Never before had he considered someone not being afraid of him. It was ridiculous! She should be trembling and shaking where she stood, not staring defiantly at him with narrowed eyes.
Hang it all! I’m scary! Why wouldn't she cooperate and be a damsel in distress?
“No, I'm your fairy godmother.” He could be snarky too.
Her surprise showed. Both eyebrows went up, and her mouth parted slightly.
“Or not,” he added.
“Well, that's a relief. I would have to burn every fairytale I own, and then sue the federation of fairy godmothers because this would have been a total farce.”
His lips almost curled into a smile. Almost.
“Well, heaven forbid,” he mocked.
Growling happened. She seriously growled at him. So, he growled back. Showing no fear, Roz took a step forward.
“I'm here to kill you,” she stated without reticence.
“Glad to know this isn't a social call. I'm not fond of simpering damsels.”
“I am not simpering!” she shouted back.
“No, not yet. I do detect a bit of growling though. Is it a natural condition, or should I be on standby to call a doctor?” He couldn't resist baiting her.
“As if you're one to talk! Have you looked in a mirror lately? Death-warmed over is not a good look on anyone.”
Ouch, he thought, this girl has fangs herself.
“Yes, unfortunately, it is one of my un-redeeming qualities to look like the undead. I've been meaning to get a facial scrub for my complexion, but sadly, no one will deliver.”
Her lips quirked up and out, and Beast detected a snort.
Eyeing him with a tiny bit less hostility, Roz sighed, “You are not at all as I imagined.”
“Did you think I'd have bigger fangs? Or perhaps I'd be hairier?” he joked.
“Something like that.” Her lips quirked up for just a glimpse, and then it was gone. “Well, are you going to tell me what I'm doing here, since the rest of my company is gone, and why you are still alive?”
“I think it might be best to let you remember what happened on your own. I can tell you that I sent the rest of the troops home myself.”
“How?” Suspicion leaked into the word.
“A spell did the trick.”
“A spell?”
“Uh-huh,” his only reply.
“Are you going to tell me more?”
“No, I wasn't planning on it at the moment. I mean, we barely know each other.”
Roz shook her head and sighed.
“Does this mean I can't go home?”
“Well, not right now.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“I hadn't planned on it. Why? Were you hoping to die tragically and heroically for your kingdom? I can tell you now it won't work, and no one would even know about it. The spell that sent them home was accompanied by one which made them forget you.”
“Forget me?” She sounded horrified.
“Yes, at least, for now. We can talk more about it later. I hope this room will be accommodating to your needs. If you want anything just ask Buford or Mrs. Hausmeister.”
Circling each other, the beast shrugged and watched her every movement. “They are the best. Just don't tell them I said so. It will go straight to their heads, and I couldn't bear to live with conceited servants.”
“Of course not,” she muttered sarcastically.
“I would be happy to show you your friends, as you called them, if you’re ready?”
Hesitating, Roz nodded. “Oh wait! I need my slippers.”
Uncertain, he watched her cross the room to get a pair of slippers which had been tucked under the table.
“Did you get enough to eat?” he questioned.
“Yes,” she nodded, but seemed to stand a minute staring down at the table.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said again and started to walk toward him.
Beast turned and began to exit the room ahead of her. In the hallway, he turned back to see if she had followed him. To his surprise, Roz was about a foot away from him with a fork from her breakfast tray raised in the air. Needless to say, he hadn't seen that coming. She obviously thought a good deal about her stealth mode and hadn't realized he would turn around.
Her stunned, widened eyes stared straight up into his, and her arm paused in its descent. Calmly, he took the fork from her hand and put it into the pocket of his jacket as well. He supposed he should make a note to self: always wear jackets. They apparently came in quite handy.
“I assure you, eating me would be very bad for your digestion. I really wouldn't suggest it.” Then, he turned and entered his bedroom.
Roz had nothing else to do but follow. Her plans weren't working out as well as she expected. Although frustrated, she had to admit she wasn't worried. Despite the fact that the beast was ugly and certainly scary looking, he didn't really inspire fear after the first few moments spent in his company.
When she’d first awoke, she had been terrified. Here, in the monster’s lair, she hadn’t known what happened. She didn’t remember anything. Mrs. Hausmeister had made it better, but she wanted answers. She also wanted to complete her mission.
To be honest, he wasn’t as creepy as she had pictured. She felt he was more to be
pitied than to be feared, but Roz had to stick to the mission: kill the beast and free them of the curse.
Of course, if he wasn’t what she expected, could the curse not be what she expected either?
“Here we are,” he said, standing before a tall mirror that was almost the same length as him.
Staring at it, she shook her head. “So, what? It's a mirror. I've seen those before.”
The beast sighed. He proceeded to snap his fingers in front of the mirror. With a sudden swirl of the glass, it took on the image of the town. In fact, it no longer looked like a mirror at all.
Taking a step back, she asked, “How did you do that?”
“Magic,” he replied, then looked at her. “Tell the mirror what you want to see.”
“I want to see my family and my troops. Where are they?”
The mirror shifted from a black, dark void to the picture of her brother working. She didn’t detect any anger as he lifted and moved and continued to work. He looked well and had no evidence of bruising.
“I want to see my father,” she spoke, not believing her eyes.
Her father was talking to another farmer. He held a shovel over his shoulder. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she suspected it was about the soil. He stood there, talking, and not realizing she wasn’t at home.
It was normal.
“This can't be right,” she muttered. “They should be out looking for me.”
“They don't know you're gone yet. Right now, they assume this is how every day is. I'm sorry.”
“Why? Why would they think that? Why did you do it?” She glared at him with a particular loathing Beast hadn't seen in a while.
“I did it to protect you.”
“Protect yourself, you mean. This way they don't come looking for me. I’m a prisoner!” Her voice raised to a shout, and she took deep breaths to calm herself down.
She didn't want to lose her temper with him. If she had any hope of beating him, she needed to remain in control and let him think he was winning.
“You may think what you like. When you recall what happened here, you will see I'm right.”
“Whatever,” she muttered again, under her breath.
She was sure he heard her, but he said nothing. Instead, he looked back at the mirror and gestured to it with one long-fingered hand. She found herself really seeing the hand for the first time.
It was a pale, bluish color with very long blue-black nails. They were alarming to look at and made her wonder how he would use them. Shuddering, she looked away.
“Tell the mirror what you wish to see next,” he told her.
“I want to see my troops, my
friends.”
The mirror swirled again and deleted the scene of her dad. Instantly, she was in the garden of her best friend, Nina. Everett stood next to her laughing over something. They were laughing. No one seemed worried or concerned for her.
“I want to see Captain Ralph!” she shouted next.
Again, the mirror changed and showed her the outside of Captain Ralph's home. There, the captain and his wife were talking on the porch. The captain smiled and placed a hand on his wife's arm before he kissed her cheek and walked away.
What’s going on? she thought.
“Show me the training room,” she whispered.
There it was. Empty. No one inside making use of their time to practice. No classes had started, and the first one always started at six-thirty.
“What time is it?” Roz asked aloud.
“Seven-thirty,” Beast told her.
Shoulders slumping, Roz realized the beast had told her the truth. No one knew she was missing. No one was searching for her. No one was training.
“You put a spell on them?”
“Yes. One they will be under for a little while. It isn't a permanent spell. Most are not. It was one to buy me a little more time, and you as well.”
“For what?” she asked, staring at the empty room in front of her.
“For you to remember. Once you do then you, too, will have decisions to make.”
Having no idea what he meant, Roz just nodded, turned, and left his room.
The beast left her alone for the rest of the day staying holed up in his room. Buford and Mrs. Hausmeister were the only two he saw for the rest of the time. He figured she had seen him enough for one day.
“How is she?” he asked Buford, when the man entered his room later that evening to clear away the supper tray.
“She has been in her room all afternoon, sire, like you. She asked Mrs. Hausmeister some questions at supper time, but they were of the typical nature.”
“Typical nature?”
“Where things were, if she could have a bath, and whether you had exited your room at any time.”
“She asked about me?” This was an interesting development.
“She did. I believe she wanted to know whether you always stayed in your room or not. Mrs. Hausmeister told her you often remain here but did not elaborate.”
Beast nodded and sighed.
“I suppose we'll have to see how the next few days go. She’ll need to remain here until her memory comes back. Please inform the servants to keep an eye out for her eventual escape. It's safer if she stays here.”
Buford nodded, bowed slightly at the waist, and took the tray out with him. Beast sat up all night in the chair waiting for Roz to eventually leave her room. After all, he knew attempted escape was inevitable.
16
“I’m a ghost,” she muttered, shutting the door behind her with a bang.
Roz looked at what was her own room, for now, and crossed to the table. The food resting there had been cleared away. Sighing, she simply sat down and pondered what it would mean if she had never existed. Just as she, apparently, didn't now.
“No one even realizes I’m gone. They’re carrying on with their normal lives. As if, I’m not even alive.” Speaking the words aloud made it even worse.
Swallowing, her shoulders slumped. She needed a plan. If she could come up with a way to change everything, the curse would be broken.
“He doesn’t seem too bad,” she whispered. “Wait. What am I saying?”
Standing, she toured the room. Pounding on walls, she attempted to find another way out. “Secret passage? Why didn’t I just head to the staircase instead of coming in here? I’m so stupid!”
Going to the door, she found it locked. As expected, but still disappointed in herself, she hit her fist against the door. There had to be another exit.
“Fine!” she shouted.
Returning to the table, she dropped into the chair. This morning, she hadn’t expected Mrs. Hausmeister. When she’d thrown the knife, it was because she knew it was the beast. She could sense him coming. Plus, the cook had just left, and Roz knew how to tell it was her.
“The keys jingle,” she muttered. “I know it’s her when the key ring jingles. When it was him, the hairs on my arms stood on end. I didn’t hear the keys, but the door unlocked on its own.”
Shaking her head, she sighed. Tracing the lines in the table, she felt like a failure. She’d missed. He had her knife, and now, she had no other weapon. Plus, she’d missed.
“I’m not as good as I thought.”
Her mind conjured up an image of the beast. His eyes were so red. His teeth were so sharp and pointy. She’d never seen someone so tall and pale and blue.
“He’s not really blue,” she argued with herself. “He was more blue-tinted. His skin appeared fragile, but he isn’t. Definitely a beast.”
Rubbing her forehead, she dropped her head on top of her arms. Her conversation was pointless. There was no way she was getting out of this room. Evidently, her brain was turning to mush.
She just had to stay awake until Mrs. Hausmeister came to feed her lunch and supper. As soon as the cook approached with a tray, it’d be easy to shove her out of the way and make a run for it.
Of course, since she was across from the beast’s room, she could attack him and make every effort to kill him before escaping.
“It doesn’t feel right,” she said. “He’ll see it coming. Mrs. Hausmeister will alert him. His servants are loyal. She is, at least, and the butler. I can’t believe he has a cook and butler!”
Raising her head, she continued arguing with herself. “If I shove Mrs. Hausmeister out of the way, she could get hurt. Plus, I don’t have a weapon. I only had the knife in my boot. All the others were taken away, and I don’t even have silverware.”
Groaning, she stood and began to pace around the room. Crossing her arms, she tried to think of another way.
“There are no other exits. The windows won’t open or break. I can’t hurt Mrs. Hausmeister. She’s too nice. I just can’t.”
The clock sitting on the writing desk chimed the hour. Already, she could hear the footsteps of Mrs. Hausmeister, or it felt like she could hear them. There were her keys.
Opening the door, the cook slid inside, and the butler stood behind her and shut the door. It was as if they heard her thinking and planning. Looking around the room, she tried to find any cameras.
“Are there cameras in here?” she asked.
Mrs. Hausmeister let go of the tray, and it banged on the table with a thump. She turned with an open mouth. “Heavens no! Why would you think such a thing?”
“Never mind. I suppose I thought it could be a possibility. I don’t know anything about the beast.”
“King Ezra is not like whatever you’re imagining. What did those townspeople fill your head with?”
“Well, he is beastish, and there’s a curse. Also, he’s kinda left us to die for the last nine decades. My people are dying. They’re sick, and we’ve dwindled in numbers. Exactly how am I supposed to think of him?”
Mrs. Hausmeister swallowed. She took a large breath, and Roz stared as the woman’s eyes filled with tears. This wasn’t the response she was anticipating.
“You’re right, my dear. I’m sorry to have asked such a question. Being secluded up here and unable to leave the premises, I forgot what it’s like out there. Believe me, though, when I say the king didn’t want any of this to happen.”
“Why hasn’t he done something? We’re going extinct! My mother’s dead, and my brother’s been acting odd. He might have the sickness, and I can’t recall how I got stuck here. Now, they all think I’ve never even been born.”
“Oh, my dear. That’s a lot of pressure you’ve had on you. I know it will be difficult, but please trust me when I say, he’s keeping you here for a very good reason. I wouldn’t be helping if I thought otherwise.”
“You work for him. You have to say that.”
Mrs
. Hausmeister’s eyes narrowed, and Roz saw her jaw tighten. Knowing she’d offended the woman, she said, “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry. I do trust you. I don’t trust him.”
Nodding, the cook told her, “I understand. However, I will look after you, and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of at all times. It’s a pleasure to have someone from the outside here.”
“No one else has ever been here?”
“Of course not,” the cook said. “The king sends them on their way whenever they get too close. He doesn’t want them to get hurt.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“No, my dear. I know it’s hard to explain, but the beast doesn’t know how to break the curse. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but he doesn’t. He’s been working on it for almost a century.”
“Wait,” Roz held up a hand. “Are you saying he doesn’t have the power to break the curse?”
“No, he doesn’t. I know there’s the tale of killing him to break it, but we’re not sure it is true. When the witch queen changed him, she told him how to break the curse, but he can’t figure out her meaning.”
“She told him? Who’s the witch queen? He hasn’t always been a beast?”
“No, my dear. He hasn’t. He was the king of this realm after the last war. His father was king before him. The witch queen is Queen Ada from the Second Kingdom. Haven’t you heard of her?”
“I’ve heard stories, rumors, and such. We didn’t know what was true and what wasn’t. We were never told the beast had turned, only that killing him would set us free of the curse.”
Shaking her head, Mrs. Hausmeister said, “Killing him will do nothing.”
Roz inhaled. This couldn’t be right. The cook was lying. She had to be. It was the only way to end the curse. The whole town knew it.
“Have you ever tried it?” she questioned.
“Tried what?”
“To kill him?”
“Miss! Never! He’s our king.”
“A king who has allowed a curse to kill his people. He shouldn’t be king if he’s fine with sitting by and watching everyone die! Being a king means making sacrifices, and he should be willing to do whatever will save his people.”
The Four Tales Page 34