Chapter Twenty: Roses

She dreamed of roses. That was what kept her going; Red roses, cream roses, thorns and petal. Back home, the castle was abundant with them. They grew in the garden in carefully planned rows so the lawns were awash with crimson dots when viewed from up high. They were painstakingly sewn into the curtains and sheets, especially in the west wing where every fabric had roses in its design. They were cast in the walls with the cherubs and the angels.

They were her mother's favourite flowers and whenever she imagined one in her mind, she saw her face. Her beautiful kind eyes, her creamy skin with its familiar lines…and then she saw her father. He always looked so sad in her dreams, so worried.

Sometimes when her mind wandered, as it did often these days, having nothing better to do, she imagined them forgetting her. It was not hard. Their memory of her would fade as she remained lost, and soon there would be no Raisse, Rose of France. Just Raisse, the forgotten. Perhaps, one day, far into the future, someone would look in the gardens or in the mouldings in the ceilings and have a flicker of remembrance, the recollection of one moment in time when another rose lived in those walls. They'd catch a glimpse, just a glimpse of fair hair and brown eyes, and then it would be gone, and they'd move on to the library or the armoury, and she would be dismissed. Meanwhile, she'd rot in her hut, and her mind would wander until she forgot herself too.

It had been months now. There was no way of counting the days for sure, but every moon took another away and every morning sun brought one back. They all just merged into one another. There was less daylight now, and she had started to shiver beneath the blankets and the remains of her dress. She reasoned it was near winter. She felt sure she'd never see summer again.

One morning, she'd woken feeling strange, and spent the day even more detached than usual. It was getting on for sunset when she finally came to the conclusion that it had been her birthday at some point. She'd aged a year overnight without realising. Seventeen years old now. No longer a child. In truth, she had not been one for a long time, but it was only now that she knew it.

Law and tradition dictated that she should be married by now. Her parents had mentioned it, had spoken of seeking a betrothal, but nothing had happened. Her mother had sat her down some time ago and talked about the importance of love, and how a person should realise it for themself, not have it forced upon them. When a beauty had first met a beast, she had certainly not been looking for love. It blossomed as a rose was dying nearby. As the last petal fell, the love was realised, the beast became a prince and all ended happily.

"But Mama," she had said in her infant tongue. "You fell in love with a beast. How then can you also love a prince?"

Her mother had smiled, and thought for a moment.

"I fell in live with a man who was both prince and beast, with the soul beneath the skin, and that is also important, Raisse. Love is not seen with the eyes; it is felt with the heart. The most handsome man in the world could be the ugliest on the inside…believe me, I know!"

Raisse knew of Gaston. When her mother considered her old enough to understand, she had told her everything. There were no secrets between them, and yet she couldn't help but think of him occasionally, and wonder what if? She would have been a peasant girl, not a princess, with dark hair, not blonde…

She'd asked Chip about it once. He'd laughed and said that if that had been the case, she would not be Raisse, and the world would have been a safer place for all. She'd scowled, and then charged at him, and they had wrestled in the rose garden.

That was a long time ago though. Chip had seemed scared to touch her lately, to go anywhere near her in fact. He was probably enjoying life without her at the moment. And as for the others; routine would not sop, that was for sure. It would have to be the end of the world before Cogsworth had the tight schedule disrupted. The castle would erupt in flames, and he'd still be ordering the daily cutlery polish to go ahead.

She missed him; she missed them all. Here there was no-one. She'd given up on conversation with Lefou and her captor had not shown his face since he'd caught them talking that time, and for that fact she was extremely grateful. Grateful, but lonely. Lonely, and possibly forgotten.

That is until one night when she awoke to find it standing before her. She was not afraid this time, but she blamed that on the grogginess of recent sleep. It took several seconds for her eyes to focus and see the creature. It seemed more solid this time however. The darkness that was its very essence was no longer transparent. Its face—if you could call it that—seemed more human somehow. At first glance, it could have been mistaken for an old man—a very ugly old man—shrouded in a moth-eaten cloak, perhaps destitute or drunkard. A thing to be pitied not feared. It was its voice that gave it away.

"I trust you are well and accepting, if not enjoying, my hospitality," it hissed like the dying embers of a fire. "I admit I do not entertain guests much, so I do hope you have found my services adequate for your needs."

It moved nearer to where she sat, and she found herself flinching despite her determination not to react to its mockery.

"I have been pleased with your conduct," it continued. "You are certainly an obedient young lady. No ill-conceived escape attempts, no whining, no bribery…one might even suggest that you are the perfect captive, the type of prisoner that others like myself wish we could experience every time. Do not think that impeccable behaviour such as yours goes unnoticed or unrewarded. In fact, the reason I am here is to offer you two prizes which I am sure you seek; comfort and knowledge."

It was true. She did seek both, though she doubted whether this…thing was capable of delivering its promises.

"You shall have a bed to rest in, a bath, clean clothes and be allowed outside every so often, as is only fitting for a prisoner of your status…"

"When will you release me?"

Raisse had found her voice, and it gave her great pleasure to interrupt the creature, although her throat hurt from the effort. It grinned in response, that terrible grin that could freeze a man where he stood.

"When you have ceased to be of use to me, then you will be released and sent back to your castle."

"If it is ransom you require, then I am sure it will arrive soon. My father would happily meet your demands if you release me."

The creature smirked…at least, Raisse thought it did. Whatever the expression on its face, it was certainly not pleasant to behold. Surely even happiness would be distorted to horrific effect on such an evil countenance.

"I am not as greedy as your own kind. Your money has no value to me. I do not buy, I take. I assure you that my taking of you as a guest was not for monetary gain. I would never stoop to such vanity."

Raisse considered this. Truly, she had never thought of a life without want for money, but this monster could not be living anyway. Its very presence reeked of decay. However, it had just given her fresh reason to fear it. If her value to it was not riches or gold, then her value must be herself, and that thought was more chilling than any other. Thus, her voice when she spoke next was weak and timid, as if she dared not hear the question herself.

"Then what use am I to you?"

"You are very useful indeed, young princess. Your presence here lures somebody to me. He is searching for you as we speak. He has in fact been searching for you for weeks. He is the one I want. You are the bait, nothing but a worm on a hook to tempt him out of the water."

"No…," she whispered. She knew he'd do anything for her, even walk into a trap, but surely he would not. He'd send guards; an army…he was no fool. He was the King of France…

"No, you stupid girl!" it snapped. Reading minds was one of its powers, but the expression on the girls face required no such means. He could practically see the word 'father' written in her eyes. "I have no use for your father, although, I have heard interesting tales about him. A beast, wasn't he? Such a basic enchantment. Feeble, really…No, it is not he. He would not be a worthwhile conquest. The man seeking you is a friend of yours. Charles is his name, I believe, though he refers to himself as 'Chip'. Such a vulgar nickname."

"Chip?"

Raisse was completely taken aback. Chip was rescuing her? Chip, of all people! No army, no guards, no dashing knights on horseback… but Chip?

"Yes, princess, you may be confused, but I assure you he is perfectly capable, and at this moment he gets ever closer, ever nearer to his goal. Once he gets here, you may go free. Your life for his. It is as simple as that."

"Why him? Why Chip?" demanded Raisse, finding new strength in the sudden and fierce need to protect him. Her tone was obviously not to the creatures liking, as it bared its teeth like an animal and glared at her with those terrible eyes.

"Why does it matter to you? What do you care what happens to the boy? Do you not remember what he did to you?" it snarled, and moved closer, and suddenly Raisse was choking on nothing but air. "He violated you. He damaged you. What he did to you was what we call 'misused magic'. It is illegal in other words. Forbidden, outlawed, bad…and he performed it exceptionally. A masterful first attempt. I doubt you will ever really be the same again."

The creature's cruel words made Raisse relive the horror of the memory once again. It came to her as if bidden from some murky depth of her mind. The pain of drowning, the fear, and then peace, such short peace, before the pain again, and then fear worse than before…pure and close to unbearable. The atmosphere suddenly became stifling, and she felt herself gasping for breath.

"It wasn't him…he didn't mean to…," she managed to splutter between sobs.

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean to," the creature soothed. "But he did it nonetheless. He had the power within him to do things that are much much worse, you know. He's a very…special creature, and that is I why I want him."

Hearing Chip described as a 'creature' repulsed Raisse. She fought back, not willing to accept what she was being told. "Chip's a good person. He'll fight it. He'd never do anything bad on purpose. He wouldn't…I know him!"

With despair, she realised she was trying to convince herself more than the creature. In her head, she truly did not believe what she was saying, though her heart told her otherwise. The creature, noticing her desolate expression, nodded gleefully.

"I'm afraid it has already begun. Magic is highly addictive, you see. Once it gets under your skin, you crave it. Once it becomes a part of you, you can't live without it. The more he uses, the more powerful he will become. The more powerful he becomes, the more he'll use it. It is truly…," and it seemed to savour the word. "…intoxicating. Marvellous.

"Why are you telling me this? Why do I need to know?" demanded Raisse with the tiny shred of strength she had left. "And, why on earth do you want to give me clothes and food and comfort? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Why not?" smirked the creature. "Lefou shall take you to your new lodgings shortly. There will be a hot bath and clean clothes waiting for you. I suggest you do not sneer at my hospitality. I am rarely so generous."

And with that, the creature was gone. The air felt lighter in seconds and Raisse could breathe easily again, though her chest felt tight with anxiety and fear. She was, however, no longer scared for her own safety. The creature did not want to harm her. In fact, it needed her, and if it insisted in making her imprisonment slightly more bearable, then so be it. She would be alright. She was her father's daughter.

Her concern was now for Chip. If the creature spoke truthfully, and it had no reason to lie then he was in great danger. She had to get to him before he got to her. She had to warn him. She had to steer him away from temptation.

She would escape, and it would have to be soon. She would find a way, she had to. Raisse dried her eyes and waited for Lefou to come to her, and while she waited, she racked her brain for a solution.

……………………………………………………………………………………

The creature was pleased with itself. Everything was going well and its plans would soon be complete. This was the closest it could feel to happiness, for it was truly an evil being and was incapable of such emotions as joy or love. It did not know them; it only knew greed and ambition.

It was on earth; a place so different from its usual residence, and it had been presented with the opportunity of greatness. Thus pleased it, for despite its earlier claims, it was greedy, and grasping, and nowhere near as powerful as it pretended to be. It was, in fact, the lowest sort of demon with only one reason for its existence. This only made it want more.

The boy was perfect for achieving this, and he was so close. So close…just a little more encouragement was needed; and the creature left its lair, its prisoner and its minion behind that day to ensure this encouragement was taken care of. It slinked off into the shadows and never looked back. When it returned, its plan would be complete.