What Red spoke of was something more fearful than the castle of the beasts. The building that towered above her now could have been identical to the castle where Belle was being held if it weren't for the blood red flags upon each turret. On each flag was an identical emblem, of which identified the castle as that of her father, Lord Tristram. These flags were decorated with chalices, of which contained what looked like wine.

Red hadn't been here since the divorce, when her mother Lady Nina, had left, disgusted about the way her father ate his meals. Her mother was a vegetarian and they had disagreed about what to feed their daughter as she grew to be a Lady too. Red had wanted to be vegetarian too and had decided to stay with her mother. Her father couldn't have much say in any of the court results because he had never arrived. He couldn't go.

And as she stared up at that castle, knowing that one day she would inherit it, Red was overcome with her first sense of dread since entering this dark forest. Not because she was scared of her father, but because she was scared of what would become of her when she entered that building. There was a reason she hadn't been in so long. And now she was here, there was no stopping what would soon happen to her. She would have loved to turn around and run back through that forest but she knew that one of her father's servants would soon be coming to collect her.

'My blazes, is that you Miss Red?' No sooner had she thought about the servant than one appeared. It was a maid, dressed in red and white. Yes the stereotypical outfit of a maid was the black and white dress with the apron on the skirt, but this was no ordinary maid, none of the servants were. And the deep, almost blood red attire was mandatory of the servants; they could not choose what to wear. It was a darn good thing that they loved these colours as much as her father did.

'Yes Senka,' she replied, and before the maid's eyes the Lord's daughter became confident and imposing. This was the true Red. 'Now, where is my father?' she demanded of the servant who suddenly became fearful, and Red wondered if she was accidentally bearing her teeth. It was a bad habit she had learned from her father, on how to keep the servants under control. Even if they had scared her as an infant.

'R-right this way Miss,' the maid replied with a nervous stutter as she lead her through the gates and into the dark grounds of the castle where gargoyles were as much a part of the staff as they were the scenery. 'If I may comment, you haven't been her in as long as I can remember. Is there a reason for that?'

'No you may not comment, but I will answer your question anyway,' Red snapped, making the servant shrink back. She would rather have them be scared of her than her be scared of them. To show fear in her father's castle was to show weakness, and he would not have his kin show any kind of weakness, for he was the strongest. The strongest could not have a weak daughter; it would be bad on his reputation. 'My mother and father divorced on matters of diet and I agreed to live with my mother because eating what my father ate actually made me very, very poorly indeed,' Red explained and gave the maid a friendly smile.

'Oh,' Senka said and Red frowned at the maid's fear. Something that would not do. Senka had been around for as long as Red had known and the blonde haired, blue eyes, very pale beauty had not seemed to age a day. Senka had been there from Red's birth. She had been more of a mother to her than the Lady Nina had, but blood was blood to Red and so she had left Senka behind when she had left.

Senka had been found wandering the dark forest, lost and afraid. You could say that she was feral, eating anything and everything she could find, including bats! Lady Nina had been pregnant and the child within her making her emotions a little different than usual. Nina had taken pity on the woman and invited her to work in the castle. The new maid had loved Nina like a sister, had been overjoyed at the first sight of the woman's swollen stomach and had spoken and felt at the bump. Senka had always longed for a child of her own, but it had been something that could never be.

When the child was born Lady Nina gave her one name and Senka gave her another. Senka named her Red, after her favourite colour, and it had been the name that Lady Nina had allowed her daughter to be called when they had left the castle after the divorce.

And for the past ten years Senka had cried at night wishing for the daughter she never had to return to her. After all Senka had been Red's wet nurse, had been there in the night when Red could not sleep and when she had wanted company. Her mother had been out shopping in the night time with her father; after all they could not very well trust the servants to find good food.

'But you have returned now Red,' Senka was overjoyed at that and Red smiled, this time careful to keep tooth out of it.

'Of course Senka. He always knew I would return…when the time was right,' Red said with a monotonous tone of voice. He always knew things before they happened. He called it a gift, she considered it a curse.

'I am so glad that you are here,' Senka said and did the bravest thing Red had ever seen her do. Senka put an arm around Red and hugged her tight to her generous bosom. 'My child,' she whispered and Red felt tears prick in her eyes. Yes, she was more Senka's daughter than she had ever been Nina's. Senka had loved and cared for her more; had willingly fed her from her breast as an infant when her mother had always refused. She had stayed with the infant through the nights when she was teething and had taught her to talk, walk and had potty-trained her.

'Mother,' Red whispered as she clutched the maid tighter and together they entered Le Chateau de sang, to her father's delight.

'You have returned,' Lord Tristram's voice boomed out, strong and powerful as he emerged from the shadows of the landing. There were two staircases, one either side, with matching blood red carpets which lead up to the landing where he stood. Staircases that Red had ran up and down to the joy of Senka. Senka had always commented, saying that Red had pulled on her heart strings with those cute little pudgy hands and cheeks.

Red had loved the softness of Senka's blood red lips on her pale cheeks, and Senka had adored the kisses from Red's identically coloured lips.

'Now the festivities can finally begin, for the daughter becomes a Lady de sang tonight,' her father announced and chills ran up Red's spine. Would she come to stomach the French delicacies that her father so delight in? The real question was: could she?