Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Once upon a time in the land of the gods, there was a small kingdom ruled by a young princess. The Princess lived in a shining castle and had everything her heart could desire. In her case, her heart’s desire was to educate herself in magic, to learn everything possible on such matters no matter the cost. She surrounded herself with the greatest minds and oldest tomes to further her pursuits. However, the more she researched the more callous she grew to those outside of her immediate interest. She grew selfish, and unkind to anyone she did not see as furthering her interests.

One winter’s night, an old beggar woman came to the castle. Desiring shelter from the bitter cold, she offered the Princess a single rose in exchange for hospitality. The Princess, disinterested in such a simple gift and seeing no way the haggard woman could aid her pursuits, turned her away without sympathy. The woman warned her not to be deceived by appearances, that even simple things can hold magic and beauty is not a surface value to judge by. However, again the Princess dismissed her.

It was then that the woman’s age and ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful goddess. The Princess tried desperately to apologise. However, it was too late. The Goddess had seen that there was no love in her heart and, as punishment for her cruelty, she transformed her into a hideous beast and placed a powerful curse on the castle and all who lived there.

Ashamed of her monstrous form, the Beast concealed herself in her castle. As the memories and knowledge of her faded from the outside world, a magic mirror became her only connection to it, a place where she could no longer belong.

True to the Goddess’ words, the Rose she had offered was no ordinary flower. Truly an enchanted rose, it would bloom for many a year, serving as a dwindling clock. If she could learn to love another and have them love her in return before the final petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If she failed to do so, she would remain forever a beast.

Years passed, for all her research the spell’s conditions were absolute. Only by mutual love could it be broken. And thus, she fell into despair, all hope lost. For who could ever learn to love a beast?

Chapter Text

One crisp autumn morning, a young woman walked on the small path from her home to the small town it sat on the edge of. Her curly ponytail and blue light coat blew in the light breeze. ‘At least the weather is pleasant’ she thought as she made the short walk, a boot on the ground followed by a boot and a cane. The weather seemed to be the only thing that changed day to day since herself and her brother came to this dull little town on the recommendation of Lady Ianite. However, she still needed to continue her own life else she’d get stuck in a runt that would eat anyway at her. She couldn’t let that happen. Sure, the drudgery of the past couple of years had been eating away at her, but it would only get worse if she didn’t try to continue some level of a normal life.

As she entered, those around her were also beginning their daily business. The same greetings as always hit her ears, once again making her question if she was somehow stuck in a loop of the same day. Neighbours greeted each other through opening windows and doors, those going about their daily business outside the home joining in groups to talk as they completed their errands. Capsize was one of the few walking alone, something she was perfectly fine with. As much as she missed the near constant companionship she used to have, she could make do with her own thoughts. Given the whisperings she often overheard, she doubted anyone here would make for good company anyway. After all, she had only been walking a few minutes and she already felt the stares.

The smell of fresh bread hit her as she passed the bakery, its owner performing the same opening routine as ever. The same time, the same stock, the same amount. She had long since learnt what the bakery had to offer, which she supposed was good though she didn’t need anything today. In fact, every shop and market stall in town was remarkably consistent in their stock, admittedly a convenient trait, but she still missed the unpredictability of near constant travel. The docks had been ever changing, and with them the items she had access to. It was something she didn’t even realise she would miss until her injury had forced a more permanent home and, suddenly, she didn’t have such experiences anymore. And left was a desire for anything interesting at all to happen.

“Good morning, Capsize!” The baker greeted as he happened to open his door just as she passed, stopping her in her tracks.

“Oh! Good morning,” She said with a polite smile. She tried her best to stay on at least polite terms with the town’s shopkeepers, having been a merchant herself she understood the importance of maintaining such a relationship. However, she knew it was just polite. They would greet her as she passed, and she would greet them back, but otherwise there was not much difference with them and everyone else in town. Though they at least tended to wait until she was out of earshot to talk about her.

“Where are you headed today?” He said in such a tone that she couldn’t tell if he was filling the silence or genuinely interested. She decided, perhaps overly optimistic, to assume it was the latter. After all, what was the harm in answering genuinely?

“I’m going to visit Jeriah. I need to return a book I borrowed, a story about—”

“That’s nice. Hurry up back there with the baguettes!” He cut her off, immediately turning his focus back to his work. Capsize couldn’t begrudge him, though she also couldn’t help but lightly sigh. He had better things to do than to listen to her, but it would be nice for someone to listen to her. Well, at least there was Jeriah, who she should probably get a move on to if she wanted to see him before he left. No point in lingering when she had things to do.

As she began to walk again, once again left to her own thoughts, the townsfolk began to take notice of her. Since she and her brother had moved into town, she had been quite the source of gossip. Originally it had just been curiosity, after all it was incredibly rare for newcomers to arrive. The whole story, or rather multiple apparent full stories filled with half-truths, misconceptions, and complete fabrications, had spread through the town like wildfire. The siblings were certainly merchants, as her brother still travelled for a few weeks every season or two to sell goods. However, their exact activities and types of goods sold prior to moving here changed wildly depending on who was telling the story.

Then, of course, there was her connection to Lady Ianite. She admittedly had not realised what a big deal it would be to the town that she had communicated with the goddess. She had thought that with the two known champions of the gods living in the town that they would be used to such a relationship with the gods. However, it seemed the gods were not the most communicative towards their champions, with the title itself having little meaning in a time of such peace. She was the only person in decades to have had a conversation with the goddess, which had just attracted her more attention, especially from the champions, that she really wasn’t interested in.

Then there were the questions about her leg. None of the questions were to her face, they had a little more tact than that, but the cane ever present by her right side was the cause of some hushed questioning. It was known that she was injured in some way prior to arriving in town, which was one of the few things either of the siblings has mentioned on the topic. However, none had deemed it appropriate to question them any further as they assumed it would be a sensitive topic. Though that didn’t stop them from gossiping and speculating.

However, despite many things about her being mysterious, there was one thing about Capsize was her appearance. With bronze skin, long brown hair, and brown eyes, she stood out from the crowd, it was undeniable that she was beautiful. Much to her own annoyance, this was the fact that attracted the most attention to her, both in the form of gossip and in men trying to attract her attention. Yes, she was in the mind of many the most beautiful girl in town, it was just a shame that she was…

“It’s a shame she’s so odd,” Capsize heard among the normal marketplace chatter. It was an annoyingly common thing for her to hear not quite whispered. She knew what people thought of her, that much of the things she enjoyed and her general personality made her seem strange to most of those in the town. And truly she didn’t mind, it was their opinion, but would it kill them to discuss that opinion a bit quieter? The inane talking of people buying and selling in the market was easier to listen to, though it put uneasy lingering thoughts in her head of what life she had here. A thought that was hard to shift past.

Thankfully she didn’t have far to walk, and the nosy onlookers couldn’t enter a private residence, so she’d have peace from them. Though it didn’t make the rest of the walk any more pleasant, as so many of the comments about her were bad enough for her to take notice. Those not talking about how strange they found her were instead discussing her appearance which, despite the comments being positive, felt just as uncomfortable. They never cared to talk to her, just about her. That was tolerable when talking about her being odd, but something about them discussing her appearance while never trying to actually get to know her was mildly infuriating. But once she was inside, not actively hearing the comments, they’d be easy enough to ignore. That’s what she reminded herself of when she was still hearing such things while knocking on Jeriah’s door.

“Ah Capsize, I was wondering when you’d show up. Come in,” The older man greeted her when he finally opened the door. He spoke as if they had an appointment, rather than Capsize just turning up every few days because she’d finished whatever book she had borrowed. He gave a small smile which, from the corner of her eyes, she saw become an intense glare to the outside once she passed him. He slammed the door shut far faster than he had opened it, living up to the image of the town’s misanthrope that she always heard him described as. She wondered who exactly had been following her, though trying to guess such a thing just based off his reaction would be difficult as he would’ve reacted the same for nearly everyone in town. It was apparently quite the shock that she had befriended the man, though she assumed that was due to the townsfolk spending as little time getting to know him as they did her. While he was perhaps curt at times, Capsize hadn’t found him to be nearly as abrasive as most seemed to think. “So, you’ve finished the book?”

“I couldn’t put it down,” She said, with a genuine tone of joy that she often had when talking about books. One of the few good things she had to say about moving here was the sudden amount of free time she had to read, even if she found the speed that she could get through books a little alarming considering the limited amount she had access to. Obviously, she could reread them, and she had already reread a couple that had become her favourites, but the books were also her only access to anything new, to any sort of unpredictability. Maybe it didn’t make much sense, but she was slightly anxious for the moment when she had read all the books that she had access to. “It didn’t seem like the sort of story you’d read though. You never struck me as the type to like such romantic endings.”

She said as she pulled the borrowed book from the canvas bag that she carried over her shoulder. She didn’t mean it as an insult towards either the man or the book, she just found it curious that he owned it at all. She had read a good number of the books in his collection now, and most of them were books she could very much see Jeriah reading. Not dour, but certainly serious and typically grounded in realism. Yet there was a small number, like the one she was currently holding, that were far more fantastical and focused on romance and adventure. It wasn’t that they were bad, in fact she quite enjoyed all of them, but she could not picture Jeriah reading them.

“It isn’t, I don’t even remember picking it up. Honestly, I think some of these must’ve been here when I moved in,” He said, a little unsure about the explanation, but not having a better one. Books were expensive, so he wasn’t exactly in the business of picking them up when he wasn’t interested in them, so it seemed most likely that he had added them to his collection upon finding them left behind. Yet that explanation didn’t sit quite right with him. He felt as if he should remember if that was the case, however just trying to remember where or why he got the books just drew a blank. A gap in his memory that he both didn’t want to think too much about, but none of less itched as if it was something he really should try to remember. However, where he actually got the books didn’t matter all that much to him now that they were actually seeing use. “I suppose you’ll be wanting another before I leave. Anything particular in mind?”

“Something long. You and Red are both leaving, I’m going to be bored out of my mind,” She said with a slight chuckle, her tone attempting to cover the genuine sadness at the situation. It wasn’t just the fact she was going to be stuck for nearly a month without the only two people in town who were genuinely friendly towards her, though that was certainly part of it. Capsize missed being able to travel. Her whole life had been spent on a ship, always travelling and never staying still, only to be stopped by one single split-second decision. Now she couldn’t even manage the three-day ride to the city market Red travelled to so they could continue making a living. Of course, her leg wouldn’t have been any trouble if they hadn’t moved somewhere so remote. There were times when she truly regretted listening to Ianite’s recommendation to come here, which she assumed the goddess herself sensed as there were many months now when she didn’t talk to Capsize at all. The whole situation tugged at her. It wasn’t exactly spirit breaking, if there was such a situation that could break her spirit, she hadn’t encountered it yet, but at times she felt a lingering sadness. Sure, she was technically lucky. Had the situation gone even a little differently she could’ve lost her leg, or someone could’ve lost their life, but she didn’t often feel lucky. Some days she just longed desperately to escape. “Some kind of adventure, like maybe…”

She trailed off as Jeriah took the book from her, unsure if asking for the same book three times was reasonable. She just liked the story, as much as she’d already read it twice it itched at her mind as she just wanted to pour over the pages and be lost in that world. Yet she almost questioned her own thoughts as she knew, inevitably, she would get annoyed at there not being anything new for the whole time she’ll be alone. However, despite her own hesitance and not actually saying what she wanted out loud, he understood what she was actually trying to request. Though he shook his head slightly as he turned towards his bookshelf, she reminded him a little too much of himself sometimes. That was in fact why he had been so willing to talk to her when she first came to town. And it had been quite nice to actually have someone to talk to. However, she was far too stubborn, he thought as he looked through the titles to find exactly what he was looking for.

“You can borrow this, it should hopefully last you longer than a day,” He said, handing her one of the thicker books that he owned. Honestly, he wasn’t actually sure how long it would take her to read it. He knew it would be before he returned, but that was honestly the most he could say. Capsize took it with some curiosity, the expression that she often had when being presented with a new book. She was tempted to open it immediately, to see the first few lines, however she didn’t think she had the time today. Rather she had all the time in the world, but she knew Jeriah was meant to be leaving to meet with the small militia he had founded long before this so she didn’t want to take up too much of his time that he could use to prepare for the journey. That and she did want to see her brother before he also left town. However, he wasn’t actually done yet. “And this is for you to keep.”

“No, Jeriah, I can’t,” She tried to object as he offered the exact book she had been thinking about. As much as she loved the story, she couldn’t just take it. It felt wrong.

“Yes, you can, and in fact I insist. You’ve gotten far more enjoyment out of it than I ever have,” He said, attempting to get her to take it. She had rambled about the story for what felt like hours, and possibly might have been. Meanwhile he had barely given it a glance before she had picked it from the shelf herself out of curiosity. However, he had already predicted that she would be stubborn about this. “But, if you’re going to insist you won’t take it for free, then there’s a couple of things you can do for me in exchange.”

“Of course! What do you need?” Capsize said, perking up. He almost sighed, because he really intended for it to be a gift, but she had a merchant’s brain. At least, that’s what Jeriah attributed to her being rather bad at taking gifts and preferring deals and exchanges. He found it a little frustrating, as he felt like he was short-changing her, but it was obvious she didn’t feel that way.

“Firstly, get your brother to pick me up some liquor, everything sold in this town is swill,” He said, with the knowledge that it wouldn’t be much effort for the man. There were only two things Redbeard reliably brought back from the city, one was a rose, which he brought back without fail to annoy his sister, and the other was a few bottles of high-quality alcohol. Capsize nodded, making the mental note to tell him to grab a few more bottles than usual. Though she still felt she was getting far too good a deal, which was actually the point, but Jeriah thankfully had a way to make that a tad less obvious. “Secondly, I haven’t been to the town I need to travel to for a few years and, and frankly I’d prefer not to get lost on the way. But I know you plot your brother’s route, so I’d very much appreciate your help in plotting my own.”

“It’d be my pleasure. You got a map you can show me?” She said with a smile, placing the book she’s currently holding down on the closest table so as to not be distracted by it. Jeriah smiled too, placing the book that was now hers on top of the other. As he left the room to collect the map that he hadn’t yet packed, he found himself thankful that he had started with the books. After all, if he had begun by asking her to plot his route as he had originally intended, it would’ve been far harder to convince her this was a trade.

🌹 🌹 🌹

It was a while later, on the far side of town, that a bird in flight was struck by an arrow. As it lost life in an instant, it plummeted towards the ground and towards two expectant men. One was rushing forward, adjusting his glasses as he lent down to check the fallen animal. The other was a good few steps behind, a man in a long, red coat and holding a bow. Both men had a few fresh kills hanging from their belts, though the man in the red coat had a good number more. Still, he felt little need to check on his most recent target as he was quite certain the shot had been successful as all the others had. His talent was absolute, so why spend time rushing about to check?

“Another shot right on target!” Tucker said with excitement which was perhaps a little over the top considering that Jordan never missed a shot. Of course, him literally never missing a shot was actually the remarkable thing. In all his time shooting, be it hunting or merely target practice, he had never missed a shot from a ranged weapon. Be it from a bow, crossbow, gun, or even a sling, his shot always landed. Consequently, there wasn’t a beast he had ever hunted that he hadn’t taken down. Despite how often he did such a feat, he never tired of hearing the compliments, of seeing admiration on everyone’s faces. “Seriously, it’s no wonder that you’re a god’s champion! You must be the best shot in the world!”

“I know. And it’s a good thing too since I’ll need to take down something big for my wedding feast,” He said, a smile wide on his face as he imagined the kind of impressive creature that would be good enough for such an event. It would need to be something big, something grand, not like the birds he and Tucker had been shooting down today. He wanted something rare, impressive. Only the very best would do. For his part, Tucker was momentarily confused. Jordan had not actually mentioned marriage prior to this point. However, the idea of his friend actually getting married was far too exciting to continue being confused.

“You’re finally gonna ask someone? Who’s the lucky one? I think everyone in town wants to be with you!” He said, far too excited to consider if his words were actually true or not. Of course, Jordan wasn’t thinking about that either. His future bride was already decided, not a single other person in consideration. He just needed to ask her, and of course she’d say yes when he did, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be room for a little wooing before the proposal.

“Obviously, the most beautiful girl in town. The only person as blessed by Lady Ianite as I am,” He said loudly and with a large smile as if already announcing to everyone. A few people who had been going about their daily business had begun paying attention to him, giving him at least a small audience beyond just his fellow champion. So much was lucky as his fellow champion did not look quite as excited as he perhaps should. After all, his words were pointing towards only one person, the woman in question was completely undoubtable, but that made him all the more confused.

“Capsize? But isn’t she—”

“Completely beautiful and the only person to have heard my Lady’s voice in over a decade?”

“Yes, but are you two actually—”

“Perfect for each other are the words I’d use. Remember that gift she gave me? She hasn’t given such a thing to anyone else in town, so clearly, she feels the same way.”

“Actually, I think she… Are you completely sure about this?”

“Of course, I’m sure, Tucker! I’ve been sure since the moment I saw her!” Yes, he knew Capsize was the only one for him. When he learned that two followers of his Lady would be moving into town, he had already been excited. Seeing one of them was such a beautiful woman had basically smitten him on the spot. He’d only fallen further in love with her when she had mentioned talking to his Lady, and just mentioning it off as if it was no big deal to her. How could he have not fallen in love with her? And sure, a lot of people in town described her as weird or strange, but that just meant less competition for him. “I’m going to marry her, just you watch!”

“Of course! Whatever help you need just let me know!” He said with excitement. He was a little unsure exactly how this was going to go, but he certainly was going to miss it. There was a good chance that this was going to be chaotic, so he’d need to support his friend. Going after the only person in town that wasn’t already heads-over-heels for him could end up crushing him if it went wrong. That and Jordan wasn’t exactly the most perceptive person as demonstrated by him being too busy adjusting his bow string to notice the woman he planned to marry walking past, her nose buried in the book she now owned that she was holding carefully in one hand.

By the time he actually managed to get his friend’s attention, she was already halfway through the market crowd. This sent the two men running hoping they could push through in time to reach her. As they moved, the crowd continued discussing their everyday life, but at the same time gossiping about the woman who was both so beautiful and so odd to them. This was almost completely ignored by the men as they tried to push through. However, while she tried her best to pretend she couldn’t hear any of it, Capsize found herself listening far too much to the chatter behind her, longing for any sort of confirmation that there was more to life than what she was currently experiencing.

Chapter Text

Capsize found herself fixated on the current page of her book that she was holding in one hand as she walked, having flicked directly to her favourite part. She couldn’t quite describe to anyone else why particularly this part so close to the beginning of the story was her favourite, why this part that had lingered in her mind even when she wasn’t reading it. Of course, not many people actually cared to ask, but Redbeard had when she had described the story to him. He’d asked why, of all the adventure, the travelling, and the combat, within the story, things that she longed to be back in her own life, her favourite part was the comparatively mundane meeting between the two lead characters.

Now, to be clear, he had said it in such a tone that it was clear that he was joking, and it was not the sort of thing he would’ve said if she had at all been sensitive to such jokes. Yet it had given her a slight pause. Not due to questioning her own opinion, but rather the exact tugging feeling the scene gave her being hard to describe. There was something about the first meeting of the two women, who by the end of the story would trust each other above all else and would be so deeply in love, that just swirled in her head. One a princess in disguise, one just an ordinary woman, with no reason for their lives to intertwine but a single decision binding them together. How could she not look at that moment in fascination? Obviously, there were more exciting moments in the story, but none she thought so much over as this point.

Even now, rereading over the words of the two locking eyes for the first time she just wanted to stop moving and completely lose herself in the pages. Though she resisted that urge, if only because she’d have all the time in the world to do so once the day was over. She wanted to say once she was home, but she needed to do the final checks over everything that would be going to the market. And she would want to spend a little time with her brother before he left for a few weeks. Obviously, that would take over most of the rest of her day, but she didn’t exactly have any plans for her near month of alone time. She’d have plenty of time to lose himself in the fictional world soon enough.

“Capsize!” She came to a sudden stop upon hearing that voice somehow in front of her. She cursed the fact that he wasn’t behind her, that she couldn’t just keep walking, pretending she didn’t hear him. No, that was quite difficult to do with him blocking her path. So, she looked up with as polite a smile as she could muster, hoping she would not be stuck talking to him for too long. There, unfortunately, stood Jordan, his usual hunting outfit on, with Tucker right next to him. She was unsurprised to see the other champion with him, as she rarely saw the two apart, though she was a little baffled to see them both panting slightly. Jordan typically tried to look a little more dignified at the beginning of a conversation with her. She attributed it to the two having been hunting, as the two still had birds hanging from their belts so clearly they were not long done with the activity. This spared them the embarrassment of her knowing they had sprinted through a side street to end up in front of her.

“Jordan, Tucker. A lovely morning isn’t it,” She said, giving a half-hearted attempt to turn whatever this was into just small talk. While she could deal with Tucker alone, every conversation with Jordan was draining and always went on far too long for her liking. While most days that would simply be an annoyance, she really didn’t have the time today for whatever he had planned. Jordan smiled, happily oblivious to Capsize truly not being in the mood for him. In fact, neither of the men read the annoyance coming off her, perhaps as it was the typical emotion she felt when Jordan was around, and it was hence being read as neutral.

“It is, and it’s turning into a lovely afternoon, so I was wondering if you might join me for lunch. We could go to the tavern, look at my hunting trophies. You know, like, a date,” He said, using all the charm that typically worked on people in town. He thought it was surely the perfect plan for properly wooing her prior to his proposal. A nice meal with a gift at the end, that was the type of thing women talked about wanting. He’d need to figure out the gift on the fly, but he’d be sure they’d be flowers or something shiny he could grab. Or maybe Tucker could find something while they were eating, he always had his back like that.

“Unfortunately, I’m busy. I’ve got a lot to do, you know, final stock checks, seeing my brother before he’s gone for nearly three weeks,” She said, a little more briskly than she typically would in the hope that they might get the point that she was busy. She wasn’t in the mood for whatever Jordan thought passed for a date. She already spent far more time with the man than she wanted. Unfortunately, neither man moved from her path, because apparently what she had to do today wasn’t at all important. She considered just pushing past them, but people were watching so she resisted, despite how much she wanted to.

“I’m sure he can wait a little longer,” Jordan said, more than a little confused as to why she’d prefer to spend the day with her brother than him. Sure, he didn’t have anything to worry about as the man certainly wasn’t competition, but surely, he was a better person to spend the afternoon with than Redbeard. She saw him all the time, why choose him over a lunch date when she was always so busy? Of course, Capsize was not actually busy nearly as much as she told Jordan. While she had work to do, she spent far too much of everyday with nothing to do. It was just that she found doing nothing more appealing than spending time with Jordan. She couldn’t actually say that to his face, so blatantly insulting a man who was far more popular than herself who also unfortunately happened to be Ianite’s champion would frankly be a terrible idea. That wasn’t to say it was completely out of the question, just that it would need to be at a moment when she had truly stopped caring.

“He could, but I’d prefer not to keep him waiting. So, if you’ll excuse me,” She said, her tone authoritative enough that Tucker moved out of the way without thinking. This gained him two different reactions, with Capsize smiling briefly at him as she was about to proceed with her day, and Jordan staring daggers. He could only give an embarrassed shrug in response to his friend. However, there wasn’t any time for reprimanding him, Capsize was about to make her escape. So, as she took the steps directly past Jordan, he grabbed the object in her closest hand to him. As the book was pulled from her hand, she turned back with barely concealed annoyance. “Give me my book back, Jordan.”

“I’m just looking,” He said in response, with a tone far too playfully for her liking. As he flicked through the pages, he treated the book with little care, just making her all the more desperate to grab it back. However, he just took her attempted grabs with a smile. She was agile, far more than he had expected when he first met her, but in a situation where she needed to take something from him, she was rather on the backfoot. After all, she needed to keep one hand on her cane, especially with the amount he was moving, and thus only had one hand to actually attempt to take the book back with. So, whenever her hand came close, Jordan simply turned 90 degrees on his heel, and it was as if she was never close in the first place.

Tucker, and indeed a few of the older onlookers who were not jealous of the attention Capsize received from Jordan, laughed at the apparent flirting. To them, Capsize’s frustration towards the man was feigned, a way of covering her feelings for the man. Because surely, she did have feelings for him, who didn’t? However, in reality her annoyance and frustration were not feigned in the slightest. In fact, she considered the only positive of her current situation to be that he hadn’t grabbed her cane as he had on a couple of prior occasions, when he had apparently forgotten that it wasn’t a fashion accessory. How everyone found him so charming was utterly beyond her.

“Do you really read all this? All these words, no pictures. It doesn’t seem very you.”

“What on earth do you mean?” She said, mildly exasperated, but much more confused. Of everything she had heard about her reading, the idea that it didn’t suit her had never once come up. And while she doubted that she was about to have some revelation about herself based on his opinions, she was morbidly curious. What impression did he actually have of her?

“Well, it wasn’t all that long ago that you couldn’t even spell my name,” He said with a laugh as Capsize resisted the urge to punch him. If she could choose the moment in her life that she regretted the most, it would be giving him that rose. She had just wanted him to go away, had thought that getting his name wrong might convince him that she didn’t like him, and gods had that gone wrong. Tucker, for what it was worth, saw Capsize’s anger. He did not, however, understand fully why she was angry.

“He’s joking,” Tucker said, with an exaggerated laugh as he took a hold of Jordan’s shoulders. He pulled him close, feigning a hug to whisper into his ear hurriedly. “She’s really sensitive about that, maybe don’t make jokes that make her want to leave.”

“Oh, yeah totally joking,” He said, batting Tucker away from him. He didn’t understand why she was so sensitive about this. She did spell his name wrong on the gift tag so why shouldn’t he bring it up? It was funny. But he didn’t want her to leave in a huff as she so often did, so he quickly came up with something else to say. “Obviously, I actually mean that you’re one of Lady Ianite’s favoured. So, you should be focusing on things important to her, like me.”

He leaned closer to her, hoping that was a good enough correction. Capsize became once again confused. What exactly did he mean by ‘like me’? That she should be spending more time training to shoot, like how he spent most of his days? Or, goddess forbid, that she should be spending more time focusing on him? As he came even closer, she realised, to her own unhappiness, that he definitely meant the latter. She had never wanted to leave a situation more in her life. Thankfully, there was one upside to his close position to her, combined with his attempted flirting making him forget what was keeping her here.

“I think I’ll stick with reading, but thanks for the suggestion,” She said as she managed to tug the book from his grip, batting his arm gently away with her cane as he tried to grab it back. He frowned, completely lost for what he was meant to do as she was turning away. Should he have brought a gift to start with? That probably would’ve made her more likely to hang around for a bit, wouldn’t it? In reality, no, but in his limited understanding of her, he had no way of knowing that. He looked towards Tucker for some help, the other man not really wanting to interject again. After all, this should really be a conversation between the lovebirds, but Capsize was leaving. So, he had to say something.

“Come on Cap, Redbeard can wait an hour.”

“No, he really can’t.”

“He must be able to. It’s eleven in the morning, he can’t be drunk already,” Tucker said, with a slight laugh. Jordan laughed too, unable to hold back. Capsize froze, turning back to look at them slowly. She took a shaky breath as she tried not to react, to turn back on her route and ignore them, but their laughter. Gods, how could she ignore them laughing like that.

“Don’t talk about my brother like that!” She so often heard people talk about Redbeard, and it was always frustrating. They treated like he was some incompetent drunk, a notion which would possibly be less infuriating to her if she hadn’t once also joked about such a thing. But that had been a joke between siblings, something said once in a while in good humour, not everyday relentlessly. She knew her brother wasn’t a genius, but he wasn’t nearly as stupid as people acted like he was. However, what she understood even less than the whispers, was how people could say such things to her face and expect her to be okay with it. Jordan, for once, did actually recognise the annoyance on her features.

“Yeah, don’t talk about her brother like that!” He said, elbowing Tucker a little too hard in an attempt to cover that he had also been laughing. Capsize was less than entertained. Frankly, she’d had enough of the two’s theatrics for one day.

“I’m going to help my brother because I want to help him, not because he’s some drunk idiot that can’t be left--!”

She was cut off by the noise of an explosion from her house, her eyes flying wide. She turned around, quickly rushing up the path as the two men began laughing uncontrollably. Neither tried to stop her this time, far too lost in the hilarity of the situation.

“It’s like he can hear her,” Jordan said as he managed to control his laughter enough to get out a sentence. He honestly had no idea how Redbeard survived when he went out of town without Capsize, but at least he could always be relied on to provide a few laughs. However, laughs could only distract him so much. He looked at Tucker. “I don’t get it though. Why didn’t she want to have lunch?”

“Well, she never said that. She said she needed to get back to her brother. But she also said he’ll be gone tomorrow, so…”

“Tucker you genius! There’s no way she’ll say no then!”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Redbeard lay on the floor wondering what he’d managed to do wrong for a box to blow up in his face. Dishevelled as ever, ginger hair had fallen in front of mismatched eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. Everything had been going so normally. One moment he’d been quite normally doing the stock check, the next that lockbox had spit an explosion in his face that knocked him flat. Is that really what Capsize meant when she called the thing temperamental? Just when he thought he understood the sort of things his sister was capable of. To be perfectly honest, he didn’t know a lot of what his sister did with the antiques she restored, though she would sometimes explain when he found her sitting surrounded with parts apparently to fix the tiniest fault. She always insisted that it wasn’t much different from the larger pieces he worked on. He, however, had never had a chair blow up in his face because someone years ago had decided it needed a defence mechanism.

“Red! Are you alright?” Capsize’s voice came in a hurried yell as she flung the cellar doors open. The natural light flooding in reminded him to move rather than continuing to lay prone. Thankfully, he didn’t feel injured, the explosion having apparently been loud and shocking rather than actually dangerous. Not that Capsize had any way of knowing that as she rushed down the stairs, only knowing her brother’s penchant for getting himself into danger from seeming just terrible luck. Hearing the speed of her footsteps, he realised how panicked she must be, and that he should probably assure her he was okay.

“Yeah, I’m good,” He called back as he properly got to his feet, pushing his hair back so he could properly see. He smiled sheepishly as Capsize came into view, seeing her visibly relax upon seeing him unharmed. That was good, he wasn’t completely sure he was uninjured, so her relief was as good a confirmation as any. Capsize chastised herself a little, of course she shouldn’t have expected the worst, but it was only natural to worry after hearing such a sound. She sighed slightly as she saw the lockbox, knowing that it must’ve been the cause of the noise. Something so small just had to be the cause of so much trouble.

“I thought I fixed it,” She said, mildly annoyed that it was no longer inert. She picked it up from the floor, cautiously as she knew that it may well just explode again. It didn’t, which she was both thankful for and frankly annoyed at the object’s inconsistency. As she set it down on her worktable, she looked over it, letting out a small huff as she saw a glyph that she had been so sure that she had deactivated glowing dimly. What on earth did that one do? How did she get it to turn off the first time? Gods, she hated dealing with magic. “I’m not going to be able to reset it again. We’re going to have to keep a hold of it.”

“I could still try and sell it,” Redbeard said, peering over at the thing. He knew himself well enough to know that he could sell a box that might explode in someone’s face, it probably wouldn’t even be that hard. It wasn’t necessary, they avoided needing any one market trip to be successful to continue living or even to buy their next set of junk objects to restore. However, he wasn’t sure if leaving stock behind that was technically sellable was a great idea, especially when he didn’t particularly want to keep that thing.

“We can’t sell something that keeps exploding in our face. I’ll just need to spend another season trying to work on this stupid thing,” She said, beyond annoyed at the object. Restorations were a bit like a puzzle, typically fun to figure out and a good distraction when she needed one, but quick to become frustrating if they didn’t work the way they really ought to. The lockbox had been a fun puzzle at first, figuring out how to reset the code and have it stop trying to explode at every simple touch. But in the first few weeks she’d had the thing in her possession, the glyphs she’d been sure she had deactivated had started glowing again. She didn’t want to admit defeat, but when it happened at least once a week even when she was completely sure that she had actually done it successfully. Magic just wasn’t something she understood well or could easily figure out. Though, of course, she likely would not be so frustrated if it were not for her general frustrations gathered throughout the day, which Redbeard could tell as his sister slumped into a nearby chair, resting her forehead in her hands. He would hope that anyone could.

“Are you alright, Ize?” He asked, dragging another chair over to sit opposite to her.

“I’m fine, I think the idea of not having anyone to talk to for the next few weeks is getting to me a little,” She said, attempting to ignore the gossip and the encounter with the champions that were still sitting in her mind. Redbeard smiled gently. Jeriah typically didn’t leave town, and it just happened that the first time he did it coincided with one of Redbeard’s trips to market. It had obviously been playing on Capsize’s mind with just how lonely she felt in this town other than those two.

“Well, I mean, Jordan and Tucker talk to you, don’t they?” He said, not expecting the groan that almost immediately escaped from her. He knew that she didn’t always get along with the champions, but she typically didn’t have such a reaction to them merely being mentioned.

“No. Well, yes, they talk to me, but only about things Jordan wants to know about. He doesn’t care about me, he cares about what I can tell him about Ianite,” She saw him raise an eyebrow, which almost made her sigh again. She knew he wasn’t disbelieving her, or at least he wouldn’t describe it like that. It was just unfortunate that Redbeard did like Jordan and Tucker, and for some reason he never had them belittle him to his face like he did her. She didn’t exactly want to bring up her latest conversation with the two, but she did wonder what he’d made of the two knowing how they’d blatantly insult him. She wasn’t going to do that though. It’d just make both of them feel bad. So, she tried her best to instead smile to convince him that she felt fine. “I mean, I’ll be fine really. I’ve just been lost in my own thoughts a bit, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

“You aren’t acting like normal,” Redbeard tried to be gentle as it wasn’t particularly often that Capsize actually wanted to talk about her frustrations. He was aware that she had quite a few with their current living situation, but she tended to push her negative feelings down and refuse to talk about them, leaving him to pretend everything was fine when it so clearly wasn’t. Pretending wasn’t all that hard. He could act the way he always had, acting as if he didn’t notice what people thought about him and how his sister was retreating inwards. But what bothered him was that he wasn’t sure if she had gotten better or worse over time as, unlike her physical injury, it was a lot harder to notice if she was faking being fine.

“It’s been a normal day. Normal enough that it shouldn’t… that I shouldn’t…” She struggled to come up with how she should be reacting. As, while she was sure it was unreasonable to feel so upset about the gossip given how it was a daily occurrence and she really should be used to it by now, it hardly felt like something she could be neutral on. She heard so much said about herself whenever she went outside that she couldn’t just ignore all of it. It all kept scratching at her mind and making her question herself. Though it wasn’t until now, in this moment of quiet alone with her brother, that she actually voiced the question forced from this lingering uncertainty. “Red, am I odd?”

“What? No, of course, not!” He said quickly, in disbelief that she would ever need to ask such a thing. He was so used to her confidence, to her complaints about the town being her boredom, that the question had come as a shock, like he got a bucket of ice water dumped over him. His sister odd? That was a ridiculous idea. Yet her voice was so unsure, as if she could be swayed into believing such a thing.

It took a lot to maintain his composure. As much as he wanted to grab her by the shoulders and force into her head that anyone who would say such a thing was an idiot, that wouldn’t exactly be productive and there was little point expressing such anger when it was only her here. So, he took a moment, before continuing to speak as calmly as he could.

“Where did you even get an idea like that?”

“It’s all people ever seem to say,” She said, attempting to recall if anyone, bar Jeriah and Redbeard, really seemed to have any other opinion of her. Even Jordan, who continuously tried to get her on side, had decided to comment on thinking that reading didn’t suit her. Sure, that might have just been to try and get her to focus on him, but it was still just another person saying how weird they found something about her. Every day, over and over, she heard how she was strange, how she didn’t fit in. And that, in turn, had led to her beginning to question if maybe she had always been an outcast, that she simply didn’t notice how strange she really was because previously she was always on the move.

“Yeah… They do that with me as well,” He said with a frown. It was undeniable that the siblings didn’t match the town’s idea of normal. He knew everyone saw him as a drunk, admittedly it was not something he even tried to dispel the idea of, but that didn’t mean he appreciated the comments. However, there was also one thing that had been constant no matter how bad all the comments got. “But I also recall someone telling me not to listen to what they have to say.”

“I… I really thought it would stop. Or maybe we’d leave,” She hadn’t expected this situation to last years. She honestly thought it would maybe last a few months and they’d been off again, travelling as they always had. But life hadn’t lived up to her expectations. She’d been more injured than she initially thought, recovery was slower, and leaving a permanent home, even just for another one, would be an expensive process that would require months of planning. And the longer she had been stuck here, the more it seemed like she might never leave this town, the harder it had become to follow her own advice. She could no longer just ignore the gossip like she originally had. She couldn’t even pretend it was just one or two people saying such things. It was everyone. So, over time, a quiet voice had begun to stir, that perhaps there was some truth to the words. “But it’s been two years. Two years of being here and existing and living this life and… and I still don’t even kind of fit in.”

“Do you really want to fit in?” Redbeard asked. He already knew the answer, or at least he hoped he did, but still the question was gently prodding. She looked up, very aware of what he was doing. However, that knowledge didn’t stop it from kick-starting her thoughts, dragging them away from the loathing they had been spiralling into. Seeing the smallest signs of his sister’s unhappiness disappearing, he smiled a little. He could do this. He could get her out of this falter of confidence. “Okay, so maybe you’re the odd one out here, but that doesn’t make you worse than them. Take my word Ize, you’re better than the lot of them.”

He gently poked her, trying to see if she would crack a smile. She did, a small one, which was a relief to see because he truly meant what he had said. Obviously, he wouldn’t say it to anyone else, he wasn’t looking to cause arguments, but he felt the people of the town to be rather, well, closed minded. While they had been excited about him and Capsize moving into town, it had been apparent rather quickly that they didn’t really understand that people might like travelling. Others who, like him, had to occasionally travel to make money treated it like an undesirable experience and assumed he felt the same without any evidence. No one considered that Capsize could have any desire to leave, seemingly unable to understand that she could be discontent living here.

“You are too, you know. You’re better than this town,” She said, her confidence coming back with each word. Redbeard almost laughed. Of course, she couldn’t just let him cheer her up, she needed to remind him of his own worth too. But to Capsize it made so much sense. He kept her sane in this place. She couldn’t thank him enough for that. And maybe she was still annoyed about Tucker’s comment earlier, upset that no one in this town treated him with any respect, but why shouldn’t she be annoyed about that? He was her brother and he deserved respect. “I’d be lost here without you. Really, I think I would’ve lost it by now. So don’t even think of changing, alright.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” He said with a laugh. Her last sentence was also her promising herself not to change, to not give into her negative thoughts. Neither of them were going to change for this place. Redbeard didn’t have any real desire to, and he wasn’t going to let Capsize waver when them both being here was all because of— He flinched a little as he caught a thought before it fully finished, as he knew precisely what it was going to be. He couldn’t keep thinking like that, keep dwelling on the past that when the way he worded it always just annoyed Capsize. Not when he’d just cheered her up. So instead of thinking back, he decided instead to look towards the future. “I mean we’ve come this far without changing. Why would we change in the last few months?”

“Don’t get my hopes up,” She said with a laugh before looking at her brother to not see his usual signs of joking. He looked, for once in his life, completely serious. Which didn’t make sense because he had to be joking. Yet he didn’t laugh or smirk or for even a moment show a sign that he might not be genuine. Her eyes widened as it actually sunk in that he wasn’t joking. But how could he possibly…?

“I’ve had a couple of conversations at the last market, working out the exact cost of moving us out of here. Obviously, I know this place was recommended by Lady Ianite and that she said she wanted you here for a—”

“How long? How long until we could leave?”

“If both this market and the next one are as good as the last few, we could be out of here in spring.”

“I…” Capsize found herself speechless. It sounded too good to be true. Sure, it was still half a year away and rested on a pretty big maybe, but it was also the closest they’d been the whole time to leaving this town. She wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip out of her grasp. She grabbed the lockbox back, it thankfully not exploding despite her enthusiastic movement. Her heart was beating wildly, her excitement barely contained, as she spoke again. “I am going to fix this stupid thing before you’ve packed everything else onto the cart and you need to leave. This is going to be the most successful market you’ve ever done. And… and we’re going to get out of this damn town.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Redbeard laughed, but he certainly didn’t lack confidence. Capsize was not the sort to have false convictions, if she said something it was because she believed it. And right now, she believed her words more than anything she had ever said. They were going to get out of this town. Even if they didn’t do as quickly as theoretically possible, they were going to get out of here soon enough, she was sure of it. The two of them together, in the life they were meant to have.

He really had gotten her anyway from her negative thoughts. And, as she began to busy herself with finding the vague notes she had made when being tempted to smash apart the lockbox the first time, she made the mental note to thank him for that later. She never told him enough how much she appreciated him, how sure she was that she couldn’t have survived here without him. But there was plenty of time for that. While he was away, she’d put something together for him. She didn’t exactly have the best resources in this town, but she’d be able to figure out something, she certainly had the time. It’ll be nice for him to come back to a surprise. Though knowing his luck, she’d set up such a thing and then he’d never see it.

She laughed at the thought. She’d just have to set it up in such a way that he’d need to not return to town to not see it. Then even her brother couldn't be so unlucky. After all, the two of them had always been together, and even if he left for a short amount of time, he always came back. They always had each other, no matter what.

Chapter Text

There were still a good few hours before the sun was due to set as Redbeard was hooking up their horse, Phillipe, to the cart that he had now safely loaded up. Enough light left that the first leg of the journey would be doable, but also close enough to dark that he knew Capsize would worry. It was silly, he had made the journey enough times to know that it was safe, and she was the one that plotted his route so surely, she knew in her head that it was safe and straightforward, but still every time she worried. Since he couldn’t exactly stop her from doing so, he had taken it as a positive, a sign that she truly would miss him if he disappeared forever, rather than her just thinking he’ll get himself into trouble in even the simplest of situations.

“We’re not going to get into trouble, are we boy?” He said with a laugh to Phillipe. He could swear as the animal snorted, it was actually sighing attempting to respond in opposition. The traitor always agreed with Capsize, and frankly he thinks she bribes him. Though, of course, that was silly. Their horse didn’t really have a complex opinion on the two, but Redbeard spent enough time alone with him that he possibly personified him a little too much. That did pose the question as to why he thought he typically agreed with Capsize rather than himself, but he was going to use his better judgement and not think too deeply about that. “Bit of a bigger load than last time. Shouldn’t be too heavy for you, but we’ll figure out more rest stops if it is.”

He took the whinnying as approval as he tested that the ropes and straps attached to the harness were properly secured. He wanted to figure out a few more rest stops anyway, for when he and Capsize could finally move from this town. There would still be the possibility of her not being able to ride for very long, after all. Her leg had been healing well, she rarely needed the pain relief tinctures anymore and she clearly walked more than she had in the first few months after the accident, but he had some doubt that she’d be able to ride for as long as he typically did between rest stops. So, even if that was just a feeling, he'd need to figure out a few more stops for the route, even if just for a temporary pause rather than a camp. And figuring it out on the next few trips would be far preferable to having to do it while travelling with Capsize.

Thinking of Capsize, he wondered how her task had been going. While retrieving the sellable items from the cellar that they had been using as a workshop, she had been at her worktable tinkering away at the lockbox, occasionally muttering what he was sure were curses under her breath. Of course, he’d tried to assure her she didn’t need to fix it, but she’d batted him away with a playful reassurance of having it handled. And, of course, he had no doubts that she did, but he would need to leave soon. He didn’t want that to be without probably saying goodbye, but he had a half-hearted worry that if she was not finished, she may try and insist he stay until she was. He honestly had no idea if this was a situation where her stubbornness would win out or her logical side of not wanting him to either be late or travel in the dark would, nor if he’d have the heart to argue with either decision. But he couldn’t just stand about waiting for her to possibly emerge.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” He said to Phillipe, who seemed overall neutral about the man walking away. The horse was already paying far more attention to the sparse grass on the road. Redbeard walked off the road onto the small path in their garden that looped around their house to the cellar door. However, he would not actually make it inside before his attention was caught by a call.

“Redbeard! Glad I managed to catch you!” Jordan called out from the bottom of the path. He had cleaned himself up since his late morning meeting with Capsize. Though he still carried his bow, he had sold his prey of the day, no longer carrying them from his belt, and he had also changed most of his clothes. The only thing he was wearing from earlier in the day was his long red coat, which he was rarely seen without. Yes, from his clothes to his hair to his general stance, Jordan had put enough into looking good at this particular moment. He hadn’t fully dressed up, this wasn’t his proposal after all, but he looked far more cleaned up than he typically would in the late afternoon. Redbeard noticed the oddity and was unsure what to make of it as he approached the man. He certainly got along with the champion far better than Capsize, but he couldn’t help but be slightly weary considering his sister’s words about the man earlier in the day.

“Well, you got here just in time,” He said, well-practiced in hiding uncertainty beneath a smile and a good demeanour. For Jordan to want to see him right before he left town, it was unusual but not out of the question. Typically, he would see the man more casually, going to the tavern for a few drinks, but he did on occasion see him before leaving to ask for things from the city. Despite how the champion seemed quite happy within the town, he, like everyone, occasionally wanted things unavailable in such an isolated place and Redbeard was more than happy to bring them up for him. But he didn’t think that was the current reason for him being here. He looked, somewhat uncharacteristically, nervous. “Must be something important, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look nervous.”

“It’s pretty important, yes,” He said, wishing his nerves were not so obvious. He had no reason to think this wasn't going to go his way, and yet he couldn’t shake them. The siblings were extremely close, that’s the reason he was doing this, but it also meant if this went wrong his chances with Capsize could be snuffed. Though, of course, that wouldn’t happen, he just needed to get the words out. “I’d… I’d like your blessing to marry Capsize.”

“Huh?” He almost thought he was hearing things because the request had come out of absolutely nowhere. And worse, as it dawned on him that he had in fact heard correctly, he had no idea how he was meant to respond to the request. He liked Jordan well-enough, from what he could tell he was nice enough, and he certainly didn’t want to upset the lad, but he also knew his sister couldn’t stand him. She avoided saying so through words, skirting the issue as best she could, but she was not a good liar. Her, what he was going to charitably call annoyance, shone through every time she talked about the man. Yet, somehow, he wanted to marry her. Had he just stepped into another universe? “You want to marry Capsize?”

“Yes! I’ve never met a woman as perfect as she is,” Redbeard barely managed to hold back a laugh, not wanting to disparage the man who seemed to be expressing genuine feelings. But his description of Capsize versus her own of him a few hours earlier was tickling. Of course, it was less funny considering she had occasionally complained of him not seeing her as a person, and his description of her as ‘perfect’, but he tried to quell that concern as each one just misunderstanding the other. Still, he had no idea how exactly he should respond. He could give his blessing, but as soon as Capsize found out she’d be pissed, which was something he didn’t particularly want to deal with or found particularly fair for either party. Jordan could feel his hesitation, setting a worry in him that felt wrong. There was no reason he could see that he would say no. He’d built a friendship with him, not hard when he could get discounted drinks at the tavern, and even he had to be able to see how perfect he and Capsize were for each other. “I’ll treat her as brilliantly as she deserves, she’ll never want for anything. I just, I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”

“I’m not doubting that I just… Well, I’m not going to stop you. If you can get Capsize to agree, obviously you can marry her,” Redbeard felt like that was a pretty big if given that she barely wanted to talk to him, let alone enter a committed relationship with the man. However, Jordan’s face lit up and he felt a twinge of guilt. Both men had a very different vision of how a proposal to Capsize would go, and though neither knew what the other was thinking, Redbeard could not imagine Jordan was picturing the sort of disaster he was. There was absolutely no way she was going to say yes, that was so clear to him, but he didn’t exactly want to say that. It felt undermining to his sister to say what he thought she would do, even if he was sure he’d get an earful of complaints from her later. Also, he was leaving so he didn’t have time for a half an hour conversation explaining to Jordan that Capsize didn’t like him.

“You won’t regret this! You’ll see when you get back, we’re going to be the perfect couple!” Jordan said, forgetting he had ever been nervous about the situation. He had her brother’s approval, which meant he didn’t need to worry about any sudden rug pull after the man returned that would sour the start of his marriage. He had to start preparing the proposal, make it as great as Capsize would expect from him. So, he rushed off, intending to see how Tucker was coming along with his side of the preparations.

Redbeard, now left alone walking back towards the cellar, contemplated if he had just made a massive mistake. He didn’t want to say no. He both didn’t want to start an argument and didn’t particularly want to act like he could forbid his sister from doing something, but he felt a little like he had taken anyway her scapegoat for whenever she was confronted by the proposal. Maybe, he thought, he should warn her about it, tell her before it was a shock. But what good would that really do? She’d just get annoyed, since she certainly wasn’t going to feel able to confront the man about it, and she was already routinely stressed enough. They certainly weren’t currently in a relationship, so if they weren’t even dating, so he assumed that a proposal had to be a while away. Plenty of time to warn Capsize and get her prepared for that disaster once he got back. He had no idea how wrong that assumption was.

Before he had time to think any more on the situation, the cellar doors opened in front of him, Capsize emerging with a smile. He could only feel relieved that she had not exited half a minute earlier, as he could not imagine how that would’ve gone. Yes, he decided, perhaps against his better judgement, that he was going to keep his conversation with Jordan a secret. No point souring their last few minutes together for the next few weeks. He much preferred leaving on a positive note. And she looked happy, how could he spoil that? The reason for the joy on her features became clear as day as in her left hand she held up, wrapped in a semi-transparent fabric, was the lockbox.

“You fixed it!” He said, not intending to sound so surprised. She fixed trinkets all the time, it was literally her job. However, she had never done it so fast, nor on something quite so explosive, but that wasn’t a reason to doubt her abilities. If she ever got such a notion from him, she wouldn’t appreciate it. Not that he would dream of doing such a thing, she was far more competent than him and he was quite okay with that. He knew the moment they were out of this town, she’d be in charge of the market stuff too, and he was honestly just looking forward to her being the captain again. It was not that he particularly minded being in charge, he just felt like it should be Capsize.

“Pretty sure I have! Just leave the fabric on, I think the glyphs are resetting when they’re touched,” She said as she handed it over to him carefully. She couldn’t say for sure that was the problem, magic was mysterious and annoying after all, but it was her best guess as to why the object had decided to once again explode that morning. She almost wished she had more time to figure out the mechanics, almost. Mostly she was glad to see the thing gone. The twinge of sadness as she handed it over was not due to losing the box, but rather the fact that this was it. He was leaving for another three weeks. Obviously, he’d be back, and it would be faster than she expected, but she never quite got used to being alone, to this town where it seemed that no one really understood her nor wanted to.

“Well, I’ll do my best to find someone who wants the devil box,” He said with a laugh, attempting to hide his own sadness about leaving. He didn’t need to show that, it was better to not make her worry anymore than she was already going to. He appreciated her worrying, it meant that she missed him, though she always claimed it was because she didn’t like him being alone with his run of luck. But he knew it was because she missed him, after all she trusted the routes she planned to be safe, she just didn’t want to admit such a thing. Not that he had ever asked, but he could tell these sorts of things, some people just had their feelings written on their face. And yes, he was correct. Capsize knew she was going to miss him dreadfully and the worry was coming in waves with all the possible reasons he might never return circling through her brain.

“Have you got everything?” She asked as the two began to walk towards the cart. She knew she didn’t really need to ask the question. As focused as she had been on the lockbox, she hadn’t missed him carrying the boxed-up trinkets and furniture pieces out of the cellar. And while there was now a tarp covering the loaded-up cart, she knew from a quick look around herself before exiting that he hadn’t missed anything. She just wanted him here a little longer, and that was the only thing she could ask. He didn’t need to change as he had packed his nicer clothes for when he arrived, and he had on a thick enough coat for a journey that would take him through autumn nights, the long green one that he had had for so long yet still didn’t look worn despite everything. And she sincerely doubted he had forgotten to pack the saddle bags currently on Phillipe.

“Of course, but I can check again if you’d like,” He said, knowing that a couple of checks had never done any harm. Capsize, however, quickly shook her head.

“No, I trust you,” She said without any hesitation in the statement, though her words still sounded a little unsure. She wanted him to not leave for as long as possible, but logically she knew such a thing was silly. There wasn’t time to keep him here to recheck everything. While there were still a good couple of hours until sunset, that still meant a good portion of his travel through the woods would be in darkness, she didn’t particularly want to make that longer. Though she hadn’t travelled in them, the most she had done being travelling to them and back on days when she truly couldn’t stand being in the town anymore, she was sure there was something wrong with those woods. She couldn’t exactly investigate that feeling, she was typically walking, and the journey there and back already made her leg burn and complain, and she also guessed that she shouldn’t investigate such a feeling, but it bothered her. It felt like staring into a haunting, being so close to something impossibly and unexplainably dangerous. And, of course, everyone knew about the predators in there. As much as she hated listening to Jordan talk about his hunting, he’d mentioned enough that she knew that there were dangerous animals, even if they typically minded their own business. That, though mundane, was enough a reason itself to want her brother in there for as short a time as possible. “Just make sure to stay on the route. I don’t trust the woods.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of letting the terrifying monster in the woods get me!” He jokingly mocked as he unbuckled and lifted part of the tarp to find a place for the last item. He only chuckled more at Capsize mildly annoyed sigh. She was too superstitious by half, which never failed to amuse him. Superstitions were expected of sailors, and heck he had some of his own like still wearing the amulet bearing Lady Ianite’s symbol meant to bring safe waters despite having been years now since he’d been on them, but in this situation there was really no reason for her to worry. He’d been through the woods enough to know they were perfectly safe. The road was well used, and the predators had little reason to bother people when there was easier prey already in the woods. Honestly, he saw absolutely no reason to fear the journey. As he found a free and secure spot and began resecuring the tarp, he saw in his peripheral vision her approach Phillipe, who of course greeted her with a cheerful whinny, the absolute traitor.

“When my brother gets himself got by a monster, you come and find me, so it doesn’t get you too. Alright Phillipe?” She said with a gentle rub of his neck. Redbeard laughed quietly at her words, wondering how he’d rank compared to the horse. He could almost hear her joking that Phillipe was practically family if he ever asked such a question, but she would be joking at least, he hoped. Well, at least if for whatever reason he was attacked by a bear or something, the horse will miraculously have understood what Capsize was telling him and get her assistance.

“I’ll await your rescue from the bear’s den!” He said, far too loud but neither of them cared and they devolved into laughter. For the briefest moment, they both forgot that they were about to be separated. As he walked around, to her and the horse, and less literally towards leaving, the laughter quieted. When they were next to each other, she gave him a soft smile, pulling him into a hug.

“Come back safe, okay.”

“I wouldn’t dream of anything else,” He said, softly and without a doubt in his mind. Everything was going to be fine, there was no reason to believe otherwise. As they parted, Capsize looked more stoic, biting her worries down and trying to look like she was focused on business.

“I told Jeriah you’d get him a couple bottles of liquor.”

“Easily done. Any personal requests?” He hoped she’d have a few, though she typically didn’t. He knew there were things she wanted, things that would help quell her boredom, but she never actually asked for any of them. Well, he’d figure out gifts for her even without her direct requests, it would just be nice for his sister to admit she wanted something.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Well, if you insist. So just a bit more alcohol than usual and a rose,” He said with a smirk as he saw Capsize’s nose scrunch. Eventually continuous buying her the flower would get old, but that was not today.

“You’re the worst,” She said with an amused shaking of her head, smiling despite her words.

“I know,” Redbeard said with a chuckle as she climbed into the saddle. He was glad, as always, to part with a joke and a smile. “See you in three weeks.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Hours had passed, night having long since fallen as Redbeard had unexpectedly come to an impasse. Having reached a fork in the road, he held his map close to a lantern, but not as one might suspect to check which way he was supposed to travel, as he knew that perfectly well. It was rather that the way he was meant to travel was blocked by a fallen tree which he had no chance of getting past or moving. So, for the first time he was studying the map beyond his sister’s carefully marked route, hoping that the other direction would, at some point, join back up to his usual route. He didn’t particularly want to have to plan out a full new route, especially as it would most certainly be much more roundabout than Capsize’s, but he was fearing that might be his only choice. It was with a shaky hand that he traced along the map, following the unknown fork to see exactly where it went.

The path he traced didn’t make sense. It appeared to be completely superfluous, just a longer route to the next fork he would hit after this one, with only one branch with the long road itself, where the other path led to a dead end. And it was a much longer route, going far into the woods before returning to the original road. He bet it would take an extra hour, but he couldn’t complain at actually having an accessible route. As much as he was confused by the existence of such a thing, at least he now had a path forward.

“Come on, Phillipe, let’s get going,” He said, folding the map and putting it into his pocket, knowing he’d need to reference it again before he found his way back onto his usual route. As he guided the horse towards the unblocked path, Phillipe hesitated for a moment. He had to admit, he also had some hesitations about the path as it certainly looked in worse repair than the usual one, disregarding the tree of course, but he didn’t exactly have much of a choice. He gently patted his neck. “I know, it looks bad, but the sooner you move, the sooner we’ll be back on the normal path.”

As if understanding, the horse began to move again, turning onto the unfamiliar path. Slowly, but at least they were moving.

It didn’t seem all that bad at first, as it seemed just as a less frequented road through the woods would, bumpy and filled with an uncomfortable sense of foreboding as Redbeard couldn’t quite be sure of the direction being correct. But he had felt the same on his first journey through the woods on the normal route, it was just a fear of getting lost while being none the wiser. And that was how it seemed for the first ten minutes. However, the further in he travelled, the more the pit in his stomach grew.

The trees started to get wilder, none of them blocking the path, but branches hung down and jutted out at odd angles that felt like they were grasping out for him. Without leaves, he almost mistook them for fingers and claws despite how nonsensical such a thing was. A bitter rain had begun to fall, not heavy enough for its impact to hurt, though the cold certainly wasn’t pleasant, but it did obscure his vision. He could barely see beyond the small circle of light illuminated by his lantern. That was a worrying problem as, if it didn’t clear up by the time he reached the turn, he wouldn’t be able to check the map to make sure he headed back to the main road rather than down the dead end.

Worse, as he tried not to dwell on his nerves of possibly heading in the wrong direction, he became acutely aware of just how little he could hear. With the noise of Phillipe, the cart, and now the rain, he could barely hear anything, and if there was one thing you didn’t want while in the woods, it was both limited vision and hearing. He didn’t exactly fear much from the woods normally, he knew them well enough to know the few places he needed to be careful. But here, he felt vulnerable and that was only made worse by having such limited senses. Because, as much as he always mocked the idea of getting into trouble on the journey, he was sure he could hear something moving.

He knew he was being ridiculous, just giving into his fears and that it wasn’t good when he was already on edge, but he could swear there were things moving through the overgrowth of the trees. He felt like he needed to hear, to know what was approaching. And he found himself straining to make out any hint of a noise or sight of what was lurking in the darkness. Because he was hearing something, some movement through the trees, low growls that made his heart race. Even if it was sure to be his imagination, he was hearing something.

A howl pierced through the noise, far too close for comfort, others joining from further away. How many were there? He felt his heart racing as he realised he was in the middle of a pack. Of course, it wasn’t exactly common for them to attack people, but that wasn’t comforting him when they were so close. It was odd, despite all his actual knowledge, it was as if he knew in his gut that he knew that he was not safe this time. A feeling unfortunately proven true when a wolf leapt out towards him, barely missing its mark.

“Shit!” He whipped the reins, Phillipe quickly breaking into a run as he too did not feel like getting torn apart by wolves. Having strained to hear before, Redbeard now felt as though he could hear nothing but the wolves hot on their tail. He needed to stay ahead of them, he didn’t have time to think or second guess. He had no idea how long Phillipe would be able to keep up a full sprint, he just had to hope it would be long enough for the vicious animals to lose interest.

His mind rushed through the ways he could deter the animals, so much so that he barely noticed the fork in the road ahead. He forced a turn quickly muttering apologies as Phillipe barely managed to turn while actually remaining on the road. He had no idea which path he was now travelling down, the one leading back to the usual route or the odd dead end. It was not as if he had the time to check such a thing and it likely didn’t matter anyway. He was still hours away from a rest stop, away from light or other people that might scare off the pack. Unless he could think of something himself to scare them, this was purely a game of stamina. What chance did they really have of winning such a contest?

The further they were chased, the more the path grew unseemly. It felt as though they were travelling over terrain so uneven that the cart could fall or break a wheel at any moment. The trees seemed to become brambles, thorns sticking out of the branches that were stretching ever closer to the road. All the while the rain fell, the intensity increasing and making it ever harder to guide the panicking horse to make sure he didn’t run headfirst into thorns. There should’ve been no way he should be able to outrace the wolves, he knew that even as he desperately tried to flee. But that was not the only impossible thing that happened over the next few moments.

As the plant life suddenly peeled away into a far more open area, the wolves skidded to a stop. They whined, and quickly fled seemingly for no reason. He tugged on the reins, slowing their speed as he tried to calm the still spooked horse. Redbeard looked back to try and figure out what might have caused such a reaction from the wolves, and it was then he realised he had not ridden into a natural clearing. Consumed by some of the brambles were a rusted gate, forever stuck open but apparently still acting as a barrier as none of the wolves’ paw prints passed where it would stand if it were shut. Confused by the oddity, he rode forward a little more, not feeling completely safe to dismount yet. And then, even through the rain, he saw that this was not merely some gated clearing, some overgrown private garden, as ahead of him stood a castle. A castle that for some reason was not marked on his map. Why would such an estate not be marked? What kind of oddity had he stumbled into? He had no idea if he should be weary or grateful for the possible shelter. He settled on the latter, if only since he would prefer not to be out in the rain while waiting out daybreak.

He slipped off Phillipe, taking a hold of the lantern and going to unbuckle him from the cart. He’d come back and put him in a stable if this place had one and the owners let him, assuming this place had owners. It didn’t exactly look occupied, with the state of the overgrown plants and the rusted gate, but it also didn’t look abandoned. The building looked strong, no sign of it being left to disrepair despite that clearly being true of the gardens as large thorny bushes stood overground throughout. He almost hesitated to let Phillipe wander on his own, in case he stumbled into one, but he had at least a little confidence in the animal to not wander into danger.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” He said, as if such reassurance would mean anything to a horse. Yet he did find it necessary to say, as if he was actually reassuring himself that he would re-emerge from the building.

As he wandered closer to the castle’s imposing doors, the lantern illuminated one of the bushes. Unlike what he had assumed, they weren’t just barren brambles. In fact, he almost laughed despite his dire situation as before him was a rosebush. The thorns surrounding him were filled with the flowers that he sought out to annoy Capsize. Honestly, he’d never seen such big flowers this late in autumn, most had wilted by this month. What he was looking at was far nicer than any he would get at the market this time of year, and perhaps for most of the year. He felt for the small knife in his pocket, carefully reaching for one of the flowers while avoiding the thorns. He knew he shouldn’t do this, that he’d need to come up with some excuse if this place wasn’t abandoned, but how could he not want to take such a beautiful flower back home? With the cutting technique he’s learnt from the old flower seller at the market, it should last for months as all the others had, so there wouldn’t be a worry of it wilting before he got home to Capsize. Surely the owners would understand and if they didn’t, he could pay for it.

As the flower separated from the bush, he pulled a handkerchief to wrap the stem, and with the flower now in hand, he walked up the steps towards the entrance. He reached up, knocked as hard as he could to be heard over the storm, only for the door to creak open upon his touch. Had he really hit it that hard? He must’ve done, but it felt odd that his mere knocking could’ve caused such heavy wood to shift. But, not wanting to spend another moment in the rain, he headed inside despite such uncertainty.

The room before him was by far the fanciest he had ever been in. Even with the darkness he could tell such a thing. Though it seemed as though it was not too taken care of, with dust floating in his lantern light, clearly this was a grand place. He felt lost, more so than he had outside, as he stood in the quiet entrance hall, wondering if another person had been in here for years.

“Hello?” He called out into the darkness, his voice travelling through the building. He was acutely aware of how much power someone who resided in such a place would have. Though if there was someone of such power so close to the town, he surely should’ve heard of them, so it seemed more likely that the place was just abandoned. But then he heard it, quiet but most definitely a noise. Someone or something was in this building. But how was he meant to confront such a fact when he was not supposed to be here? He strayed a little closer to the noise, hoping he could figure out if it was being made by people. “I was chased by a pack of wolves through the woods, and I don’t think I’ll be able to find my way back to my normal route through the rain. I was hoping I could have a place to stay until morning.”

There was silence at first. In fact, for long enough that he almost thought he might have imagined the noises originally. Maybe he was just still on edge and imagining things. That wouldn’t be impossible. However, as he stood in the darkened room, he saw a dim light from one of the doorways. That wasn’t there when he walked in. Someone was here. He took a cautious step towards it, hearing hushed conversation as he approached.

“Don’t you dare! The amount of trouble we’ll get into!”

“Oh, come off it, she’ll never know!” He heard a man reply to a woman. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting his presence to cause anyone any problems. He’d be happy to sleep in a stable if staying inside would cause them trouble, but he hesitated to speak when he was eavesdropping. Maybe he should just call out again in general? However, before he could do that, there was a noise that began to approach him, but it was not one he would say it sounded like footsteps. It sounded more akin to Capsize’s cane hitting the ground, a single object hitting the ground as opposed to multiple. He wasn’t quite sure what could be making such a noise without anything else accompanying it, after all he heard voices that should mean people so there should be footsteps. However, when what was making the noise came into view, Redbeard stumbled backwards slightly, dropping his lantern in disbelief that he was seeing something blatantly impossible. “Of course, you can stay here! We’d be more than happy to host you! You’ll never have stayed in a nicer place!”

“Errrr…” What all that could escape from him. In front of him ‘stood’ a candelabra, one beautifully carved from gold to look like a man in finery holding two candles with a third sat on his head. To carve such a design must’ve taken tens of hours, but that was not the focus of his mind. Rather the fact that he moved and spoke. The candelabra spoke. If Redbeard had been a more cautious man, a more logical man, he likely would’ve fled at such a sight. Yet, his mind did not bring him fear, but rather a question he had often found himself asking. “Am I drunk?”

“No! At least not yet! I’d be more than happy to find you a fine vintage while you dry off,” The candelabra answered the rhetorical question, his offer and general welcoming nature putting Redbeard at ease despite how he was literally talking to a piece of furniture. He wondered briefly if he had hit his head at some point, and this was merely some fantasy cooked up by his dreams after such an injury, but he decided that even being able to consider such a thing likely meant it hadn’t happened. And if he was stuck in a dream, hopefully he’d dream up some nice booze. Before he could laugh at his own thought, and accept the offer he really couldn’t refuse, an ornate table clock approached.

“No! Thomas do not give this man any alcohol,” The clock, apparently the woman he had overheard, said. She too looked incredibly well made, with wood he guessed in the dim light to be hawthorn embellished with silver inlaid into spiral engravings. He could see a winding key on her back, though he had little idea what it was for as, while her face had painted features that were looking intensely annoyed at the candelabra that he guessed was Thomas, it lacked any actual clock hands that would need to be wound. And she was annoyed, not that Tom ever knew her to have any other emotion, because letting this man stay was going to end in disaster. She knew it would. How could it go any other way? But Tom didn’t just want to stay quiet and let the man leave, because why on earth would he actually listen for once?

He was not the only person not listening to the clock at that moment, as Redbeard had begun to look in fascination. For one object to talk, that was slightly terrifying, but more than one and he had clearly stumbled into some place enchanted. He wished more than he ever had on any journey that Capsize was with him as this place would give her enough excitement to almost make up for the amount of boredom she'd spent her time in the town experiencing. He only got drawn out of his thoughts when the clock he was staring at started trying, despite clearly lacking the ability, to shove him back towards the door.

“It was very nice to meet you, but you really can’t stay here.”

“If I can’t stay in the castle, could I at least stay in a stable or an outbuilding? Just until the storm clears, so I can drive off the wolves if I need to.”

“Well, I suppose if you’re quiet that—”

“Oh shush, you Mystic busybody,” Tom said, getting her away from the man simply by beginning to shoo as his flames got uncomfortably close to her. This was the first person that had come here in years, he wasn’t about to let this golden opportunity slip out of his hands. What Princess Fluffles didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and what she did know might fix this whole situation if they played their cards right. “Please, right this way sir. No point sending you out into the cold without drying off first.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” He said, deciding not to question the hospitality when he was beginning to realise just how soaked he was. He followed ‘Thomas’ as he gestured towards and then hopped into a room. He didn’t know what he had stumbled into, this place where furniture talked, but that wasn’t any reason to leave. With the way the storm was progressing he was going to lose time on the journey from needing to dry his clothes wherever he rested next, doing so in a castle just seemed like a nice option.

As the two men disappeared into the next room, the clock followed after a slight hesitation. She needed to at least try and stop this. She’d come up with a way to persuade the man to leave, hopefully without returning with a mob. However, as she followed, she didn’t notice, as the two men hadn’t, the figure lurking in the shadows on the landing above. Far bigger than any human, just watching and quietly seething at the trespasser in her castle.

As Tom entered the drawing room, the fireplace roared to life. Redbeard looked in amazement, wondering what it took for a place to have magic to just react to a presence. The small amount he had seen from the trinkets Capsize repaired always needed to at least be touched, but this didn’t even need that. He could’ve never imagined actually seeing such a thing. But he had also never imagined being ushered towards a chair by a talking candelabra so perhaps he needed to stop being surprised by comparatively mundane things. Before sitting, he shrugged off his coat, realising with a little annoyance that the rain had soaked through and into his shirt. What would he have done if he hadn’t found shelter? He grateful took the seat by the fire, the warmth as welcome as it ever could be. With the man clearly relaxing, Tom decided to start work on his master plan.

“See, much better than a musty old stable. Is there anything else you need? Food, drink?”

“My horse is still out in the rain. I’d appreciate him being given shelter.”

“Of course! We’ll give him shelter, get him fed and watered. Martha, make yourself useful will you?”

“Why on earth should I help a trespassing thief?” The clock said, eyes locked onto the rose in the man’s hand.

“Oh, come off it, no one cares about those bushes,” Came a new voice as a small plant pot hopped into the room. She spoke with a younger cadence than the clock and the candelabra, though Redbeard wasn’t sure if that at all made sense, and looked less ornate, just a simple brown clay pot with facial features carved in, but that was more than made up by the number of colourful and beautiful flowers growing within. Much like the roses outside, most of the flowers were certainly not ones currently in season, but that was the least of the oddities about this place. He appreciated being defended, mostly since he couldn’t exactly put the rose back now, he’d already cut it from the bush. The clock glared at the plant pot. How did none of them see that they needed to get this man out? The plant pot thought little of the glare, instead getting as close to the man as possible. “I can get you something nicer if you want, the rose bushes have taken over most of the garden but there’s still some other flowers growing! I bet there’s enough for a bouquet still if you--”

“I know you’re excited, but don’t leap up at the man Alyssa,” A snuffbox said as he came into the room, a little slower than his daughter. Similar to the candelabra, he was crafted from gold, though at least half of him was embellished with green crystals. Much like the other furniture pieces, he had facial features, though they were more hidden among the design than any of the others’ were. On his lid was a coat of arms that Redbeard didn’t recognise, which was not out of the question, he wasn’t exactly the most knowledgeable on such things, but certainly could be of note to the castle he also hadn’t heard of the existence of.

The snuffbox himself was more excited than he was letting on. How could he not be excited about the first person he’d seen in gods knows how many years? But he worried about his daughter jumping up in such a way. She was fragile. He was always scared she might crack or break, and what such a thing could mean if they ever fixed this curse. Tom decided to spin the caution once again towards the obvious end goal here.

“Yeah, Batty, you don’t want to jump up and crush the rose. How can you help him craft a beautiful romantic bouquet if you ruin the first flower?” Tom said, knowing Alyssa would stick her tongue out or shove him if she could. Redbeard almost immediately laughed at his words, not meaning to but unable to hold back the reaction given how far from reality the idea of him wanting a romantic bouquet was. The candelabra smirked. This was a good sign. He hopped forward, thinking about how to phrase his next question without scaring the man off. “Is it really that funny? A handsome guy like you not into romance then?”

“Well, I’m not against it, but the rose is for my sister,” He was pretty used to the questions about if the roses he brought were for a sweetheart back home, though they still made him laugh. He was less used to being called handsome. He didn’t exactly think he was unattractive, but unruly ginger hair and heterochromia with one bright green and one deep red eye hadn’t gained him many compliments. If he weren’t currently talking to a piece of furniture, he’d assume he was being flirted with. He supposed he shouldn’t write that off, but he had no idea how such a relationship would work. If they weren’t made of metal, Tom’s eyes would’ve lit up at the mention of a sister.

“A sister you say? Is she interested in romance?” He asked, being far too forward for the taste of everyone else in the room, but he would not receive an answer. Before Redbeard could question as to why he could possibly want to know about his sister’s relationship status, loud footsteps began to approach the room.

The fire began to flicker and shake as if a great wind was whipping through the room. It made no sense, as the air was still and even if it wasn’t magic fire shouldn’t be affected by such a thing, but that was what made it all the more uneasy. The furniture fell silent, the clock not slipping the ‘I told you so’s that she had on her lips, instead just hoping the Mistress would pass by, that the trouble she had predicted would not come to pass. Redbeard knew something was wrong, obviously anyone would at this moment. He stood cautiously, taking his coat in hand as he did, almost sensing the upcoming need to flee.

By the time the footsteps stood outside the door, the fire had completely blown out, alongside Tom’s candles. There was still some dim light remaining, from the embers and a tiny amount from the outside, but that did little to light up the figure that threw open the door. It was large, large enough to block the entire doorway if it were not currently on all fours. From the size, he would assume he was looking at a bear, grizzly or bigger, but the build was wrong, not to mention it had horns. Whatever he was looking at, it was not a normal animal, and it was growling at him. He didn’t dare move. No one dared to move except the snuffbox.

“Why is a stranger here?” The Beast growled, Redbeard trying not to react to hearing it speak. It spoke with a woman’s voice, though one that sounded as if it had not been used in many a year. The snuffbox approached with caution, knowing how quickly this could go wrong. He could not allow the Beast to be harmed, but at the same time he couldn’t let her harm an innocent traveller.

“He’s just an unlucky traveller, seeking shelter from—” A growl cut him off as he was stepped over by the Beast that he was trying to reassure. How long had it been since she had listened to him? Even before the curse, her doing so had been happening less and less. But who wouldn’t try in such a desperate situation? She approached Redbeard, who tried badly to disguise his nervous steps back. Was it too late to take his chances with the wolves?

“You are not welcome here,” She growled as she stalked closer. He could see a little aside from a basic outline, but he could hear claws scraping against hardwood with every movement of her limbs. He had never felt so vulnerable, been in a situation where it was so clear that he was prey. And he knew he had to flee, to get out of this place while he had the chance. But he wasn’t sure if he even had a chance anymore. She was blocking the doorway, to get out he’d need to pass her. And what chance did he really have of that?

The next to approach the creature was the clock. She was already annoyed that the others had allowed the situation to progress this far, she was not about to let something even worse come to fruition.

“Yes, I told everyone as much, and this is precisely why I was about to escort him out! If you’ll just—” She was cut off by a much louder roar, barely getting out of the way before the Beast batted at her, a giant pawed hand swiping through the space where she had been. Redbeard barely held his nerve at the sight, at seeing the terrible thing that could soon be aimed at him and seeing perhaps his only hope at escape dashed. And now, the attention of the Beast was completely on him.

“Who are you? How did you find your way here?” She was close enough to grasp him now. A single wrong move and she would have him.

“I’m just a merchant, my usual route was blocked so I took another one and it led here,” His usual way with words and excuses were nowhere in such a situation as there was no excuse he could muster. If the truth that this was truly an accident didn’t save him, then what could? He tried to further back away, but he had no way to get away from the Beast now she was so close. Maybe if he tried to run? But he was sure that such a creature would be faster than him. Another step back caused him to stumble slightly, not enough to fall, but enough for his amulet to shift out from his shirt. She growled at the sight of it.

“You came looking for the Beast? She sent you to stare at the great monster?!” She would not believe this to be some accident, not when he wore the symbol of that goddess, of the one who cursed her into this form. No one came here, no one had since the curse had begun. But now one with that symbol came through the doors and she was meant to believe he had just stumbled across the place?

“No! I don’t know what you’re talking about! I swear I just came here looking for shelter!” For once, Redbeard was not lying or exaggerating. He was far too scared for any of that. Yet, it was also this moment where his words were being disbelieved more than any other in his life. His desperate pleads fell on deaf ears, the Beast took a hold of him by the chest. He dropped what he was holding, attempting fruitlessly with both hands to pry to claws off himself.

“You want shelter? I’ll give you shelter!” For a moment, she held him close to her face, and he saw everything. He saw the Beast’s face bared in anger towards him, and he felt more terror than he had before in his life. But there was no way for him to escape. He could only struggle and beg for mercy as the Beast half-carried, half-dragged him out of the room. She would not let him go. She wouldn’t let him escape. As she left with the terrified man in tow, she slammed the door closed, leaving the furniture in the darkness, the only sign of the man’s brief time in that room an abandoned coat and rose.

Outside, still in the rain, the horse heard the roars. As any animal would, it spooked, running out of the rusted open gate and back towards the safety of home.

Chapter Text

Capsize truly wasn’t sure how she had landed in her current situation as nothing about her morning seemed atypical enough that she should now be sat at a table, gritting her teeth as Jordan talked. Yes, her morning had been quite normal for one she’d be spending alone, doing basic chores before sitting down to read, realising just how much she needed to relax. And frankly she had been enjoying herself, but unfortunately such things rarely last. It was turning to late morning when she got a knock on her door and that was enough to send dread running through her, but rather than trust that feeling and wait until whoever was there to leave, she had answered the door.

Jordan had been waiting for her, of course it had been Jordan. He had the same confident smile on his face as ever. Gods, she had regretted opening the door when she saw that, but he took a step inside before she could close it again leaving her thoroughly stuck with the man. She had tried to smile politely despite the intrusion, asking him what he wanted. And then, to her dismay, he had invited her out on a date, to “make up for her being busy yesterday”. She had racked her brain for any excuse she could use to not attend, but she didn’t actually have a genuine reason. Sure, she had the fact that she didn’t like him and didn’t want to go on a date with him, but she had doubts that he’d listen to such points. Her half-baked attempt to get out of the invitation was to say she wasn’t dressed for such an occasion, which obviously hadn’t discouraged him. He’d said something about her being beautiful no matter what she was wearing and barely let her put shoes on before dragging her out the door.

And thus, she had ended up sitting across from Jordan in the tavern, picking at her meal pretending to listen as he had not stopped talking since they had arrived. To make matters worse, she was acutely aware that everyone was watching them. They weren’t staring, not suddenly having to shift their gaze away, but they were watching, quite intently as far as she could tell. It put Capsize on edge as it felt almost foreboding. She was absolutely sure this was leading to something she desperately didn’t want. If it weren’t for all the eyes on her, she would’ve bolted already. But as it stood, she was counting the moments until she had an opportunity to leave.

Despite what Jordan has said when dragging her out the door, she did feel underdressed. She hadn’t exactly wanted to dress up for a date with the man, but when she compared her own outfit to his, she couldn’t help but feel he should’ve let her. It was not as if she was dressed messily, rather it was just her everyday outfit of a long-sleeved blouse, soft pants, and a sleeveless long blue coat that went down to her knees but did little for the cold regardless. She did not look a mess, but when you compared what she was wearing to Jordan’s outfit? He had clearly dressed up for this as, except for his coat which was the same as ever, every piece of clothing seemed to have some fancy detailing that matched the shining jewels in the jewellery he was wearing. There was a stark difference between their two outfits, which would not bother Capsize if she was not anxious for why Jordan was so dressed up in the first place.

“And that’s how I took down a whole pack of wolves that were terrorising the town!” Jordan said, the fanfare in his voice snapping her out of her thoughts. She had missed the whole story and had no idea how she meant to react to it. She waited a few moments to see if he would laugh, but he didn’t. He just waited on edge for a response. She must be in shock from just how impressive the feat was, he assured himself as Capsize tried to figure out what to say. She was probably meant to be impressed, right? He never told stories that made him look bad so that was surely her best shot.

“Wow, Jordan, that really sounds… impressive,” Gods, she was floundering. Why did she tune out? Well, she knew why she was tuning out, but that led to the question as to why she was currently stuck on a date with Jordan. She couldn’t have even imagined it the night before. She’d spent the better part of the night worrying for Redbeard when the rain hit, listening to a storm she knew he’d be stuck in all night, but at this moment she’d give anything to switch places with him. However, no matter how much she wanted to be, she couldn’t be on her way to a city far, far away from Jordan and her brother wouldn’t have taken her place on this date even if he was here. And… and Jordan was still staring at her waiting for her to say more. “And you did it single-handedly?”

“Of course!” Well, Tucker had also been there, but it was mostly him doing the work. Besides, he was sure the man wouldn’t mind having his participation minimised a little so he could impress Capsize. That’s what a good friend would be okay with, and Tucker was a good friend. And it wasn’t that much of an exaggeration. Obviously, he could’ve fought the whole pack himself. He was just stretching the truth a little. Capsize forced herself to smile at the overconfident words, still having no idea of how he had apparently taken down a wolf pack, but she also didn’t really care. Frankly she was just searching for a polite moment to leave. “I can show you the coat we made from the furs.”

“That won’t be necessary,” She said, a little too quickly. She didn’t want a long tour of all Jordan’s hunting trophies. She found them… distasteful. She hadn’t thought much of his hunting when she first arrived in town. After all, people need to eat and dangerous animals straying too close to town obviously was a problem that would need dealing with, but after so long it had become clear that it was far more an activity of bravo than one of necessity. Even if that was something she found attractive, which she most certainly did not, surely it would still get tiring to constantly hear such similar stories. But, aside from his musings on Ianite and his status as her champion, it was pretty much all Jordan spoke about. Did he speak about other things to the rest of the town or were they all just happy to hear the stories as many times as he wanted to tell them? She supposed that neither scenario made her feel better, so she might as well not think too hard on the point. Looking at Jordan’s mostly empty plate she considered making an exit, maybe if she said she felt sick, he’d leave her alone for a few days. “Look, this has been—”

“Fantastic right? I mean, why haven’t we done anything like this before?” Jordan cut her off before she could say something less positive. He felt like this was going beyond great. After all, he’d never spent so much time alone with Capsize and it didn’t occur to him that might be her preference. After all, everyone enjoyed his company, he was a goddess’ champion and a town hero, who wouldn’t love him? And obviously none should be happier than Capsize. Another Ianitee, one with Lady Ianite’s blessing, how could she be happier with anyone else? And, of course, he was sure she felt just as sure as he was that they were destined for each other. He missed the unimpressed look on her face.

“However, you want to describe it. I think it’s about time for me to head home,” She said, some of her exasperation clear in her voice despite her best efforts to bite it down. While he certainly didn’t understand that she was frustrated, some of those watching did. And she could hear them quietly murmuring. It was not as if she was desperate for them to like her, but she was aware that her life would get much harder if she was outwardly hostile to the champions. She still needed to be in this place for at least half a year, if she could just keep her current reputation of being weird as opposed to being rude or whatever they’d call someone not in love with Jordan. She’d worry about what Ianite might say too, but she had barely been keeping track of how long it had been since she lasted talked with her.

Despite not sensing her frustrations, Jordan did frown at her words. Why would she want to leave? They were having a good time, and they could be together for the full day since there was nothing she had to do. Not to mention, he hadn’t even gotten to the good bit. How was he meant to keep it a surprise if she wanted to leave, she’d run right into Tucker doing the setup. As soon as he knew everything with said setup was done, he’d happily leave with her, but he certainly wasn’t going to let her go wandering off alone, he’d never find her again. She always seemed to avoid him, going somewhere outside of the town that he knew must be within walking distance, but he had never managed to find it, and no one else had any idea either, not even her brother. And he understood vaguely, why wouldn’t she play hard to get? He was sure that she must’ve had dozens of suitors in her life, hell he’d had to chase off a few from her himself. She was beautiful and such an important person to Lady Ianite, she obviously had to pick the person she’d be with forever carefully. But he was sure that none of her previous suitors could’ve been as impressive as him, she just needed to realise that. So, he needed to get her to stay with him.

“Come on, it’s a bit early to leave, isn’t it? You haven’t even finished eating yet,” He said, hoping Tucker would come and give him the go ahead soon. He was sure he could keep her here for a little while longer, but he was still worried about how long that little while would be. It was always just a matter of time before she slipped off and he was unable to find her for the rest of the day, which he couldn’t let happen today. Capsize looked almost resentfully at her plate. She wasn’t exactly hungry, but she almost regretted not eating more anyway so Jordan wouldn’t have that as an excuse that she should stay. Frankly though, listening to him just talk on and on had killed what little appetite she had had.

“I’m really not that hungry,” She said with a slightly forced smile, feeling like she was explaining things that she shouldn’t have to. She just wanted to leave, to be away from the staring townsfolk and Jordan acting like he had some grand plan. Jordan himself panicked slightly, she couldn’t leave, she just couldn't. He looked desperately towards the door, almost sighing in relief upon seeing Tucker who gave him a thumbs up when they locked eyes. Finally, he was done. That meant this was going to be manageable. He just needed to turn on the charm and then he’d be practically strolling over the finish line.

“Well, I suppose I can understand that, but you owe me a full meal together sometime soon,” He said with a smile. Capsize waited for the catch, though she also wondered if she was being uncharitable to him. She knew that’s what Red would say. Of course, she found him near oblivious to the way Jordan acted around her, but maybe he might be right in this context. Obviously, she didn’t want to go on another date with Jordan, but he wasn’t stealing her things to try and stop her from leaving, which was better than he typically was. “But could I walk you home?”

She hesitated. She didn’t have any reason to say no beyond just not enjoying his company. And maybe she was just being judgmental or too careful as there was little that could really happen on such a short walk. Obviously, she wouldn’t have the best time with him walking her back, but she’d been having a bad time with him for over an hour now, what real difference would ten more minutes make? She reasoned that the actual walk would surely be shorter than however long he would annoy her for if she said no to him. Gods, that was setting a bad precedent, but she really just wanted to deal with him for the shortest amount of time right now. But there was little chance that this could go as badly as she imagined, so she could think about untangling any mess she made by giving into him later.

“Sure, you can walk me home,” She said, trying her best to not sound strained. She could do this. Ten minutes, what could happen in ten minutes? Jordan could barely contain his excitement. Of course he had to, acting as excited as he wanted to would ruin the surprise, but it was a hard thing to do. Just a few more minutes and he’d be engaged. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. He was going to make her the happiest woman in the land, so of course she was obviously going to say yes, but he still couldn’t wait to actually hear it.

Capsize, completely unaware of what was soon to happen, stood up, making sure to keep her weight off her left leg. She was well practised in doing so, and it felt natural now, but she still remembered the first few months of walking where she was sure she slowed her recovery immensely with the amount of weight she had stupidly put on her weakened leg. Yes, she was very much done with self-sabotage and pretending she was perfectly fine. As it turned out, not actively denying the pain she was in was quite important to making any sort of recovery. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she was close to not needing her cane, or if such a day would ever come, but she didn’t have frequent pain flare ups as she once had, and her walking speed wasn’t any slower than the average person’s. Now if only people would stop whispering about the apparent mystery of her leg and she might actually feel comfortable with the situation.

Jordan stood far quicker, rushing over to Capsize to offer her his arm. Again, she felt hesitant. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was lead him on and give him the impression that his crush was in anyway mutual. But again, every time she rejected his advances, he just got more persistent. She shouldn’t let that mean she just gave into him, she knew that, and any other day she would push back. But today, with so many people watching? She just wasn’t in the mood for their gossip and whisperings if she rejected Jordan. So, despite feeling like this was giving into something she really shouldn’t, she allowed him to wrap his right arm around her left and him to lead her out of the building, desperately attempting to ignore the people she overheard calling them ‘cute’.

Outside, Tucker hurried out of the way of the door, doing his best to not be seen by Capsize. He didn’t want to interrupt any of their couple time. If she saw him, she’d probably have questions as to why he was just standing outside the tavern or maybe want to talk to him. Though he noticed that she typically only wanted to talk to him when Jordan wasn’t around so maybe the latter was unlikely. But even if she didn’t want to talk to him, he knew it’d make her cautious of them planning something, which would ruin the surprise aspect that Jordan wanted for the proposal. He did, however, want to keep an eye on them. While he was sure he had set up a beautiful area for it, maybe beyond even Jordan’s expectations, he was fully aware this could go very wrong very quickly, something that Jordan had not considered at all. So, while he was certainly staying out of sight, he was watching as the ‘happy couple’ emerged from the tavern.

Capsize felt more than a little uncomfortable at the amount of people still staring at them as she exited the tavern arm in arm with Jordan. She was used to them staring in general, at least it happened enough that she thought she should be used to it, but the fact it was happening when she knew every single person who saw her would think she and Jordan were a couple… Gods, she hated it. Worse, the way Jordan had wrapped his arm around hers was unexpectedly tight. It was like he was trying to stop her from escaping. And in a way Jordan was. Sure, he thought there was absolutely no way she was going to reject his proposal, but she also had a habit of slipping away. He couldn’t let that happen today, not when they were about to become the happiest couple in town.

“Capsize, do you ever wonder why Lady Ianite sent you here?” He began, having thought about the question the night before. She stopped herself from answering sarcastically as this was the closest any question that he’d asked her had actually come to being about her. Sure, it was still mostly about Ianite, but it was at least somewhat about her. And it was a question she had pondered herself oh so many times.

“I have wondered, quite a lot actually,” She said, the lingering sadness in her words missed by Jordan. ‘Why here’ was something she still wondered. A fact that reminded such a mystery to her. A question that Ianite had never answered even in the few times they’d spoken since she had sent her and Redbeard here. Sure, she had originally said the town would be a safe place for her to recover, but that reason had made less sense the more she had thought about it. There wasn’t any war or even trouble brewing between the gods. Her injury had been caused by an accident rather than an attack. She’d be in no more danger in a city than a remote town. However, when she’d asked directly, the last time they had spoken months ago now, the goddess had merely said that the reason would become clear. So, a distinct non-answer.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it too,” Jordan said, his tone far more jovial than hers. He was so sure of the reason his Lady wanted her here, in this town, with him. He couldn’t imagine another one. “And I think that she sent you here so you could meet me.”

“I guess that’s a possibility,” She said, not even close to matching his enthusiasm for the idea. Even if the man had managed to become her closest friend, she’d still resent the goddess if she sent her to such a remote place just to meet him. To be sent somewhere she would struggle to travel away from for one person who could’ve easily travelled to her no matter where she was, who wouldn’t resent that idea? Jordan just kept smiling, happily oblivious to her dislike of the idea. To be fair, Capsize thought, being seeming oblivious to her unhappiness towards him seemed to be one of his favourite activities.

“I’m sure it was so we could meet! That Lady Ianite wanted us, two people so important to her, to be in the same place,” He said, so sure of himself, so full of confidence. They were meant to be, his Lady wanted this to happen. Meanwhile, Capsize was growing distinctly uncomfortable. He’d never actually spoken to Ianite, she knew that from how he had reacted to learning she had. So why was he acting like he knew the goddess’ desire and plans beyond a shadow of a doubt? She didn’t know such things and she’d directly asked about them! “And I was thinking that perhaps she wanted us to do more than just meet.”

“What do you mean?” She was really regretting agreeing to walking with him, those words giving her an uncomfortable feeling that she couldn’t shift. Just the way he said them, she wanted to be anywhere but next to him. Even if she didn’t go home, she wanted to be away from him, but his arm was still locked around hers. She didn’t have an option to escape. She had to just to hope that this wasn’t leading in the direction she was grimly certain it was heading.

“Isn’t it obvious, Capsize?” He said with a laugh. She surely couldn’t be so oblivious. No, she was playing coy, he was sure of it. After all, if she didn’t feel the same way as him, she wouldn’t have given him that rose. His rose. The only gift she had given out to anyone in the town, one he had treasured for months before it had finally wilted. Yes, she was just playing around as always. “We’re meant to be together, a couple.”

“I—”

“You don’t need to say anything, obviously I know you feel the same way,” He said, cutting her off before her objections could spill out. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Well, she could. She could very much believe that said words were coming out of Jordan’s mouth, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hear them. Really how? How did he think she had any interest in him? When had she ever given that impression? She hadn’t, she was sure that she hadn’t, but somehow, he was acting like she was head over heels in love with him. “And I’m sure you can just picture it. The two of us, together in a remote cabin, husband and wife away from the world.”

“Hus—husband and wife?” This couldn’t be real. The idea of him wanting to date her had been bad enough, now he wanted to get married? Suddenly the grip on her felt like a shackle. She needed to escape, to get as far away from him as possible. She didn’t care if she made a scene, if everyone thought she was crazy, she couldn’t let this happen. And that feeling, the panic inside her, only got stronger when her house came into view, and she saw what was set up there.

It was like a wedding aisle had been set up on the path, an arch woven from flowers and gold and silver cord standing halfway up the path, under which was a small table with a ring box. Flower petals were scattered along the path, all varying shades of purple. In any other circumstance, Capsize might admit that it looked beautiful, however she was far too deep in panic to do anything of the sort. She was barely processing how this could’ve been set up, she’d been with Jordan the whole time and this certainly hadn’t been here when she left. It took almost half a minute in her panic riddled state to realise Tucker must’ve done it. So not only was Jordan proposing to her, but other people also knew and were involved. How had this become the most horrifying situation she had ever imagined? As Capsize tried to stop herself shaking, Jordan smiled. It looked perfect, he couldn’t have done a better job himself. He’d have to properly thank Tucker once he was officially engaged.

“You see it too, don’t you Capsize? You see how perfect we are together,” He said, not at all actually looking for confirmation. He led Capsize to the table, her legs and arm barely functioning as she tried to think of some way out of this. She couldn’t marry him. She couldn’t leave him any opening to think she would marry him. But that still left her needing to escape. She was so close to her house, to being able to lock him outside and away from her. Just any brief moment where he let go and she’d be able to make it. Then she could let him know she wasn’t going to marry him when she was able to put walls between them. “This is destiny, our destiny.”

“This is… This is all just so—”

“I know, you’ve been waiting for this,” He cut her off again. She must be overwhelmed by how excited she was, he reasoned. Why else would she look so flustered? Well, all that was really left to do was to show her the ring and officially ask the question, as much as that was really just a formality. So, he went to grab the ring, and in doing so, he unwrapped his arm from hers.

Almost immediately, she took the opportunity to start moving. She didn’t run, she wasn’t about to risk him noticing and stopping her, but she did hurry as fast as she could while still being quiet towards the steps. She just needed to get out of here, before he convinced himself that she agreed to marry him. She was about halfway up the steps towards the door when he spoke again.

“So, Capsize, what do you say?” He said, looking up with the open ring box in hand, only to get confused when she was no longer where she had been. He turned a couple of times, stopping as he saw Capsize stood frozen on the steps with a sheepish smile. Why was she going inside? Surely, she wasn’t actually leaving in the middle of his proposal. Capsize milled around for exactly what to say, especially as he took a step towards her, letting her know she didn’t have much time.

“Oh, Jordan, I… I just don’t deserve you,” She said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. As Jordan smiled at the seeming compliment, she hurried to the door, almost breathing a sigh of relief as she opened it. However, as she took a step inside, he realised that she maybe wasn’t just complimenting him before saying yes. He rushed up to the door, grabbing it as she tried to close it. At him trying to stop her from locking him out, she admittedly panicked a little. She shoved the door towards him, the unexpected shift in weight causing him to stumble back, falling from the short stairs into the grass, muddy from the previous night’s storm. His landing was soft but caused enough of a splash to cover him in a good amount of the muck. He looked up at her in half-anger, half-genuine shock. As she noticed Tucker rushing over, she knew there was nothing left that could possibly help the situation. At this point, though, she didn’t particularly have a desire to fix it anyway. “But thanks for asking.”

She slammed the door, quickly sliding across the bolt, and slumped to the ground. She needed to get out of this town.

Outside, Tucker rushed up to Jordan, pulling him up from the ground. He wondered if he should’ve tried to intervene sooner, but what could he have done? He couldn’t exactly force Capsize to marry him. Jordan ripped his hand from his friend’s, not in the mood for any sort of conversion. It was bad enough that he was going to have to walk through town covered in mud, that he had been rejected by the object of his desires, he didn’t want to stick around for people to actually see the scene and him to be even more humiliated.

As he stormed off, Tucker sighed. He was going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, possibly the rest of the week. Obviously, he’d cheer him up, what kind of a friend would he be if he didn’t? But he regretted not persuading him to at least go slower with her. Then, if she had still rejected him, it maybe wouldn’t have been so harsh.

He looked towards the door, considering if he should try and talk with her, but decided against it. She was probably as embarrassed as Jordan was, so he doubted he’d be able to persuade her to open the door let alone have a conversation. Instead, he turned to cleaning up the proposal set-up, hopefully stopping too many people from seeing it and having too many people putting together what had happened. Yeah, he’d do his best to make people forget about this situation, Jordan included. After all, even if he didn’t understand why, Capsize clearly didn’t want to marry him and there was no way to change someone’s mind about a thing like that.

Chapter Text

Capsize stayed slumped against the door for far longer than she would’ve at any other point in her life. With her heart beating far too fast, she was half convinced that Jordan would find a way to break in if she moved despite the bolt securing it. She couldn’t make herself move until at least ten minutes had passed, her panic mostly subsided though she still couldn’t believe the situation she had escaped.

Jordan had asked her to marry him. That statement by itself felt wrong, because it was the last thing she ever wanted to imagine happening. Yet he had asked liked it was some sure thing, acted like it was destiny. Gods, the way he had spoken about it had made her skin crawl. Him speaking of them being some perfect couple set up by Ianite made her so deeply uncomfortable, because, despite desperately not wanting to, she could picture a world where his words were true. A world where Ianite had sent her to this town just to meet him, to be with him. A reality where her whole life was meaningless because she was meant to be here with him. She could picture it like a waking nightmare, and she hated it. Just the act of imagining sent waves of dread through her, almost putting her back into panic despite how she was out of the situation, able to reassure herself that marriage to that man was not going to happen. Yes, she reassured herself to calm her breathing, no matter what the future might hold she could guarantee it was not being Jordan’s wife.

Still, she felt on edge, and she knew that feeling wouldn’t shift if she stayed in the house. As much as she was sure he couldn’t get in, he could come back. He could linger around to once again catch her by herself. She needed somewhere she knew he wouldn’t find her. Thankfully, she did have a place like that she could retreat to, if only for a couple of hours, which she would just have to hope would be enough to clear her mind from the events of the day. She’d take her book, she’d read, and she’d forget about Jordan and the uncomfortable vision of her future he’d forced into her head.

She properly straightened, her leg whining despite the posture making her feel more herself and began mentally figuring out what she needed to take, the least she could get away with. It was not as if she could take much in the first place, she needed to walk there and back so taking any more than absolutely necessary would just slow her down. And, even if she wanted to disappear from this town forever, she would only be gone for a few hours, she wouldn’t need much. She could probably get away with just taking her book and a drink, along with a bottle of her pain tincture in case she had a flare up. As much as she wanted to get away from the town, leaving of her own accord was a very different fantasy than getting stuck because she ended up unable to move. Or worse, she didn’t want to end up being ‘saved’ by Jordan or Tucker.

She packed those things into her bag as quickly as she could, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Once the town was out of sight, she’d feel relaxed, she was sure of that much, so the faster she could get to that point the better. Though she did pause for a moment before leaving. The cold had been creeping in earlier and earlier into the evening, even if she planned to return long before dark, there was still a chance it’d turn colder than her current clothes were designed for. That and there was the chance of rain given the previous night’s storm. So, she took her winter cloak, a long purple thing made, like most of her clothes, to be practical rather than showy, and put it on. The additional layer felt almost grounding, despite how she had just put it on as a precaution.

With a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst on the other side, she cracked open the door slightly. She peered around, trying to keep herself steady as she checked that Jordan was actually gone. She couldn’t deal with him again, certainly not today and preferably not ever. Thankfully there was no sign of him, the only person present being Tucker who was dismantling the flower arch. She didn’t particularly want to see him either, but she could deal with him. And she supposed she was at the very least happy he was getting rid of the proposal mess. An extremely low bar, yes, but if she had been left to deal with it, she might have actually snapped. So, with confirmation that the person she absolutely did not want to see wasn’t waiting to ambush her, she stepped out of her house.

It took nearly half a minute for Tucker to notice her making her way towards the road, lost in figuring out how to best dismantle something he had worked so painstakingly to put together in the first place. It was not as if he expected her to walk past as he had assumed she, like Jordan, would spend the rest of the day hiding. He apparently had not learnt the lesson abundantly clear that she was very much not like Jordan. When she did walk past, and his brain actually acknowledged that fact, he did a double take.

“Capsize?!”

“I’m not in the mood,” She said, not looking back as she continued down the path to the road. Despite her words, Tucker jogged after her, which did not surprise her. No one did listen to her in this town, why would she be surprised at this point? She obviously wasn’t going to run, he wasn’t worth that much effort, so he caught up to her almost immediately. She gave him such an annoyed look that he shrunk back.

“I just want to talk.”

“You want to talk? Tell me why in Mianite’s name you decided to help with any of that.”

“You mean with the proposal? Jordan asked me too,” He said, not quite thinking how those may not be the best words to say. Capsize scoffed. She couldn’t believe him. He knew that she and Jordan weren’t together. While he might not know that she couldn’t stand the man, he had to know that a proposal wasn’t anywhere close to something she would want from him. And to his credit, he did feel a little guilty when he saw her expression. He had assumed she would be embarrassed, but overall seeing the whole thing in good nature, but instead, she looked angry. He did not like having her gaze on him when that expression was laced in it. “Come on, Cap, I put a lot of effort into putting that together. Anyone else would’ve loved it.”

“Oh! In that case I’m sorry for not just smiling and accepting, I didn’t realise my reactions were meant to be based on everyone else’s,” She said, the annoyance that had been festering boiling to the surface now she was in a safer situation. It probably wouldn’t have if she had been talking to or even in view of anyone else, but as much as it pained her slightly in this moment to admit it, she did like Tucker more than she liked most of those in town. That’s why she was quite so annoyed at him. She had thought he would’ve considered if she would want a proposal from Jordan before just going along with such a thing because of his friendship with the man. It seemed that faith in him was ridiculous as even now he looked confused at her reaction. Was she really this mad at him? She hadn’t seemed angry during the proposal, she had seemed… every word that came to his mind made him feel worse. “Seriously, do you really think I want to marry him?”

“Well, I mean, err…” He tried to figure out an answer beyond that being what most people in town seemed to want but couldn’t come up with anything. She bristled a little. He truly just hadn’t pictured a situation where someone wasn’t in love with Jordan. Somehow this was just another reason she didn’t fit in here. She started walking quicker. He realised he had said the wrong thing, or rather that stumbling to find an answer didn’t give a great impression. He reached out and gently took hold of her shoulder, not trying to turn her but rather just stop her for a few moments. She tensed at his touch. He had never seen her like this. While she was often short with Jordan, she had always done her best to bite down her annoyance in front of him so to see it actually slip out was shocking to say the least. “I’m not trying to push you into saying yes.”

“The problem is not a single person seemed to have considered that I would say no,” She said, wrenching her shoulder away from his hand. No one had made any effort to get to know her. Even the basic notion that she wasn’t fond of Jordan seemed to elude them. If she didn’t act exactly how they pictured she should, then she was odd. Everything she could possibly desire outside of the borders of this small town was seen as some strange quirk she had. And there was no way for her to escape hearing such unwarranted opinions. Just another reason she needed to go and clear her head. As she began walking again, following the road in the direction out of town, Tucker called after her.

“Wait! Where are you going?” He had heard of her penchant for wandering. Redbeard joked about it and Jordan complained about it, but he had assumed they meant through the town. Seeing her wander towards what he knew was just a few fields then wilderness outside of the town’s borders, including the woods which he knew from experience were filled with danger if you went in the wrong direction, he felt nervous. Even if she was annoyed at him, he didn’t want to see her hurt. She looked back at him with an amused smirk.

“As far away as possible,” And with those words, she walked off on her way, leaving him to wonder her exact destination. At that moment, neither knew how long it would be until she returned, though they both believed, or at least hoped, it would be before nightfall.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The small space Capsize had found by the river during one of her earlier wanderings away from the town was odd to her. She was, as far as she could tell, the only person who ever came to it as she had never seen anyone else even approach in the times she had come, but it had clearly once been used by other people. The small, cleared area, the grass flattened and bare from frequent use, had two tree stumps, one of which she had been using as a seat while she was here. The was also a large tree that had multiple carvings into its bark. She found herself lost in those carvings because they were old, years old. She couldn’t exactly tell exactly how long ago they were carved, she wasn’t that good, but she knew all of them were done a good number of years before she discovered the place for the first time. And she could also put them into a vague order based on the progression of skill, seeing them go from shakily done initials, to far more intricate drawings. She wished she could meet whoever carved them, though she had no idea who could’ve as there were none in town that she could imagine coming out here and doing such a thing.

She herself only came to this lonely place when she felt overwhelmed and needed some sort of escape. She found the river was the best place to be when she wanted to feel free. As much as it was relatively small and calm, it was also the closest thing she had to the ocean, the closest she felt to home. Being away from the water was the thing that had pained her the most in the early days, so finding somewhere that at least had some had been wonderful, somewhere she could fully relax even if it took some time to get there. And she did feel relaxed at the current moment, having spent a good few hours reading and just taking her mind away from the situation she had been stuck in. But now, as she knew she would have to leave soon, her mind had gone back to wondering.

Why was she stuck in a place where no one understood her? Why had Ianite sent her here? Those questions were well and truly stuck in her mind as she lingered back on Jordan’s proposal. She didn’t know, as much as she wished she did because this life was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She wanted adventure, to be able to travel and not know where she would end up. She wanted to not know what would happen on any given day, to walk down a street and not already know what everyone was going to say. And, sure, she could technically say she hadn’t expected Jordan to propose, but she also didn’t want to be stuck with him.

He was perhaps the person who understood her the least. A man who seemed almost obsessed with her, but at the same time didn’t seem to care about her in the least. He who had not left her alone since learning of her connection to Ianite, all the while insulting her interests and, half the time, her brother. Why was she stuck in a place where he was so beloved? Now that she’d rejected him, she was bound to be even more isolated. Gods, the next few weeks were going to be unbearable without Redbeard and Jeriah. She wished she could remain here by the river forever, but that unfortunately wasn’t an option. She needed to head back. If she stayed for much longer, she’d end up walking back in the dark and even with her reluctance she knew that wasn’t advisable.

So she stood up, and she had begun to walk towards the road. She had fully intended to make her way home, but when the road came into view, she saw something that threw that idea out of the window as worry was sent to her very core. On the road was Phillipe, the horse panicked and clearly confused, but she was far more focused on the fact that he was alone. Redbeard was nowhere to be seen. With such a panic, she rushed over to the horse, shushing him and doing her best to calm the large animal. She managed to, despite her own panic building within her. What had happened for him to come back alone? What on earth had happened to her brother?

“Where’s Redbeard? What happened?” She said as the animal calmed, though she knew he had no way of answering. She just needed to say something to keep herself thinking and to stop her panic from taking over. All Phillipe’s riding gear was still on him along with the saddle bags, but the cart was missing, leaving the odd read of Red having to stop but not for a full night. Maybe there had been an accident, but Phillipe seemed physically fine, just spooked. Then again, she couldn’t think of any better explanation. Though a coldness did run through her as she remembered her own joke of Phillipe coming to find her if Red was attacked. She tried to escape that feeling but couldn’t quite shift her fears. As much as she didn’t want to believe her brother had been attacked, he was missing, and she did need to find him. “Can you take me to him?”

In response to her question, to her worry riddled voice, the horse tugged her towards the woods. Whether he actually understood or not, she was confident he could lead her to her brother. Though she was slightly hesitant about if she should go now, so close to dark, when she was alone and unarmed. She also knew there was little point in postponing. There was no one currently in town who would help her, none that she trusted to actually help find Red anyway. She kept weapons herself, but she had let Redbeard put them away when they had first arrived. How long would searching for them delay her when he needed help? All going back would do was make whatever situation her brother was in worse. She needed to find him as quickly as possible.

So, despite her worries, she climbed onto Phillipe. She had no idea how long this would take, but that didn’t matter. As she slipped her cane into one of the saddle bags, she had only one thought in mind, to find her brother no matter how long it took.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The ride was long, the sun setting during the journey, and frankly uncomfortable. She did in theory know her way through the woods, she’d spent long enough staring at maps and natural guides in order to plan routes, but that was quite different from actually riding through them. Honestly, she felt claustrophobic. She was used to travelling along oceans, wide open spaces with endless horizons, not woods with trees so closely packed that she could barely see the sky. But she just had to bite through. Her brother was lost somewhere, and she needed to find him. Her nerves about the situation had only grown when she had come across the fallen tree, having to travel away from the route she could picture in her head and into the unknown. She was a little nervous that it had fallen sometime last night after Redbeard had passed, but with the speed that Phillipe began to walk the other direction, she realised that was unlikely.

She just had to trust Phillipe to lead her as she only had a vague inkling of where this route went. She supposed she had no idea where Redbeard had disappeared, so she would’ve had to trust the horse even if they had travelled on the regular route, but she just felt more nervous travelling somewhere she could only vaguely remember from the map. It was made worse that she really was lost as to where Redbeard could’ve disappeared to as the darkness made it near impossible to see what little tracks hadn’t been washed away by the storm. And, of course, Phillipe was quite hesitant to keep travelling along the route, still remembering the events of the previous night. Capsize merely saw it as the general skittishness of an animal travelling through unfamiliar darkness, intermittently calming him to try and continue the journey with as little interruption as possible. And after the journey continued like this for quite a time, the horse brought Capsize to the rusted open gate and the overgrown castle grounds.

“Red…” She breathed, worry hitting her as she saw the cart still abandoned where it had been left the night before. There was no sign of a struggle or any sign that it had been left there by anything other than free will. She looked up at the imposing castle before her. Maybe Phillipe had just been spooked by the storm before Red could tie him up, leaving him no choice but to stay here? That was the only explanation she could come up with that didn’t send a wave of panic through her. He had to just be taking shelter.

Even with attempts to reassure herself, she felt uneasy as she retrieved her cane and slipped off Phillipe. There was something very wrong here, she could tell that much, but there was also no doubt that Redbeard had been here. She had to go in, to either find him or someone who knew where he was, but she didn’t exactly want to. She tried to chastise herself for being hesitant, she had wanted something interesting to happen for over a year, but this was not exactly what she had had in mind. Still there was no point in delaying. With more nerves than she wanted to admit, she approached the imposing doors, unsure whether to be grateful or worried upon finding them unlocked.

“Hello? Red?” She called out as she entered the darkened castle, not realising just how many were able to hear her in the abandoned looking place. It was dark enough that it was hard to see much at all, though quiet enough that she did not feel the need to hide her presence. She just wanted to find her brother as quickly as possible then leave, but in such a large place she had no idea where to start. She took a few cautious steps through the entrance way, unsure where to even start in such a big building. “Are you here?”

She felt like she was calling out to no one, to just an empty building. It felt like she was the first person to be inside for years despite how few things seemed to be in disrepair. It was more a feeling than any logical reasoning. A feeling that caused her to treat a light from beyond a slightly ajar door with more curiosity than anything else in the building. She approached cautiously despite how it must surely be her brother. There couldn’t be anyone else here. However, as she cautiously opened the door, she was surprised to see no one at all, just a lit fire in a seemingly abandoned drawing room.

Now someone must have been in there recently, she reasoned, as surely no one would just leave a fire unattended, but there was no sign of anyone having recently been in there. She had no way of knowing as she stepped inside towards the one sign of human life that she had seen in hours that the snuff box, flowerpot, and feather duster sat on a short table were all watching her. She certainly felt watched, but she attributed that feeling to being in an unknown environment rather than the furniture watching her. And during her look around the room, her eyes fell on something that held her attention far more than any of the trinkets in the room, though it would be of little interest to anyone else. Still in a heap by the far wall was a long green coat that she desperately wished she didn’t recognise. She rushed over to it, hoping she was mistaken. As she picked it up, the thick fabric still uncomfortably damp as it had not been left in a position where it could dry, it was undeniably her brother’s coat. It was abandoned alongside a half-crushed rose, the floorboards around it filled with large scratch marks.

“Redbeard!” She called out, fear spreading through her mind. He was here and something terrible had happened to him. She had to find him, find out what had happened, make sure he was okay. As she rushed out the room, the coat tightly gripped in her free hand, the furniture watched in horror. Though it was only when she actually left the room that they moved.

The feather duster, whose handle was carved to look like a young man and feathers, though clearly not artificial, were a distinctly unnatural purple colour, moved towards the doorway. He moved silently, almost floating over the ground as his feathers barely seemed to touch the ground but he moved smoothly regardless of that fact. He peered nervously around the open door in time to see the woman disappearing up the grand staircase, her cloak billowing out behind her as she travelled with speed rather than caution. He turned back to the other two, knowing they knew more of this situation than he did. After all, he had not seen what had happened last night, though he had certainly heard.

“She isn’t just here by coincidence, is she?” He asked despite already knowing the answer. Years had passed with no visitors, and now two had shown up one after another. Had the Mistress reacted better they could’ve called it a miracle, but as it stood it was horrifying. Because clearly, she was connected to the man from last night, and that meant there was about to be a world of trouble.

“That’s his sister, she must be!” Alyssa said as she hopped forward, possibly a little too excited. There was no other explanation in her mind for her reacting the way she did to the coat. And it was exciting, though scary at the same time. On one hand, they needed a normal person to break the curse, and this woman could very well be their best chance to actually do that. However, she was also looking for her brother, who, assuming he was the man, she wasn’t going to find in a good state. With these contrasting thoughts, she looked towards her dad. “Should we tell her? Take her to him?”

“I think any of us interfering again is just going to make it worse when the Mistress finds her,” He said, feeling almost hollow. She was going to be found, she had no reason to believe her calling out was putting her in any danger, and he feared what would happen at that point. He wanted to believe it would not be a repeat of last night, that the Mistress would keep her temper in check, but even if she did, the situation could still easily go south. After all, there was no way to know how the woman would react to seeing her brother in the situation he was currently in, but he doubted it would be good. But as much as he feared for both of them, he also knew that there was unfortunately nothing he could do. Last night had shown he had little control over the Mistress. He just had to wait for whatever confrontation happened and hope for the best.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Upstairs, an argument had been going on continuously since the previous night. Or rather, Martha had been lecturing Tom since the previous night and he had not yet successfully lost her. Both were at their wit’s end, though each for a very different reason. Martha was fed up with the candelabra’s lackadaisical attitude that had ended with an innocent traveller imprisoned with no hope of escape. While Tom was fed up with the clock lecturing about said attitude as if he was the only cause of the situation.

“Really, what were you thinking? You invite him in, the Mistress doesn’t notice him for the whole night, and then what?” She demanded, having already asked a few times, but only gotten sarcastic answers meant to chase her off. But she needed to know. She needed to know what hairbrained, half thought out scheme he had decided would certainly work. He considered making up another lie. Her annoyance at him dodging the question had been the highlight of his day, but he was exhausted of this. She was going to be annoyed at the truth anyway, her not being annoyed at something was a rarity, but she might also be convinced to leave him alone after hearing it.

“I was hoping we could make him feel welcome enough that he’d be willing to come back once we had Princess Fluffles all prepped to not bite his head off and get this whole curse breaking business on the go,” He saw the anger growing on her painted features. She wasn’t sure what was more maddening, that he assumed falling in love was something you could just prep someone for or that he was still using that nickname. He was always trouble. He never thought ahead. He never considered the delicate balance of the situation they were stuck in. And worse, he wasn’t actually done speaking. “And then he said he had a sister, so I was going to get him to bring her too, so we’d have two tries!”

“Please tell me you’re joking. Do you seriously think that’s how falling in love works?” She said in response to his words, though she unfortunately could tell he was serious. He really thought that breaking the curse was something they had multiple tries at, something that could be fixed by the first person who came through the door without much effort. And sure, the man didn’t deserve what had happened, even if he was a trespasser and a thief, but he clearly wasn’t going to be the one to break the curse. Even if they didn’t have many, or rather any, other options, love was not something that could be forced, and he very much was not the Mistress’ type. Tom rolled his eyes.

“Ah yes, you’re right! I should’ve given up on the idea of breaking the curse and instead done what you wanted! After all, tossing an unfortunate traveller out into the rain has never caused anything bad to happen to us!” He said with false excitement.

“Oh, that was different, and you know it.”

“Yes, the difference is she was capable of punishing us!” He wasn’t happy to have been cursed, especially not for someone else’s actions, but he had to admit, she had gotten worse over the years. At least she hadn’t tried to imprison the disguised goddess back then. And, yes, being transformed into a beast likely had some of the blame for that, but she was never going to be transformed back with the way she was currently acting, and he wasn’t about to let that happen. While it might be selfish, he had plans beyond being a light source for the rest of his life. “Look, I have a plan to get him out, I just need a little time.”

“Time? You think he has--?”

“Redbeard! I found your coat! Please just come out!” They were both immediately silenced by a woman’s voice coming down the corridor, loud and desperate. With the door of the room completely open, they saw as she passed, Tom putting out his flames as to not be seen, to just watch for the moment. And past the room walked a young woman with a cane, a deep purple cloak covering her, desperately gripping the coat that the man had worn the previous night. Martha felt a dull horror as she realised this was surely the man’s sister, another innocent person about to feel a beast’s wrath, and there was absolutely no chance she could persuade this one away. Tom, however, somewhat oddly for the situation, smiled. He could work with this.

“Or perhaps we don’t need time at all!” He said in hushed excitement, hopping off before he could be questioned or stopped. Even if Martha wanted to, which to be clear she did, she could not without alerting the woman.

Capsize was facing the wrong way to notice the unlit candelabra hop up to a closed door and open it somehow without touching it. She did, however, hear it creaking open, and see a new light disappearing behind it as she turned around. A light that was quickly retreating. That was all she needed to see to enter the newly opened door.

“Wait! Come back!” She called after whoever she was now pursuing up a set of stone stairs. They had to know where Redbeard was. They weren’t about to avoid giving her answers. However, when she found the light’s source, she found no one. Instead, there was merely a lit candelabra in an alcove in the wall. She could’ve sworn it had been moving away, but there was no sign of anyone. Was she so desperate for answers that she had starting imagining things? She wanted to say no, but she had little other explanation. Was the person hiding? Afraid of her intentions? “I mean no harm! I’m just looking for my brother!”

“Capsize…?” She had not expected a response, after all she had been yelling into the darkness the whole time without one, but the one she received set her moving once again. His voice was hoarse and unsure, but it was her brother. He was just up the stairs.

“Red!” As she rushed up towards him, she did not see the candelabra’s eyes following her, hoping some good would come from this.

Capsize was not sure what she expected to find at the top of the stairs, but it was certainly not cells. She stopped dead at the sight of them. She couldn’t imagine being locked in one, in this room that was so cold that felt she would be better off outside. And worse, there was someone in one. She rushed over, barely managing to make it without losing her composure.

“Red! Oh gods!” Stumbling over on the opposite side of a barred door was the terrified form of her brother. It was hard to believe she had only seen him the previous day as he looked a terrible mess. His clothes and hair had barely dried in the cold, and what had was wrinkled and had clear tears from where he had tried to escape the Beast’s grasp. His hands shook as Capsize took them, his skin freezing which she desperately tried to warm with her own hands. Each sibling looked at the other in horror. “You’re freezing, if you don’t warm up soon… Who put you in there?”

“How did you get here?” He asked, barely hearing her question through his own fear and shock because she couldn’t be here. Capsize couldn’t be within the grasp of that vicious beast. He sounded terrified. And that, that only fuelled Capsize’s anger. If he could be warmed by the emotion boiling within her, then he would no longer be in any danger from the cold.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m here now and I’m going to get you out of here,” She said, trying her best to sound reassuring rather than murderous. She was not angry at him, so she shouldn’t let him hear the emotion. She’d figure out a solution for whatever monster had locked him in a cell to freeze to death but getting him out and safe was a far more pressing issue. She shifted slightly to study the lock. She didn’t have her tools, but the lock also looked old. Maybe she could just shove with enough force in one place and force the door that way. As she studied, Redbeard’s fear grew. Every moment she spent here was a risk. She needed to leave, to get out of this place before she was found. He grabbed her arm, dragging her attention back to him.

“You need to get out of here. Just forget about me and go,” He said, trying to stop his voice shaking despite the reality of what he was asking. Capsize looked at him in confusion. Did he understand what he was saying? Leaving him here in this condition, it was basically leaving him for dead. He surely had to know that, so why was he begging for her to do so? Why did he look so scared, but was asking her to abandon him here? She just needed to calm him down. She shifted her arm, taking a hold of his shoulder without removing his hold from her, and tried to smile.

“I’m not leaving you. I don’t know who did this, but you don’t need to worry about them. I can handle them,” She said, so sure of her words, but he knew she wouldn’t be saying them if she knew. He couldn’t be reassured, not knowing what would happen if she stayed here for too long. And when she shifted back to the lock, his eyes no longer being locked onto her, he realised to his horror that he was too late. Far too clear, standing in the stairway, he saw her approaching. Still on all fours, but somehow silent, as if she knew she would have to ambush this time. And she was approaching his sister.

“Run, Capsize! Please just run!”

“What are you doing here?!” A roaring woman’s voice came from behind Capsize as a heavy hand grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around. As she was knocked off balance, knowing she would hit the ground in a few short moments, she threw her elbow back in hopes of hitting her attacker. She felt it connect with something, though only briefly before she was fully turned and on the ground. She was facing the floor for a moment, grasping for her cane in panic as she had heard it clatter. She needed to get out of this vulnerable position. It was only when she grabbed it that she looked up, and realised the one casting a shadow over her was not a person at all. Suddenly all of Redbeard’s fear made sense.

In this moment, Capsize found herself staring up into the eyes of a Beast.

Chapter Text

The Beast looming over her was not a natural creature. Perhaps an overly obvious observation given that she had spoken, but it was the most overpowering thought in Capsize’s head as she stared up at her. Stood in the light, her features were clear and impossible. She had a head that almost reminded her of a fox, with pointed ears and features defined by sectioned fur that, though definitely brown, did have an orange hue. However, she lacked a snout. Instead, her nose was more like that of a large cat’s, separate from the mouth, large and dark in colour. She also had horns which suited neither animal, ones that grew out of her forehead, curling around her ears in a way that didn’t quite feel like it should be possible.

She was currently standing on two legs, towering over her. Capsize guessed she was probably seven foot tall, though being on the floor didn’t give her a great position to estimate such a thing. Not that it really mattered, the Beast was certainly taller than herself no matter her exact height. She was built in a way that felt human, her shoulders set so she had arms rather than a set of front legs, and though they were clawed and covered in fur she appeared to have hands rather than paws. However, the rest of her stature was animal-like with a tail and elongated paw-like feet, like if a fox was given the size and weight of a bear.

There were signs of her being beyond some animalistic monster, aside from the obvious that she had the ability to speak. Like the fact she wore torn and tattered clothes, albeit only pants and a cape. But most notably were her eyes. Though they were full of rage that seemed far more animal-like than anything more reasonable, they were a striking green and unmistakably human.

To take in such a sight, it would be overwhelming for anyone, and Capsize was no exception to this. She had seen a great many things, and imagined a great many more, but finding her brother imprisoned by a monster was not something she had ever fathomed happening. It was perhaps the most terrifying scenario she had ever found herself in, but that did not mean she could allow herself to cower on the ground. This Beast had imprisoned her brother, that was not something she could allow to stand. While she certainly was not in a position to fight, and even if she was, she doubted she would win one, this did not have to be such an altercation. After all, the Beast had spoken, if she could speak then there was the possibility she could be reasoned with. Likely a slim chance, but it was the best shot that she had. So, clinging to the idea in order to push her fears back enough for them to not be clear on her face, she rose cautiously to her feet.

“I came here to find my brother,” She said, staring up at the Beast and trying to keep her voice neutral. It was not the easiest of tasks given that she was incredibly aware that she could be easily put in the exact same position as Redbeard or a significantly worse one. She was scared, obviously she was, but she couldn’t show that without putting herself even more on the backfoot than she already was. “And now that I’ve found him, I’m going to take him home.”

“You won’t be taking him anywhere,” The Beast said, her voice unfeeling. The words were spoken as if there were no arguments to them, the creature acting as if her word was law. Of course, in her head it very much was, but as an outsider with no context, it just made Capsize angry. An emotion that she forced herself to bite back, to not give into the urge to snap at the Beast.

“And who exactly are you to decide that?” Despite her efforts to try to speak calmly, her words still came out with more than a hint of anger. The Beast noticed, but didn’t jump on it, intrigued by the woman. She shouldn’t be letting her talk, she had hit her and so clearly had no respect in her tone, but she spoke to her like she was a human. She wasn’t cowering, wasn’t speaking fearfully. And that was enough to let her continue talking, even if her question was more amusing than anything. She truly had been forgotten, hadn’t she?

“I am the Mistress of this castle,” She said, not needing to say her real title. She doubted the woman would take her seriously if she did say it, and besides it didn’t feel right anymore. The one she had presented was more than enough anyway. This place was her domain, and she could do as she wanted. Her words did their job in that respect, as Capsize felt slightly stuck. Technically she had no room for argument. If this Beast truly was the Mistress of this place, she could do what she wanted on her land. It may not be right or just, but it was within her rights. Of course, she wasn’t going to let such a fact stop her, but it did remind her to be careful with her tone. “He is my prisoner. I suggest you leave before I decide you should join him.”

“Please, just go, Capsize. I’ll… I’ll be okay,” Redbeard said, unable to meet her eyes when she turned her head to look at him. He knew that he didn’t sound convincing, he didn’t believe his own words, but he needed her to believe him, to leave while she still could.

“I’m not going to leave. He’s sick, he’ll die if he stays here,” She said, directing her words towards the Beast, but attempting to reassure him with her first statement. She wondered if her argument was too extreme, but she reasoned that it was true. Honestly, she had no idea if such an argument was going to persuade the Beast, as she did not exactly seem empathetic, but she had to try to persuade her with the clear consequences if she did keep him here. Though Capsize did not exactly like saying the words as they felt far too much like cementing reality, despite that being the point, as she could no longer pretend in her own thoughts that he would just be fine.

“Then he shouldn’t have trespassed, shouldn’t have stolen from me,” The Beast gave no measurement of sympathy despite the desperation being clear in her words, though she did avoid her eyes as she spoke. She did not want to say the other reason she had locked the man up, her anger that led to a split-second judgement that she now refused to go back on. She didn’t want to admit that she was wrong, that the man had likely not been sent by the goddess, especially when she could still see the amulet hanging from his neck. However, facing the eyes of someone begging for his release made sticking to her judgement even harder. Sure, she could assume the woman was sent for the same reason, the long purple cloak she was wearing was so similar to the one the disguised goddess had worn that night, but for a reason she couldn’t comprehend, or perhaps just didn’t want to think about, she didn’t want to jump on that assumption. Capsize shot a brief look towards her brother, what in gods’ name had he stolen?

“I’ll pay you for whatever he took, ten times whatever it was worth. Those crimes, they aren’t worth his life,” She was getting more desperate, and it was becoming clearer in her tone. She’d had to bail him out of situations before, mostly when his own guile had failed to convince someone not to try to fight him, but never had she had to do so in a situation where the one she was trying to convince was so willing to allow him to die. Sure, she’d met far too many who had wanted to punch him until he was senseless, but none would’ve wanted him to die. And sure, she had no idea how much she may have just offered to pay, having seen some of the trinkets laying around she knew it may be all they had saved, but that wouldn’t matter if he got to live. The Beast looked at her, almost scoffing but managing to hold back. Did she truly think such an offer would persuade her?

“I have no use for money,” She couldn’t leave this place without being hunted down, what purpose would money have? She couldn’t spend it. It would just sit around gathering dust like everything else in the castle, a reminder of her inability to do anything but remain here.

“Then an item to replace it, anything you could want I’ll find it and bring it back here,” There was always something, everyone wanted something. There was not a single person in this world that didn’t desire something. Yet there was no change in the Beast’s emotionless stare.

“There is nothing you can offer me,” She honestly meant those words, despite how it was an offer she once would’ve been taken without thought for any sort of magical trinket she could receive. All the passion she once had had faded over the years of being stuck slowly becoming more animalistic. Her claws and barely controlled strength meant she couldn’t use the precious items she needed to pursue such things. If she was being honest, she was only really doing this on principle, out of resentment for what had led to this situation. She didn’t care for the rose, but if she could be cursed for not taking one then why couldn’t she imprison someone for taking one? Capsize, though having no idea the reason for it, was biting back a long string of curses in reaction to her indifference. She didn’t care, she could so clearly tell that she didn’t, but she was letting him die because of it anyway. The only thing that stopped her was knowing she would lose any chance she had of helping him. The short-term satisfaction of being petty wasn’t worth it. “Just leave before I change my mind.”

“No! There has to be something I can do. Please, I’ll—” A thought came into her head. A desperate thought. One that once she said it, she knew she would not be able to take it back. She hesitated to actually say it, but it was the last idea she had. “What if I stay instead?”

“What?! No! You can’t!”

“What do you mean?” Both of the others in the room spoke at once. Redbeard spoke in panic. He fully understood what she was saying. He couldn’t let her do it, he couldn’t let her give up everything for him. The Beast, meanwhile, was confused. Of course, she understood the words, but that didn’t mean that made sense to her. Who would willingly stay here? The two met eyes, the Beast forced to see the desperation within those of the woman.

“I’ll take his place as your prisoner,” She said, making the offer clear so there could be no doubt. She could see the Beast considering, each second feeling like an eternity to Capsize, as the creature was stuck in confusion wondering how she could be genuine about such an offer. There were no signs of deceit on her face, no reason to disbelieve her other than the fact that no one could make such an offer.

“You would agree to remain here forever? To never leave this place?” The Beast pressed, though with a less harsh tone than she had been using. For the first time, the Beast properly looked at the woman before her. She was dressed simply, her clothes lacking all the fancy trimmings and embellishments of the clothes those that had once surrounded her wore. Her hair had come loose when she had been turned, her dark brown curls falling over her shoulders and framing her face. And, Gods, her face, she couldn’t drag her eyes away now she was actually looking. She had bronze skin, freckles covering her cheeks, a couple of small scars that had faded with time. And her eyes, she couldn’t stop looking into those desperation-filled brown eyes. The Beast realised that she was looking at someone beautiful, someone full of life, and she felt that wrong. Because she wanted her to say yes, to stay here, but she knew it would be far better if she left because she most certainly did not belong in this place.

Capsize, unaware of the many thoughts in the Beast’s mind and the reasons she was being so intensely stared at, considered her questions. She didn’t want to hesitate, but how could she avoid doing so? She would have to give up everything. It wouldn’t just be her freedom, her chance to return to her old life or to even just see the ocean again, she’d never see her brother again. These moments in this cold prison, these were going to be their last together no matter what she agreed. And it was that thought that made up her mind. She would lose him either way, but she could not live with herself if she left him to die.

“If you let him go, then I promise you. I’ll stay here forever,” Her voice felt like it was going to give out before she could finish the sentence. She could not imagine staying here in this empty, cold room for the rest of her life, it felt hollow and wrong, but such a feeling was far easier to stomach than the terrible shame she felt for even imagining leaving Redbeard here. So, she summoned whatever resolve she could muster, standing tall and hoping her fear did not show on her face.

“No, please! I don’t—”

“I accept,” The Beast cut off Redbeard’s desperate pleas, to his absolute horror. This couldn’t be happening. Capsize couldn’t be the one to stay here in this place at the mercy of this Beast. He couldn’t let this happen. Meanwhile, Capsize felt an odd mixture of relief and terror, knowing he would live, but also knowing what she had agreed to. She only managed to stay on her feet rather than slumping to the floor from the adrenaline leaving her body because she needed to make him think she would be okay. If the last time he saw her she was in distress, he’d live his whole life in guilt, and she would do anything to avoid that.

The Beast cared little for the man’s outburst, pushing past the woman to get to the cell door. She tried to ignore the swirling of her thoughts, the reason she had accepted the woman’s offer. She shouldn’t get her hopes up, shouldn’t have made a deal based on something so unlikely to happen, but the way the woman had spoken to her. The whole time, she never cowered, never spoke like she was speaking to an animal or monster. And perhaps that led her to wanting to agree, to keep her here rather than the man, but she couldn’t think about that. It was never going to happen, she just accepted because it didn’t really make a difference and at least the woman might be quieter.

As she gripped the door, a rune appeared and glowed from within the keyhole as the lock clicked and the door finally opened. It likely would’ve fascinated Capsize under different circumstances, but she barely had time to acknowledge the magic. As soon as the door was open, Redbeard had rushed out and past the Beast to grip onto her shoulders. His movement was stumbling, he had never felt so weak in his life, but he couldn’t let her do this. She had to take it back, to let him be the one to stay. She was worth so much more than him, how was he meant to live with himself if she gave up her life for him?

“Please Ize, take it back. You already lost so much because of me last time, don’t—” Before he could finish his plea, the Beast grabbed the back of his shirt. With little concern, she began to drag him away. She wasn’t in the mood for a back and forth, she’d made her decision so what was the point in letting him try and change her mind?

Both siblings panicked as they realised what was happening. Redbeard struggled, needing to remain here, but lacking the strength to do that. He hadn’t been able to fight back when he had been at full strength, what chance did he have after a full day of slowly freezing? Meanwhile Capsize realised that this was it, the last time she would ever see him. There would be no goodbye, no reassurances that she would be okay, just this.

“Wait!” She begged. She didn’t care anymore about looking strong, she just wanted a real goodbye.

“Capsize!” Redbeard yelled, attempting to reach out to her as he was pulled into the darkness. The last he saw of her before he was dragged down the stairs was a look of panic and fear that burned into his mind.

He was dragged through the castle remarkably quickly, the Beast’s speed not slowed by his struggling and begging and ineffective clawing at her arm. She paid little attention to him, the faster he was gone the better. He should just be happy she wasn’t going to dump him in the woods.

The outside came far too fast, the cold air painful on his skin as she dragged him to an old carriage, half covered in ivy that retreated as the Beast laid a hand on the wood. Once again, glowing glyphs lit up on the surface of the object from her touch. Her magic was stronger than ever for what little it mattered. If it couldn’t help with what she really needed, at least it could get rid of unwanted guests. The moment she felt the enchantment settle, she threw open the door and dumped the man inside.

“Please let my sister go! It’s me who wronged you, she doesn’t deserve this!” He gave one last plea. He couldn’t have doomed Capsize to a life at the mercy of this monster. What kind of a brother was he if she was paying for his mistakes? He knew that he wouldn’t last more than a few days, but at least that meant he wouldn’t spend years in that cell. Why did she always insist on saving him? The Beast looked down at him, covered in shadows as she had been when he had first seen her. No feelings in her eyes.

“She is no longer your concern. Do not return here if you value your life,” Were the last words he heard before the Beast slammed the door, locking him inside for the journey back to town. He would not be able to escape until he was there, she was completely sure of that fact, but that did not stop him from attempting to claw his way out. There was no handle on the inside, leaving him just desperately trying to shove his nails into any ridge or opening, all his efforts fruitless.

As the vehicle began to move, pulled by the command of magic, his attempts grew weaker as sobs began to wrack his body. He’d failed her. His sister was the prisoner of that monstrous Beast, doomed to spend the rest of her life in the shadows and cold of that cell. Such a terrible fate he would wish on no one. And it was all his fault that she would suffer it.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Back upstairs, Capsize stood staring down at the scene from the barred window, trying not to shake and cry as she watched her brother being taken away and failing miserably. The last she would ever see him was from a window where he certainly didn’t see her. She felt all her resolve leaving her, as the uncertainty of what would now happen to her began to sink in.

From the stairway, she was unknowingly being watched. Tom had come up, candles unlit as to not be seen, as soon as the Beast had. He had planned to intervene if the worst had happened, and arguably he should have, but instead he found himself just watching as the woman fought for her brother’s freedom. Completely transfixed as she agreed to something unimaginable. How could one interrupt something like that? Martha had joined only when the man had been dragged yelling and screaming past the room she was in, lectures and questions ready to be said, only to fall silent at the sight of the woman. She listened to Tom explain the events in disbelief.

“She chose to stay?” She whispered, not believing despite being told, despite seeing the evidence in front of her. It was something that seemed impossible, who would choose to stay in this place after seeing such a terrible room? However, she couldn’t deny the story when she had clearly seen the Mistress dragging the man outside, when the woman was standing and not running while she had the chance. Yet it was still perplexing to her.

“Yeah, and it was her own suggestion too,” He replied, feeling there was a distinction there. It had not been the Beast’s, a deal she had just gone along with when offered, but instead her own idea that it almost seemed the Beast had been hesitant to go along with. The clock blinked, looking towards the woman with an equal amount of curiosity and disbelief. She wanted to question her, to understand how anyone could make such a decision, but there was little point. There would be no changing things now.

“I suppose we should go and tell the others what the commotion was about.”

“You go. Her Majesty is in a better mood than she was yesterday. I think I’m going to try and get our new guest some better accommodations,” He said with cautious optimism. Martha wanted to tell him not to bother but found herself unable. He wasn’t suggesting anything outlandish, and she couldn’t see any harm that could result from the attempt. She just hoped he’d be polite about it… Who was she kidding with that thought?

“Very well, just don’t make things worse,” She said, before taking her leave. Tom muttered to himself about her not trusting him as she went. Seriously, you’d think she had lived here longer than him. But she was gone, and there was at least a little time before the Beast returned, so he gave a look towards the woman.

She was the one, he was sure of it. She was going to break the curse. Frankly there weren’t any other options, but that was not where his sureness came from. He had watched the way she had spoken. She was more than a match for Fluffles, she’d already proven that. Now he just needed to make the circumstances for them to be able to like each other. And, yes, that was going to be a little difficult. He was sure he could pull it off though, just not in the tower.

As he heard the Beast approaching, he hopped down a few of the steps, lighting his candles once out of view of the woman, hoping to not give away that he had been eavesdropping. As the Beast appeared, she paid little attention to him, not in the mood to speak to anyone at this point. However, the candelabra was not about to be ignored.

“Hey Fluffles! Beasty! Princess!” All three calls were ignored without so much of a glance. He decided to do something drastic. “Mistress.”

Immediately the Beast flinched. The title sounded wrong in his voice. She whipped around to look at him, more worried than annoyed though that didn’t show on her face.

“I was thinking, I don’t think we need to lock the woman in a cell,” He said without acknowledging the way he had gotten her attention. Instead, he focused on just trying to make his words sound convincing. Romance wasn’t about to start with her locking the other person in a cell, she’d already ruined one potential option that way and he couldn’t let her do it again. Selfish as it might be, he was quite invested in getting some romance started here. She looked mildly annoyed at the suggestion, or perhaps just being interrupted at all. “I mean, the reason you lock up prisoners is to stop them escaping and she promised not to leave so…”

“She agreed to replace the prisoner. She’s staying in the cell,” She said, growling without meaning to. She wasn’t about to give a prisoner free reign of her castle. Even if she felt there was something wrong about locking the woman up, she was just as much a criminal as the man. She’d trespassed, she’d hit her. Still, though she tried to keep reminding herself of those facts, she still felt off about the situation. Nevertheless, she continued without another word.

“Great talk,” Tom muttered as she disappeared up the stairs. At least he’d tried. He’d sneak her into a guest room in a few hours. He could get away with doing that for this one.

Capsize had her back to the Beast as she came back into the tower, though she did feel the returning presence. There was a difference in her stance, one the Beast noticed but could not precisely point out what was different. Just a change in the air. Capsize tried to quell herself, to not show the tears that were falling and the anger that had built up even if half-dulled by sadness. But when she heard the smallest creak of metal, the sign that she was about to be locked in here and left alone, she realised there was no point in staying quiet. What worse could happen to her now?

“What kind of a monster are you?” She spoke quietly but not softly. If her question had not been enough to make the Beast freeze, her tone certainly would’ve. While before there had been panic-driven desperation, now there was a cold anger. A lack of any real drive to actually hear the answer, instead just for the question to be heard. And the Beast found herself unable to do anything, an overwhelming sense of guilt growing worse as she turned around to face her. Seeing the tears, seeing eyes filled with an anger that had not been there in their previous conversation. She took a step forward, her grip on her cane turning her knuckles white as she forced herself to not attack. “I agreed to stay. I gave you my word. I’m never going to see my brother again and… and you didn’t let me say goodbye.”

Her anger faded into something more mournful as she spoke, a hollowness creeping through her as a few more tears fell. The reality being spoken out loud made it hit her again. She did not expect sympathy from her, she honestly didn’t expect anything from saying the words, she just needed to say them. But, hearing the words, looking at her tears, the Beast could not stop the waves of guilt and shame that travelled through her. What kind of a monster was she? The metal door she had not hesitated to slam the night before felt so heavy in her hand. She let go.

“Let me show you to your room,” She said, stepping back to gesture towards the stairs. She couldn’t leave her in the cell, even if it pained her to admit Tom had a good idea, she couldn’t bring herself to leave the woman here. She had agreed to stay, her words clearly more truthful than she had her given credit for. What was the harm in allowing her the little freedom the castle and its grounds would allow for?

“My room?” Capsize said, her anger flattering from sheer confusion. Redbeard had been locked in here, so given the Beast’s lack of concern thus far, she had assumed that she would be left in the same position. That had been so clear in her mind that she hadn’t even doubted it, but she was now being told otherwise. “I thought I’d—”

“Do you want to stay in the tower?” The Beast interrupted, trying her best to speak softly. She didn’t succeed, but she at least didn’t growl.

“No…” She muttered. She half-considered saying yes out of the annoyed principal that this had been where her brother was left when it would literally kill him. But where would that get her? There was no point staying in a cold, dark cell if she was given another option.

“Then follow me,” She made sure the woman was at least making her way towards her before turning around as she seemed hesitant. And she was. Frankly, Capsize was scared this was some sort of trick. Call her pessimistic, but this wasn’t the easiest situation to be optimistic in. But what could she really do aside from hope she was not being lied to?

As she began to move, the Beast walked over to the stairs, looking for Tom. She’d need a light source as, while her eyes were able to see without issue in the dark, she doubted the same applied to the woman. And while she was unsure if bringing him along was a good idea, there wasn’t any other light nearby. That and given that he was hopping up the stairs with a grin on his face, it was clear he was coming whether she wanted him to or not, might as well make him useful. Before he could speak, she took a hold of him, unwilling to explain talking furniture right now. Glancing behind her to make sure she had not witnessed the candelabra moving, she instead saw her picking up the coat that had once again fallen to the ground. Looking at that made her feel another wave of guilt, so she turned back towards the stairs.

“Try not to fall behind.”

Capsize did just that as the Beast began to lead her down the stairs and through the halls of the castle. Despite a current dull throbbing beginning in her leg, she wasn’t slow, and certainly wouldn’t be on purpose in this situation. However, in the silence and trapped with her own thoughts, her pace did slow as she took in her surroundings. The first new place she had been in over a year, the last new place she would ever go. It was as terrifying and saddening as it was building her curiosity, she wanted to explore. Yet as she looked around, she couldn’t help but feel the place felt oddly tragic. It was not as if the place was destroyed, in fact all furnishings looked well-kept and far fancier than anything she had owned. Rather it felt inescapability like something terrible had happened here and the whole place had bent and changed to fit such an event. Not a single thing gave any hint of warmth.

Tom, from his somewhat awkward position of being held by the Beast, looked over her shoulder toward the woman. He frowned at her expression, the way her eyes were wandering as she seemed lost in her own world. This wouldn’t do at all. How was romance meant to bloom if they weren’t talking? Well, what was he here for if not to assist with them getting together?

“Hey, talk to her,” He whispered, making sure not to be heard by the woman. The Beast stared at him. What on earth was she meant to say? She doubted the woman wanted to talk to her. Why would she? It was properly better to leave her to her own thoughts. However, Tom gestured for her to look, not being nearly careful enough considering his hands were open flames, he was insistent enough to get her to look. Her careful glance back let her see tears and a numb expression.

“What’s your name?” She asked, breaking the silence between the two. Capsize looked towards her, trying to figure out if the question was genuine. Redbeard had said her name a couple of times, she thought it would’ve been heard, but she supposed her name didn’t really sound like one.

“Capsize,” She said, disliking how hoarse her voice sounded to her own ear. She felt weak, she supposed she always would when before someone that was over a foot taller than her and had the strength to lift her brother in one hand. She should probably feel more scared than she currently was, but well she never quite felt as scared of things as she was meant to be. Though right now that was more due to a numbness that was ebbing away at her. “What’s yours?”

“My name?”

“Well, I mean, I need something to call you.”

“I…” The Beast felt shocked at even being asked, but worse she had no idea what to say. Her name was not something she used anymore, something that was not meant for a Beast. She had long since stopped responding to it, and those cursed alongside her had stopped trying to use it in turn. However, the names they used instead weren’t ideal to give either. It would be beyond rude to force her to use a title, and all of Tom’s various nicknames she only put up with because it was him. So, did she even really have an answer to give? “I don’t have one. Call me what you wish.”

The answer brought more silence. The Beast did not want to say more, worried that any more words would give away that she had technically lied. She did not want to be reminded of who she was, to be made to hear that name again. She didn’t deserve such a thing. Meanwhile Capsize was trying to consider if her hesitation was due to her lying or just because admitting such a thing was embarrassing. She supposed it did not matter, as even if it was the latter, she still did not feel much pity for one who clearly felt none for her. Still, she needed to figure out what to call her. The only thing she had referred to herself as was ‘the Mistress of the Castle’, and she absolutely was not going to call her Mistress. Even if she was a prisoner, she had more pride than that. Just calling her Beast felt like too much of an insult, even if it was an apt description and, frankly, she felt she deserved to be insulted. Maybe she should think about such a thing later, when her situation had fully sunk in.

Tom didn’t notice the reforming silence at first, too busy attempting to read the Beast’s expression to see if she really had forgotten. He obviously knew she didn’t like hearing her name, that none of them had used it in years, but he was sure she still knew what it was. Yet he did look at her face for confusion, just to check that she wasn’t so far gone that she had lost that part of herself. And the moment he was sure there was no such thing, he snapped back to realise quiet had once again descended. He almost sighed, but instead he just gestured for the Beast to continue talking.

“I… I hope you like this place. This is your home now so feel free to explore as you wish,” She said, Capsize perking up ever so slightly at her words. She almost chastised herself for it. She shouldn’t let herself be so easily excited in a situation as unfair as this, to allow her captor to possibly think that she was in the right. The Beast, however, slightly panicked at her immediate excitement as she remembered the space that could only result in horror if she entered. If she saw that, well, then whatever horrible monster she was thought of as would be cemented in her head. “Except the west wing!”

“Why? What’s in the west wing?” She asked, curious about the sudden correction.

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Then why can’t I go there?”

“It’s forbidden!” The Beast roared. Capsize shrank back from her position that she realised was far too confident. She needed to remember that this was a monster who had imprisoned her brother and now her, that she was very much powerless in this position. She couldn’t press her with such questions. The Beast regretted her harshness seeing the reaction, but how else was she meant to keep her away? If she explained what was there, it would just have the same effect as her wandering in there. She had to scare her away to keep her from wanting to explore that place. Little did she know, it hadn’t worked as Capsize made the mental note to find the place as soon as the Beast forgot her initial curiosity and was not watching her.

Thankfully, or at least both the women found it thankful, there was not much more time for conversation before they came to a door that the Beast opened, gesturing for her to enter. Perhaps, she shouldn’t have been shocked, but she was ever so slightly to find a guest room. Fancy and beautiful, but with the same lack of warmth she had felt about the rest of the place. Still, better by far than a literal cell, she could appreciate that much, but she couldn’t exactly feel happy as she entered. That was very much noticed by both of those watching her.

“If you need anything, my… servants will be happy to fulfil any request you might have,” The Beast quickly said in an attempt to make her feel more comfortable. She wasn’t sure how true that was. She wasn’t even sure it was right to call them servants given the various things they had been prior to being cursed, but what else was she meant to call them and not scare or confuse her? Whatever description she gave would not explain talking furniture. Capsize felt curious again, she hadn’t seen any other people when she was looking around nor had there been any sign of them, but she did not question this time. She wanted to be left alone without being yelled at again.

“Invite her to dinner,” The Beast had started to turn away when Tom whispered those words. He was sure it would be a good start. Sure, this might not be a one-night thing, but if they started working on them getting together tonight then the curse would be as good as broken in a couple of days!

“You will join me for dinner tonight,” She said it a little too harshly to be considered an invitation, a little too loud to just have been raising her voice to catch the attention of Capsize who had turned away. The Beast didn’t see anything wrong with this, it’s how she would’ve given an invitation to a dinner prior to her transformation. It was just that such a tone seemed less threatening, if just as rude, when coming from a human. Capsize turned in shock, though not from the aggressive tone but from the request itself. The words were far too similar to ones she had already heard once that day, the seeming expectation rather than request. Her mind was unsure if she was hearing her or him. All she knew is her entire being was sure she did not want to do anything that reminded her of that horrible moment again.

“No, I—”

“That wasn’t a request! Someone will be up to get you when it’s ready,” She slammed the door closed to avoid any more arguments, not understanding why the candelabra seemed less than happy.

“You’re terrible at this.”

“I only did what you said!”

Capsize was left very much alone. She barely made it to the bed before collapsing, numb beyond anything else. Tears fell freely as she had no reason to try and hold them back, nor the strength to do so if she did. What had she done wrong in her life to deserve this? Yes, she knew she had made a choice to remain here, and she would not go back on that decision even if she could, but that didn’t mean for a moment she thought she deserved to lose her freedom. She wondered if this was some sort of ironic punishment. All her complaints of the town, of her lack of ability to leave or be respected as a person. She had said she’d do anything to be rid of that place. Now, she was free from it but as a prisoner somewhere far worse.

Gods that made more tears spill. All her complaints and dislike of the town seemed petty. She’d give anything to go back to the dull life she was living yesterday, to wake up and have today just have been some terrible dream. Sure, she resented being stuck there and today had been the worst day by far, but at least there had been a chance of escape, to return to the place that it brought her joy. Now she was stuck in one place forever, with one who appeared to have much the same entitlement as Jordan towards her. She took a shaky breath in. Where were such thoughts going to get her? Hopeless and ready to give in and break? She could not think such things. She had experienced a sudden loss of freedom before, and if her life had been changed in such a way before, that meant it could happen again. She would, one day, be free again. This was not her fate.

Part of her already was free, the part that had always stayed with the ocean and her old life she craved for. The same part that remained with the brother that was satisfied knowing he was free. After all, no matter what was done to imprison her, her heart would remain free. So would keep her hopes, her dreams, they would not be crushed. No matter what this Beast tried, she would not break. This place was not going to be her home, it would not win her heart. Her heart could not be won by monstrous force, and if two people needed to learn that today then so be it.

Chapter Text

Jordan was not sulking. If there was one thing that he was certainly not doing it was sulking, because there was nothing to be sulking about. Sure, he was utterly humiliated by the woman he was meant to be marrying, and he didn’t want to see anyone because he was definitely going to be laughed at, but he was totally fine. He fired another arrow towards a target, hitting the bullseye as everyone before it had. At least one thing today was still working as it was meant to.

For once he was quite thankful for the fact that the training area was so private, as he didn’t want to see anyone right now, despite his normal desire for an audience. Even just the one pair of eyes on him right now was annoying him to no end.

“I’m not going anywhere, she humiliated me!” He said, not turning to look at Tucker who he knew was here trying to get him to leave the privacy of the training yard. Despite how he definitely wasn’t hiding or sulking, he still couldn’t believe it. She had rejected him. She rejected him! Threw him into the mud like he was some kind of animal. All that effort and she didn’t say yes. Who did she think she was embarrassing him like that? “I’m a disgrace, Tucker, mocked by the whole town!”

“Oh, come on, no one in this town would ever mock you,” Tucker said with absolutely no doubt in his mind that his words were true. While he wasn’t sure if Jordan was sullen, angry, or just embarrassed, he knew there was little reason for him to be. Sure, the proposal hadn’t gone great, but not a single person in this town was going to mock him for it. If anyone had anything to say about it, it was that Capsize was insane for rejecting him, and Capsize being strange wasn’t exactly a new conversation. Unfortunately, his attempts to persuade Jordan of this fact weren’t going anywhere. “You’re still the town’s hero, you just need to relax, have a few drinks, and remember that.”

“How will drinks help? I’ll still be the town’s laughingstock!” He said, notching another arrow and firing, the thump as it entered the target punctuating his annoyed tone. He’d been publicly rejected by the woman he was so clearly meant to be with, her stubbornness apparently knowing no bounds. How was he meant to show his face when he had failed to get the one girl he was interested in? He didn’t even understand where he was meant to go from here. He couldn’t back down, he said he was going to marry Capsize and he was, it was his destiny. He needed to continue his pursuits, making sure she does what Lady Ianite clearly wants just as much as himself, but he couldn’t let himself go through such an embarrassment again. “And what if we run into her? I don’t want to see her without a plan.”

“We won’t, she went on a walk out of town,” Tucker assured, deciding not to mention that running into her after such an event would’ve been incredibly unlikely anyway. She was hard to find at the best of times, which he was wondering now if that was an intentional avoidance as opposed to her simply being busy, there was little chance she’d be at any of the places he and Jordan frequent after today. He’d know that even if he hadn’t literally seen her walking out of town. Hearing his words did catch Jordan’s attention a little. If she was gone, he could easily spin the situation before she returned, making it far less embarrassing for him. That way no one would question his continued pursuit of her, see it as just a little bump in the road. Yes, this was the best news he could’ve gotten. He smiled, and Tucker did too, too happy at his friend showing any positive emotion to see the hints of malice in the expression. “I doubt she’ll go anywhere but home when she does head back to town. I mean, is there really any chance of her turning up at the tavern?”

“No, not with Redbeard out of town,” Jordan laughed, remembering the number of times the man had been dragged out while far too drunk by his sister. Even in those moments she still looked composed and beautiful, even when having to deal with that idiot. How the two siblings could be so close but so completely different was beyond him. It didn’t really matter anyway, he’d never have to worry about Redbeard again once he married Capsize, the man could very well act however he wanted. The fact that neither sibling would show up to remind him of the day’s failure got his mind settled. He could use some alcohol right now, not that he had sorrows to drown, it would just be easier to come up with what to do next when he felt more relaxed. He turned on his heel, with far too wide a smile for a supposedly heartbroken man. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Great!” Tucker said, happy enough that Jordan seemed to want to act more like himself that he didn’t say that, obviously, he had been waiting for him. On a better day he might point out such a thing to mildly poke fun at him, but not when he’d already had a rough day. Jordan barely waited for him, immediately striding for the exit, keeping his bow in hand and his quiver strapped to his back. If he was leaving, he wanted to do so quickly, before anyone could get the idea that he was hiding.

“Hurry up!” He called over his shoulder as he hopped the fence, right back to confidence and impatience. Tucker was barely a few steps behind, not that you’d be able to tell from the yelling. Jordan rolled his eyes as he jumped the fence a little more clumsily than he had.

The walk to the tavern was brisk, Jordan walking faster than he normally would. He wasn’t desperate to get there, but he was annoyingly cold. For once he wasn’t wearing his coat, as it was still covered in mud from Capsize shoving him into it. It better not be completely ruined, else he… well, she’d learn pretty quickly he was not the type of man you wanted to anger. Of course, he couldn’t do anything too rash, that’d ruin his chances of marriage, but he was sure there would be some way to teach her that. But, right now, he had other things to worry about.

“I swear to the gods, if anyone in there makes so much as a joke,” Jordan said with annoyance lacing his words. He didn’t want to hear anything of the sort, no matter how well natured they might claim to be. Frankly nothing about his crumbling future was funny. Tucker held back a laugh, knowing that would not be received well currently, but, well, sometimes it felt like he just didn’t know his own status in the town.

“No one’s going to make jokes, you’re like the main character of their lives,” He said, only half joking. Jordan grinned. That was the sort of thing he liked to hear. Obviously, he knew it was likely a bit of an exaggeration, but it still gave him enough of an ego boost for him to confidently throw open the doors of the tavern and stride inside.

Immediately there were eyes on him, something he was very used to and typically enjoyed. And it wasn’t as if he wasn’t enjoying it right now, but he was slightly on edge attempting to find any sign of laughter aimed towards him. He was ready to latch onto whoever tried and give them a lesson they wouldn’t forget, but it never came. That surprised him, had this happened to someone else, no one would’ve laughed harder than him. But not a single person made any noise even resembling laughter or a joke. Jordan smiled, maybe Tucker had a point.

“Next round is on me!” He shouted, met with cheers from the room. He had never felt so happy to hear that sound. How was his life this good? He obviously knew he was well-liked in the town, only a complete idiot would miss that, but he never really thought about how much that affected his life until this moment. Anyone else in town would have been left a laughingstock who had to hide themself in shame if they’d had someone react to a proposal like that, but not him. Gods, his life was great.

“See, I told you. They love you,” Tucker said, throwing an arm over his shoulder. If his words weren’t enough to let that sink in, his surroundings certainly were. There was an area set up by the fireplace for his exclusive use. Well, his and Tucker’s exclusive use as champions of the gods, but that was still a pretty exclusive club. Despite how in a time of relative peace and the gods barely being around the champions weren’t exactly doing great deeds of legends, he knew that he deserved his title. Clearly everyone else did too. And the area set up for them was nice, with three large armchairs and a low table, furniture that was arguably nicer than any of the other furniture in the place. Various hunting trophies of his decorated the place, which always gave Jordan a nice little ego boost to see.

“I suppose you can be right sometimes,” He said, his tone jovial enough, as the two sat down opposite each other. Drinks were hurried over to them, the staff not needing to take an order as they saw the two enough to know what they’d want and to know to make the drinks stronger considering the day Jordan had had. And Jordan began drinking almost immediately.

He was not drowning his sorrows. He didn’t have sorrows to drown as the whole thing was a fluke. It wasn’t as if Capsize wasn’t going to marry him, she just… didn’t want to. Admittedly that was a bit of a problem, but not nearly as big of one as the ego bruising that would happen if he needed to ask her again. He needed another way forward, for her to come around without being prompted a second time, but he had no idea how he would accomplish that. His frustration shone through as his grip on his glass was too tight, his brow furrowed.

“You know, I don’t think there’s a single guy in this town who wouldn’t want your life. Even today,” Tucker said, nursing his own drink. He genuinely meant that as, despite how they were both champions, there was something about Jordan that just drew people in. Everyone loved him, those who didn’t want to be with him instead wanted to be him. Even Tucker would admit, though not out loud and certainly not while still sober, that he himself could be jealous of all the attention the other man got. Of course, he’d never actually bring that up, it was an awful thing to think about a friend, especially when his life wasn’t bad. Just, gods, did Jordan’s seem great.

“Don’t exaggerate, no one would want to be me,” Jordan said, his tone not making it obvious that he was fishing for a compliment. It was a little subconscious as he was in a bad mood and getting an ego boost always cheered him up, but it was still fishing all the same. But seriously, who would want to be him right now? The only two Ianitees he had ever met, people sent here by the personal request of his Lady, and he’d utterly failed to win over the one that actually mattered. Sure, Redbeard liked him, but he was just a tag along and frankly there was no way that man had his Lady’s favour. It was Capsize alone that mattered. She was the one that was actually sent here, the one that his Lady so clearly wanted to meet him, but she was so needlessly stubborn about him trying to be with her. The whole situation was unbearable, he couldn’t understand how anyone could want to experience his life at this current moment. He downed the other half of his drink.

“Why wouldn’t someone? You’re the town’s hero!” Tucker raised his voice as he spoke, something noticed by Jordan, though he didn’t realise it was intentional. He wanted to get others to join in, to get him as distracted as possible from his problems by reminding him how great everyone thought he was. And he did successfully catch the attention of a few people.

“I’ve never seen a better shot than you with a bow! Think I could’ve trained my whole life and not be as good as you!” One man chimed in, lending on the back of the spare chair with his free drink in hand. He didn’t need to be bribed to compliment the town’s hero, but it certainly helped.

“Yeah, you must be the best hunter in this town’s history!” Another said, joined by a couple of cheers. Truly Jordan was a boon to the town. Obviously, he knew he was, but it never hurt to be reminded so he didn’t object.

“You’re the most handsome guy in town! I’d give anything for even a quarter of your looks.”

Similar statements were yelled through the tavern, anyone who could be heard was giving compliments to the man. The cheers and compliments filled the air of the tavern, all bringing a smile to Jordan’s face. Yes, while he may have had a bad day, he still had all his supporters. He could forget about his troubles for the night. And when he did need to figure out how to actually… persuade Capsize over to making the correct decision, well clearly, he’d have more than enough help to do so. After all, what was better to get someone listening to reason than a crowd?

🌹 🌹 🌹

Chapter Text

Capsize wasn’t sure how long she cried for before her tears ran out and she was just left numb. She should move. She should do something to distract herself from the terrible reality she was stuck in, but she couldn’t make herself do anything. What would possibly distract her from the fact that she was stuck as a prisoner of a Beast for the rest of her life? She doubted anything she could do would shift the numbness, but still, surely anything was better than continuing to just lie here. She couldn’t know until she actually tried. Sad moods had a way of trying to convince her that she should remain in them rather than at least trying to be productive. There was nothing she could lose from at least trying.

She sat up, trying to properly take in the room that was now hers. It felt wrong. Not in an obvious way, after all, it was beautiful, the type of fancy that she had only read about. She could not claim there was anything objectively bad or uncomfortable about the room and that made it all the worse. This place was nicer than anywhere she had ever been before, somewhere she could have only dreamed of seeing, but she could never leave. It was better than a cell, obviously she could admit that, but there was very little practical difference given the actual circumstances. She sighed, a deep shaky breath, this wasn’t helping.

Something else, some other distraction. She must have something to distract herself. The only things she had that were actually hers were the few things she’d put in her bag, a book and a handful of pain relief tinctures. Knowing she had the book, her book, was like a lifeline, the same escape she’d been clinging to for the past two years. Surely, it’d still work here.

She supposed in a less physical sense, she had her stubbornness. She could resist, and refuse, and in general be frustrating. Anything she could do to show that she had thoughts and feelings and wasn’t going to just give into whatever the Beast wanted. She had her doubts that would do much, she’d seen her effortlessly drag her brother away. There was no reason she couldn’t do the same to her, just drag her wherever she wanted her to be. But it was better to be dragged than to willingly give in. She’d been attempting to bite back and keep the peace for the past two years, and it had led to nothing but feeling awful. Like hell was she going to continue that when she was stuck here forever. She might’ve agreed to stay, but that didn’t mean she needed to be happy. Though she might need to be careful about her pushing, she didn’t want to catch the wrong side of the Beast’s anger.

A knock at the door put a slight waver in her heart. Had she been crying long enough that dinner was ready, and she was expected to go? Possibly, she certainly hadn’t been keeping track of time, but that meant she didn’t have any time to actually get ready. It didn’t really matter that she looked a mess, she wasn’t planning on going after all, but she’d hoped she would have some time to mentally prepare. Still, she rose to her feet, an argument forming on her lips that would go unused as what she saw on the other side of the door shocked her enough for any fierce words to die before they escaped.

The Beast was not on the other side of the door, not that she thought she would be as the knock had been soft, but there also weren't any people standing before her. Instead, she was faced with an oddity. Outside the door was a tea cart that upon which, alongside a beautifully crafted tea set, sat a snuff box, a flowerpot, and a feather duster. Most days such a thing would merely be out of place objects, nothing to even give a second thought to, but all three had faces. Faces almost certainly too detailed to be crafted or designed. Even before she saw them move, she was acutely aware that she wasn’t just looking at objects, but that didn’t stop her from taking a stumbling step back, needing to steady herself with her cane, when they did as she realised her life was just getting stranger.

“What— who are--?” She stumbled out, confusion flooding her mind.

“Mot Screziato. I hope we’re not interrupting. I thought… well, I thought you’d like a stronger drink, but it was a lot easier to convince everyone on the tea,” The snuffbox said as the tea cart moved into the room as if someone was pushing it despite that clearly not being the case. He spoke not quite with a laugh, though he did try and bring some brevity that he was sure she needed. Capsize… well, she managed to keep her shock at seeing talking furniture mostly internal. She knew it was impossible, the sort of thing that even if it was possible in theory, the amount of magic you’d need to use and understand and keep supplying would make it a ridiculous project to actually complete. However, she was seeing it with her own eyes. And given the rest of her day, was this really worth more than mild shock?

“Oh, er, tea is… tea is fine,” She tried to push through, to just talk as if she was talking to a person. However, her confusion still came through in her tone. She was too emotionally drained to actually hide it. She had no idea how she was meant to react to talking objects other than just pretending this was normal, which her brain wasn’t really catching up to. She ended up sat on the edge of the bed, attempting to process the sheer number of oddities she had experienced, the odd enchanted place she was now apparently living in. The furniture looked between themselves as her reaction, as subdued as it was, made it clear she wasn’t doing great. That probably should’ve been obvious, was there really a chance of her being okay? But they’d had a little hope that she would’ve actually been told about the fact there was talking furniture. Meanwhile, Capsize was wondering, and half worrying, how much of the furniture might be alive. She didn’t quite like the idea that anything could be alive, but it wasn’t as if she could do anything about that possibility, so she tried to push it out of mind and just continue as if everything was fine. “I’m Capsize, who are you… two?”

“Oh Andor. Andor Conway.”

“Alyssa Screziato, and don’t worry, most of the stuff in this place isn’t alive. Most of us don’t shut up so you don’t need to worry about the regular furniture suddenly coming to life,” The flowerpot spoke in a matter-of-fact way, answering a question she hadn’t yet asked while leaving her with just more questions. Though she didn’t think it was the best idea to ask any of her new questions out loud. Primarily how a snuff box and a flowerpot could be related, as the concept didn’t seem to be something you’d want objects that could possibly be broken to comprehend, but that question was honestly just a smaller part of how the situation was itching at her brain.

Why did the snuff box sound older than the others, who frankly sounded younger than herself. It didn’t make any sense, why would they have age? Most annoyingly, part of her brain was telling her she had heard the name Conway before. She couldn’t recall where, and she was quite sure it couldn’t be related to her current situation. Yet despite that, the itch in her mind was annoying, she so badly wanted to itch it to come up with some connection. Maybe it was just her mind’s way of attempting to soften the situation, by thinking of something normal that she could focus on instead. Again, her silence was noticed.

“Are you from the town? I don’t think I—you don’t seem like someone from there,” Andor said, attempting to fill the silence, and barely managing to correct himself before saying something he couldn’t take back. He’d heard the lecture his aunt had given them all, making sure none of them would mention the curse to the woman. He understood the vague point, if she learned everything then actual love wouldn’t be able to form., it’d be an obligation. But it was a little hard to remember to not even allude to them once being human. Luckily, Capsize wasn’t quite in the headspace to acknowledge the odd way he had phrased the sentence.

“I’m not originally from there. Moved there two years ago after getting injured, recovery just ended up being a much slower process than expected,” She tried to not sound resentful of the place or the situation, as much as she almost wanted to laugh that he seemed to know instantly that she didn’t fit in there. Of course, the fact that the furniture seemed to know of the town was curious, as they certainly couldn’t have travelled there themselves. Maybe other townsfolk had come this way? Though somehow, she doubted this place had many visitors. Maybe there were more mysteries here to keep her busy than she had expected. “I never fit in there, always just waiting to be able to leave. I guess I finally got that.”

“Well, this place isn’t so bad…”

“Yeah, if you ignore Beasty then there’s loads of cool stuff,” Alyssa interrupted, ignoring the stern look of exasperation her dad gave her. Of course, she understood why he was annoyed. They were meant to be pushing them together so romance could blossom, or whatever Tom was going on about, so they could break the curse. It was just that she didn’t have much good to say about the Beast. She had never cared about anything but magic when she’d still been human, and then she’d gotten them all cursed. Was she meant to say she had positives?

“I’m sure that’s true, but I’m not sure I feel much like exploring right now. I…” She hesitated. It felt odd to admit any of this, that she felt so unlike herself. She’d doubted herself a lot since her injury. The way people spoke when they didn’t care if she could hear them made her question herself so much. She wanted to explore, she desperately wanted to, but she wondered if that would even make her feel better. She sighed, unable to know how much of said thoughts were just from the sheer emotional drain she had experienced tonight. “I don’t think anything is going to replace what I gave up.”

She almost immediately felt guilty about her words. They were being kind, there was no reason for her to be telling them her worst thoughts. She reached for a teacup, somehow hoping making tea would make her thoughts quiet. The younger two quieted, as they were a little unsure if they’d made the situation worse, but Mot didn’t.

“Everyone here, we all think you’re beyond brave for agreeing to stay,” He said, trying to be cautious. He couldn’t quite believe when he was told what had happened, that she had exchanged her own freedom for her brother’s. He understood, of course. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do to keep Alyssa safe, to keep Tom and the Beast who he’d watched grow up safe. But that didn’t mean it would be easy, and he couldn’t imagine how terrible she must feel at the current moment. She looked at him, wishing that she could feel brave.

“I’ve lost everything. My whole life, everything I’ve ever dreamed of, just gone.”

“Hey,” He spoke again, softly but more just trying to not sound gruff. This woman, she wasn’t a child, but she was around the age that the Beast and Tom would be if they were still human. So, far too young to be lamenting lost dreams, however true it might seem to her. Though it was perhaps ironic that there were other people in this castle that had similar thoughts, and no one had such thoughts more than the very person who had put her into this situation. He decided not to mention that. It was best to make her comfortable just being here. He would worry about curse breaking, or matchmaking as Tom put it, later. “This place, it's… not any of our first choices, but there’s joy here, if you look hard enough.”

“I… I hope that’s true,” Capsize tried to sound like she actually believed it could be. Could she really find anything even resembling happiness here? She doubted it. She was a prisoner. What joy could she find in a place she wasn’t allowed to leave? But, also, this was the first time in over two years someone other than her brother had acknowledged that she might be unhappy. That was enough for a small smile to appear on her face, and Mot felt a slight bit of relief. Even the mildest hope was better than the alternative. This castle didn’t need another listless person.

“I’m sure it will be. You’re a survivor, I can tell,” He saw something in her eyes, beyond the numbness there was spirit. And perhaps that’s exactly what this place needed. He had been in this castle for a long time, working here since the Beast had been a child, long before the curse. And he knew that back then, before the curse, she wouldn’t have been welcomed here. Back when she was human, she would’ve been too lost in her research to consider anyone without magical powers or knowledge, and maybe that’s why, as much as he hated to think Tom might be onto something, she might be the exact person who could break the curse. To at least bring out whatever hope there was hidden in this place. But, of course, that wouldn’t happen all at once, and she unfortunately had something else to do tonight. “We’ll leave you to get ready for dinner.”

“Oh right…” Capsize tried to not sound obvious that she had no plan to actually attend that dinner, not wanting to get anyone in trouble or, worse, anyone trying to talk her into it. While the three noticed her low energy, it wasn’t unexpected. It seemed unlikely for her to be anything else, but the Beast wanted a dinner so there wasn’t going to be any talking her out of it. Capsize watched as they hopped off the tea cart, or rather as two of them did as Alyssa reminded atop. She assumed for a moment that the flowerpot simply didn’t want to jump off, seeing that she was more breakable than the others. However, as she stood, intending to help the girl down, she spoke before she could.

“I’ll catch up, Dad,” She said, hoping not to be questioned. A hope snuffed instantly when he gave her that look, the one she could still picture on his human face from whenever she was about to avoid responsibilities with Tom.

“It’s late Alyssa,” He said, though he was actually more concerned about what she was planning to do while staying behind. He loved his daughter, but he knew she was a troublemaker, and he could tell just from her tone of voice that she was planning something.

“Yeah, I won’t be long,” She said, not wanting to disappoint him, but also not wanting to leave before she’d done one more thing. His eyes felt like they were piercing through her.

“Okay, just please stay out of trouble,” He said, his tone clear to her that he actually meant for her to stay out of the way of the Beast whenever she was done. He didn’t think she’d do anything to her, but he somehow doubted that whatever she wanted to do was going to make her happy. Still, he couldn’t force her to come along. So, feeling more than a little uneasy, he left.

Capsize watched this quietly, curiously. The conversation felt normal, something she could watch anywhere if it were not between two objects. Though, of course, she felt like there were things being unsaid, wasn’t there always between family members? She decided not to linger on that thought, else she’d make herself sad again. And instead, as she was left alone with her, she turned to the flowerpot, attempting to smile and act normal.

“I’m afraid I’m not going to be great company, lass,” She said, attempting to cover the fact that she was about to barricade herself in this room. As much as she appreciated any company that wasn’t automatically treating her as strange, even if that company happened to be sentient furniture, she didn’t want to lock anyone in here with her, especially since she had no idea what kind of mess it was going to turn into.

“Oh, that’s fine, I didn’t wanna stick around for long. I just thought you might want to know that there’s an enchanted key in the door. When you lock the door with it, other magic can’t break through and open it,” She said, hopping down from the cart without a second thought. She knew that Capsize wasn’t planning on attending the dinner, who would be in her position? And well, if she was going to skip it anyway, she might as well give her a way to do it safely. Maybe it wouldn’t be what her Dad wanted, or even the best thing for the objective of breaking the curse, but it was definitely better than watching their only chance fade anyway because the Beast decided to drag her through the halls rather than actually thinking.

“I… Thank you,” Capsize didn’t have much else to say to her as she hopped out the door. She was just thankful that she would be given any information that could keep the Beast away from her. Alyssa stopped briefly at the door, looking up at the new person with a smile.

“No problem, just don’t tell my dad I told you.”

And with that, Capsize was once again alone. However, this time as she closed the door, she noticed the key that she had missed originally. She turned it, for the first time just how enchanted this place was becoming clear and sticking in her mind as a small glyph glowed on the door handle as the lock clicked. It wasn’t just the large showy magic, it seemed everything in this place was enchanted. She smiled a little, maybe there would be joy in exploring this place, even more than she had expected. First, though, she needed to survive tonight. She took a breath. Okay, Captain, time to actually face a challenge head on for the first time in forever.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Downstairs, a good hour or so later, the Beast paced in front of a lit fireplace, anxiety riddled as the minutes drew on. To call it pacing was underselling as she moved on all fours, more animalistic than human. Certainly not the sort of movement you’d expect from a princess. It was the absolute lack of refinement that was concerning the candelabra and snuff box watching her. How were they meant to make this work?

Both were attempting to figure out something different, even if they had the same end goal. Obviously, some kind of romance needed to be started, it had to be if the curse was to be broken, but both had a very different idea of said process in mind. Tom was, well, optimistic. To him romance was a quick affair, something he could prompt and craft in a few days if only the Beast would follow his advice properly. Mot, however, was a little more realistic. He was hopeful, he had to be, but he knew this wasn’t going to be quick. To get anyone to fall in love was a slow task. He couldn’t imagine how hard a task this was going to be when one felt as though she had lost everything and the other was the cause of those feelings. Frankly, he wasn’t sure this dinner was even a good idea, but he knew suggesting that they postpone or cancel it was just going to fall on deaf ears.

“Where is she? Why is she taking so long?” The Beast growled. It objectively hadn’t been all that long since Martha had been sent to retrieve the wo—Capsize, but it was long enough for her to feel antsy about the lack of her return. Surely, she had had plenty of time to get ready, there was no reason she should be taking so long. It was taking all her concentration to not just tear apart the floor and she prowl-paced as her anxiety bubbled into an amping frustration.

“I think I’ve already told you to be patient,” Mot said, his softness from when he was talking to Capsize not present here. He was trying to keep his own patience, something he’d thought would be easier with how long he had known the Beast, but that actually just made him all the more frustrated. He knew that she could be better than this, if she ever tried. She looked at him with a glare. She was being patient. She’d already been more than patient. Her point was that she shouldn’t be kept waiting in the first place.

“Maybe her not being here is a good thing, we can make you a bit more presentable before she gets here,” Tom said. He was sure he could get a romance going, but he needed Fluffles to look as nice as she currently could when taking into consideration the whole curse thing. He wasn’t asking for perfection, just not a prowling animal. Looking at her right now, it was like she wasn’t even considering what was at stake here. The Beast wanted to bat him. ‘Look presentable’, was he being serious? She was already doing this on his advice, now he was asking for the impossible. She was never going to look presentable, why would he even suggest that? So, she glared at him too, and Tom glared right back. “Don’t look at me like that! You’ve realised right, that she could be the one to break the curse, right?”

“Obviously! I’m not stupid!” She growled. Of course, she knew that this was perhaps her only chance to break the curse. With how little time seemed to be left, there wouldn’t be another person. Even if there was, what chance was there of anyone else who didn’t immediately look at her like a terrible monster? Though she’d already ruined that, she was sure. “I’m trying, alright.”

“Well, try a little harder. Stand on two feet, maybe smile, definitely stop growling,” He wasn’t in the mood for her self-sabotaging especially when it was also going to affect him. She wrinkled her nose, huffing as she stood properly, towering at her full height. She didn’t smile, though she stopped scowling. She didn’t see any reason to go through effort for something so unlikely, and she felt weird standing. It felt like pretending everything was still normal when it never would be again. Tom, however, did smile. She was already looking less like an animal about to strike. “See, easy enough. Look, you get this done, and keep acting like a normal person for a few days and we’ll have the curse all broken and you won’t be pretending anymore!”

“Maybe we could look at this with a little bit of realism,” Mot cut through Tom’s words, more than a little frustrated at how fast a process he seemed to believe falling in love was. He couldn’t argue against his initiative, he certainly was glad for his focus on breaking the curse in the way that it was actually meant to be broken, but assuming it could be done so quickly was just setting up for disappointment and failure. Everyone needed to accept this was going to be a slow process. “Love takes time, this isn’t simple flirting that’ll be over in one night.”

“But we need it to be quick, the rose is already wilting,” Tom said, his words making the already anxious atmosphere worse. They only had a limited amount of time left to get this done, exactly how much was completely unknowable. But now, after years petals had begun to actually fall from the flower. Slow romance wasn’t exactly a welcoming idea given the circumstances. Mot didn’t have an argument, instead just sighing, as he fully understood the rush even if he was sure it wouldn’t work. Meanwhile, the Beast slumped. How long did she have left to accomplish an impossible task? How long until she had doomed everyone over one decision? She looked away from the two cursed men in a wave of shame, regretting that action as she caught a brief sight of herself in a polished trinket on the mantelpiece.

“What’s the point? Why would she ever fall for me?” She couldn’t draw her eye away from the slightly distorted reflection. The face that wasn’t hers, that wasn’t human, staring back at her. “She’s so beautiful and I’m…”

“Hey now,” Mot spoke softly once again, approaching her carefully. How many destroyed mirrors had he come across since this had begun? Her anger had long since turned to despondence, but that was all the more reason to be careful. The curse had affected them all, but it was her curse, she was the only one who could fix it and that fact, well, it was not an easy burden to bear. She didn’t understand how they didn’t all hate her. How any of them spoke to her without disgust. They should hate her, though as she turned towards the concerned snuff box slowly approaching her, she still desperately hoped he didn’t. “You need to make her see past appearances. Is all your interest in her simply because of her looks?”

“No, but—”

“Then make sure hers isn’t.”

“Yeah, charm her! Turn on that obsessive passion you’ve always had!” Tom interjected. If she could turn that part of herself back on, it would be impossible to not see her as a person despite appearances.

“But be gentle. She’s lost a lot today.”

“Yeah, yeah. Gentle, and careful, but compliment her. Make her feel special,” Tom hopped forward, gesturing with his candles to help himself think. Fine, maybe Mot had a point, and this wouldn’t be wrapped up as quickly as he would like, but he still knew romance. He was sure they could make good progress tonight.

“Sure, listen to Tom. Just don’t expect this to be quick,” Mot said, knowing none of the advice was bad, just possibly not what Capsize would be in the mood for. He did truly worry about the woman, his meeting with her had not convinced him that she was at all ready for any kind of courtship. He worried that if they pushed too hard, she might completely close off, which they really couldn’t afford. As selfish as that thought was. However, it was that fear that led him onto his next statement, perhaps the most important one he could think of. “Just whatever happens, no matter how frustrated you get, you need to keep your temper under control.”

“I don’t have a temper,” She huffed. She looked towards Tom for support only for him to avoid her eyes. He unfortunately couldn’t give her the comfort she wanted as, well, she did have a temper. Her frustrations had been bad before the curse, now they were amplified by her current form and not a pretty sight. She hadn’t exactly been gentle with the ‘invitation’ to dinner. The Beast huffed again. She knew how to talk to people.

A shift of the door got her standing straight as she panicked for the first time in years over her appearance. Gods, Tom’s words had actually gotten to her. Why did she think she could do this? Her panic grew to a unbelieve height only to immediately flatten and subside as only Martha entered the room, the clock a little too nervous. Seeing the lack of Capsize, she let out a low growl, just causing Martha more panic.

“Where is she?”

“Oh, well, interesting story. She, erm, she’s not coming,” She, though stuttering through her words, spoke in such a way that the Beast almost didn’t catch what had actually been said. A few moments later, it was fully processed, and a flash of rage manifested.

“WHAT?!”

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It was barely a minute after the Beast received the message that she stormed upstairs and began slamming her fist against the door. None of the furniture managed to keep pace, meaning there was no one to stop her before she started yelling.

“I told you to come to dinner!” She yelled through the door as she failed to get it open. It was only after a little more fumbling with the handle that she realised it was quite firmly locked.

“I never agreed to that!” Capsize yelled back, the Beast only getting more annoyed at those words, a growl escaping without even a thought. Why did it matter if she had agreed? She’d been invited, she was meant to turn up. She attempted to force the door open with magic, only remembering why that wasn’t going to work when the spell failed. Why had she made those keys? “I’m not coming unless you break down the door and drag me!”

“You think I won’t do that?” She slammed her fist a few more times against the wood. Who did she think she was? She was meant to come to dinner. Was that hard to do? Well, if she wanted to be dragged then she’d happily oblige. She raised her paw, claws extended, ready to give the woman exactly what she wanted. Luckily for any future chances with her that she had, it was at this point before she could actually damage the door that the three who had been hurriedly following her rounded the corner.

“You stop right now and calm down!” Martha yelled as she saw that scene, that she seemed to actually be about to break the door down. The Beast froze. At first, just because it had been years since Martha had spoken to her in such a harsh tone, but then as she stood frozen as it dawned on her what she was about to do. She shrank back. It wasn’t fair. The woman was being beyond frustrating, but she was the one getting looks like she was terrible.

“She isn’t listening! What am I meant to do?” She desperately whispered, looking towards them for guidance. How was she meant to get her to fall in love? How was she even meant to get her out of the room?

“Just be nice, charm her. Surely you have some idea of how you’d want someone to charm you,” Tom tried, hoping that would give her some ideas beyond yelling. However, instead, she just looked more lost. She did have ideas of what she wanted, that was why the woman was still here, because she’d spoken to her as if she was a person and not a terrible monster to be cowered away from, but that didn’t translate. She was a normal person, being talked to like that wasn’t going to be something she desired. She needed to somehow be charming, which she had no idea how to do. She looked towards Mot, hoping for anything more substantial.

“Be gentle, ask her calmly,” He said. He was sure that she could do this, that she could be gentle and patient if she just tried. However, she still hesitated. Could she be gentle? Her paw shook slightly as she knocked on the door, scared it would still sound like slamming no matter how careful her movement was.

“Will you come to dinner?” She asked at a normal volume. She had no idea if her voice was even heard on the other side of the door. The silence as she waited for a response was agony. Had she been gentle enough? Polite enough?

“I’m not hungry!” Capsize called back. The Beast just about managed to keep her frustrations kept within. Why was she putting in so much enough for absolutely nothing in return? She looked towards the furniture, gesturing at the door in frustration. Martha hopped forward, assuming she might regret the words she was about to say but needing to suggest anyway.

“You could try saying please,” She expected the annoyed glare she received, but it was her only genuine idea to persuade the woman. From the way Tom had described her argument with the Beast, she wasn’t about to be persuaded by force. And her brother had called himself a merchant, that meant they were just normal, or rather not nobles. So, noble expectations weren’t going to work, so that left the one option. Of course, she was glared at as if she had told her to grovel and beg, but she expected little else from her. It was her best suggestion, and she could take it or leave it.

“I would be honoured if you would please come down to dinner,” She felt like she was just embarrassing herself at this point.

“No thank you,” Her response was quick, and her voice was calm. Which was enough to push her frustrations over the edge.

“You can’t stay in there forever!” The Beast yelled, ignoring the reactions of those watching her. If she didn’t want to be yelled at, she should stop being so stubborn. She had a nice room, free access to nearly all of the castle. It wasn’t as if she was locked in a cell so why couldn’t she do this one thing? On the other side of the door, there was a short, sharp laugh.

“Oh, I most certainly can!” She spoke with far too much confidence and too little respect. It was as if she was completely sure of the outcome, as if she had no fear of the Beast on the other side of the door. In most circumstances her having no fear would be exactly what they wanted, but this was distinctly the opposite of romance. Worse, the Beast once again slammed a fist against the door. “You think that’ll persuade me? I’m not coming to dinner!”

“You either eat with me or you don’t eat at all!”

“Completely fine with me!”

“Then starve!” The Beast roared. Her speech was almost too animalistic to be understood.

She stormed off towards the west wing, reverting quickly back to being on all fours as she no longer cared about any of the advice given. As the far too loud sounds of her retreat vanished into the depths of the castle, Martha sighed as if she had witnessed a teenager in a huff rather than what had actually occurred.

“Well, she’s certainly stubborn,” She said quietly, nodding towards the door. She’d frankly run out of comments on the attitude of the Beast, that’d happened around the time the curse had originally been cast. However, there was plenty of time for her to make them about the new girl. It was quite clear now what Tom had meant by her being a match for the Beast as she definitely left an impression.

“She’s spirited! Which is exactly what we need,” Tom knew this hadn’t gone exactly to plan, or at all to it, but she wasn’t scared. Well, maybe she was, he couldn’t exactly see her face, but if she was scared then her fear had a bite to it. They were going to have to work on the two interacting, but he could figure that out. Martha looked less than entertained.

“She’s certainly something,” Martha said, unsure why he seemed impressed. Well, she did. Tom was always a troublemaker, of course he’d be happy that another one had turned up. No, she couldn’t blame the girl for lashing out, obviously she couldn’t. She was mostly just frustrated that the task of sneaking her food was definitely going to fall onto her. Thinking of food, there was a full dinner that wasn’t going to be eaten and needed to be tidied away. She sighed. “I’m going to clean up the mess downstairs. Can one of you just keep an eye out in case she comes out?”

“Of course! I’ll watch all night!” Tom said, his tone confident. She wasn’t sure if he’d actually make it that long, but at this point she was tired. So, Martha took him at his word, and went off to clean up. As she left, Mot turned towards Tom.

“I assume you have a plan.”

“Obviously, but I need to wait for her to come out of her own accord,” He said with a shrug that didn’t at all persuade Mot that this plan was relaxed.

“Look, please, just promise me you’re not going to push her immediately towards romance,” Mot said, and Tom pouted. He didn’t want to be slow, he wanted to be a handsome champion of a god again. But he also knew that, unfortunately, the older man had a point. He needed to be clever.

“Yeah, I get it,” He said, a new plan forming in his head. If she needed to feel comfortable before romance could start, then he’d make sure she felt more at home here than she’d felt anywhere in her life.

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The Beast stormed into her den, frustrations flowing through her body as she threw an already splintered piece of furniture and watched it shatter against the wall. The wood breaking apart gave her momentary satisfaction before it just made her feel empty. Here she was, surrounded by broken furniture and once treasured relics that had now fallen into disrepair. This place, it had once been her study and now it was a museum to her failures. The damn rose was at the centre of it all, glowing and floating as it always had. Why couldn’t she figure out another way to break the curse? Why did she have no choice but to watch as the goddess’ ‘gift’ began to wilt signalling her approaching failure?

“What the hell am I meant to do?” She muttered. The woman was beyond stubborn. It seemed nothing short of begging was going to get her attention, and she wasn’t that desperate. Maybe she should be, but she wasn’t.

“You could try not waking me up for a start,” A voice behind her huffed. She turned in embarrassment to see the floating robe. Of course, someone had been around to see her outburst, that was just the sort of day this was.

Waglington was an oddity among the cursed residents of the castle, his form apparently being a hooded robe that lacked a face or any of the clearly human features of the other furniture. The Beast suspected this was because he wasn’t actually the robe at all, but rather some smaller object. She suspected that he’d put himself into the pocket of a robe and he was just using whatever magic he still had to make the robe move. She had absolutely no proof of that, but she thought it seemed like something he would do. After all, he still looked almost like himself this way.

“Why are you here, Wag?” She questioned, just tired at this point. She didn’t even have the energy to yell. Not that she wanted to yell, but she was absolutely not in the mood for company. Wag shrugged, or more flopped as the fabric was loose as any clothes were when not worn. Though he floated at the robe’s full height, none of his actions had much physical weight to them.

“Same thing as always,” He said, not needing to say that he’d been attempting to figure out another way to break the curse. It was pointless. The Beast herself had long since given up on the idea, all her research amounting to nothing when going against the power of a goddess. She supposed that was probably the point, her obsession with magic was part of what she was being punished for, but he kept on trying. She couldn’t exactly tell him to stop without admitting that she’d completely given up, but she didn’t bother asking if he’d made any progress. She already knew the answer and didn’t need it to hear about more failures.

She trudged into the corner where a mess of blankets formed a pile she’d been using as a sleeping area. As she slumped down, she grabbed an ornate hand mirror from an intact table she kept within arm’s reach, considering if she should actually use it. The robe floated over.

“I’m guessing dinner didn’t go as planned,” There was just a touch too much humour in his tone for her current mood.

“She’s the most stubborn, frustrating—” The start of her venting was cut off by his laughter. She looked up at him, glaring. “It’s not funny! She’s my only chance to fix this!”

“I know, I know. It’s just, well, I’ve heard this exact list of complaints before. Once upon a time, Martha was complaining about a stubborn, frustrating young princess. I wonder who that was about,” He said, and for once she was glad, he didn’t have eyes because she didn’t want to feel a stare like that boring into her. She wanted to bite back that this was completely different, but she couldn’t. She was completely silent until he floated out of the door.

She slumped into her fabric nest. She wasn’t like the woman. She had a reason to be like this, a curse that it seemed like she had no chance of breaking. How could anyone’s frustrations possibly compare to her own? It was a ridiculous idea to even suggest. Even if she’d caused her pain, if the look and question earlier asked by here were still bothering her.

‘What kind of a monster are you?’

That question, one that could’ve been asked with disgust and triggered so much rage within her, hadn’t left her mind. Because that was not how it was said. It had been said in anger, yes, but very much how someone would talk to a person, to someone who could be better. And that made it all the worse. Why did she have to find the woman so… different? Different from anyone she had ever encountered before. Why her? Why someone who was never going to want to get to know her after what she’d done? Why now when she looked like this? Why when she had become a creature that no one could love?

She drew the mirror close to herself, cringing at her own appearance as she was forced to look at it. A horrific mishmash of different creatures, no description for it, for herself, except for just a beast. And to ever see the outside world, to just watch without being able to interact, she had to look at herself. She shook, squeezing her eyes shut and holding the mirror close.

“Show me… the woman,” She couldn’t bring herself to say her name. Saying it would make everything different, admit there was a part of herself that wanted a connection she wasn’t going to achieve. She kept her eyes closed until she felt the magic working, until she knew she would not need to face herself again. Anything the woman could possibly be doing, any anger she could possibly be expressing would be easier to see than her current appearance. Yet the sight was not what she expected.

She had expected anger, maybe some confident look on her as she muttered to herself about never giving the Beast a single chance, but that was not the state the woman was in. She sat on the edge of the bed, the only expression on her face was exhaustion. She was gripping the man’s coat in her hand, clinging to it as if her life depended on it. She shouldn’t be seeing this. This felt worse than anger.

“Please, Ianite,” Hearing that name froze her in place. Why? Why did she have to be praying to the goddess? Why the one that left her like this? She almost shoved the mirror away instantly, as if that would make her forget what she heard, but she didn’t. She kept listening. “Please just tell me what I did wrong. What I did to deserve this.”

She stopped the magic before she could hear anymore, feeling nothing but shame for even listening beyond the first two words. She had no idea why she had gotten her hopes up. She was never going to be seen as anything other than a monster. One careless, terrible decision and she’d doomed everyone. The only way to fix any of it, to earn any forgiveness, was an impossible task that seemed to exist just to mock her.

And she wanted to be able to insist that she just wanted to break the curse. That she had just allowed the woman to stay because she was a means to an end. But that wouldn’t be true. There was something she found so deeply interesting about the woman, something that she did want to get to know. Something that stopped her from getting angry when she heard her say the name of the one who’d doomed everyone in this castle to the worst of fates. But it didn’t matter. She was never going to be seen as anything but the monster who had imprisoned her so why even try?

“What did any of us do to deserve this?”

Neither woman would receive an answer, just the everlasting silence that led to more desperate questioning.

Chapter Text

Tom had to hand it to the new girl, when she said she could stay in a room forever, she might actually mean it. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, it had only been a few hours after all, but that was more than enough time for Tom to regret volunteering to keep watch. A few hours were far longer than he thought he’d have to wait for her to emerge. He’d never been the best at waiting around, and the years of having literally nothing to do haven’t exactly made him better. So maybe he had decided to wander off briefly, just to do something other than endlessly waiting. He couldn’t have been gone for more than a few minutes.

The problem came when he returned to find the door to the room open. That by itself would’ve been a good thing, but the room was also empty, their new guest nowhere to be seen. And that was more than enough to make him panic. Of course, she’d wandered off the moment he wasn’t looking, that was just his luck. If he didn’t find her, he’d get more than an earful from Martha, which sounded less than appealing after spending most of the last day experiencing one of her lectures. However, he didn’t actually know where the woman could’ve gone, though at the very least he was sure she couldn’t have gone far. So, after her he tried to go.

The corridors of the castle were far too familiar to him after all this time. They’d already been familiar before the curse had begun, and now being unable to leave the place, they’d almost become maddening. They weren’t quite the same as they had been before the curse, everything seemed darker and just more stretching, though perhaps that was the fact he was so much smaller than he was before. It was confusing, the layout hadn’t changed, but everything felt distinctly different. However, the oddness of the effect of the curse on the building itself wasn’t important right now, finding the girl was. Thankfully, he knew the only place she’d logically be heading. He just had to hope he got to the entrance hall before she left, presuming she had headed in that direction, because if not he had actually lost her.

Now, he didn’t know the girl personally, a fact that he was mostly glad for, but it did mean that he didn’t have a lot of guesses for what she might be interested in finding, except for the obvious guess of her trying to find food. Of course, she had no reason to actually know where the food was, but he assumed heading downstairs would be her first guess. He didn’t like basing it all on guessing, but he really did need to find her. If she tried doing something that would get Fluffles attention, like exploring the West Wing or leaving the grounds, well then there was no way she’d keep her temper under control. He didn’t think there’d be any plan he could come up with to get them to like each other if there was another blow up like earlier. So, he needed to find her and show her the sort of welcome that would make her feel like the guest that she was.

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Capsize looked around the darkened corridors, wishing she could rid herself of the lingering nerves as they were kind of dampening her spirit of exploration. Of course, maybe caution was not the worst thing to feel when exploring a magical castle with an angry beast possibly lurking around any corner, but she didn’t want to be cautious. She wanted to feel like herself, to feel brave and not like she was cowering. Though today had been the first time she had felt like herself in quite a while, or at least like she wasn’t being constantly judged for being herself. That thought made a smile play on her face. It almost felt ridiculous. She had been so scared and exhausted, and, if she was being honest, she still was, but she hadn’t bitten back what she wanted to say. Gods, despite everything, that was refreshing.

She couldn’t stop looking at her current surroundings, attempting to find hidden details she was sure were there. The first time she’d been on the stairs, she’d been far too worried to properly take in any of it. She hadn’t known at the time that she was somewhere enchanted, nor would she have been able to guess just by looking around. It was odd, this place had rune enchantments, she had seen it herself, but they weren’t physically carved. It was rather as if they reacted to presences, only appearing when needed. Or at least she didn’t understand them enough to come up with another explanation.

However, despite not understanding how exactly the place was hiding its enchantments, she still found herself examining the details of the place. This place, even with the dust and surface damage, was by far the richest she had ever been in. It was intriguing. This place had the appearance of a royal castle, one in some disrepair, yes, but it didn’t feel like it had been abandoned at any point. Nothing was crumbling or cracked, at least not by her eye. It more gave the appearance that there was merely no reason to clean.

So why didn’t this place exist, neither in her memory or on maps? It couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere, so why hadn’t she had any idea of its existence until today? Now, that was a question she couldn’t get out of her head. That gave her an answer to find.

Surely, somewhere in this place, there was an answer as to why it was so hidden. And she supposed that even if there wasn’t, she’d find something while exploring that would catch her interest. Even if she was stuck here, this was still somewhere new, somewhere she hadn’t completely memorised. That by itself was exciting. Though she paused as she descended the stairs and found herself staring at the grand doors that made up the front entrance. What was stopping her from leaving right now?

Obviously, there wasn’t anything stopping her from going outside. She’d been told she was free to explore the grounds, but what about beyond that? She took a few cautious steps towards the doors, there had to be something right? Some enchantment that would stop her from riding out the gate. It couldn’t just be her own promise. Of course, she wasn’t just going to leave, even if it was possible. She’d given her word, and she did mean it. Red’s life had been spared and she wasn’t about to go back on her promise. She couldn’t. She wasn’t a liar, wasn’t the person to go back on a deal. Even if she really should. Even if it might be the easiest thing in the world. She sighed, stopping her approach towards the doors. Why was she like this?

“Ah, Miss! There you are!” A loud voice from the top of the stairs pulled her attention back where she had come from. She saw a small flame at the top of the stairs. She approached, moving back up the stairs to see who was speaking. It was perhaps the best description of the day she had experienced that she was not surprised to find herself facing a candelabra. He was as fancy as the previous three alive furniture pieces she had met, and quite obviously was alive himself. The gold was painstakingly carved and detailed to look like a man. Almost too painstaking by her judgement as she’d never seen any trinket with such detail, but here one was. She couldn’t argue against the fact that clearly someone must’ve made one. He looked up at her with a confident smile. Capsize wished it wasn’t such a pain for her to crouch as she felt a little awkward looking down at him, but there was unfortunately little she could do about that. “I didn’t think I’d find you exploring tonight.”

“Oh, believe me, I hadn’t planned on it,” She admitted with a laugh, a little more casual than she had expected to be. She had been fully prepared to remain locked in that room for the rest of the night, possibly even longer. She’d been exhausted, her body ached, and she was sure she’d just fall asleep. Sleep hadn’t come. Instead, she’d begun to feel the itch, acknowledging the impossible to ignore thought that she wanted to explore. It had taken a while. She needed to be sure that the Beast wasn’t going to return, that she wasn’t going to be caught. Of course, she had been caught, but she wasn’t scared of that fact, because, she realised, she had seen the candelabra before. He’d been in the alcove of the stairs that lead towards the cells. So, she’d been right, the light had been moving. He led her to her brother. She hoped that meant she could trust him. “I’ve not been anywhere new in years… I wasn’t about to sit around when I could be exploring. Though I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, Mister…”

“Tom! Tom Syndicate, at your service!” The candelabra spoke with enthusiasm at a volume unexpected from someone so small. He bowed slightly, though the gesture seemed more playful than serious. Capsize couldn’t help but smile, which in turn made Tom grin. This was going to be easier than he thought. He could make her feel like a guest. He could probably help her explore too. He knew all this place’s secrets after all. Then maybe, when they got to know each other a little, he could get her to tell him some of the goings on in the town. Obviously, his own curiosity wasn’t all that important, but who could blame him for wanting to know about the outside world after years of isolation? “And you’re Capsize, you’ve caused quite a stir.”

“I suppose you can call it that,” She said, though she felt quite sure he was downplaying the situation. Causing a stir sounded minor, while she felt the Beast’s reaction warranted a stronger term being used. Yet she still smiled. She’d yelled and fought and said no to something she desperately didn’t want to do, and she wasn’t worried about that fact. She didn’t need to be worried about the opinions of townspeople who didn’t respect her anyway. Despite everything else, that felt refreshing. Sure, maybe she’d rather be back having to constantly bite back her words lest she offend the town hero. Better that than a prisoner, right? But she’d take satisfaction and little victories where she could. “I don’t think Miss Fox would describe it so gently.”

“Well, Fluffles’ has her—Fox?” He cut off his own words at the nickname. Of course, he’d been there when she’d said to call her whatever she wanted, but he hadn’t expected something quite so normal. He guessed a fox was the animal she looked most like, even if the size made the comparison not feel quite right in his head.

“It felt right,” Capsize shrugged. It felt wrong to call someone clearly intelligent Beast. Possibly an apt description given her actions, but still it reminded her too much of Jordan and his hunting. Though the name Fluffles did bring her a little amusement. “If she doesn’t like it, she can voice her complaints with her other ones.”

“Well, I doubt she’ll care what you call her, but speaking of her complaints,” He said, a little annoyed but not towards the woman in front of him. Sure, it would’ve been nice to get this all done and dusted in one night, but he could accept a slightly slower approach. Then she’d nearly ruined everything. Well, maybe that was an extreme way to put the situation, but she’d definitely made things harder. Still, what could he do but continue trying to make this situation work? To somehow break the curse? “I assume you’re hungry.”

“Yes…” She admitted, feeling embarrassed to do so. It wasn’t until after her very clear refusal of dinner that she actually realised how hungry she was. She hasn’t thought to eat after the disastrous ‘date’ with Jordan, and she’d barely eat during. She’d just had enough emotions ruining through up until now that she hadn’t realised that she was hungry. Of course, she’d deal with it, though. She didn’t need to get anyone in trouble for her sake. “But you don’t need to worry about that. I should be able to figure something out.”

“Nonsense! You’re a guest, I’m not gonna let you go sneaking about scavenging for food,” He found her confidence at being able to do so admirable, but he wasn’t going to let her go hungry. He was nowhere near scared enough of the Beast to listen to her orders of starving her. He doubted she really wanted that anyway. If she did, they had bigger problems than this curse. But he wasn’t going to wait for her to calm down to start making Capsize actually feel like a guest. Capsize herself felt a little hesitant. A guest? She really didn’t feel like the description fit, but he spoke with so much enthusiasm that she really didn’t want to object. And she wasn’t about to turn down a meal that didn’t include company she’d rather avoid. She wasn’t quite at the point of actually starving herself for the principle of it. “Seriously, just come with me, I’ll make sure you get the best meal of your life!”

“Well, I can’t turn down an offer like that,” She said, finding herself unable to turn down such enthusiasm. With confirmation from her, Tom began to lead her towards the dining room. As they moved, a quiet settled between the two. Not an uncomfortable one, as neither truly noticed it. Tom was quickly trying to figure out how much he could persuade Martha, who was probably still in the kitchens, that this was a good idea. He could already tell she was going to be a bother about it, want something simple when they could show off and be impressive. Meanwhile, Capsize was once again wondering about the talking furniture. Now, maybe that wasn’t her best idea as she knew that attempting to figure out why they acted so much like people was not going to be a question she could figure out. The amount of magic it would take to enchant objects in such a way, she wasn’t sure that anyone had such power. But someone had to have enchanted them, because the only other option was… well, she preferred not to think about it. Luckily, the walk was short, being over long before her considerations could go anywhere too similar to reality.

Capsize looked around the new room with the same level of curiosity she had the rest of the building. There was still a fear, an anxiety at the end of her mind about the whole situation. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t feel completely safe. How could she feel safe? There was still a Beast lurking somewhere and she was doing something she had explicitly been told not to do. Well, she’d just have to deal with that if Fox made a reappearance, and right now deal with her mind not being at ease.

Tom looked at her, seeing curious eyes but a hesitant stance. She wasn’t quite rigid, but she was certainly close to it, almost reluctant to move despite clearly wanting to. He frowned briefly. He almost didn’t want to leave her for the short amount of time it would take to get her some food, but he didn’t really have a choice. Well, the sooner he left the sooner he could come back. So, he looked to her with as comforting a smile as he could.

“I’ll be back in a couple minutes. Relax, make yourself at home,” He said, hoping his words would have some benefit to her mood. And after those words he hopped off through a different door, leaving Capsize alone in the darkened room.

She remained still for a moment, staring after him as the light he gave out disappeared. It was only once she could no longer see it that she actually moved. She wondered if she was being too cautious in not wanting to be alone, or not nearly cautious enough in trusting a stranger. She decided that she was closer to the former, if only for her own sake. She had a new room to explore after all, no point in worrying.

The dining room, as she had to assume she had found herself in, was not the most comforting place to be. Mostly because she knew this was likely where she was meant to have eaten dinner earlier. And it felt cold. Not literally, though the fireplace was out in the corner, but rather it just had an air of loneliness. In the centre of the room was a long table, one that as she ran her fingers across it, she got the sense that it had not been eaten at for a very long time. That was perhaps the reason she felt this room was so wrong. Aside from the echo of her footsteps and the shadows cast by the thick curtains hanging from near the top of tall walls sweeping all the way to the floor that cast a dark atmosphere onto the room’s current state, there was a feeling that this place had not been host to joyful meals in the past.

She did not want to remain here. Mostly for the previously mentioned atmosphere, but she felt distinctly like she didn’t belong in this room. It was a feeling she had had throughout most of the castle. This place, even without the magic, was somewhere she should not be. It was regal and beautiful, and she was… well, she was a merchant. She didn’t belong somewhere like this and that brought back all the feelings that had slowly been taking root in her mind back in the town. The feelings of being odd and not fitting in, the kind that made her just feel so utterly small.

Attempting to take her mind off that feeling, she looked down the corridor that Tom had disappeared down. Though it was dark, she could tell it was nowhere near as fancy as the current room she was standing in, or for that matter any of the other rooms she’d been through thus far with the exception of the tower cells. Thankfully it wasn’t similar to the cells. Rather it felt more like it was simply designed to be practical, not needing to be shown off, just somewhere behind the scenes. Now she had been told to wait for the candelabra to return, and she had absolutely no reason to believe it would take long for him to do so. However, Capsize had always been perhaps a little too curious for her own good, and well, she wanted to see where he’d gone. Maybe she’d find something that gave her some answers to the questions about this place that were prickling away in her head.

So, she began to make her way down the corridor. She made a conscious effort to step softer than she normally would, to keep her boots and cane hitting the ground quiet so she wouldn’t be heard by the person she was following. Now she didn’t particularly think she’d be in any trouble for following him, but she wanted to see what she could learn while people didn’t know she was around. The corridor wasn’t long, only taking about a minute for her to see light and hear voices. She slowed her pace more, making sure to stick to the shadows. She knew eavesdropping was never the best idea, but right now she just wanted to quell her curiosity.

“Oh, come on, please, I’m asking for one meal, not a banquet,” The rather annoyed voice of Tom came into focus. Immediately she felt a twinge of guilt. Of course, helping her was causing him trouble. She should’ve known it would, no matter what reassurance he gave.

“Interesting. Let me remember what happened last time you asked me to help you with cooking,” A gruff, heavily accented voice replied. To describe the man as sounding annoyed would be heavily understating how he sounded. She felt pretty clearly though that she lacked context as when on earth would the candelabra have needed help cooking?

“Well, it’s not like that can happen again.”

“Because that makes it so much better!”

“I feel like I’ve apologised more than enough times for asking you to take over that night.”

“No, I think I need to hear it at least a couple more times! If you haven’t noticed I’m—”

“You should really come in, darling. They’ll bicker until the end of time if not,” A woman’s voice cut through the increasing volume of the men. Capsize, who had been slowly creeping more towards the room, completely froze at realising she had been heard. She ended up skittishly entering the room, as if she was a child about to be in trouble.

She found herself in a kitchen, one that was large and well-kept, but not one that she felt was in any way overly fancy. It was somewhere to be used, not to be viewed by guests at all. Though, of course, it still had three talking furniture pieces, which at this point she couldn’t exactly say they were unusual to see. Aside from Tom, there were the two others, lining up with the voices she had overheard. On a large wooden table alongside Tom, was an ornate table clock. Or at the very least, Capsize presumed that she was a clock due to the winding key on the back of her, but her face didn’t have any hands. Though, due to the actual face that was painted onto that of the clock face, she presumed that having clock hands would simply get in the way of her being able to see.

The other was, well, different from all the others she’d seen so far. Had his face not been so clear she may not have considered him being alive at all. The stove, a large wood burner affixed to the wall, was the other talking furniture in the room. All the others she had met thus far had been small, able to move around, but he clearly wasn’t and that… that gave her pause. She couldn’t blame him for being annoyed in such a position.

“Ah, I… How long have you been listening?” Tom asked, realising nervously that she might’ve learned some things that he really couldn’t easily explain. Thankfully they hadn’t directly mentioned the curse, that they were all transformed humans, but they had definitely gotten close and if that information got revealed there was really no taking it back.

“Not long! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have followed you, I just…” She mulled over her words. She didn’t really want to explain that she’d felt uncomfortable, because the feeling wasn’t something they could fix. However, that left her without any real reason to explain why she had followed after him. “I want to see as much of this place as possible. I’ve never been anywhere like this.”

“Well, I doubt there’s many places like this in general,” Martha said, knowing a place with this level of magic really couldn’t exist anywhere else. She certainly hadn’t found another place like this in her travels prior to all this. Annoyingly, if the castle hadn’t been so impressive and unique in that sense, she wouldn’t have even stayed. Even if she was now frankly sick of being here, she could still understand why someone would find it fascinating. At the very least, the woman was finding something to enjoy in here. Of course, she did need to work something out with her having a meal. “Here, I’ll get you some leftovers—”

“Oh, come on, we can give her something warm,” Tom complained. He wanted to make her feel special. How was he meant to do that with leftovers?

“You really don’t need to go to any trouble,” Capsize quickly insisted. “Leftovers are—”

“Hang on a minute. That accent, where are you from?” The stove cut her off before she could insist on the leftovers being fine. And Capsize looked at him with questions on her own lips. Why on earth did he care about her accent? Well, she supposed he had an accent, but she still had far too many questions about the nature of the objects. However, she decided it was likely best right now to just answer the question and attempt to figure out all her confusing thoughts later.

“Ianerea, originally anyways. I spent most of my life on ships, and then I ended up in the town for the past two years,” She said, now acutely aware of her accent. It was another thing that had been pointed out a lot when she had first moved to the town, though that had thankfully faded over time compared to the other comments. Now she was again a little self-conscious. However, the stove smiled. Why hadn’t either of them mentioned she wasn’t some prissy noble? Well, maybe they had, he hadn’t really been in the mood to listen.

“So, you’re a worker? Not a layabout noble like these two.”

“Hey! I work!”

“Love you too, darling.”

“Yes, I work. Well, I did, not exactly gonna be doing much here,” She said, sure most people would be happier than she felt about not having to work. The stove smiled a little wider. Now he still really didn’t want to cook, which was an extremely annoying state for a stove to be in, but he couldn’t find it in himself to reject this girl. She hadn’t done anything wrong and, like quite a few people in this place, she was a long way from home.

“Alright, I’ll make you something, but don’t go telling Beasty. I’m not in the mood to deal with one of her tantrums," He said, still sounding gruff, but attempting to be friendly. And Capsize felt, oddly enough, that she could feel safe here.

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on seeing her at all if I can avoid her,” She said, not being gentle with her tone. She knew what she had agreed to, she wasn’t about to leave, but she also wasn’t going to interact with Fox if she could at all avoid it. Tom and Martha shared a look, one more worried than anything. They needed the two to interact, obviously they had no chance of the curse breaking if not. Yet they couldn’t exactly argue with her not wanting to. Tom had loosely planned for this and gave Martha a nervous smile to attempt to communicate that he had some sort of plan. Martha, trying her best not to doubt whatever he might have planned, hopped forward.

“Well, I doubt you’ll see her much. She’ll likely be in her room for the next couple of days. She really doesn’t come out much,” She said, hoping to be reassuring. And her words certainly were as Capsize realised that she’d likely be free to explore without fear for the next few days. That idea genuinely excited her, something not unnoticed by the others in the room. It was refreshing in a way, to see someone new, even with the reality of everything. “And if you do need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, that’s very much appreciated, Miss…”

“Martha, darling, Martha Conway. And this is Steve, my fiancé,” The clock introduced with a smile. Again, Capsize felt an itching in her mind. Where had she heard the name Conway? Why was it bugging her so much? She felt like it was important, else would her mind be so focused on trying to figure it out, but she just couldn’t put her finger on why on earth it felt so familiar. As all her thoughts focused on the same issue, Capsize grew quiet.

Tom looked at Steve as she was distracted, smiling as he attempted to gauge his opinion of her. He had to like her, right? Steve rolled his eyes, how Syndi had managed to get exactly what he wanted was beyond him. Of course, he never could stay annoyed at him for long, even if being asked to cover for him one night had left him literally stuck to a wall. However, even if he did like him, he didn’t want him grinning like an idiot at him while he was cooking. So, with another roll of his eyes, he spoke.

“Take her back to the dining room, Syndi. Martha will bring it when it’s ready.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

The dining room felt less oppressive with company and a lit fireplace, enough so that Capsize didn’t feel uncomfortable eating there as she thought she would. Maybe she was just hungry enough that a warm meal was more than enough to make her feel safe. However, she couldn’t deny that she was enjoying Tom’s company. How long had it been since she had met someone who seemed genuinely friendly and wanted to get to know her? It was nice, even if some of the things he was saying seemed completely ridiculous.

“You’re telling me you’re a cook?” She asked with more than a little doubt in her tone. Now she didn’t exactly want to assume based off of appearances, but he was a candelabra. She felt like that really limited his ability to cook. Sure, he was probably able to heat things up, and she’d seen non-sentient objects move around on their own in this place, but she still couldn’t quite believe that he would be able to cook full meals. Tom grinned, because obviously he knew that what he was saying was true, but he also knew how it sounded ridiculous and that made it all the more fun.

“Yeah! Well, it wasn’t really a job, more of a volunteer thing,” He said, entertained by the bewildered look growing on her face. He knew that if Martha could hear him right now, he’d be getting a lecture about how they’re meant to be keeping the curse hidden. But he didn’t see any harm in what he was doing. He just sounded like he was making things up. Even if she did figure out that they all used to be human, there were explanations they could give that didn’t involve the curse. Oh course, Capsize just found herself with more questions from his statement.

“I dread to ask, but what is your job then?” She asked, more than a little curious. Because logically he shouldn’t really have a job beyond lighting up a room, but she had the distinct feeling that wasn’t going to be his answer. They were all a bit too human like for their tasks to simply be what they were designed for. Tom again smiled a little too widely.

“Champion of Dianite, at your service,” He said with a bow and a flourish. Capsize laughed almost immediately.

“Really? You’re Lord Dianite’s champion?” She said, convinced she must have misheard because, well, it was unbelievable. She leant forward, resting her elbow on the table to prop her head up on her hand. She still wasn’t quite eye level with him, but she was close enough with him standing on the table. He could see the amount of doubt on her features and hear it in her words. He wasn’t quite sure how to take it. On one hand, he had expected doubt. After all, he knew that no one remembered him. However, he still was a little nervous because… well, he had no idea if the forgetting also extended to his god. He was scared that it had, and that in turn he might’ve been replaced. He absolutely couldn’t stand that idea.

“The one and only! Haven’t you heard of me?” He said, making sure to keep his joking tone. Even knowing that she couldn’t have possibly heard of him, she might’ve heard of another Dianitee champion. Capsize mulled over her words. On one hand, she wanted to reject the idea outright. Firstly, she was pretty sure she’d know if Lord Dianite had a champion. Secondly, with all the frustrations Jordan had caused her, she’d rather not think about the concept of champions if she could avoid it. Yet, she couldn’t help but grin, because this felt ridiculous. She wanted to know where this was going.

“I’m afraid I haven’t. In fact, I’m pretty sure Lord Dianite doesn’t have a champion,” She said, maybe with a little too matter of fact a tone judging by Tom’s reaction. He had no idea if he should be disappointed or not. He hadn’t been replaced, there was a comfort in that, but even if he already knew, it was disheartening to hear that he basically didn’t exist. His frown was brief, and he tried to hide it, but Capsize did notice.

Did Lord Dianite have a champion? She hadn’t heard of one, nor had she been told about one by either of the champions or Ianite. However, thinking about the idea caused the same itching feeling that she got when thinking about the name Conway. No, not quite the same, here she was sure she didn’t have the information, but all the same her mind itched as if she should. Now, why was that? But no matter the cause for the annoying feeling of missing something she really should know, she didn’t focus on that, because she felt bad for that frown.

“I mean, I don’t think he has a champion. I’ve met the other two, and I assumed that I’d have met a third if Lord Dianite did have one.”

“So, the other two still live in town?”

“Unfortunately,” She said without thinking. Her eyes went wide when she realised what she’d just said. A level of panic setting in despite how she wasn’t there anymore, it shouldn’t matter that she’d just insulted him. And it was Tom’s turn to be dumbstruck.

“What… Have the champions… done something to you?” He didn’t know quite how to phrase his question, because he almost felt the idea was extreme, but she had sounded so disdainful. What had happened in the years since the curse? Had his fellow champions changed that he’d no sooner recognise them than they’d recognise him?

Tucker was his friend, had been for years. It was hard to believe that he could’ve changed completely even if it had been years since their last meeting. Though he’d Jordan for less time than Tucker… He couldn’t exactly deny that he’d enjoyed his company. Sure, now he had a less than stellar opinion of the goddess herself, but he still had some good memories of her champion. But he’d not seen them in years, meanwhile she had. And her tone, her expression, it left him very little doubt that at least one of them had done something.

Capsize chewed the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t really discussed her issues with Jordan with anyone besides Red, who had never really gotten it. Maybe because she’d held back the worst of it from him, even if she desperately wanted to voice all her complains. She could do so now, she supposed. However, she didn’t quite feel right sharing her problems with someone she’d barely met. But, if not now, when she was completely free of the judgement of the townsfolk, then when was she going to?

“I… I guess yes. I mean, he hasn’t hurt me, or done anything like that, but Ianite’s champion kind of… well, he doesn’t leave me alone. Ever since he found out that I… follow Ianite he seemed to just get obsessed with the idea of me. He’s never gotten to know me, but acts like I owe him attention,” She tried her best to articulate it, to actually express how he made her feel uncomfortable. Of course, she still didn’t mention certain things as just the idea of them brought a little too much anxiety to her mind. Just thinking about the proposal made her throat feel dry, she didn’t want to talk about that any more than she wanted to see Jordan. And she also hesitated to share about her connection to Ianite. Sharing that fact that had started the whole mess.

Tom did pick up that she was hiding something about her closeness to the goddess, seeing the lack of honorifics when speaking about her compared to when she was talking about Dianite, but he decided it was best not to push. After all, it was probably better for the time being that she kept any connection beyond following the goddess a secret, lest the Beast find out and react in the extreme.

Though frankly Tom was kind of speechless, because he couldn’t imagine Ianite’s champion acting in such a way. Not because he disbelieved her, in fact he believed her more than anything that she was likely holding back most of the actual details seeing how hard it appeared for her to say the words she had. But given that they’d all been cursed for the actions of one person – however cruel and unjustified said actions were – he had expected that her champion would be held to high standard. Well, he’d need to lodge his complaints when this was done with, as much as that may be a terrible idea given that she’d already cursed him once. But right now… right now, Capsize looked beyond sad and he couldn’t let that stand.

“Well, he sounds like an absolute piece of work. But he certainly isn’t welcome here. Only one champion around here, and I assure you, Dianite has much higher standards for his champion than the other gods,” He made sure to have a joking tone when singing his own praises, not wanting to sound like he was ignoring the hurt she clearly felt. And she did laugh. She felt more relief than she ever had in a conversation about Jordan. “But, just to prove that, how about I give you a tour of the place? I can show you all the secrets.”

“Wait, really? I… I’d like that a lot.”

“Well, then, follow me.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Tom’s tour was not what anyone would call informative, mostly because he wasn’t really focused on the tour part of it at all. Rather he and Capsize had started talking and their conversations were taking the place of any actual information he could give.

“I just don’t see how you came to the conclusion that I’m a pirate,” She said, with an entertained grin despite some actual confusion. He had sounded so impressed with himself for ‘figuring it out’, which left her feeling a little guilty having to correct him. Yet he was quite adamant that she must’ve been some sort of pirate, leaving her as entertained as she was confused by his confidence.

“Well, you’re from Ianerea, that’s where pirates are from,” He said, as if the fact was obvious. He’d heard the stories. Sure, they might be old stories, but there were loads of pirates from there. Capsize laughed a little. The pirate legends had never really died, despite how long it had been since Ianerea had been a pirate haven. “And you said you grew up mostly on ships. Also, you’re called Capsize – that’s a pirate name.”

“I’ll give you that one,” She said, not really able to argue against the fact that her name was suited to piracy. Her parents had been traditional after all. Honestly, they probably would’ve been happy if she had become a pirate. So long as she was good with ships, that was the important thing to them. “But I’m afraid I’m a regular boring merchant captain.”

“Well, that’s close enough to a pirate,” He says, gaining another laugh in response. He’d love to meet an actual pirate, but he did think she was close enough. He hadn’t met anyone who’d spent much time on ships at all, so maybe he’d let his imagination run a little wild. Still half-distracted by his conversation, he noticed they were going past another actually interesting part of the castle. “Oh, and this is—”

“Thomas!” The voice of Martha cut through his words before he could finish. Both Capsize and Tom turned to see the clock standing on a table in front of the corridor Tom was pointing down, as if she had been guarding it. Tom groaned, wondering what she wanted. Capsize meanwhile stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt before she knew what’s going on. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Giving a tour…? Do you want to join?” He asked, honestly a little confused about what he had done wrong. Clearly, she was annoyed about something, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of what she could be taking issue with. Martha hopped off the table and close to him, really trying to keep herself level-headed. She had to stay calm in front of the girl.

“You do realise where you are, right?” She half-whispered, trying to only be heard by him. Her attempt at communicating the need for discretion was not successful as Tom just rolled his eyes. Obviously, he knew where he was. Did she forget he’d lived here for most of his life?

“Obviously, that’s the West—!” He realised the problem one word too late into his reply. Still, he felt like she was questioning his competence a little. “Well, I wasn’t gonna take her in!”

“So that’s the West Wing?” Capsize’s curiosity was instantly captured. She peered down the darkened corridor of the one place she was told she wasn’t allowed, and therefore the place she was the most interested in exploring. There was something she wasn’t meant to see, which meant she needed to see it. Tom and Martha both glared at each other, both distinctly blaming the other for this situation, and in turn being annoyed that the other could even think of blaming them. “What’s in there?”

“Oh, nothing interesting. You know, broken furniture, dust…”

“Old studies, abandoned rooms,” Martha added as Tom’s mind went blank. They were quick to respond, and far too insistent that there was nothing there. Capsize looked at them unimpressed, not falling for their false smiles.

“If there’s nothing then why is it forbidden?” She asked. She didn’t know if she expected any sort of answer, or if there was one that would persuade her away from exploring the place. Again, the two looked between themselves. Martha sighed.

“It’s mostly the Mistress’ living space. I assume she’s asleep right now and I really wouldn’t recommend disturbing her,” She did consider lying, making up some reason why it was dangerous or unsafe, but frankly she felt the reality of the situation should be clear enough. Capsize did pause. She didn’t want to run into Fox, and she definitely didn’t want to do it tonight. She could be careful, but she definitely didn’t trust her own quietness in an unfamiliar place. It was frustrating. She wanted to explore that wing, she was sure there was something there, but she certainly couldn’t risk it right now. Tom hopped forward again.

“It really isn’t interesting, I assure you. Come on, I’ll show you some actual interesting things around here,” He said, though he seemed less like he was trying to distract her and more like he just wanted her to listen. Of course, that felt very much like the same thing to Capsize at this moment as she wanted nothing more than to step over them and walk straight into the forbidden wing, but she knew that was not advisable. Even if Fox, who she very much wanted to avoid, wasn’t in there, she doubted the two would let her go alone, which would just kill any chance of exploration she had. She had to concede, she was not going to be able to explore the West Wing tonight. So, still with more than a little reluctance, she followed him as he hopped away, though she still looked back at the mysterious West Wing, more than a little disappointed that the clock never moved away from the entrance.

Tom could feel the difference in the mood, the clear fact that she was now with him reluctantly rather than happily. And he knew he needed to say something, because the silence was just growing heavier as he didn’t, but he had to make sure that Martha was completely out of earshot before he did. And once he was sure they were far enough away, he stopped and turned back to look at Capsize.

“You’re planning on exploring the West Wing, aren’t you,” He said it as a statement, because he knew. Frankly if he was presented with a forbidden area of a building, he’d want to explore it too, but she couldn’t. He couldn’t have Fluffles blow up at her again, and if she caught her in there, he couldn’t stop it.

"Not tonight…” Capsize said, technically not lying. She knew there wasn’t much point in any half-truth. He’d clearly seen through her, but she didn’t want to make him more complicit than he already was. If she got in trouble herself that was… well, not fine, but it was better than getting other people into trouble alongside her, or worse instead of her. Still, she felt bad at his sigh. He needed to talk her out of this, he really did, but he could almost feel already that it wasn’t going to happen. She had a look, one that could either be described as determined or stubborn depending on how charitable you were being. Tom had no idea which side of the coin he fell on. “Look, I’ll be careful. I just…”

She couldn’t really explain it. She could stay anyway, it’ll make her life easier, but she needed to see if something was being hidden from her. If it really was just for privacy, she’d leave, she’d probably feel bad afterwards, but she was sure that there was something more. If there wasn’t something she wasn’t meant to see, they wouldn’t all be so quick to try and stop her from entering. She just had to know what it was, to know if it had any answers about the nature of this place. Though maybe, she thought quietly, she just wanted to prove that she didn’t need to listen.

Tom considered if there was any way right now to try and talk her out of it. He couldn’t think of anything, but she said not tonight. That meant he had time on his side. Depending on how much of a mood Fluffles was in, he might have a few days. He just needed to get her to listen to him about this being a bad idea. And while that might be difficult, he liked this girl, he couldn’t let her make this decision that was just going to lead to trouble. As impossible as it seemed at this moment, he was sure if he tried, he’d be able to keep her distracted enough that she’d forget all about the West Wing. So, he put on his best smile.

“Well, so long as you’re not exploring it right now… How about we continue the tour?”

Chapter Text

It took three days for the moment to arrive, for Capsize to be sure that Fox had left the West Wing. She’d been tempted to explore it at certain moments before, when she had thought she’d heard footsteps retreating to different parts of the castle, but she had never been completely sure before this moment that the West Wing was actually empty. She’d seen her through a window, retreating off somewhere into the castle’s grounds, and that meant her opportunity had finally come. She was going to find out what secrets were being kept from her. She just needed to get in and out quietly, a task that seemed like it was going to be much more difficult than she anticipated as Tom had decided to follow her.

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing interesting up there,” He said as he hopped after her as she got ever closer to the West Wing. He’d honestly hoped she’d forgotten about it, or just decided it wasn’t worth her time, as she hadn’t mentioned the place since her first night, but obviously that had been optimistic. What had he been thinking? No one was going to forget a mysterious, forbidden wing of a magical castle. He needed to distract her, and he needed to do so quickly, but he’d already shown her the most interesting parts of the castle. All the obviously magical stuff was in the West Wing, so he couldn’t suggest any of that. But he needed something that would actually impress her, rather than making him seem like he was just trying to distract her. After all, he liked her, he didn’t want to seem like he was taking the Beast’s side over hers, but he needed to keep her out of trouble. How on earth was he meant to do that?

“Well, if there’s nothing interesting then I won’t be in there for very long,” She said, having thought over that point over quite a bit over the past few days. If there was truly nothing interesting, then she wouldn’t spend more time than required to just give the rooms a quick once over. Of course, she knew there must be something up there. No one would forbid entry to a place for no reason, especially not after staying the whole place is free reign. And perhaps it was just what Martha had said that it was Fox’s living quarters, and she wanted her privacy, but she didn’t understand why that wouldn’t have just been said rather than the harsh yelling. Well, she supposed it wouldn’t be out of character for the Beast to just be aggressive for no reason, but still she wanted to see the place for herself. She just hoped that Tom would be quiet if he continued to follow her, or that he wouldn’t tell anyone where she’d gone if he didn’t.

“I just don’t think it’s worth trekking through all the dust,” He said, kind of shrugging but not quite having the ability to do so in his current form. Despite his best attempt to sound convincing, Capsize lightly shook her head. She wasn’t going to be dissuaded by anything. She wasn’t even put off by the possible danger at this point. She could see the West Wing now, which was worryingly close for Tom as he was very quickly running out of time to move her attention and person elsewhere. He racked his brain as he hopped after her. There had to be something – anything – that would be more interesting to her than a secret forbidden area. Why was his life so hard? “Why don’t we go look around the gardens or… the gallery or…”

He desperately tried to think of anything that would draw her attention as she was steps away from entering the West Wing. He’d interacted with her enough over the past few days to get a basic grasp on her interests, though it was hard to actually think when she was seconds away from trouble. However, something did spring to mind, he just hoped that it’ll be good enough.

“What about the library?” He asked, genuinely unsure if she was even listening at this point. Capsize paused. She turned.

“There’s a library?” She asked, thoroughly distracted as her thoughts almost completely shifted. Books had been her lifeline for so long, something she had found joy in even when she’d felt at her worst. The idea of there being more here than the one she’d brought with her was more than intriguing. Her right leg bounced a little as she thought about it, about the sort of library this place could have, and Tom smiled. Honestly it took him a lot for him to not sigh in relief that he’d managed to distract her, but he was pretty sure that’d give the game away. And Martha said he never listened to anyone.

“Yes! A giant library stuffed to the brim with books! Any book you can think of, it’s probably in there! Come on I’ll show you!” He said, a little too loud though he was certainly enthusiastic. He gestured for her to follow him before hopping off down the hall.

And Capsize almost did follow him. She almost left behind the mysterious forbidden West Wing. She could so easily follow him, her cane was half off the floor, but she hesitated. She could see the library anytime, but she had no idea when her next opportunity to enter the West Wing would be, especially when right now she could enter completely alone. No matter how much she wanted to see the library, she couldn’t give up her current chance to explore.

Mentally apologising to Tom, she turned back around and began to walk into the darkened wing. There was not an immediate change in atmosphere, though she guessed such a thing wasn’t something that happened in real life. Though she did always have the lingering sense of unease whether she was alone in the castle. A feeling that she had no idea if she should attribute to the very real possibility of running into Fox or just the fact that she felt the same sense of not belonging she had felt even prior to being stuck in this place. Though it was not the trapping feeling of unease that she felt as she entered the West Wing. Rather she felt the sort of curiosity that made her chest feel light and caused a small smile on her face despite the weariness she still had. She knew she had to be careful. Even if she’d seen Fox outside, she could so easily return at any point, and the last thing she wanted was to be caught in a place that she had been directly told not to go to. Mostly though she felt her heart beating, as there was an undeniable excitement to be properly exploring someplace new.

The further she walked, the more obvious it became that this was where Fox spent most of her time. While the castle as a whole had been in a state of abandonment, none of it had seemed any worse for wear. It was just that it seemed unlived in and had a sense of coldness. The corridor she was currently exploring, however, looked far more how she had expected the castle to look from the state of the grounds. The walls and floor were covered with claw marks, and most of the furniture looked at the very least splintered if not completely broken. The floor was covered with shreds of fabrics and, most notably, shards of shattered mirrors. Several frames on the walls had broken shards left in the frames, the rest of the glass on the floor. Most of it had been pushed to the side out of the way of, but some still crunched under her foot and others she brushed away with her cane. It was a mess, more so than any part of the castle she had been to thus far, and perhaps she should just a little scared by that fact, but her eyes couldn’t stop searching around for anything hidden from her.

While the rooms were in disrepair, they weren’t abandoned. They felt lived in. A lot of the damage looked old, but it was something real done by someone alive. And there wasn’t just damage. Well, she supposed it was technically still damage, but among the claw marks that looked like the typical kind made by an animal lashing out or just scratching in general, there were carvings that looked like magical runes. Some were on their own, some were carved in long strings, but they all looked like they had been scratched into the wall with some desperation. She ran her hand across one of them, it flickered a little, glowing with magic, but the glow died away after mere seconds. What were they meant to do? They must’ve been for something important as despite the rough carvings the lines were clear and distinct, and they were carved with such desperation.

Further down the hall she walked, and the damage to her surroundings only grew worse. It was also getting darker as night was drawing in, and she’d left herself without a light source. It was still light enough to see, but details were certainly getting lost in shadows. She ran her hand along more of the runes to light up the corridor just a little more. The dim light didn’t bother her too much, but she did manage to scare herself when a pair of eyes came into view, mildly chastising herself when she realised that she’d jumped at a portrait. Though, oddly, the realisation of the eyes being painted didn’t stop her from staring at them. Why did they seem familiar?

She approached the ripped-up painting, attempting to figure out where she could’ve seen the eyes before. She didn’t have any clues from the image as it had been torn and clawed apart, with the eyes the only part intact of the subject’s face. They were a bright green, which contrasted with how bored they looked, though she supposed that was likely down to the painter more than the subject. Did she know anyone with green eyes? One of Red’s eyes was green, but this obviously wasn’t a portrait of him. She placed her hand on the portrait, lifting one of the tears of hanging off canvas to reveal a little more of the face. A woman. A pretty woman yes, but definitely not one that she recognised. Except she still couldn’t stop looking at the eyes. Maybe it was just the way that they were painted, but they looked almost like—

“Capsize…!”

“Ia--!” She whipped around at the sudden whisper that was so close she was sure had felt breath on her ear. That voice, the one she hadn’t heard in months, had been right next to her. But no one was there. Of course no one was there. Why would she be? Yet in the direction she'd turned, there was a door slightly ajar. From beyond it there was a pink glow. So, there was something here. With a small smile forming on her face, she walked towards the room.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The Beast slogged through the halls back towards her room, less than entertained by the snuff box following her. Was there something wrong with her wanting to be left alone? It had never been a problem before, especially not since the curse began, but apparently the woman being here meant she needed to be social or a good host or something. He was acting like her making appearances would help matters rather than hurt them.

“I’m not going to see her. She wants to be left alone, so I’m leaving her alone,” She said in an annoyed tone that came across harsher than she intended as she growled. She didn’t miss his exhausted look that only annoyed her more. She got it, this woman was their chance to break the curse, but the disaster that had been trying to have dinner had made it beyond clear that that wasn’t going to happen. She was rude and stubborn, she was a follower of the goddess that had cursed them all, and she… she was too good for her. No one was going to fall in love with her while she looked like this, let alone someone who had so selflessly given up her freedom for someone else’s sake. So, what was the point in even trying? For his part, Mot hadn’t wished to smoke so much in years.

“She doesn’t want to be alone. She’s been hanging around with Tom non-stop and frankly seems happy with any company she can get,” He said, voice gruff but he was still trying to be gentle. He’d seen Capsize a few times over the past few days, most of the time with Tom seeming far happier than she had on that first night, but he’d also seen her alone. She still seemed uncomfortable when she wasn’t with someone, a feeling he had to admit was reasonable. He knew it was likely due to the Beast’s presence in the castle rather than her absence, but still. Still, her not wanting to interact with her wasn’t going to change if the two just kept avoiding each other. And, even if she really didn’t want to, it was very much on the Beast to make the first move, not the woman. Sure, them not interacting was technically better than them yelling at each other, but not in terms of getting the curse broken.

“Good, I’m glad that she’s making herself at home,” She said, trying not to sound frustrated that other people had been able to interact with her. She wasn’t frustrated, she definitely wasn’t jealous that she’d seen through the mirror her being delighted in the company of Tom. She’d been mopping over the past few days, stuck lingering in the feelings of incompetence she felt. She wanted to interact with her, to get to know her in the way that seemed so easy for Tom, but she was also completely sure that it just wasn’t going to happen. She’d never really had friends, let alone anything more, how was she meant to create such a bond now? “It’s just easier this way. If I avoid her then she’ll actually be happy. She’s never going to like me.”

“Don’t talk like that. She’s not going to be ordered into anything, but if you just talk with her, you might find something you both connect with,” He said, hoping she would listen to him. He had no idea of the chance he actually had of getting through to her. She had listened to him once, back when she was a kid, but he supposed back then she had had little choice. He wasn’t her parent, but he’d very much been left in charge of raising her. So maybe he should’ve pushed harder when she first started not to listen, but he’d written it off as her just growing up until it was far too late to try and fix the attitude she’d developed. If he’d tried to push at that point he’d have been out of a job. Ironically despite how he’d been quite desperate to avoid that probably would’ve worked out with him less cursed in the long run. But as long as he was still very much stuck in this mess, he was going to try and fix the part of it he’d created, for the sake of making sure the curse got broken if nothing else. “She’s lonely. She’d probably appreciate another friend.”

“There’s no way she’ll want to be friends with me, and even if she did, just being friends isn’t enough anyway, is it? I should just let her be,” She wished that she hadn’t let her remain in the castle. Not that she wished she had kept the man instead, just that didn’t want to run into the woman who she knew had more than good enough a reason to dislike her. Yet she also couldn’t bring herself to let her go. As much as she already felt defeated by the curse, she couldn’t bring herself to let go of her one single chance to break it. Was that wrong of her? Was it wrong to want to cling to the chance of being human again even if she doubted that such a reality would come to pass? To want to fix the mistake that got everyone around her punished and doomed alongside her? She needed to fall in love, to make the woman love her, but… but it was cruel. The woman didn’t want to see her, it was cruel to force her. “I… I just want to be alone, Mot.”

“I can’t force you to interact with her, but you have to know that it won’t get any easier if you don’t. I know you want to talk to her, so you should try,” He said softly. She looked at him, a small box that bore absolutely no resemblance to a person anymore. A box literally marked with her crest as if to mock the way she’d treated him leading up to the curse. Yet despite everything, she could still see him like he was staring back with his actual face. An ever-tired face that she never managed to stop disappointing. She looked away from him.

“Okay, I’ll try,” She said weakly before trudging off towards the West Wing to continue hiding from the world, wanting more than anything to just disappear forever. Both of them knew she didn’t truly mean her words. Mot looked on as she disappeared from view and just sighed. He knew he couldn’t force the two to interact, that such a thing would be as futile as it would likely be harmful in the long run, but that didn’t make it any easier to see the situation so close to a possible solution but so completely and utterly far from it actually being fixed.

He hopped off, hoping to see if he could find Tom and Capsize. As much as he didn’t want to put the first move on her, he thought he had a chance of persuading her to talk to the Beast. Maybe if she did, the Beast would see how much the two had in common, she might actually open up to her. It was worth a shot at least.

He would realise when he arrived in the library to find a very panicked Tom completely alone where Capsize was, and that another encounter was going to happen between the two. All he could hope was that it wouldn’t be nearly as much as a disaster as he was imagining.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The oddly glowing room made Capsize’s eyes light up as she found herself in what looked like an old study or workshop with odd trinkets, tools, and tomes covering nearly every usable surface. Research no longer seemed to be the actual use of the room, as the majority of the surfaces had at least a thin layer of dust. In the corner was a large mess of fabrics that seemed almost like a nest, and she assumed it likely was. This was very likely Fox’s den, the place she’d return to once she was done outside, but while that knowledge made her cautious, it couldn’t dull the curiosity within her. The room was so full of trinkets, like the ones she’d restore and repair, all just gathering dust.

As she wandered inside, she picked up the first item she could reach. A small snow globe. It reacted to her touch, a smile growing on her face as she saw the effect of the scene inside coming to life. It was simple, a tiny snowman moving around a forest as snow rained from the top of the globe. Maybe it shouldn’t give her such delight. After all this place was full of talking trinkets with full personalities. Whatever magic had brought them to life was clearly more impressive than whatever was powering the snow globe, but she could so clearly see the work put into the piece she was holding. The stand was absolutely covered by carved runes, all glowing at her touch, that were clearly controlling the movement and the snow. The scene on the inside might not be insanely detailed, but it was handcrafted, and still she could tell the effort put in. So much effort was put in and now it was just gathering dust… and it seemed the whole room was filled with similar items.

It baffled her. Why had Fox wanted to keep this place hidden from her? Sure, it was clearly in disrepair and felt a lot more like the home of a beast than the rest of the castle, but these trinkets were beautiful. She couldn’t imagine wanting to hide such things away. And there was still the glow. In her distraction of the number of items in the room, she had almost written it off as just an unusual light source. But now her eyes actually focused on the source, and she almost laughed.

In the middle of the room on a table, or rather flowing slightly above a table, was a glowing rose. Of course, she’d been led in here by a rose. Was the flower never going to stop showing up as if to tease her? Though obviously this wasn’t an ordinary rose. Even beyond the obvious magic, which this place had in abundance, the flower was clearly special. It was protected, covered by a bell jar.

She approached it, questions on her tongue that no one was around to actually answer. It was the only thing she had seen protected in the whole place, which posed the question as to why. What was so special about it? She looked over her shoulder, once again checking that she was alone before lifting the bell jar from the flower. Just to investigate a little closer. She’d be careful, she just wanted to see.

The glow seemed to grow brighter as she removed the cover and placed it to the side. The flower was obviously real. That was confirmed by her gently brushing her finger against the petals which were clearly natural, they had a feel that couldn’t be replicated by fabric. The flower had begun to wilt, a number of petals had fallen to the table under it, and both the flower and its leaves had begun to droop. She couldn’t help but think it was a shame. She wasn’t exactly fond of roses, but the flower in front of her was clearly special. It was glowing and beautiful, and she couldn’t imagine how it must’ve looked in full bloom. And, on looking at it trying to figure out what was causing the magical effects, she saw something impossible on each of the petals. A symbol was on each one, as if drawn onto them. She realised that to get a good look, she’d end up pulling one of the petals out, which she would rather avoid. So, she picked one of the fallen petals from the table, just to see if the design was still there or if it was faded. And it was still there, but that wasn’t the part that shocked her when she got a proper look.

“Ia…? Why?” The symbol wasn’t some unknown magical glyph as she had assumed it would be. It was a set of scales, drawn in such a particular way that it was unmistakable. It was the symbol of Lady Ianite. She couldn’t stop staring at it, the petal feeling like some impossible weight. Why would her symbol be here of all places? It was in this position, in front of the rose clutching a petal, that the Beast found her.

Immediately there was a growl, low and intimidating as every wrong and worst assumption the Beast had had about the man originally had returned to her head now about the woman. Capsize tensed at the noise, realising that she’d been caught, and stumbled back as she was bounded past by Fox. She had a few seconds to make her decision. Perhaps against her better judgement, she didn’t try to flee, though she did take a good few steps back from the table as Fox replaced the bell jar over the rose, clinging to it as she stared her down.

“You’re not meant to be here,” She said, her voice low. She was forcing herself to hold back, not very well as she had already assumed the situation in her head. How could she not know the situation? The woman still had a petal in hand. She’d taken days from them. Was it just the one? She quickly scanned the space under the rose, attempting to figure out if there were more petals present. She swore there were less, but that didn’t make any sense. The only thought in her mind was the horror at knowing that she’d lost some of the little time she had left. “Do you know what you’ve done?! Why did you come in here!”

“I’m sorry, I—” Capsize tried to come up with some excuse for her presence, but that had never been her strong suit and being stared down by a Beast wasn’t making the task any easier. Her mouth felt dry, and she knew if she tried to lie that her body would betray her. It wasn’t as if she could just say that she was lost. She tried to come up with words, any words, to explain. “I just wanted to see what was up here.”

“No! No, she told you to come here!” She yelled and Capsize stumbled back a few more steps. She had no idea what Fox meant and that made her feel all the more vulnerable. She’d known, or rather she had rightly assumed, that she’d be in trouble if she was caught in here. But Fox’s words, the idea that someone had suggested she came here, just confused her. This only compounded with her fear. What was she meant to say? How could she get out of this situation?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said, trying to figure out if she should edge her way towards the door. Fox’s glare on her felt more intimidating than it ever had before, and she certainly had no way to escape it, but it wasn’t just anger. There was something that she couldn’t read. She knew logically she should try to escape, but she had no idea if she could safely. The Beast didn’t believe her, even if she sounded confused, even if she was backing away. The goddess had told her to come in here, she must have done. Just cursing them hadn’t been enough, she needed to ruin whatever chance she had left of fixing things. “No one sent me in here. I came in of my own accord because I wanted to look around.”

“I heard you talking to her! What did she tell you?!” She advanced on her. The Beast bearing down as she demanded answers. Capsize had no idea what she was being yelled at about. She wanted to run, to get out of the room, to get anywhere she wouldn’t be followed, but she didn’t. As scared as she was, she still wanted to stand her ground, to question exactly why she was so convinced that someone had sent her here. So, she did, she stood her ground rather than fleeing, hoping she looked braver than she actually felt.

“I haven’t been told anything but to stay away from this wing. Who do you think I’ve talked to?” She said, trying beyond anything to just keep her voice steady. She was frankly terrified, but she couldn’t let that stop her. She couldn’t waver, no matter how much she wanted to shake looking at the anger in Fox’s eyes.

“Was it not good enough for her to ruin everything once?” The Beast didn’t answer nor really listen to her words at all. She was sure the goddess was the reason she had been looking at the rose, why she had taken a petal. She needed to know why. Why couldn’t she just be left in peace? She took another step towards the woman, who this time didn’t take any back. Capsize wanted to, she wasn’t exactly feeling confident at this point in her ability to calm the situation, but she couldn’t back down. What kind of life was she going to lead if she lived in fear? She needed to stand tall, to at least pretend she wasn’t scared, because if she didn’t, what did she have in this place? However, as she looked at her, the Beast saw defiance, saw the goddess’ cold anger from that night. Her thoughts could never escape that night.

“Who’s she—”

“You know who she is!” She yelled, lashing an arm out. She was far enough away that she knew she wouldn’t hit her, but her claws caught onto an already damaged piece of furniture. She tossed it across the room with force. It shattered a few feet away from the two. The sound of smashing wood echoed in Capsize’s head. Despite how not a single shard of wood or any part of the Beast had come close to touching her, her entire body went rigid as she felt a terrible pain across her left side.

She knew it wasn’t real, but it was. It was far too real. She could hear her heart pounding, the yelling, the rain falling around her so loud that it was deafening. She felt the terrible pain that marked her entire life changing. She stumbled back with a choked breath, unable to remind herself that she was out of danger because she wasn’t. Just because she wasn’t in that moment didn’t mean she was safe. How close had she been to being hit? It was one thing to know in theory how someone could tear you apart, and another thing to see such clear proof of that fact.

The Beast saw her eyes suddenly widen, her body stiffen as she shifted backwards, and it was as if she suddenly realised reality. The look on the woman’s face was one she hadn’t worn yet, she looked terrified. In that moment, seeing that look, she realised that she’d ruined everything. She reached out towards her, to try and figure out any words that might somehow fix and excuse the mess she’d created but Capsize moved back. Her movement was shaky, and she shook her head as she backed away.

“Stay away from me,” She said, just trying to keep her distance. She couldn’t do this. She had really thought that she could, that she could keep her word and stay here in Red’s place, but the reality had been made clear now. How close had she been to being hurt? She had no idea, but she knew that she couldn’t stay here any longer. Fox’s arm dropped, something about her expression changing, but Capsize didn’t pay attention to that. She instead took off, just running as fast as she could, ignoring everything with the only thought in her mind being that she had to leave.

The Beast fell to her knees. It was over. She’d ruined everything. She’d terrified her. There wasn’t any coming back from it. Sure, she could chase after her, either try to explain and apologise or just stop her from leaving by any means, but what good would that really do? She’d just be forcing her to stay for the principal of the matter, because she agreed to remain here. Maybe it was better that the woman disappeared before she really got her hopes up of anything happening, before anyone here really believed that she could change. If any had been made clear to her at this moment it was that she couldn’t change.

By some miracle, someone had come to this cursed place that didn’t look at her like a complete monster. By another, that person had been willing to give up her freedom to remain in here. And what did she do with that opportunity? Completely ruined any chance she possibly had to bond with her. She’d treated her terribly, caused her to run off in fear, and for what? Not listening to her? For following the goddess that cursed them with no proof of anything more? For not knowing not to touch something she hadn’t mentioned, let alone mentioned the consequences of messing around with it? For those frankly pathetic reasons she’d chased off the one person who had brought even a ray of light into the castle in years. Maybe she did deserve this fate. Maybe the goddess was right that she was heartless and better off forgotten.

But why had she doomed everyone else too? That was the question that ate away at her. Had they deserved punishment for her mistake, or was it just some way to motivate her to actually try and break the curse? Why was it that they were left in such a state and their only chance at salvation was her? No matter the reason it felt cruel, and just made her feel all the worse that their only chance was definitely fleeing the grounds as she made no actions to stop her. She needed to find a solution, for their sakes if not her own. She had to; they didn’t deserve to be doomed because she didn’t make an effort. But how?

She was sure that she’d already wasted her one chance at doing this the way the goddess had presented. Every other method she had tried had resulted in just more failure. So, what was she meant to do to help them? She could only think of one method beyond the intended one that might still work, begging the goddess to at least reverse the curse on the others. Maybe if she accepted her own fate it would be good enough. How could she even get her attention to try though? She’d simply shown up the first time and then disappeared just as quickly.

She sighed and slumped fully to the floor. It all just felt hopeless. The instructions had been clear: fall in love and be loved in return. Yet when someone was in front of her who she had wanted to get to know, had been brave and beautiful and curious, she hadn’t even tried. If someone like her hadn’t moved her to try and act decently, then could anyone? So maybe she deserved to be forgotten by the world, stuck in this monstrous state. She’d figure out a way to help the others, to make sure they were doomed for her mistakes, but herself? She guessed this was exactly what she deserved. After all, if she couldn’t love someone like her, what chance did she really have?

Chapter Text

Capsize’s thoughts were very much still panicked when she found her way to the entrance doors of the castle. All she could think about was escaping. How could her thoughts be on anything else when she was so aware that she could be stopped at any moment? If the Beast caught her now, stopped her from leaving, what would happen to her? Would she be thrown into the cell she had found Red in? Would she somehow have a worse fate? She hadn’t originally been scared of being locked in the cell, that was the circumstances she thought she had been agreeing to, and even now it was not the worst fate she could think of. However, she was so afraid of being at the mercy of the Beast, of what those claws could do to her if she was in reach of them when her mood turned. She hadn’t been hurt yet, but how close had it been? She couldn’t remain in this place and just wait to be harmed. She had to go back to the town, because even if she hated it, she could at least be sure she was safe there.

As she approached the grand entrance doors, she still felt shaky. She hadn’t collected her few belongings, not wanting to risk the extra time it would take to collect them. However, that also meant she didn’t have her cloak on her, as she opened the heavy doors and felt the cold air hit her. Winter was just the beginning, but the nights were already bitterly cold. Her shirt and trousers were warm enough inside, and she was technically wearing a coat, but it was thin and not designed for travelling, let alone for travelling through winter nights. But she needed to leave as soon as she could, so that wasn’t a problem she could fix. Yes, it would be an unpleasant journey, but what did that matter? She could deal with a few hours of unpleasantness. She needed to leave now. She’d head back to town and pretend this was all just some dream.

“Miss, what are you—?” Capsize whipped around in fright at the sound of a voice behind her, only calming slightly upon seeing the small form of Martha. Even if she was not afraid of the person who had found her, she could not calm completely. She hadn’t been calm before the voice had spooked her, and she was still trying to leave – the one thing that she had promised not to do. Martha understood immediately upon seeing her face that something had gone terribly wrong. Her features were highlighted with fear, her breathing quick and fast and her gaze did not stop shifting to the staircase as if she was terrified of someone following her. It did not take a genius to figure out who must have scared her. And it was far too much fear to have just been caused by a chance encounter. The clock realised with a terrible sickening drop that she must’ve entered the West Wing. Usually that realisation would’ve led to lectures about that being a ridiculous and unnecessary action that only served to get her in trouble, but she knew such words would be at this moment as cruel as they would be unneeded. She moved forward as gently as she could, trying to think of any way to provide her comfort, to get her into a calmer state of mind, but very few things came to mind. “Miss, just try to steady your breathing… you shouldn’t be making any rash decisions in your current state.”

“No, it’s not rash, I…” She swallowed, realising that she was talking far too fast as that’s the only way her breath would currently allow her to speak. She took the advice, trying to slow down her breathing, though she struggled to actually do so. She didn’t feel like she was acting rashly. She knew beyond all else that she could not remain here, that she needed to leave as soon as possible and not matter what the risks. Perhaps if she was calmer, this would be seen as rash actions, but she saw her panicked thoughts as perhaps the most logical she had had since she had arrived. Because she was sure at this moment that she could not remain here, and if she could not remain here, she had to leave now. If she stayed here when she had tried to escape, there was as good a chance that she would be locked up in a way that meant she’d never be able to try again. Maybe she’d deserve that, for going back on her word, but that didn’t stop that thought from once again making her breath quicken and her chest tighten. “I know what I promised, but I— I can’t stay here. I just can’t!”

“Did she… Did she hurt you?” Had any of the others been around, Martha would not have had the bravery to ask such a question. None of them liked facing the idea of the Mistress being violent, or rather they didn’t want to believe she had fallen so far as to physically and purposefully hurt a person. Martha didn’t particularly want to consider it either, but she had to check. How could she not check if she was this scared? Capsize shook her head, though there was a certain hesitance to the action. She wasn’t hurt. She wasn’t even sure that she had been close to being hurt, but the uncertainty wasn’t enough to ease her fears. Though it did add to the odd guilt she had in this situation. She was breaking her word. Thinking about it that way made her slightly sick, but what choice did she have? “Okay, that’s good. Do you want to come to the kitchens? Or somewhere in the castle she can’t reach?”

“No! I… Please, I swear I won’t tell anyone about this place, about any of you, I just. I can’t,” She almost begged despite the fact that the clock could not physically stop her even if she wanted to. Martha just looked at her sorrowfully. She knew she should argue with her, try to convince her to stay. This girl was the only chance they had of breaking the curse, she had to remain here, but how could she stand here and argue that? How could she argue that anyone should stay in this place? She thought about what Tom would say, something that she had never thought about before in her life and frankly seemed to make all the clearer just how desperate she felt, but nothing came to mind that was actually helpful. The only thing she could think to say was that the woman clearly was not ready for any sort of journey through the night. Even without the cold, she knew there were predators in the woods, the sort that had originally started the mess with her brother’s arrival. Did she have any chance of fighting or even just scaring them off without some sort of supplies? With the rush she was in, she didn’t even have a light. While she may not in good conscience be able to argue for her to remain here, she also could not allow her to leave without saying anything.

“Okay, I won’t make you stay, but you really aren’t in a fit state for the journey. At least come with me to collect your cloak and at the very least a light,” She spoke softly, hoping to mostly just get her out of danger and perhaps delay her decision a little. She couldn’t let her run off into danger. Even if she ends up leaving, she could at least feel okay with that decision if she knew the woman wasn’t running off into danger. And maybe if she collected her things, had some time to think, she’d choose to say of her own accord. She doubted such an outcome, but stranger things had happened. Capsize found herself frozen. The logical part of herself wanted to listen, to prepare rather than just running out into the night when she knew she wasn’t ready, but that part of her mind was barely audible at the current moment.

Perhaps if she had remained alone with Martha for a few minutes longer, she may have been quietly talked into properly preparing. Her thoughts were already swimming with doubt, perhaps she could’ve been convinced to not go out into the night at all. However, she saw movement in the upper landing. It wasn’t the Beast, had she looked for more than a mere moment she would’ve seen that fact clearly, but her mind was moving too fast for that. Her panic restarted as if it was fresh. She could not remain here. She just couldn't.

“I’m sorry!” Were her last words before she dashed out the door. Her flight was seen by an already panicked Tom and Mot who had been desperately hoping to find her before any sort of altercation could happen between her and the Beast, only to realise they were now far too late. All three cursed individuals that witnessed the scene had a different kind of devastation run through them. They were doomed. None reacted in quite the same way.

“Capsize!” Tom called out, hopping as quickly as he could out the door after her. Her horse was in the stables. She’d need to saddle it to ride back to town, and he had to hope she was planning to ride and not just run. He had to still have time to try and persuade her, to beg her to stay. Neither of the others even tried to stop him. Neither had any belief he’d be able to bring her back either, but there was no point in stopping him from trying.

Mot wanted to follow, he really did, but he could not feel anything but a numb pessimism. He wished that he could just be disappointed, angry that he had once again put his faith in the Beast and that he had been so thoroughly let down. However, he couldn’t feel anything but numb as it was not only his fate that was sealed by Capsize leaving, but Alyssa’s was too. His daughter would never be human again. Neither would the champion and princess he was trusted to watch over. The sorrow and guilt combined into a numbness. All their fates were being sealed in that moment, how was he meant to feel anything else?

Martha, meanwhile, found herself completely frozen with thoughts far away from their fates. Instead, all her thoughts latched onto a memory of a time that felt almost like a dream now. Years before the curse, a good handful of years before even she found herself taking residence in the castle, back when for a few months between travels she had been staying with her father. Her mind had been lingering on those particular few months in the past few days, a fact she had attributed to simply missing her father and being reminded of that fact more by the arrival of someone with such a close family relationship to this cursed place. It was only now though that it finally clicked.

She had met her before. The woman had been young, still a child, she hadn’t realised until now. She had been brought to her father, looking very much like she suspected herself in trouble, as the woman that had brought her there questioned him about the young girl’s possible connection to Lady Ianite. To be honest, she hadn’t paid much attention, it had seemed like a private affair after all, but it was clear to her now that child had grown up to be Capsize.

That realisation, however, left her with a deep sickly nausea rising within her, the sort she had not felt since losing her human form, because she remembered what her father had offhandedly mentioned about the girl. How had someone that had talked to Lady Ianite ended up here? A messenger of the very god that cursed them. Could it really be a consequence? But the woman certainly didn’t seem like she had been sent here intentionally. She seemed like she had no idea what was going on, but that just left Martha with further questions. However, there was an even worse fear that came into her mind now she had realised this fact about the woman. The woods were dangerous, that was the exact reason she had tried to talk her into staying, but if she truly was one of the goddess’ favoured, what would that mean if she didn’t make it back to the town? The goddess had already cursed them for one woman’s slight, what would she do if the same woman’s anger led her messenger into harm’s way? Ironically, Martha could only pray that they would never find out.

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It was no longer than ten minutes before Tom re-entered the completely dejected as Capsize rode away from the castle. The most interesting person he’d had to talk to in years and she’d left in fear. He honestly wasn’t sure if he was more upset about the fact that he’d be stuck as an object for the rest of time, or that he was losing someone he had seen as a friend. It was almost certainly the former, not much could bring down a person’s mood like knowing they were stuck with a terrible fate, but he couldn’t help but think about her clear unhappiness whether she talked about the town and how she was riding right back into the life she clearly disliked. Really, how could such a fact sit easily in his mind?

It was only around another ten minutes later that all the living furniture were gathered together in the kitchen. It was incredibly rare for them to all actually be in one room, but at the current moment it has seemed a good idea to all gather in one place. Originally, they had been attempting to form some kind of plan, but that very quickly stopped as the mood succumbed to the inescapable truth of the curse. That wasn’t to say that the room was silent, but the talking that was actually taking place was, well, anger and annoyance that hadn’t been directed towards each other for years once again causing sparks.

“Why do you even have an opinion? You didn’t even meet her!” Steve was not quite yelling, though he was certainly more riled up than he had been in years. It was unsurprising to the others that Wag and Steve had so quickly started arguing, the two had never gotten along. However, they had not interacted for years at this point, after all it was quite easy for the wizard turned fabric to avoid someone that was literally stuck to a wall. Now they were actually in the same room, their dislike of each other had quickly rebloomed and it was easier by far for Steve to yell at him than to actually confront the actual painful situation they were all stuck in.

“Well, I’m just as affected by her leaving as you so I should get some kind of opinion. Besides, it’s not as if me meeting her would’ve changed the outcome,” The robe shrugged, fabric flopping around as he did so. His nonchalance only annoyed the stove more. The rest of those gathered were frankly exhausted, not just from the bickering, though it certainly did not raise their moods. Most of them had tried to interrupt the arguing at some point, though none had had any success in stopping it. Normally Martha would’ve yelled at the two to actually act like adults, but she simply didn’t have the energy at this moment. “I know it’s a little hard for you to know what’s going on in the castle, but I have been working on breaking the curse.”

“Oh of course you have! Working on some magical solution. Go on, tell us all about the way you’ve figured out that’ll put us all back to normal,” He didn’t hold back his disdain. The amount of disrespect he’d suffered prior to the curse from the princess for not having any magical abilities. He’d only put up with liking magic at all because of Martha, because of the friends he had in the castle. He’d had his annoyances towards magic, and particularly the wizard and the princess even prior to the curse, but then he had been magically fused to a wall. Unsurprising that left a man with more than a little resentment. “No, you can’t, because you haven’t found a solution, because magic is what got us into this mess in the first place!”

“No, the Beast is what got us all into this mess in the first place!” Alyssa spoke full of annoyance, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. She didn’t care if she was being improper, or whatever it was that everyone used to lecture her about. She was so entirely done with being respectful about the Beast, about this curse. She was always expected to be nice and polite. She had been expected to bite her tongue when her dad was being disrespected. The number of lectures she’d gotten from Martha about proper etiquette and manners she was meant to have, while the one she was meant to use such things around barely used them herself. She was so bored of it all. “It has nothing to do with magic. If she’d just let an old woman stay for a night, we’d all be fine!”

“I mean, she isn’t that bad…” Andor said quietly. His words were somewhat undermined by his current form, though he did truly mean them, as much as they were not much of a compliment. Alyssa rolled her eyes. How many times has she heard such a line? It was always some variant on not so bad as if that was the highest compliment in the world.

“She got us all cursed and has now chased off the one person who could’ve broken said curse. If she isn’t that bad, then who is?” She huffed. Her words were met with silence, none quite knowing what to say. Mot wanted to comfort her, but what could he say? He certainly couldn’t deny her words, and he certainly couldn’t blame her for them. How much of her life had been spent as an object rather than a person? He didn’t want to blame the Beast, obviously he didn’t, since she hadn’t even been an adult yet when she had triggered the curse. She had been old enough to know better, to act kinder, but still a child nonetheless. He could not place the blame fully on her, so he took on that guilt himself as much as he knew saying such a thing would only cause his daughter to lay more blame upon her.

Outside the kitchen, the Beast stood frozen, hearing the words she was not meant to hear. She deserved their dislike. She knew that she did. That’s why she needed to break the curse. She deserved her fate, but she needed to start taking responsibility for her actions and that meant attempting to fix the effects of the curse on them. She had no idea if her idea would work, though as she gripped the mirror tightly, she hoped beyond hope that it would because there was nothing else that she could do at this point. But… she needed to do it in front of them. She’d chicken out if she tried alone. However, she also couldn’t bring herself to enter the kitchen. She had already let them down once that night, what would happen if she did so again?

“Mistress, you should come inside,” Martha said, her tone hollow in her exhaustion, but loud enough to gain everyone’s attention. She knew that she had been lingering for a number of minutes, which she regretted not mentioning until now as she realised, she likely should’ve warned Alyssa, but she had not really been in the headspace to register such things. She was far too drained from the realisation she had had as the woman was leaving, one she knew she could not reveal to anyone for fear of what it meant, for how it would change things. Besides, it was not as if warnings had ever dissuaded the teenage flowerpot from speaking her mind before, still she could not stand the fear that appeared on Mot. Perhaps she should be scared too with what the Beast’s anger she had done today, but she simply could not muster it.

The Beast entered the room hunched inwards, the fact that this was intentional on her part to try and avoid looking any of them in the eyes, to hide the shame she felt at her actions that night, at first hidden by her need to duck to enter the room at all. It was impossible for her to look small, especially to the rest of the castle’s residences in their current forms, but still she tried to make herself tiny so she could not be stared at. She couldn’t look at any of them, sure they were all staring at her in anger and knowing she would feel all the worse if they weren’t angry. The idea that they might still see her as possible of being better, that any of them were disappointed rather than angry or resentful being the thing she wanted to confront the least.

“I’m sorry,” She said. Her voice was rough, all the hopelessness that had wormed its way into her spilling out in her tone. Though still almost a growl, she sounded so much more human in this moment, and that made listening to herself all the harder. There was an indecisive look between Tom and Mot. They wanted to confront her, but both knew she needed to speak on her own accord, else she may never try again. It did look like she may retreat at any moment, though at the same time she was almost painfully still. All she could think about was that everything was completely over for her, so she had to try and fix some part of this. “I’ve… I’ve ruined everything for you all. I don’t expect any of you to forgive me, but I…”

She couldn’t say the words she wanted to, it felt far too much like justifying. She pulled up the mirror to actually be able to see herself in it, forcing herself to look at her reflection. She hated seeing it, the horns, fur, and fangs. She hated that she could not fully remember the face that was meant to be staring back, the portraits that could’ve served as reminders were long since torn apart. However, on this night she forced herself to keep her eyes open and to look at the monster that stared back, it was not as if looking at herself made her feel any more ashamed than that she deserved for her actions tonight.

“I’m going to try and fix what I did to you all,” Her voice felt weak as she tried to believe what she was about to do would do anything. The furniture looked between themselves, though none said a word. There were words that some wanted to say, of course, some gentle some not, but none actually did. There was such a fragility. It was as if a single word would shatter the moment that continued to drag on. The Beast kept staring into the mirror, the last beads of hope within her hooked with frayed thread to this idea. “Show me Lady—”

A distant noise cut off every thought in her head as if it was right next to her. Her ears pricked up and focused as soon as she heard the howls, far closer to the castle than they normally would be. She had heard them like this a few nights ago, though covered by the rain. She had had no reason to care, no reason to think any of it. Expect for now it made her blood run cold as she remembered painfully the words of the man. She had not cared about any of his excuses when she had been dragging him to the cell, but she remembered them, his cries of having been attacked by wolves. Her entire focus shifted.

“Show me her—the woman! Show me Capsize!” She desperately spoke to the mirror, an impending terror of what her rash actions might have caused. The amount of time it took for the mirror to actually work and form the image was agony, but that agony did not leave her when the image actually formed. Rather than the terrible images in her imagination being proven false, she saw them in front of her. No, this couldn’t—she couldn’t let her be hurt because of her. She dropped the mirror, bounding out the room on all fours, focused now on nothing but reaching her in time.

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Capsize barely managed to shift her body to land on her good side as she was thrown from Phillipe, the shock of hitting the cold, frost-hardened ground coming in a quick wave of pain that quickly dulled but didn’t disappear. She did not have time to focus on it. She had to get back onto her horse and away from the attacking pack of animals as quickly as possible. Her horse that was currently panicking as wolves were quickly surrounding him. The horse that only hadn’t fled already as his reins had become tangled around a tree’s branches keeping him stuck in place. The horse that currently had her cane strapped to her saddle and she had been thrown an uncomfortable distance from. She tried not to focus on how utterly screwed she was. She wasn’t going to die here, so she needed to do something.

She grabbed the first thing she could feasibly use as a weapon, the frost covering the fallen tree branch unpleasant against her bare skin in a way she just had to ignore. She had known it was stupid to leave without preparation. She had known it was too cold and too dark for her to just leave, but fear had overwritten those thoughts, and had been louder than the voices both within her own head and from others telling her to stay. It had been rash and reckless, and where had it gotten her? Dashing with a painful limp to hit away wolves from trying to attack her horse.

As she swung the branch, knocking them back at least a little, the wolves quickly changed their focus. Very quickly, rather than leaping at Phillipe, they were leaping at her. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her arms swinging as the growls turned onto her. Her thoughts were run by simply knowing if she didn’t, she would not be alive to see the sunrise. And that kept her going until one of the wolves leapt up at face. She swung the branch wildly, knocking the creature back with a sharp crack and a whine. However, the crack was not from an injury she had caused. Only half the branch remained in her hands, splintered and useless and the other half had been thrown back with the wolf.

She stood frozen, completely frozen, attempting to come up with anything she could do. She tried to scramble for another branch, but ended up dragged to the ground as a wolf grabbed her coat. Her left leg was painfully twisted in the process, completely ruining any tiny chance she had of getting back up. She let out an unhelpful, pitiful sob as she tried desperately to think of something to do. Another wolf leapt at her. She threw up her arms as the only shield she had. She awaited the pain of a bite.

It never came. There was a wave of air as the wolf was thrown away from her. It was so sudden that she didn’t stop bracing for impact until something else touched her. Stood in a protective stance, growling at all the wolves, was the Beast. She almost thought she was dreaming. It didn’t feel real that the reason she had been scared enough to land in this situation in the first place was now standing protecting her. She had saved her life.

The wolves changed their target as she threw back another one, focused on the larger threat rather than the easy pickings they had originally been targeting. As they began to circle her, Fox roared ready for a fight. Capsize tried to process everything but found herself completely unable. So instead, she stood up. There was a wave of pain she hadn’t felt for a long time shot through her as she stood, the weight on her left leg far more painful than it had been a minute ago. She tried to push that fact to the back of her mind, as hard as such a thing was, and pushed herself to move back to Phillipe.

Despite only being a few feet, it was painful, the lingering fears of what she had done to her already weak leg haunting her with every step. The only other thing to focus on was the growls, grunts, and whines coming as the wolves pounced at and attacked Fox, which wasn’t exactly something more pleasant to focus on. Despite the leg pain certainly being worse, if she could choose to ignore one, it would certainly be the noises. She tried to focus on Phillip as she found herself now in front of the horse, stroking his neck with shaking heads to calm him before untangling his reins. As she did, she knew that she should leave now, while she had the opportunity and distraction to make good progress back to town, but instead she found herself transfixed on the wolves and Fox.

The wolves had encircled her, lunging at her with claws and teeth as she fought against them. She seemed so powerful, batting away the wild creatures as if their attacks were nothing. However, some still broke through her defence, managing to claw or bite her, though Capsize struggled to know if they were actually doing any damage as she never reacted to any of it. She tried not to pay attention, to instead focus on escaping while she still could. An opportunity she was sure was fleeting by the second as, after one took a particularly nasty hit from Fox, the wolves begun to flee.

She stared at Fox, wondering how much time she had before she was forcefully dragged back to the castle. She expected her to start looming towards her, braced herself for it in fact, but what she feared didn’t actually happen. Instead, she looked at her, blood covered her right arm. She wasn’t glaring as she had been earlier, there wasn’t anger or anything of the sort, in fact her gaze barely seemed to reach her. It was so unlike anything Capsize had seen from her within their few meetings. She kept staring, trying to figure out why she seemed so different. Her features seemed lighter, and her expression almost sorrowful. And then she collapsed.

Capsize grabbed her cane from the saddle, rushing over to the Beast. Crouching, ignoring the aching pain in her leg telling her such an action was a bad idea, she examined her arm. Her stomach turned as half-hidden by blood matted fur was an injury that she just couldn’t tell in this darkness how bad it was. Her breath shook as she tried to process the sight. She had been injured protecting her. If Fox hadn’t turned up, she surely would have died, but instead she was lying unconscious on the floor of the woods. She wasn’t going to get any better out here in the cold. Capsize had no idea what she should do. No, actually she had a very distinct idea of what she should do, but every fibre of her being was telling her it was a stupid idea.

She should just leave. She should go back to the town, find her brother, and go about her life as if she hadn’t been missing for days. Back to that boring life surrounded by people who made her question everything about herself being constantly bothered by a man who she absolutely couldn’t stand. Wouldn’t that be easier? Was that what she should do? At the very least, it was the logical thing to do. She was a prisoner, wasn’t she? She should escape now that she’d been given such a good opportunity to do so. But she wasn’t scared anymore. Or rather, she was scared in a very different way. She was scared of what was going to happen to someone who had saved her life. Regardless of circumstances, she could not bring herself to abandon her. She sighed. She could only imagine what Redbeard, Jeriah, or Ianite would say if they knew the decision she was making, but she knew she would only have regrets if she left someone, regardless of who they were, in such a situation when she could’ve helped.

It was going to be a long walk back. One she knew she would likely regret when she actually rested as, while having her cane to support her was certainly helping, the fall had not done her leg any favours. However, there clearly was not any other choice. Given that she was unconscious, Phillipe would need to carry Fox. There was no way he could carry both of them without a cart, so she would just have to be on foot. She was, ironically, quite relieved that she had not made it far in her escape attempt. While she might be stuck in the cold and dark, she would be back to the castle sooner rather than later. She did not like how that statement reassured her. There were a thousand questions poking into her mind as she guided her horse with a sleeping beast on its back back towards where they had just fled from. She didn’t understand why she did not fear going back there, but as she looked towards Fox, she knew she was doing the right thing. Though that didn’t shift the tightness in her chest nearly as much as she wished it would.

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The world came back to the Beast in groggily bursts at first. Noises and sensations, but not actual wakefulness. The first time she actually felt awake, the first thing she acknowledged was that she was moving, the second was that her arm was filled with the worst pain she had ever felt. The second thing quickly became her only focus as it was sharp and biting as opposed to the rest of the world that was foggy and far away. She groaned, the noise escaping her as a low growl as she tried to move, but still was not awake enough to have the strength. Whatever had been moving her stopped. There was, for a moment, nothing in the world except for the pain in her arm and the cold wind hitting against her body, only partly shielded by her fur.

“We’re almost back, just a few more minutes,” She heard a reassuring voice, one that steadied her mind as the movement began again. The woman was safe, she didn’t need to worry about having caused someone death. Though, why would she be hearing her voice? Surely, she had continued her journey back home, to the normal life that she deserved, once she had fallen unconscious. So maybe she was just dreaming, dreaming that the woman would be trying to help her. Wouldn’t that be nice. That was the explanation her mind settled on as she drifted, and she was asleep once again.

The next time she woke up, everything was far clearer, and she realised her explanation did not make sense. As she opened her eyes and had the strength to look around, she saw she was in the castle’s grounds, the thick rose bushes surrounding her. Why was she back? She had been in the woods, by all means she was alone, so how had she gotten back? She looked up, her head momentarily dizzy before the actual things she saw brought her back into control as if she had been physically shocked. She was slumped over the woman’s horse, hanging over the animal as she had clearly been carried onto it while she was asleep. The woman was on the steps, rushing to open the doors. She had brought her back. It was an undeniable fact, but it did not fit right in her head. There was no reason for her to have done so, no reason the woman should’ve come back at all. Unless did she really…? No, no. There was no reason for this to have happened, so the Beast decided she was going to ignore it.

She stood, her legs feeling weaker than they should. Her steps were shaky, her arm was killing her, but she had no reason to stay out here any longer. She should just go back to the West Wing and lick her wounds, leave the woman to do whatever she wanted, leave and go back to her life. As she walked, the cold air quickly killed her wooziness. The horse startled a little as she walked past it, an expected reaction that unfortunately got the woman’s attention. Widened eyes met her as the woman turned and saw her moving, though they did not have the fear they had contained earlier. However, the look did nothing to quell the Beast’s thoughts, she could not bring herself to believe she was actually concerned.

Capsize found herself distracted from her original task of opening the door, concerned more that the Beast may fall again than the fact she was moving towards her. She moved down a couple of steps, attempting to figure out if she should say something or help her, but she found herself being brushed past without so much of a look. There was a brief moment of confusion, wondering if she should have expected anything else. Something had been different, hadn’t it? When she came to save her, the moment before she had collapsed, something had been different. And something, at least to her, was still different, as the fear that had previously always been at the back of her mind when being around Fox was no longer there, but it seemed as if Fox was not willing to act as if anything had changed. Capsize turned as the doors were opened behind her, following the Beast as quickly as she could, unsure if the concern she felt was still reasonable.

“If you’re awake, your arm needs to—”

“You’re back! You’re safe!” She was cut off by a very relieved Tom as she entered the room, Fox not giving a single look towards either of them as she proceeded to the stairs as if there was nothing to be said. Maybe there wasn’t, maybe she should just let her stalk off to wherever she wanted and deal with her injury alone, but she couldn’t do that. Whether she wanted her help or not, her wound needed to be treated and Capsize was the only person in this castle with hands. What would’ve been the point of bringing her back, if she just went off and let her wound fester and get infected? Still, Capsize decided not to ignore Tom.

“Yes, I’m fine, just cold and had a bit of a fall. But she—”

“Get her a change of clothes and make sure her fire is lit,” The Beast said, aiming her words and gaze at Tom. She could tell the woman’s clothes were not nearly thick enough to have protected her from the night air, and her fall into the frost must have left them at least slightly damp. By now, she must surely be freezing. If she gave Tom the task of making sure she warmed up, it’d distract the two and stop word from spreading about their return, at least for long enough for her to rest off the pain. That was her thoughts as she turned around, intending to go back to the West Wing and sleep.

“Are you being serious?” Capsize’s incredulous voice stopped her from continuing to leave. She turned around to see her staring with a frown and a glare laced with a very different kind of anger than she was used to seeing from anyone, let alone the woman. It was not quite enough to make her change her mind on her plans, but it was certainly enough to leave questions in her head. Why did she look like she cared? Capsize, with an absolute annoyance that the person she was talking to apparently had so little care about her own health, took a step forward. “Your arm has a massive wound on it. It needs treatment.”

“I’ll deal with it,” She tried to deflect, to ignore whatever concern she was imagining in the woman’s tone. Capsize scoffed. She couldn’t understand such an attitude. No, actually she very much could. It was her own attitude of just pretending everything was fine to her own detriment. It was the very same attitude that had slowed and damaged her own chances of recovery. She took a few more steps forward, to the point that she was now standing on the bottom step of the grand staircase. Yes, she was cold and frankly her leg was killing her, but she could deal with both of those things at the same time as making sure Fox’s arm was probably looked after. Her determined expression should not have been intimidating. Logically there was no reason the Beast should find any person intimidating as she towered over even the tallest of them, and certainly processed more strength than any of them. She was a good two feet taller than the woman looking up at her and would certainly win against her in any physical contest. However, it was the look on her face, one that made it so clear that she was the one in charge, making her completely unable to look away.

“Just let me help you,” She said, her voice clears in such a way that the Beast knew she couldn’t say no to her. She had a look of authority that simply seemed to exist. Like she knew just by instinct that she should not be questioned. It almost offended the Beast. This was her castle, her authority shouldn’t be questioned, she was the one who should be in charge, but she could not bring herself to be. What she actually felt, well, she couldn’t quite describe it. However, she could not ignore the woman’s request, not when she could still feel her eyes boring into her. She huffed.

“Fine but get changed first. I’m not having you collapse from the cold; it’d just make you a hindrance,” She growled before stalking off in a direction away from the West Wing. Tom blinked in disbelief. She was still being rude, but she’d actually accepted help rather than yelling that she knew best, and she should just listen to her. That meant something, didn’t it? Even if it didn’t, it certainly excited him despite the situation it had occurred in. He hopped up to Capsize.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re back,” He said, giving her a smile. She smiled back despite her thoughts being filled with confusion. Despite everything, she was glad to be back, glad to see Tom. She had made friends here, more than she had had back in the town. Maybe that was foolish of her, but… maybe she had had too much activity and excitement in the day to actually process such thoughts.

“I’m glad to see you,” She said, sure of that at least. The rest of the situation she was less sure about. She had no idea why she felt the need to help the Beast. Yes, she had saved her life, but that wasn’t enough to make her feel indebted to her, after all she wouldn’t have needed to be saved in the first place if not for her. She should by all means leave the stubborn beast to her own devices, if she didn’t want help, she did not need to provide it, but unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to actually do that. Or, maybe not unfortunately, her thoughts on the subject were a little unfocused.

She shivered, maybe she was colder than she thought. Well, she remembered there being spare clothes in her room. She had no idea why, given that they certainly wouldn’t fit anyone who lived here, but she was appreciative of the oddity at this moment. If she was going to remain here, she might as well use them and figure out the mystery behind it later.

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Despite the woman’s words, the Beast did not expect to actually see her again that night. She was sure she would realise that helping her was a lost cause and would instead go to rest. Yet, still had still slumped off into her actual bedroom rather than her study turned den in the West Wing she didn’t want to force the woman to enter again. She almost didn’t recognise the place. How many years had it been since she was here last? She had entered it since the curse, though not many times before she stopped using it as it just stood as another reminder to her of her lost humanity. The room was not in disrepair as her enchantments were still strong, cleaning and keeping the room dust free despite how she had not dared to enter the place in years. The fireplace lit at her presence, a warm glow illuminating the room. It all felt as familiar as it was alien, a piece of the past where she no longer belonged. Her possessions still littered the room, books open, pens and inks abandoned mid note taking, all still fresh as if she had abandoned the place hours ago rather than years. There was a part of herself that wanted to leave immediately, so she could ignore the memories of the past that the place was bringing to the front of her mind, but her exhaustion won out against that idea.

She looked towards the bed, made and welcoming, but she ended up slumping onto the rug in front of the fire. She lent on her right arm at first, an uncharacteristic yelp escaping her as she put just a bit too much pressure on it. She took a sharp breath and grunted as if she wasn’t in pain despite having no one to try and cover for. She curled up in front of the fire, staring at the flames as they danced around giving her warmth that she didn’t need due to her fur but still appreciated. Despite the amount of time the room had sat abandoned, familiar smells still lingered. The magical wood burning nearly overwhelmed the lingering scent of the odd fruit blossom that she originally used in the wards that ran the room's magic. It was still there though, still clinging on and reminding her how excited she was when magical research wasn’t just some desperate hope that she was clinging to to solve a mess she created. She had been so young, still using common ingredients in her experiments as she had not yet gained the confidence to use anything rare in case it ended up wasted; still messing around with Tom rather than seeing him as a distraction. When did she lose those feelings, that passion? If she could, she’d retreat back to those times, not change. Though, for once, her memories felt pleasant rather than an uncomfortable reminder of how terribly she had failed.

For once, she did not mind being lost in the memories as, even with the melancholy undertone they had now that she was stuck in this form, they were still a nice distraction from the unpleasantness the night had brought both physically and emotionally. Her arms still ached, though it was easy enough to ignore as long as she kept it still. Granted, this was not a great solution, but it wasn’t as if she actually knew what to do. She’d never gotten an injury like this one, one that felt serious. Obviously she knew that she shouldn’t have tried to reject the help offered by the woman, but she just couldn't ignore the pit in her stomach whether she was with her. She couldn’t quite describe it. She wanted to pretend that it was guilt for having led her into danger, but it had been there before tonight. She knew what it really was, like she knew the real reason she had allowed the woman to stay instead of her brother, but she didn’t want to acknowledge those thoughts. She just wanted to stay away from the feeling, even if it meant hoping that her injury would magically heal on its own. It was not as if the woman would actually come and help anyway.

However, despite her sureness that she would be alone for the night and that would be for the best, she was not disappointed to look over when she heard the door open and see Capsize standing there. In fact, she found herself staring at her, mostly out of disbelief that she actually came despite how clear she had been about her intentions, but also because she looked so nice. Not that she hadn’t looked nice before, but she had changed now, and well, the outfit suited her. It was still simple, as her previous clothes had been, a soft shirt and a long deep blue wool skirt, but both pieces were decorated with beautiful embroidery and not worn so often that the colours had begun to fade. She didn’t recognise either piece. Had they been Martha’s? The Beast reasoned they must have been, though they fit Capsize so well that she could not imagine them having been tailored for anyone else.

There was the briefest softening on the woman’s features before she turned serious again. Not stern nor angry, but merely just a look of knowing she had a task she must do. Still though, she almost hesitated to enter the room, just almost, but as quickly as that thought sat in her mind, she shook it away. It was not as if she was unwanted or uninvited, and even if she was, the wound needed treatment so she would do what she must. With a breath to steady herself, she entered into the room hoping that the supplies she had gathered would be enough. As she did her eyes were drawn to Fox, her form slumped on the floor. She did not look small, Capsize doubted she ever could, but she certainly was not the large looming creature she had been previously. Perhaps that’s why worry formed rather than fear. As, while she was at least awake, her arm was clearer in the firelight and not easy to look at with the amount of blood covering it. As she walked across the room, the tea cart she had gathered supplies on followed her as it had followed the furniture on her first night here.

The Beast was unsure if she should move or try to help the woman in some way currently unknown to her. Unsure, she merely shifted away as Capsize took a place in an armchair by the fire. They were closer together than they had been at any point during the past few days, and she hesitated to move any closer. Yet, after Capsize poured water from a metal kettle into a china basin, she looked up at Fox confused.

“You know, we’re going to need to be next to each other for me to be able to do this,” She said with the smallest amount of confusion hidden in her tone. Fox knew that her face flushed, though thankfully that fact was hidden by her fur. She was already embarrassed enough as she shifted her position to be sat in front of Capsize without blushing like an idiot. She sat in such a position that she could place her arm on her lap, but she was still facing the fire so she could ignore the world and that suited her just fine.

Being ignored suited Capsize well enough as well. It was better for her to actually focus on the task, even if there were pressing questions in her mind. After all, she still had no idea how bad the wound actually was and that wasn’t going to change until she got to work, even if she was a little unsure where to begin. She was experienced enough in first aid, it was kind of a requirement of a lifestyle where you’re always travelling, as well as one where you need to make sure you haven’t injured yourself terribly while recovering from an already serious wound. However, she had never actually done any sort of first aid on animals, as awkward as she felt comparing Fox to such a thing when she could talk and seemed built far more like a person than any animal she had ever seen, but really, how was she meant to deal with fur? All of it up to her elbow was matted with dried blood and it was near impossible to tell where the wound actually was, but she guessed cleaning up the arm was the first task regardless of any other questions she might have.

The task was quiet, just the occasional splash of water as she rinsed off the cloth she was using. She found herself concentrating, making sure to be gentle as she could as she had no idea where the wound was. The Beast found herself struggling to stay focused on the flames. She was being treated so gently. Why? Why was she going out of her way to help her? The questioning felt almost as bad as the wound, like some false hope had wormed its way inside her head. She almost did question, the words forming then rearranging in her head, but a sharp pain interrupting her thoughts pushing out everything else in her head.

She yelled, short and sharp though it still sounded more akin to a roar and yanked her arm away. Capsize didn’t quite flinch. She hadn’t expected to find the wound so soon, but she had hoped she was being gentle enough. Clearly, she was mistaken. There likely wasn’t any amount of gentle enough for a wound to not at least sting when being cleaned. Still, she couldn’t just stop because of that.

“You need to keep still,” She said, sternly but not without sympathy. She understood the pain of getting wounds treated, obviously she did, but there wasn’t really anything she could do about that. Thankfully, despite the fact that it had initially looked a mess, the actual wounds were not all that deep. There were three long scratches, but they seemed manageable. The Beast tried to bite back her frustration. She didn’t want to yell, didn’t want any sort of repeat of their previous interactions, but she also didn’t want to be around anyone. Her arm hurt, even with the careful actions touching the wound sent even more waves of pain through it. She wanted to be alone, completely alone, to just wallow and ignore the fact that anything is wrong. And, seeing that her commands had not been listened to by the woman in the slightest, the only thing she could think to do was yell and insult until she left of her own accord. “I know it hurts, but it’ll sting less and go quicker if you stay still.”

“It wouldn’t hurt at all if you hadn’t run off,” She said, deliberately trying to sound harsh. She watched the woman’s face flatten, her eyebrows lowered, and she frowned. But she didn’t leave, she just sighed.

“I wouldn’t have run if you hadn’t frightened me,” She said, barely raising her voice. She didn’t have the fear of Fox she previously did, and frankly was not in the mood for whatever argument she wanted to have. She was not going to take being yelled at and blamed for this situation. Though she was, frankly, confused by why the Beast was acting this way. She must surely care at least in some way, else she wouldn’t have saved her in the first place, but at the same time she seemed almost resentful towards her being in the castle at all despite that being entirely her fault. “And no matter who you think is responsible, the pain isn’t going to stop unless your wound gets treated. So, I would suggest that you sit still and let me help you.”

“I--!” She tried to come up with any argument, anyway, to be belligerent and get her to leave. However, looking at her she shrank back down. There was something about Capsize that made her feel as though she had to listen, like there was no question that she was the one in charge. It was almost overwhelming how confident she seemed, but she wasn’t cold, just clear. She could not find the words nor the will to argue against her, so she just silently put her arm back. She should hate the feeling, this was her castle, she was the one in charge! Yet… she did not mind. There was something about how the woman looked at her, not like she was a noble nor a monster that was so fascinating and gave her such a warm feeling that she would not chance changing it. Though she knew that it would change, at least if she did not change the way that she had been acting, with her yelling and allowing her frustrations to get the better of her. What exactly was she meant to do though? Tom would say that she should do some grand gesture to get romance going, but this definitely didn’t feel like the moment to do anything of the sort. She knew, as she looked at the focused woman, that she needed to say something. She had to try to fix the situation that she had created. “I’m sorry for yelling at you… and for scaring you…”

“Thank you,” Capsize looked up for a moment, almost unsure what to make of what sounded like a genuine apology especially as Fox was looking down at the floor. She had not spoken so softly before, even the first night her gentler words had been interlaced with growling and yelling. She seemed so vulnerable for the first time. Capsize placed a gentle hand atop her paw. “And thank you for saving my life.”

“You… you don’t need to thank me for that,” She said, so quietly that it was only audible because they were right not to each other. The Beast did not want to admit that she had been terrified upon realising the danger she had been in, that she was beyond glad that she received a major injury rather than her. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing to admit, but she did not feel in any way safe in saying it. Capsize tried to look at her, but she was still looking into the fire and avoiding her eyes. She chewed a little on the inside of her cheek as she looked back down at the injury and continued to treat the injury. Only then did the Beast speak again. “Why did you come back? You could’ve left and gone back to your life.”

“Well, whether you want to be thanked or not, I wasn’t going to abandon someone who saved my life,” She said, quite sure of her words, but hesitant to say the rest of the truth. She did not want there to be any mistake about the unfairness of the circumstances for her being here. She still was not happy about her freedom being taken, even if she had willingly come back, but she also knew the truth in her own thoughts. The life she had been living, the one she had given up in order to remain here, was not the life that she missed and resented losing. But did that really need to be said out loud? Likely not, but perhaps it would make clear that her help was not some form of paid debt. “And there was not much for me to go back to. Aside from my brother, I only had one friend. I can’t exactly say I had much love for that town.”

“Oh, I… I’m…”

“Don’t be sorry, Fox. It’s an unfortunate fact, but it’s not like you had anything to do with it,” She said, trying to laugh and sound as neutral as possible about the situation so as to not give away how much the town actually bothered her, how there was some part of her glad to never see the place again. However, for the first time since entering the room, her face was not quite steady. There was a clear frown, and while she had tried to stop them, a tear was rolling down her cheek. And the Beast found herself staring, wishing more than anything that she could cheer her up. She couldn’t understand how she could only have a single friend when she was so kind, so needlessly kind. She was a monster, a beast who had taken her prisoner and she was helping her and… she had called her Fox. She could call her monster and it would be completely reasonable, but she didn’t. What had been wrong with that town to not want to treat her kindly? And Fox thought of her own actions, and realised she needed to do something, however small, to make up for them. And something sprung to mind, something she had been keeping hidden for such a long time.

“Anyone who rejects your friendship is clearly a fool. You’ve only been here a few days and I don’t think I’ve ever seen everyone so happy,” She said. Capsize laughed a little, a sound that made the room feel lighter. It was enough to almost make the Beast feel confident in saying her next words. Almost. “And I should know myself… I’ve been terrible, and I know that it’s not possible to start over, but… let me introduce myself properly. My name is Sonja.”

It felt wrong to say out loud after so long of rejecting her own name like she had rejected every remainder of her humanity. Capsize looked not quite in shock, but definitely in confusion. She had suspected that Fox had not been entirely truthful about her lack of name, but she had not expected it to be so ordinary. Their eyes met briefly, the Beast quickly looking away as she still felt shameful. She wished she could hide or take her words back. But that wasn’t a choice she actually had. Instead, she just had to continue on.

“I’ve not used it in years, but if you—”

“Why?” Capsize questioned before actually thinking about how inappropriate such a question might be. The Beast knew she couldn’t tell the whole story, that her name was a remnant of a human that no longer existed, but she needed to say something. She couldn’t keep avoiding topics because she wanted to ignore them.

“It is not a name for a beast,” Her voice betrayed her grief. She hated what she had become, but it was so much easier to try and forget and cast away her previous self than have the crushing feeling of longing for it back and knowing she never could. Capsize heard her tone and, though she had no idea its actual cause, she understood the grief all the same.

“Perhaps not…” She started, wishing she had fully formed her thoughts before starting to speak as she saw the way Fox shrank away. It felt wrong for her not to yell, and indeed it felt far worse. But she needed to actually think, because she did not want to say empty words. “But I doubt many people would say my name is one for a woman. Names aren’t rewards; you don’t need to be deserving to have one. And, for whatever it’s worth, I think Sonja is a nice name.”

The Beast looked back at her, not quite believing what she had heard. She was met with Capsize genuinely smiling at her. A small smile, but it was warmer and lighter than the fire burning beside them. And, for the first time in years, Sonja smiled too.

Chapter Text

It had been a week. A long horrible, hellish week since the magical carriage had dumped Redbeard back in town half-frozen and in mental anguish. A week since Jordan had thrown him to the ground outside the tavern, laughing at him as he begged for help. A long week where he had been forced to accept if he was going to save his sister then he was going to have to do it completely alone.

The first night he had ended up stumbling back to his and Capsize’s home, managing to make it to the living room and light the fireplace with shaking hands. He had sat there, the fire’s warmth almost unpleasant after the day in the freezing cold of the cell. He didn’t care enough to move back. He wasn’t sure he even had the strength to, anyway. He sat alone in the house, so unbelievably broken. Capsize had exchanged her freedom for his. His sister was locked up in his place, in that freezing cold cell. He had just sat there trying to process that fact. He still hadn’t actually completely managed to actually do so because, gods, Capsize was at the mercy of that Beast. How was he ever meant to process that? That cell had been terrible, and he’d only been in there for a day. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her locked her there, saw the look of terror and panic she’d had in that last moment when he had been dragged away. Every day it was getting colder. How long could she really last in that cell?

He needed to save her. That was the surest thought in his head from the moment the Beast had agreed to imprison Capsize in his place. He still could hear it leaning over him, telling him not to return if he valued his life. As terrible as it was to think, he truly didn’t. Capsize’s life was far more important than his own. The only reason he hadn’t already tried to return to the castle was his own physical weakness. He’d been so cold, so close to freezing. As it turns out, that isn’t something a person can just recover from with a single night’s rest. Even now, he didn’t feel at his full strength, but he had recovered enough to try to return to the castle. He couldn’t bring himself to wait any longer.

He'd been doing his best to prepare even in his weakened state. He’d started that first morning, when he had woken up from a fitful sleep somehow still cold. He had known that he needed to do something, he couldn’t just sit feeling absolutely terrible. So, he had forced himself to move, had gone to Capsize’s room to try and find a map to mark the route back to the castle. Entering the downstairs bedroom had been hard. It looked like she could enter at any moment. He had found his entire body stuck, unable to actually search because if he moved anything it would mean losing some remnants of her presence. The room was so neat, the only real mess being her desk and a shelf that contained a small collection of books and a couple of trinkets, a glass that would’ve housed a rose had the trip to the market been normal. The thought of roses made his stomach turn, the reason he was labelled a thief: a teasing joke towards his sister. The desk had notes about trinkets scattered across it, and Redbeard knew they were all old, that if Capsize was here she wouldn’t mind him moving them, but he felt so hesitant to move any of it anyway. She should be here, she should be in this room reading or making notes on some trinket, but instead he was here. He forced himself to sit down.

Thankfully, he didn’t actually have to move too many of the papers to find a map. One was pinned under a couple dusty journals in the back corner against the wall. He felt a tinge of curiosity at the journals but didn’t dare to open them. It would be pointless to read them, Capsize clearly hadn’t written in them for quite some time, and even if she had, there was absolutely no way she had known that she wasn’t going to return to the town that day. There was nothing to gain from reading them, but he still found his thoughts drawn to the journals as he worried that he had missed something about his sister. He knew she wasn’t happy here. He wasn’t so oblivious to miss the obvious and it was clear that neither of them really belonged here, but how could he do anything but worry that he had missed things when she had willingly made a deal to stay in that cursed place. He knew nothing good would come from him reading them. Either there’d be nothing to find, and he’d be left with the guilt of invading Capsize’s privacy, or he’d find that he had missed how unhappy she was and be left with that guilt instead. He had no idea which would be a worse feeling, so it was better not to look at all.

That’s what he told him as he forced himself to focus on the map, marking the route back to the castle. It was so easy to spot now. How had neither he nor Capsize ever acknowledged the odd road to nowhere? It was so strange, one of them should’ve said something about the oddity, but it was as if he had only even thought of its existence on that night when he had been forced to take that path. He supposed he should be glad for it. Had Capsize ever noticed there was an oddity so close to the town, she almost certainly would’ve gone to investigate it. At the very least this way, he knew where she was. All of this would’ve been so much worse had Capsize just disappeared one day, leaving him with no idea what could’ve happened to her.

Marking the route back had only been a temporary distraction. The moment it was done, he was once again forced to face the fact that he had absolutely no idea what to do. He had no idea how long it would take him to get through the woods on foot completely alone. He had been so sure that someone would help him, that at the very least Jordan or Tucker would care enough to want to help Capsize, but instead he was completely without help. Where did that leave him really? Maybe he could make his way back to the castle – though the weather from the quickly coming in winter would slow him down, he could prepare for a long journey. He had weapons he could take to scare off the wolves and any other predators, he was sure he could prepare food and supplies and, while he’d probably need to search through Capsize’s limited books for the information, he could likely find things in the woods themselves to keep the journey going longer if needed. But he knew that he had no chance of fighting the Beast. If he couldn’t fight it, he couldn’t save Capsize, so what was he supposed to do?

A hopeless, lost feeling overwhelmed him. He’d been unable to shift out of it for days. Every moment he was recovering his physical strength, he couldn’t stop the berating thoughts that he was allowing Capsize to suffer. She had found him so quickly despite how she couldn’t have had any idea where to find him, the kind of trouble that he was in. Meanwhile, he didn’t have the strength to do the same. Gods, he was a shameful brother. He had tried, he truly had, to leave that first morning after marking the route on the map, but his entire body shook as he walked. He had ended up passed out by the fireplace, waking up and sobbing as he realised that he didn’t have the strength to save Capsize as she had saved him. Days passed of him spending so long by the fire, feeling like a complete failure.

Until finally, today a week later, he found the strength to be able to force himself to actually do something. Movement still hurt, though it was a dull ache that he could ignore for the most part. He didn’t care if no one would help him, he had to help Capsize. There was enough food and supplies in the house that he could use, he could make the journey to the castle on foot. He knew it wasn’t a good plan, in fact it was a completely terrible one, but what other choice did he have? He needed to do something. Good idea or not, he forced himself to begin packing. Food and some basic survival and camping supplies were easy enough, though he certainly couldn’t pack nearly as much as he wanted to. He ended up shoving a natural guidebook that Capsize had on her shelf into his bag as well, hoping that he wouldn’t have to use it, but knowing it was better safe than sorry.

The next task was emotionally harder. The wooden chest under his desk had gathered dust over the two years they had been here. He had never intended to keep it hidden, and seeing the dust saddened him. Better now than never to finally use his belongings once again though. He opened the chest, coming face to face with his and Capsize’s old equipment, from those days back on the ship. Folded black coats with dulled golden embellishments, a compass left to tarnish, a pair of cutlasses, a pistol, and a crossbow with ammunition packs for both. He ran a hand over his sword and his crossbow. How long had it been since he used either? He’d put all the things away with every belief that it would be a temporary storage. Capsize had just been so sad looking at their old things, putting them away had just seemed easier. It was just until they could leave, he’d told himself, but them leaving had never actually come. So, they had laid untouched for the whole time. As he picked up the crossbow, it felt almost alien in his hands before it quickly felt normal again, which made a twinge of guilt snap within him. None of this would’ve happened if he was just more careful back then. All of this would’ve been prevented. Capsize had never blamed him, but he knew it was his fault. It was too late by far to fix his original mistake, but he could fix his newest one.

Placing his crossbow on the bed, he scooped out his sword and the quiver of bolts, placing them alongside the other weapon. He’d only put it on when he was actually leaving, he could do without any more stares judging him. The clear judgement as they looked at the town drunkard telling an insane story. Maybe they were right to throw him out of the tavern. He wondered if they truly had the correct opinion of him. Obviously, he knew the Beast was actually real, that Capsize was actually in danger, but maybe he was crazy regardless. He planned to go and face the creature that he knew was far more powerful than himself and had threatened to kill him if he ever returned. Even being completely gentle with his words, he knew his plan was foolish. But of course, that wasn’t why everyone in town thought there was something wrong with him. They thought he was a drunk idiot that was making up a ridiculous story. Perhaps that was a trap that he had walked himself into, but he was so confused about what he was meant to do if they just weren’t going to believe him. He just had to keep telling the truth and hope somehow someone decided to help him, that they cared enough about Capsize to want to help despite the situation being unbelievable.

“Please… Please, send help,” He begged, clutching the necklace bearing the symbol of the goddess he was praying to. Praying made it sound far more formal than his half-sobbed words could ever be described as, but he felt so desperate. He needed someone to help. Surely Lady Ianite wouldn’t abandon Capsize, surely, she had to be helping her in some way. Or maybe he just had to keep telling himself that because if it wasn’t true then he was truly alone in trying to help his sister. No, no. There was no way. He wiped away his tears. He had to keep some hope.

Then there was a thought. A far-off spark of hope in the form of someone who would help. Jeriah. Jeriah, the one person in this town that Capsize would say she was friends with. Sure, he might not believe the story, he certainly didn’t seem the type to believe in monsters. But the man had been a knight once, he’d devoted so much of his life to helping people, surely, he’d help Capsize. It felt like the only hope he’d had this whole time, but Jeriah was out of town, and wasn't going to return for weeks. He couldn’t wait that long, but at the very least, he could leave a letter to explain the situation to the man, leave him the map showing him the route to the castle. That way if Red failed, at least someone who cared about Capsize would know about the danger she was in and where she was. There was a sickly rise in his throat as he thought about failing, of Capsize ending up completely stuck without anyone who might come to help her. Why did he have to get her into this mess?

His body began shaking again. He knew Capsize being in danger was his fault. If not for him entering the castle in the first place, she would be safe. He brushed away more tears. He couldn’t allow himself to wallow in those feelings. They wouldn’t help anybody, least of all Capsize. So, despite how pushing down emotions and forcing himself to leave was no healthier than his self-loathing, he went to find paper. All that mattered to him was Capsize being safe, so he had to make that the only thought in his head if he wanted to carry on.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Walking through the streets was unbearable. He had hoped that the snow beginning to fall would mean most would stay inside, but the market was as bustling as ever. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his own skin. He was used to being seen as a drunk, was used to being called the names associated with such a reputation, but he had never felt nearly as horrible about those facts until today. They weren’t just calling him drunk anymore. They were pretending to whisper as they called him crazy, talked openly that Capsize must be glad for some time away from him. It took more strength than he cared to admit to not either snap at them or just break down into tears. How had he told Capsize to just ignore them?

He kept his head down, trying so hard to tune out the noise. It was far harder than it normally would be as his thoughts were not a safe place to retreat to. All he could really cling to as a focus were physical sensations. The cold wind biting against his skin, the letter he was clutching in his pocket that he feared he’d crumpled beyond readability. They were not particularly nice things to focus on, but they were far nicer than any alternatives. He just needed to stay out here for ten minutes. He could do that.

It was in this state, trudging through the quickly building snow trying to ignore the world, that an arrow fell past him. He felt it graze his ear as he stumbled, almost falling as the ground gave him very little traction to keep his footing. He managed to keep himself upright, something he was glad for as he heard laughter coming from behind him. Despite the actions that he’d just experienced, the laughter didn’t sound malicious. It was as if he was hearing laughter from a pleasant conversation. That made it feel all the colder. He contemplated just continuing on as if nothing had happened, to not face the man that he knew was behind him, but there was still a tiny part of him that wanted to believe that he hadn’t completely misjudged the man that he had honestly believed to be a friend. So, he turned around.

There stood Jordan, his bow held loosely in his hands looking thoroughly entertained by his actions. He didn’t look any different, he didn’t even look cruel as he had that night when he’d thrown him out the tavern. He looked so normal, with a smile that made him look approachable despite everything. Beside him was Tucker, not quite smiling. Redbeard had no idea what to make of either man. He had trusted them, given them the benefit of the doubt whether Capsize had given her complaints. He wanted to believe that he hadn’t misjudged them, because the idea that he had been so blind was pain that he didn’t want to face when everything else was so painful, but what else was he meant to think?

“Looks like I can miss,” Jordan said, a chuckle laced in his tone. He was joking. Obviously, he had only meant to graze the man. Redbeard was an occasional annoyance, but he certainly hadn’t planned to do any actual harm to the man. Even he wouldn’t be able to get away with that, even if the man was a drunkard. It was clear to everyone that the man was harmless entertainment, so he could get away with teasing, but not anything beyond that. It was all in good fun, anyway. Everyone knew he was just joking around. “Seen any more monsters? We’re all curious about the beasts in the woods.”

“Don’t joke around! Capsize is in the clutches of a monster and you couldn’t care less,” Redbeard felt his throat burn as he spoke, not quite being able to yell. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to, he just couldn’t hold back his anger and act like nothing was wrong. Jordan had said he wanted to marry Capsize, called her perfect and brilliant, but hadn’t taken the idea that she was in danger with any kind of worry. He just couldn’t understand it. Jordan had no idea if he should be impressed that the man was still keeping up with the ridiculous story, though he really couldn’t be. It was likely he was keeping the story up out of stupidity rather than bravery, and it wasn’t as if the man had any sort of reputation to lose from his actions. He should just try and get this over with. So, Jordan, with a roll of his eyes, took a step towards him.

“Come on, Red. You don’t need to keep pretending,” He said, even offering a hand in an attempt to be friendly. He knew that the man would likely be a little wary after the tavern, but he could be the bigger man and take the first step in mending that bridge. Yes, he didn’t particularly need to be friendly to the man, but once Capsize was back, she’d probably ask after him and her brother would be the first person she’d ask. Better to keep him on side, even if he was telling tall tales. And besides, if the man could take a joke, he’d laugh off the whole being thrown out the tavern thing. Everyone else had found it funny. Redbeard didn’t take his hand. He stared at it, completely unable to trust the action. It wasn’t as if he was apologising, in fact he was still suggesting that he was making the whole thing up. Jordan frowned just ever so slightly at the man’s hesitance. Why was he acting like this? “Look, we all know that Capsize just got a bit embarrassed and decided to leave town for a little bit to avoid her problems.”

“Leave town? Do you really think that’s something she can just do on a whim?” He felt so utterly confused about the situation Jordan appeared to have just completely made up. Maybe he shouldn’t ask the question that he did, after all, most would take it as a good thing that someone didn’t doubt their sister’s abilities, but his mind could only think of her complaining about the man, about how he didn’t ever seem to actually see her as a person. For the first time, it felt like he was seeing what she meant by that. And that alone was enough to infuriate him. He knew that rising anger meant that he should leave. He should just leave and not say anything more to Jordan, as it likely wouldn’t lead to anything good, but he was so tired. He’d already lost Capsize, what more did he really have to lose? The least he could do now was to finally believe his sister’s words as he should’ve done a long time ago. “And what do you mean she was hiding from her problems? What happened in the day I was gone that she’d feel so desperately that she needed to leave?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Jordan could admit that the man sounded genuinely confused, but all that meant was he was a good actor. Obviously Capsize had told him about her rejecting him, why wouldn’t she have? She would’ve needed to tell him why she left town. He went to step forward but felt a sharp tug on his arm from behind. He looked back, finding Tucker frowning at him. If the man wanted to say something, he didn’t, but Jordan could predict what he would say anyway. For whatever reason, Tucker actually seemed worried about Redbeard. Jordan couldn’t understand it, the only problem the man had was being caught in a ridiculous lie. Fine, though, if he really needed to say it out loud. “Capsize rejected my proposal, being difficult as always, so obviously she’s decided to run off and hide rather than confront the issue.”

“What?” His response was flat. Redbeard genuinely could not believe the words that he was hearing. Jordan had actually proposed to Capsize. That idea wasn’t clicking in his head. Yes, he had asked for his blessing to marry her, but they weren’t even dating. Not to mention, Capsize avoided him whenever it was physically possible, how had she even been around long enough for him to propose? He stood completely dumbfounded, trying to figure out any kind of response to the man. Jordan, looking at the expression of the man in front of him, considered for the first time if perhaps Redbeard hadn’t been playing dumb and actually hadn’t known about the failed proposal. Maybe Capsize just hadn’t told him, he seemed like the type that would just do as his sister told him and return back with a ridiculous excuse for her absence if she told him she wanted some time alone. Maybe he should’ve played this slightly differently. No. No, he was still acting like a madman. He didn’t need to be polite when someone was acting like that. Redbeard ended up shaking his head, tiny movements as he just truly didn’t understand what had happened in the short amount of time he had been gone. “You proposed to Capsize? You aren’t dating, she doesn’t even—”

“Obviously we’re dating!” Jordan interrupted, speaking as if that fact was the clearest fact in the world. Capsize had given him a rose, they’d been on a date. How was there any other explanation except for the fact that they were dating? How could anyone not see the fact they were a couple? They were perfect, they were destined to be together. Lady Ianite had sent Capsize here to be with him. Anyone with a brain could see how great they were together, which was why it was ridiculous that she had had the nerve to reject him. He was so focused on Redbeard that he didn’t notice the confused look from Tucker. Were they dating? Jordan certainly seemed to think so, and he said the words with so much confidence that Tucker almost just wanted to go along with it, but when Capsize was leaving there was so much resentment towards the idea of being in a relationship with the man. Both ideas couldn’t co-exist, and clearly if one person said no that meant there wasn’t a relationship. He considered saying something, or even just quietly nudging Jordan to check if he was actually sure, but he ended up remaining quiet. Redbeard, however, found himself unable to hold back, especially as Jordan continued to talk. “Lady Ianite clearly wants us to be together. And we are together, Capsize just likes playing hard to get. When she gets back, she’ll—"

“Capsize can’t stand you!” Redbeard yelled the words that he absolutely knew he would regret, but he was beyond caring. He had never been so annoyed at himself for having any kind of faith in someone.

“Hey, maybe we should all just calm down,” Tucker said, stepping properly into the conversation for the first time. Jordan and Redbeard both looked on the verge of snapping, actually maybe both already had, but surely there was a chance to de-escalate the argument. They both turned to look at him. Jordan looked annoyed, like Tucker was interrupting something that just didn’t involve him. It was an unpleasant look to have directed at him, but it was better by far than the look from Redbeard. The look from him felt painful to be under. It was not quite anger, though Tucker certainly didn’t want to move into striking distance of the man, rather he looked at Tucker with so little respect that it was as if he had physically struck him rather than telling him to calm down. Redbeard truly wondered why he had thought Tucker was going to be any different than Jordan.

“No! Do you know how many times I’ve defended you? How many times that I told Capsize she was just assuming the worst about you?” He shot rhetorical questions as Jordan. He was so upset with himself as he thought back on the incidents. He should’ve listened to her, then maybe something would’ve changed. It didn’t really make sense as a train of thought, him taking Capsize more seriously about Jordan wouldn’t have changed the Beast’s presence, but maybe if her life in this town had been even a little bit more pleasant, she wouldn’t have been so willing to give up her life for him. He’d never know for sure, and his anger at himself for that fact just fuelled his feelings towards Jordan all the more. “I told her that you were just excited to meet another Ianitee, that you hadn’t grown up in the culture and wanted to learn, but she was right. You don’t see her as a person, she’s just a thing that Lady Ianite had sent for you to have. If you really cared about her at all, you’d be worried that she’s vanished, but don’t! So just leave me alone to help her, because if all you care about is having the perfect girl for your made-up relationship, then here’s some news for you: Capsize will never marry you!”

The townsfolk who had been listening and watching the argument quickly averted their gazes, speed walking away to try and cover that they had been listening at all. Redbeard, feeling a certain amount of confidence leave him as his anger actually formed into words, decided not to remain near Jordan and Tucker. The only thing sticking around would do was make him regret his words, and regret was something he currently had far too much of anyway. He turned on the spot, heading towards Jeriah’s house hoping he wouldn’t see either man again. He’d head out tonight to the woods rather than waiting any longer. He’d been wrong to wait around so long hoping for any help in this town.

Tucker and Jordan remained still watching the ginger man disappear into the falling snow. Tucker felt cold, though not from the weather. He thought of the events of the previous week, of the failed proposal and throwing Redbeard out the tavern. Neither sibling had been treated correctly, and he’d done nothing to actually correct that issue. And there was still the lingering worry that he couldn’t shift because Redbeard was still sticking to his story of Capsize being imprisoned. Jordan, meanwhile, was feeling a very different set of emotions.

“He’s gone mad. He’s crazy…” He said, audible to Tucker but only just. It was the only explanation. Capsize didn’t dislike him, she was just stubborn and liked playing hard to get. They were meant to be, so obviously she liked him. Redbeard had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. With this alongside his insistence of a beast in the woods having taken Capsize, it was clear that whatever sanity the man had once had was completely lost. And that, that put a far darker thought in his head. “He’s actually gone completely mad…”

“Hey, let’s head back. We, err, we should probably…” Tucker had absolutely no idea what to say. They should help Redbeard, or at the very least try and figure out what actually happened to Capsize. A creeping fear told him a bear or wolf could’ve gotten her, Redbeard coming up with the story to explain something horrific, but he didn’t want to believe that was true. Maybe in a few hours, they could go out and check the woods. Better late than never, right? He doubted Jordan would go for such a place after what they’d just learned, but maybe this could be a turning point to make Capsize actually reconsider her thoughts on him? He gently put a hand on Jordan’s shoulder. He expected to have his hand shrugged away. He didn’t expect Jordan to turn with him with a wide smile, placing a hand on each of his shoulders as he gave off the air that he’d won a prize rather than having been told that the woman he wanted to marry hated him.

“Tucker, I’ve had a thought,” He said, lacking any anger or upset in his speech that one would expect from someone in his situation. In fact, he sounded elated. It was disconcerting, but Tucker tried to smile. He had the feeling that his expression wasn’t quite reaching his eyes.

“That’s dangerous,” He joked, and Jordan actually laughed. It was as if nothing was wrong. No, not as if, truly and genuinely nothing was wrong. Jordan had figured it out, the absolutely perfect plan to get Capsize exactly where he wanted her.

“Oh, I know, but with everything Redbeard’s been saying can you blame me?” Again, his tone didn’t match how Tucker thought he really should be feeling. But Jordan was elated, he’d figured out the solution to his problems with Capsize. “Because he’s clearly gone crazy, Tucker. All this talk of a beast and Capsize being imprisoned. Everyone’s heard, everyone knows he’s lost it, but Capsize loves him, she’d do anything to defend him.”

“Yeah, I guess she would,” There was a growing pit in Tucker’s stomach. He could barely manage the reply he gave as he was scared of the look in Jordan’s eyes, of affirming whatever ideas he was thinking. Jordan leant in closer. He couldn’t let anyone else hear his plan.

“So, let’s say the asylum gets wind that Redbeard isn’t doing too well. Capsize would agree to anything to make sure he wasn’t locked up,” He whispered. If Tucker didn’t know his friend’s tone so well, he’d assume he was making a very dark joke. But he knew, he could just tell that this wasn’t one. He had never had such a deep pit in his stomach. He should say something. He should try to tell Jordan that this was insane, that he couldn’t blackmail Capsize into marrying him, but the look in his eyes, it scared him. He needed to stop this, obviously he did, but what chance did he have of doing that with direct confrontation. There was a chance that this was just a reaction formed from shock and anger, that tomorrow Jordan would wake up and realise what a terrible thing he had suggested. “The asylum director, he definitely seems like the type to take bribes, don’t you think.”

“Oh definitely,” Tucker felt a little hope drain out of him as he knew full well that Monsieur Furia was an unscrupulous man. He would most certainly take money to detain someone. He couldn’t let this happen. At the same , though, he couldn’t let Jordan know he thought this was completely terrible. The man would just storm off and do it anyway if his previous experiences told him anything. So, what could he do? He was sure however that he could, at the very least, slow this plan down. He plastered a smile on his face, trying to match Jordan’s energy. “But we’re gonna need to come up with a plan for this. One wrong move and he’ll have proof and blackmail you. He’d much rather have you at his beck and call than money.”

“You’re absolutely right,” He said with a grimace. He couldn’t afford to be caught doing this. If he went about this correctly, he could be seen as a charitable man who selflessly rescued his bride’s brother from a terrible fate. But one wrong move and his reputation would be held in the hands of a man who he knew wouldn’t hesitate to use such information to ruin him at this first convenience. He would need to think this through, to make sure his plan was absolutely foolproof. Thankfully, he had Tucker to help him, and time before Capsize was likely to arrive back in town, but he was absolutely sure that his wedding was in his grasp, and he wasn’t going to let it go now he was clearly so close. “But we’ve got time. Come on, let’s go somewhere private to discuss this.”

Jordan began to walk towards their training grounds. For a moment, Tucker hesitated to follow. Maybe he should go and try to warn Redbeard. That would certainly be the best thing to keep the man from danger, but there was truly a part of him clinging to the idea that Jordan would realise what a horrible idea this was. Tomorrow, if he was still convinced this plan was in any way a good idea, he’d warn Redbeard. He prayed to his Lord that it wouldn’t come to that.

The next day, he would find the home of Capsize and Redbeard dark and empty. Redbeard had already left for the woods, having no idea what awaited him back in town. Tucker stood in the snow-covered streets and realised that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He couldn’t let Jordan imprison a man to blackmail his sister into marriage, but once he had an idea in his head, he rarely managed to be talked out of it. And, as much as they were both god’s champions, Tucker knew that Jordan was far more admired and respected than himself. It sometimes felt like whatever Jordan said was just taken as fact. And suddenly something Tucker once might’ve said as a joke felt like an absolutely terrifying reality that he was inescapably stuck in.

Chapter Text

As winter’s first snow began to fall, there was a very different atmosphere in the castle than there had been since the curse had begun. Though the days were growing shorter and colder, there was a certain brightness to the building that it had completely lacked in the years since they have all been transformed – and arguably that it had for years before that. Now though, something none of them had thought possible had happened. An uncursed person had come to the castle, and after seemingly all hope had been lost, she’d returned of her own free will. It seemed impossible, no one in their right mind should’ve returned to this place when they had the opportunity to return to their regular life.

She was the very hope that they needed to break the curse. They had known that since her initial arrival, but now it truly seemed that despite all the odds, there was truly a possibility of her doing so. That wasn’t to say that any actual courtship was taking place, much to the chagrin of Tom who still found the idea of this being a time-consuming affair beyond frustrating. However, what it was clear and simply to say was that Capsize had had a positive impact on the Beast. Or rather she’d had a positive effect on Sonja – as the cursed woman had finally allowed herself to be called by her name again.

It had been years since she had used her true name. It was only a few weeks after the curse began that she had started to lash out at anyone using it. It would be an understatement to say it was surprising to hear the name being spoken by Capsize. It still felt ever so slightly wrong to hear it being used after so long of it being forbidden, but everyone supposed that it took longer than a few days to get used to such changes. Honestly, everyone was quite lost as to what had happened that night when Capsize had fled then returned with an injured Beast in tow. What they did know, however, was that whatever had taken place between the two, it had brought a lightness to the whole building.

There was still a certain awkwardness in the interactions between the two. Though the fact that the two were interacting civically – not yelling through a locked door or avoiding each other entirely – seemed to be a miracle itself. Still, neither seemed quite sure of how to interact with the other. Capsize was, for her part, glad to no longer feel like she had to sneak around the place to avoid her… host? Calling her a capturer or anything of the like felt wrong now she had willingly returned to this place, but that left her unsure precisely how to describe her. Regardless, it was nice that she finally felt free to truly explore, even if she’d had to take that endeavour quite slowly.

As it turned out, the fall she had taken during her encounter with the wolves had been as bad for her leg as she had feared. The walk back certainly hadn’t helped either. Thankfully, it stopped being actively painful that same night, and the pain as she walked was steadily reducing. That meant, at least from her own experience, that she likely hadn’t done any further permanent damage. However, she was also more than aware that she did need to rest. So, she had been doing just that, while doing her best to hide that she had injured herself in the first place. She couldn’t help but wonder if hiding such a thing was illogical, but there was a pact of her – as there had been since she had been injured in the first place – embarrassed that she had to rest at all.

Sonja, meanwhile, was rather nervous about interacting with her. It was an odd emotion to see on the Beast. She had not been particularly delicate since the curse, mostly due to how she never quite got used to her own strength in this form. Yet, here she was, not sneaking around per say, but certainly being far more careful with her own movement than she ever had before. All in the effort to not run into Capsize. Not that she was hiding from her. Truth be told, Sonja just had no idea how she was meant to interact with the woman.

It had been so long since she had interacted with anyone without a base of anger. And she didn’t want to interact with anyone, particularly not Capsize, in anger anymore. Yet, lashing out had been her primary way of interacting with everyone for years now. She worried that she had completely forgotten how to interact otherwise. So, despite how she did truly want to get to know her, she found herself avoiding Capsize for quite a few days after their return. That was until today.

She hadn’t started the day intending to spend any time with Capsize. It was just, well, Tom had mentioned that she had been less active since her return and – after getting confirmation that this was true from some of the others – she just wanted to make sure she was okay. She wouldn’t call it worry, even if in reality that’s exactly what the emotion she felt was. Sonja would rather have called the emotion guilt, because if she had been injured, it would be entirely her fault. She had scared her enough to cause her to flee out into the woods, any injuries she had because of that were therefore her fault. And since Capsize had tended to her injury, it was only right that she made sure she hadn’t been injured in the encounter.

It took far more time to build up the courage than she cared to admit to knock on her door. However, regardless of how long it took, she still wound up standing in the woman’s room feeling extremely self-aware of herself. Said feeling, however, was forgotten, though only as it was instead covered with guilt as she realised that Capsize had indeed been injured that night.

“If you got injured so badly it still hurts now, you should’ve said something. I—”

“There was nothing to say. My leg being injured isn’t exactly news. Besides, it doesn’t ache anymore. No more than it normally does, anyway,” Capsize spoke almost flippantly, just baring looking up from her book. Her leg aching was, for better or worse, just a fact she was used to now. However, her words caused a soft frown graced Sonja’s features, and she remembered how short a time she had actually been here for. A few days ago, she would’ve reminded herself that she didn’t owe her any grace, but now? Her own features soften at the expression.

She seemed genuinely considered. That wasn’t something Capsize was particularly used to. It wasn’t as if her life had been completely devoid of those feeling concern for her. Redbeard obviously did. So did Jeriah, though he hid it better. And before Ianite had gone completely silent she too had shared such feelings. However, it felt different from Sonja, though the reason why was intangible to her. Being unable to explain such a thing felt strange in itself. Still, she swallowed down her defensiveness, closing her book and placing it on her knee. “I… Look – I promise you – I know my own limits. My leg wasn’t a pressing concern, and your arm was. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Obviously I’m—” Sonja stopped herself from speaking as she could hear her own tone turning argumentative. She didn’t even want to argue with Capsize, but it couldn’t define what the emotion she was feeling actually was. She trusted her judgement on her own injuries – obviously she did – but that didn’t stop her from disliking how dismissive she seemed about herself being injured in the first place. She was acting as if someone being worried was a problem.

It left Sonja more worried, now frustratingly about things that she could never know as she couldn’t help but wonder. Had the people in the town truly been so disinterested in her? Capsize had admitted herself that she had little love for the place, but Sonja had no idea if they had been the cause of her self-dismissive attitude. It was too large an assumption for her to make but also the sort of thing she knew she shouldn’t question, as much as her thoughts were desperately unhappy with the idea that Capsize seemed almost dismissive of herself being important. Even if it was appropriate to question, she certainly didn’t have the words to express any of the thoughts she wanted to. So instead, she responded as she assumed Capsize wanted her to. “You’re definitely fine?”

“As fine as I’m ever going to be,” Capsize said with a smile, attempting to sound reassuring. However, though unintentionally, her words felt uncomfortable in her own head. She hadn’t meant that, had she? She still had recovery to do. After all, that’s why herself and Redbeard had been staying in the town, because she could still recover more. These thoughts quickly became overwhelming, almost feeling painful as they scratched her mind. No, she couldn’t sit around doing this. She needed a real distraction.

She fumbled a little while standing up as she tried to move her book off her legs at the same time as she grabbed her cane. What was normally second nature to her became tangled and messy as she felt so overwhelmed and flustered by her own thoughts. She almost fell. She certainly stumbled, but before she could do anything more, a paw caught her.

It was the first time Sonja had really touched her since the first night. When she had grabbed her from behind and been promptly met with an elbow to the face. She fully expected Capsize to flinch away from her, but the opposite happened. The grip on her arm tightened and she was, at least for a few moments, fully supporting her. In these moments, they stood closer than they ever had before. A fact that Sonja was all too aware of as Capsize steadied herself with her support. And it made her all the more nervous as she worried that she could hear her heart beating wildly.

When Capsize finally stepped away, the woman looking down with pinked tinged cheeks, Sonja stood unsure of precisely what she was meant to do. Should she leave? It seemed that Capsize was preparing herself to, and she couldn’t imagine that she would want her to stay as company. However, despite that thought attempting to stick itself fast in her head, it wavered as she was looked up at with a smile. A small, somewhat embarrassed smile, but certainly a smile, nonetheless.

“Would you like to come with me on a walk?” She asked, trying to be as polite as she could. She had absolutely no idea if she expected Sonja to agree, after all she still felt more than a little unsure on where the two stood. She hoped that she would, though.

In some ways, learning her name had felt like a new start for the two. Capsize’s reason for being at the castle in the first place certainly wasn’t ready to leave her mind, but there was a difference in how she currently felt about Sonja versus how she had felt about the Beast. They were one in the same. She knew that. Yet, before she had been cruel, seemingly deliberately so. And now, well, she wasn’t sure of the word she’d now use to describe Sonja, but cruel certainly wasn’t it. She felt safe in her presence now, that itself was enough to mark the change in how she felt.

“I--! Do I--?” Sonja stumbled over her answer as she found herself dumbfounded by the invitation. Capsize actually wanted to spend time with her? It felt beyond unbelievable, though she certainly couldn’t refuse. Not only would Tom end up talking her ear off for hours if she even thought about avoiding an opportunity to move the curse breaking along, but she wanted to spend time with her.

She knew the pressing need to court her so the curse could be broken, she could never forget that, but that was not where her thoughts were ever focused when it came to Capsize. Yes, she wouldn’t have allowed her to stay in the first place if she couldn’t see the possibility, but putting in such a way felt reductive. If she had to put her thoughts into any sort of simple answer, it would be that she was fascinated by her. That was the sort of statement that she was certain would get her told off by someone – likely Martha – for not being an appropriate way to talk about a person, though she meant no offence by it. It was just, she had never met someone who interacted with her like she did.

It was like they were truly equals. Obviously, she’d meant people who were her equals and spoke to her as such. However – and again she could almost hear Martha and Mot chiding her about appropriate ways to talk about people – Capsize wasn’t her equal. Not in terms of class anyway. However, that had never affected how Capsize had spoken to her. And that felt so refreshing to Sonja. She wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. “Yes, I’d love to. Where did you want to go?”

“Just around the gardens. I haven’t really looked around any of the grounds yet,” Capsize said. She hadn’t explored most of the castle. The place was so large that she was sure that would be true for the foreseeable future. The beginning of the year’s snowfall, however, had gotten her curious about the grounds as the plant life hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

She’d been interested since her first night about investigating the magic in this place as she hoped that learning more about it would help her understand some of her recurring questions. The problem with this was that while magic was so clearly soaked into the very foundations of the castle, the obvious sights of enchantments she was used to were hidden. The only obvious signs of magic she had seen were when she was exploring the West Wing. The scrawlings, the trinkets, and that odd glowing rose, but she definitely wasn’t planning to re-enter that place anytime soon.

So, exploring the gardens with the unnaturally hardy plant life it was.

“Yes, that sounds…” Sonja trailed off as she watched her begin to grab and put on some outerwear. The cloak, the same one that she had worn the night she arrived, still looked far too much like the one that the disguised goddess had worn for her taste. Even so, that was not the reason that she had lost her train of thought. The reason for that was the red scarf she was tying around her neck. She had been wearing clothes that had belonged to the others prior to the curse. That was likely unavoidable as Capsize needed to wear clothes and these were the only ones available. It wasn’t as if Capsize was doing anything wrong, but that didn’t stop the melancholy that came from seeing her wearing Mot’s scarf. If she hadn’t been so terrible, he would still be able to wear it himself. Just another reason, however tiny, that she needed to fix things. She realised that she was staring, and that she actually needed to finish her sentence. “That sounds great. After you.”

They walked side by side through the halls, a comfortable quiet between them. Capsize found herself unable to ignore the differences she had been noticing in the Beast beside her since she had become Sonja. Obviously, she hadn’t physically changed, that wasn’t something that generally happened at least as far as she was aware, but she just had a different air about her. She seemed happier.

That was the way that Capsize saw it anyway. While this was the first time they had properly interacted since her return, Sonja hadn’t been completely hidden away in the West Wing as she had been for nearly the whole time before. She had been wearing clothes that weren’t in complete tatters and Capsize couldn’t help but wonder why she had been avoiding wearing the clothes she currently had on. She didn’t have an eye for fashion, but she could tell that the clothes were tailored for her, and she looked nice in them. That thought flitted around her head for a little while, as she tried to excuse that she had thought it. She was simply thinking about the design and craftsmanship of the clothes, she decided. In turn, she tried to ignore the fact that thinking about Sonja looking nice brought a certain warmth to her cheeks. She was just observing, that was a normal enough thing to do. And she didn’t have much time to linger on said thoughts as they arrived outside.

Capsize looked around, just trying to take it all in. The gardens, though undeniably overgrown, looked more welcoming in the daylight than they did at night. The snow was still falling, though only gently now. Enough had fallen in the night to leave everything with a thin coating. The roses were still in full bloom, their deep red petals still clear under the white. Undeniably it was beautiful, almost something like a scene that would be described in a book.

Yet, despite the beauty, Capsize’s steps outside were hesitant and careful. She knew how easily she could slip and fall. Snow looked nice, she couldn’t deny that, but it hid ice and frankly she hadn’t ever had the best opinion about the stuff. Back on the ship it had been a nuisance, something that made them have to be more careful with every action as the elements were always dangerous out on the waters if unprepared for them. In the town it certainly hadn’t posed the same danger, but when any fall could mean a setback in an already agonisingly slow recovery, ice went from a mere annoyance to something she’d call a nemesis if it wasn’t so embarrassing.

Sonja, now a few steps ahead of her, turned back to see Capsize’s hesitation. She was at first confused, before remembering that of course she was hesitant. It had been so long since there had been someone that didn’t know all the enchantments of the castle, it was almost strange to have it click in her head that she needed to explain any of them. She’d been stuck in this castle for so long, consumed by the very concept of magic for even longer, that she’d honestly forgotten that the magic she had done all those years ago was not commonplace in the wider world. She had been stuck in her own world for far longer than the curse had forced it, hadn’t she? Trying to ignore that slightly harrowing thought, she smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You don’t need to worry about slipping. Not because of ice anyway,” She started, taking a step back towards Capsize in case she wanted physical support. She still didn’t move with any confidence, though the fact Sonja would be there to catch her was a little comforting, she supposed. She did want to trust her, obviously she did, but… her own thoughts felt stuck. Seeing her hesitance still present, she continued. “The path is enchanted – ice can’t form on it. All the beauty of winter without any of the inconvenience.”

“That’s…” Capsize hesitated to describe it as she didn’t feel like she actually had the words too. Sure, it technically wasn’t any different from the rest of the magic she had been experiencing in the castle. Much like all the enchantments, it was frankly basic compared to living furniture with full personalities, but the idea of it was just so curious to her.

She took a few steps forward, still testing the ground. It took a good number more before she actually allowed herself to fully trust what she had been told and walk as she normally would. Doing so when she could feel snow crunching under her boots felt odd, but she saw no reason for Sonja to have lied. Her confidence only grew the more steps she took without finding ice under foot or cane. Finally, her thoughts settled enough that she was no longer worrying about slipping and could focus on other things. “It’s great! This whole place, it’s…”

She paused briefly as a new question began prickling.

“Did you used to host guests?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?” Sonja had no idea where the question had come from, which left her with little idea of how to answer it. She could, of course, lie. It would almost certainly be better to lie. If Capsize learnt of the curse, everything would be over before it ever began. The best way to avoid such a fate was to lie and pretend she had always been a beast and everyone else in the castle had always been furniture. It was, without a doubt, for the best. However, she didn’t want to lie. It just felt so unbelievably wrong. So, she had to instead ask the question of what parts of the truth she could tell. And in order to do that, she needed to know why the question had been asked in the first place. Capsize looked up at her with a small but sure smile.

“I can’t see another reason for such an enchantment. You certainly don’t have anything to worry about with ice, and everyone else here who could come outside is small enough that snow would bother them just as much as ice. So, there must have been other people here at some point,” She spoke with a small amount of confidence that she had worked something out. Even if she found it odd.

In her first few days here, though she’d found more friendship than she had in the past few years, it was impossible to ignore the profound loneliness that permeated the whole building. It felt lost to time, as if frozen in one terrible moment. Though maybe that was just her brain being lost in the stories she had clung to for the past couple of years. What really confused her about that feeling though, about her sureness that human life had not touched the building in years, was that so much of the magic of this place was clearly designed for people. Not to say that those living in the castle weren’t people, she’d never say that, but they certainly wouldn’t benefit from things like a lack of ice and enchanted keys they had no way of turning in the first place. So, logically, there had to have been a time that the castle took guests. As much as that idea seemed so against her original impression of the building and its mistress.

“Yes, I hosted guests once… When I was younger, there were always so many people here. The whole place was always alive,” Sonja said, unable to stop the smile beginning to form on her face despite how bittersweet the memories felt. She had spent so long feeling spiteful about her previous life as she hated what she had become, but as she remembered the happy times, they were all so long before the curse had even begun. Memories from back when she was young enough to be a kid having fun rather than a teen filled with the need to feel superior by just learning more than anyone else possibly could. And it was a thought that she couldn’t really tell Capsize, not all that she wanted to anyway, but she could tell her some of it. “But I got older. Became withdrawn and angry and… people just forgot about this place.”

“That’s a terrible shame. This place is so magical, I wouldn’t think anyone could forget about it…” She trailed off as she realised that despite her words there was a tingling feeling in her head about the idea of forgetting this place, or maybe just forgetting in general. She still didn’t understand she hadn’t heard of this place when it was so close to the town. Why it wasn’t on any maps despite there being a road leading here. As with so many of her questions about memories these days, thinking about it made her head feel wrong.

Capsize’s words caused a cold pang in Sonja’s chest. Them being left forgotten was a part of the curse, that much was beyond clear, though she had absolutely no idea why. Frankly, it felt unfair. How was she meant to have someone fall in love with her if no one remembered where this place was? It seemed a miracle that anyone had shown up at all – let alone someone who she felt she could fall in love with. So, what had the goddess intended? Kidnapping someone from the town? She hoped not, though she was not exactly in the business of giving Lady Ianite the benefit of the doubt. The question wouldn’t stop pestering her, but as she watched Capsize, it at least quieted.

Capsize began to examine the overgrown gardens, a clear level of delight in her eyes. Sonja just couldn't help but smile as she watched her. She had walked up to one of the rose bushes and was examining one of the flowers. Her fingers carefully pushed apart the petals, so curious to see if she would see Ianite’s symbol on them as it had been on the glowing rose. She didn’t. For all appearances, it was a completely normal rose. Though a completely normal rose wouldn’t be in full bloom in winter. She couldn’t understand what magic the cause of it could be.

“You like roses, don’t you?” Sonja asked as she saw the way that Capsize was looking at the flower, though she phrased her words far more like a question than she intended. Her brother had taken a rose for her, that only really made sense if she liked them. Yet Capsize laughed. A laugh that was so filled with relief as she finally felt free from the moment that had left her so entangled with roses in the first place.

“No! Oh gods, no, I hate them!” She turned to face Sonja with an uncontrollable smile on her face as she just felt so relieved to finally be able to say those words. It was odd. It wasn’t as if she would have ever been in trouble for a preference, but she’d never really felt like she could admit such a thing before. It would’ve just been misconstrued, would’ve been made about him. To be fair, it was about him, but she’d never have to deal with him again. Realising that she now had nothing to worry about on that front felt like an impossible weight had been lifted from her. She felt almost childish just how free, how giddy, she felt from this revelation.

Sonja’s eyebrows bunched together, her ears pressing down against her head as she tried to make sense of her reaction. And Capsize noticed this, her own emotions tempering slightly as realised some kind of explanation was probably in order. “I mean they’re pretty, I can’t deny that, but… I was stupid. There was a man in town, he would never leave me alone. And he was well-liked and respected so I couldn’t tell him to leave me alone either. So, I gave him a rose with his name spelt wrong on the gift card thinking, mostly just hoping, that he’d realise I wasn’t interested. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t get him to go away.”

“Well, he sounds awful,” Sonja muttered, glad she’d never have to meet the man she was talking about. There was disdain in Capsize’s voice, definitely suppressed but not quite hidden. How could Sonja not dislike him? Though she was glad that Capsize smiled at least a little as she spoke. If her words could provide any comfort at all, she was doing something right. Seeing her smile, thinking of her words, Sonja thought to add. “I don’t like roses either.”

“You don’t like them? Then why are the grounds overrun with them?” Capsize asked, laughing slightly, almost unable to believe the words. She was stood surrounded by rose bushes, it seemed unbelievable that the mistress of the castle could dislike them. However, nothing about the castle was particularly usual. So perhaps it was just another oddity of this place. She couldn’t read the expression on Sonja’s face at her reaction, couldn’t tell if she had accidentally offended her, though she truly hoped that she hadn’t.

This was intentional by Sonja, as she knew she had to hide the actual reason for the roses being present. Capsize couldn’t learn that it was a part of a mocking curse from the very goddess she followed, but she still needed and wanted to tell her something. She didn’t want to keep her own life hidden from her. And, for a more current concern, she didn’t want a silence to fall and Capsize to believe she had done something wrong.

“I refused a rose once from an old woman. The next day the bushes had invaded the garden,” She said, speaking no lies, but hiding far more of the truth than she would like. “I can’t get rid of them. I’ve tried.”

“You must have rejected some vengeful witch,” Capsize said, and Sonja laughed. If only she knew who she was actually talking about. She couldn’t tell her, and even if she could she’d hesitate to. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder: if she knew the truth, how would she react? Not wanting to dwell on such a question, she decided to get their attention away from the roses.

“There should still be other flowers here that aren’t roses if you’d like to see them,” She invited. Capsize perked up.

“If there are any, I’d like that,” She said with a gentle smile that spread across to Sonja’s features.

Sonja began to lead her through the gardens, trying her best to take them down the least overgrown path that she could. She knew the way through her gardens well enough, even in its overgrown and unkept state. It didn’t take her long to lead Capsize to the greenhouse.

The building, like most of the estate, was in disrepair. Ivy had grown over most of the structure, but Sonja found herself impressed that most of the windows were still intact. The building had enchantments of course, but she hadn’t come to visit it in so long that she hadn’t been sure that they were still active. Seeing that they were though, she found herself more optimistic about the survival of the plants inside.

Capsize found herself staring at the building. She’d seen one once before, when she was young. Her aunt had taken her to an estate… a memory that felt important but incredibly fuzzy as she attempted to recall it. That bothered her, as she distinctly felt like she should remember, that if she focused on it, she would remember. But the more she stared at the building in front of her, trying to see inside through the ivy, the more the memory faded away. There was the present to focus on, and that was following Sonja inside the glass building.

She couldn’t claim that she had ever been particularly interested in flowers, but still she couldn’t help but be filled with wonder at the sight as she entered. There were so many flowers, all in full bloom and in more colours than she had seen in one place before. She immediately moved further inside, eyes scanning over the countless plants and her mind thinking over the enchantments that must be placed on the building. Sonja found herself watching, unable to stop herself from smiling.

“Did you grow all of these?” Capsize asked as she began to gently run her fingers across leaves and petals, not yet having found any one flower to focus on.

Sonja shook her head, before quickly realising that she wasn’t being looked at so such an action communicated nothing. Despite how quickly she had done her unseen answer, she hesitated before giving an answer again. It was another situation where everything would be simpler if she lied. There would be far less questions from doing so. However, the young flowerpot already had enough complaints about her. She would not give her another one by taking claims for her work.

“No. This whole place is Alyssa’s work. She planted all of them. There used to not be a day where she couldn’t be found in here,” She said, hoping beyond hope that there wouldn’t be too many difficult follow up questions. She could still picture it, the young girl tending to the flowers with the same level of care she put into enchantments and research. Something she could no longer do in her current form, a state that Sonja knew she was solely her fault. “But it’s been pretty much abandoned for years now.”

“This is abandoned?” Capsize found herself shocked. Someone with an expertise in gardening, or really someone with any experience in it at all, would be able to see that the plants were overgrown and unruly. However, Capsize had no such experience. She’d spent the majority of her life on ships now having to worry about anything of the sort. Without thorns and brambles getting under her feet, she just saw beauty rather than overgrowth. And what a beautiful sight it was.

There were obviously questions. Namely, how a flowerpot with no arms could’ve possibly planted and tended to all these plants. It was the same sort of question she kept finding herself having. It kept happening, the questions about the living furniture. They didn’t make sense, not one bit. The questions danced around in her head. The ones that if she thought too much about, left a sickly feeling in her throat. There was a conclusion floating around, but it was one that she wasn’t ready to confront. So, instead, she focused on the flowers. “They’re all so beautiful.”

“You can take one, if you’d like. Alyssa always liked sharing them,” Sonja said. They were mostly planted for her magical experiments, but she did not use nearly as many as were planted. Seeing that Alyssa looked after the flowers, she had control over what happened to the rest of them. And that had resulted in flower crowns. Mot had barely ever been without one. Tom had been gifted a good number. Frankly, everyone had received one at some point even herself, though she had never worn it. She couldn’t imagine the flowerpot being annoyed at Capsize taking a flower.

“No, I couldn’t…” She said quietly. She struggled with the idea of just taking something without giving something back. It was silly at this moment, what could she possibly give given her now permanent residence here? However, it was difficult to shift her thoughts. Trading felt safe in a way that gifts didn’t. Still, despite her hesitation, she found herself transfixed by a small patch of orange lilies. She brushed a finger against a petal. It looked so beautiful.

Sonja walked to be next to her, so utterly aware of her size and strength as she reached towards the flower. Just be gentle. She kept repeating those words over and over as she needed to make sure not to destroy the extremely fragile flower. She was so sure if she didn’t keep concentrating it would end up ruined. But thankfully, she didn’t break the flower. She plucked one of the lilies and it remained as beautiful as it had been on the plant.

She offered it to Capsize, who hesitated to actually take it from her, but Sonja smiled.

“If it’ll make you happy, you should take it. It’s a gift and you deserve things that make you smile,” She said, avoiding actually meeting Capsize’s eyes as she didn’t quite feel brave enough to watch her expression. However, if she had been watching, she would’ve seen the blush-tinged smile that Capsize wore as she took the lily. She also missed the way that she was looked at with curiosity.

Capsize couldn’t help it. Sonja seemed so gentle when she certainly hadn’t before. She had been aggressive and frankly cruel, but now? Well, she was sweet. That thought was the main cause of her blushing, and she felt beyond glad that she was avoiding looking at her. Beyond everything though, she found herself looking at the flower with a small smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

The two spent the next few hours in the greenhouse, Sonja beginning to explain the various magical reasons that certain flowers were grown. Most of the explanations were baffling to Capsize, but she found herself intently listening to the passion that burned bright like a fire. By the time they returned to the castle proper, they were lost in conversation that would’ve – if a stranger had somehow been listening in – given the impression that the two were old friends.

The other residents of the castle spent the night in excitement, discussing in whispered tones how the two were actually getting along. Everyone, that was, except for Alyssa. She had been at first, though she had mostly been excited to learn that her greenhouse hadn’t been completely overrun by roses. However, when she had actually briefly seen the flower that Sonja had given Capsize, she’d ended up excusing herself. Andor had gone after her, worried that they’d picked a flower important to her. He actually found her laughing to herself.

“What’s funny?”

“Do you know flower meanings?”

“I can’t say I do.”

“Well, clearly neither do those two because orange lilies represent hatred.”

Needless to say, both decided to stay quiet about this fact and keep it to themselves. After all, the two were getting along. Even if the gift was particularly entertaining to Alyssa, she wasn’t about to ruin the moment for the two of them when the Beast seemed to finally be making some progress.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sonja had been growing used to there once again being the sound of life in the castle. Though the curse had not removed those living here, everyone had become understandably more subdued as the years passed. However, since Capsize’s arrival, everyone seemed to be regaining the energy they once had. Sonja had found the same effect on herself, as she no longer felt like hiding herself away – not from those in the castle at least. So, it wasn’t surprising for her to be walking through the corridors of the castle in the daylight hours. Nor was it surprising to her to hear loud conversation flowing down the hall. She followed the conversation, and the increasing sound of laughter, until she reached the drawing room.

The scene she found was one she had grown quite used to seeing. Capsize was sat in an animated conversation with Tom. The two had very quickly become friends and it wasn’t uncommon for the two to be found laughing and discussing seemingly any topic under the sun. It was always nice to see. Even if some of Tom’s words she overheard always came a little too close to revealing the curse for her comfort. And, of course, she couldn’t say anything about it. Saying something there and then with Capsize listening would negate the very point she’d be trying to make, and if she tried to talk to him privately, he’d almost certainly just get more brazen with his words.

She didn’t know if he did it out of spite or just for entertainment, but it made her find herself on edge whenever she first entered a room where the two were having a conversation. Today was no different, though she relaxed a little when she saw the two weren’t alone. On a desk on the far side of the room was Mot. She had the brief hope that him being present would mean that Tom was being a little more careful with his words. Said hope was quickly dashed when she heard the next words that left Capsize’s mouth.

“I just don’t see why you’re so interested in the people in the town. You don’t know any of them,” Her tone was prodding, and she wore a smile that almost gave the impression that she knew the truth. Of course, she didn’t. Though she knew more than most in the castle would like her to. Capsize was quite sure, as she had been for quite some time, that there was something more to the enchanted furniture than they were attempting to let on. However, her current guesses as to their nature – as vague as they were as she didn’t know the magical theory that would be required to form any fully fledged theories with them – were distant from the truth. It wasn’t as if the hints of the actual truth weren’t there, but rather that the actual solution was one that her mind was actively avoiding.

Sonja did not know this, that Capsize was not about to figure out the truth in the next few moments. So, the cocky smile she saw worn by the candelabra was enough to make her nervous.

“I’m just always curious about people. You keep mentioning that you had a friend, so maybe I just want to learn about how someone in that place managed to actually have good taste,” He said, just about managing to keep his tone joking. It was more challenging than he’d expected. He was quite annoyed that his friends had quite so heavily bothered her, but he had to keep that hidden. Not only from Capsize, who couldn’t learn that he’d ever had a life outside of the castle, but from Mot and Sonja, as he wasn’t ready to have a conversation about the fact that Lady Ianite seemed to have let her champion turn into a horrible piece of work without any repercussions.

Obviously, he knew that it had been years, people were subject to change after so long, but he just struggled with the fact that they sounded so alien to him. It didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for breaking the curse, nothing could do that, but there was a certain badgering question in his mind that he hadn’t had before meeting Capsize. What were things going to be like once the curse was broken and they remembered him again?

However, that frustrating question actually had very little to do with what he was asking Capsize. Rather, he had a far, far stupider plan he was currently putting into motion. He’d started to have his suspicions as to who Capsize’s friend was, and he’d been biding his time for the reveal. This was entirely because he wanted Mot in the room when she said it. If he was right about this – and gods, he hoped he was right – his reaction was going to be golden.

“Plus, if he’s friends with you and I’m friends with you, then he’s pretty much also my friend too.”

“He’d want you out of his house the moment you started talking,” Capsize said, unable to hold back a snort of laughter just thinking of the two trying to interact. While she certainly got along with both, she just couldn't picture either being able to stand the other. Tom wasn’t offended by her reaction. In fact, he was quite pleased by it as it was exactly the reaction he expected to get. He was right! He was completely sure he was right. “You’d annoy each other to no end.”

“Right. You said he was the town misanthrope or something like that,” Tom said as if he hadn’t been intently listening to every detail Capsize told him about the town. His loud, slightly flippant words were more than enough to properly catch Mot’s attention. He recognised that description. They caught Sonja’s attention too, though for a different reason to Mot as she had never actually been to the town and certainly didn’t know anyone of the description. She just liked hearing about Capsize’s life.

For her part, Capsize rolled her eyes. She could tell that Tom was trying to make some kind of point – though she had absolutely no idea what said point was. So, she just continued her conversation as if she didn’t have such a feeling.

“No, I said everyone acts like he’s the town misanthrope. I think Jeriah’s social enough, he just needs to be interacting with the right person which unfortunately would not be you,” She said with sureness and a slight joking tone to her last few words. While he could occasionally be gruff, she found that he was far more pleasant than anyone else in town. Frankly given how the townsfolk treated people who were different, she couldn’t blame the man for being so standoffish to them all. She didn’t really expect any reactions to her words other than perhaps Tom pouting. She certainly didn’t expect the reaction that did come.

Mot could not stop the half-strangled choke from escaping him. He wanted to assume he was hearing things, even though he knew that had heard her perfectly well. How on earth were they friends? Why was she friends with the world’s most boring man? Actually, why was Jeriah even still in town? As far as Mot was aware, the grumpy sod was only around in the first place as a favour to Conway, keeping an eye on Andor and Martha. With the curse having, for all intents and purposes, erased the two, why on earth would he have stuck around?

“Are you alright?” Capsize asked, not quite sure if her words were actually connected to his reaction. Though there was a curiosity that she could not hide as another layer was added to the ever-growing mystery in her head. It was a somewhat ridiculous notion that Mot knew Jeriah, but it was also the only idea that her brain could come to. Even so, she couldn’t exactly reason her way into Jeriah knowing enchanted furniture. More likely, she was just a little too lost in worlds of fantasy.

“I’m fine,” Mot said in an attempt to reassure and stop any possible question, but he sounded distinctly otherwise. It wasn’t as if he had caused himself any trouble with breathing. However, he was stuck without any real explanation for his reaction. He was a damn box. He couldn’t exactly say something was just stuck in his throat. He absolutely needed to explain it in a way that stopped her thinking he knew who Jeriah was. But how exactly he was meant to do that was beyond him. He desperately racked his brain for any words.

Surely there must be something he could say that could make his reaction seem normal. His mind was completely blank. He was going to kill Tom for this.

“So, how did you meet him?” Sonja spoke before Mot could come up with anything, drawing Capsize’s attention over to her. She questioned so softly, almost scared that her words would otherwise come off offensive. She was curious about Capsize’s friend as she was curious about every aspect of her life. She didn’t particularly understand Mot’s reaction. She supposed he must have met the man at some point prior to the curse. If she thought hard enough, she could vaguely remember him complaining about the man. Though she wasn’t wholly sure it was the same person and that she wasn’t just filling in the blanks. Regardless, she could question Mot any time and would have to do it when Capsize wasn’t present. Right now, she just wanted to hear about her life.

Capsize considered the possibility that Sonja’s words were just an attempt to get her to stop her from questioning Mot before she asked something she wasn’t meant to. It had been impossible to avoid noticing that every so often she’d bring up a topic and it would hastily be replaced with a new one, that there were certain truths that they wanted to keep hidden from her. However, with how Sonja had asked the question, she couldn’t attribute any ill will or hidden meanings behind it. She just seemed curious.

“It was just a chance encounter,” She began with a small smile. She was sure that had she not met him that day, she would’ve met Jeriah eventually. The town was small enough that she’d meet everyone at least once, but she was glad that met Jeriah so early on. She doubted she would’ve coped nearly as well – which to be clear was not all that well at all – had she not had him to talk to. And her appreciation for him had started there in that first meeting. “I was at the market with a man who made a hobby of… annoying me. I ran into Jeriah just going about his own business. Turns out he’s the only person in that town who’ll actually chase the prick off. I thanked him, then we started talking and frankly, he was the nicest person I met in that place. He comes across gruff sometimes, but he's led an interesting life. And he lent me books, which frankly stopped me from going insane.”

Her smile grew as she spoke. She had begun by picking her words carefully, not wanting to focus at all on Jordan as typically the less she thought about him the better her day was. However, even at the beginning, she had still worn a small smile, as she had truly appreciated Jeriah in that first meeting. She had been so glad that there had been someone else that didn’t have the fanaticism that the whole town seemed to hold for Jordan and Tucker. If she had to guess, she’d say the man just had little respect for the gods in general. Though he never had any problem with her and her own connection with Ianite, so she wasn’t about to judge him whether his opinions may be. He was her friend, and she had been glad for his company.

Mot couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was able to keep his reaction on the inside now that the initial shock wasn’t there, but the idea that anyone found Jeriah interesting was frankly unbelievable. He doubted that his shock at the two being friends was going to fade anytime soon, but there was something that cut through that shock. Namely, the man she mentioned annoying her. It wasn’t normally a detail that would catch his attention. He already knew that her experience in the town had been incredibly negative, as sad as it made him, but her tone had been particularly strained when she said it. Again, maybe not something out of character for her, but what did catch his attention and give the moment importance was Tom flinching. He very clearly knew exactly who she was talking about, and Mot made a note in his head to question him the moment they were alone.

Sonja, meanwhile, looked at Capsize with fascination. The story was entirely ordinary, but it was so unlike anything she had ever experienced. She couldn’t help but hang onto every word. She wished so much that she could reveal similar details about her own life without revealing the curse. Maybe, if she carefully thought through the phrasing beforehand, she’d be able to tell a story of her own. She hoped that in the meantime Capsize would not mind the questions about her life without getting much in return.

“He lent you books?” She asked, curious about the detail. She knew that Capsize enjoyed reading. She would’ve had to have been truly oblivious to miss such a thing. She seemed to cherish the book she had brought with her. The smile on her face that she had when reading it reminded Sonja of her own feelings towards her magical experiments. So, that posed a question in Sonja’s head. “I thought you’d be one to own books.”

“Oh, I do. Just not stories, except for the one I brought here and that itself was originally Jeriah’s. I own a couple of natural guides as well as technical manuals that I use for work,” She said, her tone neutral enough that Sonja realised this was likely quite normal. She felt it a shame but decided that was something to think about later.

Capsize’s thoughts meanwhile flickered, her brain working on an admittedly wholly unrelated idea that had popped into it when she mentioned her work. She looked at Sonja and realised that she may hold the answers to something that had annoyed her for far too long.

“Speaking of my work, there’s actually a question you might be able to answer for me. You understand magical enchantments, don’t you?” She asked, sure enough that the answer was yes, but she had never actually had confirmation that Sonja was the one responsible for all the enchantments in the castle. However, the moment she asked the question an unmistakable glimmer of passion entered her eyes, and an uncontrollable smile took over her features.

“Yes! Why? What do you want to know?” Sonja had precisely no idea where this was going, but she still found it impossible to hold back her excitement at the idea of being able to properly discuss or focus on magic. However, she did find herself embarrassed, shrinking back at her own volume. She expected Capsize to do so as well. However, she did not meet her expectations. Rather than shrinking back or looking at all scared, Capsize’s eyes sparkled as she stood up and took a step towards Sonja.

“You’ll be able to explain it!” She said, unintentionally ignoring the questions posed to her, so excited to finally have a chance to get some actual answers.

Sonja found herself confused. There wasn’t exactly context for her to latch onto as to why Capsize was so excited. What was clear though was that she seemed excited to spend time with her, which left Sonja with a strange feeling. Not bad, just one she didn’t recognise. That feeling only grew stronger as Capsize offered her free hand. “There’s something I need to show you.”

Sonja hesitated for a brief moment. She obviously was not going to turn down this opportunity, but her chest felt tingly, and there were so many feelings that she couldn’t shift or even fully understand. She was always scared of embarrassing herself in front of Capsize, and it seemed to be a fear that she just couldn’t shift past. However, she wanted even less to disappoint her. The smile on her face was so beautiful, she didn’t want to have it fade for such a silly reason.

So, though it left her heart feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest, she gingerly took Capsize’s hand. And, with so much excitement, Capsize began to lead her outside.

As soon as the two were far enough away to be out of earshot, Tom burst out laughing. He knew that Mot’s reaction would be good given how much he used to complain about Jeriah, but the reaction was still far more entertaining to him than it really should be. As he laughed, Mot gave what was either a sigh or a groan. He couldn’t say that truly angry at Tom. Though he was certainly, and he definitely didn’t want to encourage him getting entertainment out of almost revealing the curse.

“Keep laughing, kid. We’ll see how funny this is when I tell Martha that you intentionally set up a situation where the curse could’ve been revealed,” He said, quite bluntly. Tom stopped laughing. He looked at the snuff box as if the man had threatened to ground him.

“Oh, come off it. You know she’ll take it way too seriously,” He complained. If she got even the slightest hint of what he had just done, she’d act like he had personally told Capsize every single detail of the curse. It wasn’t as if he’d actually done anything wrong. Mot was going to find out that Capsize was friends with Jeriah eventually, he just wanted to make sure he saw his reaction. Was it a crime to have a little fun? Mot rolled his eyes at his pouting.

“Obviously, I’m not going to actually tell her,” He said, wondering if Tom thought anyone in the castle wanted to hear the lecture that would come from him doing that. Even if he was absolutely sure that Tom needed to be more careful, he wasn’t going to make everyone suffer through that. He wasn’t telling Martha unless they got a soundproof room set up first.

Satisfied enough that he wasn’t going to receive yet another day long lecture from Martha, Tom perked back up. His typical smile reappeared as he almost immediately stopped sulking and he seemed almost giddy.

“Isn’t it hilarious, though? I mean she’s friends with Jeriah,” He laughed, trying to picture the man having a pleasant conversation with anyone. He mostly remembered him as a grouch who never seemed to have any patience for him, Tucker, or Jordan. He had always assumed that the man had a grudge against the gods that he’d extended to them as champions. However, now knowing that he was friends with Capsize, someone Tom was sure had a stronger connection to Lady Ianite than just being a follower of the goddess, meant that idea likely didn’t hold water. Not that it ever had, given that the man had always had a fondness for the Conway family with their connections to the goddess. So, did he and his friends all just do something to annoy Jeriah?

No, that was ridiculous. Tom decided to discount that idea the very instant it came into his head.

“Hilarious isn’t exactly the word that I’d use,” Mot muttered. He probably would pick ‘unbelievable’.

Now, he certainly wouldn’t admit it out loud – especially not when Tom was within earshot – but Mot didn’t dislike Jeriah nearly as much as his outward attitude would suggest. Yes, he found the man a bore and they’d had their arguments, but he’d looked out for Alyssa, had given her a place to sleep whenever she’d snuck off to the town for a few days. However, the idea that he was friends with Capsize still felt odd.

There was still the sticking point that he couldn’t fathom the idea that Jeriah had remained in the town. There was no way that he could remember Andor and Martha, no one outside of the castle could, so for what reason did he even think he had come to the town in the first place? Attempting to think about that hurt Mot’s non-existent head as the idea of being magically erased was not really something he’d really thought about the implications of. He was never going to figure out how any of it worked and it was frankly depressing, so he’d always prefer not to think about it.

Besides, the fact that Jeriah shouldn’t be around in the first place wasn’t the only reason that the two’s friendship felt weird. There was also the fact that Capsize had somehow been convinced that Jeriah was an interesting person rather than a wet blanket.

However, he didn’t want to get lost in that discussion yet. At least not before he asked the question that he knew if he didn’t ask now, Tom would worm his way out of ever answering. “But before you keep laughing for the rest of the day about this, who exactly was the man Capsize was talking about making a hobby of annoying her?”

“Oh, him? I…” Tom stopped himself from lying that he didn’t know as Mot’s crystal eyes bored into him. It was clear that the snuff box knew that he knew. And maybe, Tom considered, maybe he should just lie anyway. It wasn’t exactly any of Mot’s business, and it didn’t really matter now that Capsize was at the castle and never going to go back to the town. Yet, somehow, Tom realised that answer wasn’t going to impress the older man. So, attempting to make his words as inaudible as possible, Tom sped through his sentence as he continued. “She was talking about Jordan.”

“What?!”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sonja was led outside by Capsize, unsure exactly what she wanted to show her. She looked so excited and that was enough for the Beast to continue following her without question, though her confusion was growing as she was led ever closer to the gate of the estate. For a moment she worried that they were about to leave, however it was not something off the estate that Capsize wanted to show her. Rather she pulled her over to a cart parked close to the gate. A cart that Sonja did not recognize. A cart that she embarrassedly and guilty realised that it must’ve been brought here by Capsize’s brother, full of the goods he was meant to be selling. And now it sat abandoned due to her actions.

Capsize wasn’t thinking of such things, her mind instead focused on where Red had put the damn thing. She pulled the tarp away, pausing for a second as she realised not a single thing looked any worse for wear despite having now been outside for a number of weeks. However, she already had questions in mind that she wanted answering, best not get caught up on any new ones. She didn’t want to get distracted.

She scanned the contents of the cart, knowing that what she was looking for had to be near the top. However, everything had clearly been shaken about in travel, leaving her searching through a mess. Surely it had to be there somewhere. The only time she wanted to find the thing it was— There it was!

Capsize made a quiet, affirmative hum as she reached through the contents of the cart. Sonja had no idea quite what she expected. She had learnt that Capsize and her brother made their business in restoring trinkets and furniture. She’d learnt as much when she’d walked into a conversation where Tom was demanding that Capsize tell him how much he was worth. And it had become clear when she joined that conversation that Capsize was remarkably talented, not that Sonja ever doubted that fact. However, it was also just as clear that she didn’t have any real magical knowledge. So, she had to wonder what precisely she was going to show her that involved enchantments. She had no idea how she was meant to react to the box wrapped in a sheer material that Capsize pulled out the cart.

“This thing has been a thorn in my side for months, I could never figure it out, but I think you might be able to explain what’s wrong with it,” Capsize began to explain. She leant against the cart as she had to use her hand holding her cane to unwrap enough of the material to show the bottom of the lockbox. She made sure to keep enough wrapped around so that none of her skin risked actually touching the wood. She still didn’t know for sure what had been causing the runes to reactive, but seeing that none were currently glowing physical touch was still certainly her best guess. “This lockbox, it… well, it has magical glyphs on it, so I assume it’s been enchanted. And the enchantment seems to be that it explodes.”

“It explodes?”

“Yes. Loud explosion, knocks whoever touched it flat, but doesn’t damage itself or its surroundings.”

“Oh, that’s…” Sonja was already trying to examine the thing at a distance. She obviously knew about such enchantments. They were honestly particularly easy as if any enchantment went wrong, it was likely to be unstable and explode. So, even if the enchanter did mess up somewhere along the way when creating an explosive rune, there was a good chance they’d get the result they wanted anyway. Of course, with the fact that Capsize at least seemed able to hold the thing, she assumed it wasn’t something so dangerous as a failed enchantment. Well, she wasn’t going to learn anything from this distance. “Can I hold it?”

“Be my guest,” Capsize laughed, happy that she might finally be getting a real explanation on the thing. However, as Sonja reached out, she quickly realised that there was a warning she’d failed to give. “Wait! You should touch the actual box. I think the enchantment is resetting when it's touched, and I’d prefer if you didn’t have to experience the thing exploding.”

Before Sonja could question precisely how Capsize had acquired the sureness that her tone held, the woman had stepped forward and was carefully placing the box in her paws to make sure the cloth stayed in place. Her hands touched her paws, and Sonja expected her to flinch, but she did no such thing. She just carried on as if she saw nothing wrong with touching a Beast like her. Sonja almost couldn’t process that fact. She couldn’t believe it. She certainly didn’t want to think any further into the action. So, she elected to ignore it.

Instead, she looked down at the lockbox that had been placed in her paws. It was not the sort of thing she would expect to be dangerous. It was utterly normal. The sort of thing that could just sit on a shelf ignored for years. However, the base which had been handed to her facing up, hosted a number of runes. Sonja recognised them, of course. Even if it had been years since she had been actively practising and researching magic, such knowledge was intertwined with her very soul, and there was one thing she was absolutely sure of as she stared at the object in her hands.

“This was done by an absolute amateur!” She found herself annoyed just looking at them. The runes all technically worked together. They did their intended function to create an explosion when touched by someone other than the owner of the box, but they had been chosen so poorly that the ‘owner’ of the box was simply whoever touched it first without a way for that person to ever be changed. That fact was annoying enough by itself, but she could also tell that the explosions were completely intentional rather than an accident when attempting an alarm or a sealing enchantment. It was so infuriatingly stupid. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“So, it’s frustrating even if you understand magic?”

“It’s horrible!” Sonja said, her exasperated tone contrasting with Capsize’s laughter. Frankly, it was the sort of thing that she would expect Tom to make. If she wasn’t absolutely positive that she’d never seen the box before she’d be heading back instead to confront him and make certain that he wasn’t responsible. As it stood, she instead just found herself staring at the mess the enchanter, whoever they were, had made. She had to fight the overwhelming urge to start scratching into the wood to fix it herself. “It clearly functions as intended, but whoever the enchanter was had barely even a basic idea of how enchanting works. They’ve chosen literally the worst kind of defensive method for an item that would sit within their own home. Not the mention, there isn’t a way to—”

Sonja cut herself off as she realised something about her own observations. This box didn’t have a way to reset the owner. The runes were designed to simply remain on and cause an explosion whenever anyone other than the original owner touched it. Yet, somehow, the runes were off.

Now, she knew that just because the glyphs that made up an enchantment weren’t glowing or obviously active, didn’t mean that they weren’t. She had used such methods throughout enchanting the castle and knew of a great number of them. However, given the mess of an enchantment she was looking at, she sincerely doubted that the box’s enchanter knew of any such methods. Even if, by some miracle, they did, she was familiar and attuned enough to mafic could feel it in objects. And, while the box certainly wasn’t devoid of magic, the enchantment certainly wasn’t currently active.

But, if it was inactive – and Sonja was quite certain that it was – and the enchantment didn’t have a reset function of any sort, then there was really only one thing that could’ve happened. She looked up at Capsize, who still looked beyond entertained that someone else was just as frustrated by the lockbox as she had been. She realised that Sonja’s gaze was on her and tilted her head ever so slightly.

“Did you turn the enchantment off?” Sonja asked. She couldn’t think of another explanation but Capsize herself had said that she didn’t know anything about magic. So, Sonja really had no idea if her assumption was correct or not. Capsize smiled.

“Yes, couldn't get it to stay off though. It kept turning back on. Honestly, I’m surprised those runes aren’t glowing right now,” She said. Sonja couldn’t help but notice how nonchalant her tone was. Well, of course she was, Sonja reasoned. She had no reason to know that she had done something that, to Sonja’s knowledge, shouldn’t have been possible without further enchanting. She should have been able to do something like this without magical knowledge? So, how had she done it?

“Do you remember the method? The only way I’d even think was possible with an enchantment like this would be adding more glyphs, which you obviously haven’t done. I doubt you’d have made this kind of mess even with no knowledge. So…”

Sonja started to ramble, losing herself in her own passion for the first time in years. Her eyes sparkled as she kept talking. Capsize found herself staring. She could so easily lose herself in the passion of those eyes. In those green, oddly human eyes. How could she not watch and just smile? She found herself hanging onto every word.

However, when Sonja herself realised what she was doing, she slowed down somewhat skittishly. She fell silent. She felt Capsize’s eyes on her, a terrible dryness developing in her throat as she was so sure that she had embarrassed herself.

As her mind flooded with the worst-case scenarios, Capsize stepped forward. Sonja hesitated to actually look at her, not wanting to see how she was being looked at. However, when she did finally look due to a hand gently touching her arm, she found Capsize smiling. Smiling so widely.

“I could definitely tell you what I did to turn the runes off. Depending what tools you have in this place, I might be able to show you what I did,” She said, excitement clear in her tone. She wanted an explanation. She wanted to keep hearing Sonja talk with the expression she just had been speaking with. And she had given Sonja an offer she absolutely couldn’t refuse.

The two ended up in Sonja’s old study, experimenting with the lockbox. Capsize showed her methods, ones far different than any that Sonja would’ve thought of as they were based on woodwork and lockpicking. She found herself so intrigued that she’d never come across such methods before.

And again, Sonja found herself rambling as Capsize asked what each of the runes actually did, as well as beginning to theorise why Capsize’s methods might have rendered them inactive. Capsize asked questions, curiosity burning as she got to learn about something new and mysterious. The discussion burned into the night as their passions fuelled each other, and both found themselves growing all the more comfortable and happy in the presence of the other.

🌹 🌹 🌹

“I want to do something for her,” Sonja said seemingly out of the blue one morning, interrupting the discussion that Martha and Waglington were having about the wizard’s latest attempt to break the curse via typical magical methods.

She knew that she was meant to be listening. While his powers had been significantly dampened by the curse, if anyone had the power to break the curse by simply overcoming the power of a goddess rather than the intended method, it would be Waglington. But Sonja had long since given up on finding any way to cheat the curse. She hadn’t admitted such a thing out loud, preferring to let those she had gotten cursed have whatever hope they could have. However, it did leave her rather unable to actually pay attention these days when such things were being discussed.

More and more, she found herself just losing focus on the world as she thought about Capsize. She couldn’t help it. She had brought with her energy and life to the castle that had been missing for so long. Whether Sonja was with her, she found herself so happy. She was able to be lost in her passions like she hadn’t in so long. It was like Capsize was a warm welcoming flame, one that spread to her and allowed her passions to burn bright. She hadn’t found herself as happy in years as she had been talking with Capsize about that lockbox.

She wanted to give such a feeling back to Capsize. It was the least that she deserved, but she felt so nervous about actually attempting to do so. She had never met someone who made her feel this way. She wasn’t even sure exactly what the feeling was. She was almost nervous to be around her, but at the same time absolutely did not want to avoid her. In fact, she wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. But what she did know was that she wanted her to know one thing for certain.

“I think I want to give her a gift. I just… I want her to know how much I appreciate her.”

Martha and Wag looked at each other. Or rather, Martha looked at Wag. For his part, his form lacked any facial features so looking wasn’t precisely something he could do anymore. His hood turned towards Martha, flopping slightly and making it clear that it was actually empty. Despite how actually looking at him had given her no insight into his thoughts, given the lack of ability to see an expression, Martha still looked as it allowed herself time to process her own thoughts.

While she had obviously been glad that Capsize had returned safe and unharmed, she had still been rather nervous about where she and Sonja had been left in terms of what little relationship they had had and the possibility that she would be the one to break the curse. It was a status she had been a little nervous about the whole time. She obviously knew they had little choice in hoping that she could, though she certainly didn’t hold Tom’s optimism that any random person who came through the door could break the curse.

Though, of course, she knew that Capsize was not just a random person. She was the messenger of Lady Ianite. Now, the idea that she had appeared by coincidence seemed farfetched. The messenger of the goddess that had cursed them just happened to show up, how could she believe that? Which is precisely why she had not told the Mistress – or anyone else for that matter. Because, despite her own logical thoughts on the matter, she could not believe that Capsize knew anything about this place or had any inkling about the true reality of it all. There was no part of her that thought Capsize knew what had been done to them by her goddess. Yet, that didn’t exactly quell her mind.

However, she supposed she should not dwell on any of those thoughts. The Mistress was making an effort in curse breaking, that was something she should encourage.

“She seemed to like the flower that you gave her. You could always give her a bouquet, that would be traditional,” Martha suggested, not quite wanting to suggest anything too large. She was glad that the two were getting along, but she wasn’t Tom. Grand romantic gestures weren’t exactly her thing, and she wasn’t going to suggest one while they still had time to play things slow. It was surely better than risking ruining what was already developing.

“No, that’s not…” Sonja wasn’t particularly being argumentative. It was rather that she just knew that something so small just couldn’t cause the feelings that she felt when she interacted with Capsize. A bouquet was something that you could give to a stranger. She couldn’t do that. “It needs to be something just for her. Something so she knows that she’s special. I just don’t want to mess up.”

She didn’t know the particular feeling that she was looking for as she had no idea what it was that she’d been feeling around her. She knew at least part of it was excitement, but it was also so much more than that, which meant she had no idea how to inspire it in Capsize. She switched her gaze to Wag, hoping he’d have some advice.

“Don’t look at me. My main strategy for dating was swooping in when a couple was arguing.”

“That’s absolutely terrible!” Martha said, her attention thoroughly dragged onto the wizard. With him having no facial features, it was impossible to tell if he was being serious. Somehow, despite sincerely hoping that he was, she had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t joking. That thought was so utterly distracting that she completely forgot where she was and that she should probably be aiding the Mistress in this. She turned her attention back to her, finding her looking beyond confused. Martha just sighed. “Well, typically these kinds of gestures are meant to come from the heart. You’ve been spending more time with her. You surely must know enough about her interests to know something she’d like. Though, if you do want suggestions, she mentioned to Steve that she was from Ianerea, so culturally there’s…”

Martha continued talked, giving some suggestions based on the knowledge she had of the island. Her knowledge was admittedly tenuous. She had only visited once decades ago, but the traders from there did quite often visit Dagrun and she’d met a good number of the higher ups of the island when they came to visit her father. She reasoned that some things were intertwined enough that they likely hadn’t changed in the years it had been since she’d learnt them.

However, Martha needn’t have worried about the truth of her words, as Sonja wasn’t actually listening. She was aware that the clock was still talking, and wasn’t ignoring her to be rude, but rather her first statement about Capsize’s interests had been latched onto and Sonja’s thoughts were working overtime as an idea formed in her head. It seemed so obvious now, as her brain was unable to stop thinking about the thing that she had scarcely seen the woman without.

And in that moment, she knew exactly what she could do for Capsize. A gesture she was so sure that she would appreciate. It was, ever so possibly, too large a gesture, but she was so sure that this was something that would bring Capsize joy. Beyond anything, that was her aim. So, she was decided.

🌹 🌹 🌹

It took a couple of days for Sonja to actually feel ready.

The first day was physical preparations as she feverously worked to make sure the room was up to a standard that she felt was actually deserving of Capsize. Perhaps she was overly stressed about it, but she needed to make sure the place was presentable. The room hadn’t exactly fallen to ruin. It, like every room in the castle, was enchanted to be self-cleaning so dust and the like had been kept away. However, that wasn’t good enough. It needed to be beautiful. That was the least that Capsize deserved.

The second day was just her working up the courage to actually approach Capsize. She knew such nervousness was silly. The old version of herself, the princess consumed by research and magical pursuits, never would have had such nerves. However, she was also acutely aware that said version of herself never would’ve spoken to someone like Capsize. A commoner with no real knowledge of magic never would have caught her interest, not with the dismissiveness she had had by the time of the cures. That thought, that terrible thought, felt like a sharp stab through her chest.

That unnerving stabbing feeling had taken a good few hours to work through. As it turned out, it was rather difficult to tell herself that her past didn’t define her when it had literally changed everything about her life and quite literally defined her current form. She was so utterly ashamed that there was any version of herself that would’ve ignored Capsize. By the time she had broken free of her own self-loathing, she had realised it was far too late an hour to present the surprise as Capsize had almost certainly already retired for the night.

So here she was the following morning, still a couple of hours before noon, lingering outside Capsize’s room. She still could not bring herself to knock. She was as presentable as she could be in this form, something she had been trying to take more awareness of these past few weeks. She still didn’t like looking at herself, at this beastly form that wasn’t her, but she was trying now. Her clothes felt grounding in a way she hadn’t expected them too. She had thought that she’d feel like a pantomime of her previous self, but that wasn’t true at all.

Interacting with Capsize had truly changed everything. That was why she needed to do this. Whether it had been her goal or not, she had without a doubt made her a better person. She needed to thank her for that. So, attempting to quell her own nerves as best as she could, she finally approached her door and knocked.

In reality, it was only a few moments before Capsize opened the door. However, to Sonja, it stretched on for far, far longer. The negative, illogical thoughts began to overwhelm her again as she waited. Despite what progress she had been making, they were still remarkably hard to shift. It was not as if she genuinely believed that Capsize may hate her, but that did not make her fear the possibility any less as it flitted through her head. Yet, despite how loud and inescapable the thoughts seemed, when Capsize opened the door, a warm smile on her face, they all quieted.

“Sonja!” She greeted. For a moment, Sonja worried that she’d disturbed her, before she quickly looked over her and realised that was clearly not the case. She was just relaxed, wearing a soft, powder blue shirt decorated with embroidery – clearly Martha's – and a pair of work trousers that were either Mot’s or Steve’s. It was an odd combination, and Sonja’s mind always lingered on who the clothes were meant to belong to, but none of her thoughts about the clothes were louder than the one of how Capsize looked pretty in them. Said thought left her unbelievably flustered as she tried to fight her mind away from it.

“Capsize. I… Can I show you something,” Despite all her preparations, all her nerves had returned at full force. She was truly considering running away, pretending that she had never made this plan at all. However, she knew that she couldn’t give in to such thoughts.

Capsize noticed the way she was acting, and was curious about it, but elected not to point it out. It would be rude, after all. Instead, she just smiled. She couldn’t believe how quickly her life had changed, as she found herself beyond excited at the prospect of Sonja wanting to show her something, the exact opposite of her first night here.

“Of course! What is it?” She asked, already taking steps outside of her room.

“It’s a surprise!” Sonja’s smile was wide as she suddenly felt all the surer of herself. This was for Capsize, if she was excited, then clearly she was doing something right. Then she thought of when she and Tom were kids, when he had set up a surprise for her. She couldn’t remember what it was, though she was sure it was something silly, but she remembered being so incredibly excited. However, the reason the memory had come into her head was what Tom had said when he had first talked to her that day. “Aren’t you meant to close your eyes?”

Capsize laughed, not mocking but a little confused. Still, she supposed if she was trusting Sonja, she should fully trust her. She stepped up so she was next to Sonja and offered her left arm.

“If you insist, but I think I’ll need some guidance towards the surprise in that case,” She said, though only offering her arm rather than taking Sonja’s as she didn’t want to force her to do anything that may make her uncomfortable.

Sonja hesitated. Maybe it was silly of herself to do so. It wasn’t as if Capsize was something fragile that she could easily break, even if her own strength made her fear that she could, but they hadn’t touched for such a prolonged period of time before. She worried about Capsize regretting her decision, even if she knew if that happened, she’d say so. However, she still couldn’t get over that thought, that Capsize would hate the idea of touching her.

Capsize, worried by her silence, frowned slightly. Was her tone wrong? “You don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable, but I trust you to lead me.”

With that reassurance, Sonja allowed herself to take Capsize’s arm. She still didn’t feel entirely confident, still had so much of her mind focused on being gentle. She wanted to make sure that she could pull away if she so desired, though there was no reaction of discomfort from the woman. Rather, Capsize found herself entirely comfortable closing her eyes and allowing herself to be guided.

They walked slowly. While Capsize was confident enough that Sonja was not going to lead her astray, walking with her eyes closed was an incredibly odd experience. For her part, Sonja found herself vigilant for anything that might trip her up or cause her to stumble. She had, as far as Sonja was aware, been recovering from her fall in the encounter with the wolves. She wanted to avoid causing her another injury. Yet, despite the slow progress or perhaps because of it, Capsize found herself getting more and more excited.

“Can I have a clue?” She asked, unable to stop her mind from trying to figure out precisely what the surprise was. Obviously, she was sure it would be nice. She trusted Sonja more than enough to know she would not lead her to something unpleasant, but that was nowhere near enough to satiate her curiosity. She heard Sonja laugh quietly.

“We’ll be in there in a minute.”

“So, it’s a place rather than a thing,” Capsize questioned, hearing another quiet laugh. Sonja was glad that she sounded so excited. Just hearing the tone made her chest flutter. She hoped that her rapid heartbeat couldn’t be heard by the woman, though they were so close together that she was almost sure that it could be. She wasn’t even sure if she should be embarrassed by such a thing, as her mind seemed to be overthinking everything.

In a way, the nerves felt good as it was another emotion she hadn’t truly felt in years that she had been regaining thanks for Capsize. She first felt it the first night that she had been here, though it had been mixed with guilt, self-loathing, and anger. She hadn’t felt the same then as she had as she had been interacting with Capsize since her return, since she had once again allowed herself to be Sonja. Now, despite how she didn’t particularly like feeling it, now she couldn’t deny that it did somewhat feel positive.

The nerves now were because they had something, something she couldn’t let be snuffed out due to some mistake. So that surely meant that they were a good thing. She shouldn’t worry herself about them. She shouldn’t worry about her rapidly racing thoughts. She didn’t need to worry about what Capsize’s reaction was going to be as the doors came into view.

“Can I open my eyes?” Capsize asked as she sensed they were slowing down. She was nervous and excited, and generally overwhelmed by the uncontrollable giddy feeling of wonder she had always experienced when she had been exploring some new place. She had no idea how long she could keep her eyes closed for as so much energy was welling up inside her.

“Just a few more moments…” Sonja said as she guided her inside. She knew there was little she could do if she did spot anything wrong, but she still couldn’t stop herself from running her eyes over everything for anything she might have missed. She couldn’t see anything. Of course, that didn’t mean that she’d done a perfect job as her thoughts wouldn’t stop reminding her, but it did mean there was no point in stalling any longer. She took a breath, trying to push excitement to the forefront of her mind. Even if this went terribly wrong, at the very least she had tried. “Okay! You can open them!”

Capsize opened her eyes. She felt her breath taken away. She had all but forgotten about the library that Tom had mentioned. Her exploration of the west wing had ended so terribly that the place Tom had attempted to distract her with had completely slipped out of her mind. Now she was actually here, she couldn’t believe that she had waited so long to visit the room. She walked further in, eyes lighting up as she took it all in.

“This is more books than I’ve seen in my whole life,” She said, knowing it was an understatement. It was more books than she’d even imagined. The room itself was bigger than any she had been in outside of the castle, with shelves built into the walls that were all filled, stuffed, with books. It was overwhelming, but in a way that felt thoroughly brilliant.

Sonja watched her smile with a growing elation in her heart. Her nerves had washed away as Capsize turned on the spot in the centre of the room, her eyes sparkling as they scanned over everything. The wonder was so obvious and clear on her features, and Sonja felt herself lost in it. She’d done it.

“This library, it’s yours now,” Sonja said. Capsize turned to her, heart leaping into a suddenly dry throat. She must’ve misheard, she must have done. However, Sonja was smiling, and she knew she had actually heard perfectly well. Her mind was split in two, conflicting thoughts clawing at it. Because, oh she wanted to say yes. How could she want to say anything else? However, it was not the positive acceptance that she desperately wanted to be able to say that came out of her mouth when she finally fought through her shock and hesitance to manage to speak at all.

“No… No, I can’t. I don’t deserve—” Were the words that spilled out. She didn’t want to refuse. More than anything, she wanted to say yes, to accept the library was her. Of course she did, it looked like something from out of a dream. However, every instinct she had was screaming that she’d never be able to live up to such a gift. Her sense of balance felt so thrown off.

“You deserve more than I could ever give you,” Sonja breathed, not intended to be heard. Despite her intentions, however, she was. Her quiet words echoed through Capsize’s thoughts. Even if so many of them were screaming that, regardless of if there was any actual cost, she’d never be able to repay something such as this.

Seeing her face, the indecision laced on her features, Sonja tried to think into words why she had done this. How was she meant to phrase the feelings that Capsize had ignited inside her when she didn’t even know what they were? The words she ended up deciding on were ones she had said before, now even more sure of them as she had been then. ““If it’ll make you happy, you should take it. It’s a gift and you deserve things that make you smile.”

Capsize had no idea how to define her current feelings. She wouldn’t say they were unpleasant, rather an unfamiliar form of nice, but she felt so reluctant to allow herself this. She had always felt so secure in the balance, a careful equilibrium she maintained and that kept her steady. Could it really be okay to let it tip? She thought of Ianite, her Lady, her friend! Even when she’d been silent for so long now, Capsize couldn’t imagine breaching her faith in such a way.

Because she felt like this would be betraying her, even if she couldn’t put her finger on precisely why. She had kept the balance because it was important… because it made her feel safe. Then she looked at Sonja, at the soft smile on the Fox’s features and all her thoughts quieted.

Here she was standing in a room that could have literally been pulled from one of her dreams and she was trying to justify a reason to be unhappy. For what? Because it was new and strange to allow herself to be happy? And looking at Sonja, she realised how foolish she was being as she allowed herself to feel her heart flutter.

“Oh Sonja. Thank you so much, it’s wonderful!” Her anxieties, the tangled mess of duty and self-control, didn’t disappear, but she pushed down the thought of the scales and the balance and instead looked at Sonja with a barely controlled smile. She allowed herself to feel every positive emotion, almost wanting to cry as she felt a freedom she hadn’t in oh so long.

A warm feeling spread through Sonja’s chest as she watched the sheer joy Capsize experienced. She would be lying if she said that said feeling didn’t grow stronger as Capsize ended up hugging her, her overwhelming excitement and thankfulness resulting in the act. However, she didn’t need that, or any thanks really. It was rewarding enough just to see her happy.

Chapter Text

Though winter had well and truly set in, Capsize didn’t feel the isolation that she had felt during the season for the two years previous. While she was more physically isolated from the world at large than she had ever been, it certainly didn’t feel that way to her.

For as long as she could remember, she had always been surrounded by people. Ianerea was a tightly knit community, built upon tradition and superstitions. Leaving children alone was a good way for them to get stolen away by the fae or syrens or whatever ghost story the elders wanted to tell that week. So even when their parents had been out at sea, she and Red had never been left to their own devices. Then once they had gotten old enough that they hadn’t needed a babysitter and could explore by themselves, there was always a crowd at least somewhere on Ianerea.

Then, of course, she had never been alone when she had been on ships. She and Red had arguably been taken aboard too young. Young enough that even saying ‘arguably’ felt charitable. There had certainly been people ready and willing to look after them both while their parents were sailing, but that was the type of people there were, she supposed. Preferred to have them trained on ships than risk them not wanting to sail later in life. Gods, they were probably rolling in their graves knowing that they were both landlocked. But that mattered little. The main point was that growing up she could hardly recall a moment where she had been alone.

Even in the quietest of moments there had been Ianite. Her goddess who had become her friend. She’d always been there to talk if there had been even the tiniest possibly of her being lonely.

The change when she had moved to the town had felt so stark.

It wasn’t as if the town was devoid of people. For a town of its size, it was frankly brimming with them, but that did not stop the terrible isolation from settling in. The amount of people milling around hadn’t stopped her from feeling utterly alone. No matter how many people there were, it didn’t make up for the fact that they just seemed to dislike her very way of being.

Winter in the town had been hellish. At least in the warmer months she had the option of wandering to the river to clear her mind. She knew that going off somewhere to be alone wasn’t in any way saving her from isolation, but it had been a comfort in the warmer months to be able to escape however briefly from the suffocating place. However, with the short daylight hours and icy roads of winter it just wasn’t an option. Without it, she had struggled to maintain her sanity even with Redbeard and Jeriah.

The worst part was that even Ianite had fallen silent. She would pray and even just talk to herself on the days when Redbeard was out of town, but for the first time in her life there was no reply.

So, winter had become a season that she dreaded. However, the terrible isolation she had expected hadn’t set in this year.

It felt almost odd. The castle had less people living in it than anywhere she had ever been before, but she had more friends here than she had had in years. Possibly more than she’d had at any point in her life. Those feelings of isolation and self-doubt almost felt like they were just a distant dream, though obviously she knew that they hadn’t been. It was just that the happiness of finally being able to act like herself without the judgement of those around her, without the constant whisperings and stares, was intoxicatingly wonderful.

She was, in fact, sure of herself for what felt like the first time in nearly three years now. She didn’t have any reason to hide parts of herself anymore. Despite every self-conscious thought she had carried with her in the back of her mind, she wasn’t being treated like an oddity here. And, yes, she acknowledged that said people living here were a host of living objects and a Beast. That if anyone from the outside world saw them, they would be treated far worse than oddities. But they were her friends. That was far more than she could say for any of the apparently normal people from the town.

Every time she thought of them as her friends, she felt a smile creeping onto her face. She just felt so happy now. Obviously, she’d made friends before, she wasn’t going to deny that fact. However, how the castle had originally been a place that felt so utterly cold and hollow, just made all the friends she now had here feel all the warmer. So, even though she was further from civilization than she had ever felt, and she was around fewer people than she ever had been, the sense of isolation that had been gnawing away at her mind for so long now had all but disappeared. Despite all her expectations, she was happy here.

Of course, she still had feelings of unhappiness for how she had come to be in the castle in the first place. They were quieter now though. She couldn’t resent her circumstances, not the way she had resented the town.

She did still find herself wondering why Ianite had become so quiet. It had been so long since she had heard her voice. At this point, she wasn’t even sure that it had been her goddess that she heard that night in the West Wing rather than her own imagination. But Ianite being unresponsive was not due to her being here, it just stuck out even more now.

With the self-doubt and general feeling of isolation gone, the main thing that had begun to scratch and itch at her mind was all the questions. The magic of the castle was truly beyond anything she had seen or even heard about. How could she not have questions?

She had gained some explanations on the topic. Sonja was all too happy to explain any of the enchantments that she asked about with such feverous passion that Capsize found herself listening in complete awe. Even though some of the explanations felt completely beyond her, she found more enjoyment in feeling lost by them than she did in a great many other things.

However, there were still a great many things she was still questioning. Those were the questions that everyone seemed quite reluctant to answer. Namely, what precisely were the enchantments had been done to create the sentient objects that made up the majority of the residents of this place.

She hadn’t asked these questions directly. She felt that it was a little, well, rude to ask people how they had been crafted. But she couldn’t help but keep wondering. After all, to her knowledge, there should be a way for them to exist. Not without an extremely potent source of magic continuously fuelling them and she was yet to find anything of the sort. Though obviously her own knowledge of magic was limited, so perhaps there were more advanced techniques that she was simply unaware of.

However, the longer she went without any explanation, the more questions that began to pile up. Because they were people. Their different personalities and relationships felt far too intricate to just be crafted. And considering some of the knowledge that they possessed, it was impossible for her to believe that Sonja had created them.

She wasn’t doubting that Sonja was knowledgeable about a great many things, however, her knowledge on the town seemed non-existent. She was so curious about any piece of information Capsize shared of the place, as she seemed curious about her life in general. She’d ask questions about the town in the same tone that Capsize found herself asking about magic and enchantment, lost but wanting to learn anything that she can.

So, if she didn’t know about the town herself, it wasn’t something she could have given her creations knowledge of. So, the logical answer was that she hadn’t made the other residents of the castle. Though that still left the obvious question of who had created them. That felt like an impossible question to answer as all the other enchantments in the castle had been done by Sonja, but it was impossible to deny that the enchanted objects felt so utterly different than any of the other enchantments. Which meant the most logical answer to the bigger mystery Capsize had found about this place was that a mysterious stranger had appeared and done this which didn’t really feel satisfying. But she supposed that life rarely was.

The lack of satisfying answers itched within her thoughts and annoyed her to no end. However, she did her best to put her thoughts to the back of her mind. She did want to know the answer, but if she kept thinking on it all the time, she would drive herself mad. Why let herself be consumed by such a thing when she had a whole library to explore?

The library was truly wonderful. It had enough books to last her a lifetime, enough that she had been exploring the shelves for days now and still had barely made a dent in exploring the room as a whole. In a way, the idea that the room was hers still felt somewhat wrong. It was hard to process that she could deserve such a gift. She knew that was a less than healthy thought but thought patterns were unfortunately difficult to shift. At the very least they were now quiet enough to be drowned out by her own joy as she explored the shelves.

Today, she found herself doing exactly that, exploring the shelves for anything that might catch her eye. The collection was a mix of fiction and non-fiction, with books of every genre and on every topic imaginable. And they were organised in such a way that the books were often next to each other with seemingly little regard for actual organisation. It certainly made picking up any given book more exciting.

Most of them looked as if they had only ever been touched when they were originally placed on the shelf. But there was the occasional book that was clearly well-loved. The majority of books in said state were magical tomes, the sort of thing that she could so easily picture Sonja pouring over while creating her own notes. Not the sort of thing that she was currently looking for but Capsize was sure that she’d get curious enough about the topic to work her way through one eventually.

Right now, though, she was looking for a story. That was not something she particularly needed to look for. The shelves were packed, and she had doubtless already passed by dozens of stories that she would enjoy. But she found joy in being able to explore her options and she was glad that she had done so when a book did catch her eye.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have caught her attention at all. There wasn’t technically anything special about it. Just a slightly battered book. However, she recognised the designs on the cover. It was the same as her book, the one that Jeriah had given her. How could she ignore that?

She took it from the shelf, not quite sure what she was expecting. She knew that it was not the same book, it was thinner, but the design being identical meant that they were likely a part of the same collection or had been bound at similar times. Getting to look at the cover allowed her to see that the connection was deeper than that. The same author. She smiled.

Well, there was the answer to what she was reading today. At least that was what she thought as she walked back to the chair by the fireplace that was softly becoming a nest. Why would any other thought cross her mind when there was so much excitement currently flowing within it?

However, as she opened the book, she didn’t even reach the words written by the author as the presence of a handwritten message made her freeze.

To my beloved daughter. Happy birthday. You’re growing so fast into such a talented young woman.

It was not exactly an odd message to find at the beginning of a book. Given how nearly all of them that she read were second hand copies, finding a personal message to someone else had never given her such a pause before. However, this time it did. She stared at it in complete confusion. She had seen that handwriting before.

She’d seen it many times before.

Setting the new book on her lap, she reached for her book. For the book that Jeriah had given her. She opened it to the first page that she had flicked past so many times.

There it was. The exact same handwriting.

Something to read on your travels. Return home soon.

There was no doubt in her mind that the two messages had been written by the same person. And, therefore, she did actually know who had written them, as little sense as it made. She’d asked Jeriah about the message the first time she had borrowed the book.

“Spark and his odd sense of humour,” He’d said. He’d gone further to explain that the message was from an old friend. Over time, she’d learnt more of Spark from him, and realised that she herself had briefly met the man as a young girl, a fact that seemed to quite delight Jeriah. Though none of what she had been told explained the message.

Spark, as far as she had been told, had a son and a granddaughter, but no other family. But here there was, a message written by the man that was clearly for a daughter. Perhaps it could be for his son’s wife but then the message itself made little sense. So why on earth…?

Beyond that, even if Spark did have a daughter, why on earth would a book he gifted to her be here?

The more she tried to think about it, the more her head felt fuzzy. An oddly familiar feeling since she had arrived here, though it bothered her nonetheless. All her thoughts felt wrong in a way that she was completely sure was wrong, but that she had no explanation for. All she knew at this precise moment was that her list of questions was expanding.

“I thought that you’d be in here,” Her muddled thoughts were cut through by the voice of Sonja. She looked up with questions that she felt she desperately needed to ask, only for them to disappear as she saw the nervous smile on the Beast’s face.

No, not quite disappeared. Rather, they quieted. They were still there, still lingering, but as Sonja smiled so nervously, Capsize found herself wanting to talk with her rather than be bogged down in the confusion. She could ask about the messages and the potential of Spark having come here some other time, when her head could think through it without feeling like she was wading through mud.

So, she closed the books that she had been looking in and moved both of them to the table rather than her lap. And her attention moved to Sonja.

“Am I already becoming predictable?” She asked with enough of a hint of humour, knowing that she had already spent hours in here. As it turned out, when you could do any activity without people actively judging you, you tended to do it more.

Yes, it turned out that, as much as she had often tried to say that she didn’t care what they thought and tried her best to ignore them, being forced to constantly endure people whispering about her hobbies had taken a toll on her desire to do them. It hadn’t stopped her, but it had been a near constant itch. Now she no longer had to deal with that, she was going to spend as much time with things that she enjoyed as feasibly possible.

“Maybe a little, but I’m glad that you’re enjoying the library,” Sonja said with a small laugh. It wasn’t quite what she wanted to say. She wanted to say that was just glad to see her happy, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say something that felt far too much like a line that Tom would feed her. Maybe that was silly, and she shouldn’t be embarrassed to say things that she meant. But she didn’t need to say them for them to be true. “So much of the castle is just gathering dust, it’s nice to see any part of it in real use again.”

“You clearly used this place once. Why did you stop?” Capsize asked. There were so many clearly well-loved magical tomes in here. She couldn’t imagine it had been anyone other than Sonja reading them. And that left the obvious question as to why she had stopped using the room.

Sonja, for a moment, hesitated to answer. She should’ve known that Capsize would notice such a thing. She was ever so observant. But Sonja hadn’t thought to prepare for the question, and she was completely without a suitable answer for her. Except, that was, for the truth.

“I gained my strength… rather quickly. And now, well, I’m not gentle…” She said, her voice soft and more than a little embarrassed. She felt so big and clumsy in this form. No matter how careful she tried to be, she was sure that she’d destroy any book that she tried to hold. Capsize looked at her, an eyebrow slightly raised.

“You’ve been gentle with me,” She said, simply. After all, it was just a fact. These past weeks, Sonja had been so incredibly gentle. Even with how terrible she had been in her few days, it still felt so ridiculous for her to believe that she could not be gentle at all.

“That’s only because I’ve been actively making myself think and focus on it,” Sonja said under her breath. It felt so terrible to admit. It was not something that she should have to try to do. She should be able to be careful without having to worry about and account for unnatural strength or her claws tearing anything. If she had to actively concentrate on it, then it didn’t really count, did it?

“So?” Capsize asked. “You’re still being gentle even if it requires thought. So many people wouldn’t be bothered to try in the first place.”

Her voice tensed a little at the end, and Sonja knew immediately that she must have encountered such people. And a quiet anger started building that she fought not to show.

She knew that Capsize was resistant to talking about some of the issues she’d had in the town. That there were people that she’d only allude to without ever going to detail. And it worried Sonja, though she didn’t have the guts to actually ask about it. Given her own inability to tell the truth about so many details of her own life, she didn’t think it’d be particularly fair of her to press on topics that Capsize avoided. Not to mention, it would only encourage the rage building inside her and she certainly didn’t need any intrusive desires to go and attack people living in the town.

“Oh! But I suppose you came here to discuss something particular given how you looked when you came in,” Capsize said, attempting less than gracefully to move the topic of discussion as far away from any risk of bringing up Ianite’s champion. She would much rather have whatever conversation Sonja had wanted.

The Beast could tell that her smile was slightly forced, and did feel a pang of dejection. Beyond anything she wished that Capsize would trust her enough to tell her of her troubles, but she also understood her hesitance to share something that was clearly painful. It was not as if she was sharing her worst moments either. Perhaps one day there would be enough comfort there for them both to be fully open with each other. Why linger on it currently?

Likely because it stopped nerves from the question that she actually wanted to ask from settling in.

“Yes, I was thinking, well,” She forced herself to take a breath. Why did she suddenly feel so nervous? It was as if her brain couldn’t compute that it was a perfectly normal conversation. She didn’t know what it was, but she so often found herself fumbling over her words and generally feeling like a mess when interacting with Capsize. It was beyond frustrating as she’d never felt any such difficulty talking to a person before.

She guessed it was due to the mounting pressure of the curse. The rose was wilting. The number of days between petals falling was starting to decrease. She had to fall in love soon and certainly couldn’t afford to mess this up with everyone counting on her. Though she wouldn’t exactly say that what she was feeling felt like such great pressure. Though she had no other reference for what it may be nor what other explanation for the feelings there could possibly be.

She just needed to breathe and focus. “Winter is here now, so the solstice is fast approaching. I wanted to know if there was any particular way that you celebrated so that you’d feel at home during the holiday.”

“Oh. That’s nice of you to check, but I haven’t actually celebrated it before,” Capsize said with a small smile.

“Wait. Really?” Sonja asked, moving swiftly from nervousness to confusion. While she hadn’t exactly celebrated the holiday since the curse, she had always celebrated beforehand, and she knew that there was a celebration in the town. It hadn’t occurred to her that Capsize might just simply not celebrate the holiday. She stood almost dumbfounded, knowing that said confusion was certainly showing on her face despite really hoping that it wasn’t. Gods, she had made an entirely unfounded assumption, hadn’t she?

She considered just running.

“Well, it’s a Dianitee holiday, so I didn’t exactly celebrate it growing up,” Capsize said, hoping that she didn’t sound dismissive by merely stating the truth.

Ianerea always felt quite insular, though it wasn’t completely isolated. It couldn’t be with how deeply travel and ships were ingrained into the culture. But Ianitee culture was certainly the most prevalent and given how deeply ingrained it was, only the equinoxes were celebrated with little to no acknowledgement of the solstices as holidays. She hadn’t realised that they were celebrated as such until she had left the island for the first time. Though, given how young she had been at that point, she hoped that she would’ve realised on her own had she began sailing at a more expected age.

“Doesn’t the town have a festival for it?”

“It does but I…” She hesitated on what to say on that point. She knew that she could’ve joined the celebrations, and she probably would’ve enjoyed them well enough as a break from the monotony that was life in the town. However, the first year she… she hadn’t felt up to it and the second Jordan had shown his colours enough that she was not going to risk him latching to her when she’d have no excuse to leave. So, she had avoided it, feeling all the more isolated as she heard and watched the celebrations from afar.

And she’d had regrets as she’d spent the day alone. As she’d heard Redbeard come back, having clearly had a good time. As she’d endured Jordan the next day telling her that even Jeriah attended while she hadn’t. But now, that regret had turned to appreciation that she hadn’t had the holiday tainted by a place that she disliked so much. “I never attended. But I’d be more than happy to celebrate for the first time with you.”

Capsize’s face wore a growing smile. She actually felt quite excited by the idea of experiencing the solstice here. She doubted it would be a festival, but she didn’t need that. She just needed it to be with good company… With Sonja…

Sonja noticed the tiniest hint of Capsize blushing, though she certainly did not know the cause of it. She just knew that it looked nice among her freckles and tiny scars that detailed her face.

“I think everyone here would be honoured to have you celebrate for the first time with us.”

The blush grew deeper.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll warn you, though, I’ll be expecting something impressive. Given that it’s a Dianitee holiday and you have someone here who I have to assume is an expert on such things,” Capsize said with a laugh.

To Sonja, it was a beautiful melody just how happy she sounded. Though, she did have to admit, she was slightly confused by the actual words that she had said.

“What do you mean? There’s a Dianite expert here?” She was almost certain she knew exactly who Capsize was referring to. There was only one man here that would refer to himself as anything of the sort. But with the way she was laughing, Sonja couldn’t help but worry about what precisely he had told her.

Capsize looked at her with a smirk. She didn’t quite believe what the candelabra had told her on that first night. But it would be awfully rude to not take him at his word if she was going to be celebrating this holiday with him.

“You know, Tom. Since he is the champion of Lord Dianite, after all.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

“You told her that you’re Dianite’s champion?!”

“She hasn’t celebrated the winter solstice before?!”

Sonja and Tom both exclaimed their own questions at the other in annoyance, though one was far more rightly annoyed than the other. Frankly, Sonja wanted to kill him. After everything that she had kept hidden to make sure that the curse wouldn’t be discovered, he had apparently been saying anything that he wanted to.

Tom, however, was not paying attention to the annoyance turning anger directed towards him. He was wholly focused on how utterly baffling it was that Capsize had never celebrated the winter solstice. It was such an important part of his life that it hadn’t occurred to him that anyone might not celebrate it.

Sure, it wasn’t an Ianitee holiday, but Jordan celebrated it. It just seemed logically that she would as well. Then again, Capsize didn’t like Jordan, so maybe he should’ve guessed that they didn’t celebrate the same holidays? And It wasn’t as if she particularly liked anyone else in town, so he guessed she probably wouldn’t have wanted to attend the festival.

He internally groaned. Everything had truly gone to the dogs without him.

“She wants to celebrate this year though, right?” He asked, mostly talking to himself and not looking up at the Beast looming over him. Sure, she was annoyed at something, but that wasn’t genuine. She was never really mad at him and his shenanigans, that wasn’t how this worked. So, whatever she was annoyed about he could ignore until later.

At least that’s what the candelabra had thought until he found himself grabbed by a paw. Being suddenly hoisted into the air to be face to face with a Beast that looked about ready to shatter him to pieces made him consider the slight possibility that she was actually annoyed at him. That didn’t mean he’d take said annoyance at all seriously, but he could acknowledge it as genuine, at least.

“You told her that you’re Dianite’s champion!” Sonja repeated, this time not leaving it as a question that he could pretend was rhetorical. She was growling. She wasn’t going to let him slip out of answering why the hell he had done this. Neither physically nor metaphorically. She wanted an answer from him this time.

Tom wiggled. It was about the only thing he could do. It had been a while since he had been reminded of Sonja’s strength in this form, as despite everything he still tended to picture her as she had been prior to the curse. Obviously, he knew had been physically changed, but she’d never been able to beat him in a fight before. It just didn’t strike him all that often that that was patently not true anymore. Though now that it did, and therefore he was very much stuck in this conversation, he pouted. Why did she want to focus on something that just didn’t matter?

“Yep. Told her the first night she was here,” Tom said in a far too casual tone as he rolled his eyes. Honestly, he had no idea why Sonja cared. It wasn’t as if he’d told her that he was a cursed human completely forgotten by the rest of the world. He’d essentially told her a joke for how likely it was that she had actually believed him. “She didn’t take me seriously, Sonj'. Not really, anyway.”

He had, of course, noticed the way Capsize had paused during that conversation. The way that she had at first been confident and almost flippant that Dianite didn’t have a champion, before seemingly changing her mind and being softer as she stated that she hadn’t heard of him having one. He had originally written it off as her just humouring him, but it was hard to keep thinking that way when it seemed to happen again and again.

If Tom had to guess, the way that the curse had erased their presences wasn’t completely foolproof. That someone who should know about them could vaguely tell that they had memories missing but not any specifics.

Or something like that anyway. He was mostly going on the way that Capsize looked in those moments of thought that people tried to distract her away from. Maybe it had little to do with the curse and more to do with Capsize just being intelligent. It wasn’t as if could ask her to check, then Sonja would have a reason to be annoyed at him.

Ah! Sonja. Yes, that’s what he was meant to be focusing on. Absolutely none of his thoughts had explained why she was glaring at him like he’d ruined everything.

“Why exactly do you care?” Tom asked, honestly kind of exasperated. He had been saying stupid things that he certainly shouldn’t have been this whole time. Sonja had watched him say most of them, and she certainly hadn’t had a reaction nearly as strong as this before. Of course, there was the idea that maybe she had always been annoyed the whole time and finding out that he had just blatantly said his title without even trying to be vague had finally been enough to push her into a reaction…

No. No, that was stupid. He dismissed that idea pretty much as soon as it came to him. “I can tell her I was just joking if you’re that concerned.”

“I—" Sonja nearly immediately faltered as she couldn’t think of any reasonable response. It wasn’t that her annoyance was gone. If anything, she was more annoyed than she had been previously by just how unbothered Tom seemed by this whole thing. However, it all seemed to burn away as she was confronted with the idea of having to tell the truth.

It all came down to the truth. The truth that she feared Capsize learning so much. It was only a matter of time before it was revealed she was sure. And… And she was trying to blame Tom for that.

She was being terrible again. Absolutely terrible.

In a sudden panic of her own worse tendencies, Sonja placed Tom on the floor as gently as her rattled mind would allow, which was not particularly but he was at least placed upright and not jostled onto his back. She fully intended to dash off, to hide and pretend this had not happened, because she just didn’t want to face what she felt so truly would be impossible moment for Capsize to move past.

She couldn’t tell Tom the reason why she had reacted so strongly. She couldn’t face that horrible dread that was eating away at her of how Capsize was going to react. She needed to leave, to just hide and ignore the world for a while.

“Sonja. What the hell is going on?” Tom questioned loud and clear. It cut through all her spiralling and forced her to stay in place. She turned around slowly. If one saw such a reaction, they would have assumed Tom’s tone to be aggressive, but he wasn’t.

No, Tom was worried. That was what got her to freeze. The amount of worry that was in her friend’s tone.

How could he be anything but worried with how she had completely flipped on a dime from anger to looking like she was about to flee the room? And it only grew as she turned to look at him, her entire form shaking.

“What am I supposed to do if she finds out that you’re a person?” She asked. The idea was completely overwhelming to her. It felt like a complete and utter nightmare.

Capsize was such a brilliant light. One that she certainly didn’t deserve. And she knew if she found out about the curse, about what she had caused to happen to everyone here, that she’d never look at her same again. It hurt. It was horrible for her to even think about. Deep down though, she knew that she’d deserve such a reaction.

Tom, as he looked at Sonja clearly terrified, felt lost. He knew that he had to say something. He didn’t have the option of just finding Mot or Martha and making them handle this instead, as much as he wanted to. He wasn’t the sort of person that was meant to give her advice, but if he said nothing she’d go off and hide and blame herself for everything. So, he needed to say something.

But there was only one thing he could think of saying.

“Then we’ll just have to tell her the truth,” He said. He knew it was not what he should say. He could already hear the lecture that Martha would give him if she learnt that he had. Her insisting that they could not allow Capsize to learn about the curse under any circumstances lest it mean she can’t break it, however that worked. But it wasn’t as if he was arguing that they should go right now and tell Capsize every detail of the curse. He knew the complications that telling her the truth would cause, but… But he saw the writing on the wall.

Capsize was figuring it out herself. How long could they really avoid her coming to the correct conclusion? Sure, she probably wouldn’t be able to figure out everything, but the fact that they had originally been people didn’t exactly seem to be a conclusion that she was far away from. In his opinion, they had already been way too obvious with the way they had to avoid certain topics like the plague.

It seemed likely enough to him that she may eventually ask the question close enough to asking if they had originally been people. Then she’d quickly leap to the actual question itself. And if she did, and they then denied the truth, that would be insulting to her intelligence. He knew that was the absolute last thing that Sonja would want.

“But then…” Sonja wanted to argue but she couldn’t. It was the only reasonable thing she could do in that situation, but she desperately wanted to avoid needing to do so. Which meant she needed to stop Capsize from figuring out their true selves, but that was progressively seemingly like an impossible task.

Yes, it seemed that just keeping the curse a secret would be impossible. Capsize was smart, she admired that about her. And that’s why she knew that the more she tried to hide, the more she would end up figuring out. But then she had to contemplate actually telling her what she had done to cause the curse. That was enough to make her blood run cold. “She’ll hate me, Tom.”

Her voice was quiet. She was as sure of that fact as she was utterly broken by it. What she had done was bad enough, what it had ended up causing was terrible. Far more pressing though was who had done the cursing.

How would Capsize ever forgive her for her actions with how thoroughly disgusted her goddess had been by her actions? How could anyone look at her with anything but scorn upon learning that she had pissed off the gods themselves? It being revealed would change everything. She knew it would.

Tom found himself being bore into by utterly terrified eyes. He’d only seen her look like this once, that very first night years ago. There were so many terrible sensations he remembered about that night. That terrifyingly bright light had faded, his body no longer being his body. A monster staring at him with Sonja’s petrified eyes.

It felt so much like back then, but there was a difference. Back then, he had understood her terror and been very much stuck in his own. In the current moment, though, he saw absolutely no reason that she should be scared.

“She won’t hate you,” He said with a quiet sureness. He knew that he was acting overly confident, but he also knew that Capsize wouldn’t hate Sonja. Not at the point they had now reached. Despite everything that should’ve prevented her from doing so, Capsize had managed to form a bound with Sonja. She didn’t seem the type to throw it away just because of the gods.

“How can you know that?” Sonja so desperately wanted to believe his words, but she just couldn’t. She couldn’t understand the glimmering confidence in his metallic eyes.

“Because really think,” He said. Hoping that she would go along with what he was going to say next. “If your roles were reserved, if she had been cursed like this and you were a regular person, would you have even gotten this far in your relationship with her?”

“She never would have—”

“That isn’t what I asked. Just try and picture it will you?” Tom quickly cut off any possible argument about the premise of the situation.

Sonja pouted slightly and though she still wasn’t entirely satisfied with the idea of picturing an impossible scenario, she did as Tom asked. She pictured as well as she could a world where she hadn’t been cursed, a world where she had never been a princess at all. She imagined a life that felt so comforting and simple, with Mot and Tom and Alyssa and normality. Then she reminded herself that was not the point of what Tom had asked her to do.

She imagined Tom going missing one day, the anxiety and terror that would cause. She imagined journeying through the woods to find him and coming across an abandoned castle. She imagined finding him dying and imprisoned by a horrifying Beast.

Everything about it made her squirm. Even just attempting to imagine Capsize in a form as twisted as hers felt wrong. It made it near impossible to actually picture because there couldn’t be a world where she had done anything to deserve such a curse. However, what she felt even worse about, was that she had no idea what she would’ve done at that point. She had no idea if she could’ve made the sacrifice that Capsize had made.

Could she have given up her freedom for Tom? She wanted to say that she would’ve done, that she wouldn’t have let Tom die in a cell, but it still left her throat feeling tight and herself feeling nauseous. How had Capsize made the decision? How had she agreed to be left at the mercy of a monster?

She knew that describing herself in such terms was less than ideal, but picturing that first meeting from another point of view, how could she use any other words? She was a monster.

And she understood what Tom was trying to say.

Tears threatened to spill. Tom worried that he may have gone too far. That was, until Sonja spoke again.

“You’re right. If she figures out that you’re all human, I’ll… I’ll tell her whatever parts of the truth that I can.”

It would be okay. She’d be strong enough to admit what she could about the curse. Whatever Capsize’s reaction might be, she was owed the truth if she figured out any part of it herself. Even if she couldn’t be told everything. Even if Sonja’s chest was tightening just thinking about what she would actually have to say.

“I know you will,” Tom said with a smile. Let it never be said that he’d lost faith in Sonja. If anything, he was currently gaining more as she was becoming more and more like the friend he remembered.

But frankly, this was becoming a bit too gooey and sentimental for his liking. They couldn’t focus on this all day when there was a clear injustice that needed to be set right. “But seriously, we have to make sure that Capsize celebrates the winter solstice this year. It’s a crime against Dianite that one of my friends hasn’t yet.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

A couple of days later, Capsize and Sonja sat together once again. The two often sat together like this, not quite next to each other, but far closer than either would deliberately choose to sit with anyone else. Inevitably, they would end up actually next to each other, Capsize leaning on Sonja’s arm as she relaxed or read. However, currently the Beast was sitting across from the woman. The two being just as warmed by each other’s company as they were by the lit fire in the room.

The current conversation flowing between the two was concretely about the upcoming holiday. It was such a normal thing to be discussing compared to what many of their conversations ended up being about. However, even without talking about magic or one of the other things that Sonja was clearly deeply fascinated by, Capsize still found herself as curious and invested as ever. It was still something new. How could she find it anything other than interesting?

“If I’m being fully honest, I don’t really remember the full story behind it,” Sonja admitted, knowing full well that Tom would have a fit if he got wind of that fact. She definitely had once known the full story about Dianite’s connection with the winter solstice. Even now she could hazily recall Mot telling her the story as they sat by a fire, a memory that felt warm and right, but she just couldn’t recall any of the words from it. “I think it’s about one of those old stories of Lord Dianite creating fire… Or the story of his first champion creating fire?”

She was nearly entirely guessing. She probably should’ve asked Mot, but she worried about his reaction. She was sure her memory being hazy was just from the amount of time that had passed, but she doubted that would quell his mind of the possibility that the curse had started to affect her ability to recall things. She didn’t want to put that stress on him when she had the vague idea of it all without asking.

Clearly, she didn’t need to know the full story anyway as Capsize still smiled at her. She was still just so interested.

“It being about the creation of fire feels right. The centrepiece of the town’s celebration was always a bonfire,” She said, that being one of the few things she did know about the town’s festival. It was big enough that they started building the previous day in the square, the mess of wood looking so out of place compared to well decorated tables and stalls being set up. She had been able to see it burning from her house.

“I thought you hadn’t celebrated before,” Sonja questioned, tilting her head slightly.

For the briefest moment, Capsize found herself staring at her, finding herself lost in her features. But as quickly as she had started staring, she caught herself and made herself actually concentrate on what had been asked of her.

“I haven’t. I just watched,” She admitted. She felt a hint of embarrassment about doing so.

Maybe it was silly, but she couldn’t help it. For all her complaints of loneliness, it had been her own choice to not interact with the town. Yes, the townsfolks had made her uncomfortable, and she wasn’t exactly friends with any of them, but it had been a celebration. She could have joined in.

Instead, she’d made her decision and ended up watching from the sidelines. And she didn’t exactly fully regret that decision. If she had gone to the festival, she was sure that Jordan would’ve just clung to her the whole time. She likely would’ve spent the night uncomfortable. But she would never know now.

“Really? You never struck me as the type to avoid doing… well, anything,” Sonja said. She found herself stuck wondering just how bad the town had been. Tom had always seemed fond of the place. Though maybe he had liked time away from the castle.

She had never been interested enough in the town to sneak out and go there after she had begun studying magic. Though she did remember a time when she had been. When she had been young, young enough that she hadn’t yet begun studying magic and her memories were only just clear enough to actually be remembered, she had remembered being so curious about the place that Tom always got to go to. About the festivals and the people that he told her about.

She had never actually gotten to go. She had tried sneaking there, but she had always ended up caught by Mot and returned home. There had been talks of a supervised visit, but she hadn’t been interested in that, she had wanted the freedom that Tom was allowed. It was odd to see somewhere that she had once been so curious about was the source of much of Capsize’s unhappiness.

Capsize was so curious and interested in learning and trying things. If she had been scared off trying something, then clearly the place was far worse than she was attempting to let on.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t typically. I… I had pretty much made up my mind about not having an interest by my second year in the town, but the first year I was mostly avoiding going out of cowardice,” Capsize admitted. She wasn’t entirely sure that that was the word she was actually looking for. She certainly hadn’t been scared. But she had no idea what the right word would be given how she had felt.

“Coward is the last word I’d ever use to describe you,” Sonja said, honestly perplexed that Capsize had. Sometimes she felt as if she just truly didn’t understand Capsize. She brought such a brilliant warmth to the world. She had told Sonja not to talk badly about herself, but it seemed that she didn’t take her own advice. “I definitely wouldn’t call anyone a coward for not wanting to be around people who treat them unkindly.”

“Well, I mean…” Capsize hesitated, having no real idea of what to say. She knew logically that Sonja was correct, but she still couldn’t help but feel shameful about the whole situation. She still struggled with whether those in the town had been right about her. A town full of people acting like she was strange had managed to worm its way into her head.

However, that wasn’t the reason she had avoided the celebration that first year. Sure, she hadn’t exactly been keen to spend an extended amount of time with any of them, but she knew it would’ve been a manageable experience with Red. It had just been the excuse that she used. “They were never exactly welcoming, you’re right. But they weren’t the reason that I avoided the festival. Not the first time, anyway.”

She went quiet, contemplating how much she wanted to share. The true reasons were tied with private worries. Worries that she hadn’t even shared with Red due to just how vulnerable they left her feeling. Even now just barely alluding to them, her mouth felt dry.

She began to spin her cane between her hands, trying to focus on the movement rather than the illogical thoughts threatening to overtake her. She didn’t understand why she was so scared of talking about this. It felt so stupid, she was never this scared of anything. But she’d also never had anything that made her feel quite this lost.

Sonja had no idea if she should say something. All she could focus on were her downcast eyes. She saw this look appear on her so often when talking about the town. She hated seeing it so much. But what could she really say? It wouldn’t be right of her to push her, not when there were so many secrets that she was keeping. Still, she found herself lost on how to offer comfort when she didn’t know what was causing her upset in the first place.

“I… I was trying to keep myself faithful,” Capsize admitted in such a quiet tone. She was so tired of trying to keep it all to herself. All the resentment and exhaustion, all the negative feelings she had had in the town, in the end they all lead back to Ianite. To her faith in and friendship with her goddess, and the silence they now existed between them.

She had always been trying to keep her grasp on it as if it would keep her afloat. To her faith and their relationship and the balance. Before it had been so easy and natural. Like the flow of water, it was just something she was meant to do. Then her injury and the move to the town. Suddenly she was drowning and nothing was helping her float.

It had just been hurting for so long now. She was tired of keeping it all to herself. “I’d never felt so separated from Ianite before. It felt like a test of faith so the idea of celebrating the holidays of the other gods just…”

She sighed, continuing to spin her cane as she tried so hard to just focus on the movement. Already she could feel the rising nerves and familiar internal questioning. She couldn’t bring herself to look up, dreading the expression that Sonja might be wearing. But not looking at her, meant she was instead stuck with her own thoughts, and they were less than pleasant.

She realised that she had begun to fear when she’d hear Ianite’s voice again, which felt ridiculous. She’d been carving any whisper for months. It wasn’t as if her want for answers had gone away either. But she realised she was afraid of what Ianite would say about her current situation. Because if she tried to explain it at all, she was beyond sure that her goddess would panic.

Even with her position as her messenger, she had not heard Ianite in distress all that often. She supposed there just wasn’t all that much to bother her in times of peace as the world found itself in. Though she did have two distinct memories of when Ianite had seemed truly panicked.

The first had been when she was a teenager. A winter night that otherwise had been nothing special. Ianite had been so upset about something that she had said she ‘didn’t want to burden her with the knowledge of’. In fact, even now Capsize didn’t know what had caused her to be so upset, she just remembered that she had been, how unexpected it had been. She’d ended up just talking with her until the early hours of the morning to distract the goddess per her request.

However, the other she had heard Ianite distressed, well she’d never forget it. How could Capsize forget her reaction to her injury? It was something she thought back to so often, trying to figure out if there were any answers there that she had missed. However, it was the reason now that she feared her suddenly restarting contact.

What would be her reaction if she found out she was technically a prisoner?

“That’s understandable. Lady Ianite is important to you,” Sonja said, trying to ignore the way her chest tightened as she said those words. She didn’t need to be scared. The curse wasn’t going to be revealed by merely mentioning the goddess.

She had to push through. Despite her own feelings towards the goddess, and the goddess’ feelings towards her, Sonja did want to learn about Capsize’s faith. Obviously, she was still beyond angry at Lady Ianite. Even if the curse broke at this very moment, that anger was not going to fade anytime soon, but the idea of disliking her followers for it now just left her with a sickly guilt.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Capsize said, half-sighing due to how one sided that currently felt. Ianite was so important to her, and she doubted there would ever be a time that she wasn’t. But she was just so tired. She truly wished that she could say that her tiredness was relatively new, that it was linked to her time in the town. But when such an exhaustion set in, it started to become hard to remember when exactly it had started. “I mean, it was always so important growing up. I’d never met anyone who didn’t follow her when I was a kid.”

“Suppose there wouldn’t be too many people following other gods on Ianerea,” Sonja laughed, gaining a genuine one in return from Capsize. To hear the beautiful sound was such a relief. Hearing Capsize talk of her life was always interesting to Sonja, she’d hate if the majority of it was painful memories. She doubted that was true though. After all, whenever Capsize spoke of her home prior to the town, she always seemed so alive.

Whenever she spoke of Ianerea or her travels as a merchant, there was always a joyful look in her eyes. Sonja desperately wished that Capsize could remain smiling like that forever.

“Yeah, hardly a soul doesn’t. Most of those who don’t follow her just don’t follow any gods,” Capsize said, trying to avoid getting lost reminiscing. It felt silly to do so when she could never go back. But she couldn’t actually stop herself.

Maybe she just longed for when things were simpler, when she had been a kid and had a community. Back when people hadn’t treated her as strange for wanting to see the world. Gods, she missed it so much.

But rather than going back there, she had ended up in a place where the only Ianitee present other than herself and her brother knew absolutely nothing of the culture or frankly the religion at all. It had been so impossibly alienating, somehow more so than those who acted as though Ianite needn’t exist in the first place. Was it surprising that she longed for Ianerea so much? “I miss it. Not the fact that everyone followed Ianite but having that sense of community.”

“Of course you miss it. It’s your home,” Sonja felt the rising guilt. Always that horrible guilt that she was keeping Capsize from having a normal life. Strangely enough though, Capsize didn’t look nearly as sad anymore.

“You’re definitely right. Though, strangely enough, when I think of home, Ianerea isn’t the place that I actually picture,” Capsize said with a laugh as she realised the odd juxtaposition in her thoughts. She absolutely missed Ianerea, and if actually asked for a physical location that was her home, that’s where she’d say. When she actually thought of home though, it was never what actually came to mind.

“Where then?”

“The ocean,” Capsize replied, her smile wider than ever.

Sonja found it infectious. How could it be anything but with how those brown eyes sparkled? Who could see such a smile and not want to match it? “Whenever I was sailing, that’s when I felt the most like myself. Home is the ocean, just my ship and the waves and the endless horizon.”

“You have a ship?” Sonja couldn’t quite put her finger on why she asked that question. She knew that Capsize had been the captain of a merchant ship, it didn’t seem out of the question that she had owned the ship that she sailed. In fact, it was incredibly easy to picture given how she held herself, but the question had still come to her so quickly. Maybe it was because of just how she smiled when talking about it.

“I had one. I could tell you every last detail of that old thing,” She laughed. She could close her eyes and still see it. That ship that she had worked so hard to be able to purchase and then fix up. That ship that she had absolutely loved. Though, of course, she knew it’d look different now, if it even still existed. Gods, she hoped it still existed. “It’s not mine anymore. I had to sell it when… Well, when I was first injured I… I wasn’t going to be able to keep sailing. So, I needed money to be able to settle somewhere and recover.”

“Oh, that’s—”

“Devastating. It was devastating,” Capsize said struggling to keep her voice steady as she felt entirely hollow. Having to sell the ship had just made everything about being injured worse. The only good thing was that she hadn’t had to sell to a stranger. But as much as she tried to take solace in the fact that it had ended up in the hands of Rupert and that he likely would’ve at least tried to fix the damage that had been done to it, it just didn’t take away any of the upset. Maybe if she wasn’t so far from the ocean, she’d be able to feel differently…

Either way, it wasn’t Sonja’s issue. It was in no way her fault that she could no longer see the ocean. That was a true fact long before she came to the castle. Now she just… didn’t even have the hope…

Gods, she needed to drag this conversation back to something that didn’t make her want to cry. “So, what do you normally do to celebrate the solstice? A bonfire? A feast?”

“A bonfire yes, though probably not as big as the one they have in the town. There’s so few of us here so such a private affair doesn’t need all that large a fire,” Sonja said, trying to sound a little more unsure than she actually was. Tom had told her distinctly when they were kids that the town’s bonfire was bigger always in a seeming attempt to persuade Mot that they needed a larger one for their celebration.

But of course, that wasn’t her main focus. It couldn’t be. Not when the topic switch was so utterly jarring.

And maybe, Sonja thought, it was entirely fair for Capsize to do this. She’d certainly been subjected to more than enough sudden topic changes here in the castle due to the things they couldn’t talk about without risk of revealing the curse. She was more than owed one of her own if there was a topic that she wanted to avoid.

So, she should just keep talking as if she hadn’t noticed the obvious switch. “Mot used to tell the story of how the night came to be, though I imagine Tom will insist on telling it this year with how excited he is about you celebrating for the first time.”

Capsize laughed. Sonja tried to just focus on that.

“Gift giving is a big part of it too. Handmade is traditional.”

She tried desperately to keep her thoughts on the solstice and away from the rattling question. She should just focus on how Capsize was smiling. Why go back to a topic that had clearly brought her sadness when she now seemed happy? What good would it do? Unfortunately, her mind just wouldn’t let it go.

“Why didn’t you return to Ianerea after your injury?” Sonja asked. Immediately she regretted doing so as hurt flared in Capsize’s eyes. Just for the briefest moment, but it was more than enough for the shame to blossom. “I’m sorry, I— We don’t need to talk about it if you’re not comfortable. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, I…” Capsize swallowed. She would be lying if she said she had a particular desire to talk about it. It would make everything more confusing. It always did. Nothing good had ever come from people knowing her title.

But she trusted Sonja. She trusted her enough to genuinely believe that she wouldn’t treat her differently upon learning it. Still though, it wasn’t exactly something she could just say. Not if she actually wanted to be taken seriously, anyway. “I don’t mind telling you the reason why, but it’s going to sound… Just hear me out, okay.”

“Of course, Capsize,” Sonja replied softly. She felt her chest tightening at the hint of fear present in her words. It was not the terror that she had previously seen, the terror that she had inflicted. This was something else entirely. Something that she could only describe as wrong.

Capsize looked away from Sonja’s eyes, not wanting to be able to see her emotions as she said what she was about to.

“I’m Lady Ianite’s messenger. When I was injured, she asked me to move to the town,” Her words were quietly spoken, but they were than loud enough to make Sonja freeze. She prayed that her internal reaction did not show on her face, that her jaws didn’t twist into a snarl on instinct. Every thought in her head was screaming that this confirmed her worst anxieties of her only hope just being another joke sent to her by the goddess. But she did not listen to them.

She forced her anger down. She did not allow herself to pounce with her worst assumptions as she had previously. She was not a mindless Beast. She couldn’t allow herself to act like one. That and… and she trusted Capsize. She could not believe that their friendship was all a farce. Such a thought was beyond ridiculous and more than enough to fully quash down her thoughts initially triggered by the confession. And she could actually take in the way that the woman who had confessed looked. Because she looked like hell.

Capsize said with her head bowed, both hands gripping her cane with white knuckles. Her breathing made it clear that she was attempting to hold back her own reaction, be it fear or tears. And suddenly Sonja found herself frozen for a completely different reason.

“I trusted her. I’d known her for so long that she felt more like a friend than a goddess. And she was so concerned about my injury, I really thought she was recommending what she thought was best for me. So, I moved to that town, Red coming with me, and… And I still have no idea why she sent me there of all places.”

“She never gave you a reason?” Sonja found herself asking almost without thinking. She couldn’t focus on much besides how Capsize’s voice was wavering. But still, could it be?

“She originally told me that it’d be a safe place for me to recover, but the more I thought about it, the less sense that made,” She admitted, trying her best to not sound resentful. She didn’t want to imply that she held ill will towards her goddess. That still felt wrong of her to do. However, it was more of a struggle the more that she tried. Continuing trying to reason and justify when she had been left with nothing was just so exhausting. “The last time I spoke with her, I asked for an actual answer. And she just said that the reason would become clear. That’s all I’ve got.”

Those words struck Sonja like a rock. Had Lady Ianite actually sent her to the town to come here and—?

No.

Immediately she shoved that thought away. There was no way that the goddess had intended for Capsize to come here. It wasn’t even her who found the castle, it was her brother, and he’d arrived by sheer happenstance. Capsize had only come because she was looking for him.

Was it a weird coincidence? Yes, it was one that Sonja’s worst thoughts were clinging to. Each one of them was telling her that clearly the goddess had sent her here as a terrible trap to bring up her hopes before smashing them. But such thoughts required her looking at Capsize and seeing a trick. It required her looking at her friend’s clear distress and believing that she was lying about it.

Whatever Lady Ianite’s plans had been, they clearly had nothing to do with her. And if they somehow did, then Capsize had no knowledge of that fact.

All Sonja knew was this was yet another strike against the goddess that had stolen her life from her. She had hurt someone else. Every ember of anger she felt towards her was reigniting and threatening to consume her, but she couldn’t let it. Right now, wasn’t the time for anger.

Her friend needed reassurance. That was far more important.

“Maybe I should use gentler words, lest the gods strike me, but she sounds cruel,” Sonja said, actually almost welcoming a reappearance from the goddess. There were so many things that she wanted to say to her at this moment. Even without her presence, so many viler words than the one she had used were clawing to escape her. How dare she hurt another person. How dare she hurt someone who actually trusted her.

However, saying any of them now, to even let out any of her own rage towards the goddess not born from this situation, it would just muddy the waters. Her own issues were not important currently. “If she was your friend, if she was going to send you to a town that clearly treated you awfully, the least she should have given you was an explanation.”

“That’s… That’s all I wanted,” Capsize found herself wanting to weep. All she had wanted was a real explanation. The fact that she didn’t have one had been eating away at her. Worse, the fact that she wanted one so desperately had left her feeling so selfish for doubting that Ianite had her best interests at heart. To hear someone say so plainly that she deserved one, it was like two years of build of self-doubt had shattered in an instant.

She wanted to weep, and though she didn’t quite start, tears did start to well. They were good tears, she was sure, but just as her relief was the removal of a great weight, it was also painful and overwhelming.

Sonja saw the building tears, and immediately stood. She took steps towards her on instinct, before her thoughts caught up and she suddenly felt far too large and in the way before someone who suddenly seemed so small. And there was a moment where Sonja considered stepping away.

Then there was a clatter.

Capsize’s cane fell from the iron grasp that she had had on it for nearly the whole conversation, as she instead took a hold of Sonja’s paw. She looked up at her, and didn’t need to say what her eyes were already begging.

Sonja stayed with her.

Though eventually the conversation would once again return to the far lighter topic of the upcoming holiday, the knowledge that Sonja had gained never fully left her thoughts. How, she wondered with such bitterness, had the goddess deemed fit to judge her heartless when she all but abandoned someone who called her friend.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Sonja was doing her best to sort through the mess that her old workshop had become. She knew it was beyond far too late to regret the state she had allowed the west wing to fall into but ruining the cleaning enchantments in her initial rage and frustrations had been in retrospect a stupid decision.

The whole wing was currently covered in dust and broken glass and her workshop was entirely disorganised after being used as a den rather than a study for far too long. How had she been fine to let it fester like this for years?

However, she was not allowing herself to linger and focus on such self-loathing thoughts at the current moment. She was instead thoroughly focused on clearing some space in her workspace.

The room already looked far more welcoming than it had when Capsize explored it. Though the place was still damaged, she’d managed to at least clean up a bit. And she’d gotten the lights working. With warm lighting it didn’t seem nearly as much of a horror show as it had previously. Though, Sonja was only really concerned with making it a good space to work in.

It had been a good long while since she had created a magical item from scratch. Honestly, she was beyond nervous of actually beginning the process, which was a large part of why she was still trying to clear up and make the space look nice rather than actually beginning. This had to go well.

She knew that at this point she was just procrastinating, but even if she did feel ready, she didn’t want to start while being watched. That was proving to be a problem as currently with her in her study was Martha and Mot. She had no desire to work in front of them, mostly out of fear of what had become of her skills, but she also didn’t particularly want to ask them to leave when they were in the middle of a conversation.

“So, you don’t care that she’s Ianite’s messenger,” Martha questioned. As much as Sonja bristled at it, she could exactly blame the clock for asking. The idea of what would’ve happened if she’d learnt of Capsize’s title in those first few days came into her head in terrible bursts. She’d just been desperately trying not to think about it. Still though she bristled.

Obviously, she didn’t care about her title. She wasn’t that anger-consumed monster that she had been. She wasn’t going to ruin everything because of a detail that didn’t matter. Capsize was her friend and she trusted her. If Lady Ianite had sent her here, she would’ve said so. All her confession had done was confirm that the goddess had hurt yet another person that she cared about.

“No, she’s my friend. Her title isn’t going to change that. Besides, it isn’t as if Lady Ianite has been kind to her,” She replied, muttering the latter part. Though, it was an unnecessary addition. She wouldn’t have cared even if she was still on good terms with the goddess, or at least she desperately hoped that she wouldn’t have. Not that it mattered, hearing how distressed Capsize had been by her goddess’ actions, it was impossible to be upset by her title.

“Yes, it is rather unbelievable how the goddess seems to be acting,” Martha said. As Sonja looked at her cursed form, she could also see her nonchalantly playing with hair that she didn’t currently have. There was something she was hiding. So much was incredibly obvious, but Sonja wasn’t particularly in the mood for a long and confusing conversation.

“You only just started thinking that?” Mot said dryly.

Sonja wasn’t able to stop herself from snorting. Even with her head turned back to her desk, she could sense Martha’s eyes rolling. The conversation felt so ordinary, like how it felt before the curse though somewhat softer than they were towards the end. No one was actually snapping at each other. No one seemed exhausted.

“Of course not. I’m not oblivious,” Martha retorted. To one unfamiliar with the woman, this would sound like the start of a fight. However, both Mot and Sonja knew her well enough to know this was simply how she spoke. She might be agitated, but not at them. Rather at someone who could not hear and likely did not care. “But to actively ignore her own messenger after an injury is still… It feels worse than what she did to us.”

“I don’t think we should go around saying it in front of the others, but you’ve got a point,” Mot knew that objectively speaking, the curse was worse. However, hearing all that Lady Ianite had been doing with her own followers since left a particularly bad taste in his mouth.

She was seemingly letting her own champion do whatever the hell he wanted, given how much Capsize seemed to dislike the man. That was enough to make the goddess a hypocrite in his eyes, given how she had judged Sonja for an act of cruelty. However, the fact that Ianite had seemingly just abandoned her own messenger sparked a different kind of distaste. It left the same bad taste in his mouth that Dianite having not spoken to Tom since the curse had begun.

The curse was cruel in the way that one expected of a god: world shaking and terrible but not a betrayal. It certainly felt personal and an extremely over the top punishment to inflict on a teenager, but Sonja hadn’t had any thoughts on the goddess previously, hadn’t expected anything from her. The abandonments, though? They felt far too human a cruelty.

It’s because she didn’t do anything to deserve it. Sonja thought, though she didn’t dare to actually say the words out loud. She didn’t want to imply, even accidently, that anyone but herself had done anything to deserve this terrible fate. However, it didn’t stop her from knowing that truth. The reason what Ianite had done to Capsize felt different was that she hadn’t done anything to deserve her abandonment meanwhile she had deserved at least some punishment for what she had done that night.

“Just another thing to confront her about when the curse is broken,” Sonja muttered. It was not a statement intended to be heard, her voice barely even audible. But her words were heard.

The clock and the snuffbox looked at each other, unsure if they should voice their shock out loud. Never had they heard Sonja say the word ‘when’ in relation to the curse being broken. At best she said ‘if’, but more typically when talking about it, they’d receive a pained look that portrayed her disbelief of the possibility of the idea.

Mot smiled. It was half hidden by the jewels that adorned him in this form, but it was a true moment of heartwarming joy. The princess finally seemed to have hope.

“Ah! Here they are,” Sonja said as she finally found her tools. They, of course, had been doing nothing but gathering dust, but this was hopefully one of those things that she hadn’t forgotten. Well, at least she had some time to practise if it turned out her skills at crafting magical objects had faded over time.

“Are you sure that you really need to give her another gift?” Martha questioned. It felt a little backwards to Sonja. Surely, Martha should be encouraging her to get closer to Capsize in any way possible.

Though, she supposed that none of what she was doing was in any way close to traditional courting methods. Sonja obviously still remembered all the rules of courting that had been drilling into her head when she had been becoming a teenager. She knew all the ways that it was supposed to work.

But Capsize was not a noble and seemed to have neither knowledge of nor care for said rules. As such it seemed utterly pointless to follow them, especially given the ever-dwindling time limit. However, now was also not the time to be petulant.

“It’s for the solstice. She’s giving me a gift too,” She said. It was different from the flower and the library. It was a holiday. Gifts were both expected and a traditional part of it. “But if you think it’s too much, you can be the one to tell Tom.”

“Well, just make sure it’s small. You don’t want her to get overwhelmed,” Martha said, rather more softly than she typically would.

She still feared this all falling apart. She knew that, at this point, that was a rather illogical fear. The two women had clearly been making progress with each other, and quite clearly saw each other as friends. But rather unfortunately, friendship was not enough in their current circumstances, and as such her nerves were stuck.

She knew that being discouraging would not help matters, though. Progress was being made and spirits were far higher than they had ever been, so she was doing her best to bite down her worries so as to not dampen the mood.

“Of course, it’ll just be a traditional sort of gift for the solstice,” Sonja said with a smile. Her tone was so calm that one could almost be convinced that she was merely doing this to keep Tom happy.

This satisfied Martha enough, though she had a feeling that it would not merely be a traditional gift. Arguing about it would get her nowhere and if they were serious about celebrating this holiday, there were things she needed to make sure were in order.

Mot watched her leave, but did not follow after her. He did have his own plans to help set things in place for the celebration, but he didn’t want to leave Sonja just yet. Not when it was infinitely clear that she was not planning on creating something small.

“Really? You’re making a traditional solstice gift?” He said with a slight chuckle. She was pulling out tools and materials to make a magic item for the first time in years. There was absolutely no way that any project she was planning was small or simple.

“It’ll be handmade and be easily held in her hands. That’s the traditional description Tom gave me,” Sonja said, turning to him with a look that he hadn’t seen from her in well over a decade. She was smirking, an actual smirk. He almost laughed. Beyond the progress of the relationship that they were all watching with bated breath, he was seeing another type of positive progress.

Even if she was still stuck in an inhuman form, he could look at her and see her true self. It would be enough to make him cry if he still could. “It’s her first time celebrating, she deserves something special.”

“I’m sure anything you could give her would be special,” He said, expecting an eye roll. Instead, he saw a tiny smile that was quickly hidden.

It was a reaction that bloomed as much hope as it did worry. Clearly, whenever she was actively trying or not, Sonja was closer to breaking the curse than she ever believed herself capable of. And Mot knew that he should see that as an inarguably good thing. However, this curse required two to break.

If someone asked Mot, he would without question say that if anyone was going to break the curse, it would be Capsize. He did not have the unending confidence that Tom possessed but he was optimistic, and he saw how the two were beginning to look at each other. However, he could not stop his worry from festering.

He had always known that, in the worst world where the curse was not broken, that the night where that final petal fell would be terrible. Now though, it had become even worse. The idea of Sonja needing to deal with heartbreak on top of failure would be more devastating than anything he ever wanted her to suffer. He could only pray that his fears would not come to pass.

Thankfully, Sonja was not privy to these thoughts. Indeed, she had only heard the words that he had actually said out loud, words that had finally given her the confidence boost she needed to stop procrastinating. Though, there was one more thing she needed to do within her preparation, the part that she was by far the most nervous about.

She took a breath. She still heavily disliked having to use the mirror, needing to look at herself was still somewhat painful, but she could do it for the few moments that she’d need to.

She picked up the mirror and once again found herself looking into it. Once again looking at a face that wasn’t hers, that wasn’t human. Her hatred for it still hadn’t left, and she doubted that it would ever fade. However, if Capsize could look at her and smile, maybe it wasn’t so terrible.

But she wasn’t using the mirror to look at herself.

“Show me Capsize’s ship.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Across the castle, Capsize sat in the kitchen absentmindedly preparing ingredients. It was the sort of thing that she no longer needed to focus on, especially with the aid of a sentient stove doing the bulk of the hard tasks of cooking, which was good. If she did need to concentrate, the way that Tom was talking would be impossibly distracting.

“How come you’ve never mentioned this before?!” The candelabra exclaimed as he hopped across the countertop. He had already been overly excitable these past few days as he got closer to once again celebrating the solstice. The fact that it was going to be Capsize’s first time celebrating only grew his excitement all the more. Every small detail he got to help to plan and set up did so too. He felt more alive than he had in years, and Tom had never particularly lacked energy.

His excitement had once again increased when he had learnt that Sonja and Capsize were making each other presents. Even if he couldn’t join in with the tradition, he was going to do anything he could to help them with making their presents for each other. And now he knew what Capsize was going to give as a present. Needless to say, his excitement about the holiday was now mixing with the excitement of the potential he saw for the curse breaking into one giant energetic mess.

Steve could already tell that he was going to be insufferable for the next week.

“It just never crossed my mind,” Capsize shrugged. Obviously, she had shared a good amount of her life with Tom and Sonja, but certain things just hadn’t come up yet. While, admittedly, some of those things were things that she had little want to share, this one was not one of them. She just hadn’t thought about it until the concept of a handmade gift came up. “I haven’t sketched in years. I hadn't even thought about it until I needed to make a gift.”

In all honesty, she was quite nervous about the idea. That was why she was currently cooking rather than actually attempting any art. Her sketches weren’t things that she had shared with people before, and she honestly felt odd calling them anything even close to art. Yet, she quite liked the idea of drawing for Sonja. Though, no matter how warm a feeling it gave her, she couldn’t stop herself from completely overthinking the idea.

“Well, still think you should’ve told me. You could’ve drawn me!” Tom said in such a tone that it was impossible to tell if he was being serious or not.

Capsize shook her head but continued to smile, giving Tom the notion that she might actually be considering his not-quite request. This only increased his excitement, as he hopped closer to Capsize. “Wait! You should draw me! I’ve never had a portrait done!”

“Ah yes, I’m sure that a portrait of you is exactly what Sonja wants as a present,” Steve muttered in a deadpan tone.

Tom looked at him with a frown, or rather a pout, on his metal features.

Steve just rolled his eyes.

For all his investment in getting romance going, it seemed that Tom had immediately forgotten about said goal now that a holiday involving his god had come up. While Steve could hope that meant that romance was progressing so well that they no longer needed prodding forward in that regard, he doubted that was why Tom was suddenly no longer fixated on it.

“Come on, let me dream,” Tom said, though he had no idea if Steve would play along with him. It had all been a bit more random since the curse. The stove still certainly had a soft spot for him but given his current form and the circumstances behind him being in the kitchen the night of the curse, he also got annoyed at him far more than he used to.

But still, he still liked Tom enough to not drive him out the kitchen anytime he entered, so it seemed it was still very much in Steve’s good books.

“I think you’d be disappointed if I tried,” Capsize said with a light-hearted enough laugh that her words almost didn’t sound self-deprecating. She certainly wasn’t trying to be, she was just nervous about any potential skills she might have.

She hadn’t sketched since she had come to the town. She’d considered it, but her sketches had always been a part of her travel journals. Doing them when her ability to travel had been ripped away from her had felt frankly depressing.

That and it was truly a private hobby to her. She hadn’t even told Red about it, so the idea of sketching where people who she’d have to see every day might see her doing so scared her far more than it logically should.

She also would’ve needed to ask Red to get her supplies and that had always left her distinctly uncomfortable for a reason she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Just an uncomfortable mix of anxieties. A little from the mere idea of having to tell him of her hobby which would lead to questions as to how he hadn’t known in the first place. But mostly from the idea of having to ask for something just for her own happiness.

Anxieties had eaten away at her until she had decided to especially abandon the hobby instead. Though, being out of practice wasn’t the reason for her words.

“I’ve only ever drawn landscapes. I imagine if I tried to draw a person, it’ll turn out a mess.”

“I mean, I’m more landscape than person in terms of art, aren’t I?” Tom prodded, just about managing to keep his tone sounding cocky and carefree despite his nerves from her statement.

He knew, undoubtedly, that Capsize was growing suspicious of them just being enchanted objects. But he needed to know how close she actually was to questioning about their true forms.

In a way, he was fine with her finding everything out. It’d make everything easier as they’d no longer have to watch everything they said. But he knew the truth was a story that Sonja needed to tell, so he had to hope that Capsize wasn’t about to ask the question he was sure was building in her mind.

He just had to hope that it had been a slip on her end. Or he was missing something about art. That seemed likely. It wasn’t exactly something he was knowledgeable about.

Capsize found her words frozen on her tongue as she tried desperately to contemplate them carefully. The statement had spilled out so naturally. After all, appearances aside, the residents of the castle were people. The idea that drawing the majority of them would be more akin to a still life than a portrait felt utterly wrong.

Though, as she looked at Tom’s grin, she realised he himself may not even believe his words. He just wanted her to draw him.

“Fine. I’ll consider it,” She said, still more happy than exasperated. Tom counted that as a win, though he could sense that she still had more to say. “But there won’t be any sketches if I don’t find supplies. If you want to be drawn, you can help.”

“Oh! Absolutely! There’s…” Despite his immediate enthusiasm, Tom actually had absolutely no idea where he might find art supplies.

There had been portrait artists that had come through to paint Sonja throughout the years, and they’d always paint her in the same room. There was half a chance that they had left behind some supplies, though he sincerely doubted it.

Capsize quietly sighed at his floundering. It was almost certainly a no.

“Maybe I could just use ink,” She considered out loud, slowly chopping as she thought. It wasn’t a material she particularly wanted to use, with how nervous she was and how permanent it was. But it was at the very least available in plentiful supply.

Steve looked between the two. He knew that there was an obvious answer to this issue. But he certainly didn’t actually want to actually suggest it. He tried to just stare at Tom, as if that would somehow force the candelabra to suggest it for him.

But as he looked at the two of them, he saw them both wearing the same expression. Clearly neither had any idea how to proceed. Unfortunately, it seemed that Tom was not going to remember the solution to this problem.

He bit back his frustration. It’d get him back to being a human. Anything was worth that.

“Waglington should be able to summon art supplies for you,” Steve said, it being surprisingly hard to keep his voice level.

Immediately, Tom did a double take.

“Do my ears deceive me?” He asked in mock shock.

Steve groaned, already not in the mood and regretting saying anything at all. However, no amount of groaning was going to stop Tom from milking this for every ounce of entertainment he could squeeze from it. “Did you, Steve, actually just recommend that we go and talk to Waglington?! Is the world ending?!”

“Look, you need art supplies. The bastard robe should still be able to summon simple objects if he’s got any intelligence left in him. You can light him on fire afterwards for all I care.”

“There’s the Steve I know,” Tom laughed, receiving yet another glare from him.

Capsize ended up watching as the two began to bicker. A small smile grew on her face as she continued prepping her meal. It reminded her of the days on the ship that she missed so much.

She did, as was typical of her time in the castle thus far, end up with more questions than she already had. What precisely the objects were had been on her mind more and more lately. She had begun to consider a terrible possible reality that she really didn’t wish to.

But she didn’t need to consider that right now. Later, certainly, she did want some answers eventually. But eventually was the key word.

For right now, she could just allow her questions to quiet and enjoy the moment.

🌹 🌹 🌹

When the winter solstice came, it was truly picturesque. Snowfall was light, present to make the holiday ‘feel right’ in the words of Tom but light enough that everyone was easily able to go outside. The perfect weather for the holiday if you asked Tom, and even those who didn’t ask were hearing his excited rambling regardless. All his excitement that had been building in the lead up had combined into one giant whirlwind of energy. Needless to say, he had been insufferable for most of the day.

Thankfully, he had in no way put a dampen on the holiday for anyone. After all, if there ever was a day to indulge the champion, it was today. Hence most of the castle’s residents were just smiling through it. It had been a while since they had gotten to celebrate anything, they should let him have his fun.

Meanwhile, his excitement was nothing less than infectious to Capsize. She honestly had had no idea what to expect, but she had spent the day unable to contain her joy. Even without the infectious excitement from Tom, the day felt special in a way that one hadn’t in a long time.

Red decorations had appeared throughout the castle overnight that reminded her of celebrations back on Ianerea. It was so easy to just allow herself to be taken in by the excitement and whimsy and just simply enjoy herself.

Everyone had truly gone all out. After all, it had been so long since they had had anything to celebrate, now that they did, they were going to make the most of it. They could easily justify it with the idea that’d help with breaking the curse, but they were truly just celebrating to celebrate. And that just made the atmosphere all the warmer.

Sonja had been with Capsize the entire day and had been similarly lost in the joy of the holiday. Lost in the joy of finally celebrating something again after so many years of hiding herself away from everything and everyone. Though her mounting happiness wasn’t entirely just due to the holiday. Rather, it was from watching the sheer joy that Capsize was experiencing.

The joy of someone who deserved it more than anything else. It was near magical.

The short day was, as many of their days, mostly composed of Sonja and Capsize feeding off each other’s happiness. But, of course, the day was only a small part of the winter solstice. The true celebration had started once the sun went down.

Sonja and Capsize were now sat outside staring at the fire burning before them. Capsize lent against Sonja’s arm as the two listened to Tom tell the story of the holiday. It was the one he used to tell at the town’s festival, still well practised despite how long it had been since he had told it.

He wondered who had taken over telling it in the town now that he had been forgotten. Tucker? Jordan? Or someone else entirely? He had no idea, and likely was not going to get an answer, but his mind was currently so far from such melancholic thoughts.

How couldn’t it be when he was watching Capsize smile as she lent closer to Sonja? The curse was closer to breaking than ever. He could taste it. Dianite had truly blessed this day.

“And with that flame, the champion restored the sun, finally putting an end to the endless night,” Tom finished the story, feeling truly like a champion as he told such an important story of his Lord.

While he had been quite reassured of his own position when Capsize had unknowingly confirmed that he hadn’t been replaced, he still wondered and feared that Dianite may have forgotten about him due to the curse. In this moment, though, he knew his god was watching him and just hoped he was doing him proud.

Still, he couldn’t stop now. This night was going to be perfect. He’d made sure of it. “And on this night, we light our own flames and wish on them with the hope that the great Lord Dianite will grant our prayers as he did long ago.”

Tom snuffed out one of his own candles somewhat theatrically. This was the bit he had been looking forward to the most. The tradition he had always secretly looked forward to the most. Presents were good, sure, but nothing had more potential than wishes. It helped that as Dianite’s champion, his wishes were surely the most likely to be granted.

Sonja gently nudged Capsize causing her to straighten herself up. As she did, she almost questioned if she should be asking Lord Dianite for anything, but Tom was smiling, and she decided it made sense for the god to be more generous on a day of celebration for him. Even if she didn’t follow him.

As she took a hold of her cane that had been resting beside her on the stone bench, Sonja produced two candles from her pockets. They were thick old things, the kind that she used for rituals. She had been worried at first that they’d be a particular type of candle that was meant to be used, but both Mot and Tom had assured her that the type really didn’t matter. She handed one to Capsize, the candle looking far larger in her hand than it had in her paw.

“You brought them great! Now just light your candle and make a wish,” Tom said. He himself brought his two candles that now acted as his hands together, lighting the one that he had snuffed out. As he did, he wished for the curse to finally be broken.

It was the same wish he had made every year since the curse had begun. Though every year previously, he had been wishing quietly on his own. This year, however, he wasn’t making the wish with a dull hopelessness. He could see it so close to being granted in front of him, he was just asking for a little push.

He smiled up at Capsize, beckoning her closer. “Come on, I’ll light yours.”

“Thank you,” She said quietly. Seeing that Tom was stood on a stone bench like the one she and Sonja had been sat on, she didn’t need to crouch for him to light her candle.

The flame spread from his candle to hers and a new flame began to burn. The candle suddenly felt oddly heavy in her hand, as if its purpose added weight in some way.

“Now just make a wish and leave the candle on the bench. As long as you leave it to go out naturally, the wish’ll come true,” He explained.

Capsize didn’t quite believe that anything could ever be so simple, but she’d spent the day so happy that whether the wish could really come true or not didn’t matter. What was the harm in wishing after all?

As she placed the candle on the stone, she wished with all her heart for Redbeard to be okay. She was safe here now, happy despite everything. Even if there was still some lingering sadness, it was far less than when she had been living in the town. All she wished was that her brother would know that she was okay here and move on with his own life without guilt or worry for her.

It seemed a futile thing to hope for, but she still did.

Sonja looked at Capsize, saw her expression turn serious for the first time that day. She closed her eyes and almost seemed to be praying, a tear blossoming in the corner of her eyes. The Beast reached out, placing a paw on her shoulder. Though, she didn’t dare ask the reason for the tears. Wishes were private things after all. Still, she would offer any comfort that she could provide.

Capsize leaned close to her. Sonja considered wrapping her whole arm around her but thought that felt far too much for the current situation. She just wanted to comfort her, not take advantage of her sadness.

She had no idea how long they stayed in this position. She knew it could not have been an overly long time, but it truly felt like hours before the moment was eventually broken by Tom.

“Ready for your wish, Fluffles?” He said with a softly joking tone. She chuckled, finding comfort in it. It truly felt like everything was normal.

She leaned down, Tom lighting her candle as he had lit Capsize’s.

Sonja took a breath as she thought of her wish. She had no idea if she believed that any of the gods would grant any wish that she had. But she was not wishing for herself, so perhaps they would listen just this once.

Sonja wished for Capsize’s happiness. For Capsize to have all that she wished for and more. For her to have all the answers that she desired and deserved.

Maybe it was selfish of her to not wish for the curse to be broken when it affected so many people. But here in this moment, she could not imagine wishing for anyone else but Capsize.

The two candles were placed next to each other, burning brightly. Neither knew what the other had wished for and neither wanted to know. Wishes were private things, but there was still comfort in knowing that they had not been made alone.

“Well,” Tom said, finally breaking the silence after a number of minutes. He’d done all he needed to and frankly all he could. It was time to leave the two lovebirds to their own devices and hope. “I’m gonna head inside, help anyone in there who wants to make wishes. You two should stay by the fire, enjoy the night. It’s what Dianite would want.”

He didn’t listen to their calls after him as he hopped away, not wanting to be tempted to remain. Because as much as he would like to stay, to continue with the festivities, he knew that any opportunity for the two to bond was ultimately good. Maybe the curse would even break tonight!

With that wishful thought, he entered the castle. He would end up joining Mot and Martha at a window looking out at the two by the fire. Everything had to go well.

Capsize and Sonja had no idea that they were being watched, of course. Nor did the idea so much as broach either one of their minds as they sat back on the bench. For once, Sonja felt no nerves as she sat alone with Capsize.

“Today has been wonderful. I hope the holiday has been enjoyable for you, too,” She said, unable to keep herself from smiling, especially as she watched a similar expression grow on Capsize’s features.

“Of course it’s been enjoyable!” She exclaimed. She had truly had a better time celebrating than she had at any point since she had left the ship. They had made this day beyond wonderful. “But don’t act as if it’s over. We still have the gifts for each other before it can finish.”

“How could I forget?” Sonja said with a slight laugh. The nerves were back again. She’d worked tirelessly on her gifts and though there was a sureness in her that Capsize would enjoy it, that somehow still did not calm her nerves.

Why was she so consumed by nerves whenever she worked to make Capsize happy? Even when she felt so confident, when there weren’t any voices of doubt, there were still butterflies in her stomach. It made no sense to her, none at all. However, she supposed it didn’t need to. She just needed to push past it.

Capsize, though? Capsize struggled to ignore the doubtful voices in her own head. She could do nothing but wonder if the gift she had created was good enough. However, even if she could not ignore them, she was so tired of listening to them.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve been so nervous about giving you this. I’ve… I’ve never shared this particular hobby with anyone before,” She said, her nerves clear in her voice. She took a hold of the wooden box that Tom had insisted she put her gift in and hoped that the nausea she felt was not visible on her face. Her heart was beating in her ears as Sonja took the box from her.

Sonja could feel her eyes boring into her. Not intense but she seemed utterly unable to turn away. Nerves, Sonja recognised, though they felt somewhat wrong on Capsize. After all, there was no chance that she could be disappointed by anything given to her by the woman. But still, there was nothing she could do except open the box.

What greeted her inside the box was a leather-bound book. A journal, she supposed. The sort of thing that mere weeks ago she would’ve been scared to hold for fear of tearing it apart. If she was being completely truthful, she still feared it tearing apart in her claws. But it was a gift, she couldn’t be scared to touch it.

Capsize was struggling to keep her breathing steady. Her nerves felt beyond overwhelming.

So, she carefully took it into her paws, hoping beyond hope that it would not tear. She felt Capsize’s eyes still on her. However, as Sonja opened the book, she found absolutely no reason that Capsize should’ve been nervous at all.

The gift was a sketchbook. Each page had a beautifully detailed sketch she knew must’ve had passion and soul put into. She was beyond terrified to touch the paper, knowing how easy it would be to ruin the whole thing. However, that fear was not nearly large enough to stop her desire to see every image Capsize had created.

There were sketches of things and places she recognised, different rooms in the castle, flowers in the greenhouse, statues that she knew were dotted about the grounds. The view from Capsize’s room also made an appearance, the detail beautiful and intricate.

There were sketches of the other residents of the castle too. Tom, the first to appear, sketched in a moment of pure excitement on a page with one corner lightly singed. But then the others quickly appeared too. Alyssa smiling next to Mot. Martha and Steve together. Andor and Wag had their own sketches too. Despite how none of them were themselves, they all looked so happy to be drawn by Capsize.

She was close to tearing up as she turned to the later pages, to less detailed sketches of places and things she didn’t recognise. Leaves in shapes that didn’t match any of the plants in the area, in the kingdom if Sonja remembered correctly. There were buildings in styles that she knew would not be suited to the kingdom’s climate. Though the sketches were undeniably less detailed, they were still so beautiful.

The final sketch was what was either a sunrise or sunset over an ocean. It, like every other image, was wonderful and she had to note that it was far more detailed than any of the other sketches done by memory.

Was this an image that Capsize dreamed of?

“Capsize, it’s beautiful,” She said, wanting to say so much more by finding herself breathless. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the amount of time that she had put into this book.

What she was holding was far more precious than anything she had ever held before. And it had been made for her.

“You like it?” Capsize asked, relief flooding into her bones. It was such a relief that she almost wanted to cry.

Her sketches had always been private. A small thing to keep for herself, and that she frankly feared anyone finding out about. She had had little idea if she actually had any skill.

Sure, she had shown Tom the sketch of him once she had finished it, an action that had nearly ended with the book set alight. Yet despite how overly excited he had been of the sketch, she had still found herself filled with doubt. She’d managed to convince herself that he was just excited to be drawn.

But now Sonja was smiling at her, smiling at her sketches. She couldn’t help but think how stupid she had been being, but such negative thoughts were quickly washed away by sheer relief.

“Of course I like it,” Sonja replied. She felt so honoured to be given something that felt so personal. “I didn’t even know that you were an artist.”

“I wouldn’t go that far… I just used to sketch in my free time. But I haven’t done so in a long time, and I’ve never shared my sketches with anyone before,” Capsize admitted, still a little self-conscious about it. This was a part of herself that she had always kept private, she felt vulnerable sharing it now. “…I wanted to share with you though.”

“Thank you. I… I’ll treasure this,” She truly, truly meant her words. Never had she held something with no magical properties at all that she still knew without questions was precious. That fact was just confirmed with how bright Capsize’s smile was. That beautiful smile. “I hope my present is just as meaningful to you.”

“I can’t imagine a world where it isn’t,” She said oh so quietly. Quiet enough that her words were barely audible over the flames, hidden the same that the cold hid her blush. Sonja had no idea if she even intended them to be heard, but she smiled at them, nonetheless.

And they were still more than enough to give her the confidence to produce her own box. All she wanted was to make Capsize happy. If she did that then she had succeeded in every way that mattered.

Capsize truly had no idea what to expect. To call Sonja talented would be completely underselling her abilities. So, she was sure that whatever she would be given would be truly brilliant. Somehow, none of her expectations had prepared her for what she found when she actually opened the box.

She was left utterly speechless, her breath taken completely. A ship in a bottle. No, not a ship. Her ship.

She could barely see the details with it still in the box, but she recognised it immediately. She was terrified as she picked it up, it was surely so fragile, and she was sure she was shaking. But the moment it was actually in her hands, she felt a joy that she hadn’t in years.

Inside the bottle, her ship was still sailing as waves moved through the glass. The closer she held it, the more she could hear them crash and smell the salt air.

“It’s just like I remember,” She said as she took in every last detail, unsure whether was about to laugh or sob. The very thing she had missed for so long, that infested her dreams with longing, had been recreated in her hands. A physical dream, that was what Sonja had gifted her. “How… how did you learn all the details?”

“Magic has ways of seeing things that are faraway,” Sonja said, resisting the urge to infodump every detail of the process but she knew that wasn’t what Capsize was asking about. She was looking at the ship, that was what she was asking about. Telling her the basic function of her mirror was good enough for now. “I used one of these ways to see your ship. That’s what it looks like currently.”

“What it looks like…” Capsize found herself unable to finish her sentence as she suddenly found herself looking even closer. She could see the tiny differences now. To most they would be so impossible to see on this scale, but she could see them and recognised wholly what they were. Signs of repair.

They’d repaired it.

Now she was crying.

Despite having sold the ship to Rupert, she had never been completely sure that he was going to be able to properly repair it. But he had, he absolutely had. It was still sailing.

“He repaired it. He actually… Thank you!” She looked up at Sonja, sure that she looked an absolute mess, but not caring in the slightest. Beyond just being beautiful and far more precious than anything she had ever held let alone owned before, this gift had given her knowledge. Even if it hadn't been an intentional part of the gift, it still meant far more to her than she could put into words. “I never thought I’d see it again.”

Sonja was about to reply when Capsize hugged her, holding her tight as she could. They stayed embracing for a minute, Sonja’s arms wrapping around Capsize as she cried from happiness. She may be unable to express in words how grateful she was, but she hoped she was good enough.

Every time she thought that Sonja was done surprising her, she was met by something else from her that was so bright and brilliant that made her appreciate her all the more. She was so glad to have her as a friend.

When the two did finally pull apart, reluctantly though it was, Capsize was no longer crying, her tears replaced with a smile. A smile that Sonja wished could remind forever.

If only they could remain forever in this moment. This wonderful, magical moment. The two of them sat next to a fire with their two candles still burning. With snow felt lightly around them, it looked truly like a moment from a story, the sort to be frozen forever in illustration.

But no moment remained forever. They always fleeted and turned right into the next.

“Truly Sonja, thank you so much. This is a treasure beyond anything I could have imagined,” Capsize was the one to finally break the silence. There was absolutely no way she could say anything that would amount to all her feelings. What words she could muster would just have to do. “Knowing that my ship is still sailing… it’s something I didn’t even realise I was desperate to know.”

“I’m glad it made you happy,” Sonja said. Truly her happiness was its own reward.

Though there were questions that had come from Capsize’s reaction. Questions that she was terrified of asking for fear of the answers that they may bring. Though, what good was keeping more and more lingering questions between them going to do?

“When was your ship damaged?” She asked, trying to be as delicate as possible. She obviously didn’t know much of the vessel, just what she had observed through the mirror and what Capsize had told her. She hadn’t heard of it being damaged. Though, she knew from Capsize’s surprise of it being repaired, she knew that there was only one time it could’ve been damaged.

Her true question was something far more sensitive, something she had no idea how to ask. However, she was not exactly subtle despite her attempt at being so.

Capsize grinned her cane, knuckles turning white. And Sonja’s thoughts suddenly turned to terror as she realised this may ruin all the good of the day.

“You don’t have to— I—” She completely fumbled for any way to fix this, but as she did, Capsize just raised a hand. Sonja quieted.

For a moment, she was concerned, but there was a soft smile on Capsize’s face. That gave her at least the mildest reassurance that he hadn’t ruined everything.

“You don’t need to apologise. I think we’re friends enough that you can ask me what happened to my leg,” She said, feeling far more comfortable than she ever could have imagined before telling this story.

The moment of her life that utterly changed everything in her life. The moment that she tried so hard to not think about. The moment that even if she had wanted to discuss before, she hadn’t because she knew too well the way that guilt flared in her brother if he so much as thought of it. But she didn’t want to keep it as some terrible memory that she dare not touch.

She wanted to share it with Sonja. Even if it would be hard to get the words out, she wanted to be able to share this with someone. And she felt comfortable with Sonja in a way that she had never felt with someone before. If she couldn’t share the story now, she doubted that she ever would. “It was, gods, it was closer to three years ago now. The largest storm I think I’d ever seen in my life, and we were completely stuck in the thick of it.”

As she told the story, it was almost as if she was back there on that night. She always called it a night because of how dark it was, but she knew logically that it had been something during the day. The storm had just been so thick that it had completely blotted out the sun. The only light cast at all being from their own lanterns that were barely managing to fight against the ever-worsening wing and the lightning strikes that were appearing far too frequently and at the same time as their thunderous counterparts.

It was the sort of storm that drove any close enough fleeing to ports for the best chance of safety they would have. Her crew had not been so lucky to have that option. The closest port to them was against the wind. There was no chance that they’d make it. Not a chance in hell.

So, the option they were left with was to batten down the hatches, head below deck, and just hope that they made it through to the other side. How were any of them to know that their luck had run out?

The reason though that she called it a moment was that it did truly sit in her mind as one. Everything leading up to it was all business as usual, things she had done countless times before. All that changed in one single flash of light and deafening crash.

She had whipped around, just catching the image of the strike against the mast. She didn’t know if the splintering and cracking of the old wood was actually audible over the storm. Given how no one seemed to react to it like she did, she imagined not. But even now sitting here retelling the story in safety, she could hear the wood falling apart.

She remembered seeing far too large a section begin to fall. That’s when the world froze.

In the path of the fall was Redbeard. Her brother was going to be crushed. She had to make a decision and what other decision was she ever going to make?

“I ran. Don’t think I’d ever run so fast in my life. I certainly won’t ever be sprinting that fast again,” She said with a hollow laugh.

All she had been able to think about was that she had to get him out the way. Not a single other thought had breached her mind. Especially not her own safety.

There had not been a single ounce of self-preservation as she pushed her brother out the way. The moment such thoughts had entered her mind, it was too late anyway. Her split-second decision had combined with the conditions of the storm. She’d tripped as she’d shoved him, ended up flat on the deck. Only a second left to fruitlessly panic before she was hit.

She remembered the crash and the instant panic that came with it. The worst pain that she had ever felt as she was completely pinned to the deck by the fallen wood. She knew in the minutes that she had managed to keep herself conscious that she must’ve been screaming, but she truly didn’t recall any sound she herself made.

She just remembered Red’s screams, his yells for the rest of the crew. That horrible look of self-blame on his face. However, she was not awake for very long.

“I woke up once we’d made port,” Another laugh, this one more bitter than the last. “They called it a miracle.”

From the story the crew told her, the moment she fell unconscious the storm had cleared. They had managed to make port within hours despite the damage to the ship and the wind being against them. One big miracle.

“I should’ve lost my leg really,” She admitted. The amount of damage that had been done to it, it seemed the inevitable action. Her leg had looked horrible and felt worse. She hadn’t needed the doctor to tell her that they’d assumed she’d need an amputation.

Still, that was not something she had wanted to hear being called a miracle when she felt as though her life had been ruined. “But that’s the whole story. I wasn’t going to be able to sail again for a long time, so Ianite recommended that I move to the town for a safe recovery. I sold the ship to a willing crew member and that was that.”

She fell quiet having said all she needed to. There was more that she could share she knew, but they weren’t things that she particularly felt necessary to the story.

She didn’t need to say her cane had been a final gift from her crew. She didn’t need to go over every detail of her injury. All she’d wanted was to finally get the actual story out and stop it from eating away at her. Truly what she had shared was such a weight from her chest.

Sonja, who had been doing nothing but listening the whole time, knew that she had to say something. That was without question. She had prompted the story to be told in the first place.

But what was there to say? Nothing was her first thought, she should just stay silent until Capsize spoke again. Though she knew that was a coward’s thought.

“You’re beyond selfless,” She finally said, quiet and ashamed of herself. She had already known this fact. Her first meeting with Capsize had been her giving up her own freedom for the sake of her brother. Then she’d returned to this accursed place when she could’ve escaped to a normal life to make sure that she, a monster, didn’t die in the woods.

Capsize was so utterly selfless, she had always known that to be true, but to learn that the turning point of her life was because of such an act put reality into stark perspective. Because Sonja was the complete opposite.

She couldn’t keep living with this secret.

“Are you okay?” Capsize asked, worried that she had been a little too intense in the retelling as she saw the pained expression on Sonja’s features.

Immediately the Beast shook her head, tears beginning to spill.

Capsize took a hold of one of the paws, squeezing it to try and ground her. If her story had gotten her this panicked, then she’d just need to remind her that she was okay now.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine here and now.”

“No, it’s not… There’s a story I need to tell you,” Sonja’s voice cracked through sobs. She could tell the story without revealing the truth of herself, but she couldn’t keep pretending to be a good person. “Please just promise me that you’ll listen to the end, no matter how terrible it sounds.”

“Of course, Sonja, I’m not going anywhere,” Sonja wished her smile could give her any comfort.

“It was a bitterly cold winter’s night.”

Chapter Text

Though the memory of it had long since been forcibly removed from public consciousness, there was a time that the castle was inhabited not by a Beast and an assortment of animate furniture, but by a Princess and the staff that resided inside her castle. Normal humans with relatively normal lives, yet uncursed by a goddess.

On the morning of what would turn out to be the worst and most defining days of all of their lives, a day like any other was beginning to unfold. For Tom Syndicate, that meant he was experiencing an already mounting frustration as he was stuck in what was an increasingly recurring argument.

“Absolutely not,” He said plainly. He didn’t think it worth the effort to raise his voice. Though, why he was still having this absolutely pointless conversation was beyond him. He had made the same point every single time this happened, but Sonja appeared to have absolutely zero care that this argument was utterly repetitive. “I have plans today. I’m not staying here all day so I cook two meals for you whenever you happen to emerge from your studies in magical bullshit.”

When she had first made this demand, he’d been open to it. After all, it was meant to be a one-time favour rather than a continuous expectation. Now, though, he couldn’t even act shocked at this point. How could he be? Sonja had been acting like a stuck-up brat for years. So now he just found himself annoyed at how much of his time was wasted in this same argument.

The deep sigh from Martha who stood behind the Princess did more in pushing him towards snapping than Sonja’s audacity. He could already hear the wittering lecture she was going to give him later.

“You can’t speak to the Mistress that way. She’s a princess and the ruler of this kingdom, you need to treat her with due respect.”

He could hear it because he’d received the same lecture somehow more times than he’d had this argument with Sonja. Yet he could also hear her quick follow up point that he clearly hadn’t heard the words enough if he was still acting the way he did.

It was ridiculous though. If it was all just about titles and ‘due respect’ then his own title of Champion of Lord Dianite should surely put him on the same level as Sonja and allow him to talk to her however he wanted. But even that seemed beyond the point.

He had grown up with Sonja in this castle with the same man as their guardian. Even if he didn’t have a fancy noble title, he should be able to call her out when she was acting unreasonably.

Yet, even if Martha was the person most likely to make him actually devolve into yelling, she wasn’t the only source of his annoyance. Quite a lot of it was festering from the indignant look on Sonja’s face. When had she gone from a friend to someone who could look at him like that?

“It’s the first day I’ve asked you to do anything this week. I don’t see why you’re being so difficult about it,” She said, almost sounding proud at how much she was missing the point. She’d gotten progressively worse with just how often she commanded him around. Acting as if she wouldn’t have just replaced him with an enchantment by now if he was actually staff.

“Because you only ever demand that I cook you multiple meals when I have plans to leave. If you’d asked me yesterday, I would’ve just done it,” He would have to be an idiot to have missed the recurring pattern. He’d tell her a good week or two in advance that he was going to the town to see his friends for the day. He’d get himself ready to leave. Then suddenly she needed him to stay because she felt like having a hot meal that day.

It also hadn’t escaped his notice that whether he did cook a hot meal for her, she was never actually around to eat it while it was actually hot. Even if he started cooking exactly when she requested, she would disappear while he was doing so to do more research. Whenever she eventually descended from her private study to collect her meal, she’d complain about the temperature and that he hadn’t brought it to her earlier as if he wasn’t chased away by her any time he dared to try.

“So? I’m just asking you to do your job. Can you stop being so dramatic about it?” Sonja scoffed.

Tom bit his lip to stop himself from immediately snapping at her. However, the shaky breath he forced himself to take did nothing to actually calm him down and he snapped anyway.

“Seriously?! If it’s a job then are you actually going to pay me or should I just do it because you’re demanding it?” He pushed with far too much aggression in his tone as he took a foolhardy step forward.

Next to her, he truly did look like a peasant. He wasn’t dressed shabbily in any measure of the description. Though he was seriously dressed down as he knew better than to wear anything of importance with the route he took to town. It was far faster than using the road but riding through the tightly woven trees risked tearing apart his clothes. He wasn’t about to ruin one of his nice coats… again.

Still, the nice if practical clothes he wore were nothing compared to the finery that Sonja did. Of course, it was completely expected from a princess, but staring at it Tom couldn’t help but think it was ridiculous. It was an outfit just for studying yet she was still sparkling.

Yes, at this moment, it didn’t seem completely ridiculous that she was treating Tom like staff. But, and maybe he would regret having brought the fact up if she tried to actually take him up on it, the actual staff in the castle were paid. If she really no longer saw him as a friend, then why wasn’t he getting paid for the displeasure of her company?

“Thomas, maybe you should--” Martha had started in a careful voice. For once she sounded like she might have something actually reasonable to say. Unfortunately, Tom was not blessed with witnessing such a rare occurrence, as Sonja interrupted her tutor.

“Yes, obviously you’re meant to do the one thing I ever ask you to do,” Sonja said, taking her own step towards Tom. Where his had been a challenge, hers was a threat. She stood a head and a half shorter than him, and there was nothing particularly intimidating about her appearance. Yet she stood with a stance that spoke volumes.

This was her domain, and she knew it. She was without challenge the one in charge here. “Unless you actually want to be completely worthless.”

“Is—” Tom found his voice failing him unexpectedly. It was stupid. He was sure enough that Sonja didn’t actually mean her words. They were just arguing, she was saying things to be hurtful.

Yet he still found the question stuck in his throat. Even with his sureness that this was just a stupid, pointless argument, he didn’t want to have to ask if Sonja actually thought such a thing of him. However, what started as an anxious fear quickly began to bubble into a fierce anger.

“Is that really what you think of me?! That I’m worthless!” He found his voice. Rough and too aggressive, but he found it and that was what mattered. After all, if Sonja thought that of him, why the hell should he care about minding his tone?

“What else would I think of you?” Sonja’s words, as terrible and shattering as they already would’ve been to Tom, were made all the worse by how her tone lacked any kind of sting. This wasn’t a snapped retort, something he could write off as being said without thought. It was just a statement, the neutral tone of someone reading a fact aloud.

Sonja either didn’t notice the hurt in Tom’s eyes or didn’t care to acknowledge it. He’d never hated having indifferent eyes looking at him this much. It seemed that any warmth she’d held towards him had been long since snuffed. “You don’t know any magic. You refuse to learn anything to help with research. You constantly refuse to do the single thing that you can do to help. Frankly, it’s hard to understand why you’re even still here.”

He couldn’t even say her tone was cold. That would be so much easier for him to stomach than the callous nonchalance he was actually facing.

That was when something in Tom just snapped.

He started laughing. A terrible, bitter laugh filling the near empty hall.

“Oh, I thought the point of me being here was us being friends. No idea where I got that stupid thought from,” He said, words laced between his manic laughter. He just couldn’t believe how much of an idiot he had been.

All this time, he’d been living in this stupid dream where he and Sonja were still the friends they had been when they were kids. How could he do anything but laugh when it was laid bare just how utterly wrong he had been? “I’ll keep it in mind that I’m just unpaid help.”

He waited for her to argue back. Hoped beyond hope that she would argue back against him. To soften even the slightest bit and tell him that they were friends. For her to explain that she was just stressed about something and that’s why she was acting this way.

Sonja wrinkled her nose, and Tom knew that the soothing he hoped for wasn’t going to come.

“Obviously we’re friends Tom. Can you stop being difficult?” Sonja said, with absolutely no sincerity to her words. And Tom just didn’t want to listen to her anymore.

Before Her Majesty could talk down to him anymore, Tom spun on his heel and started to just walk away. Maybe, he thought, he should leave for good and never deal with her again.

“So you’ll be cooking then,” Sonja said with a stern tone that made it very clear that there would be consequences if she didn’t get the meals she was expecting. He couldn’t even laugh at this point.

Tom swallowed down his bite and anger, pausing in his stride for just a single moment. He looked over his shoulder, towards the teenage princess looking at him for an answer.

“Whatever you want, Mistress,” He said before turning and continuing to walk down the corridor, considering if it was worth giving her food poisoning so she wouldn’t ask him to do this again.

As he disappeared down the hall, Sonja watched him go with a frown. Deep down, there was an uncomfortable twinge within her that she lacked any explanation for. There wasn’t any reason she should feel bad. Tom acting this way wasn’t anything new, it was his own fault that she had to act like this.

Yet, as he had looked at her with disdain and called her Mistress, it had just felt so utterly wrong. But she bit the feeling down, though it was difficult and bitter to swallow, and turned around herself. She had more research to do.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Less than half an hour later, Tom was found by Steve in the kitchens. It was a shock to the man, as the kid was the last person that the gardener expected to see on this particular day. After all, Tom was never especially quiet about his plans and, for the past two weeks, had been talking non-stop about how excited he was to see his friends in town today.

So, yes, it was a bit surprising to see him in the kitchens when he should’ve left a couple of hours ago. He clearly had still planned to go to see his friends. He was dressed as he typically would to ride through the woods. So, the man found himself stuck on why the kid was still here.

However, Steve’s confusion only lasted a few moments before it became incredibly clear what had happened.

“You want lunch? I’ll make you lunch and pray to Dianite that you choke on it,” Tom muttered under his breath as he roughly cut up vegetables, more focused on working through his annoyance than actually attempting to make a meal.

Suddenly, it wasn’t difficult for Steve to understand why the kid was still here. He should’ve guessed that it would be because of the royal pain.

There were only two people in the castle that Tom would actually listen to. Mot, because the man had raised him. And Princess Sonja, because the girl was in charge of the whole place and the moment she’d realised that, she’d gotten a damn attitude about it.

However, given that Tom was so consumed by his annoyance that he still hadn’t noticed that Steve was even in the room, the gardener hazarded a guess that the royal brat had done something more than merely being demanding this time.

“You alright, Syndi?” He spoke far softer than he usually would, but he still managed to make Tom jump as the presence of another person was made known to him.

When Tom realised who had actually spoken, he straightened up, a little embarrassed at the state he had been found in. He tried, somewhat fruitlessly, to try and cover up how little he had been paying attention to the task he was doing. However, the uneven, half mashed vegetable slices were hard to cover up.

What point was there in hiding his current frustration anyway? It wasn’t as if Steve would judge him for it with the man’s own frustrations towards Sonja. But there was still a part of Tom that just felt stuck in embarrassment about the situation. A part still stuck on the idea that he’d caused this himself with his own naivety and stupidity. That was something he didn’t particularly want to admit out loud.

So, instead, he pushed it down. It wasn’t his fault. It was Sonja’s.

“Oh, I’m great,” Annoyance and sarcasm dripped from his words. The frustration that he had been allowing himself to wallow in finally getting its escape. “I’m meant to be seeing my friends for the first time in weeks, but her Majesty wants a warm lunch, so I’m stuck here!”

If Tom was being entirely honest, he knew that he could still leave. Sonja might be a magical whiz, but she didn’t have anything to physically stop him from leaving beyond regular methods. So, he could just stand his ground, leave, and have the day that he had planned. Show her that she couldn’t get what she wanted from treating him like shit.

However, that was where a certain itching fear came into play. One that Tom wanted to ignore, but just couldn’t shift out of his head. The fear that if he left right now in this head space and knowing at the end of the day he’d come back to Sonja even more pissed at him, that he just… wouldn’t come back.

It was an oddly uncomfortable thought. Sure, he was currently beyond pissed at Sonja and sometimes lent more towards this place being a prison than a home, but it was still the only home he’d known for most of his life. Leaving forever was just as much a fear as being stuck here forever was.

Steve walked up to the table where the kid was working, leaning against it.

“Doesn’t the royal brat do this every time you make plans, though?” He wasn’t actually asking the question. He knew the answer. Rather this was his attempt to prod for why Tom was so beat up about it that he seemed to actually be listening to her and ruining his own day.

“Well, yeah, but…” Tom gave a deep sigh.

He knew, obviously he knew, that this blow up had been a long time coming. It wasn’t as if Sonja had been all happy and smiles with him yesterday, but the idea that she would actually call him worthless still stung. He’d been left with an exhausted mix of emotions that he didn’t really want to deal with.

He knew in some ways that he was at fault. He could’ve pushed back against the way Sonja was acting earlier, but all the what ifs didn’t particularly matter at this point. “I just don’t want to deal with her yelling at me twice in one day, which she’ll do if she doesn’t get both the meals that she’s made very clear she’s expecting.”

He didn’t want to hear her call him worthless again.

“And I’m still expecting a lecture from Martha too. Lovely fiancée you’ve got there.”

“Just isn’t like you to give up on something cause you got yelled at,” Steve said, ignoring the comment that was clearly meant to get him off this topic. He’d known Tom long enough to know when he was trying to avoid talking about something that bothered him.

He was, admittedly, a bit worried about the kid. He never acted like this, never let the spoiled behaviour of the Princess bother him. So, whatever happened today was more serious than he was letting on, even if it was only serious to him.

But he couldn’t exactly force Tom to talk if he didn’t want to. He could try, but if he was resistant that was pretty much all he could do. So, the better thing for him to do was just comfort him and hope he’d get through to him. So, he placed a hand on his shoulder. “Tell me how I can help, Syndi.”

“I’m fine, really, I…” Tom stopped speaking as suddenly the spark hit him that there was something Steve could do for him to fix his whole day. If the man was offering, he might as well suggest. “You could cook for Sonja today.”

“What?” Steve responded flatly. He almost certainly should’ve expected the request, but he hadn’t.

The absolute last thing he wanted to deal with today was the royal brat. His goal for every day was to see her as little as possible and if he agreed to this, he was most certainly going to have to see her. But Tom was already grinning, and it was quite clear the kid already had his mind set.

“You know how to cook! It’s easy! She’s not picky. And this way, I get to see my friends and…” Tom began quickly trying to sell the idea. He tried to read Steve to figure out if he was going for it. Unfortunately, his lips remained pressed into a frown.

Still, Steve loved him. There was no way he’d actually end up saying no. Tom just needed to do a little more persuading. “And I’ll help out in the gardens for a whole week. I won’t slack off or complain or—”

“And I suppose you’ll have magic powers to help the plants grow too,” Steve cut in with a promise that Tom was just as likely to keep, causing the kid to pout.

Now, he was sure that Tom would help him out in the gardens for the week. Mostly because if he tried to wriggle out of doing so, Steve would drag him outside and force him to keep his word. However, he was just as sure that it would be a week full of the kid slacking off, complaining, and mostly not helping despite the story he was currently trying to spin.

Of course, an extra pair of hands was an extra pair of hands. Tom helping out in any way would be appreciated. Whether it was worth dealing with the Princess today was an entirely different question. Especially when he typically only had to deal with her twice a month if he got particularly lucky. “Do you know how much of an earful I’ll get if I cover for you?”

Whether the kid did or not, Steve already knew. He’d experienced it the last time Tom had done this whole song and dance to get him to do his job while he slacked off. There were very few things the man had experienced worse than being belittled and lectured by an indignant and far too powerful teenage girl.

He already hadn’t been the biggest fan of the Princess, seeing how she looked down on him for not having any sort of magical education. That incident had nearly been the straw to get him to pack up and leave. Martha had managed to talk him out of it, though it had been an incredibly close call.

And Tom, of course, knew of this incident.

He wanted to avoid a repeat, because he liked Steve. He was someone who made living in the castle still worth it. The last thing he wanted was for the man to quit his post because something he’d asked him to do had been the final nail. Especially when what he was essentially asking was for Steve to risk getting yelled at so he wouldn’t.

But Tom needed this. By the gods, he needed to get away from Sonja today. He hadn’t seen Tucker and Jordan in a couple of weeks now, which to him felt like an eternity. So, he needed to get Steve to cover for him.

“I swear I will be back before Sonja will want to eat dinner, so you won’t be caught covering for me twice in one day,” He began. He thought it was a good argument, but given how Steve snorted, he realised that he may have said the exact same thing last time.

But he could work with that. Play bigger, offer more. He would get Steve on side. He always did. “If I’m late then you can make me help out in the gardens for an extra week.”

It was at that moment that Steve realised Tom was truly desperate. And, though he was sure that he would come to regret his decision, he couldn’t really say no to him. So, with a deep sigh, he made his choice.

“I’ll be holding you to that. Go have fun with your friends,” He said with as much of a smile as he could muster. It wasn’t much as he could already feel the exhaustion coming from the attitude that the Princess was surely going to treat him with later. But seeing the smile that broke onto Tom’s face, he knew that it was absolutely worth it.

Tom threw his arms around Steve. Even though he had been sure enough that he’d be able to talk the man around, he still found himself beyond appreciative.

“I’ll bring you back something from the market,” He offered. There was rarely, if ever, anything unique on sale, but he’d be able to find something nice, he was sure.

Steve laughed quietly. He was a good kid.

“Just go have fun, Syndi,” Even if at times he was frustrating and could cause a headache, he was just a good kid trying to figure himself out. He deserved more time outside these walls than he got. Steve was happy to give him some more of that time, even if it came at a cost to himself. Being stuck in the kitchens for a day, having to deal with a far too powerful teenage girl yelling at him until she ran out of steam, well it seemed like a fair enough trade.

He'd be back in the gardens tomorrow anyway. So, he could smile as watched Tom run outside suddenly full of energy before he turned to the mess he’d been left with. If her Majesty didn’t feel like lecturing, he likely wouldn’t even remember today, but Tom clung to the days he had with his friends. He’d take the kid retelling stories of their antics while helping out in the gardens the next couple of weeks as payment.

Little did Steve know at this moment that this small decision made out of kindness would come to define years of his life.

However, had he known what was coming and the fate that would be inflicted upon him, there would only be one thing he would’ve done differently. Despite every guidance and bit of anger and resentment he held in the current day, all he would’ve done was reassure Tom to not worry about coming home late.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Tom had never been so happy that he’d learnt shortcuts to the town to cut down on the couple hour long journey as he was right now. He had made good enough time that Tucker and Jordan might not even realise he had been delayed.

Sure, he might have ridden far too fast through the off-road trail, but he knew the route well enough that he barely needed to pay attention to it. Thankfully, his horse was used to the route as well, so the only thing that had been damaged was his coat. It was, to be frank, absolutely ruined, but Tom thought he suited the ripped-up aesthetic. At least that was what he was going to use as an excuse if anyone questioned why he looked such a mess.

However, that thought remained in the back of his mind as he rode past the unoccupied farmhouse and into the town proper. Instead, he was just focused on the happiness of finally being here again.

It was not the town itself that excited Tom. It was a small place with very little going on. However, the freedom it presented him with made him crave coming back whenever he was away.

That was not to say that he particularly lacked freedoms in the castle. While Tom himself might have arguments to the contrary, he had far more freedoms than the typical teenage boy. But a place where he was near universally loved and had no authority figure keeping any sort of eye on him was always going to be a place he craved going back to.

As he rode towards the champion’s training grounds, there were already so many people talking about him, looking at him excitedly. And he was absolutely basking in the attention. Being a teenage boy, any notions of vanity or ego were lost on him as this was simply the attention and feeling of power he craved. The sort he saw Sonja receive whenever she hosted a ball or a gala or a general showing off of her enchantments.

If he considered a little deeper, Tom would not say he liked the townsfolks particularly. He, of course, liked the way that they viewed him as being great simply due to his title and the amount of praise and affection they would pile his way. However, he wouldn’t say he actually liked them as people.

Maybe it was just because he had little interest in actually living in the town, but they always seemed just a tad closed minded for his taste. As, no matter how many times he explained his want to actually explore the world once he was old enough to not be stopped, they never quite seemed to understand.

However, young as he was, he saw little point in dwelling on such facts or thinking so deeply. It wasn’t the slightly judgemental general population that he was here to see, after all. So, he could ignore their blank looks about his future and just enjoy their praise as background noise.

How could he think about anything negative when he was finally riding into the champion’s training grounds and could finally see one of the people he had actually missed. He dismounted his horse and gave an exaggerated wave.

“Tucker!” He called out, already unable to tone down the growing grin on his face. Sure, it had only been a few weeks since he had seen him last, but it felt like it had been a lifetime.

Tucker, turning on his heel to look at him, was too infected by his smile. He rushed over to his freshly arrived friend. For a moment, it appeared as though the two considered hugging. Ultimately, however, they just grasped arms and pulled each other close. Not a hug, but close enough for the two who were grinning widely at each other.

“I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show up, man,” Tucker laughed, making his concern sound less serious. It had been a worry though.

It was already noon. Normally Tom would’ve arrived an hour ago. And, though he wouldn’t admit it now that he’d arrived safe and seemingly without issue, Tucker had been close to riding out into the woods to make sure his friend hadn’t fallen off his horse or had anything worse than that befall him.

But Tom was here now, he no longer needed to dwell on such possibilities and could instead just laugh at his own worries and his friend’s lateness.

“You know I wouldn’t miss coming here for anything,” Tom said, hoping that his own laugh covered up any implication that he had in fact nearly not come.

He’d rant and ramble about it later, when he wasn’t going to be bringing the mood down. They’d likely sneak a few drinks, and he could go on about it then. When all three of them were mostly done messing around and just wanted to relax.

Though, thinking of that, he had been expecting to meet with two people not one.

“I see Jordan’s decided to be a no show, though. Has he finally gotten bored of me?” He joked, again hoping that none of his actual concerns showed through in his voice.

Tom was certainly not ready to either confront or admit his complicated and odd feelings towards the newest champion. Obviously, he considered him a friend, but he held very different emotions towards Jordan than he did towards Tucker.

He had originally written it off as Jordan being new and needing to get used to him. Like, he was a new person hanging out whenever he was with Tucker, being… passionate about his goddess in a way that Tucker never was about Lord Mianite.

Tom had gotten it, of course, he had been a young, newly appointed champion. Obviously, he was going to be attempting to prove himself to the point of extremes. However, Jordan had not stopped talking the ear off anyone who happened to stand near to him about Lady Ianite. So, Tom had, admittedly, written off the different feelings as annoyance towards the new guy.

But now it had been a couple years, and while he couldn’t exactly say that Jordan had mellowed out, he now knew his feelings held towards him were not merely annoyance. Even if Tom would not admit his feelings out loud and Jordan remained utterly oblivious to them.

Tucker, however, was neither oblivious to nor coy about Tom’s feelings.

“Don’t worry, your boyfriend hasn’t abandoned you,” He said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

Tom squeaked, a noise several octaves higher than any Tucker had ever heard him make. The champion of Mianite started laughing.

“What the hell was that?!”

“You can’t say things like that! What if he hears?!” Tom said in complete panic, only causing Tucker to laugh more.

“Dude, relax. He’s practicing shooting. There is absolutely no way he’s paying attention to his surroundings,” Tucker said, completely fine with tempting fate because, even if Jordan had heard what he said, there was still absolutely no way that the man was going to realise that Tom was actually into him. Hell, Tom could full on make out with him and Jordan would somehow still be oblivious.

So, he felt completely fine teasing Tom about it for as long as he wanted. Call it making up for lost time given how little Tom actually got to be around.

“And, honestly, you might as well be dating. He is completely insufferable whenever you aren’t here,” Tucker did intend those words as another teasing joke. However, there was an undeniable annoyance that oozed through his tone.

“He’s still annoying you to death, then?” Tom asked as if he didn’t already know the answer. Given how much Tucker liked annoying him, he found himself grinning as he groaned in exasperation.

Maybe it was one of those ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ type of deals, but Tom had no idea how Tucker still found Jordan annoying. However, the last time he had said something vaguely to that tune, Tucker had gone into quite graphic details about why he assumed Tom didn’t find the man annoying.

Needless to say, Tom was not looking for a repeat of that conversation. So, he just allowed Tucker to groan and begin rambling.

“He has discovered that he literally can’t miss when he shoots an arrow, Tom. His ego has reached new heights,” Tucker complained. He didn’t miss, and was not a particular fan of, how Tom’s smile grew at his words. He was just thankful that he couldn’t read whatever was in his thoughts because he didn’t want to comprehend what he might be imagining Jordan doing.

However, while most of the time Tucker would be correct in assuming that Tom was thinking about how this new fact about Jordan made the man more attractive, his current thoughts were somewhere far more chaotic.

“I’m gonna make him miss,” He said with the smile of a madman.

He waited for precisely enough moments to see Tucker begin to smile, then began his dash towards the archery range.

Tucker dashed after him with an ever-growing smile. If anyone was going to disrupt Jordan’s goddess given powers, it was going to be him. By the gods, he had missed Tom so much.

Quite oblivious to the arrival of Lord Dianite’s champion, and therefore the beginnings of that day’s shenanigans, Jordan was preparing to shoot another arrow.

He had very quickly come to grips with his newly gained power. He had mostly been testing it with his bow, shooting harder and more ridiculous shots. Hitting every single one without fail, without even having to look. And he had begun to wonder if his power might extend to weapons beyond his bow.

He was admittedly a little nervous to begin testing that idea. He currently felt beyond powerful, and he wasn’t particularly into the idea of being brought back down to earth if he tried to do this with, say, a sling and missed completely. So, right now, he was happy enough to just keep using his bow. After all, it was a symbol of his Lady so it should remain his main weapon.

That and he always found archery relaxing. That was why he’d settled on waiting in the shooting range until Tom finally arrived. However, while he had originally intended it as a mild distraction, he’d been so consumed by it that he had noticed neither the lateness of his friend’s arrival nor the fact that he had actually arrived.

It was the exact blinding focus Tom thought ideal as he stuck his head around the corner. He could almost certainly walk right up to Jordan without him noticing. But he needed to pick his moment. Luckily, picking the exact right moment for maximum impact of a prank was his speciality.

Jordan took a breath, focusing on the bullseye of the target before him. This was so easy that he could do it in his sleep. He took an arrow, notched it, and prepared to shoot. He pulled the string taut. The arrow was ready to fly.

“Hey! Sparklydick!” Tom’s shout cut through the air and Jordan jolted.

The arrow released and flew wide of its intended target. Eventually it made its mark: a good ten feet back from the target stuck fast in the dirt.

Jordan stared at it, almost more perplexed than annoyed. So, clearly, he still needed some practice.

“Holy shit! He actually missed!” Tucker yelled.

Jordan groaned. He could already tell this was going to get rubbed in his face for the rest of the day.

Yet, Tom was smiling. He was absolutely intoxicated by the energy already. This was what he needed. This is what he had been craving. These were his friends.

He was going to make this day last.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The conversation outside the door was bothering Sonja more than she found justifiable. More and more she regretted that she hadn’t yet made her study soundproof to get rid of distractions like this. Here she was though, once again listening to a perfect example of people not caring if she was working or not.

“I just need a break. She doesn’t want to be taught anyway,” Martha had been rambling outside for… Well, Sonja wasn’t exactly sure how long. Since she had left the study, though that could’ve been any amount of time since the Princess had stopped paying attention to her words quite a while ago. It was certainly long enough for the constant distraction of her speaking to become an itching irritant.

How was she meant to keep working through her notes and finish this enchantment with the racket?

Frankly, Sonja didn’t understand why the woman was so insistent on being upset anyway. She’d listened to all the important bits of her lesson. The rest of it had been fluff. Fluff was nice, but she was busy and wanted to get on with her work once she’d gotten the information that she had needed. Martha got paid the same amount either way, so why did it matter if she didn’t pay attention to the full lesson?

However, she supposed that Martha liked to be overbearing and overstep the duties of her job. Like this morning when after Sonja’s conversation with Tom, she was incredibly insistent in suggesting that she go back and tell him that he was allowed to go to town. It had been maddening.

Tom lived here completely for free. All he did aside from occasionally cooking was bother her and distract everyone else from doing their jobs. How was she the one in the wrong for actually expecting him to cook for her? Because he was busy? Well, everyone else was busy too, but they didn’t try to worm out of their jobs.

It didn’t matter anyway. As always, Tom had refused to listen to her. She had seen him out of the window riding out of the grounds not even an hour after she’d told him specifically not to leave. As always, he’d shirked his responsibilities by passing them off to Steve.

Yet somehow Martha was still acting as if she was the person who had been unreasonable today.

“That’s fine, I’ll take over,” Mot spoke softer than Martha, though still loud enough to be disrupting to Sonja. He sounded as weary as ever.

There was a brief tugging guilt as she thought of how tired Mot always sounded. He always seemed to be the one that took everyone’s complaints and ended up picking up the slack when it came to the end of the day and the others decided to throw in the towel.

However, whenever that guilt began to flicker, there were always further thoughts that she piled on to smother it. After all, it wasn’t as if she asked him to do any of that. He took it all upon himself, so what did she have to feel guilty about? If everyone else did their jobs, he wouldn’t be so tired.

“I assume you heard her fight with Thomas,” Sonja rolled her eyes at it being called a fight, but as always Martha felt the need to dramatize.

Sure, Sonja would admit that she had raised her voice a little, but the whole thing had hardly been out of the norm for her and Tom. Why was the woman insistent on making a big deal about it?

“I’ve gotten the general gist,” She could almost hear Mot rubbing his temple.

She wrinkled her nose as she tried to figure out his tone. She was pretty sure he was just frustrated and tired as he typically was, but she couldn’t get away from the creeping annoyance as she could tell she was going to get more comments about being nicer to Tom.

Somehow, she was always in the wrong.

“I’ll talk to them both. Go relax, you deserve it,” Again, she could hear his expression. The same old tired attempt at a reassuring smile.

She hated how their conversation made her head swim. Why did they insist on talking right outside the door where they’d endlessly distract her?

“Thank you, I appreciate it. Don’t worry about the enchantment, she shouldn’t be onto anything dangerous yet, so I’ll try and talk to her again in the morning,” Martha started. She almost certainly said more, but Sonja was finally tired of attempting to concentrate through the noise.

She slammed her book shut.

Normally she would just storm off to her bedroom where she had different research and there would be less distractions. However, right now that would mean storming past Martha and Mot. She wouldn’t want to interrupt their oh so important conversation.

So instead, she just stormed out onto her balcony.

It was cold. The sting of winter had been gaining quite a bite recently. The gown she was wearing offered little protection. She already had goosebumps forming. She should go back inside to grab her cloak. However, her stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to do so.

She really should start enchanting her clothes. She knew from her studies that it was more than possible and there were various techniques to do so. It just depended on how far she wanted to go with it.

There were wizards, warlocks, and witches that created their own clothes that apparently allowed for the best flow of magic. From the patterns to the fabrics to the sewing technique, each was important to the end enchantment. It interested Sonja, but she wasn’t sure she was yet interested in going so far as to give up her finery for a little more efficiency.

It would be a good large project, she supposed, to figure out how to create a garment with more magical flow that was right for her station, but starting with something smaller would suffice for the winter months.

After all, it was far more common for those magically inclined to merely enchant pre-existing clothing. Common for how uncommon magic was, of course. They would embroider or paint enchantments onto their everyday clothes for all manner of protections. Surely, she would be able to use such a method to not have to bother with outerwear for the rest of the season if she so wished.

Of course, she didn’t actually have any experience in working with fabrics, so there was the very real possibility of her just ruining her clothes. But if that happened, she could just get Wag to either undo the damage or create a copy of the original piece. With creation magic, non-magical objects weren’t exactly in limited supply.

Martha, she was sure, would recommend hiring a seamstress or some other artisan with experience with fabrics to teach her techniques. An idea that Sonja would, as always, find laughable. What would a non-magical craftsperson really be able to teach her that she couldn’t learn herself through trial and error? At the very least though, it was good to know what the next thing that Martha would be annoyed about was.

Still, her thoughts were quickly consumed by thinking of what enchantments she wanted to have on her clothes. Another all-consuming project to block out the rest of her current projects, as well as any duties and responsibilities she held.

Until once again she found her thoughts rudely interrupted by a noise outside of her own control. At the very least this time it wasn’t an ongoing conversation that she couldn’t escape. Rather it was the door to her study slowly creaking open.

Here was Mot then, keeping an eye on her because Martha had decided her job was too exhausting.

“Mistress?” The exhausted voice of the man came from the entrance to her study. His entrance was as good a signal as any that she could return to her study and continue with her project. Mot, after all, was typically content to sit quietly and occupy himself while she worked so long as she didn’t do anything that looked particularly dangerous.

However, that project had already flittered out of her mind, and she didn’t care to keep working on it right now. Eventually sure, but the clothing project was now at the forefront of her mind, and she wanted to keep focus there.

So, she remained on the balcony, returning to her thoughts, caring little if Mot came out or not. Of course, he did though. He alerted her of his present by draping a fur cloak over her shoulders.

“You’ll catch a cold out here if you aren’t careful,” He said, attempting a laugh as if that would make him sound less concerned. It didn’t work.

Sonja found herself frowning. She wasn’t a child that needed reminding that her actions had consequences. Why couldn’t she be taken seriously and treated like an adult? She had the responsibilities of one.

“If you and Martha are going to have conversations when you swap over, you should have them further away from the door,” So, she ignored his concerns and went straight onto her own. She spoke shortly.

Even with her tone, her words still sent a pang of guilt through the man. He should’ve known that she could hear them. No wonder she was sitting outside.

“Martha was just—”

“I know she was,” Sonja cut him off sharply. Martha was always just concerned.

The woman’s complaints were basically just background noise at this point. After all, for as many as she made, she was still here in the castle. She was still happily enjoying all of the resources Sonja provided for her own magical studies.

If Sonja was truly as frustrating as the woman liked to make out, then surely, she would’ve already left by now. Of course she hadn’t though. She just wanted to vent about anything to someone who would actually listen.

Still, Mot’s attempt at an explanation had her wrinkling her nose. “You just disturbed my concentration.”

Mot bit back a sigh. More and more he found himself lost as to whether Sonja was truly as dismissive as she seemed or if she was just pretending to be to save her own feelings. Reality dictated that it was some grey area between the two, but it was quite hard to tell exactly what the blend was.

Perhaps he was letting the memories of her younger self cloud and soften his thoughts towards her current behaviour. Or maybe he was allowing exhaustion to exaggerate typical teenage behaviour. He wished that either one sounded like a reasonable explanation.

“We’ll talk outside the wing next time,” Still he reassured. He knew the others called it placating, but what other action was he supposed to take?

Sonja was the sole authority of the castle, and she knew as much. He held no noble title nor any power over her. If he caught the wrong side of her, he’d be out of a job and on the streets at best. Seeing that he still had Alyssa and Tom to worry about, he couldn’t afford such a situation.

Besides, even if he tried to guide her or give her advice, it was not as if the Princess listened to him these days. She’d just look at him like he was interrupting her. It was just easier and less exhausting to tell her what she wanted to hear. Even if it felt like the coward’s option.

The coward’s option saved his sanity.

However, he could not save it completely today. After all, he had told Martha he’d talk to her.

“About your conversation with Tom this morning,” He started as gently as he possibly could.

“What about it?” Sonja said flatly. She knew full well what Mot was trying to do, and she had no patience for it. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Tom was always acting like a bother. All she ever asked him to do was either cook or leave her alone. Two incredibly simple tasks if you asked her. It wasn’t as if she expected him to cook for a gala full of guests, just for her. Yet he always fought tooth and nail to avoid cooking when asked and annoy her on the days when he wasn’t expected to do anything.

Mot could already feel the headache forming behind his eyes.

“Do you not think you were a tad harsh?” He knew he was not going to convince her that she was wrong in her demands. The same as he would not convince Tom that he was wrong for standing his ground. But maybe he could get her to admit she had been overly aggressive in her particular choice of words.

The wrinkle of her nose and her tightening grip on the balcony railing made that hope harsher to grasp.

“No. He was being unreasonable,” She said sternly, though she avoided looking at Mot as she spoke. She hated seeing his tired eyes. They made her want to agree with him even though she knew she was completely in the right. “All he ever does is mess around and interrupt my studies. What’s wrong with motivating him to actually be helpful for once?”

Mot was silence, no sighing or instant lecturing as Sonja had expected. The longer it stretched on, the more Sonja felt her resolve weakening. Still, she remained looking out from the balcony, off, out of the grounds to the endless woods beyond.

She would not turn around and allow him to win. If he was disappointed in her, he should say so she could correct him.

She was the ruler of these lands and their people. She needed to act as such a figure should. She had to be assertive. She would not be punished for finally acting as a ruler and dictating her needs.

Of course, Mot was not waiting for her to turn around. Nor was he planning on punishing her, even if he perhaps should. His mind was quite rapidly sorting through thoughts in an attempt to figure out anything that might salvage the friendship Tom and Sonja had before it shattered completely. He prayed that there was something to salvage.

“He did tell you a number of weeks ago that—” Mot stopped as Sonja tensed.

Fine, if she didn’t want to hear the truth, then he’d present something more drastic.

“Maybe I should arrange for Tom to spend a week in the town,” He said, using a regretful tone despite not feeling so. Perhaps if he made it sound like a punishment…

At the very least, the statement was finally enough to make Sonja turn around. Her eyebrows furrowed, and lips pressed together into a firm frown.

“So he completely neglects his duties and you want to give him exactly what he wants?!” She couldn’t believe what he was suggesting. Why should Tom get rewarded for being the worst?!

In quite a rarity, she did not find a sympathetic look on Mot’s face. Rather her own sternness was reflected back on his features.

“You said yourself that he keeps interrupting your research. It’ll give you some well needed time free of him. And he’ll have to fend for himself for a week, I doubt it’ll be a holiday for him,” Mot said as if he genuinely thought this would be a punishment for Tom.

Was it the best idea he’d ever had? No. Frankly he was not the biggest fan of the idea of leaving Tom to mostly his own devices for a week, but he could quite easily ask Jeriah to keep an eye on him. Even if the man would grumble to his face about it, he’d still do it if Mot asked him.

All he knew was some real time apart for the two would be good for them.

Sonja wanted to argue against the idea. She needed Tom here. If he was gone then she’d—

She’d…

She’d be fine, she decided quite firmly. Even if she still had some traitorous thoughts trying to object.

Tom was nothing but a nuisance. An annoyance that constantly and purposefully interrupted her studies and would never do anything helpful unless forced.

Any hesitancy she held towards the idea of him being gone were just illogical thoughts she needed to ignore. Silly childish thoughts she should press down and ignore. So, she looked to Mot as if there were no doubts in her mind.

“Sounds great. Arrange it for some time next month.”

Time away from the headache-inducing boy would be great for her. She’d get so much done.

And maybe an extended trip away from the castle and its magical conveniences she had created would make Tom realise just how good he had it.

He’d come crawling back… She knew he would, as she crushed the doubtful thoughts still lingering down with force.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The day, due to a combination of the clutches of winter and the amount of fun he had been having, went far too quickly for Tom’s liking. It felt as though the fun had barely started, but already the night was black as pitch. Not even the stars or the moon appeared to give respite to the darkness as the entire sky was covered in thick clouds that made the champion grimace at the idea of his long journey home.

“Why do you need to leave tonight? What difference will it make if you wait until morning?” Tucker asked what was really more a temptation than a question as Tom got his horse ready for the ride back. Given the events of the day, it was far more a tempting offer than it usually would be and leaving was never particularly easy.

The absolute last thing he wanted to do on this dark, cold night where he was quite certain it was going to storm was ride through the woods. He wanted to stay and keep having fun with his friends as everything here was far warmer than what awaited him at the castle. What waited back there was a mess caused by a Princess who cared more for magic than she did people.

Yes, he didn’t have any particular desire to go home. Unfortunately, though, he had made a stupid agreement that morning, so he was not going to risk being late.

“The difference is a full week extra of gardening chores,” He muttered. Why had he made that deal with Steve? He could’ve just left without saying anything and the man still would’ve covered for him. Instead, he’d agreed to let the man drag him outside every morning for at least the next week, the next two if he didn’t hurry.

At the very least, his misfortune entertained Tucker, who started laughing in a way that made it very clear that he was not at all sympathetic to his plight. To be fair, had their situations been reversed, Tom certainly would’ve laughed at him, but that didn’t make him pout any less being on the receiving end.

“Gods, you always used to show off about being ‘basically a prince’ but you’re stuck gardening in the winter,” Tucker’s words were choked with laughter, only egged on by Tom’s eyes rolling. He could remember so clearly the way Tom used to brag about the castle when they were kids, doing everything he could to make him jealous. How the tables had turned. “We’ll just be relaxing here, worshipped by the people.”

“Keep going. I’ve got rope. I can tie you up and bring you with me,” Tom said with a tone that Tucker only knew was a joke due to how long they had been friends. Hence, he just continued laughing.

Though the threat was a joke. Tom had often considered just bringing his friends back to the castle. They could probably be there for a good few hours before anyone noticed. But it was almost certainly not worth the amount of trouble he’d land himself in. Yet, today particularly, the idea did tempt him just as the idea of not returning did. The way that all bad ideas tempted teenagers.

“You don’t have to do the gardening if you never go back,” Jordan, who was usually not the one trying to tempt Tom into staying, spoke up. His words were a siren’s call as he gave a smile that tugged his resolve taut.

Lady Ianite’s champion moved closer to him, placing a hand atop of the one of Tom’s that was currently holding his horse’s reins loosely. Whether he knew the effect of his touch on Tom was up in the air, though Tom assumed he did not. Still, it worked to the boy’s advantage as his friend hung onto his every word. “I mean, every time you come here, you complain about that place and the way the Princess treats you. Why not stay here where everyone loves you?”

Tom would be a damn liar if he said he wasn’t tempted to listen to him. Staying in the town where his title was given the respect it deserved, and he could have all the freedom he desired sounded like a dream. If he was a less loyal kid, he might have actually stayed until Mot realised he was gone and got Jeriah to frogmarch him back to the castle.

But loyal Tom was. He wasn’t going to leave Steve with the trouble that was rightfully owed to him.

“But if everyone loves me all the time, it won’t be so sweet anymore. And if I was here all the time, they wouldn’t adore me nearly as much,” He laughed despite how Jordan’s easy smile flittering to a frown hurt his heart.

One day he’d be able to stay longer, he reassured himself. Today just wasn’t the right time. But he was getting older. Soon enough he’d be able to persuade Mot that he was reliable enough to stay the night here, he was sure. “Seriously, though, I’m gonna miss you both so much! I’ll be back as soon as I can, hopefully for more than a day next time.”

“If a month passes and you haven’t shown your face, I’ll storm the castle myself!” Tucker laughed as Tom pulled himself onto his horse.

That should’ve been the end of the temptations for Tom. As he began to ride out of town, he should’ve just been left to his own thoughts. However, rather than his own head filling with reasons that he should just stay in the town, he once again received them from an outside source.

“You know, my boy, there really wouldn’t be any harm done by staying for the night,” Tom nearly fell off his horse as Lord Dianite’s voice came unexpectedly into his head. Deep laughter echoed through his head as he just about managed to regain balance.

“My Lord!” He said with a relieved laugh.

It wasn’t the first time Tom had spoken to his god. If it had been, he certainly would’ve actually fallen. They honestly spoke quite often to the point of a relatively casual rapport.

That was apparently a rarity as neither Tucker nor Jordan had ever heard from their gods, let alone so often that conversation was casual. Nor would they ever have the guts to deny anything their god said as he was about to. “Well, I’d call being forced to do gardening chores for an extra week harm done. Maybe not on a godly scale, but I’d still prefer to avoid it.”

“Come on, let me be the devil on your shoulder. You deserve some fun, to cause some chaos. If you’re worried about getting in trouble, I’ll have a talk with Mot,” True to his aim and general nature, everything Dianite said pulled Tom into wanting to agree. If a god told them that he didn’t need to do gardening chores, then he wouldn’t have to do them. So why not stay when he’d been handed an excuse on a silver platter?

However, while Tom laughed and was tempted, he ultimately made the choice that unknowingly cemented his own fate.

“Thanks for the offer, my Lord, but I think I want to get home tonight.”

“Very well, my champion,” Lord Dianite’s voice betrayed none of what was soon to come.

Tom never found out if he knew, but the question of if his offer had just been a coincidence did linger in the many long years to come.

🌹 🌹 🌹

By the time he was dashing back into the castle via a servant’s entrance, Tom was soaked through. As he had guessed, a storm had begun to rage, and his ride back had been a bitterly cold one that he was deeply regretting as he stumbled into the kitchen.

“I’m back!” He called, sounding triumphant. He might be half frozen, and as delirious as that state implied, but he had gotten back while Steve was still cooking. So, he wasn’t going to have to do that second week of gardening work. He was absolutely winning!

Steve only looked up from the meat simmering on the stove for a brief moment. He knew immediately that the boy was in no state to take over. He just smiled and shook his head with a bemused sigh.

“Go get yourself dry,” He said, only barely managing to sound gruff. Though he had a couple of excuses lined up to chase the kid away if he tried to take over in his current state, Tom didn’t need to be told twice. He all but sprinted out of the kitchen and towards his room.

Dashing through the castle was second nature to him as growing up here had allowed him to memorize every passage – regular and secret – that the building held. He was pretty sure that he knew the place better than Sonja. That was to say that Tom made it to his room in under two minutes despite the vastness of the castle.

He had never been more appreciative of the magical enchantments the place held as when the fireplace roared into life the moment he entered. For as much as he begrudged Sonja right now, he could appreciate the enchantments around the castle. Nothing like spending a day in the town in all its mundane glory then riding home through a storm to remind him what a magical wonderland he lived in.

As he got himself dry and warm, the storm raging outside battered against his window. It was a noise that made him appreciate all the more that he was inside and out the weather. It was the noise he would use to explain, to rationalise, as to why he did not hear the banging on the door that night.

In reality, there was but a single soul who could hear the noise. This test was, despite who its consequences would affect, one only for the Princess. So, though she had no way of knowing, Sonja was the only one who could hear the banging on the doors that night. Though she did not realise anything was amiss. As such she ignored it for as long as possible.

Each one seemed somehow louder than the last, to the point that she was almost scrunching the pages of the book she was reading as she continued to try and ignore them. Why did no one in this place do their job?

She was a princess. She absolutely should not have to answer her own door. However, as the noise reached unbearable levels, she slammed her book closed. Apparently, she had to do everything.

With frustration already overwhelming her she began her way to the grand entrance with more a storm in her step than the one raging outside. Needless to say, she was not in a particularly charitable mood when she swung the door open with mounting rage and saw the soaked old crone before her. The old woman, holding nought but a rose, looked up from under her purple hood.

“Please, Miss. Some shelter from the storm.”

It was about then, when she had opened the door, that Tom left his room. Now warm and dry, his journey back towards the kitchen was not the rush that the journey out of it had been.

He walked casually through the hall, carrying a candelabra to light his way. With the distance away from the entrance hall that his room was, and his general meandering pace, it was no wonder that by the time the room was in earshot, their fates had already been sealed.

“Please! I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I—” He heard Sonja yelling. Begging. Sounding more terrified than he had ever heard her.

He took off at a sprint.

He could not fathom what was going on. All he knew was that Sonja was in danger and he needed to help her.

Their arguments seemed so petty and pointless as he was forced to hear such raw fear.

“That, my Princess, is precisely the point,” A cold woman’s voice replied to her cries.

Tom did not recognise the voice, but just hearing it shot a nerve through him. He could sense that whoever this was, she was more powerful by far than any of them. But like hell did that matter.

He was the champion of Lord Dianite. He would defeat any enemy no matter how powerful in order to power his friends. “There is no love in your heart.”

He rounded the corner onto the upstairs landing in an uncontrolled skid. He automatically reached for the banister to steady himself, only for shock to supersede his self-preservation.

Lady Ianite stood in the doorway before Sonja who was shaking on her knees. The goddess wore an expression that even years later Tom would have difficulty fully describing despite how it was burnt into his mind.

He only saw it for a second. It would be so easy to just say it was a terrible coldness. The wrath that only a scorned deity could hold. But he swore, he just swore, he saw a certain grief for what she was about to do.

But he only saw her for a second. Then he began to fall down the stairs.

Lady Ianite touched a finger to the Princess’ forehead and a dazzling purple light filled and surrounded the entire castle. Covering all the way to the edge of its grounds.

It could be seen from miles around, to the very edges of the kingdom.

The crew of a ship just off the coast swore that, for a few moments, there was a purple glow to the horizon.

Those in the town saw it unbelievably clearly. A pair of champions and an old soldier panicked for the only place it could possibly be coming from and rushed to get horses, forgetting who they were worried about in the first place before they could reach their steeds.

The rest in the castle panicked. None but Tom and the Princess had any context for what was going on as they were suddenly blinded and lost all feeling in their bodies.

Tom only knew he was still falling from the clattering of the candelabra so close to his ear. What he knew should’ve been a painful fall lacked any hurt at all. Yet he was already in such a nightmare that he could not even be scared about that fact.

The light finally faded, though the sight he was left with did nought to comfort the boy.

Everything was impossibly large. Either he had hit his head badly or he’d been shrunk. The way his body felt alien and stiff did nothing to tell him which was more likely.

Yet, somehow, whatever had happened to him was not his biggest concern.

Where Sonja had been before the goddess, there now knelt a Beast.

Tom could describe it in no other way. It was terrifyingly large. As much a bear as a fox as a cat as a wolf as a devil. No singular animal. Nothing akin to anything he had ever seen before. Just a Beast.

And it wore Sonja’s sparkling dress.

The Beast spoke no more apologies, shell shocked and terrified. Her cries half-transformed against her will into growls as her mouth and throat were no longer hers.

The goddess looked down at her, twirling a now glowing rose gently between two fingers.

“This rose will act as a timer for this curse on yourself, your home, and those that dwell within. By the time the last petal falls, you must learn to love another and earn their love in return. Only then will the spell break.”

The goddess paused, placing the flower on the ground before the Beast.

“If you don’t, then you shall remain a Beast for the rest of time.”

With those final horrifying words, the goddess turned away. She stepped back out into the storm and disappeared as if dissolved by the rain.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sonja finally fell silent. The story was finally told. At least as much as she could tell without losing any chance of the curse breaking.

She had told every terrible thing she had done. All she had kept hidden was her own humanity and the knowledge of the curse being able to be broken. Perhaps it was wrong of her when Capsize had laid everything bare for her, but that part of the truth would do nothing but place a burden on her shoulders that already weighed down everyone else in the castle and put the others’ possibility of restoration at risk.

Could real love even form if you know the other will be doomed if you don’t love them enough?

For as much as Sonja still doubted her own deserving, her own ability to love, and even the slightest possibility of Capsize loving one as selfish and terrible as her; she still could not risk her knowing that bit of truth.

It was not of importance anyway. The point of the story was the terrible act she had done, how selfish and unsympathetic she had been. How needlessly cruel she had been to a stranger that just needed help. What a terrible fate she had inflicted on all those around her.

The point was that Capsize’s goddess had seen her as such a heartless person that the curse had been necessary to teach her.

The silence stretched, horrible and sickening. The crackling of the bonfire was no longer a warm comfort as she awaited Capsize’s reaction. As she waited for the woman who had become such a light in her life to look up at her with scorn that she rightfully deserved.

Finally, the moment came. Capsize looked at her with reddened eyes. Sonja braced herself for what was to come.

Capsize spoke with a soft, shaking voice.

“I’m so sorry.”

Chapter Text

Capsize could fathom saying nothing else.

She had known for a while now that there was something more going on in the castle than she had figured out. She had suspected from the beginning that there was some secret to the enchanted furniture. She had known, had been so sure, that the creation of such objects was impossible, but finding out that she had been correct in that assumption left nothing but a bitter taste in her mouth

Of course regular magic had not created them, she had always thought that to be impossible. So here was the explanation: a curse laid as a godly punishment. A curse that Lady Ianite had placed on so many innocent people for the actions of a single person.

It was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. Yet now the truth had been told she couldn’t stop thinking about all she had written off in attempts to put her own mind at ease. Even if she had been considering and attempting to investigate, she had still avoided thinking of the oddities far too often.

Now everything had been laid bare and everything that had been bothering her suddenly made sense. Their far too detailed personalities and relationships. Their knowledge of places and people that logically they should know nothing of. Her own reoccurring sureness that she should be recalling something when the enchanted trinkets mentioned certain names and titles.

How far had the curse gone that the castle didn’t even exist on maps? That Capsize believed there was no Champion of Dianite despite how she most certainly should’ve known that.

She did not want to believe her goddess had performed such a horrible act. Yet she had no arguments of denial. How could she? She had seen the rose herself when she’d ventured into the west wing. Each petal had borne Lady Ianite’s symbol. What other explanation was there but her goddess’ involvement?

Only a fool would still be in denial. Capsize would admit to being a great many things in relation to her goddess, but a fool was not one of them, at least not at this point. She could not deny that her goddess had done something completely unthinkable.

“What?” Sonja replied, looking down at her completely unable to process that Capsize hadn’t just called her some horrible name. Because, surely, that was what she deserved. She had done something so terrible. So, shouldn’t Capsize hate her?

However, Capsize was looking at her with tears in her eyes, as if she was someone to be pitied. Somehow, she was looking at her like she wasn’t a…

Sonja just didn’t understand. “Why are you sorry? I— I did something horrible.”

Capsize looked at the Beast that had become her friend. She could see such a fear in her eyes, a fear that had been there throughout her entire telling of the story. But she could hardly be blamed for it. What was someone supposed to think when they had been damned by a goddess?

“Because nothing could justify what she did. There is no act cruel enough to justify cursing innocent people,” She said, struggling to keep her voice steady despite how her confidence in that fact didn’t waver. She hated how hard it was to keep herself steady as she didn’t want to give even the slightest hint of a notion that she was angry at Sonja.

But it was hard when she was angry, angry that Ianite thought this was in any way a just punishment. How was this in any way balance? “Even if one single act of cruelty was enough to justify a god’s wrath, why should your actions have cursed everyone else in the castle?”

“They didn’t, that’s the—” Sonja stopped herself as she realised what she was saying. She was just agreeing with Capsize... Because, without a doubt her point was right. None of the others had deserved to be cursed because of her.

Presumably, the goddess had punished the rest of the castle alongside her to make the curse harder to break. Had they remained humans, they could’ve ventured out and found people able to help rather than needing to rely on travellers stumbling upon a castle completely forgotten by the world. It would’ve been a far lesser lesson.

Though, of course, that couldn’t be the reason she gave Capsize. Not without explaining that she too had been human.

Besides, none of that meant she deserved any forgiveness. So, she mulled over an answer she could give. “If I needed to be forgotten, then leaving them remembered and able to leave wouldn’t have worked…”

What else could she say? She wasn’t even sure why she wanted to say anything. She obviously held no love for the goddess after she had ruined her life and the lives of all those that lived with her. But, still, she didn’t deserve Capsize’s sympathy.

“It needed to be a lesson… I needed to lose everything.”

Capsize too, with sickness still stuck in her throat, mulled over her words.

Perhaps it wasn’t her place to keep talking. She was not there that night, so perhaps she simply couldn’t understand. Yet she… She just couldn’t sit here and listen to Sonja insist she deserved this.

“No one deserves to lose everything,” She said quietly, with far too much relation in her voice.

Sonja’s throat froze as her eyes widened. She hadn’t meant for even a second to imply that Capsize had deserved--!

Reassurances were ready to fall from her tongue, that she wasn’t comparing the two of them. That, of course, Capsize was different.

However, Capsize spoke first. “You didn’t mention your age during the story, but you’re the same age as Tom, aren’t you?”

“About the same, yes,” Sonja replied, not quite understanding where this could be going. Though, despite her answer being the truth, it felt so strange saying so when Tom had been stuck in an unchanging body for so long now.

Though the question confused her. What did her age matter? Surely it must, else why would Capsize be bringing it up? But she truly saw no way that anything beyond her actions could matter.

Capsize’s stomach truly turned.

“So, when this curse was cast, you were a teenager?” She asked, every ounce of faith she had left in her goddess hoping she was wrong.

It would still be a terrible act. After all, regardless of Sonja’s age, Andor and Alyssa would’ve most certainly been children cursed for no fault of their own.

But she still needed to know. She needed to know just how far her goddess had gone.

Soft brown eyes stared at Sonja. Despite how they were filled with concern, they still left her hesitant to answer. Why was she so desperate to forgive her?

“Yes… But I was still old enough to know better,” She insisted. She had no excuse for what she had done to who she had assumed to be a completely ordinary woman who was asking for kindness.

Yet Capsize’s expression did not shift from its concerned laced state. Ianite had done so many things that she didn’t understand, but this was beyond the pale.

She needed to make sure Sonja saw that. Even if she could not convince Sonja here and now. As much as she wanted to take hold of Sonja’s paws and reassure her that what had been done to her and the others here was wrong and certainly not entirely her fault as she believed, she felt in her heart that she would not be successful.

After years of bearing such a weight on her shoulders, Capsize could not erase Sonja’s self-blame all at once. But, by the gods, that did not mean she was in any way okay with this.

Carefully and gently, she took hold of one of Sonja’s paws in her hands. The fur was warm against her skin, reminding the two of just how long they had been sitting in the snow.

Sonja shifted slightly with the intent of moving inside as she realised how cold Capsize must be.

However, Capsize remained completely still. There were still so many things that she wanted to say, but she knew so many were far too strong for the current moment. So, she said the only words she felt able to.

“I promise you, I will figure out a way to fix this,” She spoke with all the confidence she had held as a captain. If Ianite valued their connection at all, she would answer for what she had done here. But with or without her goddess’ aid, she truly meant her words.

Sonja’s heart began beating wildly. Of course, Capsize did not know what she was saying. She remained oblivious to love being the way to break the curse. Yet still, hearing those words Sonja could almost believe there was a real chance of the curse breaking.

If it were to be anyone… Sonja would be truly happy if it were Capsize. She looked at her with a smile with warmth in her eyes.

“I truly hope you can.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

The next few days could not quite be described as tense, but there was undeniably a certain unease in the air. It didn’t take long for the residents of the castle to learn that Sonja had revealed the truth of their situation. Most of the truth, anyway.

The reaction to this decision had been mixed to say the least.

Tom, of course, was thrilled to no longer need to hide what little of his identity that he had been keeping secret. He could fully admit to being a human, that he knew people in the town. It had been a weight off, even with the awkwardness that came from having to admit that his closest friends were the same people that had made Capsize’s life miserable. But he had known that reveal was always going to happen sooner or later, better he admit it to her rather than it be a complete blindside once the curse was broken.

Martha, meanwhile, was less than happy about it. All the effort they had put in to make sure the curse remained a secret had been utterly wasted. However, she couldn’t exactly say anything had gone wrong because of the tale being told. Capsize’s behaviour towards them had barely changed at all. After all, she had always seen them as people.

Though there had been a change it was impossible to miss though. Her every interaction now carried a certain guilt that hadn’t been there previously. Despite all their collective efforts to reassure her, she seemed quite unable to shift it.

Capsize knew that she wasn’t responsible for any of it, but still, she couldn’t help but feel guilt given her connection to Ianite. She should have asked more that night all those years ago that Ianite had spoken to her so upset, maybe she could’ve done something to help. Despite what she had been trying to instil into Sonja, the what ifs of her own actions were anchored into her brain.

Tom, when Capsize was firmly out of earshot, said with the utmost confidence that he was sure that once Capsize broke the curse, any guilt she still held would leave. Everyone else could only hope that was true.

However, today Capsize sat alone in the library. While the guilt was still lingering in the back of her mind, primarily she was beginning to get antsy.

She had been desperate to speak with Ianite for months prior to her arrival at the castle, as well as that first week here when she was trapped and scared. But that had been a very different sort of desperation than the one currently prickling underneath her skin.

Originally, her want had been laced with a quiet sadness as she mourned the life she had lost and the seeming loss of her goddess that came alongside it. More than anything she had just wanted to hear her voice and talk as they used to.

Now, though, her want for answers was fuelling an anger that was continuing to fester each day that passed without word from her goddess.

Perhaps there should’ve been anger all along. With how much she had disliked the town, with how terrible Jordan and the other people living there had been to her. There had been a bitterness forming under her tongue the whole time, but rather than anger, it had become a melancholy exhaustion.

She couldn’t be angry at Ianite for it all. She had made her own decisions that had led her to where she was. She hadn’t had to move to the town. She hadn’t had to bite her tongue about her dislike of Jordan. So even if she could’ve blamed Ianite for all of it, it had instead fell quickly into self-loathing.

However, the curse was an entirely different beast.

Capsize still had a creeping nausea whenever she thought about it. No matter how much she considered every angle – even considering Sonja’s entire story being softened at every point to make herself look better – nothing could have made such a punishment justifiable.

She needed answers. She had never needed them more. Every moment new ones were forming in her head. And, on her life, she was going to get them.

However, as was clear enough for how long it had been since she had heard from her goddess, Capsize’s connection with Ianite was not something controllable from her end. Lady Ianite could speak to her whenever she so desired but Capsize did not have the same benefit. If she did, then that would both be news to Capsize and would mean Ianite was intentionally choosing to ignore her and… Well, that would just be an additional thing to be angry about.

Still, she had tried to put her anger aside as she reached out to Ianite. However, each time she received no reply, the prickles of anger just got worse.

She tried to ignore it, to just focus on the present and enjoy time with Sonja or Tom or in the library or anything. Yet, no matter how she tried, she could not fully distract herself. Until she finally got answers, she knew she would not be able to rest her thoughts.

Thankfully, as she sat in the library that afternoon, only half reading the book in her hands, the voice she had been waiting to hear for so long finally came into her head.

“Capsize,” Despite how everything had changed since their last conversation, Lady Ianite sounded exactly the same as ever. The soft tone that she had retained through all their conversations in the town. Her voice was as comforting as it was utterly distant as it was the same tone that had offered no real answers each time she had begged for them.

Despite this, before she had always clung to her voice. As much as the conversations had never given her what she wanted, she had still never wanted them to end and wept when they did. More than once, she had worried Redbeard when he had returned to the house to find her unexplainably upset.

Still, though, the desire to just enjoy this conversation tugged at her. And she hated it.

It would be so easy to just be happy that her friend was talking to her once more and ignore all she had learnt. But Capsize had questions and this time Ianite was going to answer them.

“Ia,” The nickname slipped out so easily, though it did not make her tone any softer. After all she had learnt, there was an inescapable terseness that she decided was at least better than biting anger. She could not chase her off when she had gone so long without a word. “I’m glad my prayers have finally reached you.”

“I did not mean to give you any impression of ignoring you. I… I have not been paying attention as I should have been. Are you okay, my messenger?” It was more concern than she had offered her in the past year. It was nearly enough to break through the anger, but not quite.

When she had begged for her words, she had received silence. When she had been made a prisoner and prayed desperately for help, she’d been left to cry herself into numbness. Hearing the concern now just rang hollow.

“I’m… I’m safe,” She gave the most honest answer she could. She could not precisely say that she was okay, not with all that remained unanswered. She thought it best to not worry Ianite if she could avoid it, though.

Despite her intentions, there was a sharp intake of breath from the goddess. “I mean I’m—”

“You reinjured your leg, didn’t you,” There was a sombreness to the statement that again threatened to take Capsize away from the goal she had for the conversation. She had not heard Ianite so worried for her since her original injury. Though this time it brought forth confusion.

When she had first been injured, Ianite had known immediately. That was the only explanation she had for the ‘miracles’ that had allowed her to survive with her leg. Then in the town, no matter how long the silence between them could last, Ia would always talk to her after any minor reinjury. It was a pattern that had held true for the past two years… Until the wolf attack.

That had been by far the most dangerous situation she had found herself in since leaving her life as a captain, yet she had not heard so much as a whisper from her goddess afterwards. It hadn’t crossed her mind until now but… Could Ianite not sense what had been happening to her?

“I did, but that was a couple of months ago now. It’s healing just fine. It’s not what I wanted to talk about,” She said, trying to figure out precisely how to tell of her current situation.

She had to be careful. She couldn’t risk her overreacting considering what she had already done here. She had absolutely no desire to bring Ianite here unless it was to remove the curse she had placed. Nor did she want her sending any ‘help’ as she was absolutely not going to stand for Jordan coming to ‘rescue’ her.

She couldn’t risk the safety of those here, nor their trust in her. So then, time to be careful. “I’m… Before I tell you what’s happened, please just promise me you’ll remember that I’m safe.”

“What’s going on, Capsize?” The edge in her voice was clear.

Capsize swallowed.

“Please, just promise me.”

“…I promise.”

It wasn’t much reassurance, but she couldn’t avoid telling the story of how she had gotten where she was. This was her best chance at setting right what had been done here.

“A couple of months ago, Red began his usual trip to the market. But there was a storm that night, and a tree in the woods had fallen down and blocked his usual route. He was forced to go down the other path and… And he ended up stranded at a castle when our horse ran off,” She was, admittedly, guessing a little when it came to what exactly had happened to Red that night. He’d never gotten the opportunity to tell her and the idea of asking anyone else made her throat go dry.

Despite there being no reaction from Lady Ianite, Capsize knew that she knew. She supposed it was incredibly unlikely there were two hidden castles in the woods. But, whether due to the messenger’s insistence on being heard or the goddess simply hoping to be incorrect in her assumption, Capsize was given silence to continue the story.

“And Red being Red, he got himself into quite the spot of trouble,” She laughed hollowly as she made the understatement of the century. “The next evening, I found Phillipe—”

“Phillipe?”

“—Our horse, panicked having spent the night fleeing through the woods. Obviously, I knew something terrible must’ve happened to Red, so I rode into the woods, and I found the castle… And I found Red half-frozen to death in a cell.”

The memory still hurt. Thinking back to it, she still felt so angry about the condition he had been left in. Still so angry that she hadn’t gotten to say goodbye. But, unlike most of what she was angry about, it was not anything Ianite could’ve fixed. So she forced herself to bite it down and just continue the story.

“I tried to break him out, but I was found by the Mistress of the Castle. She claimed that he was a thief… That she had no intention of letting him go. So… I took his place. I stayed in the castle so Red could leave,” She could feel her voice wavering and threatening to give out. Every word was hard. She wished she had come here under better circumstances. As she gripped onto the handle of her cane, she made herself to continue. “And I’m okay, really, I’m happy here. But… But Ia, I know you’ve been here before. What did you do to them all? What did you do to Sonja?”

The tone of her voice was far rougher than any she’d used towards her goddess before and made it beyond obvious that she knew exactly what Ianite had done here.

She wanted answers – any kind of answers – for what had happened. Even if she doubted anything could justify it, she wanted to believe that her goddess had some kind of reasoning.

She waited with a desperate hope for some thought out explanation, hoping Ianite would break the silence. She waited so long that she was almost convinced the silence would last forever.

“Is she why you reinjured your leg? Did she hurt you?!” The response, that distinctly was not an answer to her questions, may as well have been ice water thrown onto her. Actually, that would’ve been far more pleasant than the words as they immediately thrust her into anger.

“No! She stopped me from dying that night! Why would you—!”

“You said she imprisoned you and nearly killed your brother! Am I supposed to assume her harmless?” As much as Capsize wanted to bite back an immediate retort, she couldn’t do much beyond wrinkle her nose in frustration. Her own thoughts in her first week here hadn’t exactly been dissimilar from what Ianite was saying.

Yet, despite how she could see the logic in her thought process, this had sailed far from a situation where she could be logical.

“Fine, yes, she didn’t make the best first impression, but I assume she wasn’t precisely keen on your followers,” So, she bit back, bickering and feeling almost like a child despite how she also felt her words were wholly justified.

Sonja’s actions had not been right. Capsize could not argue that regardless of her want to defend her friend. However, if they were going to discuss base reactions grown from assumptions, then it was quite easy to lay blame for the Beast’s hostility towards Redbeard and herself at the goddess’ feet.

Perhaps Capsize was just particularly spiteful after so long a silence, but now that her bitterness had begun to burst, she saw little point in avoiding direct questions. “Why did you curse them? She made a mistake, so you make the world forget about everyone who lives here and steal the humanity of those that live with her?”

Beyond the why, there was also the how of it all annoying Capsize. Not the physical act, she didn’t doubt that Ianite had the power to do this. The evidence of it was before her eyes, after all. But how had she gotten away with cursing her brother’s champion?

Capsize, despite her want for answers, wasn’t sure she wanted to know that particular one.

“I understand that it was extreme, but a lesson was required. One of her station could not be allowed to continue acting as cruel as she was,” Ianite’s tone was not quite cold, but certainly not regretful.

Perhaps had Capsize arrived at the castle straight from her life as a captain, she may have listened to her goddess. However, if these past two years had left her anything, it was the knowledge that titles meant little regarding how people behaved.

“So you think it’s fine to inflict such a heavy punishment upon a teenager, but you allow your champion to do whatever he pleases without consequence?!” The anger brimmed from Capsize’s words as every unpleasantness that she had faced from Jordan forced their way back into her mind. Each and every bitten back emotion was cracking through the dam holding them.

She had complaints about the entire town, but the many built up about Jordan were particularly insulting at this moment.

“What do you--?”

“He’s treated me as nothing more than a prize he’s owed since the moment we met! And everyone in that town follows his lead!” Every comment, whether they were half-heard whispers or statements said directly to her face, came flooding into her mind.

Don’t they look good together?

She is pretty, it’s a shame she’s so strange.

Why does she always play hard to get?

Come on Cap, anyone else would’ve loved it.

We’re meant to be together, a couple. You see how perfect we are together.

Every one she recalled crawled beneath her skin.

“I’ve questioned so often why you sent me there. Why did you want me stuck in a place where no one would respect me? But I thought it was at least out of your hands to fix any of it. Now I’ve learnt that you’re more than happy to harshly punish unpleasant behaviour, so why in the hells did you allow him to treat me so badly?” She hated how easily the bitterness rolled off her tongue.

She still just wanted answers. Even just an apology would be enough. But she had waited so long and learnt such a terrible truth that her anger about it all could not be held back.

Yet there was no satisfaction in letting it out. Having to do this to Ianite just felt hollow.

“I know I have not given you the answers you desire. But I hope you can still have faith in me,” Ianite’s tone was unreadable as she asked Capsize for what should be easy but set exhaustion behind her messenger’s eyes. “I would never let anyone hurt you and his behaviour will be corrected, I assure you. For the curse… There are still moving parts and interfering now would break an agreement I am bound to.”

The words cut a deep betrayal, as much as Capsize wished they didn’t. She slumped into her chair, unable to figure out any words to say back.

It was, Capsize supposed, more of an answer to her questions than she had received in the past two years, but still she had been given nothing. Once more Ianite had just said that nothing could be said and expected her to be okay with being left floating in the unknown. She wished the hollowness it left was new.

The silence extended endlessly and Capsize knew Ia was gone. Whatever answers she had been looking for weren’t going to be given to her. Nor was the unfair punishment put on this place going to be lifted.

There was a certain numbness as she wondered what precisely she had been looking for. Whether it was answers or apologies or merely acknowledgement that wrong had been done, it seemed she was not going to get them.

So she sat for a while just wondering. She sat until day turned to evening and the sun began to set.

Then perhaps something snapped, or maybe she merely grew bored of feeling sorry for herself. She finally settled and stood up.

She walked through the halls, anxiety swirling as she questioned herself. Maybe she should keep trying for real answers from Ianite. Maybe she should threaten to give up her title unless her goddess corrected what she had done here – as much as she was quite sure Ia would see through that threat immediately.

But, if the only options she had were the same fruitless questioning she had already been doing or empty threats, she wouldn’t accomplish anything. She was just dragging herself further and further down into frustration for no gain.

If she couldn’t get Ianite to listen to her, then maybe she could at least show Sonja that she wasn’t the terrible person this curse and her goddess’ words had implied.

She needed to find her first though, a task far harder in a building so large than she gave it credit for. It at least gave her time to consider what precisely she was going to say.

By the time she found Sonja, she was absolutely certain. Though that did not stop the nerves welling up within her. She didn’t understand quite why she still felt a twinge of sickness within her as she finally found the Beast she had come to know.

She cleared her throat. Sonja stood suddenly as she realised that she was no longer alone.

The two met eyes and smiled at each other, though Capsize’s smile was noticeably smaller than it typically would be. Sonja stepped towards her hesitantly. Something had happened; she could smell it.

“Capsize, are you okay?” She asked, unable to hide the worry in her tone. She hated so much to see the bright smile wavering.

“I… I’ve been thinking since the winter solstice,” Those carefully said words were more than enough to strike fear into Sonja. She had been expecting them, obviously she had with the terrible actions of her past revealed, yet she still feared Capsize’s judgement.

More than the curse never breaking and all of them being stuck in these forms forever. More than Lady Ianite returning more wrathful than before. More than anything else at this point, she feared losing Capsize. “I think we both deserve a second chance. Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

Sonja was sure that she had misheard. Even if the idea of Capsize asking did make her heartbeat faster, it surely couldn’t be reality.

However, as Capsize looked down ever so slightly, pink fleshed cheeks and smile remaining ever so nervous, Sonja realised she had heard perfectly well.

“Yes! Yes, I would lo--! Yes!” Sonja could barely contain herself as excitement flooded through her bones. She so nearly threw her arms around Capsize and spun her through the air as she was suddenly filled with energy. She thought better of it, but her wide smile and relief filled laughter were utterly infectious. Capsize swore her tail was waggling.

The excitement did not remain between them for long as news of the dinner spread throughout the castle.

It was a moment they had all been waiting for. A clear sign of closeness between the two women that meant the curse had a real chance of breaking.

Truly, it seemed now that only a few more days, and the curse would be broken.

And this hope could not come at a better time.

The rose’s petals had begun to fall with more haste. Though the fact was being kept quiet, it was likely they had only a week left at most.

Yet, the hope was so real and tangible now that it overwhelmed all doubt.

Soon enough, they would have their lives restored and this would all just be a nightmare that they had escaped.

Chapter Text

The Champion of Lady Ianite walked through the darkened stone corridor biting down his unease. With all the preparation he had done for this meeting, he really had nothing to fear from it. Yet he had to admit that the building itself just bought forth a certain apprehension.

It was technically meant to be a place of wellness, somewhere where people with mental maladies could go for help to recover. However, with Monsieur Furia in charge of the place, everyone knew the building functioned far more like a prison. Those taken into the asylum would seldom return. Those that did had never recovered in any way and more often than not had grown worse in their stay.

Perhaps that was why Jordan hated walking through the building towards the office of the unsavoury man in charge. The weeping of those held here was not just audible but echoing, reminding him with every step what kind of fate he was plotting on inflicting on a man for his own gain.

However, despite the great many thoughts that came into his head of the many injustices caused by this place and the general awfulness of his plan, he gave rebuttals just as quickly. After all, the story Red was telling of Capsize’s disappearance was insane, so he may well have wound up in this place on his own merit. And he would only end up here in the first place if Capsize refused his proposal once again. Even she would not be so stubborn.

Those thoughts quite quickly shut up those arguing that no one deserved so much as a risk of ending up in this place. He additionally reassured himself, however falsely, that he had not formed this plan out of spite. That this plan hadn’t been primarily formed due to Redbeard publicly embarrassing him with his lies about Capsize’s feelings.

Though still, there was a sense of satisfaction that he couldn’t shake away no matter how he tried. So, the man thought Capsize would never marry him? Well then, he’d be stuck here in a tiny cell forever.

But, of course, Jordan knew it would never come to that. For whatever reason, Capsize loved her brother. She would never allow him to remain here. More importantly, she loved Jordan. She knew they were meant to be together, and she wanted to marry him. She just needed some prompting to finally admit that.

First of all, though, he had to actually make the deal with Monsieur Furia. Even if the champion was quite sure he had nothing to worry about, he still couldn’t fully shift his nerves. One wrong move and the man could utterly ruin him. But he’d thought long and hard about what he was going to say to persuade the man. If that wasn’t enough, the bribe he’d put together should be more than enough to get him on board regardless.

With that confidence in mind, he entered the office of a man that most in town hoped to never have a meeting with.

“Good afternoon, Monsieur. I’m so glad you could find the time to meet with me,” Jordan greeted politely as he entered the office to find the man in question sitting at a desk before him. Judging by the condition of the place, he sincerely doubted that he had in any way been busy. However, there was no reason to be impolite.

“Oh, I could never turn down such an intriguing invitation,” Furia said as he looked up from the papers he was working on to greet the champion with a smile that utterly repulsed him.

There was nothing about the man before Jordan that was in any way reputable. He was utterly driven by his own self-interest which was mostly the ability to lord power over those who could not fight back. Needless to say, he was not the sort of person that anyone wished to be associated with.

Jordan was no different. But Capsize had left him with absolutely no choice. “Now, what exactly do you need my services for, champion?”

“I’ve been having some troubles in my personal life that I believe you can assist in resolving,” Jordan began as he sat down opposite the man. It was impossible to miss the quirk of Furia’s eyebrow, even in this dim room where he had made his nest. It did amuse Jordan somewhat to have such a feared individual in any way confused or intrigued, but he had come here to do something important. He had to focus on the task at hand. “It’s Capsize you see. Obviously, we’re meant to be, but she’s been playing hard to get. Normally, fine, but this time she’s gone so far as to reject my proposal.”

Though now a couple of months had passed since the incident, the humiliation of being shoved into the mud still festered as though it had merely been a few days ago. Everything had been so perfect. They’d had a great date, he’d gotten a beautiful ring, and he’d had her garden set up in a scene right out of any woman’s dream.

Yet still she had seen fit to reject him when they were so obviously meant to be together. Then she had run off and hid rather than face him and apologise for the embarrassment she had caused and the moment she had ruined.

“An interesting problem, but I really don’t see how I can be of use to you,” Furia said, immediately dismissive or perhaps just disappointed. Either way, it brought an annoyance forth in Jordan who was not used to such a reaction when he spoke.

He knew he should’ve forced Tucker along as back up. Though he doubted the man would’ve been much help with how scared of coming to this place he had been.

Fear was the only reason Jordan could reason out for the man’s actions over the past couple of months. Since the two of them had come up with this plan, Tucker had done everything to delay their actual meeting with Furia. While at first it had seemed that his friend was just practicing an abundance of caution, it had been quite thoroughly dragged out into nothing more than a cause for frustration as time had passed on.

But Jordan could forgive his friend for his fear. It was not as if anyone wanted to make a trip to the asylum. He’d tasked him with keeping an eye on Capsize’s house and to keep the siblings there should they make their return. That way at least he was assisting despite not having the stomach to come to the actual meeting.

However, facing the condescending smile of Monsieur Furia alone, he wished that he’d just dragged Tucker here despite the man’s cowardice, so he’d have some back up. But all that thought did at this point was leave him annoyed.

“As much as your fanatics in town might think otherwise, it isn’t a sign of madness for someone to reject you,” Furia laughed at his own comment as Jordan wrinkled his nose. He didn’t appreciate being treated like an idiot, but he couldn’t afford to make a retort.

He could resist saying the numerous comments that were flooding into his head. He only needed to put up with the man for as long as it took for his plan to come to fruition. Once he and Capsize were married he could say all the insults he was currently just imagining.

“Obviously, she’s unendingly, annoyingly stubborn, but she isn’t mad. That’s precisely why you could be so helpful in persuading her,” Jordan said before taking a pause. He knew once he said his next words, there would no longer be any going back with his plan. If he were to try and back out afterwards, Furia would surely blackmail him and make his life utterly miserable. However, he’d already thought enough about his plan. He had no hesitation left. “It’s Redbeard that’s lost his mind.”

“Oh?” Monsieur Furia lent forward, suddenly more than intrigued. He had almost entirely written off this meeting as a pointless fumbling as the champion dealt with being rejected for the first time in his life. But it seemed the man had a dishonourable streak that he hadn’t accounted for. Still, he couldn’t do something just because the champion suggested it. There was a careful balance in his work in regards to just what the town would accept from him. “I’m quite sure that both siblings are of sound mind. They have some odd customs and beliefs, sure, but nothing that’s any of my concern.”

“I thought so too, but the same night Capsize rejected my proposal, Redbeard stumbled into the tavern raving about a monster,” Jordan said, managing to summon forth concerns that he did not truly hold. That was the role he would have to play for the town, after all. He was nothing but a man concerned for his love’s brother who appeared to have lost his mind.

To Furia, it was not the most convincing of performances, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Wherever the champion was going with this, he knew it was going to be such fun. Still, though, he had the champion very much at his mercy. How could he let the opportunity to toy with the man slip through his fingers?

“Drunken ramblings, surely. The man’s known to drink heavily and tell tall tales. If I detained people for that, the tavern might have to close down,” He laughed. Even though he was not in any way a social man, Furia still knew of Redbeard’s reputation in town. There was little chance he could get away with imprisoning the man if he was just doing what any drunk might do.

Jordan saw this comment as a hidden question, that Furia needed to ensure that his own back was covered. With all the time he had had to think this plan over, he had prepared an explanation already.

“I thought so too, but even a week later, he was still going on about a monster in the woods and other such ridiculous nonsense,” Jordan said, not quite managing to hide his contempt this time as he remembered how the man had lied about Capsize hating him. If that didn’t prove his insanity, Jordan didn’t know what would.

But, of course, whether Red was truly insane or not mattered little. So long as he had the appearance of a madman, Furia would have more than enough reason to detain him. That was all that was needed. “The whole town has been whispering about his fall into madness. But Capsize, she’d never allow her brother to be locked up, she’d take any offer presented to her to help him.”

At those words, Furia paused. The implication was clear and obvious, but he genuinely could not believe that one of the champions of the gods was proposing such a plot to him. It was enough of a shock for him to wonder if this was a trap somehow, though not enough for him to outwardly panic.

“Are you suggesting that I detain Redbeard so you can blackmail Capsize into marrying you?” Furia asked, careful to keep his face neutral. It was impossible to tell whether or not he approved of the plan.

Perhaps that should have given Jordan pause. The mere chance that even a man known to be so despicable might disapprove of the plan he had concocted. But the champion’s mind had been long since made up. If Capsize and Redbeard were dead set on embarrassing him and avoiding the wants of their Lady, he had no qualms about using a plan that would force them to desperation. He knew, after all, that the ends would justify the means.

So, his only response to Furia’s question was to reach for the silver-stuffed pouch on his belt and throw it onto the man’s desk.

Furia, hearing the heavy thump as it landed, had a good idea of what the pouch contained. Still, his eyes gleamed as he pulled it open and confirmed the riches inside.

“For your assistance and discretion,” Jordan said with a casual smile. It wasn’t as if Red would actually spend any time in one of these cells, Capsize would see sense at the sight of the cart coming to take him away. And if she didn’t, it wouldn’t take more than a few days for her stubborn resistance to break. So, it wasn’t as if he was going to do the man any real harm.

“It’s just awful,” Furia said.

For the first time, Jordan panicked. In all his planning, he never once considered the idea of Furia refusing to assist him. Without the man actually threatening to detain Redbeard, his entire plan fell apart. However, his panic was incredibly short lived.

Monsieur Furia’s face broke into a devilish smile. “Truly awful for such a young man to lose his mind like this.”

With that, the asylum director began laughing, unable to hold back his delight at the plan. He could only hope that Capsize would try to stand her ground with her rejection and he’d be able to stretch the fun out for days rather than hours.

Jordan laughed too, relief washing through him. With the deal done and the plan sealed, there was no chance that Capsize would reject his proposal if their marriage would protect Redbeard.

All that was left to do was await the siblings’ return and book the church.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Jeriah could not help but wonder why it seemed as though the entire world had changed in the couple of months that he had been away from the town.

The unusualness had, admittedly, begun far before he had returned. It had started when he had left, expecting a normal enough meeting with those who had taken over running the blood knights in his retirement. Though he was looking forward to a refreshing change from his repetitive everyday life, he knew that it was going to be a few weeks entirely focused on business. Or at least it should’ve been.

Instead, a few days after arriving, he had been surprised by the arrival of Spark Conway. An incredibly welcomed surprise given how long it had been since he had seen his friend in person. Yet everything had spiralled so quickly after their happy reunion.

At first, the two men had just been happy to see each other. It had been years and, even with the mundanity that Jeriah’s life had fallen into, they had had plenty to catch up on. However, the more they had discussed, the clearer it had become that something was incredibly wrong.

It had started with one singular unexplainable gap. A gap in their memories that surely must’ve existed for quite some time, but one that their minds had completely skipped over until they stated it out loud.

Jeriah had always had the distinct knowledge that he had been sent to the sleepy town where he now resided by Spark. His house was in fact owed by the other man, so clearly him being there was of quite some importance. But Jeriah could not recall the reason he had been sent there, nor could he at all fathom one from what his everyday life was in the town.

However, when he had asked Spark jokingly the reason, the man had frozen in place. He had the exact same gap in his memory as Jeriah did.

It was not entirely impossible that they had both forgotten. Quite illogical given how much importance they were both sure the task had, but not quite impossible. However, the gap alongside the itching sureness both of them had that they should’ve been able to recall the reason had gotten them discussing everything odd or unexplainable they could think of.

Some were innocuous, the books that Jeriah didn’t recall buying, similar unexplained belongings in Spark’s home. However, some were far more worrying. For example, Spark’s way of saying ‘his children’ or ‘his grandchildren’ despite how, to their recollection, he only had one of each. That realisation had caused such a horror in Spark that the two had needed to stop for the day as they tried to comprehend just what kind of nightmare could have him forget members of his own family.

For a reason that neither of them knew, their memories had been taken from them. While they had tried to figure out a cause, all they found was a mystery as unnerving as the memories they found missing. The only conclusion that they could come to was that there was something important being hidden from them in the town, likely whatever Jeriah’s mission had related to.

Whatever it was, they needed to investigate it.

However, their meeting had already gone on far longer than either of them had intended to be away for. What Jeriah had expected to be a couple week trip had extended into nearly two months away, the winter solstice’s arrival waking the two into reality from their all-consuming investigation.

Though neither was quite sure how such an amount of time had passed without them even thinking, they realised they could not rightly continue. Both had people that would already be concerned about them, that would only grow more worried each day they didn’t return. Spark certainly had a whole town who would be wondering of his whereabouts, and Jeriah had no doubt that Capsize and Redbeard would be worried by the length of his absence.

Despite wanting nothing more than to continue until they got to the bottom of the mystery before them, lest they forget its existence again, they knew they had to return to their homes. Though Spark made it very clear that he would be riding out to meet Jeriah in the town the moment he cleared up any messes left in his absences in Dagrun and found reasonable enough people to carry on his usual duties.

To try and ensure that whatever had taken their memories the first time would not strike again, Spark sent a letter ahead of himself with a reminder to meet his friend in the town in a few weeks. Jeriah assured he would send another to his friend once he was safely back home, seeing how important investigating further was to him.

With that, though, the two friends had parted ways. Spark back to Dagrun and Jeriah towards the dull town that apparently held something of far more interest than anyone could’ve predicted.

He had expected to return to a greeting by a concerned and likely annoyed Capsize, chastising him for not at least writing if he were to be gone for longer than intended. He’d already planned out an apology that involved recruiting her into investigating with him for the weeks until Spark could arrive. Hopefully the idea of some excitement would coax her into forgiving his extended absence.

Not to mention, it was curious to him that she had also been sent to this town for a reason that was a mystery to her. It was possible that both his and her mission were the same. Even if they weren’t, there was little chance Capsize would reject a chance to alleviate her boredom.

However, she was not there to greet him when he arrived home. Instead, what he found was a nearly crumpled letter that took him from one nightmare to another.

Jeriah.

I have no idea when you will return, but you’re the only person in this town who I believe will help us. Though I cannot afford to wait for your return, I hope that once you read this you will save Capsize from the horrible situation I have landed her in.

I know that the story I am going to write about in this letter is going to sound ridiculous. But I swear to you that everything I am going to describe is the truth.

On the first night of my journey to the market, I found my route blocked and was forced to take an alternative one. An odd forking path that seemed to just be a longer road to the same destination. However, this path led to a castle. One I assumed abandoned and sought shelter in from the storm and a pack of wolves that I had attracted the attention of. However, my assumption was incorrect. The building is the home of a host of enchanted objects and its Mistress is a vicious Beast.

I truly cannot express the sort of monster the Beast is. It's the size of a bear but with the intelligence and speech of a human. It could lift me with one hand but could move silently as if it was nothing more than a shadow.

It imprisoned me for trespassing and the theft of a rose, locking me in cells high up the castle’s tower. I should’ve rightfully frozen to death there. I wish I had rather than what happened in reality.

The next night, Capsize found me. I still don’t understand how seeing that she knew nothing of the Beast and my imprisonment clearly shocked her, but all my pleas for her to leave fell on deaf ears. Even when the Beast found her, she refused to leave. She bargained for my life, none of her deals being taken until she offered to trade her freedom for my own.

You have to understand that I tried to convince her not to. I begged her to just leave me there rather than sacrifice herself. But she refused to listen, and I was too weak from the cold to fight back against the Beast removing me.

I was transported back to town by its magic. I tried immediately to rally the champions to rescue Capsize, but they treated my story as nothing more than drunken ramblings. Perhaps that’s a disbelief I deserve, but I truly swear to you on her life Jeriah, all of what I’ve stated is the truth.

I fear for Capsize’s life. Though I know the quickness of my own near death was due to being soaked through from the night’s storm, I cannot imagine her lasting through the winter in that cell. And every moment of sleep I have managed has been haunted by visions of the Beast tearing her apart for trying to escape.

I’ve enclosed a map marked with the route to the castle. While I am going to head out into the woods myself once this letter is delivered, I doubt my chances against the Beast alone and I know if it finds me attempting to rescue Capsize, I will certainly be killed. I just cannot allow myself to stay in this town when I know she’s at the mercy of that creature. If we are not back by the time you return, it’s likely that I’ve already failed.

I beg you, rescue Capsize in my stead. I’m unsure if even a trained soldier like yourself could fight the creature single handedly, but you have friends that I do not. If you need money to pay for your militia’s services, you can sell any of my belongings that you believe have worth and take whatever you deem necessary from our savings.

I wish I could thank you in person, but if you’re reading this letter, I sincerely doubt I will be able to. But thank you for being a friend to Capsize and thank you for helping her if I have failed.

~Redbeard.

Jeriah read the letter thrice over, but the shaky handwriting did not change. Each time only set the horror further in his chest. Until finally, he had no more denials and sprinted from his home towards that of the siblings. Neither the icy ground underfoot nor the stares of the bustling midday market slowed him. For the first time in decades, prayers ran through his head as he desperately hoped to find the two safe from harm.

The house stood dark and empty. He knew that for a fact without having to enter, and it was almost immediately enough to send him into despair. However, he could not afford to. He would learn nothing more of the situation standing still in the garden. So, he forced himself inside.

It was clear from just stepping inside that no one had entered in quite a number of weeks. A thin layer of dust had begun to settle in a way that he was sure neither sibling would live with. It pointed to just what Redbeard’s letter had said, that the house had stood empty for nearly two months.

He kept moving throughout the rooms, scared that otherwise his thoughts would become full of awful self-loathing for the consequences of his late return. Though none of what he found in any way reassured him, it at least kept his thoughts cycling.

The main fireplace held the long since burnt out remains of wood. A discarded blanket lay in front of it which Jeriah stared at for a beat too long as the idea of an inescapable cold ran through him. Upstairs, an open and half empty chest that contained sailors’ equipment, alongside a sword and a pistol had been pulled into the middle of Redbeard’s bedroom. And there was noticeable mess throughout the home where objects had clearly been taken quickly with no belief that the place would be faced again.

All of this he attributed to Redbeard’s preparation for his own rescue attempt. Though he supposed some of it could’ve been Capsize, her room seemed in relative order and the only things of note he could believe missing from it were her pain tinctures and the book he had gifted her. Neither pointed to her knowing her brother to be in danger when she left.

When had she realised then?

Jeriah sighed as he knew he was asking questions that he could not know the answers to. Questions that didn’t matter anyway. Neither of the siblings were here and clearly hadn’t been for quite some time. Even if the details in Redbeard’s letter were incorrect, it was unquestionable that something terrible must’ve befallen the two.

Normally he would’ve written off the notion of ‘the Beast’ as the man’s panicked mind making sense of watching a natural but terrible fate happen to his sister. After all, it seemed unlikely that such a creature could exist so close to the town without a soul realising its existence. Wolves or a bear or even bandits seemed a far likelier explanation. But he had just spent two months attempting to investigate his and Spark’s missing memories that seemed inescapably linked to this town. Looking at the route Red had marked out for him to follow to the Beast’s castle left him the same itching in his head as attempting to figure out the reason Spark had wanted him here.

It was impossible for him to shake the feeling that the two were linked.

For now, though, it didn’t matter. If Spark had sent him here for some quest linked to this Beast and its castle, the more pressing fact remained that the siblings were in danger or worse. He’d be damned if he abandoned the only two tolerable people in this town.

If Red’s assessment of the creature held true, Jeriah wouldn’t be able to fight it by himself. He’d need to send for help, both from the blood knights and whatever fighters Spark could drum up. As much as he worried for Capsize and hated the idea of leaving her in danger for any longer than he already had, what good would he do if he rushed in alone and was defeated? Even if he hated it, he’d just have to take the fact that there were no signs of a goddess throwing a fit as evidence enough that Capsize was currently surviving and would continue to do so for the amount of time it took him to gather allies.

However, he wouldn’t sit around twiddling his thumbs. Alone he could investigate the woods, at least. To see if this castle truly existed and if he could find Redbeard anywhere along the route. He didn’t know what to think of the man’s chances, but he could force himself to be optimistic about finding Red somewhere out there. It made thinking of rescuing Capsize easier if he didn’t think of the horrid news he would have to give her afterwards.

He rubbed his temple. How had returning home led to a greater nightmare than the investigation with Spark? That was a question he knew had no answer.

And there were certainly no more answers, not here anyways. There was nothing more for him to find in this empty house. He should return to his own to prepare for a trip through the woods.

“Redbeard?! Capsize?!” Or not. Overhearing that call immediately set an anger within him that he knew he was not going to be able to bite down. He had struggled to put up with the champions at the best of times. Now he knew they had left a desperate man with no aid, the small amount of excuse their youth had given them in his mind had been stomped into nothingness.

As Tucker pushed through the slightly ajar door, the only thoughts in his mind were hopes to the gods he had enough time to warn the siblings of Jordan’s plan before the man was done with Monsieur Furia. Instead, he was greeted by Jeriah, the misanthrope’s face stormier than he had ever seen it.

“Oh, Jeriah, when did you get back?” He greeted, more than a little awkwardly as he tried to ignore the way the man was staring at him. He really felt as though the man was considering killing him.

“Less than an hour ago,” The older man said, the disdain already clear in his tone.

He truly had always tried to hold an even temper with the people of this town. If they gave him his privacy, he would keep to himself. But even watching the everyday actions of the champions he had occasionally felt unable to.

Now, after all the years of hearing them lorded as heroes only to have them show such cowardice when they were actually need was enough to break any reluctance to speak his mind. “I came back to quite an interesting letter from Redbeard, about a Beast imprisoning Capsize and how you and Jordan refused to help him rescue her.”

“Err…” Tucker struggled for a response. He had been so focused on attempting to stop or at least slow down Jordan’s blackmail plot that all thoughts of riding out into the woods after Red had slipped his mind. It was not so much that he had forgotten that Capsize was in apparent danger and that both the siblings had been missing for far too long for a lack of concern, but the danger from his fellow champion had been quite consuming in his mind.

Now he had been reminded, though, his mind was racing for any excuse for his inaction despite how there wasn’t one to be had. With how long it had been since he’d seen either sibling, had his attempts to stop Jordan’s plans merely been attempts to defend the dead? The panic that thought running through his head caused broke onto his face and caught in his throat as he tried to answer to the man. “I… Well, I mean, I was going to—”

“Going to?! Tell me Jericho, how long has it been since you last saw Capsize or Redbeard?” Jeriah cut him off with no charity for the man’s hesitation. It wasn’t as if the man had everyday responsibilities. He spent most of his days hunting with his fellow champion or lounging around in the tavern. If he’d regretted his lack of help at any point, he’d ample time to ride out to the woods to try and find either sibling.

“Two months…” Tucker said, squirming under the eyes of the old soldier. His own guilt grew worse now he was facing someone’s judgement. But Jeriah didn’t know the full story, that he couldn’t leave town without their situation being made all the worse. That leaving Jordan to his own devices posed just as great a threat as any other the two might be facing. “But—!"

“Don’t you dare make an excuse! You and Jordan spend your days playing heroes, that requires helping when people are in danger no matter how ridiculous you assume their story is!” Jeriah yelled, causing the champion to flinch, not that he cared about the reaction at all. Frankly, he didn’t have time to stomp the basic idea of responsibility that a god’s champion was meant to hold into Tucker’s head. He had to clean up this mess himself. “Now get out my way. I’m going to the woods to find them. You and Jordan best hope the two haven’t died from your inaction!”

For a moment, Tucker was so stunned and ashamed that he completely froze and allowed Jeriah to push past him. Then his brain took hold, forcing him to remember what would happen the moment Capsize and Redbeard arrived back now that Jordan was meeting with Monsieur Furia. He whirled back to life.

“Wait! You can’t!” He yelled out in a panic as he spun on his heel, grabbing Jeriah’s shoulder. If the man had looked angry before, he looked positively murderous when he whipped back around. Tucker stumbled back, expecting a punch that never came.

“Why not?! Because it’ll make the two of you look bad?!” He spat. He was beyond caring about making assumptions of character about the champions.

“Because the moment they get back, Jordan is planning to get Redbeard thrown into the asylum to blackmail Capsize into marrying him!”

This time it was Jeriah that froze.

“What?” He breathed, barely able to process the statement he had just heard.

Now, Jeriah was not nearly as oblivious to the goings on in the town as its residents tended to assume. He knew of Jordan’s… infatuation with Capsize. The man was less than subtle about it. He’d first met her being harassed by the man’s attempts at flirting. Then once Jordan had realised that he was friends with Capsize, the man had actually knocked on his door and attempted to pry for information.

He’d never asked for Capsize’s opinion of the champion. She’d never wanted to discuss him and since she clearly had negative experiences with the man, he didn’t blame her. However, he knew enough to know distinctly and clearly that she didn’t like Jordan, not platonically and certainly not romantically.

If Jeriah had to guess, Capsize would rather die than marry Jordan. Which might explain the blackmail, but that left the question as to how the champion had landed on such a plan in the first place. Thankfully, there was someone right in front of Jeriah that could provide him with those answers.

Tucker found himself grabbed by the arm and dragged over to the sitting area of the abandoned house. He was shoved into a chair, looking up in confusion as Jeriah sat down across from him. Despite the coziness of his current surroundings, he was quite sure he was about to be interrogated.

“Start from the beginning and tell me how in the hell this happened,” Jeriah said, no longer yelling, but his underlying anger was undeniably still present. He would not be letting the champion leave until he had been told everything he wanted to know about what had happened in the town while he had been away.

Tucker hesitated to start. On one hand, he finally had the ability to tell someone of the situation without fear of them disbelieving him and quickly taking his words back to Jordan. That should’ve been a relief. But he also knew that none of the story he would have to tell would make him look good, none of it would be easy to admit.

However, the old soldier’s eyes were boring into him just as his words were worming his way into his head. At this point, what did he want his title to mean?

“It started the day that you and Red were leaving town. Jordan told me he was going to marry Capsize,” He started, recalling the day through a numbed regret as it felt as though it had been two years ago rather than two months. It had been such a usual and carefree day. How had everything changed so quickly? “He’s always said that she’s just playing hard to get, so I helped him set up his proposal the next day. But Capsize said no.”

He had been so focused originally on the hurt that Jordan has felt. But god, now the terror that had filled Capsize’s eyes when she’d been locking herself in the house at the end was haunting his thoughts.

“I tried to talk to her later, but she was angry about the proposal and that I’d helped. She went on a walk somewhere out of town. I don’t know where exactly, she wouldn’t tell me. That… that was the last time I saw her.”

Tucker found himself shellshocked at that realisation. The last time he had seen Capsize she’d told him she wanted to get as far away as possible because of a proposal he’d helped with.

Jeriah didn’t soften. He couldn’t hold much sympathy for the champion when at least some of the troubles he found himself facing were very much his own fault. However, he didn’t want him stuck in whatever what-if scenario he was currently locked in.

“When did Redbeard come to you for help?” He said with no comfort as he was merely trying to push the man through the story.

“Later that night. I’d taken Jordan to the tavern to cheer him up because he felt humiliated,” Tucker began again, unable to miss how Jeriah’s glare intensified at his words. “And late into the night, Red appeared yelling like a madman, talking about a beast in the woods that had imprisoned Capsize. He wanted me and Jordan to help him save her.”

“And you both refused.”

“Jordan threw him out onto the street, said he was making it all up so Capsize could go to the market and not need to face him for a few weeks,” He managed to croak out. He thought again of his own inaction that night.

He’d felt how cold Red’s skin was. He’d seen the tears in Red’s clothes. He’d heard the absolute desperation in Red’s voice. He had been worried. Yet he had still trusted Jordan’s judgement over his own.

But he couldn’t linger on it. The story wasn’t over, so he had to force himself through. “Then maybe a week later, we saw Redbeard again. Still looking a mess, still going on about Capsize being imprisoned by a beast. But this time, Jordan told Red about the proposal and they got into a yelling match about it. And Red ended up yelling in his face that Capsize can’t stand Jordan.”

There was a lot more to what the man had said, Tucker knew, but the exact details didn’t really seem important at this point.

“Jordan started muttering about Red being insane, which led him to his blackmail idea. He’s planning to bribe Monsieur Furia to detain Redbeard if Capsize won’t agree to marry him,” He finished, his energy completely leaving him. He’d already been exhausted from trying and failing to stop Jordan’s plan from progressing, having to explain how it had come to be left him drained.

Still, though, Jeriah’s opinion on his actions hadn’t changed.

“That all happened in only a little more than a week. You didn’t think at any point between then and now that you should go and look for either of the still missing people?” He asked, not quite demanding an answer but expecting one. It was the recurring sticking point for the anger that wouldn’t leave him. His own anger at himself for not returning earlier was extended to and made all the worse by the champion who had been here the whole time and chosen not to help.

“I’ve been trying to stop Jordan from meeting with Monsieur Furia! He’s already got the support of the town, all leaving him alone would’ve done was give him time to prepare!”

“And where’s Jordan now?! How has trying to delay the meeting gone for you in the long run?!”

“At least I know it’s happened! If I’d left, I would’ve had no idea! What good would it do to find them if Red’s immediately imprisoned or Capsize’s forced into a marriage she clearly doesn’t want?!”

Jeriah bit back insults he desperately wanted to throw. He wanted to call the man a coward, to give a thousand different retorts for what he could’ve done if he had any sort of backbone. But what good would it do now? What was done was done, and Jeriah couldn’t afford to throw away any potential ally at this point.

After all, of everyone in town, it was clear that Jordan was the one that held the most sway. Even compared to his fellow champion, he was the one that people listened to. If he wanted the general belief to be that Redbeard was insane, the only way any of them would be able to dissuade the notion was to possess evidence to the contrary.

“Do you want to actually help Capsize and Redbeard?” Jeriah asked with a far softer tone than he had used throughout the conversation. Still gruff and still angry, but not actively judging.

“Yes! Of course, I do,” Tucker said, not quite snapping. Even if he understood that the question was needed and was deserved, it still tore away at him. He should’ve helped them long before. The shame that he hadn’t was so much easier to swallow if he let it escape as anger. If he pretended that he had just as much a reason to judge Jeriah as Jeriah had to judge him.

“Good. I have a map to where Redbeard say the Beast’s castle is. Ride out with me today into the woods. We’ll see if we can find some sign of Redbeard, Capsize, or this Beast,” Jeriah had no idea the chances of finding anything, but he certainly had an easier time believing he would actually return from his ride to the Beast’s castle if he took the champion with him. All he needed was enough evidence for Redbeard’s story to be plausible, then Jordan’s plan would be foiled.

“Wait, you actually think there might be a beast?” Tucker asked. Though he had certainly feared some terrible incident had befallen Capsize and caused Red’s tale, he hadn’t imagined the story he had told actually being true. For Jeriah to believe such a tale felt unbelievable.

But the old soldier had seen a great many unbelievable things in his years. Monsters were not an unbelievable idea to him. Though, the idea of one being so close to the town without anyone noticing would’ve given him pause normally. Now he had very good evidence that there was something wrong with this town. If the Beast wasn’t the explanation, then it still very well fit into the mystery.

“Over the past two months, my friend and I have been investigating memories of ours that appear to have been taken from us. There’s something in or around this town that something doesn’t want us to know about. This Beast seems as good an explanation as any.”

“Wait, what do you—”

“Capsize? Redbeard?” Tucker silenced himself as Jordan’s voice carried into the house. His curiosity to know what Jeriah had been doing in his absence was immediately buried by the anxiety of needing to face Jordan when they had just been discussing working against him. He was absolutely sure his friend was going to sniff out the fact that he’d turned traitor.

Jeriah, however, held no such fear of facing the man. He’d dealt with a great deal of delusional egotists in his time. The newest really didn’t give him any pause.

“I’ll do the talking. Just assure him you’re still on his side once I leave then meet me in a few hours with a horse and a weapon,” He said in a low voice to Tucker, hoping to ensure the newly arrived champion didn’t overhear. Then he rose to his feet and made his way towards the door, this time with a far more neutral expression.

Tucker too rose to his feet, but he could only follow behind hoping to the gods that Jeriah knew what he was doing.

Jordan wasn’t quite sure who he had expected to greet him, but it was not Jeriah. Frankly, he never really thought of the man when he wasn’t actively lecturing him and certainly hadn’t considered his reappearance within his plan.

Yes, the soldier appearing before him was an obstacle that he hadn’t at all accounted for. He might be a misanthrope within the town, but he was still Capsize’s friend and could prove an annoyance to him should she go to him for help, especially if he believed any of Red’s story.

So Jordan would just have to ensure that he didn’t. He wasn’t about to have his relationship ruined once more after putting in so much effort to fix it.

“Sir Jeriah? I hadn’t realised that you’d returned,” He greeted with a smile as if the two were in any way friendly with each other.

“I can’t blame you for that, I’ve only been back perhaps an hour,” Jeriah said as if he would’ve expected the champion to notice his return at any point. Both men were very much locked in a dance of fake niceties. They could not allow the other to know of their plan or get a suspicious impression of them. So they needed to hide their true feelings from each other. “I’ve only come out here so soon due to receiving a rather concerning letter from Redbeard.”

“Oh?” Jordan said, just about managing to keep his worry about such a letter existing internal. Had Redbeard shared his delusions about Capsize disliking him with Jeriah? If so, how was he ever meant to persuade the man of his good intentions? “A letter?”

“A scrawled rambling about Capsize being imprisoned and his intent to travel into the woods to fight a Beast to free her,” Jeriah did his best to sound as if he held no belief of the story holding truth. He hoped that his friendship with Spark had imparted some of the man’s silver tongue to him. He was absolutely sure that his true worry for the siblings and disgust with the man before him was coming forth, only reassured to the contrary when he saw no doubt on the champion’s face. “I rushed here hoping to find him and stop him from recklessly putting himself in danger and get to the bottom of where such a tale came from. Instead, I found Jericho who informed me he’d been telling the same tale to you both.”

Such a wave of relief washed over Jordan, doubled when he saw Tucker come up behind the misanthrope. Leaving Tucker here to keep watch had been a fantastic idea on his part after all. He’d managed to get the stubborn old man firmly to the opinion of Red’s insanity.

“Yes, we’d thought at first that he was just drunk. But a week on and he was still spinning the impossible tale. The whole town has been whispering about his fall to madness,” Jordan said. It took a great deal of effort to not grin at the development, even knowing such an action would be a dead giveaway. But he really was delighted. Even the closest person in town to Capsize thought Red had lost it.

Maybe Capsize would too. Sure, she was defensive of her brother, but surely even she must have a limit. Regardless of whether she believed or not, though, if even her friend believed her brother insane, she would have no argument against Monsieur Furia’s judgement. Who would she have to turn to for aid but him?

“So it’s as bad as I feared,” Jeriah muttered, taking a breath to keep his rising anger hidden. He just needed to persuade the man he was on side for one conversation. But no matter how he reminded himself, he was still left with a bitter taste in his mouth for the way he was acting. “I’ll ride out and try to find him tonight. Hopefully he’s managed to keep himself safe from harm despite his mental state.”

This was getting better and better. Not only did Jeriah believe Red mad, he was going to deliver him right into the clutches of Furia. Jordan couldn’t have prayed for such luck.

With an opportunity to exit, Jeriah began to walk past him. But as he did, a thought popped into Jordan’s head. If the man was off to find Red, there was a chance he’d find Capsize at the same time. If the two were hiding, it only made sense that they’d be hiding together.

Then it held to reason, that Jeriah would be the one to tell the story of her brother’s madness to her. Jordan needed to make sure that he made a good impression in that story.

“Wait,” He said. Jeriah stopped on the top stair, one below the tiny front porch where the champion currently stood. He turned back to look at the face laced with false concern. “Do you think it’s wise to bring him back to town when Monsieur Furia had no doubt heard of his state? I cannot imagine my Capsize’s reaction if he ended up dragged to the asylum.”

There was a flash of absolute rage and disgust in Jeriah. One that left him wanting to spit at the man for attempting to fain concern for a fate he was busy ensuring the man would suffer. But if he did such a thing, not only would he be wasting whatever advantage this conversation had built him, he suspected that the champion would be rallying for his forced detainment as well.

But he was left with enough anger that he could no longer resist the urge to make the champion squirm at least a little. It might even buy them some time if Jordan felt the need to scramble to improve his plan.

“I can’t very well leave him in the woods to die. No doubt Capsize would have a far worse reaction to that. But should the worst happen and Furia has taken an interest, I have an old friend known to help people out of sticky situations. I have no doubt Spark would be happy to aid his fellow Ianitees should I write to him of their troubles.”

With that, Jeriah turned back to his exit. He had far too much preparation to do to continue playing make believe with Jordan. Hopefully the idea that someone else might be able to help Capsize free her brother would have the champion replotting for long enough that he could find the siblings and evidence of the Beast before he could ever begin blackmailing them.

Then he felt the hard shove on his back and realised too late just how far gone the champion already was.

Jeriah’s words about his friend flooded such a panic into Jordan’s head, one that forced him to act on impulse. Whoever this Spark Conway was, his arrival would ruin everything. His entire plan relied on Capsize only having him to turn to. Another Ianitee would just allow her to keep playing hard to get.

He needed to stop any letter from being sent to him no matter the cost. The easiest way to ensure that was for Jeriah to be out of the picture, no matter how useful he may have been otherwise.

Tucker saw his stance shift, realised that the push was coming the moment before it did, but he couldn’t grab Jordan’s arms in time to stop it.

With the unexpectedness of the shove and ice under foot, Jeriah lost his footing and fell from the stairs to the path below. There was a sharp pain that splintered across his forehead. Then his world went black.

Tucker stared frozen in shock. He prayed, begged for one single favour from Lord Mianite, that the man would get up. Instead, he watched as a deep crimson began to pool on the path.

“No!” Tucker practically flew down the stairs. He crouched by the man, fumbling to find a pulse. Though he couldn’t say he was in any way relaxed from his current panic, there was a small relief to find the man wasn’t dead.

Tucker turned to look back at his friend, sure that he would see shock or regret or horror or just something, something other than the easy smile he actually wore. Every bit of anger that he should’ve felt over the past two months ignited all at once. “Why the hell are you smiling?! You could’ve killed him!”

“He was going to ruin everything. I’m not having some random old friend of his appear to take Capsize’s attention away from me,” Jordan replied as he made his way towards Tucker. Why his friend was making such a fuss about this was beyond him. It wasn’t as if anyone cared about Jeriah anymore than they cared about Redbeard. “Besides, I didn’t really do anything. He slipped on the ice.”

“No! You shoved him!” Tucker argued back, refusing to let him rewrite his actions. He had already let him take this horrible plan much too far, because he wanted to believe his friend or maybe just because he was scared to lose his own standing in the town. But with Jeriah’s anger running through his head, he knew he had to fight back even if it was too late. “This has gone way too far. Capsize doesn’t want to date you let alone marry you! You can’t hurt everyone close to her to force her to be yours!”

Jordan blinked. He stood in stunned silence attempting to process that Tucker of all people had just spoken to him in such a way. His closest friend had just yelled at him. His closest friend was betraying him.

Jordan’s face hardened.

“You can look at me like that all you want! You can try and kill me too if you think that’ll somehow help you get married! But I’m not helping you with this anymore and I swear to Lord Mianite, I will stop you from doing any more harm!”

With those words, Tucker turned and hoisted Jeriah up onto his shoulder. Maybe he should’ve had some fear that Jordan would attack him like he had the misanthrope, but he’d made enough noise that townsfolks were beginning to wander over. Jordan wouldn’t dare attack his fellow champion when there were witnesses.

He had read the situation correctly. Jordan did not follow. Instead, he remained in the garden, weaving a tale to the concerned townsfolk of Redbeard attacking the soldier before fleeing towards the woods. With each word his resolve hardened. If Tucker was going to betray him, so be it. He would not allow the man to ruin the destiny his Lady had laid out for him. He could do this alone.

But Tucker had his own focus, carrying the unconscious Jeriah back to his house, hoping that he’d be able to find first aid supplies there rather than needing to run to the training grounds for them. He really had no idea where he was meant to start with undoing Jordan’s plan, but making sure Jeriah didn’t die seemed like an important step. Then he’d find the map Red had left for Jeriah and ride out to the castle where Capsize was.

He doubted Red would forgive him for not helping immediately when he could’ve. He doubted Capsize would forgive him for how her brother had been treated either. But Jeriah was right, he couldn’t keep playing hero and acting a coward.

As much as he remained unsure if there was really any truth to the tale of a beast, he had to question the itching familiarity he just couldn’t shift at the idea of a castle in the woods.

Chapter Text

When morning had come, the castle had found itself utterly ensnared in the hold of anticipation and nerves. There was within all its denizens a hope that they could no longer write off as unfounded. A sureness in the air that the curse was close to being broken.

Even with the petals on the rose now dwindled down to a number that could be counted on one hand, their fear of remaining in these forms was the weakest it had ever been. Even if all still held that inescapable whispering at the back of their minds that these forms would become permanent, it was so quiet now in their busyness preparing for the night ahead that it may as well have been non-existent.

Still, there was one in the castle who did not hold this intoxicating sureness of the curse breaking. That was Sonja. Not for a lack of faith. Truthfully, it just was the absolute furthest thought from her mind which was instead currently swimming with so many anxieties.

She had just about rid herself of the reoccurring dread of Capsize hating her. Clearly if the story of how she had gotten all those around her cursed had not driven the woman to write her off, that thought had to be nothing more than her own mind wishing herself further punishment.

So, it had finally settled in her mind: Capsize liked her. She saw her as a friend.

She knew it wasn’t enough. If it was, the curse would already be broken, but it meant that Sonja’s anxieties had moved past somehow ruining this for everyone. Now they were merely a nervousness rather than a sureness of the world crumbling around her.

After all, Capsize had invited her to dinner. How could she be anything but nervous? Everything needed to be perfect. Capsize deserved nothing less.

She had planned to spend most of the day checking over the castle to make sure everything was prepared. There were still so many rooms in the castle that had been left abandoned for years. If she could just check all the enchantments were still in working order, then at least a part of her mind could be put at ease.

However, once she had been awoken by Tom, she was very quickly dragged into instead getting herself properly prepared, groomed and dressed, for a formal event. It had quickly become clear that she would be doing nothing else until dinner was served.

Unfortunately, it was still quite anxiety inducing to think of her appearance. She had certainly left the mindset of being utterly disgusted by herself. The soft smiles Capsize wore when looking at her had worn that away to nothing. Yet she found herself with some anxiety nonetheless as she considered dressing up while standing in her old wardrobe.

“What? Think they’re too much?” Tom asked, mostly to break the silence that had formed since they’d stepped in here. He had to assume it was something along those lines that was causing her to stare in silence at the horde of hanging gowns.

“No… Well, maybe?” Sonja sighed, unsure of how precisely to explain her thoughts.

Inarguably, the dresses were too much. She had worn them as everyday outfits despite how they would be the fanciest and most eye-catching gown at any ball. They had always been too much for what they were meant to be, and Sonja had no desire to deny that as she had done as a teenager.

Though, given everything Tom had been excitedly yapping about, none of the gowns would be out of place for tonight. If she believed his words, Capsize would be wearing something just as dazzling. The very idea made her heart flutter, yet she couldn’t rid herself of the itching unsureness in her own head.

She had not worn one of her dresses since the first few days of the curse. She had, among the terrible panic and descending horror of those days, desperately tried to cling to normality. She had been in a fog of denial, trying to live normally as if her new form allowed for that.

All those dresses had ended up torn. One had been completely ripped apart when at last her anger at her new situation had boiled through all the denial. She wasn’t completely sure how any of the dresses had survived that time when none of her portraits or any of the mirrors in the castle had. It was likely just that her focus had been in the West Wing, survivors by happenstance more than anything else.

Even within the past couple of months where she had finally been dragged from her despondence and disgust of herself to the point of once more dressing like a person, the dresses had still remained untouched.

“Obviously, they fit the occasion, but I…” Sonja mulled over a way to ensure her reasoning didn’t sound like self-loathing. It was rather hard as the way she wanted to put it was that the dresses were designed for a princess. If she said that, she knew Tom would immediately leap to worry.

But truly, she didn’t mean it in a way that implied she no longer held her title or that this form made her unsuited to look like one. Rather, the dresses had been designed for a person she was meant to be, to represent her station rather than herself. Before the curse, she hadn’t minded. To be honest, she hadn’t even thought of it. Why would she have held any cares of such a notion when the same premise held true of every aspect of her life?

As ever though, Capsize had caused such a change in her thoughts. Capsize who never once treated her like a noble but treated her with kindness nonetheless, even when she didn’t deserve it. Was it even surprising that she had caused Sonja to reconsider so many of the elements of herself she had thought essential?

“I don’t really want to wear a dress,” She admitted, settling on not verbalising any of the many complicated feelings she held that caused said want.

Tom frowned slightly. He couldn’t precisely say she had said something worrying, but he struggled to think of a time pre-curse when Sonja didn’t wear dresses. Maybe when she had been especially young, he supposed. Still, she hadn’t gone back to wearing them even now with how much happier she looked these days. So maybe it was nothing to be concerned about. He’d asked Mot about it later.

For now, though, he just needed to make sure Sonja wasn’t chickening out of the dinner altogether.

“Well, that’s fine, we can have Wag whip you up something else. What do you have in mind?” He asked, hopping forward. As he moved, his flames caused reflections to dance across the wall as the light caught the various gems adorning the hanging garments.

Sonja paused in consideration. She knew what she wanted to wear, but she held some nerves about saying it. Even if she no longer cared for what would be classed as improper for one of her station, she had some anxieties of Tom laughing at her want.

It was a silly anxiety considering how much of a help he had been in getting through so many of her self-loathing thoughts. Still, it was an anxiety she had to fight past.

“A suit… You know, the sort you and Mot used to wear to festivals,” She said, fiddling with her paws. It felt strange to admit that after so long of fighting to be herself again that there were certain parts of the image of being a princess she did not miss.

Whatever reaction she had imagined from Tom, it was not a grin almost too large for his current form. He could absolutely work with this.

On the other side of the castle, Capsize was similarly getting ready. Though sorting through the wardrobes of clothes was somewhat more disconcerting than it had been at the beginning of her stay here, what with the knowledge that they were all belongings of those cursed by her goddess. However, what uncomfortableness she had with that was eased by Martha being with her as she sorted through dresses that had once belonged to the clock.

The selection was limited, though there were also far more options than she expected from a castle cut off from the outside world. There were a few dresses that she could easily describe as ballgowns.

She pulled one out that was a shimmering pale blue, the material soft between her fingers. The cut was maybe not the sort she had in mind but, again, she couldn’t exactly complain when she was picking from someone else’s wardrobe.

Martha quietly hummed as she watched the gown be carefully laid out on the bed. It was a piece for one of the winter balls for a time long enough ago it felt almost like she had dreamt it. She was sure it would look nice on Capsize and would certainly be appropriate for the dinner tonight. Though she was also admittedly holding a few questions in her head.

“You know, you don’t need to wear a dress. Mot certainly has suits that are around your size,” The clock said, hoping to not come across as presumptuous of the girl’s taste. Honestly, it was quite hard to tell her preference as she wore skirts and pants quite interchangeably throughout her time in the castle. While she doubted that she’d do anything just because it was expected of her, she still wanted to point out that other formal attire was available.

“Oh, I’m sure he does,” Capsize said, absent-mindedly thinking of all the clothes she had seen while searching for things to wear throughout her days here. There had been just as much masculine formal wear as there was feminine. “But I’ve missed wearing dresses.”

Obviously, there had been nothing physically stopping her from wearing them since she had moved to the town. It wasn’t like her life back on the ship where she’d needed to wear sensible clothes for seafaring. Sure, she hadn’t wanted to wear anything too nice when working on trinkets, but that still left plenty of time where she could wear whatever she liked.

She did have a handful of dresses in her home, those shipped and carted over from Ianerea by those who cared enough about her and Red to ensure their belongings were delivered to them. But, almost of them hung unworn.

“I suppose there isn’t much occasion for it in town,” Martha said, mulling over how few Ianitee celebrations there were in that place. Not that any sort of occasion was required for typical dresses, but having the discussion before a ballgown coloured her thoughts.

“Not really,” Capsize hummed, her thoughts currently more focused on figuring out if the dress she’d chosen would look short on her than on what she was actually saying. “And I wouldn’t want to imagine how annoying Jordan would be if he saw me wearing something like this.”

She could still remember his reaction to her wearing a dress in that first year. He’d begun badgering her about dressing up for him more. It had made her skin crawl. That had utterly shredded her desire to wear dresses any time he was around and mere thought of the mental energy it would take to try and avoid him prevented her from ever really trying again.

Martha, who had managed to miss all previous discussions of Capsize’s tumultuous relationship with Lady Ianite’s champion, blinked in confusion. Though the statement itself was innocuous, her tone held such utter disdain in a way that she truly wasn’t used to from Capsize.

Despite how it certainly wasn’t possible for the man to get to her now, Martha couldn’t help but be so greatly concerned.

However, before she could question and get any hint of what the man had done to cause Capsize to act so out of character, Waglington entered the room.

The floating robe quickly took the attention of Capsize, especially as he mentioned that Tom had requested that new clothes be made especially for tonight. The absolute excitement Capsize held at the idea seemed too pure to distract from.

So, Martha didn’t, and the worry quickly faded to the back of her mind.

🌹 🌹 🌹

The anticipation did not fade with the passing hours of the day. Rather it only grew with every moment of preparation. It was the best kind of anxiety one could feel, getting ready for a night with a person that made them feel so warm inside. That excitement fuelled them throughout each hour despite the uncertainty gnawing within their minds.

Then the hour finally came when there was no more preparation to be done. The sun had begun to set, an orange-pink glow draping across the snow-covered lands. The inside of the castle was lit with magical flames, making it awash with a warm flow that could be seen quite a way into the woods, though there was not a soul within them to see.

Sonja stared at herself in the reflection of a window. For the first time in so long, she didn’t cringe away from the view. She was looking at herself, the creature with fur and claws and horns, but still, she didn’t see a monster staring back.

Maybe the difference had been made by the effort Tom had put in to make her presentable. She certainly had been cleaned up far better than she had in years, to the point that perhaps she could be identified as royalty despite her current form. Maybe not truly, but after a day of bathing in oils and flowers that made water feel like silk, and wearing a magically created suit that fit perfectly with embellishments that glittered in the light, she did feel like she was embodying her title.

For the first time in forever, she was herself.

Still, she knew so much of it was down to Capsize. The woman who smiled at her and warmed her to her very core. The woman who proved time and time again that she saw her as a person rather than an animal. The woman who Sonja had come to…

She didn’t dare admit that truth, not even just to herself. It implied far too much that might completely break her if she thought too hard about it.

Now certainly wasn’t the time for that. She was, even if by nothing but technicality, the host for tonight. She couldn’t get lost in her own thoughts before it had even started. So, she pulled her mind away from everything that it was pointless to get caught up on.

She went through the doors, walking out to the top of the stairs. For the briefest moment she was alone. Then, on the other side of the grand staircase, emerged Capsize.

There had never been a moment where Sonja had thought Capsize as anything other than beautiful. Since first laying her eyes on her, her looks had been undeniable. Still, seeing her now, Sonja was struck speechless.

The dress she wore was most certainly Wag’s work as there was not a chance it had been made with anyone else in mind. It was a golden ballgown shimmering as she moved down the stairs. The sleeves rested off her shoulders, glittering lace layered to create them. Similar lace was layered over the top of the large skirt, decorated with crystal beads that sparkled as the rest of the dress shimmered.

Pale ribbons were sewn along the neckline and sleeves, tied into bows that were adorned with tiny fabric flowers. A similar decoration was pinned in Capsize’s hair, a bow adorned with a flower. Though, that one was not a fabric flower. Rather it was a very real orange lily.

Every moment, Sonja noticed something new or just something that looked beautiful. Yellow pear-drop earrings catching the light through her curls. Her cane, though, Sonja was quite certain it was the same one that had been ever present at her right side, but she was also sure that Wag must’ve done something to it as it shimmered like the rest of her ensemble.

All of it, though, still paled in comparison to the beauty of Capsize’s smile.

That thought finally snapped her from her speechless staring, into proceeding to the middle landing. She offered a paw to the woman who was yet to descend.

This gesture was what allowed Capsize to escape a similar frozen silence and descend down towards Sonja. She hoped that her friend wouldn’t be offended that she had been staring, but the way the suit was wearing fit her and complimented her fur was enough to dazzle her.

She took careful steps down to where Sonja was waiting for her, reaching for her waiting paw and allowing her hand to be taken. The hold was warm, comfortable. It was a touch that had become normal for the two of them, but it was tender, nonetheless.

The two could’ve been satisfied by quite literally any sort of interaction. They could’ve just sat on the steps and talked and been happy with the evening. However, they were not about to waste everyone’s effort.

Hand in hand, they headed towards the dining room.

The room was nothing like the room that had set so much dread into Capsize’s stomach that first night in the castle, despite how they were one in the same. Cleaning spells had done their work. The dust had been dusted away and every surface polished. The whole room was glimmering in the magical light, the multicoloured flames dancing in the fireplace.

Though the long table was meant for one person to sit on either end, it had not been set in such a way. Tom had suggested it as a way to make the evening more intimate. Then, surprisingly to even him, Martha had supported the idea. After all, noble traditions held no significance to Capsize, why stick to them if it would make the night better to do otherwise?

Hence the table settings, though still across from each other, were both set in the middle of the table, where the two would be far closer to each other.

Sonja hesitated at the sight of it, though only for a moment. She was finally past allowing the itching self-doubt to run free in her mind during their interactions. Instead, she let Capsize’s smile warm her heart and assure her that she was allowed to just be happy.

The Beast pulled out the chair for her companion. Though normally it may have caused Capsize to bristle, not tonight. The action that had annoyed her when done haphazardly by a man that she loathed so much, was now performed softly. She was comfortable. She was safe to accept.

For the briefest moment, her hand brushed against Sonja’s paw. However, what started as an incidental touch turned into a purposeful hold that Capsize held with a wide smile for a long moment before allowing Sonja to go to her own seat. It was playful in a way that made Sonja giddy. Though even now she dare not cling to it, that couldn’t rob her of her own smile.

Though both held nerves, the air was so light and easy that neither truly felt them. There was such a comfort between them now that they couldn’t help but fall into it even if the scenarios perhaps called for a more serious tone. The smiles and giggles brushed against the tens of hours of grace and decorum lessons Sonja had suffered in her youth, but they were so genuine and easy. All the proper etiquette in the world was nothing compared to how alive was with Capsize.

“You look beautiful,” She said quietly, half-hoping to go unheard, though that was never actually going to happen. They were completely alone in the room, anything they said was going to reach the ears of the other.

Capsize flushed a deep red, avoiding her eyes as she tried to compute a response. She had heard similar words countless times before, but they’d never had her react like this. This wasn’t a barbed prickle she wished she hadn’t heard. This was warm as so many of Sonja’s half-whispered comments had been.

She was left with a flutter in her stomach that she couldn’t explain. She couldn’t recall feeling such a way before. Though it was in no way a negative thing, thinking on it left her nervous. She didn’t want that tonight. So, why allow herself to dwell on it?

Pressing down and doing her best to ignore the confusion within herself, she smiled at Sonja.

“You do too,” She said.

Sonja had absolutely no idea how to react to that. Even without the immense self-loathing that would’ve quickly turned her to anger upon hearing those words, she still couldn’t believe she was hearing them. She was the furthest thing from beautiful.

Yet, as with all of Capsize’s kindness, there was such a genuineness to it that Sonja had no choice but to believe her words true. That made her chest tight, and she feared that if she tried to respond either her voice would fail her, or she’d simply burst into tears. Yet she couldn’t describe herself as anything other than delighted.

She was unable to hide her smile. The strength of it only served to make Capsize’s heartbeat wildly. Something about seeing her happy was so magical, though nerve-wracking at the same time.

That was the general air between them as the short wait began, anxiety that could’ve overwhelmed them drowned out by sheer joy.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Dinner went better than Sonja ever could’ve imagined. She had never been so glad they hadn’t done this that first night when it would’ve been filled with fear, anger, bitterness, and sorrow. It would’ve spoiled any chance of a night like this one. And what a night it was.

She hadn’t quite known what to expect. Obviously, she had attended formal dinners before and had expectations for how such events worked but tonight had already been so different from any of those experiences. It was far more intimate for one thing. And she’d never been as interested in any of her guests as she was in Capsize.

Capsize, who held no noble pre-conceptions of how the night should go. Hence, she was left with a slightly nervous posture, but an incredibly excited aura. She had been so delighted to just have good company, to have this private time together.

Her face had absolutely lit up at the first course. Tom had hopped inside with the same overwhelming level of excitement he always held, announcing the first course as a stew that Sonja hadn’t heard of, but Capsize definitely had.

“It’s from home,” She said with a wistful smile. It was an expression she rarely held outside of talking about the ocean. An expression of longing for a home she’d been away from for so long.

That set a bittersweetness into her joy, as Sonja couldn’t help but blame herself for that fact, even if she’d been away from home for far longer than she had been here. But Capsize didn’t seem to hold any blame towards her so she tried to ignore it as best she could. It was at least easy to just want to listen to her talk of places that she clearly held a great love for.

“Oh, is it special?” Sonja asked, looking curiously at the hearty liquid. She could tell it contained fish, which was entirely expected given that it was from an island with a sea-faring culture

From looking at it, she would’ve thought it to be overly salty. Yet it was spiced, and the flavours were balanced and lovely. The taste of salt seemed reserved for the dense bread that accompanied the meal, small flakes of kelp having been baked into the loaf.

“I don’t think so. It wasn’t something we ate at celebrations anyway,” She said, attempting to recall if there was any particular cultural story related to the dish, but only her own memories came to mind. Those of quiet family dinners, memories of being welcomed home from long journeys and comforted on hard days. “But I think a lot of people think of it as a comfort food, so they took the recipe with them when they left.”

She presumed that was how Steve had learnt the recipe. Some travellers had left Ianerea for Dagrun and taken the recipe with them as a little piece of home. Her and Red had tried to do the same when they’d first arrived in the town, but they lacked the ingredients that the recipe required and the replacements they’d tried just never left it with the same taste, let alone the same feeling.

Though it could’ve pulled her into bittersweet long, instead the far more recent memory that she associated with the dish came to her mind.

“It was the first meal I had here, though,” She smiled, recalling the real comfort it had given when she had desperately needed it.

Sonja couldn’t help but enjoy the meal more than she would’ve before, because of just how much it made Capsize smile. How could it be anything other than delicious when it gave her such an expression?

Conversation turned to Capsize’s home, this island so unknown to Sonja. The way Capsize spoke about it, though obviously tinted with nostalgia, made it seem somewhere magical. Everything she spoke about were things beyond Sonja’s experiences, and she wished she could go there with her. Though such an idea still seemed like a pipe dream.

However, there was still so much joy to be held in just hearing about the island. Especially the way that Capsize’s eyes lit up as she described certain memories, spoke about the way the sun hit the waves on the beaches. It was so glorious to get lost in her happiness.

It was so intoxicating that she didn’t even notice the main course coming into the room until it was already before them. This one she did recognise, though not from any of the fancy banquets or dinners she had hosted in her youth.

This was a comfort meal, one she had been served many a time when she had had a bad day. Fine meat that she could picture the other nobles that used to visit say had been ruined by being fried in egg and flour. It was served alongside rice that had been seasoned and spiced. It was something she hadn’t eaten in many years, having rejected it since her transformation despite how there were quite a number of days where she imagined it would’ve brought her out of the darkness just a little.

Having it again now caused so many memories to return, parts of her childhood previously stomped out of her mind over the years. Tears began welling in her eyes.

“So this dish is special to you then,” Capsize said, giving her a soft smile. She had not seen Foxx cry with happiness before. Though seeing any tears at all in her eyes felt wrong, she could take comfort knowing that they were due to joy rather than from misplaced self-loathing.

And seeing such a reaction from Sonja did make the meal feel special regardless of if there was actually any story behind it. Anything that brought her such joy was special on its own merit.

That thought almost caused Capsize to flush, though thankfully no such outward manifestation actually appeared.

“Mot used to make it for me when I needed cheering up… He said it was a meal from where he grew up,” The memories were hazy as the tale had been told when she was so young. Maybe she didn’t even actually remember, but rather she had pieced it together from small reminders over the years afterwards. But still, she held a sureness that, much like the previous dish they had shared tonight, this was a meal remembered fondly by someone far from home.

This time it was Capsize’s turn to ask questions. There was just so much she wanted to know about those who lived in the castle. She had heard so many vague stories, but now she knew the truth that the enchanted objects were truly people. She wanted to hear the stories that had previously been hidden from her.

Sonja was happy to share. Even if she still had to be careful as to not reveal her own secret. Though, as Capsize did not see her as anything less than a person, it did not take much effort to cover her own cursed nature. Even if she did happen to say a little too much, the smile on Capsize's face was more than enough to make the risk worth it. That smile just made everything seem right.

Capsize held onto every detail she was given. It was as though finally all the barriers that had been held between them were gone. Not that there had been all that many for quite some time now, but still she felt that there was something different in the air between them now. She could not describe the change, anything so precise was not right for states of emotions like this. She just knew that something was.

The difference, the closeness that had only grown between them, was what gave her idea its spark. Well, in her head, she believed it was the activity. She had, though not in any place as fancy as this, attended some formal dinners before, back in her days as a captain. None she had enjoyed as much as tonight. What chance did those memories have in such a comparison when she had shared them with strangers?

Regardless of that, though, her previous experiences did put a certain thought in her mind of the other activity she associated with such nights. An activity she never would’ve thought to suggest if not for how comfortable she was with Sonja, though her head was not quite ready to acknowledge that fact any more than just how close they truly were.

So, instead, she just smiled.

“Will you dance with me tonight?” She asked.

The question jolted Sonja’s brain back to the racing anxiety she had become so used to, the one that so often made her hesitate with Capsize. Of course she wanted to say yes, but such an activity was surely implying far too much. Besides that, though she could acknowledge that she had been far better at controlling her strength lately than she had at any other point since she had been cursed, she still had such a fear of misjudging it and hurting Capsize.

She reasoned that fear was why the idea made her so nervous. She couldn’t think of any other reason she would be. After all, her heart was begging her to just let this happen. It was just that she…

As she looked at Capsize’s smile, she wondered how she could even contemplate refusing her proposal.

“Of course I will,” She said with her own smile, hoping her voice didn’t shake as she was so convinced it did. The last thing she wanted was to give the impression of reluctance.

Luckily, she gave no such impression. Her agreement rather only grew Capsize’s excitement.

The final course of their meal was eaten in happy but nervous anticipation for what was to come next.

🌹 🌹 🌹

This was the first time Capsize had entered the ballroom. Just as every other room in the castle, it left her with more curiosity than she could contain. Like most of the place, the room was clearly covered in enchantments. It was mesmerizing the way that the place was lit up in magical lights that weren’t even trying to disguise themselves as regular candles. They danced around the room, showing off gleaming floors and golden fittings.

However, she didn’t have the inclination to explore such things tonight. Her mind was so far from such things that the idea of coming back the next day didn’t even occur.

Still, this place was far more impressive than any of the other places she had danced before. To be expected, she supposed, as the most impressive of those had been the halls of manors and this was a castle. Maybe that was why her heart was thumping so wildly in her ears despite how excited she was to dance.

Sonja held some near overwhelming nerves. She was glad, though, a little surprised to see the ballroom in such a good state. She had thought some of the enchantments in here would’ve fizzled from disuse since they were some of her earlier work, but clearly everything was still functional. Maybe Martha had been suspicious of them ending up here and had made sure they were all still operational. Or maybe her early experiments were better than she had given credit for.

She didn’t know, nor did she really care if it was her own skill or not. Her mind was just attempting to focus on anything that didn’t remind her of just how nervous she was about dancing.

Despite her attempts, she couldn’t rid them from her head. All the thoughts of the many ways everything could go wrong. Beyond those, that she could at least ease by reassuring herself were ridiculous, she knew that she was painfully out of practice when it came to dancing. She had no idea of Capsize’s experiences, but she hated the idea of embarrassing her with her own incompetence.

Yet, such an idea had not even crossed the mind of Capsize as she guided her friend to the centre of the room. She just wanted some fun, the idea of either of them needing to be any good wasn’t a requirement for that. Though, she did have more confidence than Sonja that this would go well.

The Beast’s hesitations didn’t stop her from being pulled to the centre of the room. Capsize’s heart began to beat in anticipation as music started to play as enchanted instruments rose into view. Her skirt glimmered as it twirled around her as she turned into place before Sonja.

It was then that Sonja realised that they hadn’t discussed at all what kind of dance they were going to be doing. She knew a good number of formal dances. She’d been expected to dance with any important guests. But she had no idea if Capsize knew any of them.

Capsize, this time, saw her hesitance. She gave a small smile.

“You’re worrying too much,” She said as she moved her hands to the leading position. Well, to the closest approximation of the positions as she could manage. Sonja still stood over a foot taller than her. If she was really trying, she likely could reach up quite far on her back, comfortably she could only reach about halfway. So that was where her hand settled.

Her other hand was lower than it regularly would be too. Though that was not due to a lack of reach but needing to keep hold of her cane. That didn’t really matter in the actual scheme of things, but it was a reminder that she hadn’t done this since her injury. Well, it wasn’t as if there had been anyone she had wanted to dance with until now. “Let’s just start this slowly.”

Sonja, lured into some confidence by her companion, placed her paws. The first on Capsize’s shoulder as she had placed her hand on the shoulder of visiting nobles in the past. Though, this felt entirely different in a way she couldn’t put down to her different form.

The other she was more careful in placing. Typically, they should hold hands. She and Capsize had done so before, so it didn’t make her nervous. However, she did have pause as it was the hand that still held Capsize’s cane. The last thing she wanted to do was restrict her movement.

So, instead, her hand settled in the middle of Capsize’s forearm. A gentle touch rather than a hold, but one that was still precious to the woman.

“Do you normally lead?” Sonja asked, wondering how many times her companion had danced before. She was sure it was more than a handful with how quickly her hands had found their positions.

Capsize chuckled slightly.

“I was always taught it was improper for a captain to follow,” She said with a smirk. Before Sonja even had a moment to react to the joking comment, the dance began.

It was slow at first. Both of them were out of practice and had no idea the expectations of the other. Neither held the confidence to be too forward.

The music was tuned to them, as careful and questioning as their own movements. It was as if neither quite trusted the moves enough to commit to them. Their true wants held back by nerves they couldn’t quite shift.

However, though it took a minute or so for Capsize to be confident in her footing, she soon relaxed into the movements. There was still some hesitance as she wanted to be sure that Sonja was properly following her. What sort of leader would she be if she didn’t?

Sonja, though slowly, also began to pick up speed. She didn’t want to misread Capsize’s intention and accidentally injure her. It would be so easy to do so when they were this close together. However, with every passing moment, the fear she held was diminishing. Though she didn’t recognise the exact dance, all the moves Capsize was leading her through were familiar.

Little by little, the two’s movements sped up. The fear they held melted away with every passing moment and their bodies only pressed closer to each other. In this moment, this dance, both finally felt a connection with someone who understood them. A sort of connection that both had assumed would allude them forever.

With the judgement of a goddess deeming her so, Sonja had found it so easy to fall into seeing herself and acting a monster. Every self-loathing thought that had passed through her mind she had deemed as true as who but a hideous monster could’ve been so terrible as to cause all those around her such a horrid fate?

Yet, here was Capsize. A woman who owed her no grace or kindness after how they had been introduced but never failed to smile when she saw Sonja. She treated her like a person, constantly reminding her that she deserved kindness.

There was no one else Sonja could fathom dancing with while she was stuck in this form. There was no one else Sonja believed could…

Capsize, over the past two years, had had her confidence dwindled to near empty. The life that had actually been hers had been ripped away from her. She’d been stuck in an unfamiliar place where people only cared for how she looked and what they believed she represented.

But here, with Sonja, she’d found a place where she was actually appreciated on her own terms. The people here had gotten to know her. They hadn’t just whispered behind her back and made assumptions based on their own biases. Even though, based on their own horrific experience with Lady Ianite, they certainly could’ve justified doing so.

Even if she couldn’t escape the bittersweetness of her life here. Even if sometimes her heart would still ache for who she had lost, she had found comfort here. And there was no one she felt more comfort with than Sonja. Here, in Sonja’s paws, she had her confidence back. And perhaps more than she had had even before her injury.

Though for both of them, this level of trust was strange, they truly felt right in this dance with the other. They span closer and closer, the smiles on their faces only growing.

At this moment, their entire worlds were just each other. Any other thoughts beyond music, movements, and glittering fabrics were lost.

This was why those watching needed to hold no fear of being discovered in their spying. There was no chance that the two dancing, lost in each other’s company, would notice any person that was not the other. Noticing the tiny presences of living trinkets was utterly out of the question.

Still, they made sure to keep themselves out of sight as best as they could. They would not interrupt this moment. Though there was so much excitement among them, they were just about managing to keep themselves hushed.

“It’s happening! It’s finally happening!” Tom was bouncing on the spot, finding it incredibly difficult to keep quiet. He’d always believed that Capsize would be the one to break the curse. Even with the close calls and slow going, that belief had never faltered.

Tonight was the night it would break. He could feel it in the bones he was going to have back soon. The curse was going to be broken tonight.

For once, his optimism didn’t appear unrealistic in the minds of those with him. Not one of them could deny the possibility now. It seemed so clear that there was something between the two women that was only growing stronger. It honestly seemed that all there was left to do was wait with bated breath for this to finally be over.

But, Martha thought, given the nature of the curse, the two seemed due some privacy when it did break. Not to mention, should they transform back while watching like this, their spying would immediately be reviewed no matter how good their hiding currently was.

“I think you may be right,” She said, getting looks of astonishment from not only Tom but also Alyssa. Before the candelabra could start bragging though, as she could tell he was quite ready to, she continued on with her own thoughts. “So I think it’s best for us to take our leave. Moments like this really should be private.”

“What? How’s that fair?!” Alyssa immediately complained. This was as important a moment to them as it was to Beasty. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to watch? Besides that, why did Martha think she was in charge?

Unfortunately for her indignation, Alyssa could tell from her dad’s gaze that he was agreeing with the clock rather than her.

“It’s already past your bedtime, Alyssa,” He said, without the tired frustration he would usually hold when she was attempting to convince her away from causing trouble. He was being generous with her, understanding that love wasn’t something she ever had been given the opportunity to experience.

There was a part of her that wanted to argue back for the sheer principle of it. All that would do though was ruin the mood and make sure that he kept an eye on her all night.

She could make him happy and still do what she wanted.

“Fine, I’ll go find Andor,” She muttered as if she was annoyed at being sent off. In reality though, she had no intention of listening to what they wanted. Tom had shown her enough of this place’s secret passages that she could find a place to watch without being discovered by anyone.

Mot smiled as she hopped away, oblivious to her plans. Soon enough she’d be back to normal. What other idea could bring him such joy?

There was not a singular doubt between any of them. Tonight, they would finally escape this curse.

🌹 🌹 🌹

When they were finally exhausted of dancing, Sonja and Capsize made their way to the gardens. It was a beautiful night. A little cold, but that just meant Capsize was leaning close to Sonja, resting in her fur for the warmth it provided her.

Entangled with each other, the two found themselves looking up at the stars. It seemed like the perfect end to a frankly perfect night. At least, that was what Sonja wanted to tell herself she was feeling.

Everything had truly been wonderful. Nothing had gone wrong and Capsize’s touch was a treasure like no other.

Yet she could not escape the building anxiety that was making her chest tight. With how great this night had been she so selfishly wanted to keep the thoughts to herself. All questioning would do was break the moment.

However, as the question kept scratching within her mind, she told herself that if it changed this night then their happiness had been nothing but an illusion in the first place.

“Capsize, are you happy here?” She asked, breaking the silence. It was a question she didn’t want to ask, but it would not stop eating away at her.

She had never been happier than she was tonight. Everything had been so truly wonderful. But the fact that Capsize was not here of her own will could no longer be kept quiet in her mind.

Capsize shifted a little away from Sonja, just to see her facial expression. The question could’ve been nothing. A simple wondering that one does at the end of a nice night. One that Capsize was ready to answer with a smile without much thought.

However, her friend looked serious. This was not a meaningless question. That made Capsize hesitate.

“Yes…” She still answered. It was the truth, or the simplest version of it. Truly, she was happy here. She was more comfortable here than she had been for all her years in the town. She could be herself here in a way that she never could back there.

Here she had friends, understanding, and such good memories despite how short a length of time she had been here.

However, there was always that bittersweetness that wouldn’t leave. It was impossible to ignore and left her with hesitation in her tone.

Sonja knew the best thing she could do was take the answer at face value. Leave the night uncomplicated and pretend all was well. But it would be a lie.

“What is it?” She asked. Perhaps, somehow, it would be something she could fix.

Capsize considered if she really should answer. Was it not unfair of her to bring this underlying melancholy to the surface? They had moved so far past their beginnings that she almost hated herself for still holding onto it. Yet, at the same time, she had been asked.

How was she ever going to move past it if she couldn’t even say it aloud?

“I miss my brother. I just wish I could see him, even just for a moment, just to know he’s okay,” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Sonja as she admitted the truth. It seemed unfairly pointed if she did. If there had been any softer way to put it, she would’ve, but there wasn’t.

Silence hung in the air. Sonja couldn’t escape the wave of guilt. Regardless of if Capsize was assigning her blame, she knew she held it. She had been the one to force Capsize to stay here away from her family. She had been the one to drag him away without allowing the two to say goodbye.

However, beyond her guilt, she had an idea. Though, while she might be the cause of this pain, she also held a way to heal it. She couldn’t think of a better way to end the night.

“There is a way.”

Chapter Text

Sonja led Capsize through the West Wing with an unwavering pace. As much as she was still ashamed of the place’s disrepair, she couldn’t leave Capsize waiting for answers for any longer than absolutely necessary. The mirror was in this wing, so here they both would go.

Capsize wasn’t sure what she should be feeling as she followed after. She certainly didn’t hold the same fear as she had during her first exploration through this part of the castle. She had no reason to, knowing that Sonja wouldn’t cause her such a fright again. Still, it was hard to shift the memory from her mind as they got closer to the magical workshop where their worst interaction had happened.

However, said memory was quieted by her curiosity. She knew from that brief exploration that there was a great deal of magical artifacts kept here. Could one of them truly allow her to see Red? Sonja had said there was magic that could allow one to see distant things, and she had good evidence to believe that true. Still, she was incredibly curious to know what precisely the method was.

Undeniably, there was a tension within their silence as they walked ever closer to their destination. Not a vicious sort, but an undeniable anxiety that both held for their own reasons and neither could shift. Interlinked with it, though, was a brightly glowing hope that kept both going. Hope that this would give Capsize the reassurance she desperately desired.

As they entered the workshop, the very place where everything had nearly been broken between them without hope of repair, Capsize paused. Sonja turned, worried that uncomfortable memories were being dredged up. Words were ready to spill, assurances that she could wait outside as it would only take her a moment to grab the mirror.

Before she could say any of them, Capsize shook herself back to attention, back to following her further into the room. Still, Sonja considered saying what she had intended, though she ultimately decided against it. Not for a lack of concern, rather she knew that persuading Capsize out the room would take longer than simply grabbing the mirror. Besides, she trusted Capsize enough to speak up and leave of her own accord if she was uncomfortable.

Truly though, such a want was far from Capsize’s mind. Rather, the reason she had paused, the reason her mind had flashed to her brief original visit to this room, was the one thing so blatantly different. Perhaps it was only so obvious to her as it had been such a key part of her original exploration of the room, but she immediately had noticed that the pink glow had significantly dimmed.

Originally, this room had been completely bathed in pink light. Though the tint to the light certainly still existed, it now barely escaped the bell jar that held the rose emanating it. The flower itself, the ‘gift’ her goddess had left here, looked near dead. There were only two petals left. For a reason unknown to Capsize, the sight left a heaviness in her throat.

The sealing magic within the flower lingered in the air, despite how Capsize had no real context for it. In her mind, she believed the weight it caused in her bones to be shame. A horrible guilt for what Ia had done. She forced herself to push through it. She would find a way to correct the mess, but for now, she had to make sure Red was okay.

With Capsize moving again, Sonja allowed herself to move to the table where she knew the mirror to be. It sat on her work desk, right where she’d left it after creating the ship-in-a-bottle for Capsize. She took it quickly, now so glad for it.

She turned back to her friend, offering it to her carefully. Somewhat hesitantly, Capsize took the hand mirror. It was heavy, crafted from silver rather than glass. As with everything within the castle, it was exceptionally well crafted, and certainly worth a small fortune.

“A mirror?” She questioned. She was quite sure it was magic. It had to be if this was truly the way she was to see her brother. However, she had little idea how to activate it and within the hand, it currently seemed just a normal hand mirror.

“It’s enchanted to show you anything you wish. A place, an object, a person,” Sonja explained. Emphasis was put on the last example without her even needing to try. This could give Capsize closure on the one thing that still ate away at her. “You just need to ask it.”

Those words held in the air as the mirror in Capsize’s hand now felt all the heavier. Though she knew this to be the answer to all her worries, she couldn’t help but hesitate to actually use it.

She had no idea if Redbeard would be in any way okay. That was, of course, why she wanted to see him, but now that she had the means to, she couldn’t help her growing nerves. He had no way of knowing her safety and happiness here. Had their situations been reversed, she could not imagine herself just getting on with life.

However, she reminded herself, her brother could’ve done anything in their couple of months of separation. Without her and her limited ability to travel, he could’ve even gone back home – back to their real home. He could’ve found support and happiness outside of that dull town he’d been stuck in because of her…

As much as her stomach twinged at the idea of him having just moved on, it still sat easier than him drinking himself to death believing her to be suffering. So, as she looked into the mirror, she hoped that he was, if not happy, then safe and somewhere he would be supported.

“Show me Redbeard. Show me my brother,” She said, managing to avoid her voice shaking. The mirror began glowing intensely, the magic unfocusing her own reflection and transforming the image into something wholly different. She waited with bated breath for her brother to appear, for the reassurance that he was okay.

She was granted no such mercy.

“No…!” She gasped with so much horror. Every hope she had tried to hold of her brother somehow being fine was crushed beneath the reality of what she saw.

Her brother was in the woods, looking somehow worse than he had the last time she had seen him. He moved slowly and, though no sound escaped from the mirror, she was sure he was coughing. She was surprised he was even still standing, though that only lasted a few moments as she watched as he did indeed fall into the snow.

She wasn’t sure how she kept herself on her feet. Her legs felt weak enough to collapse. But she remained standing even as she watched the very thing she had fought so hard to prevent happen. Worse, this time she could place the blame wholly on herself. “This is my fault. He’s looking for me…”

That was what it came down to. He was out there because he was trying to reach her. He was going to die attempting a rescue she didn’t need. Though she managed to stop herself from collapsing as she greatly wanted too, she couldn’t stop the tears that were beginning to escape.

Sonja, despite having actively tried not to look at the mirror, couldn’t help staring now that Capsize had given such a reaction. The man, Redbeard she reminded herself, was somehow in a worse position than the one she had put him in when he had stumbled upon the castle. An uncomfortable guilt began to rise within her.

Capsize was both right and wrong. Sonja could think of no other reason for him to be in such a state in the woods than an ill-fated attempt to rescue his sister. However, she could not understand for a moment why Capsize was blaming herself for his state.

No… She very much could. Capsize’s one concern had been for her brother’s safety. To see that her sacrifice to save his life had ended with him stuck in nearly the same predicament, of course she was blaming herself for not somehow preventing this. It was just the sort of person she was.

However, the blame was entirely misplaced.

Sonja, though her self-loathing had been successfully cut through by Capsize over these past few months, knew that the only one who could be blamed was herself. He was attempting to rescue his sister from her, because he only knew her as the monstrous Beast that had nearly caused his death and kept his sister prisoner in his place despite his pleas to let her go.

With clarity, looking back without the anger, she was completely sickened by herself. She had nearly killed a man. For what? For following a goddess that he had no context for her dislike of? For daring to need shelter from a horrible storm and vicious wolves?

There was no excuse for it. She could see that so clearly now. The guilt and disgust she already held towards her horrible treatment of an innocent stranger was only compounded by seeing the situation he was now in and the absolute despair it brought Capsize.

The decision cemented in her mind. A painful, awful decision. One that she couldn’t decide whether it was selfish or selfless. It didn’t matter. Either way it would hurt. Either way she had to be the one to make it. Capsize never would and she’d hate herself forever for it.

“Go to him,” She said, barely managing to keep her voice steady. No matter the cost, she couldn’t live with herself if Capsize was left with such guilt. There were so many actions she needed to make up for and so little time to do so. At the very least, she could allow Capsize to once more save her brother and return to a normal life.

“What?” Capsize, despite how she had certainly heard precisely what Sonja had said, looked up confused. She could say nothing more as her mind was locked between two very different answers.

Obviously, she wanted to help Red. She couldn’t just leave him to die. She couldn’t imagine going on knowing he was gone, and she had done nothing to help him.

However, she also couldn’t imagine just leaving Sonja and all the others here. Part of it was her promise that she still felt important to keep despite how ridiculous it was to think of herself physically kept here. However, she knew that part of it was also that she simply liked it here.

Maybe, just maybe, she wanted to stay. Maybe she would choose to, if she was given full choice. But of course, she couldn’t justify leaving her brother for dead simply due to her own fondness for the castle.

All Sonja saw was hesitation and hopelessness. Emotions that didn’t belong on Capsize.

“You aren’t my prisoner anymore,” She said so softly and quietly that the words almost didn’t escape at all. As much as she was attempting to push herself, she couldn’t make herself sound strong. But the words needed to be said nonetheless, so she forced them out anyway. “You haven’t been for a long time.”

The truth held in the air, finally admitted out loud. Neither one could deny it. There had not been a possibility of Capsize being physically forced to stay since those very first days. But now she had allowed the words to actually be heard and broken the hold that Capsize’s promise still held on her.

Capsize took a shaky breath looking from Sonja to the image of her brother then once more back to Sonja. Why was she still hesitating? She couldn’t afford to waste time when she had little idea how long Red would last without aid. However, she still found herself frozen looking at Sonja’s expression, at how much her friend seemed to be holding back.

She understood, really, she did. Capsize was crying, she likely wanted to stay strong. And if Sonja was holding strong, she should too. She had no choice.

Still, strong didn’t mean emotionless. She wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her close. Sonja force once didn’t freeze. She didn’t want to waste a single moment of this final goodbye. She wrapped her paws around Capsize, doing everything she could to not sob despite how everything was over.

Far too soon, Capsize pulled away with a smile, soft and sad but holding strong.

“Thank you,” She said. Though it didn’t feel precisely the right thing to say. There were so many things that she wanted to say, so many more that were merely swirling, confusing feelings. However, those remained locked within her head. Still, she could at least share some more thanks for the weight being taken off her shoulders. “Thank you for understanding how much he needs me.”

Sonja couldn’t get herself to reply. She knew that anything she did say was going to make her voice waver and give away her despair. Let Capsize leave without regrets and remember her fondly. She couldn’t dream of leaving Capsize with any guilt.

Capsize recognised the sorrow in Sonja’s eyes. She would’ve said more to reassure her had her mind not already been swirling with thoughts of preparations, calculations of how much she could afford to do with the little time she may have.

She was still holding the mirror, the weight grounding her thoughts somewhat.

First thing first, she supposed. It wasn’t hers to keep. Though as she attempted to hand it back to Sonja, it was quickly and firmly pressed into her hand.

“No, take it,” Sonja insisted. She knew precisely what she would do if she was left with the thing. From the moment Capsize left until the last petal fell, she’d be watching her. It would be as wrong as it was an action that would only hurt her heart. At least Capsize could make some real use out of it. “It can show you how to reach him.”

For a moment, Capsize just stared at her. She looked into those beautiful green eyes, filled with emotions she understood and those she couldn’t. Eyes that always managed to make her heartbeat just that little bit faster for reasons she couldn’t comprehend.

“Thank you…” She said once more. Her heart was beating within her ears, and she feared her legs were going to collapse. But, of course, Capsize had so many logical reasons for said feelings. She didn’t read into them as she perhaps should. She didn’t have the time.

She left the room with a small, hurried smile. In her mind, there was no point in giving a real goodbye. She would be back. Once Red was healed and well, she’d return, this time of her own accord.

Sonja watched her go, biting back the tears she wanted to spill. Capsize would hear them if she cried now. She could break once she was gone, when there was no possible chance of being overheard. Though it was hard to act strong with just how listless she had been left.

Everything was over. She’d failed, even if only on the part of the curse utterly out of her control.

Though for now her despair had to be silent, she couldn’t will herself to stay standing. She brought herself over to the balcony, sitting down and staring over the darkened grounds and the woods beyond. Maybe she’d be able to catch one last glance of Capsize as she left. She could only hope.

Despite her belief of now being alone, her actions and for that matter their entire conversation had been witnessed. Up in a dark corner, watching frozen, was Alyssa. The flowerpot, similarly to the Beast, felt that the world was falling apart.

They didn’t have time for Capsize to leave. With the speed at which the petals were falling, they might not even have until morning to either break the curse or be stuck in these forms forever. She couldn’t let all their work go to waste.

Had she felt there was more time, she may have gone to her dad or Tom. They could’ve thought up a plan and maybe somehow everything could’ve worked out fine. However, they didn’t have the time. She was sure Capsize would be gone long before she’d find any help.

So, Alyssa, impulsive and desperate, made up her mind and began to hurriedly hop towards Capsize’s room. She’d fix this herself. She had no other choice.

🌹 🌹 🌹

It was not all that long later that Sonja heard her workshop door open. She didn’t move to look at whoever had come to see her. She’d watched Capsize ride out of the grounds minutes ago. There was no one she wanted to see and no point of talking to them regardless.

However, her thoughts and desires did nothing to stop those oblivious to the fact that she had already given up from entering. She hated hearing their celebration when she had completely failed them.

Tom, Martha, and Mot had no idea of Capsize’s departure from the castle. They had only seen her going back to her own room which seemed normal enough. Anything that should’ve worried them about the way she hurried was written off in their excitement. They were so close now, the idea that anything would prevent the curse from breaking seemed ridiculous.

All three hopped towards Sonja. Perhaps her stillness on the balcony should’ve given them some weariness, but it didn’t. Nothing seemed able to cut through their jubilation and bring their mood down.

“You did it! I knew you could!” Tom hopped forward with a celebratory tone as if everything was already done and dusted. To him it was. Even if they were still currently cursed, he couldn’t fathom that being true for much longer. He’d seen how the two had been looking at each other in the ballroom. Surely it was now just a matter of admitting things aloud.

Sonja turned her head to the grinning candelabra. Her friend looked delighted, happier than he ever had been. She’d failed him. She’d failed everyone here. She had to tell him, but her voice was frozen in her throat.

Tom continued to bounce excitedly. “Next time you two talk this’ll all be over! I’m sure of it! Is she getting changed or are you picking this up tomorrow?"

“I… I let her go…” Sonja said softly, shifting her gaze to not be forced to see his reaction. Back to the endless woods she would never escape from. They were so calm, not knowing the gravity of the decision she had made.

Tom faltered, as did Martha and Mot behind him, but with just how energised and excited he had been, his sudden stop had far more weight to it. He looked up at her, trying desperately to keep his smile and assure himself he had misheard her.

“What do you mean?” He asked, almost willing himself into ignorance as he knew precisely what she meant. However, if her words were the undeniable truth, then he had to face what that meant. If Capsize was gone, so was their chance of breaking the curse. Somehow he was mistaken, he had to be.

“I let her go. She’s gone,” Sonja said, more firmly this time. There could be no arguing with her. As much as no one wanted it to be true, she was stating the cold truth.

There was the briefest moment of silence. Reality settled and cemented slowly but oh so quickly.

“No…” Tom muttered, hopping back. His mind was racing, desperately clinging to denials and ways to somehow get things back on track. Somehow, someway, he could fix this. “No. No! Capsize!”

He yelled as he hopped out the study. Deep down, he knew his shouts wouldn’t reach her. She was long gone. He was just calling out into the aether. However, he still tried. His brain would rather focus on anything but the actual crushing reality he was left with if he accepted the truth.

Normally, one of Martha or Mot would’ve followed after him. Both to calm him down and to stop him from waking everyone in the castle. However, both were in their own shock from what had been said.

Both hopped forward, unsurprised that the Princess didn’t turn to them. Obviously, they had to say something, if they ever wanted to understand why, they had little choice but to question. However, it seemed impossible to even begin with Sonja’s far off stare and their own despair of the reality being presented.

Still, they couldn’t remain silent forever.

“How could you…” Martha started, too soft to sound harsh, but still trailing off as she realised how selfish the statement sounded. Truly she didn’t mean it in such a way, but she couldn’t precisely put her words back once they had tumbled out.

Sonja just shrugged, not wanting to articulate the messy knot of emotions within her. There was logic and reasons that Martha would surely accept. She could tell that Capsize needed to aid her brother, but it would all ring false.

She held some guilt towards his condition, yes, but she could not pretend that his safety had been the reason that she had made this decision. However, sharing the actual reason would make her sound so ridiculously selfish. She remained quiet, as if she had no reasoning at all.

Her silence could’ve been frustrating, especially with how this decision affected them all and not just her. Had it just been Martha here, perhaps it would’ve triggered a lecture wholly inappropriate given Sonja’s despondence. However, it was not just the clock and the Beast in the room.

Mot hopped forward past Martha with a sombre expression half-hidden by the jewels that adorned his face. He understood, though he hoped he was wrong. Being right would bring him no joy.

“You love her,” He said, so softly. Had there been any noise at all in the room, he wouldn’t have been heard at all.

The only response was an almighty cry as Sonja finally allowed herself to break down. A cry that held no denials but rather confirmed precisely what Mot had said. A cry that called for comfort, but none around had anyway to give it physically and words would certainly not be enough.

She had done precisely what the goddess had asked of her. She had learnt to love another. She loved Capsize more than she had thought herself possible of. But it wasn’t enough. It was never going to be.

Perhaps this had been the cruelty that the goddess had intended all along. To have the second part of the curse be so out of her control. To have it hurt so badly if only the first half was completed.

Capsize didn’t love her. Given that the curse still remained, she had to accept that. So, what was the point in anything now?

She couldn’t blame Capsize. Even if it was in any way fair to do so, she simply didn’t have the heart. She couldn’t force Capsize to love her. She knew deep down that she didn’t deserve her doing so.

Had it not been for the others depending on her, she could’ve been satisfied knowing that Capsize would be able to return to normal life. However, knowing all the others were just as doomed as herself affected left her with no such refuge to cling to.

Instead, she just kept sobbing. Her cries escaped into the night, filling the castle with the sound of despair and defeat. She wished for it all to just be over, to be done with the horrible wait that was just to be filled with heartache and pointless longing.

As Mot and Martha, more lost than they had ever been, listened to her cries, they watched a petal fall from the rose. It floated gracefully down to the table, leaving only one more on the flower itself. They had hours left, if that.

The only thing left for them to do was pray and hope that either Lady Ianite would show them mercy or Capsize would realise she held feelings for Sonja. As much as they truly believed that the latter was possible, they couldn’t fathom up all that much hope for either happening.

It seemed somehow, with everything to win, they’d lost it all.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Deep in the woods, Capsize slowed Phillipe as they approached where the mirror was telling her Red was. Even with a lit lantern, it was still difficult to see beyond a few feet in front of her. She was terrified that she’d miss him.

Her entire mind was filled with twisting fear and anxieties.

She feared she had taken too long in her preparations. Though she had not gathered much from the castle prior to leaving, she had still had preparations that she couldn’t avoid. For one, changing from the beautiful, glittering ballgown into the clothes she had been wearing when she first came to the castle. Practical and warm within her quilted cloak but looking far less suited to them as she had deemed it far too much time to waste to pull out her hair and jewellery.

She’d only packed her brother’s coat and some pain tinctures. The coat in case Red’s clothes were wet to give him some warmth for the journey back. The tinctures because, despite how long it had been since she’d had a pain flare up, she could not imagine anything worse than one happening tonight. Both had been stuffed into her bag that now hung from her shoulder, alongside some lantern oil she had grabbed from the stables to ensure she was not cast into darkness during her journey. Her bag seemed a little heavy for what little was in it, but she was far too focused on the task at hand to worry about that.

None of her preparations had taken all that long. All in all, it couldn’t have even taken half an hour for her to be saddled up and riding away from the castle. Yet still, her mind worried and would not drop the idea that she was going to be too late. After all, she had no idea how long Red had been in the woods for. How long he could remain in the cold was a question eating away at her.

The worst paranoia came from her previous encounter in the woods. She knew there to be wolves out here and she knew them to be aggressive. She had as little hope of fighting them as she had last time. Worse, she couldn’t shake herself of the fear of them finding Red before she did. What chance did an unconscious man have against a pack of those creatures? All she could do to reassure herself was think of how quiet the woods were. If the wolves were about, she would hear them, she was sure.

Regardless of her fears and worries, and whatever weight or possibility they might hold, she was quickly approaching his location. She just had to proceed forward and hope none of them came true.

Each step she allowed Phillipe to take forward, she moved the lantern across the landscape to give herself a better look at the snowbanks. Her eyes would always flicker back to the mirror, trusting the magical guidance to tell her if she went too far. Still every step was racked with nerves that she just couldn’t shift despite her best efforts to just focus.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, she finally saw him. At first, she just caught a glimpse of orange among all the white and brown of the snow coated woods. Then she allowed the lantern’s light to properly illuminate the area, and his entire crumpled form became clear.

“Red!” She breathed, unable to be fully relieved and rid herself of her tensed posture, but she had found him. If nothing else, that was a win she could cling to. Though it would be meaningless if she had taken too long.

With that harrowing thought in mind, she swallowed. She still couldn’t afford to relax.

She slipped the mirror into her bag, needing a spare hand for her cane as she dismounted. Despite her hurry, she still took a moment to stroke Phillipe’s neck to calm the animal. His last outing into the woods had been just as horrific as hers, she couldn’t risk him getting spooked and bolting. The couple seconds used to make sure he was calm seemed a wise investment.

Then she was rushing over to her brother. He was so still, enough for it to worry her. Though, as she got closer, she at least gained some reassurance as his chest was rising and falling. She had gotten here in time.

She sat the lantern down, carefully crouching to get a good look at her brother. Unsurprisingly, he looked a mess, as much as he had in their previous meeting. Though this time at least his clothes seemed dry. Hopefully that would give her a little more time to get him to safety.

She was fully sure now that his journey out here had been a rescue attempt. Alongside a pack of supplies, he had his crossbow strapped to his back and his cutlass sheathed on his belt. He hadn’t used either since they’d moved to the town to her knowledge. He must’ve been terrified for her. She couldn’t blame him for believing her in such danger, as such it gave her a prickle of guilt.

Though admittedly there were also inescapable notes of confusion that mulled about in her mind. With how close he was to town, she couldn’t imagine he’d set out more than a few days ago. So why was he alone and on foot? Jeriah should’ve arrived back by now and she couldn’t imagine her friend would’ve allowed her brother to take such a journey alone. Even if Red tried to insist, he would’ve come and would’ve lent Red a horse.

She couldn’t think of an explanation and that left her markedly uneasy. Still, she didn’t exactly have time to dwell on it. Once Red was awake and not at risk of freezing to death, she could get the answer to that question and anymore that cropped up. For now, she should get him home.

She hoisted him up onto her shoulder, the action awkward but not straining. It was easy enough to carry him over to Phillipe. Though, actually hoisting him up onto the horse’s back was harder, she made herself persevere. She managed this with Sonja months ago when she had been suffering a fresh injury. She could get her brother, who was far smaller and lighter than Sonja, up without hurting herself.

When it was done, she gave Phillipe another gentle stroke.

“What do you think? You strong enough to carry us both?” She asked the horse. The nicker he gave in response almost sounded a resigned sigh. She smiled and gave no one last pat as thanks. She’d give him a real treat once they were back safe.

She considered as she retrieved her lantern if going back to the town was truly the best plan. She honestly didn’t know what state the horse would be in with after her extended absence. She doubted Red had cared much about looking after it or getting it stocked with food or medical supplies. However, though her mind truly played with the idea of instead riding back to the castle, she decided against it.

They were definitely closer to the town than the castle. Given that time was very much of the essence, she knew it better to return to the closer location no matter how much a weight that set in her stomach. Besides, while she was very much comfortable in the castle now, she knew the same was not true of her brother.

So, with what needed to be done decided, she mounted her horse and rode towards the house that she now more than ever had difficulty thinking of as home.

The ride was far slower than she would’ve liked, needing to be mindful to make sure that Red’s unconscious form remained steady. Still, it was not very long before she was riding back up to their house.

Though she held no relief at returning to the darkened building, she at least took solace that she’d gotten to somewhere where she could help Red. Her focus was solely on getting him inside to warmth and what she thought would be safety.

So focused was she as she pulled her brother as carefully as she could from her horse to her shoulder, that she did not realise she was being watched. Perched close by in the shadows, Jordan smiled at the siblings’ homecoming. It seemed he’d made his deal with Furia in a nick of time.

By the end of the night, Capsize would finally have fulfilled the duty that Lady Ianite had sent her here for. She would have agreed to marry him, and they would be together as they should be.

All that he needed to do was alert Monsieur Furia that it was time so she couldn’t wriggle out of it again.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Jeriah’s head was still killing him. The man knew given the events of the day that really shouldn’t have been his primary concern, but it was the only thing he could concentrate on that didn’t make him beyond angry.

He had very nearly been murdered by Sparklez. How could he be anything but angry at that?

Though there was a part of that emotion reflected right back at himself for not biting down his annoyance at the champion. He knew better than to let himself rise to goading, but he’d chosen to anyway, and he was going to wear the scar that decision caused for the rest of his life.

Still, the majority of his anger fell right where it should onto Sparklez. Unfortunately, not a soul in this town was going to believe their beloved champion had done such a heinous thing, which left Jeriah further on the backfoot than he already was.

He still had Jericho on his side. As cowardly as the man had apparently been in the months he had been away from town, attempted murder was at least enough to knock him to his senses. Though he still had his grievances towards the champion, he could appreciate the aid he’d given in ensuring that he didn’t die that morning enough to not be snippy at him.

Still, since waking up, Jeriah had felt incredibly lost for what to do next. He knew that he had to get a letter sent off to Spark. If anyone was going to be able to take Ianite’s champion down a peg or two, it was Conway. However, even if he sent that letter now, it would still take weeks for his friend to arrive. Given his and Jericho’s new status as Sparklez’ enemies, he wasn’t sure that was time they had.

However, he wasn’t exactly in a fit state for anything else. He very much wanted to ride out into the woods as he had originally intended. Even with the danger posed by Sparklez to the siblings, the idea of sitting on his ass while they were lost, imprisoned, or possibly dead tasted wrong even if he didn’t have much of a choice. He might be awake, but with his head killing him he couldn’t trust himself to react to any animals that would be lurking among the trees.

Again, he had to remind himself that he was no use to Capsize or Redbeard dead, but that thought felt somewhat stale when he was clearly in no less danger in the town than in the woods.

Thankfully, as much as it was odd to think, he had Jericho. The champion, after some floundering when he’d first regained consciousness, had begun studying the map Redbeard had left marked with the route to the castle.

“This is making my head hurt,” Tucker muttered. He couldn’t explain it. The route was incredibly straightforward, and he should’ve had no problem computing it. However, looking at it was making his head fuzzy. He was distinctly sure he should be familiar with this route already.

“Fuzzy head? Like you’ve had something completely plucked from your memory?” Jeriah, having become quite accustomed to such a feeling, questioned. Just how far did the wrongness with this town go?

“Yes! How did you--?”

Before Tucker could finish his question, there were noises outside that took his attention. Any amount of noise at this time of night was unusual, but hearing the sound of horses got the champion immediately on edge. He rushed over to the window, hoping and praying that his assumptions were wrong. However, his Lord was not smiling upon him tonight.

“Furia…” Tucker breathed as he realised they were too late. Outside was the unmistakable cart that would drag people off to the asylum. It was enough to knock fear into people without knowing the horrific plan Lady Ianite’s champion had made. Actually knowing about it, about what was to come, Tucker couldn’t breathe.

“They’re back?” Jeriah questioned as he joined Jericho at the window. It certainly wasn’t what his first thought should’ve been, but he just couldn’t understand how either sibling could’ve gotten back to the town without assistance.

“Guess so,” Tucker said, unable to hold any sureness. Maybe just one of them had returned. Jordan would’ve surely started his plan anyway.

However, regardless of his certainty or lack thereof of Capsize and Redbeard’s return, he knew he couldn’t just stay here and allow Jordan to act unhindered. He’d been a coward silently allowing this to progress for this long. Now it was time to actually act like Lord Mianite’s champion.

He turned to Jeriah. “Can you prepare two horses?”

“Yes, of course,” The old soldier replied immediately. “But won’t—”

“I’m going to try and convince the town of what Jordan’s done. But if his damn plan works and Capsize agrees, I’ll bring Redbeard back here. You take him out of town to your friend,” It was the only thing he could think of to prevent Jordan from getting what he wanted. If Redbeard was gone, so was his source of blackmail.

The champion headed to the door, his mind set, only to pause when Jeriah spoke once more.

“And if she doesn’t?” He asked grimly. He honestly didn’t know what Capsize was more likely to do. She’d rather die than be Jordan’s bride, but the same could be said about allowing her brother to be dragged away to the asylum. Surely, they needed a plan for both outcomes.

Tucker didn’t look back at the man, knowing he’d lose his resolve if he did. He knew precisely what was going to happen to him if he was truthful about Jordan’s plan but had the crowd disbelieve him. He might be saved by Capsize alongside Red, but if she refused Jordan’s proposal once more…

Still, his choice was to risk his own freedom or guarantee that one of the siblings lost theirs. Despite the lump forming in his throat, he knew he had no real choice at all.

“Then find Capsize if I’m not back in half an hour.”

Jeriah swallowed, wishing he could think of another way. Instead, he just gave a firm nod that the Champion didn’t look back to see.

Tucker took a breath. It was time to stop the mess he’d help to create.

He slipped out the door and into the quickly forming crowd of gossip hungry townsfolk following the cart from a cautious distance. There seemed to be little doubt that they were headed toward Capsize and Redbeard’s house. All the champion could was hope and pray he’d be able to convince the crowd of the truth.

Chapter Text

Capsize tried desperately to keep herself calm and focused now there wasn’t a pressing task that she actively needed to perform. It was a struggle. She couldn’t exactly relax when Red still hadn’t woken, but she had done all she really could.

Her brother was now safely in a bed. Her bed as opposed to his as she hadn’t wanted to risk carrying him up the stairs, but he was somewhere safe and warm to rest. It was probably better her bedroom than his. She had a small stove in the corner which she had been glad to be able to light to warm her room just that bit quicker as everything had turned cold in the time the house had stood empty.

It wasn’t over, not at all, not until he woke and she knew he was okay. So, she couldn’t allow herself to relax. However, that just left her fretting with nothing to focus on which was a state particularly impossible to calm herself in.

It didn’t help that this house now seemed so hollow. She could admit that this place had never truly been a home. Sure, it had been a place of safety, a place where she could be herself, but it had been just as much a prison as the rest of the town. Before she had left, she had been able to stand it as, though it was only half-comfort, it was one of the few places she had that provided any. However, now, after so long of being somewhere comfortable, standing within these walls was wrong. She didn’t belong here.

The silence and the state of the place only made the uncomfortableness worse. It seemed abandoned, dust riddled as it was, as if there had been no one in here since she had left. Of course, she knew that impression couldn’t be true.

Red must’ve been here during her time at the castle. The mess of blankets in front of the fireplace made that clear and obvious, even if there was anywhere else she could imagine him being. However, it didn’t seem as if he had done much more than sleep and prepare for the journey out into the woods. This place had been no more a home to him at that point than it was to her currently.

It all just left being back here as wrong. It was necessary, yes, but she wished she’d just taken Red back to the castle. At least there she would’ve had company while waiting on her brother to wake. At least there she would’ve had distractions to stop herself from driving herself insane.

There was a low groan that she almost wrote off as just her imagination. She was surely just reading into the shifting of the house to alleviate her own anxieties. However, despite her own efforts to not hope, more sounds came and that racing desperate hope started in her heart.

She hurried back to her room, hoping so much that she wasn’t just imagining things out of the want for everything to just be okay. Hearing his voice, hoarse and confused, confirmed that her hopes were not formed in vain.

“What…? How did I…?” Redbeard awoke, groggily looking around as he tried to process his surroundings. The last he remembered he was in the woods, stumbling through the cold. He had felt that same creeping cold as he had in the Beast’s cell, the kind that sapped strength until there was nothing left. He knew that he had had no chance of making it to the castle, but as there had been no point in turning back, he’d just kept going until he’d finally collapsed.

He could almost let himself believe he’d dreamed it all up, that he had never ventured out into the woods at all. It didn’t seem an unusual dream to have when he had so shamefully let his sister take his place and suffer in that cold cell. But he was in Capsize’s room, and he absolutely hadn’t fallen asleep in here.

The only explanation was that someone had found him and brought him home. He couldn’t quite understand why he had been put in Capsize’s bed rather than his own, but from the lit wood stove, he assumed it was to put him in the warmest environment possible.

Still, he couldn’t fathom who could’ve helped him. Jeriah was not due back for a couple weeks still and he sincerely doubted that either of the champions had come to his aid. But who could it have been aside from one of those three?

“Red!” Then she appeared in the doorway, the most impossible person to be before him, but the one that the sight of shot relief through his bones.

“Capsize…!” He breathed, barely able to get the word out as he already had tears threatening to spill. Somehow, his sister was free and uninjured, back home smiling at him. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

For a moment, both just stared. Frozen, as if this was a dream that would melt away if they dared to believe it a reality. However, Red decided, if this was a dream, it was far too precious a one to waste.

“Capsize!” He repeated, attempting to fight his far too heavy limbs to reach his sister. He held a sureness that if he stood up, he’d fall, but he couldn’t be apart from her any longer. Even just a room’s length apart.

“Red!” Capsize rushed across the room, reaching him before he could escape the blankets keeping him warm. They wrapped their arms around each other. United, they finally allowed themselves to sob.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Red immediately began spilling the only thing he had been thinking in her absence. No matter how many apologies he said, it would never be enough. But still, he had to keep repeating in case she disappeared again.

“You don’t need to be. It was my choice,” Capsize said, circling her thumb on his back to both assure herself of the reality that he was awake and with her, and to comfort him as best she could. She wouldn’t let him blame himself for another one of her decisions. He had no guilt to bear.

Despite her words, Red wasn’t going to be able to shift his guilt for allowing her to take the fall for him. For leaving her in the Beast’s clutches. However, if she didn’t want his apologies, he knew better than to continue to give them. He’d learnt that lesson already. Still, that was not the only way he had wronged her. There was plenty more he felt she needed to hear his apologies for.

“Not for that… For trying to defend Jordan whenever you complained about him,” He murmured, struggling to keep his word steady as he recalled just how many times he had done so. He knew he’d never be able to apologise enough for it.

Capsize froze, leaving him nervous as she slowly pulled away from their hug. Though, it was entirely out of confusion. What had happened in her absence? She wanted to ask, but the way she wanted to phrase the question alluded her.

Red, scared to see her judgement even if it never came, looked down at his knees as he began to explain. “As soon as I was back in town, I stumbled into the tavern and begged for his and Tucker’s help in saving you. He treated me like a drunken joke, and threw me out into the street. Next I saw him near a week later, he still acted as though I was just covering for you leaving town. And… and I just exploded at him. Yelled at him in the street that you couldn’t stand him.”

“Oh, Red,” She whispered, taking one of his hands. She held some guilt for his revelation having to happen in such a way. She had heard how the champions spoke about him, but never actually told him. Though she held quite a sureness that an apology right now would do nought but upset him.

She’d save it for later, when he had recovered and their emotions were not running so high. For now, it seemed better to not dwell on regrets and apologies when everything seemed to have worked out, somehow. “Well, we didn’t need him.”

And thank gods he didn’t get involved, she wanted to say. The idea of him ‘rescuing’ her knocked her slightly sick. However, she wasn’t at that point of the explanation. She didn’t want to act callous towards her brother’s attempt to gather help he thought she was in desperate need of.

The soft statement she did say got him to look up. She was right, of course. They were back here safe without the champion’s assistance. That fact, however, sent a burning question through his mind.

“How did you escape?” He asked, simply because he couldn’t begin to fathom the answer. He was glad that she had, no doubt about that. He had feared she may be dead, yet here she was, no worse for wear. Still, his joy didn’t negate the fact that he didn’t understand how she had managed it.

He knew his sister was beyond capable of picking a lock and shutting off magical enchantments given she had the time and tools. He could imagine her breaking free of the cell with some pin she had in her pocket. However, the idea of her managing to sneak out without alerting the Beast, he couldn’t picture it. But somehow, she must’ve. How else could she be here alive?

“I didn’t escape. She let me go,” Capsize said, unsurprised at the way her brother’s eyebrows knit together. She doubted she would’ve believed herself if she went back to that first night and told that numb and exhausted self all she knew and felt now. She certainly couldn’t expect Red to believe her instantly, to just push past all the fear he must’ve held these past two months.

He honestly couldn’t believe her. Though, there were no hints of this being a lie, even if it was a logical one to tell. If just going by tone and expression, Red would be sure his sister was telling the truth.

Rather, his own knowledge of and experience with the Beast was the blocking point. When he pictured it, he could only imagine a horrid, vicious creature. A Beast without any pity who had been happy with his death, who had allowed Capsize to take his place despite her innocence in the situation. He found it impossible to picture it just allowing his sister to leave.

“That horrid Beast?” He questioned, just attempting to process his confusion aloud. And he saw the split second where his sister cringed that only drove him further from understanding.

Capsize, attempting to keep herself steady as she had no reason to lash out for a reasonable from his point of view question, tried to figure out precisely how she could explain any of her time at the castle. Red was owed an explanation, that was undoubtable, but she feared sounding callous or worse completely mad. He must’ve been so scared for her all this time. How could she possibly explain that she had been fine and had befriended the Beast that had imprisoned and nearly killed him?

Still… She had to try.

“I don’t expect you to either forgive or forget what was done to you,” She began, dodging her brother’s eyes as she feared whatever expression he made would cause her hesitation. She had no doubt that all she had to say would sound deeply concerning, but it was the truth he needed and deserved to hear. “But she’s changed. She’s become kind… Become my friend.”

There was a moment of silence that began to stretch as Capsize wondered if she’d used the right words and Redbeard just sat dumbstruck. He didn’t think she was lying, nor did he believe she would even try to about such a thing. However, the words clashed so much with his own experiences that he simply didn’t know how to respond.

The silence was not broken by either sibling. Rather, the quiet allowed a previously covered noise to be heard from Capsize’s bag that had been haphazardly hung from her desk chair. Quiet, muffled both by the cloth and an active attempt by the one making the noise to be unheard.

Capsize, now quite confused herself, stood from her position on the edge of the bed. She didn’t need to take more than a step to reach her bag and open it. Seeing the source of the noise did nothing to alleviate her confusion.

“Alyssa?!” She exclaimed as she found the flowerpot in among the rest of her quickly gathered belongings. Suddenly how heavy her bag had been made sense even if she was lost as to why the girl would’ve snuck into her bag.

With a thousand questions lingering on her tongue, she scooped the cursed teenager out of her bag and placed her atop the bedside table. Her clay face looked sheepish, mostly as Alyssa had not really planned this far ahead.

“Hi?” She said, floundering really. When she had hopped out of Sonja’s workshop, her plan had been so clear. Either persuade Capsize to stay despite the pressing situation that was causing her to leave or somehow talk her into admitting her feelings for Sonja. However, when she’d snuck into Capsize’s bedroom where the woman was clearly rushing in her preparations to leave, she had realised just how out of her depth she was in attempting either.

A normal seventeen-year-old already would’ve had a near impossible time figuring out such tasks. This one, that had been cursed since before the age of ten, held even less of an idea. What she had held was desperation, enough to hop into the woman’s bag in hope that she would think up a plan by the time she was discovered.

She had not and, for the first time since the curse, she found herself separated from the only home she had ever known and her dad. Needless to say, she was terrified despite her friendly company.

“A stowaway?” Red asked, pushing himself further into a sitting position. It was slightly less comfortable as the blankets shifted off him but allowed him a better look at the flowerpot. Their original meeting had been brief and ended quite horribly, but he saw no reason to not be friendly. She had been friendly to him and – though he held no idea how a flowerpot could be – he got the sense that she was young. Best to try and put her at ease when she seemed rather nervous. “Don’t worry, we’re landlocked so she can’t throw you overboard.”

Capsize sighed as he put on his accent even stronger than normal, but he did his job in getting the flowerpot to relax. Alyssa laughed, though the noise threatened to be joined by sobs as the gravity of the situation began to descend.

She had no idea what she was meant to say to try and fix the precarious toppling she felt herself in. Everyone had seemed so sure that the curse would be broken, so surely Capsize was just a push away. But thinking of what that might be was terrifying as the idea of doing nothing and the curse sealing while she was here – her dad left fruitlessly searching for her.

“What are you doing here, Alyssa?” The question was soft, but it was clear Capsize was expecting an answer.

Alyssa’s already floundering thoughts began to rapidly spin into a storm of panic. She couldn’t control what started to spill out.

“I—I was watching you and Sonja talk so I realised you were leaving. And! And I knew that—That if you left you wouldn’t come back. But if I snuck out, you’d have to bring me home,” A flurry of half-truths came streaming, disguising the truth of how pressingly urgent her return to the castle had to be. The reasoning sounded childish, Alyssa thought, but if she presented the horrid truth, that would make the worst outcome impossible to avoid.

Capsize gave the flowerpot a sympathetic smile that made the girl nervous as she imagined the response she was going to receive.

“Oh, you didn’t—” A pause. A rearrangement of thoughts. “I was always going to come back.”

“Huh?” All Alyssa’s spiralling thoughts stopped from sheer confusion.

“What?!” However, her confusion was nothing compared to Redbeard’s shock. He looked at his sister as if she had just confessed to murder. Even with her earlier words of the Beast’s kindness, he still couldn’t even begin to believe her. “By some blessing that Beast allowed you to leave, to return to freedom. Why in gods’ names would you go back?!”

“Because I liked it there! Because for the first time in years I was somewhere I could be myself without judgement!” Capsize yelled despite not intending to. She regretted it immediately, collapsing into her desk chair as Red’s eyes widened. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he’d need further explanation. But still, she’d let her defensive escape.

She sighed, wishing she could take her reaction back. Yet, at the same time, she felt firm in her judgement. Her next words, though, were far softer. “I know I must sound ridiculous, but I’ve felt so lost for so long now, Red. Regardless of how horrid a way I ended up staying there, I felt freer in that castle than I ever have in this town.”

In a moment of pause, she pulled the lily from her hair. The journey through the woods had done it no good as the petals looked ready to give up their hold. Still, she stroked a knuckle across one, taking comfort in the softness. She had so little idea of if it was in any way possible to make her brother understand despite his fear, but she wanted to.

“I understand if you never want to return there, I really do. I can’t imagine how I sound to you. But Sonja she…” Capsize sighed. She had no idea why she was struggling so much to come up with words to describe how she felt. Every description she considered just seemed too little for how warm she felt when with her friend.

Red could gather from context that ‘Sonja’ was the name of the Beast. The idea of such a creature having such an ordinary name baffled him, but not nearly as much as Capsize’s expression and tone did. The softness and hesitation. Her gaze somehow a thousand miles away but focused entirely on the petal before her. He’d almost guess she was…

But how on earth could that have happened?

“I want to understand. Honestly, I do,” He started, hoping more than anything to not upset her. He was concerned, obviously, but if he came out too aggressive, it’d only make her defensive. He wasn’t going to risk driving her away, no matter what he felt. “But it’s a little hard to comprehend such comfort developing when hardly a week has passed.”

Both gazes in the room snapped to him. There was none of the anger that he had perhaps feared but rather Capsize looked beyond concerned which felt somewhat worse.

“Red, I’ve been gone two months,” She said, attempting to figure out any reason her brother’s sense of time could be so off.

His eyes widened in disbelief and horror, but before he could insist that he couldn’t have possibly been in the woods so long, there was a knock at the door.

It was sharp and hard, rattling the wood. It immediately forced away the concerns that they were all holding to make way for a new fresh dread. There were very few people who could be knocking on the door at this late an hour, even fewer that would actually be a welcome sight.

Capsize rose to her feet, attempting to internally assure herself that she was overreacting. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t shift her mind away from the building dread. She looked pointedly at Alyssa.

“Stay quiet. Don’t move,” She said with no room in her tone for arguments. She had no idea who might be outside but letting them see a living flowerpot was almost certainly a bad idea. For once, the kid had no arguments.

Before leaving the room, Capsize gave a look towards her brother. She tried to smile at him, to make this feel normal, but the gesture was cut short and made hollow by the knock repeating.

She hurried out towards the door. She could not even pretend to have optimism that whoever was on the other side of the door was a friend.

She was ready to get into an argument, as she frankly expected to see one of the champions. She had no further plans to remain in this town, she saw no point in faking niceties now.

However, she was faced with a far darker shadow on her doorstep.

“Monsieur Furia?” Perhaps the worst person anyone in this town could find themselves facing stood right outside the door. If she had felt nervous before, now she was entirely wracked with dread. There was no good reason for him to be here.

Her eyes flickered behind him, seeing a forming crowd of townsfolk and the cart that would take poor souls away to the asylum. Her knuckles gripping her cane turned white as she realised that she could not allow her panic to show on her face even as it was undeniable that something terrible was about to happen.

She attempted to smile as if nothing was wrong, as if she could possibly be happy for this man to be visiting her house. If she pretended to be in control, maybe everything wouldn’t spiral. “What do I owe the visit?”

“Just business, Miss Capsize,” He said with his own smile, far more genuine than hers. He always did love this part, the loved ones squirming and desperate to stop him. And this time, desperation was precisely what he was being paid to invoke, so he could have even more fun than normal. “I’ve come to collect your brother.”

“What do you…?” Capsize began but stopped. She knew precisely what the man before her meant. She had known before it had even been stated out loud as the only reason Furia ever left the asylum was to collect a new patient. But her mind was in denial. She had just saved her brother, just been reunited with him. She couldn’t lose him again. “Red’s fine, he doesn’t need your care.”

There were murmurs that rippled through the crowd that had invaded her garden. Though she was too far away to hear them, she could tell that they were throwing pity towards her. Yet, that was not what caused her the most annoyance as Furia had the nerve to chuckle.

“I’m afraid he most certainly does. He’s been ranting and raving throughout the town. Talk of some impossible beast and your apparent imprisonment,” He said, almost managing to sound sympathetic. But he was unable to hide his smile as she froze on the spot.

“No. That’s—He’s not mad!” She insisted, her mind unable to focus and keep a reasonable tone. She was sure that Red had done such a thing in his desperation to help her. He’d pretty much admitted to doing so. But it was the truth! Or at least what he believed was the truth. Just because it sounded insane didn’t discount that!

Furia chuckled again.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.”

“No! Red!” She yelled, turning on her heel as she felt the only thing she could do was flee back to her brother. She couldn’t begin to express what she thought that would do. She was in no way going to physically fight off the multiple thugs Furia had brought with him. Even if she could, it would do neither of them any good.

She heard her brother yell back, panicked and not understanding that he was the one in danger. However, she had barely turned around when she was harshly pulled back.

She attempted to elbow whoever had taken a hold of her, but her arm was caught, and her attempted attack was left as nothing more than thrashing as she was dragged back. She could do nothing but panic as she heard her brother’s confusion and own fight against the men who had come to imprison him.

“Get off me!” She demanded as she was dragged into her garden. She was being treated with no grace, as if it would only take a word to have her thrown into the wagon alongside her brother. With both her arms restrained, she had no way to use her cane which left each unwilling step painful as well as frustrating. However, her concerns for her own health sat well below the rapid panic caused by knowing her brother to be in danger.

“No, Miss. We can’t risk him hurting you,” The man restraining her said, only causing her anger to rise.

“You’re hurting me!” She spat, wishing she could do more than just spit venom as the very idea disgusted her. Even if Red was mad, that in no way made him violent. She in no way needed protection from him, especially not from some thug who was treating her with no care whatsoever.

However, regardless of what she wished, all she had right now was words which had no effect on this bastard. Or at least hers didn’t.

“I think she asked to be let go,” From behind her, apparently having been lurking around waiting for this moment, Jordan emerged. He shoulder checked the man holding her as he walked past, uncomfortably jolting her too given her position. Around the champion came, twirling an arrow between his fingers.

She glared at him, able to taste his smugness at ‘helping’ her. Even if she should appreciate any help she could get in this situation, she couldn’t imagine he had changed enough to be doing this from the goodness of his heart. “I’d hate to have to make you.”

Whether his threat was genuine or not, it was enough to make the thug take his hands off her. Her freedom, though, was short lived as before she could even take a step back towards her house, her wrist was grabbed by Jordan.

“Capsize, I’m so sorry about this. No one deserves to be carted off to Furia’s care,” He said, his words well-practised as he had rehearsed this moment time and time again while figuring out the plan. To the townsfolk listening, he truly sounded concerned and comforting. However, Capsize was in no mood for him.

She ripped away her wrist.

“If you’re sorry then help me stop this! You know as well as I do that Red isn’t mad!” She spat, sure that he couldn’t genuinely think Red needed to be detained in the asylum. She didn’t want his apologies or comfort, she wanted to stop this.

But Jordan was not about to let her walk away from him tonight.

“I could talk to Monsieur Furia, persuade him that you’re more than capable of taking care of Redbeard yourself,” He said, catching Capsize’s attention. She could sense the catch, that Jordan wouldn’t do such a thing for free. He was, without a doubt, trying to make a bargain. A smile flicked onto his face. “If you marry me.”

Facing towards Capsize, his face was hidden from the crowd, his smile was proud and boastful. It was like he was a cat pinning a mouse, like she was the latest prey he’d set his sights on. She half expected him to pull his bow from his back and shoot the arrow he was twirling into her neck.

“You bastard,” She said, her voice shaking. It was as if history was repeating, as if she was reliving that first meeting in the castle with Sonja where she had had to choose between her own freedom and Red’s life. But this was not a desperate decision she was presenting herself. This was plotted blackmail designed to trap her. “You absolute bastard.”

Jordan’s face hardened into a frown. Even now she was going to play hard to get? Fine. He’d show her what it was like to have him working against her rather than for her.

Capsize, at first, had no cares about him walking away from her. She was not going to agree to marry him, no matter how he tried to force her. Her focus was away from him and instead on rapidly forming and fading ideas of how she could possibly prove Red’s sanity. A task she had pressingly little time to complete as she watched him be dragged out the house.

“Capsize!” He called out as he was dragged down the stairs towards the wagon. He struggled against the two men knowing what awaited him if he didn’t somehow escape, but he had no chance of loosing himself in his weakened state and little plan for what to do if he somehow did.

He set his focus on Capsize, terrified before he spotted her that she may already be locked in the cart. What little relief he gained from seeing her stood unrestrained was muddied by the panicked horror on her face. He knew her methods in desperate times far too well at this point. He feared what she might sacrifice for him this time.

He tried to figure out the words to try and reassure her, fruitlessly and falsely, that he would be fine. Before he could even make the attempt, Jordan’s riling yell filled the air.

“Seems the big, horrible beast’s prison hasn’t had much of an effect on our dear Capsize! How big were its claws again, Red?” He called out, not hiding his laughter as he goaded the man utterly unable to fight back. It prompted a wave of laughter throughout the crowd who began yelling their own mocking questions.

“Bigger than a bear, was it?”

“Wasn’t the horrid thing going to tear her apart?”

“I hope it tears you apart!” Red yelled back, not at all helping his case, but knowing there was little he could do in that regard. He had no way of gaining favour from the town. If they were going to call him insane regardless, he might as well scare them.

He knew the act was foolish, that he was screwing any chance Capsize had of stopping his detainment. However, the anger of seeing the smug smile on Jordan was enough to stop him from caring.

He lashed out towards the champion, using what little wriggle room he had to do so. “If you’d given a single damn about Capsize you’d have seen it yourself!”

The smallest amount of slack the thugs had given him was quickly stolen back. Their pace to the wagon quickened.

Though his words firstly just panicked Capsize all the more as she saw the situation slipping away from being at all fixable, they quickly sparked an idea in her mind. There was a way to prove Red’s sanity. If they wanted proof of the Beast, then she would give it to them.

Capsize rushed back into the house and Jordan smiled. If she was this panicked already, surely, she’d just give in soon. Still, she hadn’t yet. He still had the freedom to play with the drunken idiot who had seen fit to publicly embarrass him.

“Oh really? I would’ve seen a beast in the woods? Or were you just trying to lure me out there to attack me like you did Jeriah?” He asked, his smile growing as a look beyond horror dawned on Red’s face. Though it was a look that obviously showed he had no idea that the man had been attacked, to the crowd that just made him appear all the more insane.

After all, Jordan had told them he had seen Redbeard attack the man this morning before fleeing out into the woods. They trusted the champion’s word. All Red’s reaction meant was that his mind was so far gone that he was forgetting himself and becoming little more than an animal.

Red’s struggling stopped, his mind shocking his body into stillness despite how this allowed him to be dragged the full way back to the cart. He knew from the noises in the crowd, from how smug Jordan looked. It was beyond clear that something had happened to Jeriah. All he could wonder was what the hell sort of state Jordan had left the man in.

“No! You attacked Jeriah!” A voice cut through the crowd, halting the noise of gossip and judgemental assumptions. Though all of them were quickly replaced with new fresh gossip and rippling murmurs of confusion as Tucker pushed through the crowd. The champions were glaring at each other in a way completely unfamiliar to all the onlookers.

Though it should’ve given no pause to those taking Red away, Furia held up a hand and the two thugs stopped. He had no idea what way this was about to go, but he had little reputation to lose within the town. Still, he was not in the business of doing things easily rallied against. If Lady Ianite’s champion lost this confrontation, he would lose all reasonable right to take Red with him. And if he won, well, Redbeard likely wouldn’t be the only inmate joining the asylum tonight.

As his traitorous friend came forward, Jordan gritted his teeth. He didn’t understand why Tucker had decided to turn against him. It wasn’t as if he liked Jeriah anymore than he did, so why was he so insistent on ruining all the work they’d put into this plan?

It mattered little. If Tucker wasn’t loyal to him, Jordan had no reason to be loyal either. Time to show the Champion of Mianite where betrayal got him.

“Come Tucker, what reason would I have to attack Jeriah?” Still, he kept his tone calm. So long as he looked rational compared to the noise that Tucker was producing, the crowd would stay with him. He was their hero, not Tucker.

The crowd, at his question, did chuckle. Truly, it seemed ridiculous to claim that Jordan had done such a heinous thing. He was their protector. He slayed the wild beasts that would otherwise invade their town. The idea of him attacking a person would cause such a shock to their world view that they couldn’t conceive of it being anything but a joke.

Tucker could’ve turned Jordan’s question around on him. He could’ve questioned what motive Red held for attacking the man. But Jordan had successfully framed him as mad. He could and undoubtedly would use that to excuse any oddities in Red’s supposed actions.

Similarly, Tucker doubted that pointing out that the action would’ve been impossible for Red considering his months-long absence from the town would win him any favour. He himself hadn’t realised just how long it had been since he had last seen the siblings until Jeriah had questioned him. He sincerely doubted any of those he was trying to convince had noticed.

Was the hardest truth really the one he thought the crowd most likely to believe? No, he couldn’t pretend that, not even just to himself. However, if everything was just as likely to be disbelieved, he might as well say it.

“The same reason that you’ve orchestrated all of this for!” He said, throwing his arms up in the air and gesturing towards Furia and Redbeard. He couldn’t hold the same calm that Jordan could, not with how much he knew to be at stake. However, his desperation looked alien to the crowd, who were used to the champions being unwaveringly confident. His current state was far too close to how Redbeard’s madness had manifested for their faith to be held by him.

Tucker’s glare hit Jordan fully. “To blackmail Capsize into marrying you.”

For a hint of a second, there was a look of absolute rage on Jordan’s face. An anger he could not quell towards his fellow champion for actually betraying him like this.

However, he calmed quickly, quickly enough that no one but Tucker saw the look.

Besides, Jordan considered, was it truly blackmail if he was enacting his Lady’s will? Capsize was meant to be with him, that was the reason his Lady had sent her here. He obviously didn’t want to use such an extreme method, but it was Capsize’s fault that he had to.

Besides, Red was mad. Why else would he think Capsize hated him? Or for that matter be convinced of the existence of this impossible beast? He was going to catch Furia’s attention sooner or later. Jordan was simply giving the siblings an out that they wouldn’t have been given otherwise.

Tucker was wrong, lying for his own gain. Jordan couldn’t let his Lady’s will be ruined by any such pettiness.

“Now, why on earth would I need to blackmail anyone to marry me?” He laughed, a similar noise rippling through the crowd of townsfolk. Not a single person could imagine rejecting a marriage proposal from Jordan. Even if Capsize played hard to get, she was no different. He was going to get the girl in the end, why wouldn’t he?

Frankly, Jordan thought their reaction was punishment enough. For Tucker to feel rightly mocked so he’d get back on board with their friendship. However, then the shouts began.

“Maybe he’s gone crazy too!”

One man in the crowd dared to yell. It maybe could’ve been written off as a joke, just another mocking comment showing how much Mianite’s champion had lost their favour. However, rapidly one shout turned to two then to three then to just a wall of noise. Questions and yells and worries all overlapped with each other, all questioning the sanity of one of their trusted champions.

Tucker didn’t panic at the reaction only because he had expected it. He knew this was the likely outcome of him telling the truth, that Jordan would almost certainly be believed over him. He did not let any fear onto his face when his face looked at him with an entertained and oh so dangerous smile.

“Yes… Perhaps you need some time in Furia’s care too…” He said, concerned and defeated despite how Tucker was sure he was neither.

Tucker was grabbed from behind, the same thug that had earlier prevented Capsize from rushing to her brother’s side now doing his best to drag the champion away. However, Tucker was a man that was combat trained and hadn’t had said skills rusted from two years of inactivity. Nor was he dulled from the cold as Red was.

That was to say that Tucker struggled fiercely. He may have predicted his condemnation to the asylum, but he wasn’t going to be carted off without a physical fight. He had no idea what he’d do if he actually broke free, but he couldn’t give up due to his lack of a plan. Though he made no headway in actually escaping regardless.

At least, he reassured himself, regardless of anything else, Jeriah would come for Capsize after this. Jordan wasn’t going to get his way. That didn’t particularly do much to comfort him as he was wrestled around to the back of the cart, able to see Red who was more horrified than he already had been.

Their fate was set.

Or at least, it seemed that way until once more Capsize emerged from the house, this time holding a hand mirror.

“Let them both go now!” Her voice cut through the air in a way it hadn’t in years. With the authority of the captain that knew her worth. It was an alien manor of speech to those in the crowd, though it did pull their attention. Even if it hadn’t, her next action would’ve.

Jordan spun on his heel, expecting to have finally gained her agreement. He took a step towards her, but all he received was an intense glare. “Red isn’t crazy. He knows what he saw in the woods. I can prove it!”

She looked down at the mirror in her hand and took a breath. She didn’t want to have to say it, the words she had to say so the crowd would understand. They seemed wrong to even consider, sour and bitter. But nonetheless, she had to.

She thrust the mirror up into the air.

“Show me the Beast!”

For a moment, there was only quiet murmuring as none of those watching, both on her side and not, understood what she was doing. Then the mirror started glowing.

It glowed an intense vibrant purple that transfixed all those watching. An image formed in the silver, and everyone saw undeniable proof of the Beast.

All of them started frozen in horror, seeing the face of a Beast that looked like no animal they had ever seen, but certainly vicious and terrifying. As the mirror did not transmit sound, they were given no context for her facial expressions. That just made her look all the scarier as the roars and growls that she surely must be making were filled in by the onlookers’ own fear filled minds.

“That’s her…” Redbeard, the only one who had seen her before, was the first to break the stunned silence. He still sounded shocked, though that was due to the fact that his sister apparently possessed a magic mirror rather than the Beast’s existence. Still, his primary thought was relief. Now they had to believe him.

The next thing to cut through the air was a scream. A woman in the crowd allowed her terror to get the best of her.

The world was shocked back into motion. Terrified words rippled through the crowd, the townsfolk unable to control their panic. Even Furia’s thugs held fear, enough for Tucker to push himself free without resistance. He did little else as he too was beyond shocked that the Beast truly existed, as monstrous and impossible as Red had described.

Even Jordan took a step back. Not once had he imagined the Beast may be real. All this time, his Capsize had been imprisoned by that thing?! Why hadn’t his Lady given him a sign so he could save her?

Capsize hurried down the front steps, what she had to do now already plotted out in her head. Grab Red and Tucker – who was apparently on her side now –, drag both inside, and slip out one of the back windows to make a break for the castle. If not for Alyssa, she’d just drag the two to the stables to get riding immediately. But she wasn’t leaving the girl behind, not on her life.

However, before she could wrench her brother away from the thugs holding him, her attention was pulled in an entirely different direction.

“Is it dangerous?” The woman who had screamed pushed to the front of the crowd to ask. A question made with pleading eyes and a slight tremble to her tone.

Capsize owed these people nothing. They had never welcomed her. They whispered behind her back and gossiped to her face. They had quite literally gathered here to mock her brother as he was carted off to the asylum. She had no reason to offer them any reassurance.

However, Sonja she did want to defend. Her friend did deserve that. So, she approached the woman.

“No. No, I promise she isn’t,” She said with as reassuring a tone as she could muster. She knew that fear was a natural reaction, that she had feared Sonja at first. So, she could be gentle about this.

Though these people hadn’t been kind to her, that didn’t mean that she had to return said attitude. Maybe if she just tried, she could get them to listen to her this time. “I know she looks frightful, but she’s gentle and kind. She’s my friend.”

Though still fearful, the woman did appear to be listening to her words. After all, Capsize had little reason to lie. Unfortunately, the moment was never going to last.

“If I didn’t know any better then I’d think you had feelings for this monster,” Jordan said, the joking tone he had been using with the crowd this whole time dead and gone. His dangerous intention was clear and undeniable in his voice.

Capsize’s anger boiled.

“She’s not the monster, Jordan! You are!” She spat as she spun to look at him. How dare the man who had treated her like a quarry to hunt call anyone else a monster!

There was a ripple of murmurs through the crowd. None had ever seen Capsize act like this, which caused questions that none of them wanted to ask. Questions that Jordan would not allow to fester.

He didn’t know what Capsize was playing at. Not only defending this creature but attacking him. Complimenting this creature and not denying the ridiculous possibility of her having feelings for it. He wasn’t going to let her spread this nonsense to the rest of town.

He yanked the mirror from her hand, stepping out of her reach as she attempted to snatch it back.

“Your friend? You think a creature like this could possibly be your friend?!” He spat, beyond disgusted. “I’ve hunted wild beasts all my life! I’ve seen what damage they can do!”

He gestured the mirror towards the crowd, forcing them to look at the roaring Beast.

“The Beast will kill your children! It’ll hunt through our streets at night!”

“No!” Capsize immediately tried to interject, knowing how easily Jordan would be believed if she allowed him to speak without argument. He automatically held the advantage with these people. She had to fight quickly for any chance to overcome him.

She tried to grab the mirror back, as if that’d protect Sonja from his accusations. Every time she got close to grabbing it, he turned sharply. A game he had played so many times before, taking advantage of her more limited mobility to keep one of her possessions away from her. This time it was even less of a game to Capsize than it normally was.

She couldn’t keep wasting time doing as he wanted. “No, she isn’t some mindless, vicious animal! Two months I’ve been in her castle. Do I look harmed?”

She tried desperately to appeal to reason. If Sonja was anything like the monster he was selling, she’d surely be dead. Yet she was standing here, alive and well. That should be proof enough that she was not a threat.

Jordan scoffed, finding it hard to understand why she was continuing to fight him on this. Why was she continuing this joke?

“Unharmed? Your brother said you were imprisoned!” Jordan said, his words holding none of the concern they should. He apparently saw no issue bringing up a story he had believed false a few minutes ago. Unfortunately, whether he deserved to say the words or not, he still did. They still had their effect on the crowd and left Capsize on the backfoot.

He took a step towards her. She did not show fear by stepping back. Not even as her instincts were screaming for her to get away from the danger he most certainly posed. “Your friend seemed to have scared him quite well!”

“A misunderstanding!” She insisted, taking her own step towards him, jabbing her cane towards his chest as she did. She had no good reason to act so defensively, it was doing her no favours with the crowd, but Jordan weaponizing her brother’s story against Sonja was boiling away any logical thoughts that were trying to remain in her mind. She just wanted to keep yelling.

“A misunderstanding that left his clothes torn and him acting like a maniac!”

“Yes!” She snapped. If she was thinking about what was best to convince the crowd, she would’ve stopped there. But the time for backing down and calming the storm raging inside of her had long since passed. The disgust she held towards the man she was fighting had simply overwhelmed her past the point of caring what was best for her. “She never treated me as a prisoner, but Red she did. But it truly was a misunderstanding! She saw his pendent and assumed he had been sent by Lady Ianite to mock her. I can hardly blame her for having a bad initial reaction to the followers of the goddess that saw fit to curse her!”

Any response Jordan had prepared was disappeared by her words, as were the majority of his thoughts. With those words, his world was fractured.

Capsize was defending a cursed monster over their Lady. It was impossible, completely impossible. She was loyal just as he was. She wouldn’t turn against Lady Ianite for any reason. Yet here she was denying their goddess’ judgement.

He just couldn’t process it. It was as much of an impossibility as her hating him was. His thoughts were spiralling, grasping for any explanation to restabilize. Then it hit him. The obvious truth.

“She’s as crazy as the other two! This Beast has corrupted their minds with its powers! Turned all of them to madness!” He couldn’t believe he had been so blind. All the impossible things he had heard from the three, their quick falls into madness. Of course, there had been an outside cause.

His Capsize didn’t hate him. She hadn’t turned against their Lady. She wanted to marry him. But this Beast clearly had magic. It must have corrupted their minds against their gods, against him – a symbol of Lady Ianite! “Do you see what this creature can do?! The danger it poses to our town if we let it wander free?!”

Fear, quickly transforming into terror, infected the crowd. There would be no pulling them back now. The only voice in support of the Beast was sold as mad, and that was so much easier for them to accept and cling to than the alternative. Jordan, their hero, was right. He was going to protect them from this horrifying creature that had already driven three people to insanity.

Capsize stood frozen in her own horror as she realised the crowd had fully accepted the champion’s words as truth. Sonja was going to be--!

“There’s only one option! We have to protect ourselves and free these three from their madness! I say we kill the Beast!” Jordan roared out, the crowd cheering and yelling back their own want to kill the creature.

They would protect their town, protect their children. They would stop the spread of this madness! This Beast would die! Only then could they rest easy at night.

“No! No, I won’t--!” Capsize started, talking to herself but far too loud due to her own distress. However, she did not even have the time to complete her remark of horror.

“We can’t have them warning the creature! Throw them in the cellar, we’ll need the cart horses!” Jordan cut through her. He wasn’t going to have any of the three get in the way. Even if their opposition to him was some madness, they would still be incredibly annoying thorns in his side if he let them just remain uncontained.

While the best thing to do would be letting Furia deal with them, they needed as many mounts as they could get their hands on. Thankfully, the siblings’ cellar could act as a temporary holding cell.

That was when the chaos truly started.

Redbeard, who had not managed to escape the hold of the two men he had been locked in, was quite quickly dragged towards the cellar. Though he struggled, that was no more fruitful than it had been previously. Though he thrashed and yelled, he was getting thrown into the cellar whether he liked it or not.

The same could not be said for Capsize and Tucker. Though the remaining thug attempted to make a grab for the woman, he had to push past the champion to do so. Tucker had not come to this encounter unarmed. He was met swiftly with a pommel to the temple, collapsing to the ground.

Before the crowd could even fully react, both of them were rushing towards the basement doors that were being swung open. They did not reach them in time to stop Red from being roughly thrown down the stairs. However, they were plenty prepared when the thug’s attention turned from the man already dealt with to them.

Twice more Tucker’s pommel found its mark, clearing their way to the cellar. Red was at the bottom of the entrance stairs, attempting to push himself to his feet.

“I’ll grab him,” Tucker said before quickly rushing down towards him. Capsize didn’t particularly want to place her trust in him, but following after to help would be patently stupid.

She was not going down into the cellar. She was not going to go exactly where Jordan wanted her. The moment she knew Red was safe, she was getting out of here and warning Sonja of the town’s intent.

She turned, not willing to leave the opportunity for someone to push her from behind. Her judgement was immediately proven necessary as, far too close for comfort, Jordan was behind her.

She took a step away from the entrance. Though she wanted to be as far from Jordan as possible, she felt precarious with just how easily she could be shoved down. Unfortunately, he made the same move, blocking her off.

He was going to shove her inside. She could read that intent just radiating off him. She looked at him spitefully. They were close enough together that she was looking down to meet his eyes. It annoyed him to no end how superior it made her expression look.

“No matter what you do, I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to let you hurt Sonja,” She said, the clear and blunt spite in her voice superseding how unlikely current circumstances made the possibility of her being able to fulfil this promise.

Regardless, Jordan knew, so long as she could still move, she was going to keep up this stubborn act. She always had been annoying in that regard and clearly this creature’s influence on her mind wasn’t helping. Left to her own devices, she would do something tonight she regretted.

Thankfully, there was an easy way for him to stop her from interfering. Of course, he would take no pleasure in it. He was simply doing what he had to do to stop her acting against their Lady.

“I know,” He said with a sad smile, so unlike anything he had worn tonight. It struck a weariness into Capsize, but she had no room to move away from him. “This’ll hurt me just as much as it’ll hurt you.”

In an instant, Jordan had snatched her cane away. While she was still unbalanced, her fingers still grasping the air for the tool that had been ripped away from her, Jordan kicked her right leg.

His hunting boot connected, hard and purposeful. Though he hated that it had come to this, rebreaking it was the only way he could be sure she would not escape and warn the Beast.

As the scream began to erupt from her mouth, he pushed her. Capsize fell backwards, down the cellar stairs towards the horrified figures of Tucker and Red.

He slammed the doors shut before she hit the ground, not wanting to see the aftermath or allow Tucker the opportunity to rush out. Once her mind was freed, she’d forgive him. She’d understand just how deeply her mind had been corrupted and she’d forgive him for doing what needed to be done.

He turned the key stuck in the doors, locking the three inside. Then, not trusting that to be enough, he slotted Capsize’s cane through the handles to act as an extra barricade. He planted a brief kiss on its handle first, willing it to do its job and act as one more layer of security to protect them from themselves.

They wouldn’t break through it. Even if they somehow did, it was replaceable. Just as Capsize’s leg was healable.

“We’ll free their minds!” He announced as he turned back to the crowd. He had never been so sure of anything. Once this Beast was dead, everything would go back to normal. “Gather any weapons and mounts you can find! We’ll kill this Beast!”

Cheers rippled through the crowd, affirming his decision as his words were echoed back to him in a jubilant battle cry. This was what his training as a champion had been leading up to. He would lead the charge to this monster and slay it. If his Lady had seen fit to curse it, it deserved to be wiped off this earth.

He looked down at the mirror, its image still animated on the glass. A wretched Beast alike to no animal he had ever seen roaring out into the night, likely lashing out now its intended prey had escaped its grasp. He could understand just from this far off glimpse how it had driven Capsize to such madness.

Because it had to be madness. The way she had described it, the soft smile she had worn while calling it her friend. He had never seen her speak in such a tone or wear such a look. Not once.

Obviously then, it was madness. His mind fixed on that explanation. He would not face the horrid reality he would be left with otherwise.

“Show me the way to the castle!” He demanded from the mirror.

As the image transformed, showing a map through the woods with a route plotted, he smiled. He would slay this Beast, free Capsize from her madness, and they would live happily ever after.

Chapter Text

For the briefest moment, Capsize experienced time in slow motion. Jordan’s boot connected with her right leg, sending a wave of pain through it. There was nowhere to shift her weight that was stable, especially with her cane stolen away from her by the bastard standing before her. Her mind was overwhelmed, her thoughts cut through by the pain, but before she could allow it all to be released in a scream, Jordan shoved her backwards.

Suddenly everything came back to speed as she fell down the stairs into the cellar. She had no chance of saving herself. She could only hope that the tiny shifts she was making as she fell were keeping her from the worst possible damage. Though, it was hard to have much faith in that regard as each bump in the downward tumble caused a ripple of pain through her body.

She landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, letting out one shaky breath that almost became a whine. The door above her was slammed shut during her fall. It didn’t take a genius to guess that they were already locked in. Through the thick wood she could just about hear Jordan and the crowd’s shouts, their declaration that they would kill Sonja.

Capsize stared up at the ceiling in a mix of horrid exhaustion and regret. How much trouble had she just caused trying to help things?

After a moment of her just lying there, the men who were staring shellshocked finally pushed through into action.

“Capsize!” Red forced himself to his feet. Maybe seeing his sister’s fall had caused some adrenaline to actually start running through his body, as his limbs didn’t feel nearly as heavy. Despite his own fall and the state he had been in within the last hour, his weakness barely seemed present as he offered his hand to his sister.

He wanted to just pull her to her feet, to get her out of the position she had landed in. However, he knew better than to try and assist her in any way that she didn’t specifically signal. Both to ensure he didn’t unintentionally cause her more pain or injury and simply because making a decision for her always just sang wrong.

Capsize took his arm, taking his help to sit up but not actually rising to her feet. With her cane having been kept a hold of by Jordan, all standing up would do right now was cause her further pain. She was already aching enough.

“Did he hurt you?” Red asked, too flustered to fully acknowledge how pointless such a question was. It would’ve been a miracle if she had managed to take such a fall without being injured. It didn’t matter if the bastard had done any damage before pushing her.

Though, Capsize held no harshness in her answer to his concern.

“He kicked my good leg. Hurts a lot, but I’ll be fine,” She assured, not even wanting to focus on it. It had been an advantage, she supposed, just this once that Jordan had never paid attention to her as a person. Had he kicked her left leg as he had most certainly intended, he may have done her some real damage. As it stood, she’d be fine.

Sure, the fall down the stairs couldn’t have done her any favours, and she was quite sure her good leg would have a boot print shaped bruise come morning, but she’d live. She had a more pressing concern to focus on right now.

“Are you sure, that fall looked—”

Tucker, however, she had no problem glaring at. Her look quite effectively silenced the man. Perhaps he had finally seen past Jordan’s bullshit, but that didn’t mean she had forgiven him. Not fully anyway.

She could appreciate his help, obviously. And she had no intention of letting him get dragged off to the asylum as Jordan had clearly intended. Yet, it was hard to fully trust him when he’d spent so long acting as an extension of his friend’s intentions towards her.

“Jordan’s leading a mob with the intention of killing my friend. Excuse me, if I don’t think some bruises are all that important,” She said, having no spare energy to bite back her bitterness.

Saving Sonja was absolutely her only focus right now. She couldn’t let her die because of her own impulsive decision. She needed to stop Jordan, no matter how far she needed to go or how far she needed to push herself.

However, nothing would be done if they didn’t get out of here.

“Okay, help me up,” She said to her brother. Standing would hurt like nobodies’ business, but it’d be worse if she pushed herself up. Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford to remain still at a time like this. So if she’d need to stomach the pain anyway, then she might as well take the way that caused a little less of it.

If Red had any objections in helping her to stand, he didn’t voice them. He just offered his hand as he had before. She took it, her other hand finding a grip on his forearm. With a grit of her teeth, she was pulled to her feet.

The flash of pain was so intense that she almost fell back down again. However, Red steadied her, allowing her balance as she breathed through the worst of the shock.

She could do this. She had to do this.

“We can’t afford to stay put. There are enough tools in here to break through the door,” She started, walking over to Red’s workspace wishing her limp wasn’t so immediately pronounced. They weren’t precisely adorned with heavy tools. They owned an axe for cutting firewood, but that was outside by the stables. Still, with all they owned for restorations, they must have something that could break them free.

“I told Jeriah to come with horses if I didn’t come back. He’ll let us out,” Tucker said, trying to prevent Capsize from hurting herself by taking action that was almost certainly unnecessary. However, she wasn’t in the mood to be waiting around.

“The longer we wait, the bigger a head start we give him,” She said, unable to focus on anything that wasn’t stopping Jordan and ensuring Sonja’s safety. She could appreciate that rescue was on its way, but it didn’t calm her mind in any way as the noise of the crowd outside was already growing distant.

Any amount of time they had in the castle before she could get back there was time that Jordan could hurt Sonja or any of the others. This ridiculous idea he had formed of their apparent brainwashing was not one the champion would let go of. It would keep him hunting Sonja forever in a desperate attempt to prove their love real rather than a fabrication of his own.

She needed to break out now. She couldn’t let Sonja be left to this mob.

Digging through the tools, she found something she was sure could do some damage. A heavy hammer. The actual use of it completely escaped her. All she cared about was that it had a chance of getting through the heavy wood blocking her from the outside world.

Though, despite her mind being set, those within the room with her were less than willing to watch her push herself like this.

“You won’t break through before Jeriah gets here!” Tucker yelled as exasperated as he was confused and frankly concerned. He couldn’t see any reason for such drastic action, nor did he have any idea how she had become so protective of the creature that had apparently imprisoned her.

“I can try!” She said, half-spitting despite knowing that she was acting illogical. She was limping. Walking at all was painful. God knows putting any weight into her swings would hurt all the more.

Still, she was quite fine ignoring Tucker. She’d done it for years. Tonight was no different. However, the other concerned voice she couldn’t write off with nearly as much ease.

“Capsize. I promise you that we will figure out a way to help her. But you’ll be no help if you hurt yourself escaping!” Red managed to get her to stop. He sounded so genuine that he did give her pause.

He had no reason to want to help Sonja. No doubt he still held a great amount of fear towards the Beast. But, beyond most things and people, he trusted his sister. If she saw the Beast as a friend, then he believed she had good reason to.

Red didn’t understand a great many things. He didn’t understand why he’d only experienced a week’s worth of time when Capsize - and seemingly everyone else - had experienced months. He couldn’t fathom how his sister had developed any sort of positive opinion of the Beast. But it didn’t matter if he understood. He trusted her enough to help regardless, which was precisely why he couldn’t let her push herself now when there was going to be far more to do tonight.

“I--! I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” She said as her brother cautiously approached her.

She knew she should just listen to him. It was incredibly unlikely that she would break through the door in any sort of good time. She would be doing little more than wasting her strength and risking injuring herself in this desperate state.

Yet, the idea of stopping when every moment Jordan was gaining a head start on her knocked her sick. She had caused this. She had put Sonja in danger. Stopping even for the shortest moment while a man was intending to kill her friend was simply something she couldn’t allow herself to do.

“Please,” Red said softly as he took the hammer from her hands. “Trust us to help you.”

Capsize did trust him. Just as she trusted Jeriah and she could stretch herself to trust Tucker given his defence of Red tonight. However, her mind was rushing. She was terrified if she paused then she’d completely break down.

Red placed a hand on her shoulder, and, for a moment, she felt that she could breathe.

“I trust you,” She said, trying desperately to take any sort of solace in his weak smile.

With her confirmation, and her reluctant step back without the tool she had found, Red was the one that rushed up the stairs and began to smash the hammer against the door.

🌹 🌹 🌹

“Any men with fight in them follow me!” Jordan riled up the gathered crowd before him.

He had long since completed his own preparations, not that they had taken very long. He’d already had his bow and a quiver of arrows. He never ventured out without his signature weapon. Never had he been gladder for his preparedness than tonight.

He had only needed to retrieve his horse. Though he had, for the sake of caution, grabbed his sword. He doubted he would need to use it. After all, he intended to slay this Beast with his bow as a creature cursed by his Lady deserved. No better an end for the horrid thing than one brought about by one of his Lady’s symbols. Still, it was better safe than sorry, so his sword hung from his belt.

Regardless, it had taken barely any time at all for him to be here before the crowd once more. Perhaps it was because of that speed that so many of the townsfolk still remained.

Had the moment been allowed to pass and the impulsiveness fade, many would’ve surely bunkered down in fear. But not nearly enough time had passed for that and their further still burned bright.

It seemed all the men in the village had gathered. A few were on horseback like himself, but most were ready to storm the castle on foot. Nearly all were holding torches, illuminating the night in flickering flames. They all held some sort of weapons, mostly farm tools as they were the only sharp blades most in the town kept. Though there were a handful clinging to real weapons, mostly unused swords and bows.

None were warriors, but that didn’t matter. Jordan alone would be taking down the Beast. The most fight they needed was to get through the woods. Surely even the most cowardly could do that much.

“Who here is ready to do what is needed to protect their children and their wives?!” He called out, knowing not a single man would want to reject such a call to action.

Yells rippled through the crowd. Not a soul in among them held any intention of letting this monster live. The only way to protect their town was to ensure the creature's swift death.

How could they sleep at night if such a creature roamed free? It posed a threat to them by its mere existence. Even if Miss Capsize had spoken of it as being her friend, it seemed impossible to see her words as anything other than insanity from magical manipulation. One more reason to kill the creature. Free the girl from this corruption she had clearly suffered.

“Then follow me! I won’t rest until this Beast’s head is mounted on my wall!” He declared to a great many cheers. He saw no better end for the hideous creature.

He was the chosen champion of Lady Ianite. His Lady in all her wisdom had deemed it necessary to curse this Beast. He could not imagine questioning her judgement.

Whatever this creature was, he was merely enacting his Lady’s will by slaying it.

He still couldn’t fathom how Capsize’s mind had been so thoroughly taken over. She was supposed to be loyal like him, so how had the Beast completely turned her against their Lady? Obviously, it had to be insanity. She had been manipulated by this Beast’s powers, whatever they were.

Still… The soft way she had spoken…

It didn’t matter! If his Capsize really had been so thoroughly taken by a creature of this kind, then it only cemented what needed to be done. If he couldn’t have Capsize, then no god-forsaken Beast could.

“Tonight, we kill a Beast!” With that final declaration, he turned his horse towards the woods. Following the map shown to him on the enchanted mirror, he began to lead the mob of townsfolks towards the castle.

When he returned, everything would finally be back to normal. He was going to make his Lady proud. This Beast would die tonight.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Alyssa watched terrified from the door as the illuminated form of the mob began to march towards the woods. Everything had gotten out of control so fast. She was left tiny and vulnerable and utterly unsure of what she was meant to do.

She hadn’t seen everything that had happened. She’d listened to Capsize’s command and remained still and quiet as the chaos had happened. Even as the thugs had come in to drag out Capsize’s brother, she’d remained there silently watching.

She hadn’t really had a choice. Though she’d desperately wanted to do something, what could she have done? She was a talking flowerpot. All she could’ve done was freak out the thugs before swiftly getting herself broken and the siblings in trouble for witchcraft or something.

Though, she wasn’t entirely sure that what had happened in reality was any better than that.

A mob was headed towards the castle with the intent to kill Sonja. Even with the many qualms that Alyssa held against the royal Beast, she could feel nothing less than terrified at the prospect of her death.

She could pretend her upset was unrelated. After all, the mob threatened everyone in the castle, not just the Beast. What would the townsfolks so stuck in their own way of life and so against anything different than themselves do to talking trinkets?

Would they loot them like any other jewelled object in that place? Taking her dad or Tom away to be sold as treasures as if they were not people?

Or destroy them? Would she return home to find Martha and Andor nothing more than splinters of wood? Could they actually be broken in such a way?

Alyssa had no idea the answers to her questions and that scared her all the more.

Besides that, which was already quite a lot for the teenager to take in, she couldn’t imagine the consequences on the curse if the Beast died before it was broken. It was all tied to her. If she died, would they all simply be stuck in these forms?

That idea, along with the other spiralling panicked questions, left her beyond terrified.

And maybe, just maybe, she was just as scared of Sonja getting killed as she was any of the others in the castle. Though, she was already so panicked that she couldn’t even begin to contemplate that.

She needed to do something, anything, to help the situation.

She had gotten her way outside, but she was now overwhelmed by the sheer scale of everything. This was the first time she had been outside the castle since the curse began. Though everything was giant compared to her in this form, over the years the castle had become familiar. Now she was somewhere she had not had years to memorise, and her tiny size was horrifying all over again.

She wanted nothing more than to retreat back into Capsize’s house and simply break down. No one would blame her given how utterly hopeless a situation she had been caught in. But the repeated banging on the cellar door reminded her that she needed to do something.

Capsize was clearly desperately trying to escape. If Alyssa didn’t help her then she was just letting the mob win. There was no way she was letting that happen.

Unfortunately, though, she wasn’t going to get the cellar open by herself. Whatever magic had allowed her to open the doors back in the castle didn’t exist out here. She had all the object manipulation skills of a regular flowerpot. That was to say, none.

But what she did have was the faded memories of her days in this town and the one man she believed without a shadow of a doubt would help. Hopefully she could navigate the streets despite only having hazy memories and the horrid nerves she was suffering through.

🌹 🌹 🌹

“You thought of a hammer before lockpicks?!” Tucker asked beyond exasperated as Capsize pushed past him with her picks.

“If you don’t have anything helpful to say, shut up!” Capsize replied with barely contained anger. She was not in any mood for him. She was stressed. Every step she took was painful. Excuse her for not thinking straight!

Admittedly, she was frustrated with herself too. Red had been attempting to break apart the door for… Capsize couldn’t actually tell, but far too long for her desperate mind to be stratified with sitting still.

The only way she could distract her thoughts from their continuous attempts to shift into what Jordan might do to Sonja was focusing on how she could help. It had been less like rational thinking and more an animal clawing at the horrid cage she had been stuck in. She had been ready to scream as she had been drowning in that awful feeling of helplessness as she was sat in her worn work chair listening to the repeated strikes of the hammer against far too thick wood.

Then in a moment of frustration where she had mostly been looking for something to throw for the momentary relief of breaking something. Her grasping fingers had met with the leather roll her picks were kept in.

Her thoughts had finally focused into something actually usable.

As she limped up the stairs, Red pushed himself back from the door. He’d managed to make a dent, but nothing close to getting them out of here. Hopefully she’d have more luck, but with how her hands were shaking, she had no idea if she would.

“The key might still be in the lock,” Red said as he shifted down a few steps to allow her a sitting position. He didn’t say the words to dissuade her from trying as he certainly believed she held a better chance of getting them out than him, but he felt it an important warning.

“I can work around that,” She said with a tone that couldn’t quite be called confident. She knew from experience how to push keys from locks, but without steady hands it was hard to believe she was going to make any headway.

Still, she was unwilling to sit by doing nothing. So, despite how she couldn’t keep her body from jittering, she unrolled her wrap of picks and placed them on her lap.

From his vantage point, Redbeard could see her shaking. He could’ve seen it from across the room. He had rarely seen her so afraid and every time he had it was moments before she launched into an impulsive action threatening to her own health.

The threat that Jordan posed to the Beast was clear. It was already causing her a physical reaction. Though she had currently settled on an action that would not cause her harm, she’d never make any progress in this state, and he knew it.

She needed her mind to actually be distracted. As much as he didn’t understand how she had reached such a level of concern for the Beast, he knew that he wanted to help her.

Right now, helping her meant believing her. And if he believed her then he needed to keep her mind from spiralling and affecting her body. That, at least, he had an idea of how to do.

“How did you become friends with her?” He asked, softly and ensuring he said her rather than it despite how odd the word felt on his tongue. Still, Capsize bristled. “I’m not saying I doubt you, I’d just like the story.”

“I’d also like an explanation,” Tucker said from his position at the bottom of the stairs, his tone far harsher than Red’s. “I mean, we thought you were imprisoned.”

There was a part of Capsize that wanted to shoot a retort at that. Because if he had thought that, why in the hell hadn’t he tried to help her? Red had ventured out into the woods alone to try and save her, so Tucker’s apparent concern for her whereabouts rang false.

However, she heard the genuineness in Red’s voice. And he did deserve the story.

“Technically, I was imprisoned… She never locked me in a cell, but those first days I did truly feel that place was a prison,” She began. It was a struggle to make herself think of those first few days for how different Sonja had felt. Thinking of her as a lurking threat just couldn’t click in her head anymore.

“If you weren’t in a cell then why—?”

Tucker’s attempt at a question was cut off by a glare from Red. Though he too thought it was a valid question, this wasn’t a question-and-answer session. This was him calming Capsize down so she could properly focus.

Still, despite how quickly he had been cut off, Tucker had still said enough to make her slightly annoyed.

“I’d made a promise to stay. Breaking my word would’ve been asking for something bad to happen,” She said, keeping her tone steady despite how she wanted to snap. She piled her frustration instead into attempting to force out the key on the other side of the lock. “But I did get to a point where I tried to leave.”

There was a beat of silence. Within the lock, she gained a hook on the key.

“I was exploring a part of the castle that I’d been told not to, and I found a rose. It was clearly enchanted and… And each of the petals were branded with Ianite’s symbols. While I was examining it, she appeared and… She scared me. I ran off with the intent of returning, but I ran into a pack of wolves in the woods.”

Despite how she had clearly made it out of the encounter, Red froze remembering those vicious creatures. They were the reason that he had ended up starting this whole mess yet, with how pressing a concern the Beast had seemed, they’d slipped to the back of his mind.

“I should’ve died out there. They’d pulled me down to the ground and… I was just waiting for them to tear me apart. But then Sonja appeared. She fought them off, saved my life at the cost of injuring herself. I couldn’t just leave her in the woods.”

No… She could’ve done it. She’d considered doing so. Anyone normal would’ve. But really, she never could’ve left the person who saved her life out there to die.

She pulled a pick and the tension wrench. Time to start actually getting out of here.

“I took her back to the castle, fixed up her arm as best as I could. I guess everything just started feeling different. She’s sweet. She’s gentle and unsure and kind and… And I feel like she understands me in a way that no one ever has…”

She didn’t feel like she was quite expressing how different Sonja was to anyone else in her life. Just how much she meant to her. Maybe the words for it didn’t exist. Maybe she just couldn’t bring herself to use them.

She began chewing on her cheek as she felt the pins with her pick. She didn’t know if she should say more. Maybe she should explain the curse. Tucker was possibly owed an explanation that he’d had memories of a close friend robbed from him, but how was she even meant to begin with that?

Instead, she once more fell into silence, trying to focus on just getting through the door open despite how her heart had started thumping in her ears. Everything just made sense with Sonja. She didn’t need to think about why everything felt right.

Now her throat was tight, and anxiety was clawing at her chest. But she could force herself to keep pushing forward. Nothing mattered if she didn’t save Sonja. She’d figure out the reason she couldn’t fully explain how she’d felt about Sonja once her friend was safe.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Jeriah found himself carefully guiding two horses through the abandoned streets wondering what in the hell had happened.

He had known from the moment that Furia had gotten involved that tonight was going to end badly. He knew that he was quite likely to be riding towards Dagrun with one of the siblings in tow.

He knew that Jericho’s attempts to speak reason to the crowd was a fool’s errand. Really, he should’ve talked the man out of that little piece of self-flagellation, but he knew that the distraction it would make would be perhaps the only opportunity given to the siblings to both escape rather than just one of them. Call him callous, but he’d been willing to take any chance that the two actually being threatened might escape even if it put another at risk.

However, clearly their escape had not come to pass. In fact, none of the possible outcomes he had prepared himself for had.

What the old soldier had expected was for one of the siblings to arrive at his home after Sparklez had successfully taken the other. But neither turned up, which would’ve been his prompt to go to the sibling’s home to hopefully find at least one of them there. What had actually happened was that something had whipped up a frenzy among the townsfolk.

Those who had been following the asylum cart with the clear and obvious intention to watch the misery of Furia’s newest ‘patient’ had rushed back with what could only be described as sheer terror. A great many had been sealing themselves within their houses. However, just as many had been gathering weapons and lighting torches.

Jeriah wasn’t stupid. He knew what a forming mob looked like. However, he couldn’t figure out why.

He supposed he could’ve gathered that by just standing relatively close to them, but the clear and obvious murderous atmosphere had persuaded him that that was a less than good idea. Instead, he’d avoided them as much as possible while preparing the horses as requested by Jericho. Better to keep a distance when he had no idea the intentions of the crowd and he had already gained a significant injury that day.

He wondered now if he had made an ill-choice as the streets were remarkedly, eerily quiet. While he could mostly reassure himself that the siblings had not been the target of the mob as there was little chance of such quiet falling if they had been, that felt a hollow hope to cling to. He needed to keep moving so he could actually see for himself that they were safe.

Though, as he walked forward, he came to the realisation that he was not actually alone in the streets.

Had there been any other noise, he almost certainly would’ve missed it. Even with just himself and the horses, he still almost did. But he didn’t. He heard what he could only describe as a repeated noise of something hitting against the cobbles.

It certainly wasn’t footsteps, though the noise sounded quite akin to hoofs of horses. It just didn’t fit with the rhythm that walking had.

Jeriah placed a careful hand on the pommel on his sword. He proceeded onwards with a great amount of caution, unsure what to make of his own instincts when he couldn’t so much as see a figure in the darkness.

No… No, he certainly caught sight of something moving just beyond the point of clarity. But the shape was so utterly impossible that he found it more believable that he was just imagining things.

However, the closer he got, the harder trying to write off the presence as just a figment of his thoughts got. The noise got louder, and the flashes of movement became clearer.

Still, what came into his sights was utterly impossible, even before the call came.

“Jeriah!” A few feet away, ceasing her hopping at the sight of him, was a flowerpot. It wasn’t a particularly special looking object, a regular clay flowerpot with regular blossoming flowers spilling out of the soil within it. However, she was also the furthest thing from regular.

An expertly carved face sat upon the front of the pot, alive and moving despite how impossible that was. Beyond that, she had spoken. He should’ve been taken aback by the existence of such an object, but it was what Red had described in his letter. An enchanted object. Jeriah believed the man could’ve been a tad more descriptive in that regard.

The existence of such an object should’ve given him pause, let alone the fact that she appeared to know him. Yet, her voice gave his head that same awful fuzzy feeling he’d found repeatedly driving him to madness during his and Spark’s investigation. A sureness that he should be remembering something. There was only one thing that could mean.

“I know you, don’t I?” He said as he cautiously approached her.

Alyssa looked up at the man she hadn’t seen in a near decade, hardly knowing how to react. She wanted to spill everything, tell Jeriah that he was right. But she didn’t have the time.

“Yes, but that’s not important right now! Capsize needs help. She’s been locked in her cellar and—”

With little warning beyond his eyes widening, Jeriah scooped up the flowerpot and began to rush towards Capsize’s home, forgetting the horses in his hurry. He didn’t fully understand all that was happening, but he would be damned if he didn’t help his friend.

🌹 🌹 🌹

“No! No, no!” Capsize held the overwhelming desire to scream as the unlocked doors met a barricade, keeping her very much stuck in the cellar. It felt a mocking joke as the bitterly cold air from outside was stinging her skin, but she remained trapped.

Beyond frustrated she started slamming the doors, hoping to break whatever was keeping them trapped. She shouldn’t. She knew that she shouldn’t. The most likely thing to be stuck between the handles was one that she couldn’t afford to break. But in her desperation, she didn’t care whatsoever.

“Capsize, you’re going to hurt yourself!” Red yelled, placing a hand on her shoulder that she immediately shook off.

“I don’t care!” He was right. She knew he was right, but what the hell did that matter right now?

“Gods, Cap, why are you acting like this?!” Tucker said, rushing up the stairs to try and help Red in stopping her. However, with freedom so close, there was absolutely no way that she was going to stop fighting.

“Why?! Because I can’t let Jordan hurt her!” She shouted as she fought against them trying to get her to just sit down. She had to fight. She had to get to Sonja no matter the cost to herself. She couldn’t lose her!

She knew if she stopped fighting for even a moment she’d simply break down. So, she continued to struggle against the men, to pound against the doors every time she did get freedom. She couldn’t lose Sonja! She couldn’t lose the person that she—!

As suddenly as this mess had started, the cellar’s doors were pulled open. The shock of it caused them all to freeze for a moment. But only for a moment. Capsize quickly leapt right back to movement, grabbing the cane being offered to her and scrambling out the cellar.

“Okay, he’s got a head start, but I—” She flinched as her leg hit the ground and her cane wasn’t nearly relief enough after the fall that had been inflicted upon her and the movement she had pushed herself into taking. It was less painful than her steps without it had been, yes, but she had still stepped with far too much confidence and sent a ripple of pain through her leg.

Had she really been dancing just a few hours ago?

She forced out a shaky breath. She could get through this. She could keep going. She didn’t have a choice. “I’ll catch up. I’ll warn her.”

She was mostly talking to herself. But, of course, that did not stop those watching from hearing her and having their own reactions to her continued pushing of herself.

“Capsize! Please!”

“What exactly is going on?”

“Do you have any plan whatsoever?!”

Though she acknowledged the concerned words of her brother and Jeriah, it was Tucker’s annoyed statement that actually got her to bristle.

“I don’t have time for a plan. Jordan’s got what? A half hour head start? Any time I waste here is time Jordan can use to kill Sonja!” She half-yelled as she spun around to face the champion. This was hardly the time for plans. This was the time for action.

However, seeing the faces of those staring at her made her regret her haste.

Red looked beyond concerned. That was her brother through and through and she had very much expected such a look from him. Still, after so long of being concerned for him, it was hard to find herself on the receiving end of such eyes.

Jeriah’s eyes were no easier. He had even less context for what was going on than Red and she couldn’t imagine what danger he had thought her in. Worse, he had a bandage wrapped around his head. Jordan had attacked him too. Was he just working his way through everyone close to her?

Despite how his injury wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help but feel guilt for it regardless. Just how obvious his concern was made her feel all the worse. He’d come to help her, and she’d been ready to rush off without a word.

In the old soldier’s hand was Alyssa. The flowerpot looked terrified. Of course she did. The mob were marching towards her home. Even if Sonja was their main target, she doubted that what appeared for all intents and purposes to be living furniture would be spared.

It all just left her with guilt. Even Tucker’s stare, despite how she was desperately trying to file him as an annoyance, wormed more guilt into her chest for how impulsively she was acting.

She knew their looks were entirely fair. She was going to injure herself if she hadn’t already. But contemplating slowing down was causing tears to form in her eyes.

“I… I caused this. I told them about her,” She said, her voice cracking as even this tiny pause caused her worse anxieties to break through to the surface. Despite the barrier of strength that she had been trying to keep up, tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks. If anything happened to Sonja, it would be her fault. “I can’t let him hurt her.”

Red took a step towards her.

“We’re going to stop him. I promise you that we will,” He said. He had no idea how he intended to keep his word, but he was going to. He had never seen his sister speak about anyone that way she had spoken about the Beast. Even if he didn’t understand, he wasn’t going to let someone his sister clearly cared about be killed.

But he also wasn’t going to let her push herself this far. “But you need to sit and breathe for a minute, or you’ll do something you regret.”

“No, if I don’t hurry—”

“Tom knew a shortcut! He showed me once! I remember it! He said it cut an hour off the ride!” Alyssa exclaimed as she began wriggling her way out of Jeriah’s hold.

Capsize’s heart was beating in her ears. She had a chance of making it. She could save Sonja.

“Okay,” She said, still uneasy, still with tears rolling down her cheeks. She took a few steps back and slumped onto the front steps, pain aching through her bones. “Okay…”

Red sat next to her and squeezed her hand. For a moment, she almost managed to feel calm. In this tiny emotion, she thought of something she needed.

“Can you get me my pistol?” She asked.

His face darkened. He understood what precisely she was asking. Still, he only had one reply.

“Of course.”

He squeezed Capsize’s hand tighter. It helped her forget the tightness in her chest.

Jordan was right. A beast would die tonight.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Somewhere, far from where any mortal could feasibly travel, the happenings of the night were watched. The viewing was private, or so the figure thought as she bristled with barely contained energy. However, another had been with her for quite some time now.

“You can’t interfere now. You’ll ruin everything if you do,” He said, breaking her fixation on the mortal activity. Anyone else would’ve feared the visible energy crackling off of her being turned on them by pulling her attention so suddenly, but he saw no reason to.

“I am aware of that,” She snipped, beyond uninterested in this conversation. There was far too much going on tonight for her to put up with him.

“Yet, you’re crackling as if you’re going to smite that entire town,” He said plainly but not quite with the seriousness such a statement required. It wasn’t that he thought it would be undeserved. Nor could he deny that he’d be entertained if she did. But they’d made an agreement when all this had started. Regardless of the mortals’ idiocy, they had to stick to it.

“Because I wish to. I just will not,” She said flatly, her glare at the mortals marching through the woods intensifying.

The man laughed. Being forced to just watch was killing her. Though despite the appearance of his attitude, he also held a certain worry for what might go on tonight.

“How long left?” He enquired.

“A couple of hours…” She said, her eyes flickering over to the castle, to that final petal. Quickly, they returned to the group in the woods and those still gathered in the town. They were so far away. “I am not sure they will even make it in time.”

“Well, that’d certainly be no fun,” He muttered. For this to have come so far only to end with a whimper, he could think of nothing more disappointing.

She pursed her lips.

“What do you suggest?”

He thought for a moment.

“Twist the trees, hurry the horses. Ensure their arrival takes minutes rather than hours,” He knew it would lead to chaos. Though, his suggestions always did. Still, no matter the carnage their arrival caused, it’d be far worse if the petal fell beforehand.

She considered. She was in no mood to aid those in the woods. She would be quite glad if they all simply disappeared. However, she had made certain agreements. If she wished to aid her, she must aid all of them. And she did very much want to aid her.

Thus, she had no way to justify rejecting him.

“Very well.”

One way or another, a Beast would die tonight.