When I saw the head caretaker of the royal forest reading a book about courtly etiquette and protocol, I was so startled that I inhaled too sharply and immediately began coughing. My servant glanced up from the book.
"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" he queried politely. "Shall I summon a physician?"
Now I was more perplexed than ever. How could this be the same insolent man who prides himself on catching me off guard every winter, tripping me at the ankles, pinning me, cramming snow down the back of my shirt, and cutting off my right sleeve?
His appearance was even more unusual. His dark hair had been brushed well and carefully tied back so that not one strand hung loose around his face, which was now so clean-shaven that not even the usual sideburns remained.
"Something on your mind?" I asked.
"Your cousin is coming to the castle for a visit," he replied. "I simply wish to make a good impression on visiting nobility."
I nodded. "Did you tell her what you told Belle and myself the other day?"
He sighed. "I did. Turns out she already figured it out. She's known for months now. She just wanted to see if I'd be man enough to confess it."
I laughed, recalling some of the headaches Belle had caused me to endure.
"She forgave you then?" I queried.
"She actually said…" My servant looked away, hesitant to continue.
"Go ahead. Tell me," I coaxed.
"She said you deserved it, and any man would have done the same in my place."
I laughed again. "You two are pretty good friends, aren't you?"
"Yes, but only friends," he assured me. "There are no special feelings between us."
Although I made no reply, I was pleased to hear they were merely friends. As my cousin, Lisette is nobility. When her father finds a proper suitor for her, she must have an arranged marriage.
My servant was born to the town beggars. He chose employment at my castle as an alternative to execution. Furthermore, he's rather uncouth and belligerent at best. He freely admits that he shall remain a bachelor his entire life, for who could ever learn to love him?
Then there's the fact that we fought years ago. After all this time, I still don't know whose fault it was, but I'm not sure it even matters anymore. However, the damage has been done. We still bear proof of our respective injuries, and no one particularly trusts the forest caretakers.
"I wish your leg could have healed," I remarked aloud. "It's not right that you should limp for the rest of your life for the crime of simple miscommunication."
"And people in the desert wish for ice water." He shrugged. "There's nothing to be done about it now, so what's the point of wishing?"
The castle door opened, and my servant raced toward it as fast as his permanently fractured leg would allow. As soon as he saw Lisette, he stopped in his tracks, staring helplessly as one entranced.
"About time you got here, servant!" my cousin scolded. "Your men had to escort me safely through the forest because you were too busy!"
"Apologies, my lady. I was preparing for your arrival here."
"Well, don't just stand there!" Lisette continued. "Help me remove my gloves!"
"At once, my lady!"
I noticed a few things that raised my suspicions. First of all, Lisette is a kindred spirit, well known for her gentility and hospitality. It's not her nature to order servants around impatiently.
Second, she's also got enough fire in her personality that she'd never dream of getting help removing her gloves. She'd be furious if anyone ever believed her to be too much of a noblewoman to do the most simplistic tasks for herself. She saddles her own horse and shoots her own bow, so she wouldn't think twice about removing her own gloves.
Finally, my servant spent way too much time helping her, and most of it was spent stroking the tops of the gloves to "admire the texture of the fabric" rather than simply pulling them off. Not once have I ever known that man to have the slightest interest in different kinds of fabric, so why did his eyes have such a gentle warmth rather than their usual dark flame?
"My servant tells me you two are friends," I remarked.
Lisette smiled. "Oh yes. We've been friends for a while now. He acts tough, but if you get to know him, he's actually not as bad as he seems at first."
The forest caretaker bowed. "Would my lady condescend to join her most humble and obedient servant for dinner?"
She considered it. "Very well…if you'll show me where it happened."
"My lady?"
"I want to see the clearing where Adam performed his first act of kindness."
My forest caretakers are always so bold that they nearly seem arrogant, but now my servant was showing every sign of being unsure of himself. He had visited that same clearing countless times while doing his chores, but now it seemed he would rather be imprisoned than go there.
"I will show you," he stated. "It's a quick walk, even for me."
I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. I grabbed my magic mirror so I could see what happened. There are many friendships among the servants of my castle, but none are quite as unusual as this one.
My servant was quite the tour guide as they walked. "And this is where the wolves first ambushed the horse…And here's where the horse fell through the ice…"
He looked as if he wished to perish, but he bravely continued the journey without complaint. Lisette looked around, but she said nothing.
When they arrived at the clearing, the forest caretaker stated, "This is where it happened. Belle was standing here, and the Beast was right here when the fight started, and he collapsed right here."
"Any regrets?" Lisette queried.
"Not for what I've done, just for who I've hurt. My men were counting on me to keep them safe throughout the spell, and…" He sighed deeply. "You don't forget the sound when the bones of your only friends are being broken because of what you told them to do. I guess that's why they say never hire your friends. When your friends are your employees and you let them down like that…" My servant shook his head.
"Tell me the truth. Would Belle have been killed if the Beast hadn't arrived?"
"Likely." He sighed again. "Probably not for another several minutes, but there are only so many ways to stall an execution, especially if the victim isn't taking the hint and leaving the premises."
"And the Beast?"
"I don't know. I could have finished the job, and if Belle had left him lying there, I probably would have executed my remaining vengeance, pun intended." After a pause, he added, "It just didn't seem right somehow. I proved my point. I let him know in no uncertain terms what I thought of his royal right arm of justice and majesty. Is there any need to continue fighting after you've proven your point?"
"I suppose not."
They stood in silence for a few minutes. I could see pain in my servant's eyes that came from his psyche rather than his injured limb.
"I'm not sorry I hurt him," he remarked. "I'm just sorry I hurt so many others with him. It wasn't worth it."
"Do you still want to hurt Adam?" Lisette queried.
"We fought. I finally proved to him that despite our difference in status, I would no longer cower before him. He learned what I truly thought of him, and he's got the scars to remind him. I'd say it's all settled. After all, he's not the same tyrant he was before the spell was cast, and we've both moved on with our lives. I no longer bear him any ill will."
"Even though you're still his prisoner?"
There was another long moment of silence.
"I won't be for long," my servant answered. "I chose servitude as an alternative to execution. If I die, the contract is void, and my men are free to pursue careers elsewhere."
"Will you kill yourself?!" Lisette asked, her voice rising in concern.
"Don't have to. You forget I work in a forest. I've seen injuries like mine before. They always shorten the lifespan. Infection and the like."
My cousin took his hands in hers. "My poor friend!"
To my astonishment, he actually smiled. My forest caretakers pride themselves on their lack of facial expressions, making it quite difficult to guess their emotional state at any given moment. However, my servant was clearly smiling at my cousin.
"What lovely eyes you have!" he murmured softly. "Did I just say that aloud?!"
She laughed, her face reddening. "Mine? Look at yours! Amber as flame, holding all knowledge of the forest's best guarded secrets!"
"What soft hands you have, the better for comforting those they are extended to help!"
"What strong limbs you have, the better for defending those you hold dear!"
My servant nearly reached up to stroke Lisette's face, stopping himself just in time. "What a large heart you have, able to see the good in someone like me!"
She stepped a little closer to him, still keeping her hands in his. "What a kindred spirit you have, fiercely loyal and selfless to a fault!"
"What full lips you have, like petals of an enchanted rose!"
Lisette tilted her head as my servant leaned forward. "I'm glad we feel nothing other than friendship. Any attraction to each other would simply end in grief."
"Right," he agreed. "Hands?"
They both put the backs of their hands to their own lips and placed their palms against each other's. Thus they each kissed nothing more than their own hand.
Like I said, many of my servants have close friends working in the castle, but I've never seen any of them go around kissing their hands. There's something strange here. It's almost as if Lisette and my servant are…
No! It can't be! I'll just ignore…
But then…