0 comments/ 6244 views/ 4 favorites Beast Unseen By: TasteofHome Chapter One In the land of curses and blessings, there was once a young princess who was locked into a tall red brick tower covered in bright green ivy in the middle of the deep dark enchanted woods by a misunderstood not so evil as every one believed old witch. The misunderstood not so evil as every one witch had tricked the King and Queen for their daughter when she was but an infant with a head of cabbage. The witch had locked the young girl into a tower to keep her pure from the evils of the world. The witch was sure that if the princess was to remain with her parents, that she would become a cruel and unjust leader like the villain the King was beginning to show signs of. The Queen was a vain creature and was rather fond of the mirror on the wall and would croon to it when she thought no one was looking. Before giving up the princess, they saddled her with the worse name they could think of as a subtle sort of revenge to the misunderstood not so evil witch that had tricked them. The King and Queen named the small smiling and gurgling infant the unfortunate name of Rapunzelle. A few years later there was a revolt in that kingdom against the king and queen. They were both beheaded in front of the entire kingdom on a sunny afternoon. There were rumors of the princess still being alive, so the high counsel ruled the land fairly until the princess could be found. The witch could not bear to call the child by that name, and chose to call her Raz for short. While in the tower the young Raz grew up and filled her mind with the knowledge of scholars and myth. The witch would visit with her weekly and teach about the different cultures of the world and try to prepare her for ruling a kingdom, while she waited for the prince the witch had promised to come and bring her to the real world. Only a prince with a noble and just heart would be able to find his way to the tower that she called home. One day a young single prince from the neighboring kingdom was chasing a wild bore and ended up lost in the enchanted woods. The prince being a wise man, decided to climb the tallest tree he could find and try to figure out where he was. While he was half way up the tree, he spied the bright green ivy-covered tower in the distance. Thinking that he would be able to find a person in the tower he departed from the tree and ventured toward the tower. After a short bit of traveling on foot he found himself in front of the ivy tower. Walking around the tower twice he discovered that there was not door to the base of the tower. Puzzled by this, he saw a window at the top of the tower with some sort of movement in the room. Feeling adventurous the young prince tested the strength of the vines of the bright green ivy and started climbing to the open window. Making it to the top of the tower he hoisted himself into the room and clattered noisily on to the floor, startling Princess Raz into dropping her hairbrush. The noise of the hairbrush hitting the floor made the young prince look up and directly into the princess's crystal blue eyes. After a moment of confusion they both began to smile. Some people know love at first sight. The witch was known to make weekly visits, materialized at the top of the stairway. Despite there not being any doorway at the base of the tower, there was a secret passage underground that opened up to a secret under ground cave that the witch had created for hauling goods back and forth from the tower. The not so evil witch was getting old and thought that it would be a waste of power and talent to simply transport herself where ever she wanted. Simple things like time space distortion always had to be factored in. Having an underground tunnel was just good thinking. The witch having the for-sight that a prince would be presenting himself soon to young princess Raz, decided to make an early trip to the tower that week, with was she felt would be very handy in a short a mount of time for the young girl. The gift in all its finery was a white dress of lace, satin and pearls. Something suitable for a wedding and a coronation. Raz and the young prince were both very surprised by the sudden appearance of the witch. The prince drew his sword at the witch and made a lunging motion to at the witch, which spurred princess Raz out of her shocked trance at seeing the prince. Having never seen an actual man before, she was a little shocked to see what they looked at, but threatening her benefactor and the only person she had ever known made move into action. Throwing herself in front of the witch as he made one more paring motion, the prince with drew his sword realizing that the old witch was not there to hurt her. The witch being very amused by the display of masculinity the prince was showing and the wisdom of withdrawing his sword decided that he was worthy of Princess Raz. Laying a giant dress box on the four-poster bed. The witch took both of Raz's hands into her old withered ones and kissed them. Whispered for her to be happy and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. The prince being confused by all of this opened the box the witch had set down. Parting the tissue paper he saw a white gown and a creamy white envelope with black writing on it addressed to him. Frowning a moment, he opened the envelope. Raz pulled the dress out of the box and quickly changed into it in front of the prince. The note to the young princes told him of the young Raz's heritage, making her lineage worthy if not worthier then his to rule. Shortly after seeing her in the fine white gown meant for a queen, he whisked her away from her isolated tower and married her that very evening in front of all upon the kingdom who could take leave to witness such an event. The old king who was ailing in his health, approved of this, since he was not sure how long he would be able to remain in that world. Three weeks later the prince was crowned king and the country mourned the loss of King Humpledink and welcomed King Zemeckis and Queen Rapunzelle to the throne. Several years after being married and much enthusiastic trying Queen Raz announced to the court that an heir was on the way. Many in the kingdom rejoiced for hearing this news. Not wanting to offend, Queen Raz invited the misunderstood witch who had raised her to come and bless the expected heir of the kingdom. Now despite the queens peculiar upbringing and the witch doing her best to instill good solid values into her, there was still a bit of vanity that laid deep with in the queen that from time to time would make an appearance. With this said, she tried to persuade the old witch to bless the expecting child with innate good looks. The witch realizing was the young queen was asking, granted her request but not in the exact words the young queen was expecting. The wording of the blessing spread through the land, "My the beauty of your inside reflect upon you, and may true loves kiss seal the form." It was later discovered that the queen was expecting twins. Chapter Two A couple of decades later Duke Blagnor and Princess Amaryllis walked down the aisle in a shower of white and red rose petals. Wedding bells chimed through out the air and white doves were released into the air as the happy couple climbed into the glittering carriage drawn by four white horses with big red bows tied to them. Several people ducked hoping that they wouldn't be hit with bird droppings, despite it being said to be good luck. The horses stamped impatiently as the bride kissed all eleven of her sisters on their rosy cheeks before she climbed into the highly decorated carriage. The drive snapped the reins once and the carriage took off down the cobblestones to the secluded honeymoon destination. Violet surveyed the crowd morosely. The dancing had stopped, but the music was still playing in the background softly. Violet wasn't even fond of the dancing, but it was something that she had always known. She and her sisters had been cursed. They had been forced to dance every night at midnight until two nights ago. The king, their father had long ago made a decree that any that could break the curse of his twelve dancing daughter would be marry the oldest one as his reward and become king once he died. Those hopefully of marrying any of the princesses had to try and break this curse. All those who tried would have three nights and three tries to break the curse or else forfeit their lives and their land. Many rich and not so rich royals flocked toward the kingdom of Berttletic hoping to break the curse. The king had grown quite rich from all those that had attempted. He didn't even seem to mind that his daughters would be spinsters as long as the wealth kept piling up with those that tried and failed. Duke Blagnor being cunning and broke with nothing else to lose started accompanying half-witted hopefuls to the castle and watched them fail time and time again. While he watched the hopefuls fail he noticed that they always danced to the same tune over and over again. After receiving an anonymous hint that changing the tune could possibly break the curse, he decided to give his method a try, between that he was hopelessly in love with the oldest princess, Princess Amaryllis. Her raspberry colored lips entranced him with every word they shaped and the sound of her silver tinkling laughter made his heart swoon. After a while of hanging about the castle, notes were passed between him and the princess. Duke Blagnor quickly discovered that she had a fine mind and a sense of humor about her also. Every time he had been to the castle she had been endlessly sweet to him and kind to him, and the thought of her marrying any one other then him would have broken his hearted. So thinking it through he stayed up all night and watched them dance two nights in a row. Marking how gracefully and lovely they were while they danced. On the last night, he brought out a flute from his pocket and harmonized with the tune while it played and about half way into the melody he change some of the notes and slowly changed the melody so that the original melody was no longer recognizable. In just a moment the curse that forced them to dance, was broken and immediately several sisters fell out of step, one of them tripped and another fell on her bum. Two days later Duke Blagnor and Princess Amaryllis were married, leaving Violet lost in her own thoughts of her future for the first time ever. It is so easy to not think about things when you don't have to, when you have a routine and you always know what you are going to do, day in and day out. It gives a person a sense of security. Her sisters in all their pink finery fluttered around all the pompous courtiers and the neighboring royals. Several of them making it quite obvious that they were more then ready to have their own wedding night. A couple of them were dancing with willing partners on the tiled ballroom floor. The king, her father sat on his throne, smugly viewing the gathering and peering down dresses of girls younger then his oldest daughter. Violet supposed that her father was amused by the whole spectacle and with having an heir; he could easily take a second wife, since his first wife had died in childbirth supporting his quest for an heir. Violet had never felt so alone in her life. All she had ever known was the dancing and spending her days with her sisters, most particularly Amaryllis. It may not have been an exciting life, but she had enjoyed the peace of it. And here she was dressed in pink silk to her toes, tied in a corset that made her back her and her breast way to visible for her comfort. Her mahogany colored hair curled and twined with pearls through and through. Glittering jewels dripped from her neck and ears causing every movement she made to shimmer and shine. She hated it. She hated people gazing at her creamy breasts and talking down to her like she was ornamental centerpiece and had no brain of her own. She hated the fuss of it all, she decided that she had enough of people in general; she made her way to the library to avoid the bulk of them. Once in the library, she saw several people in various stages of undress in intimate embraces. With a sigh, she decided to just call it a night. The dancing had stopped, and there was nothing for her to fill the void yet. Her sisters didn't seem to care one way or the other and the companionship and feeling of belonging that she got while dancing felt like it would never be restored. Making her way to her room, she avoided the canoodling couples in the hall. Once she made it into her room, she locked her bedroom door, to prevent any accidental intrusion and changed into bed cloths. It was a little tricky to get all the finery off and her hair combed out with out her maid, but she wasn't going to rack her down in the middle of the celebrations and she wasn't going to unlock the door for the maid to assist later. It was just too risky that someone might accidentally walk in, since her room was the closest to the festivities. With another sigh, she blew out her candle, put an eye mask over her eyes, to block out all the torch light in the court yard and went to sleep. She did all of this with the hope that things would change for her in the morning.   Chapter Three The next morning in a cheerful yellow and white striped breakfast room of the kingdom next door, three occupants sat sipping their coffee out of little china teacups with cranes painted on them. Queen Raz studied her two sons, as they dined one their breakfasts and reading the news. For being twins, they were not all that much alike. Collin, the first-born son and heir to the throne, was broad shouldered and bulky. His dark brown normally hung shaggily down to his shoulders, often escaping the ribbon that was suppose to have held it back. Glasses were perched at the end of his nose while he read the reports from the farmers on the conditions of the crops. Even on the best of days he seem to have a 5 o'clock shadow on his face and unless reminded would be turned into a full beard in two days. Only when he was completely shaved could a person see the scars that a rough childhood battle with small pox and ache had left on his face. There was also a scar that was on the left side of his face next to his green eyes, which gave him a rather intimidating look to those that first glanced at him. All that would not have been so bad if his clothing have been a little neater. His clothing despite him having access to the best tailors in the kingdom always seemed to have a worn, wrinkled look to them. Compared to his younger brother, Collin looked positively mid-evil, complete with scowl that was normally perched on his face when in popular company. Ethan the younger of the twins was rather dapper looking. His slender form with his fresh pressed suits and charming white smile made most ladies in the court swoon, and quite a few of them flip their skirts for him at just a wink. Ethan's hair probably had never been out of place once in his life and his face was smooth and clear of any blemish, his chocolate brown eyes was reading the newspaper. Long slender fingers that never ever had dirt crusted underneath the nails turned a page in the newspaper. Deciding that she had enough of her boys seemingly ignoring her, she cleared her throat daintily; causing two sets of eyes is rose and met her clear blue ones. Ethan's perfectly shaped eyebrow cocked with the unasked question in it. Collin just looked at her, waiting for the news. He always seemed to have a grim look to him, when it came time to make announcements. As if he was always expecting the worst thing possible to happen. Picking up his coffee cup he took a sip of the steaming hot brew. "I have decided that you will be getting married," stated Queen Raz with out any preamble. Coffee spewed out of Collins mouth as he began to choke on the hot liquid. Ethan with a solid hand smacked his brother on his back, until he quit coughing. With is tears in his eyes from choking and the force of his brothers assistance he beseeched her statement with one of his own. "Whom, do you mean?" asked Collin; once he was able to get his breathing even, despite his face still red with the shock and surprise. A stain of coffee started to set and stain the lapel of his coat. He half empty teacup sat next to the forgotten croissant on his gold trimmed plate. His valet was sure to lament of the coffee stain at a later date, but he was sure that in the grand scheme of things a little bit of spilt coffee was nothing compared to the news they were given. "Both of you. It is high time for you both to settle down. Between that it will strengthen our relationship with the other kingdoms. There has been talk of war lately, and if we have a wedding, we can quickly nip that issue in the bud," said Queen Raz in a frank matter. "So, do we at least get to pick our brides out, or have you already done that for us, mother," asked Ethan in a dry tone. "There is no need to be smart with me, of course you can pick your bride. In fact I have been so kind to invite several eligible young ladies over from the neighboring kingdom. They will be spending winter with us. Feel free to pick any one them to be your bride, and if they don't suit your tastes, I am sure that I can find more to spend the spring with us until you both are settled down. I would hope to have wedding by next fall. Something we can do outside before the harvest," replied Queen Raz. "Since we are to be under siege and poached like meat by husband seeking princesses, when can we expect the first shipment of beauties to arrive," asked Ethan as if he were ordering a glass of sherry from the butler. Collin wished that he could be as cool and collected as Ethan over this sudden piece of new. Nothing ever seemed to shake Ethan's demeanor. "Oh, in about two or three weeks, I don't remember for sure. It all depends on how long it takes them to get here. The first bevy of princesses will be from Berttletic. I don't' think all eleven of them will be able to make it. I believe the king wrote me back to say that several of them were traveling abroad this winter," said the queen casually. "I dare say, eleven? That is a little extreme," remarked Ethan with a bored air. "Well, there are actually twelve of them, but the oldest is most recently married. Some nonsense about a curse and such stuff kept the princesses from coming out sooner, any way I am sure that they are all lovely and accomplished young ladies," replied Queen Raz as she sipped and smiled approvingly at the attention her youngest son was giving her brilliant idea. "I would say it had to be some curse, to have eleven girls to begin with," said Ethan with a fair amount of sarcasm. Collin sat at the table like a stunned rabbit watching his mother, the queen talk. Part of him wondered if she even knew what she was asking of them. It was like the world he knew was just ripped out from beneath him and none of the other occupants at the table even seemed to notice or care. It didn't matter if King had 20 ravishing daughters; it wasn't like King would be forced to marry one of them. He just had to find them husbands. The thought of being forced to marry someone he didn't even know made him feel nauseous that he completely tuned out the rest of the conversation that flowed around him like dark current trying to suck him into the blackening depths of despair. It was one of the few times he wished that his father, King Zemeckis was there to put and end to this nonsense, instead of being three kingdoms over, acting as a diplomat between the two feuding kingdoms of Genovia and Skirvania. He was sure that it would be more harmonious to work with two feuding overlords then to try to make small talk to a bunch of princesses. Beast Unseen Ch. 04-07 *************************** Dearest Husband, I am not sure if I am doing the right thing. You should have seen the look on Collins face when I told him that it was time for him to get married. I know we talked about this, but my heart breaks for him. I can only hope that one of the princesses that we have invited will bring him out of his shell. It pains me so to see him so reclusive. I know we both talked about this and we feel it is for the best, but if it is for the best you would think he would show a little more enthusiasm. You were right about Ethan; he took to the idea like a duck to water. It was almost like he had planned on this day coming. It going to take a strong woman to be able to be his companion, he has had relations with several of my ladies in waiting and I am not sure how to approach him about it. Do you think you could pull him aside and talk to him about it when you get home? It is hard for me to deal with the constant tears when he grows tired of them. I miss you dearly love. I am glad that the negotiations are looking up. I can't wait to have you home and in my arms again. Be careful my heart. Love Raz  ******************** Chapter Four The carriages turning wheels seemed to find every single bump and pothole in the road. Six girls sat uncomfortably in the carriage for the fourth day in a row. None of them had ever been traveling this far or this long ever and most them more then tired of each other's company. Violet sat in the center between her two youngest sisters, Rose and Rosemary. Her sturdy blue cotton traveling dress with cape and a matching feathered cap, were beginning to look more then a little wilted and tired. Violet glanced at her sister to the side of her. This set of twins were a little over sixteen with long blond hair and bright blue eyes, and cheeks the color of roses and lips the color of cherries. They had the sort of beauty that men would fight dragons just to sample their charm. The two had decided that they both wanted to watch scenery pass and commented on every little thing they saw out the windows. Dressed in matching buttercup yellow traveling dresses and coats they looked like children of summer. It would seem that all the summer activities amused them to no end. Violet not having a chance to see sit by the window once the entire trip heard about it by the narration that Rose and Rosemary gave. Violet had the pleasure at hearing the squeal of excitement every time her sisters, saw some one working in a field with their shirt off or they rolled through any little town. She heard them talk about the way people dressed and moved and made despairing remarks about any one that didn't meet their standards. Most people did not meat their standards of style and fashion. It seemed that being sixteen gave the world a hue of excitement that one just didn't understand at a ripe old age of twenty. Violet stick in the middle seat, tried desperately to read her book by what little light came through the carriage windows most of the time and forget about the unease her stomach gave her as the moved along by four chestnut mares. In all the time they had spent on the rode, she had barely gotten a fourth of the way through the novel, due to the unending queasiness of her stomach. Taking large calming breathes through her nose and letting them out through her mouth she peered at her other sisters. None of them seemed to be having the same reaction to traveling that she did. Across from her sat her three other younger sisters, Zinnia age seventeen with straight black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a cool green traveling habit, with the feather on her cap now showing any sign of drooping. Violet couldn't understand how she never seemed to look ruffled despite the days they had been traveling. It was almost like she had some sort of domestic magic that kept her cloths from ever being a wrinkled mess or her hair out of place. Today her hair was coiled in intricate braids at the base of her neck with her had perched smartly on top. Her icy blue eyes constantly challenged Violet to keep her temper. Her posture never seemed to weaken on even the most horrendous of bumps and her patience was extremeness being seated in between the other set of twins. The other set of twins at age eighteen, Poppy and Petunia, dressed matching pale pink traveling habits that complimented their dark red curly hair and dark green eyes that danced easily amusement peered out the windows also. They both work their hair pinned up in curls that hung and swished around their face whenever they moved to quickly, giving them an animated look. When they were not watching the scenery pass they three of them chatted mindlessly about the guests they had talked and flirted shamelessly at the their sisters wedding only a week before, continued in that vein of conversation, with plotting and planning how to get the princes to marry them. Violet having heard most of the scheming plans it all at least three times since the start of this trip, shut her eyes and leaned back in the stiff plank board seats, hoping that perhaps she would be able to get some sleep before they got to their next stop, since she wasn't sure how long her breathing trick was going to work for her. The little food in her stomach will still in an uproar. Toast and tea should settle the stomach more then anything, but for the fourth day in a row it was a battle to keep it down before they stopped for dinner. It was going to be at least another couple days before they got to the castle, and sleeping in the inn never seemed to make her feel any more rested then she did when they started the trip. It could be because there was never enough room for all of them, and Violet somehow always ended up sleeping in some sort of chair by the fire for most of the night. She would have a crick in her neck the entire time. Violet closed her eyes trying to think of nothing but sleeping, so that hopefully she would soon be doing just that. Just as she was beginning to herself doze off, she was abruptly startled by the sound of a loud piercing whistle and galloping hoofs. A white horse with a rider dressed in a worn black riding bolted past their carriage causing the horses of their carriage to whine and whinny in anxiety. All of her started sisters twittered in anticipation and wonderment at where the rider was going in such a hurry. Violet feeling more exhausted then anything, just laid her head back and went back to trying to doze.   Chapter Five Collin pressed himself against his steed trying to urge the creature to go faster. An urgent missive had been received that morning from the city of Glendrop. There was a mini riot between Genovia and Skirvania nationals that had taken refuge from their homeland was brewing. King Zemeckis being at the empires capitol had no way of getting to the remote fishing and shipping industry before a war broke out on the streets. Despite know that they were expecting guests of the female persuasion and it would deeply displease his mother, the Queen that he would not be there to greet them, he felt it was more important for the sake of the kingdom to get this issue resolved before war and riot became the norm for the peaceful cobbled streets of Glendrop. If the city of Glendrop turned to riots, and warfare in the streets, most of the commerce in the kingdom would come to almost a halt, since Glendrop was the main import export city of the kingdom. Without the frequent ships coming to port there and exchange of goods, the land and the countries next to it would slowly go broke since, it had almost a natural harbor and was the easiest dock to manage all along the coastline is shared with its neighbors. Fortunes were made and were lost in Glendrop on a daily business. While the horse raced down the road towards Glendrop, he briefly wondered about the carriage that it he had passed. He had to whistle at the driver of the carriage to make him known to the driver, because the drive was taking up the entire road. It looked like the driver was more then a little bit road worn and could possibly have begun to fall asleep at the reigns. The road was a bit narrow, but not uncommonly so, that two carriages could not pass if they were to meet up, but this carriage was driving in the exact center of the road. It was hard enough to get by on the road, but the carriage drove down the center as if it owned the entire road. It was a narrow space that him and his faithful stead had to make due galloping really close to the other horses and the carriage windows to get past. He had seen several ladies heads peer out at him while he passed and could hear some of the horses behind him whining in protest. He hoped that he didn't scare the horses to bad, because it was a good chance that the ladies in the carriage were the ones his mother had agreed to host. If they were the ladies in question, he was sure that he had just made a wonderful first impression on they. If they were that close to the kingdom, then he had better get to Glendrop fast. The longer he lingered away from the castle the worst it would be for him when he returned. He know that his mother would be fussing and clucking over each of the girls and try to talk him up to each one of them. And the longer he would be gone, the more she would talk him up and it would be nothing but misunderstanding and misery when he came home and they had to deal with the real him an not the image his mother had seeded in their fertile brains. On the bright side, hopefully his brother would be there to entertain them, and just perhaps they wouldn't notice he was there all that much. It seems that they always expected him to be a lot more like Ethan. Ethan always seemed to know what to say to the ladies and probably never felt tongue tied at all in his life when talking to the opposite sex. He knew for a fact that his brother seemed to have a voracious sexual appetite, since Collin has seen several of the younger maids and several of his mothers prized ladies in waiting try to discretely leave his suite in the middle of the night. Collin normally wouldn't care, but it always seemed to bump into about half of them in the hallway on the way to his suite from the kitchens. He often would take the back servant stairs down to the kitchens and fix himself a cup of tea and grab a couple of cookies the baker always had stashed for in an old flour jar, when he couldn't sleep. It seemed that he couldn't sleep most often and became quite a night owl. A cup of tea, a couple of cookies and reading a book for a couple of hours always seemed to help with this ailment. For some reason the ladies in question almost always took those stairs, hoping that no one would see them. Each time he ran into one, they would stutter and turn red and mumble some sort of apology as they tried to pass. Several of them would try to cover any sort of love bites and or bruising they might have had on their arms or neck. One of his mother's ladies in waiting sat and cried in the dark and dingy stairwell when he made eye contact with her. He was so beside himself that, he gave her his cookie and offered his cup of tea to her. She was so surprised; she quit bawling and dashed down the rest of the stairs, dropping his cookie into the stairwell. The cookie tumbled down the stairs creating a mess of crumbs as it disappeared into the darkness. Not wanting to cause the girl any more embarrassment he just went up to his room and drank his cooling tea and tried to read a book until dawn. Collin just couldn't understand women. He had never felt excessively comfortable around any of them other then, Rifka, the traveling book vendor. He didn't' even consider her a woman most of the time, more like a friend. It probably helped that she was a little older then his mother with a sun tanned face that had lines upon it like a road map and graying hair that was often in a messy braid down her back. She typically dressed in suede trousers that helped her move around freely in her traveling caravan of books. Dresses would get caught on the crates of books. Any time she was in town, he would spend hours pouring over the books in her cart, trying to figure out which ones he wanted and which ones he would actually read. He could talk to her about almost anything and she didn't seem to care at all. In fact she seemed to enjoy having some one to converse with on politics, literature, science and medicine. He never felt weird around Rifka and didn't have to worry about it being unusual or awkward if they spent hours together, because it was all to a purpose. Having very little contact with any other lady other then Rifka, he was slightly mystified as to what the ladies he brother entertained in his room could possibly be embarrassed about and why they often seemed to have bruises. Collin assumed that they probably did some sort of wrestling and horse play, which would cause some of the bruises if not careful, because he knew that despite Ethan being and excellent reader he very rarely did it. It wasn't until he asked Rifka what she thought was going on in Ethan's room, did she pull out a book with all sorts of pictures and explanations. Collin had never felt his ears turn any redder then when Rifka had the birds and the bees talk with him. Thinking of a book he specially ordered, he hoped that if he would be really lucky perhaps and possibly catch Rifka in Glendrop. If she were in Glendrop, he would be able to pick up one of the novels of folklore that he had asked her to pick up for him, thus giving him something to distract himself while the princesses pranced about the castle. Spurring his horse on a little more to try and get there faster he left the rest of his thoughts in a cloud of dust as he started to see the wrought iron city gates of Glendrop.   Chapter Six That night Ethan sat in the wingback chair in the library watching the logs burn in the fireplace. Flames of orange and yellow danced around. Deep coals of white glowed contently as the flames danced. A glass of scotch sat next to him hardly touched. In his mind he knew that the next day the princesses from the next kingdom over would be arriving and his mothers wedding campaign would start. He had thought that he would have more time. There never seemed to be enough time for everything he wanted to accomplish it. Most of it required lots of work, which was not something he ever wanted to admit to doing. Work would surely require him to get his hands dirty. If there was something that Ethan hated it was dirt and disorder. Even when brooding, he made it a point to look at picture perfect as possible. Sometimes a person had to act fast if they wanted to get what they wanted and dressing made all the difference in the world between a whore and a lady, a prince and pauper. He would never be mistaken for a mere commoner by the way he dressed, unlike his brother, thought Ethan with a small frown. Even though it was almost midnight, he pants still looked as if they had been freshly pressed and his shirt had barely a wrinkle in it. His suit coat lay gently against the settee next to him to prevent it from becoming creased. The only thing that was relaxed about him was that he untied his cravat. For this part of his plan he needed to at least look a little casual. Having his cravat untied irritated him. It needed to be either on or off, but not in this half undressed state, but he held his urges in check, because he know that it would unsettle he prey if he left it tied. It would be too formal. If it was off, he would have to shove it in his pocked and then it would take forever to get it to have the proper creases. The only way to compromise was to leave it untied on his neck. He tried to be a little irritated at his mother taking a sharp hand in this, but he had known for a while that this day would come. He just didn't realize it would come so quickly. He had thought that he had more time for his plan, but it seemed that it wasn't so. It was beginning to be imperative that he speed of the cogs of his plan if he was ever going to get what he wanted. The door to the library opened softly. A small delicate face of a maid that had been hired to help out with the soon to be arriving princesses, slipped into the solitude of the library. With a little bit of tremor she approached Ethan. Inside Ethan smiled at her obvious fear and discomfort. He had cornered her that morning in the kitchen when the cook had been reviewing meal plans with his mother, and after a bit of charm and pressure he had her word that she would meet him in the library for princess tutoring that night when the clock struck midnight. Trying to look as harmless as possible, he motioned to her to take a seat in the burgundy wingback chair opposite to him. With a deft hand he poured her a snifter of brandy to try and calm her nerves. She shifted on her feet from side to side before she approached him. As she drew closer the firelight made her dull brown hair take on red highlights that almost complimented her thin face. After a moment she decided to accept his offer to sit and the firelight washed over her face. Her eyes were a little wide on her head and bright blue, her thin straight nose went down the center of her face and turned up at the end. Giving her an almost fishy look. "It is alright. I don't bite," said Ethan in what he had cultivated as smooth and charming voice. He hoped that he could get this task done with in the next half hour, because he sorely needed some sleep, if he was going to be fresh and pressed for tomorrow. "That not what I heard in the kitchens," chirped the maid in brave squeaky voice. Then realizing what she just said could be considered and insult, she started to turn bright cherry tomato red. Glancing down to the glass of amber liquid she decided to down the biting liquor he had handed her to boost her courage in one swallow. The warming liquid took her by surprise causing her to sputter and choke. Watching her sputter and choke made Ethan think even more of a fish gasping in the air on the beach after a storm. Ethan being highly amused at the pertinence of her answer, and the funny faces she was making, decided to help her out by patting her on the back until he breathing was under control. "You have caught me. I do bite, but I promise, if I ever sink my teeth into you, I can guarantee that you will like it, my dear," whispered Ethan seductively to the maid. "My name is Clara, please don't call me dear. It makes me feel like we have done things, and we haven't," pleaded bravely Clara. Her fingers nervously trying to smooth her already straight thin hair that had slipped out of the messy bun at the back of her head. Giving up on the piece of hair that had come loose, she tucked it behind her tiny shell like ear. "Well, Clara, my dear girl. A man can certainly hope to do things in the future," teased Ethan, causing Clara to turn a deeper shade of red. Noticing her distress, he decided not to tease her any longer if she was going to be any use to him. "I am sorry if all of this has made you uncomfortable. It seems that I am a horrible flirt and I have a habit of breaking peoples hearts even if I don't want to. I don't want to break your heart, since you are a very good and proper girl. If you weren't a good and proper girl my mother would never have hired you to help out with the impending arrival of the princesses," stated Ethan. Clearly dazed at this frank talk, Clara nodded her head at him to continue. "Well, it seems that it is my mothers greatest intention for me to be married. It is most likely to one of these princesses that are to be arriving on the morrow. I feel it is a trifle unfair on my side. Six against one. That hardly seems like fair odds. What I need is someone on my side. Do you think you could be on my side, Clara?" asked Ethan as he smiled a tender practiced lovers smile to her and gazed into brown eyes deeply. Beast Unseen Ch. 04-07 "Yes, Oh yes. I'll be on your side," whispered Clara in a rush as she stared hypnotized into his deep blue eyes. "Do you think, that perhaps you could do me a really big favor and let me know what things? I would hate to be snared into a marriage, where I had no feeling for the person. Wouldn't that be horrible," whispers Ethan to Clara. "It would be horrible. Of course I'll let you know if they are planning anything to trick you into marriage. It would be my duty and honor to serve you," stated Clara with a fire of righteous passion in her eyes. "Thank you, that is such a relief for my mind," said Ethan and smiled at her in a loving way. He could see her swoon a little at his smile. Taking the tip of his finger he leaned forward and traced the outward edge of her plump bottom lip. She gasped in surprise. Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. A mere whisper of two lips touching, but in the fertile minds of maids it might as well have been a passionate embrace. Standing up slowly, he picked up his coat and draped it smartly over the crook of his arm and he made his way towards the library door. Her fingers touched the bottom of her lip as if it were foreign to her. "Good night, Clara," he whispered and shut the door behind him. One the door was shut he took off his cravat and draped it over his coat. He leaned against the door for a moment before he headed off to his own suite, smirking to himself at how easy it was. He now had accomplished having a spy for the visiting princesses and all it took was a few honeyed words and something he didn't even consider a token of affection. Not that he thought it was going to be all that hard any way. Almost all the maids had heard the story of Cinderella and thought it could be their own personal story. Ethan knew that he wouldn't ever marry a maid, not matter if she was a princess in disguise. He wasn't sure if he wanted to marry any of them, but if he had to, he would. A prince always needed to be married before he would become king. It was law. If his mother was pushing them to marry, then she must fear for the king's health. Some one has to succeed the throne and to do so a wife must be attainted. As long as the princesses were at least half descent and had all their teeth, it would be the most malleable one of the all he would marry, so that he could go on with his merry way of flipping whatever skirt possessed the most amusement for him.   Chapter Seven The castle could be seen out of the carriage windows as dawn started to break. It illuminated the castle making it glow and shimmer in the night, like an impossible dream. The sky a brilliant hue of colors made the white wash walls of the castle stand out like a beacon of hope. All the windows seemed to have perfectly painted black shutters and large oaks lined the drive up to the castle. If Violet didn't know any better should say it was storybook perfect, but nothing was ever storybook perfect. Violet glanced at the picturesque view, hoping that the sight of such a vision would certainly mean they would be getting out of the carriage some time soon. Another sleepless night made her ache all over and it seemed that the closer they got to the castle the achier and more tired she felt. She was beginning to wonder if she was even going to be able to get out of the carriage if it ever came to a stop, since she felt so stiff and brittle. Her sisters chattered endlessly over the beauty of the castle and how finely it was situated. The all mused that it would be tolerate able place to live and that if they had to they could surely find something to love about such a beautiful looking home. With the turning of each carriage wheel Violet could feel her begin nausea grow. It had been five days stuck in a carriage and she had not yet made an embarrassment of herself by losing the contents of her stomach, but she was not sure if she would be able to prevent such an event from happening today. It seemed the glancing out of the windows only made the unsettled feeling in her stomach worse. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep the little bit of toast she had for breakfast at bay. Breathing slowly she was able to keep the bile down one more time. It irritated her endlessly that her sisters didn't seem to have the same sort of luck she was having. Not once did any of them complain of not feeling well, or of having butterflies in her stomach or a splitting headache. They all seemed to be well acclimated to traveling. It was almost like they had spent their entire life on the road and didn't have time to feel ill. Violet knew that it was lie. They had hardly ever been in a carriage in their life and none of the sisters with her today had ever been out side of the kingdom. Closing her eyes, she tried to not think about the jostling of the carriage or the cramped quarters or the rolling of her stomach. She thought peaceful thoughts exploring the library and hoped that there would be lots of books to go through. She had no idea if either of the princes were fond of reading at all, if there were no books for her to get lost in perhaps she could go meandering around the castle gardens. Part of her really didn't care what she did as long as she could get out of the carriage and not get back in it for a long time.. She was pretty sure that if there was a hell, being trapped in this carriage was at least one of the seven circles or perhaps it was the reincarnation of boating down the river Styx. Closing her eyes, she sat back and tried to relax for the millionth time and her sister inadvertently elbowed her in the ribs trying to get a better view of the castle. Part of the relaxing must of worked because when she opened her eyes next, they were pulling up to the front of the castle and hordes of foot men where line up waiting for the carriage to settle before they descended. Still battling the nausea in the pit of her stomach, she watched as her sisters, primped and preened before the livery opened the doors of the carriage. Violet was amazed at the talent of her sister's talent at the feminine wiles. The feathers on the hats that were once drooping in fatigue were sitting straight up like tulips in a well-manicured garden. The wrinkles in gowns seemed to almost magically disappear and the pallor that had graced the faces of a few of her sisters was suddenly radiating. Violet couldn't believe the change. It was almost as if a miracle had happened to every one in the carriage but her. The nausea in the her stomach made her less worried about her untidy appearance and more worried about making a spectacle of herself by empting the meager contents of her stomach in front of every one. The doors of the carriage opened, and the bright morning sunshine bore into the carriage, making Violet feel a little less bilious. One by one her sisters gracefully made their departure out of the stifling carriage into the graces of Queen Raz and Prince Ethan. Violet struggled to her feet, feeling stiff and numb from sitting in the same position for so long, she stumbled out of the carriage. Only keeping from falling flat on her face by the deft hand of a footman who caught her elbow before she completely fell forward. Smiling gratefully at the footman, she straightened and took her place beside her sisters, giving Queen Raz and Prince Ethan a small smile as she curtsied. "Ladies, welcome. It is such a pleasure to have you all here. Unfortunately, much to Prince Collins utter regret, he is not able do join us this beautiful morning to help you settle in. However, weep not fair ladies, because Prince Ethan is more then willing to make up for his brothers impertinence by guiding you to your suites. I hope you don't mind that I paired you up in rooms. I thought it would be too heart breaking to completely separate sisters. " Said the Queen sweetly smiling at them, then without much of a pause she continued. "I want you all to know that I am excessively pleased to have you here with me for the holiday season. I am hoping to get to know each and every one of you personally, as if you were my own sweet daughters. I will leave today for rest and recuperation and tomorrow we will start getting to know each other. Ethan, if you could please show them to their quarters, I am sure they are all very exhausted from their trip," finished the queen looking straight at Violet as she said that. Violet could feel the heat rise to her face. "Yes, Mother it would be my pleasure," replied Ethan with a deep bow and a charming smile that showed off the dimples in his chin. For the first time in what had felt like weeks, Violet smiled a real smile. The smile showed off her pearly white teeth and brightened her whole face. The idea of rest and recuperation sounded like a little slice of heaven to Violet. The queen noticed Violets face brightening up to match the glowing looks of her sisters and chuckled a little to her self, thinking that Ethan's innate charm with women had perked the wilting princess up. She left them in Ethan's capable hands as she made her way to her personal study to return correspondence to various kingdoms and to send a missive telling the King that his daughters had reached her safely and a day early. Glancing back at the crowd she just exited, she saw Ethan go into an over dramatic bow and start sorting out who was who. In all honesty, she wasn't sure whom was whom, she was give a list by the king as to whom he might be sending it, but none of that had been confirmed. "Ladies, I fear that you have me at a disadvantage, it would seem that you all know who I am, but I am in the awkward position of not knowing who is who? Might I please be so rude and ask for an introduction?" asked Ethan with a charming smile that showed off his white teeth some more and trying to look extremely sincere. Violet wasn't all that impresses, but before Violet could even say a word, Zinnia spoke up in a very clear and authorities voice. "Rest you mind at ease, I will take mercy on you and not make you guess who is who. I am Zinnia, third youngest princess of our fair land, and by far probably the least shy," said Zinnia with a confident smile, and paused dramatically before she continued. Several of her sisters blushed at her boldness. "The twins to the right of me are, Rose and Rosemary, my younger sisters and the twins to the left of me are Petunia and Poppy. The one next to Petunia and Poppy is our oldest sister with us, Violet. There are a total of twelve of us, but you are only blessed with seeing only half of us at once. We would fear for you sanity if you were to see all twelve of us at once, because such beauty is overwhelming," teased Zinnia, flashing her own set of pearly white teeth for Ethan to view. A little taken back at such bold talk for a lady so young, he paused before he responded. "Thank you for you infinite kindness of introduction and concern for my sanity. If you would please follow me, I will show you to your rooms, so that way you can refresh. Afterwards, I will let you explore our grounds. Please take a servant with you before you explore our garden mazes. I wouldn't want any of you lovely ladies to get lost," said Ethan with a smile that didn't quite match his eyes. Rose and Rosemary simpered and blushed in response. Violet followed along just hoping that she would soon get to see the room she was assigned. Laying down for a brief nap before dinner sounded wonderful to her. As she walked a long the horde of footmen that had been unloading the baggage followed behind. After several twists and turns in the castles corridors that left Violet rather confused, she sat on the edge of the large canopy bed with pretty a yellow quilt that had white roses on it in her suite. Zinnia was puttering around the room, making sure that her hair brushes were straight on the night stand and that all of her clothing was put away in a precise way. Zinnia stopped for a moment to fuss with some lace on a dress she wanted to wear to dinner that night. The dress was a dark sapphire blue and the white lace stood out boldly against the color and was sure to make Zinnia look ravishing. Violet could not help but notice that the lace that was being paired with the dress was the lace that was missing out of Amaryllis's room when she was trying to pack for her honeymoon. Making a fuss over the lace now would not do anything to make co existing with her sister any easier. Violet was not all that surprised that she had been paired up to share a room with Zinnia. They were the only ones that were not twins. Twins always stayed together. Non-twins always got paired together. Violet sincerely wished that Amaryllis were there to talk to. It wasn't that Violet did not like Zinnia; it was just that their personalities were so different they seemed to clash more often then get along. Zinnia was rather bold and out going and never was one to make her opinion unknown. She often tried to bully her sisters into doing what she wanted and always seemed to have a plan up her sleeve. She very rarely ever saw eye to eye with Violet and most conversations with each other with awkward at best. As to where Violet could spend half her day talking with Amaryllis, the oldest sister. Sharing a room with Zinnia was going to bring a Violet to a new level of patience, because she was sure that they were going to disagree before too long. Thinking about Amaryllis brought a little pang to her heart. Violet knew that that she was happy that her sister had married some one that she was fond off, but she missed having some one to talk to. Violet probably know more about the curse they were under that had compelled them to dance then any of the sisters, but she hadn't minded the curse all that much because felt closer to her sisters every time they danced. The hard part was explaining to Amaryllis how to break the curse, so that she could be with the Duke that she had fallen in love with. With the dancing stopped, it felt like the sisters were all going their separate ways. The door to the bedroom shut with a definitive click, bringing Violet out of here reverie. Zinnia had left the suite, most likely to explore the castle, mused Violet. Taking a looking around, she noted for the first time the delicate splendor of the chamber they had been given other then how large the bed was. Delicate yellow rose wallpaper graced the walls of the room. A sturdy oak amour sat in the corner between the stain glass window and the fireplace with a cheerful little fire in it gave of the bedroom plenty of light. Thick dark green rugs were on the gray stone floors, to prevent the cold from seeping through a persons bare feet in the morning. Two worn but well kept dark green upholstered wingback chairs with little yellow pillows sat in front of the fire with small table poised in the space between the two chairs. A small doorway to the right of the suites entrance, looked like it went into a blue and white powder room. The room gave off an over all feel of being set in a middle of a field and felt very comfortable to Violet, because it was not overtly fancy. Violet stretched her arms out over her head, trying to get some of the kinks out of her shoulders. She felt some her shoulder and her neck pop a little as she tried to work some of the kinks out of her system. The room was warm with the afternoon sun beating down in the windows, giving little color designs to the carpet. Twisting herself to the side, she cracked her back in a couple of places. Violet the laid flat out on the mattress to see how comfortable it was and quickly fell into a much-needed sleep, missing any and all the summons for dinner.   Chapter Eight Ethan sat back in the study thinking about the princesses he had been introduced to. It was hard to tell what to think. They were all lovely and charming for the most part. When they came out of the carriage one by one he was impressed with how refined they all looked for spending almost a week on the road. That is except for the last one that looked like she had been trampled on by her sisters, several times along the way. The golden haired beauties that he was pretty sure the youngest set of twins had tried to fill in him on the details of the entire adventure to the castle and he would have had to listen to, if it had not been time for supper. Supper was an interesting experience. He had never had a private supper with so many females before, after a while they almost all forgot he was in the room and talked rather frankly. That is except for the youngest set of twins. When they were not pouting at something one of the other princesses had said, they would be looking all moony eyed at him. It was only a little curious that the oldest princess had not joined them for dinner, but the dark haired beauty that he was pretty sure named Zinnia had apologized for absent princesses lack of manners, saying that she was resting in her room and would be down in the morning for breakfast possibly. Then the rest of the princesses started to almost verbally bash their older sister, saying what a drag she was to travel with and how her face had almost always had a perpetually green look it when they were in carriage and how she had tried to hog the seats constantly. Ethan was so far not impressed with the oldest princess at all. Even though he realized that her sisters might not be painting her in a positive light, because they were trying to impress him, he was sure that some of what they said was true about the absent princess. If only a fourth of it was true, he sincerely doubted that she would have the poise and refinement that would be needed to be a queen. The rest of the meal he listened to his mother subtly grill the princesses on their back ground as the servants refilled wine glasses that seemed to magically empty. Taking a moment to savor the flavor of his meal, he let the perfectly cooked chicken in a brown sauce melt into his mouth. Savory flavors of sage and rosemary tickled his taste buds. Taking a sip of his red wine, the rich fruity taste of the wine pared well with the chicken, finding a sort of harmony among his taste buds. If one was to believe heaven could be found on earth, most likely the castle cook had found it. Ethan sat back once he had finished sampling all of the food on his plate. Watching his mother at the opposite end of the table made him glad that he wasn't sitting near her. If anything she was in her element. Having the undivided attention of six women of noble blood had the queen positively glowing. The only other time she ever glowed more was when his father was home. That was mostly a rare occurrence to have him home, since he was primary negotiator for the empire. Every now and then he would break away and spend time in the kingdom. Mostly it seemed to be to go over issues with the high court and to check on treasury. Ethan couldn't understand how he could be a good king, if he was never in the kingdom. Things would be different when he became king. The only thing worse then having his father as king would be to have his brother Collin as king. That underdressed buffoon probably couldn't manage his way around the high court any more then he could manage his way with a comb. Ethan had long ago decided that it would be in the kingdoms best interest if he took over. He would guide them into a new age of style and entertainment and make a fortune doing it. Smiling at the princess next to him, Ethan took a large sip out of his wine glass and nodded along to what ever the red haired beauty was prattling on about. From the shadow of the door way Clara stood and watched Ethan. She could tell that he wasn't even paying attention to what was going on. It made Clara all warm and fuzzy on the inside. If he wasn't interested in any of the pampered beauties in front of him, it meant he was most likely interested in her. After all he had kissed her the night before. Slinking back from the shadows, she went back up the stairs the guest chambers and started to fold down the beds. She was sure that some of the pampered little pet princesses would want to turn in. Beast Unseen Ch. 04-07 Opening the first set of doors, she immediately noticed that one of the princesses was asleep on top of the covers of the bed. She was sleeping rather deeply, and the feather on her hat looked like it had broken in three places when she had rolled her head to the side. Deciding that she really didn't want to have to deal with waking the princesses just to fold down the covers on the bed she was already sleeping on, she left the room and shut the door behind her quietly. Turning down the beds in the other two rooms went rather quickly and she had taken a moment to look at all their fine cloths hanging in the closets. Clara felt a pang of envy at all the pretty cloths. Someday she would have fine garments. The finest gowns in the land would be hers, if she had her way. Some day she was going to be queen. Chapter Nine Collin sat back trying to relax a little while he at dinner at one of the finer pubs along the dockside in Glendrop. It seemed that most of the issues with the Genovian and the Skirvanian refugees was a unmarked shipped that came into port a couple of days ago. The Captain of the ship had died and the supplies that had been bartered and were to be sold in the dock had not yet been claimed by the captain's benefactor. Both the Genovian and the Skirvanian refugees were claiming it was from their mother country. It was a bit of a mess, but one that could be easily remedied by going over the ship logs and the registration log. The ship had to be registered in order to sell its goods in any of the docks and ports in Glendrop and the ship logs would note who the usual traders the Captain would use. The only thing he needed was a little bit of time to go over the books and then he could be on his way. On the bright side, after a bit of checking he also found that Rifka was in the city. Paying a messenger boy, he sent the boy on the errand to find her and let her know where he was staying so that he could perhaps make a purchase while he was there. The bar wench with most of her charms on display in her low cut peasant blouse and corset placed a bowl of Shepard's pie in front of him. The steam that came off of the bowl made his mouth water in anticipation. The wench smiled most gloriously at him, but he didn't' really care. He didn't care that she flaunted the depth of her cleavage as she put the put down or that the strong scent of musk washed over him. She only wanted him for his purse of gold and he couldn't stand women who didn't want him for him. Shoveling down the food like a man that had been starved for days, he barely noticed the dagger that had been thrown at him. The tiny dagger struck him in the shoulder as he had moved to avoid it, but not fast enough. The dagger had been meant for his throat. A little stunned by the sudden pain in him should he jumped to his feet and rushed towards the direction that the dagger had sprang from. The assassin make quick use of his feet and headed towards the side excite of the pub, knocking the busty serving wench to her feet as he passed. Collin caught sight of the drab tweed brown coat and the black slacks the assassin wore. Tossing coins on his table as he rushed by, he followed the tweed brown coat into an alley. Pulling his short sword out in anticipation, he was ready to block as the assassin tried to surprise him by leaping out of the shadows with his own sword. Despite not always being the most graceful creature when it came to talking to women or dealing with people in general. The one thing that Collin was good at was swordplay. It was one of the few things that he would practice for hours on end to relieve frustration and despair. He had sparred with the best knights in the entire kingdom and was a regular in the challenge circles. He didn't always win, but he made a point to improve upon himself in this area and at this exact moment he was rather pleased with how well he was holding his own. The assassin was good. He didn't seem to ever make a wrong move and his footing was matched every move that Collin made. The clothing the assassin wore had helped him blend in with the tavern customers, but had also given him plenty of free room to move around unencumbered. The eyes of the assassin were a dark brown color and had a very determined looked about them. Despite the possibly grave situation this was, it was the most fun that Collin had had in a long time, but he could tell that the assassin was getting tired and even though he didn't' really want to admit it, he was beginning to feel the affects of the open wound in his should. Adrenaline could only carry a person so far. Down at the end of the alley a cat came racing through the center of the two fighters, being chased by a rather large dog. Taking advantage of the break in concentration of the assassin, Collin flung his own dagger at the assassin, catching him squarely in the chest. The assassin dropped his sword in surprise. Bringing his hand to touch the ivory handle of Collins dagger, he sat on the ground suddenly a little amazed. It seemed like the possibility of losing had never occurred to the assassin at all. Coughing a little bit of blood up on to the lapel of his brown tweed jacket, the assassins eyes slowly rolled up to the back of his head, never to marvel at the light of day again. Collin leaned down and pulled his dagger out of thee dead mans chest. Wiping his dagger off on the dead mans clothing; he put the dagger back in the leather sheaf on his belted hip. Sighing, he headed back into the pub to pick up the books he had dropped on to the serving wench on his way. It was going to be a long night and at least a couple of days before he was going to be able to ride back to the castle with the seeping wound in shoulder.   Chapter Ten The next morning Violet woke with a start. The heavy bedroom door fell shut with a large thud and click breaking her from her dreamland. Opening her eyes in the dim room, she saw that the fire had been reduced to coals and the silver clock on the mantle was showing that it was almost a quarter past eight in the morning. Looking down at her self, she noted that she was still in her traveling cloths on top of the covers and her hat was still on top of her head. To the left of her, part of the bed was messy from sleep, and Zinnia's nightgown from the night before was sitting folded on chair next to the bed. Zinnia must have came and left already. Violet tried not to let her ire get the best of her, because Zinnia had let her sleep in her traveling cloths all night instead of waking her for supper or to change for bed. Feeling a lot more rested then she had in days, Violet unpinned the hat from her head and examined it. The feather on the hat was broken in three places and would have to be replaced again. A quite knock broke Violet out of her moment of contemplation. A small slight maid with straight brown hair pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck and a narrow straight face entered the room with a tray of food and a carafe of what Violet hoped was hot tea. Violet was pretty sure the maids, name was Clara, but she wasn't quite sure. Setting the tray down on a little table she made a little curtsey before she began to speak. "The queen sent this up, because she was unsure if you were feeling any better from yesterday exhaustion. I am also to draw you a bath. Would you like me to start the water now, my lady?" asked Clara. "It would be wonderful if you was started now, because it gives me time to enjoy the breakfast the queen was gracious enough to send up. Thank you for bringing it up, Clara" replied Violet hoping that she was getting the maids name right. "As you wish, my lady," said Clara smiling slightly. Violet felt a little relieved when Clara finally left to fetch hot water, it gave her a chance to change out on her traveling dress, and into a white silk robe embroidered with little purple violets on it and enjoy a cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey and light breakfast the queen had been kind enough to send up. By the time she had finished her last bite of toast with raspberry jelly and set her empty tea cup with little blue flowers on the handle on the tray, Clara, was completely finished filling up the porcelain bathtub with steaming hot water. A little bit of fragrance oil of vanilla was poured in hot water, filling the small room with its light scent. Violet could feel the rest of the tension that she didn't know she still had, just melt away as she slipped into the welcoming hot waters. The hot water felt like balm to the previously taunt muscles and made her sigh in relief. "Would my lady, like assistance with her hair?" asked Clara politely. "That would be grand. Please," said Violet. Violet sat back in the relaxing suds as Clara began to systematically pull all the pins out of her hair and unbraid it from the tight knot that stat at the nape of her neck. Pulling a brush out of her apron pocket, Clara started to brush the long locks for mahogany hair out until it was smooth. A couple of times she yanked a little viscously at a not, causing Violet to cringe a little. Once the hair was completely smooth, she took the pitcher from the bason and poured the cold water on top of Violets head. Violet bit her tongue trying to keep back a shriek at the sudden temperature change. Before Violet could say anything Clara started to lather her hair with a vanilla soap, working the road grime out her hair. Violet figured that while Clara was busy with the scrubbing of her hair, she could start washing the rest of her body, and started to make use of the washcloth and second bar of soap. A half an hour passed quickly and the water began to cool to a tepid level, which was leaving Violet a bit chilled. Rinsing the last of the suds out of her hair and off of her body, she stepped into a warm white bath sheet that Clara had had setting by the warm coals of the fireplace and instantly forgave Clara for dumping cold water on her head. Walking back into the bedroom, she was amazed that Clara had the time to fix the bed and set out her dress for that day, while she was drying off and wringing the water out of her long locks of hair. As soon as Violet came back into the bedroom, Clara went back to the powder room to straighten up. While Clara worked on draining the bath water, Violet put on her petty coats and chemise and stood in front of the looking glass in the room. Running a comb through her wet hair, she straightened it out and started to dry it with her towel. Once it was no longer dripping she braided and then wound her hair around her head in a cornet. Using only a couple of pins to secure it to her head. She cocked her head to the side and took a look at her handy work and to make sure it wouldn't fall out. Liking what she saw in the looking glass and making sure it didn't come loose, she finished getting dressed. Deciding that she had better start the day and see where every one else was at, she start out of the room, stopping at the doorway of the powder room for a moment. "Thank you Clara, I very much appreciate all you help this morning," said Violet to the stunned ladies maid. Once in the hallway she looked around for moment trying to get her bearings and remember where she was at from yesterday's tour of the castle. Deciding that if she got too lost, she would surely run into some one that could help her, she decided to make a turn to the right and hope that there would be a staircase that would lead her to the first floor. The sounds of her soft-soled shoes made little noise on the carpeted hallways. Pausing for a moment next to one of the portraits in the hallway to examine the artwork, she heard voices float through the hall. At first she ignored the voices and looked at the portraits of the princes standing next to each other. It was a little odd, to Violet. It seemed that the features of Ethan were sharply in focus and the features of Collin were a little vague. She had to assume it was Collin, she had not yet seen him yet, but she couldn't figure out who else it would be in the portrait. The gentleman she was pretty sure of to be Collin was a lot more bulkier then Ethan, and a lot more hairier. Violet could have probably stared at the pictures for a good bit longer, but the voices in the hall continued and it was hard to figure out which direction they can from. "I am sure that this will be enough to cover your expenses," said the first voice one in a low tone. "If will be enough for this chore, but any more help will cost you," said the second voice. "What exactly is your price," asked the first voice. "Just that you remember those who helped you along the way to get you to the throne," said the second voice. "Consider it done," said the first voice without hesitating. Confused by what she was hearing, Violet decided to continue walking toward the direction she thought they were coming from. A couple of portraits later, the grand staircase came into view. Walking up the stairs was Prince Ethan, followed by one of the members in the clerical counsel. Violet only knew that the gentleman behind Prince Ethan was in the Cleric was due to his long black robes, and starched white collar that was mandatory in all kingdoms. Even the Cleric in her fathers' kingdom wore the same sort of robes. Prince Ethan looked at her a bit surprised when he saw her at the top of the stairs. The member of the Cleric looked a little ill. Not sure what exactly was going on she decided not to embarrass them by asking what was going on, she thought she better stop delaying the inevitable. "I don't suppose you would know the where abouts of the Queen? I would like to take a moment and thank you for her kind hospitality," asked Violet politely. The Cleric went from green to white in a moment. Prince Ethan narrowed his eyes for a moment and then smiled a bright cheerful and completely fake smile at her. Violet tried not to outwardly grimace at the fake smile. She absolutely hated it when people were fake with her, she had enough of it with her sisters on some days. "I believe she is in the Solarium with one of your sisters. You will find it in the East Wing on the house. Close to where the gardens are. If you need help finding, ask on of the foot men and he will be more then happy to assist, I unfortunately have a meeting that I can't put up or else I would escort you there myself" replied Ethan with another insincere smile and then started to make his way back up the stairs. The Cleric mumbled and nodded as she passed him down the stairs. Queen Raz sat in the solarium looking out the windows at her peacocks that were strutting across the grounds. The male peacock was trying to impress the aloof female peacock with its strutting and preening. The female peacock seemed unimpressed by this masculine display. She would occasionally sip from the cup of tea in her hand while she contemplated everything she knew about the visiting princesses. It wasn't much she knew about the, but it was going to be a lot more soon. She had decided that she would take each one aside and have a little chat with them over some tea and scones to find out what sort of persons they were individually. Queen Raz felt that it was up to her to find her boys a good wife, since in all the time that they have reached the moral majority they have done everything but prepare for future in that aspect. The King Zemekis, her husband wrote to her every week he was away, and she to him. It seemed that they were looking to have the roles of Empire Negotiator passed down to a younger man, most likely Prince Collin. The Emperor over all the kingdoms was very impressed with the way that Prince Collin was handling the negotiations that his father, King Zemekis was unable to attend to while he worked on the Genovia and Skirvania negotiations. Part of the requirements to of that title was to be married. It wasn't only the royal requirements that had the queen wanting to see her sons married, she felt that it would be good for them to have a companion. Despite her boys being twins, and brothers, they weren't very close and it broke the Queens heart, even though she would never admit it. She only want to best for the boys, and if one of these girls would make either one of her boys happy, she was going to make sure that she knew the true character of each potential bride. Violet was utterly amazed at how large the castle was. It wasn't that the castle she grew up in wasn't large, it just never seemed that way with all of her sisters bustling about and Violet only frequented a couple of the rooms, so it tended to make her view a little more narrow. The opulent beauty and the dignified taste of all the furniture was tapestry made her long to continue to explore. She tried to take in as much as she could as she followed a footman to the solarium. After the footman announced her, she felt a little foolish for intruding upon the queen, but did a deep courtesy hoping to dispel the feeling that she was being analyzed. Raising her eyes to meet the queens' nod, she took a seat in on of the empty chairs across from the queen. "Would you care for a cup of tea?" asked Queen Raz politely. "Yes, please," replied Violet nervously. Deep inside she wished that she had been at dinner the night before, so that she wouldn't have to be feeling like she should grovel forgiveness for being rude this morning. "Are you feeling any better?" asked Queen Raz while she poured the steaming hot liquid into a find china cup artfully. Placing the teacup in front of Violet, she studied Violets appearance. "Yes, I am feeling much better, Thank you for having a bath sent up and breakfast. I am deeply mortified for missing dinner the night prior, as it was not my intention," said Violet trying not to mumble her words. Picking up the teacup with little bit of a shaking hand, she took a sip to try and calm her nerve. The soothing smooth taste of tea rolled across her tongue. The flavor was rich and bold with out being overpowering all at the same time. It was glorious. "You sister made you excuses, I realize the travel from your home to mine could be a bit trying and with all your sister in such close quarter is sure to be exhausting," said Queen Raz trying to soothe Violets nerves. "I appreciate your kindness. I have not done a lot of traveling due to almost always feeling ill when put into a carriage for long periods of time. I was quite pleased with myself that I was able to stand up right when we stopped. My sister Amaryllis would say that it is quite an accomplishment," said Violet trying to explain her exhaustion a little better. "You sister Amaryllis, is your eldest sister? The one most recently married? Are all of you named after flowers?" asked Queen Raz as she started to pour herself a fresh cup of tea. Taking a moment to drop a lump of sugar into her cup. "Yes, we are all named after flowers, because my mother dearly loved gardening and made a deal with my father that she would continue to try to grant him his heir if she would be able to name any female child they had what ever she wanted," said Violet beginning to relax at the kindness of the attention the queen was showing her. "Any idea what you father would have named a boy if one your sisters had been a boy?" asked the queen a little curious as to what the name would be. "Oh, yes. I know exactly what it would have been. He has often berated it to us, saying that if only one of us had been a boy, then he wouldn't have twelve spinsters in the making, and he could pass is wealth onto his son Aloysius Howard," said Violet with a smile. "Oh, dear. Aloysius? I guess I should be glad that king and I choose something a little more traditional for our sons," said Queen Raz a little mystified. "I must admit that I am rather pleased I was a girl, because Aloysius seems a little pretentious to me and would be awfully hard to live up to," said Violet dropping her eyes tot the side and then back at the queen to make it sound like a conspiracy. That made the queen laugh a bit and warm up to Violet even more. Beast Unseen Ch. 04-07 "So who are the flowers in your mothers prize garden, because I can tell that you are all beautiful," asked Queen Raz. "You are being too kind, but I will tell you any way," joked Violet. Taking a sip of her tea, she started to explain to the queen that her oldest sister was Amaryllis and she and Amaryllis were rather close. Then came the first set of twins, who were currently visiting with a great Aunt for the winter. That set of flowers would be Delphinium and Delilah. After the twins was Jasmine. Jasmine was considering going into the Order of Priestess of Nilbog and was spending the winter at their temple helping with the holiday's festivities. The next sets of Twins are Laurel and Lily. They were also abroad and spending time with their late mothers family. I am afraid you already know the rest of us. I am after Laurel and Lily. My mother named me Violet because her violets bloomed beautifully while she was pregnant and she would call it a sign. Poppy and Petunia are the set of twins after me and then there is Zinnia. The last set of twins, Rose and Rosemary wore my mother out. She faded quickly after they were born. I only remember a little bit of her, because I was very young when she died," said Violet in confidence. The queen gave a little mental sigh, finally finding out that order of the princesses. The boldness of Zinnia had made her wonder if she was the oldest, but was relieve to find out she wasn't. The queen was also pleased that Violet was sweet, intelligent and didn't seem to have a malicious bone in her body. The rest of the tea was drank in easy companionship and soon they parted ways. Violet started feeling much better about the stay at the castle and the queen feeling like she had a much better insight as to what sort of princesses she was hosting. Queen Raz was rather amused that she didn't mention either of the princes as they jumped from topic to topic. It was almost like Violet didn't really care if she married one of the princes or not. That on some level made Queen Raz rather pleased, because it told her that Violet was not husband hunting just to have a husband. Violet spent the rest of the day exploring the gardens of the castle. She was rather pleased at the variety of flowers in the garden and several of the nooks in the garden seemed to be perfect places to read a book. Occasionally she would see her sisters in the garden, one of the sets of twins were in the maze. She could hear them talking to each other and try to get out. Sitting on a bench next to a fragrant rose bush, she reclined back a little bit shutting her eyes and let the sun warm her face. "Hello beautiful," said a voice. Violet snapped open her eyes to see who was talking. Ethan was towering over her and smiling his big while dazzling smile at her. "Hello Ethan, I don't know if I properly introduced myself yesterday. My name is Violet. What are you doing in the garden," asked Violet a little bluntly. Frowning slightly, he replied, " Just taking in the fresh air, what are you doing in the garden?" "Enjoying the solitude," said Violet. "That was a little harsh. I am not a villain," said Ethan in a mock wounded voice. "I never said you were a villain, I was just being honest, if you want me to lie to you, I could, but I am sure that it would leave you wonder what the real truth is," said Violet with a sigh. "I am sorry to have interrupted you much desired solitude. I will leave you to your day," said Ethan, bowing slightly to her and walked out of the garden running into her sister Zinnia. Violet shook her head in wonder and reclined back and continued to enjoy the sun. The way that Violet saw it was that Ethan had his choice of six princesses to marry, and she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She wasn't going to get anything out the deal and if he did choose her as a bride she would eventually have to start being herself sometime, so she might as well start being it now. **************************** Dearest Husband, Only six of the eleven princesses arrived. It seems that five of them had other plans, which to be quiet honest is a relief. I am not sure what I would have done with eleven girls running around and I am pretty sure that Collin would find a way to make himself scarce if they all showed up. As it is Collin is in Glendrop doing some negotiations. It seems that a small skirmish from Genovia and Skirvania refugees have taken to rioting in the streets something about both factions trying to lay claim on a cargo ship that came in damaged. I have no idea when Collin will be back. Thankfully Ethan has been wonderful about entertaining all six princesses. I am trying to make it a point to get to know all of them a little better, so that the winter holiday can go smoother. I am trying to interview at least one of them a day during tea so that I can assess their character. Today I talked with the oldest one out of our guests. Her name is Violet. I know that I much to apt at liking people in general, but I have such a good feeling about her. I can tell that the trip was rough on her and that she is a little out of sorts, but I can tell that she has such a good heart. I hope that she can hit it off with one of our boys. If all the girls are as sensible as Princess Violet, then I will be more then pleased to call any of them my daughter. I hope that we can see you home by Christmas. I miss you so. Be careful my love, Love, Raz ********************   Chapter Eleven The next day at breakfast Ethan watched all of the princesses as the filled their plates full of eggs from the side buffet. Sipping his coffee he debated on what he wanted to do about Violet. It seemed that she knew something, because why else would she be so cold to him in the garden? He really hated to get his hands dirty, but this was something that he wasn't sure it would be wise to out source. Once every one was seated, Ethan cleared his throat lightly to get every ones attention. All of the female eyes turned and looked at him. His mother arched on eyebrow questioningly. "My sweet dear ladies, I was that I would have the honor to give you a private tour of some our lands more scenic view with a little horse back tour this afternoon. Would any of you be game for this?" asked Ethan. The Queen smiled back at him lovingly as most of the princesses around the table readily agreed to it. Soon those that had been on the fence about such an expedition were convinced in joining. That afternoon all six princesses would be following him in the woods and if he had his way, only five would be returning. Excusing himself from the table to talk to the stable master, he started to whistle to himself. He was going to do his best to make sure that Violet came to a violent accidental end. It would not due to have loose end this early in the game, and he over hearing him with the Cleric was not a good move on her part, in fact he was pretty sure it was going to be a grave mistake for her. It surprised Ethan a bit, when Clara stepped out of one of the stalls in the stable. He wasn't sure what she was doing there, but she seemed very interested in talking with him. Following Ethan to the tack room, she curtseyed when he shut the door. "My dearest darling, what do I owe this pleasure of you company to?" said Ethan in a rolling smooth voice. He could see the twit of a maid knees begin to go weak. "I over heard the set of young twins whispering to each other about how they are going to purposely get lost in the maze so that you will be forced to rescue them. Once they have you alone, the are going to try and seduce you," said Clara bluntly and then blushed brightly on the word seduce. "I very much appreciate your warning. I wouldn't want to be ambushed and the certainly sounds like an ambush to me. I will be sure to have one of the footman look for them, because it would be just too much for me to do by myself," said Ethan with well-practiced false sincerity. Clara's face brightened with the praise causing her pinched face to open up and almost make her a beauty to be contended with. "Any time, my lord," said Clara in a breathy voice. Ethan leaned forward and brushed his lips very gently against hers, causing her to blush feriously. "I fear that I must cut our time short as much as it pains me, I have been recruited to give our dear royal guest a tour and I have to finish getting their noble steeds ready, but I am forever in your debt for warning me about the ambush," said Ethan as he opened the door to the tack room and walked towards the stalls again. "I understand my lord," said Clara as she gave him a quick bob of a courtesy again and left the barn in a rush. If the princesses were going to be going for a ride, they would most likely need help getting into their riding habits, and that was Clara's job. Ethan watched her leave the stables in a rush and smiled to himself. He wasn't really worried about being trapped in a maze with to husband hungry princess. If anything he would send Collin in to find them if they decided to get lost by the time he came home. He would be highly amused to see their faces when Collin rounded the corner instead of himself. Keeping what he would assume their startled faced would look like in his mind, he instructed the stable master about the plans for the afternoon. **************************  My Dearest Husband, I just had the most delightful time talking to Princess Poppy and Princess Petunia. They are very inquisitive and not at all what I expected twins to be like. Princess Poppy was very quiet and it seemed that Princess Petunia had an opinion on everything. I have a feeling that I will have no problem discerning if there is anything upsetting Princess Petunia, because she will most likely tell you before you get a chance to ask. As for Princess Poppy, it is hard to assess her personality. She seems to be in her twin's shadow a bit, but over all she seems to be a pleasant, but shy young girl. I have high hopes for her and Collin. I think that they would really click if he would give her a chance. Ethan is doing well. He has offered to take the princesses on a sight seeing tour. I am so pleased that he is taking command of our guests. I had to hire a new maid to help with our guests. She is a bit young, but rather nice. If she does well, I think we should keep her. I don't know when Collin is going to be home. It seems that there were some delays in Glendrop. He wouldn't' say what they were, but I know in my heart it must be something dreadful. He never wants me to worry about it, but I always do. Just as I worry about you. It was so sweet of you to send me that teacup. I miss having tea with you in the morning and talking with you about everything. I hope that we can take some time to get reacquainted when you get home. I miss you quite fiercely. Please be careful my love, Love, 
Raz *********************   Chapter Twelve The woods were dark, with the sunlight filtering through at odd angles giving life to dust motes that hung in the air. Violet was trying not to let the unease show. Part of riding and being able to control your horse was to be able to control you own feelings. Her feelings of nervousness would make the horse skittish and more prone to do something unruly if she were to give way to her feelings. She like to horse back ride and she liked doing it in the country, but the horse she was one was not one that she was accustomed to and she had heard the stable boys whisper at each other about her bravery for riding a horse with such a fierce temper. Trying not to let the fear hurting herself make her do something stupid, she tried to pay attention to where they were riding. Her sister had moved ahead of her on the trail and Violet didn't' mind. They all seemed to be fluttering around Prince Ethan like a moth to a flame. So far Violet hadn't seen anything about Prince Ethan that made him a diamond. He was good looking, but he seemed to know it and it didn't seem like he really cared about any one or anything. Violet watched at he flirted with each sister and his banter always seemed to skip right over her. It was fine with her, she wasn't all that comfortable with the kind of banter he seemed to be prolific in. She watched him whisper words of praise into one twin's ear while he was coping a feel on the other one. His lack of propriety and feelings slowly made Violet cold to his warm advances, which was the other reason she had held back from the buoyant group. Glancing around the dense woods, she made note of the ivy that climbed the trees. They were beginning to turn lovely shades of red. The leaves on the trees showed in bright yellows and oranges of the season. Violet loved all the color in the woods was amply distracted as a tree branch smacked into her face knocking her off of her horse. Her already temperamental steed reared back, screaming in surprise. The sudden blow to hear head caused her to slacken her grip and the reigns. Gravity being swift and unmerciful caused her to fall to the ground off of the horse. Pain shot through her body as the unforgiving ground and rocks on it dug into suddenly. The horses sharp hoofs jabbed in the air as a sign of defiance before the horse stormed off into the dark woods. The last thing she saw were her sisters hovering over her and Prince Ethan murmuring something before it all went dark to her.   ******************* My Dearest Husband, The most horrible incident has happened to one of our beloved guests. It seems that Princess Violet was riding Thor, that temperamental stallion and she was thrown off and almost trampled to death. Ethan is unsure what spooked that stallion and honestly it could have been a squirrel with how temperamental that beast is. Miraculously Princess Violet does not have any broken bones, however there is some issue with her eyes. Some how she smacked a tree branch on her way off the horse and it smacked her in between the eyes. There are some horrible scratch marks and the apothecary has suggested that we have her eyes bandaged for a while, so that it doesn't cause undue strain. There is an issue that she could lose her sight. I feel absolutely horrible, even thought I know that it was not my fault. In all the panic over Princess Violet, I have inadvertently gotten to know her sister, Princess Zinnia better. I am not sure I like her. One of the first things that she did once Princess Violet was stabilized was ask for her own room. She made it sound like she was doing a Princess Violet a favor and I was very tempted to put her with one her sisters, but there is something about the look in her eye that told me I would end up with a rat in my slipper if I did that. All the other sisters seems to be concerned about their sister, but none of them volunteered to help with her. I have had to hire two more maids, since the first maid, Clara is now going to be assigned to just care for Princess Violet. I am trying my best to be strong during this adversity. Ethan has been some what subdued by this event and was rather quiet at dinner, but then again every one was quiet. I miss your strength. I have this horrible feeling that this is the beginning of something wicked that is going to happen. I will try to keep positive spirits and don't give up hope on those treaties. I know that you can do this. I love you dear husband. Be careful my heart, Love, Raz  *******************