Beyond the Four Kingdoms Box Set 1: Three Fairytale Retellings (Four Kingdoms and Beyond Box Sets Book 3)

by Melanie Cellier

  I am not alone, he said. Not since my godmother made the servants visible to me. And in truth I have never been alone. His mental voice dropped almost to a whisper. Unlike my sister.

  His sister? Curiosity burned, but I knew better than to ask for an explanation. I had barely eaten yet, it was too early in the meal for a conflict. I sighed. I shouldn’t have expected empathy from him. The Tourney had shown me his implacable and merciless nature with the way it had driven us on through the events, regardless of illness or injury. Plus, he wasn’t a prisoner here, as I was. He had chosen to retreat from the world.

  I took several more bites, the resentment growing. Would it have been so hard for him to apologize? Even once? Was he truly without compassion of any sort?

  “But what of your kingdom? You say it is not safe to travel outside the grounds, yet surely you must have some way to communicate with them?”

  My royal carriage is safe, as you saw. I send it to my lords on occasion with letters and missives. And as for the rest of the time…well, they know I watch them. They would not dare step out of line.

  That hadn’t been exactly what I meant, although I could easily imagine the nobles fearing a royal family led by King Nicolas and now a cursed beast. But my mind caught on his earlier comment. He watched them? From here?

  “Do you have spies among your own people, then?”

  Spies? No, of course not. How would they communicate with me if I did?

  I flushed at the note of derision in his voice. “How do you watch them then, Beast? Locked away in your isolated castle?”

  The wrinkle of confusion had returned to his brow, as if he were honestly confused by my comments rather than merely contemptuous. When he spoke, his words were slow. I brought my family’s mirror with me, of course. I would never have left it unattended in the capital.

  “Your mirror?” I now felt completely lost, as if we were having two different conversations, each missing the other’s point entirely.

  Yes. My family’s mirror. It is the oldest and most powerful of the royal mirrors.

  I frowned at him, and a strange expression crossed his face. Does your family not possess a royal mirror? His tone turned thoughtful. I know the Marinese duke does not. Do not tell me you knew nothing of their existence?

  “I have never heard of a royal mirror.” I hated having to admit my ignorance to such an arrogant person. “I take it you are referring to a magical object of some sort. I had understood magical objects to be extremely rare in these lands, given the disappearance of the godmothers so long ago.” Of course, if the Beast’s own claims were to be believed, there had been a godmother here not so long ago after all.

  The royal mirrors are old beyond counting. They have been passed down from monarch to monarch in each kingdom for many generations. You truly had not heard of them?

  “No.” I snapped the short word.

  Then I regret mentioning it.

  I ignored him. “What does this magical mirror do? Allow you to spy on your people?” It seemed a strange object for the godmothers to gift.

  It allows the viewer to see and hear events taking place far from them, certainly. But the mirrors also form a network with communication possible between each of them, or all together. It allows the monarchs of all the kingdoms to speak together at will.

  Now that sounded like a powerful and useful tool. “Why have you not used it to communicate with the rulers of the other kingdoms? You could tell them of the state of affairs in Palinar—ask for assistance.”

  A soft growl rolled over me, seeming to escape from the Beast without his noticing. Palinar doesn’t need their help.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You need all the help you can get.”

  A soft sound, almost like a sigh, slipped from the Beast’s mouth. I have received no communications since the curse fell. And any attempts to call outwards have reached only darkness.

  Ah, that was the truth of it. The curse had cut off even magical communication. I considered his words some more.

  “You can magically spy on anyone you like? Even the other rulers?” I could see lots of problems with such a situation.

  Not everyone. There are limits. The mirror will only show you your own people. He watched my face. Do not be concerned. There are…limits…to what the mirror will show.

  I tried not to let the relief show on my face. I had already been imagining the feeling of ghostly eyes on me at all times.

  “So, you hole yourself up here, in your castle, and watch your kingdom from afar?” The disapproval was obvious in my tone, but I made no attempt to check it.

  For now. He seemed impervious to my criticism.

  We ate the rest of the meal in silence, my mind still considering all the ramifications of his revelation. When I had finished, I stood to my feet, proud to have made it through an entire meal with him.

  He stood swiftly as well, stepping over to offer me his arm as if he meant to escort me to the door. I eyed it doubtfully but could think of no reason to refuse the uncharacteristically polite gesture from my betrothed. Had it been mere days ago that I had resolved never to let him touch me? It seemed an eternity ago.

  Reluctantly I placed my hand in the crook of his arm. As we walked slowly to the door, I thought of the prince in the portrait. What if there had been no curse? What if I had come here to be his bride, traveling in a proper royal procession, Lily by my side?

  I kept my eyes on the ground. With only the feel of his arm beneath my fingers, his muscles hard and strong, it was easy to imagine the tall young man from the painting. Would I have been pleased when I saw his handsome face? Or scared by his hard expression? I could no more decide the answer to that question than I could understand my own emotions when his all-too-human eyes pierced me through.

  When we reached the door, I looked up into his face and couldn’t help a start of shock at his beastly features. Whatever I might have thought of that prince, he was long gone. And if I wanted to break this betrothal, then I needed to outwit him. Which meant understanding the advantages he possessed.

  “Will you let me see your magic mirror?” I asked him, abruptly.

  His eyes narrowed. The mirror is only for use by members of the royal family. If you wish to see it, you need only consent to our wedding taking place immediately. Will you marry me in the morning, Sophie?

  I flinched back, berating myself for being once again surprised by his apparently inevitable question. “Don’t call me that!” I snapped unthinkingly.

  He raised an eyebrow. By your name, you mean? I thought you said Sophie was your preference. What would you have me call you instead?

  I flushed at having revealed myself in such a way. “Never mind,” I mumbled. “Forget I said anything.” I hurried out the door, not looking at him as he held it politely open.

  I had wished for him to learn some manners, but they fit so uncomfortably on him that it didn’t help. He remained an otherworldly creature, out of place in my life, and impossible to imagine as my future husband.

  Chapter 12

  My sleep was fitful, disturbed by visions of a handsome prince with piercing blue eyes who looked down into an elaborate handheld mirror reflecting an image of me tossing and turning in my bed. Every time I woke, I found myself in a cold sweat, clutching my blankets around my neck.

  As the hours passed, a new thought crept into my mind. I couldn’t believe it had taken so long to occur to me. If the mirror could be used only by royals, and only to see your own people, would it not be possible for it to show me Lily? I might not be able to use it to communicate with her, but I could at least reassure myself of her safety.

  But the Beast had already refused to let me see it. And if he considered it a bargaining chip, something to use to pressure me into agreeing to our wedding, I would never convince him to change his mind. Which meant I needed to find it on my own.

  By the time the sun rose, I had given up on sleep entirely and was busy planning. After his attempt to bar me
from his wing of the palace, I felt sure I would find the mirror there. But I would need to ensure that the Beast himself was absent before beginning my search. I hadn’t seen him wandering around the palace except for when he had found me in his wing. I suspected he spent most of his time there.

  The only other place I had seen him outside of meals was with his stallion. And Matthew, the stable master, seemed to have a privileged position with him. I would wait until he went to visit his stallion, and then I would find the mirror and finally see Lily.

  I could see the corner of the stable building from my window, but I would need a clearer view to ensure I didn’t miss his arrival. Which meant finding a better position somewhere in the castle. I tried to remember the many rooms I had visited on that side of the building.

  Hours later I wistfully watched the sun shining on the flowers and reflecting from the snow. I still hadn’t explored the gardens, and they looked much more appealing than the hard seat I had managed to drag over to the window of the unused chamber. But I didn’t want to miss the Beast leaving the castle. I thought of my sister, and the emptiness in my mind without her familiar presence. It would all be worth it if I could get even a glimpse of her and be sure she was well.

  As the angle of the sun crept around and the warm rays shone directly onto me, I found it hard to keep my eyes open and my mind alert. My lids kept drifting shut, my bad night’s sleep catching up with me. I eyed the dusty bed longingly.

  I had asked Lottie to deliver a midday meal to me here, carefully putting in the request when Tara wasn’t around, to ensure I wouldn’t be questioned for wishing to spend the day in a random, unused bedchamber. But even the food failed to completely dispel the sleepiness.

  I had just finished pacing the length of the room to stay awake, when I returned to the window and noticed movement. Instantly all fatigue dropped away, energy coursing through me at the sight of the Beast’s bulky frame striding toward the stables. I forced myself to wait until he had disappeared inside.

  As soon as I was sure he had gone to visit his stallion, I raced from the room, my feet flying as I headed straight for the Beast’s wing. As I twisted and turned through the castle, I felt proud of myself for remembering Gordon’s tour. All of the corridors looked the same, and it made navigation difficult for anyone who had not grown up familiar with the building. I would have to arrange to have some tapestries hung and statues placed in available niches.

  I had taken two more turns and was passing the portrait gallery when it occurred to me that for an unthinking moment I had been considering myself the actual mistress of this castle. Planning improvements to it for when I might host guests here. I shook myself. I could not allow myself to be lulled into forgetting this was a large prison, not a home.

  I didn’t slow as I raced past the door to the gallery. In the many hours since I had first conceived of this plan, I had considered all the options. The gallery hadn’t contained any pieces of furniture—in fact there had been no place where a mirror could have been hidden. Instead I had become increasingly convinced that the only place the Beast would keep such a valuable magical object was his own chambers.

  When I reached the door that Gordon had called forbidden, I stopped. I had accused the Beast, either aloud or in my mind, of almost every crime. And yet, only yesterday, I had assured him I would not enter his rooms, and today, here I was. I shook my head. The normal rules did not apply when a monster kept you prisoner in his home.

  I pushed open the door.

  I didn’t know what I had been expecting, but it had almost certainly involved darkness and gloom. And probably dirt, since Gordon had said even the servants were barred from these rooms. But the Beast’s chambers were large and surprisingly airy, filled with solid oak furniture, worn silken with age. The stone floor was covered with overlapping rugs of deep red and gold, and I could see no sign of filth or neglect.

  I couldn’t help crossing over to the large windows in his bedchamber, noting his extensive view which included most of the gardens and the stables. This would have been the ideal viewpoint for my morning’s observations, except for the obvious issue. As I watched, the Beast appeared astride his black horse, walking toward an open field on the far side of the gardens.

  The distant figure appeared to twist a little in the saddle, and I stepped back, jumpy. Had he been looking this way? I shook myself and added stern instructions not to waste time on foolish fancies. I needed to start my search.

  The Beast had three interconnected rooms. A bedchamber, a sitting room and a dressing room. The sitting room seemed the most logical place for such an item, so I began there. As the minutes ticked by, my tension rose.

  I moved next to the dressing room, observing the strange way his jackets hung when not on his shoulders, highlighting his misshapen frame. I saw no sign of a mirror, however.

  Finally, I returned to his bedchamber, rummaging carefully through the drawers of his desk, attempting not to disrupt anything. I didn’t want to leave any sign of my visit. I could feel the knot of discomfort in my center growing. I resisted the urge to run to the windows to check for any sight of the Beast. I reminded myself again and again that I had seen him leave for the beginning of a ride. I had plenty of time to turn all three rooms upside down if need be.

  As I slid shut the final door, I gave a huff of frustration. Should I search the bed? Did he keep it tucked under his pillow? I hesitated, reluctant to climb onto his large four-poster or touch the place where he laid his head.

  As I looked around the room, hoping to spot somewhere else to look, my eye fell on a curtain hanging against the wall shared with the sitting room. I frowned at the anomaly. A curtain on an internal, windowless wall?

  I strode over and pulled it back, revealing a large oval mirror mounted on the wall. A simple, elegant frame met at the top to form the outline of a crown. The royal mirror.

  I berated myself silently. I had allowed my search to be influenced by my dream, but now that I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the Beast ever referring to it as a hand mirror. I had nearly missed it, when it should have been immediately obvious to me. I had already wasted so much time.

  I stepped close to the mirror which reflected my own face back at me. Nothing about it gave any indication that it was anything but an ordinary mirror. But ordinary mirrors were not kept behind elaborate curtains. And the smooth silver of the frame was engraved with a single word: Palinar. If I had still possessed any doubt, it would now have disappeared. This must be the royal mirror of Palinar.

  I stepped back, wondering how to activate it. Feeling a little foolish, I spoke aloud. “Show me my sister, Lily.” After a second’s pause, I added, “Please.”

  I focused on her face, identical to my own yet at the same time so different, and the feel of her voice and emotions in my mind. Please, please, please, I thought at the mirror. Slowly the surface began to fog, silver clouds obscuring my reflection. Yes!

  As I waited impatiently for her image to appear, I couldn’t help a small thrill of fear. I had assured myself that I would know if anything truly serious happened to her. But what if that wasn’t true? I had received no news for days now. What if Cole had attacked her seeking revenge?

  I tried to calm myself. Surely he had been recaptured. The whole of Marin was looking for him, and his family were all imprisoned so he had nowhere to turn for shelter.

  The mirror distracted me from my fears, the fog clearing to reveal an entirely different scene from the bedroom it had previously reflected. I stepped forward, squinting at it in confusion. What was I looking at?

  I could see no sign of Lily, or of any female. Instead I saw several horses racing across a landscape I didn’t recognize. Men in long cloaks rode them, leaning low to encourage their mounts to speed. I could even hear the distant sound of hoof beats and the wind in trees.

  I moved closer again, as if that could somehow bring clarity to the scene, and heard the one in front direct the others to veer to their left. As he
began to change his own direction, he glanced back to check that the others were following, and I got a momentary glimpse of his face. I gasped.

  Cole. As if my exhalation had broken the enchantment, the mirror began to fog again. So, Cole was still free. I wished I had been able to recognize his location and that I possessed some means of communicating it to Lily.

  I chewed on a strand of hair. I had asked the mirror to show me Lily, but instead it had shown me Cole. What did that mean? I remembered the way my thoughts had veered from my sister to the man I feared might injure her. As the enchantment of the mirror had been at work, my mind had been fixated on Cole rather than Lily.

  The fog remained in place, clouding the surface rather than returning it to its original reflective state. I turned my mind back to my sister, focusing on the feel of her and my own longing to see her. This time the fog cleared more quickly and, when it did, I rushed forward to place my fingers against the surface. Lily.

  My twin looked pale and tired, her face creased with lines of worry. Given the first vision in the mirror, I didn’t need to overhear a relevant conversation to know they had been unable to recapture Cole. And I knew she would be fretting about being cut off from me and what it might mean. If there was one thing Lily hated, it was being powerless to help the people she loved.

  Lily! I projected her name as forcefully as I could, my hand pressed flat against her image, and my mind focused on the feel of our connection. She looked up, a confused expression crossing her face. For a brief moment, I felt a ghost of her presence in my mind. The sensation was too weak to form words, instead it was only a wave of grief and fear, tempered with love and hope.

  I leaned forward to rest my head against the cool glass of the mirror, a single tear slipping down my cheek. Even in the midst of my longing for it, I had forgotten the feeling of peace and fullness that came from connecting with my twin.

  Movement flashed across the mirror, and I pulled back to see what was happening. Lily had turned at the sound of an opening door, and her face brightened. I didn’t need to see the new arrival to know his identity. Only Prince Jonathan, her betrothed, could bring that particular look of love to her face.