From my spot on the ground, I examined the bird, but it no longer moved. No chest heaving with breath. No feathers blowing in the breeze. Just hard, precious gold.
"I think it might be time to tell you more of my story.” Edwin extended his hand, and I eyed it with caution, refusing the assistance. "Except, I think you need to be in a better frame of mind for this tale. A little less hostile, perhaps. Why don’t you spend a few more minutes with your father, then come meet me inside? I'll prepare you something to eat and you can take a rest before we talk. From the black rings under your eyes, I’m assuming you haven’t slept in days."
"Thanks.” I scrambled to my feet, still refusing his offer of help, and brushed the dirt from my clothes. “And are you going to tell me what you just did there?”
He smirked, then retracted his hand with a vile snort. “Depends. We’ll see how the rest of the story goes first.”
I bit down on my cheek wanting to say so much more, many of those things not very appropriate for royalty, but arguing with him likely wouldn’t help my cause--even if it looked like he would’ve enjoyed matching wits with me.
He straightened the high collar of his robe and tapped the eagle on its head, the metal clanging against the golden rings on his fingers. He cast me one last glare and shook his head, then started to meander slowly back towards the temple.
I swallowed down the list of insults I wanted to spew behind his back and conjured my most cordial tone.
"Is Veda here?” I called after him. “I've been looking for her but she seems to have disappeared."
He halted and stood in silence for a moment. Maybe considering if he really wanted to answer me.
"I'm afraid not. Women can be quite crafty when they don't want to be found.” He chuckled to himself but I struggled to find the humor. “She said she needed a few days to think. You must have done something pretty stupid for her to be that angry with you."
"Maybe," I muttered under my breath, but from the sneer on his lips, he likely heard.
He turned and continued his strut back to the temple. "But at least that means she's no longer with someone of your type. Your squabbles are of no consequence to me."
I groaned, the prospect of spending any more time with that arrogant man caused my stomach to churn. But if he was finally willing to talk, I needed to take him up on it while I had the chance.
“However, I must tell you, a real prince would never toss out a diamond because it needed a bit of shine.”
Ouch.
So Veda had told her father what happened. Who knows how many details, but it sounded like enough. He already had my past and my father to dangle over my head, now he had my bad behavior to add to his collection of torture implements. Great.
The breeze picked up again and I pulled my coat closer to my chest. My father sat in the corner of his cage staring out into the distance as it ruffled the fur around his face. His rabid fit had subsided, replaced by a sad glaze in his dark chocolate eyes. A deep pain.
I inched closer to the bars, each movement long and drawn to avoid throwing him back into a frenzy. He swung his head my direction his lip stuck out, but without any fight.
"Dad, I don't know if you can hear me in there, but I wanted you to know that I'm here to help. Mom is beyond worried and we both can't wait to have you home."
I wrapped my hands around the metal bars and he jumped but stayed on the far side of the cage.
"I love you, Dad. I don't even remember the last time I told you that, but it's true. I wished I'd spent more time with you, learning and just being around you. I took for granted how hard your job is. How hard you have to work to you make the kingdom run and still maintain the respect of your followers. We're going to fix this. I know we are."
My father glared at me then took his head in his paws and let out a crestfallen whimper. The high-pitched whine stabbed right through my chest burrowing straight through to the other side and leaving a hole I didn't think I'd ever fill until the curse was finally broken.
I ran my hand across the bars as I walked towards the temple, each one playing its own mournful tune as I delayed letting go.
5
31st May
Metal bars surrounded me. Above. Below. On every side. An iron lock the size of my fist sealed me into my cell, stole my freedom. I grabbed ahold of the bars clanging and rattling them, screaming for help, but only the echo of my own voice came back. Nothing existed beyond the bars, just darkness, deep and hollow. I smashed my fist against the lock until my knuckles bled. Dark red blood poured down my fingers and stained my clothes. I retreated to the center of the cage and sat on the floor with my knees pulled to my chest. A wintry chill prickled up the back of my spine, the hair on my neck standing on end, waiting for something that I didn't know but feared anyway. Suddenly a strange blue smoke started to fill the cell wrapping and twisting around me. It filled my mouth. My nose. I coughed and choked against the unknown substance. My lungs burned, my breath shallower as I struggled against the smoke. The cell filled until I could no longer see. Just blue magic smothering me. Wrapping tight around my neck. The burning in my lungs deepened, scalding my throat. I coughed and coughed and coughed and…
I bolted upright in the tiny metal cot as sweat dripped from my forehead and across my chest. Just a dream. Or was it? And where was I?
The tiny room slowly came into focus. The peaked roof loomed above my head and the stark white walls stood bare except for a small hand-stitched sign that read ‘to know one’s mind is to know one’s self’. The temple. I rubbed my face with my hands, the memories of the last few days and my nightmare swirled and merged into a dark play, acting out over and over in my mind. But I was safe here. Wasn’t I?
I lay back on the cot and rested my head on the soft pillow. The lumpy mattress beat sleeping on the ground, even though being closer to Alizeh would have soothed my nerves a bit more. Even with the serene peacefulness of the temple surrounding me, I still didn’t completely trust Edwin. He seemed to be hiding something from me. But everyone was hiding something from me. Maybe I just didn’t like him much? Either way, the faster I heard his story, the faster I could get off this mountain and go home to send the guards to my father’s rescue.
I rolled onto my side and stared at the pyramid of light cutting through the narrow opening of the nearly closed door. Sun or lantern light? I couldn’t tell. A tiny ornately-carved table sat across from my face with a glass of water and two stalks of prickly aloe vera placed neatly on top. A note written in meticulous handwriting read ‘for the sunburn’.
I swung my feet to the floor and sat up, letting my mind recalibrate for a moment before grabbing the glass. The water went down in one gulp, my dry throat craving more as soon as the last drop disappeared, the search mission taking its toll. I squeezed the sticky ointment from the aloe and rubbed it over my arms and face, the coolness instantly feeling better against my scorched skin. Finally, I dared to stand up, but my head ached and the room spun. I grabbed the side of the table until the dizziness faded, then took a deep breath before staggering out of the room.
Outside, the rich scent of baking bread wafted from down the hall. My stomach rumbled and saliva built on my tongue, as my feet followed my nose.
"Good morning, Your Majesty. Sleep well?” Edwin asked as I entered the quaint and simple kitchen of the temple.
I blinked. The clean starkness of the room too bright for my half-asleep brain to process.
"Already morning?” I rustled my hand through my hair as a yawn stretched my face. I'd only intended to sleep an hour, maybe two, but clearly my body had other ideas.
"Not quite. It’s nearly two in the afternoon.” Edwin grabbed a metal teapot from the stove and set it on the small dining table, already set for two. "Jasmine tea? It'll help clear your mind."
I lumbered across the kitchen, nearly collapsing in the empty chair across from him. He offered a basket of fresh buns, my mouth already salivating from the delicious smell. I gazed at Edwin car
efully, scanning his face and looking for a hidden agenda. He caught my scrutiny and grinned as if he would’ve done the same in my position, then nudged the breadbasket closer. I kept my eyes locked on him, but accepted the soft bun and let the fresh from the oven warmth seep into my palm.
"So I hear you want to know the full story. How I ended up leaving the castle, and the real truth about your parents,” Edwin said.
“Yes, please," I mumbled through a mouthful of bread and fresh blackberry jam. The tart fruit melted against my tongue. Maybe Edwin wasn’t so bad.
"Well, I guess the best place to start is the beginning. I’ve known your father since we were children. I grew up in the castle by his side and we were the best of friends. Until, of course, we weren’t. He always had a charmed life. Handsome. Wealthy. The ladies loved him. But he was often selfish and stubborn if he didn't get his way. His father was a harsh and stubborn man, who fortunately wasn’t around much, but he loved his mother with all his heart. She doted on him and spoiled him every way she could until she died when he was just a young boy. After that, his arrogance grew worse. Ezra grew up in the castle raised mainly by servants and given any of his heart's desire, which changed almost daily. With no one around to keep him in line, he had no consequences for anything he did. No responsibility or ownership of his actions."
I cringed, the story sounding more like mine then my father’s, except I was lucky to have two wonderful parents. "But he isn't like that."
Edwin smirked and tented his fingers on the table. "Not now. But it wasn't always so. And unfortunately, as with most things, major changes do not come easily. One day a forest fairy visited your father in disguise. Disgusted at what she saw of the future king, she placed a curse on him and the rest of the castle, so that his unreasonable obsession with beauty and perfection became his downfall. The fairy's curse insisted that until he learned to see past the material and obvious aesthetics, he would remain hideous to everyone else. He would be a —"
“Beast." I took a sip of the hot tea, the warm flow of it down my throat soothing against the horrible image in my brain. I shook my head. The story sounded so fantastic, if I didn’t know my father was locked up outside I’d think it was a hoax.
"Exactly. He stayed that way for a few years as he watched his kingdom fall into ruin and his own father pass away. He became a king that couldn't rule. One day an old man happened upon the castle and your ill-tempered father took him prisoner for trespassing. His daughter came searching for him and when your father wouldn't let the old man go, she offered herself as a replacement."
I pictured Mom at the gates of the castle, her long chestnut curls blowing behind her, ready to face the beast. Always the beauty with the warrior soul. “It sounds like my mother was quite the brave girl back then."
Edwin laughed and pounded his fist on the table. The sugar bowl and cream jumped. "You call that bravery? She wasn’t brave, she was foolish. Giving herself up with little chance of survival. Martyrdom is not a virtuous path, it just means she didn’t try hard enough to find a solution."
I bit down on my tongue, the coppery taste of my own blood filled my mouth. How dare he speak of my mother that way? If I didn't need his help I would launch across the table right now.
“And where do you fit into all of this?" I tried to hide the bitterness in my tone, but it shone through.
Edwin narrowed his gaze. “As I said before, I'd been around the castle for years and at that time was still a friend to your father. As much as his arrogance and stubbornness plagued him, he was also a hell of a lot of fun. During his time as king I became more useful as I knew the ins and outs of royalty and my other skills —" he twisted his palm through the air and rolled each of his fingers in towards his hand, "— became useful to your father. Especially when it came to disputes. I had a knack for making problems disappear in the most creative ways.”
I gulped and choked on a mouthful of tea. I coughed and leaned over the tabletop until my airway cleared. Gasping for air, I pictured the blue magic wrapping around my throat like in my nightmare. Maybe it wasn’t just a dream?
“Are you alright?” Edwin reached across the table and gave a firm pat on my back until I stopped hacking.
“Yes, of course. Please continue.”
He eyed me carefully, then sat back down, his hands laced in front of him. “However, when your father kidnapped that girl I realized he'd crossed a line he would never return from. The fairy had paid him back for his obvious flaws, but this was reprehensible. One night we argued about her in the garden. He insisted that the girl would be the one to break the curse and he would keep her captive until she did. I told him it was wrong, and that I'd had enough of watching him mess with other people's lives and that I was going to free her. He became enraged and threw me across the courtyard then held me up against the wall and threatened to kill me if I even considered messing with his plan. I begged him to let me go and instead he banished me from the castle. That night was the last time I ever saw him, until now."
I sat and stared at Edwin, letting all of the details simmer in my brain, picturing that final flight and knowing the terror he must've felt when cornered by my father in his monster form. I'd been there twice in the last week as well. However, Edwin's story didn't sound like the happy fairytale everyone in the castle made things out to be. Everyone loved my father. My mother likely most of all. Was there romance really this dark or were there pieces of the story still missing?
"If my father hadn't spoken to you in years, how did he know where to find you? Why did he come here?"
"I'm not sure how he found me, but he is the king after all and I doubt he'd let me get far without keeping an eye on me. Especially, knowing what I could do. I'm one of the few people who even remember what happened. When the curse broke, everyone's memory was wiped clean. Everyone except those living in the castle. I wrote everything down, which you have already read, without my permission I'd like to add, to make sure if the memory ever faded I would still know what happened."
"That still doesn't answer why he's here now?”
“It's the magic, dear prince. Your father was cursed by magic, so he sought out someone who could do magic to help him."
It made sense, in a weird twisted kind of way. "But if you are truly that powerful, why didn't you just end the curse last time?”
A bright red burn started at the tips of Edwin's ears and stained across his cheeks then into his nose. For someone considered to be wise, his pride sure got in his enlightened path. "I tried, but I wasn't able to. However, I'm a lot stronger than I used to be. I haven't figured out how to stop it yet but I'm sure I will with a bit of time. You should be careful when judging someone who could toss you off this mountain without using his hands."
Except, he never would. A dead prince would be questioned and combined with the king in a cage it would likely end in his own execution. Either way, angering him again didn’t serve much purpose either. "The magic, where did it come from? Why are you so powerful?"
"The magic runs through the Macario family tree. My father was a wizard, as was his father before him and his mother before that all the way back as far as anyone can remember. I've had these abilities since I learned to read the spells they came from. Now it simply courses through my blood. It's who I am."
"And Veda? Would that make her a wizard as well?”
"A witch. A female wizard is called a witch. But no, she's not. I typically try to avoid using it around her." Edwin took the teapot off the table and placed it back on the stove then cleared the plates into a large basin sink. "She never developed the gift. Must take after her mother more than me, but she is likely better off as having power like this tends to attract more trouble and attention than it's worth."
I grabbed the sugar bowl and cream from the table, following Edwin's example, then swiped the crumbs off the table into my hand and brushed them into the garbage."But there's still one thing that doesn't make any sense. If the original curse was triggered becau
se of my father's vanity, what would have triggered it this time? He's not the same person he was before. He’s kind, gracious, and altruistic. Plus, it sounds as though this time is worse. That last time he was still more man than monster, when now he barely knows who he is."
"That is a good question. Unfortunately, until I find a way to lift this curse there will be no way of knowing how it came back."
I took the rest of the dishes and placed them in the sink. Above the basin, a large window faced the edge of the cliff. Dark clouds rolled on the horizon.
"Do you think it might have something to do with the other bad things happening around the world? That maybe somehow the same dark magic was released back into the air and is stirring up all the old curses?”
Edwin stroked his chin and tapped his index finger against his lips. The darks of his eyes darted back and forth as if he were running through a list of options and checking them off in his mind. "Perhaps. Or perhaps we shouldn't jump to the end of the world quite yet. The answer may be simpler than we think."
I paced around the small kitchen then rested my arm on the counter, staring out into the distance again. Maybe Edwin was right, and we'd all been trying too hard. Maybe we just needed to calm down and figure it out? Or maybe, he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was and his arrogance would waste whatever time my father had left? Either way, the urgency of the situation seemed to ramp up even in this tranquil place. Something had changed. An energy sparked and the only way to snuff it would be to finish the puzzle before the hourglass ran empty. A mystical chess game waiting for me to make the next move. If only I knew what it was.
Fallon: Son of Beauty and the Beast (Kingdom of Fairytales Boxset Book 6) Page 14
