Beauty and the Beast

"The firmest friendships have been formed in mutual adversity, as iron is most strongly united by the fiercest flame." - Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832), Lacon (1825), 1.365

The ride on the animal's back was just as terrifying as his father had described. Even so, Riley held on with a tenacious grip and refused to be cowed by the animal's unruly careening through the sky. He wanted to gain some control over his situation if not the beast between his legs and at least see where he was going. But any attempt to lift his head and catch a glimpse of his surroundings, just so he might have an idea on how to make his way back, met with a buffeting wind that brought the tears to his eyes. So he bent his head and gave himself up to his fate.

The animal landed with a bone-jarring thud on the castle grounds near the stables and Riley felt his teeth rattling in his skull. When the creature showed no further inclination to move, he got off its back and wobbled on his feet.

"You're no proper riding horse, that's of a certain," he groused. "I'd be better off riding a raging bull than the likes of you." He pulled his pack off the pommel and watched sourly as the thing flicked its tail as if scornful of his opinion and trotted off towards the stables.

Riley began his search through the castle. It was still broad daylight out and he was grateful for that; he didn't fancy going after a fearsome animal such as his father had described in the dark. He set a slow but steady pace going through the place room by room and floor by floor. He had an excellent sense of direction; in the woods such things were needed and he didn't want to go over the same ground twice.

He scouted through the lower floors first, discovering what looked like an immense kitchen curiously barren of food and a locked door that probably led to either a root cellar or a dungeon. He wasn't sure how he'd recognize a dungeon but he'd heard stories of what such dismal places were like. They were meant to be living tombs for human beings; it was doubtful the Beast would be in one of them.

He found a bedroom, ornate with a bed covered with satin sheets, a goose feather mattress covered in elaborate ticking and silk hangings from the bed poles wafting in the shifting air. A furred white carpet lay on the floor and a quick inventory of the closet revealed tons of gorgeous dresses, bedecked with sapphires, rubies and pearls, and several pairs of exquisitely made shoes neatly set up in a row. "A dainty trap set for one of my sisters, no doubt," he muttered to himself. He shut the door and continued his search of the castle.

The hours passed and there was no trace of the monster. All the rooms yielded nothing but rich furnishings, tapestries, rugs and wall hangings. He was too cautious to allow his frustration to make him careless but the delay in tracking his prey was wearing on him. His father had told him how it had seemed as if he were being watched by invisible eyes that lurked in the palace. Had these eyes somehow alerted the Beast to his stalking presence? But then his father had seen evidence of these unseen watchers: doors that opened, chairs that slid out of place and food that presented itself, all without apparent human hands to move them. How was it he hadn't seen any such signs of enchantment?

Perhaps it was because he didn't call for help, shelter or hadn't requested anything. Would the Beast's servants aid him in finding their master? He toyed with the idea for a moment and then reluctantly abandoned it. It was unlikely they would help someone against their master, especially someone who'd made it plain that he was hunting the creature. Perhaps he should have kept his weapons out of sight and then asked for their help.

He paused near an open window and squinted at the fading light cast on the wall. All during his search, he'd edged around and under the sills, trying to avoid detection from anyone outside lest there were invisible servants roaming the grounds as well. He didn't know how these things communicated with each other and he avoided futile thinking about it lest it make him needlessly nervous.

He rested against a tall pillar for a moment and considered the problem. His unfortunate father hadn't encountered the Beast until he'd gone outside; perhaps Riley should go there as well. But then he'd be in the open and the Beast might spring on him from behind. So Riley would have to be ten times more careful than he had been so far.

He heaved a silent breath and made his decision. If he was going to hunt the Beast, he would have to do it now while some daylight was left. Otherwise it would be too dark to hunt anything.

Once outside he made a systematic search of the grounds. But they proved more frustrating than the castle. Somehow the area around him seemed to shift mysteriously; he could have sworn the castle gates were at his back one moment. The next instance they disappeared completely with what looked like an immense pine forest springing up at his back.

He stalked past an enormous garden packed with a bewildering array of flowers. His father had described these very well so he ignored them. He brought his bow up at the ready for this was where his father had met the Beast. But the moments passed and there was no sign of the creature. Riley plucked a few plants defiantly, hoping it would spur the animal to attack. Yet nothing happened and he gave up in disgust.

He stepped outside the garden gate and pondered his next move. If the Beast wasn't here, then where would he be? He turned to consider the garden again. But an orchard of fragrant orange trees had appeared out of nowhere and the garden was gone with a huge padlocked gate behind him.

His mouth went dry as he ran his hand over the thick wood and solid lock. Was he being subtly herded somehow? Did the Beast mean to back him into a corner and then pounce on him? He looked at the sky. The sun was slowly sinking into the west and he'd better find himself adequate shelter if he didn't want to be caught here in the open. However, the gate barred his retreat so he had no choice but to go onward. Yet, when he tried to find the castle, it was no longer in view.

Riley spun in all directions, trying to get his bearings. How could a structure as immense as that palace had been disappear completely? Yet somehow it had and he had no place to sleep or eat. His jaw clenched as he fought the urge to yell for the Beast to show itself and stop these foolish games. There was no sense in inviting his death any sooner than he had to.

He paced further and halted as he came upon a small enclosure. It was small and plain and definitely out of keeping with the splendor of the rest of the place. That alone was enough to make him wary. What was such a humble abode doing on the palace grounds?

Was there someone living within it? The size of the place made him think of Gavrin and he touched the lump under his shirt where the pendant rested. Drawn by the cabin's rustic appeal, he touched the door hesitantly and sprang back, his bow at the ready, when it yielded to his touch and gaped open without a sound.

There was no sign of movement from within and, after several tense moments, Riley decided it was safe to enter. He quickly shut the door behind him and shut it with the inside latch.

Inside, the place was neatly but sparsely furnished. The cabin was made of pinewood, the pungent smell reassuring after the arid smell of the castle. There was a stone fireplace with a metal pot hanging above it. A small table with two chairs was set out and two pairs of utensils along with two bowls were neatly stacked on the side.

A door led to a bedroom with a bed covered in plain linen sheets. This bed had a mere oaken frame with none of the fripperies he'd seen in the castle and he stepped towards it automatically before halting. Where was the owner of this abode? Unlike his father, he couldn't simply make himself at home without express permission from the possessor of this place; it didn't seem right.

Also, he suspected a trap like the one that had been laid for his father. There had been that room in the castle, suspiciously laid out for a woman to live in and now this place, more suitable for a man of his tastes, had made itself apparent just as he was wanting to lie down and rest.

He couldn't sleep here. But a quick look outside showed it was now too dark to go moving about in the open. Night had fallen completely. He decided to forego the bed. The chair would do for him very nicely; it would be easier to be vigilant if he stayed upright. He set it on an angle so he could easily see the door and windows and held his bow loosely in one hand.

__________

Riley started awake and cursed his foolishness. Gavrin had taught him better than this; a true hunter could remain wakeful and alert for hours and he'd fallen asleep like a little boy who'd stayed up too late playing games.

The next moment his eyes widened and he crouched on the ground, reaching for weapons that were no longer there. He was no longer in the cabin where he'd rested; now he found himself in an open glade, in an enclosure he didn't recognize. The place was close and small, marble columns in a circle enclosing a wide bench. The circle wasn't complete; there was an opening and he tensed as he realized there was a figure there, watching him.

"Who the devil are you?" he cried. His voice was harsher than he'd intended, angry at being caught flat-footed and fearful of the other's intentions. He had no idea where he was or how he'd come to be there. It had to be magic, of course. Those invisible servants his da had spoken of must have shifted him in his sleep. Why hadn't he felt it happen? He squinted, trying to peer into the shadows. Who was out there? Was it the Beast?

The next moment, the person stepped into the enclosure and feeble moonlight fell on to his face. The structure, whatever it was, was open at the top, and silver moonlight illuminated the stranger in black and white shiftings of light and shade. He was tall, taller than Riley, broad-shouldered with a thick mane of silky, black hair cascading from a pale brow and down onto his shoulders. It should have made him appear womanish but somehow the look suited him as well as the silver suit and black shirt he wore. He was also handsome with a smile curving around thin but inviting lips and lustrous dark eyes that stared piercingly from under a broad brow at the hunter rising slowly to his feet.

A sleeveless tunic in light blue silk covered his broad torso, the sleeveless edges around his shoulders furred with what looked like white rabbit. At second glance, Riley realized the strands were too long for rabbit, the edges floating in the breeze and moving whenever the other man moved. Tight breeches, fastened with ties up the outer sides, ran over powerful legs down to white kidskin boots. The black shirt under the tunic completed the ensemble, the color standing out in stark relief to the rest of the clothing and finishing the look of a figure drawn in pen and ink.

The stranger had evidently been perusing Riley with the same avidity. "You are not the beauty I was expecting," he commented. His voice was low and musical in its tones, holding amusement and wonder. It drew Riley, sounding almost like music, and he wondered that a mere human voice could sound so alluring. The stranger continued speaking. "It's Riley Finn, isn't it? Have you come to pay your father's debt to the Beast?"

Riley blinked at this newcomer, unsure of how much he should tell him. "How the hell would you know about that? And you haven't answered my question. Who are you? And where am I?"

The stranger swept him an elegant bow. "Forgive me. It's been so long since I've had visitors I've nearly forgotten my manners. I am Prince Liam, the owner of the castle and its surroundings." He waved his hand to indicate the place in which they stood and now Riley could make out the turrets of the castle in the near distance.

"We're still on the castle grounds? But what is this place?"

"It's called a gazebo or, more correctly, a folly." The stranger smiled. "I own it as well as the everything else you see."

Riley frowned in puzzlement. "You're the owner? My da told me the Beast owned the castle and the grounds."

Sadness fell over Liam's face at the mention of the Beast. "No. The Beast is lord and master. But true ownership is mine. The Beast became my captor and took this place from me." He sighed and bent his sad gaze upon the floor and Riley couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Then he stepped back, keeping his face and voice neutral. The fact that he'd been deprived of his weapons hadn't escaped his notice and Riley didn't like being defenseless. He didn't know anything about this man and the circumstances were suspicious to say the least. He would reserve judgment until he found out this man's true story. "So you're the Beast's captive as well? What's your story then?"

"My story?" Prince Liam tilted his head slightly, his expression remote. "That's a tale for another day. Let's just say that my captivity here is much deserved and is no one's fault but my own."

Riley was baffled as to what that meant. Was the man some sort of criminal then? But he claimed to be a prince. He opened his mouth to question the man further. But the prince was speaking again.

"You must be starved, Riley. There wasn't any food in the cabin set aside for you. Why not have some drink and refreshments now? Conversation is always better over a good meal, I always say."

"How did you know I hadn't eaten?" Riley asked, not moving from the spot. "And did you say that cabin was meant for me?"

"Let us have the food first. We can talk during he meal." The prince waved his hand at him and turned to walk out of the enclosure. Riley hesitated and then followed him slowly.

Outside, marble steps from the little building led down to a larger circular space. The entire ground for several feet in every direction was covered in marble tiles and Riley could see his reflection and the prince's clearly in the moonlight. He eyed the prince's stride for the man seemed to glide over the smooth surface like a swan skimming over the surface of a pond. He'd never seen anyone else save one other man move with such effortless and easy assurance, such soundless grace, and his hand reached up unconsciously to stroke the bone gift still hidden beneath his shirt.

In the middle of the space was a table groaning with food. Two chairs were set opposite each other across the laden expanse. The prince sat in one of them and waved Riley to come closer. Riley stood back, however, and cast his eye about his surroundings. A good hunter took stock of where he was at all times and Riley wanted to be certain he had a quick and easy means of escape if things took a turn for the worst. Tall, dark green pines surrounded the space, the resinous odor wafting over him and lending the food a curious piney aroma. There were torches set in tall poles and their wavering light caused everything at the table, including the prince in his attire, to gleam and sparkle.

"Riley? Is something wrong?" The prince's voice drew him back to his mysterious company and Riley looked at him once more. Prince Liam was eyeing him with that same amused expression he'd seen earlier and Riley flushed a little angrily. All the advantage was on this man's side and the Finn man wanted some of it back.

"Nothing. Just looking over your grounds-your Majesty."

Liam blinked at the title. "No, Riley. No need to stand on ceremony with me. Here I am only Liam. Majesty would be my father's title. And, in any case, I am a prince in title only. I don't have power, servants, money or an entourage. I don't even have any real friends." His voice was wistful and sad as he said that last declaration and the pity that had whispered to Riley before returned, even stronger this time.

"I'm sorry. Everyone could use friends," Riley replied as he pulled out a chair and seated himself at the table. He eyed the things uncertainly. The silverware was real silver, such as what his sisters had bought before their fortunes fell. The plates were of gold, the tablecloth of the finest silk with intricate gold threading and he knew himself to be in royal company indeed.

"That's true enough," Liam replied, those dark eyes bent on Riley once more. He picked up a plate and began loading food on it. "Tell me about yourself, Riley Finn."

"It seems you know something of me already," Riley grunted as he reached for a leg of lamb. When was the last time he'd tasted lamb? He thought of his old home and he was seized with a touch of homesickness.

"I do," the prince replied calmly and Riley felt a chill as he recalled his father's description of the Beast's uncanny knowledge of the Finns. "But I don't know you-who you are inside, what your thoughts are. For instance, what kind of man sends himself in place of his sister to placate an unknown Beast?"

"I mean to kill the Beast," Riley growled. The next moment he regretted the frankness of his statement. For all he knew, this man wasn't a captive at all. He might even be a friend of the Beast. Indeed, Riley's statement made the Prince pause and the Finn thought he saw fear flicker in those shadowy eyes before the other man resumed eating.

The prince nibbled on rich, green grapes, the plump skins spurting juice as his white teeth sank into them. "You do? Why? The Beast meant no harm to your sister. And wasn't your father well rewarded for sending another in his place?"

"Rewarded? With a rose?" Riley snorted in contempt.

The prince's brow wrinkled. "Riley, the rose was the reason for the Beast's anger. The chest of jewelry he sent to your family was meant to be the reward."

Riley paused in taking another bite of lamb. "What chest of jewels? What are you talking about?"

Liam stared at him. "You truly don't know? Shortly after your father arrived home, the chest of jewels he rejected was sent by the Beast as a token of his favor and reward for your father's willingness to give up his life or one of his daughter's. He felt your father to be mostly an honest man in spite of the theft of the rose and he didn't want to see your family ruined. Didn't you see the chest before you came here?"

"No," Riley whispered. Was this the truth? Had his plan to rob the Beast been for nothing? Then he recalled what the Beast intended to do and his resolve hardened. "Whether the Beast sought to pay us or not is no matter. He was going to eat my sister or my father. I couldn't sit by and let that happen. So I came here to kill him if I could."

Liam shook his head. "Riley, I'm afraid there has been a misunderstanding. The Beast never meant to kill and eat any member of your family."

"But he attacked my Father! He told him he had to send one of his children here or else he'd murder us all!" Riley protested.

"Yes. But he didn't say he meant to kill whomever came in his place."

"Then why make the demand? What else could such a monster want with an innocent girl?" Riley demanded hotly.

Liam bowed his head, his eyes becoming hidden in the shadows. "The Beast wanted-he wanted..." He hesitated and Riley could have sworn he saw him blush. "He wanted a friend."

Riley sat in stunned silence. "A friend? Are you telling me that filthy monster is lonely?"

Liam sighed and it sounded as if his own heart were breaking. "Riley, even beasts get lonely sometimes. The Beast is as much a prisoner of the castle as I am. He can see the world and look into it and see life and its wonders pass by him. But he is never allowed to be a part of it. He's trapped here. He thought your father might be a man of intelligence and worth to keep him company. But he was nothing but a merchant, greedy for money and eager to scramble for a path out of his dire straits."

Riley bristled, his momentary pity cast aside. "My da would never trade his life for his children, if that's what you're implying."

"No, I know that. The Beast knew it too. But, after everything that was done for him, he still decided to steal and then to bargain his way out of his punishment."

"Can you blame him?" Riley demanded. "A terrible creature was threatening to kill him!"

"No, I suppose not. But to be fair it was your father who first mentioned his daughters as an excuse for his theft."

Riley opened and closed his mouth. His father hadn't mentioned that part of the story. Then again, he did see himself as the wronged party; he might have changed accounts a wee bit to favor himself. He stared down, embarrassed, at his plate and lifted a piece of beef to his mouth in lieu of a response.

Liam lifted a goblet of red wine to his nose and sniffed appreciatively at it before taking a slow sip. He seemed to understand Riley's embarrassment for he let several moments pass before speaking again. "Riley, tell me. Did you truly think you could kill the Beast?"

Riley lifted his head and smiled grimly. Here he was more certain of himself. "Aye. I've hunted in the past. It's the one thing I do well in the world." Here he laughed bitterly as his hand clenched around the stripped bone.

The prince raised an eyebrow. "Truly? Then you did not make that ornament around your neck?" He pointed at Riley's chest and the hazel-eyed man glanced down.

There in plain view was the pendant Gavrin had carved for him and Riley's hand closed around it reflexively. How had it come to be resting in clear sight like this when he was sure he'd left it underneath his shirt? He wanted to tuck it out of sight again quickly where this man couldn't see it. But he didn't want the prince to think he was nervous about it.

He let his hand drop from it and reached casually for a glass of wine. "Oh, this? A gift from a friend in my town before we went on a trip to Galway." He gave what he thought was a knowing smile as he lifted the glass and winked at the prince. There, that wasn't exactly a lie; let the prince think it was a woman who'd given him the trinket.

Liam's gaze sharpened. "A lady friend?"

Riley smirked at him. "That's my private business, prince. A gentleman doesn't speak of such things."

"But you were a sheep farmer's son before you became a proper gentleman. And what else do men talk about when they get together-except perhaps their horses?"

Riley thought of Gavrin and flushed. He wasn't necessarily an accomplished liar and he wanted to avoid any probing this prince seemed inclined to do. In spite of Liam's desire to know him, Riley had no urge to satisfy his curiosity. He wasn't here at the castle to make friends; he was here to kill the Beast. Even if the monster hadn't intended to kill any member of the family, Riley was effectively his prisoner, judging by the way the magic in this place had connived to trap him at that cabin. Then he recalled something the prince had said earlier and seized on it as a change in conversation.

"You told me that cabin had been set aside for me. Who did that? Was it you?"

"I?" The prince raised his eyebrows. "Not a bit. It was the Beast. He arranged a place he thought might be more comfortable for you. He didn't think the room he'd had prepared for your sister would be to your liking."

Riley grimaced. "He was right about that. That room was far too womanish for me."

"Then you see his intentions were kindly towards you. He couldn't have meant to eat you after having gone to all that trouble for you and your family."

Riley didn't reply only continued to tear into his food as he thought over what he was being told. Could the prince be telling the truth? Had the Beast angled for nothing more than a captive friend instead of a meal? His father's account of his meeting with the lord of the castle had been so filled with violence and threat Riley hadn't considered there was any other meaning to the fiend's demand.

He lifted his head and stared at the other man. "If the Beast is so misunderstood as you say, then why aren't you his friend? Why take somebody else if he has you? Why make you his prisoner?"

A muscle jumped in Liam's jaw. Whether it was through ire or some other emotion, Riley couldn't guess. When the prince spoke again, his voice was low and intense. "The Beast and I aren't friends. We have trapped each other and thus can never reconcile. Yet I'm not entirely sad about his presence now." Those ebony eyes rested on Riley and the other man's breath caught at the depth of feeling he saw there. "If it hadn't been for him, I'd never have met you."

The prince left his side of the table and walked over to Riley. Before Riley could move, a long-fingered hand was placed under his chin and his head tilted to meet that intense stare. "I'll be watching for you in my dreams, Riley Finn," he breathed softly and Riley's heart thudded as that handsome face drifted nearer his own.

__________

Riley jolted awake, his hands clutching the delicate sheets and his breath ragged and loud in his ears. To his dismay, he was no longer in the cabin, having somehow been transported to a large bed with satin covers, and the next moment he stiffened with shock and fright. There was another presence in the room with him and he looked up to encounter the red eyes of the Beast.

The animal was crouched on all fours instead of standing erect as he father had said. Still, the creature was enormous, even on all its feet, and he realized his father's account hadn't done it justice. He had never stood a real chance of killing this ogre with his meager arrows and now he knew it.

Again, he'd been caught unawares and this time was so much worse than before. Here was no friendly, smiling prince but a huge monster poised to devour him. Then his recent conversation with the prince came to his mind and he hesitated, torn with confusion. The prince had told him the Beast didn't intend him any harm. But what did he know of either of them? Yet the creature sat there without moving, although watching him intently from its piggy red eyes.

Then the Beast tilted its head, its eyes sweeping over Riley's form appraisingly. "You are not the beauty I was expecting. Yet I am not displeased."

His father had told him the Beast spoke. It was still a shock to hear the subterranean tones vibrating around the room. However, Riley knew better than to be taken in by an outward show of humanity. He grabbed for his weapons only to see them across the room, beside the Beast's paws. Riley was unarmed before his dangerous foe.

He'd just woken up after having fallen asleep elsewhere. Had his encounter with the supposed true owner of the castle been nothing more than a dream then? But how could he have dreamt of such things as that table, the strange place where he woke up and that whole conversation, more intimate and confiding than anything he'd ever shared with another man? The prince, too, was like no one he knew. Then again, there were passing resemblances to Gavrin. Could that have been it? Had the whole thing been nothing more than homesickness, nerves and anxiety welling into his brain in the night?

None of that mattered at the present moment. What mattered was that the giant he'd come to slay was sitting across the room from him, eyeing him with curiosity. Why didn't the monster spring? What was it waiting for?

Riley let no sign of tension show in his body as he debated getting out of bed and lunging for his fallen weapons. But the Beast lay between him and them across a good stretch of floor. He'd never make it and, as he shifted in the bed, he realized he was at another disadvantage. Except for Gavrin's gift, Riley was naked.

He flushed violently and drew the blanket over himself, inwardly cursing his own stupidity and carelessness. He hadn't stripped himself before he sat down, bow and arrows in hand, to await the Beast. This must have been done while he slumbered, along with removing him from his previous habitat, probably by the monster's unseen servitors. Somehow the notion of exposing himself unclothed before this creature was even more intimidating than being unarmed.

The Beast spoke again. "I'm glad you've made yourself comfortable. But the cabin was too remote. I wouldn't want you to be hurt and too far away for my people to tend to you. So I thought a room in the castle in the castle would be preferable." Its tail wagged again and it lifted one gloved paw, sweeping it across the room. "The furnishings are more-Spartan. I hope you will find this one more pleasing than the one I had prepared for your sister."

"This place would suit me far better if you weren't in it," Riley ground out. Then he bit his tongue, inwardly cursing the impetuous Finn temper. This creature was his host and, more importantly, his captor, armed in fang and claw. It wouldn't do to make it angry, especially since Riley's weapons lay so tantalizingly out of his reach.

The Beast didn't appear offended. However, its head lowered and a gusty growl echoed around the room. Riley tensed again, prepared to spring from the bed and make a grab for his weapons if the monster sprang. Then the Beast heaved itself up to its feet. "As you wish, Riley Finn." It turned to go, only pausing to speak over one shoulder. "This place is yours for as long as you remain in the castle. I shall not disturb you here again if that is your desire."

"It is," Riley bit out, his eyes never leaving the Beast's form.

The Beast growled again only this time Riley recognized that it was an unhappy sigh rather than a sound of anger. It stepped from the room, casting lingering glances at Riley as it went. The moment it was gone, Riley leaped for his weapons, grabbing them up and running for the door, heedless of his nakedness and an arrow notched at the ready. But, when he stepped from the room and into the open space beyond the front door, there was no sign of the Beast. It had vanished as eerily as it had appeared.

Riley stepped back inside. He glanced at the windows and noted in surprise that it was past dawn. He might as well forget about going back to bed and get dressed. As he did so, he thought of his extraordinary night. He'd had two encounters in one night with two very different people, although he hesitated to grace the Beast with the term of a "person." Yet its tone towards him had been civil and kind, even gentle, and the difference between that and what his father had described confused him greatly.

And that speech of his... With a start, Riley realized the Beast's first words to him were an exact echo of the prince's greeting. The prince had spoken of the Beast as if there was a tie between them and yet the underlying tone of his speech had contained a kind of bitterness. Whatever the Beast's connection to the prince, they were not friends and thus the Beast might not be as generous to Riley as he was making himself appear.

Riley decided to explore the castle after latching the door behind him. He wasn't certain this precaution would prove meaningful or useful in the future; somehow he'd been stripped naked, taken from the place where he'd slept and woken up to find a dangerous animal in his bedroom. This was the Beast's world, after all, and the monster could reorder reality as it wished. If it wanted to enter Riley's bedroom again, it could and there was nothing the hunter could do about it.

He huffed at the thought of his continued helplessness and gathered up his bow and quiver. He didn't think this precaution mattered either since he'd been holding them before and awoke to find himself unclothed and without arms. But it comforted him to have them close by and so they remained.

He wondered what to do with his time. He had the entire day and who knew how many others stretched out before him. He might as well make the best of it. Thoughts of the prince and the Beast kept intruding, however, each tumbling over the other and bringing more questions than he could answer with them.

__________

Elizabeth stared out the window as she dangled her sister's baby on his knee. Little Cory burbled, active as a jumping bean on a hot griddle, as he caught at his aunt's stays and pulled one into his mouth, teething on it enthusiastically. Cordelia paused in her narrative to watch her sister's vacant expression.

"Then Cory found a dragon nestled in the tree outside his window and jumped into the branches. He climbed on its back and flew away. The servants were frantic but they hid his disappearance from me for two hours until they could consult the local witch and have her scry for his whereabouts."

"Ummm hmmm," Elizabeth said absently.

Cordelia clucked her tongue in annoyance. "Elizabeth Sheila Catherine Finn, you haven't heard a word I've said!"

The 23-year-old blonde woman started and brought her eyes guiltily back to her sister. "Hmm? What? Oh, yes, I've been listening."

Cordelia raised a slim eyebrow and crossed her hands under her generous breasts. "Then what did I just say?"

Elizabeth's mind raced as she tried to catch up. "You were talking about how you preferred nursing Cory yourself even though your husband wanted you to turn him over to the servants-at least until you explained to him how this way you could keep your big breasts."

Cordelia clucked her tongue again. "That was minutes ago!"

Elizabeth blushed. "Oh. Well, I know your child is a source of endless fascination for you." She paused while she tried to pull her now sopping wet laces out of Cory's mouth.

"He is," Cordelia said softly, her brown eyes beaming at the plump infant. She saw her sister's predicament and reached over to pull the brown-haired boy from his aunt's arms.

"But I have to admit the thrill of any baby wears thin after the first hour. There, I've said it." Elizabeth grinned cheekily at Cordelia. But the other woman wasn't fooled.

"That's not what's distracting you and you know it." She looked sympathetically at Elizabeth although the other woman's smile never wavered. "Elizabeth, it's been almost a year and a half."

Her sister's face became stony. "I know. You don't have to tell me. It's been 15 months, two weeks and five days to be exact."

"You've been keeping count? Elizabeth, that's not healthy."

"What do you care? You've got your wonderful new life to keep you busy," Elizabeth snapped. "How often do you even think of him?"

Cordelia flared up at that. "That's a cruel thing to say, Elizabeth, and you know it. I loved Riley as much as you and father do. He was my brother too and I miss him sorely. I wanted him at my wedding to Frederick and it hurt to look over at where our family sat and not see him there. I missed him-his jokes, his cheeky smile, even the way he would call me 'Cordy' in that teasing voice of his. I never stopped caring about him. I still do."

"That didn't stop you from getting caught up in a whirlwind romance and marrying that Fred fellow three months after Riley disappeared," Elizabeth spat. "Couldn't you have waited even a year until getting wed?"

"Why? Elizabeth, I fell in love with Frederick and he with me. Much as I love Riley, he was my brother not my husband. There was hardly a reason why I should have gone into mourning for a year like a widow and make Frederick wait when it was clear Riley was lo-"

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that," Elizabeth hissed, getting up from the ornate chair and pacing back and forth on her bedroom floor.

"I didn't say Riley was dead. I said he was lost. And he is lost to us, Elizabeth. You must face it."

"I don't have to face anything," Elizabeth protested. "A creature like the Beast father described has to have been seen by someone. Father can't have been the only one to see his castle. Somebody in Galway or the surroundings must know about him! Riley can't have vanished into thin air!"

Cordelia sighed. "Elizabeth, you were there when Riley rode off on that horse's back. The animal vanished with him before your very eyes. You didn't see where they went."

"That doesn't mean that he's nowhere!" the blonde woman protested.

"And the people we've hired haven't been much help. Father didn't even want to talk about the Beast after the first month because he realized people thought he was fair gone in the head. Even he wonders if he didn't somehow dream it all."

"And Riley flying off into thin air on a black charger? I suppose I dreamed that too?"

Cordelia sighed. "The point I'm trying to make, Elizabeth, is that life goes on. Riley wouldn't have wanted you to behave like this, pining away for him, burying yourself in his memory like a widow in her black weeds." She stood and walked over to where Elizabeth now stood by the window, staring down at the red flowers. "You're becoming a laughingstock. Were we still in the country, people would say you're mad-or a witch."

Elizabeth glanced sharply at her. "A witch? Is that what they're saying about me now?"

"No. Only that it's not natural for a young woman to behave as you do. You stay cooped up in this house with father. You rarely go out as if you thinking Riley will just come strolling up to the front doors any day now and you don't want to miss seeing him. Suitors come to see you because you're still one of the loveliest ladies in Galway. But you turn them all away with your coldness."

"I know you and father want me wed. You both keep pestering me to find a husband as if that's all I need do with my life," Elizabeth muttered.

"Are you doing anything else with it?" Cordelia asked pointedly.

"I don't want a husband, Cordelia. I don't see anyone I fancy and I can't forget about Riley or put him out of my mind the way you can." Elizabeth's jaw clenched as if the very thought of marriage were distasteful.

"That's not fair, Elizabeth, and you know it. I haven't forgotten Riley. I just have other things in my life. You could too." Seeing her sister was not to be swayed, she looked onto the ground below the window and made a moue. "At least prune away some of these roses. It's eerie the way they keep growing out of the ground even in winter. It's not natural."

"No, I don't want them pruned. They don't grow anywhere else on the grounds except under my window. I-I like seeing them there," Elizabeth finished tenderly. She reached out and stroked one nodding bloom with the tip of a finger. Even though her bedroom window was on the second floor, the roses had twined themselves up the trellis until they were directly within reach of any hand. The scent was heady, like the richest perfume, and Elizabeth would lean from her window often to gather a few in her hands and inhale deeply.

She had an almost superstitious fear of tampering with any of the flowers. In spite of her affection for them, she never plucked them or allowed any of the servants to do so. It was no matter; her father's servants avoided going near them. It made them uneasy how the flowers kept blooming even in the harshest weather and they whispered the things were bewitched.

Cordelia shook her head. "But to have them grow like this-and from a single flower. How can you bear to have them around when they must remind you of Riley?"

"It's because they remind me of Riley that I keep them," Elizabeth replied, removing her hand from the flower. "They grew from that lovely rose father brought back with him. That must mean something. Why else would they still be here? The Beast gave the rose to father to give to me as a token of the bargain he'd struck with him. Why would the flower remain blooming and healthy all those weeks afterwards unless the Beast was pleased-" Elizabeth ground to a halt as she realized what she'd been about to say.

"Unless he was pleased with the gift father sent him...his only son," Cordelia finished.

"That must mean Riley's still alive. Surely if the Beast had meant him to be just a meal, the roses wouldn't still be here," Elizabeth said staunchly.

Cordelia frowned. In her heart of hearts she believed Riley was dead. There had been no word from him and surely if he were alive he would have found some way to send a note to them, to let them know he was alive even if still a captive. His silence could only mean the worst. But no one could convince Elizabeth of this.

The older girl jiggled her baby while she eyed her youngest sister. Cordelia worried deeply about her little sister although fretting over her newborn took up most of her thoughts these days. Elizabeth didn't speak about Riley unless she was prompted like today and that was nearly as disturbing as her frenzy in the first months after his vanishing. It was as if her lost brother had become a festering inner wound from which she couldn't ever fully recover. Darla had had a few choice words to say to the youngest Finn when she came to visit. But Elizabeth paid her no more heed than she did to Cordelia. Both older sisters were at their wit's end as to what to do.

The baby didn't understand what the two women were talking about. But the flowers outside intrigued him. The flowers nodded almost like human heads and the scent was appealing. Before his mother could stop him, he reached from the window and grabbed at one of the blossoms. The thorns from it cut into his chubby baby fingers and he let out a howl of pain.

"Cory! Now see what you've done!" Cordelia cried out as she pried Cory's fingers from the rose. Bright beads of blood stained his hands and she jiggled him while glaring at her sister.

"Me? It wasn't me who had your baby grab at my roses!" Elizabeth snapped back. Nevertheless, she closed the window and made shushing noises over the baby. Cordelia shouldered the child and drew him pointedly away from Elizabeth. Her lips thinned and she walked towards the door, meaning to call one of the servants to help.

There was a timid knock on the door and Cordelia called sharply for whomever it was to open it. Mr. Charles Finn entered and looked at the two of them. "What's all the noise in here?"

"Cory pricked himself on her roses," Cordelia snapped.

"It's not my fault your baby can't keep his hands to himself."

"Well, who is it who insists on keeping those things around?" Cordelia glared at her sister. "We both know the real reason you won't cut them down and why you won't leave the house."

"Oh? And what reason is that?" Elizabeth sneered.

"You're feeling guilty, that's why. You let Riley go when you should have gone in his place and now you think it's all your fault. You want to punish yourself, Elizabeth Finn, that's fine with me. But I see no reason the rest of us have to suffer because of this stupid whim of yours."

"WHIM?!? My brother is missing and I want to find him! This isn't a whim for me!" Elizabeth hissed.

The two women faced each other like combatants and Mr. Finn hurried to appease them before things got truly out of hand. "Girls, girls. There's nae need to go on like this," Mr. Finn said in a placating voice. He picked up a bell and rang for the wet nurse. She came in, clucking her tongue, when she saw the bleeding, whimpering baby and gathered him in her arms, taking him away to be wiped and bandaged.

Mr. Charles Finn was left with his two angry daughters and he regarded his youngest with a bleak expression. "There, that's settled. Now, Lizzy, Cordy, come down to supper. It's getting late and the table's been set." His gaze ran over his youngest daughter's attire. "Lizzy, perhaps ye should get changed into that velvet red gown, the one with the lace collar. Ya look so pretty in that."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why? It's just the three of us to dinner," she stated.

"No reason. It just looks so lovely on ya and I thought it might be nice to dress for company."

"For my sister?" Elizabeth countered with raised eyebrows.

"Thank you so very much. It's nice to see how little you think of me," Cordelia retorted in dry tones.

"It's not that, Cordy. It's just I see you every other month. It's not like it's a grand occasion or anything." She stopped, struck short by a thought and she regarded her father with suspicion. "Wait a moment. Is that Ronald here again?"

Cordelia perked up at the sound of a strange name. "Ronald? Who's Ronald? You never mentioned a Ronald."

"He's just a handsome lad who saw Elizabeth at the theater one day," Mr. Finn replied with a careless wave of his hand.

"You've been to the theater? You didn't tell me that!" Cordelia said, her eyes bent accusingly on her sister. "What else haven't you been telling me?"

Elizabeth flushed. "It's no matter. Father keeps pestering and pestering me to get out of the house until it drives me fair wild. It's too much to take. So I go out to shut him up and what happens but some fellow sees me and starts hounding my doorstep." Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe that's why father was so eager for me to go out that night."

"Not just any fella," her father protested. "A count's son."

"Father," Elizabeth hissed in a warning voice.

"A count's son? You have been playing it close to your chest, Lizzy," Cordelia purred.

Elizabeth ground her teeth. "I don't care for him. He's a smarmy, bandy-legged fool. He's just another try by father to get me out of this house and out of his hair. And if he's downstairs he can wait for me all night." She sat on the bed and folded her arms, her mutinous expression one that Riley would have recognized very well.

Mr. Charles Finn sighed. "Lizzy..."

"Don't 'Lizzy' me. I don't like these sneaky plots of yours, father, always trying to get me wed to some man or other and Ronald's no better than the rest of them."

"That's not true, Lizzy. Ye never give any of them a chance." He stood in front of her, hovering uncertainly. His youngest daughter had become closed off in the year since her brother died; at times he thought it was like talking to a stranger. He couldn't figure out how to talk to her. Her lost brother seemed to be the only place they had common ground and that served more to divide them than bring them closer.

She had continued to harass any traveler she met for news of her brother even though most of the people had lost interest. Indeed, once they'd left the village where the McTeagues lived, the people they encountered thought Elizabeth was a trifle touched in the head. She appeared rational and sane enough on other topics. But she remained unbending about the Beast and the loss of her brother. When her father had called off the hunt for her brother, she'd been furious with him, screaming at him in a wild voice the man had never heard from her. She had hounded him incessantly until he'd reluctantly ordered the continuation of the search.

But now he no longer talked of the Beast. The sale of the largesse in the Beast's chest had been more than enough to release him from his debt to the McTeagues, get him on his feet again and reinstate him once more as a rich man in high society. He had done nothing since then but prosper and he didn't want to ruin it by having people hear him babble about a fantastical creature he'd met in the rose garden.

There were also whispers that the story of the Beast was just a ruse to explain the appearance of his sudden wealth. There were some rumors that he'd killed a rich man and robbed him of his treasure. So he sealed his lips of the matter. As the months passed and he refused to speak of it, the whole incident came to seem like something of a mad dream. He would have been happy to forget it and put it out of his mind altogether-if it weren't for those blasted roses.

Elizabeth had kept the lone rose he'd plucked from the accursed Beast's garden in a glass of water on her bedroom table. The flower had remained lush and blooming for days after he'd taken it. It had even survived their trip to Galway. It was obvious that it was no ordinary rose and the sight of it had made him uneasy in his mind. Finally, in a rage over an argument with his youngest about something he didn't even remember, he'd snatched up the thing and tossed it out of her bedroom window. She'd wailed in grief and refused to speak to him for the rest of the day.

The next morning, a miracle had happened. The single rose had grown into a hedge of blooms that crawled up the side of the house. The scent was so powerful it reached as far as two streets over from the manor that they'd bought as part of their new life. People had come to see the flowers, marveling at how they could have grown into such a magnificent hedge in only one day.

Elizabeth had taken the appearance of the flowers as a sign of her brother's continued good health and nothing would make her see any differently. At times, he considered having them secretly cut down. But he knew she would never forgive him and he wasn't sure that would destroy them in any case. They continued to bloom even in winter, their crimson color standing out vividly against the bright white snowfall. They reminded him of the exact situation that brought them to him in the first place. As long as the things existed, he could never forget the Beast-or his lost son.

Mr. Charles Finn pushed the thought of the roses out of his mind and tried again to coax his stubborn daughter. "Lizzy, please. The man's come all this way just to see ye. One dinner couldn't hurt, could it?"

"Give a man an inch and he'll take a mile. Shawn McTeague taught me that." The sound of that name never failed to trouble her father and she knew it. It was a reminder of the shameful bargain he'd struck and she was meanly pleased to see him flinch.

But her father wasn't ready to give up yet. "Ronald is no Shawn, Lizzy. Just one appearance..."

Elizabeth sat on the windowsill and stared into the gathering gloom. "It's no use, father. I'm not coming down."

The two other Finns stared in frustration at the blonde-haired woman but it was clear she wasn't to be moved. They glanced at each other in despair and silently left the room. What was to be done? Was the subject of Riley doomed to curse their family forever?

"The mistake which is commonly made about neurotics is to suppose that they are interesting. It is not interesting to be always unhappy, engrossed with oneself, ungrateful and malignant, and never quite in touch with reality." - Cyril [Vernon] Connolly (1903 - 1974), The Unquiet Grave (1945)


TBC