Eye of the Beholder Read online

  “But the rose! The rose was my undoing. I stopped to pick your rose for you, my Angelique, and the evil beast who owned the castle came out and called me a thief! Me! I am an honest merchant! It would have thrown me in its dungeon then and there, but I pleaded! Said I had a family, so it showed me mercy. It said I could return to you, even give you the jewels, but it told me that if I did not use this ring to return to it in three days, it would kill me!”

  “What?” Simone shrieked. “Kill you? What use has a beast for beautiful things? Evil creature! We should kill it! Is there no other way?”

  “It said that if someone were willing to take my place in its disgusting dungeon then I might go free…” he sighed.

  “Angelique should go!” Simone said suddenly, snatching the ring from him and thrusting it into her sister’s hands. “It’s her stupid rose that got you into this mess, she should go!”

  “No, Simone!” Claude looked up but did not move to retrieve the ring. “That’s not fair…”

  “It is,” Angelique swallowed hard. “She’s right, I couldn’t continue to live here in good conscience…” she slipped the ring onto her finger and vanished before anyone could stop her, if they indeed even wanted to.

  “So, what else did you bring us?” Simone asked.

  ***

  “What if he don’t come back, though?” Cecile asked.

  “He will,” Rosalie sighed. “He was terrified. Whilst he clearly lacked any moral fibre, he did not lack self preservation.”

  Angelique appeared in the doorway, and upon seeing the mutilated face of the woman before her gasped. Startled Rosalie leapt to her feet and fumbled for her mask turning back awkwardly once it was in position.

  “I’m sorry!” Angelique said urgently moving towards her, but Cecile stepped protectively between them. “Please, you don’t need to…”

  “Who are you?” Rosalie demanded angrily, cutting her off.

  “Angelique.”

  “Of course!” Rosalie sneered. “Of course you are. Where did you come from?”

  “I…” Angelique took off the ring and offered it to her. “I’ve come to pay my father’s debt.”

  “He sent you?” Rosalie asked hesitantly, not moving to take the ring.

  “No, I volunteered…” Angelique placed the ring gently on the dresser and stepped back. “I’m sorry he stole from you. We lost everything in the Crash, but it truly isn’t an excuse.”

  “You understand you can never leave?” Rosalie asked carefully.

  “I understand that.”

  “Very well, then.” Rosalie straightened and adopted a more formal tone. “This castle is your home, you will have assigned rooms that are just yours, but you may go where you please and help yourself to whatever you choose. Cecile will show you to your rooms.”

  “You won’t be keeping me in the dungeon?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Rosalie waved her hand to dismiss them and Cecile hurried Angelique from the room.

  ~~~***~~~

  Chapter 5

  “This… is my room?” Angelique asked as she gazed at the ornate fixings and silken bedding.

  “There’s others if you don’t like it,” Cecile told her.

  “No! I like it! I just thought...”

  “What? What did you think?”

  “Well, that being here was a punishment…”

  “It’s all our bloody punishments, ain’t it?” Cecile snapped.

  “We’re all paired with someone, so if someone leaves, like… the tie is broken, and their pair dies. ‘Cept no one knows who’s paired with who ‘til someone leaves. S'why the mistress can’t allow it. When your dad came one of the boys made a run for it. Can’t blame him, but it left us in a predicament. Weren’t a threat when the mistress said someone would die if he didn’t come back in three days, it was a fact.”

  Angelique knitted her brow at this new information. “What happened to her face?”

  “Reckon that’s her business,” Cecile said curtly. “And don’t you go staring at her, she won’t like it. Dinner’s at six if you’re hungry.” And with that she walked out.

  “I don’t know if I’m hungry,” Angelique said to herself as she pulled back the covers on the bed to reveal silk pyjamas. “But I am very tired…” she quickly changed into her nightclothes and climbed beneath the soft cool sheets.

  ***

  Her dreamscape had changed. It was still the bank of a river but it was dark from a storm. The river was angry and the wind was whipping the trees into a frenzy. The picnic blanket that was usually laid out on the bank was caught in a branch and flapping wildly like a bird trapped in netting. Angelique raised her arm to protect her face against the biting wind.

  “What’s going on?” she called to the noblewoman.

  “Weather!” Came the response.

  “I can see that!” Angelique called back, pushing forward against the onslaught of wind and rain. “We should get to shelter!”

  “It’s not real.” The noblewoman didn’t move, statuesque against the relentless elements. “You should look beyond what you see to what you feel. Appearances aren’t everything, humans put too much value in them.”

  “What?” Angelique pushed through the wind towards her, but the ringing of a dinner gong woke her up.

  ~~~***~~~

  Chapter 6

  “Am I eating alone?” Angelique asked as she gazed at the long table containing what appeared to be a banquet.

  “Mistress will take dinner in her room,” Cecile told her curtly.

  “And you?” Angelique asked.

  “Wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re staff, you’re a guest.”

  “I don’t mind…” Angelique began, but was cut off.

  “Does you need anything else?”

  “No, thank you…”

  “Very well.” Cecile nodded and left.

  Angelique frowned for a moment, then picked up her plate and began to take things from the selection of foods laid out across the table. She left the room with her plate full and made her way down the long draughty corridor, its walls adorned with kings and queens, all of them warriors. She mounted the spiral staircase which took her to another corridor. This one was more ornate, with lavish fixings and plush red carpeting. Candelabras hung from the ceiling, burning a soft light and illuminating her surroundings. When she reached the room at the end, she knocked.

  “Enter.” Rosalie’s voice echoed from behind the door.

  Angelique levered the heavy handle and stepped carefully into the room. Upon seeing her Rosalie turned away and fumbled for her mask.

  “What do you want?” she snapped.

  “Please don’t!” Angelique urged, hurrying forward, placing the plate down on the dressing table and catching her wrist. “I’m sorry if I seemed to stare before, I’ve been staring at everything, I’ve never seen a castle before…”

  “What do you want?” Rosalie repeated more softly, turning back to face her.

  “Company for dinner,” Angelique nodded towards the plate. She had two of everything “Apparently it wouldn’t be appropriate for any of the servants to eat with me, and since I’m here for eternity, I thought we should at least try and be friends…”

  “Wouldn’t be… Did Cecile say that?” Rosalie asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

  “I don’t think she likes me very much,” Angelique shrugged, pulling up a stool and joining Rosalie at the dressing table.

  “It will take her a while to warm up to you,” Rosalie observed, reaching across and taking some food from the plate. “I’m sorry this has happened to you.”

  “I haven’t given up hope,” Angelique said firmly. “I am here to pay my father’s debt, because someone in our family should take responsibility, but I have no intention of dying here. Tell me about the curse.”

  Rosalie laughed. “You won’t die here! No-one dies here! We have been here for almost five hundred years, just not dying!” She stared bitterly at the dresser.

  “Five hundred…” Angelique began in amazement.

  “It’s a curse!” Rosalie retorted. “Sometimes I think death would be a relief, but if I die I fear what would happen to the servants. The curse is mine to bear, and they were unlucky to be here with me at the time.”

  “What if you all left together?” Angelique asked.

  “I can’t leave.”

  “Have you tried?”

  “I can’t.”

  “Is there a way to find out who is connected to whom? Maybe people could leave in pairs?”

  “Do you not think we considered all of this when the curse first took hold? There is no way to tell. At the beginning some tried to run. Each time someone left behind died. Too often to be coincidence. Since people stopped leaving, no one has died.” She sighed. “I know you will want to try and find a solution. You’re new. Your enthusiasm will ebb in a hundred years or so.”

  “Well, in the meantime, humour me?” Angelique asked. “You’re immortal, what else do you have to do?”

  “Very well,” Rosalie rose to her feet, amused. “What would you have me do?”

  “Do you have a library?”

  “Of course!”

  “Show me!”

  ~~~***~~~

  Chapter 7

  “This!” Angelique burst into Rosalie’s room and slammed an open book down on her dressing table.

  “What’s this?” Rosalie sounded amused.

  “It’s a spell to reveal magic! We can reveal the tethers! Once we’ve done that we can start sending people out in pairs! We can escape!”

  “We tried that,” Rosalie smiled and closed the book gently. “Normal people can’t perform magic, we would need a mage, and sadly the only mage who has ever been here…” her voice cracked and she briefly indica
ted her face before turning away.

  Angelique’s mouth set in silent anger for a moment, before she forced a smile and lightly touched Rosalie’s shoulder. “I heard birds singing from my room last night,” she said quietly. “It was beautiful. Do you know where they nest?”

  “We have the most amazing aviary.” Rosalie sounded very enthusiastic. "Come, I'll show you!"

  "Very well!" Angelique beamed at the obvious enthusiasm the thought of the aviary sparked within her reluctant host. "Do you really need that?" She added, seeing Rosalie replace her mask.

  "We don't want to frighten the servants," Rosalie smiled sadly, then straightened and pushed forward. "This way!"

  The aviary was stunning. A huge glass ceiling so high Angelique had no idea how anyone without wings could reach it. There were trees with beautiful tropical flowers growing out of them, and succulents, and so many varieties of birds singing in chorus. Angelique beamed and stared up at them spreading her arms and spinning joyfully.

  Rosalie gazed at her in wonder, a smile spreading across her lips. “I’m glad you like it,” she said quietly.

  "Come on!" Angelique took her hand and pulled her deeper amongst the trees.

  "What are you doing?" Rosalie laughed breathlessly as she broke into a jog to keep pace.

  "Exploring!" Angelique spun her enthusiastically and her mask flew off and landed at the base of a tree. "Leave it!" Angelique pulled her back towards her, keeping a grip on her hands. "Dance with me!"

  Their eyes met, and for a moment the world stopped and there was silence.

  "Ma'am! Ma'am!" A boy came running up to them and as they both turned to face him, he gasped.

  "What is it?" Rosalie snapped as she pulled away from Angelique and hurried to retrieve her mask.

  He continued to stare blankly until Angelique crouched to block his view.

  "What did you want?" She asked quietly.

  "Cecile wanted to know if you wanted your lunch out here." He said.

  "No, we're finished here." Rosalie snapped and strode past him and away.

  ~~~***~~~

  Chapter 8

  “What do you think you’re playing at?” Cecile slammed a tray of food down in front of Angelique.

  “Excuse me?” Angelique looked up from the book of magic lore she’d been studying, at the angry woman.

  "Messing with the mistress!" Cecile folded her arms tightly across her chest and faced Angelique down.

  "Messing?" Angelique repeated incredulously.

  "What I said!" Cecile stood firm.

  "In what sense do you think I'm messing with Rosalie?" Angelique asked carefully.

  "In the sense that you're giving her hope that ain't real!" Cecile snapped.

  Angelique frowned. "I am doing no such thing." She stood to meet Cecile's gaze. "I am basically a prisoner here, and none of you will talk to me and I'm trying to make the best of it! What would you have me do? Die of loneliness?" She burst into tears and ran out.

  She hurried down the corridor wiping furiously at the tears that insisted on pricking her eyes against her will, until she reached a spiral staircase. Continuing on, not knowing where she was going, only that she couldn't stop, she pushed forth until she reached the heavy wooden door at the top. Twisting the handle she pushed hard and tumbled through as it creaked open. She found herself on the castle roof. The sky was clear, and far away the lights of villages flickered beyond the dense forest. Able to go no further, she collapsed forlornly on the ground and let the tears overtake her.

  After an indeterminate amount of time, a gentle hand touched her shoulder. Looking up she saw Rosalie, she was wearing a hood, but no mask.

  "I wasn't spying," was the first thing she said.

  "I didn't think you were," Angelique forced a smile and placed her hand over the one on her shoulder.

  “I was looking for Cecile,” she continued, sitting on the floor next to her. “And I saw what happened.” She produced a mirror from the inside pocket of her cloak. “I’m sorry you’re lonely. You can use this to see your family if you want to.” She offered the mirror.

  “I don’t miss my family,” Angelique placed the mirror face down on the ground and smiled sadly at her. "And I'm sure they don't miss me."

  "I miss my mother," Rosalie stared at the moon as though speaking to no one in particular. "She must have been worried sick when she returned." She paused. "If she returned," she corrected herself.

  “What happened?” Angelique asked, slipping her hand into Rosalie’s.

  “She went to fight a war,” Rosalie stared straight ahead of her as she spoke. “She was Queen. She had so many more people to care for than just me, you understand. She did not realise that the man she left to care for me…” she trailed off, but gripped Angelique’s hand increasingly tightly.

  Angelique gazed at the scars on her face, realisation slowly sweeping over her. “That,” she said quietly after an extremely long pause. “Is not your fault, or your mother’s. And nor is this curse. What he did is on him, and no one else bears any responsibility for it. We’ll break this curse, just you wait and see!”