Chapter Two: Unwelcome Guest
"Please, Papa. Be careful." Pleaded Jane as the girls said goodbye to their father. She handed him another suitcase and he loaded it into the carriage.
"I'll be fine, girls. I've made this trip several times before." He reassured them with a jolly laugh.
"Yes, but those woods are dangerous. Everyone knows it's enchanted land. It belongs to the Fay. What if they hurt you?" Said, Emily, glancing fearfully into the black expanse of the foreboding forest, that her father was about to ride off into.
"As long as I stay on the path and try not to eat any Fay food, I'll be alright." He kissed Jane and Emily each on the cheek and gave Meg a big hug, before climbing up to the driver's seat. With the slapping of reigns and a whistle, the grey gelding trotted up the path and Mr. Winslow slowly faded into the dark woods.
"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid." Emily sighed.
Jane smiled and gave her own sigh. " Me too, but as long as he doesn't anger the fairy people, they should leave him alone." She placed her hand on Emily's shoulder and led her back towards the house. "Come now, we have lots of chores to keep ourselves occupied with. He'll be back before we know it."
Mr. Winslow watched the forest, carefully. All around him, twinkled the lights of the fairies as they flew about. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw little creatures with human like faces scrambled along on the ground, trying to keep up with him. He tried to ignore the dark green monster that peered at him from the shadows of the forest, with bright yellow eyes. "Seems, even the goblins have come to greet me today." He chuckled. He had become a regular sight among the fairy people. Not many merchants would dare brave the forest of the Fay, for fear of being attacked or turned into a Fay themselves. He did not share such fear. As a boy, he would sneak away to play with the elf children and try to catch fairies in a jar, as if they were fireflies. All in good fun, of course. The Fay were his friends and he enjoyed seeing them all again. His daughters didn't know of his attraction to the magical world. His wife made him promise long ago not to get the children involved with the Fay, for fear that the fairies might take one of them away. It was a promise he still kept.
Ah, his dear wife. That was someone he hadn't thought about in a while. Her name was Sarah. She was so beautiful and kind. She looked very much like their middle daughter, Emily, but with Meg's curly copper hair and Jane's charming wit. How he had gotten such a lovely woman to fall in love with him, he still didn't know. He missed her terribly. It had been ten years now since she died of the Black Fever, a plague that had swept through the entire country that year. They had all gotten it. He and the girls survived, but she did not. She had just given birth to Meg, recently and was too weak to fight the awful disease. Meg was so tiny, then. It was a miracle that she survived. The old man reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek. Now was not the time to get upset. One must be on his guard, when among the Fay.
His attention snapped back to the road and confusion muddled his mind. Before him stood something that should not be there. He had traveled the path hundreds of times before and had never seen this grand castle before. His brown eyes widened in awe of it. It was built with blackened stone, with fortified towers on either side of the enormous front door. Ugly gargoyles peered down at him, eying him evilly as he approached the fortress. A twisted iron gate surrounded it. As he came nearer, the gates swung open with an eerie creak.
He pulled back on the reigns and the horse came to a stop once they were inside the gate. "This isn't right." He said, looking about the courtyard. His eyes settled on the ivy covered statue to his left. It was a crouching dragon. It's jaws were wide open, ready to torch anyone who dare disturb him. "I must have made a wrong turn somewhere." He picked back up the reigns and gave them a snap. "Let's go, Steel. We had better go back the way we came." He turned the horse and carriage around, but as they came upon the open gate, it slammed shut again. "Oh, no!" He cried. He leapt from the driver's seat and landed with a pain filled grunt, as his knees nearly gave way under his weight. He spat a curse, as he scrambled to the gate and tried to pull it open. There was no lock on the gate, yet it would not budge.
He gave up after a few minutes of tugging and returned to his horse, who by now was stomping his feet in irritation. Mr. Winslow pat his gelding on the nose, to calm him. "It's alright, Steel. I'll go inside and see if there's anyone here who can help us."
He made his way, slowly up the steps to the big door. With shaking hands, he took hold of the iron knocker. The knocker was shaped like an open mouthed lion's head. It looks like he's biting my hand, he thought with a shiver. He knocked four times, then, after a short pause, the door swung open. "Hello! Is anyone home?" He called, tiptoeing into the dark room. There was no answer. A fire roared to life in the fireplace. Mr. Winslow let out a yelp at the startling sound. "This is a magical place." He said, breathing heavily. "The owner must be of the Fay." He came before the fire and warmed his hands.
Looking around, his eyes fell on a bouquet of fresh roses that sat on display in a vase made of crystal. "What luck!" Winslow said, happily. "I've already found Emily's gift! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my hands on one. I'm sure the master of the castle won't miss one rose." He took one from the vase and tucked it into an inside pocket in his coat.
The sweet aroma of steaming meat and freshly backed bread, wafted up his nose. He followed the scent into a great dining hall, with a long table at it's center. Along the table's length, lay a smorgasbord of delicacies: roasted beef, suckling pig, turkey, corn, peas, several different kinds of bread and cheese, wine, and other delicious things. His mouth watered at the site of it all, and he was tempted into reaching for a buttered roll. "No. I mustn't eat this, delicious as it may look. If I eat Fay food, I'll become a Fay and I'll never be able to leave this forest again."
"Nonsense." Boomed a twisted voice. It sounded like several deep voices speaking at once. "I made this food, and I am not a Fay. You may eat all you like, sir, with no worries."
Winslow turned to look upon the speaker. A bent man in a black cloak, stood in the darkest part of the room, two bright blue orbs blazed from the shadow of his hood.
"Thank you for your kindness, good sir, but I'm not that hungry. Forgive me for the intrusion, but I need some help. It seems I got lost on my way through the forest. I came through your gate earlier and it shut behind me. Now I can't get it open. Can you help me?" He asked, his voice quivering slightly. The man was shifting his weight from foot to foot and the way he moved was inhuman and threatening.
"I will gladly open the gate for you." The cloaked man said in his odd, echoing voice. He lifted up one of his hands and pointed a clawed finger towards a window that overlooked the front gate.
Winslow swallowed hard at the sight of this being's arm. The hand was boney with long slender fingers that ended in curved claws. The hand itself was covered in the rough scales of a reptile, but the further up the arm, his eyes traveled, more and more messy black feathers appeared, until they were as thick as fur. "The gate is open now. Be on your way and leave my home in peace. Should you overstay your welcome…I will crush your bones into dust with my own hands." He tightened his gnarled fingers into a fist, to emphasize his menacing threat. A snarling hiss, reverberated from the creature, as it blew past him. It flew up the winding staircase, and disappeared into the blackness.
His breath, escaping in wild gasps, Winslow ran for his life. What was that creature? He wondered. In all his years, coming to the forest, he had never seen such a frightening thing.
Just as the beast had said, the gate was now open again. He took Steel's reigns and began leading the horse back out onto the path, when the gate suddenly closed again. A spine shattering roar echoed over the castle yard. Steel was spooked and reared up in fear. The sound was so loud, Winslow fell to his knees and had to cover his ears.
The old man screamed as a strong hand, gripped his arm, painfully. Claws dug into his skin.
"How dare you steal from me, you little peasant!" The creature roared. It held Mr. Winslow up by the arm, so that they were face to face.
All color drained from Winslow. The creature was even more horrifying now that it showed itself without it's cloak. It wore a tattered white shirt and equally damaged black breeches. What skin showed, was covered in ruffled black fathers, like those of a vulture. A plume of the feathers encircled the creature's head like the mane of a lion. His muzzle was short and ended in a curved beak. The skin on it's hands and face was like leathery lizard's skin. It's chest was wide and it's back was curved, giving it a slightly hunchbacked appearance. It's legs were set widely apart and were twisted into the leg's of a cat, ending with clawed lion's paws. A slender tail whipped about him with fury and it ruffled it's feathers, as wings unfolded from it's back. "I warned you about crossing me, old man!" It spat. "Now I shall make you suffer." Still gripping Winslow's arm, the beast leapt into the air. It's great wings spread out to their full length and the monster glided over the courtyard. It landed on the back of a gargoyle and scrambling into one of the castle towers through a window.
"Please don't kill me! I beg you! I didn't mean to cause any harm! You have so many roses, I didn't think you'd miss just one!" Winslow pleaded for mercy as the creature dragged him through the bowls of the castle.
"You waltz into my home, warm your hands by my fire, I offer to let you fill your fat stomach with my food, and then you dare to steal from me!" The beast snarled, baring it's sharp teeth.
"I only took the rose for my daughter! I always bring my children gifts when I go away. My second daughter asked for a rose. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find one inn Ginger City! Please forgive me! I am all my children have!"
The beast stopped suddenly. "You have a daughter?" It asked.
"Yes, I-I have three daughters. They need me sir. Please let me go." Said Winslow.
"How old is the one that asked for the rose? What is she like?" The monster asked, it's many voices were now calmer.
"She is my middle child. Blond haired and blue eyed. The other villagers call her Beauty because she is so lovely. She's a very sweet girl, although a little high strung and dramatic." He said, his eyes watering at the memory of his children. Would he ever see them again?
"Humph. Interesting." The creature grumbled, "Perhaps I will not kill you after all. You may prove to be of use."
He dragged the stumbling old man down into the very pits of the castle, into the dungeon. It threw him into one of the small cages and locked the door. "I will send word to your children of what you have done. I will give them the chance to save you. Should they choose to, they will send this Beauty to me to take your place as my prisoner, if not…"It's beaked mouth spread into a jagged toothed grin. "I will tear you limb from limb."
"No! You can't! Do with me as you wish, but leave my children alone!" The old man begged.
The beast said no more. It turned away and rushed back up the staircase, to the castle's upper levels, leaving Mr. Winslow alone in the pitch black dungeon.
The beast returned to it's bedchamber and fell, exhausted, into his chair. By his side, was the remains of the enchanted black rose. The stem and it's one, remaining petal floated above the table, glowing with bright blue light. "I am on my last petal…my last year. It is hard to believe that it's already been thirteen years. The petals fell so quickly. Too quickly. I thought I had more time than this." He reached over and stroked the rose's stem. "I hope that what the peasant says is true. If not, if the girl doesn't come, then I am doomed. This is my one and only chance."