Chapter Thirteen: Greatness
Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.
-Henry Ward Beecher
xxXxx
Bearskin waited in the shadows of the edge of the forest close to Belle's home. Baron was still mewing sullenly in one ear.
"I'm sorry, my friend. But this needs to be done." She checked the moon's position in the sky, certain that it was now long after midnight.
Where was Belle? Surely she couldn't have fallen asleep.
The cursed trapper bit her lip nervously and eased a little closer to the girl's home. The moon was a mere sliver in the sky, but there was definitely enough light to announce her presence if anyone looked out their window.
She bit back a sad grimace; her very curse was begging for her to get caught on one of these nightly excursions.
Almost to confirm the thought, a window of the house creaked open on the second floor. Bearskin looked up with alarm, but was relieved to only see Belle.
The beautiful girl was mouthing something to her, but the cursed trapper had never been good at reading lips.
"Come down," she mouthed, beckoning for the girl to leave her home.
Belle gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head slowly. Again she mouthed something, but the pale woman still couldn't understand.
However, there was something a trifle smug in Baron's meow as he spoke into one ear.
"Shh, I'm trying to think," she whispered to him before nibbling on her lower lip. 'Belle doesn't look like she changed her mind. Hmm… why won't she come down?'
Then again… Bearskin had never tried to sneak out of a house before. How easy was it, especially with a family?
In a heartbeat, she knew what to do. She stepped even closer to the house and gently eased Baron from her neck to pull down her hood. "Stay in there," she whispered while urging him to crawl into the lowered hood.
He did as he was told, but gave a confused meow.
Bearskin looked up at the girl and held her arms ready. "Jump," she mouthed, since the girl could apparently read lips.
Belle gaped at her in shock.
"Trust me," the trapper coaxed, doing everything in her power to keep her gaze warm and steady.
Belle chewed on her lip nervously and used her hand to brush her long autumn-colored hair from her face. But she took a deep breath for courage while easing her legs onto the windowsill. The wood creaked slightly, but on a night as silent as this, it might as well have been thunder.
"Hurry," Bearskin urged, not wanting her family to catch them. Sure, there was no way they'd be able to actually hurt her, but-
The windowsill broke from Belle's weight, sending the girl over the edge with a scream.
The trapper was able to catch her, but now there were other voices in the house.
"Belle? Belle!" Adele screamed in horror as she stormed into the room Belle had been in.
The pale trapper didn't wait for an invitation. "Hang on," she whispered, turning on her heel in order to run into the woods as fast as possible with Belle still in her arms.
"Bearskin!" Adele shrieked furiously as their silhouettes disappeared into the forest.
Baron meowed indignantly as he flopped around inside her hood, but the trapper didn't dare slow down for an hour.
Once they were good and lost in the woods, Bearskin finally set Belle down. "I-I'll be taking a breather now," she managed to gasp in her man voice.
"You've definitely earned it," the girl replied numbly, taking a few steps to stand in the moonlight. "Not even horses run as fast as you do."
She managed a weak smile from the compliment, but leaned against a tree to help keep her balance.
Baron shakily climbed out of her hood and hopped to the ground, almost falling over in the process. His meows seemed somewhat accusatory as he scolded the trapper.
"Sorry, Baron. That was the best I could think of." Bearskin closed her eyes and took in a few more moments of rest. "I don't suppose your father told you where the Beast's castle was?"
Belle stiffened in horror. "I thought he told you!"
Bearskin looked up at her, but sighed. She pulled out a map she had just gotten at the trading post in order to look at it. "This forest is about forty leagues big. We have a whole day before the two weeks are up. If you don't object to me occasionally carrying you, we'll find his castle, one way or another."
Belle stared at her, still biting her lip nervously. "No, I don't mind. But won't that be hard on you?"
She waved the girl's worries away with one gloved hand. "I can rest up afterward. Right now, we've got to focus on your problem. Let's walk for a while, my legs are still a bit sore."
Belle nodded, although she looked a bit worried. "But what if Jacques gets there before us?"
Bearskin sighed sadly as Baron started walking on the other side of her. "We won't be able to do a thing if he gets there first. Pray that we find it before him."
"What did you tell him? No one was willing to tell me what advice you gave him," she added with a small childish pout.
"I told him that if he wants Beast dead so much, he should do it himself. I even gave him one of my knives, but that was because he called me a coward for refusing the job."
Belle's mouth opened in horror. "Jacques can't fight. He's never done it in his life."
"Then let's pray we get there first," Bearskin answered grimly while sneaking another look at her map. "What was the name of the city your father visited?"
"Guilash, the capital of Thegui."
"Then it's reasonable to think that the castle's somewhere along this strip of forest, between your village and the capital," Bearskin concluded, following the distance on the map with her fingers. "Since that area borders the usual road, we can work our way outward if we need to."
Baron meowed approvingly at the plan.
She folded the map back into her satchel, but kept her black eyes on the overshadowing trees. "Animals don't really like me, so we should also be safe from wolf attacks or whatever else is in these woods."
"… If animals hate you," Belle said slowly. "How is it you have a cat?"
"To be honest, I'm still not sure why Baron puts up with me," Bearskin admitted, giving the feline a fond look. "I'm just grateful that he does."
He gave her a glare with a frustrated meow. But he still managed to rub his body against one leg while they were walking.
Bearskin smiled down at him… but then froze fast. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Belle asked worriedly.
"Idiot, moron, stupid," the trapper started swearing at herself as her eyes frantically looked at the trees. "How could I have forgotten?"
"Forgotten what?"
"Our tracks. The snow gives them away," Bearskin explained while selecting two large branches to tear off a pair of trees. "Jacques won't have to look if he follows our tracks to Beast's castle."
Belle inhaled sharply from fear, but took the branch from the trapper.
"Do as I do," the pale woman instructed, walking backwards while brushing out her tracks. "It's not perfect, but it will have to do. Baron, keep close."
"How long will we have to do this?" the redhead asked while mimicking the movements.
"A mile, at least. That should throw off anyone tracking us long enough to delay followers. Your father mentioned a large gate; if we can get you inside them before anyone catches us, I'm pretty sure we can count on Beast to keep unwanted visitors out."
Belle nodded, but flinched as her grip already began failing. "The bark's digging into my palms," she tried not to complain.
Bearskin paused long enough to fish a clean pair of her sturdier gloves out of the satchel. "Wear these. They'll keep your hands warm, too."
"Thanks. Oh, these are lined with fur!" she exclaimed in delight.
"Rabbit. Come along, we need to make use of the night while it's still here."
ooOoo
Somewhere close to three in the morning, fresh snow began slowly covering their tracks. Grateful to leave the brushing branches behind, Belle shook her hands sorely as they kept walking.
"Do they feel red?" Bearskin asked sympathetically.
"Yes," she admitted self-consciously.
The trapper leaned over to scoop up some snow. Baron took the opportunity to climb up her arm and arrange himself over her neck. The pale woman fought back the urge to press her face against the soft fur to roll the snow into a firm ball. "Hold this between your bare hands for a while. Feel free to alternate between this and the gloves as you wish."
The girl accepted the offering gratefully. "Bearskin?" Belle asked hesitantly while peeling off the gloves. "I know I have no place asking this, but it's something the peasantry have been wondering about for a while. … There's been this theory about why you don't… really pay attention to girls."
"There's probably a dozen theories," Bearskin replied flippantly.
"… Can you love when you're cursed?"
The trapper looked at her incredulously as Baron meowed in indignation. "What kind of a question is that?" she demanded. "If I couldn't love, I wouldn't trouble myself with problems like this."
Belle looked confused. "What does love have to do with this?"
"Everything. Compassion and mercy are direct results of love and, although I don't know you, I do care about you and your family. Granted, I'm not showing it very well right now, but caring is a type of love." Bearskin shook her head in disgust. 'How could people even think that question?'
Baron's purr seemed to be an approval of her answer, because he was taking a few licks at her cheek again. She responded by throwing her hood over her head to shield him from the falling snow.
"… Then how come you don't pay attention to girls? Do you have someone up in the Northern Lands?" Belle asked after a few minutes.
Machida's handsome features were thrust into the front of her mind, still smiling in that sweetly oblivious way.
"No. There's no one," she forced herself to say out loud, clenching her fists tightly. "I am forbidden from taking a mate until after I'm cured, that's all."
"Really? There's a difference between marriage and flirting, you know," Belle laughed almost in relief.
"Not in my book, there isn't. When… if I ever pursue someone, it'll happen after I'm cured and I'll have plans of a permanent nature. I don't believe in toying with hearts. They're too fragile to be taken lightly." 'I should know. Mine's been broken for years.'
Baron meowed worriedly into one ear, but all she did was scratch his soft fur.
"You know, you're considered one of the most eligible bachelors on the continent," Belle informed her in a helpful tone. "Even some noble girls I used to know dream of getting swept off their feet by you. I'd change that 'if' into a 'when' if I were you."
She bit back a harsh laugh as Baron added a sarcastic growl. "I suppose only time will tell. But considering how many people I shock by not being middle-aged with a beard, I'm surprised girls dream about me."
"There are a lot of inconsistent reports about your age," Belle admitted sheepishly. "Some people think that you stopped aging when you got cursed."
"Thank heaven no!" she exclaimed, coming close to using her real voice. "I was only seven when it happened!"
Belle stopped moving. Baron stopped meowing. For one long moment, there was complete silence in the forest.
"Oh drat. Didn't mean to say that," she growled at herself. "Pretend you didn't hear that number."
"… Seven?" Belle choked in horror.
"You didn't hear that number," Bearskin insisted before sighing. "Not that you'll be able to spread it around, but I'd rather people didn't know."
"Seven?"
"Belle, seriously, forget the number," she begged, even as her cat started mewing in horror. "You too, Baron. That number was never mentioned, got it?"
Belle kept staring, but her eyes were turning sad. Then they turned pitying.
"That's the last question I'm going to answer about myself. New subject; did you like living in the capital?"
Yes, it was a desperate ploy. No, neither of them were falling for it.
Was Belle polite enough to go along with it? Thank heaven, the answer was yes.
"… It was all right," Belle finally managed to say. "I had a lot of clothes and books, and some of the parties I went to were pretty fun. But… it felt like the older I got, the less fun they were."
"Why is that?" Bearskin asked curiously, hopping over a log before helping her over it.
Belle growled in exasperation. "When you're a child, you're allowed to get away with things that teenagers can't. It was hard enough to say goodbye to some of my favorite games, but then there was the 'glorious' politics of marriage. Once we hit twelve, all my friends were only interested in making good matches. All they wanted to talk about was boys, clothes, boys, position, boys, gossip, boys-"
"I'm pretty sure you mentioned boys more than once," Bearskin interjected, fighting back a smile.
"My point exactly. The only thing worse than talking about boys were the actual boys." She shuddered in horror. "They were all the same! Overdressed, over pampered, overdramatic, over talkative… I'll be honest; when we lost our family fortune and had to move out of the capital, I was happy."
"Even though you have to work hard for your bread?" Bearskin pressed, although she already knew the answer.
"Easily. Adele's right, the men around the village are more honest, but… they weren't really my type. I don't know if they're lacking or if I'm judgmental, but I'm still at the 'boys are gross' mentality. No offense," she added quickly.
"None taken. So, no regrets about your old life?"
Belle took a deep guilty breath. "I did like the clothes and leisure time. I miss riding my horse and being able to take long walks without needing to go anywhere. I really miss the friends I thought I had before they turned their backs on me."
Bearskin looked at her sadly. "What about your new life? Any regrets?"
The redheaded girl looked away sadly. "I liked how much closer we had grown as a family. I liked not having the subject of marriage shoved down my throat every time I left my room. I was trying to get a job at a bookstore since I hate working at the tavern, but the owner wouldn't take me seriously for being a girl. He thought I should spend my time looking for a husband instead of work," she added with disgust. "He said that as if he had a right to make an opinion about me."
"Considering the current situation, it's a good thing boys aren't interesting to you," Bearskin informed her with a tight smile. "I'm willing to bet people thought you couldn't love, either."
"I've overheard the other tavern girls calling me a snob and ice queen. But I'd rather be called a snob then…" she fought to think of the right word.
"Loose like them?" the trapper offered.
"... You probably know a bit about girls like them."
"More than I care to. Suffice it to say, I've seen more of a good impression in rabid wolves."
Baron's next purr seemed slightly amused.
Belle started giggling helplessly. "I'm surprised you saw a difference."
"No tavern wench I've met has tried taking a bite out of my shoulder," Bearskin countered while rubbing her left one. "But between the two, I'd rather deal with a wolf."
Baron patted the shoulder with a worried meow and licked her cheek again.
"Relax, you. That one's completely healed…" The pale trapper trailed off, her eyes turning wide. She sniffed the air experimentally, surprised at the scent.
"Is something wrong?"
"What do you smell, Belle?"
She took a careful sniff as Baron did the same. "I smell nothing."
Baron begged to differ. He hopped off her shoulders to run past some thick bushes that were starting to become touched by morning light.
"I smell fresh foliage and flowers," the trapper explained, taking Belle by the elbow to help her around the thick underbrush. "There's only one place I can think of that would give that scent this time of year."
The young girl's face turned a shade paler and her breathing was a bit sharper, but her lips were set in a stubborn line.
"Are you having second thoughts?" the trapper asked with sympathy.
"No. I'm doing this," she insisted stubbornly, her grip on the cursed woman's arm turning fierce.
When they finished walking through the thick bushes, warm air began caressing their faces, heavily scented from the fragrant blossoms. The tall stone wall had been simpler than the one at the von Gikkingen estate, but much thicker and more imposing.
"I-I can smell the flowers now," the girl confirmed, only a slight waver to tell of her fear.
Baron was waiting for them at the gate, staring numbly at the view from within. Bearskin was literally stunned speechless.
Even the castle seemed cold and … arrogant, somehow. Last time the trapper had seen a castle that big, it had been inside a nation's capital.
But just as Belle's father had said, inside the gates was a glorious garden of breathtaking flowers. An outstanding majority of them were roses in every color under the sun. There were literal carpets and curtains of them!
"… No wonder Father thought no one would miss one," Belle eventually managed to say.
"No kidding," Bearskin managed to reply, taking a second to rub Baron's back before approaching the gate. She took a deep breath for courage and set her hands on the iron bar to open it.
The bar flared red, making her yelp from the sudden heat and jump back. Her gloves were literally on fire!
Baron meowed frantically.
"Bearskin!" Belle gasped in horror, but the trapper shoved her hands into a nearby snow bank. The icy coldness was a little too fierce for her liking, but at least it snuffed out the fire.
"Ouch! I am definitely not doing that again!" she growled, just managed to keep her voice masculine.
Belle bit the edge of one finger nervously. "What are we going to do if we can't get in? Are we supposed to wait until the two weeks are up?"
The pale trapper pulled her aching hands out of the snow, and peeled off the ashy remains of her gloves. Baron padded up to her to start licking the burn wounds.
"That'd be silly, if he cares about punctuality that much. Baron, I know you're trying to help, but your tongue's too rough for these wounds."
He mewed submissively and turned his attention to the gate again. He walked up to it to sniff the metal experimentally.
"Don't touch it," Bearskin warned nervously, but he purred in a soothing manner.
The tawny feline started pacing in front of the gate, much in the way Bearskin sometimes did while trying to figure out a difficult problem.
"Does he usually act like this?" Belle asked while looking at the trapper in confusion.
"How else would he act?"
"Like a cat, of course! You know, chasing mice, lapping milk, taking naps; that kind of thing."
"I usually keep him too busy for things like that," she answered with a shrug.
"Too busy to act like a cat?"
"Meow!" Baron declared with a satisfied smile. He jogged over to his keeper and used his teeth to start pulling on one pant leg.
Bearskin had been kneeling over when she had her hands in the snow bank, so she had to stand in order to let her cat drag her a small distance from the gate. "What's gotten into you?"
But Baron wasn't done yet. He let go of his keeper's pant leg in order to march up to Belle and start butting his head against her ankles.
"What is he doing?" she asked, but the trapper only shrugged.
"It looks like he wants you to move closer to the gate."
Belle gave her another incredulous look, but obligingly took the three steps as Baron joined his keeper's side.
The gate smoothly slid open, silently inviting the girl to enter.
"… Of course! I'm not the one he's expecting!" Bearskin realized, grinning down at her cat. "Nicely done, Baron."
He nodded at the compliment, but his eyes were turning sad.
Belle was facing away from them, staring past the gardens and at the castle. She seemed frozen there, as if she was finally realizing what she had signed herself up for.
"This is your choice, Belle. Not mine, not your father's, and not your brother's. Is this still what you want?" Bearskin asked in a soft but masculine tone.
"… It's my mess to clean up," she managed to say, turning a bit in order to give a weak smile to the trapper. Her hand reached into her cloak and fished around an inner pocket.
The slight trepidation turned into horror. "Oh no." She began searching more frantically. "Don't tell me that, no!"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, I can't believe it! I forgot the money to pay you with back home!"
The trapper merely grunted a laugh, although there wasn't a trace of true humor in it. "I'd have refused payment anyway. For all I know, I'm delivering you to your death. But there is something you can do for me."
Belle looked at her nervously. "What is that?"
Bearskin walked closer, making the gate close itself once more. She gently rested the unburned part of her hands on the girl's shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. "When you walk in there, walk in with your head held high. You are not going in there as a sacrifice, you're going as a mediator. When you meet him, state your case simply and quickly. I told your father it might help to offer lifelong servitude instead of death, but he wasn't interested. It's just an idea you might want to try bargaining for, but please, no tears and no weeping. You've already proven you're stronger than that."
Belle stared at her, her eyes turning wide with shock. "You're the first person to call me strong," she whispered.
"It's still true." The trapper gently tilted her head in a 'keep your chin up' gesture. "Come now; stand up straight and greet him with a smile. He can't be any worse than the boys you used to know."
She laughed a little weakly at that, but stole a short hug. "Thanks, Bearskin. For everything."
"You're welcome. But he's probably waiting for you," she reminded while peeling the girl's arms off and avoiding her own burns. Then she picked up Baron and stepped away again. "Good luck, Belle."
She gave the trapper another weak smile. But she still squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and walked smoothly into the garden as the gate opened and closed for her.
"May good fortune fall to you," Bearskin whispered, although she couldn't see how it was possible. She had literally sent this girl to her death; what could be fortuitous about that?
Baron meowed sadly in her arms.
"What was I supposed to do?" she whispered, holding him close for an embrace. "Was there a choice that I didn't see?"
He meowed with irritation, but said nothing more.
Once Belle had disappeared into the castle doors, the trapper forced herself to turn away. She started walking, not really paying attention what direction she was heading.
She just felt so… empty. If anything happened to Belle, it would fall on her-
"Meow!" Baron yelled before biting on a finger.
"Ouch! What was that for?" she demanded before stopping and sucking on the finger, since he had drawn blood.
He gave her a direct look and pointed straight ahead with one paw. She looked at the direction and flinched in horror.
She had nearly walked off a small gorge full of jagged rocks. Even if she had prepared for it, there was no guarantee she could have walked away without new injuries, or even getting killed.
"… Thanks, my friend. That would have hurt," she apologized before giving him another hug.
A few affectionate licks on one cheek assured her that there were no hard feelings.
"We should probably get some sleep. There's no point in traveling when my senses are this dulled," the trapper decided while moving back from the gorge in order to hunt for a good camping spot.
Baron answered that one with a yawn instead of a purr.
ooOoo
"No, no please," Belle begged as she backed away slowly. "I-I just wanted to save my father."
A laugh growled through the empty room as a shadow stalked closer.
"Please, I'll be your slave if you want, but don't kill me!"
Again that laugh, which turned into a snarl as the shadow suddenly lunged for the girl.
A scream filtered through the forest, making wolves howl in agony.
Bearskin sat up with a gasp. "No!"
Baron rolled out of her arms and onto her lap with a startle meow.
"We need to get up, Belle's in trouble and- ouch!" she yelped in complete surprise as she and her cat rolled off of a simple cot instead of rolling along the ground as usual.
Bearskin had never owned a cot. The ground was more than enough for her.
As Baron meowed in pain, the trapper looked around in complete shock.
The tent she had used for years was simply a tarp with some ropes strung between branches or sticks. This one was of a thick sturdy material that had paintings of flowers all over it, with steady beams as thick as her wrist holding it up.
She looked around some more, gathering her cat into her hands which were freshly bandaged from before she fell asleep. There was not only a small lamp giving both light and heat, but a small chest with a fruit bowl sitting on it.
Resting on top of the fruit was a letter with 'Bearskin' scrawled across it. The script wasn't as pretty as the Baron von Gikkingen's, but it was still readable. Actually, it looked like it had been written with a claw instead of a pen.
Baron meowed in shock at the new surroundings as his keeper leaned forward and plucked the letter from its resting place.
"Please have some good news," she prayed as she carefully broke the rose seal and unfolded the letter.
Even it looked like it had been written with a claw.
Dear Bearskin,
Thank you for-
Baron bumped her hand to growl.
"Not now, Baron! I think this is from Beast." She turned her attention back to the letter.
Thank you for the safe-
"Meow!" he yelled into one ear.
"I said not now! Baron!" she snapped in irritation as he intentionally sat on the letter, pressing it against her lap with his body.
Giving her a greatly irritated look, he patted a corner of the letter and used the same paw to briefly touch Bearskin's lips.
He repeated this gesture three more times before she understood.
"If I read the letter out loud, will you behave yourself?"
He nodded with a relieved mew and took a single lick at her cheek before hopping onto the cot.
"Troublesome person," she scolded, not able to think of anything harsher to call her cat before turning her attention back to the letter.
"Dear Bearskin,
"Thank you for the safe delivery of Belle. I assure you that she will not be harmed and I will take the best care of her. I regret needing to tell you this, but her father withheld critical information from the both of you. I never wished to kill anyone and was quite relieved when an alternative was reached.
"The compromise I consented to give was that after two final weeks with the family, either Belle or her father would return and be my companion for the rest of their days. It may not seem like much to the outside world, but even roses from my domain wield a power that the ordinary world couldn't begin to understand. I assure you that I did not overreact; my fury over the theft was fully justified.
"Belle has informed me that she would not have been able to come if not for you. Consider the new tent and all its contents payment for bringing Belle to me, for I am most grateful for your assistance. My home is grand enough, but I have wished for someone to talk to for years, and Belle is quite an amusing young lady, even if she isn't quite ready to show me that side of herself yet.
"Also, don't trouble yourself over Jacques. I can handle him without much trouble.
"With gratitude,
"Beast," she finished, although she was nearly crying near the end.
Baron was now wrapped around her shoulders and he was licking at her tears worriedly.
"… She's going to be fine," she managed to sob in happiness. "It was just a nightmare… I did the right thing…"
Baron bumped his head against hers, purring warmly.
She kissed his forehead affectionately, the first time she ever did so. "He can't be all bad if he appreciates a sense of humor, right?"
"Meow," he confirmed, rubbing his cheek against hers in happiness.
At this point, she didn't care what was in the chest. She didn't care that the large fruit bowl had all her favorites in it, or that the tent was more luxurious than any she had slept in before.
Belle was safe. That was the only thing that mattered.