The explosion downstairs startled Elaine from her sleep and she sat up quickly. Too quickly, causing her head to start spinning. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and rubbed her dark blue eyes. Putting a hand to the wall, she started to make her way out of the room and down the stairs. Voices were audible to her in the cellar below.

"It works!" came her sister's voice.

"It does? It does!" came her father's.

"You did it! You really did it!"

"Hitch up Phillipe, girl. I'm off to the fair!"

Soon Elaine saw her elder sister dragging their semi-conscious father into the house. She laughed quietly, which alerted Belle of her presence, "Elaine! Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Elaine shook her head, "I told you, I only have a cough."

"You've had that cough for two weeks!"

"I'm fine, Belle."

Her sister's eyes narrowed and Elaine folded her arms across her chest. They stared at each other for a long moment before Belle sighed and went back to tending their father.

Maurice came to after about an hour of unconsciousness and Elaine was on him in an instant, "Can I go to the fair with you Papa?"

Belle's hazel eyes widened, "Absolutely not!"

Maurice looked between his daughters, his dark eyes taking in Elaine's appearance, "You look better to me."

She smiled while Belle looked outraged, "Papa! She's not well! She can't go with you!"

"I can too, Belle! I'm well enough to go wherever I wish!"

Maurice sighed, "Both of you calm down... Belle, Elaine is well enough to travel. So... Yes, Elaine, you can come with me."

Elaine beamed and threw her arms around his neck, then ran upstairs to pack her things. Leaving Maurice alone with Belle, who was glaring furiously at him.

"Belle, she'll be fine. After keeping her cooped up in the house these past weeks, she deserves to get out. I can't deny her a trip to the fair."

Belle knew immediately that whatever she'd been ready to say was pointless, "Alright. But don't let her exert herself. She's not well, Papa."

Maurice nodded, "She'll be fine. You know I'll look after her closer than a hawk watches a mouse."

A little later Maurice sat on Phillipe's back and Elaine was perched on the back of the family wagon with Phillipe hitched in the front and Maurice's newest invention tired down on the back.

"Good bye Papa! Good luck! Good bye El!"

They waved at her, "Take care while we're gone!"

Elaine fell asleep about an hour and a half after they set out, curled up at the back of the wagon. Maurice stopped Phillipe at a fork in the road, which came with a decision. Turn left, or right. To the right was a dark, spooky road that led somewhere through a thick fog. To the left was a relatively clearer road, that looked rather calm.

Phillipe turned left. But Maurice wanted to go right.

"Come on, Phillipe! It's a shortcut! We'll be there in no time."

Phillipe backed away from the road that Maurice tried to urge him onto.

Elaine woke up, and sat up rubbing her eyes, "Papa?"

Chaos erupted.

One second Phillipe is running away from bats and the next Phillipe is gone and Maurice is pulling his younger daughter through the trees as fast as he could, trying to get them both away from the wolves that had gave chase to them.

They came to a gate and Maurice bangs on it, shaking it in desperation, "Help! Is someone there?"

As if someone heard, the gate swung open and Maurice stumbled through with Elaine, both of them falling to the ground. Maurice had to shake a wolf off his foot before they got to their feet and hurried away, leaving behind Maurice's hat. To top it all off it began to rain.

As they headed away from the gate, they realized that they were walking towards a castle. A huge, dreary, terrifying castle.