A/N: And we are now at the really fun part of the climax…meaning the bit with all the fight scenes. Hopefully I can pull them all off. They're in my head in full color and detail…but the trick is converting what I see in my head into words. Might include the death scene in this chapter…or it might be put off until the next one. You all know it's coming. I just need to make up my mind as to where it will fit the best. Decisions, decisions… Regardless of where I put it, we are almost at the end of this story. There is only one more chapter left after this one. So shall we dive into the final stretch? Here we go! AH, wait! I almost forgot to explain something kind of important! By this point you will have noticed that Femio is capable of being quite rational in spite of the fact that he is…not in his right mind. That's because he is still capable of rational thought…to a point. That's what it means when someone is delusional. It means their brain is lying to them and they can't tell when it is and when it isn't. For the record, I'm not a licensed psychologist. Most of what I know comes from years of being in therapy myself (you can pick up a surprising amount of information through osmosis), and a semester of introductory psychology. There could be some glaring errors in my approach to this, but…eh, it works for the purposes of the plot. Well, let's get this started for real now.
Disclaimer: I do not, have not, and will never own any of the things I am using for this fic. This includes Princess Tutu and Beauty and the Beast (either version) which belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 13: The Battle Rages
In the days since Ahiru's departure, the mood at the castle had grown increasingly grim. There was no hiding the fact that Tier was fading, and fading fast. He'd developed a persistent chill in his bones that caused him to shiver almost constantly, and nothing his servants tried could relieve it. Worse, the exhaustion plaguing him continued to grow until it got to the point that he spent more time asleep than he did awake. Even when conscious, his energy levels were still alarmingly low. It took all of his strength to make it even as far as the balcony doors, not that he bothered to move that far. Instead, on the rare occasions he got out of bed, he'd stagger over to the table the vase holding rose rested on, slump into the chair next to it, and just sit and glare at the wilting flower impatiently.
"I hate this," he grumbled tiredly to his best friend on one such occasion. "My prince," Mytho blinked in confusion. "Waiting to die," Tier clarified, "I just want it to be over and done with already…" The horrified expression that crossed the candelabra's brass face made the dragon-like man wince and explain further, "It's not that I want to die. It's complicated…" "If it would make you feel better to talk about it," the enchanted candlestick smiled sadly, "I am willing to listen."
Tier sighed tiredly and rested his head in his hands before admitting, "I miss feeling warm, and I hate how weak and lethargic I am these days… I know it's going to get worse before the end, though. I remember when Autor's father died… Lingering for days as his body fought desperately to stay alive only to fail in the end…the pain he was in… I fear…that's what awaits me… I don't want that… If I have to die at least let it be quick…not slow and lingering…" "You don't want to suffer," Mytho summed up sympathetically. "Would anyone," the dragon-like man whispered back.
The enchanted candelabra knew a rhetorical question when he heard it, and so did not answer. Instead he offered a comforting pat on the back of his dying friend's scaled hand. "I'm scared, Mytho," Tier whispered bitterly, "I'm so very scared…" "Do you regret not telling Ahiru how you feel, then," the candlestick asked. "Never," the draconic humanoid retorted with quiet intensity, "It was the right thing to do! I know it!" He then sighed before confessing, "Doesn't make me any less terrified of dying, though…"
The dragon-like man was about to continue before a faint wince crossed his face and a soft cough slipped out of him. "Is something wrong," Mytho inquired with a concerned frown. "Chest feels a bit heavy today," Tier admitted quietly, "I can still breathe easily enough, but it is getting uncomfortable." The candelabra visibly cringed as he realized this was yet another symptom of his friend's imminent demise.
A sad smile crossed the draconic humanoid's face as he raised his head to look at his best friend and servant, "I am sorry, my friend." "For what," the enchanted candlestick wondered as he fought down his grief. "You shouldn't have to watch me waste away like this," the dying man replied quietly, "I'd spare you that much if I could…" "I'm not going to deny that it is heartbreaking," the golden-eyed light fixture sighed before grinning wryly, "But I would be a poor excuse for a friend if I let you suffer alone. I will be here by your side until the end." A weak smirk crossed Tier's face at that as he poked his friend lightly on his central candle, "You idiot…"
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A week and a half after Ahiru's departure, and the heaviness in Tier's chest had worsened to the point that it was a struggle for him to breathe. Raetsel frowned as she watched Johann adjust the dying prince's pillows to cushion his head more comfortably. The dragon-like man's eyelids fluttered in reaction to the movement yet did not open. "He's getting weaker," she whispered sadly. "We all knew it was inevitable," Autor sighed from his position on the bedside table, "It will be a miracle if he makes it to the end of the week…"
"The rose has only four petals left," the enchanted teapot lamented mournfully, "It's never shed them so fast before… How has it come to this?" The clock rubbed at the bridge of his carven nose and glanced at the head of the kitchen staff, "This is only a guess, but I think it is because the rate that the rose wilts is tied to the strength of his will to live. Even when he believed there was no hope of it being broken he clung to his resolve to survive as long as he could. Then Ahiru came… I can't deny that while she was here he seemed to be really living more than merely surviving. Then he let her go…and the rose has never wilted faster. I believe he's stopped fighting and accepted that he's going to die…"
"You truly believe that," Raetsel asked sadly. "It certainly seems to be the most likely explanation," Autor huffed before shaking his carven head in dismay, "To think he'd come so close to salvation before letting it just slip away…"A faint moan from the dying man interrupted their conversation as he stirred restlessly in his sleep. "My lord," the enchanted teapot called out anxiously, "Can you hear me?" The draconic humanoid only moaned again in his sleep as his brow furrowed before relaxing with a ragged sigh.
The clock sighed heavily and shook his head again as he turned to jump down, "What a nightmare…" "Where are you going," Raetsel inquired with a slight frown. "I still have a household to run," Autor retorted tersely, "And, unlike Mytho, I fail to see how it helps to just sit and watch our lord slip away." "He's just doing what he can to provide comfort and companionship," the teapot scolded, "So that our lord knows he's not alone…" The enchanted timepiece merely scoffed bitterly as he continued to hop for the door, "And yet he continues to fade."
The teapot looked on sympathetically as he left the room. For all that Autor's words sounded callous and uncaring, she knew full well that working was the only way he could keep the grief at bay. They were all struggling to cope with their prince's imminent demise in their own ways. She spent hours in quiet conversation with her husband, which helped him to work through his own grief. Mytho did so by spending as much time with his friend as possible and channeled his grief into resolve. Rue would often go off on her own and weep in private before returning to her tasks, and occasionally stopped by to either watch him sleep or chat with him if he were awake. Johann did what he could to keep the dying man as comfortable as possible. Hermia cried until she fell asleep, woke up, and then cried some more.
Some of the staff moped, some were firmly in denial, and still others had come to a grim acceptance of the inevitable. All were coping in their own way…yet none were happy. For they loved their lord and all knew they would miss him terribly once he died. It was frankly astonishing how fast the staff had stopped dwelling on regaining their lost humanity once they learned of their master's decision to release Ahiru.
The consequences of the curse were cruel, and widely considered to be unfair to all of them…yet it was their prince's fate that concerned them the most. Even Autor, for all of his huffiness about how Tier had 'doomed them all', was far more concerned for the dying man than he was himself. "Please try to hold on a little longer, my lord," Raetsel pleaded quietly to the slumbering beast-man, "There is still hope! Ahiru may yet return! So please…hold on…" The draconic humanoid did not hear her and merely lay curled upon his bed, breathing raggedly, as the fourth remaining petal sagged, came free, and drifted down to join its brethren scattered around the foot of the vase.
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Over the next few days, the dying man's condition wavered unsteadily. Some days he was fully bed-ridden which drove him up a wall when he was actually conscious. He spent most of those sorts of days out cold. Yet on others he could move around his room, and he took advantage of those opportunities whenever he could. Tier may have been resigned to his fate, but he hated the thought of spending his last days as a bed-ridden invalid. The problem was Autor did not agree with that mindset and made a point of lecturing the man every time he caught him out of bed.
It was starting to get on the prince's nerves. He understood that the whole reason the enchanted chamberlain was unhappy with him was that he was concerned, but it didn't make the repetitiveness of the clock's words any less annoying. 'It's bad enough that I'm dying,' he grumbled to himself as he cautiously moved to get out of bed on one of his good days, 'I don't need to have my ears assaulted by pointless lectures on top of everything else.' Fortunately, he didn't feel too unsteady once he got to his feet. His energy levels tended not to last for very long, and it felt like each day he was able to be up and about for less and less time. Yet he would take what he could get. Anything was better than lying half-conscious in bed all day.
Tier figured he'd grab a book off of the wall shelf and move over to his table to read for a bit. He started to make his way across the room when the door swung open to admit the enchanted chamberlain. "What do you think you're doing out of bed," Autor snapped irately. 'Not this again,' the dragon-like man sighed internally as an irritated scowl spread across his face. "You're in no condition to be wandering around like that," the clock scolded, "You need to conserve your strength!" 'There's no point,' the dying prince retorted silently, 'I've told you this countless times, but you never listen!'
"Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised you persist in this foolishness," the enchanted timepiece continued with a scornful huff, "You've always been careless when it comes to taking care of yourself. Staying out in the cold for hours at a time, taking stupid risks for no good reason, going outside on the balcony when you're sick, wandering around aimlessly when you should be resting, not sleeping enough, and don't get me started on your eating habits. It's like you've no concern for your own well-being!" By this point the scowl on Tier's face had turned into a full glare.
Autor continued lecturing his prince disapprovingly, "This has got to stop, my lord. It's maddening and extremely stressful for the rest of us to deal with. We worry about you, and it's like you don't even care. But then you don't, do you? Heaven forbid his highness has any concern for anyone other than himself!" "You know that isn't true," Tier hissed. In all honesty, he was somewhat caught off guard by the sudden shift from reproachful scolding towards verbal assault. The chamberlain had never slipped into such unprofessional behavior before, and – if he weren't so annoyed – he might have been concerned over the sudden change.
The clock flinched slightly, but didn't back down, "Oh, that's right. You cared about that girl so much that you let her go without telling her how you feel! Never mind the consequences to anyone else, and with such stunning ease, too. You've come such a long way. Bravo, my lord. Bravo." "Enough," the cursed man snapped angrily, "Don't you dare suggest that letting Ahiru go was easy for me! It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life! I wanted her to stay! I wanted to selfishly keep her by my side forever!" "So why didn't you tell her that," Autor snapped back. "Because I don't deserve her," the dying prince shouted before doubling over in a harsh coughing fit that left him gasping desperately for air.
The enchanted chamberlain cringed guiltily as he realized that he'd pushed too far and apologized as his prince struggled to catch his breath, "Forgive me, my lord. I let my frustration with our current situation get the better of me and I said things I did not mean." "Liar," Tier gasped weakly, "You…meant every…word…" He staggered slightly as he tried to stand back up and ended up having to lean heavily against the balcony doors to remain upright. That outburst had cost him most of his energy and he reluctantly admitted to himself that he was going to have to lie down again. He just didn't have the strength to do much else, and proceeded to get back into bed with a weak – yet thoroughly irritated – groan.
"Well, I can't really deny that I haven't thought such things from time to time," Autor admitted reluctantly, "But actually saying them… It was improper of me to have done so. My words were hurtful, cruel, and have left you in a terrible state." The dying man sighed and muttered breathlessly as he curled up on his side, "I'm always in a terrible state…these days, Autor…and it's only going to keep…getting worse. We both know this. Getting angry like that…certainly didn't help…but it's not killing me…any faster than anything…else right now." He then sighed again and fell into a restless sleep before the clock had a chance to respond.
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Two more days passed and the dying man was – once again – unable to get out of bed for either. The reason why became apparent on the second day when one of the two remaining petals fell free and drifted to the tabletop. No one had any idea of how long the last petal would hang on for, but all knew that Tier's remaining time was nearly spent. Whether he had days left, or only mere hours; it didn't really matter at this point. One by one, the servants started to give up hope that Ahiru would return in time to save their prince. The dying man himself, of course, had never believed that she would return and so didn't fall any further into depression than he already was. Soon the only one in the castle who still held out hope for the red-head's return was Mytho; much to the frustration of a certain clock.
"How can you still delude yourself into thinking she'll be back," Autor snapped angrily at the enchanted maitre'd. A crack of lightning outside served to punctuate his words as a storm built outside. It had been steadily building over the past day and only now showed signs that it was growing ready to unleash its fury. "As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point," Rue agreed morosely, "We can't reasonably expect Ahiru to suddenly have realized that she loves our lord and be racing back here as we speak to tell him so. It's foolish." Raetsel, who was also in the library with the other three, said nothing, but the dejected look on her face spoke volumes. She, too, had given up. "Well then, perhaps I'm a fool," Mytho frowned, "But I simply cannot give up on either her or my prince so easily. I will continue to hold on to what little hope remains until my brother breathes his last. Only then will I admit defeat and no sooner."
Autor opened his mouth to continue berating the enchanted maitre'd when the faint, muffled echo of the discordant screech of metal grinding against metal reached their ears. "That came from the gates across the bridge," Mytho shared a concerned look with the other three servants sequestered in the library. Raetsel frowned thoughtfully before her eyes widened as a desperate spark of hope flared to life, "Could…could it possibly be that Ahiru has returned after all?" "Impossible," the clock breathed as he hopped down from his perch on his lectern and made his way over to the massive window overlooking the bridge, "There's no way…" Yet even he felt a spark sputtering to life.
The candlestick watched as Rue moved to join the other two as the hurried over to the window, but did not join them. In their desperation they had forgotten one important thing about those gates. Namely, that on the night they were all cursed the gatekeepers had also been effected. Yet, unlike the rest of them, they didn't so much change shape as find their bodies and minds forcibly joined with the gates they managed. They could neither move nor speak, but still retained full awareness of their surroundings. They had not barred either Ahiru or her father from passing through for they were clearly not a threat to anyone in the castle. They had been welcomed. Yet the gatekeepers did not admit everyone so readily. If they judged anyone who approached the gates to be a threat, then they would strive to hold themselves shut and bar the person – or people – access.
However, if the threatening individuals managed to force their way passed, the gatekeepers would sound the alarm the only way they could. By flexing their hinges in such a way that the iron posts grinded against the rings locking them in place and causing the very sound the servants in the library had just heard to echo across the gorge. The natural acoustics of the massive gash in the surrounding peaks were perfect for creating a loud echo if the original noise was itself loud enough, so this was an effective warning. Mytho remembered all of this and felt a twinge of foreboding over what he would see as he finally moved to join the others peering through the window. As he snuffed the flames of his candles to cut some of the glare, he was able to make out the glow of torches on the far end of the bridge.
"That's not Ahiru," the candlestick scowled, "We're under attack!" "I can see that," Autor hissed tensely as Rue and Raetsel both exchanged concerned frowns. "I should have remembered that sound was gatekeepers' alarm call! The guards will already be moving to slow whoever those people are down," the enchanted chamberlain continued, "But they won't be able to hold them off forever. We should rally the staff to barricade the castle doors and prepare our defenses!" "We should inform his lordship, as well," Mytho stated as the other three moved to carry out the clock's suggestions and his words made them pause.
"He's in no condition to fight," Raetsel worried, "Perhaps we shouldn't worry him." The enchanted timepiece shook his head, "He's still the prince. Protocol dictates he must be kept informed of such things. It is only proper that I do so." "No offense, Autor," Rue pointed out, "But he's been rather annoyed with you for the past few days. Perhaps someone else should talk to him." "I'll do it," the teapot volunteered, "The kitchen staff has been a bit…preoccupied lately." She wasn't sure how to tell the others that Uzura had gone missing some time ago and that her parents had been driving everyone crazy with their demands to help them find her as soon as they'd noticed. It had taken a few days; they had a lot of kids… "I'm…not sure how much help we'd be in creating barricades," Raetsel concluded hesitantly having decided not to bring up her missing niece. This wasn't the time.
"The rest of us can handle that part," Mytho assured her as he moved to join his companions, "Just try to make it back down in time to prepare them to fight if the barricades should fall." "It shouldn't take me long to inform his lordship and maybe get some direction on how we should repel those vagabonds," the teapot smiled reassuringly, "I can manage that." Rue, naturally, would be rallying the housekeeping staff while Mytho chose to handle the footmen, chamber maids, and manservants. Autor would cover everyone else aside from the kitchen staff. Their plans made, the head servants separated to carry out their tasks with all haste. They had no idea how much time they'd actually have to fortify their home and prepare themselves to fight if need be, but they were resolved to do their best regardless. They would protect their prince!
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As the gates to the castle loomed ahead, Femio could not fully suppress the eager grin that spread across his face. It had taken him far longer to reach the isolated castle than he would have liked, yet he and his followers had finally arrived. He could hardly wait to confront the monster that had stolen his beloved Ahiru's heart and deal with it once and for all! Once it was dead she would have no choice but to love him! The townsfolk who'd tagged along weren't quite as eager, in spite of the lure of the castle's riches and the payment the deluded young man had promised them.
It had been a long, four day hike across the valley and through mountainous terrain. They were starting to wonder if it was even worth the effort. After all, that Tier creature had looked pretty formidable from what they recalled, and the thought that they might have to face that thing after traveling all this way… More than a few of them would have happily turned around and gone right back home if they didn't think their neighbors wouldn't rub it in their faces afterwards.
"So that's Goldkrone Castle," Lilie mused quietly to herself as her cousin turned to address his followers once more. It wasn't easy to make out with the looming storm clouds blocking out the light from the moon and stars. The only reason she could tell it was there were the lights in the distant windows, and the silhouette it formed against the clouds when they lit up with lightning. In the back of her mind, the whole atmosphere struck her as being almost threatening. Yet where most would have been frightened or discouraged by this, the blonde woman was instead excited. She could just about smell the impending battle and could hardly wait. If only her dear cousin wasn't so fond of the sound of his own voice…
"My friends," Femio proclaimed grandiosely, "At long last we have arrived at the beast's ill-begotten lair! Too long has this creature infested the halls of this most noble of residences! Too long has it been a blight on our kingdom!" More than a few townsfolk rolled their eyes at that claim. Even the rumors made it clear that the creature never ventured forth from the castle after it took up residence. It didn't terrorize travelers on the main roads. It didn't raid nearby villages. It didn't really do much of anything. In light of that, calling it's presence a blight was a major exaggeration.
Femio was not deterred from continuing his impromptu speech, "We shall liberate both castle and kingdom from this monster's oppression! Indeed, it is only right that we do so for who else other than us knows of the true threat it poses! Of the plague it spreads with each moment that it draws breath! We shall be as a cleansing fire and should there be some devastation left in our wake… Such is the nature of fire that it destroys as it purifies! Yet it is necessary that it be done! Come now, my friends! Let us put an end to the evil that dwells beyond these gates once and for all! Who's with me!?"
The townsfolk simply stared back at him blankly for a few moments before one young woman asked, "Is he done yet?" "I think so," an older man replied as the flamboyant young man sagged despondently, "He's stopped flapping his gums at least." "Thank God," another man sighed, "I just want to get this over with." "Hear, hear," several others exclaimed. Femio sighed to himself and shook his head, 'Really, their apathy is just appalling. Still, they will serve my needs well enough. I just wish they would show a bit more spirit about all of this.' "I'm with you," Lilie chirped, "Shall we press on, then?" "Ah, my dear Lilie," the unstable young man smiled at his cousin, "I can always count on you. Yes! Onwards, my friends! To yonder castle! And then…victory!"
The flamboyant young man spun on his heel and tugged at the gates, yet they refused to budge. "Hm," he mused thoughtfully, "It appears the gates are locked. Does anyone know how to pick a lock?" "I do," Lilie beamed as she pulled out a hairpin, "Just give me a minute." Femio stepped to the side as the leading townsfolk gave her uneasy looks. They were a little disturbed by the idea that not even a locked door could keep the crazy girl out if she really wanted in. Eventually, after she fiddled about with the massive, built-in lock, it gave a click and she stood to announce her success. However, before she could even speak it gave another click. The gates had re-locked themselves.
The sadistic blonde scowled and went back to work for another minute before she had it unlocked again, but this time she kept her hand on the hairpin to hold it in place. "It's unlocked," she announced, "But I can't really help open them. These gates seem to want to stay locked." Femio shook his head indulgently as he moved to open the gates again, "Now really, Lilie dear, don't be ridiculous. Gates can't choose whether to remain locked or unlocked. That would be insane." Yet as he tried to open them once more, the wrought iron gates resisted his efforts. Undeterred, the unhinged young man directed several of the more robust men to help him force them open.
Under their joint effort, the gates gradually started to shift with a low, protesting groan. Encouraged by this slight success, Femio gestured for even more of the townsfolk to assist with forcing the gates. The hinges continued to groan in protest before finally the gates swung back with a long, drawn-out, discordant screech of metal grinding against metal. The noise made the townsfolk cringe, and their discomfort only worsened as the sound echoed across the gorge – seeming to grow even louder as it bounced back and forth before finally fading away.
"We're going to die," one man sighed despondently as the noise faded, "It knows we're coming now." "Come now," Femio coaxed, "There's no need to feel that way. No doubt these gates haven't seen a speck of maintenance for the last ten years. Some deterioration is to be expected! They probably made just as much of a racket when my beloved Ahiru and her father ventured out to this forsaken place. At most, the creature knows it has visitors. It won't be expecting an attack!"
Lilie wasn't convinced that this was all it was. The gate had definitely locked itself, after all. She was willing to believe that the gates' resistance wasn't due to neglect, but the gates themselves not wanting to open. Which meant the noise was a warning. She saw no point in sharing her thoughts on the matter. Whether the battle to come came sooner or later didn't matter to her. Just that it happened and that she was there to witness it.
Femio led the townsfolk across the bridge as the first few drops of rain started to fall, and by the time they reached the middle it was a full downpour. The heavy rain made it hard to see very far ahead and started a few people grumbling quietly about how all the riches in the world weren't worth being this damp and miserable. The sound drowned out their complaints, though, so they all pressed onwards. As they drew near to the far end, however, some peculiar shapes could just be made out through the pouring rain and the faint light from the castle. "What is that," one of the women asked as she peered through the storm.
Almost as though it were trying to be helpful, a stroke of lightning lit up the area as it struck one of the castle spires. The odd shapes were barricades with swords, spears, axes, and bows leaning up against them. They were scattered along the last quarter of the bridge and all across the court of honor beyond. "The stories never said anything about barricades," an older man mumbled uneasily, "They all claimed the prince and his household were caught completely off guard… But if that's true…what are these doing here?" The sound of the storm drowned out his words, but his discomfort with the barricades being present still spread throughout the rest of the townsfolk until only Femio and Lilie were unshaken.
Femio ignored the rapidly declining morale of his followers. He did note the presence of the barricades and weapons as being a bit odd, but convenient. If the townsfolk would just claim some of the weapons for their own they might last a bit longer against the creature. It didn't occur to him that they might view the weapons as unnatural and so avoid them out of fear. It was an unfortunate blind spot. As for Lilie, if anything the growing atmosphere of fear enveloping the townsfolk delighted her. In her mind nothing made an impending battle to the death more intoxicating than when it was preceded by a sense of dread.
The unease of the townsfolk grew as they drew nearer to the barricades and cautiously began to edge their way passed them. The wood and metal structures were in near pristine condition which meant they couldn't have been sitting out in the open for the past ten years. Furthermore, the weapons leaning against them were well maintained and, as one man found out when he curiously reached out to run his finger against one of the blades, sharpened to a keen edge. "I don't like this," that man hissed to the older gentleman next to him as he stuck his bleeding fingers in his mouth.
"It's unnatural," the older man agreed, "There's no way these weapons and barricades should be so well maintained if the only living thing out this way is that Tier creature. What if he isn't alone?" "The stories never said the Beast of Goldkrone Castle had helpers," a woman fretted, "Facing that creature alone is bad enough! We don't stand a chance if there are more of them!" "This place is cursed," one of the men near the back of the crowd muttered as he uneasily eyed a nearby axe. His nerves weren't helped by the faint chuckle that seemed to come from the axe before another bolt of lightning flashed through the air and he hurried onwards.
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Within the castle walls, there was a frenzy going on as the servants raced around finding things to brace against the front doors to buy them time to get organized. Hermia was leaning heavily against the growing pile of tables, chairs, and other such pieces of furniture. She reasoned that her large bulk and considerable weight would provide far more difficult to budge than anything else that could be brought over in time. Madame Koza had turned over several long pieces of leather to tie everything together for extra reinforcement, and two lengths had ended up woven between the handles by a maid who felt it would help at least a little.
"It's not going to be enough," Rue fretted uneasily as she helped adjust the position the chaise from the parlor on the pile. "I know," Mytho agreed as he tied it down with yet another leather strap, "I fear we're going to have to fight once this last defense falls." "How are we supposed to fight off a large group of humans, though," she protested, "Hermia might be able to manage well enough, but most of us aren't that big! And I'm a feather duster… What am I supposed to do? Tickle them to death?!"
"We don't need to kill them," the candlestick frowned thoughtfully, "We don't even have to hurt them. Think about it. We're animate household items and pieces of furniture. The shock of being attacked by things that shouldn't be able to move on their own should be enough to frighten most of these intruders off. It's worked in the past when his lordship couldn't be bothered." "You think we can scare these people away," Rue asked incredulously as Johann hopped by with the dining room table in tow.
"It's probably our best chance," Mytho admitted, "One thing we have going for us is that some of us can do damage. I can burn people, for example. Hermia can knock people over or, if necessary, crush them. Johann can strike people with his arms. Raetsel can scald people with boiling water. You get the idea. Once they see their comrades being injured, it won't matter that most of us are harmless. All they will know is that we can hurt them and that there's no guarantee they can hurt us since, as far as they are aware, we aren't even supposed to be alive. I'd like to avoid killing anyone if at all possible, though."
"If it comes down to a fight, I'm willing," Hermia piped up from where she was leaning against the pile, "I'd rather not crush anyone if I can avoid it. I don't mind knocking them over or giving them bruises, though." "If we must resort to fisticuffs," Johann sighed once he was sure the dining room table was secure, "I can hold my own." "We might not be able to hurt them," one of the feather duster maids piped up, "But we can trip people up and scatter dust in their eyes if it comes down to it." "I can flop over people's faces and blind them for a few moments," a maid in the form of a polishing cloth suggested.
More and more servants started to mention things they could do to injure or at least impede the invaders threatening the castle until Rue finally turned to her fiancé with a wry grin. "You," she accused teasingly, "Are quite the devious little mastermind. You've gotten our morale up with only a few well-chosen words." Mytho blinked back at the love of his life innocently, "Am I? I suppose I have had a few clever moments in the past, but I wouldn't say I'm a mastermind." The feather duster laughed lightly before hopping up and planting a kiss right on his brass lips effectively short-circuiting his brain for a few moments. "Well, what are you all waiting for," the garnet-eyed dusting implement demanded as she turned back around to face the rest of the servants, "Stop running around in a panic and find the best place you can to ambush these invaders from!"
The other servants moved to obey as Mytho continued to stare blankly at the wall with a blissful grin plastered across his face. "Useless as always, I see," Autor huffed as he hopped down the stairs with Raetsel following close behind. "Not useless," the candlestick mumbled while still in a partial daze, "Just had a brilliant plan. Rue kissed me for it. That makes it brilliant." "Clearly we have different definitions of what constitutes brilliance," the clock scoffed with a jealous scowl. "Still brilliant," the enchanted maitre'd retorted dreamily.
"We'll see…and stop grinning like that," the timepiece demanded as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "It makes you look like even more of a brainless fool than normal!" Rue ignored the insult to her fiancé as she focused on the worried looking teapot, "Raetsel! Did you talk to his lordship? What did he say?" Raetsel winced and sighed heavily, "I did… I told him about the danger we were in, but…" Mytho finally snapped out of his daze at the distress in the older servant's voice and focused on her, "Perhaps you should start from the beginning." The enchanted piece of crockery nodded and started to explain.
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Raetsel nudged the door of the prince's chambers open and was slightly relieved to see him fully dressed and sitting at the rose's table for a change. Clearly, this was one of his good days. "My lord," the teapot spoke up courteously, "It's good to see you up and about again." Tier sighed heavily before issuing a quiet request, "Go away and leave me be. I'm not in the mood for company right now…" He was leaning heavily on his forearms as he stared down at the pile of petals around the foot of the vase. "I wish I could obey, my lord," the enchanted crockery apologized, "But I'm afraid I have terrible news."
"We're under attack aren't we," the dragon-like man sighed again without raising his head. "Well…yes," the painted woman stammered uncertainly, "How…how did you know?" "I'm dying," he replied drily, "Not deaf. I heard the gatekeepers' alarm earlier." "Ah, of course," Raetsel nodded, "Mytho and the others are in the process of rallying the rest of the servants to prepare what defenses we can, but if there is anything else you feel we should be doing to prepare I would know of it." Tier shook his head slowly, "Nothing." "What," the teapot blinked in confusion, "Are you sure there is nothing else we should be concerned about?"
"Forgive me," the dying man murmured, "I wasn't clear enough. I meant you should do nothing at all." The enchanted teapot froze in horror before stammering, "I…I don't understand… What do you mean by that, my lord?!" "If these people seek to end my life," the scaled man replied quietly as he turned to gaze out onto his balcony, "Then I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to. Better a swift death at the hands of a mob than continuing to wait like this. So let them come. I'm tired of just wasting away…" "You don't mean that," Raetsel pleaded. "I'm sorry, Raetsel," Tier sighed again before turning to face her with a sad smile on his face, "I really am. I just don't want to suffer any more. One way or the other…it ends tonight." He then turned his attention back to the wilting remnants of the rose and murmured, "Now if there's nothing else… Please leave."
"And that's when I left," Raetsel sighed sadly, "I couldn't think of anything else to say." Mytho remained silent for a few moments as the other two stared at her in horror before stating flatly, "I'm not doing it." "What," Rue blinked as she looked back at her fiancé, "Not doing what?" "I'm not going to just do nothing and let whoever's out there murder my best friend," the candlestick replied in the same even tone, "I don't care if its insubordinate. I won't just stand aside and let him die." "Neither will I," Autor agreed firmly. That drew startled looks from the other three servants and he huffed agitatedly. "Just because I believe in proper decorum and protocol doesn't mean there aren't times where it is right to disobey his highness," he explained with an irritated scowl, "This is one of those times."
"Well said," Mytho beamed once he got over his surprise, "So now that that's cleared up, I should probably tell Raetsel the new plan." "What new plan," both teapot and clock asked. The candlestick smirked, "We're going to ambush the invaders and send them running away screaming in abject terror about the 'haunted castle'." He then proceeded to explain what he had in mind as the trio made their way into the kitchens while Rue remained behind. "I can't believe that idiot prince expects us to just let him die," she huffed indignantly as she moved to join the other feather duster maids, "He should really know us better than that."
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When Femio and his followers finally reached the castle doors, the flamboyant young man was somewhat irritated to discover they would not open. "Coward must have locked himself in," he sniffed dismissively before turning to the men who'd helped him with the gates and ordered ,"Break them down!" The men looked at the massive, iron bound, oaken doors, at each other, and finally returned their attention to the delusional man as one of them stated incredulously, "You can't be serious. How do you expect us to do that?" "Just ram it with your shoulders a few times," the brown-violet haired man shrugged.
"Our bones would break before those doors would," another man protested, "We'd need some sort of battering ram to breach those things!" "Then go back into the woods, cut down a tree, and use that," Femio huffed, "Or use one of those axes lying around to chop through them. Just so long as you get them open!" The men eyed the axes uneasily as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. While they weren't all that fond of the idea of going all the way across the wet, stone bridge, and dragging a tree all the way back – not to mention maneuvering it passed the barricades in the pouring rain – they liked it a lot better than using one of those cursed weapons.
It took them close to two hours to find a suitable tree, cut it down, trim the branches enough to make it manageable, and return to the doors. The storm was still raging furiously overhead and showed no signs of dying down any time soon. If anything it was becoming even more active with the lightning building in intensity and frequency. The townsfolk huddling near the castle steps were desperately wishing they were anywhere else and let out a ragged cheer when the men returned. They just wanted to be indoors and out of the storm! Even the risk of running into the creature that dwelled in the castle sounded more appealing than remaining outside!
By this point, the men shared that sentiment and didn't hesitate to bring their make shift battering ram to bear against the solid castle doors. Again and again they slammed it against the doors, yet they barely gave with each strike. Eventually, though, the on looking townsfolk noticed a thin gap between the doors. They were opening! They started shouting encouragement, and the men redoubled their efforts until, finally, there was a faint snap and the doors swung inwards slightly before catching on something.
The townsfolk all moved forward to push on the castle doors to open them the rest of the way; they were desperate to get out of the storm. The room beyond was dark, so they could not see what the doors were caught on. They could hear the sound of wood scraping across stone, though, and the creak of straining leather. There were a series of faint, twanging snaps before a clattering racket heralded the doors opening fully. A flash of lightning revealed a tumbled pile of random pieces of furniture to either side of the door with several forlorn shreds of leather hanging off of them and scattered on the floor. It also lit up some of the room beyond to give the townsfolk a brief glimpse of a large, sparsely decorated hall.
Seconds later the darkness returned and the townsfolk hesitated to move any further inwards. More than a few of them were seriously regretting ever letting their greed get the best of them by this point. However, they could not turn back now. They were committed to seeing this endeavor through one way or the other. Femio and Lilie pushed through the townsfolk impatiently before peering around the darkened room. "Stay wary, my friends," the flamboyant young man hissed as he drew the rapier hanging at his waist, "The creature could be anywhere…just waiting to catch us by surprise!" "Oh," one of the men mumbled uneasily, "Great."
"I can't see anything," Lilie hissed irately into her cousin's ear. There was no point to her being here if she couldn't see the bloodshed. "There must be candles or lanterns lying around somewhere," Femio replied, "We just have to find them. Onwards!" The townsfolk reluctantly started to move further into the hall when a young man's voice suddenly shouted, "Now!" The hall abruptly flared with light as the candles on the pillars burst into flame causing the humans in the room to cringe and cover their eyes as they were temporarily blinded. In that instant the enchanted servants launched their ambush!
The feather duster maids darted between people's feet with bolts of cloth donated by Madame Koza tied around them. Johann, Hermia, and the other larger enchanted servants charged out of the corner of the room with furious battle cries. Several people staggered backwards at the sight and tripped on the cloth twinned between their feet leaving them at the mercy of a rain of dust and polishing rags dropping from the ceiling and landing on their faces. More and more random objects emerged from the corners of the room and the passages leading into the halls beyond to attack. Some of the townsfolk started to scream and cower back while others raised the makeshift weapons they had brought with them and started fighting back as best as they could. It was utter insanity!
As the situation in the hall continued to grow ever more chaotic, Femio and Lilie were separated and the flamboyant young man found himself momentarily lost. He had no idea how to handle being attacked by furniture of all things and cringed away from the worst of the fighting as he struggled to come to terms with it. The servants nearby ignored him reasoning from his behavior that he would probably flee without further instigation on their part. And flee he did, though not in the direction they would have preferred. Instead of heading for the doors, the brown-violet haired young man darted up the stairs at the far end of the hall and disappeared into the upper floors of the castle.
While he was freaked out by the ambush of living household items and furniture, he was still bound and determined to eliminate the creature he blamed for stealing his Ahiru away. If anything, the sudden attack made him even more convinced that the monster had terrible magical powers at his disposal. Clearly he had enchanted everything in the castle to viciously attack those who sought to destroy him! He had to hurry! The creature must be stopped once and for all, and he was clearly the only one who could! He'd be hailed as a hero once he returned victorious! He just knew it!
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Meanwhile, Ahiru and Fafnir led the way through the mountains as the distant flashes of lightning from the storm around the castle lit up the horizon. "How much further is it," Pike asked as she fought down the urge to yawn. "Not much farther," the red-head assured her friend, "Once we reach the top of that ridge we'll only be an hour's ride away if we hurry." "Do you think mommy and daddy will be mad at me for leaving-zura," the little teacup asked from her perch in Mr. Katzenhaft's coat. "I think they be happier that you're back and safe," Charon assured her.
They had been driving the horses pretty hard for the past day or so with no more than a few hours rest in the middle of the day and at night. Their only real meals were during these rests and they snacked the rest of the time on a mix of nuts and dried berries Pike had swiped from the kitchens before they left her manor. It had been rough on all of them, but they'd made good progress. Once they reached the ridge, the quintet paused and allowed their horses a few minutes to rest before they covered the final stretch. They didn't really talk as they were occupied with their own thoughts.
Charon was a bit uneasy to return to the castle. Even though he now knew that Tier was far from the vicious monster he'd assumed him to be, the memories of his initial visit still haunted him. He wasn't sure he could face the man without giving into the fear from their first encounter, but he would try his best. He was willing to give him a second chance for his daughter's sake. Mr. Katzenhaft was torn between excitement over meeting an actual prince – even if he was cursed – and concern for the townsfolk who had followed Femio. Ahiru had assured them that her dragon-like friend probably wouldn't hurt them if he could avoid it, but… The retired dancer knew full well that greed could drive otherwise decent people to do terrible things. If forced to defend himself…the ballet instructor knew the townsfolk would not come out of the ordeal unscathed.
Pike was impatient for a number of reasons. She wanted to stop Lilie and Femio before they harmed the prince. She wanted to yell at the townsfolk for being idiots and make it clear to them that greed was not an excuse to commit treason. She wanted to meet Tier and judge for herself if he was good enough to court her best friend. She wanted to see Goldkrone Castle. Most of all, she wanted to see Ahiru smiling with all her new friends safe and unharmed.
As for the Ahiru…she just wanted everyone to be safe and unharmed when she arrived; even Femio. While the others were lost in thought, the blue-eyed young woman reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the enchanted book Tier had given her. It's pages had been flickering faintly and she was worried it had been damaged somehow. She still did not know that Uzura's earlier usage had pushed the enchantment to its breaking point and that it was now slowly fading away. The red head did not open it, though. Instead, she ran her hand along its cover and prayed silently for her friends back at the castle.
'Please,' she pleaded, 'Please let them be safe… I want to talk with Rue and Hermia again! I want to see Raetsel and Mytho smile and laugh again! I want to see Autor's frumpy face again! And I want… I want to be with Tier! I want to talk with him, and hear him tease me, and ruffle my hair, and dance with me, and just be there! I want him to see him smile and hear his laugh again!' It had occurred to her that she was missing her draconic friend far more than she thought she would after only a few weeks, yet miss him she did. It almost hurt. More than anything, she just wanted to see him and have him near. 'Please be safe, Tier,' Ahiru prayed as she felt the first few drops of rain carried on the wind fall on her face, 'Please!'
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The battle in the hall continued. Mops and brooms tripped humans and struck out at them with their handles when they could. Rolling pins rolled underfoot causing people to stumble and fall before tea caddies and footstools bowled them the rest of the way over. A dresser shot out one of its drawers to catch a man in the gut before he fell over coughing and gasping from the cloud of dust a feather duster whipped into his face. Raetsel lined up the other teapots, cups, bowls, and mugs along the balconies and kept them stocked with hot water that they dumped on people below when the opportunity arose.
The room was filled with yelps of pain, screams of shock and fear, and groans, gasps, and wheezing from those who had been incapacitated. Hermia swung her doors left and right to knock her attackers back, and occasionally charged forward with a sudden shout to break up groups of townsfolk who looked to be ganging up on one of the others. Johann proved to be a formidable boxer as he dodged, weaved, and hopped in circles about his opponents – landing firm blows whenever he spotted an opening. Mytho wove through the battle giving more than a few combatants an extremely distracting case of hot foot.
Finally, one man staggered back with a snarl, "I've had enough! That lunatic isn't paying me enough for this!" He then turned and ran back out through the castle doors into the storm. Several others joined him, but they didn't get far before the weapons that had been lying about sprang into action. "Halt," a particularly ornate battle axe demanded, "Lay down your arms and surrender! Resistance will be met with lethal force!" The small group of townsfolk promptly obeyed; they were firmly herded into the stables where a spear and sword stood guard to prevent their escape.
The remaining townsfolk were unaware of the fate that met those who had fled though. They continued to fight back as best as they could, but the battle had already been lost. More and more of them decided they'd had enough and tried to flee. They were then intercepted by the weapons outside, disarmed, and imprisoned in the stable. A stubborn few, however, continued to fight back. Lilie was among these. This wasn't exactly the battle she'd been expecting, but she was enjoying it immensely. She only wished she had not lost sight of Femio in the chaos and wondered how he was faring.
As the battle wound down, Mytho slipped out of the fight and sought out Autor who had been coordinating the waves of attacks from one of the side rooms. "What do you think," he asked as he gestured back to the small group of humans still fighting and the far larger number whimpering on the ground. "I'd say we managed to pull a victory out of this mess. The larger servants should be more than capable of managing the last few holdouts," the clock mused thoughtfully, "I'll head out to talk to the Captain of the Guard about getting the wounded moved out into the stables with the other prisoners. Then I suppose we should track down Agnes and talk her into heading out to take care of their injuries. After that, it's just a matter of working out who the ringleader was and dealing with them appropriately."
"His lordship isn't going to be happy with us," the candlestick sighed. "No," Autor agreed, "He's not. We deliberately disobeyed him." Mytho turned back to the remnants of the battle behind him and frowned, "…I think I'm going to go check on him." "Oh," the clock glanced at the enchanted maitre'd curiously, "Why would you do that? He told Raetsel he wanted to be left alone, and it's not as though he's in any danger. There's no way anyone slipped passed our defenses." "I just have a bad feeling," the candelabra admitted as he gazed over at the stairs, "A very bad feeling."
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Mytho's feeling of foreboding was well justified for Autor had been mistaken. Someone had slipped by and was steadily making his way up into the North Wing where Tier was silently watching the storm. The dying man had pulled the chair next to the table over to the balcony doors which he'd cracked open slightly. The sound of the rain falling on the stone balcony was almost soothing and it made the wait a bit more tolerable. He sighed faintly as he heard the door to his room open and glanced back to see a nervous Femio slipping in.
The flamboyant young man had sheathed his rapier on the way up and instead pulled out a small crossbow which he raised shakily to aim at the scaled man. Tier only sighed again and turned back to the view outside. He was tired of being cold, tired of having to struggle for each breath, tired of feeling so weak, and just tired of dying. A swift end at the hands of this random stranger was better than having to wait any longer for the curse to finish him off. He closed his eyes and allowed a bitter smile to grace his face for a few moments before it faded once more. He just wanted an end to his suffering…
Unfortunately, Femio was both anxious and not very good with a crossbow at the best of times. He planned on finishing off the creature with a single shot, but – when he pulled the trigger – he twitched and squeaked from the recoil causing the bolt to miss his intended target. Instead of burying itself in Tier's heart it slammed through his crippled wing and deep into his shoulder before coming to rest against the bone of his shoulder blade. The impact drew a gasping cry of pain from the dying man's throat as he clutched at the injury.
Terrified that the creature might recover and attack him, the flamboyant young man dropped the crossbow, ran across the room, and tackled the injured man hard enough that they both tumbled out onto the balcony. The dragon-like man rolled away from his attacker and weakly grabbed onto the bannister to pull himself to his feet with a series of pained gasps and moans. Femio still wasn't willing to give him the chance to recover though and tackled him again with a furious cry. The two men fell over the edge of the balcony and rolled down the roof below until they landed on the narrow walkway that ran along the edge of the walls of the keep.
Tier blinked dazedly as he lay sprawled on the wet stone and gasped for air. He simply didn't have the energy to do anything more. Femio stared down at his adversary and sneered in distaste. This was all the dreaded Beast of Goldkrone Castle was capable of? He was a bit disappointed, but was not about to be ungrateful for whatever force had drained the creature of its strength. Any advantage that contributed to his victory was to be appreciated, not discarded. "Get up," he demanded coldly as he drew his rapier once more. The injured man only glanced over at him hazily before closing his eyes in exhaustion. He had no intention of fighting.
"Get up," the flamboyant young man demanded a second time as he aimed a vicious kick at the creature's ribs. The dragon-like man cried out in pain as he rolled across the length of the walkway and curled into a ball once he came to rest closer to the edge. A ragged moan slipped out of him as he struggled to catch his breath. Femio smirked faintly as he realized that this was going to be easier than he ever anticipated. He didn't even need the townsfolk. All he'd have to do was drive his blade into the creature's heart and it would all be over. "This is the Beast of Goldkrone Castle," he mused mockingly as he stalked over to his adversary's limp form and used his foot to roll the dying man onto his back. Tier's chest shuddered as he struggled to breathe before a weak cough and groan escaped him.
"Know this, foul creature," Femio proclaimed pompously as he rested the point of his blade against the scaled man's throat, "Your end comes at the hands of the great Femio Brinkerhoff!" Tier merely rolled his head to the side and waited. He idly noted that his hearing was starting to go and the part of him that wasn't focused on the pain he was in wondered if this nutcase would finish him off or if the curse would beat him to it. It was fifty-fifty at this point.
The flamboyant man shifted his blade away from the weakened man's throat and shook his head in disgust, "How utterly pathetic…" He then raised the slender blade and prepared to plunge it into the creature's chest when a sudden cry from the courtyard below caught both men's attention, "Stop it!" Femio hesitated as the dragon-like man's eyes flicked open and he raised his head slightly to see over the edge of the roof. Tier's faltering breath caught in his throat as his gaze found a familiar red-head looking up at him fearfully. "Ahiru," he breathed weakly. "Leave him alone, Femio," Ahiru shouted desperately as she peered up through the pouring rain.
Seeing her made him feel more alive than he had since the night he'd let her go. He became hyper-aware of his surroundings as adrenaline started to surge through his veins; the rain falling on the roof, the wind blowing through his sodden mane, the crack and boom of the thunder and lightning raging overhead, and the man still standing over him shifting his weight as he prepared to run him through. Tier's eyes narrowed sharply as he swung his hand up to knock aside the descending blade and rolled to his feet as his attacker staggered backwards uncertainly.
Tier wasn't sure where this sudden surge of energy was coming from, or how long it would last, but he was willing to do whatever it took to stay alive long enough to speak with Ahiru one last time. "You'll be my end," he hissed menacingly as he flexed his taloned hands, "We'll see about that!" Femio swallowed hard, but did not back down. The creature had been practically on the brink of death only moments before! There was no way it could be as dangerous as it looked…right?
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Ahiru's breath caught in her throat as she saw Tier get to his feet. While she was happy he seemed unharmed, she knew how bad his temper could be; how violent he could become. She didn't want anyone to get hurt! "We have to hurry," she breathed before jumping down from Fafnir's back and running up to the castle gates. "Miss Ahiru," Autor gasped in surprise as she ran passed him, "You're back?!" "Can't talk," she blurted, "Have to stop Tier and Femio!" The enchanted clock blinked in confusion before he was snapped out of it by a polite cough. He turned to look back towards the doors and blinked again at the sight of Charon and two other's he didn't recognize.
"A-ah," he stammered uncertainly, "Um… You're…Miss Ahiru's father, correct?" "Indeed," the smith smiled drily as he gazed around the hall, "Charon Schmidt of Grünefelder. We were never introduced last time I was here." "And…ah…your companions," the timepiece blinked as he tried to readjust to the sudden shock of Ahiru's return. "Fraulein Pike Falkenrath and Herr Medwin Katzenhaft," the sandy-haired man replied absently, "Also of Grünefelder. It seems you had quite a battle here." "Ah…yes," Autor blinked again. He was still a bit confused.
Pike wasn't paying attention to the introductions taking place as she had caught sight of one of the primary objects of her ire: Lilie. She stormed over to the blonde sadist, drew the slim, black bladed sword hanging at her waist, and promptly whacked the other young woman hard over the head with the pommel. The sickle wielding woman immediately crumpled over and started whimpering as the remaining villagers froze in surprise. "Ah," one of them swallowed hard at the furious look on the magenta-haired young woman's face, "Fraulein Falkenrath…. Um…" "Drop your weapons," she snarled angrily, "And sit over by the door until I'm done here. I will be having words with all of you later, but right now I have to deal with her."
The villagers promptly obeyed as Pike loomed over the blonde woman; she was practically radiating indignation and fury. Autor frowned uncertainly as he watched her actions before something about the smith's introduction and he stiffened. "Ah…You said she was a Falkenrath, correct," the clock inquired uncertainly as she roughly pulled Lilie to her feet, "She wouldn't happen to be related to an Auric Falkenrath, would she?" "I'm not sure," Charon shrugged, "You'd have to ask her." "I see," the timepiece muttered before cringing as the young woman launched into a furious tirade.
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Femio eyed the dragon-like man warily as a thoughtful look suddenly crossed the other's face. "Ahiru mentioned a Femio once," Tier mused aloud, "Early on she brought up that the one upside of living in my castle as opposed to back home was that she didn't have to deal with… How did she put it? Ah, yes. 'That creepy stalker guy' anymore. I'm assuming she meant you." "Creepy stalker," the flamboyant young man sputtered, "How dare you?! She loves me! She does!" The scaled man scoffed quietly as a cold smirk spread across his face, "Her words and behavior indicated otherwise."
The sword in the delusional young man's hand twitched as he snarled, "Oh, and I suppose you believes she loves you?! Preposterous! She could never love something as hideous as you when she could have me instead!" "Oh, I'm well aware she doesn't love me. I'm not that lucky," Tier agreed before challenging, "Nevertheless…what makes you think she'd ever feel anything for a pompous, narcissistic wretch like you when she can do so much better than either of us." "Shut up," Femio snarled, "Once you're dead she'll have to love me!" A dangerous glint entered the dragon-like man's eyes at that as he murmured, "So you intend to force her into a relationship whether she wants you or not…"
"Yes," the flamboyant young man exclaimed as he lunged forward. Tier tensed and smoothly flipped over the charging young man's head before spinning to face him once more with a vicious glare. "You will not," he hissed menacingly. The only way this idiot would get near Ahiru again was over his dead body! Femio staggered slightly in surprise at his enemy's agility, but didn't give up. He whirled around and lashed out with his blade only to have the scaled man twist to the side nimbly to avoid the blow. Again and again he lashed out, yet every time the dragon-like man evaded him with what appeared to be thoughtless ease.
Femio failed to notice the intense focus on his adversary's face as he continued attacking; the other man was studying his form intently. He knew he couldn't count on the sudden surge of energy driving him to hold out much longer, and was praying that an opening would appear so he could finish this fight in a single blow. Fortunately, dodging the flamboyant young man's increasingly frustrated attack wasn't all that draining, so he could afford to be patient. The storm's fury seemed to increase as their battle flowed across the narrow walkway and the air shuddered with the crack and boom of thunder. "Damn it," Femio finally shrieked angrily as he swung wildly, "Why won't you just die?!"
This was the opening the dragon-like man had been waiting for. Instead of darting out of the way once more, the taller man lashed out with his talons and knocked the slender rapier out of Femio's grasp. The flamboyant young man froze in shock as the blade spiraled up into the air and over the castle walls behind him before swallowing hard as Tier glared down at him furiously. "You first," the scaled man uttered with a lethal hiss; for once he'd been able to use his temper to his advantage by channeling it's fury into extra energy to buy him a little extra strength and speed. The sodden, brown-violet haired young man trembled in fear as a large, black-taloned hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him into the air.
Of course, the downside to the cursed prince using his temper as fuel was that the fight had made it rage even more viciously than normal. The only thing on his mind was ensuring that this idiot never lived to raise a hand against Ahiru, his servants, or anyone else ever again. He took two strides forwards until Femio was dangling over the drop to the distant, rocky floor of the gorge below. The flamboyant young man's mind briefly cleared as he gazed into the furious green eyes of the man holding him and realized he was going to die. He started to panic and struggled desperately, "Oh my God, please don't kill me! Please! Have mercy! I'll never raise a hand against anyone again! Please! Just don't kill me! I don't want to die! Oh God, I don't want to die!"
As Femio sobbed in terror and he pled for his life, Tier hesitated before his eyes widened as an old memory came into focus. The memory of his pleas for the enchantress who had cursed him all those years ago to show mercy on him and his household…and how it had been denied; it was followed by another memory. This time it was of the old smith pleading to be released and how he'd denied those pleas, and this was followed by the memory of his own fear of the inevitable end bearing down on him. 'Mercy,' the dragon-like man mused ruefully as even more memories danced across his mind, 'So many times I have either denied it or have had it denied to me… No more! I am not a slave to my temper's fury!'
A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he pulled the flamboyant young man back over the low wall bordering the walkway before glaring warningly into his eyes. "If you ever try to force your attentions on Ahiru again," he snarled coldly, "I won't just let it go." Femio nodded fearfully and yelped as he was dropped unceremoniously to the wet stone of the walkway. He panted shakily as he held a hand to his throat in disbelief that he was still alive before gazing back up at Tier in wide-eyed confusion. "Leave this place," the dragon-like man gazed back with a regal air as he delivered the order, "And never return." He then turned away and looked back up towards the balcony where a familiar red-head had just emerged.
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Ahiru had raced through the castle as fast as she could on her way up to Tier's chambers. 'Please let me make it in time to stop either of them from being hurt,' she prayed desperately, 'Please! I don't want anyone to fight!' After what felt like an eternity, she made it to his bedroom doors and threw them open before racing out onto the balcony. She ran to the railing and cried out as she looked down at the walkway below, "Tier!" To her relief, both men were still alive and Femio appeared more shaken than anything. She smiled broadly as her dragon-like friend gazed back with his familiar, gentle smile as he called out, "Ahiru! Wait there!"
He was just as relieved to see her as she was to see him. He'd missed her so… Carefully, the dragon-like man started to scale the roof back up to the balcony. His taloned hands and feet reduced the slick, wet ceramic tiles from being a major obstacle to a minor inconvenience as they dug deep into the gaps between them. Yet his energy was starting to fail as he climbed, and – by the time Ahiru reached out to help him climb up to the balustrade – he was feeling somewhat breathless and shaky. Tier barely noticed the return of the draining exhaustion that had tormented him for the past few weeks, though. He was more focused on the fact that the girl he loved had come back to him.
"Ahiru," he breathed with an awed smile, "I can hardly believe my eyes!" The red-haired maiden smiled back gently before hugging her dragon-like friend tightly, "I missed you, Tier!" "I missed you too," he whispered as he returned her hug with one arm before frowning in confusion, "I just…don't understand…" Ahiru pulled back and gave him a puzzled look as he trailed off uncertainly, "Don't understand what?" Tier hesitated; more than anything he wanted to tell her the truth about how he felt about her.
Yet – as his gaze settled on the faint light emanating from the dying rose in his room – he knew it would break her heart to hear those words from him when he had so little time remaining. He knew she didn't love him back. How could he possibly burden her with his feelings? Only, at the same time, he didn't want to die without at least giving her some clue as to just how strongly he cared for her. Once more he was torn, but her inquisitive, innocent blue eyes demanded that he give her an answer. "You came back," he finally murmured quietly as he reached up to run his taloned fingers through her hair. Ahiru was still confused and had just opened her mouth to reply when Tier suddenly cried out in pain.
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Neither Tier nor Ahiru had paid Femio the slightest bit of attention once they laid eyes upon each other. They were unaware of his intent gaze watching them interact before it became clouded by jealous fury. How dare his beloved look at another man – he could deny the creature's humanity no longer after it spared him – with such clear affection when she could have him? How dare this man forbid him from claiming her when she was the only maiden worthy of his love?! So what if she didn't love him back?! She was still his!
The last shreds of sanity and rational thought fled from him as his jealousy took over. His crossbow was still lying on the floor of the dragon-like man's chambers, and his treasured rapier was lost to the depths of the gorge. However, he still had one weapon remaining; a long, slender dagger hidden in his right boot. He would end his rival's life once and for all, and then claim his prize once he fell! Femio reached down and drew the dagger before standing. He then calmly approached the steeply sloped roof and started to climb. His ascent was not as easy as Tier's had been, but the storm masked the sound of his quiet gasps and yelps every time he slipped.
Finally, he was close enough to the balcony to pull himself partly up next to his rival and readied his dagger to strike. Tier was still unaware of the danger he was in and was focused completely on the red-head before him as she was on him. Femio knew he'd only have one shot at this, so he had to make it count. He took a deep, quiet breath, reached up, grabbed the edge of the other man's tunic, and lunged upwards to plunge his dagger deep into his back before he could react.
The dragon-like man gave an agonized scream as his body went rigid before trailing off into a low moan as he started to fall backwards limply. The mortally wounded man's wing abruptly snapped out and started flapping weakly. Tier was instinctively trying to regain his balance, but only had one good wing to work with making the effort useless. However, the instinctive reaction did one thing; it caught his attacker firmly in the chest and knocked him back into the air. The flamboyant young man could only gape in surprise as he fell and a despairing scream tore out of his throat as he fell passed the curtain wall…and down into the gorge to smash against the rocks below.
A/N: And I am ending the chapter here! As I expected, this chapter ended up being over 20 pages long which is why I didn't try to make the whole climax fit in a single chapter. I know how I write. Couple of extra things to clarify before going on to the next chapter; first, my reasoning for drawing the climax out for so long needs to be explained since it's only a few minutes long in the film. I suppose I should say films now, though. Regardless, my reasons are pretty simple as they all boil down to my desire to provide an immersive reading experience. Which means adding details such as how far apart locations are, how long it takes to travel between them, alternate viewpoints on the course of events, and so on. End result is that, what on screen is only a few minutes long and with a mood that is mostly related by a series of marvelously catchy songs, things take longer to fully cover in this format since I only have words to work with. This makes everything progress at a much slower pace and results in a slower build up. Second, why I put so much emphasis on how reluctant the townsfolk were to even be there; unlike in the Disney version…these guys aren't really all that invested in killing the Beast. It was so far away it didn't feel like a real threat even though they knew he existed. He'd ignored them for ten years. They were willing to take the chance that he'd continue to ignore them…and they'd have been right. The only reason they even came out was that Femio appealed to their greed…but greed isn't always an effective motivator when you're cold, tired, wet, and miserable. Add in a large dragon-like being at the end of the road and a castle full of living furniture and the like that suddenly attacked them… Greed? Meet the survival instinct. It has a few words for you to be punctuated by its handy mallet. Finally, why I had Tier and Femio talk before they actually fought; basically, neither of them were all that eager to fight at first. Femio because he was kind of a coward when you get right down to it, and Tier simply wasn't sure how long he'd last and was hoping to intimidate Femio into backing down. It was only once he learned that Femio was willing to treat Ahiru as a thing if it meant he got what he wanted that he got angry enough to stop caring about the risks. Assume the storm around the castle behaved like the one in the 90s Disney film with all the rain, thunder, and lightning during the fight and afterwards. I couldn't describe all of it without disrupting the narrative. Also, assume Raetsel scolded Uzura for running away, Uzura defended herself by insisting she wanted to help and that she actually did end up helping a lot, and Herr Katzenhaft backing up her claims by giving a brief overview of her contribution off screen. Again, this is something I couldn't include without disrupting the flow of the narrative. I tried. It made the pacing of the climax trip up and nearly grind to a halt. It had to be cut, but it all happened anyways. Next chapter everything comes to a close at long last! Took long enough! Man, I am so ready to be done with this and start working on something new. Well, I'll see you all at the last chapter! Till then!