Thomas growled. ‘Yes, and now, I must use that to get home,’ he grumbled. ‘Thanks again, Charles, but I must go.’
Thomas walked off with his head hung low and headed to the stables. There, he saw a stable boy and offered him the ruby in exchange for a stallion. The stable boy got his masters and they agreed to sell Thomas their black stallion.
The fur around the bottom of its legs hung down to its hooves, and his mane was raven black and glorious. The horse was strong—strong enough to take his weight. Perhaps, he could sell it once home, he wondered and jumped on its back. He headed for the road that led out of town but stumbled into a forest covered in a sheet of snow. Looking around the icy paradise, the trees seemed to merge into one.
He continued, looking for a way out of the forest, but as he headed forwards, he ended up venturing further into the depths.
The horse neighed as it reached a steep drop. He and the horse tumbled down, leaving Thomas shivering at the bottom, dusted with snow. He looked sadly at his steed, which clearly had a broken leg. ‘I don’t even have a gun to end your misery,’ Thomas admitted and looked around. His legs felt like jelly and the cold seeped through his clothes. He knelt on all fours and tried to get up. He wished for warmth, for food, when a wall of thorns appeared. They quickly sunk back into the ground, showing off a beautifully haunting castle.
Thomas’s hair froze around the top of his ears. Shivers slithered down his spine as he crawled through the frostbitten meadow. He reached an old fountain which stood in front of mirrored steps leading up to a solid door. He pushed himself to stand, but his knees felt weak. He held onto the side of the steps and pulled himself up to the door. He reached the door and looked up at the spikes then ran his hand over the doorknocker, which was the face of a snarling beast.
Thomas did a mental check as to where he had seen that beast before. A memory fogged in his mind that he remembered, just, on one of his travels. A curse, one that shows the inner beauty or ugliness. The beast was the symbol for that. He hesitated and turned around, looking out at meadow and then the endless sea of trees and gulped. It was the castle of death.
The knock was louder than he expected, creating an echo inside. The door creaked open. Thomas was confronted by a long corridor, walled by symmetrical archways leading into dark rooms. He looked down at the marble floor, which was cracked and littered with dead leaves and small stones.
He slowly made his way up the corridor, glancing behind him every minute. Paranoia set in. Questions crossed his mind. Who was here?
How did that door open on its own? Finally, he reached the door. His leg was dodgy, so it was painful to walk. His kneecaps felt as if they were grinding together.
He bit the inside of his cheek until it bled. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed open the heavy door and was presented with a long table filled with delicious food. ‘Hello?’ Thomas called out, waiting for a reply. The ballroom was huge. At the back were three staircases and a balcony, which reached around the room. Portraits of royalty hung on the walls, but none that he had ever heard of, though. The walls were cracked, and all the corners covered in spider webs. Beautiful 17th-century art decorated the ceiling, yet it was dull, not preserved at all.
The smell of beef, lamb, gravy, and potatoes wafted in the air, pulling him to the table with an invisible string. He looked down at the food and looked around. It felt wrong; this was clearly someone’s meal, but he thought that this was a lot of food, and they wouldn’t miss a plateful.
He grabbed slices of meat, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and gravy and ate. When he was finished, he ate a couple of handfuls of grapes and cut himself a nice sized piece of fruitcake. He washed it all down with red wine and relaxed back into the cushioned chair.
He walked up the middle staircase and down a dark corridor, which was only lit dimly with a few candlesticks. He looked up and saw a black staircase, which oddly started five feet up. He shrugged and turned right into a darker corridor. The door creaked as he closed it. Hundreds of doors ran up the seemingly never-ending corridor.
Thomas stopped in front of one door and looked at the metallic heart, which also served as a peephole, it seemed. The more he looked, he realised that it was tinged blue. In fact, each door had a heart on it. Most of them were blue. He continued down the corridor and came across a couple of red ones. The door at the end of the corridor opened on its own. Thomas froze and looked around cautiously but could see nothing but the gentle flicker from the candles. He took a deep breath and walked through the door.
Shelves reached up to the high ceiling, circling around the entirety of the rounded room. All the shelves were packed with dusty books. Hanging from the centre of the ceiling was a beautiful black and red chandelier, which matched the drapes on the one window in the room. The stone floor offered little warmth, so Thomas walked over to the wine-red armchairs. In front of them was a magnificent stone fireplace. On the mantelpiece were small yet expensive looking ornaments of roses, snowflakes, and trees. He lit the fire and poked the coal with the poker then rubbed his hands together. The room heated quickly and he sat back into his armchair.
How could his family manage? How could any of them survive?
He fell into guilt ridden dreams and tossed and turned.
A gust of wind swept over the room, and Thomas awoke abruptly.
He began to relax as he looked around at the bookshelves. In here, at least, he felt closer to Belle. He imagined his sweet Belle’s face were she to see all of this. She would surely make better use of being in the castle than he was.
He groaned when he saw that the fire had gone out. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Through the drapes, the first rays of morning crept through the gaps.
He walked back to the ballroom slowly. He tried to form a plan of action. As he walked down the corridor and through the wood door, though, he noticed the spiral staircase, previously halfway up in the air, was now touching the floor.
Curious, he began to climb the staircase until he reached a small metal bridge which took him to a small, half-open door. He looked down over the side of the thin bridge and gulped. He hated heights. Carefully, he crept through the door into a dimly lit room.
A rose, hovering in mid-air above a small table, shone brighter than anything else in the castle. Entranced, he drew closer and reached out his hand. Edward watched from behind a red and gold screen.
Shame of his appearance had prevented him from showing himself to his guest.
Offering the man food and shelter, he hoped, would have helped him become handsome again. The words as ugly as you are on the inside rang in his head.
Thomas managed to touch the rose to Edward’s surprise. Edward ran out from behind the screen and toward a startled Thomas. He tackled Thomas to the floor and punched him in the side of the head. ‘After I gave you food,’ Edward yelled. ‘You attempt to steal from me.’
Thomas tried to shield his face as Edward landed another punch on his head. ‘Sorry,’ he spluttered.
Thomas expected another blow, but no more came. Instead, Edward stood up and helped Thomas to his feet. ‘You’re the man who offered me safe passage at the inn,’ Edward stated.
Thomas squinted. The man he met looked a different, yet there was something recognisable beneath the ugly. ‘Possibly.’
‘You told me you had daughters.’
Thomas nodded. ‘I was taking the rose for my eldest daughter, Belle.’
‘Bring her to me,’ Edward commanded. ‘And I will let you leave with your life.’ He grabbed Thomas’s hand and an inked rose appeared engraved into his skin. ‘You have until tomorrow. If your daughter does not come to the forest before the sun sets, then you will die a most painful death.’
Thomas looked down at the rose and gulped. His heart raced. He looked at Edward with panic in his tired eyes. ‘Not my Belle, please. I am sorry about your rose. I appreciate your help. Please—’
‘No,’ Edward interrupted. ‘Your daughter or your life. It’s your choice.
Now leave.’
‘I cannot get home that fast. My horse was injured,’ Thomas said.
‘Your horse,’ Edward said, ‘is outside the castle waiting for you. While you were sleeping, Caleb and I lowered the barriers so your horse could be accessed and saved.’
‘It broke its leg? You could not have fixed it that quickly,’ Thomas protested, confused.
‘Magic. Now, leave. You don’t have much time,’ Edward said. Thomas walked out of the castle and looked up at the moonlit, starry sky and sighed. He didn’t have much time.
Thomas galloped toward the house with a flurry of emotions circling in his stomach. The wind swept through his hair, and it made him feel alive. A sudden appreciation for the life he had taken for granted coursed through him. He had less than a day to somehow make sure his family would be okay. Although he did not want to die, no way would he hand Belle over to the beastly man. Goodness knows what he would do to her, and Thomas couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to her because of his own selfishness. It wouldn’t be as bad if she didn’t have James. He was all she had and vice versa. He would see that no harm came to them, even if it meant his untimely death.
The little house came into view, and Thomas sighed. The quaint little windows were lit up and hanging baskets were hung around the door. Probably from Belle, he thought. He stopped in front of the house, and the front door clicked open. As soon as he jumped off the horse, Belle ran from the door into his arms. ‘I was so worried when you didn’t return,’ she admitted. A smile spread across her dark pink lips. James stepped outside and hugged his grandfather, smiling.
Griselda ran out smiling with the twins, Diana and Demira. Their smiles were quickly replaced with shock. ‘Where is the lace, the dresses, the pearls?’ Griselda cried, looking around for a cart filled with treasure.
‘Yes, where is our stuff?’ Diana and Demira demanded in unison.
Thomas swallowed and looked at the floor. Belle stood in front of him protectively. ‘You should just be happy that he is home …’ She looked around at her sisters and scowled, ‘That he is safe!’
Diana’s brown eyes bored into Belle’s. She itched underneath her pearly blond tight bun and scowled back. ‘I am!’
Belle scoffed. ‘Seems like your more interested in dresses than you are about him.’
Griselda looked at Belle hard and then up at her father. ‘Father, we are happy that you are back safely, but what happened to the ship? We were supposed to get our lives back.’
Thomas sighed and brushed the snow out of his grey hair. ‘They took it all to pay the debt.’
The twins screamed, ‘That’s not fair!’ Belle almost laughed and expected them to start stomping their feet. They didn’t, but they did fold their arms over their chests and huff. The twins turned and stomped back into the house, followed by Griselda. Belle couldn’t take their anger seriously. They had their hair pulled back so tight that they looked constantly surprised.
James ran his hand through his honey-brown hair, which flopped down to the top of his ears, and frowned. ‘No sword then?’
Belle looked at James sternly. ‘You’re just as bad as they are.’
‘Was just curious.’ James shrugged. ‘I would rather have Grandpa back safely.’ And with that, he walked inside.
‘Teenagers, eh?’ Thomas laughed and linked arms with Belle.
‘You must be starving. What happened to you?’ Belle asked as they walked into the small kitchen.
Thomas hesitated. ‘I, uh, got lost on the way home and found a castle to stay in.’ He put a pot of water on the boil and forced a smile. ‘I had some food, and then I left for here.’
Belle raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re hiding something. I can always tell with you.’
She looked at him with the same knowing, stern look that her mother had. He shrugged and made them both cocoa. ‘I’m not lying.’
‘Hmm.’ She drank her cocoa and looked at him suspiciously. ‘So that’s it. You went to a castle and what? Food was just there? Who lives in this castle? Where is it?’
He gulped and sat down, shifting uncomfortably on the wooden chair. ‘Milborn forest, umm, just a man.’
‘Really?’ Belle furrowed her brows and finished her cocoa. ‘So he lives in a castle, alone, in the middle of a forest, and just happened to have food?’
Thomas shrugged. ‘That’s what I’m saying.’
Belle groaned. ‘You’re lying.’
‘I’m not.’
She bit her lip and looked at the cooker. She walked over to heat up the soup she had made the previous night. It wasn’t exactly breakfast food, but it was better than nothing. ‘So …’ Belle said, trying to fill the awkward silence. ‘Did you see Charles?’
Thomas nodded but didn’t elaborate. She placed a bowl of leek soup in front of him and sat down. ‘I’m sorry about your ship. Things will get better, you’ll see. We have everything we need right here, and Griselda and the twins will come a- uh, what’s that?’ She pointed at his hand.
Panicked, he pulled down his sleeve. He’d forgotten about the mark that the curse had left. ‘Nothing.’
‘That’s not nothing!’ Belle grabbed his hand and pulled the sleeve up. The rose looked like it had been drawn under a thin layer of skin, and it moved slightly, wriggled even. A petal on the rose faded then disappeared altogether. Belle examined it then pushed his hand away from her. ‘You’ve been marked by magic? How? What’s going on? If you don’t tell me, I’ll drag my sisters down. I’m sure they’ll go on at you enough until they get it out of you.’
‘Okay, okay,’ he said, giving up. He huffed and ate the last of the soup. ‘It’s a … well, it’s a curse, Bells.’
A knot appeared in her stomach. He only called her Bells when he was feeling overly affectionate or he was going to give her bad news. He had called her that when he sat her down to tell her that her mother had died. ‘What will it do?’ she whispered.
He blinked back tears. ‘It’s true about the castle, the man, the food, and getting lost. But as I went to leave the castle, I saw an enchanted rose, and I remember you saying you wanted a rose…’
Belle gasped. ‘Is this my fault?’
‘No,’ he said quickly and placed his hands over hers. ‘It is mine. I shouldn’t have tried to take it.’
Belle ground her teeth and tried to hold back tears. ‘What does the curse do, Father?’
He sighed and felt a tear trickle down his face as he saw Belle’s expression. Guilt, anger, and concern. He couldn’t lie to her. The least he could do was to be honest, all except the part about her. ‘He saw me try to take it and cursed me to death. I have until sundown this evening.’
Tears instantly ran down her cheeks. She gripped her father’s hands, fearing to ever let go. ‘There must be something we can do.’
‘Calm down, Bells. Everything will be fine. The house will be in your name as you’re the eldest.’
‘No,’ she cried. ‘You can’t die.’ She stood up and went over to his chair, wrapping her arms around him. He held her as she sunk her head on his shoulder, patted her back, and cried with her. Belle eventually let go, but when she turned, she saw James stood in the doorway.
Sadness filled his warm brown eyes. ‘I heard everything.’ James walked over to his grandpa and hugged him tightly. Belle had expected him to run off, unable to deal with the news, like he had done when he found out his grandma died. Belle saw the strength in him. James let go and hugged her. He did not cry; instead, he comforted. ‘Let’s spend what time we have left together,’ James suggested. ‘Mother.’ He looked up at her, but there was a knowing behind his eyes. ‘Let’s go into the garden and pick some apples. We can have some of your famous apple crumble.’
Thomas smiled. ‘That would be nice. I will talk to your sisters.’
Belle nodded and took James’s hand. They walked out into the brisk cold. James headed for the stables instead of the apple tree. ‘Where are you going?’ Belle asked.
James walked
in and led out the horse that Thomas had taken. ‘We’re going to that castle. When Grandpa was talking about it, something didn’t feel right. We must do something. We can strike some sort of deal, I’m sure.’
Belle breathed heavily and jumped on the horse. ‘I must go alone. It’s not safe. I won’t risk your life.’
James jumped on the horse anyway. ‘I’m going with you. I can’t stay here with Aunt Griselda and the twins, anyway. I promise that whatever happens, it’ll be better than being stuck here with them.’
Belle tried to protest but instead looked up at the sky. It was late morning, which meant they had little time left, and Milborn was far. ‘Fine, let’s go.’
Thomas walked over to the window and saw Belle and James riding away. He ran outside, but they were already disappearing from view. He dropped to the frost covered ground and watched another petal fade away, hoping they wouldn’t find the castle.
CASTLE OF HEARTS
The cold wind kissed their cheeks as they rode through the cobbled streets of Milborn toward the forest. Darkness pinched the horizon as the sun set dangerously low. Belle’s heart thumped loudly as they reached the forest’s edge.
They rode through the tree line and into the wintry, isolate paradise. Snow fell from the branches as they galloped, disturbing the wildlife.
The last dewy glow of orange disappeared as they reached a clearing. They stopped and jumped off the horse. Though beautiful, the snow was sharp as it bit at their fingers. ‘We’re too late,’ Belle cried as the darkness spread, etching the world in black. It strangled their last hope of saving Thomas, and Belle couldn’t take the grief. She fell to the ground, powdered white covered her faded yellow dress. Her hair fell out of the lazy ponytail that she had quickly put it in before leaving. Satin chocolate strands tumbled down her back, capturing the unique snowflakes that fell through the dead branches above.
James placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to think of the words to say, but nothing came. They sat in silence, allowing the cold to bite at their skin when thorns pushed through the inches of snow, reaching up to the sky. Belle looked up, mesmerized. As quickly as they came, they sunk back into the ground and a castle appeared from nowhere. James backed away, dragging Belle with him. ‘What is this witchcraft?’ James asked, poising himself in front of his mother defensively. Belle felt as if a blizzard had begun in her mind. Her father, her family, the castle—everything buzzed like a swarm of bees. Then, the castle, her son, and the forest faded grey until there was nothing.
The Enchanted Kingdoms (Haunting Fairytales Series Book 1) Page 5