A/N: sorry guys, the story got kind of weird again, so I had to change a few facts... I changed some scenes in chapters: 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16, mostly scenes with Leopold in it. Thanks! Don't forget to review!
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!! Sorry it took so long for me to update! I got a little stuck with the first scene and some other scenes-to-come. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I'll try to work a little bit faster on the next one, but I'm not sure, since I'm having trouble with some scenes. Wish me luck, and please review!!! Constructive criticism is also good, but I won't be able to change anything until I finish the story unless it's a vital part of the next scenes. Anyway, I really hope you guys like this chapter, and please please please review!!!
Chapter Fifteen
"Well, what have you got?" Thais looked around impatiently. Eyes were averted to the ground. Fairies met his gaze and looked away. Only one spoke in reply to his question.
"W-we still haven't found a human with beauty suitable for his majesty." Thais narrowed his eyes, but seemed to visibly relax a little. Their excuse was still working, though not as much as before. Someone needed to talk to the queen mother already. They were running out of time.
Thais flew around the room slowly, looking intently at each soldier's face, searching for clues of deception. Having found none, Thais sighed and flew towards the door. "Fine. But his majesty's patience is wearing thin. He does not like waiting. And neither do I."
Thais gave the fairies in the room a final look and left. As soon as Thais left the room, the fairies looked nervously at each other, each and every one of them thinking the same thing. It was time.
~~~
"Mario, come quick! Alessia! Catarina!" Adela called out from the kitchen. Alessia was the first to get there. From the worried look on her mother's face, she knew that she saw Charites' note. She was worried about Charites as well. For all she knew, Charites could be eaten up by lions or she could be dead at the bottom of a cliff! Last night Alessia had tried to persuade Charites from going, assuring her that she was no burden to the family but Charites had insisted on going. She told Alessia that what she was about to do would punish Mario in the end for his plans because he wouldn't be able to use her for his own selfish deeds. In the end, Alessia consented, realizing that she couldn't persuade Charites to stay.
Adela gave Alessia a grateful yet exasperated look. "Alessia, could you call Catarina and your papa for me?" Alessia was about to give a retort about how they could miss the news since they were late, but saw her mama's face and nodded.
Reaching Catarina's room, Alessia knocked on the door, and not hearing any response, she let herself in. Still asleep. Why was she not surprised? Alessia shook her sister by the shoulders. "Catarina, mama wants us down in the kitchen." In response, Catarina mumbled something and rolled over to the other side of the bed. Alessia sighed and shook her sister by the shoulders again. "Catarina, come on. Mama wants us down in the kitchen now!" When Catarina grunted and rolled farther away from the hands that disturbed her peaceful slumber, Alessia rolled her eyes and left.
When she reached her father's room she saw that he was already up, putting on his shoes. Mario looked up when Alessia entered the room. "Mama wants us in the kitchen." He nodded abruptly and waved her away.
Adela sat down on one of the chairs and reread the letter in her hands. She shook her head, not accepting what was written in the letter. Why would Charites leave? Mario did not ask her to go to save him, he asked Catarina. Maybe she felt guilty for being the one who asked for the rose in the first place.
She was quickly distracted from her thoughts when Alessia returned and pulled up a chair beside her. Adela felt her daughter's eyes boring into her. Adela looked up at Alessia. "Where are Catarina and your papa?," she asked after looking around the room.
Alessia sighed and looked at the stairs. "Catarina wouldn't wake up, but papa is on his way down." She frowned, glancing at the letter in her mother's hands and then looked up at Adela. "What's wrong?"
Adela opened her mouth to tell Alessia the news, but hesitated. "We should wait for your papa to come down. Then I will tell both of you."
At that moment, Mario went down the stairs in mid-sentence, with a grumpy Catarina following him. "–no time to lose. We must leave today if we need to get there in a fortnight." Catarina grumbled and went over to the couch, seating herself and crossing her arms defiantly. Mario sat down on one of the chairs, not even noticing his wife's agitation. What he did notice was his breakfast, or lack thereof.
"Adela, where is our breakfast? We must leave soon if we expect to get there on time?" Seeing his wife's pale face, he shook his head. "Are you ill? Where is Charites? Let her make breakfast then."
"You don't understand, Mario." Adela looked at her husband. "Charites is gone. She has gone in place of Catarina to the beast. She left this note on the table." Adela finished, at which point Mario noticed the note on her hand and snatched it from her, scanning it.
Cursing, Mario threw the note on the table. Why did that wench have to ruin everything? Just when he found a use for her presence, then she runs away! Mario could practically see the money that he could've gained from her marriage fly away. Mario shook his head and sighed.
When Catarina heard the news from her perch on the couch, she was ecstatic. Charites was finally gone! Hearing a sigh, she looked in the dining room to see her papa frowning over Charites' departure. Her gaze flicked from her papa to her mama, who was ashen, worry written all over her face. Alessia was also looking pale and worried.
Catarina shook her head. How dare she! Charites always got all the attention. She probably didn't even go to the beast, she just ran away and left a note telling them she was just to steal the spotlight from her, the favorite daughter. Ever since Alessia came, her mother was immediately taken by her. Fortunately, her papa still thought of her as his favorite daughter. But then Charites came, and now she could see that her papa loved Charites more than her. Why else would he choose his own daughter to feed to a beast over a stranger? And why else would he look so devastated over her absence?
Alessia sat back and absorbed everything that was happening. When her mama announced the news that Charites was gone, turning whiter than before, her papa grabbed the note and read it, shaking his head in disbelief. He threw the paper aside, cursing, and sighed. She had expected those two reactions from them. What she didn't expect was Catarina's reaction.
She expected her sister to look excited and happy when she heard the news. But instead, Catarina frowned and shook her head. She looked over at them in the dining room. Alessia watched as the fury in her sister's eyes escalated. What could she be thinking? Why was she mad?
It didn't make any sense. Alessia didn't understand Catarina's reaction. She thought that Catarina would be happy that Charites was finally gone. Could she be mad that there was one less person to boss around to do chores? Alessia doubted it. But why else? Alessia couldn't think of anything else to explain Catarina's behavior. In any case, she knew she better keep an eye on her sister lest she does something rash.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!! Sorry it took so long for me to update! I got a little stuck with the first scene and some other scenes-to-come. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I'll try to work a little bit faster on the next one, but I'm not sure, since I'm having trouble with some scenes. Wish me luck, and please review!!! Constructive criticism is also good, but I won't be able to change anything until I finish the story unless it's a vital part of the next scenes. Anyway, I really hope you guys like this chapter, and please please please review!!!
Chapter Fifteen
"Well, what have you got?" Thais looked around impatiently. Eyes were averted to the ground. Fairies met his gaze and looked away. Only one spoke in reply to his question.
"W-we still haven't found a human with beauty suitable for his majesty." Thais narrowed his eyes, but seemed to visibly relax a little. Their excuse was still working, though not as much as before. Someone needed to talk to the queen mother already. They were running out of time.
Thais flew around the room slowly, looking intently at each soldier's face, searching for clues of deception. Having found none, Thais sighed and flew towards the door. "Fine. But his majesty's patience is wearing thin. He does not like waiting. And neither do I."
Thais gave the fairies in the room a final look and left. As soon as Thais left the room, the fairies looked nervously at each other, each and every one of them thinking the same thing. It was time.
~~~
"Mario, come quick! Alessia! Catarina!" Adela called out from the kitchen. Alessia was the first to get there. From the worried look on her mother's face, she knew that she saw Charites' note. She was worried about Charites as well. For all she knew, Charites could be eaten up by lions or she could be dead at the bottom of a cliff! Last night Alessia had tried to persuade Charites from going, assuring her that she was no burden to the family but Charites had insisted on going. She told Alessia that what she was about to do would punish Mario in the end for his plans because he wouldn't be able to use her for his own selfish deeds. In the end, Alessia consented, realizing that she couldn't persuade Charites to stay.
Adela gave Alessia a grateful yet exasperated look. "Alessia, could you call Catarina and your papa for me?" Alessia was about to give a retort about how they could miss the news since they were late, but saw her mama's face and nodded.
Reaching Catarina's room, Alessia knocked on the door, and not hearing any response, she let herself in. Still asleep. Why was she not surprised? Alessia shook her sister by the shoulders. "Catarina, mama wants us down in the kitchen." In response, Catarina mumbled something and rolled over to the other side of the bed. Alessia sighed and shook her sister by the shoulders again. "Catarina, come on. Mama wants us down in the kitchen now!" When Catarina grunted and rolled farther away from the hands that disturbed her peaceful slumber, Alessia rolled her eyes and left.
When she reached her father's room she saw that he was already up, putting on his shoes. Mario looked up when Alessia entered the room. "Mama wants us in the kitchen." He nodded abruptly and waved her away.
Adela sat down on one of the chairs and reread the letter in her hands. She shook her head, not accepting what was written in the letter. Why would Charites leave? Mario did not ask her to go to save him, he asked Catarina. Maybe she felt guilty for being the one who asked for the rose in the first place.
She was quickly distracted from her thoughts when Alessia returned and pulled up a chair beside her. Adela felt her daughter's eyes boring into her. Adela looked up at Alessia. "Where are Catarina and your papa?," she asked after looking around the room.
Alessia sighed and looked at the stairs. "Catarina wouldn't wake up, but papa is on his way down." She frowned, glancing at the letter in her mother's hands and then looked up at Adela. "What's wrong?"
Adela opened her mouth to tell Alessia the news, but hesitated. "We should wait for your papa to come down. Then I will tell both of you."
At that moment, Mario went down the stairs in mid-sentence, with a grumpy Catarina following him. "–no time to lose. We must leave today if we need to get there in a fortnight." Catarina grumbled and went over to the couch, seating herself and crossing her arms defiantly. Mario sat down on one of the chairs, not even noticing his wife's agitation. What he did notice was his breakfast, or lack thereof.
"Adela, where is our breakfast? We must leave soon if we expect to get there on time?" Seeing his wife's pale face, he shook his head. "Are you ill? Where is Charites? Let her make breakfast then."
"You don't understand, Mario." Adela looked at her husband. "Charites is gone. She has gone in place of Catarina to the beast. She left this note on the table." Adela finished, at which point Mario noticed the note on her hand and snatched it from her, scanning it.
Cursing, Mario threw the note on the table. Why did that wench have to ruin everything? Just when he found a use for her presence, then she runs away! Mario could practically see the money that he could've gained from her marriage fly away. Mario shook his head and sighed.
When Catarina heard the news from her perch on the couch, she was ecstatic. Charites was finally gone! Hearing a sigh, she looked in the dining room to see her papa frowning over Charites' departure. Her gaze flicked from her papa to her mama, who was ashen, worry written all over her face. Alessia was also looking pale and worried.
Catarina shook her head. How dare she! Charites always got all the attention. She probably didn't even go to the beast, she just ran away and left a note telling them she was just to steal the spotlight from her, the favorite daughter. Ever since Alessia came, her mother was immediately taken by her. Fortunately, her papa still thought of her as his favorite daughter. But then Charites came, and now she could see that her papa loved Charites more than her. Why else would he choose his own daughter to feed to a beast over a stranger? And why else would he look so devastated over her absence?
Alessia sat back and absorbed everything that was happening. When her mama announced the news that Charites was gone, turning whiter than before, her papa grabbed the note and read it, shaking his head in disbelief. He threw the paper aside, cursing, and sighed. She had expected those two reactions from them. What she didn't expect was Catarina's reaction.
She expected her sister to look excited and happy when she heard the news. But instead, Catarina frowned and shook her head. She looked over at them in the dining room. Alessia watched as the fury in her sister's eyes escalated. What could she be thinking? Why was she mad?
It didn't make any sense. Alessia didn't understand Catarina's reaction. She thought that Catarina would be happy that Charites was finally gone. Could she be mad that there was one less person to boss around to do chores? Alessia doubted it. But why else? Alessia couldn't think of anything else to explain Catarina's behavior. In any case, she knew she better keep an eye on her sister lest she does something rash.