michael D. Britton

  Chapter Four

  A New Calling

  After arriving at the front door of the castle, Jane grabbed the eagle head knocker and struck three times. The door opened, and she heard a male servant bid her to enter. She walked in and found the Beast waiting on her in the entry. Jane lost herself in his large blue eagle-like eyes and didn't say anything as she came in and stood before him. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't help but get a sense of the princely boy from her dreams and the character from her drawings. She would have stood there forever, gazing at the Beast if the servant hadn't of cleared his throat.

  "I have your bear claws," she told the Beast, after remembering her job. Jane walked to him and held out the box.

  The Beast felt the intensity of her stare again, and it once more made him uncomfortable and drawn to her at the same time. His gaze moved to her lips which possessed the same aura as they did earlier that morning. He wondered if an additional hex had been placed upon him and would he be able to accept the conditions of this addition. The beautiful image of the black tattoo swan came to his mind again, and he decided he could endure.

  The Beast told her, "I actually do not have a sweet tooth. They are for another who has an insatiable craving for pastries."

  "Oh... It's nice of you to order for him," Jane told him as she lowered her arms and held the box to herself.

  "Nice has nothing to do with it," the Beast told her. "If I do not cater to his every whim, life in the few moments we share is intolerable. It is merely easier to order him pastries." He motioned to his left and stated, "My servant will take the bear claws."

  The box of pastries was whisked from her hands, and Jane followed the box with her eyes as it floated away. It soon disappeared down the hall. She turned her attention back to the Beast as the fluttering of her heart quieted a bit. Lykos told her many were cursed in the realm, and she knew of the Beast's curse, so where was the Belle of his story? He didn't seem like the one to hide himself away in his castle, and he did mention a lady with rose colored perception. The Beast had to be looking for the one to free him. Those thoughts filled her mind along with the reason why she was in the World of Grimm. She wondered what sort of purpose she could have here, then realized she had been staring again, and snapped out of her I can't believe he's standing right in front of me gaze.

  "Could I have your signature?" Jane questioned as she held out the clipboard and quill and tried not to be all stalker with her eyes.

  "You are in a demanding mood today," the Beast told her as he stepped closer to her. "What other things will you demand of me?" He took the clipboard, then signed with the quill, and handed them back as he questioned, "Will you also demand a very good tip?"

  "Ah..." she started, not used to anyone flirting with her, if that was what the Beast was doing. Jane replied, "Tip as you see fit."

  He stepped forward again, took her empty hand, and clasped it in his furry one. The Beast held on to it for a good while as he gazed deeply into her brown eyes. Of all the creatures who could look upon him with no fear, it had to be her. He took his other hand, placed it on top of her hand he held, and then he gently slid his fingers over her palm, leaving a silver coin behind. She never once took her eyes off of him. Her gaze never wavered and didn't show the slightest hint of revulsion.

  The Beast took a step back from her, and it troubled her that he was leaving her, even if it was only the distance of a foot. Feelings swelled up within her. She wanted so much, so much from him and so much for herself, and it was so overwhelming that she had to push the majority of her desires from her mind and focus and just a few of them. She wanted to help him in his predicament, not that there was anything wrong with his gorgeous form, but she could only help him if she was the Beauty of his story. The joy that filled her essence trickled out of her soul as she remembered the fairy tale. Beauty was a very attractive woman with a heart to match who could see past the prince's altered form and still love him. Beauty... Jane didn't see herself as an alluring creature, so how could she be the Belle of his story? He would have to look past her surface self and see her as she was within. Jane pulled herself from her thoughts. She was getting ahead of things. Maybe she was only there to help him find his Beauty. Maybe she was only meant to be a minor character in his tale.

  "Thank you," Jane said as she pocketed the coin and never looked at it. "Umm..." The maze on the estate came to mind as she decided she needed to focus on other things, and Jane thought she would try to get some information if she could, without giving away that she entered the maze only because a tiny yellow rose opened the padlock for her. Jane began, "Do you have roses on your estate? I thought I smelled some earlier today."

  "Roses?" he uttered as his flirtatious demeanor changed to one of agitation and then he added, "No, I detest roses, so there are none on my estate or anywhere in the castle. You must have smelled some other flower."

  "I must have," she stated, then thought she couldn't let go of the maze just yet, and said, "Maybe you can at sometime take me on a stroll through your gardens. I bet with an estate this big you must have a hedge labyrinth or two."

  "I am afraid I will have to disappoint you again. There are no labyrinths on the estate. I do have a grand butterfly garden I would like to show off to you at sometime. There are over a dozen different species that visit the gardens."

  Either the Beast was lying to her or... or she didn't know what else it could be. The mention of roses really upset him, so maybe there was something to it. A rose was always very important to the character's fairy tale and now that she thought about it, didn't the old woman who came to her cottage offer her a rose to thank her for taking her in out of the storm?

  He interrupted her thoughts when he questioned, "Why do you not join me for brunch? You must be hungry traveling all this way twice in such a short amount of time."

  "I am starving, and I finished my deliveries for the morning, so I see no reason why I can't," she replied and then considered it would also give her more time to question him. Jane needed to find out if the Beast and the giant rose were the princely boy and girl sorceress from her dream.

  The hustle and bustle of daily castle life went on around her, and Jane also saw evidence of servants at work as she walked through the hallways. She saw feather dusters flapping about like wings, cloths sliding up and down banisters like slides, and trays full of an array of things hovering about like silver magic carpets flying at different heights. She wondered how the Beast managed to go about his daily life without running into one of his servants or how the servants knew where the other invisible servants were.

  Clouds speckled the light blue sky and a few sparrows flew over head, greeting the late morning with their chirping as the Beast took her out to one of the balconies. The balcony overlooked a fountain of an eagle with its wings spread, shooting water out of its beak. The two of them sat at a round table that could easily sit six people. Juices, breakfast breads, fruits, and cheeses were piled on large silver platters. A silver pot of tea and china cups and saucers were on the table.

  "Help yourself," he told her, then he waited till she put a few things on her plate, and then he put cheese and bread on his.

  An invisible servant poured them some black tea and held up a cup of sugar cubes to Jane.

  "Three please," she told the servant, and three cubes, one by one, plopped into her tea. Jane cut into some cantaloupe, took a few bites, and then said, "This is very good."

  The Beast watched her and as they neared the end of the meal, he commented, "You have been kind of rude to me."

  Jane looked up wide eyed, then wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin, and asked, "How's that?"

  "I asked you your name, but you never asked me mine."

  "I didn't? I'm sorry. I assumed your name was the Beast. I have been very rude."

  He looked hurt at the mention of the title as if the name was fouler than one of the three pigs wallowing in slop.
>
  She saw how it affected him, and she apologized again, "I'm sorry. It was the name on the delivery sheet, but I guess to you it might only be a cruel reminder of..." Jane stopped herself and then apologized for a third time, "I'm sorry. I did it again. I don't know when to shut up. I can get..."

  "You are right..."

  "Huh?" she uttered.

  "You are right about me," he told her as he stood and walked over to the balcony railing and looked down to the courtyard below. "Of all the curses that could have befallen me, this one that transformed my handsome appearance into this... this–" he spoke as he turned and faced her, motioned to himself, and continued, "–grotesque form is second only to one other."

  Jane placed her napkin back on her lap and then she said, "I don't know what to say. I know how it feels to have people see you but not really see the real you, though I don't know if mine comes anywhere near the level of yours. I can say I understand how it feels not to be able to talk with anyone about it."

  "Can you really understand what I am going through?" the Beast questioned her as he walked over to the table and stood beside her. "Can you understand how much this form disgusts me? How I wish more than anything to be rid of it and have my old body back?"

  A multitude of answers came to her thoughts that she could tell him, but only one of them was true to her heart, so she spoke it, "I don't see you as grotesque."

  She peered at him with those adoring eyes of hers again, and the Beast shrunk back from the affection they proclaimed unsure if what he beheld was real, and he was also unsure how to respond to something so sincere. The affection that made him shrink back also compelled him to seize the uncorrupted adoration he felt from her and never let go. The conflicting emotions raging within him only stoked the fires of determination within his heart that no one would ever deceive him again. He wouldn't be enchanted by her; he would put his own spell upon her.

  The Beast knelt beside her as he started his performance, and then he graciously stretched out his arm and took her hand in his as he questioned her, "How do you see me?"

  Jane peered down at him as her heart fluttered in her chest like a butterfly desperate to break free. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but was it true? Did her heart only listen to her imagination or did she truly love him? What did she know about him? He may be the princely boy from her dream, but even when she considered the boy, she realized that she knew very little about him. Jane couldn't lie to the Beast, so she had to come up with something to tell him.

  "I'll say that I don't see you as hideous or something to be afraid of, but how I do see you, I'll keep to myself a little longer," she stated and then added, "I'm bashful by nature."

  His performance depended on an answer from her, not a delay for another day. He held in his annoyance, released her hand, and went back to his seat. His enchanting allure didn't work on her this time. The female elf he couldn't quite figure out won the hour but not the war. He would have to rethink his approach if he couldn't put his own spell upon her. Maybe he didn't have to win her over, maybe he only had to drive her away. The Beast couldn't allow himself to be taken in by someone like Jane. Should he ruin his reputation for being charming? No, he knew of something better; he knew of someone better suited for the job. The Beast would make sure to snuff out the care she had for him, if that was what he saw and not be entrap by this peculiar female elf. He only needed a way in to set up the trap, so he waited. He reconsidered the swan tattoo and the possibility that she may be an extraordinary person. If she really was the one to set him free, the one he had in mind would see through the shroud that cursed her and he would have his answer.

  Jane finished her breakfast as she thought about how his curse deeply plagued the Beast. It hurt her to see that he couldn't see his own handsomeness. After some time went by and they were both drinking tea, Jane questioned him, "If you're upset about your curse, why don't you get someone to help you end it? You know like a Hex Breaker or someone like that."

  "What do you mean? Why would someone help me?" he asked.

  Jane thought about it and then she answered, "Umm, I don't know... Because they want to be helpful, they're your friend, or maybe for money."

  "A friend..." the word seemed to slither from his mouth. The Beast diverted his gaze to his tea cup as he stated with animosity, "I had a friend once... actually two... and both of those relationships ended poorly." He considered his past a little longer, then decided he needed to focus on the present, lifted his eyes, and told her, "I can understand someone doing it for money or favors from powerful people." He paused and then he asked, "Is that what you are offering? Are you offering your services as a Hex Breaker?"

  "Me?" she uttered, then pointed to herself, and uttered again, "Me? I don't know... I probably do know every fairy tale that's ever been written. I might be able to figure out how to break the curses, but then again, what if the stories are different? Like with your story, where are the roses?"

  "I am not sure I understand what you are saying when you talk of fairy tales and stories, but I am willing to hire you."

  "Really?" Jane spoke, thought it over some more, and then said, "You do understand I have no experience. Are you sure you want to..?"

  "Yes, on one condition," the Beast interrupted. "I want you to complete a test for me."

  "What kind of test?"

  "I want you to return tonight once it is dark and at that time, I want you to talk with me. I want you to figure out my real name."

  She asked, "Why do you want me to wait until tonight?"

  "You will understand once you have returned," he answered her. "If you can claim my real name from my own tongue, I will hire you. That is of course if after tonight, you still want to work for me."

  Jane had been contemplating how to help her friends or at least the two people she believed were her friends. If she became a Hex Breaker, her title would allow her to ask unusual and difficult questions without drumming up suspicion as to why she was doing it. If it ended up the giant rose and the Beast weren't the girl sorceress and the princely boy, then she would be the only one disappointed. She would keep her beliefs to herself till she was a hundred percent sure, but even if they were the two children, would they remember her? Should she also figure out why they ran away from young Jane in fear before she told them? So many things to figure out, but she did have an answer for the Beast.

  "Okay, I'll do it," Jane told him. "Starting today I'm an amateur Hex Breaker along with independent delivery girl. I'll take you on as my first client, and I'll come back tonight to take your test." She paused and then questioned, "What would a job like this pay?"

  "What would you want?" he asked.

  "What about ten pence per day for expenses for each full day I work and five if I only put in a half?" Jane questioned. "And once I break the curse, you can give me some sort of bonus. Does that sound fair?"

  "I believe that is fair as long as you pass the test and still wish to work for me."

  "It's a deal then. I'll see you tonight," Jane said as she stood, started to leave, then paused, thinking of the girl sorceress, and asked, "Could I trouble one of your servants for something?"

  "Yes, go ahead and ask," the Beast replied.

  She questioned, "Is there anyway I could get some tea to go?"

  "To go where?" an invisible servant asked.

  "To go with me of course, silly," Jane said as she chuckled.

  "I believe I can put some in a glass jar."

  "That would work, thank you."

  Jane waited and a few minutes later, a glass jar with a metal lid floated out to her, she took it, placed it in her backpack, and stated, "I'm off then, and I'll be back tonight."

  "One moment," the Beast told her as he clapped his hands, and a chest floated into the area. He told her, "These belong to you."

  She looked at the chest and didn't recognize it, so she asked, "What does?"

  "These are the
armor and weapons of the goblin that you slew in the robbery attempt last night. They may be of some use to you, or in the least, you can sell them."

  The chest set on the floor, and Jane went over, opened it, and looked into the chest. She removed the goblin's sword and sheathe, and she questioned, "Are you sure this is okay to take?"

  An invisible servant told her, "Yes, it is the law of the land. Once a foe has been utterly defeated, what belongs to them belongs to the victor."

  Jane examined the three foot long double-edged sword. The blade had a blue tinge to the steel and something was written on it. Jane examined the goblin engraved name PapyrKut, and then she chuckled.

  The Beast told her, "I believe the sword is magical, but you will not be able to unlock its potential until you can read its goblin name."

  "It's like my club then," Jane said and then she blurted, "I believe the name of the sword is paper cut."

  "You can read the goblin language?" he uttered and then said, "I am shocked that you admitted to knowing one of the wicked languages?"

  "Goblin language?" Jane exclaimed as she pointed to the blade. "It's written right here in English."

  He examined the script she pointed to and then he said, "I am not sure what English is, but that is written in the goblin language."

  "What do you mean you don't know what English is? We're speaking it right now."

  "Jane, we are speaking my tongue. We are speaking elvish. In my kingdom, elvish is the common language," he said.

  "I always thought it would be nifty to learn elvish, but I never had the time, and I always wanted to learn Klingonese too, so I don't know which of the two I would pick." Jane paused and then she said, "As for knowing one of the wicked languages, maybe knowing other languages is part of my curse."

  "No curse comes with gifts," the Beast explained to her. "You should know that and since you spoke about it, I doubt it is part of some sort of curse."

  Jane examined the short sword. The sheathe was made from a dark brown skin with scales which were much much larger than a snake's scale. She told the weapon, "For a goblin sword, you're very lovely." The blade twinkled with her comment as if it was pleased, then she smoothed her hand over the blade and said to the Beast, "I'll just take the sword and sheath for now. I won't be able to carry the rest of the stuff on my bike."

  "I will have the rest of it delivered and will give you the chest as a gift."

  "Thanks," she said as she sheathed PapyrKut. "I'll be on my way. Thank you for brunch, and I'll see you tonight."

  The servant who waited on them waited till she left and then he questioned the Beast, "Are you sure it was wise to invite the female elf back here tonight. What about the master?"

  "I did say it was a test," the Beast replied as if it was answer enough. "A test cannot be easy; it has to be difficult and trying to be a true test."