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Once Upon a Time
Supermartian – "Beauty and the Beast"
Part Five
Megan and Sphere tore through the snowy forest frantically. "Uncle!" she cried. "Uncle!" Finally, Sphere rounded a turn that took the girl to her ill uncle.
John lay face down in the snow. Megan gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth. The redhead scrambled down from the saddle to her uncle's side. She tugged him to his feet. "Megan?" he asked in a raspy voice. He touched her face as if to make sure that she was truly there and not a hallucination.
"I'm here, Uncle," the redhead assured him. She whistled for Sphere and the mare galloped over. It took a few attempts before Megan was able to help her uncle into the saddle. She shed her traveling cloak and gave that to him as well. Megan shivered in the cold air. She was glad she had thought to change back into her own dress. The pink ball gown was lovely, of course, but far less practical to be wearing in the snow.
The maiden swung herself into the saddle behind her uncle. Sphere hardly seemed to notice the extra weight. The mare galloped through the forest at a breakneck pace, which Megan very much appreciated. Before too long, Megan could see the outline of Happy Harbor coming into view.
Once they had arrived at their cottage, Megan helped her uncle up to his bedroom. She left Sphere outside with the promise to reward the mare in just a bit. Megan did not notice that Garth was watching her.
She got her uncle out of his soaking wet cape and tunic and tucked him into bed. Megan stoked the fire and left him to sleep. She sighed quietly as she made her way down to the cottage's kitchen.
The young lady was able to scrape together a meal with that little was in the pantry. Megan frowned at the sight of the bare cupboards. No wonder her uncle had fallen ill; he had not been taking care of himself. She fretted over this fact as she fixed his plate.
Megan fixed a plate of food for her uncle and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. She set the plate on his bedside cabinet and perched on the end of her uncle's bed. It looked as if he were leaving his haze.
"Megan," her uncle said fondly after he had opened his eyes. Uncle John attempted to sit up, but Megan stopped him at once.
"You are going to be alright," the girl told him firmly. "I am home now. I will nurse you back to health." She got to her feet so that she could bring him a cold compress. When Megan returned, she mopped her uncle's brow with it. It was all the maiden could do for him; they could not afford for her uncle to get medicine from the town doctor.
John sat up. This time Megan did not stop him. "I thought I would never see you again," he intoned in his deep voice. Uncle John wrapped Megan in a tight hug which she returned readily. She felt like a child again, safe and secure. Nothing could hurt her here.
"I missed you very much," Megan told her uncle as she withdrew from his hold.
He looked at her for a long moment. She recognized the curious look in his dark brown eyes. Normally it was reserved for when he was at work on an invention. "How did you escape from the beast?" the inventor questioned.
It took Megan a moment to realize that he was talking about Conner. It had been so long since she'd thought of him as the beast that she had forgotten. Her uncle had no way of knowing that she and Conner had grown to be quite close after all the time that had gone by. Megan had a feeling that her uncle might not understand that the beast was actually very kind and not at all the monster John thought him to be.
"He let me go," Megan said gently.
John arched an eyebrow. "That terrible creature let you go? He asked. The redhead detected the skepticism in her uncle's tone.
She tried to find the correct words to explain. "He has changed, Uncle. He's different now. He's kind to me."
The maiden could tell that her uncle did not believe this. He was not able to respond, however, because of a disturbance.
Megan had carried the saddlebag upstairs with her. There was a muffled sound of struggling and she frowned as she went to examine the source of the noise. Just as she reached the clasps of the bag, it gave way. Both Gar the teacup and the enchanted mirror spilled onto the bed. "Hi," Gar greeted cheerfully.
"We have a stowaway," Megan remarked as the teacup hopped up the bed towards John. The inventor caught the cup in the palm of his hand.
"Hello, little fellow," John said. "I never thought I would see you again."
Gar gave him a winning smile and turned his attention to Megan. "Why did you leave?" he asked in his little voice. "Don't you like us anymore?"
The maiden took a little cup from her uncle. "I like you very much," she assured him. "I had to leave because my uncle is sick. I need to look after him."
"But-" he protested. His voice was drowned out by the sound of a knock at the door.
Megan exchanged a look with her uncle. Who could have come to call on them at this hour? The maiden frowned as she crossed the room to the stairs. As she descended the steps, she could hear her uncle pulling on a dressing gown. He hurried after her.
She was surprised to see Professor Strange on the other side of the door. The professor hardly ever left the asylum, and he had certainly never come to visit before. Megan's frown deepened. "Can I help you?" she asked coldly.
Professor Strange smirked. "We are here to collect your uncle," he answered. His tone was distinctly sinister. A shudder passed through the red haired girl.
"My uncle isn't going anywhere," Megan said with an authority she hadn't known she possessed.
"Don't worry, Miss Morse," Professor Strange said. He touched the tips of his long fingers together. Somehow, that made him even more frightening to her. "We will take good care of him at Belle Reve."
Behind Professor Strange, the girl could see the carriage that belonged to the asylum. A crowd of townspeople had accompanied the professor as well. Several of them carried lit torches. There was anger etched on every single face in the crowd.
Megan was angry, too. She stepped onto the porch and shoved the professor aside. She faced the assembled crowd. "My uncle is not crazy!" she shouted to them. "What have we done to you?"
It was Garth, La'gaan's sidekick, who stepped forward first. "He's been raving like a lunatic for months," the young man declared. "He goes on and on about a beast in a castle."
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves. They all seemed to be agreeing with Garth's words. Megan was sure that she had never felt such fury in all her life. "You will not take him anywhere. I won't allow it."
Uncle John appeared in the doorway of the cottage. He had pulled on a navy blue dressing gown over his undershirt. "Megan? What is going on?"
A cruel smirk crossed Garth's face. "John, tell us again just how big the beast is," he goaded. Megan looked at her uncle frantically and hoped that he would not say anything that would incriminate Conner.
Unfortunately, John fell for Garth's bait. He stepped onto the porch beside the redhead and addressed the crowd as well. "He was enormous," John said seriously. "At least eight feet tall. Perhaps even ten feet tall." The crowd burst into laughter. Megan noticed her uncle's expression fall. She patted his arm.
"You do not get any crazier than that," Garth said. The mob of villages continued to laugh. Two attendants opened the carriage doors and then marched up the cottage steps towards Megan and John. They frog marched him towards the cart. Professor Strange followed in their wake.
Megan hurried after the professor. She took hold of him, but he shrugged her off easily.
It was then that she noticed La'gaan leaning casually against the cottage. "You know he's not crazy," she said. It was a true testament to how desperate the young lady felt if she was turning to La'gaan for help. "Call them off, La'gaan. Please. They'll listen to you."
He puffed up his chest. "I can arrange for this matter to be cleared up easily, Megan," he said. "If..."
"If what?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed.
"You must agree to marry me." There was a note of triumph in La'gaan's dark eyes. A smug smile found its way to La'gaan's too handsome face.
Megan drew away from him as if she'd been slapped. "I will never marry you."
The retired sailor shrugged carelessly. "Have it your way," he said. "Take him away!" he roared. The villagers cheered.
Megan suddenly remembered the magic mirror. She dashed upstairs to her uncle's bedroom and seized the enchanted object. She ran outside and shouted at the mirror. "Show me the beast!"
The townspeople gasped and some of them screamed. Megan looked at the image and saw that Conner was roaring in it. No one here knew him the way she did; she understood why they were frightened. Megan did not miss the way that La'gaan's face hardened. His dark eyes were cold and calculating.
She stepped into the crowd, still holding the mirror aloft. "Is he dangerous?" called a woman's voice.
"No, he's not. He may look vicious, but he is really kind and gentle. He's a very dear friend."
La'gaan strode towards her and yanked the mirror from her hand. He bent her wrist back at a painful angle as he did so. "It sounds like you have feelings for this creature," he sneered. "What does that say about you, Megan, that you prefer a monster to me?"
"He's no monster, La'gaan. You are." The redhead attempted to take the mirror back from him, but he simply held it out of her reach.
The older boy looked deeply insulted. "She's just as crazy as her uncle," La'gaan said loudly. He turned to the closest villager to him. "The beast is a bloodthirsty predator," he said. "He will make off with your children. He'll kill your livestock. Happy Harbor will not be safe until the beast is dead and his head is mounted on my wall."
"No!" Megan cried out desperately. No one listened to her, however. The mob was allowing La'gaan to work them into a frenzy. No good would come of this; of that Megan was certain.
The villagers started to talk among themselves again. "La'gaan is right," the baker said firmly. He pounded his fist against the palm of his other hand. Beside him, his wife nodded. Her face was cruel.
"It will wreak havoc on the village," said another man. "It will want to sacrifice our children to its appetite."
"We won't be safe until it's dead."
La'gaan watched the crowd fall prey to his blatant lies. He smirked and spoke up again. "It is time to take action, gentlemen!" he declared. His voice conveyed his utter elation. Megan remembered suddenly that La'gaan was the best hunter in the village. He would see hunting down Conner to be the ultimate challenge. If he was successful, Megan knew, he would be hero worshipped even more than he already was. And he would never let anyone in town forget what he had done for them. "We aren't coming home until he's dead!"
"No!" Megan shouted again. She tried to take the mirror again. La'gaan caught her by the wrist. "If you aren't with us, you're against us," he snarled. He shot a look at Garth, who pulled open the doors to John's workshop. The two attendants hauled the inventor into the dark cellar. La'gaan shoved Megan in after her uncle. She saw Garth pull the doors shut. "We won't allow them to run off and warn it!" Megan heard La'gaan's shout clearly. This was followed by more applause and cheers from the mob.
0o0o0o0
It had taken Gar quite awhile to make his way downstairs. He had had to be quite careful navigating the staircase because, as his mother was always reminding him, he was quite delicate.
The teacup peeked out of the open front door. Megan and John were nowhere to be seen. Instead, he saw a crowd of people who must have been from the village. They looked angry and there was a lot of shouting about killing the monster. Gar knew right away that they had to be referring to the master.
He watched in horror as the mob members with torches lit new ones for others. It seemed to him that every man in the assembled crowd had a knife or an ax.
The man who must have been the leader swung himself into the saddle of a jet black horse. The man held the mirror up above his head and shouted, "This way, men!" The others followed him.
Gar knew only one thing. He had to help Megan.
0o0o0o0
La'gaan led the villagers through Happy Harbor. The women peeled off from the group and returned to their homes. The men, however, continued in La'gaan's wake. The mob marched into the forest. The retired sailor could hear excited voices behind him. A wicked grin crossed his face. It delighted him to know that his men were just as interested in this hunt as he was.
He did not know how John and Megan had come across the creature in the first place. He did not know how long Megan had spent with it or why she had spoken of it so fondly. How could she care for such a thing?
It did not matter. La'gaan was a master hunter. He would find the monster and hunt it down. Megan would be distraught and broken. And once she was in that kind of position, La'gaan would slip into her life permanently. He would mold her into the perfect wife. She would stop reading and daydreaming. She would cook his meals, keep his house, and bear his children. All would be just as he wanted it to be.
Satisfied with his plans, La'gaan urged his stallion forward. The thrill of the hunt was his favorite part.
0o0o0o0
Down in the basement, Megan was doing all she could to pry open the doors. The townspeople must have put something over the doors because she could not get them to budge. A sob escaped her lips. She had to get of the basement and get back to the castle. Everything that La'gaan and the others were going to do the castle was her fault.
She crumpled to the floor in despair. "Oh Uncle, this is all my doing. What are we going to do?"
John gathered her in a hug. "We will think of something, child. Don't fret." He smoothed his hand over her vivid red hair. "We will get out of this, I promise you."
0o0o0o0
La'gaan and the mob were still marching on the beast's castle. By now they had come across Megan's trail, so the hunter was quite sure that they were going the right way. The closer they got to their destination, the faster his heart beat.
He idly wished that he had brought Megan along. If she could see how he planned to kill the beast, La'gaan knew that she'd be so frightened of him that she would never dare disobey him. That would come in handy once she was his wife. Still, he supposed he could always just show her the beast's remains once he had taken care of it.
Finally, the men rounded a turn in their path. A huge castle was visible in the distance. He slowed his horse and dismounted. He ordered the party members who had brought axes along to chop down a tree so that they could have a battering ram. They began their work at once, choosing a sturdy oak tree. They worked in rhythm. In no time, the oak had been felled. The group continued on.
0o0o0o0
Up in the castle, Mrs. Queen, Kaldur, and Wally were still together. The trio of servants was still very upset that the master had let Megan go and even more upset that she appeared to have gone without a second thought. The girl had not even spared so much as a farewell to any of them.
"It was foolish to get our hopes up," Kaldur said in his deep voice.
For once, the candlestick was in agreement with Kaldur. "It would have been better for everyone if she had never come at all," he added petulantly. He crossed his arms.
Just then, the ottoman that had once been the castle dog began to bark. It tore across the room to one of the full length windows, yipping madly. The three servants perked up at once. Their hearts soared at the thought that Miss Megan had returned to them.
"Could it be?" Dinah asked hopefully. The trio scurried to the window to see who was approaching their home.
The trio were all quite shocked to see that it was not Megan who was approaching the castle, but an army of invaders. They were led by an angry man who clutched the master's mirror in one hand.
The men marched right up the to castle doors and began to break them down.
0o0o0o0
La'gaan dismounted from his horse. He armed himself with his bow and arrow and a couple of small, sharp daggers. The men who were carrying the battering ram approached the doors.
In perfect rhythm, they struck. It took several tries before they were able to open the doors. But soon enough the entrance flew open to reveal the castle's interior.
"Take whatever you like," La'gaan said to his fellows. "But the beast is mine."
0o0o0o0
Mrs. Queen entered the West Wing in search of the former prince. She found him on his balcony overlooking the grounds. He did not appear to have moved, even though he had to have seen the intruders approaching the castle. She cleared her throat. "Conner," she said gently.
He turned to look at her. It was obvious to the teapot that the master was quite distressed. Dinah had seen her employer mad plenty of times, but she had never seen him appear so sorrowful. Losing Megan had cut him deeply. "Leave me in peace, please," Conner requested. His voice was gentle, saddened. Dinah's heart ached for him.
"The castle is under attack," she said. Dinah hoped that she could spur Conner into action. The teapot was certain that one look at the former prince in person would send the men back to their village, screaming for their mothers.
"It does not matter," Conner murmured gently. "Just let them come."
0o0o0o0
La'gaan strode into the foyer as if he was the master of the castle. All that could be seen was random furniture. There were tables, chairs, couches, and all sorts of odds and ends. It was quite bizarre.
Garth took a lit candlestick from a nearby end table and held it aloft. Still there was no sign of the creature.
Then there was a shout. "Now!" La'gaan did not know who the voice belonged to.
The furniture came to life. Chests of drawers sprang open seemingly of their own accord. They did so in rapid succession, causing the men within range to be hit from top to bottom. A pot put itself over one man's head and wooden spoons began to beat against it. This made quite an unpleasant racket. La'gaan saw a chair trip the baker, who fell onto a long rug. The tug rolled itself up tightly, leaving the baker trapped inside.
The men fought back as best they could, but it was a numbers game. The cursed objects simply outnumbered the intruders. And since the circumstances they were facing were so absurd, it was quite difficult to have any good ideas as to what to do to drive off the objects.
La'gaan looked around the room quickly. For some reason, none of the objects seemed to be targeting him. He had no idea how to be of help to any of the other men without drawing attention to himself and besides, he had matters of more importance to attend to.
He ran up the stairs, leaving the others to fend for themselves.
0o0o0o0
At the cottage, Gar had eventually made his way outside. In his search for Megan and her uncle, he had come across a small window. Looking inside, he could see the two huddled together in the basement. Miss Megan was crying. The only way out that Gar could see had been blocked by someone putting a board across it.
Gar knew that he had no way to move the board from the doors on his own. The window he gazed into was much too small for either Miss Megan or her uncle to fit through, so that was not an option, either. The little teacup was desperate to help the girl, but he did not know how.
As he looked around, he saw an odd machine nearby. It rested atop a small hill. He was confused by the machine until he realized that attached to one end of it was an ax. The teacup remembered suddenly how Megan had told him that her uncle was an inventor. She had described in great detail to him how the mechanics of the invention worked.
The teacup bounded across the yard to the machine. He could just see that the coals that powered it still glowed softly, which was lucky indeed. Gar breathed on them gently and they came back to life more fully. From there, he hopped up into the little seat and searched for the lever. He leaned into it with all his weight, which was admittedly not very much.
It took a great deal of effort, but in time Gar was able to push the lever into the proper position. The machine went soaring down the hill. The ax swung wildly at the air until it got in the range of the boarded up door. It connected a few times and suddenly the doors split open. The whole machine went toppling into the cellar. Megan managed to catch him before he hit the stone floor.
"Are you hurt?" she asked in a worried tone that reminded Gar of his mother. He shook his head.
Megan stowed him carefully in her pocket and climbed out of the basement.
0o0o0o0
In the castle, the army of servants most definitely had the advantage. Beer mugs pelted the intruders with tomatoes. Mrs. Queen and the other teacups poured boiling tea on anyone who came in range. Raquel the wardrobe vaulted herself over a balcony onto one man, leaving him crushed beneath her.
Meanwhile, La'gaan had continued his search for the beast. He carefully combed the rooms of the castle for any sign of the monster. The retired sailor kicked open a door on the third floor and drew his bow swiftly. He saw no sign of his prey. La'gaan's shoulders slumped and he went on his way.
Downstairs, Garth had cornered Wallace. The man laughed cruelly as he held a lit torch near the candle's face. Kaldur, who had served in his homeland's army for two years, went to his friend's aid. The pendulum clock slid down a banister with a large, sharp knife in his hand. As soon as he was able, he stabbed Garth with it. He was careful not to hit the man in a place that would be fatal.
"Thank you, Kaldur," Wally said gratefully. Kaldur nodded and went on his way to help the others. Wally's bright green gaze fell on another man who had a tight grip on Artemis. The man laughed gleefully as he tore out handfuls of feathers.
Overcome by anger, Wallace charged at the stranger. He burned the man's backside. The man screamed and threw Artemis into the air. Wally managed to catch her and gave his fiancée a winning smile.
Garth, accompanied by the blacksmith and the barkeep, chased the ottoman into the kitchens. As soon as the trio of men crossed into the room, the drawers opened to reveal dozens of sharp knives. Another look around the kitchen showed Ollie with a very hot fire already lit and a wicked smile on his face. All three males ran screaming from the room.
They were joined by all the others who were no incapacitated by the enchanted obkects. Everyone who was still standing kept running through the castle into the dark, cold, rainy night.
"And stay out," Kaldur muttered. The servants all cheered with glee.
0o0o0o0
La'gaan had reached the West Wing. He kicked open the door and found what he had been looking for.
The beast sat upon a small settee upholstered in black velvet. Nearby there was a round table that appeared to house only a glowing red rose that was nearly wilted. The beast turned to look at La'gaan. He readied himself for an attack that did not come.
Instead, the monster just looked at him with sad eyes for a moment before turning away again. The creature looked quite pitiful for something so large and powerful. La'gaan smirked and aimed his arrow carefully before shooting. The tip sank deep into the monster's back. The beast roared in agony.
While it was distracted by the pain, La'gaan took his chance. He launched himself forward and tackled the beast. They both went hurtling through a window out onto a balcony.
The rain was coming down hard now. La'gaan managed to keep from skidding over the railing. The beast landed near the railing and his paw grasped it desperately. La'gaan kicked the beast hard and it tumbled down the roof of the castle before coming to a stop at the edge of a parapet that jutted out from the castle. The sailor picked a careful path down to where his prey lay unmoving.
"Fight back," he snarled to the creature as he got closer to it. There would not be much fun in killing such an abomination if it did not at least try to stand up for itself first. The beast did not move. Instead, it groaned weakly in response.
La'gaan was not nearly ready to give up, however. He was sure that he could goad this animal into reacting somehow. "What's the matter, beast?" La'gaan sneered. "Are you too kind and gentle to fight me?" La'gaan strode along the roof and broke off a large spike. He raised it over the monster's head like a club.
"No!" screamed Megan's voice. La'gaan was caught off guard for a moment. He looked down to see that Megan and her uncle were galloping up to the castle on their mare. "Don't do it, La'gaan!"
"Megan," the beast whispered. He got to his feet.
0o0o0o0
Conner could hardly believe his eyes. He had never imagined that Megan would come back... he was glad to know that he was wrong. Seeing the redhead again gave him a new strength, a new will to fight back. He stood.
The other man, the one Megan had called La'gaan, was still standing with the broken spike raised over his head. Conner took hold of the makeshift club as well and used all his weight to drive La'gaan back. La'gaan scaled one of the tower roofs and perched atop the window that protruded from the stones.
Conner followed after the other male. Because of his beastly form, he was able to get a much better grip on the tower than La'gaan was. Finally, Conner was able to wrench the spike from the invading male's grip. As a result, he went tumbling down the edge of the tower roof. La'gaan was just barely able to clench onto the edge of the roof by his fingertips.
The former prince stalked towards Megan's would-be suitor on all fours. He knocked his prey down onto a flatter portion of the castle roof and landed atop him.
La'gaan wiggled out from under Conner's weight. He kicked at Conner a few times. While the prince-turned-beast struggled to catch his breath after this latest attack, the dark haired man took hold of the large spike once more.
Conner rolled to his feet. The good thing about this heavy rain was that it was incredibly difficult to see. Conner hid among the gargoyles that adorned the palace roof. He would strike when the time came.
He could hear La'gaan's footsteps on the stones. Every few steps had the added sounds of a gargoyle being smashed to pieces to accompany it. Merely destroying Conner's home was not enough for the other man, either. Apparently La'gaan still believed he would gain the upper hand and that he would be the victorious party. As such, he wanted to taunt the former prince a bit.
"Were you in love with her?" the other man jeered. There was another smashing sound. "Why would you ever think she would have you when she could be married to me?"
The beast felt his temper get the better of him for the first time in many months. He crept up behind La'gaan and dropped to all fours again. He circled his prey. La'gaan swung at him with the makeshift club, but Conner's reflexes were much better than the other boy's. He avoided the attack easily.
Conner sprang back to his feet and took hold of the spike. They grappled for control over it for a moment before Conner realized something. He let go of La'gaan's weapon.
The invader took this as a sign of weakness. He laughed heartily. "It is over, beast," La'gaan declared. "Megan belongs to me."
Conner leapt up at La'gaan, which caused the dark haired male to drop his club once again. Conner let loose a ferocious roar. La'gaan lay flat on his back. He looked up at the former prince with fear in his eyes.
All Conner wanted was for this mess to be over with. He seized La'gaan by the throat and dangled him over the edge of the roof. The would-be hunter gasped for breath and kicked at the air. "I'll do anything," he rasped feebly. "Please don't drop me."
The former prince snarled at the other man. From his viewpoint, he hardly owed La'gaan any favors. Not only had La'gaan broken into his home with the intent to murder him, but he also spoke about Megan as if she were some prize to be won. The thought of that made Conner's blood boil.
But then he softened at the thought of Megan. While he had no doubts that the maiden would like La'gaan to be out of her life, Conner also knew that she would be horrified if he were the one to let La'gaan fall to his death. No, he was not going to kill anyone tonight. Gradually, he retracted his arm and pulled La'gaan back onto the safety of the roof. La'gaan fell to his knees, gasping for air. "Get out," the beast said calmly.
"Conner!"
He would know her lovely voice anywhere. He turned in the direction it had come from, a smile stretching across his face. "Megan."
She was waiting on the balcony in the West Wing. Her hand was outstretched towards him. He could scale the distance quite easily and he began to do so at once. "Megan," he murmured again as he got close to her. He folded his paw around her delicate hand as gently as he could. Conner rested the elbow of his other arm on the railing and reached for her face. Megan's hazel eyes closed at his touch. "You came back."
"Of course I did," she said with a chuckle.
That was the last thing he heard before there was a sharp stabbing pain in his ribs. Everything went black.
0o0o0o0
Megan had not noticed La'gaan scaling the castle roof until it was too late. His too handsome face wore a wicked grin of triumph. Megan saw that his small, sharp dagger dripped with blood. Conner roared in agony. He swung wildly at La'gaan but did not hit him.
This caused La'gaan to let go of the balcony railing so that he could duck out of Conner's path. The weather was so bad that he could not even begin to find any purchase on the slick tower roof. He fell, screaming, off of the tower.
The maiden barely managed to take hold of Conner's tunic. It was all she could do to keep him from meeting the same fate as La'gaan. Conner did his best to climb over the balcony railing and she helped him as much as she could. She helped him lay down and he gazed up at her in a way that she could only describe as lovingly.
She reached for his face, stroking his soft fur and wishing she knew how to help him more. La'gaan had stabbed him quite deeply, too deeply for Megan's limited medical knowledge to treat. His brilliant blue eyes slid closed. "No, no, no," she whispered frantically. The former prince managed to open his eyes again.
His breaths were quite shallow and she could tell that even that was a struggle for him. "You came back," Conner said again.
"I couldn't let them hurt you," she whispered as tears pricked at her eyes. "This is my fault. If only I had come back sooner..."
"Don't blame yourself," the former prince begged. He reached for her again. "I got to see you...one last time..." The words were hard for him to say. She knew he did not have much time left.
Still, she did not care to admit that. "It will be alright. I'm here now. I will take care of you."
Conner smiled serenely before his eyes closed once more. His chest stopped rising and falling. "No," Megan said in disbelief. "No, no, no...please..." The redhead threw herself onto his body and buried her face in his chest. "Please don't leave me. I love you."
Megan had not realized it until that very moment, but she knew it to be true. The thought that she had left it too late made her cry into Conner's chest even harder.
As she wept, the very last petal fell from the rose.
Brilliant beams of multicolored lights began to fall from the sky. Conner's body floated upwards ad Megan quickly backed away from him. A blue mist wrapped around him and slowly but surely he began to change.
His body shrunk and the fur disappeared, leaving only skin in its wake. The fangs vanished, as did his claws and tail. The cloud he was enveloped in set him down gently as Megan scrambled to her feet. The man groaned weakly and straightened up.
He turned to her. "Megan," the man said, "Megan, it's me."
One look at his bright blue eyes told her that it really was Conner, her Conner. "It is you," she said. A grin broke out across her face and she ran into his arms. They folded around her securely. Megan continued to study him for a moment and she realized where she had seen him before: the shredded portrait in the West Wing. Megan had just decided that he really was quite handsome when his lips pressed against hers. All thoughts were wiped from her mind.
The rain stopped falling. Night gave way to daylight. The castle's dark exterior melted away to leave gleaming white marble behind. The hideous gargoyles vanished and statues of cherubs appeared in their place. Overall, the palace was stunning.
The castle was not the only thing being transformed. Mrs. Queen, Kaldur, and Wally all came rushing towards the couple before they too were swept up in clouds of mist. In their places stood three people that Megan had not seen before...yet she'd know them anywhere.
Mrs. Queen was a woman who Megan would have guessed to be around 30 years of age. She had shoulder length blonde hair. Megan recognized her kind blue eyes.
Wally had freckles and bright copper hair not unlike Megan's own. There was a sparkle in his green eyes that she had seen many times before. "It's a miracle," he said fervently. He took hold of Megan's hand and kissed it, just as he had done during their first meeting.
Kaldur had swept into a deep bow before Conner. "Your Majesty," he breathed as he straightened himself once more. Kaldur's eyes were pale gray and he had hair the lightest shade of blond that Megan had ever seen. His skin was a rich chocolate brown. He bowed to her as well. "We are forever in your debt, Miss Megan."
They were not the only servants back in their human forms. Four more people and a dog bolted onto the balcony. The smiling blond man with a moustache and goatee had to be Ollie, Dinah's husband. The little boy with brown hair and freckles who had thrown himself at Dinah's legs was Gar. The pretty blonde in the maid outfit who was kissing Wally quite firmly could only be Artemis. And the young lady with cocoa brown skin and short black hair with a measuring tape draped over her neck must be Raquel.
"It is lovely to see you looking yourself again," Kaldur told Raquel. She smiled at the compliment before pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Conner drew Megan even closer to him. "This is all thanks to you," he murmured before kissing her again.
0o0o0o0
Several weeks later, just after the beginning of the new year, they were married. The ceremony was a small, intimate one. The now human servants were in attendance, as was Megan's Uncle John. For the reception, Hal from the village bookstore was there, as well as the trio of girls who had fawned over La'gaan. Several other villagers had apologized sincerely to Megan and Conner were invited as well.
Megan was greatly disappointed that the other people she had invited had not decided to join the celebration. But, she supposed, she could not have everything she wanted, even if she was now technically a princess.
She had worn her pink ball gown again for the ceremony and reception. Conner had not stopped telling her how beautiful she was since he had first laid eyes on her. He kissed her again before leading her into another twirl around the ballroom.
The newlyweds stopped short when they caught sight of a trio of guests who had just arrived. "Father," Conner murmured. He sounded confused.
King Clark swept into the ballroom. Queen Lois followed closely after her husband. She held the hand of a small girl with flowing blonde hair. Megan guessed her to be Princess Kara.
"I apologize that we missed the ceremony," King Clark said. "The weather has been quite bad in recent weeks. We left at once, I assure you."
Megan smiled at the king's words, but still her groom looked befuddled. "But why are you here at all? I have not seen you in many years, Father."
The king frowned deeply. "Your lovely bride wrote to us to tell us of your nuptials," he replied. "She made clear to me the mistakes I made in your upbringing, but as she says it is not too late to rectify them. If you will have me, I wish to make things right with you." King Clark sounded quite nervous.
"I would like that very much," Conner answered. He allowed a brief smile for his father and then turned his gaze to the queen and the princess. "Your Majesty," he said, inclining his head. He smiled again, wider this time, and added, "Hello, Princess."
John approached the king and queen. "I am humbled," he said. He struck up a conversation with the king while the queen moved forward to embrace first Conner and then Megan.
"Darling girl," the queen murmured in Megan's ear, "I am glad that you wrote. I have long hoped that my husband would make peace with his son. Thank you." With an extra tight squeeze for Megan, the queen went off to talk to the other guests. Her long blue dress swept behind her.
"You are amazing," Conner said to her incredulously to her once they were alone once more. He took firm hold of her as the musicians struck up another waltz. The newlyweds began to dance once more.
No one saw the enchantress Zatanna watching the scene unfold. "I knew he could do it," she said to herself. The enchantress smiled and vanished, leaving the prince and the princess to live happily ever after.