WARNING: What isn't mine, isn't mine. The Shadow of the Beast series is originally developed by Reflections (today part of Ubisoft) and published by Psygnosis (today part of Sony). The remake of 2016 was developed by Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs, and published by Sony. The Anne of Green Gables series is TECHNICALLY public domain, but the TRADEMARKS belong to the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority, jointly owned by the Province of Prince Edward Island, and the heirs of L. M. Montgomery (the author). None of these aforementioned entities approve of this story. This is fanfiction, I'm not making any money off it.
NOTE: The "Aarbron" here is kind of a mix of both the one in the original series, and the one in the remake.
Anne Of … The Beast?
Chapter 1 – Shadow of…Green Gables?
It is amazing how, sometimes, on very rare occasions, one's entire life can be completely changed, in mere moments. Like if a book had completely different authors who didn't know each other. For no apparent reason, as was typical for her, these thoughts entered, unbidden, into the mind of Anne Shirley. A red-headed girl who lived near Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in the nineteenth century, and was on her way to school.
Sometimes she would take a slightly longer route, because it was scenic, if she wasn't running late. She was singled out by Mr. Phillips, the old teacher, for being late many times. He also neglected to spell her name with an "e." The replacement teacher, Miss Muriel Stacy, was so much better, in her mind. But still, she didn't want to antagonize her.
She walked across a bridge. A bridge that she once lied about dropping her adoptive mother's amethyst brooch from, the bridge across the Lake of Shining Waters. And they were shining especially sparkly. They also seemed to be moving, as if the waters were alive. Even for someone with such an active and expansive imagination, living waters was a stretch. I wonder what Diana will think? And that snapped her back to reality. She wanted to meet Diana Barry so that they could walk the rest of the way together. As she walked, she kept looking at the water, as it unnaturally undulated.
She walked up against the railing. And then, in a split second of a mere moment, a piece of railing gave way, and she tumbled into the water with a colossal splash. She struggled, but was able to stand up with her head above the water. It was COLD. She looked down, she was on rocks or something. She walked forward, the water slowing everything down. She dreaded the trouble she would face for getting her sensible dress soaked through-and-through. Never mind her hat, and her shoes.
She walked forward, and then; she couldn't move. Her feet were caught in mud. She struggled, but couldn't get them out. She gave a hard pull on one foot, and it came out of the shoe. She did likewise to the other, and made sure to step where there wasn't any mud. Then she felt water pushing her to one side and another, and it became very bubbly.
She screamed very loudly, as she was pulled off her feet onto her back. "LET GO!" she yelled, to no avail. She tried to turn her head. There seemed to be some kind of whirlpool in the lake. At least, she thought it was one. And she was headed for it!
She took a deep breath before the whirlpool claimed her.
AOTB-
Far, far, FAR away, someone was walking through a bizarre landscape. Around, deformed trees grew. In the sky, the clouds and Zeppelins passed. And then, the sky darkened, with unusual clouds. Except that this was normal.
My master is preparing the Great Ritual!
This meant one thing to him, the Beast Messenger. He was to go to the Plateau of Despair, where the glorious and mighty Beast Lord Maletoth would become more powerful. He lived but to serve him.
The same powers and spells that started the Great Ritual sometimes had side effects, usually manifested as unusual weather, lights in the sky, the like. While it scared the local humans, to those who were chosen to be the Servants of Maletoth, it was of no concern.
A water-spout formed in front, splashing water on him. It's but rain. There was a thud, and the water spout dissipated. Where it had been, there was someone lying on the ground.
A human child. She looked rather different from other human girls. For one, her clothing was very different. Seldom did he see someone so nicely dressed this far inside the realm of Maletoth. She wasn't wearing the simple dresses – sometimes even improvised from sacks or sails or curtains – that was typical among the various slave, peasant, and "tributary" populations who lived in the realm. She was obviously an outsider. And very different. Her hair was a brighter red than any human he'd ever seen before. She was bruised, and coughing. Her hat landed a short distance from her. He picked it up, and scrutinized it. With a grunt he tossed it aside. The girl got up, and looked around. Her breathing became rapid.
"Where am I?" she asked. She turned around, and saw him.
"Mon-mon-mon-mon…" she began. "Mon-mon-MONSTER," she yelled. She ran.
"STOP!" screamed the Beast-Messenger. She didn't obey him, choosing to run more quickly. He bolted in hot pursuit. She leapt over a low stone wall, but so did the Messenger.
She scrambled up a road of gravel, her shoe-less feet complaining, but her adrenaline keeping her ahead.
Loud barking punctuated the air. "STOP HER!" The Messenger pointed at her.
She heard the barking too. She ran, and came to a T-junction, only to see a couple of dogs coming towards her. Except that they had glowing eyes, and longer snouts, and they didn't have much fur.
She ran to the right, and came to a path past more trees. Loud thwacks reverberated, as barbs landed near her. She kept running. There was a gap ahead. She jumped over, but landed a bit short. She grabbed vines on the side of the clip, just below the edge. The dogs kept barking. A hand reached down. She grabbed it; she was picked up.
"Thank you so much, thank you, thank you…" started Anne. She was pulled up. She looked at the one who saved her. She went silent, as she saw it was the monster. "Please, please, PLEASE don't eat me," she pled.
"I shall not eat you," said the Messenger. "You shall come with me."
"Can you tell me where we are? Everything is different here. Are there any faeries, pixies, or dryads? Are there any mayflowers here? Mayflowers are such beautiful flowers. Oh, so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Anne Shirley. Anne with an E. I live on Prince Edward Island. Have you ever been there? You couldn't have, because Mrs. Rachel would let everyone know if we saw a monster who's…" she looked at him, noticed he was only wearing a dark blue loincloth. "Not properly dressed. What's your name, Mr. Monster? Oh sorry, may I call you that? You may call me Anne with an E, or Cordelia, if you want or…"
"You will come with me."
"Unless you're taking me back to Avonlea, I'm afraid I cannot." She began explaining everything she remembered. "Is there a telegraph office? Maybe we could send a telegram to Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. They would be ever so worried. I'm supposed to be at school right now, and…" She felt a short, sharp, shock, before losing consciousness.
AOTB-
She was awoken by shaking. She looked around, and noticed that she was in a wagon. Much like when Matthew Cuthbert brought her from the station to her new home. Her legs were restrained, though. She looked around, and saw there was a man in a beige tunic, also with his legs tied together, with her. In front, were a couple of shadowy figures in dark robes. When the cart went uphill, she noticed it wasn't a horse pulling them. It was red, and she could make out that it had a crest around its head, and a pair of horns.
"Where are we going?" she asked, to the figures. There was no reply. "Do you have your own White Way of Delight? I went by one on my way to my new home, it was ever so cheerful, even if they do call it the Avenue. With beautiful trees like that, why use such a dull name?" Still no reply. "Why are my legs tied together?"
"The prisoner shall not annoy the driver!" barked one of the figures.
"Prisoner?" said Anne. "Prisoner? There must be some mistake. I have done some wicked things, and sinned, most of it without meaning to, I am still ever so young, you must understand, and –"
Her speech was cut short by one of the figures turning around, and whipping near her with a nine-tailed whip. "Let that be a warning, you are not to talk to us, nor escape."
"I-I-I-I will stop…" He whipped again, and she backed off. He laughed.
"There's no hope," said the man. "We are going to the Great Ritual."
"Great Ritual? Is that like holidays, or weddings, or funerals, or…"
"IT MEANS WE ARE DOOMED, LITTLE GIRL!" he said, in exasperation.
"I'm so sorry, please don't yell," apologized Anne. "I don't know anything, I'm not from here," she continued, before telling him about herself.
"My name is Nathreen," said the man, "you said you were an orphan? I am the opposite; my son was kidnapped when he was barely able to crawl! His name was Aarbron."
"Who could kidnap a baby?"
"Lord Maletoth. That is who we will see. At a Great Ritual, captives are either killed, or worse."
"You mean I will die?"
"No, I will die, you're a child. Children receive the 'Or Worse'!"
"But who is Maletoth?"
"You never heard of him, Anne?"
"You never heard of Avonlea, or Prince Edward Island, or Canada. I don't think you ever heard of mayflowers, or raspberry cordials, or how fun Sunday School can be, or ice cream, ice cream is so tasty…"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. For a long time, this land has been under the rule of Maletoth, and he's becoming more powerful. I was seen as a threat, so now, here I am, waiting to be sacrificed."
"Like Jesus on the Cross?"
"I have no idea who you're talking about."
AOTB-
The cart eventually reached the place. Arcane symbols were carved into the ground itself. People, though not human, sat around in a semi-circle, some of these people in sarongs and loincloths playing drums. A pair of other Messengers mushed an oversized ring into position. The vertical ring started to glow. All that was seen through the ring became distorted, and a purple tinge filled it. Someone approached a dais in front of the ring. He wore ornate dark robes, and had a face kind of resembling a praying mantis. Anne also noticed that his sleeves were nice and puffy. A few others in similar, but simpler, robes came up to him, and they began chanting. The symbols on the ground glowed, and the ring glowed even more brightly.
A face, kind of looking like a bald human male, but somehow, different, appeared in the ring. "THE RITUAL SHALL COMMENCE!"
Drums were beaten, and strange music sounded. The robed followers all cheered loudly, as did all of the other people who weren't human. Anne looked around. There were other carts, also pulled by these animals. She saw that they had three horns on their face. One of the flying things landed by the ring, and a door opened. Out came the Messenger. The very one that caught her.
Several strange creatures, like people but with snake-tails instead of legs, and reptilian skin, came to the cart, and opened the back door. They were even creepier than the Messenger. One of them took out a knife, and cut the restraints, and took them both to the dais.
"My Messenger," said the head. That Messenger who had captured her came to the face. "You have pleased me, once again. Both a threat, which shall become but more power to me, and another potential great servant, like yourself."
"I am pleased to have pleased you, my master!" said the Messenger. Nathreen was dragged towards the dais.
"Once he is prepared, you shall have the honors!"
"It shall be done."
A couple of the assistants held Nathreen, while the Mantis prodded him with a stick, and felt him with his hands. He even lifted the side of the tunic with his stick. Anne closed her eyes, as it was very undignified. But she couldn't just leave. The snake men were holding her.
The Mantis then took what almost resembled a make-up tube, and drew symbols in red on parts of the victim's body. He poked him a couple more times, then made more markings. "It is all rrrready, my lorrrrd." Anne wondered why he rolled his r's like that.
"The time is now," said the head, and the Messenger approached the man. The man fell onto his knees.
"Lord Maletoth, please spare me."
"You are but a sacrifice, that is your fate, for you dared to defy me, there shall be no mercy. Messenger, slay him."
"I OBEY," said the Messenger. Just then, Anne seemed to notice something. A rather faint chain of smoke, running from the Messenger to the head in the ring. The Messenger slowly approached the man.
"Please, I ask that you spare me." He looked at the Messenger in the eyes. A pair of claws appeared on the right-hand wrist of the Messenger. The Messenger just punched the man, with his claws going into his heart. When the Messenger pulled his hand back, blood sprayed, and the writing on him glowed, and a stream of essence flowed towards the Head. Anne let out a loud scream.
And then, so did the Messenger, and his eyes seemed to change color. "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
The Head had a momentary look of shock.
The assistants to the Mantis-headed one came for her. She tried to back-off, but the snake men pushed her forward. The assistants caught her, and dragged her over, kicking and screaming.
"You arrrrre an interrrrrresting one," said Mantis.
"Let me go!"
"I think not, yooman girrrrrl!"
"My name is Anne with an E, but you can call me Cordelia, or…"
"Stop yourrrr lies, Anne Shirrrrrley of Grrrrreeen Gables, on Prrrrrrince Edward Island."
"How did you…"
"I am Statilia Danurrrrria, the Beast Hierrrrrrophant, and Masterrrrr of Sacrrrrrifice. I have powerrrr you cannot comprrrrehend. You will not rrrrrreturn to Avonlea. Everrrr."
"LET ME GO!" Yelled Anne.
"NO!" screamed Statilia, as he grabbed her. She tried to break free, but tripped. He lifted her by her legs, and held her upside-down, not unlike a fisherman showing off a big catch, while poking her with his stick. Her dress fell down, covering her face, and exposing her white drawers.
"This is inappropriate, you do not hold a lady like that," said Anne. "Put me down, NOW!"
"You show much potential." With his other hands, as it turned out he had four total, they felt her all over. "yes, grrrrrrreat potential. Lorrrrrrd Maletoth, she should be taken to Eastern Karrrrrra-Moon, for Zelek to prrrrrrrocess her and trrrrrrrransform her."
"I fully agree, Statilia!" said the head. Anne kicked Statilia in the face, making him drop her.
Without warning, the Beast-Messenger ran towards Statilia. "After herrrrrr, you fool!" The Messenger shoved Statilia. Statilia held a small rod towards him, and purple energy held the Beast Messenger still.
"YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" screamed the Messenger.
"YOU SHALL OBEY ME, OBEY, OBEY, OBEY!" ordered the head.
Anne had a chance to run away. Possibly. She noticed there was flat rock on the ground. Including something that reminded her of a school slate. The Mantis wasn't looking at her.
Compared to these people, the Pye sisters, and even Gilbert, were angels. Gilbert. That was it. She grabbed the slate-shaped piece of rock, and jumped up to smash Statilia on the head. "DON'T CALL ME CARROTS!" she yelled.
Statilia lurched, and the spell broke. The Messenger punched Statilia very hard in the chest, knocking him backwards, and making him bleed.
"Carrrrrrots are my…" He went into a fit of coughing, coughing up blood. Thunder boomed. Anne ran up to the ring and pushed it over. The followers were dumbfounded.
"STOP THEM!" came the voice from the ring.
Anne stood paralyzed in fear. The Beast-Messenger picked her up, and ran off. "Come with me if you want to live!"
To be continued…
So, for the first time in eons, I'm doing some fanfiction. Hope you like it. I'm mostly on Fictionpress, also under Ra'akone, and also have been slow there.
This is probably a very unique story. Not sure what way it will go, other than having the "Badass and Child" trope (in this case Aarbron and Anne)