Chapter Six

The anima's grip on her ironclad, girl and beast stood silently, in awe, in fear, in anger, bathed in moonlight. And beast it was. Over seven feet in height, its shadow seemed to fill the room, engulfing everything in sight. Thick, unkempt, brown fur covered it from its beat-like paws to its horned head down to its wolf-like fear. There was nothing human about it.

"My Lord?" Merric's voice broke through the haze of fear and confusion. "My Lord, please?"

The beast growled low in his throat. Startled, Ginny looked up into its eyes. Silver-lined green eyes. Human eyes. With human anger. And human disbelief.

It blinked, and suddenly, its grip on her arm loosened and set her on the floor. It stared at her in confusion as she pulled away, breathing hard. As if her grip caused him pain, he tore himself away from her.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," it rasped. "I'm so sorry. I won't hurt you." With a low growl, it turned and stumbled from the room.

Ginny sank to her knees and burst into tears. She felt Merric approach her, placing a hand on her shoulder, but there was nothing but terror now. Nothing but darkness. Curling into a ball, she gave into her fear.

Her name was Ginny. Guinevere. Ginny. She lived in a cottage. Near town. With family. The beast paced his study, his large clawed feet pounding the floor beneath him, causing ripples in the windows overlooking his land. Most days this study offered him a comfort he didn't find anywhere else in the castle. The books lining the shelves were dusty and old, written in languages long forgotten. When stoked, the ivory fireplace acted as a source of heat for the large room. Ancient carpets littered the floor and tapestries, dulled with age, hung on the wall.

Most days this study offered him comfort, but not today.

Her face. Beauty. Friend. He knew her. She was familiar, but…

His mind reeled. Dizzy, the beast lurched to his seat by the empty fireplace. The sun fell and rose again though he gave no thought as to its existence. He couldn't revive any memories. The ones he had angered him. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"WHAT!?" he roared.

The door opened and Merric entered. "My lord, I was wondering what you mean to do with the girl."

The beast stared at his manservant. What was he going to do with the girl?

"I do not allow anyone to leave this castle."

Ginny huddled in the corner of the room, hiding in shadows. She'd awakened some hours before, believing her experience to have been a dream. The realization that it was not had brought on another onslaught of tears. She was trapped, alone, but for a single visit from Merric who brought her food and drink. Taking a shuddering breath, she swallowed hard, struggling to gather her courage. Seeing the master of the castle in broad daylight did little to help her.

The beast glanced around the cold room. Nothing had changed. Furniture still lay splayed across the room, splintered and broken. Sunlight fell into the room, casting dark shadows over the girl, accentuating the purple bruising beneath her eyes. A foreign stab of sympathy pierced his heart and he whispered, "Don't be afraid."

Ginny stared at him. Not be afraid? Her legs trembled to hold her up. "I'm not," she lied. The fangs jutting from his jaw were even more frightening in the brightness of day.

His eyes were cold as he repeated his first statement. "I allow no one to leave this castle. No one has for thousands of years. Do not expect to be the exception." He turned to leave, his monstrous shadow filling the room. "Follow me."

Ginny scrambled to her feet, clutching the rotting stone wall to brace herself on unsteady legs. "Where are you taking me?"

He glared back at her and growled. Ginny trembled under his glare, looking at the ground. "Follow me," he ground out. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she took a step to follow him. Just as her leg began to crumple beneath her weight, she realized she hadn't eaten in two days. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and suddenly she felt faint with hunger. The dust and grime and insects swarming around her, combined with her stomach hunger made her sick.

Swayed, dizzy, and stumbled. Before she hit the floor, the animal's arm swept under her. She clutched at his fur, too sick to feel afraid, as her head spun and her stomach rolled. "MERRIC!" His voice jarred her, as she realized he had picked her up and cradled her in his arms. She felt his rapid heartbeat against her temple, his musty, warm scent filling her nose. Under her fear and uncertainty, he fascinated her. He could squash her with one hand, yet carried her like a porcelain doll. Her head swimming, it didn't make sense. She closed her eyes tightly against a wave of nausea.

She didn't notice as Merric arrived, stoic and in control. She didn't notice as he led his master up flights of stairs. She didn't notice the worried look in the green eyes of the monstrous beast that held her gently close. Her only recollection was of being laid on a cushion of pillows and thick blankets.

She opened her eyes to find the beast standing over her, huge and threatening, blocking out all sunlight. She screamed and cowered away from him.

A low growl escaped from this throat, telling her he hadn't missed her revulsion. He disappeared from her view and slammed the door behind him. A moment later, his ferocious feral cry filled the castle.

Rain fell sharply against the window, waking Ginny. Her head hurt much less, thanks to Bella's tea before bed. Smiling sleepily, she thought she'd might ask her sister to make some more.

And then she remembered.

"NO!" she cried, sitting up. "No, no, no!" Tears threatened, but she forced them back. Crying wasn't going to help. Clenching her fists, she fought back last night's memories and looked around the room for the first time. Windows lined two of the red walls, letting in streams of gray light, bordered in heavy white linen curtains yellowed with age and dust. The bed she sat on was large and dominated the room. From a run connected to the high ceiling hung sheer red and white cloth that fell to the ground, surrounding the bed in a mist of dull color. Various shades of red decorated the covers and pillows.

The carpet had once been white, she surmised, but now lay yellow, matted, forgotten. A wooden wardrobe sat conspicuously in the corner of the room, unpolished, one door hanging off its hinge. Nothing else but a small bedside table occupied the room. It wasn't large, but just seeing the everyday objects made Ginny think of home, sending wave after wave of homesickness over her.

She heaved herself off the bed, and walked over to one of the numerous windows and pushed aside the faded curtains. She sighed and pressed a hand over the cold glass pane. The wind whipped the rain against the window, blurring her vision of the outside world.

A tear slid down her cheek.

Oh Dom! Come and find me.

I'm over here.

Where?

Come fine me!

All was silent. The memory faded. Dom had saved her that day. She had been six years old and had gotten caught in a tree. Her mother had warned against it, but little Ginny had decided she could do anything Dom could do. So she went and got stuck in a tree until, Dom, laughing had climbed up and helped her down.

Ginny pulled herself away from the memories to answer the knock on her door. She went to it but stopped short of opening it. She hesitated.

The knock sounded again. Steeling herself, she opened it a crack. Merric stood there and bowed slightly. Ginny opened the door a little more. "Yes?" her voice trembled.

He looked at her with dark eyes. "I thought you might be hungry and have prepared a meal for you in the dining hall."

Ginny needed no further encouragement. She opened the door further, moving to follow him. He held up a hand.

"My lady, might you wear some other garment?" He gestured to her dirty, tearstained skirts and blouse.

"I have nothing else," she said softly.

"Might you try the wardrobe? You might find something appropriate?"

"What does it matter?" she asked, suddenly defiant. These were the last remnants of home she had. She was not going to part with them easily.

Merric gave her a small smile. "The master will be joining you and he asked that you make yourself presentable." Hiding a smile at the look on her face, he turned to leave. "I will return shortly to escort you."

Ginny stared after him before closing the door to his retreating footsteps. Scowling, she glared at the wardrobe. Flinging the doors open, she was surprised to find a variety of well-kept colorful gowns. Reaching out a hand, she fingered the thick velvet of a dark blue gown trimmed in silver. There a yellow taffeta. A purple silk. Colors and jewels and beauty perfectly preserved in this decaying prison. How could this possibly happen?

She noticed a group of small drawers to the side of the wardrobe. Pulling one open, she gasped. Diamonds. Lots of them. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, coronets, it was all there, hastily thrown together, but fit for a queen. Ginny pulled out a string of the priceless gems with trembling fingers, more confused than ever. The gems sparkled in the dim light, sending faint rainbows across the room.

Placed the jewels back with a careful hand, she opened another drawer. This one revealed a small leather bound journal, curled and yellowed from previous use. Taking it out, she opened it to the first page.

Queen Dinah of Eden-ethane

326 C.E.

Dragonmaid

Ginny frowned. "Dragonmaid?" She'd heard stories of the mountain maidens, protecting the lost kingdoms of Eden and Ethane from the ancient armies of the Sennas. Bedtime stories to amuse children. She flipped forward a couple pages.

The Great War has ended and still the Sennas attack. Small pockets of Eden and Ethane are breaking off. Even when peace is within our grasp we can barely hold onto that which we hold dear. Gabriel has taken a small army to the Northern border in hopes of ending the war once and for all.

How I wish I could join him. My fingers itch to grasp Asher's reins and fly to help my husband. But with little Damon and another on the way, there is no place for me in a battle.....

Ginny swallowed hard. Could this be? The date was correct. This castle seemed old enough. Was she sitting in the palace of the kings and queens of old? She fingered the gowns again. Did Queen Dinah wear these gowns? According to the stories she had given birth to three daughters. Had this been one of their rooms? She glanced around. What had happened to this place? The kingdoms of Eden and Ethane? She knew there had been a battle…the Great War…

Frowning, she took the journal to the window where she had more light and continued reading.

He paced the length of the room, all four paws beating the rug in a hurried cadence. A low grumble escaped from his throat. Patience was not the strongest point of his rugged personality. Already the girl-stranger had upset his entire life. He'd been perfectly content to live alone, with Merric to serve him, to wait for death. He wanted nothing else. He had been content to believe that no maiden would find this hidden castle. He had been content to live and die alone.

And then this girl appears out of nowhere and he finds his precious rose beginning to wilt! Hope had begun to invade his life and that hope brought fear and uncertainty. He didn't know how to deal with it. Foreign feelings washed over him. He was more restless than ever.

Nor was he encouraged. He had seen the revulsion in her eyes. He had seen her fear. How was she ever to love him if she was deathly afraid of him?

A low growl of self-loathing rumbled from his chest. He lifted his paws, his clawed hands. He grimaced, looking away. He has smashed all the mirrors in this place a long time ago, hoping to forget his outward appearance. Hoping to forget the sharp fangs, the furred skin, the heavy muscles, the menacing brow, the horns. If he could just forget…

…maybe it would go away.

And she could love him.

And he could finally be free.

Merric's voice jolted her from the riveting account of Queen Dinah of Eden-ethane. "Are you ready, my lady?" he called from behind the door.

"Almost!" she called, startled. "One moment." Scowling she returned to the wardrobe and replaced the diary. Grabbing a the dark blue velvet gown in silver trim, she hurried to undress. Hurriedly, she loosened her hair, ran her hand through the tangles and braided it once again, wrapping it around her head once and tucking it securely in place. At the back of her mind, she wondered why she was bothering at all.

The knock sounded again. "My lady? The master does not like to be kept waiting." Slipping her boots on once again (she figured the dress was long enough to cover them and the beast wouldn't notice), she flung open the door, her face flushed.

Merric stepped back, amused. Ginny put a self-conscious hand to her hair. "What?"

He merely smiled. "The master will be pleased." He turned. "This way."

She flushed, and nearly tripped over the heavy skirt as she followed the manservant.

She followed Merric down a series of long winding halls, all decaying and covered in filth. Long thin streams of green and white moss hung from the stones and slime stains patterned the stone with mold. Critters and insects skittered across their path every now and then. Looking down at her pristinely clean gown, she couldn't help but wonder at it. If this castle was in such disrepair, how had a gown, hundreds of years old, survive such decay?

Leaving the thought for a later moment, her eyes were wide as she glanced at her surroundings. The apparent age and size of the castle amazed and intimidated her. Her father's family had lived in their small cottage nestled in the woods for over a century and never once had Ginny ever heard of an ancient castle hidden in the forest.

For a long while, as Merric led Ginny through the castle, the only sound echoing was that of her boots on the gray stone floor and the drip-drop of slime. He stopped at the end of a long hallway and opened a door to her left. He stepped inside.

"The master is waiting."

It took all of Ginny's willpower to keep from running. All thoughts but those of fear suddenly flew from her mind. She took a breath, and hesitated for so long, Merric all but pushed her into the room.

The dining room was the most beautiful she had ever seen, a complete contrast to the rest of the castle. Cloths of gold covered the chairs and the floor. Freshly polished crystal tableware decorated the gold and ivory tablecloth. The window shut out the cold rainy day with thick scarlet curtains.

"My lord?" Merric called from behind her.

The beast stood at one of the windows, the curtain pulled aside. Every inch of his body radiated impatience and loathing. Ginny suddenly knew a moment of terror. There was no food on the table. She put a hand to her throat where her pulse beat wildly against her fingers.

Did the beast intend to eat her?!