A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (Beyond the Four Kingdoms #2)
Melanie Cellier
Part I
The Castle
Chapter 1
I had been riding all day, and the sun was now starting to set in spectacular streaks of red and orange across the plains. But still I pressed on, too afraid to stop. A howl rose above the sound of the wind, and I shivered from more than just the cold. Did that call sound closer than the last?
A second and then a third wolf took up the chorus, and I decided they were definitely closer. What would happen when night fell? Maybe I should stop and try to light a fire now. Would the flames be enough to keep them away from me and my mount? I looked at the emptiness surrounding me. Where would I find fuel for a fire in this desolation?
Sophie? Where are you now? It’s starting to get dark. My twin’s projection sounded in my mind and broke me from my panicked thoughts.
I took a calming breath before answering. I’m riding, there’s still plenty of light left here. The fear had been mounting all day, but I had tried to keep it out of my projections to Lily. She was worried enough about me as it was. But it was hard to keep the emotion away from my words, especially when I was sending my thoughts directly into her mind. She almost certainly suspected the truth, but she also knew I wasn’t going to change my mind and turn back.
He promised I would be safe, I reminded myself. My new betrothed. He promised. The exact words of his missive had been, ‘I cannot stop you sending an escort, of course, but only my betrothed is guaranteed safe passage’. Not exactly an encouraging message, but it had explicitly guaranteed my safety. And, since he had demanded I come alone and immediately, he could hardly fault me for stepping outside of his directions. Which meant my current predicament was entirely his fault.
My twin’s earlier warnings repeated in my mind. He’s a monster! A beast! You can’t trust him.
She was right, of course. At least as far as we knew. And I didn’t trust him, not at all. But I did trust in the power of the ancient laws. The ones that created a formal, binding betrothal between the ruler or heir who called a Princess Tourney and the princess who won the secretive competition. The laws that bound every person in these lands and decreed that not even the one who had called the Tourney could disrupt the subsequent betrothal. Which surely included not letting the bride-to-be get eaten by wolves.
I had seen the power of this ancient magic all too clearly during the long weeks of the Tourney—the competition Lily and I had been forced into when we arrived in these lands. Our diplomatic delegation from our own kingdom of Arcadia in the Four Kingdoms had arrived at just the wrong moment. And since the High King himself had set up the Tourney many generations ago, we had been unable to escape it. I had seen the ancient magic create realms and bring them crashing down. I had even seen it hold back death. It was this same magic that had apparently cursed the Beast’s kingdom of Palinar. Surely it could also keep me safe.
And so, here I was, riding my horse all alone through an empty wilderness while wolves howled around me. Not exactly a promising beginning to a betrothal. But the ominous words of my new fiancé’s message had been clear. Only I was safe. Only I was protected by the Tourney.
And it wouldn’t have been only guards accompanying me if I had waited. My twin Lily and her new betrothed, Crown Prince Jonathan of Marin, would have insisted on coming as well. Who knew how many lives might have been lost in their efforts to protect me?
Where are you going to spend the night? Lily’s worried projection reminded me that she was still adjusting to the whole idea of me going off on my own. I hadn’t exactly discussed it with her when I had snuck out of the palace on a stolen horse. I stroked the neck of my mare, Chestnut. I had befriended her weeks ago, and she had happily accompanied me today. The poor thing hadn’t known what she was getting herself into, of course.
I’ll let you know when I work that out, I responded, injecting some humor into my projection. It gave me comfort to carry my twin’s presence with me in my mind, even if she could offer no practical assistance. We had never been apart before, and I liked the reminder that we were still connected. That we had a link no one could break, a Christening gift from our godmother. A greater bond than ever twins have shared before.
And with our old nanny having passed away, only Jon knew of the secret connection between Lily and me that had resulted from our gift. Which meant this Beast was wrong if he thought he could isolate me from the rest of the kingdoms by asking me to come alone. My betrothed had secrets aplenty, but I brought some of my own with me.
The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon now, and I could still see neither shelter nor fuel for a fire. A flash of movement made me whip my head around, but the plains appeared empty. The mare faltered and then picked up her pace without being asked. I crouched low over her neck, encouraging her speed, and peeked under my arm.
Another flash of movement, and this time I caught a glimpse of gray. A wolf! My breath quickened, and the horse must have picked up my tension since she increased her speed even more. I looked again but could now see nothing. How did they hide themselves in this vast emptiness? More of the magic of the curse, I supposed.
My heart beat wildly, and I tried to calculate how much strength remained in my mare. She had alternated between a walk and a trot all day, so she couldn’t have much stamina left. I guessed she was running on instinct and fear right now and not much else.
I scanned the horizon again, searching for something, anything. The final rays of the setting sun blinded me and made the landscape strange and unfamiliar. I squinted through it, not sure what I was even hoping to see.
A black dot wavered against the light and seemed to grow bigger. Its shape looked unnatural, too square to be an animal and far too large to be a wolf, so I nudged the mare, angling her toward it. As it grew even bigger, I glanced back again and this time got a clear glimpse of two gray shapes racing after us.
My horse ran at a full gallop now, and my hair and dress streamed behind me. Even so, we neared the approaching object at a surprising pace. It was clearly moving toward us as fast as we rushed toward it.
I began to pull up on the reins just as the last of the sun slipped below the horizon and the blinding light disappeared. The mare responded reluctantly as I blinked in the twilight haze and tried to understand what I was seeing.