Summary: A desperate monarch makes a pact with another king that will one day force him to give his headstrong daughter to the king's harsh son. Within the castle walls lay many secrets, including a deadly curse with one year to break. Let the fairytale begin.
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Chapter Fourteen
Storming his way into the palace, a flushed Cesario came, dragging his younger daughter Isobella behind him. "Marguerite!" He roared, throwing decorum and general etiquette to the wind.
From wherever she was, she could hear him, as she rushed hurriedly down the staircase. "Cesario?" She questioned, her heart telling her that something was terribly, terribly, wrong. "Cesario, whatever is the matter? What in the heavens are you doing here?"
"How could you not tell me?" He said, his voice now soft and deadly.
"Tell you what?" Marguerite asked, completely bewildered.
"How could you not tell me that your son is a monster?" His words, accentuated and coldly concise, made Marguerite pale.
Seeing her reaction, his eyes narrowed. "So it's true," Cesario breathed, horrified. "It's true that my daughter has been living for months with such a person! I—I—CECILIA!"
"She cannot hear you," admonished Marguerite once she regained her voice. "And do keep it down. I will have a maid send for her." Her eyes found Priscilla's and the woman scurried away, eyes wide with fear.
"Marguerite," croaked Cesario, choking on his rage, "I suggest you explain things to me now."
Torn between keeping her business her own and setting things right with her old friend, Marguerite sighed. Perhaps if he knew, he would cause less of a ruckus about it. "Come with me," she said quietly, and smiled gently at the bewildered young Isobella that accompanied her father.
She led Cesario to an old meeting room and sat him down. "Many generations ago, the family was put under a curse where the men in the family would transform into wolves when they lost their temper. As Derek is a male in the family, he automatically has the curse. But he always retains his sanity and humanity when in this form and has harmed no one. Cecilia has always been safe."
"Safe?" Snarled Cesario. "Safe? Safe when my first impression of him as a ruler is when he threatened me, threatened my family? That monster needs to be restrained! Sent away to somewhere remote where he cannot harm anyone!"
"He is my son!" Marguerite stood up defiantly. "If this was Cecilia, would you just 'send her away'? I think not!"
Cesario, though, was far past reason. "That's irrelevant!" He snapped. "The issue at hand is that it is Derek who is a wolf-man, not my daughter. And I refuse to have her spend another minute here." He licked his lips, making a decision. "And I don't think any other parent would allow the same. That is why I have contacted all of the other countries."
Fear and anger swirling within her, Marguerite lashed out. "How dare you! You had no right! No one in this family has hurt anyone, in wolf form or no! You had no grounds to give that information to anyone!"
"I think that the families deserve to know the conditions their daughters have been living in!" Argued Cesario. "And now that I know, Cecilia will be coming with me and I will make sure that your werewolf son will not roam the earth as he has been doing for the past twenty years of his life."
"Stop doing this!" Snapped Marguerite. "This is all because of pride, isn't it? Pride that my son forced you to send Cecilia here! I know that he was rude when demanding Cecilia's presence, I understand that, but taking his life is not a fair vengeance."
"Fair?" Laughed Cesario bitterly. "Since when has life ever been fair? Since it took my wife? Your husband? Created a horrendous war? Life has never been fair. And I'm sure that the other monarchs will agree with me on that. Make no mistake about it, Marguerite, one way or another, your son will pay for his ways."
They stood for a moment, before they could hear the whisper of "No." Whirling around, Cesario saw Derek and Cecilia, standing in the doorway. Cecilia's eyes were wide and disbelieving; Derek's were narrowed and full of fire. To his credit, Derek stood proud and regal, his shoulders tense and his knuckles tight. Cesario was horrified to see Cecilia notice this, and tearing her eyes off her father, put a soothing hand on Derek's, easing his clenched fingers apart. She whispered something to him, and Cesario snapped out of his trance, growling, "Cecilia, get away from him!"
Both Derek and Cecilia jumped, but she did not release her hold on him. "Father, what are you doing?" she demanded. "Planning Derek's death?"
"Something needs to be done about him," Cesario bit out, not in the least bit fazed that Derek was in the room.
Cecilia looked horrified. "Father, no. Didn't I tell you? Derek is not a—"
Remembering where he heard that statement before, Cesario's eyes grew large, piecing together another piece of the puzzle. He is not the monster you keep insisting that he is. "You knew?" He asked, "You knew and didn't tell me?"
Evidently this was news to Marguerite as well, as she asked dumbly, "You knew?"
Not feeling the least bit guilty, Cecilia replied, "Yes, I've known." Glancing at Derek for support, she admitted, "Since the ball."
In all honesty, when Cecilia found out about Derek's condition, she never even considered telling anyone. As far as she was concerned, it was Derek's business, and if he wished to tell anyone, it was his prerogative, not hers.
"You are a traitor," her father hissed, beyond rage. "A traitor to your country, to your liege, and most importantly, to your father."
"Papa, no!" came a small voice. Running out from behind her father where she had been hiding for the duration of the argument, young Princess Isobella leapt to her sister. "Cecy could never betray us!"
"Isobella!" cried Cecilia in delight, hugging her sister. "Oh, Issy, how I've missed you!"
"And I've missed you!" said her sister. "Cecy, Papa can't be right. I know that you would never betray us." Turning to the man beside her sister, the room was silent as she scrutinized him. "Papa was wrong," she finally announced, completely sure of the words that tumbled from her mouth. "The prince isn't a monster. And if he was, he would never hurt Cecy. He loves her too much."
The simple statement seemed to tear the room apart. Cesario would not stand for this. "Love?" he scoffed. "A beast does not know how to love. And even if he does love her, there is no way that his feelings are returned." He waited for Cecilia's agreement but all he found was a bowed head. "Do not tell me that his feelings are returned." This was clearly made as a statement.
Swallowing, Cecilia began, "Father—"
Turning his head, Cesario swore. "No, no I refuse to believe it! This—this" he turned, pointing a finger at Derek. "This is all of your fault! If you had never demanded Cecilia, if you had never—"
"With all due respect, sir," Derek said softly, and Cecilia could see that same glint in his eyes, could hear the same tone in his voice that he used with her when she first arrived. Although his words were respectful, they hinted at mockery and wit, a dangerous and careless combination. "That statement is irrelevant. The issue at hand that Cecilia has been here for the past few months and that I have fallen in love with her. And I refuse to stand here for another minute and let you insult my mother, my kingdom, and myself."
Having his own words thrown back at him only seemed to anger Cesario more. "How dare you," he hissed, "you selfish, stupid boy. How do you think I could ever consent to marriage between you and my daughter?"
"She is my True One," Derek said, the plain words shocking everyone in the room. "With my love—" here his voice cracked, just slightly, "our love, my spell can be broken. I—I will no longer be a wolf man."
"Do me a favor, Prince Derek, and ask yourself if I care in the slightest about your predicament," snarled Cesario, not fazed in the least by this information. "I am done with this place. Isobella, come here." The young girl, scared but obedient, ran behind her father once again. "I will leave you to face the other monarchs. Come, Cecilia. Get your things."
"No," Cecilia said. "I refuse to leave. My business here is not finished and neither is yours. We can work this out. We can come to an agreement peacefully. Stop making this complicated."
"Complicated!" Cesario's laugh was bitter and echoed around the large room. "You, daughter, made things complicated the moment you discovered who he was and neglected to tell me. Your prince made things complicated the moment he demanded your presence here. If anything, I am only making things easy. Now pack your bags." With a jerk of his head, he motioned to three guards, who stepped forward, prepared to "escort" Cecilia to her room.
"That is against the policy of the nations," cried Marguerite. "You have no right to use your guards in foreign lands unless attacked."
"I am being attacked, just not physically," sneered Cesario. "And I am not retaliating against anyone but my own," he directed this towards Cecilia.
"Father," Cecilia felt weary and heartbroken. She did not understand why her father was acting this way. She did not consider her father to be so prideful, so bitter and out for revenge. Why, why would he shatter her world without even considering what she wanted, what made her happy?
Glancing at the man beside her, she knew that Derek made her happy, made her complete. When she heard him announce her as his True One, her initial reaction was shock, but at the same time, she could not deny it. His words rang true and they felt right as she said them silently on her tongue. She was His True One, just as he was Hers.
And now they were being separated.
Derek, attune to Cecilia's aura, leaned over and whispered as their parents began to argue again, "Go to your room. I will send Priscilla up when I can. Wait there for her and whatever you do, do not leave the room. Make up excuses, requests, anything, but do not leave. I will find you."
He gave her a small, sad smile at the question in her eyes. "I will be fine."
"I cannot sit by in my room and know that my father wants to tear you to pieces," Cecilia said, hating that this was not even an exaggerated statement.
"As much as I want to have you here, I think that by disobeying him will further increase his fury. As we do not know yet what exactly he has planned, we must be on the defense."
A little surprised by his technical language, she nodded, knowing he was right. "All right then." Giving his hand a last squeeze, she dropped it, going to the guards. "I am ready to be escorted to my chambers," she told the guards, trying to look innocent and saddened.
Although the guards knew of Cecilia, knew her disposition and her intelligence, they assumed that in her infatuation, she had forgotten her loyalty to her father and did not mean any intentional harm. They did not realize that Cecilia was not giving up her love so easily, and would not hesitate to exploit their ignorance on her love.
"Cecy," cried Isobella, and ran to her, grabbing her hand. She was surprised her father did not restrain her, but Cecilia was glad for this support.
Her father, satisfied for the moment that she was listening, gave her a smug, albeit warning look, and his eyes rounded on Derek. Just as the doors closed behind her, Cecilia could hear the threats begin. And with that, so did her tears.
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She waited and waited in her room, pacing, absentmindedly putting her traveling luggage on her bed, throwing random objects in, not really believing she would leave.
In her room, Issy took great delight in discovering and making a friend out of Ilario, who was quite enthusiastic about having another playmate, with the same wistful and innocent temperament as himself!
Grateful, Cecilia left them to it. As much as she loved her younger sister, she did not have the patience to answer any other questions she may have about her stay here.
Thoughts jumbled through her brain, driving her crazy with questions that she had no answers to.
How did Father find out? How is he treating Derek? Is Derek fighting back? Oh, please, oh please, he cannot transform in front of Father, that would only make things worse. Is Queen Marguerite furious? Oh, I know she must be… and what of the other girls? Where are they? How much do they know? How much does Ana know? She must be terribly cross with me, with how much I've been keeping to myself. But t'isn't anyone's business but my own, isn't it? If only Father would understand!
Throwing herself onto the bed, Cecilia pressed the palms for her hands into her eyes. She could not cry now, not again. It was mortifying enough that her sister and the guards saw, but crying never did anyone any good and although it made her feel better, it wouldn't help alleviate the situation.
Feeling two little arms slip about her, Cecilia took her hands away and saw her younger sister, Ilario by her side. "Everything will be all right, Cecy," Isobella whispered. "Father is angry, but he will be happy again. He does not like to see you in pain."
Swallowing, Cecilia bit her lip, anxious, terrified. "I hope so, Issy," she told her younger sister. "I hope he realizes that what he is doing now is paining myself and the family of his best friend."
At her sister's solemn tone, Isobella fell silent, instinctively knowing that there was more than a misunderstanding here.
The next quarter of an hour was spent waiting in silence, and finally, finally, she heard the familiar click-clack of Priscilla's heels. "I'm here to give the princess her clothing," she said. "This is the latest stack of her laundry."
"I'm sorry, signora," one of the guards said. "We are under strict orders not to let any servant in this palace near the princess."
"Well then," Priscilla huffed, exasperated. Cecilia could hear the faint rustling of clothing. Did she…? "You can give it to her yourselves" Cecilia and Isobella started to giggle at the absurdity of the situation; Priscilla had just given the strong, weapon-bearing guards her undergarments! And with her day going the way it had been, Cecilia could not find it in herself to be mortified.
Had it only been one day? Not only has Derek declared his love for me, but my father and sister have traveled to Fraanc to confront Derek, and now I am locked in my chamber, like a damsel in distress… Cecilia sighed. She felt emotionally and mentally weary, and on top of that she didn't know how Derek was to reach her now, if Priscilla wasn't allowed in.
To her surprise, she could hear more voices, another female. "Pardon me? What are you doing in front of Princess Cecilia's doors?"
"We are guards of her father, Your Highness."
"Her father? I did not realize he had come to Fraanc. Is something wrong?"
"There has been… a misunderstanding between the countries. It is nothing."
"Oh, I hope you are right. But if I may good sirs, may I visit the princess? We were supposed to meet for tea, and I am to lend her a book."
"Well…" the guards were probably conferencing with each other. "The king did not say we couldn't allow fellow monarchs in… as long as you keep the visit short, I do not see it as a problem."
"Oh, gracias. I knew you would be understanding!"
The door opened, and in walked Ana. "Cecy!" She cried as soon as the door closed, and then immediately lowered her voice. "Oh, Cecy, Miss Priscilla told me everything! Oh, is there anything I can do to help?"
Breaking out in a relieved smile, Cecilia said, "You are not mad I didn't tell you?"
Ana shook her head. "I understand. Honestly, I probably would have done the same in your situation. Besides, it was not your secret to tell. But being Derek's True One! You sly thing, I know I may have been a bit smug—I knew you two were perfect for each other— but you needn't have kept that from me!"
"Believe me, I would have told you. I just found out myself today."
"He confessed his love? How romantic! But your father isn't so enthusiastic about the news?" Ana was ecstatic.
"That would be an understatement, I think," Cecilia replied wearily. "And Derek was supposed to give me a message through Priscilla; but the guards won't let her in!"
Ana's eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief and Cecilia wondered how she could have missed the signs. "Why do you think I'm here? Silly girl; I thought you would have known when I made up the lie about us having tea together."
Cecilia smiled excitedly. "Oh, good, I was getting so worried!"
"Well, the message was---" Ana stopped, seeing Isobella listening intently to every word. "Now, who is this?"
"Oh!" Cecilia blinked. "This is my younger sister, Issy. Issy, this is my good friend, Ana."
Isobella, shy, murmured "Hello."
In return, Ana gave her a radiant smile. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you! You must keep me company while Cecy goes off to have an illicit meeting with her love."
Cecilia stared. "What do you mean?"
"The message is from Derek to have you meet him in his study. His study! While you go, I will stay here with your darling sister and we will pretend to help you pack."
Blinking confusedly, Cecilia frowned. "I don't understand; how exactly am I supposed to meet Derek in the study if I am not allowed to get out of my room?"
Ana gave her another impish smile. "Through a secret passage, of course! Don't tell me your home doesn't possess any."
Cecilia blinked. "Of course it does, but I mean… there's a secret passage in this room?"
"Precisely," Ana said. "When I was talking to Miss Priscilla, I managed to get the whole story. Queen Marguerite did more matchmaking than you thought she did."
Cecilia was confused. "What do you mean?"
"You have this room for a reason," replied her friend. "When Queen Marguerite was brought here before her wedding, she had this room. Marguerite, also another sly girl, grew restless and found the secret passage. She roamed the castle and stumbled upon Maxwil in his study. That is how their relationship began. Perhaps Marguerite knew that there was a chance you would not use or discover the secret passage, but hoped all the same that you would. And look, now you are!"
Taking in the information, Cecilia couldn't believe it. "Queen Marguerite is really something, isn't she?"
"One of the best queens of the century, that much is certain," agreed Ana. "But enough of that. We need to get you to your prince!"
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The secret passage itself ended up being in, of all things, the bathing rooms. Near the bath was a small closet, filled with towels and robes. On the bottom of the closet was a round rug, and beneath that was a trapdoor.
"Good heavens," exclaimed Cecilia once Ana told her where it was. "What an odd place to put a secret passage! I wonder how the queen discovered it."
Ana shrugged, handing Cecilia a fire-lit lantern. "How she found it now is unimportant. We're running out of time! Don't make excuses-- you look positively stunning, he'll want to ravish you on the spot. What are you waiting for? Go, go!"
Rolling her eyes at Ana's impatience, Cecilia complied after giving her young sister a kiss on the cheek.
The passage was, as expected, dreary, with a muggy, misty quality of air. The damp passageway was narrow, and the steps were clearly ancient. Even though she knew that she shouldn't move in such a dilatory fashion, she couldn't help but hesitate after ever step, checking to make sure its weight held.
Thankfully, the stairs eventually ended, and she seemed to be in an area that was covered entirely with cobblestone. The only sound that followed her was the clickety clack of her shoes and Cecilia concentrated on that sound to keep her from becoming hysterical. Fortunately, the tunnel went in only one direction, and didn't branch off anywhere, so she didn't have to worry about getting lost.
Finally, finally, the hallway stopped abruptly. Cecilia was now faced with what appeared to be the back of… a cloth?
Tentatively, Cecilia lifted the edge of the cloth. It didn't take much effort for it to swing open, revealing the study, and a pacing Derek. He stopped abruptly upon seeing her.
Cecilia licked her lips wordlessly. Now that she was here, she didn't quite know what to say. Walking out of the tunnel, she lowered the tapestry. To her surprise, it was the same tapestry that she noticed the night Derek transformed.
The man's eyes were still as unforgiving as ever, but Cecilia noted that the wolf's eyes seemed more at calm, more at peace, and almost human.
Turning her attention back to Derek, she saw him watching her intently. Flushing a little, Cecilia didn't know why she was tongue tied now. Granted, they were, for lack of a better term, Soul Mates, but that shouldn't have changed much. How were they ever going to get anywhere if both of them stood, merely looking at each other?
Gathering her voice, Cecilia asked, "How did you manage to get away?"
Clearly, this was not a question Derek was expecting. Blinking a little confusedly, he cleared his throat and answered, "My mother, actually, was the one who sent me away. Apparently my presence was only making your father more agitated. I sensed that was best and made a hasty exit." He fell silent, and seemed to be contemplating what to say next. Cecilia did not make any moves to say more, silently waiting.
"What are you thinking?" He asked her, quietly. "There are so many things I want to say right now, but I don't want to say or assume anything until I know how you feel. Your father," here he swallowed slightly, "implied some aspects about our relationship, and I want—I want to know what exactly we mean to each other."
"I'm unsure as to how to begin," Cecilia sighed. "I don't know what you want me to say, or what needs to be said, or what shouldn't be. What do you want me to say?"
Derek laughed suddenly, briefly and loudly. "This is a surprise," he smiled, and the tension was broken. "I can't ever recall either of us not knowing what to say, or being considerate enough that we ask what the other wants to hear."
Cecilia smiled as well. "Too true," she said, then turned away from him, walking casually towards the fireplace that burned with vitality. "But honestly? I was… I wasn't expecting you to tell me you loved me. That I was—am—your True One. And then my father coming, I haven't had much time to process everything." Abruptly she turned back to face her prince, the embers causing her silhouette to glow and her eyes to become amber liquid. "But I acknowledge that I am your True One… and I accept it. Actually," she said, her smile blooming at the sight of his dark, sad eyes becoming so clear and bright and hopeful. "This arrangement works out quite nicely for me."
"It does?" Derek inquired, a dark eyebrow rising mischievously. "And why is that, Princess?"
She said nothing, walking to him boldly, and then stopping. Her bravery promptly failing, she flushed and looked to the ground. Cecilia was silent a moment before the words escaped her lips. "Because I love you," she whispered.
"Truly?" He murmured, his hands tentatively coming up to brush back tendrils of hair and cupping her face.
Cecilia groaned at his unintentional pun. "I am your True One," she smiled teasingly at him. "Of course I mean it."
He grinned and Cecilia reveled in him being so happy. He radiated a joy she had never seen.
As the tender moment faded, both noticed their close proximity. Cecilia felt her entire body flush and knew Derek was feeling the same. "May I?" He whispered, his voice hoarse. "Please?" His questions had no room for misinterpretation.
A tentative, shy nod was her answer and their lips were slow in meeting. But when they did, like any fairytale kiss, it was pure magic. Soft, sweet, and lovely, it was not only a bonding of lips, but a fusing of two souls, meant and made for each other.
Gradually the sweetness transitioned into passion, Derek's inner animal showing hints of itself through his kiss. Teeth and tongue nipped at her lips and Cecilia, beckoned with blood burning like liquid molten, could only respond with the same kind of enthusiasm.
Even wolves needed their oxygen, and it was only then that their kiss was broken. The aftermath was slightly embarrassing for Cecilia—so that was what it was like to lose control—but nothing was said as they cuddled by the fire, as they hoped to do for many nights to come.
The fates had other plans for the two, however. It was a good thing that the kiss was so memorable, because that was Derek and Cecilia's last time alone for a very long time to come.
Last Edited: 2/16/09
