Chapter Sixteen

Mable woke up that last morning feeling completely rejuvenated and healthy. Her cough was gone and her head clear. Amazing, Mable thought as she got out of bed, what two days of rest could do for the immune system.

She blinked at the vase full of fresh, bright red flowers on her bedside table. She thought back but couldn't remember if they had been there yesterday.

A smile slowly curved on her mouth as she leaned over to touch a silky petal. Madame Cecile must have brought them in, she decided, as a way to make her feel better. Stretching, she marveled at how energetic she felt. She had never been this well-rested after an illness before.

Of course, it had been a long while since she had a chance to just rest while sick. Last year she had the flu but had only called over Miss Carol for a day or two, to keep an eye on her father while she was at her most contagious. After that, she had spent the rest of the time trying to juggle chores, her father, and the waves of nausea that came and went throughout the week.

And she had never had people watch over her and keep such a close eye on her well-being, not once her father started showing signs of Alzheimer's. Then it was Mable's job to make sure that he was taken care of. Mable caressed the blossoms again. It was nice, to be pampered, even if it was just for a few days.

Still, there was no reason to be careless. Mable went into the closet and donned the bulkiest, warmest sweater and pants she could find. She didn't want to waste any more time with being sick. Now it was time to put in some serious work on the "Find a Way Home Spell", as she called it.

Mable studied the closet door for a minute, debating if she should just use it to transport her directly to the dining room. But she was so full of energy, she gave it a dismissive wave.

Finding the dining room on her own would be an adventure, but it would be a good confidence boost, she thought as she opened the door to the hall. When she found it, she would feel like she accomplished something, and surely that was an excellent way to start a day of spell-searching.

Maybe Theo would let her try a few spells, she considered as she wandered down the corridor. There were a few she had checked off as being a possibility. Perhaps it was time to stop reading and start experimenting. A little trial and error could hardly hurt.

As she turned a corner, she saw a man and two women-all wearing the traditional uniform of the servants-talking animatedly a few doors down. At her arrival, the chatter stopped abruptly, and they all blinked at her.

Mable gave them a pleasant smile, and to her delight, it was returned. She nodded amiably as she passed them, and half-skipped down the marble staircase.

This was the first time in days when she had encountered servants and hadn't felt the least bit embarrassed or self-conscious. Before, she had ducked her head and hurried past, worried about what they thought of this new girl who wasn't willing or able to be the new Lady. But they had smiled back at her, hadn't they? Maybe they were like Labelle, or Monsieur Lune. Maybe they understood.

That would certainly make staying here a lot easier. As she walked down the millions of corridors and stairways, she was sure to smile and nod at every servant she passed. She was even brave enough to ask one of them, a manservant, for directions when she got lost.

She was beaming with pride when she eventually reached the dining room. She had found her way here without an escort, and she had even been courageous enough to socialize with all those strangers to boot. Finding a spell to get her home should be easy, after all that.

Seeing that the dining room was empty, she allowed herself a moment to dance around in elation.

"It appears you are feeling better."

Mable yelped and spun around to see Maestro standing in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, one hand stroking the hilt of his sword. He was dressed casually, a simple white shirt and black pants that hugged his body in a way that proved he was in far better shape than she, physically. No emotion showed on his face as he studied her, black eyes taking in her too-big sweater and bulky slacks.

All the confidence she had acquired getting here faded as she shrunk under that dark gaze.

"Thanks. I'm much better." She replied, refusing to let him see that she was mortified. "Are you having breakfast with us?" she hoped desperately that Theo or Maddie were on their way.

It struck her as ironic that she wanted Theo to be here more than anything.

"No, I don't think so." Maestro said as he pushed himself off the doorframe and approached her. "I merely came to speak with Monsieur Carnier before heading back to the barracks."

"Well, he's probably in there." Mable jerked her head towards the kitchen door. "Follow the yelling." Her mouth quirked up at the thought. She had allies here, as close as the kitchen.

"I will. Labelle has ordered me to apologize for my words to you a few days ago in the stables." Mable got the feeling that Labelle was the only one who could order Maestro to do anything. "I am sorry if I upset you."

"Well, you weren't necessarily wrong." Mable shrugged. She had been thinking about it for the past few days. "I mean, it's entirely possible that all this effort I'm going through isn't going to work. I may very well end up stuck here like you. But that's not going to stop me from trying." She had spent too many years feeling regret for giving up on school, but she was never going to let herself give up on getting back to her family.

Maestro raised a brow. "So, you are going to waste all your time fruitlessly trying to find a spell or hex that may not exist."

Mable snorted. "Hey, a spell is what got me here, wasn't it? Why wouldn't there be a spell somewhere that gets me out?"

"How very assiduous of you."

Mable scowled. "That's what I don't understand about you, about everyone here. I'm not the key to the spell. I'm not the one who is going to break the curse. So why would you want me here, when the real love of Theo's life could just as easily be on her way now?"

Maestro drew himself up to his full height, forcing her to take a step back. He wasn't as tall as Theo, but still significantly taller than her, and his hand had jumped back to the hilt of his sword. "My people are languishing," he told her coldly, "and their very existence is wearing away year after year. So yes, I am upset by your obstinance not to try and be what they need you to be."

"That is not my responsibility." Mable snapped. "I cannot be forced to fall in love. That is not how it works."

"And how could you possibly know how love works?"

"Just because I wasn't swept off my feet immediately doesn't mean I've never been in love." Mable shot back. "I've had boyfriends, I've had lovers. I know what love is, Maestro. It isn't falling for a guy I just met, simply because I feel bad that he made a fatal mistake a few decades ago. Love is based on common interests, affection, respect. I won't settle for anything less, and I don't think Theo should either."

Momentary surprise flickered across the captain's face. "You care for him."

"Not in the way you want me to but yes, as we spent more time together, he's become a friend." Mable took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. "If he's really your friend, then you shouldn't want him to fall for someone who may not be worthy." She told him.

Maestro leaned back, eyebrows raised. "You are right, I suppose." he said, contrite.

It was a quick enough turnaround to make Mable suspicious. "I believe I am." She glanced back at the door to the kitchen, silently willing someone; a chef, Monsieur Carnier, anyone, to come put a stop to this uncomfortable moment. Against her will, her eyes drifted to Maestro's sword at his hip.

His smile made her shiver. "I see you are admiring my sword." He unsheathed it so she could note the way the steel glittered in the candlelight, the metallic hum it made as he passed it from hand to hand with finesse. "I'm sure you are wondering what powers that amateur Fairy gave me." He said silkily.

Mable's eyes watched the sword shift from hand to hand. She hadn't been wondering, honestly. The powers of the staff and Theo's appearance had ceased to be astonishing a few days ago. Now they were simply part of the woodwork that was this entire surreal experience.

She hoped that Maestro hadn't been given the ability to kill with a thought or something equally alarming.

"She didn't spell me, but my weapon." Maestro's eyes were on his sword as he passed the sword from one hand to the other. "This sword will never break, it can't be taken from me, and it will always return to my grip." He dropped the sword to the ground with a clang, and just as quickly it leapt back into his hand. "Only once it is sheathed does it go back to being a normal sword." To her immense relief, he slid the sword back into the sheathe at his belt.

"That is why I drill my men so often," he said causally, as if they had been speaking of the weather, "A weapon like that can become a crutch. They need to practice with other weapons, ones that are not magicked, so they are prepared for anything." He gave her a hard stare. "I do not wish to lose my friends and family because I was not prepared."

Mable heard the threat loud and clear. These are my people, and I have a magic sword. Don't mess with me.

Before she could panic, another shape appeared in the dining room door. "Jaques. Still lurking around, are you?" Theo gave his friend a cheerful nudge on the shoulder.

Mable watched with interest as the dangerous, predatory man shifted effortlessly into a grinning confidante. "I got sidetracked when speaking with the Lady Mable." Maestro said easily, as if he hadn't issued a threat a few seconds ago. "I meant to speak with Monsiuer Carnier and head back to the barracks."

"Well, don't stay out there too long." Theo didn't seem to notice the tension still hanging in the air. "You know how Labelle gets. She pines, and it's terrible for all of us."

Maestro laughed, a deep and sexy sound. "Why don't you drag your lazy carcass out to the barracks for some practice? You haven't been to the barracks in ages. The men have noticed. They pine for you." He gave Theo a brotherly shove, which didn't move Theo an inch.

Theo smiled. "Do they, now? Well, I suppose I'll try to get out there in the next day or two. Come, I'll go with you to see Carnier. Mable, why don't you sit, I'll be back in a moment." He called over his shoulder as he tugged his friend through the kitchen door.

Mable was more than happy to sit down. As soon as Theo came in and provided a distraction, her knees had turned to water. Her heart still hammering from the standoff a few minutes ago, she took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

The threat frightened her, but strangely enough, she found herself admiring Maestro a bit. He was just trying to do what was best for the people he cared about. Like Theo did.

Like was she wanted to do.

Still, that sword had looked awfully sharp.

She ran shaking fingers through her hair. Her being trapped here was clearly not good for its residents. She was making things worse, just holding the end to their misery in front of their noses without giving them so much as a taste. And who knew what Maestro would do to her if she kept doing it.

The sooner she found a way home, the better it would be for everyone.

"I don't understand why you are so eager all of a sudden." Theo said later as they went through the texts. "I have no idea what any of these spells will do, or if they will even work. We should keep researching, find out all we can, before we try anything."

"But we can't just keep reading forever." Mable protested irritably. She grabbed a scroll from the pile and held it up to him. "There are a few here we have checked off as possibilities. Why don't we give them a try and just see what happens?"

"Because we don't know what the end result could be." Theo sighed. "Who knows what damage we'll cause if we don't know what we're doing?" He snatched the scroll from her hand and placed it back on the pile.

"Theo, it's been…" Mable counted in her head. "Almost a week. I've been missing for almost a week. Please? I've got to do something, even if it doesn't work."

Theo narrowed his eyes at her, the fur between his brows ruffled with consternation. "This is important to you?"

"Extremely."

Pursing his mouth, he handed her one of the scrolls. "Give it a try, then. But try not to be upset if nothing happens."

Mable grabbed the scroll excitedly and glanced at the incantation. "It seems simple enough." She murmured. The spell itself wasn't a big spell, just a small one that could be used to move an object from one place to another. She had thought that it would be best to try this one first, as an experiment. They could start by using small objects and work their way up to big ones and, eventually, her.

"Remember, it's not all about the words." Theo cautioned, leaning back on the corner of his chair. "It's all about the will you put behind them. You must want to really move the object."

Mable picked up a piece of paper, cleared off one of the side tables and placed the paper right in the middle. "I know, I know." She waved him off impatiently. "It turns out that I really, really want to move this paper from here to there." She pointed over to another table in the corner.

"That looks too far away."

"It's fine." She retorted. "Now here it goes. Paper in the corner pocket." She ignored his puzzled frown and picked up the scroll. Licking her lips nervously, she sounded out the odd language, trying to want as hard as she could.

The piece of paper stayed where it was.

"Damn." She snapped the scroll shut. "I really wanted that to work."

"Well, nobody ever gets it right on the first try." Theo soothed. "And Fairy spells are notoriously complex. It just might take some more time for us to get it."

"Yeah, I guess." Mable placed the scroll back on the pile and slumped into a chair. "I was just hoping to see some progress today."

"You've only just gotten over your fever." Theo went over to the buffet table that had been set up for their lunch and poured her a glass of juice. "That might be affecting you, too. We'll keep researching more today and try again tomorrow."

"Really? You are ok with me trying to use some of these spells?" She accepted the glass of juice with a smile.

Theo shrugged as he collapsed into the other chair. "If I were in your position, I'd want to do more than just read. So yes, we can try some of them, and see where that takes us."

"Thanks, Theo." She saluted him with her glass and took a sip. "Maybe you were right, though." She said thoughtfully.

"I'm right about a lot of things. Which one in particular are you talking about?" He grinned at her.

"That I shouldn't work myself into the ground trying to get back. I mean, I want to do everything I can, and I plan to, but maybe relaxing a bit is key. I mean, I feel better now than I ever did before I was sick. Maybe taking some time to just relax my mind will help me find the strength of will to get out of here."

"It certainly can't hurt." Theo agreed. "I found that I solve more problems if I am focused on doing another activity."

"A professor of mine once suggested that." Mable placed her glass on the table next to her and reached for a new spell book. "She said that if you stop obsessing over your problem and focus on something else; yoga, a walk, gardening, some mindless activity that gives you a chance to regroup."

"So, you plan to garden?" Theo sat up straighter in his chair. "That will please Madame Cecile."

Mable's mouth twitched. "Maybe. I would like to spend some time in the greenhouse again. But my point is, while I desperately want to get home to my father and sisters, I need to take some time now and again to let my mind rest. Maybe if I do that, I'll be a little more successful when it comes to all of this." She pointed to the piles of books and scrolls littered around them, evidence from their hours of hard work.

Theo smiled. "My father had a similar outlook towards work. Not that he didn't work hard, but he always tried his best to balance work and rest."

Mable leaned forward. They had talked for a while yesterday, while she was still sick, about Mable's family. She had told him all about her father, about how after her mother's death he had taken care of his three girls, all on his own. About how he tried to spend a little bit of extra time with each of them, so they never felt left out. She had laughed as she told Theo about Jeanne and her father's Puzzle Days, where they would spend hours working at a jigsaw puzzle set up in the corner of the living room. About his Law and Order marathons with her sister Colette, watched so many times that it drove her to enter the world of law herself.

And her own days with her father, hours filled with popcorn, laughter, and old Mel Brooks films like Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and Spaceballs. She had to explain that to Theo a bit, but it had been nice to share with him stories of her dad, of what he had been like before the Alzheimer's.

But Theo had not once told her anything about his father.

"What was he like?" she asked him now.

Theo sat back. "My father? He was scholar, aside from his duties as the Master of this castle and its grounds. He loved books. Well, you can tell by this library he loved books," Theo laughed lightly, and gestured to the room around him. "He admired authors of all sorts. I spent a lot of my time with him, hearing his view on everything from philosophy to husbandry. When I was younger, it seemed like he knew everything about the world."

"Doesn't it always?" Mable murmured, remembering how, when she was young, her father seemed like the smartest man in the entire world.

He nodded in agreement. "There was so much that he taught me, and I vowed never to forget a word of it. He was studious, but never stuffy. He spent plenty of time outside with Jacques and me, sparring or riding. It was he who taught us to respect the Fairies, to treat them with every kindness. He always said that there were magics we could never grasp, the kind that the Fairies held. He said that their very beings were one with the Earth, and for that we should show them the proper respect.

"He died too early. Not in pain, thankfully. I don't think any of us could have borne it if he had been in pain. He died quietly in his sleep. We knew it was an illness but we were all too blind to see it, and before we could anything, he was gone. As his son, I had to take his place. It was not as hard as people thought it would be. I realized soon after my father's death that he had trained me all my life, without me ever knowing it. There were gaps in my teaching, of course. He had never trained me for controlling a land that was ravaged by war." Here Theo stopped, voice shaking, and Mable knew he was remembering the fighting, the Fairy, the curse.

"You don't have to tell me anymore, Theo." She said gently.

"No, it's fine. Would you like to know about my mother?" he asked, his gold eyes locked on her hazel ones.

"Yes, please."

"She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that." He started off, sounding stronger now.

Mable smiled sadly, "Yes, I know. I saw her portrait, remember?"

"Yes, that's right. She was smart too, but in a gentler way. She loved art, as you see by her paintings, and her gallery. She also loved music and strove to learn every single instrument she could get her hands on. My father never refused her anything, of course. Before my father died, she would go down to the Salle while the servants were having dinner and sing for them. She had a beautiful voice. I think she was the first Lady to ever do that." Theo laughed, and Mabel felt her heart break at the grief in it, "You remind me a little of her." He glanced at her thoughtfully.

Mable raised her eyebrows. "How do you figure that?" She had never been known for her singing voice.

"How easily you get along with Carnier, and the other chefs. How you work with them in the kitchens, even though it is the last thing any of us expected you to do."

Mable shrugged. "I'll cook for them, but your servants are going to be waiting a long, long time before I go and sing for all of them."

Theo chuckled, but it was still tinged with unhappiness.

"My mother had her flaws too. She was too gentle, I suppose. When my father died, it was like her soul had gone with him. She locked herself away and painted. She never acknowledged anyone's presence, including my own. I tried to get her to come out, hoping it would help penetrate her grief, but nothing worked. She put her heart into her paintings, until there was nothing left for her body to use. She died soon after she painted that last portrait; my portrait."

Theo turned from Mable, eyes looking off into the distance. "I'm glad she got to paint me as I was, and not as I am. I think it would have killed her even faster if she knew what I have become." He murmured.

Mable frowned. "I highly doubt that. Just because your appearance has changed, it doesn't mean you have changed. If your mother could see that you are the same man as you were before, then I don't think she would have any complaints."

Theo's eyes returned to her, shocked. "You really think that?" he asked slowly. Mable felt her shyness return. She didn't answer but looked at the floor and nodded. Damn, why did he make her feel so self-conscious?

"Do you think you have changed?" she mumbled to the floor.

She realized he had leaned forward, and she could feel his breath on her cheek. "A little," he answered pensively. He didn't seem to notice her discomfort. "I may be a bit biased when it comes to my own good qualities, though. Perhaps you had better ask Labelle, she has always been pretty good at pointing out my flaws." His voice had regained its cheerful rumble, and Mable finally glanced up from the floor and saw that he was smiling at her warmly.

"Of course," he teased, "You are pretty quick to point out my flaws too."

Mable chuckled, relieved that the awkward moment was gone. "Only when you need to be reminded what your flaws are. You should be grateful," she grinned at him "Labelle and I keep you humble."

They sat quietly for a minute, the regret and grief that tinged the air slowly fading as they lost themselves in their own thoughts. Deciding that they had contemplated long enough, Mable gave Theo her most charming smile, making him blanch.

"So, I have one last question. It's something I've wanted to ask you for a while" She said, smiling at him coyly.

Theo peeked over at her apprehensively. "Yes?"

"Do you ever get fleas?"

"What?" he spluttered and Mable laughed. "I certainly do not!" he said irritably.

The awkward, mournful air in the room dissipated, and she and Theo remained in the library for a few more hours, exchanging stories of their parents and their respective childhoods. Mable didn't even realize until later that they had not really succeeded in finding a new spell or researching the old ones. It should have bothered her more, but she had been having such a good time, she waved it off.

She had managed to find her way to the dining room on her own, interacted with the staff amiably, and spent an enjoyable afternoon getting to know Theo better.

Surely that was enough progress, for one day.