Chapter 3: The Castle of the Beast
As Iroh and Goldy the yellow chocobo made their way through the forest, they could not help but notice how the branches of the trees overhead seemed to grow together until they blocked out the sunlight. Glowing eyes seemed to peer out at them from every shadow, and a wolf's howl could be heard from far off in the distance.
"We should have reached our destination by now," Iroh said, trying to remain calm. "Maybe we missed a turn at…oh, wait a minute." He lifted his lantern to illuminate a signpost.
"Let's see… if we go this way, we should get there faster…"
Goldy looked down at the dark, overgrown path, then towards a more inviting route of passage before turning towards the former.
But Iroh steered him towards the darker path, saying, "Come on, Goldy, it's only a shortcut! We'll be there in no time!"
They continued on through the darkness, which seemed to become more and more deep with every step they took.
Iroh glanced about, looking concerned. "This can't be right… we should probably turn around…woah boy, whoa…look out!"
A swarm of Golbat burst from the trees, spooking the poor Chocobo, who took off at a run, swerving through the trees with Iroh holding on to the reins for dear life. Eventually, they ran out of the forest, and towards a cliff, barely managing to stop in time.
"Back up, back up! Steady… steady…" Suddenly, Goldy bucked him off and charged back into the woods, never looking back.
"Goldy!" Iroh's shout went unheard as the chocobo vanished into the darkness. But the old man wasn't alone. A pack of savage Mightyena emerged from the tree line, snarling at him with ribbons of saliva hanging off their jaws.
Iroh took off at a run, not looking at where he was going until he tripped over a tree root and tumbled down a hill and in front of a set of wrought-iron gates in front of a gloomy castle. Staggering to his feet, Iroh grabbed the locked gates and began shaking them, shouting, "Help! Please help!"
Somehow, the gate creaked open, and Iroh ran inside, slamming the gates in the face of the Mightyena. He stood there, panting heavily, watching as the growling beasts turned and walked away.
Overhead, the rain began to pour down, drenching the poor man to the bone. He passed through a garden overgrown with weeds and made his way to the front door. He pushed it open, and stepped into a dusty, cobweb-ridden hallway.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" His voice echoed largely throughout the open space, bouncing off the cavernous walls.
Little did he realize that he was being watched. From behind a corner, three figures watched, whispering among themselves.
"He must have gotten lost in the woods." Whispered the figure in a slightly accented voice.
"Shh! Keep quiet and he'll probably leave!" hissed another, also accented, but with a female voice.
"Come on, Hermoine, can't we help?" Argued another voice in the same accent.
Iroh turned around. "Hello? Is someone there?"
"Don't say anything, either of you!" The second voice warned.
"I don't mean to intrude," Iroh continued, "But I've lost not only my way and my chocobo, and I need a place to stay for the night."
"C'mon Hermoine," the second figure pleaded, "Can't we at least help him?"
"Sssshhhh!"
But the noise caught Iroh's attention and he spun around, looking for the speaker. "Hello? Who's there?"
From around a corner stepped a large black dog with brilliant green eyes. Sitting on top of it's head was a reddish-furred rat. Both looked at him imploringly with almost human-like expressions.
Iroh bent down until they were at eye level. "Well, hello there. Are you two lost?"
To his great surprise, the dog began to speak. "Welcome, sir, I take it you need shelter?"
The rat also added, "You can stay here for a bit until the rain stops."
"Harry! Ron!" A voice yelped. From the shadows, a brown-furred cat emerged, and started to speak as well. "Now you've done it," it (she?) said, annoyed. "Now what do you plan to do…ack!"
Iroh picked the cat up gently and examined her,
"Interesting. How does this work?"
"Put me down! I'm not a toy!" The cat protested
The elderly man obliged, letting her drop to the floor. "I'm sorry," he said, "it's just that I've never met a cat that could…ah…ah… AAACHOO!" The cat, dog and rat stepped aside as he sneezed loudly.
"Oh for heaven's sake…" the cat, Hermoine, sighed, then pulled a handkerchief down from a tableand tuened back towards Iroh. "Here," she said around a mouthful of cloth. Iroh took the handkerchief and blew his nose with a loud honk.
"I think you'd better come with us, and get warmed up." Harry said, then lead Iroh down the dusty hallways.
Iroh nodded gratefully. "Oh thank you so much.."
Hermoine ran after them, protesting loudly. "Are you crazy?! Don't you realize what the Master would do if he found a stranger here?! I demand that you stop at once!"
But her protests went unheeded as they continued down the hall, completely unaware that they were being watched by something in the shadows...
Harry and Ron pulled open a door to reveal a dusty room with a roaring fire in the fire place, and lead Iroh to the large chair seated next to it.
"No! Not the Master's chair!" Hermoine protested.
But Iroh sat down anyway, sinking into the soft plush seating. Then he blinked as something small hopped up onto his lap. It resembled a green and white rabbit-like plushie wearing a big golden ring around its tiny waist. Fluttering up beside it was another plushie, this one resembling a brown and white winged puppy.
"Hello!" said the rabbit in a cute voice. "My name's Mieu."
"And I'm Chip," said the puppy. "What's yours?"
"Iroh," the old man answered. There was a sound of scampering feet, and Iroh glanced over to see three more rust-furred rats climbing along the chair's arms. Two of them looked almost exactly alike… except for the fact that one's ear was practically gone, with nothing but a stub remaining in its place.
"Hello there." Said the one-eared rat. "I'm George. This is my brother Fred."
"Don't you mean I'm George and you're Fred?" The other rat said with a wide grin.
The other rat rolled its eyes. "Do you always have to do that?" Turning to Iroh, she added, "I'm Ginny, by the way. Would you like your cloak removed, sir?"
Together, they helped remove the cloak, and Iroh
"Al right!" Hermoine shouted, "This has gone on long enough! I'm in charge here, and I say…"
She was interrupted when a cart rolled in, bearing a complete tea set. But what really caught Iroh's attention was what else was on the tea cart - a purple-colored squirrel and a chipmunk with light blue fur.
"Hello", the squirrel said politely. "I'm Éclair."
"And my name is Lumiere." said the chipmunk, bowing. "Would you care for some tea?"
"No! No tea!" Hermoine warned, but Éclair and Lumiere were already hefting up a large teapot between them.
"We have ginseng tea, if that's alright with you." Said Lumiere.
"Of course! That is my favorite!" Beamed Iroh, and raised the cup to his lips.
But before he could take a sip however, the door suddenly slammed open, sending a gust of cold air into the room, effectively extinguishing the fire in the fireplace. The others cowered as some…thing entered, growling loudly. Despite his better judgment, Iroh could not help but stare.
It resembled a wolf standing on its hind legs, albeit one with horns and scarlet fur that also formed a sort of mane which faded to a pale red halfway down. The creature glared at him through deep green eyes, and when he spoke, his voice had a sort of rumble to it.
"What is this stranger doing here?'
Harry stepped forward, looking nervously at the beast. "Master, let me explain, this gentleman was lost out in the woods in the rain and we couldn't just let him stay out there…"
The Beast growled, causing him to move backwards slightly. Hermoine was next, looking like she'd rather not be here right now. "Master, I told them not to let him in…but they would not listen…"
"Hermoine!" protested Ron, but again, the Beast's growls silenced them.
He then turned his gaze on Iroh. "And you! What are you doing here?"
Iroh backpedaled, never taking his eyes off the creature in front of him. "I-I was lost in the woods, and…"
"You are not welcome here." The Beast growled, noticing his gaze. "And what are you staring at?"
"N-Nothing!" Iroh turned towards the door, but the Beast blocked his path, with a surprising burst of speed.
"You're here to stare at the Beast? Is that it?" Judging by his tone, this was clearly a sore spot.
"Please sir," Iroh begged, "I don't mean you any harm, all I needed was a place to stay."
"So you want a place to stay, huh?" The Beast's voice took on a dangerous tone. "I'll give you a place to stay! In the dungeons!"
With that, he grabbed Iroh and dragged him off, slamming the door behind him and plunging the den along with everyone in it, into darkness.
To be continued…
AN: That's it for now, sorry it took so long. I hope the double update helps. Oh, and points go to whoever can recognize the characters used here. Some are easy to recognize, others... might not be. It depends on whether or not you know those shows/games. Until next time, ja ne!