Chapter Four

Mable shivered in the cold, trying to get her sluggish mind to think. There was no way she could walk in this. It would be like last night all over again. She closed the door and sat back down at the table, fighting back the panic that was eating its way into her brain. Monsieur Carnier and Maddie were watching her, concerned. Mable closed her eyes, grateful for the silence that had blown in with the cold. She needed to think of what to do.

The storm wouldn't last long, probably just another day. Jeanne or Colette would be at the house right about now, so her father was well taken care of. She would have to wait, but it was a shame that she couldn't use her cell to at least call…

Mable's eyes flew opened and she looked at Monsieur Carnier. "Do you have a phone I could use?" she asked eagerly. Surely, they would have a phone.

Monsieur Carnier seemed confused by her question, but he merely said, "I'm afraid not, Lady. This castle…it's very old."

"And the storm probably knocked the lines down." She muttered to herself, annoyed that she hadn't thought of that earlier. "Do you guys really have no way of contacting anyone outside the castle?"

Now both Monsieur Carnier and Maddie looked uncomfortable.

"No, I'm afraid not." Monsieur Carnier said. He turned to his child companion, "Maddie, my dear, I think now would be a good time to bring Lady Mable to see your father. He can explain everything."

What more was there to explain? Mable wondered to herself. She supposed it made sense that the castle, clearly not of a modern time period, had no phones to speak of. And with the weather acting the way it was, she couldn't expect them to have a car on standby. But Monsieur Carnier was acting as if there was some big secret she was missing out on. Both he and Maddie gabbled in French for a few moments, glancing at Mable occasionally.

What was going on here?

Maddie broke off from her talk with the chef and came over to Mable. "Why don't we go see Papa up in our apartment?" she suggested, still looking nervous. "Papa has a way of explaining things so they all make sense."

Mable narrowed her eyes. "Am I allowed to spend another night here, at least? You guys aren't kicking me out or anything, are you?"

"No, no, of course not." Monsieur Carnier assured her. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like, my lady. But…there are some things you should know, and Lune is probably the best person to tell you about it. I am quite the storyteller," he put his hand over his heart, and looked at the ceiling comically, "But I do not dare tell you and mess it up. Go with Maddie and find Lune. I will drive these lazy wretches into making you a wonderful dinner that will make you quite glad you got to spend more time with us."

Mable smiled, despite her growing unease. "I'm sure it won't top last night's dinner, Monsieur Carnier." She told him as she stood, following Maddie to the door.

"It will be a dinner you shall never forget, Lady Mable." He promised. Mable heard him bellowing at his subordinates on her way out.

Maddie led her through another series of corridors, lined with paintings and thick, crimson carpets. At the end of each one there was a small table, with a plain white vase filled with jewel-bright flowers. Mable spotted bouquets of roses and calla lilies, carnations and ferns, all vibrant with life.

"You guys sure do have green thumbs," she noted as they passed another table filled with flowers.

"It's Madame Cecile, mostly." Maddie told her. "She loves gardening and flowers, and has completely taken over the greenhouse."

"You have a greenhouse?" Of course they did.

"I can bring you there, maybe after we're done talking to Papa." Maddie's tone was casual, but Mable noted the hint of anxiety. It was like Maddie was afraid that, after her talk with Lune, Mable was going to run out of the castle screaming.

Maddie led her back to the foyer. Mable made her stop twice to look at the paintings that were on the walls. Most were forest scenes, with greens so dark they almost looked black. Gentle, russet-colored deer peered back at Mable through the frames, caught in the moment of treading softly through the ferns and underbrush. Little wrens and an odd finch sat immobile on tree branches, their black, beady eyes nothing more than a dot of paint on the canvas. There were a few of the nearby mountains, fabulous mixtures of dark grays and light blues. No cute little animals in these; the mountain took up the entire frame, solid and imposing.

"I know," Maddie said as she pulled Mable away. "They are beautiful. Maybe instead of the greenhouse, we'll go to the gallery. Master Theo moved most of his mother's paintings there after she died."

"I would like to see more." Mable agreed. She was grateful when they reached the foyer. All of those hallways they had walked through were starting to bleed together, making her dizzy.

"If you ever get lost, find the foyer." Maddie informed her. "All the doors lead to a different wing. This wing here is the northern wing, what we call the Star Wing. Your room is towards the eastern side of the castle, in the Crown Wing. The southern side is called the Flower Wing, and the western side is called Sunset Wing. There is a symbol for each wing, so nobody gets lost."

Maddie pointed to one of the doors. Emblazoned on the wood was a large, gilded star.

"Let me guess." Mable said dryly. "The Star Wing?"

Maddie grinned. "Yes! See, that is where we just were, the Star Wing. That wing is where the kitchen is, the dining room, and the storerooms. It also has Monsieur Carnier's office and private suite. Whenever you're hungry, go to the Star Wing." Maddie pointed at a door across the foyer. "That's the Flower Wing, to the south-east. Papa says that it's to the south-east, and not the direct south, because if we went directly south we would end up back at the foyer. So, if you're lost, just head south, and you'll head back to the foyer." Maddie bit her lip thoughtfully, and added, "Unless you're in the south already. Then you just head north. Get it?"

Hardly, but Mable nodded and went over to look at the door anyway. This one had an elaborate flower carved into the wood. "What's in the Flower Wing?"

"The conservatory-"

"The what?"

"It's just a fancy name for a greenhouse." Maddie explained. "This wing also has Madame Cecile's suites. There are some private rooms on the upper floors." She pointed to a door down the way. "You should see the door to your wing."

Like the others, this door had a gilded crown etched into the wood.

"The Crown Wing has the ballroom, guest rooms, the parlor and sitting rooms…" Maddie counted them off on her fingers, "the library and art gallery are on the fourth and fifth floor. Your rooms are also on the fifth floor; that's for the most private and important guests." Maddie beamed at her. "Master Theo's suite is up on the sixth floor, right above yours." Maddie wandered away and pushed open the final door. "This is the Sunset Wing." She told Mable. "Mostly it's the servant's wing. All the single male servants have the bottom two floors, single females the next two floors up. Married couples and their families have the top two floors. Because Papa is the House Seneschal, we have our own apartment on the top floor. Come on." She gentle urged Mable through the door.

Mable sighed when she saw the set of steep, marble stairs that led to the upper floors. Maddie was already halfway up.

"Maybe walking through the woods in a snowstorm was the better option." Mable mumbled to herself. She got to climbing.

Maddie peppered her with questions as they climbed. "You said something about your father and sisters. How many sisters do you have?"

"Just two." Mable panted. "Both older than me."

"I wish I had sisters." Maddie said enviously. She wasn't even breaking a sweat as she trotted up the stairs. "Then I'd have someone to play with. Papa always makes time for me, but he has to work. Master Theo is teaching me to play chess, though." She spun around on her toes as she waited for Mable to reach the landing.

Mable got to the top and groaned when she saw they still had five more flights to go.

Maddie didn't notice. "I guess I have my studies and chores to keep me busy." She chattered on, "Still it would be nice to have a sibling. I'd even take a brother." She wrinkled her nose. "Then again, maybe I wouldn't. A sister would be better."

Mable let out a chuckle that mostly a wheeze.

They touched on the final landing, and Mable grabbed Maddie's arm before she could go any further. "Wait a minute." She huffed. The muscles in her legs burned. "Give me a second to catch my breath."

Maddie waited patiently, swinging back and forth on her heels. "I know that there are a lot of stairs. You get used to it." She told Mable sympathetically.

"I would hope so." Mable wondered how the residents handled going up and down those stairs for everything.

Maddie made a sweeping motion to the nearest hallway. "Come on, our apartment isn't much father. We're down this way." She commanded. Mable followed Maddie into another hallway, and nearly ran the girl over when she stopped abruptly.

"Maddie, what—" she started, but she glanced up and had to choke back a shriek.

Some….thing stalked down the corridor towards them. Mable felt her knees lock up in surprise and a healthy dose of fear as the creature stopped in front of them. He was tall, far taller than Mable, and covered in fur. Not long hair, but dusky, golden fur that shined in the lamplight. His head was built like a lion with rounded ears that twitched awkwardly, and a large flat nose. Mable's knees turned to water when that nose flared as it caught her scent. His eyes were cat-like and bright gold. It wasn't the eyes that scared her, but the fangs that she could see in his wide, predator's mouth. His build reminded her of when a dog stood on its hind legs, but it was different, straighter, so that he was not stooped but loomed over them. His head was oddly proportioned with his body, so it looked more like a wolf's body but his hands were almost like a human's, with long, slender fingers covered in fur. The peculiar thing was that he was wearing clothes like a normal human would. A billowing white shirt and dark pants covered him from his torso to shins, but his feet remained bare, showing her that his feet that looked like a bear's and ended in claws.

She saw predatory eyes dart in Maddie's direction, and even with her distress, shifted so that she stood between the creature and the young girl.

Those eyes narrowed in on her face. "Who are you?" it rumbled at her. Its voice was guttural, more like a growl.

"M—Ma-" she squeaked. She took a moment to collect herself. "Mable Lawrence."

"Mable is staying with us as our guest." Maddie spoke up from behind her. Putting a gentle hand on Mable's arm, she moved so she stood next to Mable, instead of behind her.

Maddie propped her hands on her hips. "She just found out she has to stay another night because of the storm, so don't you go upsetting her more, Master Theo." She scolded.

Mable trembled. This was Master Theo? This was the owner of the castle?

The creature's lips had twitched a bit at Maddie's admonishment, but flattened when his gold eyes turned back on her. "Do you mind me asking how you got here?" his tone was barely polite, closer to a demand.

Mable wet her lips nervously. "I—well, I was out taking a walk in the woods and ended up here. Monsieur Lune and Madame Cecile said it was ok if I spent the night." Though she couldn't really recall being asked if she wanted to spend the night. She supposed it was implied from her cold, shivering body that she needed a warm place to stay.

"You just ended up here?" he repeated. He shifted from paw to paw, apparently upset. "There has to be some mistake." He muttered to himself, eyes unfocused. "You can't be the one…this is wrong, something went wrong."

Mable had no idea what he was talking about, but felt a flutter of hope. He obviously didn't want her here, so maybe he would find some way to send her home, just to be rid of her. After seeing him in person, she would be happy leave as soon as possible.

"Well, it was an accident. Me ending up here." She told him. Her voice was high and breathy, testament to her pounding heart. The…thing eyed her suspiciously. "I actually really need to get home…"

Maddie wasn't as eager for Mable to leave. "Don't mind Master Theo." She pleaded, tugging on Mable's sleeve. "Just talk to my Papa, he'll explain everything…"

As if he had been summoned, Monsieur Lune stepped out of one of the many doors lining the hallway. He glanced in their direction and brightened.

"Lady Mable! How wonderful to see you up and about. I trust you slept well?"

Mable stared at him. After the past few minutes, she wasn't entirely sure she was awake, just hallucinating somewhere out in the middle of the woods.

Monsieur Lune stepped towards her, dark eyes concerned, when they all heard a quiet growl from Master Theo. Mable's knees turned to water.

Monsieur Lune whirled. "Ah, Master Theo." He said. For a moment, Mable thought she heard alarm in his normally-solicitous voice. "I see…well, Maddie, How about you take Master Theo downstairs for a while? I need to speak to Lady Mable alone for a few minutes."

Mable glared at him in disbelief. He was just going to let his daughter go off with that…creature?

"It will be all right," he said soothingly, gently taking her arm and leading her through another door way. She heard Maddie's young voice scold Master Theo for being impolite as she was led into a small living area.

It was a generous sized room, decorated in creamy tones. Coffee-colored rugs covered the wood floors, and the marble walls were covered with ivory curtains. Several plump, comfy chairs were placed in the center of the room invitingly. A large, oak sideboard stood in one corner, with a delicate teapot and teacups set up on one side. Candle lamps were placed artfully around the room, keeping the room well-lit despite the bleak day outside. Mable could see a small space in the curtains, and could feel the chill where the windows were. Monsieur Lune escorted Mable over to one of the chairs, and went over to the tea station and briskly poured them some tea.

"Uh, thanks." Mable nodded when he handed her a cup. She didn't usually have a cup of tea after having coffee, but today seemed like a special occasion. She sipped the tea, and gave Monsieur Lune a weak smile. "You don't happen to have any whiskey you could add to this?"

Monsieur Lune chuckled. "No, I am afraid not. I know this all seems strange, Lady Mable…"

"Just Mable is fine, Monsieur Lune."

"Very well then, Mable. I know how this must seem." Monsieur Lune placed his teacup on the table beside him, and steepled his fingers under his chin. "I am afraid that this castle, and all the people inside it, is a very strange group indeed."

"No argument here." Mable sipped her tea. The shock and fear she had felt was starting to fade, replaced with a fuzzy numbness.

Monsieur Lune leaned towards her. "Mable, have you ever heard of Fairies?" he asked, dark eyes somber.

Mable blinked at him. "You mean, like Tinkerbell?"

Now it was Monsieur Lune's turn to look confused. "I have never heard of a Tinkerbell. Is that a powerful Fairy where you come from?"

Mable glanced down at her tea, strongly wishing it held an alcoholic beverage instead of Earl Grey.

"Never mind. I have heard of Fairies, I suppose."

Monsieur Lune sighed and sat back. "I apologize, I am muddling this. I must start before the Fairies, I think. A long, long time ago…. long before I was born, or my grandfather was born, the Fairies lived and ruled these woods. I do not know how much interaction you have had with them, but Fairies tend to be solitary creatures, completely in tune with the forests and streams that are their homes. They hated that men were coming into their forests, chopping down trees and shooting game, taking what they believe was theirs. But humans breed quickly, and become dangerous in large groups. So, the Fairies went to one of the settlers, a man they had watched, and deemed to be understanding and fair. They offered him land and a home, if he would claim these forests as his own and keep it free from the other settlers."

"Sounds like a nice deal." Mable noted.

"It was that, but the man did suggest he bring a few others, men with wives and families, onto the land, to help him protect it. The Fairies agreed, and built him this castle as a gift. He and his heirs, and the heirs of his people, could live here as long as they wished, so long as they defended it from the greedy men who wished to tear down the trees and destroy the forests that the Fairies so cherished."

Mable wondered if Monsieur Lune had snuck some liquor into her tea after all.

"Things between the Fairies and the castle were peaceful, for many years. Every heir happily took up the duty of protecting the land and the forests, and the heirs of the first families the original Master brought with him helped maintain the castle and its grounds."

"Let me guess." Mable said dryly. "Master Theo is the great-great-great grandson of that first Master."

Monsieur Lune nodded, his mouth quirking up in a small smile. "Add a few more greats, and you would be correct. There are a lot of centuries between us and our ancestors, the original rulers. But before Master Theo, there was Master Acelin and his Lady, Lady Liana."

"Master Theo's parents, I'm guessing?"

"Yes. Master Acelin was a great protector, of course, but he died when Master Theo was barely old enough to take over on his behalf. Theo was about nineteen when he passed. Like his predecessors, he took up the task of ruling the castle and its surrounding grounds. Lady Liana could have as well, but Lady Liana was not the same woman she was before her husband passed. After he died, she seemed to lose all sense of life, locking herself away in her rooms and refusing to leave, even when her own son pleaded for her help." Monsieur Lune told her, eyes filled with sorrow. "Theo needed help by then, because unknown to us, strangers had started to descend upon the woods."

"Strangers?"

"Men who wanted the castle and its lands for themselves. We have a small number of warriors, guards and swordsmen who can defend if they are needed. But they could only do so much, and by the time Lady Liana finally followed her husband into death, we were besieged."

Mable leaned forward "What about the Fairies? Why didn't they help?" she asked indignantly. Mentally, she kicked herself. She should not be asking questions about this ludicrous story!

"This was not their fight, or so they told us. It was our job to protect the forests and the grounds from other humans, as the first chosen Master had done. And so, the men came, and kidnapped or murdered our people. We used to have over a two hundred people living here; men, women, and children. Now we barely have a hundred, and my Maddie is the only child to who made it out of that massacre alive." Monsieur Lune's eyes filled.

Mable sat back in her chair, horrified.

"Theo could not stand to see any more of his people hurt or killed. He had an idea, but it was risky. He went to several of the Fairies, but they refused. They had lost their own people too, you see, and were trying their best to hide from the invaders, to protect their own children. None of their wise ones, their powerful ones, would do what he asked. They told him it was foolish, dreadful to do what he was suggesting. They turned him away."

"What did he want them to do?"

"He wanted to give himself, and the rest of us, a defense against the men coming onto our land. He suggested that each of the Heads of staff, me included, get certain…abilities that would either aid us in battle or help us escape if needed."

Mable frowned. "Abilities? Like what?"

Monsieur Lune gracefully stood up, smiled at her, and vanished.

Mable blinked at the place where he had been. She looked around and saw Monsieur Lune standing in the other corner of the room, waving genially at her.

Well, she had seen weirder things today. But still, her hand shook as she reached for her cup. She kept expecting herself to wake up, to blink and find the ceiling above her bed. She had tried discreetly pinching her arm as Monsieur Lune told his story, but that didn't seem to do anything more than bruise her.

"As the House Seneschal, and the head of the male staff, my abilities extend to the rest of my men as well." Monsieur Lune told her as he sat back down. "Because she is my daughter, Maddie can also do what I do."

Mable thought back to earlier, when Maddie had appeared in her room without making a sound.

"Theo also wanted a certain ability, but what he wanted was far more dangerous one. He wanted to be changed, changed enough so that the men who attacked us would be terrified and retreat, and never return. He wanted to become a creature so fierce and powerful that it could fight any of the invaders without more of our people's blood being shed."

Mable nearly spat out her tea. "He wanted to be changed into that?"

"It was only supposed to be temporary." Monsieur said sadly. "He just wanted to be the creature long enough to scare the men so they would not think of returning. Once that happened, he wanted to be able to turn back into a man. But all the Fairies he went to refused him. What he wanted was too dangerous, too unpredictable. Fairies can do such spells, but they are more comfortable in their own elements, using their powers in a more natural setting. The more powerful Fairies refused to do what he asked. But Theo would not give up. He finally convinced one of the younger Fairies, an apprentice named Rianon, to do the spell."

"Why would she do it if none of the other Fairies would?"

"She was young, prideful, and eager to prove her craft. She thought if she managed the spell, and the invaders fled, then she would be considered a hero among her people. So, she cast the spell on us all, Theo included."

Monsieur Lune sat there for a moment, dark eyes staring at the teacup in his hands, but like he wasn't seeing it. Mable thought maybe he was too upset to finish, but he continued after a moment.

"The spell worked. With Theo's new appearance, and our new abilities, we chased the invaders off of our lands. We waited several days for them to return, but none did. I think that the tale of a terrible creature hunting in the woods had spread, so that others like the men we had faced thought twice before coming back onto our territory. But the price of our victory was higher than we could have dreamed."

"The Fairy couldn't change you back." Mable stated.

"No, she couldn't. The power she used was too great, and she was too inexperienced. She tried to reverse the spell, but when she realized that she did not have the power, she fled. I believe that even she was afraid of the monster she had created."

"Can't you leave too? Why stay here?" She understood why Master Theo couldn't leave, but Monsieur Lune, Maddie and everyone else looked relatively normal.

"We learned after a few years that we cannot leave." Monsieur Lune said. "The spell Rianon had cast was far more complicated than we first imagined. Believe me, we tried. Several of our younger staff tried ventured into the woods, only to find themselves circling around in the wilderness until they wound up back here. We also found that we do not grow old. Maddie was nine when the spell was cast, and that was more than a century ago. We are trapped, in every way possible."

Mable was sympathetic. Lately she felt trapped, isolated as she was, but at least it was a choice. At least was doing it for someone she loved.

"What about Master Theo? He's just stuck like that forever?" It must suck, she thought, having that one bad decision lead to such an awful punishment. He had only been trying to protect his home and family.

"Well, yes and no. After a few years, one of the more powerful Fairies came to visit us. She explained that while none of the Fairies could reverse the spell, there was a way for it to be broken."

Mable narrowed her eyes at the Seneschal. Monsieur Lune wouldn't meet her eyes, but he seemed hopeful.

"True love, you see, can break the curse. If a woman falls in love with Master Theo and him with her, then this spell, this curse, will be over. Our prison will be broken, and we will finally be free."