Chapter Thirty

Old Friend's New Enemies

(Rose POV)

The roar cut out through the night, I already knew it was Master and apparently so did the man named Axel. Axel was tall, or tall in my opinion. He actually looked taller than Gaston, but he was lean and slender, I could see that he had bulk too and was not someone to be taken lightly. The hooded man had taken off the head part of his cloak making his hair look like flames had started on top of his head. Axel looked down at me and I had silently gasped. His eyes were the brightest green I had ever seen! They didn't look cruel or unkind, but I could tell that he didn't want to meet Master and was in a hurry to leave. He grabbed my arm and forced me to rise to my feet.

"Sorry Rose but it looks like our introductions were cut short, so if you don't mind I think it's time for us to go."

I opened my mouth to protest but Axel slipped a knife next to my neck making me take back my words.

"Alright Rose be a good girl and just do as I say."

I shook my head in protest. He growled, Master had reached Axel and I.

"Rose! There you are! What are you-" Master stopped in mid sentence.

"It can't be! Axel!" He said with shock in his tone. I looked up at the flamed haired man.

"So nice of you to remember me. Old friend." Axel responded coldly.

I could practically see the sarcasm dripping from his tongue. But Master didn't keep all of the attention on Axel, he turned to me.

"Rose, are you alright?!" I slightly nodded my head. His eyes were burning with rage, and it frightened me, it is the same look that he gave me in the dungeons when he reopened my wound.

It's like he has two different people inside of him.

The good side and the raging side.

"Axel what are you doing here and what are you doing with Rose? Let her go now and I won't have to harm you!"

Somehow I could swear I heard fear in Masters voice and it made my heart ache because it was my fault that I didn't put up a better fight against Axel, and was now the one that Master needed to save again.

Weak, that's all I ever was. And I always needed to be saved.

Unknowingly, I started to shake from both of the fear of getting cut and the blistering cold.

Axel looked down at me.

"Oh dear, I forgot to keep her warm." Axel took off his dark black cloak and laid it on me.

"There you go Rose! That should keep you warm until we reach the village!" He said it in such a cheery tone that I momentarily forgot the knife next to my neck.

Master look dangerously at Axel.

"Where do you intend to take Rose?" he roared.

Before Axel answered, a liquid bottle came from one of Axels' pockets. He forced my mouth open and made me swallow something very bitter, and it smelled of something foul.

Master, seeing my discomfort, looked as though he was going to lunge at Axel, but he seemed to remember the knife at my throat.

"We don't want accidents to happen to little Rose now do we? That is if you truly care for her. Or do you care about your other rose more?" Axel said as he was putting the bottle back in one of his many hidden pockets, only to pull out a red withered looking rose from his sleeve.

Masters head snapped up from glaring at the ground to Axel with such a fiery glance that I thought that the surrounding ice would melt.

"You…? How could you have even known about it? The only people that have known about the rose are Rose and the servants." His voice cracking up. I was even more confused.

Axels' eyes seemed to laugh at Masters distress, "Why I found out about it when the rumor about your castle disappearing. Many just believed it to be a story that parents started telling their children, just to get them to go to bed. But, when they mentioned where this 'monster' lived, I knew it was you.

Apparently a curse was set upon you for your cruel heart. Though I'm not the least bit surprised, you did turn into the little brat after your parents died."

Axels words seem to affect Master in some way, he merely looked down back at the snow in defeat.

I remembered! The rose that I almost touched when I first arrived, it was part of the curse on the castle? But what was it for?

Both of the men were too caught up in a conversation to notice my confusion that is until Axel glanced at me.

"I don't suppose little Rose here knows what the flower is for, now does she? Maybe I should enlighten her…"

"NO!" Master roared, "I…I don't want her to know about it yet. Please Axel…don't."

Axel seemed to take Masters plea into consideration. But his green eyes looked to the sky as snow started falling at an increasing rate, and the wind picked up.

"Listen here 'Master' we will talk about this in the castle since you have disrupted my plans and have made me rearrange things for now."

He stopped to shake some snow that was covering his red hair and landing on his nose.

"A blizzard is coming and I don't think we won't to be out here when that comes, now do we?"

Axels' voice seemed to carry around us, as the wind picked up and swept it by.

I saw Master merely nod, looking at the blade at my throat, and then at me. I was scared to death, but somehow I didn't think that Axel would use the knife on me. It was just something to make Master obey. As for Masters sake, I tried to look unnerved but it didn't work. Tears streamed down my face.

"I'm sorry Master" was all I could manage to come out of my throat without me breaking out in sobs. Both Axel and Master looked at me sadly. I started to feel odd and tired now, and I know it had something to do with that stuff Axel made me swallow.

Both men started walking towards the castle, with me not too far in front. After a couple more steps I almost fell face first into the snow, but thanks to Axel, I was caught before I hit the ground.

"Sorry. Forgot, that stuff makes you sleepy." He whispered and then smiled at me like this was all a joke and picked me up bridal style. He felt warm, but not as warm as Master's fur. I could see Master looking at me with concern and jealously as I was carried.

"What did you do to her?!" He growled as Axel walked beside him.

"I didn't do anything harmful. I just made her swallow a little potion that I bought from a small village. It was supposed to knock her out for a while but-." He looked down at me.

"It seems that she is fighting off the drowsiness." He laughed, "She is one tough girl."

Master nodded. "Yes. Yes she is."