Chapter Thirty-One

Mable stumbled through the remains of the door, and hissed in pain when a piece of wood stabbed her in the shin, drawing blood. Gritting her teeth, she clambered over the ruin. She looked around at the foyer, and grimaced in an entirely different sort of pain.

The fragments of the door had fallen and spread throughout the hall, the air still swirling with dust from when the door had collapsed inward. The marble walls were cracking, huge spider-cracks traveling all the way from the floor to the ceiling, like a mirror shattering. Tables and vases had been demolished by the doors, and bits of vibrant colors mixed with the dark pieces of wood scattered on the floor. The paintings Lady Liana had treasured looked as if they were melting, the paint running of the canvas in rivulets of color, pooling onto the floor in a way that reminded Mable disturbingly of blood.

Averting her eyes, Mable wandered further into the mess. She bent down to pick up a flower, which rested underneath a piece of a vase. She caressed its petals, and felt tears prick her eyes when the bright-pink flowers started to wilt and turn an ugly, deathly brown. She watched as the flower's petals started to drop, one by one, until all she was holding was a moldy, green stem.

A cracking overhead alerted her to danger, and she blindly ran and pressed up against the wall, her face to the cold marble. She heard a resounding crash behind her and the sound of breaking glass. Slowly, she turned around and saw the once-magnificent chandelier, splintered in a thousand pieces, still shaking from its impact with the spot Mable had been standing only a moment before.

Mable gaped in dismay at the terrible remains of what had been the most beautiful artwork in the castle. The gold branches were warped and torn, the glass pieces, little more than dust, littering the floor. Mable looked up, and saw a gigantic black hole where the chandelier had once suspended. The cherubs and angels that had surrounded it were also melting; paint running down from their eyes as if they too, were mourning the loss of such a brilliant masterpiece.

Mable gently touched a branch of the chandelier, lamenting its demise, but only for a moment. She had to get out of this room before something else fell down, this time on top of her. She turned towards the door leading to the Crown Wing and launched herself through the corridors. She could remember where her rooms were, but she really had no idea where Theo or anyone else was. The best place to start was her own room, where she could use the magical closet door to jump from place to place in a hurry.

She could hear crunching behind her as the castle continued to cave inward, and she could only hope that it wouldn't collapse completely until she found Theo. She raced up the stairs, and staggered when a step crumbled beneath her feet. Swearing profusely, she continued up toward her rooms, occasionally jumping over the stairs that looked too unstable to hold her weight.

She was full-out panting when she reached the hallway that led to her rooms. Slowing down slightly, Mable glanced around and stopped dead. Unlike the floors below, this corridor looked completely normal. Its tables were still pristine, the paintings intact, and the flowers sending fragrances to her nose. It was like nothing had changed. Mable continued trotting down the hall, her eyes straining for the familiar door that led to her rooms. She still was not quite sure how she was going to get to Theo on time, and could not force her mind into thinking up some sort of plan. All she could think of was Theo.

What if he was hurt, trapped under a fallen beam or wall fragment? She needed to find him, so that together, they could get everybody out of this withering pile of stones.

That thought was enough to propel her tired legs to the door to her room.

Mable threw open the door, fully prepared to knock down any obstacles in her way to get to the closet. She was focused completely on locating Theo, on making sure he was safe. If he wasn't, then maybe there was something she could do to help.

But damn it, how was she supposed to help if she couldn't even find the idiot?

"Welcome back, Lady Mable"

Mable, who had been rushing towards the closet, stopped and turned at the sound of Madame Cecile's voice. Her jaw dropped and she simply stared.

The voice was Madame Cecile's, but she no longer looked like the woman Mable knew. She was even more beautiful than before, her pale skin now a deep gold, the color of good toffee, lovely and exotic. Her hair was a mixture of browns, golds, and reds, all intertwined in masses of curls, reminding Mable of autumn leaves, traveling down to the woman's waist. Her eyes were still an emerald green, but now they seemed deeper, darker. Her ears were slightly pointed, and her fingernails were blood-red and razor sharp. She had switched her usually attire for a silver dress that glittered as if made of moonlight. She wore no shoes.

She smiled serenely when another crash bellowed from below the two of them.

"I'm glad you came back, Mable. This has been a most tragic morning." said Madame Cecile. Her voice was perversely delighted, as if Mable's arrival made her day.

Mable glared at the woman. "What the hell is happening, Cecile? I come back to find this place crumbling apart, and I nearly got skewered by the front door! And why do you look so happy?" Her voice climbed to a shriek, and she was trembling all over; with fear or anger, she didn't know.

Madame Cecile got up slowly, her smile gone now, replaced with concern. "My dear, please calm down. I am delighted that you returned to us. You see, I know what is happening, but sadly, I cannot stop it. That is why we need you; you're the only one who can stop this." She gently wiped the tears from Mable's face. She smiled sadly, a guilty smile, and it was as if someone lifted a veil from Mable's eyes.

"You're Rianon." Mable said, amazed at her own stupidity. How could she have missed it? The way Madame Cecile always seemed to have been there, helping her, giving her strength and compassion when Mable needed it most. The way she could pop up out of nowhere, whenever she was needed. The speculative way she had looked at Mable, the first time they had met.

Mable wondered briefly if Theo or anyone else had known, had even guessed, that the same Fairy who put this spell on them had been living here this whole time.

As if she had read Mable's mind, Madame Cecile's smile became rueful. "Yes, I am Rianon. After the spell went awry, after I ran from my own mistake, I tried to return to my brethren. But as I am sure they told you, I was banished from the woods. With nowhere else to go, I came back to the castle, using a glamour to disguise myself as a human maid." She tugged at her hair, grimacing. "Thankfully, creating a glamour is easy magic, otherwise I might have made a mess of that, too."

The castle shook again, but Mable barely registered it. She was still confused. "Nobody noticed?"

Madame Cecile-no, Rianon, Mable reminded herself- shook her head. "The first few days after the curse, everyone was so shaken up that it was easy to slip in among them and act as if I had been there all along. I took over the role of gardener—the old one had been most unfortunately killed in the invasion. The role was more comfortable to me than typical maid's work, and also gave me the freedom to speak with my old mentor. Fauve was the only Fairy in the wood who would deign to talk to me, you see." Rianon gave her a sour smile. "She was the one who alerted me to your arrival, that first night. After I tucked you in, I went to Labelle and requested I be assigned as your Lady's Maid. Labelle was intuitive enough to agree that you would be more comfortable being waited on by someone you had already met."

"But why didn't you say anything?"

Rianon's beautiful eyes were sad. "Because I am a coward. I didn't want you to know, because it would have put more pressure on you, but there was also a chance you would tell the Master. I had misjudged my own power so disastrously that my own people turned me out; why wouldn't Master Theo, the victim of my hubris, do the same? He suffered the most, and I thought for sure that if he discovered my secret, he would cast me out, or worse." Her voice turned bitter. "And I would have deserved it. I ruined his life, all in the name of my own pride."

"It was an accident." Mable protested. "Theo would have understood that. He did understand." She remembered his shame at the memory of losing his temper at the Fairy.

Rianon lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. "It was both a precaution and a punishment. Living and working alongside the people here in the castle gave me the opportunity to watch over Master Theo and the rest without their knowledge, but it was as much a prison for me as it was for them."

Mable frowned. "You mean you didn't cast the spell that's keeping them trapped here?" She had been so sure that was part of the curse, even though everyone had insisted that it wasn't.

For the first time, Rianon looked pleased. "No, the force that is keeping us trapped here is not my doing. My spell was only on the people; Master Theo and the people he wanted to protect." She rested a gentle hand on the cracking stones of the room's walls. "It is the castle itself who is keeping the people trapped here."

Mable stared at the Fairy. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn you said it was the castle who's keeping people here."

"Do you know how this castle came to be, ma cherie?"

Mable fought to remember. Answering questions when the castle around you was falling apart was difficult. "Ah, the Fairies made it, right?" she ventured.

Rianon nodded. "Correct. The stones, the mortar, the wood, every part of this castle was made from Fairy strength and magic, used to create a dwelling for the Master and his heirs. The product of so many Fairies coming together tends to have a few… unexpected benefits."

"Like the closet!"

"Yes, like the closet." Rianon agreed. "The Fairies left a bit of their magic behind, and their essence in the stones and wood allows the castle to do extraordinary things. It's to be expected of a building that is so imbued with magic-especially old magic, which can have a mind of its own. But there is more to it than that. Ever since the curse, the castle has been more aware. It has been using its magic to help someone."

"Theo said it was reacting to me." Mable's heart started to tighten painfully. She hadn't been keeping everyone trapped here, had she?

"A good guess, but incorrect. The castle hid itself from the world long before you even arrived, remember? No, it is Master Theo. He is the one the castle is trying to please."

Mable stared. "The castle trapped everyone here because Theo told it to?"

Rianon spread her hands out, placating. "I don't believe it was a conscious decision, but the simple answer is yes. Being the Master, the final heir, the castle is more attuned to Theo than anyone else. So, when he wished to hide himself away due to his…condition—"

"The castle hid itself." Mable finished for her. "But why didn't it let anyone leave?"

"Because Master Theo did not wish to be left here, alone." Rianon's voice softened in sympathy. "You must remember, most of his people resented him, or feared him. And those that did not, such as Labelle or Lune…well, they could have still chosen to leave him. They were not made into monsters. It would have been easy for all those people he loved, those people he fought to save, to abandon him. Like his mother did after his father passed away."

Mable's eyes filled with tears. "The castle hid itself and trapped the people here so he wouldn't be alone."

Rianon nodded. "I believe so. Theo was young when he took over as Master, young enough that he probably didn't know about how the castle often obeyed the wishes of the heir. If he had known, I can only believe that he would have forced the castle to let his people leave, if they wished."

"But then why did it react to me?" Mable asked, wiping her face. "When I said I wanted to see what the ballroom looked like, it cleaned it up. When I mentioned I wanted to watch a movie, it made an entirely new room."

Rianon gave her a slow, satisfied smile. "Yes, the castle has been acting quite fond of you, hasn't it? But I think that is also Theo's doing."

Mable's heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious, dear?" Rianon beaming at her with joy was so at odds with the rumbles of the decaying castle it gave Mable vertigo. "It wasn't the castle that was reacting to your wishes, it was Theo. As his feelings for you grew, so did the need to make you happy. The castle sensed this, and it did what it could to fulfill your wishes, because that is what he wanted." Rianon's smiled faded. "Even when that wish was to leave."

It was as if all the air had gone out of her lungs. "You're saying that…that it was Theo…"

"He saw how much going back meant to you. And when he finally accepted that letting you go would make you happier than forcing you to stay, the castle obeyed and sent you home."

Mable fought back the urge to sob. "I abandoned him. He didn't want to be alone and I-"

"But you returned." Rianon reminded her. She caressed Mable's face with a gentle hand. "You cannot change what has been, ma cherie. But do not allow your regret to prevent you from changing your future." Rianon's warm, flowery scent helped steady her.

Unexpectedly, the room heaved, and in the distance, Mable heard the sound of another turret collapsing to the ground.

"Why is all this happening, though?" She gestured to the castle.

"The pain of losing you, coupled with a land already strained by a curse is too much. If the curse does not break soon…" Rianon's eyes darkened.

"There will be nothing left to save." Mable spoke for her, and leapt for the closet door.

She nearly tripped over him.

He had collapsed on the floor of his study, his large form sprawled in front of the fireplace. He lay so still, that for a gut-wrenching moment, Mable thought she was too late.

With a cry, she rushed over and started desperately looking for a pulse. Anything that would tell her that Theo was still alive. Theo moaned hoarsely when she placed a hand on his chest. His eyes flew open, and Mable was horrified to see that they were foggy with pain.

"Mable?" His voice was so quiet she had to lean down to hear. "You…you're supposed to be home." He took rattling breaths between each word, and she could tell it pained him to speak."

"I was, I mean I did go, but I came back." She babbled incoherently, the terror of seeing him in this state making it hard for her to focus. At least this room seemed to be all right, except that all the lights were gone, even the fire. It was terribly cold in the room, and goosebumps quickly prickled over Mable's arms. "Theo, what happened to you? Is it the curse?" She shifted so he wouldn't have to lift his head to look at her.

He lifted a paw to caress her face. "I…didn't think you would come back." He murmured. Mable's tears were sinking into the fur on his paws. "I thought going back would make you happy."

"I thought so too." She admitted, placing a hand over the paw that was on her face. "But going back hurt so much, Theo. I don't belong there anymore. I belong here, with you."

"You're so beautiful." Mable's heart stuttered, not because of the compliment but because his voice seemed to be fading more with each word. "I didn't…get to tell you before."

"That doesn't matter now." She told him. "Theo, try to focus, all right? We need—"

"I think… it's too late, mon couer." He told her gently. Mable's breath hitched as she looked into his gold eyes

"No, no, it's not too late, it can't be." But it was. He was breathing too shallowly, as if every breath pained him, for it not to be too late. Try as she might, Mable couldn't think of any way staunch whatever was draining him so fast.

"I love you." His words were barely a whisper, but it hit her with the force of a shout. The paw she was holding went limp, and she watched in horror as his eyelids shuttered close.

"No. No, don't leave me!" She cried. "Theo, I love you too."

Suddenly nausea overcame her, and she closed her eyes, desperately trying to keep whatever was in her stomach down. There was a piercing screech from nowhere, and something that sounded like glass breaking.

She was certain that this one haven was finally falling apart, but she couldn't bear to leave him. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in Theo's still chest, her hands still gripping his paw. She could hear the high-pitched noise, less like a scream and more like a whine. Light and warmth danced over her closed eyelids, but she refused to move, even though Theo's paw was starting to convulse oddly against her face. She no longer felt his fur on her skin, but it felt like...flesh, as if another hand was against her face.

Hardly daring to breathe, Mable opened her eyes a tiny bit. She couldn't see much. Blinding lights were dancing around the room, jumping in between cracks in the wall, washing over the carpet. The fire had roared to life once again, and crackled furiously, as if announcing its return.

The light pulsing against her eyelids started to fade, and she risked opening her eyes. The room was still whole, and starting to warm up now that the fire was back in the hearth. The rumblings and cracks that had been the background noise all day were gone, as if they never were.

Mable took it all in for only an instant, before her attention was drawn to lean, handsome man that was now lying on the floor where Theo had just been. He blinked up at the ceiling, a little dazed, and slowly sat up. Looking rather flummoxed, the man lifted his other hand-the one that Mable wasn't squeezing in her death-grip-and studied it, as if he had only seen it for the first time.

Maybe...he is looking at his human hand for the first time, Mable thought, and quickly released his other hand. The man promptly began to study that, the corners of his mouth starting to curve upward. Mable couldn't help herself.

"Damn it..." she placed her hand over her mouth, trying to keep the hysteria in when Theo looked over at her. Then Theo grinned at her, and she noticed that he no longer had fangs.

"Profanity? After all those lovely things you said, you had to ruin it with profanity?" His voice was still deep, but did not hold that slight growl that it had before. Mable's eyes roamed over him, mentally checking off the changes.

She was relieved to note that he did not look too different. His eyes were still gold, only now they seemed a little darker, less predatory. His hair was still blonde, but was on his head instead of his whole body, falling just below his ears. His face was rounder, boyish compared to what it had been, and his skin a healthy pink. His nose was longer than she had expected it to be, surprising her, though his ears had gone back to their normal, human shape. He was still wearing his old clothes, but they were far too big for him now, despite his still-broad shoulders, and his white shirt and black pants engulfed him to the point where he almost looked underfed.

It didn't matter to her, though. The fact that he was alive was more than enough.

Theo was still looking at her, and when she finally stopped studying him, his smile widened.

"Well?" he asked dryly.

Mable said wickedly, "Your ears are crooked." And grinned as his eyes widened in panic and he grasped at his ears.

When he found them to be satisfactory, he gave her a glare that instantly turned into a laugh. He got up slowly, with Mable scrambling up to hover over him, just in case. Thankfully, he was able to stand upright, though his smile had turned rueful.

"I'm too used to paws, I guess. I think if I just…" he walked forward a couple of steps, staggered, and then with effort regained his balance again. After a few minutes of this, and using the chairs as support, he was finally able to walk around the room as smoothly as before. Mable watched, her mouth curved in a blissful smile that seemed to be permanently etched on her face.

When he stopped delighting in the fact that he had feet, instead of paws, he turned to Mable and sent her a glance that warmed her from head to toe.

One fluid move was all it took for Theo to wrap his arms around her and smash his mouth to hers, and instantly knock their noses together hard enough to make Mable yelp in pain. He cursed.

"I'm so sorry, mon coeur, are you all right? I haven't gotten used to this nose yet." He brushed a hand against her nose gingerly. Assured that it was not broken, he grinned charmingly at her. "Care to try again?"

Their next try was a little less inept, and so warm and sweet that she hardly noticed her throbbing nose. They spent several moments like this, completely involved with one another. Mable threw her arms around his neck and just enjoyed herself, and she could feel him doing the same. They were clumsy; neither of them was used to his new shape. Mable thought that the awkwardness made it more endearing than some fairy-tale kiss, even if they probably appeared rather ridiculous. Theo, with his over-sized clothes, and Mable with ripped jeans and an aching nose (not to mention her leg, which was still bleeding sluggishly) made a pretty shabby picture. But appearances didn't matter, not when she could feel his heart beating strong and healthy under the palm she had placed on his chest.

Mable and Theo eventually broke apart, very reluctantly, and Theo helped Mable limp over to a chair in front of the fire.

"You asked me earlier what had happened." He told her with a smile. She noticed that, without the fur, he had dimples. "Well, when you disappeared, it was like the life was sucked right out of the place. All I remember was sitting here, wondering if I had finally drunk myself into a stupor. I had the worst headache, so I went to lie down on the bed. The next thing I know, I was in a horrible amount of pain and lying on the floor. Then you were here, and -hey!" he said sharply, finally noticing her leg. "You're bleeding! Why didn't you tell me?" Muttering under his breath, Theo bent down to check on her injury.

Enjoying the luxury of being pampered, and having a warm, soft chair to sit on, Mable told him the story of how she had returned to the castle, only to find it in ruins.

"I got sliced by the doors downstairs-they are now kindling, I'm afraid. We should replace them fast; curtains aren't going to keep out the snow. Though where you would find curtains to cover that huge doorway I'll never know." Theo had finally consented to ripping off some fabric from his shirt to wrap her leg in. "Anyway, I ran up all those damn stairs, only to find Madame Cecile in my bedroom. Get this; Madame Cecile is-"

"Thrilled it is over." said a voice from the doorway. Both Theo and Mable turned to look at the woman standing there.

"Rianon." Theo breathed, and stood up to his full height, which was impressive even without the fur and fangs. Cecile—Rianon, that was going to be odd to get used to—stood there in her glory, still in her Fairy shape. Mable watched Theo's eyes, and knew the exact moment when he finally put all the pieces together.

"Master." Rianon beamed. Mable stood up as well, standing shoulder to shoulder with Theo. Rianon continued to smile grandly as she strode over to hug them both. "My dear, dear Lady! You did it, you broke the curse. I am so proud you. I do hope you'll accept my humblest apologies for how this all turned out." Rianon grabbed Mable's hands and held them in her own, but her eyes were gazing imploringly at Theo. "If you two hate me, I would completely understand. I wronged you, and then I ran when faced with my mistake. You could not possibly be more disappointed in me than I am in myself."

Theo and Mable looked at each other and smiled. "There wasn't any real harm done." Theo said kindly to Rianon. "It's over now. It's silly to shoulder any regrets over something that happened so long ago."

Mable hugged her. "I agree. Besides, you made it way too difficult to hate you." The women grinned at each other. Mable suddenly thought of something. "The others…" she looked up at Theo worriedly.

Rianon laughed. "Do not worry, cherie. They are all fine and well. And if I am correct, all are on their way up here right now." The woman cocked her head as if listening.

Sure enough, Monsieur Lune and Maddie popped in from out of nowhere. Mable blinked. Were they still enchanted? She thought with breaking the spell, they wouldn't have their powers anymore. Mable raised her brows at the Fairy, who smiled furtively and held a finger to her lips.

"What happened?" Monsieur Lune said wildly, eyes darting everywhere. "I don't remember anything, it's like the past few days have just been blank…" His eyes found Mable, who was leaning against Theo peacefully. "Lady Mable? If you're here, when—" His normally staid face lit up as the reality of it all finally sunk in.

"We're free." He whispered. He burst out laughing, and took his daughter and threw her up in the air. The two spun around, laughing with tears coming from their eyes as they shouted.

"The curse is gone! We're free!'

The revelry continued as the two finished their dance and ran over to Mable and Theo, hugging them and shouting unintelligible words as they celebrated.

Chaos ensued as, one by one, residents of the castle found their way to Mable and Theo. Labelle sobbed, and embraced Mable so hard she felt as if she might crack in two. Maestro didn't do anything as emotional as cry, but slapped Theo on the back, while still keeping one arm around Labelle. He gave Mable the first, genuinely affectionate smile that she had ever received, and Mable returned it in kind. Monsieur Carnier picked Mable up as if she weighed nothing and spun her around until she felt dizzy.

Mable noticed that Rianon had taken a few steps back from the commotion.

Theo took a deep breath, and roared over all the rejoicing, "ENOUGH! Everyone, please, return to your rooms! We will celebrate later, but right now we must find out what our situation is. I am as happy as all of you to be back, but there are still many questions that must be answered, and Mable is hurt. Everyone except Labelle, Maestro, Lune, and Maddie, please go and celebrate downstairs."

With singing, dancing, and yelling, the crowd receded, leaving Mable and the others gazing at Rianon.