Chapter 13

Joshua stood outside an enormous castle, looking up at the shimmering roofs and towering turrets with disdain.

"This is it?" Vincent asked from beside him, gazing at the millions of stones carefully constructed to create this most massive of castles. "It doesn't look that impenetrable."

Joshua chuckled grimly. "Brave words, oh brother of mine."

"Alright," Vincent conceded. "It is rather…huge."

"If I didn't know better," Joshua growled under his breath, "I'd say it was an attempt to compensate for other deficiencies." But such thoughts took Joshua in the last direction he wanted to be going, for they reminded him of Lizzie and what had happened. Vowing for perhaps the tenth time that day to punish Andrew for his deeds, he began to study the defenses and remind himself of the way in least likely to get them both killed.

It had been a long time since he was last here, almost nine years. And yet he knew that some of the protections set up would have to still exist, for his were the only hands that could dismantle them. But to try and nullify them now would be sheer madness; Andrew was undoubtedly expecting something of the sort from them and would be sure to set some sort of alarm in case he tried. So that left sneaking past the traps set by the most powerful wizard in the world. No, Joshua mused, this was not shaping up to be a good day at all.

"Well," Vincent interrupted finally, "How do we get in?"

"I don't know," Joshua answered. "But leave that aside for a few moments. Once we're in there, we're going to have to find your daughter. I sincerely doubt that Andrew has hurt her; she's far too valuable a bargaining chip. So if I had to place bets on where she was, I'd say in some sort of nursery. And unless my lovely father has made any incredible alterations to this castle recently; I have a fair shot of finding it. Once that happens, I'm going to ask you to jump as far as you can out the nearest window." Vincent was so shocked, he couldn't even think of anything to say. Joshua rolled his eyes heavenward. "Look, you idiot, it's magic! You'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Who's the mage here, me or you?"

Vincent sighed, but gave into his dictatorial brother-in-law. "You still haven't answered how to get in. I suppose there's no password on the front door that you're aware of."

"No," Joshua said. Their best chances would be to try and get onto the roof and crawl in. The doors up there were the least heavily guarded since there were so many aerial protection spells. And he knew full well how impressive the hot lead was when anyone tried to scale the walls. He had set it himself, it would be activated the moment a trigger atop the walls was touched by the presence of a grappling hook, any other such aid for climbing or any magical attempts to scale the walls. Realistically, Joshua did know enough to set off the traps, then duck them, but Andrew would definitely know when one was triggered and it would alert him to their presence. Flying was an option for their speedy departure, as Joshua had said before, but not for their arrival.

Joshua groaned softly and buried his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes to try and get rid of the pessimism that pervaded his mood. Vincent laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Joshua, we'll make it alright. I can tell." But Joshua wasn't paying attention to his brother-in-law's words. He was focused on the claw resting every so cautiously on his shoulder with sharp nails that, once they dug into something, would never let go.

"Yes," Joshua murmured, looking up. "I would say that, together, we will make it very well indeed."

And ten minutes later, Joshua had proved his point. The two men were suspended halfway up the castle walls with only Vincent's claws to keep them up there.

"We're going to break every bone in our bodies if we fall," Vincent muttered, carefully ascending slightly higher.

"No," Joshua corrected as he clung to the Beast's back with all the might he had. "We're going to fall into a vat of boiling oil swimming with magical crocodiles that need lunch."

"Wow, Andrew really is a nasty piece of work."

"Actually, that's one of mine. Andrew's tend to favor sharks and hot tar." There was really nothing to reply to that so Vincent focused on not allowing his hands to slip. Another fifteen minutes later, they reached the top. Vincent was about to reach over and pull himself up onto the parapet, but a harsh yell from Joshua made his hand freeze in midair, leaving him precariously balanced before he found his old grip.

"Sweet Jesus, were you trying to kill me?" he yelled.

"No," Joshua answered angrily. "I was trying to save your life. The spells up there are activated as soon as you put any pressure on the inner walls, exactly where a grappling hook would land."

"Well then, what do we do now? Hang here until my arms give out and we both die?"

"No, just stay here a few seconds longer." And with a dexterity that Vincent couldn't help but admire, Joshua clambered nimbly up to the top of the walls, standing as carefully as he could so that he would not touch the edges. He knelt cautiously and instructed Vincent to take his hand. Gingerly, the Beast put one enormous paw in his brother-in-law's grasp and, on the count of three, Joshua pulled on the other man and threw himself as far backwards as he could go. They cleared the trap by a good number of feet, landing on the stone floor of the parapet with a painful sounding crack, the Beast half sprawled atop the younger man.

"Ow," Joshua groaned. "Get off me before I stop breathing." Vincent rolled over and rested his head on one hand, appraising Joshua for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Joshua told him, sitting up and arching his back. "Just a little sore and my head is throbbing." He sat there, rubbing his temples for a few moments. "God, these traps are almost enough to make me wish I still lived here and knew the passwords." He finally rose to his feet. "Let's get this over with."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Don't worry about me," Joshua said with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm too irritating to die."

"For your fiancée's sake, let us hope so."

Joshua whirled on the other man. "Don't even speak about her."

"You can't just forget about her."

"I'm doing what is right, what I have to do. Making me feel guilty about it isn't going to make things any better!"

"I'm just reminding you of what you have to live for."

"Thank you very much," Joshua sneered, "But it's highly unlikely I need reminding."

Vincent let the matter drop and Joshua turned his attentions to the door on the other side of the courtyard. They crossed to it and Joshua carefully laid his hands on the knocker. He shut his eyes and, as swiftly as he dared, rapped out a complicated beat with both the metal knocker and his free hand. The door swung silently open.

"I can't believe you remembered the pass-code after all these years," Vincent murmured in admiration.

"I don't," Joshua replied with a shrug. "This was one of many, each one with a separate meaning. They change depending on what Andrew's mood is. I just had to guess what I thought he was feeling at the time. There are clues to it, like the shape of the doorknocker or the color of its eyes. But if you don't have a good idea of the castle dynamics, you're dead." Vincent's jaw dropped. "Now, aren't you glad you have me along?"

"I'm awed to be in your presence," Vincent replied, not completely sarcastic. "Now where's my daughter?"

"Follow me," Joshua replied, leading him off down the hallway. "The inside of the castle is not particularly well guarded; it would be very irritating to have spells being set off every time some servant slips up and it's extremely difficult to remember where everything is."

"But you managed."

"I was a wizard, I had to." They continued on in silence, the only noise being the soft footfalls of Joshua's boots and the faint clacking as the Beast's toenails, not quite so long and sharp as they had been an hour previous, hit the floor. This went on for a good fifteen minutes until the two adventurers found themselves before an ordinary looking door.

"This is it?" Vincent asked doubtfully.

"If I guessed correctly," Joshua answered. He laid his hands on the door and traced a strange pattern on its unadorned surface.

"I'm not even going to ask," muttered Vincent.

"Good, because I wouldn't answer," was the amused reply.

The door swung open and Joshua walked in proudly as if he were the master of the place. Perhaps he would have been, Vincent mused, had not destiny twisted his life in some strange manner. Perhaps he still would be.

There was a muffled cry from inside, then the sound of someone bursting into tears. Vincent, more than a little worried, peered inside. Joshua was standing in the middle of the room, his face going slightly red as a small, thin woman with iron gray hair who came about halfway up his chest hugged him with all her might. He patted her head awkwardly and Vincent bit back a snicker, earning a reproving glance from Joshua.

"Minerva," he said, carefully disentangling himself from the woman. "May I introduce my brother-in-law, Vincent?" She looked towards Vincent and, to the Beast's surprise, showed absolutely no shock at his form. "Vincent, this is my old nurse, Minerva. She can tell you what a cherub I was when I was younger."

She laughed. "You were the naughtiest child I have ever met," she told him affectionately.

Joshua pretended to look affronted, but Vincent muttered "I can believe that."
"But why have you returned?" Minerva asked suddenly. "Sure you of all people know how little you are welcome here."

"I know," Joshua answered. "But I have some urgent business here that required my appearance." She looked at him questioningly. "But I'm going to need your help and, for that, I'm going to have to ask you to betray Andrew."

Her eyes went wide. "Joshua," she breathed. "What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing terrible," he answered jauntily. "Nothing involving our old feud. I just need some information on the whereabouts of a young girl called Rose."

The woman smiled. "I should have guessed as much," she said softly. "She's being held in one of the tower rooms."

"Do you know which one?"

"I do, but I don't have the key."

Joshua laughed. "Lack of keys has never bothered me before." Vincent smiled as Joshua followed the old woman into the twisting passages that made up the labyrinth of Andrew's castle.

"Does he do this on purpose?" Vincent muttered in Joshua's ear after they seemed to have made four right turns in a row and yet still found themselves in a totally new room.

"Of course," Joshua replied. "It amuses him; like a huge game of cat and mouse and he's the King of Felines."

"I've been told that I look rather like an overlarge dog," the Beast murmured. "Does that help?"

Joshua laughed. "I think your wife meant that in a more affectionate and less predatory way."

"Shush!" hissed Minerva. "We're drawing close." The two men did as she bade, an atmosphere of worry and fear descending on them immediately.

They halted before a heavy looking wooden door with iron bars. There was an imposing padlock on the door, which only made Joshua smile slightly. Andrew always loved to show off. Admittedly, Joshua did as well, but he would display his magical prowess in different ways. Much kinder ways, for one. Some of which would definitely involve his wife-to-be.

He shook his head as if to clear it. Now was not the time to dream of her; he had to save Rose. Joshua took a deep breath and, ignoring the door completely, fished through the small bag at his side for something. The two with him watched silently, wondering what the young and resourceful wizard was up to now. Said wizard finally found what he was looking for and pulled it out of the sack. It was a small ball, about the size of a fist, made of white, pink and yellow gold swirled together in a pattern that, just as the eye seemed to discern continuity, something strange and new happened in its depths. He threw it up in the air and, as it reached the apex of its flight, it morphed into a wizard's staff made of stained oak and shot through with veins of gold, the ball perched atop. Joshua caught it with a practiced ease, ignoring the surprised gasps from his audience.

"Will that open the door?" Vincent asked.

"No," Joshua replied, "It will circumvent it entirely." And he swung the staff with all his might at the stone wall next to the door. The gold ball collided with a fearsome noise and blew an enormous hole in the wall that would be large enough for even a Beast to enter. There was a strange silence in the hall after that, though Joshua mistrusted the quiet. He didn't doubt that warning alarms had gone off near Andrew and were already alerting him to the presence of his son. "Get in there!" he roared at the Beast, fear for all their lives making him even more tyrannical than usual.

The Beast obeyed, racing through the door before skidding to a halt as he faced his daughter again for the first time in four months. He let out a soft, strangled sob as she screamed and hid her eyes. It was agonizing for him that she should hide her eyes, but it was to be expected. She had never seen this bestial form before; how could she know it was her father? And it broke his heart to see her, though he should have expected this. She was, after all, his daughter. It made perfect sense that the spell would affect her too. Oh, but it was tragic to see the young, playful girl who had looked so much like her mother transformed into a hideous beast.

Vincent knelt down and gently called to his daughter. "Rose," he murmured softly. "Rose, it's me."

She looked up cautiously, brown fur nearly obscuring her dark brown eyes. "Papa?" she whispered, still staring at him

"Yes, little one. Come here." She walked over to him, trusting in his voice and tripping constantly over legs that had never meant to be used upright. She was cautious, but he kept speaking to her, reminding her of their castle at home and her Mama. She followed the sounds until Vincent swept her up into a hug, kissing her nose the way he always did. She lost all her reticence then, flinging her arms around his neck and crying "Papa!" over and over again. He held her tight, thanking both God and his brother-in-law for giving him back this most precious of all gifts.

Joshua stared at them, a tight feeling in his chest. He felt incredibly guilty for he was the reason Rose had suffered this transformation to begin with. She was reunited with her father now and they would soon be out of here. If nothing else happened right, at least his sister's family would escape relatively unscathed. Joshua shut off his mind before it could turn to thoughts of his Lizzie.

"How sentimental," breathed a cold, familiar voice right behind him. Every bone in Joshua's body went rigid. He knew that voice, knew it all too well. It was the sound that haunted his nightmares, that could still cause him to wake up in a cold sweat, bury his face in his pillow and pretend he wasn't crying. Those were the tones that had made him kill countless innocents, that gave him the heartache he suffered even today.

Joshua didn't even turn to face his foe. He dashed forward and screamed for Vincent to jump. Vincent, remembering what he had been told, didn't even hesitate. He wrapped his arms tighter around his daughter and, with one huge stride, he was at the windowsill and, with another, he launched himself through the glass and out towards the gardens below. Joshua swung the staff, an arc of bright light striking them and, instead of falling, they floated speedily away from the castle and out of Andrew's domain, the shimmering spell around them reflecting all the aerial attacks.

As Joshua was casting the spell, he felt a sensation not unlike being stabbed in the back by a three foot long broadsword. He fell to his knees, but refused to lose focus and fought to finish the magic he was in the middle of. He succeeded and, one moment later, let out a shriek of pain that could not be repressed one more second. He groaned, trying not to sob, and got to his feet. Joshua turned around to face his father but, to his shock, saw no one but his old nurse. Refusing to believe that the old woman could turn on him, he clutched the staff anyway and pointed it straight at her. He was about to begin the magic, but before he could, her body was suffused with a fiery glow that grew so bright, Joshua needed to shield his eyes. When it cleared, Joshua found himself looking into the very familiar face of Lord Andrew Gilld.

T.B.C.

A/N – Ladies and Gentle… oh, who am I kidding? How many guys could their possibly be who read Beauty and the Beast fanfic? Not to insult any who do, it shows maturity and sensitivity, rather like still sleeping with a teddy bear. I admire a man who can admit to still sleeping with his teddy bear, it makes me feel better about it. That off my chest (Hello, my name is Levana and I am securely attached to an overlarge bear named Shnoo), I would like to thank all my wonderful reviewers who are the real reason this is getting done. Well, that and the fact that I always write faster when I'm at the exciting bit. Yes, poor Joshua is put through a hell of a lot (and shortstef, if Lizzie doesn't want him you can have first dibs AFTER ME). And poor Rose. I had always wondered if curses were genetic, although this might have just been Andrew being seriously evil. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Lizzie or Diana, they'll be here soon and… well, I won't promise a happy ending but you will get an ending.

Now, for the gratuitous mention of Soofija and shortstef since they are so nice to me and have put up with the long, pointless rambling in the authors' notes. You two are both wonderful and I'll send Joshua over with hugs if I can spare him. Same goes to anyone else who reviews the latest chapter (really sorry if you've reviewed other chapters recently, but if you leave me a message, you too can have a gorgeous, albeit imaginary hug)

Whew!

Thanks for reading and this should be ending soon so stay tuned.

Levana (Damian)