Beast in Shining Armor (A Kinda Fairy Tale)

by Cassandra Gannon

  “Son-of-a-bitch.” Avenant turned back the way they’d come. “Wait here.”

  “Okay.” Esmeralda agreed readily. “Hey, if you die, is it okay if I try to claim your kingdom for real? I think I’d make an awesome princess.”

  Belle ignored that. She also ignored Avenant’s command to stay put. “What are we going to do?” She asked, hurrying after him. “We can’t fight the minotaur with our bare hands.”

  “I know.” He sifted in his backpack to pull out the flare gun. “God, this is such bad idea. If I’m alive when the encounter’s over, I’m getting a much longer kiss, understand? You owe me.”

  Belle’s insides took a pleasurable dip, even though she knew it was a huge mistake. “How long?”

  “Long.” Avenant put up an arm to halt her progress as the sounds of a fight reached them. “Wait here.” This time his voice was firmer.

  Belle had no idea why he thought it would work. She’d never listened to him before and she wasn’t about to start now. When Avenant stepped into the minotaur’s sights she was right behind him.

  The monster had Lancelot’s unconscious body lifted over his head, preparing to heave him through a wall. Avenant’s cousin was a big man, but the minotaur hefted him like he weighed nothing at all. Yellow eyes narrowed as he spotted Avenant and Belle.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to put that asshole down.” Avenant requested in a long suffering tone. “Apparently, it’s important, for some reason.”

  “You’re all trespassers.” The minotaur growled angrily. “You deserve punishment.”

  “Technically, this land belongs to the crown and the crown belongs to me.” Avenant argued. “You’re the trespasser.”

  The minotaur wasn’t interested in the finer points of property law. “If you’re the prince of these lands, then it was your ancestor who put my kind in this maze.” He threw Lancelot’s limp body at them. “You know what happens to those who enter my home!”

  Belle ducked to the side as Lancelot flew overhead and went careening down the hall like a rock skipping on a lake. He was definitely going to wake up with a headache. At least, he was still alive, though.

  Avenant let out a sigh. “Alright, let’s try this another way.” He pointed the flare gun at the minotaur and fired.

  The red projectile zoomed towards the monster’s ginormous chest. It arced through the air, a trail of red sparks igniting as it soared along its path. The minotaur reared back, but it was too late. Nothing could stop the collision. The flare slammed into him…

  …And promptly bounced right off, again.

  The red tube plopped onto the icy floor, still burning. All three of them stared down at it for a beat.

  “Well, that didn’t work.” Belle said. The minotaur looked healthier than ever, only now he was even more eager to kill them.

  Avenant shrugged. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

  “You shoot flames at me, I shoot flames at you!” The monster pulled back a ginormous palm, preparing to blast them with one of his fireballs.

  “Fucking hell.” Avenant muttered again and glanced at Belle. “Close your eyes, I’m about to do something insane and I don’t want you to see me change.”

  That didn’t sound good. Ignoring this order, too, she took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Hi! I’m Rosabella Aria Ashman.” She told the minotaur, moving on to Plan C. “Honorary Princess of the Northlands. And you are?”

  “I am pissed.” He retorted, but he didn’t blast them into ashes. Instead, he watched her warily. Apparently, not many victims took the time to introduce themselves.

  Avenant cursed and grabbed for her, but Belle shook him off.

  “And you have every right to be pissed.” She assured the minotaur. “I completely understand how upsetting it must be to have people wander into your house like this. To be honest, I don’t blame you for wanting us gone.”

  “Good. Then you’ll leave.”

  “Absolutely we will. And I truly apologize for the inconvenience we’ve caused you.” She nodded. “But, we’re on a contest of valor. So, we really can’t go anywhere until we find this magical sword. We have to track it down before we can get out of here. I don’t think the labyrinth will let us just quit. It’s like a whole ritual deal-y.”

  The minotaur’s eyes narrowed, his gaze cutting between Belle’s encouraging expression and Avenant’s tight features. “You seek Excalibur?”

  “Yes. Have you seen it?”

  The minotaur didn’t answer that. His attention locked on Avenant. “Does your woman speak the truth?”

  “Always.” Avenant said simply.

  Belle shot him a surprised look, touched by the compliment.

  Of course, then he went and ruined it. “Honesty is one of Belle’s most irritating habits.” His hand gripped her tight, preventing her from getting any closer to the minotaur. “The little oddball has a lot of others, though. She talks too much. She never fucking listens. She has even worse ideas than I do.” Avenant dragged her behind him. “She’s hopelessly and irredeemably Good.”

  Belle made a face.

  “You are not Good.” The minotaur told Avenant with utter certainty.

  “No.” Avenant allowed. “I’m not. I’m exactly like you. I’m a beast. If I could think of a way to kill you without frightening the woman, you’d already be dead. See that sword?” He nodded towards Lancelot’s fallen weapon, which had landed a few yards away. “I am currently running scenarios on how to get it and stab you in the eye.”

  The minotaur’s head tilted, intrigued now. He slowly lowered his hand and the flames that had been building between his fingers flickered out. “Others have tried to kill me.” He gave a smirk. “My kind don’t die easily.”

  Avenant didn’t look impressed. “A lot of monsters have told me that right before they died.”

  “You are just terrible at diplomacy.” Belle lamented. She tried to take control, again. Left to his own devices, Avenant would be cooked to a cinder in no time. “Look, Mr. Minotaur. All we want to do is find Excalibur. You should really be helping us. If we free the sword, we free you, right?”

  The minotaur no longer looked angry. Now, he looked amused. It was somehow worse. “You won’t free the sword, woman. You are destined to lose everything. Both of you. You aren’t fit for this challenge. You don’t even understand what it’s testing.”

  Belle felt a chill.

  “So far it mainly seems to be testing my goddamn patience.” Avenant snapped.

  The minotaur shook his head. “Others have come seeking the sword over the years. All have failed, because none of you see the truth. To possess Excalibur means surrender. When you enter this labyrinth, you must surrender yourself. All you thought. All you wanted. All you were. You must begin anew.”

  Avenant rolled his eyes. “Let’s skip the Zen shit and just get back to the killing each other part.”

  The minotaur chuckled, the sound echoing off the ice walls. “Oh, I never bother to kill those who seek Excalibur. The labyrinth will do it for me and with much greater… imagination.” He stepped back from them. “The sword lays two levels below us, trapped in stone. I look forward to seeing you try to claim it. Really. You questing morons are my only real source of entertainment, so I’m hoping you don’t perish too quickly.”

  “Thanks.” Belle deadpanned. “Hey, one more thing. Can you not kill that witch who was with us, either? She’s not really questing for Excalibur, but she’s harmless.”

  Avenant slanted her a sideways look.

  “Fine. Mostly harmless.” Belle allowed.

  “I will spare the witch if she stops that God awful music.” The minotaur’s gaze met Belle’s, again. “You truly aren’t like the others who come here, are you? None of them have ever asked mercy for another. Why did you enter to this place?”

  “Honestly? I just wanted to beat him.” She pointed at Avenant.

  The minotaur gave a snort of surprised amusement. “That’s actually good reason.” He allo
wed. “The first I’ve ever heard.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  “I am Knoss.” The minotaur told her. “You interest me. You’ll die on this journey, of course, but at least it’ll be interesting. That counts for a lot when all I see in here are the same endless walls.” He nodded as if coming to a decision. “I think you’ll go farther than most, Rosabella Aria Ashman. If you survive long enough, I’ll find you at the water.”

  “Okay.” Belle said, looking baffled.

  Knoss looked back at Avenant. “If I were you, I’d give up this quest and realize what is truly valuable. A real beast knows when he already holds prize.” He turned and vanished down one of the endless halls.

  Belle let out a shaky breath. “Okay. That was weird.”

  “Well, you came out of it okay. Seems like you have a date lined up for later.” Avenant scowled over her. “You kiss me and then you flirt with him. Admit it. It’s an actual plan to drive me insane, isn’t it?”

  “I wasn’t flirting, you ass. I was being nice to him and it worked. I told you we should try talking first.” She hesitated. “And I didn’t kiss you. At least, not on purpose. It was an accident.”

  “Oh for fuck’s sake…”

  “It just accidently happened.” Belle insisted. “I didn’t plan for it to happen. I didn’t want it to happen. It was just a heat-of-the-moment, accidental thing that sort of,” she made a vague gesture, “happened.”

  “Well, it’s about to happen again, because we had a deal. If we survive, I get a kiss. And too bad for you, we survived.”

  “I never actually agreed to that deal.” She informed him quickly.

  “Don’t be a welsher, Bella.”

  “I’m not.” She swept her hair behind her ears. “I just don’t think…”

  “Good. Don’t think.” Avenant interrupted. He crooked a finger at her, his voice dipping lower. “Just come here and don’t think about anything except how damn much I want you.”

  Belle chewed on her lower lip, debating. It was really, really hard to resist him when he stopped being a jerk and used that soft tone. Even knowing it was a mistake, she still found herself taking an instinctive step forward.

  On the ground, the flare continued to burn. It must have melted enough of the ice to make the floor unstable in spots. As she edged towards Avenant, the block beneath her gave way and Belle toppled into nothing. It was some kind of shaft that dropped down to another level of the maze. Belle’s hands scrabbled to find purchase on the slick walls, but there was nothing to hold onto. She went freefalling through the darkness and landed at the bottom, hard enough to drive the air from her lungs.

  “No.” Avenant roared. “Belle!”

  She gave a wheezing cough, unable to gather enough oxygen to answer him.

  It wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. Avenant was already following her. The filament clipped to their belts still connected them, but that wasn’t what pulled him down. He jumped after her. “Belle!” He dropped into the room a lot more gracefully that she did. “Belle, look at me.” He crouched down beside her, scanning for injuries. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, trying to sit up. “I’m alright. I just got the breath knocked out of me.”

  His hand found the side of her face. “Are you sure?” He seemed more shaken than she felt. His beautiful eyes glowed electric blue. She’d seen that happen before, but she was never sure what it meant. “You fell pretty far, my love.”

  “No kidding.” She looked up at the passage they’d come through. “Good thing Excalibur is this way, because I don’t think we’re getting back up there.”

  For better or worse, they’d made it to the second level of the labyrinth.

  Chapter Nine

  Wee Willie Winkie: And do you have any idea how many times he made fun of my name?

  I was fucking scarred for life.

  Prince Avenant: How is it my fault that his name sounds like low-grade pornography?

  Blame his dumbass parents.

  Prosecution: Objection! The defendant is out of order. Again.

  Testimony of Mr. Wee Willie Winkie- The People of the Northlands v. Prince Avenant

  “The journal has another passage about this level of the maze.” Belle followed behind Avenant, flipping through the pages of that stupid book. “It says, ‘A prince must have faith in those around him and not in a mirror. Otherwise, he will be lost in the darkness for all time.’”

  Avenant rolled to his eyes. No wonder Belle was so enamored of Grandpa Adam. They were both too soft. “I hate mirrors.” He muttered. “Does he say anything about how princes should carry machetes?”

  The ice walls had given way to a jungle. The subterranean world must have worked like a biosphere, keeping this part of the labyrinth safe from the cold. It was warm enough here that Avenant and Belle had taken off their coats. The forested humidity pressed down on them as they walked through the tight corridor.

  Thick tangles of brush and vines grew straight to the ceiling, creating the walls of the maze. The foliage blocked out most of the available light, so Avenant and Belle had to use flashlights as they made their way along the path. It was dark and oppressive and sticky with heat.

  Avenant didn’t like it.

  Someone had planted the dense vegetation in organized rows, but there were far fewer passages here than there had been upstairs. Once you chose a direction, this level forced travelers to stay on course. There was no way to go except forward or back. It felt like the labyrinth was herding them into a trap.

  “If we leave the path, I think we’re just going to get lost.” Belle slipped the journal back into her pack.

  “We’re already lost.”

  “I mean more lost. I know you want to start hacking down the plant life and heading off for parts unknown, but let’s just do this the easy way, alright?”

  “We’re not going to be the only ones who find our way down here, you know.” He shook his head. “As stupid as the others are, they’re not that stupid. They’ll bumble their way onto this level eventually. If we stay on the only path, we’re vulnerable to an ambush.”

  “So you’ve said. Repeatedly. But if we leave the path, we’re vulnerable to whatever’s lurking on the other side of those trees.” She gestured to the thicket of brambles and grasping branches. Something moved beyond those green walls. They could both hear it.

  “I don’t like this.” Avenant muttered, but he kept going. “Ez is still upstairs. She has no idea where we are.” There was no way to get back up to the ice level, though, so they really didn’t have much of a choice but to go on. He just wanted to get through this section as quickly as possible.

  The Beast agreed, pacing in agitation.

  “Are you okay?” Belle asked.

  Avenant shined his flashlight overhead, searching for a way out. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t sound fine.”

  “I said, I’m fine.”

  That was a lie. He wasn’t fine. He’d been able to keep his claustrophobia under control in the cavernous ice level, but this narrow path was getting to him. It felt like there wasn’t enough air. Everything was closing in on him. He scraped a hand through his hair and tried to stay in control.

  Belle stopped walking. “Alright, that’s it. You’ve been snapping at me for an hour.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m always snapping at you. Why would anything be wrong this time?”

  “Because, I know the tones of your snapping and this time is different. What’s wrong?”

  Fuck.

  “I don’t like this.” He repeated grudgingly.

  “I don’t like it, either. But…”

  Avenant cut her off. “No, I mean,” he struggled to find the right words, “the walls are too close here. I can’t…” He trailed off and ran another hand through his hair, feeling like an idiot. She was going to laugh at him. He could feel it coming. “Just give me a minute.”

  Belle’
s jaw dropped. “You’re claustrophobic?” She sounded stunned. “Jesus, Avenant! Why would you come into a labyrinth if you’re freaked out by small spaces?”

  “I’m not freaked out!” The claustrophobia was a personal failing. One that he could deal with, as soon as the tiny pathway stopped shrinking. “I came in here because I knew I could handle it and I am.”

  That was a lie, too. He came in here because it was the only way he could win.

  Belle chewed her lower lip. “What can I do?”

  “Nothing.” He told himself he wasn’t suffocating. It was all in his head. “I’m fine.”

  “Avenant, shut-up and let me help you.” Her hand came out and took hold of his. “Please.”

  Aw, fuck.

  He let out a long breath as her fingers tightened around his. He couldn’t stand being weak. Not in front of her. But he still gripped her palm like it was the only real thing in the darkness. He knew it was crazy, but the panicked feeling in his chest eased. The Beast whimpered, wanting to be closer to her. Needing her comfort. It felt the claustrophobia even more than Avenant did. It was locked away inside of him all the time, unable to get free.

  “How did you get through eight months in jail if you’re claustrophobic?” Belle asked.

  “When you’re in jail, you don’t really have much of a choice.” His thumb traced over the back of her hand, amazed at how soft she was. He could feel his heart rate slowing as he focused on Belle and not the smothering sensation of the confined space. “Besides, it got progressively worse the longer I was in there. It was bad when I was kid and my parents…”

  “Used to lock you in closets.” Belle finished for him when he stopped short.

  He hated that she knew that. That she saw him as pathetic. Avenant squeezed his eyes shut. “The closets were only for special occasions. They locked me in my room just about every day, though. Whenever they were home, I was confined. They didn’t like looking at me.”

  “Jesus.” She sounded appalled. “Avenant, you should’ve told someone.”

  “Who? My father was the Prince and I was Bad.” He shook his head. “No one cared. No one ever tried to help me.”