The Servants and the Beast

by R. A. Gates

  Beau helped the Prince to his feet, helped him pull his now-oversized dress coat around his human shoulders. And as they clasped their hands together, I felt the joy of the lifted curse, the freedom of the people around me, crying and cheering and embracing each other in turn. There was Maximus, holding Rebecca tightly. There was Lady Jayne, her arms thrown around Robert. There was Archambault, adjusting the pink coat on his shoulders, a magnificent smile gracing his human features.

  The cursed sparkles had all but vanished, their remnants glittering faintly in the air. The rain had let up, clouds parting enough for the sun to shine brightly through the windows. And there, in the sunlight, Beau and the Prince embraced.

  “And to think, I had been looking forward to kissing a Beast,” Beau laughed, and when the Prince bared his teeth in an alluring smile, Beau pulled him into a kiss.

  We clapped and cheered, for the triumph of hope and love in all its forms.

  Chapter Ten:

  …And They All Lived Happily Ever After

  In which a certain person misses the point of it all

  I

  was on my way to a royal christening (the only kind I attend, obviously) when magical senses mortals simply don’t understand told me that something very, very strange was happening at a castle I’d cursed some decades before. I never shirked my responsibilities, so I flitted there at once to investigate.

  Imagine my shock to arrive at a wet, slushy castle with not a single lovely sparkle in sight! By now the dreary place should have been very nicely ornamented.

  I flew in the front door with a trail of pink and gold sparkles to find a scene of utter chaos in the front hall. Servants were running about everywhere, embracing each other in a perfectly absurd display. Why weren’t they objects?

  The only sparkles in sight were on a bedraggled group of stable boys and the like who had evidently just stumbled in, led by some little parlor maid. All of them were being greeted as though their existence was simply miraculous.

  Why would anyone pay attention to a parlor maid when I was here?

  The only one looking in my direction was a freckled footman in a fur coat as pink as my dress, with a lovely feathered hat, who was staring at me with enormous eyes. “More sparkles,” he murmured, backing up and bumping into a faded armchair. “Oh—sorry, Theodore.” Then the footman blinked at the armchair. “Wait, you’re not Theodore…”

  “Definitely not,” a nearby man in a brocaded waistcoat said with a grin not nearly formal enough for his coat.

  How dare they pay attention to each other instead of to me? “Where,” I demanded, “is the Beast?”

  Now at last heads were turning toward me, and out of the middle of the tumult a tall, broad-shouldered man who looked vaguely familiar stepped forward. “I believe you mean me,” he said with a wide smile.

  Perhaps the smile was why I didn’t recognize him at first. He had certainly not smiled before. Or perhaps because, after all, I saw so many, many princes. Or perhaps because this was all just wrong.

  “Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!” I scolded. “You weren’t supposed to break the curse yet. You were supposed to be enchanted for a good solid century, and it’s been barely more than eighty years!”

  “Perhaps,” he said, glancing toward a scarred man beside him. “But I’ve found true love.”

  “I hardly think so,” I scoffed. “I’m sure you’re simply infatuated with a pretty face, and something has gone wrong with the magic. Say something rude to me, and I’ll re-enchant you.”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” the scarred man murmured, with a rather provoking smile.

  Meanwhile a gasp went up from the servants, who had previously fallen respectfully silent. I was glad to see they understood the gravity of the situation.

  The Prince glanced around at the faces turning toward him with alarmed expressions, and still smiled. “Gracious lady, I would never dream of being so unchivalrous to you, or so inconsiderate of my companions in distress. I think we’ve all been cursed long enough.”

  A cheer went up around him, which I attempted to suppress with the stern reminder, “Servants are not companions. They are servants. And you don’t even have to be very rude. I can be flexible.”

  “Besides,” he continued, “I did find true love, just as you said. And I thank you for your help.”

  This gave me pause. Perhaps he had learned something after all. Few people grow enlightened enough to value the great service I do for them. Perhaps I would mercifully and graciously accept his claim to have properly found True Love after all.

  Before I could speak further, a fussy man with fluffy white hair came strutting up, chest out importantly and quill pen waving in one hand, and announced, “I hardly think we ought to be thanking this terrible woman for her enchantment.” He pointed the quill pen at me. “Do you realize, madam, that we nearly drowned in sparkles? If the curse had lasted a century, we would have all died! We believed until today that many of us had died,” he concluded, jabbing his quill toward the bedraggled assortment of servants with sparkles in their hair.

  I gave this impertinent man my frostiest stare. “If an entire castle of enchanted servants could not clean up a few sparkles, I hardly think I can be blamed for that.”

  He turned red. “A few—”

  “And just who are you?” I demanded. “Are you some sort of nobility? Shall I curse the lot of you again for your rudeness?”

  More gasps went up in the crowd, and the angry man snapped, “I am the castle scribe and—”

  “Oh, another servant,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Well, you’re not important enough to deserve one of my educational and enlightening curses. Apologize at once and we’ll say no more about it.”

  “Not important enough—” the man began, but then was seized on either side by the two men who had greeted me, who had been grinning so happily before.

  “He’s sorry,” the one with the brocaded waistcoat said.

  The one with the pink fur coat nodded vigorously. “Very sorry!”

  And then they hustled him away. Quite right—as if I should be bothered with such nonsense.

  “Now then, your highness,” I said, firmly returning my attention to someone who mattered. “I suppose I will accept that you learned something worthwhile. Perhaps. Now show me this True Love of yours.”

  The Prince—what was his name? Oh yes, Estienne—beamed at me, and his eyes did have that True Love sparkle to them. I began to feel a bit more mollified—until he drew forward the scarred man. “My lady, this is Beau.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” Beau remarked, and his eyes sparkled too.

  I blinked. I blinked again. This…was not expected. “Oh. Oh, I see. Well. That’s queer.”

  And they both had the audacity to grin at me. But, well—it did appear to be True Love. I sighed. “I still feel it would have been more proper to wait another twenty years for the lovely girl I am sure will be coming along. But it’s hard to argue with True Love, after all.”

  “Yes, it is,” Prince Estienne agreed, and then had the audacity to look away from me to the silly, milling servants. He singled out a rather dashing gentleman and the dark-haired woman clinging to his arm. “Maximus, Rebecca, I know you’ve been waiting for my permission to wed. I give it to you! I should have given it to you long before this curse ever came to us.”

  That seemed proper enough, one of the duties of royalty.

  Maximus’s eyes grew wide, while Rebecca leaned in closer to him with a bright smile and tears in her eyes. “Thank you, my Lord,” Maximus murmured.

  Rebecca turned towards him, framing his face with her hands. “We can still have what you promised, Maximus. If the offer is still valid, of course. We have waited so long to be together.”

  “And I never should have made you wait,” Prince Estienne said, one arm still around the scarred man—Beau, that is. I’d have to look into his genealogy, see if he was really suitable.

  Maximus bowed to the Prince, then t
urned to Rebecca. “My dearest, my heart beats but for you—now, dare I say it, may I escort you to your room?”

  She smiled up at him and said, “You may.” And they set off together out of the room that very moment.

  I sniffed. “Well, that doesn’t seem altogether proper. You’d think they could be more patient.”

  “True love should never be delayed,” Prince Estienne said firmly, and turned to smile at Beau again.

  “Commoners don’t have True Love,” I said in my best quelling tones.

  But he was distracted, looking for someone else in the crowd. He was ignoring my wise advice! Perhaps he hadn’t learned as much as I had hoped, if he could be so inconsiderate. I was tempted to leave at once, but my instinct for doing good told me there was still so much I could teach here.

  Prince Estienne seemed to be interested in an older man standing by an open doorway into the library, eagerly perusing a green jacketed volume. “Hugo,” the Prince called, “why don’t you get your head out of your botany books and start courting Isadora? Hasn’t she been waiting long enough too?”

  Hugo looked up and blinked rapidly, darting glances at the blushing woman standing nearby. “Oh, I—I mean I never—that is, I didn’t—well, now that you mention it—but how did you…”

  “Oh come on, Hugo,” Isadora said with a giggle, and pulled him through the doorway into the library.

  “Perhaps you are getting a little too involved, your highness?” I hinted. “After all, they’re servants.”

  “Who became my friends,” he said without a trace of shame. “I am only sorry it took so long.”

  I was aghast.

  “All these divisions get so ridiculous,” Prince Estienne continued. “Isn’t that the point? To look past what people seem to be on the outside to who they really are inside?”

  “Oh no, no, no, that is not the point,” I protested. “Not like this.” And he still wasn’t listening!

  He was looking at yet another couple, a truly gracious woman with several books under one arm, standing beside a tall, thin footman with stringy hair. “Robert,” Prince Estienne said, “I know you worry that you’re not a high enough rank for Lady Jayne. Fine—I make you a lord. Problem solved!”

  Lady Jayne laughed and Robert mumbled thanks and I had had quite enough of all this. You cannot just make someone a lord. There is a Proper Way to do things and this was decidedly not it.

  “You,” I said frostily to the Prince, “have clearly learned nothing.”

  And he laughed! And called to two musicians, “Charles, Victor, give us some music!” He turned to Beau and gave a slight bow. “May I have this dance?”

  “Always,” Beau said with a rakish grin, and they swept off together as a violinist and a cellist struck up a jaunty tune.

  The servants started dancing too, some in pairs, some in great swinging circles. Several women in kitchen uniforms entered the hall carrying great platters of bread and cheese and possibly a fondue pot. And no one was paying attention to me!

  I was sorely tempted to curse them again after all, just for impertinence. But…he did thank me. And he did find True Love.

  I put my hands on my hips and announced, “I never stay where I am not appreciated. None of you deserve me!” And I vanished, shooting a shower of sparkles over the crowd.

  I would have no more to do with this unruly group. If they were going to live happily ever after, it was entirely up to them.

  Cast of Characters

  Character Name Original Position Transformation

  * Name withheld A Good Fairy The Same (of course)

  Estienne the Second The Prince The Beast

  Evan Quillsby Scribe The Quill

  Rebecca Tempera Artist The Easel

  Maximus Stein Pianist The Grand Piano

  Archambault Bellerose Footman The Coat Rack

  Isadora Papier Library Assistant The Library Ladder

  Hugo Livre Librarian The Library Painting

  Theodore Bartleby Butler The Armchair

  Lady Jayne Beatrice Anne Smythe

  Queen’s Secretary The Bookcase

  Robert Swisher Footman The Mop

  Charles Melody Musician The Cello

  Victor Viola Musician The Violin

  Darwin Fortier Guard The Suit of Armor

  Frostine Fontaine Dairy Maid The Icebox

  Marthe Tremblay Scullery Maid The Mixer

  Rouge Rubidoux Parlor Maid The Dishcloth

  Others who are no longer present:

  Queen Marie - Mother of the Prince, passed on years before the curse

  Also, King Estienne the First, various Stable Boys, Knights, and the Steward

  * At the request of the Good Fairies Guild, the individual name of the Good Fairy has not been included.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to all of our friends and family for your love and support, and a special thanks to those who took the time to provide valuable feedback: Robert Gmelin, René Rutter, and Meaghan Morlan.

  About the Authors

  Karen – KD - Blakely (Chapters 7 and 8) believes life is better when you’re owned by a cat, and that you should never leave home without a book. Her middle grade/YA fantasy series, The Chimera Chronicles, plunges five friends into a realm of magic and monsters; what begins as an innocent exploration of a strange and fascinating land becomes a dangerous quest. Coming soon, Audrey Murphy, a story of ghosts, greed and redemption — and the first book in the Dark Seighly paranormal romance series, focused around a hidden town that’s been guarding a monstrous gateway for nearly 800 years. Find her at www.Kat-Tales.net.

  R. A. Gates (Chapters 5 and 6) is a single mom of three fantastic kids living in the upper half of California. She loves to read and write urban fantasy because magic is awesome. She’s also fairly skilled at binge-watching an entire season on Netflix in one weekend. R. A. has written a short story, The Tenth Life of Mr. Whiskers, and is working on a Pucker Up trilogy in the same world. You can find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and ragates.com. And Panera. She spends the majority of her weekends writing at Panera.

  Kelly Haworth (Chapter 9) grew up in San Francisco and has been reading science fiction and fantasy classics since she was a kid. She is nonbinary and pansexual and loves to write LGBTQIA characters. She has degrees in both genetics and psychology and works as a project manager at a genetics lab. When not working or writing, Kelly can be found wrangling her two kids, painting, or curled up on the couch with a good TV show or book.

  Jenniffer Lee (Chapters 2 and 4) is the proud wrangler of three vivacious children, one spunky puppy, and an amazing husband of eleven years. She loves words and children, so she earned a degree to teach with an emphasis in English. She has previously contributed to another anthology, Throbbing Tales: Horror, Humor, Short Stories, and Poetry. Jenniffer is an active member in her local writing community as a co-organizer for her writing group, which was globally recognized by the Meetup.com founders in April 2018.

  Cheryl Mahoney (Chapters 1, 3 and 10) is the author of the Beyond the Tales quartet, YA fantasy books retelling familiar fairy tales with a twist (and sometimes a talking cat). You may find a certain Good Fairy in the series to be rather familiar! Learn more on Cheryl’s blog, Tales of the Marvelous (MarvelousTales.com), where she posts about books and writing. When not telling stories, she also explores amateur drawing, painting and knitting.

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