Beauty and the Beast (24 page)

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mumford sneak up on the cat and grab him. “I do not think you will,” I reply calmly.

“And why is that?” she asks.

I step to the side and point at Mumford. “Because we have your cat.”

If I thought her eyes were filled with hate before, now they are furious. “You will not hurt one hair on that cat's head,” she says, emphasizing every word.

“No,” I admit. “But Beauty just might kiss him.”

The witch gasps.

“You will lose your prized companion, and the last bit of your power, all at once.”

“I would take the boy at his word,” Mumford says. “I've seen the girl in action.”

Beauty rolls her eyes at us. “You two did your fair share of kissing, too, as I recall.”

“Give me the cat!” the witch bellows. Then she rears back and lunges for him.

In response, Mumford quickly tosses the cat over the witch's head to me as though I actually have a chance of catching him without getting sliced to shreds. He lands beside me on all fours, springs back on his hind legs, and bares his sharp teeth. Meanwhile, the witch has landed squarely in Mumford's now-empty arms, and he grabs her tight. Seeing this, the cat begins to screech in protest.

“You are not using your magic to free yourself,” Beauty says to the squirming witch. “That must mean you are saving what little you have left. If you do indeed have enough for one more transformation, then we shall give you a choice. You can use it on one of us, but we will just break the curse the moment after, and you will have no power left at all. You will wind up locked in the dungeon of Prince Riley's castle.”

I shudder. “I can tell you from experience that it's not very comfortable down there.”

“Or,” Beauty continues, “you can turn yourself into an animal and live out the last of your days in the wild.”

Once again ignoring Beauty, the witch turns her fierce gaze on me. “I tried to kill you once,” she hisses. “Would have saved me a lot of trouble, too. But all you did was blow a hole in the wall with the ingredients I sent you. Hard to believe you're supposed to become such a great scientist.” She snarls. “What place would magic have in the world if men could control nature themselves?”

My eyes widen. “
You
sent me that box? I'm going to be a great
scientist
?” I cannot believe this! Me, who cannot even keep a
worm
alive! “
That's
why you turned me into a beast?”

“How wonderful!” Beauty exclaims, shaking my shoulder. “I knew she didn't make a mistake choosing you. You
do
have a special gift! Imagine what you will contribute to the world!”

As she shakes my shoulder, her necklace sways a bit and the sunlight glints off of the pink surface. For the first time, the witch snaps her full attention to Beauty. She narrows her eyes at the necklace with such focus that I fear she will burn a hole through Beauty's chest. When Beauty realizes what the witch is looking at, she takes a few steps backward and clutches the stone.

“Where did you get that?” the witch asks, struggling to free herself of Mumford's grasp. “That is mine!”

“I do not think so,” Beauty says. “It belongs to my friend. And I intend to give it back.”

The witch shakes her head. “Wrong! It belongs to
me
! It belonged to a young woman who I transformed into an ant a few years ago. Once she became my possession, so did the stone.”

“Mumford,” I ask, “is there an ant here that used to be a person? I thought the cat is the last?”

Mumford shakes his head. “The ant ran away a few years ago with a grasshopper. The pull on them was not strong enough to keep them here. After that, the witch turned people into larger animals.”

The witch spits again, and Beauty and I back up farther. “They stole my stone. Where did you find it?”

Beauty does not reply. She is no doubt thinking the same thing I am — the young woman who became an ant must have been Veronica's mother. She could still be alive out there somewhere!

“Where she found it is none of your business,” I tell the witch. “You have only a moment left to decide what will become of the rest of your life. Life in our prison, or the life of an animal.”

The cat, who I had nearly forgotten about, dashes over and winds himself around the witch's legs, purring. With a final hateful glare at all of us, the witch begins to dissolve! Mumford grunts as his arms suddenly fall empty to his sides. At his feet, a new cat lays curled on the ground in front of the black-and-white-spotted one. This new one is gray, with a black spot over where its heart should be. The witch-turned-cat stretches, then springs up. The two touch noses, then turn and stroll away, heads and tails held high. The second they disappear from sight, so does the barn, the pasture, the lemon trees in the distance, and the bright sun.

I shiver in the midday fog but am glad to see the ruins again, the thick forest, the wide sea. I breathe in a deep breath. It feels clean. Mumford sits down on a rock, dazed. He must not have seen the witch's illusion of the ruins before. I scratch my head — is THIS the illusion, or was the other? I suppose it matters not.

Beauty runs over to the dried-up brook she had pointed out when we first arrived. I follow and find her crawling on her hands and knees at the edge.

I clear my throat. “Beauty, I …
ouch
!” I reach down to slap at my ankle. A grasshopper jumps up and down in the grass. “I think that thing just bit me!”

Beauty laughs and holds out her hand. The grasshopper jumps up on it. “I believe it is you who led me to the crystal.” The grasshopper jumps excitedly in her palm.

“Um, Riley?” Beauty asks, as sweetly as can be.

I remember something Alexander told me during one of his
How to Get a Girl to Like Me
lessons. Basically it was:
“Do what they ask even if you really don't want to or it's really icky.”

And that is how I wind up kissing my first — and thankfully last — grasshopper.

We stand back as she transforms into a white-haired woman. “Finally!” she exclaims, stretching her arms out wide. “I've been waiting for that kiss for years!”

Beauty peers at the woman. “Are you … Veronica's mother? The first to escape the witch?”

The woman shakes her head. “Katerina escaped first, but I was only moments behind. After us, the witch stopped making insects. Far too easy for us to slip through the cracks! I have stayed here to guard the stone. Katerina always knew her daughter would come in search of her one day.”

“Then what happened to her?” Beauty asks. “To Katerina?”

The old woman shakes her head. “I was already the witch's prisoner when Katerina first set out from her home to find out the origin of her stone. The witch captured her in the woods far from here, took the stone, and turned Katerina into an ant. As an ant, she was small enough to slip into the witch's drawer and strong enough to drag out the stone. When we realized we were able to get out of the compound, we hid the stone in the brook, where water still flowed and hid it from view. Then Katerina set off for home. It has been many years now, and, of course, an ant cannot travel very fast. I am sorry to say, I doubt she still lives. In the compound we are well cared for, for the witch needs us healthy. Out here in the wild, we face the same challenges as any animal would.”

“Thank you for guarding the stone so well,” Beauty says. “Veronica is very grateful to have it, and without it, today could not have happened.”

The old woman beams and then walks off to join the others, now streaming from the compound. Mumford heads over to us.

“I am going to start some signal fires. The fishermen on shore will be too curious not to send out a boat. Once they find us, I shall ensure everyone reaches land safely.”

I tilt my head at him. “You are more than a simple peasant, are you not, dear Mumford?”

He smiles. “I suppose I am. But my story is long, and we have much work to do.”

“I shall help you. I have one thing to do first, though.” I reach out for Beauty's hand, relishing the way it feels in mine. I doubt I shall ever wear gloves again, even in the coldest of winter.

Mumford winks and hurries away.

Our second kiss, while it doesn't transform me from beast to boy, is just as sweet as the first.

The castle grounds glow with the full bloom of spring. The queen has outdone herself in preparation for the wedding. Maypole streamers whirl in the breeze while kids from all over the kingdom duck underneath, laughing with delight. Tables dot the lawn, draped with the finest silk cloth in every color of the rainbow. Familiar faces stand in groups, sipping wine and nibbling treats off of solid silver plates. I cannot help but be filled with joy as I take it all in.

The band members tune their instruments as the carriage I had been waiting for pulls up alongside the great lawn. Clarissa comes bounding out of it, even before the horse has come to a full stop.

“You look so beautiful!” she says, admiring my long dress and my hair tied up with ribbons. “You have truly grown into your name!” I feel a bit like a child playing dress-up, but today it feels right.

Even though Clarissa and I have seen each other a few times since Riley was de-beasted, we are always thrilled to see each other again. Both of us have changed so much since our house burned down, and soon she and Papa will be moving to one of the guest houses on the castle grounds. I will keep my pink room, although the queen promised to tone down the color a bit.

“Is he here yet?” Clarissa asks, bouncing on her toes.

I nod. “He is inside with his family.”

She shakes her head and points toward the rose garden. “I believe he has escaped!”

I turn around, and sure enough, the groom is bounding toward us. “You are not supposed to be out here,” Clarissa teases.

“I know,” Handsome says, looking over his shoulder. “But the queen is making me too nervous. Why did I agree to this again? My father says if I laugh during the ceremony, it will be spoken about for years!”

“You are doing this because Riley's mother wanted an excuse to throw a big party at the castle,” I remind him. “And because your lovely bride agreed and because you love her.”

“Right!” he says. “Keep reminding me of that if I laugh when I am supposed to be saying a vow.”

“Suzy would forgive you,” I assure him, straightening his jacket. “You have a wonderful laugh.”

“And so do you,” Riley says, coming up behind me and taking my hand in his. Even though more than two months have passed since the curse was broken, holding his hand without a huge glove between us still feels wonderful. I turn to smile at him as Clarissa rolls her eyes at my show of affection. She takes much pleasure in reminding me that it was I who did not believe in love. Alexander ducks away from a group of his friends to join us. He is never far away when Clarissa visits. It is comical to watch how hard he tries to impress her. There would not likely be a better-looking couple in all the seven kingdoms if he were to win her heart, but she is not making it easy for him.

Young Freddy joins our little group, tugging at the tight collar of his fancy shirt. “King Rubin's carriage is approaching. Will you come with me?” I allow him to drag me over to the path where the royal coach is pulling up. I know he is excited to show the king how much he has grown up since living at his castle as a young boy.

King Rubin's coach is flanked on all sides by knights in full dress. This must purely be for ceremonial reasons, since there is little threat of attack these days. The knight on the largest horse gets off and opens the door of the carriage. While a small crowd has gathered to watch the royal couple descend the carriage stairs, my attention is focused on the knight.

“Mumford!” I cry out, not caring that it is improper for a girl my age to shout over the heads of a king and queen. Yet I cannot help it. I run to his side. “'Tis wonderful to see you! But what are you doing here?”

He laughs and hugs me hello. This overly friendly greeting causes a few of the onlookers to sniff disapprovingly, but Mumford does not seem to care, either. “How could I miss the social event of the season?”

Riley had suspected there was more to Mumford than met the eye. I should have known from his bravery and quick thinking that he was a knight. I laugh and hug him again. It is only when I pull away that I notice Freddy has grown deathly white.

I reach for the boy's arm, afraid he is about to faint. Perhaps the crowd is too much for him. “Are you all right, Freddy?”

He shows no reaction to my words, only continues to stare straight ahead, straight at Mumford. Mumford returns the boy's gaze, then gasps and falls to his knees. “Son? Is it truly you?”

“Father?” Freddy whispers, his lips still mostly frozen. “You live?”

I stare back and forth between them. What wonderful fortune is this! One of the other knights takes over the duty of escorting the royal couple onto the lawn.

“Oh, Freddy!” Mumford scoops Freddy into his arms and swings him around and around until Freddy says, “Stop, I may toss my lunch!” They both laugh, and Mumford sets him back down onto the grass.

“How you've grown these six years!”

Freddy stares up at his father again. “But, Father, where have you been?”

Mumford glances at me. I lay my hand gently on Freddy's shoulder. “Remember I told you about the man who helped Riley and me at the witch's compound?”

He nods.

“That was your father. Only we didn't know it, of course.”

Freddy's eyes widen even further. “You were … a pig?”

His father nods solemnly. “I missed you every day.”

Freddy starts to laugh. And cry. Then Mumford joins in.

“Well,” I say, grinning and lifting my long skirts from the ground. “I see you two have a lot of catching up to do!” I do not think they even notice as I make my way back to the garden, trying not to trip in these unnecessarily tall-heeled shoes. I can see Veronica by the dessert table, holding up her stone and examining each ant that approaches the small cakes. When we were leaving the witch's compound it had occurred to me that the stone would reveal the true identity of the animals. That cat that the witch ran off with? A fat old man with three hairs on his shiny head. No wonder he had wanted to remain a cat! Now that Veronica knows the truth about what happened to her mother, she spends a lot of her time crawling on the ground.

Veronica grins when she sees me, and lets the necklace fall back against her pretty green dress. I have wanted to ask her something ever since I learned of the stone's power. This is as good a time as any. I pull her aside, out of earshot of the crowd now gathering around the sweets. “May I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Veronica says, reaching around me to stuff a small almond cake in her mouth.

“Do you remember when you lent me your necklace, before my journey to the castle?”

She swallows and nods.

“Your expression changed when you looked through it as you placed it over my head. I have been curious … what did you see?”

She leans close to whisper in my ear. “I saw a princess.”

I blush in response to her words. A few months ago I'd have said a princess was the last thing I ever thought I'd be.

“And there is your beast,” Veronica says, nudging me and pointing to Riley. “I mean, your prince.”

Riley walks toward us, a long-stemmed red rose held out before him. Veronica slips away as he approaches.

“This is long overdue,” he says, handing me the rose.

I chuckle. “If my father hadn't picked that first rose, we never would have met.”

“Well,” he says, drawing out the word and staring a little off to the right. “That may not be entirely true.”

I lower the flower and look over it at him. “What do you mean?”

“Um, it's a long story,” he says, still avoiding my eyes, “and includes some questionable actions on my family's part. But it will have to wait, for we have a wedding to attend.”

Before I can argue, he grabs my hand and pulls me toward where the crowd is indeed gathering for the ceremony. I almost fall flat on my face when a heel gets caught between two cobblestones. If I'm going to be a princess, I'm definitely not going to be the type of princess to wear high-heeled shoes and pink dresses with white ribbons in my hair. I'm going to be the type of princess who helps her prince measure the life span of worms and who's not afraid to get dirt under her fingernails. After all, my husband's going to be a great scientist. Someone's got to keep him from blowing himself up along the way. Might as well be me.

Riley stops short, bends to kiss an ant, and shakes his head. “Not this time.”

I smile. Yup. Might as well be me.