Chapter One
Beauty sighed as she looked out the
window of the thatched cottage she currently shared with her father and two
sisters. It had been two months since
her father had left on horseback for the city, fixing to do some heavy trading
with this season's unusually plentiful harvest. Now winter was setting in quickly and father had still not
returned... both Beauty and her sisters were getting worried.
"Beauty, he's not going to
magically appear any time soon, I'm sure." Elizabeth, the oldest, called
from the kitchen where she was baking bread.
"Would you mind cutting some carrots and potatoes for dinner? This is taking longer than I expected."
Beauty rose gracefully from the
windowsill and headed towards the kitchen, passing by Alice, the middle sister,
who was busily sewing one of her skirts that had a torn hem.
"How's the sewing coming
along?" Beauty asked in way of conversation, for she hated cutting
anything... she always managed to slice herself more than the food.
"Fine... I can start making a
new dress for you soon... that one's starting to wear badly." Alice
indicated Beauty's faded jumper of copper-brown sailcloth. "Perhaps I can find something a bit
more colorful for you."
"Green?" Beauty asked with
a smile.
"Yes, green, if I can."
Alice nodded, indulging Beauty's excitement.
"I love you, Alice."
Beauty kissed her sister on the cheek with youthful delight and skipped into
the kitchen to cut those vegetables.
"Spoiled brat." Elizabeth
teased fondly. "Next you'll be
wanting a gown of velvet."
Beauty wrinkled her nose. "Gowns? No thank you very much. I
can't climb trees or work in the garden with a gown on. And forget about riding
Apple."
"He'd never recognize you in a
skirt at all, that horse. And he won't
let anyone ride him but you, dear." Elizabeth nodded, kneading the bread
dough with quick hands.
"Cruel and unwarranted
accusations... Apple let father ride him before he left." Beauty made use
of her large quota of "big words" she regularly threw into
conversations.
"Yes... but he threw him after
only a minute and a half. I never saw
such a picky horse in my life. He won't
eat anything that you haven't fed him yourself either. And forget about getting him to pull the
plow without you." Elizabeth commented jovially, remembering Apple's many
exploits. "And what about the time
he refused to come in from the fields because it was raining and you were busy
working in the mud of your garden? He
wouldn't come in until he knew you were in as well."
"So, he's a little attached to
me... I did rescue the poor thing from wolves for Heaven's sake... it's called
gratitude. Which is more than some
people give." Beauty replied loftily, finally settling down to cut the
vegetables.
"Still upset over Mrs. Bounty,
there?" Alice inquired.
"All I know is she could've
paid me a whole lot more for that painting I did. One measly half a crown for all that work." Beauty scowled,
cutting the carrots with more vigor than necessary. "I spent a whole week on that thing."
"It was a lovely painting,
dear. Even I thought that and I have no
knowledge of painting techniques whatsoever.
I can't even begin to imagine how much work went into it. I gather neither could Mrs. Bounty... or she
would've paid you more." Alice nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, no sense in whining
about it now... what's done is done and we live on another day." Beauty
quoted their father with excellent accuracy.
"You're not funny." Alice
shook her head with an errant smile on her face nonetheless. "Just wait... when you get married and
have children, they'll be doing the same thing to you."
"Not if they're close to
papa... then they'll imitate him badly too." Beauty reasoned. "Besides, I'll never have children...
what man would marry a poor farm-girl?"
"One in love." Elizabeth
said, sliding the last loaf of bread into the oven.
"Love?" Beauty repeated,
her blue eyes wide. "Love can
really make people do things like that?"
"Of course. Look at papa... he was a wealthy heir to a
huge shipping firm... but he chanced losing it to marry mama. It was only after grandfather's death that,
grandma returned papa his inheritance.
He was just lucky that his mama was more compassionate than his
papa." Elizabeth explained.
Beauty sighed again, "Well,
when is something like that going to happen to me? I'm almost 17... and I'm tired of waiting. Why don't men notice me?"
"They do, sweet... but we grew
up amongst the men in town... they all still think of us as children."
Alice grinned.
"Then how on earth did you two
manage to get betrothed?" Beauty countered.
"Richard isn't from around
here... he's from West Haven." Alice said, a faint blush painting her
cheeks at the mere thought of her betrothed.
"Neither is Marcus... he's from
Silver Cove." Elizabeth nodded, absent-mindedly twisting the simple ring
of silver that Marcus had given her.
Beauty sighed again. "But I never get to go anywhere... it's
always 'too dangerous' for me."
"Papa's just being protective
of his youngest daughter. He'll relent
eventually... trust me." Elizabeth patted Beauty's hand reassuringly.
"I hope it's before I'm old and
gray." Beauty complained half-seriously.
"Have no fear... I bet on his
next trip, he'll take you along." Elizabeth
smiled.
@>-------,------'----------------------
"Home at
last..." Henry thought to him as the little cottage he and his three
daughters occupied came into view through the mist. The merchant was shaking
violently, despite the only mild chill of the morning and the thick cloak he
was wearing. Cold was the last matter
on his mind... how was he going to tell them?
How could he possibly explain why he had to leave them and never return?
With a heavy heart he urged his
tired horse onward towards the small stable next to the house. The wind picked up then and Henry could've
sworn that he heard a soothing voice in its whistling. "All will be well.... tell them the
truth and all will be well. This I
promise you."
He shook his head to clear it. First that awful encounter in that castle
and now he was hearing voices! However,
what he thought he heard was offering good counsel... he would tell them the
truth. Lying had never been a talent of
his even if he had thought to make up some less frightening story.
In his hand, the single red rose he
had procured suddenly grew hot in his hand, perhaps glowing in indignation at
the merchant's uncomplimentary opinion of its master. One glance at the flower proved that it was not glowing or any
such thing... merely that it was growing hot from being held in his hand for
hours and Henry again shook his head at himself. That castle had done something to him... he was usually not so
given to flights of fancy.
No
matter now, he reminded himself. You're home now... at least for awhile. It's best to spend time with your family now. With that, he pushed the door of the cottage
open, the wind howling behind him now.
Beauty, who had just been about to sit in his chair, jumped up with a
little yelp of surprise. The others
jerked their heads up in alarm, Alice pricking her finger with a needle in the
process.
"Father!" Beauty squealed,
immediately running to embrace the merchant with the exuberance of a young
kitten after a ball of yarn. He
returned his youngest child's hug, tears coming to his eyes unbidden... he
would soon have to leave all this behind to face his certain death.
"Is something wrong,
papa?" Beauty asked as she pulled away, noticing his heartsick expression.
"Not now, child... I don't want
to talk of it just yet." he denied, leaning down to drop his heavy
saddlebag, the rose still in his hand.
"Oh, papa... is that for
me?" Beauty's eyes lit up at the sight of the giant rose, its blood-red
petals gleaming faintly in the firelight, like fine velvet.
"Yes, dearest... its for
you. Quick, go put it in water before
it wilts." he handed her the blossom, somehow thankful that the enchanted
plant was no longer in direct contact with him.
"It's absolutely gorgeous,
papa!" Alice exclaimed, her blue eyes widening at the sight of the
rose. "Wherever did you find
it?"
"Again... I'll tell you
tomorrow. For now I just want to
relax." Henry said a little more sharply than he had intended.
The three girls looked away guiltily
and Beauty escaped to fetch a bud vase for the rose. Henry sighed and spread his hands in a gesture of apology. Alice and Elizabeth nodded their
understanding and offered small smiled at their father.
Beauty returned to place the vase on
the mantle, the rose's petals brushing slightly in the breeze of her
movements. With a reluctant pause,
Beauty approached her father.
"I'm glad you're home, papa...
but only tell me one thing." she asked quietly, unaware that the other two
had leaned forward slightly to hear her words.
"Yes?"
"You're paler than usual and
your eyes are nervous... as if you're afraid of something attacking you from
the shadows. Did something happen to
you since you left the town?" Beauty asked.
The merchant sighed heavily, leaning
back in his chair wearily. "Yes,
Beauty... something has happened... but don't any of you fret your pretty heads
about it right now. I'll tell you in
good time."
"Yes, papa." the three
girls nodded solemnly.
It would feel like forever until he
told them.