.
Once Upon a Time
Supermartian - "Beauty and the Beast"
Part Four
John was quite distressed about his current predicament. Megan was dear to him; he loved that girl as if she were his own daughter. He could not allow any harm to come to her.
He had hoped that the local villagers would help him. He thought that he could persuade La'gaan to aid him. If La'gaan had wanted to hunt the beast and free Megan, the other men would have joined without question. Of that John was certain. But alas, the other men had scoffed at his story. Being the town eccentric would be his downfall.
Still, the inventor was determined to find the mysterious castle. He rolled up all of his maps and packed them neatly into his bag. When this was done, John packed enough food for a few days into the bag as well. If he had not found the castle by then, he would return home to rest and then try again.
The inventor lit his lantern and bundled himself into his cloak. He pushed open the cottage door and set out to rescue his niece.
0o0o0o0
In Happy Harbor, La'gaan and Garth were still in the tavern hours after the other patrons had gone home. They had been joined by Professor Hugo Strange. Professor Strange was the head of Happy Harbor's insane asylum, Belle Reve. La'gaan ordered another round of drinks and then asked the barkeep to leave them.
The doctor did not look happy to be out at such a late hour. He regarded both of the younger men with a flat look on his features. "I am unaccustomed to leaving the asylum in the middle of the night," Strange said coldly. "I was told that it would be worth my troubles."
La'gaan drew a bag of gold from the inside pocket of his long blue coat. Strange plucked a piece of gold from the bag and examined it thoroughly before he looked back at La'gaan. "Proceed."
"I am determined to marry Megan Morse," La'gaan declared. "But my bride requires...persuasion."
"She turned him down flat," Garth interjected with a snort of laughter. La'gaan hit the back of Garth's head with such force that it collided with the rim of his beer mug and stuck to his face.
The retired sailor continued. "The whole of Happy Harbor knows that John Jones is a raving lunatic. But Megan loves her uncle and would do anything to keep him around."
"Including marrying La'gaan," Garth muttered. He quickly ducked his head to avoid being hit again.
The doctor considered this. "You want me to put John Jones in Belle Reve unless Megan agrees to marry you?" he questioned. La'gaan nodded in affirmation. "That is deplorable." The doctor laughed an evil laugh. "I love it."
The three men toasted La'gaan's brilliant plan. When the mugs of beer had been drained, they got to their feet. La'gaan and Garth saw Professor Strange to his carriage and began to make their way through the empty streets of town to Megan and John's cottage.
La'gaan pounded on the door, but he heard no sounds of anyone coming to answer. He kicked the door open. "John? Megan?" La'gaan's deep voice boomed. He looked into the kitchen while Garth went to check the bedrooms. The house truly appeared to be empty.
Garth attempted to slink back outside. "I suppose it will not work after all. It was a good try, La'gaan."
The retired sailor seized the younger boy by the scruff of his neck. "They have to come back eventually," La'gaan pointed out. "And we shall be ready for them." He strode across the cottage's front room to the porch and dumped his sidekick onto it unceremoniously. "Do not move from this spot until Megan and John come home."
0o0o0o0
The next morning, Megan woke up to find that Mrs. Queen had prepared a warm bath for her. At home, the only time they had hot water was when it was boiled over the fire, and that was simply too troublesome to do more than once a week. But being in an enchanted castle meant that she had access to quite a few luxuries that had not been available to her before.
Raquel the wardrobe offered Megan the same violet dress from the night before. This time the redhead put it on without a fight. Raquel beamed at the sight before producing a matching hair ribbon. Megan threaded the ribbon around her ponytail.
The snow had stopped falling during the night. It had not yet melted away, however. Megan supposed that winter had come early this year. The cold hardly bothered the young lady. She remembered playing in the frozen slush as a child and how much she enjoyed it.
Megan decided that she would take Sphere for a stroll around the snow covered grounds. After attending to the beast – Conner – and his wounds the night before, Megan had fetched her mare and led her to the stables that Kaldur had pointed out to her on a beautifully illustrated map of the castle grounds. The maiden had groomed her horse until she was quite sure that Sphere had been calmed. The girl did not blame the horse for being spooked by the monster she had had to carry.
She knew that Sphere was probably still confused and besides, Sphere was not used to being kept in a stable all day. In Happy Harbor, the mare had been free to wander around the property.
Sphere seemed very glad to see her mistress once Megan arrived at the stables. Megan smiled at the horse and opened the small gate that separated them. Sphere trotted along after Megan obediently without even the need for a lead rope.
The redhead noticed that Sphere seemed to search the grounds anxiously for the sight of the beast, but the mare relaxed when he was nowhere to be found. Megan wondered where her protector was; she had not seen or heard him since the night before. She hoped that his injuries were not too bad and that he had not ripped the bandages off. The wound would never heal properly if he had.
Sphere nudged Megan's back with her muzzle in a playful manner. She smiled at the mare's actions. Megan knew now that the mare was no longer afraid if she wanted to play.
Just then, the little ottoman that barked like a dog came bounding out into the snow. It made joyful yipping sounds and dove headfirst into a snow bank. When it resurfaced, Megan laughed and patted the top of the cushion, just like she would have had it been an actual dog.
She was beginning to like this place.
0o0o0o0
Unbeknownst to Megan, Conner was watching her from afar. The balcony connected to his bedchamber in the West Wing boasted a spectacular view of the castle's grounds. He could see his red haired guest quite clearly from this vantage point.
He did not yet dare get too near to the girl. Conner merely wanted to observe her. It was clear to the prince-turned-beast that she was not like other young ladies. No one had stood up to him the way she had; no one had ever directly defied his orders. And when she could have left him alone and injured, she had shown him kindness instead. Whenever anyone had been kind to him in the past, it was always out of fear. With Megan, it was different.
Both Wallace and Kaldur were with him, perched on the balcony to Conner's left. The candlestick had been talking of nothing but Megan and how "positively enchanting" she was all day. Kaldur, who of course was the more serious of the two, was not nearly as impressed.
The former prince personally agreed with Wallace. As the candle finished extolling more of Megan's virtues, the beast nodded. "I have never felt this way about anyone. Should I find some sort of gift for her? What do you think Megan likes?"
He felt utterly lost. Conner had never spent so much time thinking about anyone else's wants or needs. The prince did not have the slightest clue about choosing a proper gift for a lady.
Wallace all too happily shoved Kaldur aside. The candle was always eager to give courting advice to whomever would take it. "When I give Artemis gifts, I bring her fresh flowers from the garden or fancy chocolates. I might also make a few promises that I do not exactly intend to keep...at least, not while we are all still stuck like this," he added hastily.
Conner admittedly did not know his redheaded guest very well, but he was quite sure that she was not the type to be persuaded by chocolates and flowers. He turned to Kaldur in hopes that the pendulum clock might have more practical, helpful advice to give.
"I remember that the young lady seemed to be interested in the library. Of course, this was also when she was attempting to deceive both Wallace and myself, so I am uncertain if that was a true interest," Kaldur informed him dryly.
The candelabra rolled his bright green eyes at Kaldur's remarks. "That is not romantic," he protested. "Maidens want to be swept off their feet."
He knew that Wally's heart was in the right place and that the candle's intentions were good. But at the same time, Conner was certain that Kaldur's advice about the library was more along the lines of what Megan would like. "I will...er, keep that in mind," Conner said as tactfully as he could manage.
Conner went off to the library at once. He wanted to make sure that everything was perfect before he presented it to Megan.
0o0o0o0
Megan had had a lovely time during her morning walk. The cool, crisp air had been wonderful, and the young lady was certain that she had never seen such fine landscaping in all her days. The fact that everything was coated in a layer of snow only made it all the more magical.
Mrs. Queen came to fetch her for lunch. Megan had thought she might see the beast – she must remember to call him Conner – at the meal but she was nowhere to be seen. Megan supposed that he was merely hiding so as not to frighten her. She thought that explanation to be a rather sweet one.
She was shown to the same dining room that she had eaten dinner in the previous evening. Mrs. Queen served her the best venison that Megan had ever tasted. The teapot smiled appreciatively at the compliment and informed her that the meal was one of her husband's specialties.
Towards the end of her lunch, the beast appeared in the dining room. Megan noticed right away that he seemed as if he were trying to make himself look more presentable. He wore a fine crimson tunic and it appeared that his dirty, torn black breeches and cape had been mended and cleaned.
He cleared his throat. "Hello, Megan," he said. "Did you...erm, enjoy your lunch?"
Megan hid a smile it was quite clear to her that Conner was not used to making conversation. She found that she did not want to discourage his efforts. Megan bobbed her head enthusiastically. "I enjoyed it very much," she informed him as she stood. The redhead hurried across to where he stood and gently prodded his arm. "I'll need to change the bandages."
"Alright," he conceded. "But then I should like to give you a...a gift." Conner looked at her with hesitation on his wolf-like features, as if he were certain that she would reject his offer on the spot.
Now the girl offered him a brief smile. "I would like that very much." She had to admit that she was curious as to why he would do such a thing.
Mrs. Queen bustled off to get the supplies as Megan ushered Conner into a chair. She unwound the bandages. It looked to Megan as if the injury was already healing nicely, but just to be cautious she cleaned it and bound it with the fresh bandages Mrs. Queen had returned with. To Conner's credit, he sat very still as she worked and did not growl at her as he had the night before.
When the maiden was satisfied with her work, she stepped back so that Conner would have room to get up. He led her through a maze of corridors into a wing of the palace that she had not yet seen. Megan found that it was far easier to appreciate the gruesome artwork during the daylight hours.
Conner came to a stop in front of a pair of massive white doors. "This is what I wanted to show you," the beast said. "But close your eyes first."
For a brief moment, Megan was quite afraid. What if there was some kind of dungeon on the other side of the door? She did not want to leave herself vulnerable, although she knew there was little she could do to fight off a creature of Conner's size and strength.
The longer that the young lady thought about it, however, the more she realized that the beast did not want to hurt her. He had had plenty of opportunities to do so. Other than his temper getting the best of him a few times, he had never tried to harm her. Megan decided that she trusted him. She closed her eyes obediently.
The young lady heard the doors open with a slight creak. Conner took both of her hands in his massive paws in a surprisingly gentle fashion. He guided her into the room. Her shoes made clacking noises on the marble floor and the sounds echoed across the room. Megan guessed that the room was quite large.
"Wait here," Conner implored in his deep voice. He released her hands. Megan heard his paws thud softly across the marble floor, followed by what sounded like a curtain being drawn across the curtain rod. Even with her eyes closed she could tell that light now flooded the room. "You may open them now." It sounded to Megan as if her companion was quite anxious to see her reaction.
The room she was in was a library, but it was unlike any library the maiden had ever seen before. The library was at least the size of a grand ballroom, and along all four walls were bookshelves filled from top to bottom. Megan could not even begin to guess how many there were in total.
In addition to the thousands of books, one wall also had a fireplace. The fire inside crackled merrily and filled the library with warmth. Near the fireplace was a deep blue rug that looked very soft. Set upon the rug was a number of small plush couches upholstered in velvet of many different colors. In one corner there stood a beautiful mahogany desk stocked with a stack of thick paper and a selection of fine quills. A staircase curved up along one wall and a thin balcony wrapped all around the room so that she could reach any book she so desired.
"It's wonderful," Megan breathed happily. She wrapped both hands around one of his paws and gave it a squeeze. Conner's wolf-like features appeared pleased with her declaration.
Neither beauty nor beast realized that most of the enchanted servants had gathered in the doorway to the library. "You see, Kaldur, I told you that she would like the library," Wallace bragged. The pendulum clock rolled his eyes.
"I seem to recall that I was the one who suggested the library," Kaldur replied stiffly.
"Would the two of you stop arguing and look at them?" Dinah murmured thoughtfully.
Artemis the feather duster smiled and leaned against Wally ever so slightly. "It is very exciting," she agreed.
"It is...encouraging," Kaldur intoned. He, Wally, and Artemis set off down the corridor once more.
Little Gar, whose view of the library had been blocked by his mother and the other servants, piped up. "I don't know what the rest of you are talking about," the little teacup huffed. "I did not see anything."
Dinah gave her son a smile. "Come along, Gar," she admonished gently. "There is work to be done."
0o0o0o0
The days passed by and quickly folded into weeks and then months. Megan grew to find her life at the palace to be a very comfortable one. Though she missed her uncle terribly and wondered how he was coping without her, it was incredibly hard to think about that too often. It was quite easy to become distracted by all of the luxuries she was now surrounded with.
Here in Conner's castle, Megan could do as she liked with no responsibilities. She rode Sphere over the grounds nearly every day and read as much as she liked. Raquel the wardrobe had a seemingly unending supply of beautiful dresses for her to wear.
She had friends as well. In Happy Harbor, the girl had been quite lonely. Here in the castle, the small army of enchanted objects were always present. Mrs. Queen was always very sweet and motherly to her, and Gar was quite endearing to her as well. Megan was quite fond of the little teacup's happy go lucky attitude. Mrs. Queen's husband Oliver had graciously granted Megan access to the kitchens whenever she desired once he had learned that she liked to cook.
Kaldur, though he could be more than a bit stuffy at times, was full of interesting stories. Just as Megan had suspected, he was indeed from Atlantea. When in the proper mood, he could talk about customs and traditions from his culture for ages.
Wally was quite charming, of course, but privately Megan preferred her friend when he was with Artemis the feather duster. It was very clear to Megan that Wally loved the girl dearly. He always went out of his way to be kind and loving towards his fiancée. The other girl was nice to have around. Besides Raquel, Artemis was the only other female close to Megan in age. Artemis, however, was much more mobile than the wardrobe. The redhead found Artemis's particular brand of sarcastic humor to be quite refreshing.
And then there was the beast. For the first few weeks, he kept his distance. Megan supposed he was trying not to frighten her as he had on her first night in the castle. But gradually he began to spend more time in her presence. On occasion, he would sit at the dining room table with her as she ate or quietly observe her while she read in the library. Sometimes she read aloud to him. During these times, Megan noticed, Conner always sat as still as possible and hung on her every word.
Her feelings towards him were changing. It was not long before Megan began to think of the creature as her friend. She looked forward to the times when she knew she would see him. His compliments on her appearance, while awkwardly worded at times, were always sincere. He made an effort to control his temper while in her presence.
Megan began to seek out his company. One morning when Conner appeared at the breakfast table, the redhead beamed up at him and all but begged that he join her for breakfast. Conner lowered his hulking form into one of the chairs. He looked content just to watch her, but the young lady hated to eat alone. "Please join me," she implored him sweetly. Mrs. Queen began to serve him as well.
The redhead scooped up a spoonful of porridge. When she looked across the table at her companion, Megan saw that he had his whole head in the bowl. He slurped up his food quite greedily. She knew now why Conner never ate with her. Megan attempted to look away discreetly, but Conner must have seen her. He straightened up at once, looking embarrassed.
Gar stifled a giggle and then helpfully pushed a spoon towards the master of the castle. The utensil was far too delicate an instrument for Conner's paw to use, but he tried his best. He clumsily scooped some food into the spoon and held it above his head so that it dripped into his mouth.
Doing this only made a bigger mess. Megan knew that the beast was making a good effort to be civilized, but he could only do so much. She decided to meet him in the middle.
She picked up her bowl and tilted it back. Conner noticed what she was doing at once and his bright blue eyes brightened. He mimicked her actions.
When breakfast was over and the dishes cleared away, Conner cleared his throat. He wore a look that Megan could only describe as nervous. It reminded her of the day he had given her the library. Megan arranged her features into what she hoped was a reassuring expression.
"I was wondering if perhaps I could join you in whatever activities you had planned for today," the beast said gruffly. He did not meet her gaze.
"I would like that," the maiden answered truthfully. "It has been a few days since I've had the opportunity to bake. I do enjoy it a lot." She stood up from her chair and led the way to the kitchens. The girl could hear the sound of Conner's paws thudding softly behind her. She smiled to herself.
Though she did not have her mother's journal, the red haired maiden had long since memorized her favorite recipes. "We need sugar and eggs and butter..." Megan set the ingredients on the counter and rummaged through the kitchen for a mixing bowl.
The beast mostly watched as she mixed the ingredients together. Megan realized that she had forgotten to add the cinnamon. In her haste to get to the spice rack, the young lady fell over one of Conner's massive paws. The bowl of batter spilled down the front of his shirt.
Her hand flew to her mouth. "I am terribly sorry," she cried. She found a dish towel and began to mop him up immediately. Megan was quite sure that she was blushing.
"Perhaps we should do something else," she suggested. "We could feed the birds in the garden." That was one of the other things she enjoyed about the palace; even though it was winter, the grounds had no shortage of animals, even ones that should have gone south for the winter or hibernated.
The beast nodded. "I would like that."
Ollie made his voice known. "I think there is a bag of birdseed in the pantry, Miss Megan," the stove informed them. It sounded to Megan as if Ollie was quite anxious to have them out of his kitchens.
Megan went back to her room to get the yellow fur trimmed cape that perfectly matched her dress. When she returned to Conner, he carefully poured a generous portion into the cape's pocket. Together, the beauty and the beast made their way out to the snow covered grounds.
The young lady gave her companion a handful of seed. He crouched down near a group of robins with brilliant red feathers and shoved his cupped paws towards them. The birds took off in flight at once. The beast looked up at the girl with confusion.
She went to his side and knelt in the snow. Megan guided his paws down to the ground and took a small handful of the seed. The red haired girl made a small trail between Conner's paws and the little group of birds. Sure enough, the birds devoured the seed and hopped right into Conner's paws. The smile he gave her was genuine and sweet.
In no time at all, a flock of birds had come to be fed. One of the robins landed on Megan's finger. Very carefully, the maiden got to her feet and stepped towards one of the trees in the courtyard. Once she was close enough, Megan threw her arm up so that the bird could take flight. She watched it until it was nothing but a miniscule red speck against the gray sky.
Megan became aware of Conner's piercing blue gaze on her. She looked over her shoulder to find him watching her with a look of fascination. The beast quickly turned away when he noticed that she had seen him looking at her. It was almost as if he was embarrassed to have been caught.
The girl ducked behind the tree so that she was no longer in his sights. She was becoming quite confused about this whole situation. While there was no doubt that he had scared her during their first day together, Megan had never seen that side of him since. He had only shown her kindness after that. She had misjudged him at first; that much she knew.
"There is...something...in him that I did not see," the red haired maiden told herself. She smiled and then looked back at Conner. He was now covered almost completely in birds. He shook them away.
Megan decided she may as well take advantage of the situation. She scooped up a handful of snow and shaped it into a ball like her uncle had shown her to do when she was a child. She hurled it at Conner's face with a mischievous smile.
The beast roared, but it was out of confusion instead of fury. Megan laughed her melodic laugh. Conner's eyes narrowed but she did not feel threatened. He made a snowball as well and held it high above his head. Megan chose that moment to aim another snowball at his chest. This caused the beast to drop his own massive one on top of himself in surprise.
She laughed heartily. Conner got to his feet and chased her. Again, she felt no fear...only joy.
Neither Megan nor Conner knew that the servants were watching them yet again. Kaldur, Wally, and Mrs. Queen were grouped on the same window sill to watch the scene unfold below. Mrs. Queen smiled fondly at the two.
Kaldur was the first to speak. "It appears I was wrong to be so cynical towards Megan," he murmured. "It is quite obvious that there is something more between them than I initially thought. I do believe there is hope after all."
The candelabra slung one of his arms around the pendulum clock's shoulders, which Kaldur immediately shrugged off. "I told you it would work, Kaldur. She is falling in love with the master. We will all be human again by the time the petal falls."
"I wish there were just a bit more time," Dinah mused thoughtfully. "The master's birthday is tomorrow."
It was hard to tell for sure, but it seemed that Wally's face had paled. "That cannot be right," he murmured.
"But it is," Kaldur replied. "Tomorrow is November 22. It will be his twenty-first birthday."
The three servants were silent for a moment before Wally said, "We will just have to help them along. There is work to be done."
0o0o0o0
Conner did not find it difficult to be out in the snow. The thick fur that he was covered in kept him quite warm. Megan had only a cape to warm her, and that was now damp from their snowball fight. The former prince voiced his concern about her and she responded with a smile. They made their way into the castle, stopping by the library to retrieve the book that Megan had been reading to him.
The pair then went into the castle's sitting room. Conner reached for the clasp of Megan's cape. He pawed at it clumsily for a moment until it finally gave way. Megan gave him that same smile and settled down in front of the roaring fire with her skirts spread around her. Conner joined the redhead. The prince-turned-beast felt a little daring and set down beside her in much closer proximity than he usually did. His companion held the book out so that he could see before she began to read the final act of Romeo & Juliet.
0o0o0o0
All of the enchanted servants who were able to move about the castle were stationed by the main staircase. Kaldur stood atop the ottoman so that he could see the small crowd that had assembled.
"I have given all of you your assignments," he said. "We do not have much time. In only twenty-four hours the last petal will fall. We need to-"
"-create an atmosphere," interrupted Wallace as he joined Kaldur. "Music, romantic lighting..."
Kaldur shoved the candlestick away. "You are dismissed," the pendulum clock told everyone else.
"I for one cannot wait to see my handsome face once again," Wallace replied with a roguish wink. The feather duster made a scoffing noise at her suitor's antics.
The group of servants made their way to the grand ballroom. The prince-turned-beast had not set foot in the ballroom in nearly five years, so it was quite a mess. The objects began to follow Kaldur's orders at once to make it more presentable.
Mops and brooms streaked across the floor while others began to clean the chandeliers. The mirrors were polished and the rugs beaten. Slowly but surely the ballroom gleamed and sparkled once more.
When the work was at last complete, Kaldur, Wallace, and Mrs. Queen surveyed the ballroom. "We have done all that we can do," Kaldur intoned.
"And now we must let nature take its course," Dinah murmured.
0o0o0o0
"There never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo," Megan whispered softly. She shut the book.
The beast, who had been listening to her with rapt attention, spoke for the first time in hours. "Will you read it again?"
She thought for a moment before replying, "Why don't you read it to me?"
Conner looked a bit apprehensive as he took the tome. He squinted down at the page for a moment before finally shutting the book and placing it aside.
Megan frowned. "You never learned how to read?" she asked as she put a hand on his arm. That was a hard idea for her to grasp. She could not imagine not knowing how to read.
"I did," he assured her. "It is just that I have not touched a book in so long... I think I have forgotten."
If he had indeed learned how to read, Megan was now positive that this was not his original form. In all the time she had been in the castle, the girl had never asked him any questions about why he looked the way he did. His appearance did not scare her anymore; to Megan, he was simply Conner, her friend.
Still, though, she was curious. The redheaded maiden decided to take a chance and ask him. "How did you come to be this way?" Megan inquired gently.
Conner was silent for so long that Megan was sure she had offended him. When he did finally speak, his voice had lost all of its gentleness. Instead, he sounded gruff.
"When I was human, I was the prince of Kryptonne."
Megan's brow furrowed in confusion. "That is impossible. The king and queen do not have a son, only a daughter. Princess Kara."
"I never said the queen was my mother," he said darkly. "My mother, Lexa, was a member of the court, one of Queen Lois's ladies-in-waiting. The king had an affair with her. When she told him she was with child he insisted that I was not his, that he had never been unfaithful to his queen. At the time of my birth it was quite obvious that I was indeed his child."
"The king has an illegitimate son?" she breathed incredulously. Her companion shot her a rather nasty look and Megan hastily patted his paw. "I didn't mean that you are bad," she said kindly. Conner looked slightly appeased by this comment.
He went on with his story. "The king did not want my existence to be known to the public. He did not want a bastard son to be the heir to the throne. So he hid me away here.
"My father was never interested in me. He bought me shiny trinkets to keep me silent. When I was young, he came to visit from time to time, but I think it was only out of obligation and not any love he felt for me. So, as a result, I became a beast. I was selfish, unkind, and angry. I offended an enchantress and it was she who made me into this."
The maiden thought about this for a moment. She patted him again before giving his paw a squeeze. "I did not know you before, but I know you now. And I don't think you are such a beast. You are...very dear to me, Conner."
Conner attempted a smile. "It is due to you that I am not such a beast. And because of that, I want to invite you to celebrate my birthday with me tomorrow evening."
"I would be honored," Megan answered as she stood. "Goodnight, Conner." She left him in front of the dying firelight and began to climb the stairs up to her room. She changed into the powder blue nightgown Raquel offered up and slipped into bed.
It did not occur to her until she was nearly asleep that she had not asked how the curse could be broken.
0o0o0o0
Conner had been bathed and groomed quite extensively. Raquel the wardrobe had sent over a few different outfits for him. Kaldur was looking over the options. While Conner was waiting for his clothing, Wallace had decided to coach him.
"Tonight is the night," the candle declared.
"I don't know if I am capable of this," the former prince declared. All day he had wondered why he had decided to ask Megan to celebrate with him. One look at the dying rose told him that he was just being a fool. At midnight the petal would fall and he would be stuck in his beast form for the rest of his days.
Wally frowned at him. "Don't think that way," he implored seriously. He cast a sidelong glance at the wilting flower. "You don't have time for self-doubt, Master. Be bold and daring."
The prince-turned-beast considered that as Kaldur came bustling over with the clothes he had chosen. Apparently, Wally could tell that Conner was not yet reassured of his abilities, so the candlestick went on. "There will be music and romantic candlelight provided by me. The right moment will come and you will confess your love for Miss Megan." Wally spoke with such authority that Conner almost believed his servant.
When Conner did not respond, a frown creased into Wallace's waxy face. "You do care for her, don't you?" he questioned. A note of desperation made its way into the candle's voice.
"More than anything," the former prince answered truthfully.
"Then you must tell her," Wally declared firmly.
Kaldur bobbed his head. "It is the only way."
Conner knew that he did not have much time left. He also knew that if both the clock and the candelabra were in agreement on something, he had to do it. Surely they could not both be wrong.
He dressed in his outfit while Kaldur and Wally shuffled off to check on Megan's progress. The clothing that Kaldur had chosen for him consisted of a snowy white shirt, a crimson vest and ballroom tailcoat, and black breeches. This was the sort of fancy attire that he had always hated, but it was worth it.
"Your lady awaits," Kaldur announced with a bow.
The beast took a deep breath before striding across his bedchamber to the door. He continued down a long corridor that led to a set of stairs. Directly across from the steps on his side was another set of stairs. It was like looking at a mirror image.
It was this set of stairs that Megan was descending. The maiden wore a flowing pink ball gown with matching gloves. Half of her brilliant red hair was pulled away from her face, and the other half fell loose around her shoulders. A shy sort of smile played on her lips. Conner was certain that he had never seen her look so beautiful.
He grinned at her and was pleased that she did not recoil in horror at the sight. The former prince offered her his arm as he had been taught to do. Together, he and Megan made their way to the dining room.
Dinner was mostly a quiet affair with only a few murmured comments about the food. Ollie had truly outdone himself. Conner saw both Wallace and Kaldur frown at him, presumably for the lack of interaction with his female companion. He saw Wally wave frantically at a coat rack to get its attention. Almost instantly, the coat rack began to play soft violin music.
Megan sprang up from her seat and rushed to him. She hauled him to his feet and all but dragged him into the adjoining ballroom. She did not stop until they had reached the center of the room. The redhead placed one of her hands in his massive paw and guided the other one to her waist. Conner swallowed hard. He was certain that he would embarrass himself.
With no warning, Megan began to move. She guided him expertly through the steps. Soon Conner felt the skills he had learned as a young man begin to come back to him. In what seemed to him to next to no time at all, he twirled around the room just as easily as his red haired companion. Of course, she was far more graceful than he was.
He heard the sounds of his servants coming to look in on them. "I told you," he heard Wally declare yet again. No one answered the candelabra. Instead, Conner heard Mrs. Queen begin to sing softly somewhere in the background.
The music got softer. Conner was surprised but pleased when Megan leaned in even closer to him and rested her head against his chest. As they circled the ballroom again, the beast saw wide grins on every servant's face.
The candle light gradually dimmed and the music softened even further until it had all but faded away. The doors that led out to the balcony opened inward. Conner remembered Wallace's advice to be bold. He took a deep breath and led Megan outside. Despite the snow that had fallen recently, there was no chill in the air. The stars shone brilliantly against the pitch black sky.
Megan sat down on a stone bench. Conner sat beside her and tried to find the words to tell her just how he felt. It was just as difficult as he had imagined it would be. Finally, the former prince had to force himself to speak.
"Megan?" he asked hesitantly. She turned to look at him. She was smiling again. Encouraged by this, the beast took hold of both of her tiny, delicate hands. "Are you...happy here with me?"
"Yes," Megan replied.
Conner was so happy with that response that it took a moment for him to realize that Megan had turned to look out into the distance...towards the village of Happy Harbor. "What is it?" Conner asked in as gentle a tone as he could.
The redhead turned back to him. There was a deep sadness in her hazel eyes. "I wish I could see my uncle again," she murmured. "Just for a moment. I miss him very much."
"I know a way," Conner replied. He did not mind showing her the mirror if doing so would make her happy again. "Come with me."
He helped her to her feet and led the way through the castle to the West Wing. The beast no longer felt shame about the tower; it had been painstakingly cleaned by his servants. Conner plucked the ornate mirror from the table and held it up for Megan to see. "This mirror can show you anything you want to see."
She took it from him. "Show me my uncle," Megan commanded.
The looking glass glowed blue for a moment before an image of John appeared in it. Conner caught a glimpse of the older man seemingly lost in a snowstorm. He coughed and spluttered. Megan clapped her free hand over her mouth. A sob escaped her lips.
"He's sick," she cried. "He could die. And he is all alone..."
Conner turned away from her and looked at the dying red rose. He would make the right choice...even if it meant remaining a beast. "Go to him," the former prince ground out gruffly. "I release you. If...if you leave now you will get to him in time."
"Oh thank you, thank you." Megan tried to hand the mirror back to him, but he shook his head.
"Please keep it so that you can look back." Conner very gently brushed a few strands of brilliant coppery hair away from Megan's face. "Remember me."
She pressed her hand to his face for just a moment before hurrying across the chamber to the door. As she did so, she brushed past Wally.
"It went well?" the candle asked in a jaunty tone. "We will all be human again?"
"No, Wally. We will not."
He seemed to pale. "What happened?" he demanded. "We went over this. Everything was perfect."
Conner attempted a smile. "It was," he agreed. "But circumstances changed. I let Megan go. I had to...because I love her."
Wallace stared at him for a moment before turning to leave. The prince was alone yet again.
0o0o0o0
Wally had pulled together a group of the other servants to tell them the bad news. "Megan has left us. The master has let her go."
Kaldur, Artemis, Dinah, and Gar all gaped at him. "He did what?" they demanded in unison. The candle just shrugged helplessly.
"I can't believe she's going away," Gar mumbled.
Mrs. Queen looked faintly proud of the master of the castle. "After all these years he has finally learned to love," she said approvingly.
Artemis brightened. "That should have broken the spell," she said. She turned her gaze towards Wally with the beginnings of a smile on her face.
But Kaldur shook his head. "It is not so simple, Artemis," the clock pointed out. "The master must be loved in return."
In the chaos of the conversation that followed, no one noticed Gar slip away.
0o0o0o0
Conner watched from the balcony of his tower as Megan galloped away on Sphere. An anguished roar pierced the night air.