On the marrow the maiden awoke in her former bedroom, the one she slept in at the farmhouse she once lived in. That's when she realized that she had come home at last. First thing she did was leap from her bed, dress herself quickly, and lightly ran down the tottering stair to greet her beloved father.
"Father! Father! Father I'm home!" She called happily.
Lucifer was sitting idle and alone in the house, he was so overcome with grief and solitude that he spent that whole year in that same spot. Barely ever moving it, mourning the loss of his dear child.
"Father it's me. Charlotte."
His dull eyes looked up at her in disbelief and he became afraid to hope.
"Charlotte?" His body trembled. "No. It cannot be. You are dead. Is this some phantom vision sent to be by cruel fate?"
She knelt down at his feet, took hold of his hand, and tenderly held it to assure the man that she was truly alive and truly here with him.
"I'm not dead Father. I'm alive and I've come home."
She embraced him with loving arms and kissed him a hundred times. Soon Lucifer's sorrow turned to joy and he returned his daughter's affections.
"Oh my Charlotte! My little apple blossom!" He said hugging her tightly. "I thought I would never see you again. You can't imagine how much I have missed you."
"I have missed you too Father. I am so happy to be with you again."
"But I don't understand. I thought you were to be eaten alive by that monster."
"No Father, he spared my life and throughout the year he took care of me."
"How did you escape?"
"I didn't. We worked out an arrangement. I would spend the year with him and at the year's end I would return home."
"I don't think I've ever been so relieved in my entire life."
At the moment he finally took notice of her gold-wrought gown.
"Charlotte where on earth did you get such a garment?"
"I have more good news for you Father." She smiled. "Not only have I come home but I have brought back riches that will restore your lost fortune. You'll never want for anything ever again."
"You're right I will never want for anything again, because you have returned to me." He kissed her forehead. "I shall send for your sister, I'm certain that she will be just as joyful as I am when she sees you. She has married since you left but I know that she's missed you terribly."
Helsa was a very talented actress. She had fooled her father into believing she was just as grieved at Charlotte's absence as he was, when she heard that her sister was alive and had come home, she hoped that Charlotte had been torn to shreds by the beast. But when she saw her radiant and looking like a princess, her jealousy came back full force. However she concealed it to the best of her abilities.
"Oh I've missed you sister dear." Helsa said embracing her.
"And I have missed you Helsa." Charlotte said returning the embrace with a smile.
"This is your sister?" Helsa's husband said, marveling at her outstanding beauty. At once he knelt before her. "Your highness, I am at your service."
"Oh stand up you idiot!" Helsa snapped. "She is not royalty!"
"She's not?"
"No." Charlotte chuckled. "Do not think of me as your princess or your lady, think of me as your sister for now that you have married Helsa, you shall be brother to me."
She welcomed Baxter with a hug then turned back to Lucifer and Helsa.
"I have brought you all gifts. I do hope that they please you."
She opened the chest that she had brought along with her, inside were silken gowns beseen with gold, silver, and rose embroideries, pearls and other precious jewels, slippers and shoes made from silk and satin, gold coins, perfumes, all sorts of treasures. To her father she gave all the gold coins and to her sister a handful of beautiful gem stones. She didn't know Baxter enough to pick out the right gift for him but she did give him his own gemstones to sell so that he may buy what he liked best.
"Charlotte I don't think even a king could have riches like these." Lucifer said in astonishment. "I could buy a whole fleet of ships with these. Thank you my most generous daughter."
"You're welcome Father." Charlotte said. "Helsa, what do you think of your gift?"
"The jewels are magnificent." Helsa said examining each one.
"Yes indeed." Baxter said. "Thank you very much Charlotte."
"Baxter you don't really need those." Helsa said. "Let me have them."
"No Helsa." Charlotte objected. "You have a good amount of gems. In fact you have more than him. There is no need to take his."
"As you wish Charlotte." Helsa said not exactly pleased her sister's sudden assertiveness. "But what good are jewels without a gown to wear with them?"
"Helsa you have many fine gowns." Baxter said.
"They're not nearly as fine as these." Helsa grabbed one of the gowns from the chest and held it up to her body. "Charlotte, dear sister, won't you share these garments with me?"
"Well I'm not sure about that. I was told that they were just for me." Charlotte said. "Still I suppose I could lend them to you sometime."
"And that pearl necklace you're wearing? Could I have that?"
Charlotte's hands immediately went to touch them in a manner that was possessive.
"I'd rather you not."
"Oh? Getting a little greedy are we?"
"No but you have your own jewels and these pearls are something of a keepsake to me."
"Very well. Are there anymore precious jewelry that you would like to keep all to yourself? What about that ring you're wearing?"
Charlotte hid her hand the bore the ring behind her back.
"I don't think it would be a good idea to let anyone wear that. It only fits my finger."
"I'm sure that we have the same finger size."
"Even so, Alastor said that the ring would only fit my finger."
"Alastor?" Lucifer inquired. "Who is he?"
"That's his name." Charlotte answered.
"You mean the beast?"
"Yes. His name is Alastor and he gave me this special ring."
"Did he propose to you with it?" Baxter asked.
"Oh no it's not like that."
"God forbid that it be like that!" Lucifer said, horrified at the notion. "My daughter, married to the likes of that heathen! I wouldn't stand for it!"
"He's not a heathen Father!" Charlotte defended in a manner that surprised him. Seeing the look on his face, she quickly changed her demeanor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you Father but you're wrong about him."
"What do you mean? You saw him! You know he eats human flesh! How could he be anything other than a heathen?"
"I'll explain later. For now I think maybe we should just spend the day together. Make it a happy day. No more fussing and arguing. Please?"
"Yes I think I would like that very much." Lucifer said. "Let us all change and prepare for a day out."
The whole day, the four of them had quite the holiday. A carriage ride through the town where Lucifer used the gold coins to buy back many luxuries and plenty of ships for him to restart his occupation as a merchant. In the evening they went out to dinner and then to the opera, and for the remainder Charlotte sat in the barn playing with her dear goats Razzle and Dazzle. It was a splendid day and it filled her with such joy. She smiled and laughed, it was all just so grand.
"I think tomorrow I shall begin looking for a new house." Lucifer told her once she came back inside. "One that suits our status."
"Do as you please Father but what will become of Razzle and Dazzle? I could not bear to sell them. They are male so they cannot produce milk which means they shall be chopped up by whoever buys them."
"Calm yourself darling, we shall have a place to keep them. You know they have missed you so."
"I know. They leapt and pranced eagerly when they saw me. The dear little things, you have been taking care of them, haven't you Father?"
"How could I not? They were the only things I had to remind me of you." He said. "Speaking of taking care of, how did he treat you? The beast I mean."
"Alastor, Father. His name is Alastor."
"Well how did he behave toward you? Did he hurt you? Did he steal your virtue?"
"No. Absolutely not. He behaved as a perfect gentleman toward me and he catered to my every need. He was kind and giving."
"Kind? Giving? That's not the way I remember it. In fact need I remind you that he was ready to eat me alive for merely plucking a flower."
"Yes about that Father." She said. "That rose you took happened to have been growing on his mother's grave."
"Oh? Did he eat her as well?"
"Father!" Charlotte scolded. "What a terrible thing to say!"
"I'm sorry Charlotte but from what I remember he was a bloodthirsty monster who killed without mercy! Can you blame me for thinking the worst of him?"
"You don't know him! You don't know what he's lived with!" She defended again. "But I can understand your feelings Father. When I was with him for the first few months I was just as terrified and disgusted as you are but as I learned more about him I felt sympathy and compassion for him. As our friendship grew he decided that he wanted to change for my sake. To give up his cannibalistic urges."
Her voice became soft as she thought more about him.
"He tried so hard to please me...And his eyes, they're so sad. So sad and in so much pain. He's been exposed to so much cruelty and he lashed out at the world in order to deal with that because he knew no other way but in his heart all he wants is to be accepted and loved."
"Do not be confused daughter." Lucifer said. "You may only be feeling pity for an animal."
"He's not an animal. He's no less human than the rest of us."
"What kind of human would eat his own kind?"
"Human beings have killed their own kind for years Father. Killed them out of anger just like he did, the only difference is what they did with the bodies."
"Don't tell me that you excuse such actions."
"I don't excuse them but I do forgive them. He acknowledged that his actions were wrong and he does his best not to repeat them. So I shall forgive him just as our lord in heaven would."
"If you ask me forgiveness is a very foolish virtue. It only gives a sinner a chance to trick you into not suspecting him when he sins again."
"Oh Father, if only you could know him the way I do. Then you would be more than willing to forgive him and help him."
"I seriously doubt that."
Charlotte sighed, she did love her father but it was times like these when she would disapprove of his view points and behavior. She also didn't like him saying cruel things about Alastor. She hoped that she would be able to make her father see him for what he really was.