Fedran Sources2024-03-18T19:45:58Zhttps://fedran.com/D. MoonfireCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseNor Curse Be Found 13: The Freezing Cold2023-01-31T06:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-013/Wearing next to nothing, Beauty and Daman find themselves fleeing into the mountains to avoid Rizen and his men.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">Mounted by the unchaste princess, the unicorn's demeanor changed. Gone was the flowing white mane and the flowery perfume that clung to sparkling fur and in it's place was a nightmare, a creature of death with burning red eyes and a horn dripping with blood. It reared up and then plunged into the Dark Forest, never to be seen again. Even today, the screams of the unclean princess can be heard when the wind blows.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Kastil dea Gorbil, <em>The Unicorn Triumphant</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>The cold and wet air tore at Beauty's face as they race along the slick dirt path. She led the way, her boots splashing through the puddles and sending splatters of slush in all directions. Her shirt gave her little protection from the wind and she could feel every icy cut of wind that ripped through the openings and along her exposed legs.</p>
<p>Compared to her discomfort, her heart broke for what Daman must have been suffering with. He held her hand, his grip tight as he stumbled after her. He wore nothing to protect from the wind or snow and she could feel his entire body shaking through his grip.</p>
<p>“Love?” she whispered.</p>
<p>Distracted, she tripped and lost her balance. With a yelp, she swung her other hand to catch herself. The tip of the sword caught the ground first, twisting her wrist painfully before her knuckles smashed into the cold ground. The impact drove the hilt in her grip tight against her bones and a burst of pain tore up her arm.</p>
<p>Daman slipped his hand around her and helped her up. “Keep going, love.”</p>
<p>Beauty whimpered and stumbled with him until she could take the lead. “W-What about you?”</p>
<p>“Less talk, keep going.”</p>
<p>They gathered speed along the trail leading back to the main road. They had taken it before and she remembered where they could sprint and where they had to be careful; she only hoped that Rizen's men wouldn't have an immediate knowledge of their surroundings and they could get ahead enough to find a hidden shelter.</p>
<p>As she ran, she looked for heavy bushes or pines but there were none that didn't require leaving an obvious trail on the ground.</p>
<p>Coming over a hill, they came up to a fork in the trail. One way continued down the slope and to the road. It was a straight path the entire way and she could see the signs marking the way back to Fires Down Below. The other way was an overgrown trail that led further along the curve, trailing away from the road and the town.</p>
<p>Daman stopped her at the junction. He shivered as rivulets of drizzle and sleet ran down his nude form. He groaned and wiped the moisture from his face. “Which way?”</p>
<p>There was a yell in the distance.</p>
<p>Beauty worried her lip as she looked between her choices. Going down would get them to the town and shelter for Daman. There was also a risk because of the unknown enemies waiting for them. Not to mention, they would be exposed and easily tracked. The other way would be risky with only a shirt and a pair of boots between the two of them.</p>
<p>He cocked his head and looked back. “Only a few chains behind us. Maybe ten seconds before they see us.”</p>
<p>Beauty tightened her grip. “Are you—?”</p>
<p>“Choose, I will follow.”</p>
<p>“You're freeze—”</p>
<p>“Choose!”</p>
<p>She cringed but then pointed away from both of the choices, up the slope to a thick cluster of rocks. She could see mist and fog seeping between the boulders and a thicker bank of shifting mists beyond it. “Up there, if we can—”</p>
<p>Daman didn't want for the rest of her sentence. He gripped her tightly and tugged her along as he forged through the wet underbrush toward her choice.</p>
<p>Beauty grimaced and followed. She could feel him shivering through his hand. Ice clung to his hair and the icy water ran rivulets down his bare back. Bright lines of fresh scratches scored his sides and shoulders. She regretted her choice but they couldn't afford to second guess anymore.</p>
<p>They made it just as the men came rushing down the path after them.</p>
<p>Beauty pulled Daman down into the shadows of the rocks. The swirls of the fog tickled her skin as the world grew hazy. It would hopefully shield them from their attackers but it also meant that she wouldn't have any warning if they approached. She cocked her head and strained to listen to the words that drifted up.</p>
<p>Daman shivered violently.</p>
<p>Beauty looked at him, concerned.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” he mouthed but his teeth were clattering. They had only been running for a minute, but he had nothing to shield him from the cold and rain.</p>
<p>She glared at him and inched closer. She set down her sword and started to unbutton her shirt to give it to him. Her boots wouldn't fit him and he needed something against the cold.</p>
<p>He pressed his hand against hers, pinning her. His eyes were adamant as he shook his head.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned and gestured angrily to his shaking form.</p>
<p>Daman glanced around and then pointed to a gap between two boulders. There was a narrow but clear gap between them and the fog bank beyond.</p>
<p>Unhappy but desperate to keep moving, Beauty pushed herself up to her knees and crawled between the rocks. Every step caused rocks to scrape against each other and she winced.</p>
<p>Daman kissed her ass as she passed. His lips were icy against her bare skin.</p>
<p>She stopped and glared at him. “Really? Now?” she mouthed back.</p>
<p>“Just checking that I'm not dead,” he responded in a whisper. Even though he was shivering, he kissed her cheek again again. “I'm not.”</p>
<p>Rolling her eyes, she crawled away from the men who were at the fork in the road. Their yells and orders were muted through the mist and distorted by the echoes. Only vague words could be understood, none of them kind or calm. Glad to be moving away from them, she only hoped Daman and herself could find shelter before exposure killed them.</p>
<p>On the other side of the boulders, she remained on her hands and knees as she worked the boulders between them and the path before delving deeper into the thicker parts of the mist. The air around her grew even colder and ice clung to her bare skin; she was moving too slowly to generate heat and shivers began to course along her limbs.</p>
<p>It felt like a hundred years had passed before they were deep enough into the fog to stand up safely. A blast of icy wind slammed into her and she clutched her sword arm against her chest stomach to try keeping the wind from billowing out her shirt.</p>
<p>Daman stood up and then swayed.</p>
<p>She gasped and reached out with her other hand. “Daman,” she said in a worried voice.</p>
<p>He slumped against her and groaned. “You're s-so hot.” His voice was broken and cracked.</p>
<p>The cold wind blew underneath her shirt and she shivered. It did not look good for either of them. “We need to find shelter,” she whispered. Looking around didn't help, she couldn't see through the fog that was protecting them. Only vague shapes loomed around her: a mound of snow, a vertical darkness that may be a tree, or an unsteady ridge of darkness.</p>
<p>“Kind of wish we had a t-talking lion right n-now,” he said with chattering teeth. With a groan, he slipped his arms around her and held her tight.</p>
<p>Beauty's heart broke feeling how cold he was. She made sure her sword was safe before hugging him back. He was so cold and her heart broke to feel him shivering in her group.</p>
<p>“W-We b-better get g-g-going,” Daman said. He took a deep breath and then picked her off the ground.</p>
<p>“Daman!”</p>
<p>“Quiet,” he grunted as he shifted her across his arms and then staggered deeper into the mist.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Beauty flailed in an effort to escape and get back on her own feet. “I have the boots. A-And you're naked!”</p>
<p>“I'm the p-prince,” he said. He made no effort to put her down.</p>
<p>“What does that have to mean with anything?” It was getting hard not to whisper.</p>
<p>“Like mud, s-slugs, and that broken chair, I will be fine. No frostbite, no broken toes. Nothing in this world will harm me as long as you love me.” He grinned and tried to kiss her but missed. “You, on the other hand, are my beautiful rose who doesn't have all those benefits because I can n-never love you as much as you love me.”</p>
<p>Beauty sniffed as tears burned in her eyes. She stopped struggling and leaned into his cold chest in hopes that her own body warmth would help. “You aren't going to put me down, are you?”</p>
<p>“N-No,” he said with a smile.</p>
<p>“Just hurry, okay? I'll keep a lookout.”</p>
<p>Around her, looming branches rose out of the fog, passed over them, and then disappeared. He shook underneath her, but he held her firmly to his chest as he walked.</p>
<p>Beauty allowed herself a brief smile. “I do love you.”</p>
<p>“And I you—” He stumbled. He gripped her tighter to keep her close, then he straightened. “I love you… oh, warm?”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up. “W-What?” Her teeth clicked from her own shivering. She glanced around her but only saw the dense fog and vague shapes.</p>
<p>Daman stepped back and looked around. “There is s-something… warm… here.” A smile crossed his face and then he knelt down.</p>
<p>She felt it before her boots touched the ground, a warmth radiating from a bank of snow or a rock. Without thinking, she reached out to touch it. It was velvety but solid. It was also very warm, searing hot compared to her own freezing body.</p>
<p>Then it shifted underneath her. “Excuse me,” asked a deep, masculine voice that shook the surface underneath her hand. “Why are you groping my stomach?”</p>
<p>Beauty snatched her hand back.</p>
<p>“What the shit?” A groan. “Oh… why am I up? Where in the dark am—”</p>
<p>A belch interrupted the words and a wave of fetid air blew past her carrying the stench of vomit and alcohol. When it passed, the icy wind came back with a vengeance. All she wanted to do was plaster herself against whoever was talking but she couldn't; a whimper slipped out of her lips as she drew back into the cold.</p>
<p>“S-Sorry,” Daman said as he dropped to his knee. “We were caught out here and you were so warm when I bumped into it. We are desperate and need shelter.”</p>
<p>“So you though groping me was an answer? Do you have shit for brains?” Another belch.</p>
<p>Beauty shook her head and held up her hand. “We didn't—”</p>
<p>Daman interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder. “We're freezing. I-I would love to c-continue this d-d-debate, but could we do it while leaning against you? Please?”</p>
<p>A slash of wind plucked at Beauty's shirt, pulling it up. She shook at the icy claws that ran up her spine. She tried to push it down but her fingers were numb and the effort futile.</p>
<p>A sudden white light blinded her.</p>
<p>She drew back. She tried to hold her sword but her fingers wouldn't work. She looked down to forced herself but her brightly-lit hand was empty. She had dropped her weapon without realizing it.</p>
<p>They were defenseless.</p>
<p>Nervous, Beauty looked up at the brilliant light shining down on her. The fog and mist created a glare but she made out a horse-like face with rainbow-colored eyes. When the creature turned to one side, the light moved and she could see it was a single glowing horn sprouting from the unicorn's head.</p>
<p>The unicorn peered at her and then at human. “Um, I'm pretty sure you are both human, right?”</p>
<p>Daman said, “Yes, of course.”</p>
<p>“You seem… very naked for prancing around in the middle of winter.”</p>
<p>The prince chuckled. “Wasn't our intent.”</p>
<p>“You were doing something with sex, right? I've heard humans were always fucking.” The unicorn shook his mane and groaned. “Oh, too much berry wine last night…,” he muttered.</p>
<p>“Well,” Daman said. “It was suppose to be a night of cuddling and enjoying ourselves but then someone tried to kill us.”</p>
<p>The unicorn scoffed. “I don't care, not interested. Humans are nothing but trouble.”</p>
<p>A shiver tore through Beauty. She clutched her arms tight to her body as she tried to stop her teeth from chattering. Glancing over, she noticed that there was a clear symbol on the unicorn's flanks: it looked like a bucket with something brown slopping out of it. She frowned in confusion because her first impression was that it looked like a bucket of shit.</p>
<p>Daman pulled her tight to his body as he spoke to the unicorn. “Please? Just for a few minutes? As soon as we can, we will be gone.”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up at him and then to the creature.</p>
<p>Another belch. “Fine… just… try not keep your filthy human parts rubbing against me.”</p>
<p>Daman guided Beauty against the unicorn.</p>
<p>The unicorn was warm but foul-smelling, the smell of stale wine and shit clung to the creature's hair. But she wasn't going to leave for a smell. Groaning, she pressed her body against the heat and shivered.</p>
<p>Daman slipped up behind her, cradling her body as he settled into place. “Thank you. My name is–”</p>
<p>“Don't care any more than a pile of shit on the ground.”</p>
<p>Daman continued as if nothing was said. “Daman and this is Beauty.”</p>
<p>The unicorn snorted. Then he groaned.</p>
<p>“Hangover?” Daman said. He slipped his arm around Beauty's waist and held her tight before settling against the unicorn's stomach. His broad body shielded her from the wind buffeting them and kept her tight against the unicorn's warmth.</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you for reminding me. Though I could use a bucket of molly berry wine right now. And a decent hunk of roast meat.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't aware—”</p>
<p>Beauty elbowed Daman before he continued. “Be nice to our host. We might survive to find shelter because of him.”</p>
<p>“Yes, the fat human female appreciates me.”</p>
<p>Daman started to response but Beauty interrupted him. “And you,” she kicked him, “what was this about carrying me across the ground? I have boots, that was one of the few things I could handle. And, I might mention, I'm the only one who even has a shred of clothing on right now?”</p>
<p>“I told you, I'm a—”</p>
<p>“Yes, a prince. But what makes you think you're immune to frostbite? Just because mud and leeches don't stick to you doesn't mean you can't lose your toes from the code, or slip and fall. You aren't immortal, Daman, and I don't want to find out how to live without you.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “I know, but that's it. As long as you are in my story, then I will come out.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but you could be scarred for life.”</p>
<p>He kissed her neck. “Only if that is what would turn you on.”</p>
<p>She squirmed at the touch. With the heat and their near death experience, his incorrigible nature was hard to resist. “Not now.”</p>
<p>“Fine, but only if you acknowledge that I'm going to carry a torch for you as long as I have fingers to hold it and feet to raise it high.”</p>
<p>Beauty sighed. “Fine, you love me.”</p>
<p>“I do and you love me. And soon, we're going back home and being happy every after.” He chuckled and kissed her again. His fingers snaked up to cup her breast.</p>
<p>She giggled and pushed his hand down. “Daman, no filthy human parts, remember? We need to be gracious to our host.”</p>
<p>“Fine….” He hugged her tighter. “But when we get back, I'm going to bring you to a proper room and ravish you behind a locked door.”</p>
<p>The unicorn groaned. “You two are really disturbing, aren't you? Like two monkeys rutting in a puddle of mud. Like every other human I know.” He belched again.</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head and wondered if losing her sword was a blessing in disguise.</p>
<p>Daman shrugged. “Thank you, Bucket.”</p>
<p>The body underneath her tensed.</p>
<p>He gestured back toward the unicorn's flanks. “I assumed your name is Bucket, right? Syrup Bucket? Mud Pail?”</p>
<p>The unicorn let out a huff. “Is that what you really think my name is?”</p>
<p>“Well, I haven't had a good chance, but I'll call you whatever you want me to call you.”</p>
<p>The unicorn sighed. “Pail is fine. Just… don't need to add anything more to that.”</p>
<p>Daman grinned and saluted. “Well, a pleasure to meet you, Pail, and I thank you from both of our hearts that you were willing to give us shelter. As soon as we can, we will make our leave.”</p>
<p>A cold wind tickled Beauty's bare legs. She curled up tighter to the unicorn but then the cold wind blew up against her buttocks. She squirmed and then shifted back until she had one leg nestled between Daman's with his body protecting her privates and her feet underneath the unicorn's legs.</p>
<p>It was uncomfortable but at least she stopped shivering. With a sigh, she rested her head against Pail's belly and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>“Is this love?,” asked Pail after a few minutes.</p>
<p>She looked up, surprised. “What?”</p>
<p>“I can sense he used to be cursed by a fae.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “Yes. I was a self-centered prick and pissed off the wrong woman. She cursed me to be a monster.” He kissed Beauty's shoulder. “At least until this beauty taught me to care for someone other than myself.”</p>
<p>Pail's body tensed. “And it was True Love that broke the curse?”</p>
<p>“Apparently. At least that is what Lanier said.”</p>
<p>“You talked to the blue mage?”</p>
<p>At Daman's nod, Pail glanced around. “Then he's probably right about surviving.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Beauty drew closer to the unicorn. It was almost like sleeping in her bedroll, except for the smell.</p>
<p>“True Love doesn't stop after the curse is broken. It replaces it, creating a connection between the two of you. I don't really understand how, but I know that her love will change you to fit her expectations.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “You mean, I don't have to worry about washing my hair because she thinks princes always look good?”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed and smiled to herself. She never thought about it, but Daman was exactly what she expected with a prince. She leaned back against him and sighed.</p>
<p>He squeezed her and kissed her shoulder.</p>
<p>Pail tossed his head and the light grew brighter. “Why are you out here? You found love and broke the curse, shouldn't you be staying enjoying your Ever After? Only one in a million ever get a chance to break a curse and turn it into a blessing.”</p>
<p>Daman's arm squeezed Beauty but he said nothing.</p>
<p>She thought about their decision to return home. She was tired of adventures and freezing and crawling through swamps, but they were talking to a unicorn and she wouldn't have a chance to do that again. “W-We were on a quest to turn him back but… we had just given up after talking to Lanier. But, then we were attacked—”</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Pail said sharply. “You were on a quest to get him cursed again? Is that what you do? Find one of the most precious gifts and try to return it!?”</p>
<p>Beauty giggled. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“W-Why, in the every flowing sewer of shit, are you trying to get cursed!?”</p>
<p>Damar kissed her. “Because we wanted to go back to the way it was. I was a beast, huge and hulking. I had claws. I had height and strength. I had a huge dick.”</p>
<p>“You are doing this just to rut even more? Oh, for the powers that be, you humans are disgusting!”</p>
<p>“At first, yes, but not after.” Daman's voice was sad and quiet.</p>
<p>Beauty froze, she had never heard Daman speak of anything else.</p>
<p>“But then it was something else. I've been feeling like I'm just wearing this suit. It's pretty and handsome, but it also isn't mine. As the years go on, it gets more uncomfortable like… like I desperately need to find the stitches to rip myself free.”</p>
<p>Beauty turned her head to look into his sad eyes.</p>
<p>Daman wiped a tear from his face and then kissed her nose. “I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“Never be sorry,” she said. “How long?”</p>
<p>“I don't know, I didn't realize it until I was talking to Lanier about her… zirs body. Then it just clicked. A suit that didn't fit, that made sense to me. I want to be the Beast again, not just for sex and fun, but because it feels right. I don't want to wear my Daman suit anymore.”</p>
<p>“Then why did you want to go home?”</p>
<p>He sighed. “We've been trying so long. So many fights and struggles. I'm tired and it looks like it can't happen as long as you love me.”</p>
<p>Daman kissed her on the lips. “Every second of every day is a lifetime of joy for me, and I won't risk anything if it meant I might lose you.”</p>
<p>She smiled and kissed him back. “I love you, my beast.”</p>
<p>“And you will always be my beauty.”</p>
<p>Pail groaned. “And I'm going to be sick.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “It isn't—” but his words were interrupted as Pail surged to his feet.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman slumped to the ground as the unicorn lurched out of the warm spot on the grass and vomited loudly. The cold air quickly returned and she clung to the still warm ground as she steeled herself against the weather.</p>
<p>Pail's horn flickered and then went dark. He vomited again. It sounded like a huge bucket being emptied out on the ground and the stench surrounded her in a choking cloud. He staggered back and then did it a third time.</p>
<p>When he finally came back, the heat was fading from the ground. “Come on,” he said with a foul breath. “Get on.”</p>
<p>Daman got to his knees, then helped Beauty up before standing. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Get on me. It's some distance to the ring and you can't walk there like that.”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “I'm not… a virgin.”</p>
<p>Pail stared at her and then huffed. “Why would I care? We aren't having sex! I'm just giving you a ride, you daft human! WHy is it always rutting with you humans!?”</p>
<p>She squirmed in discomfort. “The legends say I have to be one. I just assumed… that is was important.”</p>
<p>“Well, screw those legends. I want to go home and I might as well take you to somewhere you can get cleaned up. So that means both of you need to get on because I have no intent in slow-walking a mile in this shitty weather.”</p>
<p>It took them a few moments to get up on Pail. Beauty leaned against the warmth and sighed. She hated how even a few seconds away from the unicorn's warmth felt like like hell. She wasn't going to question their luck, she was just happy that she wasn't going to die of exposure in the mountain.</p>
<p>“Where are we going? Back to Lanier's?”</p>
<p>Pail shook his head and his horn began to glow again. “The Fairy Realm. I figured between True Love and your curse, we might as well find an expert.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 13: The Freezing Cold2023-01-31T06:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-13/Wearing next to nothing, Beauty and Daman find themselves fleeing into the mountains to avoid Rizen and his men.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">Mounted by the unchaste princess, the unicorn's demeanor changed. Gone was the flowing white mane and the flowery perfume that clung to sparkling fur and in it's place was a nightmare, a creature of death with burning red eyes and a horn dripping with blood. It reared up and then plunged into the Dark Forest, never to be seen again. Even today, the screams of the unclean princess can be heard when the wind blows.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Kastil dea Gorbil, <em>The Unicorn Triumphant</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>The cold and wet air tore at Beauty's face as they race along the slick dirt path. She led the way, her boots splashing through the puddles and sending splatters of slush in all directions. Her shirt gave her little protection from the wind and she could feel every icy cut of wind that ripped through the openings and along her exposed legs.</p>
<p>Compared to her discomfort, her heart broke for what Daman must have been suffering with. He held her hand, his grip tight as he stumbled after her. He wore nothing to protect from the wind or snow and she could feel his entire body shaking through his grip.</p>
<p>“Love?” she whispered.</p>
<p>Distracted, she tripped and lost her balance. With a yelp, she swung her other hand to catch herself. The tip of the sword caught the ground first, twisting her wrist painfully before her knuckles smashed into the cold ground. The impact drove the hilt in her grip tight against her bones and a burst of pain tore up her arm.</p>
<p>Daman slipped his hand around her and helped her up. “Keep going, love.”</p>
<p>Beauty whimpered and stumbled with him until she could take the lead. “W-What about you?”</p>
<p>“Less talk, keep going.”</p>
<p>They gathered speed along the trail leading back to the main road. They had taken it before and she remembered where they could sprint and where they had to be careful; she only hoped that Rizen's men wouldn't have an immediate knowledge of their surroundings and they could get ahead enough to find a hidden shelter.</p>
<p>As she ran, she looked for heavy bushes or pines but there were none that didn't require leaving an obvious trail on the ground.</p>
<p>Coming over a hill, they came up to a fork in the trail. One way continued down the slope and to the road. It was a straight path the entire way and she could see the signs marking the way back to Fires Down Below. The other way was an overgrown trail that led further along the curve, trailing away from the road and the town.</p>
<p>Daman stopped her at the junction. He shivered as rivulets of drizzle and sleet ran down his nude form. He groaned and wiped the moisture from his face. “Which way?”</p>
<p>There was a yell in the distance.</p>
<p>Beauty worried her lip as she looked between her choices. Going down would get them to the town and shelter for Daman. There was also a risk because of the unknown enemies waiting for them. Not to mention, they would be exposed and easily tracked. The other way would be risky with only a shirt and a pair of boots between the two of them.</p>
<p>He cocked his head and looked back. “Only a few chains behind us. Maybe ten seconds before they see us.”</p>
<p>Beauty tightened her grip. “Are you—?”</p>
<p>“Choose, I will follow.”</p>
<p>“You're freeze—”</p>
<p>“Choose!”</p>
<p>She cringed but then pointed away from both of the choices, up the slope to a thick cluster of rocks. She could see mist and fog seeping between the boulders and a thicker bank of shifting mists beyond it. “Up there, if we can—”</p>
<p>Daman didn't want for the rest of her sentence. He gripped her tightly and tugged her along as he forged through the wet underbrush toward her choice.</p>
<p>Beauty grimaced and followed. She could feel him shivering through his hand. Ice clung to his hair and the icy water ran rivulets down his bare back. Bright lines of fresh scratches scored his sides and shoulders. She regretted her choice but they couldn't afford to second guess anymore.</p>
<p>They made it just as the men came rushing down the path after them.</p>
<p>Beauty pulled Daman down into the shadows of the rocks. The swirls of the fog tickled her skin as the world grew hazy. It would hopefully shield them from their attackers but it also meant that she wouldn't have any warning if they approached. She cocked her head and strained to listen to the words that drifted up.</p>
<p>Daman shivered violently.</p>
<p>Beauty looked at him, concerned.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” he mouthed but his teeth were clattering. They had only been running for a minute, but he had nothing to shield him from the cold and rain.</p>
<p>She glared at him and inched closer. She set down her sword and started to unbutton her shirt to give it to him. Her boots wouldn't fit him and he needed something against the cold.</p>
<p>He pressed his hand against hers, pinning her. His eyes were adamant as he shook his head.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned and gestured angrily to his shaking form.</p>
<p>Daman glanced around and then pointed to a gap between two boulders. There was a narrow but clear gap between them and the fog bank beyond.</p>
<p>Unhappy but desperate to keep moving, Beauty pushed herself up to her knees and crawled between the rocks. Every step caused rocks to scrape against each other and she winced.</p>
<p>Daman kissed her ass as she passed. His lips were icy against her bare skin.</p>
<p>She stopped and glared at him. “Really? Now?” she mouthed back.</p>
<p>“Just checking that I'm not dead,” he responded in a whisper. Even though he was shivering, he kissed her cheek again again. “I'm not.”</p>
<p>Rolling her eyes, she crawled away from the men who were at the fork in the road. Their yells and orders were muted through the mist and distorted by the echoes. Only vague words could be understood, none of them kind or calm. Glad to be moving away from them, she only hoped Daman and herself could find shelter before exposure killed them.</p>
<p>On the other side of the boulders, she remained on her hands and knees as she worked the boulders between them and the path before delving deeper into the thicker parts of the mist. The air around her grew even colder and ice clung to her bare skin; she was moving too slowly to generate heat and shivers began to course along her limbs.</p>
<p>It felt like a hundred years had passed before they were deep enough into the fog to stand up safely. A blast of icy wind slammed into her and she clutched her sword arm against her chest stomach to try keeping the wind from billowing out her shirt.</p>
<p>Daman stood up and then swayed.</p>
<p>She gasped and reached out with her other hand. “Daman,” she said in a worried voice.</p>
<p>He slumped against her and groaned. “You're s-so hot.” His voice was broken and cracked.</p>
<p>The cold wind blew underneath her shirt and she shivered. It did not look good for either of them. “We need to find shelter,” she whispered. Looking around didn't help, she couldn't see through the fog that was protecting them. Only vague shapes loomed around her: a mound of snow, a vertical darkness that may be a tree, or an unsteady ridge of darkness.</p>
<p>“Kind of wish we had a t-talking lion right n-now,” he said with chattering teeth. With a groan, he slipped his arms around her and held her tight.</p>
<p>Beauty's heart broke feeling how cold he was. She made sure her sword was safe before hugging him back. He was so cold and her heart broke to feel him shivering in her group.</p>
<p>“W-We b-better get g-g-going,” Daman said. He took a deep breath and then picked her off the ground.</p>
<p>“Daman!”</p>
<p>“Quiet,” he grunted as he shifted her across his arms and then staggered deeper into the mist.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Beauty flailed in an effort to escape and get back on her own feet. “I have the boots. A-And you're naked!”</p>
<p>“I'm the p-prince,” he said. He made no effort to put her down.</p>
<p>“What does that have to mean with anything?” It was getting hard not to whisper.</p>
<p>“Like mud, s-slugs, and that broken chair, I will be fine. No frostbite, no broken toes. Nothing in this world will harm me as long as you love me.” He grinned and tried to kiss her but missed. “You, on the other hand, are my beautiful rose who doesn't have all those benefits because I can n-never love you as much as you love me.”</p>
<p>Beauty sniffed as tears burned in her eyes. She stopped struggling and leaned into his cold chest in hopes that her own body warmth would help. “You aren't going to put me down, are you?”</p>
<p>“N-No,” he said with a smile.</p>
<p>“Just hurry, okay? I'll keep a lookout.”</p>
<p>Around her, looming branches rose out of the fog, passed over them, and then disappeared. He shook underneath her, but he held her firmly to his chest as he walked.</p>
<p>Beauty allowed herself a brief smile. “I do love you.”</p>
<p>“And I you—” He stumbled. He gripped her tighter to keep her close, then he straightened. “I love you… oh, warm?”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up. “W-What?” Her teeth clicked from her own shivering. She glanced around her but only saw the dense fog and vague shapes.</p>
<p>Daman stepped back and looked around. “There is s-something… warm… here.” A smile crossed his face and then he knelt down.</p>
<p>She felt it before her boots touched the ground, a warmth radiating from a bank of snow or a rock. Without thinking, she reached out to touch it. It was velvety but solid. It was also very warm, searing hot compared to her own freezing body.</p>
<p>Then it shifted underneath her. “Excuse me,” asked a deep, masculine voice that shook the surface underneath her hand. “Why are you groping my stomach?”</p>
<p>Beauty snatched her hand back.</p>
<p>“What the shit?” A groan. “Oh… why am I up? Where in the dark am—”</p>
<p>A belch interrupted the words and a wave of fetid air blew past her carrying the stench of vomit and alcohol. When it passed, the icy wind came back with a vengeance. All she wanted to do was plaster herself against whoever was talking but she couldn't; a whimper slipped out of her lips as she drew back into the cold.</p>
<p>“S-Sorry,” Daman said as he dropped to his knee. “We were caught out here and you were so warm when I bumped into it. We are desperate and need shelter.”</p>
<p>“So you though groping me was an answer? Do you have shit for brains?” Another belch.</p>
<p>Beauty shook her head and held up her hand. “We didn't—”</p>
<p>Daman interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder. “We're freezing. I-I would love to c-continue this d-d-debate, but could we do it while leaning against you? Please?”</p>
<p>A slash of wind plucked at Beauty's shirt, pulling it up. She shook at the icy claws that ran up her spine. She tried to push it down but her fingers were numb and the effort futile.</p>
<p>A sudden white light blinded her.</p>
<p>She drew back. She tried to hold her sword but her fingers wouldn't work. She looked down to forced herself but her brightly-lit hand was empty. She had dropped her weapon without realizing it.</p>
<p>They were defenseless.</p>
<p>Nervous, Beauty looked up at the brilliant light shining down on her. The fog and mist created a glare but she made out a horse-like face with rainbow-colored eyes. When the creature turned to one side, the light moved and she could see it was a single glowing horn sprouting from the unicorn's head.</p>
<p>The unicorn peered at her and then at human. “Um, I'm pretty sure you are both human, right?”</p>
<p>Daman said, “Yes, of course.”</p>
<p>“You seem… very naked for prancing around in the middle of winter.”</p>
<p>The prince chuckled. “Wasn't our intent.”</p>
<p>“You were doing something with sex, right? I've heard humans were always fucking.” The unicorn shook his mane and groaned. “Oh, too much berry wine last night…,” he muttered.</p>
<p>“Well,” Daman said. “It was suppose to be a night of cuddling and enjoying ourselves but then someone tried to kill us.”</p>
<p>The unicorn scoffed. “I don't care, not interested. Humans are nothing but trouble.”</p>
<p>A shiver tore through Beauty. She clutched her arms tight to her body as she tried to stop her teeth from chattering. Glancing over, she noticed that there was a clear symbol on the unicorn's flanks: it looked like a bucket with something brown slopping out of it. She frowned in confusion because her first impression was that it looked like a bucket of shit.</p>
<p>Daman pulled her tight to his body as he spoke to the unicorn. “Please? Just for a few minutes? As soon as we can, we will be gone.”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up at him and then to the creature.</p>
<p>Another belch. “Fine… just… try not keep your filthy human parts rubbing against me.”</p>
<p>Daman guided Beauty against the unicorn.</p>
<p>The unicorn was warm but foul-smelling, the smell of stale wine and shit clung to the creature's hair. But she wasn't going to leave for a smell. Groaning, she pressed her body against the heat and shivered.</p>
<p>Daman slipped up behind her, cradling her body as he settled into place. “Thank you. My name is–”</p>
<p>“Don't care any more than a pile of shit on the ground.”</p>
<p>Daman continued as if nothing was said. “Daman and this is Beauty.”</p>
<p>The unicorn snorted. Then he groaned.</p>
<p>“Hangover?” Daman said. He slipped his arm around Beauty's waist and held her tight before settling against the unicorn's stomach. His broad body shielded her from the wind buffeting them and kept her tight against the unicorn's warmth.</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you for reminding me. Though I could use a bucket of molly berry wine right now. And a decent hunk of roast meat.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't aware—”</p>
<p>Beauty elbowed Daman before he continued. “Be nice to our host. We might survive to find shelter because of him.”</p>
<p>“Yes, the fat human female appreciates me.”</p>
<p>Daman started to response but Beauty interrupted him. “And you,” she kicked him, “what was this about carrying me across the ground? I have boots, that was one of the few things I could handle. And, I might mention, I'm the only one who even has a shred of clothing on right now?”</p>
<p>“I told you, I'm a—”</p>
<p>“Yes, a prince. But what makes you think you're immune to frostbite? Just because mud and leeches don't stick to you doesn't mean you can't lose your toes from the code, or slip and fall. You aren't immortal, Daman, and I don't want to find out how to live without you.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “I know, but that's it. As long as you are in my story, then I will come out.”</p>
<p>“Yes, but you could be scarred for life.”</p>
<p>He kissed her neck. “Only if that is what would turn you on.”</p>
<p>She squirmed at the touch. With the heat and their near death experience, his incorrigible nature was hard to resist. “Not now.”</p>
<p>“Fine, but only if you acknowledge that I'm going to carry a torch for you as long as I have fingers to hold it and feet to raise it high.”</p>
<p>Beauty sighed. “Fine, you love me.”</p>
<p>“I do and you love me. And soon, we're going back home and being happy every after.” He chuckled and kissed her again. His fingers snaked up to cup her breast.</p>
<p>She giggled and pushed his hand down. “Daman, no filthy human parts, remember? We need to be gracious to our host.”</p>
<p>“Fine….” He hugged her tighter. “But when we get back, I'm going to bring you to a proper room and ravish you behind a locked door.”</p>
<p>The unicorn groaned. “You two are really disturbing, aren't you? Like two monkeys rutting in a puddle of mud. Like every other human I know.” He belched again.</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head and wondered if losing her sword was a blessing in disguise.</p>
<p>Daman shrugged. “Thank you, Bucket.”</p>
<p>The body underneath her tensed.</p>
<p>He gestured back toward the unicorn's flanks. “I assumed your name is Bucket, right? Syrup Bucket? Mud Pail?”</p>
<p>The unicorn let out a huff. “Is that what you really think my name is?”</p>
<p>“Well, I haven't had a good chance, but I'll call you whatever you want me to call you.”</p>
<p>The unicorn sighed. “Pail is fine. Just… don't need to add anything more to that.”</p>
<p>Daman grinned and saluted. “Well, a pleasure to meet you, Pail, and I thank you from both of our hearts that you were willing to give us shelter. As soon as we can, we will make our leave.”</p>
<p>A cold wind tickled Beauty's bare legs. She curled up tighter to the unicorn but then the cold wind blew up against her buttocks. She squirmed and then shifted back until she had one leg nestled between Daman's with his body protecting her privates and her feet underneath the unicorn's legs.</p>
<p>It was uncomfortable but at least she stopped shivering. With a sigh, she rested her head against Pail's belly and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>“Is this love?,” asked Pail after a few minutes.</p>
<p>She looked up, surprised. “What?”</p>
<p>“I can sense he used to be cursed by a fae.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “Yes. I was a self-centered prick and pissed off the wrong woman. She cursed me to be a monster.” He kissed Beauty's shoulder. “At least until this beauty taught me to care for someone other than myself.”</p>
<p>Pail's body tensed. “And it was True Love that broke the curse?”</p>
<p>“Apparently. At least that is what Lanier said.”</p>
<p>“You talked to the blue mage?”</p>
<p>At Daman's nod, Pail glanced around. “Then he's probably right about surviving.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Beauty drew closer to the unicorn. It was almost like sleeping in her bedroll, except for the smell.</p>
<p>“True Love doesn't stop after the curse is broken. It replaces it, creating a connection between the two of you. I don't really understand how, but I know that her love will change you to fit her expectations.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “You mean, I don't have to worry about washing my hair because she thinks princes always look good?”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed and smiled to herself. She never thought about it, but Daman was exactly what she expected with a prince. She leaned back against him and sighed.</p>
<p>He squeezed her and kissed her shoulder.</p>
<p>Pail tossed his head and the light grew brighter. “Why are you out here? You found love and broke the curse, shouldn't you be staying enjoying your Ever After? Only one in a million ever get a chance to break a curse and turn it into a blessing.”</p>
<p>Daman's arm squeezed Beauty but he said nothing.</p>
<p>She thought about their decision to return home. She was tired of adventures and freezing and crawling through swamps, but they were talking to a unicorn and she wouldn't have a chance to do that again. “W-We were on a quest to turn him back but… we had just given up after talking to Lanier. But, then we were attacked—”</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Pail said sharply. “You were on a quest to get him cursed again? Is that what you do? Find one of the most precious gifts and try to return it!?”</p>
<p>Beauty giggled. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“W-Why, in the every flowing sewer of shit, are you trying to get cursed!?”</p>
<p>Damar kissed her. “Because we wanted to go back to the way it was. I was a beast, huge and hulking. I had claws. I had height and strength. I had a huge dick.”</p>
<p>“You are doing this just to rut even more? Oh, for the powers that be, you humans are disgusting!”</p>
<p>“At first, yes, but not after.” Daman's voice was sad and quiet.</p>
<p>Beauty froze, she had never heard Daman speak of anything else.</p>
<p>“But then it was something else. I've been feeling like I'm just wearing this suit. It's pretty and handsome, but it also isn't mine. As the years go on, it gets more uncomfortable like… like I desperately need to find the stitches to rip myself free.”</p>
<p>Beauty turned her head to look into his sad eyes.</p>
<p>Daman wiped a tear from his face and then kissed her nose. “I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“Never be sorry,” she said. “How long?”</p>
<p>“I don't know, I didn't realize it until I was talking to Lanier about her… zirs body. Then it just clicked. A suit that didn't fit, that made sense to me. I want to be the Beast again, not just for sex and fun, but because it feels right. I don't want to wear my Daman suit anymore.”</p>
<p>“Then why did you want to go home?”</p>
<p>He sighed. “We've been trying so long. So many fights and struggles. I'm tired and it looks like it can't happen as long as you love me.”</p>
<p>Daman kissed her on the lips. “Every second of every day is a lifetime of joy for me, and I won't risk anything if it meant I might lose you.”</p>
<p>She smiled and kissed him back. “I love you, my beast.”</p>
<p>“And you will always be my beauty.”</p>
<p>Pail groaned. “And I'm going to be sick.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “It isn't—” but his words were interrupted as Pail surged to his feet.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman slumped to the ground as the unicorn lurched out of the warm spot on the grass and vomited loudly. The cold air quickly returned and she clung to the still warm ground as she steeled herself against the weather.</p>
<p>Pail's horn flickered and then went dark. He vomited again. It sounded like a huge bucket being emptied out on the ground and the stench surrounded her in a choking cloud. He staggered back and then did it a third time.</p>
<p>When he finally came back, the heat was fading from the ground. “Come on,” he said with a foul breath. “Get on.”</p>
<p>Daman got to his knees, then helped Beauty up before standing. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“Get on me. It's some distance to the ring and you can't walk there like that.”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “I'm not… a virgin.”</p>
<p>Pail stared at her and then huffed. “Why would I care? We aren't having sex! I'm just giving you a ride, you daft human! WHy is it always rutting with you humans!?”</p>
<p>She squirmed in discomfort. “The legends say I have to be one. I just assumed… that is was important.”</p>
<p>“Well, screw those legends. I want to go home and I might as well take you to somewhere you can get cleaned up. So that means both of you need to get on because I have no intent in slow-walking a mile in this shitty weather.”</p>
<p>It took them a few moments to get up on Pail. Beauty leaned against the warmth and sighed. She hated how even a few seconds away from the unicorn's warmth felt like like hell. She wasn't going to question their luck, she was just happy that she wasn't going to die of exposure in the mountain.</p>
<p>“Where are we going? Back to Lanier's?”</p>
<p>Pail shook his head and his horn began to glow again. “The Fairy Realm. I figured between True Love and your curse, we might as well find an expert.”</p>
</div>
Allegro 59: Decisions2021-08-03T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-059/Linsan, Brook, and Miska have to decide what comes next.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">... those of native blood may hold no office or position of authority within these lands.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— <em>The True and Complete Laws of Gepaul</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Linsan sat on a chair next to Brook's head, holding her friend's hand as Brook slept. Even though the healers said that Brook would survive, Linsan couldn't help but worry every time a whimper of pain escaped Brook's lips or she trembled.</p>
<p>Miska sat on the opposite side, her head rested on Brook's pillow as she stretched out across two chairs. Pillows and blankets spilled out underneath her from her attempts to make herself comfortable.</p>
<p>“Miska?” Brook's voice was broken and hoarse.</p>
<p>Linsan sat up sharply.</p>
<p>“Did you get Palisis!?”</p>
<p>Wiping the sudden tears, Linsan nodded. “I got it back. Lord Xasnal was annoyed that I ruined his commission, but he decided that he would look the other way since Tilbin attacked first.”</p>
<p>She gave a rueful smile. “We don't have to even pay for the damage to his hall, but I did have to promise to play for him once everything was rebuilt.”</p>
<p>Brook frowned. “I'm so—”</p>
<p>Linsan held up her hand. “No, it's good. He's going to give me patronage for a year to let everything settle, the investigations to finish up, and your father's trial to proceed.”</p>
<p>Her eyes widened. “D-Daddy?”</p>
<p>“They caught him. He was trying to escape on a boat, but the city guard have a number of water talents and he was unable to escape. And Gabaw…” Linsan voice broke as she struggled with the words. “Gabaw made a deal with the authorities. He said he had proof that Dukan ordered the fire on our woods and was selling off Sterligs over the years. That is why Dukan had so much money, he had been trading our legacy for cash. The captain's men are escorting him back home to get it.”</p>
<p>Tears ran down Brook's face. “Oh, Lin. I'm so sorry. I didn't know.”</p>
<p>“There was… they already seized your… Dukan's assets here and back home. You got a bunch of letters from your sisters while you were unconscious. I can't imagine they are happy news.”</p>
<p>Brook's face fell. “Then I have nothing either.”</p>
<p>Miska looked up through her hair that had draped over her face. “You have us.”</p>
<p>Brook gave a weak effort at a smile. She pushed the hair away and looked at Miska with love and affection. “That's all I really need, right? You two?”</p>
<p>“That's right, Princess.” Miska leaned into Brook's hand and nuzzled it. “The healers said it would take a month or three to recover from your injuries.”</p>
<p>“I hope so. It really hurts right now.”</p>
<p>“You aren't getting out what you owe me.”</p>
<p>At Brook's confused look, Miska grinned. “I get a royal servant for a week, remember?”</p>
<p>Brook giggled and then winced. “O-Ouch.”</p>
<p>“Just because you got stabbed by your own father doesn't let you get out of obligations.” Miska grinned and ran her thumb along Brook's cheek.</p>
<p>“I know! Just don't make me laugh!”</p>
<p>Miska crawled onto the bed and pressed her body to Brook's. “No laughter, but you don't get to escape me.”</p>
<p>Brook leaned back. “I'm caught by my obligations, they are a chain around my neck.” Then she lifted her head. “Yes, I know that's from a play.”</p>
<p>Linsan shrugged and kept her mouth shut.</p>
<p>“And your mother was in it.”</p>
<p>It took more effort not to smirk.</p>
<p>Resting her head back, Brook stroked Miska's hair. “Do you think there is a chance we could seize Tilbin's, Gabaw's, and that other guy's assets?”</p>
<p>Linsan cocked her head. “Mayforn? Why?”</p>
<p>“I heard you talking back when I was upset about losing access to the bank. I thought about it while I was driving. They own the land they stole from Miska's tribe. She can't own it herself, but I know daddy got around that by having some tribal folk own stocks in a company.”</p>
<p>“We can't own a business either, my love.”</p>
<p>Brook grinned and then winced. “Owning stock is not control. If we got those assets, put it into a company, and then you and the other <em>Feil</em> could have their land back. At least on paper.”</p>
<p>Miska sighed. “How would that help? It would still be one of you in charge and that person would still be able to steal from the lands.”</p>
<p>“Pick someone who had your interests. I already know from daddy's… Dukan's work, that the person in charge doesn't have to be the one who makes decisions.”</p>
<p>Miska's face brightened. “Are you offering yourself, Princess?”</p>
<p>“To be your puppet leader?” Brook smiled with a blush. “Maybe. Yes. I mean, maybe.”</p>
<p>“Does that mean I get to stick my hand up your—?”</p>
<p>“No!” Brook said, her face coloring. Then she glanced at Linsan and back to Miska. “M-Maybe? If Linsan is okay with it?”</p>
<p>Linsan stood up. “As I told you before, you will always be my friend and I would be your lover until you find someone more worthy of the role. You've found your champion now, so I can happily go back to being merely your best friend for the rest of your life and leave you in the hands of your lover.”</p>
<p>Brook's eyes watered for a moment. “That's a line, isn't it?”</p>
<p>“I think so.” Linsan grinned broadly. “But it isn't from a play. At least not yet, I'm going to try my hand at writing one just so I can say it is.”</p>
</div>
Allegro 59: Decisions2021-08-03T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-59/Linsan, Brook, and Miska have to decide what comes next.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">... those of native blood may hold no office or position of authority within these lands.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— <em>The True and Complete Laws of Gepaul</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Linsan sat on a chair next to Brook's head, holding her friend's hand as Brook slept. Even though the healers said that Brook would survive, Linsan couldn't help but worry every time a whimper of pain escaped Brook's lips or she trembled.</p>
<p>Miska sat on the opposite side, her head rested on Brook's pillow as she stretched out across two chairs. Pillows and blankets spilled out underneath her from her attempts to make herself comfortable.</p>
<p>“Miska?” Brook's voice was broken and hoarse.</p>
<p>Linsan sat up sharply.</p>
<p>“Did you get Palisis!?”</p>
<p>Wiping the sudden tears, Linsan nodded. “I got it back. Lord Xasnal was annoyed that I ruined his commission, but he decided that he would look the other way since Tilbin attacked first.”</p>
<p>She gave a rueful smile. “We don't have to even pay for the damage to his hall, but I did have to promise to play for him once everything was rebuilt.”</p>
<p>Brook frowned. “I'm so—”</p>
<p>Linsan held up her hand. “No, it's good. He's going to give me patronage for a year to let everything settle, the investigations to finish up, and your father's trial to proceed.”</p>
<p>Her eyes widened. “D-Daddy?”</p>
<p>“They caught him. He was trying to escape on a boat, but the city guard have a number of water talents and he was unable to escape. And Gabaw…” Linsan voice broke as she struggled with the words. “Gabaw made a deal with the authorities. He said he had proof that Dukan ordered the fire on our woods and was selling off Sterligs over the years. That is why Dukan had so much money, he had been trading our legacy for cash. The captain's men are escorting him back home to get it.”</p>
<p>Tears ran down Brook's face. “Oh, Lin. I'm so sorry. I didn't know.”</p>
<p>“There was… they already seized your… Dukan's assets here and back home. You got a bunch of letters from your sisters while you were unconscious. I can't imagine they are happy news.”</p>
<p>Brook's face fell. “Then I have nothing either.”</p>
<p>Miska looked up through her hair that had draped over her face. “You have us.”</p>
<p>Brook gave a weak effort at a smile. She pushed the hair away and looked at Miska with love and affection. “That's all I really need, right? You two?”</p>
<p>“That's right, Princess.” Miska leaned into Brook's hand and nuzzled it. “The healers said it would take a month or three to recover from your injuries.”</p>
<p>“I hope so. It really hurts right now.”</p>
<p>“You aren't getting out what you owe me.”</p>
<p>At Brook's confused look, Miska grinned. “I get a royal servant for a week, remember?”</p>
<p>Brook giggled and then winced. “O-Ouch.”</p>
<p>“Just because you got stabbed by your own father doesn't let you get out of obligations.” Miska grinned and ran her thumb along Brook's cheek.</p>
<p>“I know! Just don't make me laugh!”</p>
<p>Miska crawled onto the bed and pressed her body to Brook's. “No laughter, but you don't get to escape me.”</p>
<p>Brook leaned back. “I'm caught by my obligations, they are a chain around my neck.” Then she lifted her head. “Yes, I know that's from a play.”</p>
<p>Linsan shrugged and kept her mouth shut.</p>
<p>“And your mother was in it.”</p>
<p>It took more effort not to smirk.</p>
<p>Resting her head back, Brook stroked Miska's hair. “Do you think there is a chance we could seize Tilbin's, Gabaw's, and that other guy's assets?”</p>
<p>Linsan cocked her head. “Mayforn? Why?”</p>
<p>“I heard you talking back when I was upset about losing access to the bank. I thought about it while I was driving. They own the land they stole from Miska's tribe. She can't own it herself, but I know daddy got around that by having some tribal folk own stocks in a company.”</p>
<p>“We can't own a business either, my love.”</p>
<p>Brook grinned and then winced. “Owning stock is not control. If we got those assets, put it into a company, and then you and the other <em>Feil</em> could have their land back. At least on paper.”</p>
<p>Miska sighed. “How would that help? It would still be one of you in charge and that person would still be able to steal from the lands.”</p>
<p>“Pick someone who had your interests. I already know from daddy's… Dukan's work, that the person in charge doesn't have to be the one who makes decisions.”</p>
<p>Miska's face brightened. “Are you offering yourself, Princess?”</p>
<p>“To be your puppet leader?” Brook smiled with a blush. “Maybe. Yes. I mean, maybe.”</p>
<p>“Does that mean I get to stick my hand up your—?”</p>
<p>“No!” Brook said, her face coloring. Then she glanced at Linsan and back to Miska. “M-Maybe? If Linsan is okay with it?”</p>
<p>Linsan stood up. “As I told you before, you will always be my friend and I would be your lover until you find someone more worthy of the role. You've found your champion now, so I can happily go back to being merely your best friend for the rest of your life and leave you in the hands of your lover.”</p>
<p>Brook's eyes watered for a moment. “That's a line, isn't it?”</p>
<p>“I think so.” Linsan grinned broadly. “But it isn't from a play. At least not yet, I'm going to try my hand at writing one just so I can say it is.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 12: Rude Interruption2021-08-01T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-012/Beauty wakes up to the call of nature to find that Rizen had found them during the night. The warrior wasn't going to take no for an answer and it was only a matter of minutes before blood flowed.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Fall of Kosòbyo, the first great battle of the world war, started the bloody exodus of the desert clans from their homes as they attempted to flee the upcoming civil war between the sun and moon.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Givil da Nisian, <em>The Mechanical War, One Woman's Insight</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Morning came with a lightening of the sky and pressure on Beauty's bladder. She managed to pull her legs out from between Daman's and crawled out of the wonderful warmth of their bedrolls and into the cold air of their shelter. Above her, rain still drizzled in a light pattern on the heavy material and she could feel cold air seeping underneath the edges and along the openings.</p>
<p>Shivering, she tried to pull her clothes but they had gotten trapped underneath the rolls. Her lover's weight pinned them against the soft ground and she could feel they had gathered the damp from the rain.</p>
<p>Quietly muttering to herself and fighting the growing need to pee, she looked around for an alternative to cover herself. For a moment, she considered going out naked but it was cold, rainy, and she didn't know how safe the abandoned camp would be.</p>
<p>She spotted Daman's heavy shirt inside the rolls. It was coiled next to his arm and between his body, but looked otherwise easy to pull free. Crawling over him, she grabbed it and gently tugged it free. It still had his warmth and smell when she pulled it on and covered her body. The heavy material reached a foot below her hips, indecent in polite company but enough to rush to the latrine and back.</p>
<p>Forgoing the rest of her small clothes but not her pair of boots, she crawled out of the shelter and then ran through the icy drizzle to the latrine they had found earlier. The sky above her was brighter, probably early morning with the sun well hidden behind the boiling clouds.</p>
<p>She didn't like being exposed, even with no one else around. She finished her business and hurried back. Her bare feet smacked loudly on the wet grasses and she slipped a few times when she hit a patch of cold water just a few degrees above freezing. She couldn't wait to crawl into Daman's warm bed and just let the rest of the day pass by.</p>
<p>Beauty reached the shelter they put their supplies when her skin prickled. Slipping to a halt, she stopped and looked around.</p>
<p>There was someone leaning against a tree only a few yards away from the entrance of their sleeping area. It took her a moment to take in the gray trench coat and the bulky man inside to identify the intruder, Rizen.</p>
<p>Rizen chuckled and gestured with one hand. “It's rare to see such a beauty prancing out of the rain.”</p>
<p>Beauty tightened her lips and looked around. Under the edge of their sleeping area, she saw a jerk of movement. Then behind her, a rustle of grasses told her that someone had walked up behind her. She glanced around, looking for something to defend herself, but her sword was a few yards away with only the hilt sticking out. The peace-bond wire glinted in the light, not that it would stop her.</p>
<p>She brought her eyes up. “What do you want, Rizen?”</p>
<p>“Your man left in such a hurry, right in the middle of our discussion. I want to return to the topic so I came out here.”</p>
<p>“How did you find us?”</p>
<p>Rizen shook his head. “I didn't hurt the little girl. One of my men overheard you and I asked that impressible young man what they were talking about. He was a fool for answering, but he doesn't know better,” Rizen said with a grin. “These Tarsan youth don't understand betrayal… at least not yet.”</p>
<p>Behind her, she heard two men chuckling. They were on each side of her and she guessed they were also about two yards behind her. To the side, she saw another few men coming up from where they had been hiding behind trees. They were all soaked from the rain and their heavy boots crushed dying leaves and fallen branches.</p>
<p>Her skin crawled.</p>
<p>Daman crawled out of his shelter, still naked. He groaned as he made a show of stretching before he looked pointedly at Rizen. “Why are you bothering us?”</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes flickered down to take in Daman's appearance. He made a show of shrugging with disinterest. “As I told your woman, I just want to talk.”</p>
<p>“I have no interest in your words or your fantasies.” Daman made a shooing gesture with his hand.</p>
<p>Rizen pushed himself from the tree. His gloved hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. “Maybe, but we are still going to talk.” His voice was low and threatening.</p>
<p>Daman flexed his back and shoulders, his muscles twitching. For a moment, Beauty was reminded of how he would do that as the Beast, a terrifying gesture that silenced most conversations instantly but, as just a naked human, it didn't have the same terrifying impact.</p>
<p>No one responded.</p>
<p>The prince sighed. “Why don't you just head back to town and we'll talk there? I have little interest in politics with my branch swinging out and gathering rain.”</p>
<p>“Because I doubt you'd return. You're a coward, March Prince.”</p>
<p>“I am not a coward.”</p>
<p>“Maybe. Maybe not,” Rizen said, “but I'd rather see which side you are on.”</p>
<p>“Why are there sides? I wasn't aware we were at war with Tarsan.”</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes flashed. “We aren't at war with these pathetically soft men of a dying country. You know as well as I do, the desert borders have fallen. Whatever happened inside that forsaken land is spilling out and Gepaul is right on the front of that battle. We are the marches before the war and I will be damned to the hells if I let a bunch of sand-blooded bastards take my land and kill my people.”</p>
<p>Around them, a few of the men grunted with agreement.</p>
<p>Beauty glanced to the supplies, looking for Daman's weapon. It wasn't where she thought they had left it. Her eyes scanned around, turning to the side. As she started to look behind her, she heard a scuffing of movement and held herself. They were standing just on the edge to make her uncomfortable and it was working. Her stomach twisted.</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes caught hers. He chuckled and held up Daman's sword. “Looking for this?”</p>
<p>Daman held out his hand. “That's my father's sword. I would rather you not stain the hilt with your touch.”</p>
<p>Rizen shook his head. “No, pretty boy. You're going to listen, one way or another.”</p>
<p>“Are you threatening me, Rizen?”</p>
<p>The warrior's eyes looked directly at Beauty. He smiled slowly even as his eyes darkened.</p>
<p>She shivered at the look.</p>
<p>Daman crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you threatening… my Beauty?”</p>
<p>Rizen answered without looking back. “Yes. Either you listen with her by your side or you listen to her dying. If you continue to fight, then you'll die—”</p>
<p>Beauty couldn't take it anymore. She rushed forward and yanked her sword free from the pile of her supplies. The weapon felt comforting in her grip as she spun around and braced herself.</p>
<p>The two men that were looming behind her were armed with short swords in their hands. The blades wavered and rain ran down the naked steel. One of them had a second weapon out, a short fighting dagger.</p>
<p>Rizen chuckled. “Go on, let her have her little toy. It's peace-bonded. You'll have plenty of time to cut her throat by the time she gets it free.”</p>
<p>Beauty glanced down at the thick wire that tied the hilt to the sheath. It was sturdy and wouldn't budge. Rizen was right about trying to free herself, but she focused to make sure the wire still remained in the two notches on each side of the sheath. Seeing that, she transfers the sheath to her other hand and held it firmly by the middle.</p>
<p>One of the looming men chuckled and elbowed. “You even know how to use that, Girl?”</p>
<p>She glared at him. “I'm good enough to handle two boys.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, right.”</p>
<p>Rizen sighed. “Now listen, Prince. You are going to help us take this town if you want to or not. If you don't, then I'm going to make sure your little girl here has a very short and painful life left.”</p>
<p>“Take this town?” Daman shook his head as he glared. “We aren't at war with Tarsan. You are talking about invading from Gepaul, that would start a war.”</p>
<p>“We need that iron for our own battles. Tarsan doesn't care about this place, it's some middle of fuck nowhere mine right on the border. Half the business used to go through that pass until a few years ago. I know, I was positioned over there, watching this country get fatter and richer while Gepaul starved.”</p>
<p>A murmur of assent came from Rizen's men. Beauty counted seven of them, all armed and ready for fighting.</p>
<p>“And what happens when Tarsan comes to defend their territory?”</p>
<p>“The town is easily defended, if you know the enemy is coming. We'll just blow the road leading to Tarsan and then start shipping the iron across the pass.”</p>
<p>“Winter is coming. A lot of people will suffer if you do that.”</p>
<p>“I have a lot more allies than you know. I can bring in fire mages to keep the pass open and stone knights to keep it clear. Gepaul is going to get this iron, one way or the other.”</p>
<p>“And do you think the Silver King is just going to welcome you with open arms.”</p>
<p>Rizen snorted. “The Silver King is a fool who thinks the best of people. No, I follow the Golden Queen and she will reward me for my service.” Rizen thumped his chest. “She will reward all of us, even you. You want to be more than March Prince? Doomed to spend the rest of your life protecting some border?”</p>
<p>“My family has protected the border for generations.”</p>
<p>“Then why aren't you there… Prince?” Rizen smirked.</p>
<p>Daman pressed his lips together but said nothing.</p>
<p>“You aren't there because you want adventure. Join me, and we'll have a glorious time conquering this town and then we join the war that has already started. The Golden Queen is already moving and I plan on firmly planting my feet on the winning side.”</p>
<p>“What if you are wrong?”</p>
<p>Rizen snorted. “I'm not. I will not let the sands invade my home, even if I have to kill every one of those brown bastards with my own hands.”</p>
<p>Daman shook his head. “And I heard they are bringing their families with them. These are refugees, not warriors.”</p>
<p>“They still attack.”</p>
<p>“We provoked. They are scared and frightened.”</p>
<p>“They'll be dead soon enough. They can be scared in whatever hell their sands have for them.”</p>
<p>Beauty felt sick to her stomach listened to Rizen. She tightened her grip and glanced at the two men threatening her to see if either was distracted. To her surprise, they had excellent discipline and kept their eyes on her.</p>
<p>Daman shook his head again. “No.”</p>
<p>Rizen did a double take, finally looking away from Beauty to the prince. “What?”</p>
<p>“No, I will not betray my oath to Gepaul. I will not help you invade a peaceful country. I will not stand by and let you slaughter innocence, no matter if they are here in Tarsan or fleeing wars in their home. In fact, I will go beyond not helping by actively doing my best to stop you.”</p>
<p>Rizen gestured at him. “You're naked, unarmed, and outnumbered.”</p>
<p>Daman grunted. “I'm not… exactly in a position to stop you in this moment, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.”</p>
<p>The warrior shook his head. “No, I need to make my point clear. You will help me, Prince. Kill her.”</p>
<p>Beauty tensed as she turned toward the two men. She held up her sheathed sword between her and them.</p>
<p>In the corner of her vision, she saw Daman looking at her expectantly. Her mind flashed for a moment, trying to remember the terrain behind her. The shelter wouldn't be enough protection if they surrounded them. They had to get further away but she doubted they would have a chance to snatch other supplies.</p>
<p>Daman answered as he shoved himself away their tent and rushed toward her.</p>
<p>“Stop him!”</p>
<p>Beauty surged forward, bringing her sword up before slamming the tip of the sheath hard on a large rock she spotted. The bottom third of her sheath had been made from a thinner material. It crumbled from the blow, driving two wedges on either side of her blade up and into the wires. The metal snapped, flinging off as the sword was ejected from the sheath.</p>
<p>Grabbing the moving hilt with practiced grace, she swung it in a tight arc as she stepped to the right. The blade made a perfect sweep at an angle and caught the first man just under his chin. The tip tore open his throat before the blade arced down to catch the second man across his knuckles. The blade jerked as it snapped bone and sliced through his fingers.</p>
<p>Beauty stepped back to catch the momentum of her first strike, flipped the sword underneath her hand and then drove forward to ram the blade into the second attacker's gut. With all her might, she angled the blade up to spear his lungs and other organs.</p>
<p>The world stopped for the briefest of moments.</p>
<p>With her face in a grimace, she twisted hard with all her might.</p>
<p>Blood sprayed across her face.</p>
<p>Daman raced past her without a second look.</p>
<p>The first attacker gurgled as he tried to stop the crimson spraying out from his fatal injury.</p>
<p>The second man stared at her with shock and fear.</p>
<p>Then, with a twist of the blade to tear her opponent open even further, she yanked the blade out and ripped open his stomach. She stepped back to avoid the gore and then turn and ran after Daman.</p>
<p>By the time the first man hit the ground and the second's organs were spilling out across the ground, she had caught up with Daman and they rushed up the hill toward a bank of mist that hadn't been burned off by the hidden sun.</p>
<p>Seconds later, there was a roar as the warriors charged after them.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 12: Rude Interruption2021-08-01T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-12/Beauty wakes up to the call of nature to find that Rizen had found them during the night. The warrior wasn't going to take no for an answer and it was only a matter of minutes before blood flowed.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Fall of Kosòbyo, the first great battle of the world war, started the bloody exodus of the desert clans from their homes as they attempted to flee the upcoming civil war between the sun and moon.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Givil da Nisian, <em>The Mechanical War, One Woman's Insight</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Morning came with a lightening of the sky and pressure on Beauty's bladder. She managed to pull her legs out from between Daman's and crawled out of the wonderful warmth of their bedrolls and into the cold air of their shelter. Above her, rain still drizzled in a light pattern on the heavy material and she could feel cold air seeping underneath the edges and along the openings.</p>
<p>Shivering, she tried to pull her clothes but they had gotten trapped underneath the rolls. Her lover's weight pinned them against the soft ground and she could feel they had gathered the damp from the rain.</p>
<p>Quietly muttering to herself and fighting the growing need to pee, she looked around for an alternative to cover herself. For a moment, she considered going out naked but it was cold, rainy, and she didn't know how safe the abandoned camp would be.</p>
<p>She spotted Daman's heavy shirt inside the rolls. It was coiled next to his arm and between his body, but looked otherwise easy to pull free. Crawling over him, she grabbed it and gently tugged it free. It still had his warmth and smell when she pulled it on and covered her body. The heavy material reached a foot below her hips, indecent in polite company but enough to rush to the latrine and back.</p>
<p>Forgoing the rest of her small clothes but not her pair of boots, she crawled out of the shelter and then ran through the icy drizzle to the latrine they had found earlier. The sky above her was brighter, probably early morning with the sun well hidden behind the boiling clouds.</p>
<p>She didn't like being exposed, even with no one else around. She finished her business and hurried back. Her bare feet smacked loudly on the wet grasses and she slipped a few times when she hit a patch of cold water just a few degrees above freezing. She couldn't wait to crawl into Daman's warm bed and just let the rest of the day pass by.</p>
<p>Beauty reached the shelter they put their supplies when her skin prickled. Slipping to a halt, she stopped and looked around.</p>
<p>There was someone leaning against a tree only a few yards away from the entrance of their sleeping area. It took her a moment to take in the gray trench coat and the bulky man inside to identify the intruder, Rizen.</p>
<p>Rizen chuckled and gestured with one hand. “It's rare to see such a beauty prancing out of the rain.”</p>
<p>Beauty tightened her lips and looked around. Under the edge of their sleeping area, she saw a jerk of movement. Then behind her, a rustle of grasses told her that someone had walked up behind her. She glanced around, looking for something to defend herself, but her sword was a few yards away with only the hilt sticking out. The peace-bond wire glinted in the light, not that it would stop her.</p>
<p>She brought her eyes up. “What do you want, Rizen?”</p>
<p>“Your man left in such a hurry, right in the middle of our discussion. I want to return to the topic so I came out here.”</p>
<p>“How did you find us?”</p>
<p>Rizen shook his head. “I didn't hurt the little girl. One of my men overheard you and I asked that impressible young man what they were talking about. He was a fool for answering, but he doesn't know better,” Rizen said with a grin. “These Tarsan youth don't understand betrayal… at least not yet.”</p>
<p>Behind her, she heard two men chuckling. They were on each side of her and she guessed they were also about two yards behind her. To the side, she saw another few men coming up from where they had been hiding behind trees. They were all soaked from the rain and their heavy boots crushed dying leaves and fallen branches.</p>
<p>Her skin crawled.</p>
<p>Daman crawled out of his shelter, still naked. He groaned as he made a show of stretching before he looked pointedly at Rizen. “Why are you bothering us?”</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes flickered down to take in Daman's appearance. He made a show of shrugging with disinterest. “As I told your woman, I just want to talk.”</p>
<p>“I have no interest in your words or your fantasies.” Daman made a shooing gesture with his hand.</p>
<p>Rizen pushed himself from the tree. His gloved hand dropped to the hilt of his sword. “Maybe, but we are still going to talk.” His voice was low and threatening.</p>
<p>Daman flexed his back and shoulders, his muscles twitching. For a moment, Beauty was reminded of how he would do that as the Beast, a terrifying gesture that silenced most conversations instantly but, as just a naked human, it didn't have the same terrifying impact.</p>
<p>No one responded.</p>
<p>The prince sighed. “Why don't you just head back to town and we'll talk there? I have little interest in politics with my branch swinging out and gathering rain.”</p>
<p>“Because I doubt you'd return. You're a coward, March Prince.”</p>
<p>“I am not a coward.”</p>
<p>“Maybe. Maybe not,” Rizen said, “but I'd rather see which side you are on.”</p>
<p>“Why are there sides? I wasn't aware we were at war with Tarsan.”</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes flashed. “We aren't at war with these pathetically soft men of a dying country. You know as well as I do, the desert borders have fallen. Whatever happened inside that forsaken land is spilling out and Gepaul is right on the front of that battle. We are the marches before the war and I will be damned to the hells if I let a bunch of sand-blooded bastards take my land and kill my people.”</p>
<p>Around them, a few of the men grunted with agreement.</p>
<p>Beauty glanced to the supplies, looking for Daman's weapon. It wasn't where she thought they had left it. Her eyes scanned around, turning to the side. As she started to look behind her, she heard a scuffing of movement and held herself. They were standing just on the edge to make her uncomfortable and it was working. Her stomach twisted.</p>
<p>Rizen's eyes caught hers. He chuckled and held up Daman's sword. “Looking for this?”</p>
<p>Daman held out his hand. “That's my father's sword. I would rather you not stain the hilt with your touch.”</p>
<p>Rizen shook his head. “No, pretty boy. You're going to listen, one way or another.”</p>
<p>“Are you threatening me, Rizen?”</p>
<p>The warrior's eyes looked directly at Beauty. He smiled slowly even as his eyes darkened.</p>
<p>She shivered at the look.</p>
<p>Daman crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you threatening… my Beauty?”</p>
<p>Rizen answered without looking back. “Yes. Either you listen with her by your side or you listen to her dying. If you continue to fight, then you'll die—”</p>
<p>Beauty couldn't take it anymore. She rushed forward and yanked her sword free from the pile of her supplies. The weapon felt comforting in her grip as she spun around and braced herself.</p>
<p>The two men that were looming behind her were armed with short swords in their hands. The blades wavered and rain ran down the naked steel. One of them had a second weapon out, a short fighting dagger.</p>
<p>Rizen chuckled. “Go on, let her have her little toy. It's peace-bonded. You'll have plenty of time to cut her throat by the time she gets it free.”</p>
<p>Beauty glanced down at the thick wire that tied the hilt to the sheath. It was sturdy and wouldn't budge. Rizen was right about trying to free herself, but she focused to make sure the wire still remained in the two notches on each side of the sheath. Seeing that, she transfers the sheath to her other hand and held it firmly by the middle.</p>
<p>One of the looming men chuckled and elbowed. “You even know how to use that, Girl?”</p>
<p>She glared at him. “I'm good enough to handle two boys.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, right.”</p>
<p>Rizen sighed. “Now listen, Prince. You are going to help us take this town if you want to or not. If you don't, then I'm going to make sure your little girl here has a very short and painful life left.”</p>
<p>“Take this town?” Daman shook his head as he glared. “We aren't at war with Tarsan. You are talking about invading from Gepaul, that would start a war.”</p>
<p>“We need that iron for our own battles. Tarsan doesn't care about this place, it's some middle of fuck nowhere mine right on the border. Half the business used to go through that pass until a few years ago. I know, I was positioned over there, watching this country get fatter and richer while Gepaul starved.”</p>
<p>A murmur of assent came from Rizen's men. Beauty counted seven of them, all armed and ready for fighting.</p>
<p>“And what happens when Tarsan comes to defend their territory?”</p>
<p>“The town is easily defended, if you know the enemy is coming. We'll just blow the road leading to Tarsan and then start shipping the iron across the pass.”</p>
<p>“Winter is coming. A lot of people will suffer if you do that.”</p>
<p>“I have a lot more allies than you know. I can bring in fire mages to keep the pass open and stone knights to keep it clear. Gepaul is going to get this iron, one way or the other.”</p>
<p>“And do you think the Silver King is just going to welcome you with open arms.”</p>
<p>Rizen snorted. “The Silver King is a fool who thinks the best of people. No, I follow the Golden Queen and she will reward me for my service.” Rizen thumped his chest. “She will reward all of us, even you. You want to be more than March Prince? Doomed to spend the rest of your life protecting some border?”</p>
<p>“My family has protected the border for generations.”</p>
<p>“Then why aren't you there… Prince?” Rizen smirked.</p>
<p>Daman pressed his lips together but said nothing.</p>
<p>“You aren't there because you want adventure. Join me, and we'll have a glorious time conquering this town and then we join the war that has already started. The Golden Queen is already moving and I plan on firmly planting my feet on the winning side.”</p>
<p>“What if you are wrong?”</p>
<p>Rizen snorted. “I'm not. I will not let the sands invade my home, even if I have to kill every one of those brown bastards with my own hands.”</p>
<p>Daman shook his head. “And I heard they are bringing their families with them. These are refugees, not warriors.”</p>
<p>“They still attack.”</p>
<p>“We provoked. They are scared and frightened.”</p>
<p>“They'll be dead soon enough. They can be scared in whatever hell their sands have for them.”</p>
<p>Beauty felt sick to her stomach listened to Rizen. She tightened her grip and glanced at the two men threatening her to see if either was distracted. To her surprise, they had excellent discipline and kept their eyes on her.</p>
<p>Daman shook his head again. “No.”</p>
<p>Rizen did a double take, finally looking away from Beauty to the prince. “What?”</p>
<p>“No, I will not betray my oath to Gepaul. I will not help you invade a peaceful country. I will not stand by and let you slaughter innocence, no matter if they are here in Tarsan or fleeing wars in their home. In fact, I will go beyond not helping by actively doing my best to stop you.”</p>
<p>Rizen gestured at him. “You're naked, unarmed, and outnumbered.”</p>
<p>Daman grunted. “I'm not… exactly in a position to stop you in this moment, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.”</p>
<p>The warrior shook his head. “No, I need to make my point clear. You will help me, Prince. Kill her.”</p>
<p>Beauty tensed as she turned toward the two men. She held up her sheathed sword between her and them.</p>
<p>In the corner of her vision, she saw Daman looking at her expectantly. Her mind flashed for a moment, trying to remember the terrain behind her. The shelter wouldn't be enough protection if they surrounded them. They had to get further away but she doubted they would have a chance to snatch other supplies.</p>
<p>Daman answered as he shoved himself away their tent and rushed toward her.</p>
<p>“Stop him!”</p>
<p>Beauty surged forward, bringing her sword up before slamming the tip of the sheath hard on a large rock she spotted. The bottom third of her sheath had been made from a thinner material. It crumbled from the blow, driving two wedges on either side of her blade up and into the wires. The metal snapped, flinging off as the sword was ejected from the sheath.</p>
<p>Grabbing the moving hilt with practiced grace, she swung it in a tight arc as she stepped to the right. The blade made a perfect sweep at an angle and caught the first man just under his chin. The tip tore open his throat before the blade arced down to catch the second man across his knuckles. The blade jerked as it snapped bone and sliced through his fingers.</p>
<p>Beauty stepped back to catch the momentum of her first strike, flipped the sword underneath her hand and then drove forward to ram the blade into the second attacker's gut. With all her might, she angled the blade up to spear his lungs and other organs.</p>
<p>The world stopped for the briefest of moments.</p>
<p>With her face in a grimace, she twisted hard with all her might.</p>
<p>Blood sprayed across her face.</p>
<p>Daman raced past her without a second look.</p>
<p>The first attacker gurgled as he tried to stop the crimson spraying out from his fatal injury.</p>
<p>The second man stared at her with shock and fear.</p>
<p>Then, with a twist of the blade to tear her opponent open even further, she yanked the blade out and ripped open his stomach. She stepped back to avoid the gore and then turn and ran after Daman.</p>
<p>By the time the first man hit the ground and the second's organs were spilling out across the ground, she had caught up with Daman and they rushed up the hill toward a bank of mist that hadn't been burned off by the hidden sun.</p>
<p>Seconds later, there was a roar as the warriors charged after them.</p>
</div>
Allegro 58: Proof2021-07-27T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-058/Linsan has the opportunity to prove that she has played Palisis before, but there are some disagreements.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">It is easy to make a claim but far harder to prove it.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Kyōti proverb</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Even in the narrow hallway leading to the great hall, Linsan could hear the rapid patter of the auctioneer speaking loudly. “Do I hear twenty-two. Twenty-two. Twenty-three to the lady in the red dress. Twenty-three million folks. Twenty-five! Twenty-six!”</p>
<p>It took all of her effort not to crawl over Lord Xasnal who lead the way or the guard walking behind him and ahead of Linsan. She wanted to scream at them to hurry but Sopenar appeared to have only one speed, a slow walk.</p>
<p>“Thirty million! Thirty-five! Six! Seven.”</p>
<p>Someone called out loudly. “Forty!”</p>
<p>“Forty million cukdins for this priceless treasure.”</p>
<p>She cringed as Sopenar approached the door.</p>
<p>“Forty? Going once. Going—”</p>
<p>Sopenar stepped in the room and held up two fingers, then four.</p>
<p>Linsan's heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>“Sorry, my lords and ladies, bidding has been halted. I currently have forty million cukdins to the Lady Pinialis.”</p>
<p>A ripple of noise rose up as Linsan entered the room. After the claustrophobic hallway, the great hall felt like stepping outside. In the short period of time, rows of seats had been arranged in front of the stage with a narrow space down the middle.</p>
<p>On stage was a pedestal holding a red velvet pillow. On it was Palisis. The violin had been polished until it shown and lights had been focused on it to show off the delicate hints of purple and red veins that ran underneath the polished surface. Next to it was the bow her father had crafted, a matching pair with the same designs and carvings.</p>
<p>It had been years since Linsan had seen the musical instrument. A longing rose up, a desire more intense than anything she had felt before. The urge to reach out for it and pluck it from the pillow rose up and she struggled being so close.</p>
<p>The gathered people, the high society of Moon Water, looked around in confusion. A few stood up to turn to the back toward Sopenar. Linsan noticed a few just ducked their heads and continued to stare forward.</p>
<p>“There they are!” whispered Brook loudly.</p>
<p>Linsan focused her attention on stage where Tilbin, Mayforn, and Gabaw stood to the side of the violin. All three of them were wearing tuxedos but she remembered their faces from the day of the fire.</p>
<p>Tilbin stood ahead of the other two, his head turning as he scanned the crowds. Mayforn did the same, his face pursed as his head moved from point to point. Gabaw stepped back toward a table barely visible behind the chairs where the musicians had sat.</p>
<p>Sopenar lowered his fingers. “Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to stop the moment right at the cusp of tension, but I have been presented with a credible doubt.”</p>
<p>Whispers and exclamations rose up in a wave across the room. A few of the buyers stepped away from the gathered chairs. Most of them remained in place.</p>
<p>Tilbin stood up. An easy smile crossed his face but it didn't reach his eyes. “Please explain, Lord Xasnal. You have already done a full suite of verifications for this sale was approved.” He had a remarkably cultured voice for a man who grew up at a farm in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>The front door creaked open as a man in a deep blue uniform strode into the hall. He had a badge on his left chest and a pair of ribbons on the right. He had a deep tan and a full beard pulled into a braid.</p>
<p>Six other uniformed men filed in after him. They were armed with short swords and all six had their hands on the sheathed weapons.</p>
<p>Tilbin's turned slightly to look at them and his jaw tightened.</p>
<p>“Shit,” Mayforn said sharply and stepped past Tilbin to the other side. His attention focused on Linsan and a scowl etched itself across his face.</p>
<p>Brook shoved her way past Linsan and rushed down the center aisle. Her inarticulate scream rose up to fill the room.</p>
<p>Linsan and Miska charged after her.</p>
<p>Just as Brook reached the stage, one of the buyers who had not looked back suddenly stood up and spun into the aisle. There was a flash of a metal, a knife, in his hand.</p>
<p>“Brook!” screamed Miska.</p>
<p>Brook slammed into the man, her entire body shuddering. She looked up and then gasped. “D-Daddy?” Her voice filled the sudden silence that draped the room.</p>
<p>Linsan slid to a halt as she looked at the man who had stabbed Brook. It was Dukan Kabisal.</p>
<p>He had grown a beard since she last saw him, but it was a poor disguise. There was no mistaking his shoulders or the shape of his face. His eyes were hard as he looked down at his daughter. “You're the reason my code book was burned, wasn't it?”</p>
<p>“D-Daddy?” Brook said in a weaker voice. Crimson droplets splattered to the ground, slashing brightly on the wooden floor.</p>
<p>“Bad girl,” he said. Then he shoved Brook back hard, throwing her into Linsan and Miska.</p>
<p>Panicked, Linsan grabbed at Brook and held her down. There was a growing stain on her abdomen, near her naval. “Brook! Brook!”</p>
<p>Dukan stepped back and tossed the knife to the ground.</p>
<p>On stage, Tilbin's guitar flew in the air. The murderer caught it and slung it over his shoulder in one smooth movement. His fingers dropped to the strings and he strummed them.</p>
<p>A ghostly fire flickered around his body and instrument.</p>
<p>Despite the fear for her friend and the growing terror, Linsan forced herself to her feet. “Dukan! That was Brook! How!?”</p>
<p>Dukan stopped at the bottom of the stairs. His face was a mask of rage, a bitterness palatable in the air. “You were supposed to be the brash one, Lin. That knife was for you, not her.”</p>
<p>“You were going to kill me?” Her world spun but she forced herself to focus on him.</p>
<p>The strum of a guitar string caught her attention and she picked up the opening chords to a popular drinking song.</p>
<p>Dukan's face twisted even more. “Of course I would! You're a Sterlig! You are all fools and idiots. You sit on a priceless artifact because of pride and honor. Your parents would rather starve than give up a memory to some woman who has been dead for decades!”</p>
<p>Behind Linsan, Junith let out a sharp gasp.</p>
<p>Linsan stepped over Brook. “Palisis isn't yours.”</p>
<p>Dukan started up the stairs, one step at a time. “It doesn't have a name, Lin. It's an instrument, something to be played and sold. And for me, that means one more sale of a precious Sterlig before I leave this shitty country.”</p>
<p>“I won't let you,” she announced as she spun the lock on her case. She grabbed the neck of her violin and her bow with one hand as it clattered to the floor.</p>
<p>Dukan smiled and stepped back behind Tilbin. “You have other problems to deal with.”</p>
<p>Tilbin started into a series of high speed riffs. It was the song she had heard, but played at double speed. Fire flared along his guitar strings before it rose to envelope his entire body.</p>
<p>A wave of heat rippled away from his body, visibly distorting the air in an increasing sphere of energy.</p>
<p>The audience screamed as they scrambled to pull away.</p>
<p>Linsan gasped and yanked her violin into place.</p>
<p>Gabaw jumped off the front of the stage and slammed his fist into the floor. A line of fire burst out of the wood straight for her, the heat rising in a wall of fire.</p>
<p>Linsan stepped back, but caught Brook's legs. With a scream, she stumbled back while trying to keep her grip on the violin.</p>
<p>Miska surged up between them and the fire. She crossed her arms and plunged into the flames. With a deafening roar, the line of fire split in half around her body and jetted into the empty chairs on each side.</p>
<p>Whimpering, Linsan untangled herself from Brook's legs. She wanted to check on her friend or at least drag her to safely, but then she heard the riff hit the beat and the distinct sound of fireballs launching. She looked up to see them arcing around Miska and slamming into chairs and people, throwing them aside.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” she screamed. “We need to get these people away!”</p>
<p>“Little busy!” snapped Miska and she struggled against the flames that tore at her body, setting the ends of her hair on fire and burning at her dress.</p>
<p>Brook pushed herself up. Her dress was ruined but there was a bandage made from Miska's dress hastily wrapped around her belly with a knot of fabric pressed directly into the wound. Brook's face twisted into a grimace of pain as she lurched to her knees.</p>
<p>Linsan started for her but flashes of light warned her of two fireballs that streaked toward her and Brook. Without thinking, Linsan swung the violin to block of the first one, catching the searing heat with the back of her instrument and swatting it to the ground.</p>
<p>Linsan jumped over Brook and spun her body to catch the fireball against her back. Her senses exploded into agony as the force drove her to her knees. The smell of burning fabric and hair filled her world.</p>
<p>Brook reached for her. “Linsan!”</p>
<p>“Get. Away!” sobbed Linsan through the pain. She tried to put out her dress and the violin at the same time, but her limbs didn't quite move fast enough. She gave up the violin with a sob and dropped to her back to roll back to extinguish the flames that tore at her back.</p>
<p>Brook's face twisted into a mask of pain and determination. She pulled back her arms to clap and screamed out a warning.</p>
<p>Both Miska and Linsan cringed as Brook clapped her hands together with all her might. The concussion blast exploded from her. It launched chairs, papers, and hapless bystanders into the furthest edges of the hall.</p>
<p>In the corner of her eye, Linsan saw her violin rolling away, the flames flaring up as more of the wood caught. She let out a sob and crawled after it in hopes of rescuing her only chance to defeat the four men.</p>
<p>“No, pick it up! Get it!” bellowed Dukan. His voice had a frantic tone to it.</p>
<p>Linsan looked past Miska's burning dress to see that Brook's concussion blast has knocked Palisis off the pedestal. The precious instrument had landed near a hunk of burning stage.</p>
<p>Dukan struggled with the musician's chairs on the side. They had caught him when they were thrown to the back of the stage and his limbs were entangled. He grunted and thrashed before he managed to crawl out. Frantic, he scrambled across the stage.</p>
<p>“No!” screamed Brook as she clapped again. The explosion tore the ground apart underneath the concussion wave. It struck the stage and the wooden structure buckled from the impact.</p>
<p>A snapping board launched the violin into the air.</p>
<p>Mayforn and Dukan lunged for it.</p>
<p>The violin reached the apex of its flight and came down.</p>
<p>“Palisis!” Linsan screamed desperately with her hand reaching out for the instrument far out of her reach.</p>
<p>The strings of the violin rang out, played without a bow being touched to them. Translucent energies flared around the instrument and enveloped it. It fell only a foot before bouncing off some invisible force inches way from two murderer's outstretched hands.</p>
<p>Linsan froze as the violin bounced again, kicking away from the stage and directly toward her. It struck the ground and then spun and skipped across the splintered wood and exposed rock to stop at her knees.</p>
<p>Linsan stared down at it, her body shaking from her fear and her mind unable to see what had deflected the instrument.</p>
<p>Brook groaned in pain. “Just. Pick. It. Up!”</p>
<p>“But—!”</p>
<p>“You said you played it, so play it because we're going to burn!” She sobbed through the pain as she staggered to her feet. One arm pressed the ruins of Miska's dress against her wound. “Now!”</p>
<p>Linsan reached down for Palisis. She knew that she may have ruined the chance of getting it back if she played it, but Dukan's betrayal couldn't be forgiven.</p>
<p>To her surprise, the paired bow came to a stop next to the Palisis. She hadn't seen it slide toward her, but it was obvious that the violin had demands of its own.</p>
<p>The strings ran out again, dancing and humming the closer her fingers came to the instrument.</p>
<p>When she wrapped her hand around the warm wood, she felt a surge of power rising through her. Energies flickered on the edges of her vision as invisible currents stirred her hair and clothes.</p>
<p>Palisis fit against her neck as if it belonged. She held the bow over the strings for a moment.</p>
<p>Tilbin's next song broke the moment.</p>
<p>With a glare, she drew the bow across the strings and played a single note. It hung in the air, setting off eddies of power around her. With a sad smile, she started one of her own attack songs.</p>
<p>“Yes!” Miska said as she clapped her hands.</p>
<p>Brook joined, the impacts a dull thud that boosted the power that surrounded Linsan. She staggered to her feet but never stopped keeping the beat.</p>
<p>Gabaw struck fire, slamming into the ground and sending a line of fire directly for Linsan and Brook.</p>
<p>In time with Linsan's music, Miska stepped up to Brook and spun her around as Linsan spun in the opposite direction. The flame burst harmlessly against Miska's shoulder in a wave of heat and pressure.</p>
<p>Linsan reached the upward trill that shot arrows of force away from her. The beat of her two friends added to them, increasing their strength and speed.</p>
<p>The arrows slammed into the stage, missing Tilbin but striking Gabaw and Mayforn.</p>
<p>Gabaw fell back in a spray of blood. His back slammed into the wreckage of the stage. He struggled to get back to his feet as his hands burned brightly.</p>
<p>Tilbin's riff slammed the air, punching it with the complex sounds of the guitar. With his fingers sliding along the frets, he summoned dozens of fireballs that surrounded him in a halo.</p>
<p>It was the same attack as the one from the car.</p>
<p>Linsan changed the pace of her song and summoned the power to block his magic. When the fireballs came screaming from all directions, she was ready. Assisted with the steady beat, she launched arrow after arrow into the blasts and they burst harmlessly around her.</p>
<p>Before the fire faded from the air, her defense song reached an inflection point where she could use the power to attack. She launched a single arrow of force directly for Tilbin's chest.</p>
<p>Mayforn caught it with a backhand and then spun to join in the rhythm of Tilbin's attack. Gabaw also added a beat of his own and Tilbin's power grew.</p>
<p>They traded fireballs and arrows for a few seconds.</p>
<p>Tilbin suddenly smiled. He pointed at Miska and then hammered a series of riffs that brought up fireballs launching directly at her.</p>
<p>At the same time, Gabaw slammed his fists into the ground and set another fire burst directly at her.</p>
<p>Miska had to abandon her clapping to block the attack. She groaned as the heat pounded her body, tearing away at with steady thumbs that Linsan struggled to ignore while still maintaining her own song.</p>
<p>Then there were more fireballs arcing from the side but they were aimed at both Brook and Linsan.</p>
<p>With a gasp, Linsan spun away.</p>
<p>Brook wasn't fast enough. All of Tilbin's attacks jerked away from Linsan to drive into Brook. The steady thumps of fire pummeled her body as she lost her balance.</p>
<p>Linsan no longer had the beat. She danced away.</p>
<p>Tilbin and Mayforn followed. The guitar set off bursts that Mayforn's clapping boosted Tilbin's power. They screamed through the air as they streaked toward her.</p>
<p>Without her friends helping, Linsan had to play faster while twisting to avoid the attacks. Sweat burned at her brow as she struggled to block. There was no opportunity to strike herself.</p>
<p>She slipped. With a yelp, she fell back as one of the fireballs slammed into her. Heat crushed against her body and she tried to twist Palisis away from the flames.</p>
<p>To her surprise, the heat didn't touch the violin. A shimmering force wrapped around the instrument and the flames slid harmlessly off the violin.</p>
<p>Hitting the ground with one shoulder, Linsan kicked back and flipped back onto her feet. She landed next to Brook's smoldering form.</p>
<p>A sob rose up. “Brook?”</p>
<p>Brook looked up, her hair smoking. She looked at them and then glared. “<em>Safe Adventures, Our Departed Loves</em>.”</p>
<p>It was a ballad, a song with plenty of opportunity to build up power but there were desperately few places where the song could be used to attack.</p>
<p>“Are you—?”</p>
<p>“Play it! The cow fuckers don't know it.” Brook wiped her forehead, leaving a streak of blood. She stood up and clapped hard to knock away the attacks. With a powerful step forward, she smacked her hands together again but this time one palm slid off the other.</p>
<p>A narrow wave of force shot out of her hand, narrowly avoided Miska as it cut through Gabaw's line of fire. It struck him and threw him into the stage.</p>
<p>Gabaw's body bounced off the wood before he was propelled into the chairs below.</p>
<p>Sobbing, she stood even with Miska. With a smile to her lover, she began to clap out the rhythm of the song.</p>
<p>Miska joined immediately, her precision pounding fitting with Brook's mechanical timing for a song they had only heard minutes before.</p>
<p>Trusting her friend, Linsan began to play.</p>
<p>As the fireballs came raining down, the three wove around each other. Miska would turn so the fire struck her body and Brook clapped to blow away the fire bursts that reached past.</p>
<p>Only waves of heat struck Linsan as she improvised her dance. All the hours of practice sank in as she took her skill to recreate the song and used it to find a dance that would match it.</p>
<p>Her friends worked with her as they blocked the attacks even as Gabaw returned to strike at her.</p>
<p>Heat and fire raged through the hall.</p>
<p>She danced remembering the purpose of the song, of four lovers that found each other and switched while remaining friends. The happiness of her parents: her father's pride and her mother's resilience. They had suffered for her because of love just as Junith did for her Marin. Linsan has stepped aside for Miska, but she loved them both.</p>
<p>The song grew louder, magnified by dance and beat. She was playing her family's legacy and she would not let their betrayal be forgotten.</p>
<p>When the cusp of the song came, the crescendo that Linsan could finally turn into an attack, she was ready.</p>
<p>Linsan drew the final note with a flourish as the world around her became a storm of shimmering power. An arrow flew out. Then another and another. They came faster and she joined, breaking away from the song as she accelerated her playing.</p>
<p>Miska and Brook joined her after only a feat beats, clapping and pounding faster as each note become a weapon that rained down on the stage.</p>
<p>Tilbin broke off his song to switch to another one, no doubt a defensive one, but the arrows didn't stop. They pounded ceaseless, exploding into brilliant force as they tore apart wood and stone. They tore into the three murderers, sending them back with spurts of blood and groans of pain.</p>
<p>Tilbin's fingers slipped on the strings.</p>
<p>The magic resisting her faltered.</p>
<p>Linsan directed a wave of power toward his guitar.</p>
<p>As the spectral heads struck it, the wood crack before it shattered from the force of its own strings. His hands were lacerated as he fell back to the ground.</p>
<p>Linsan directed the attacks at the other two men as they dove to the side.</p>
<p>The song ended. She tried to stop it but there was no way to keep playing without losing everything. There were no more notes left to play, no more energy to fuel them.</p>
<p>She stopped sharply, her body shaking as all the energy and emotions drained out of her in an instance.</p>
<p>Empty, she stared at the carnage before her as she sucked in one breath after the other. Sweat soaked her skin and her muscles trembled from the effort. The air smelled of lightning and flame, a bitter taste that seared the back of her throat.</p>
<p>She was vaguely aware of the magenta motes that floated in the air. They were the feedback from two power forces colliding with each other. The more power, the more light but she had never seen a cloud filled with the baneful light that scorched the entire hall.</p>
<p>Ahead of her, Brook leaned against Miska. She let out a whimper. “D-Did we win?”</p>
<p>Miska clutched her. “I don't know. We got the three but I don't know where your daddy is.”</p>
<p>“He hurt me. My own daddy,” Brook said as her knees collapsed and she sank to the ground.</p>
<p>Cradling her lover, Miska dropped to her knees to cushion the blow. “I know. But he will never hurt you again, I promise.”</p>
<p>Linsan threw herself to Brook to hold her tightly, Palisis resting in her other hand. “Oh, Brook!”</p>
<p>Brook's bright brown eyes grew cloudy. “It was a good… song….” And then her eyes rolled up and she slumped forward.</p>
</div>
Allegro 58: Proof2021-07-27T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-58/Linsan has the opportunity to prove that she has played Palisis before, but there are some disagreements.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">It is easy to make a claim but far harder to prove it.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Kyōti proverb</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Even in the narrow hallway leading to the great hall, Linsan could hear the rapid patter of the auctioneer speaking loudly. “Do I hear twenty-two. Twenty-two. Twenty-three to the lady in the red dress. Twenty-three million folks. Twenty-five! Twenty-six!”</p>
<p>It took all of her effort not to crawl over Lord Xasnal who lead the way or the guard walking behind him and ahead of Linsan. She wanted to scream at them to hurry but Sopenar appeared to have only one speed, a slow walk.</p>
<p>“Thirty million! Thirty-five! Six! Seven.”</p>
<p>Someone called out loudly. “Forty!”</p>
<p>“Forty million cukdins for this priceless treasure.”</p>
<p>She cringed as Sopenar approached the door.</p>
<p>“Forty? Going once. Going—”</p>
<p>Sopenar stepped in the room and held up two fingers, then four.</p>
<p>Linsan's heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>“Sorry, my lords and ladies, bidding has been halted. I currently have forty million cukdins to the Lady Pinialis.”</p>
<p>A ripple of noise rose up as Linsan entered the room. After the claustrophobic hallway, the great hall felt like stepping outside. In the short period of time, rows of seats had been arranged in front of the stage with a narrow space down the middle.</p>
<p>On stage was a pedestal holding a red velvet pillow. On it was Palisis. The violin had been polished until it shown and lights had been focused on it to show off the delicate hints of purple and red veins that ran underneath the polished surface. Next to it was the bow her father had crafted, a matching pair with the same designs and carvings.</p>
<p>It had been years since Linsan had seen the musical instrument. A longing rose up, a desire more intense than anything she had felt before. The urge to reach out for it and pluck it from the pillow rose up and she struggled being so close.</p>
<p>The gathered people, the high society of Moon Water, looked around in confusion. A few stood up to turn to the back toward Sopenar. Linsan noticed a few just ducked their heads and continued to stare forward.</p>
<p>“There they are!” whispered Brook loudly.</p>
<p>Linsan focused her attention on stage where Tilbin, Mayforn, and Gabaw stood to the side of the violin. All three of them were wearing tuxedos but she remembered their faces from the day of the fire.</p>
<p>Tilbin stood ahead of the other two, his head turning as he scanned the crowds. Mayforn did the same, his face pursed as his head moved from point to point. Gabaw stepped back toward a table barely visible behind the chairs where the musicians had sat.</p>
<p>Sopenar lowered his fingers. “Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to stop the moment right at the cusp of tension, but I have been presented with a credible doubt.”</p>
<p>Whispers and exclamations rose up in a wave across the room. A few of the buyers stepped away from the gathered chairs. Most of them remained in place.</p>
<p>Tilbin stood up. An easy smile crossed his face but it didn't reach his eyes. “Please explain, Lord Xasnal. You have already done a full suite of verifications for this sale was approved.” He had a remarkably cultured voice for a man who grew up at a farm in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>The front door creaked open as a man in a deep blue uniform strode into the hall. He had a badge on his left chest and a pair of ribbons on the right. He had a deep tan and a full beard pulled into a braid.</p>
<p>Six other uniformed men filed in after him. They were armed with short swords and all six had their hands on the sheathed weapons.</p>
<p>Tilbin's turned slightly to look at them and his jaw tightened.</p>
<p>“Shit,” Mayforn said sharply and stepped past Tilbin to the other side. His attention focused on Linsan and a scowl etched itself across his face.</p>
<p>Brook shoved her way past Linsan and rushed down the center aisle. Her inarticulate scream rose up to fill the room.</p>
<p>Linsan and Miska charged after her.</p>
<p>Just as Brook reached the stage, one of the buyers who had not looked back suddenly stood up and spun into the aisle. There was a flash of a metal, a knife, in his hand.</p>
<p>“Brook!” screamed Miska.</p>
<p>Brook slammed into the man, her entire body shuddering. She looked up and then gasped. “D-Daddy?” Her voice filled the sudden silence that draped the room.</p>
<p>Linsan slid to a halt as she looked at the man who had stabbed Brook. It was Dukan Kabisal.</p>
<p>He had grown a beard since she last saw him, but it was a poor disguise. There was no mistaking his shoulders or the shape of his face. His eyes were hard as he looked down at his daughter. “You're the reason my code book was burned, wasn't it?”</p>
<p>“D-Daddy?” Brook said in a weaker voice. Crimson droplets splattered to the ground, slashing brightly on the wooden floor.</p>
<p>“Bad girl,” he said. Then he shoved Brook back hard, throwing her into Linsan and Miska.</p>
<p>Panicked, Linsan grabbed at Brook and held her down. There was a growing stain on her abdomen, near her naval. “Brook! Brook!”</p>
<p>Dukan stepped back and tossed the knife to the ground.</p>
<p>On stage, Tilbin's guitar flew in the air. The murderer caught it and slung it over his shoulder in one smooth movement. His fingers dropped to the strings and he strummed them.</p>
<p>A ghostly fire flickered around his body and instrument.</p>
<p>Despite the fear for her friend and the growing terror, Linsan forced herself to her feet. “Dukan! That was Brook! How!?”</p>
<p>Dukan stopped at the bottom of the stairs. His face was a mask of rage, a bitterness palatable in the air. “You were supposed to be the brash one, Lin. That knife was for you, not her.”</p>
<p>“You were going to kill me?” Her world spun but she forced herself to focus on him.</p>
<p>The strum of a guitar string caught her attention and she picked up the opening chords to a popular drinking song.</p>
<p>Dukan's face twisted even more. “Of course I would! You're a Sterlig! You are all fools and idiots. You sit on a priceless artifact because of pride and honor. Your parents would rather starve than give up a memory to some woman who has been dead for decades!”</p>
<p>Behind Linsan, Junith let out a sharp gasp.</p>
<p>Linsan stepped over Brook. “Palisis isn't yours.”</p>
<p>Dukan started up the stairs, one step at a time. “It doesn't have a name, Lin. It's an instrument, something to be played and sold. And for me, that means one more sale of a precious Sterlig before I leave this shitty country.”</p>
<p>“I won't let you,” she announced as she spun the lock on her case. She grabbed the neck of her violin and her bow with one hand as it clattered to the floor.</p>
<p>Dukan smiled and stepped back behind Tilbin. “You have other problems to deal with.”</p>
<p>Tilbin started into a series of high speed riffs. It was the song she had heard, but played at double speed. Fire flared along his guitar strings before it rose to envelope his entire body.</p>
<p>A wave of heat rippled away from his body, visibly distorting the air in an increasing sphere of energy.</p>
<p>The audience screamed as they scrambled to pull away.</p>
<p>Linsan gasped and yanked her violin into place.</p>
<p>Gabaw jumped off the front of the stage and slammed his fist into the floor. A line of fire burst out of the wood straight for her, the heat rising in a wall of fire.</p>
<p>Linsan stepped back, but caught Brook's legs. With a scream, she stumbled back while trying to keep her grip on the violin.</p>
<p>Miska surged up between them and the fire. She crossed her arms and plunged into the flames. With a deafening roar, the line of fire split in half around her body and jetted into the empty chairs on each side.</p>
<p>Whimpering, Linsan untangled herself from Brook's legs. She wanted to check on her friend or at least drag her to safely, but then she heard the riff hit the beat and the distinct sound of fireballs launching. She looked up to see them arcing around Miska and slamming into chairs and people, throwing them aside.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” she screamed. “We need to get these people away!”</p>
<p>“Little busy!” snapped Miska and she struggled against the flames that tore at her body, setting the ends of her hair on fire and burning at her dress.</p>
<p>Brook pushed herself up. Her dress was ruined but there was a bandage made from Miska's dress hastily wrapped around her belly with a knot of fabric pressed directly into the wound. Brook's face twisted into a grimace of pain as she lurched to her knees.</p>
<p>Linsan started for her but flashes of light warned her of two fireballs that streaked toward her and Brook. Without thinking, Linsan swung the violin to block of the first one, catching the searing heat with the back of her instrument and swatting it to the ground.</p>
<p>Linsan jumped over Brook and spun her body to catch the fireball against her back. Her senses exploded into agony as the force drove her to her knees. The smell of burning fabric and hair filled her world.</p>
<p>Brook reached for her. “Linsan!”</p>
<p>“Get. Away!” sobbed Linsan through the pain. She tried to put out her dress and the violin at the same time, but her limbs didn't quite move fast enough. She gave up the violin with a sob and dropped to her back to roll back to extinguish the flames that tore at her back.</p>
<p>Brook's face twisted into a mask of pain and determination. She pulled back her arms to clap and screamed out a warning.</p>
<p>Both Miska and Linsan cringed as Brook clapped her hands together with all her might. The concussion blast exploded from her. It launched chairs, papers, and hapless bystanders into the furthest edges of the hall.</p>
<p>In the corner of her eye, Linsan saw her violin rolling away, the flames flaring up as more of the wood caught. She let out a sob and crawled after it in hopes of rescuing her only chance to defeat the four men.</p>
<p>“No, pick it up! Get it!” bellowed Dukan. His voice had a frantic tone to it.</p>
<p>Linsan looked past Miska's burning dress to see that Brook's concussion blast has knocked Palisis off the pedestal. The precious instrument had landed near a hunk of burning stage.</p>
<p>Dukan struggled with the musician's chairs on the side. They had caught him when they were thrown to the back of the stage and his limbs were entangled. He grunted and thrashed before he managed to crawl out. Frantic, he scrambled across the stage.</p>
<p>“No!” screamed Brook as she clapped again. The explosion tore the ground apart underneath the concussion wave. It struck the stage and the wooden structure buckled from the impact.</p>
<p>A snapping board launched the violin into the air.</p>
<p>Mayforn and Dukan lunged for it.</p>
<p>The violin reached the apex of its flight and came down.</p>
<p>“Palisis!” Linsan screamed desperately with her hand reaching out for the instrument far out of her reach.</p>
<p>The strings of the violin rang out, played without a bow being touched to them. Translucent energies flared around the instrument and enveloped it. It fell only a foot before bouncing off some invisible force inches way from two murderer's outstretched hands.</p>
<p>Linsan froze as the violin bounced again, kicking away from the stage and directly toward her. It struck the ground and then spun and skipped across the splintered wood and exposed rock to stop at her knees.</p>
<p>Linsan stared down at it, her body shaking from her fear and her mind unable to see what had deflected the instrument.</p>
<p>Brook groaned in pain. “Just. Pick. It. Up!”</p>
<p>“But—!”</p>
<p>“You said you played it, so play it because we're going to burn!” She sobbed through the pain as she staggered to her feet. One arm pressed the ruins of Miska's dress against her wound. “Now!”</p>
<p>Linsan reached down for Palisis. She knew that she may have ruined the chance of getting it back if she played it, but Dukan's betrayal couldn't be forgiven.</p>
<p>To her surprise, the paired bow came to a stop next to the Palisis. She hadn't seen it slide toward her, but it was obvious that the violin had demands of its own.</p>
<p>The strings ran out again, dancing and humming the closer her fingers came to the instrument.</p>
<p>When she wrapped her hand around the warm wood, she felt a surge of power rising through her. Energies flickered on the edges of her vision as invisible currents stirred her hair and clothes.</p>
<p>Palisis fit against her neck as if it belonged. She held the bow over the strings for a moment.</p>
<p>Tilbin's next song broke the moment.</p>
<p>With a glare, she drew the bow across the strings and played a single note. It hung in the air, setting off eddies of power around her. With a sad smile, she started one of her own attack songs.</p>
<p>“Yes!” Miska said as she clapped her hands.</p>
<p>Brook joined, the impacts a dull thud that boosted the power that surrounded Linsan. She staggered to her feet but never stopped keeping the beat.</p>
<p>Gabaw struck fire, slamming into the ground and sending a line of fire directly for Linsan and Brook.</p>
<p>In time with Linsan's music, Miska stepped up to Brook and spun her around as Linsan spun in the opposite direction. The flame burst harmlessly against Miska's shoulder in a wave of heat and pressure.</p>
<p>Linsan reached the upward trill that shot arrows of force away from her. The beat of her two friends added to them, increasing their strength and speed.</p>
<p>The arrows slammed into the stage, missing Tilbin but striking Gabaw and Mayforn.</p>
<p>Gabaw fell back in a spray of blood. His back slammed into the wreckage of the stage. He struggled to get back to his feet as his hands burned brightly.</p>
<p>Tilbin's riff slammed the air, punching it with the complex sounds of the guitar. With his fingers sliding along the frets, he summoned dozens of fireballs that surrounded him in a halo.</p>
<p>It was the same attack as the one from the car.</p>
<p>Linsan changed the pace of her song and summoned the power to block his magic. When the fireballs came screaming from all directions, she was ready. Assisted with the steady beat, she launched arrow after arrow into the blasts and they burst harmlessly around her.</p>
<p>Before the fire faded from the air, her defense song reached an inflection point where she could use the power to attack. She launched a single arrow of force directly for Tilbin's chest.</p>
<p>Mayforn caught it with a backhand and then spun to join in the rhythm of Tilbin's attack. Gabaw also added a beat of his own and Tilbin's power grew.</p>
<p>They traded fireballs and arrows for a few seconds.</p>
<p>Tilbin suddenly smiled. He pointed at Miska and then hammered a series of riffs that brought up fireballs launching directly at her.</p>
<p>At the same time, Gabaw slammed his fists into the ground and set another fire burst directly at her.</p>
<p>Miska had to abandon her clapping to block the attack. She groaned as the heat pounded her body, tearing away at with steady thumbs that Linsan struggled to ignore while still maintaining her own song.</p>
<p>Then there were more fireballs arcing from the side but they were aimed at both Brook and Linsan.</p>
<p>With a gasp, Linsan spun away.</p>
<p>Brook wasn't fast enough. All of Tilbin's attacks jerked away from Linsan to drive into Brook. The steady thumps of fire pummeled her body as she lost her balance.</p>
<p>Linsan no longer had the beat. She danced away.</p>
<p>Tilbin and Mayforn followed. The guitar set off bursts that Mayforn's clapping boosted Tilbin's power. They screamed through the air as they streaked toward her.</p>
<p>Without her friends helping, Linsan had to play faster while twisting to avoid the attacks. Sweat burned at her brow as she struggled to block. There was no opportunity to strike herself.</p>
<p>She slipped. With a yelp, she fell back as one of the fireballs slammed into her. Heat crushed against her body and she tried to twist Palisis away from the flames.</p>
<p>To her surprise, the heat didn't touch the violin. A shimmering force wrapped around the instrument and the flames slid harmlessly off the violin.</p>
<p>Hitting the ground with one shoulder, Linsan kicked back and flipped back onto her feet. She landed next to Brook's smoldering form.</p>
<p>A sob rose up. “Brook?”</p>
<p>Brook looked up, her hair smoking. She looked at them and then glared. “<em>Safe Adventures, Our Departed Loves</em>.”</p>
<p>It was a ballad, a song with plenty of opportunity to build up power but there were desperately few places where the song could be used to attack.</p>
<p>“Are you—?”</p>
<p>“Play it! The cow fuckers don't know it.” Brook wiped her forehead, leaving a streak of blood. She stood up and clapped hard to knock away the attacks. With a powerful step forward, she smacked her hands together again but this time one palm slid off the other.</p>
<p>A narrow wave of force shot out of her hand, narrowly avoided Miska as it cut through Gabaw's line of fire. It struck him and threw him into the stage.</p>
<p>Gabaw's body bounced off the wood before he was propelled into the chairs below.</p>
<p>Sobbing, she stood even with Miska. With a smile to her lover, she began to clap out the rhythm of the song.</p>
<p>Miska joined immediately, her precision pounding fitting with Brook's mechanical timing for a song they had only heard minutes before.</p>
<p>Trusting her friend, Linsan began to play.</p>
<p>As the fireballs came raining down, the three wove around each other. Miska would turn so the fire struck her body and Brook clapped to blow away the fire bursts that reached past.</p>
<p>Only waves of heat struck Linsan as she improvised her dance. All the hours of practice sank in as she took her skill to recreate the song and used it to find a dance that would match it.</p>
<p>Her friends worked with her as they blocked the attacks even as Gabaw returned to strike at her.</p>
<p>Heat and fire raged through the hall.</p>
<p>She danced remembering the purpose of the song, of four lovers that found each other and switched while remaining friends. The happiness of her parents: her father's pride and her mother's resilience. They had suffered for her because of love just as Junith did for her Marin. Linsan has stepped aside for Miska, but she loved them both.</p>
<p>The song grew louder, magnified by dance and beat. She was playing her family's legacy and she would not let their betrayal be forgotten.</p>
<p>When the cusp of the song came, the crescendo that Linsan could finally turn into an attack, she was ready.</p>
<p>Linsan drew the final note with a flourish as the world around her became a storm of shimmering power. An arrow flew out. Then another and another. They came faster and she joined, breaking away from the song as she accelerated her playing.</p>
<p>Miska and Brook joined her after only a feat beats, clapping and pounding faster as each note become a weapon that rained down on the stage.</p>
<p>Tilbin broke off his song to switch to another one, no doubt a defensive one, but the arrows didn't stop. They pounded ceaseless, exploding into brilliant force as they tore apart wood and stone. They tore into the three murderers, sending them back with spurts of blood and groans of pain.</p>
<p>Tilbin's fingers slipped on the strings.</p>
<p>The magic resisting her faltered.</p>
<p>Linsan directed a wave of power toward his guitar.</p>
<p>As the spectral heads struck it, the wood crack before it shattered from the force of its own strings. His hands were lacerated as he fell back to the ground.</p>
<p>Linsan directed the attacks at the other two men as they dove to the side.</p>
<p>The song ended. She tried to stop it but there was no way to keep playing without losing everything. There were no more notes left to play, no more energy to fuel them.</p>
<p>She stopped sharply, her body shaking as all the energy and emotions drained out of her in an instance.</p>
<p>Empty, she stared at the carnage before her as she sucked in one breath after the other. Sweat soaked her skin and her muscles trembled from the effort. The air smelled of lightning and flame, a bitter taste that seared the back of her throat.</p>
<p>She was vaguely aware of the magenta motes that floated in the air. They were the feedback from two power forces colliding with each other. The more power, the more light but she had never seen a cloud filled with the baneful light that scorched the entire hall.</p>
<p>Ahead of her, Brook leaned against Miska. She let out a whimper. “D-Did we win?”</p>
<p>Miska clutched her. “I don't know. We got the three but I don't know where your daddy is.”</p>
<p>“He hurt me. My own daddy,” Brook said as her knees collapsed and she sank to the ground.</p>
<p>Cradling her lover, Miska dropped to her knees to cushion the blow. “I know. But he will never hurt you again, I promise.”</p>
<p>Linsan threw herself to Brook to hold her tightly, Palisis resting in her other hand. “Oh, Brook!”</p>
<p>Brook's bright brown eyes grew cloudy. “It was a good… song….” And then her eyes rolled up and she slumped forward.</p>
</div>
Allegro 57: Requests2021-07-20T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-057/Linsan and Brook search for Miska who had gone missing.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">It is one thing to lie to the unwashed masses, to deceive the foolish public, and to scam those who don't know how to manage their money, but one does not lie to High Society. There is no anger that can be heated for as long as a slight on society's honor.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Gandon Morelir</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Linsan heard the kitchen long before they reached it. The sounds of raucous laughter and cheering beat against the walls. It sounded more like nights the village pub than the formal affair going in the main halls.</p>
<p>Calor guided them from behind, nodding as Brook gave an abbreviated version of their story. He didn't say anything, only listened.</p>
<p>Entering the kitchen area, Linsan saw Miska sitting at a table arm-wrestling with one of the guards. Her elegant dress had been hiked up to her thighs so she could straddled a scorched box. A few of the seams of the expensive outfit had burst open, revealing her tattoos stretched across her straining muscles.</p>
<p>The guard was also in poor shape, with his outfit ripped in places as he groaned and put all his weight into forcing Miska's hand back.</p>
<p>She grunted back with her effort to stop him. Sweat ran down her brow and neck as she gripped the table with her other hand. Woodsmoke rose up from where her grip had burned through the table cloth.</p>
<p>Surrounding them were a handful guards along with high society members wearing dresses of gold and silk. They were all cheering and throwing money down into a pair of metal bowls as they encouraged the two contestants.</p>
<p>Miska glanced up and then smiled as Brook entered the room. She gave a wink before turning her attention back to her efforts. “Time to give up.” Her voice was strained.</p>
<p>“Never—!”</p>
<p>A blast of hot air exploded from her as she slammed him down. The effort collapsed the table underneath them and he fell back, tumbling backwards until he flipped face-down on the ground.</p>
<p>A cheer rose up as two people helped him up.</p>
<p>Miska rose with him. “Good game.”</p>
<p>For a moment, the losing man looked like he would say something rude but then he shook his head. He held out his hand. “I stand corrected.”</p>
<p>She grinned and patted his shoulder. “You did great. Against another man, you would have easily won.”</p>
<p>Playful laughter filled the room as Miska pushed her way to Brook and then pulled her into a passionate kiss.</p>
<p>Brook looked surprised but then melted into Miska's arms. A moan rose up between them.</p>
<p>Another round of cheer, this one far more enthusiastic than the first one.</p>
<p>Calor made a grunting noise. “You seem to have a lot of lesbians in your life, Lin.”</p>
<p>“Just my mother.”</p>
<p>“And Junith, Marin, those two. You lean that way? Have a fancy for peaches?”</p>
<p>“No, I just want to have friends I love and a chance to play.” She could feel her cheeks warming and tried to tamp them down.</p>
<p>“Speaking of which….” Calor held up his hand. “Sop! A minute?”</p>
<p>On the far side of a kitchen, an old man with a cane looked up from his wine. Then he gestured for Calor.</p>
<p>Calor tugged Linsan by the elbow across the room. “Come on, let's talk to Lord Xasnal.”</p>
<p>Lord Xasnal was about eighty years old with a heavy cane under one hand and a droop to his face. He looked tired as he finished pushing the money he had apparently bet on Miska to a young woman standing next to him. “Calor,” he said. “What brings you down? Your wife chase you away?”</p>
<p>“No, Rose is at home with the boys. I'm here for Junith.”</p>
<p>The older man groaned and shook his head. “Damn the Couple, that woman is sticking her fingers everywhere. She's got at least three others to ask me to stop the auction ever since it was announced.”</p>
<p>“Are you?”</p>
<p>“Of course not. She has a history with the violin, but sob stories only add spice to the bidding and bumps up the price.” There was a hardness in his voice.</p>
<p>Any hope Linsan had started to crumble.</p>
<p>He looked at her. “And this is…?”</p>
<p>Calor held up a finger. “Sorry, my manors. Linsan, this is Lord Sopenar Xasnal. His family has been in Moon Waters for almost four centuries and he owns the fine establishment that we currently stand in.”</p>
<p>Sopenar tilted his head.</p>
<p>“And this is Linsan Sterlig, a young lady with a name shared with the item being sold.”</p>
<p>The old man's eyes sharpened on Linsan.</p>
<p>Linsan cleared her throat as her skin crawled. She steeled herself before she answered, “My father was Sian Sterlig, he crafted Palisis when I was young. I… I named it.”</p>
<p>He stared at her for a long moment, before he coughed. And then coughed again. When he stopped, he shook his head. “Junith has been trying to stop this sale ever since it was announced. I never thought she could convince a Sterlig across the country.”</p>
<p>“I'm trying to stop it because Siam would never have allows that violin to leave his family! I never asked for her to come here!” snapped Junith as she strode across the room. Brook and Miska followed with curious looks. “There is a Sterlig here on the eve of its sale. There has to be a reason beside my own.”</p>
<p>Calor slid his arm around Junith's waist. “There is. Palisis was stolen and a man murdered in the process.”</p>
<p>Junith gasped and looked at him. “M-Murdered?”</p>
<p>Brook held up her hand. “My daddy, Dukan Kabisal. The three men selling it burned him alive. I-I have the investigation papers.”</p>
<p>Around them, the kitchen grew silent.</p>
<p>Pop's gaze slid back to Linsan. “Well? Are you trying to stop the sale?”</p>
<p>Linsan felt the pressure of attention but she steeled herself. Drawing up, she remembered how her mother always looked at the audience and mimicked it. “Yes, my lord. It was stolen from us.”</p>
<p>Lord Xasnal groaned and shook his head. He pointed to Junith. “A gut feeling.”</p>
<p>His finger gestured to Brook. “A claim.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me—!” started Brook angrily.</p>
<p>He pointed to Miska. “Papers that cannot be confirmed from across the country.”</p>
<p>Finally his finger gestured to Linsan. “A birthright that cannot be verified. These are all reasons, but they aren't enough. You could be working for someone who needs more time to come up with more money, a scheme to steal from me, or something else.”</p>
<p>He drew himself up straighter. “I need proof. Something I can see with my own eyes, something that I can confirm. I've been hosting these auctions for many years and I've been tricked, lied, and deceived more times than you have stepped on the earth. I have lost millions, so I need something rock-solid.”</p>
<p>Linsan ducked her head and fought back the tears.</p>
<p>“Tears don't move me, girls. The sale goes on and I will not allow you to disrupt my honor.”</p>
<p>Thinking furiously, Linsan tried to think of some line, some play that would convince him. But they felt hallow and empty at the moment, nothing was appropriate.</p>
<p>Sopenar shook his head. “I'm sorry your violin was stolen and your father killed. But that was somewhere far away and outside of my domain. Good evening.”</p>
<p>He limped forward the door.</p>
<p>Linsan cleared her throat. There was one thing that she hadn't told anyone, a trivial thing but it was the last thing left to her. “Palisis has been played before,” she said quietly.</p>
<p>Sopenar stopped but didn't turn back.</p>
<p>“I played it, in my parent's attic. It isn't a virgin.” She sniffed. “I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be at the time, but my parents decided to not tell anyone just in case we had to sell it.”</p>
<p>The silence pressed down on the room, stifling the air as it settled into place.</p>
<p>Everyone stared at Sopenar, waiting for his response.</p>
<p>He turned his head so he was looking at her. “But what are you?”</p>
<p>“S-Sorry?”</p>
<p>“An instrument is played by the one who created it, to tune and adjust it. It is a mother's touch for her daughter, not a lover's embrace. So I ask you, what are you?”</p>
<p>Linsan sniffed and then nodded. “Yes, I am the daughter of Sian Sterlig. My blood runs through the veins of the wood that gave birth to Palisis. My hand helped him carve and shape it. I named it, so I might be his mother.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath. “But I am also the daughter of Tisin Sterlig, the queen of the stage and I have played her songs and roles my entire life. I have been in her shadow except for when I play. I have only set my bow on his strings as one who loves the song more than anything else.”</p>
<p>Sopenar slowly turned. “Prove it.”</p>
<p>“H-How, my lord.”</p>
<p>He pointed to the violin case that was once again in Miska's hand. “Play me a song that only the daughter of Tisin would know. Give me a song that has never been on a stage or sung in the world.”</p>
<p>Linsan frowned as she tore through her memory, casting through the history of her parents. She teased the pin in her hair. “There is no…” she glanced at Junith who was crying. Then she remembered the sheet music in the case, the torn paper with a single song she had never heard of before. “<em>Safe Adventures, Our Departed Loves</em>.”</p>
<p>Junith inhaled sharply.</p>
<p>Sopenar cocked his head. “I'm surprised you know that song. I thought there was only one copy ever made. Your father was very insistent on that.”</p>
<p>Linsan worried her lip as she retrieved her violin.</p>
<p>Brook stopped her. “Are you sure? You know this song?”</p>
<p>Linsan shook her head. “I saw it once, years ago. I've never played it but I think I remember the melody.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Couple.” Brook buried her head against Miska.</p>
<p>“I have to try,” Linsan felt on the edge of tears herself. “I have to.”</p>
<p>She set her bow and then brought up the faded memories. The first few bars were easy to remember but she had only looked at the first page. She worked the song in her head but then realized it wasn't enough.</p>
<p>Fear raced through her veins.</p>
<p>“I'm waiting.” Sopenar looked at her intently.</p>
<p>Her heart fluttered. In her mind, she tried to guess the next measures of the song. Little fragments from her past rose up: her mother humming a strange song while she did her makeup, or the way her father arranged his music, and even the way the notes naturally fell off the bow strings.</p>
<p>“Sterlig?”</p>
<p>Linsan answered with clear notes filling the kitchen. It was unsteady at first from her nervousness but she regained her nerves by the end of the second measure. It took her only precious seconds to reach the end of her knowledge. Desperate not to see him acknowledge a failure, she closed her eyes and let the music flow.</p>
<p>She dragged her toe along the floor and then ducked her body with her song. She didn't need to see to avoid the tables and counters, they were just part of her dance as she spun and swayed with the ballad.</p>
<p>Gasps rose up.</p>
<p>Linsan cracked open one eye to see smiles across from her. Motes of power and ripples of energy radiated from her body, swirling with the same movements as her body.</p>
<p>She let her gaze rake the room. There were more smiles and looks of joy and wonder on the faces of the guards and society alike. Sopenar had a faint smile on his lips as he rocked his body in time with the music spun from her bow.</p>
<p>Linsan let her attention focus on him and finished the song, filling the room with music and ripples of power before pulling the bow away. The last note hung in the air, sparkling with energy, before it faded like embers into the night.</p>
<p>Junith let out a sob from where she had her face buried into Calor's shoulder. Her pale hands trembled as she knuckled his shirt.</p>
<p>Brook and Miska held each other and watched her with glistening eyes and bright smiles. They looked terrified and in awe at the same time.</p>
<p>There were others. Some started to applaud her, others were not moving as they seeped in their own thoughts.</p>
<p>Every breath was attenuated as she turned back to the lord. “My lord?”</p>
<p>“Close but not quite.”</p>
<p>Her shoulders lumped. “I'm sorry, it was a long—”</p>
<p>He held up his hand and her voice trailed off. “Linsan Sterlig, that was not entirely the song that your father had written. I remember the opening notes intimately, but the others were not. Where did the rest come from?”</p>
<p>“I… I guess what my dad would have written knowing my mother's ability. I assumed it was sung by her as Junith and Marin left.”</p>
<p>He turned away.</p>
<p>Linsan's hope faltered and she fought back her own sorrow.</p>
<p>“No, it was when your parents left, not the other way around. They are all stars in Moon Waters but your father's mother fell sick and he had to return to Cobbler's End. We always assumed Marin would go with him, but then everyone was surprised when our four stars of Moon Waters—”</p>
<p>He looked at Junith and held out his hand.</p>
<p>She reached out to take it and squeeze it.</p>
<p>“—split in unexpected ways. With hindsight, it was obvious how they had cleaved but it was that song that the four announced the decision.” He smiled warmly to Junith. “A single song that played to the back stage of the final showing of <em>Strangers in the Gale</em>. Only the actors, the band, and those honored by granting patronage were able to hear it.”</p>
<p>The room was silent.</p>
<p>He turned back to Linsan. “I thought I would never hear it again in any form. You have honored your father's memory, your mother's kill, and proven that you have talents that shine among theirs.”</p>
<p>“Fuck me,” gasped Miska.</p>
<p>Linsan tried to clear her suddenly dry throat. “T-Thank you, my lord.”</p>
<p>Sopenar's eyes hardened. “Do you swear you played Palisis?”</p>
<p>Linsan wiped her eyes. “Yes, my lord.”</p>
<p>“That I can verify.” There was no smile or humor from him as he turned to the young woman serving him. “Summon Tir Nolig with all haste. She will be packing up to leave if she hasn't left already. I will give you one bell to return with her.”</p>
<p>“Yes, my lord.” She bowed deeply before running out of the room.</p>
<p>The lord ordered another servant to bring the city guards who had talked to Brook to the auction house, but through the side door.</p>
<p>Finally, he addressed Linsan directly. “You have earned the opportunity to prove yourself. I will delay the sale for one bell and not a minute longer. If Nolig can verify your claim, then I will halt everything and have the men selling it detained until a full investigation can take place. Failing that, you will suffer consequences no matter what blood you claim.”</p>
<p>Linsan nodded and let out a gasp of relief. “Thank you, my lord.”</p>
<p>“Come on, I need to make the announcement before the hammer falls.”</p>
</div>
Allegro 57: Requests2021-07-20T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-57/Linsan and Brook search for Miska who had gone missing.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">It is one thing to lie to the unwashed masses, to deceive the foolish public, and to scam those who don't know how to manage their money, but one does not lie to High Society. There is no anger that can be heated for as long as a slight on society's honor.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Gandon Morelir</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Linsan heard the kitchen long before they reached it. The sounds of raucous laughter and cheering beat against the walls. It sounded more like nights the village pub than the formal affair going in the main halls.</p>
<p>Calor guided them from behind, nodding as Brook gave an abbreviated version of their story. He didn't say anything, only listened.</p>
<p>Entering the kitchen area, Linsan saw Miska sitting at a table arm-wrestling with one of the guards. Her elegant dress had been hiked up to her thighs so she could straddled a scorched box. A few of the seams of the expensive outfit had burst open, revealing her tattoos stretched across her straining muscles.</p>
<p>The guard was also in poor shape, with his outfit ripped in places as he groaned and put all his weight into forcing Miska's hand back.</p>
<p>She grunted back with her effort to stop him. Sweat ran down her brow and neck as she gripped the table with her other hand. Woodsmoke rose up from where her grip had burned through the table cloth.</p>
<p>Surrounding them were a handful guards along with high society members wearing dresses of gold and silk. They were all cheering and throwing money down into a pair of metal bowls as they encouraged the two contestants.</p>
<p>Miska glanced up and then smiled as Brook entered the room. She gave a wink before turning her attention back to her efforts. “Time to give up.” Her voice was strained.</p>
<p>“Never—!”</p>
<p>A blast of hot air exploded from her as she slammed him down. The effort collapsed the table underneath them and he fell back, tumbling backwards until he flipped face-down on the ground.</p>
<p>A cheer rose up as two people helped him up.</p>
<p>Miska rose with him. “Good game.”</p>
<p>For a moment, the losing man looked like he would say something rude but then he shook his head. He held out his hand. “I stand corrected.”</p>
<p>She grinned and patted his shoulder. “You did great. Against another man, you would have easily won.”</p>
<p>Playful laughter filled the room as Miska pushed her way to Brook and then pulled her into a passionate kiss.</p>
<p>Brook looked surprised but then melted into Miska's arms. A moan rose up between them.</p>
<p>Another round of cheer, this one far more enthusiastic than the first one.</p>
<p>Calor made a grunting noise. “You seem to have a lot of lesbians in your life, Lin.”</p>
<p>“Just my mother.”</p>
<p>“And Junith, Marin, those two. You lean that way? Have a fancy for peaches?”</p>
<p>“No, I just want to have friends I love and a chance to play.” She could feel her cheeks warming and tried to tamp them down.</p>
<p>“Speaking of which….” Calor held up his hand. “Sop! A minute?”</p>
<p>On the far side of a kitchen, an old man with a cane looked up from his wine. Then he gestured for Calor.</p>
<p>Calor tugged Linsan by the elbow across the room. “Come on, let's talk to Lord Xasnal.”</p>
<p>Lord Xasnal was about eighty years old with a heavy cane under one hand and a droop to his face. He looked tired as he finished pushing the money he had apparently bet on Miska to a young woman standing next to him. “Calor,” he said. “What brings you down? Your wife chase you away?”</p>
<p>“No, Rose is at home with the boys. I'm here for Junith.”</p>
<p>The older man groaned and shook his head. “Damn the Couple, that woman is sticking her fingers everywhere. She's got at least three others to ask me to stop the auction ever since it was announced.”</p>
<p>“Are you?”</p>
<p>“Of course not. She has a history with the violin, but sob stories only add spice to the bidding and bumps up the price.” There was a hardness in his voice.</p>
<p>Any hope Linsan had started to crumble.</p>
<p>He looked at her. “And this is…?”</p>
<p>Calor held up a finger. “Sorry, my manors. Linsan, this is Lord Sopenar Xasnal. His family has been in Moon Waters for almost four centuries and he owns the fine establishment that we currently stand in.”</p>
<p>Sopenar tilted his head.</p>
<p>“And this is Linsan Sterlig, a young lady with a name shared with the item being sold.”</p>
<p>The old man's eyes sharpened on Linsan.</p>
<p>Linsan cleared her throat as her skin crawled. She steeled herself before she answered, “My father was Sian Sterlig, he crafted Palisis when I was young. I… I named it.”</p>
<p>He stared at her for a long moment, before he coughed. And then coughed again. When he stopped, he shook his head. “Junith has been trying to stop this sale ever since it was announced. I never thought she could convince a Sterlig across the country.”</p>
<p>“I'm trying to stop it because Siam would never have allows that violin to leave his family! I never asked for her to come here!” snapped Junith as she strode across the room. Brook and Miska followed with curious looks. “There is a Sterlig here on the eve of its sale. There has to be a reason beside my own.”</p>
<p>Calor slid his arm around Junith's waist. “There is. Palisis was stolen and a man murdered in the process.”</p>
<p>Junith gasped and looked at him. “M-Murdered?”</p>
<p>Brook held up her hand. “My daddy, Dukan Kabisal. The three men selling it burned him alive. I-I have the investigation papers.”</p>
<p>Around them, the kitchen grew silent.</p>
<p>Pop's gaze slid back to Linsan. “Well? Are you trying to stop the sale?”</p>
<p>Linsan felt the pressure of attention but she steeled herself. Drawing up, she remembered how her mother always looked at the audience and mimicked it. “Yes, my lord. It was stolen from us.”</p>
<p>Lord Xasnal groaned and shook his head. He pointed to Junith. “A gut feeling.”</p>
<p>His finger gestured to Brook. “A claim.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me—!” started Brook angrily.</p>
<p>He pointed to Miska. “Papers that cannot be confirmed from across the country.”</p>
<p>Finally his finger gestured to Linsan. “A birthright that cannot be verified. These are all reasons, but they aren't enough. You could be working for someone who needs more time to come up with more money, a scheme to steal from me, or something else.”</p>
<p>He drew himself up straighter. “I need proof. Something I can see with my own eyes, something that I can confirm. I've been hosting these auctions for many years and I've been tricked, lied, and deceived more times than you have stepped on the earth. I have lost millions, so I need something rock-solid.”</p>
<p>Linsan ducked her head and fought back the tears.</p>
<p>“Tears don't move me, girls. The sale goes on and I will not allow you to disrupt my honor.”</p>
<p>Thinking furiously, Linsan tried to think of some line, some play that would convince him. But they felt hallow and empty at the moment, nothing was appropriate.</p>
<p>Sopenar shook his head. “I'm sorry your violin was stolen and your father killed. But that was somewhere far away and outside of my domain. Good evening.”</p>
<p>He limped forward the door.</p>
<p>Linsan cleared her throat. There was one thing that she hadn't told anyone, a trivial thing but it was the last thing left to her. “Palisis has been played before,” she said quietly.</p>
<p>Sopenar stopped but didn't turn back.</p>
<p>“I played it, in my parent's attic. It isn't a virgin.” She sniffed. “I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be at the time, but my parents decided to not tell anyone just in case we had to sell it.”</p>
<p>The silence pressed down on the room, stifling the air as it settled into place.</p>
<p>Everyone stared at Sopenar, waiting for his response.</p>
<p>He turned his head so he was looking at her. “But what are you?”</p>
<p>“S-Sorry?”</p>
<p>“An instrument is played by the one who created it, to tune and adjust it. It is a mother's touch for her daughter, not a lover's embrace. So I ask you, what are you?”</p>
<p>Linsan sniffed and then nodded. “Yes, I am the daughter of Sian Sterlig. My blood runs through the veins of the wood that gave birth to Palisis. My hand helped him carve and shape it. I named it, so I might be his mother.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath. “But I am also the daughter of Tisin Sterlig, the queen of the stage and I have played her songs and roles my entire life. I have been in her shadow except for when I play. I have only set my bow on his strings as one who loves the song more than anything else.”</p>
<p>Sopenar slowly turned. “Prove it.”</p>
<p>“H-How, my lord.”</p>
<p>He pointed to the violin case that was once again in Miska's hand. “Play me a song that only the daughter of Tisin would know. Give me a song that has never been on a stage or sung in the world.”</p>
<p>Linsan frowned as she tore through her memory, casting through the history of her parents. She teased the pin in her hair. “There is no…” she glanced at Junith who was crying. Then she remembered the sheet music in the case, the torn paper with a single song she had never heard of before. “<em>Safe Adventures, Our Departed Loves</em>.”</p>
<p>Junith inhaled sharply.</p>
<p>Sopenar cocked his head. “I'm surprised you know that song. I thought there was only one copy ever made. Your father was very insistent on that.”</p>
<p>Linsan worried her lip as she retrieved her violin.</p>
<p>Brook stopped her. “Are you sure? You know this song?”</p>
<p>Linsan shook her head. “I saw it once, years ago. I've never played it but I think I remember the melody.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Couple.” Brook buried her head against Miska.</p>
<p>“I have to try,” Linsan felt on the edge of tears herself. “I have to.”</p>
<p>She set her bow and then brought up the faded memories. The first few bars were easy to remember but she had only looked at the first page. She worked the song in her head but then realized it wasn't enough.</p>
<p>Fear raced through her veins.</p>
<p>“I'm waiting.” Sopenar looked at her intently.</p>
<p>Her heart fluttered. In her mind, she tried to guess the next measures of the song. Little fragments from her past rose up: her mother humming a strange song while she did her makeup, or the way her father arranged his music, and even the way the notes naturally fell off the bow strings.</p>
<p>“Sterlig?”</p>
<p>Linsan answered with clear notes filling the kitchen. It was unsteady at first from her nervousness but she regained her nerves by the end of the second measure. It took her only precious seconds to reach the end of her knowledge. Desperate not to see him acknowledge a failure, she closed her eyes and let the music flow.</p>
<p>She dragged her toe along the floor and then ducked her body with her song. She didn't need to see to avoid the tables and counters, they were just part of her dance as she spun and swayed with the ballad.</p>
<p>Gasps rose up.</p>
<p>Linsan cracked open one eye to see smiles across from her. Motes of power and ripples of energy radiated from her body, swirling with the same movements as her body.</p>
<p>She let her gaze rake the room. There were more smiles and looks of joy and wonder on the faces of the guards and society alike. Sopenar had a faint smile on his lips as he rocked his body in time with the music spun from her bow.</p>
<p>Linsan let her attention focus on him and finished the song, filling the room with music and ripples of power before pulling the bow away. The last note hung in the air, sparkling with energy, before it faded like embers into the night.</p>
<p>Junith let out a sob from where she had her face buried into Calor's shoulder. Her pale hands trembled as she knuckled his shirt.</p>
<p>Brook and Miska held each other and watched her with glistening eyes and bright smiles. They looked terrified and in awe at the same time.</p>
<p>There were others. Some started to applaud her, others were not moving as they seeped in their own thoughts.</p>
<p>Every breath was attenuated as she turned back to the lord. “My lord?”</p>
<p>“Close but not quite.”</p>
<p>Her shoulders lumped. “I'm sorry, it was a long—”</p>
<p>He held up his hand and her voice trailed off. “Linsan Sterlig, that was not entirely the song that your father had written. I remember the opening notes intimately, but the others were not. Where did the rest come from?”</p>
<p>“I… I guess what my dad would have written knowing my mother's ability. I assumed it was sung by her as Junith and Marin left.”</p>
<p>He turned away.</p>
<p>Linsan's hope faltered and she fought back her own sorrow.</p>
<p>“No, it was when your parents left, not the other way around. They are all stars in Moon Waters but your father's mother fell sick and he had to return to Cobbler's End. We always assumed Marin would go with him, but then everyone was surprised when our four stars of Moon Waters—”</p>
<p>He looked at Junith and held out his hand.</p>
<p>She reached out to take it and squeeze it.</p>
<p>“—split in unexpected ways. With hindsight, it was obvious how they had cleaved but it was that song that the four announced the decision.” He smiled warmly to Junith. “A single song that played to the back stage of the final showing of <em>Strangers in the Gale</em>. Only the actors, the band, and those honored by granting patronage were able to hear it.”</p>
<p>The room was silent.</p>
<p>He turned back to Linsan. “I thought I would never hear it again in any form. You have honored your father's memory, your mother's kill, and proven that you have talents that shine among theirs.”</p>
<p>“Fuck me,” gasped Miska.</p>
<p>Linsan tried to clear her suddenly dry throat. “T-Thank you, my lord.”</p>
<p>Sopenar's eyes hardened. “Do you swear you played Palisis?”</p>
<p>Linsan wiped her eyes. “Yes, my lord.”</p>
<p>“That I can verify.” There was no smile or humor from him as he turned to the young woman serving him. “Summon Tir Nolig with all haste. She will be packing up to leave if she hasn't left already. I will give you one bell to return with her.”</p>
<p>“Yes, my lord.” She bowed deeply before running out of the room.</p>
<p>The lord ordered another servant to bring the city guards who had talked to Brook to the auction house, but through the side door.</p>
<p>Finally, he addressed Linsan directly. “You have earned the opportunity to prove yourself. I will delay the sale for one bell and not a minute longer. If Nolig can verify your claim, then I will halt everything and have the men selling it detained until a full investigation can take place. Failing that, you will suffer consequences no matter what blood you claim.”</p>
<p>Linsan nodded and let out a gasp of relief. “Thank you, my lord.”</p>
<p>“Come on, I need to make the announcement before the hammer falls.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 11: Camping Out2021-07-16T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-011/Beauty and the Prince have a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company in the abandoned camping site. Not even rain or lightning can stop their closeness from becoming intimate.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">So many stories end with the “happily ever after” but rarely talk about what that means. What is happily ever after? No one knows because no one knows what it is to be happy forever.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Tome of the Lost Redoubt, <em>Musings of an Immortal Book</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>After three years of traveling together, even a downpour didn't slow Beauty and Daman from assembling the camp at one of the abandoned sites they had found. They worked in relatively silence with Beauty hanging up the cords and canvas while her prince hammering in the spikes to keep it steady despite the wind rippling around them. As soon as she finished tying off the last of the rope, she gave the canvas a shake and made sure the small ditch made from rocks and a shovel would direct the water away from them and further downhill.</p>
<p>“Looks good, my queen.”</p>
<p>“And you, my prince. You good?”</p>
<p>He stood up. The rain had plastered his shirt against his body, outlining his defined muscles and slender form. He had stripped out of his trench coat after slipping into a stream. It remained underneath the first set of shelters they had assembled to shield their supplies; they had left the horses in town with the intent of returning in a day or two. “Well, the tent looks good, you look better, and I can't wait to have you naked in my roll soon.”</p>
<p>A warmth bubbled up, pushing back the chill from the water that slipped past her coat and nipped at her legs. With a faint blush, she gave the canvas another shake before gesturing to the stone ring that had been set into the ground by someone else. “You want something to eat before you ravish me? Or just go into it cold?” Arching her back, she gave him a sultry smile.</p>
<p>Daman looked between her and the pit. Then he stepped forward until his soaked chest pressed up against hers.</p>
<p>She lifted her lips, catching her breath with anticipation.</p>
<p>“Dinner would be nice,” he said with a grin and then returned to pounding in the spikes.</p>
<p>Beauty opened her mouth in mock rage, but her smile ruined it. “Do you propose lighting strikes or should I get the alchemical pot? I know we have a pack of the smoked rabbit from earlier. Nothing else enjoyable, just some hard tack and weak wine.”</p>
<p>“A meal fit for a queen.”</p>
<p>“Your queen would like something just a tad more formal, maybe on a plate or with a little sweet to go along with the teeth-breaking crunch.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “I'll have something for you… once we're done eating.”</p>
<p>Another flush of heat. “Tease.”</p>
<p>“It's been days. Hurry up, I'm erecting more than a tent right now.”</p>
<p>She slogged through the rain to the other shelter and gathered up her supplies. The alchemical pot was a metal container filled with a blue slime. She poured it out on some soaked wood. Carefully wiping her hand, she pulled out a box of white metal sticks and selected one. Cringing, she jammed one into the slime and stepped back.</p>
<p>The liquid and the metal interacted with a flash of light and then a blue, almost transparent, flame burst into life. The acrid smell of the chemicals followed her to the packs. By the time she unpacked their meal, the sharp smell had faded and there was nothing but heat with very little light.</p>
<p>She cooked their meals quickly with a pot nestled inside the slime and the rabbit on a skewers to keep it away from the concoction; it burned well, but tasted horribly.</p>
<p>Beauty finished soon after Daman had finished arranging their tent for the night. Seeing the soft roll spread open invitingly, she shivered with a need for warmth and intimacy. But eating food on the same bed that she hoped to enjoy her love didn't appeal to her.</p>
<p>She carried their food through the rain to an outcropping a hundred feet away and downhill from their camping location. Daman had already set up a simple shelter by tying branching together. It was wet, just cool, but safe.</p>
<p>He reached up for her as she sat down, one hand on her hip and the other steadying the plate until she could sit down next to him. “Hello, gorgeous.”</p>
<p>“My prince,” Beauty sighed as she settled into place. They pressed their knees together and used it as a shared surface for the steaming meat and chunk of brittle, dense bread.</p>
<p>They ate in relative silence. It didn't bother Beauty like it used to. After three years of traveling together, they had exhausted many of the conversations between them. When it got to be rehashing of either shared experiences or their past, the words died away into a comforting presence.</p>
<p>She smiled to herself and leaned on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Thinking about Lanier?”</p>
<p>“I wasn't until you brought it up.”</p>
<p>“Sorry. It's just been rattling in my head ever since we left.” He let out a groan and traced his fingertips along the back of hers before grabbing another hunk of sliced meat.</p>
<p>“About what?”</p>
<p>There was a hesitation, short but perceivable. “The future.”</p>
<p>The muscles in Beauty's neck tensed up. His words were cagey, hiding his intentions. “You mean if we should follow zirs list?”</p>
<p>“Zi? Yeah, that's it. Zi had some biting words to me while you were still half-conscious.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“About chasing after the past.” Daman sighed unhappily and set down his plate. “I don't think Lanier thinks highly of our quest to get the Beast back.”</p>
<p>“No, zi doesn't.” Beauty grinned and reached out to clasp his hand. She turned to look at her love. “Do you want to keep going?”</p>
<p>His brown eyes flickered to the side. “Do you?”</p>
<p>“Well, I want whatever would make you happy.”</p>
<p>Daman groaned and shook his head. “I'm going to the same thing. We want the best for the other, but what is the best? Should we keep going? I feel that we're at a crossroad now. Both paths lead home back to the palace, but I think we are going to be two very different set of lovers based on what we choose.”</p>
<p>She nodded with agreement.</p>
<p>Daman sniffed. “I miss being the Beast, I really do. I like that power, that rush of being… capable.”</p>
<p>“You also smelled bad when you came in from the rain.”</p>
<p>His eyes glittered and leaned forward. “I could also smell you from across the room. That scent was always so seductive, like a perfume that only you could wear.”</p>
<p>Her cheeks warmed up.</p>
<p>Daman brought her hand up to his lips. “I could feel the beat of your heart when you came close and hear those quiet little moans in the back of your throat whenever I pressed you against the wall or held you tight.”</p>
<p>Beauty let out a whimper.</p>
<p>His eyes tensed for a moment. “It sounds different, it feels different. For years, all I wanted to do was be human again.”</p>
<p>Daman's eyes softened and then he smirked. “Now, it feels like I traded something that gross, destructive, and primal for this nearly perfect body that hasn't had a pimple in years.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, it's terrible being nothing but a mere human so beautiful that men, women, and lions throw themselves at just to be with you.” She rolled her eyes and then lean forward to kiss him lightly. The brush of their lips together brought another wave of warmth through her body. “It isn't… that bad of a form, if I had to pick one.”</p>
<p>“Do you still miss the Beast?” he asked in a quiet voice.</p>
<p>Beauty hesitated and then nodded. “Probably for the same things. You were wild then. I loved running my hands through your fur and the feeling when you wrapped your arms around me and I felt tiny and protected.”</p>
<p>“And all those stops in the stairwell?”</p>
<p>Her blush came back. “Not everything is about sex, you know. Or your so-called ‘log’ that you probably miss the most.”</p>
<p>He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. “You ever notice that we don't have as much sex since I transformed?”</p>
<p>She did and a small part of her missed the far more primal sessions that she wanted to admit. She cleared her throat and shifted closer. “Maybe, but what if that is just growing old together?”</p>
<p>“It's only been three years.”</p>
<p>“Well, I heard you stop doing the fun things a few months after you say ‘I love you.’ I mean, we had a talk about that earlier.”</p>
<p>He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.</p>
<p>She set aside the plate to lift herself up so she could straddle his lap. Setting down, she could feel his hardness and a welcoming heat of her own.</p>
<p>“Now, Beauty, I do love you with all my heart.”</p>
<p>“I can feel,” she said with a grin.</p>
<p>“No, I'm serious. I love you more than life itself. I love you with the beauty… shine of an undying rose on a pedestal. I love you more than the sun, the moons, and the clouds above us.”</p>
<p>As if listening, a flash of lighting brightened the sky.</p>
<p>“And the lightning too.”</p>
<p>She draped her arms over his shoulders and brought her body tight against his. Her lips caught his and they kissed again. It was short but sweet. “And I love you more than all the dancing furniture in the world, the spells and the riches. If we gave up every jem and cuk we had today, I would still be the richest woman in the world.”</p>
<p>Daman cupped her buttocks with his hands and pulled her tight. He let out a moan and kissed her lips, and then her chin.</p>
<p>She lifted her head and enjoyed the touch of his lips as he traced down to her collar and over to her shoulder. Even through her coat, the pressure felt good.</p>
<p>“Need to remove this.”</p>
<p>“I'll get wet.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he muttered into her shoulder. Releasing one hand, he reached up and worked at the front of her outfit.</p>
<p>She joined him, pulling open her clothes until she could push it off her shoulder and let him resume his caresses along the delicate skin. She moaned at the touch.</p>
<p>When he reached his limits, he kissed back to her throat and then to her lips.</p>
<p>The question still hung over them. She could feel it haunting her, as if she couldn't enjoy the passion without it being answered. “Can you live with me if you never become the Beast again?”</p>
<p>He stopped, his eyes focusing on hers.</p>
<p>“Can you?”</p>
<p>The longing was there, she could feel it rising up and demanding she say no. It was a hunger, one that may never be fed again, even if they spent thirty years trying. She sniffed as her eyes blurred with tears and she stared at the man she loved with all her heart. “I think I can, if that is what you want.”</p>
<p>“I don't, but…” He sighed. “If I had to choose between fifty years of… having my life frozen in hopes of getting him back and taking you home to treat you like the queen you are for those same fifty years…” His voice trailed off.</p>
<p>“My love?”</p>
<p>He smiled and kissed her. He cleared his throat and got a tighter grip on her buttocks. “I think this time, I'm going to cling to love and take you back home.”</p>
<p>The words felt like a knife in the stomach but also a blossom of brilliance in her heart. A tear ran down her cheek as she kissed him. “Then, I want to go home with you.”</p>
<p>“To spend the rest of your life with me?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she giggled. “To spend the rest of our lives together, man and woman, in love.”</p>
<p>He squeezed her ass and pulled her into a kiss.</p>
<p>She melted into his embrace, kissing and touching as she tugged at his clothes. It didn't matter if rain would soak them to the bone or the cold that nipped her bare shoulder, there was a warmth waiting for her.</p>
<p>Daman broke the kiss. “Can you really live without my immense log?”</p>
<p>“Your ‘log,’ as you call it, is plenty fine with me. It fills me up just right anyways.”</p>
<p>“Let me take you back to the tent and let's make sure.”</p>
<p>She held up a finger. “I believe, you said that you were going to do something first.”</p>
<p>He frowned.</p>
<p>A rumble of thunder shook the ground around them. And then another flash of lightning.</p>
<p>“Something about getting on your knees?” She squeezed her thighs to make a point.</p>
<p>He grinned. “Oh, yes. Definitely. New plan. I'll get my very warm and wet desert and then I'll make sure you're happy with my log since you're going to be getting it for many years to come.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 11: Camping Out2021-07-16T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-11/Beauty and the Prince have a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company in the abandoned camping site. Not even rain or lightning can stop their closeness from becoming intimate.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">So many stories end with the “happily ever after” but rarely talk about what that means. What is happily ever after? No one knows because no one knows what it is to be happy forever.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Tome of the Lost Redoubt, <em>Musings of an Immortal Book</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>After three years of traveling together, even a downpour didn't slow Beauty and Daman from assembling the camp at one of the abandoned sites they had found. They worked in relatively silence with Beauty hanging up the cords and canvas while her prince hammering in the spikes to keep it steady despite the wind rippling around them. As soon as she finished tying off the last of the rope, she gave the canvas a shake and made sure the small ditch made from rocks and a shovel would direct the water away from them and further downhill.</p>
<p>“Looks good, my queen.”</p>
<p>“And you, my prince. You good?”</p>
<p>He stood up. The rain had plastered his shirt against his body, outlining his defined muscles and slender form. He had stripped out of his trench coat after slipping into a stream. It remained underneath the first set of shelters they had assembled to shield their supplies; they had left the horses in town with the intent of returning in a day or two. “Well, the tent looks good, you look better, and I can't wait to have you naked in my roll soon.”</p>
<p>A warmth bubbled up, pushing back the chill from the water that slipped past her coat and nipped at her legs. With a faint blush, she gave the canvas another shake before gesturing to the stone ring that had been set into the ground by someone else. “You want something to eat before you ravish me? Or just go into it cold?” Arching her back, she gave him a sultry smile.</p>
<p>Daman looked between her and the pit. Then he stepped forward until his soaked chest pressed up against hers.</p>
<p>She lifted her lips, catching her breath with anticipation.</p>
<p>“Dinner would be nice,” he said with a grin and then returned to pounding in the spikes.</p>
<p>Beauty opened her mouth in mock rage, but her smile ruined it. “Do you propose lighting strikes or should I get the alchemical pot? I know we have a pack of the smoked rabbit from earlier. Nothing else enjoyable, just some hard tack and weak wine.”</p>
<p>“A meal fit for a queen.”</p>
<p>“Your queen would like something just a tad more formal, maybe on a plate or with a little sweet to go along with the teeth-breaking crunch.”</p>
<p>Daman chuckled. “I'll have something for you… once we're done eating.”</p>
<p>Another flush of heat. “Tease.”</p>
<p>“It's been days. Hurry up, I'm erecting more than a tent right now.”</p>
<p>She slogged through the rain to the other shelter and gathered up her supplies. The alchemical pot was a metal container filled with a blue slime. She poured it out on some soaked wood. Carefully wiping her hand, she pulled out a box of white metal sticks and selected one. Cringing, she jammed one into the slime and stepped back.</p>
<p>The liquid and the metal interacted with a flash of light and then a blue, almost transparent, flame burst into life. The acrid smell of the chemicals followed her to the packs. By the time she unpacked their meal, the sharp smell had faded and there was nothing but heat with very little light.</p>
<p>She cooked their meals quickly with a pot nestled inside the slime and the rabbit on a skewers to keep it away from the concoction; it burned well, but tasted horribly.</p>
<p>Beauty finished soon after Daman had finished arranging their tent for the night. Seeing the soft roll spread open invitingly, she shivered with a need for warmth and intimacy. But eating food on the same bed that she hoped to enjoy her love didn't appeal to her.</p>
<p>She carried their food through the rain to an outcropping a hundred feet away and downhill from their camping location. Daman had already set up a simple shelter by tying branching together. It was wet, just cool, but safe.</p>
<p>He reached up for her as she sat down, one hand on her hip and the other steadying the plate until she could sit down next to him. “Hello, gorgeous.”</p>
<p>“My prince,” Beauty sighed as she settled into place. They pressed their knees together and used it as a shared surface for the steaming meat and chunk of brittle, dense bread.</p>
<p>They ate in relative silence. It didn't bother Beauty like it used to. After three years of traveling together, they had exhausted many of the conversations between them. When it got to be rehashing of either shared experiences or their past, the words died away into a comforting presence.</p>
<p>She smiled to herself and leaned on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Thinking about Lanier?”</p>
<p>“I wasn't until you brought it up.”</p>
<p>“Sorry. It's just been rattling in my head ever since we left.” He let out a groan and traced his fingertips along the back of hers before grabbing another hunk of sliced meat.</p>
<p>“About what?”</p>
<p>There was a hesitation, short but perceivable. “The future.”</p>
<p>The muscles in Beauty's neck tensed up. His words were cagey, hiding his intentions. “You mean if we should follow zirs list?”</p>
<p>“Zi? Yeah, that's it. Zi had some biting words to me while you were still half-conscious.”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>“About chasing after the past.” Daman sighed unhappily and set down his plate. “I don't think Lanier thinks highly of our quest to get the Beast back.”</p>
<p>“No, zi doesn't.” Beauty grinned and reached out to clasp his hand. She turned to look at her love. “Do you want to keep going?”</p>
<p>His brown eyes flickered to the side. “Do you?”</p>
<p>“Well, I want whatever would make you happy.”</p>
<p>Daman groaned and shook his head. “I'm going to the same thing. We want the best for the other, but what is the best? Should we keep going? I feel that we're at a crossroad now. Both paths lead home back to the palace, but I think we are going to be two very different set of lovers based on what we choose.”</p>
<p>She nodded with agreement.</p>
<p>Daman sniffed. “I miss being the Beast, I really do. I like that power, that rush of being… capable.”</p>
<p>“You also smelled bad when you came in from the rain.”</p>
<p>His eyes glittered and leaned forward. “I could also smell you from across the room. That scent was always so seductive, like a perfume that only you could wear.”</p>
<p>Her cheeks warmed up.</p>
<p>Daman brought her hand up to his lips. “I could feel the beat of your heart when you came close and hear those quiet little moans in the back of your throat whenever I pressed you against the wall or held you tight.”</p>
<p>Beauty let out a whimper.</p>
<p>His eyes tensed for a moment. “It sounds different, it feels different. For years, all I wanted to do was be human again.”</p>
<p>Daman's eyes softened and then he smirked. “Now, it feels like I traded something that gross, destructive, and primal for this nearly perfect body that hasn't had a pimple in years.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, it's terrible being nothing but a mere human so beautiful that men, women, and lions throw themselves at just to be with you.” She rolled her eyes and then lean forward to kiss him lightly. The brush of their lips together brought another wave of warmth through her body. “It isn't… that bad of a form, if I had to pick one.”</p>
<p>“Do you still miss the Beast?” he asked in a quiet voice.</p>
<p>Beauty hesitated and then nodded. “Probably for the same things. You were wild then. I loved running my hands through your fur and the feeling when you wrapped your arms around me and I felt tiny and protected.”</p>
<p>“And all those stops in the stairwell?”</p>
<p>Her blush came back. “Not everything is about sex, you know. Or your so-called ‘log’ that you probably miss the most.”</p>
<p>He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. “You ever notice that we don't have as much sex since I transformed?”</p>
<p>She did and a small part of her missed the far more primal sessions that she wanted to admit. She cleared her throat and shifted closer. “Maybe, but what if that is just growing old together?”</p>
<p>“It's only been three years.”</p>
<p>“Well, I heard you stop doing the fun things a few months after you say ‘I love you.’ I mean, we had a talk about that earlier.”</p>
<p>He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.</p>
<p>She set aside the plate to lift herself up so she could straddle his lap. Setting down, she could feel his hardness and a welcoming heat of her own.</p>
<p>“Now, Beauty, I do love you with all my heart.”</p>
<p>“I can feel,” she said with a grin.</p>
<p>“No, I'm serious. I love you more than life itself. I love you with the beauty… shine of an undying rose on a pedestal. I love you more than the sun, the moons, and the clouds above us.”</p>
<p>As if listening, a flash of lighting brightened the sky.</p>
<p>“And the lightning too.”</p>
<p>She draped her arms over his shoulders and brought her body tight against his. Her lips caught his and they kissed again. It was short but sweet. “And I love you more than all the dancing furniture in the world, the spells and the riches. If we gave up every jem and cuk we had today, I would still be the richest woman in the world.”</p>
<p>Daman cupped her buttocks with his hands and pulled her tight. He let out a moan and kissed her lips, and then her chin.</p>
<p>She lifted her head and enjoyed the touch of his lips as he traced down to her collar and over to her shoulder. Even through her coat, the pressure felt good.</p>
<p>“Need to remove this.”</p>
<p>“I'll get wet.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he muttered into her shoulder. Releasing one hand, he reached up and worked at the front of her outfit.</p>
<p>She joined him, pulling open her clothes until she could push it off her shoulder and let him resume his caresses along the delicate skin. She moaned at the touch.</p>
<p>When he reached his limits, he kissed back to her throat and then to her lips.</p>
<p>The question still hung over them. She could feel it haunting her, as if she couldn't enjoy the passion without it being answered. “Can you live with me if you never become the Beast again?”</p>
<p>He stopped, his eyes focusing on hers.</p>
<p>“Can you?”</p>
<p>The longing was there, she could feel it rising up and demanding she say no. It was a hunger, one that may never be fed again, even if they spent thirty years trying. She sniffed as her eyes blurred with tears and she stared at the man she loved with all her heart. “I think I can, if that is what you want.”</p>
<p>“I don't, but…” He sighed. “If I had to choose between fifty years of… having my life frozen in hopes of getting him back and taking you home to treat you like the queen you are for those same fifty years…” His voice trailed off.</p>
<p>“My love?”</p>
<p>He smiled and kissed her. He cleared his throat and got a tighter grip on her buttocks. “I think this time, I'm going to cling to love and take you back home.”</p>
<p>The words felt like a knife in the stomach but also a blossom of brilliance in her heart. A tear ran down her cheek as she kissed him. “Then, I want to go home with you.”</p>
<p>“To spend the rest of your life with me?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she giggled. “To spend the rest of our lives together, man and woman, in love.”</p>
<p>He squeezed her ass and pulled her into a kiss.</p>
<p>She melted into his embrace, kissing and touching as she tugged at his clothes. It didn't matter if rain would soak them to the bone or the cold that nipped her bare shoulder, there was a warmth waiting for her.</p>
<p>Daman broke the kiss. “Can you really live without my immense log?”</p>
<p>“Your ‘log,’ as you call it, is plenty fine with me. It fills me up just right anyways.”</p>
<p>“Let me take you back to the tent and let's make sure.”</p>
<p>She held up a finger. “I believe, you said that you were going to do something first.”</p>
<p>He frowned.</p>
<p>A rumble of thunder shook the ground around them. And then another flash of lightning.</p>
<p>“Something about getting on your knees?” She squeezed her thighs to make a point.</p>
<p>He grinned. “Oh, yes. Definitely. New plan. I'll get my very warm and wet desert and then I'll make sure you're happy with my log since you're going to be getting it for many years to come.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 10: Surprise Guests2021-07-14T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-010/Beauty, Daman, and Pid return to Fires Down Below through a secret opening in the town wall. But, for all their sneaking around, they quickly find themselves up against surprise, and possibly unwelcome, guests.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Pillory Pass is an infrequently used pass between Gepaul and Tarsan. The terrain is rough and unsuited for caravans. It is mostly used by travelers on foot or horse seeking to travel between countries before it gets snowed in for winter.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Jacom Hibon-Gasil, <em>A Meandering Geography of Gepaul</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Beauty and her prince walked hand in hand as they followed Pid off the mountain and along the winding trails that wove around the city of Fires Down Below. The only time they separated was for the rough sections. On the smoother lengths, she nestled up against him despite the fat drops of rain that threatened to separate them.</p>
<p>Her thoughts were focused on Lanier's words which continued to echo in her head. Despite the mage's good advice and the list of sources to check next, the overwhelming despair of how long it would take took her breath away. It could be years before they could get through the list, years of traveling during the summers with longer trips home the further they went. She struggled with the idea of decade when she was only in her twenties.</p>
<p>Daman squeezed her hand. “You seem distracted.”</p>
<p>Beauty rested her head on his shoulder. “I am.”</p>
<p>“What the mage said?”</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>He said nothing as they crawled over a few fallen trees. “We're heading home after this, why don't we talk about it over the winter and decide?”</p>
<p>It was the logical answer.</p>
<p>She sighed. “I know, I just….” She let her voice trail off with a thought she didn't want to consider.</p>
<p>He squeezed her tightly. “I'm with you. In the end, that is all that will ever matter to me. You are my love, my truest love and there is nothing that will stop that.”</p>
<p>Smiling happily, she stopped him enough to kiss him in the rain.</p>
<p>“See, and I get to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said brightly. “Everything is going my way.”</p>
<p>Beauty pressed her face into the gap of his trench coat and breathed in his smell. “Spend the night with me.”</p>
<p>“But the separate inns?”</p>
<p>“Lanier said the chance of finding a random person to curse you is almost impossible. No one is going to have that power or skill. So, pretending to be an asshole isn't going to get us closer to what we want.” She looked up. “Right now, I want you and that's all that is important to me.”</p>
<p>His eyes softened. “Of course, my love. Your place or mine?”</p>
<p>Beauty glanced at Pid who was happily continuing down the path unaware that the two had stopped. “The Letterset. It's more out of the way and her mother could use our money.”</p>
<p>“As you wish, my queen.”</p>
<p>She grinned. “I can't be a queen, remember?”</p>
<p>He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. His hot breath and the icy rain contrasted and left her steaming. When they broke, he whispered, “You will always be my queen.”</p>
<p>“I love you.”</p>
<p>“And I will never, ever stop loving you.”</p>
<p>With another kiss, they hurried after Pid.</p>
<p>The young girl lead them to the wall surrounding Fires Down Below. Built from quarried stone and local wood, it stood easily twice Daman's height and had a sturdy appearance. On their side, away from the town, piles of garbage, debris, and rocks fought with the sturdy brushes that grew along the base. Over the years, someone had taken the effort to plant thorny bushes along the bottom but the effort left a patchworks of thorns, rocks, and other hazards.</p>
<p>Pid ignored most of them as she skipped along one rough trail parallel to the town wall. It was obvious that she had taken that route many times and there was no hesitation as she choose one split of the path over another.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned as she struggled to memorize the route.</p>
<p>Daman chuckled and pointed to one tree. “That looks like the wardrobe in the East Wing.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah.”</p>
<p>At the next junction, he gestured toward a spot on the ground. “And that reminds me of that place where you fell into the pond. That bush right on the corner? Where you lost your small clothes to the birds?”</p>
<p>Blushing, she nodded. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“It's the only way I can remember paths is try to find something that reminds me of home. Look, she's stopping.”</p>
<p>Pid spun around and then blinked. “You're both slow,” she said in surprise.</p>
<p>“Adult things,” Daman said as he drew up.</p>
<p>“Sex?”</p>
<p>“No! Kissing!” Beauty said a little sharper than she intended.</p>
<p>“Oh.” Pid shrugged and then pointed to a tree next to her. It was pair of pine trees but one had died. Despite that, the two trees were intertwined together until the living one could reach above the dead one. “There is the marker.”</p>
<p>A cold shiver danced along Beauty's spine.</p>
<p>Pid headed for a boulder next to the town wall. With a giggle, she disappeared into a barely perceptible gap between the rock and a massive thorny bush.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman followed. The thorns scraped at Beauty's shoulders and tugged on her hair. It only took a few steps before they came out in a gap in the wall behind a wall of boxes. To each side, she saw the blue walls of two houses that framed the alley.</p>
<p>Pid crawled over the box and hopped down, not slowing down for the others.</p>
<p>Beauty remembered her sword. “Oh, peace bonding.”</p>
<p>“Shit,” muttered Daman as he fished out the wire from one pocket.</p>
<p>It took a while for the two to finish wrapping the wire around the hilts of their sword. Beauty made sure hers went along the two grooves in the sheath before coming around. Once their weapons were properly secured, they worked their way around the boxes and to the end of the alley.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned and then recognized where she was. Taking her love's hand, she drew him into the street.</p>
<p>A passerby looked at them and glared at them over his nose. “Get a room.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, sir, for your good advice,” Daman said proudly. “I'm heading right over there right now with the love of my life.”</p>
<p>Another glare before the man turned around and headed the other way.</p>
<p>Daman chuckled.</p>
<p>“You don't have to be an asshole,” she said with a grin.</p>
<p>“I'm not. He made an assumption that I was doing obscene things with you and I wanted him to be clear that they were neither obscene or inappropriate.” He squeezed her hand. “I will always love you, for the rest of my life and into the next.”</p>
<p>Beaming happily, they continued onto the Letterset Inn. At the door, he held it open and she strode inside.</p>
<p>When she saw almost a score of men standing in the room, she froze. A shiver of concern rippled along her nerves as she looked around at the hard faces that all turned toward her and the open door. They were all dressed similar, with gray trench coats that had seen a fair amount of weathering and repair. Her gaze caught places where patches had been recently removed from almost everyone's shoulders and scuff marks from a wide belt around the waist.</p>
<p>“And what is….” Daman's voice trailed off. He rested his hand on her waist and held her firmly. “Looks a little busy.”</p>
<p>“Then find another place,” came a growling voice.</p>
<p>The crowd shifted apart into a line between the door and the front desk. Another man dressed in the same manner leaned over the counter as he looked at him. He had short-cut hair like the others, but time had grayed out his colors leaving a dusty brown behind. His coat looked to be in better shape, but she could see that he had removed more patches from his chest. In the gap between the openings of the coat, she spotted an empty sheath with the Gepaul infantry insignia barely visible in the shadows.</p>
<p>Beauty tensed. Why was the Gepaul army in town? They were in Tarsan, a neighboring country that was currently at peace with Gepaul. More importantly, why had they removed their patches and medals? She wanted to drop her hand to the hilt of her sword, but didn't. The room seemed too tense and both her and the prince would be hampered by the close quarters.</p>
<p>Behind the desk, Kas cleared his throat and set down the short sword in his hands on the counter. “S-Sorry, she's already a guest here. Checked in a few days ago.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I wouldn't want to kick her out.” The man who appeared to be the leader straightened and strolled over to her. He had a bit of a gut, but he moved with the comfort of a warrior still in his prime. His eyes were piercing as they focused on hers. “And what might the beauty's name be?”</p>
<p>She straightened her back. “That's my name, Beauty.”</p>
<p>He blinked. “Really?”</p>
<p>“Yes, my father named me that because he had high hopes.”</p>
<p>“Well, he was a fortune teller then. My name is Rizen, just a traveler coming into town. Nothing more. A harmless traveler.”</p>
<p>Despite his obvious lies, she smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Why don't you lose the beef behind you and I'll give you a better time?”</p>
<p>Daman leaned over her shoulder. “This beef would like to stay. I am with her, you know.”</p>
<p>“Are you a guest?” Rizen asked in a menacing tone.</p>
<p>“Yes,” the prince said.</p>
<p>“No,” Kas said from the counter. “But, she's allowed guests of her own.”</p>
<p>From the back of the room, Trus came out of the kitchen and clapped her hands. “Okay, gentlemen, I have put on enough food for all of you. My son has given all of you the keys?”</p>
<p>Kas gasped. “Keys!” He shoved the sword further way and then began to dig into the drawers.</p>
<p>Rizen didn't look away from Daman. “You should probably leave. If you know what is best for you.”</p>
<p>Daman smiled. “Well, one might—”</p>
<p>Trus came up. “Stop bothering my guest! She has the first room and you are not—” Her eyes lit upon Daman and then widened. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Oh my Couple, the prince!”</p>
<p>Beauty cringed and she felt Daman's hand tightened on her waist.</p>
<p>“Are you staying? Please?” gasped Trus.</p>
<p>Then she looked at Beauty with a mixture of awe and jealousy. “You are lucky.”</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head.</p>
<p>Movement shuffled through the surrounding soldiers.</p>
<p>“Prince?” Rizen asked casually. There was a forced tone in his voice.</p>
<p>“A prince of Gepaul! I have an actual prince in my inn!” Trus crowed. She spun around and shoved her way back. “I need to put better food out. Out of my way and get to your rooms!”</p>
<p>She stopped at the counter and smacked the counter. “Stop drooling over their swords and get them their keys!”</p>
<p>“Y-Yes, Mama.”</p>
<p>When Trus left the room, an uncomfortable silence filled the entry room.</p>
<p>“So, Gepaul?”</p>
<p>Daman tugged lightly on Beauty, a quiet signal. “Yes,” he said in a dry monotone.</p>
<p>“Prince? That would make you a march prince, wouldn't it? Judging from your accent, I'm going to say the eastern side? Near Kormar? Maybe closer to the north?” Rizen took a short step forward.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman stepped back through the door frame.</p>
<p>“Are you a loyal prince?” asked the solider.</p>
<p>“Loyal enough, for many generations.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Rizen said. “You should stay then.”</p>
<p>Daman looked around. He stepped back and Beauty followed. “Maybe I'll come back later. It seems a bit crowded right now.”</p>
<p>“Ah, but your innkeeper is making you a special meal.” Rizen's eyes were dark and shadowed as he stepped into the door frame. “You wouldn't want to upset her. Besides, we might have some good conversations between the two of us. Things that those loyal to Gepaul need to have.”</p>
<p>Beauty noticed Pid standing near the counter. The little girl watched with a frown on her face. She squirmed back and forth before pressing herself against the wood underneath the ledge of the counter.</p>
<p>Their gazes met.</p>
<p>Beauty gestured to her right. There was an alley two houses down, a short distance but it was hard to communicate without attracting Rizen's attention.</p>
<p>Pid held up her hand in a silent question.</p>
<p>Beauty nodded and then gestured to the same side.</p>
<p>Stepping back, Pid turned and ran up the stairs.</p>
<p>Beauty looked over her shoulder. “Come on. We'll come back later.”</p>
<p>“Good idea,” Daman said. Then he nodded his head to Rizen. “I'll see you later, sir.”</p>
<p>Rizen only grunted.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman turned. He started to go int the direction Beauty gestured to Pid, but she stopped him and they turned around to head up the street.</p>
<p>“That looked ominous,” he said once they were a few blocks away.</p>
<p>“Infantry. From Gepaul.”</p>
<p>“I noticed. But they are hiding it. There shouldn't be this many of our soldiers hiding in Tarsan, even if we're close to the pass. That isn't good and I don't like how it feels. I don't think the Royal Palace is going to be a good place either.”</p>
<p>“Camp?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Probably a good idea. What about the stuff in your room?”</p>
<p>“I hope Pid will be delivering it to the alley the other way. We just want to take a wide berth and come around.”</p>
<p>He chuckled and brought up her hand to kiss the back of her palm. “Brains and beauty, you are everything I could ever dream for.”</p>
<p>They took a few minutes to walk around a number of blocks before coming up to the alley from the other side. Pid stood with Beauty's packs, bouncing around as she looked around fretfully.</p>
<p>“Beauty!” she whispered loudly and rushed over to give her a hug.</p>
<p>Beauty knelt down to return the embrace. “Thank you, Pid.”</p>
<p>The little girl buried her face in Beauty's shoulder. “I don't think you should go back. He was asking a lot of questions when you left. Mama doesn't see it, but I don't like how he talks. They all have swords too.”</p>
<p>When Pid pulled away, her face shimmered with tears.</p>
<p>Beauty sighed and wiped away some of the tears. “We're thinking about going somewhere else.”</p>
<p>“Another inn? Mama wouldn't—”</p>
<p>“Outside to camp,” Daman said. He leaned against the wall and his head turned back and forth to watch both ends of the alley. “Probably away from Lan.”</p>
<p>Pid tapped her foot for a second. “Oh, Leaning Pines is a campground to the north, up near the Misty Valley. If you go out the north gate, it's five… six crossings. There is a sign with a tree at an angle. Go right.” Pid sniffed and wiped her nose with her palm. “It's rainy season and cold, so no one will be there. Just avoid the lower sites, they flood.”</p>
<p>Beauty kissed Pid's forehead. “Thank you. Do you want to come with us?”</p>
<p>“I shouldn't, Mama needs me. That man wouldn't do anything to us, not in town.”</p>
<p>Beauty wanted to press, but Pid wasn't her daughter. With guilt and fear filling her, she hugged Pid tightly. “If there is any trouble, you take your family and run to Lanier's. Even a hint of trouble, just run. We'll make it right, I promise.”</p>
<p>“W-What about Mama and Kas? They don't know about Lan. And Mama would be furious.”</p>
<p>“If there is trouble, she'll forgive you of everything.”</p>
<p>Pid nodded and hugged her tightly back. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>Beauty closed her eyes tightly, afraid she was making the wrong decision. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>With a sniff, Pid pulled back. She pointed at Daman. “And you be safe because Jorul would be upset if you got hurt.”</p>
<p>He smirked and then snorted. “Yes, because it isn't about me, it's about a talking mountain lion.”</p>
<p>Beauty grinned. “I bet it's been a long time for him and you are quite handsome.”</p>
<p>Daman shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I'm pretty good looking. Poor guy, it's probably been a while since he's had….” His voice trailed off as he looked at Pid.</p>
<p>The young girl sniffed again. “I should go back. Mama is going to be yelling soon.”</p>
<p>Beauty hugged her one last time. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>They waited a full five minutes after Pid left the alley to leave themselves.</p>
<p>“So, go out the south gate?” asked Daman.</p>
<p>“Yes, my love. Come on, I'm looking forward to setting up a tent in this rain.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 10: Surprise Guests2021-07-14T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-10/Beauty, Daman, and Pid return to Fires Down Below through a secret opening in the town wall. But, for all their sneaking around, they quickly find themselves up against surprise, and possibly unwelcome, guests.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Pillory Pass is an infrequently used pass between Gepaul and Tarsan. The terrain is rough and unsuited for caravans. It is mostly used by travelers on foot or horse seeking to travel between countries before it gets snowed in for winter.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Jacom Hibon-Gasil, <em>A Meandering Geography of Gepaul</em></p>
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<p>Beauty and her prince walked hand in hand as they followed Pid off the mountain and along the winding trails that wove around the city of Fires Down Below. The only time they separated was for the rough sections. On the smoother lengths, she nestled up against him despite the fat drops of rain that threatened to separate them.</p>
<p>Her thoughts were focused on Lanier's words which continued to echo in her head. Despite the mage's good advice and the list of sources to check next, the overwhelming despair of how long it would take took her breath away. It could be years before they could get through the list, years of traveling during the summers with longer trips home the further they went. She struggled with the idea of decade when she was only in her twenties.</p>
<p>Daman squeezed her hand. “You seem distracted.”</p>
<p>Beauty rested her head on his shoulder. “I am.”</p>
<p>“What the mage said?”</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>He said nothing as they crawled over a few fallen trees. “We're heading home after this, why don't we talk about it over the winter and decide?”</p>
<p>It was the logical answer.</p>
<p>She sighed. “I know, I just….” She let her voice trail off with a thought she didn't want to consider.</p>
<p>He squeezed her tightly. “I'm with you. In the end, that is all that will ever matter to me. You are my love, my truest love and there is nothing that will stop that.”</p>
<p>Smiling happily, she stopped him enough to kiss him in the rain.</p>
<p>“See, and I get to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said brightly. “Everything is going my way.”</p>
<p>Beauty pressed her face into the gap of his trench coat and breathed in his smell. “Spend the night with me.”</p>
<p>“But the separate inns?”</p>
<p>“Lanier said the chance of finding a random person to curse you is almost impossible. No one is going to have that power or skill. So, pretending to be an asshole isn't going to get us closer to what we want.” She looked up. “Right now, I want you and that's all that is important to me.”</p>
<p>His eyes softened. “Of course, my love. Your place or mine?”</p>
<p>Beauty glanced at Pid who was happily continuing down the path unaware that the two had stopped. “The Letterset. It's more out of the way and her mother could use our money.”</p>
<p>“As you wish, my queen.”</p>
<p>She grinned. “I can't be a queen, remember?”</p>
<p>He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. His hot breath and the icy rain contrasted and left her steaming. When they broke, he whispered, “You will always be my queen.”</p>
<p>“I love you.”</p>
<p>“And I will never, ever stop loving you.”</p>
<p>With another kiss, they hurried after Pid.</p>
<p>The young girl lead them to the wall surrounding Fires Down Below. Built from quarried stone and local wood, it stood easily twice Daman's height and had a sturdy appearance. On their side, away from the town, piles of garbage, debris, and rocks fought with the sturdy brushes that grew along the base. Over the years, someone had taken the effort to plant thorny bushes along the bottom but the effort left a patchworks of thorns, rocks, and other hazards.</p>
<p>Pid ignored most of them as she skipped along one rough trail parallel to the town wall. It was obvious that she had taken that route many times and there was no hesitation as she choose one split of the path over another.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned as she struggled to memorize the route.</p>
<p>Daman chuckled and pointed to one tree. “That looks like the wardrobe in the East Wing.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah.”</p>
<p>At the next junction, he gestured toward a spot on the ground. “And that reminds me of that place where you fell into the pond. That bush right on the corner? Where you lost your small clothes to the birds?”</p>
<p>Blushing, she nodded. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“It's the only way I can remember paths is try to find something that reminds me of home. Look, she's stopping.”</p>
<p>Pid spun around and then blinked. “You're both slow,” she said in surprise.</p>
<p>“Adult things,” Daman said as he drew up.</p>
<p>“Sex?”</p>
<p>“No! Kissing!” Beauty said a little sharper than she intended.</p>
<p>“Oh.” Pid shrugged and then pointed to a tree next to her. It was pair of pine trees but one had died. Despite that, the two trees were intertwined together until the living one could reach above the dead one. “There is the marker.”</p>
<p>A cold shiver danced along Beauty's spine.</p>
<p>Pid headed for a boulder next to the town wall. With a giggle, she disappeared into a barely perceptible gap between the rock and a massive thorny bush.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman followed. The thorns scraped at Beauty's shoulders and tugged on her hair. It only took a few steps before they came out in a gap in the wall behind a wall of boxes. To each side, she saw the blue walls of two houses that framed the alley.</p>
<p>Pid crawled over the box and hopped down, not slowing down for the others.</p>
<p>Beauty remembered her sword. “Oh, peace bonding.”</p>
<p>“Shit,” muttered Daman as he fished out the wire from one pocket.</p>
<p>It took a while for the two to finish wrapping the wire around the hilts of their sword. Beauty made sure hers went along the two grooves in the sheath before coming around. Once their weapons were properly secured, they worked their way around the boxes and to the end of the alley.</p>
<p>Beauty frowned and then recognized where she was. Taking her love's hand, she drew him into the street.</p>
<p>A passerby looked at them and glared at them over his nose. “Get a room.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, sir, for your good advice,” Daman said proudly. “I'm heading right over there right now with the love of my life.”</p>
<p>Another glare before the man turned around and headed the other way.</p>
<p>Daman chuckled.</p>
<p>“You don't have to be an asshole,” she said with a grin.</p>
<p>“I'm not. He made an assumption that I was doing obscene things with you and I wanted him to be clear that they were neither obscene or inappropriate.” He squeezed her hand. “I will always love you, for the rest of my life and into the next.”</p>
<p>Beaming happily, they continued onto the Letterset Inn. At the door, he held it open and she strode inside.</p>
<p>When she saw almost a score of men standing in the room, she froze. A shiver of concern rippled along her nerves as she looked around at the hard faces that all turned toward her and the open door. They were all dressed similar, with gray trench coats that had seen a fair amount of weathering and repair. Her gaze caught places where patches had been recently removed from almost everyone's shoulders and scuff marks from a wide belt around the waist.</p>
<p>“And what is….” Daman's voice trailed off. He rested his hand on her waist and held her firmly. “Looks a little busy.”</p>
<p>“Then find another place,” came a growling voice.</p>
<p>The crowd shifted apart into a line between the door and the front desk. Another man dressed in the same manner leaned over the counter as he looked at him. He had short-cut hair like the others, but time had grayed out his colors leaving a dusty brown behind. His coat looked to be in better shape, but she could see that he had removed more patches from his chest. In the gap between the openings of the coat, she spotted an empty sheath with the Gepaul infantry insignia barely visible in the shadows.</p>
<p>Beauty tensed. Why was the Gepaul army in town? They were in Tarsan, a neighboring country that was currently at peace with Gepaul. More importantly, why had they removed their patches and medals? She wanted to drop her hand to the hilt of her sword, but didn't. The room seemed too tense and both her and the prince would be hampered by the close quarters.</p>
<p>Behind the desk, Kas cleared his throat and set down the short sword in his hands on the counter. “S-Sorry, she's already a guest here. Checked in a few days ago.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I wouldn't want to kick her out.” The man who appeared to be the leader straightened and strolled over to her. He had a bit of a gut, but he moved with the comfort of a warrior still in his prime. His eyes were piercing as they focused on hers. “And what might the beauty's name be?”</p>
<p>She straightened her back. “That's my name, Beauty.”</p>
<p>He blinked. “Really?”</p>
<p>“Yes, my father named me that because he had high hopes.”</p>
<p>“Well, he was a fortune teller then. My name is Rizen, just a traveler coming into town. Nothing more. A harmless traveler.”</p>
<p>Despite his obvious lies, she smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Why don't you lose the beef behind you and I'll give you a better time?”</p>
<p>Daman leaned over her shoulder. “This beef would like to stay. I am with her, you know.”</p>
<p>“Are you a guest?” Rizen asked in a menacing tone.</p>
<p>“Yes,” the prince said.</p>
<p>“No,” Kas said from the counter. “But, she's allowed guests of her own.”</p>
<p>From the back of the room, Trus came out of the kitchen and clapped her hands. “Okay, gentlemen, I have put on enough food for all of you. My son has given all of you the keys?”</p>
<p>Kas gasped. “Keys!” He shoved the sword further way and then began to dig into the drawers.</p>
<p>Rizen didn't look away from Daman. “You should probably leave. If you know what is best for you.”</p>
<p>Daman smiled. “Well, one might—”</p>
<p>Trus came up. “Stop bothering my guest! She has the first room and you are not—” Her eyes lit upon Daman and then widened. She pressed a hand to her mouth. “Oh my Couple, the prince!”</p>
<p>Beauty cringed and she felt Daman's hand tightened on her waist.</p>
<p>“Are you staying? Please?” gasped Trus.</p>
<p>Then she looked at Beauty with a mixture of awe and jealousy. “You are lucky.”</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head.</p>
<p>Movement shuffled through the surrounding soldiers.</p>
<p>“Prince?” Rizen asked casually. There was a forced tone in his voice.</p>
<p>“A prince of Gepaul! I have an actual prince in my inn!” Trus crowed. She spun around and shoved her way back. “I need to put better food out. Out of my way and get to your rooms!”</p>
<p>She stopped at the counter and smacked the counter. “Stop drooling over their swords and get them their keys!”</p>
<p>“Y-Yes, Mama.”</p>
<p>When Trus left the room, an uncomfortable silence filled the entry room.</p>
<p>“So, Gepaul?”</p>
<p>Daman tugged lightly on Beauty, a quiet signal. “Yes,” he said in a dry monotone.</p>
<p>“Prince? That would make you a march prince, wouldn't it? Judging from your accent, I'm going to say the eastern side? Near Kormar? Maybe closer to the north?” Rizen took a short step forward.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman stepped back through the door frame.</p>
<p>“Are you a loyal prince?” asked the solider.</p>
<p>“Loyal enough, for many generations.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Rizen said. “You should stay then.”</p>
<p>Daman looked around. He stepped back and Beauty followed. “Maybe I'll come back later. It seems a bit crowded right now.”</p>
<p>“Ah, but your innkeeper is making you a special meal.” Rizen's eyes were dark and shadowed as he stepped into the door frame. “You wouldn't want to upset her. Besides, we might have some good conversations between the two of us. Things that those loyal to Gepaul need to have.”</p>
<p>Beauty noticed Pid standing near the counter. The little girl watched with a frown on her face. She squirmed back and forth before pressing herself against the wood underneath the ledge of the counter.</p>
<p>Their gazes met.</p>
<p>Beauty gestured to her right. There was an alley two houses down, a short distance but it was hard to communicate without attracting Rizen's attention.</p>
<p>Pid held up her hand in a silent question.</p>
<p>Beauty nodded and then gestured to the same side.</p>
<p>Stepping back, Pid turned and ran up the stairs.</p>
<p>Beauty looked over her shoulder. “Come on. We'll come back later.”</p>
<p>“Good idea,” Daman said. Then he nodded his head to Rizen. “I'll see you later, sir.”</p>
<p>Rizen only grunted.</p>
<p>Beauty and Daman turned. He started to go int the direction Beauty gestured to Pid, but she stopped him and they turned around to head up the street.</p>
<p>“That looked ominous,” he said once they were a few blocks away.</p>
<p>“Infantry. From Gepaul.”</p>
<p>“I noticed. But they are hiding it. There shouldn't be this many of our soldiers hiding in Tarsan, even if we're close to the pass. That isn't good and I don't like how it feels. I don't think the Royal Palace is going to be a good place either.”</p>
<p>“Camp?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Probably a good idea. What about the stuff in your room?”</p>
<p>“I hope Pid will be delivering it to the alley the other way. We just want to take a wide berth and come around.”</p>
<p>He chuckled and brought up her hand to kiss the back of her palm. “Brains and beauty, you are everything I could ever dream for.”</p>
<p>They took a few minutes to walk around a number of blocks before coming up to the alley from the other side. Pid stood with Beauty's packs, bouncing around as she looked around fretfully.</p>
<p>“Beauty!” she whispered loudly and rushed over to give her a hug.</p>
<p>Beauty knelt down to return the embrace. “Thank you, Pid.”</p>
<p>The little girl buried her face in Beauty's shoulder. “I don't think you should go back. He was asking a lot of questions when you left. Mama doesn't see it, but I don't like how he talks. They all have swords too.”</p>
<p>When Pid pulled away, her face shimmered with tears.</p>
<p>Beauty sighed and wiped away some of the tears. “We're thinking about going somewhere else.”</p>
<p>“Another inn? Mama wouldn't—”</p>
<p>“Outside to camp,” Daman said. He leaned against the wall and his head turned back and forth to watch both ends of the alley. “Probably away from Lan.”</p>
<p>Pid tapped her foot for a second. “Oh, Leaning Pines is a campground to the north, up near the Misty Valley. If you go out the north gate, it's five… six crossings. There is a sign with a tree at an angle. Go right.” Pid sniffed and wiped her nose with her palm. “It's rainy season and cold, so no one will be there. Just avoid the lower sites, they flood.”</p>
<p>Beauty kissed Pid's forehead. “Thank you. Do you want to come with us?”</p>
<p>“I shouldn't, Mama needs me. That man wouldn't do anything to us, not in town.”</p>
<p>Beauty wanted to press, but Pid wasn't her daughter. With guilt and fear filling her, she hugged Pid tightly. “If there is any trouble, you take your family and run to Lanier's. Even a hint of trouble, just run. We'll make it right, I promise.”</p>
<p>“W-What about Mama and Kas? They don't know about Lan. And Mama would be furious.”</p>
<p>“If there is trouble, she'll forgive you of everything.”</p>
<p>Pid nodded and hugged her tightly back. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>Beauty closed her eyes tightly, afraid she was making the wrong decision. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>With a sniff, Pid pulled back. She pointed at Daman. “And you be safe because Jorul would be upset if you got hurt.”</p>
<p>He smirked and then snorted. “Yes, because it isn't about me, it's about a talking mountain lion.”</p>
<p>Beauty grinned. “I bet it's been a long time for him and you are quite handsome.”</p>
<p>Daman shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I'm pretty good looking. Poor guy, it's probably been a while since he's had….” His voice trailed off as he looked at Pid.</p>
<p>The young girl sniffed again. “I should go back. Mama is going to be yelling soon.”</p>
<p>Beauty hugged her one last time. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>They waited a full five minutes after Pid left the alley to leave themselves.</p>
<p>“So, go out the south gate?” asked Daman.</p>
<p>“Yes, my love. Come on, I'm looking forward to setting up a tent in this rain.”</p>
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Allegro 56: Surprises2021-07-13T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-056/Linsan gets separated from Brook and encounters an unexpected surprise.
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<p class="epigraph">The entire point of high society is to be seen and talked about.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Halistin Gor-Takil, <em>Lifestyles of the High and Rich</em></p>
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<p>Linsan stood near the edge of the stage and stared rapturously at the young woman singing.</p>
<p>The singer was introduced as “Lilian the Songbird” and her voice carried more than the flawless tune of <em>My Memory of Tears</em>, it brought up memories that Linsan had forgotten. She could almost smell the attic when she rediscovered Palisis and played those few stolen notes to her parent's surprise. In many ways, that was the beginning of her adventure and she was half a world away from that young girl.</p>
<p>Tears ran down her cheeks as she listened to the raven-haired beauty singing on the stage. It was impossible to move away even if she wanted to. Instead, she just smiled and let the memories wash through her mind.</p>
<p>When the song ended, Lilian gave a bow and wiped a tear from her eye.</p>
<p>“I wonder what she remembers when she sings that song,” asked a voice next to Linsan.</p>
<p>She jumped and looked to see an older woman looking up at the stage. The newcomer was her parents age, but had a beauty that held up against the advancement of years. When she looked at Linsan, there was a sadness pooled in her light brown eyes.</p>
<p>“W-What?” Linsan asked.</p>
<p>“Lilian always cries when she sings that song. You can feel the longing in her voice. But the images that well up in my mind are not hers, they're always mine. That her talent, to make you feel her songs with her heart. They call her one of Moon Water's treasures.”</p>
<p>“I saw… I remember being in my parent's attic. I was playing something I shouldn't have found.”</p>
<p>“Good memories then?”</p>
<p>Linsan smiled. “Yes, the best. Not at the time, but now? It was the best memory.”</p>
<p>The older woman turned and looked at her. “So, an actor?”</p>
<p>An icy grip ran down Linsan's spine. “What? I'm not an actor.”</p>
<p>“Yet you quoted both <em>Bear's Hunt</em> and <em>Three Score</em> in that little speech to keep your toy.” There was a sparkle in her eye as she turned her back to the stage. She had on a gold-trimmed dress in black. It was loose around the waist with a curved bustle and a generous amount of bared shoulder. “I'm guessing you were either an actor or a musician, but the musicians around here usually treats plays as below their station.”</p>
<p>She pursed her lips. “This city think plays are for the poor and unrefined, with shallow plots and actors who failed. They spend their time worshiping Tarsan classicals and the old master's styles.”</p>
<p>Fretting, Linsan looked around for Brook but couldn't find her friend.</p>
<p>“What about you? I haven't seen you at one of these affairs before. I'd remember a beauty like yours.”</p>
<p>Linsan froze. Was the old woman trying to seduce her? What if she had fallen into the very thing they were pretending had happened between Brook and herself? “I'm just here… with someone. I need to find her.”</p>
<p>Lilian stood back up to sing another song.</p>
<p>The older woman gestured toward the tables to the side. “Come on, we can find your friend better from the edges. No doubt she'll be at the center of attention, she's a beautiful girl.”</p>
<p>“She is.” Linsan spoke as she followed the other woman away from the press of people at the stage. It only took a few steps to get away but a longing to return rose up. She fought it, moving blindly in the wake of her sudden companion.</p>
<p>At the edge, the other woman sat down. “You can call me Jun.” It was a starkly informal of a name given the situation. Jun winked. Linsan couldn't help but think that she was still being seduced.</p>
<p>Linsan blushed. “W-We're not,” she stopped as she realized she was supposed to play something more intimate. “I mean, I'm here because she told me to come.”</p>
<p>“I doubt that. If you really didn't want to come, you wouldn't have.”</p>
<p>“I don't know, my lady. When Lady Kabisal asks, I have to listen, right?”</p>
<p>“Jun. And yes, you do. Because everyone knows musicians are like cats and no one is good enough to get a cat to sit on command.”</p>
<p>Linsan smirked. “<em>The Sand Piper's Daughter</em>.”</p>
<p>“Not a popular one in this area, but it was when I was your age.” Jun tapped the table. “Come on, let an old lady talk about something she missed.”</p>
<p>“You aren't old,” Linsan said with a bit more confidence. “You're as beautiful as the crystal freshly cut in the sun.”</p>
<p>“Oh, going more south and west this time. <em>The Tension</em>, a dreadful play about politics but that was a good line. The rest of it was mostly self-congratulating pride about conquering the native tribes of Tarsan.”</p>
<p>A servant stepped up and asked for drinks. Linsan said nothing as Jun ordered something for both of them. Then, as he left, she watched as Jun followed his movement with his eyes until he was out of sight before returning her attention to her.</p>
<p>“What is your favorite play, Lin?”</p>
<p>“I think I like—”</p>
<p>Jun held up her hand. “No, just pick one. Something that is appropriate for now. Right here.”</p>
<p>“I guess <em>Tears on a Cat's Whiskers</em>?” Nervous, she reached up to stroke her mother's pin. “No, <em>Strangers in the Gale</em>.”</p>
<p>Jun cocked her head. “Now, that is a play I haven't seen in a long time. It was actually here in town. The lead actress was so beautiful and wonderful, Tisin Sterlig.”</p>
<p>Linsan paled at her mother's name.</p>
<p>“They won an award that year. That was the last time I saw Tisin, you know.” Jun smiled and then dabbed the corner of her eye. “It was only a few years after I left her and she married my Marin's former husband and my best friend.”</p>
<p>Linsan's heart began to pound in her ears. A soft whimper rose up in her throat as she realized she was talking to her mother's former wife, Junith.</p>
<p>Junith smiled sadly but didn't look away from Linsan as she continued. “She had come up one week for an encore. She had a surprise for us, her newborn. I remember how happy she looked as she sat between the acts, nursing her newborn daughter. Sian gave her something I never could, something she always wanted.”</p>
<p>With everything spinning around her, Linsan felt sick to her stomach. In all the chaos and focus to get to Moon Waters, she never imagined that she would meet up with Junith. Shaking violently, she pushed herself up. “I-I-I have to go.”</p>
<p>Staggering away, she dove into a knot of people to escape Junith and clear her head. Tongue clicks and sniffs of disapproval followed her, but she cut across the main room to the far side before headed to the front door.</p>
<p>“Why am I crying?” she whispered to herself as she wiped her tears. She headed along the side until she spotted Brook in a cluster.</p>
<p>Her friend was laughing and joking, with one hand resting on the arm of a much older man wearing military ribbons. It was impossible to tell if she was acting or enjoying herself, but Linsan could see that Brook looked as if she belong among the rich.</p>
<p>Linsan started toward her but then noticed that she couldn't see Miska along the back wall. Frowning, she circled around the clusters of the rich and peered along the entire wall.</p>
<p>No Miska. No violin.</p>
<p>Still trembling from her encounter with Junith, Linsan spun around and hurried over to Brook. Coming up behind her, she rested her hand on Brook's hip and whispered into her ear, “Miska is gone.”</p>
<p>Brook inhaled sharply and then turned around. Her eyes widened as she looked along the wall and then took a step away.</p>
<p>“Something wrong, my dear?” asked the man with the ribbons.</p>
<p>“No, Lord Ruger. I was just looking for my servant. She was supposed to stand over there with her instrument case.” She pointed to Linsan.</p>
<p>One of the other people nearby leaned over. “Oh, the young lady in a red dress? She was escorted through that door into Lord Xasnal's private wing.”</p>
<p>The door had a guard standing in front of it, glaring at everyone. In front of them, a circle of empty space marked out five paces in all directions.</p>
<p>Linsan fought back a whimper. She looked back to Brook and then to peer around the room.</p>
<p>Brook sighed and made a show of rolling her eyes. “I better find her. Excuse me,” she said with a bow. Then she smiled brilliantly to Lord Ruger. “And it was wonderful hearing your stories, my lord.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for listening. Everyone else here just listens impatiently so they can tell their own stories and we all pretend we haven't heard them a thousand times.”</p>
<p>A ripple of polite, but uncomfortable, laughter.</p>
<p>Brook took Linsan's hand and headed straight for the door. “Sorry, I lost track of you.”</p>
<p>Linsan nodded.</p>
<p>Brook hesitated. “What's wrong?”</p>
<p>“I met my mother's former wife.”</p>
<p>“Marin? I thought she died of cancer?”</p>
<p>“No, Junith. Marin had married my dad before they were divorced and then Junith and Marin got married.”</p>
<p>Brook blushed. “I remember that part.”</p>
<p>Linsan smiled uncomfortable. The night was not going the way she expected. She cleared her throat before they reached the door.</p>
<p>“No admittance.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Brook said with her sweetest voice. “My servant was brought through her and I would like to know—”</p>
<p>“No admittance,” repeated the guard and flexed his thick arms over his chest. There was a finality in his voice.</p>
<p>Brook tugged Linsan away. “Shit, what do we do?”</p>
<p>Linsan looked at him and then back to her. “I-I don't know. I mean, we can't start a fight and I have no clue about the layout. Can we sneak in another entrance?”</p>
<p>Brook worried her lip. She looked torn.</p>
<p>Linsan rested her hand on Brook's arm. “Worried about Miska?”</p>
<p>At the nod, Linsan tried to give a comforting smile. “She'll be okay. This is Miska. She can punch her way through steel.”</p>
<p>“Ladies?” said Lord Rugar from near the door with the guard.</p>
<p>Confused, Linsan looked up to see him gesturing for Brook and herself.</p>
<p>Brook pointed to herself.</p>
<p>He nodded.</p>
<p>They approached.</p>
<p>Lord Rugar looked at them both. “Now, I'm not entirely sure what is going on, but after so many years on the field, I know the look of two people scheming.”</p>
<p>Linsan blanched.</p>
<p>The guard growled and clenched his arms.</p>
<p>He gave them a hard look. “You are also moving as if the winds were chasing you. So, what is your intent at this party. Are you here to steal the violin?”</p>
<p>“I would never steal Palisis!” Linsan snapped before she realized what she said. With a gasp, she clapped her glove hand over her mouth.</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow. “Palisis is it? Rather unusual name for a young lady.”</p>
<p>“No, my lord,” Brook started. “Palisis is the name of the violin being sold today. Yes, we have an interest in the instrument but also the men who are selling it. We need to speak to Lord Xasnal or Tasire Dalisan about a most important matter.”</p>
<p>“And that is?” The lord's voice grew more tense.</p>
<p>Linsan glanced around.</p>
<p>Brook shrugged and gazed stonily back. “Something not appropriate to discuss in public.”</p>
<p>They locked stares.</p>
<p>Linsan squirmed but no one else seemed to notice.</p>
<p>Then the lord chuckled. He turned back to the guard. “Come on, let us through.”</p>
<p>“My lord?”</p>
<p>“I'll watch over them. If you want, have someone join us but these two ladies have nothing to hide your master's silvers and I think they have a story I want to hear.”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, the guard unlocked the door and held it up.</p>
<p>The lord gestured for Brook and Linsan. He waited until Linsan pasted before coming up behind her a short distance. “After all, the only reason I'm here is to bid on the violin for a friend but I'm curious why a Sterlig has shown up personally for the sale.”</p>
<p>The door closed behind them with a firm snap of the lock.</p>
<p>Linsan inhaled, waiting for the next sentence.</p>
<p>“Call me Calor and tell me a new story.”</p>
</div>
Allegro 56: Surprises2021-07-13T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-56/Linsan gets separated from Brook and encounters an unexpected surprise.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The entire point of high society is to be seen and talked about.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Halistin Gor-Takil, <em>Lifestyles of the High and Rich</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Linsan stood near the edge of the stage and stared rapturously at the young woman singing.</p>
<p>The singer was introduced as “Lilian the Songbird” and her voice carried more than the flawless tune of <em>My Memory of Tears</em>, it brought up memories that Linsan had forgotten. She could almost smell the attic when she rediscovered Palisis and played those few stolen notes to her parent's surprise. In many ways, that was the beginning of her adventure and she was half a world away from that young girl.</p>
<p>Tears ran down her cheeks as she listened to the raven-haired beauty singing on the stage. It was impossible to move away even if she wanted to. Instead, she just smiled and let the memories wash through her mind.</p>
<p>When the song ended, Lilian gave a bow and wiped a tear from her eye.</p>
<p>“I wonder what she remembers when she sings that song,” asked a voice next to Linsan.</p>
<p>She jumped and looked to see an older woman looking up at the stage. The newcomer was her parents age, but had a beauty that held up against the advancement of years. When she looked at Linsan, there was a sadness pooled in her light brown eyes.</p>
<p>“W-What?” Linsan asked.</p>
<p>“Lilian always cries when she sings that song. You can feel the longing in her voice. But the images that well up in my mind are not hers, they're always mine. That her talent, to make you feel her songs with her heart. They call her one of Moon Water's treasures.”</p>
<p>“I saw… I remember being in my parent's attic. I was playing something I shouldn't have found.”</p>
<p>“Good memories then?”</p>
<p>Linsan smiled. “Yes, the best. Not at the time, but now? It was the best memory.”</p>
<p>The older woman turned and looked at her. “So, an actor?”</p>
<p>An icy grip ran down Linsan's spine. “What? I'm not an actor.”</p>
<p>“Yet you quoted both <em>Bear's Hunt</em> and <em>Three Score</em> in that little speech to keep your toy.” There was a sparkle in her eye as she turned her back to the stage. She had on a gold-trimmed dress in black. It was loose around the waist with a curved bustle and a generous amount of bared shoulder. “I'm guessing you were either an actor or a musician, but the musicians around here usually treats plays as below their station.”</p>
<p>She pursed her lips. “This city think plays are for the poor and unrefined, with shallow plots and actors who failed. They spend their time worshiping Tarsan classicals and the old master's styles.”</p>
<p>Fretting, Linsan looked around for Brook but couldn't find her friend.</p>
<p>“What about you? I haven't seen you at one of these affairs before. I'd remember a beauty like yours.”</p>
<p>Linsan froze. Was the old woman trying to seduce her? What if she had fallen into the very thing they were pretending had happened between Brook and herself? “I'm just here… with someone. I need to find her.”</p>
<p>Lilian stood back up to sing another song.</p>
<p>The older woman gestured toward the tables to the side. “Come on, we can find your friend better from the edges. No doubt she'll be at the center of attention, she's a beautiful girl.”</p>
<p>“She is.” Linsan spoke as she followed the other woman away from the press of people at the stage. It only took a few steps to get away but a longing to return rose up. She fought it, moving blindly in the wake of her sudden companion.</p>
<p>At the edge, the other woman sat down. “You can call me Jun.” It was a starkly informal of a name given the situation. Jun winked. Linsan couldn't help but think that she was still being seduced.</p>
<p>Linsan blushed. “W-We're not,” she stopped as she realized she was supposed to play something more intimate. “I mean, I'm here because she told me to come.”</p>
<p>“I doubt that. If you really didn't want to come, you wouldn't have.”</p>
<p>“I don't know, my lady. When Lady Kabisal asks, I have to listen, right?”</p>
<p>“Jun. And yes, you do. Because everyone knows musicians are like cats and no one is good enough to get a cat to sit on command.”</p>
<p>Linsan smirked. “<em>The Sand Piper's Daughter</em>.”</p>
<p>“Not a popular one in this area, but it was when I was your age.” Jun tapped the table. “Come on, let an old lady talk about something she missed.”</p>
<p>“You aren't old,” Linsan said with a bit more confidence. “You're as beautiful as the crystal freshly cut in the sun.”</p>
<p>“Oh, going more south and west this time. <em>The Tension</em>, a dreadful play about politics but that was a good line. The rest of it was mostly self-congratulating pride about conquering the native tribes of Tarsan.”</p>
<p>A servant stepped up and asked for drinks. Linsan said nothing as Jun ordered something for both of them. Then, as he left, she watched as Jun followed his movement with his eyes until he was out of sight before returning her attention to her.</p>
<p>“What is your favorite play, Lin?”</p>
<p>“I think I like—”</p>
<p>Jun held up her hand. “No, just pick one. Something that is appropriate for now. Right here.”</p>
<p>“I guess <em>Tears on a Cat's Whiskers</em>?” Nervous, she reached up to stroke her mother's pin. “No, <em>Strangers in the Gale</em>.”</p>
<p>Jun cocked her head. “Now, that is a play I haven't seen in a long time. It was actually here in town. The lead actress was so beautiful and wonderful, Tisin Sterlig.”</p>
<p>Linsan paled at her mother's name.</p>
<p>“They won an award that year. That was the last time I saw Tisin, you know.” Jun smiled and then dabbed the corner of her eye. “It was only a few years after I left her and she married my Marin's former husband and my best friend.”</p>
<p>Linsan's heart began to pound in her ears. A soft whimper rose up in her throat as she realized she was talking to her mother's former wife, Junith.</p>
<p>Junith smiled sadly but didn't look away from Linsan as she continued. “She had come up one week for an encore. She had a surprise for us, her newborn. I remember how happy she looked as she sat between the acts, nursing her newborn daughter. Sian gave her something I never could, something she always wanted.”</p>
<p>With everything spinning around her, Linsan felt sick to her stomach. In all the chaos and focus to get to Moon Waters, she never imagined that she would meet up with Junith. Shaking violently, she pushed herself up. “I-I-I have to go.”</p>
<p>Staggering away, she dove into a knot of people to escape Junith and clear her head. Tongue clicks and sniffs of disapproval followed her, but she cut across the main room to the far side before headed to the front door.</p>
<p>“Why am I crying?” she whispered to herself as she wiped her tears. She headed along the side until she spotted Brook in a cluster.</p>
<p>Her friend was laughing and joking, with one hand resting on the arm of a much older man wearing military ribbons. It was impossible to tell if she was acting or enjoying herself, but Linsan could see that Brook looked as if she belong among the rich.</p>
<p>Linsan started toward her but then noticed that she couldn't see Miska along the back wall. Frowning, she circled around the clusters of the rich and peered along the entire wall.</p>
<p>No Miska. No violin.</p>
<p>Still trembling from her encounter with Junith, Linsan spun around and hurried over to Brook. Coming up behind her, she rested her hand on Brook's hip and whispered into her ear, “Miska is gone.”</p>
<p>Brook inhaled sharply and then turned around. Her eyes widened as she looked along the wall and then took a step away.</p>
<p>“Something wrong, my dear?” asked the man with the ribbons.</p>
<p>“No, Lord Ruger. I was just looking for my servant. She was supposed to stand over there with her instrument case.” She pointed to Linsan.</p>
<p>One of the other people nearby leaned over. “Oh, the young lady in a red dress? She was escorted through that door into Lord Xasnal's private wing.”</p>
<p>The door had a guard standing in front of it, glaring at everyone. In front of them, a circle of empty space marked out five paces in all directions.</p>
<p>Linsan fought back a whimper. She looked back to Brook and then to peer around the room.</p>
<p>Brook sighed and made a show of rolling her eyes. “I better find her. Excuse me,” she said with a bow. Then she smiled brilliantly to Lord Ruger. “And it was wonderful hearing your stories, my lord.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for listening. Everyone else here just listens impatiently so they can tell their own stories and we all pretend we haven't heard them a thousand times.”</p>
<p>A ripple of polite, but uncomfortable, laughter.</p>
<p>Brook took Linsan's hand and headed straight for the door. “Sorry, I lost track of you.”</p>
<p>Linsan nodded.</p>
<p>Brook hesitated. “What's wrong?”</p>
<p>“I met my mother's former wife.”</p>
<p>“Marin? I thought she died of cancer?”</p>
<p>“No, Junith. Marin had married my dad before they were divorced and then Junith and Marin got married.”</p>
<p>Brook blushed. “I remember that part.”</p>
<p>Linsan smiled uncomfortable. The night was not going the way she expected. She cleared her throat before they reached the door.</p>
<p>“No admittance.”</p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Brook said with her sweetest voice. “My servant was brought through her and I would like to know—”</p>
<p>“No admittance,” repeated the guard and flexed his thick arms over his chest. There was a finality in his voice.</p>
<p>Brook tugged Linsan away. “Shit, what do we do?”</p>
<p>Linsan looked at him and then back to her. “I-I don't know. I mean, we can't start a fight and I have no clue about the layout. Can we sneak in another entrance?”</p>
<p>Brook worried her lip. She looked torn.</p>
<p>Linsan rested her hand on Brook's arm. “Worried about Miska?”</p>
<p>At the nod, Linsan tried to give a comforting smile. “She'll be okay. This is Miska. She can punch her way through steel.”</p>
<p>“Ladies?” said Lord Rugar from near the door with the guard.</p>
<p>Confused, Linsan looked up to see him gesturing for Brook and herself.</p>
<p>Brook pointed to herself.</p>
<p>He nodded.</p>
<p>They approached.</p>
<p>Lord Rugar looked at them both. “Now, I'm not entirely sure what is going on, but after so many years on the field, I know the look of two people scheming.”</p>
<p>Linsan blanched.</p>
<p>The guard growled and clenched his arms.</p>
<p>He gave them a hard look. “You are also moving as if the winds were chasing you. So, what is your intent at this party. Are you here to steal the violin?”</p>
<p>“I would never steal Palisis!” Linsan snapped before she realized what she said. With a gasp, she clapped her glove hand over her mouth.</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow. “Palisis is it? Rather unusual name for a young lady.”</p>
<p>“No, my lord,” Brook started. “Palisis is the name of the violin being sold today. Yes, we have an interest in the instrument but also the men who are selling it. We need to speak to Lord Xasnal or Tasire Dalisan about a most important matter.”</p>
<p>“And that is?” The lord's voice grew more tense.</p>
<p>Linsan glanced around.</p>
<p>Brook shrugged and gazed stonily back. “Something not appropriate to discuss in public.”</p>
<p>They locked stares.</p>
<p>Linsan squirmed but no one else seemed to notice.</p>
<p>Then the lord chuckled. He turned back to the guard. “Come on, let us through.”</p>
<p>“My lord?”</p>
<p>“I'll watch over them. If you want, have someone join us but these two ladies have nothing to hide your master's silvers and I think they have a story I want to hear.”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, the guard unlocked the door and held it up.</p>
<p>The lord gestured for Brook and Linsan. He waited until Linsan pasted before coming up behind her a short distance. “After all, the only reason I'm here is to bid on the violin for a friend but I'm curious why a Sterlig has shown up personally for the sale.”</p>
<p>The door closed behind them with a firm snap of the lock.</p>
<p>Linsan inhaled, waiting for the next sentence.</p>
<p>“Call me Calor and tell me a new story.”</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 9: The Bad News2021-07-12T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-009/Beauty recovers from the explosion to some bad news and good advice from Lanier.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">Most see resonance and feedback as an immutable force, but magic changes over time. Like wine, it pulls energies from its environment, slowly adapting until once was dangerous becomes mundane.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Betany Cal-Robin, <em>The Life of a Solitary Tuner</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Beauty's head throbbed. She clutched it and sat up even as she tried to pry her eyes open. Underneath her, a mattress shifted with her weight. A heavy blanket slipped into her lap. Inundated unfamiliar sensations and smells, she froze as her senses came into focus. She blinked a few times until the world sharpened around her.</p>
<p>They were in a cottage, Beauty guessed the other one near the bottom of the tower. It had a small cooking area, and a half dozen bookcases filled with books and trinkets. A cozy-looking chair sat in the middle of the cottage and near the fireplace on the far wall.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the bed, between her feet, Pid sat while rolling dice in the space between their legs. The red and blue cubes sparkled brightly in the light that streamed in from a widow. She sighed and scratched a bandage over her brow.</p>
<p>Beauty groaned and reached out to her side, looking for her bag. A quick glance down told her that shew as still dressed, though her clothes were scorched and stained. “W-What happened?”</p>
<p>Pid beamed at her. “You're awake!” She crawled up and over to Beauty, twisting in place until she sat down in the space between Beauty's body and her arm while using her shoulder as a pillow. “You got knocked out when he exploded.”</p>
<p>“Explosion?” Memories slammed into Beauty. She gasped. “The prince! Is Daman okay?”</p>
<p>Pid leaned against her and giggled. “He's fine. He got up right away but he was cranky, so Lanier sent Jorul and him out to hunt down the weasel.”</p>
<p>Beauty tried to untangle her legs from the blanket, but a twinge stopped her. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Well, I won—”</p>
<p>The door opened and Pid snapped her mouth shut.</p>
<p>Lanier entered. He had bandages on his hands and one on his face. “Ah, you're awake. Good, I was starting to get worried. I'm not equipped to handle a concussion.”</p>
<p>Beauty gave him a pained smile. “I'm better, thank you. What happened?”</p>
<p>“True love.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Zi set down a tray with bandages and sewing supplies. “There was feedback between the curse and your love. I thought I patched the struts so the shell could handle the feedback, but obviously there wasn't enough of the original spell's framework to handle that disparate energies.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared at him, confused.</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “The fairy's curse plus my magic produced a great deal of feedback. When your magic was thrown into the mix, the interaction produced a violent reaction and exploded.”</p>
<p>“Me? I can't use magic.”</p>
<p>Zi gave her a hard look. “You love him, right?”</p>
<p>“With all my heart.”</p>
<p>“Love is magic, it can change the world faster than any spell.” Lanier shrugged. Then zi frowned. Reaching up, zi rubbed zirs nose and zirs fingertips came back bloody. “Neither of you can stay long. Your affection is causing feedback with my powers.”</p>
<p>Feedback was the reason mages gravitated away from the cities and towns. If they didn't, encountering different sources of magic. The more powerful the mage or artifact, the more violent the reaction. For a mage like Lanier, encountering the curse was the reason he had nosebleeds. Zi would have experienced more severe reactions if the curse had been any more powerful.</p>
<p>Beauty cringed. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed and leaned back on the counter by the cooking area. “I know that longing you talked about. That was the entire reason I specialized in transformation magic.” Zi tugged on zirs skirt. “I was born into a body that never felt right. A shape that felt like a puppet, a poorly cut suit. No one really understood that feeling of wanting something else. To be something else.”</p>
<p>Beauty sighed. She knew the feeling too well.</p>
<p>“I learned magic and specialized in transformations to turn me into what I thought I wanted to be.”</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“I failed,” Lanier said sadly. “I thought I wanted to be this… beautiful woman in my dreams, but I got to this shape and couldn't get any further.” Zi gestured to their body. “The magic wouldn't turn me any more. No matter how much I tried, how much I studied, I just couldn't.”</p>
<p>Zi closed their eyes for a moment. “Then that damn war. Tarsan doesn't ask questions when it comes to serving. The bastard yanks you in battle and sacrifices you on altars of blood. Six years of service, twenty-one battles, and seven ambushes. I… killed so many people. When I had the chance, I mustered out as fast as I could and ran away.”</p>
<p>Lanier started to move the supplies off the tray. “I've been here almost a century now, just living alone. Occasionally, someone would come up, cause some trouble, and then they would go away. I thought I was happy being alone. Then Jorul showed up about a decade ago and you can imagine how that went.”</p>
<p>“Always trying to get into your skirt?” Beauty said with a smile.</p>
<p>“Not really. He goes for those who look more masculine. And I… I was never like that.” Lanier shrugged. “I never wanted to look like it either. But I enjoy his company and he appears to enjoy mine.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't know what to say.</p>
<p>“But…” Lanier said, “That longing is hard to fight. How many years have you been looking? Four?”</p>
<p>She nodded slowly.</p>
<p>“I looked for almost twenty-eight years before I realized it would never go away. I wish I could say I accepted this body that magic has given me, but even have a century, the urge is still there. Faded, quiet, but occasionally shows up in the dark of the night.”</p>
<p>Tears blurred Beauty's vision. Decades of searching? Was it worth it? Would they still be in love if they spent most of it traveling and searching for curses, fighting their way out of traps and escaping fell magics? Her shoulders slumped as she considered her options and imagined the possibilities.</p>
<p>“I'm not saying give up. Just realize that what you get is not always what you want, more so when you already have so much.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled and gestured toward the door. “How many people find love? How many want to even try? You have something amazing with Daman. You found true love. True love! That is the thing you read about in stories, not experience in your life.”</p>
<p>She ducked her head.</p>
<p>Pid frowned as she looked up. “Beauty?”</p>
<p>Beauty smiled and kissed the top of Pid's head. “Sorry.” She looked up to the mage. “We didn't mean to intrude.”</p>
<p>Lanier shrugged. “I'm also not going to send you without advice or suggestions.”</p>
<p>She looked up.</p>
<p>Lanier pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. “If you are going to keep looking, you need to think bigger and taking more time. You are never going to find a random person who has the ability, desire, and will to curse him. Even if that worked, it isn't going to take long for people to realize that you are following after him and making things right. It's hard to hate someone enough to create a curse when you know someone else is going to drop a few hundred jems in your lap the next day.”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “I don't want to hurt people.”</p>
<p>“Then don't. Stop pretending and do this properly. Look for specialists who can handle transformations and curses. Once you find someone who can do it, you need to address the bigger problem: getting three sets of energies compatible enough that your mage can create a transformation spell that has no feedback with either the curse or your love.”</p>
<p>Lanier flipped the paper and continued on the back. “You want to find someone who is third circle or higher, to say the least, at least in terms of skill. You might find a talent, but I wouldn't hold your breath for those. A transformation talent may not have the perceptions or focus to make this happen. Now, I'm giving you a list of mages I know that might have a chance to help you, but most of them are in Tarsan.”</p>
<p>“Could you do it?”</p>
<p>Zi looked up at her. For a long time, they said nothing. Then a sigh. “Yes, I could. The second part is your problem. My energies do not mesh well with yours. We can attune, which is to change all of our powers slowly and over time to adapt to each other, but ‘slowly’ is the key word. You are talking years, probably decades.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>“It can be done, but you would have to move into the town and visit almost every day or at least twenty years before there was a chance it would work. It might take longer, thirty or forty years. It's an art, not a science.”</p>
<p>She sighed with the possibilities. She wasn't even sure if she could live as long as Daman could, or if Daman's lifespan had been shortened once the curse has been removed.</p>
<p>Lanier walked over and sat on the bed. “Try to find someone better for a few years, maybe a decade. If you two still want it, then we can try the reattunement. I'm willing to help, but I'm just not the best option.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>Leaving the paper on the bed, Lanier got up and headed to the door.
“Talk to your love and decide. If you find that the need is still there after everything and you are willing to spend the rest of your life waiting to have your beast back, then come back here. We'll get you through it. It just takes time. A lot of time.”</p>
<p>Zi stopped at the door. “You'll need to leave soon, but I wish you the best of adventures and you find what you are looking for.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Lanier.” Her heart ached from zirs words, but there was a truth to them. It was also more advice than they had gotten in years.</p>
<p>The mage smiled sadly. “I wished I could give you something better.”</p>
<p>Beauty wiped a tear from her eye. “You've given me so much already. I… we have an idea of what to do next and… and…” Her mind drifted to that one perfect moment she had her beast back. “I got to see him again.” She smiled happily. “I got to touch him.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled back. Then zi gestured to the little girl. “Pid, you should take them home. Your mother is going to be asking where you are and it's getting late.”</p>
<p>“Will do!” pronounced the little girl.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 9: The Bad News2021-07-12T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-09/Beauty recovers from the explosion to some bad news and good advice from Lanier.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">Most see resonance and feedback as an immutable force, but magic changes over time. Like wine, it pulls energies from its environment, slowly adapting until once was dangerous becomes mundane.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Betany Cal-Robin, <em>The Life of a Solitary Tuner</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Beauty's head throbbed. She clutched it and sat up even as she tried to pry her eyes open. Underneath her, a mattress shifted with her weight. A heavy blanket slipped into her lap. Inundated unfamiliar sensations and smells, she froze as her senses came into focus. She blinked a few times until the world sharpened around her.</p>
<p>They were in a cottage, Beauty guessed the other one near the bottom of the tower. It had a small cooking area, and a half dozen bookcases filled with books and trinkets. A cozy-looking chair sat in the middle of the cottage and near the fireplace on the far wall.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the bed, between her feet, Pid sat while rolling dice in the space between their legs. The red and blue cubes sparkled brightly in the light that streamed in from a widow. She sighed and scratched a bandage over her brow.</p>
<p>Beauty groaned and reached out to her side, looking for her bag. A quick glance down told her that shew as still dressed, though her clothes were scorched and stained. “W-What happened?”</p>
<p>Pid beamed at her. “You're awake!” She crawled up and over to Beauty, twisting in place until she sat down in the space between Beauty's body and her arm while using her shoulder as a pillow. “You got knocked out when he exploded.”</p>
<p>“Explosion?” Memories slammed into Beauty. She gasped. “The prince! Is Daman okay?”</p>
<p>Pid leaned against her and giggled. “He's fine. He got up right away but he was cranky, so Lanier sent Jorul and him out to hunt down the weasel.”</p>
<p>Beauty tried to untangle her legs from the blanket, but a twinge stopped her. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Well, I won—”</p>
<p>The door opened and Pid snapped her mouth shut.</p>
<p>Lanier entered. He had bandages on his hands and one on his face. “Ah, you're awake. Good, I was starting to get worried. I'm not equipped to handle a concussion.”</p>
<p>Beauty gave him a pained smile. “I'm better, thank you. What happened?”</p>
<p>“True love.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Zi set down a tray with bandages and sewing supplies. “There was feedback between the curse and your love. I thought I patched the struts so the shell could handle the feedback, but obviously there wasn't enough of the original spell's framework to handle that disparate energies.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared at him, confused.</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “The fairy's curse plus my magic produced a great deal of feedback. When your magic was thrown into the mix, the interaction produced a violent reaction and exploded.”</p>
<p>“Me? I can't use magic.”</p>
<p>Zi gave her a hard look. “You love him, right?”</p>
<p>“With all my heart.”</p>
<p>“Love is magic, it can change the world faster than any spell.” Lanier shrugged. Then zi frowned. Reaching up, zi rubbed zirs nose and zirs fingertips came back bloody. “Neither of you can stay long. Your affection is causing feedback with my powers.”</p>
<p>Feedback was the reason mages gravitated away from the cities and towns. If they didn't, encountering different sources of magic. The more powerful the mage or artifact, the more violent the reaction. For a mage like Lanier, encountering the curse was the reason he had nosebleeds. Zi would have experienced more severe reactions if the curse had been any more powerful.</p>
<p>Beauty cringed. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed and leaned back on the counter by the cooking area. “I know that longing you talked about. That was the entire reason I specialized in transformation magic.” Zi tugged on zirs skirt. “I was born into a body that never felt right. A shape that felt like a puppet, a poorly cut suit. No one really understood that feeling of wanting something else. To be something else.”</p>
<p>Beauty sighed. She knew the feeling too well.</p>
<p>“I learned magic and specialized in transformations to turn me into what I thought I wanted to be.”</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“I failed,” Lanier said sadly. “I thought I wanted to be this… beautiful woman in my dreams, but I got to this shape and couldn't get any further.” Zi gestured to their body. “The magic wouldn't turn me any more. No matter how much I tried, how much I studied, I just couldn't.”</p>
<p>Zi closed their eyes for a moment. “Then that damn war. Tarsan doesn't ask questions when it comes to serving. The bastard yanks you in battle and sacrifices you on altars of blood. Six years of service, twenty-one battles, and seven ambushes. I… killed so many people. When I had the chance, I mustered out as fast as I could and ran away.”</p>
<p>Lanier started to move the supplies off the tray. “I've been here almost a century now, just living alone. Occasionally, someone would come up, cause some trouble, and then they would go away. I thought I was happy being alone. Then Jorul showed up about a decade ago and you can imagine how that went.”</p>
<p>“Always trying to get into your skirt?” Beauty said with a smile.</p>
<p>“Not really. He goes for those who look more masculine. And I… I was never like that.” Lanier shrugged. “I never wanted to look like it either. But I enjoy his company and he appears to enjoy mine.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't know what to say.</p>
<p>“But…” Lanier said, “That longing is hard to fight. How many years have you been looking? Four?”</p>
<p>She nodded slowly.</p>
<p>“I looked for almost twenty-eight years before I realized it would never go away. I wish I could say I accepted this body that magic has given me, but even have a century, the urge is still there. Faded, quiet, but occasionally shows up in the dark of the night.”</p>
<p>Tears blurred Beauty's vision. Decades of searching? Was it worth it? Would they still be in love if they spent most of it traveling and searching for curses, fighting their way out of traps and escaping fell magics? Her shoulders slumped as she considered her options and imagined the possibilities.</p>
<p>“I'm not saying give up. Just realize that what you get is not always what you want, more so when you already have so much.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled and gestured toward the door. “How many people find love? How many want to even try? You have something amazing with Daman. You found true love. True love! That is the thing you read about in stories, not experience in your life.”</p>
<p>She ducked her head.</p>
<p>Pid frowned as she looked up. “Beauty?”</p>
<p>Beauty smiled and kissed the top of Pid's head. “Sorry.” She looked up to the mage. “We didn't mean to intrude.”</p>
<p>Lanier shrugged. “I'm also not going to send you without advice or suggestions.”</p>
<p>She looked up.</p>
<p>Lanier pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. “If you are going to keep looking, you need to think bigger and taking more time. You are never going to find a random person who has the ability, desire, and will to curse him. Even if that worked, it isn't going to take long for people to realize that you are following after him and making things right. It's hard to hate someone enough to create a curse when you know someone else is going to drop a few hundred jems in your lap the next day.”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “I don't want to hurt people.”</p>
<p>“Then don't. Stop pretending and do this properly. Look for specialists who can handle transformations and curses. Once you find someone who can do it, you need to address the bigger problem: getting three sets of energies compatible enough that your mage can create a transformation spell that has no feedback with either the curse or your love.”</p>
<p>Lanier flipped the paper and continued on the back. “You want to find someone who is third circle or higher, to say the least, at least in terms of skill. You might find a talent, but I wouldn't hold your breath for those. A transformation talent may not have the perceptions or focus to make this happen. Now, I'm giving you a list of mages I know that might have a chance to help you, but most of them are in Tarsan.”</p>
<p>“Could you do it?”</p>
<p>Zi looked up at her. For a long time, they said nothing. Then a sigh. “Yes, I could. The second part is your problem. My energies do not mesh well with yours. We can attune, which is to change all of our powers slowly and over time to adapt to each other, but ‘slowly’ is the key word. You are talking years, probably decades.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>“It can be done, but you would have to move into the town and visit almost every day or at least twenty years before there was a chance it would work. It might take longer, thirty or forty years. It's an art, not a science.”</p>
<p>She sighed with the possibilities. She wasn't even sure if she could live as long as Daman could, or if Daman's lifespan had been shortened once the curse has been removed.</p>
<p>Lanier walked over and sat on the bed. “Try to find someone better for a few years, maybe a decade. If you two still want it, then we can try the reattunement. I'm willing to help, but I'm just not the best option.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>Leaving the paper on the bed, Lanier got up and headed to the door.
“Talk to your love and decide. If you find that the need is still there after everything and you are willing to spend the rest of your life waiting to have your beast back, then come back here. We'll get you through it. It just takes time. A lot of time.”</p>
<p>Zi stopped at the door. “You'll need to leave soon, but I wish you the best of adventures and you find what you are looking for.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Lanier.” Her heart ached from zirs words, but there was a truth to them. It was also more advice than they had gotten in years.</p>
<p>The mage smiled sadly. “I wished I could give you something better.”</p>
<p>Beauty wiped a tear from her eye. “You've given me so much already. I… we have an idea of what to do next and… and…” Her mind drifted to that one perfect moment she had her beast back. “I got to see him again.” She smiled happily. “I got to touch him.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled back. Then zi gestured to the little girl. “Pid, you should take them home. Your mother is going to be asking where you are and it's getting late.”</p>
<p>“Will do!” pronounced the little girl.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 9: The Bad News2021-07-12T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-9/Beauty recovers from the explosion to some bad news and good advice from Lanier.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">Most see resonance and feedback as an immutable force, but magic changes over time. Like wine, it pulls energies from its environment, slowly adapting until once was dangerous becomes mundane.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Betany Cal-Robin, <em>The Life of a Solitary Tuner</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Beauty's head throbbed. She clutched it and sat up even as she tried to pry her eyes open. Underneath her, a mattress shifted with her weight. A heavy blanket slipped into her lap. Inundated unfamiliar sensations and smells, she froze as her senses came into focus. She blinked a few times until the world sharpened around her.</p>
<p>They were in a cottage, Beauty guessed the other one near the bottom of the tower. It had a small cooking area, and a half dozen bookcases filled with books and trinkets. A cozy-looking chair sat in the middle of the cottage and near the fireplace on the far wall.</p>
<p>At the bottom of the bed, between her feet, Pid sat while rolling dice in the space between their legs. The red and blue cubes sparkled brightly in the light that streamed in from a widow. She sighed and scratched a bandage over her brow.</p>
<p>Beauty groaned and reached out to her side, looking for her bag. A quick glance down told her that shew as still dressed, though her clothes were scorched and stained. “W-What happened?”</p>
<p>Pid beamed at her. “You're awake!” She crawled up and over to Beauty, twisting in place until she sat down in the space between Beauty's body and her arm while using her shoulder as a pillow. “You got knocked out when he exploded.”</p>
<p>“Explosion?” Memories slammed into Beauty. She gasped. “The prince! Is Daman okay?”</p>
<p>Pid leaned against her and giggled. “He's fine. He got up right away but he was cranky, so Lanier sent Jorul and him out to hunt down the weasel.”</p>
<p>Beauty tried to untangle her legs from the blanket, but a twinge stopped her. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Well, I won—”</p>
<p>The door opened and Pid snapped her mouth shut.</p>
<p>Lanier entered. He had bandages on his hands and one on his face. “Ah, you're awake. Good, I was starting to get worried. I'm not equipped to handle a concussion.”</p>
<p>Beauty gave him a pained smile. “I'm better, thank you. What happened?”</p>
<p>“True love.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Zi set down a tray with bandages and sewing supplies. “There was feedback between the curse and your love. I thought I patched the struts so the shell could handle the feedback, but obviously there wasn't enough of the original spell's framework to handle that disparate energies.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared at him, confused.</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “The fairy's curse plus my magic produced a great deal of feedback. When your magic was thrown into the mix, the interaction produced a violent reaction and exploded.”</p>
<p>“Me? I can't use magic.”</p>
<p>Zi gave her a hard look. “You love him, right?”</p>
<p>“With all my heart.”</p>
<p>“Love is magic, it can change the world faster than any spell.” Lanier shrugged. Then zi frowned. Reaching up, zi rubbed zirs nose and zirs fingertips came back bloody. “Neither of you can stay long. Your affection is causing feedback with my powers.”</p>
<p>Feedback was the reason mages gravitated away from the cities and towns. If they didn't, encountering different sources of magic. The more powerful the mage or artifact, the more violent the reaction. For a mage like Lanier, encountering the curse was the reason he had nosebleeds. Zi would have experienced more severe reactions if the curse had been any more powerful.</p>
<p>Beauty cringed. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed and leaned back on the counter by the cooking area. “I know that longing you talked about. That was the entire reason I specialized in transformation magic.” Zi tugged on zirs skirt. “I was born into a body that never felt right. A shape that felt like a puppet, a poorly cut suit. No one really understood that feeling of wanting something else. To be something else.”</p>
<p>Beauty sighed. She knew the feeling too well.</p>
<p>“I learned magic and specialized in transformations to turn me into what I thought I wanted to be.”</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“I failed,” Lanier said sadly. “I thought I wanted to be this… beautiful woman in my dreams, but I got to this shape and couldn't get any further.” Zi gestured to their body. “The magic wouldn't turn me any more. No matter how much I tried, how much I studied, I just couldn't.”</p>
<p>Zi closed their eyes for a moment. “Then that damn war. Tarsan doesn't ask questions when it comes to serving. The bastard yanks you in battle and sacrifices you on altars of blood. Six years of service, twenty-one battles, and seven ambushes. I… killed so many people. When I had the chance, I mustered out as fast as I could and ran away.”</p>
<p>Lanier started to move the supplies off the tray. “I've been here almost a century now, just living alone. Occasionally, someone would come up, cause some trouble, and then they would go away. I thought I was happy being alone. Then Jorul showed up about a decade ago and you can imagine how that went.”</p>
<p>“Always trying to get into your skirt?” Beauty said with a smile.</p>
<p>“Not really. He goes for those who look more masculine. And I… I was never like that.” Lanier shrugged. “I never wanted to look like it either. But I enjoy his company and he appears to enjoy mine.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't know what to say.</p>
<p>“But…” Lanier said, “That longing is hard to fight. How many years have you been looking? Four?”</p>
<p>She nodded slowly.</p>
<p>“I looked for almost twenty-eight years before I realized it would never go away. I wish I could say I accepted this body that magic has given me, but even have a century, the urge is still there. Faded, quiet, but occasionally shows up in the dark of the night.”</p>
<p>Tears blurred Beauty's vision. Decades of searching? Was it worth it? Would they still be in love if they spent most of it traveling and searching for curses, fighting their way out of traps and escaping fell magics? Her shoulders slumped as she considered her options and imagined the possibilities.</p>
<p>“I'm not saying give up. Just realize that what you get is not always what you want, more so when you already have so much.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled and gestured toward the door. “How many people find love? How many want to even try? You have something amazing with Daman. You found true love. True love! That is the thing you read about in stories, not experience in your life.”</p>
<p>She ducked her head.</p>
<p>Pid frowned as she looked up. “Beauty?”</p>
<p>Beauty smiled and kissed the top of Pid's head. “Sorry.” She looked up to the mage. “We didn't mean to intrude.”</p>
<p>Lanier shrugged. “I'm also not going to send you without advice or suggestions.”</p>
<p>She looked up.</p>
<p>Lanier pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. “If you are going to keep looking, you need to think bigger and taking more time. You are never going to find a random person who has the ability, desire, and will to curse him. Even if that worked, it isn't going to take long for people to realize that you are following after him and making things right. It's hard to hate someone enough to create a curse when you know someone else is going to drop a few hundred jems in your lap the next day.”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “I don't want to hurt people.”</p>
<p>“Then don't. Stop pretending and do this properly. Look for specialists who can handle transformations and curses. Once you find someone who can do it, you need to address the bigger problem: getting three sets of energies compatible enough that your mage can create a transformation spell that has no feedback with either the curse or your love.”</p>
<p>Lanier flipped the paper and continued on the back. “You want to find someone who is third circle or higher, to say the least, at least in terms of skill. You might find a talent, but I wouldn't hold your breath for those. A transformation talent may not have the perceptions or focus to make this happen. Now, I'm giving you a list of mages I know that might have a chance to help you, but most of them are in Tarsan.”</p>
<p>“Could you do it?”</p>
<p>Zi looked up at her. For a long time, they said nothing. Then a sigh. “Yes, I could. The second part is your problem. My energies do not mesh well with yours. We can attune, which is to change all of our powers slowly and over time to adapt to each other, but ‘slowly’ is the key word. You are talking years, probably decades.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>“It can be done, but you would have to move into the town and visit almost every day or at least twenty years before there was a chance it would work. It might take longer, thirty or forty years. It's an art, not a science.”</p>
<p>She sighed with the possibilities. She wasn't even sure if she could live as long as Daman could, or if Daman's lifespan had been shortened once the curse has been removed.</p>
<p>Lanier walked over and sat on the bed. “Try to find someone better for a few years, maybe a decade. If you two still want it, then we can try the reattunement. I'm willing to help, but I'm just not the best option.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>Leaving the paper on the bed, Lanier got up and headed to the door.
“Talk to your love and decide. If you find that the need is still there after everything and you are willing to spend the rest of your life waiting to have your beast back, then come back here. We'll get you through it. It just takes time. A lot of time.”</p>
<p>Zi stopped at the door. “You'll need to leave soon, but I wish you the best of adventures and you find what you are looking for.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Lanier.” Her heart ached from zirs words, but there was a truth to them. It was also more advice than they had gotten in years.</p>
<p>The mage smiled sadly. “I wished I could give you something better.”</p>
<p>Beauty wiped a tear from her eye. “You've given me so much already. I… we have an idea of what to do next and… and…” Her mind drifted to that one perfect moment she had her beast back. “I got to see him again.” She smiled happily. “I got to touch him.”</p>
<p>Lanier smiled back. Then zi gestured to the little girl. “Pid, you should take them home. Your mother is going to be asking where you are and it's getting late.”</p>
<p>“Will do!” pronounced the little girl.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 8: The Beast2021-07-11T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-008/Beauty and the prince have a chance to talk to the mage and see if they can get a curse to turn Daman back into his bestial form. No matter what the cost, they are willing to pay it, but would Lanier help them?
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Ring Islands was never a popular board game in Tarsan, but it lost even more favor when the population grew more mobile for the Mechanical War.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Fangor da Taul, <em>Entertainment Before the War</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>For the youngest daughter of a trader, Beauty had met many mages over the years but Lanier was unlike any she had ever encountered before. It was difficult to classify the mage as either male or female. If Beauty told herself that Lanier was a woman, then Lanier took on a more feminine appearance. On the other hand, if she told herself that Lanier was male, then the mage was unmistakably male. It was as if Lanier was on the knife edge between the two genders, with only a phrase that would tilt them from once side to the other.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over and poked her. “You're staring,” she whispered.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed and looked down to Pid. She spoke in a low voice, “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“Not me you should be apologizing.” The little girl gave her hard look. It was adorable, but a bit fierce.</p>
<p>The blush grew hotter on Beauty's cheeks. She glanced up at Lanier who was pouring another tea.</p>
<p>The mage wore a long flannel shirt with oranges and reds in it along with a solid color skirt below. Judging from her experience, the materials were of good quality but Beauty didn't know much about the cut or shape. It looked comfortable with the faint chill of the late season and rain.</p>
<p>Zi set down the tea cup in front of Daman. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” said the prince and pushed it to the side while peering down at the concentric rings on the table underneath. It was a game board, but Beauty didn't know the rules, why the rings were segmented, or the purpose for the little markers on the lines in the ring.</p>
<p>Lanier's red eyes flickered over to catch Beauty's.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “S-Sorry.”</p>
<p>Zi shrugged. “It happens. The question is if you keep staring or if you just accept it.” They had a musical voice that sounded supernatural, or at least trained for stage. It also brought little tingles along Beauty's skin hearing it.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over. “Don't ask zir why zi is that way either.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't,” Beauty said.</p>
<p>Daman shrugged and grunted. “I probably would have. I'm curious.”</p>
<p>“It's none of your business,” said both Lanier and Pid said at the same time.</p>
<p>The mage raised zirs eyebrows at Pid.</p>
<p>Pid shrugged. “Sorry. I know, I don't talk for you. I just wanted to save you the effort.”</p>
<p>Lanier chuckled and shook zirs head. Picking up their tea, they took a drink before setting it down on the edge of the ring. “My turn?”</p>
<p>Jorul reached over and used his paws to push the three colored dice over to Lanier. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>Lanier rolled the dice in zirs palm for a second, then rolled them on the table. The red came up one, the blue showed two, and the green was zero. Smoothly, the mage picked up one of the orange ship figures and moved it one space along the ring. Then moved another ship two rings out. After a moment, they finished by moving the second ship one square along the ring toward one of the tokens.</p>
<p>“Oh, that's my island!” grinned Pid. She grabbed the dice and almost threw them across the table.</p>
<p>Jorul's paw snapped up to catch it before it fell off. “Off the table, roll again.”</p>
<p>Pid did. She got red two, blue zero, and black three. With a squeal, she moved her blue ship along the ring two and then three places to reach the crystal token first. “Mine!” she giggled and picked it up to transfer it to a bowl next to her.</p>
<p>Daman grunted with approval. “I think I get the rules now. Looks like fun.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't think so, but she didn't want to say anything.</p>
<p>Pid picked up the dice and leaned over to Jorul before rolling them carefully in front of the giant mountain lion.</p>
<p>“They are pretty simple at first blush,” Lanier said. “You have dice to travel, getting treasure, and stealing from others. You leave the game by moving away from the outer ring, and the player with the highest number of treasures wins. House rules make things more complicated, but we stick with the basic three dice, three boats, and double the number of players in treasures and rings. It's a fun game to enjoy lunch.”</p>
<p>Beauty remembered that she was making sandwiches for Daman and herself. The others already had the meal that Pid had brought along with Lanier's tear. She ducked her head and finished up before handing the delicate plate over to her love.</p>
<p>She watched them play a few rounds, not quite enjoying herself but not enough to be rude by moving around the cottage or outside.</p>
<p>Lanier finished moving off the board with three treasure tokens in zirs bowl. Pouring the bowl into the wooden case for the game, the mage cleared their throat delicately. “Now, I do consider it my business as to why I have guests.”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up and then over to her love.</p>
<p>Daman struggled to stop watching the board. He grunted. “May I play next? It looks like fun.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion looked at Lanier and then back to Daman.</p>
<p>Daman sighed. Then he sat up, shifted his position, and sat firmly down next to Beauty. His hand slipped against hers and they clasped their fingers. “We were following rumors that you were capable of transforming men into beasts.”</p>
<p>Jorul's ears perked up.</p>
<p>“We're looking for someone to bring back my curse.”</p>
<p>Lanier rubbed a finger against the edge of zirs nose. “You want to be cursed?”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “Well, transformed would be fine also.” She looked at Daman and felt the longing rise up. “We just both want the beast back.”</p>
<p>“Beast?”</p>
<p>Daman cleared his throat. “Many years ago, after my parents died, I was the marsh prince in Gepaul on the Kormar border. I wasn't exactly the nicest person so when this old lady shows up and asks for shelter, I told her to fuck off because she was so ugly.”</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “That's rude!”</p>
<p>Daman grinned at her. “Yes, it was. And I was being a proper asshole. But she then turned into this beautiful fairy princess and cursed me into a shape of a horrible beast until I found someone who could love for my heart, not my physical appearance.”</p>
<p>Lanier said, “I take it Beauty was your true love?”</p>
<p>Beauty nodded, memories of the night flashing past her. She had almost lost Daman that night when her own brothers led the charge into the castle and fought him off. Her heart almost tore in half in that moment.</p>
<p>Lanier gestured with delicate fingers. “Then when you two kissed, the curse was broken and he turned into… that?” The fingers pointed directly at Daman.</p>
<p>Next to the table, Jorul let out a long sigh.</p>
<p>Daman nodded.</p>
<p>“And you want him back? To the beast he was?”</p>
<p>Beauty said, “Yes.”</p>
<p>“After a break a curse about seeing someone's heart beyond a physical appearance, you're looking to get his monstrous appearance back?”</p>
<p>At the accusing tone, Beauty cringed. She should have been happy with what she had. The longing was just hard to resist.</p>
<p>Daman, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Sitting up straighter, Daman squeezed Beauty's hand. “We love each other with all our hearts. Nothing is going to change that. I just… We were both happier in that shape.”</p>
<p>She sheepishly agreed. “I liked his roughness. He was rough and brusque, but that's the man I fell in love with. Plus, the growls, and the fur, and the… then….” She realized she was going down a train of conversation inappropriate for public company.</p>
<p>“I had a huge log.” Daman broke his grip to hold his fingers about two feet apart.</p>
<p>Blushing hotly, Beauty elbowed her prince. “Daman!”</p>
<p>He snorted and brought his hands about eight inches apart before dropping his hands to capture hers again. He grinned as she blushed even hotter with his more accurate measurement.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail smashed into the ground and he let out a low, sultry growl.</p>
<p>Daman turned to the lion. “I know, but I'm stuck with… this shape with some of the strangest things that happen to it. You know, I can't get muddy? Every time I stand up, it just slides away. Same thing with mosquitoes, flies, and skunks. It's unnatural. I liked it when I had mud in my fur, or the way the ground shook when I stomped around, and I could open the doors easily during the winter.”</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head before she lifted her gaze to speak. “It was about four years ago, we realized we wanted him back. We talked to some mages and they said that having him cursed would trigger the initial one as long as the new curse wasn't as powerful. So we started looking for someone who curse us and bring back his old body.”</p>
<p>“I've been an asshole to every person I could find since then.”</p>
<p>Lanier asked Beauty, “You let him do that?”</p>
<p>She shook her head. “He isn't a bad person, so I usually went back after a few days and made it right. Usually food, drink, and payment. I don't want either of us to be villains, it's just a….” She struggled with the word.</p>
<p>“A longing?” Lanier asked, zirs eyes softening.</p>
<p>Beauty looked at Daman and they both nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she said.</p>
<p>Jorul laughed. “I know that feeling, that hunger to be something different. Back in the day, they sent me up because someone got it up their ass that Lan here needed to pay taxes.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared in shock. “You really were a tax collector?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, hated my job.” The lion growled. “Soulless and cruel, you spend half of your time being told to use any excuse to seize as much money as possible. Most of the other collectors in town were even worse, they went out of their way to bully others. When you get paid a percentage, it's amazing how fast you can find a missing tax payment.” He growled and shook his head. “I hated that job so much. It cost me my husband and a happy life.”</p>
<p>“You were married?” asked Daman.</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “No, but he had a crush on a cute guy who was already married to another girl.”</p>
<p>Jorul growled at her.</p>
<p>She stuck out her tongue at him.</p>
<p>Beauty cleared her throat. “What happened?”</p>
<p>The lion stretched and inched over to rest his head on Daman's thigh. Rolling over, he peered up at the prince. “Well, beautiful,” he started while looking at Daman. “We went in and started making a mess. My commander, she got turned into that white weasel that ran away, started breaking things left and right. The usual threats of prison. We all joined in, I mean, it was our job.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I used a transformation spell better suited toward combat. At the last minute, I realized I had done the wrong thing and tried to avoid turning them into sheep.”</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped against the ground. “Next thing I know, I'm a mountain lion trying to get out of his armor. Commander ran away along with the others.”</p>
<p>“I offered to turn him back,” said the mage.</p>
<p>“I hated my job and I hated my life. Even in those few minutes, being a lion felt really good. I had a change everything. So I asked to stay. Offered to protect the tower if that was payment.”</p>
<p>“I didn't need payment.”</p>
<p>“You got paid anyways, pretty boy,” said the lion with a growl.</p>
<p>“Zi!” snapped Pid. “Lan is a zi!”</p>
<p>Lanier held up his hand. “Quiet.”</p>
<p>Pid and Jorul quieted down.</p>
<p>“Now, first thing. Jorul, you are invading Daman's personal space.”</p>
<p>Daman shook his head. He rested his hand on Jorul's head and started to pet it. “I don't mind.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion began to purr loudly, a deep rumbling sound in his massive chest. “He doesn't mind.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” asked the mage.</p>
<p>The prince chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. “I know what I look like and there is no reason to deny it, I'm handsome. This isn't the first time someone found me attractive. Nor is it the first time I've had a man's head in my lap. It happens.”</p>
<p>Jorul opened an eye. “Ever do something about it?”</p>
<p>Daman leaned over and whispered something in his ear.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped loudly. Then he looked at Beauty.</p>
<p>She knew what her prince had said. The couple had a rule while traveling, one they had established a few months after their first trip out. If Jorul wanted to bed the prince, he needed her permission just as someone would have to get consent from both Daman and herself if she was inclined to spend time with a lover. She had only taken the opportunity once, with a childhood friend, but Daman usually enjoyed dalliances every few months. As long as he returned to her and it didn't turn into anything beyond a casual fling, she wasn't bothered.</p>
<p>“Not now,” Daman said. Then he spoke louder. “Do you think you could help us? We can pay.”</p>
<p>Lanier looked back and forth. Then zi sighed. “I know what it is like to feel that longing. That was how I ended up becoming a transformation mage. I'm willing to try, but I'm unsure of what price is needed.”</p>
<p>“A favor then? No questions.”</p>
<p>“That is a dangerous offer. You shouldn't ever make those, otherwise you might find yourself in the middle of a war with no one to help you.” There was a sharpness to Lanier's tone. Zi had been in that situation and Beauty couldn't imagine what had happened to cause the haunted look in zirs eyes.</p>
<p>Daman drew himself. “It's important to me.”</p>
<p>“Let me see if I can do anything first. Come on, stand up… we should probably go outside. This could get messy. Pid, find your cloak, it still raining.”</p>
<p>A few minutes later, they were outside in the drizzle. Daman stood between the two cottages, on the stone path. Lanier had put themselves right before them. The others remained by the edge of the cottage, with Pid standing between Jorul and Beauty.</p>
<p>Lanier held out zir hand. It glowed brightly, a shifting cascade of rainbows about the brightness of a good torch. The colors rolled around each other as zi pressed their fingers lightly against Daman's bare chest. “I can feel the remains of the curse. Yes, your advice was right. If you were hit with shaping magic, the original spell would take over and you would return to your form.”</p>
<p>Beauty let out a sigh of relief. Even though two separate mages had told them that, she always worried that if they finally got her prince cursed, he would become something entirely else.</p>
<p>Magenta sparks of light rose off both Daman and Lanier. A trickle of blood oozed out from the mage's nose while Daman scratched his wrist.</p>
<p>The light grew brighter. It grew from the brightness of a torch into the brilliance of a courtyard surrounded by magical lights.</p>
<p>“I'm going to charge the remnants of the curse directly. If I do that and repair some of this damage, that will let me push more power through the frame without a risk of something else taking over.”</p>
<p>Daman groaned. His body shuddered.</p>
<p>Beauty held her hand over her mouth, not wanting to cry out.</p>
<p>The light grew as bright as sunlight. Then it turned liquid before pouring directly into Daman's chest.</p>
<p>Beauty's love let out a loud groan of discomfort. His shoulders clenched and twisted. “This hurts.”</p>
<p>Lanier pulled back his hand.</p>
<p>“No!” bellowed Daman, his voice growing deeper. He turned his head to stare directly at Beauty. “More. Make it hurt, I can handle it… for her.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>The liquid energy continued to pour into him. It flooded his insides until his bones and muscles could be seen through his skin. The golden light poured out of his eyes, ears, and nose. More of it ran down his legs until his entire body was coated in the raw power.</p>
<p>Beauty whimpered.</p>
<p>Pid grabbed her other hand and clenched it.</p>
<p>Beauty dropped to her knees and held Pid tightly. She couldn't look away from her lover's eyes as he stared back at her.</p>
<p>“More,” growled the prince. “Please.”</p>
<p>More blood ran down Lanier's face. It came from his ears and nose. “This isn't something you just ram in. I need grace and control. Just a few more seconds though, I'm about done.”</p>
<p>Daman threw back his head and howled. His body grew thicker and dense, swelling up inside his shirt until the fabric tore. Button by button snapped off as fur sprouted across his body.</p>
<p>At the familiar sight of his claws, Beauty's heart almost burst. She remembered when it felt like to have his powerful hands pinning her hands over her head in the West Wing.</p>
<p>He continued grow, his body filling out to the familiar shape that she had been longing. His bestial feet slammed into the ground and then sank with his increased weight. Powerful muscles flexed underneath fur as his broad shoulders and haunches settled into place. Two horns spiraled up above his broad head, sparkling in the light before settling into place.</p>
<p>The light extinguished with a flash.</p>
<p>Lanier staggered back.</p>
<p>The Beast slumped forward, ending his howl. Shaking, he looked down at his black claws and broad hands. Then, he reached down with both hands to feel his crotch. With a grin, he looked back up. “I'm back?”</p>
<p>Sobbing behind her hand, Beauty reached out for him. “My love,” she whispered in a choked cry.</p>
<p>He lifted his hand, the size that would easily dwarf her own. Seeing it brought the memories of the warm pads against her skin, the points that trailed along her shoulder, and the way he could hold her off the ground with his strength.</p>
<p>His eyes shimmered.</p>
<p>Approaching, she breathed in to take in the musky smell that had clung to him before. It was primal and hungry, the shape of the man she had finally gotten back.</p>
<p>They touched.</p>
<p>She could feel his warmth and the tickle of his fur. Even the rough edge of his claw brought countless memories to slam into her.</p>
<p>Golden light rose around him, just like the day when he had turned into a human.</p>
<p>Daman's face flickered into a frown. “Something's wrong—”</p>
<p>With an explosion of golden light, Beauty was thrown back into the cottage as her love was ripped from her grip by the explosion that had formed between the two of them.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 8: The Beast2021-07-11T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-08/Beauty and the prince have a chance to talk to the mage and see if they can get a curse to turn Daman back into his bestial form. No matter what the cost, they are willing to pay it, but would Lanier help them?
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Ring Islands was never a popular board game in Tarsan, but it lost even more favor when the population grew more mobile for the Mechanical War.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Fangor da Taul, <em>Entertainment Before the War</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>For the youngest daughter of a trader, Beauty had met many mages over the years but Lanier was unlike any she had ever encountered before. It was difficult to classify the mage as either male or female. If Beauty told herself that Lanier was a woman, then Lanier took on a more feminine appearance. On the other hand, if she told herself that Lanier was male, then the mage was unmistakably male. It was as if Lanier was on the knife edge between the two genders, with only a phrase that would tilt them from once side to the other.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over and poked her. “You're staring,” she whispered.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed and looked down to Pid. She spoke in a low voice, “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“Not me you should be apologizing.” The little girl gave her hard look. It was adorable, but a bit fierce.</p>
<p>The blush grew hotter on Beauty's cheeks. She glanced up at Lanier who was pouring another tea.</p>
<p>The mage wore a long flannel shirt with oranges and reds in it along with a solid color skirt below. Judging from her experience, the materials were of good quality but Beauty didn't know much about the cut or shape. It looked comfortable with the faint chill of the late season and rain.</p>
<p>Zi set down the tea cup in front of Daman. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” said the prince and pushed it to the side while peering down at the concentric rings on the table underneath. It was a game board, but Beauty didn't know the rules, why the rings were segmented, or the purpose for the little markers on the lines in the ring.</p>
<p>Lanier's red eyes flickered over to catch Beauty's.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “S-Sorry.”</p>
<p>Zi shrugged. “It happens. The question is if you keep staring or if you just accept it.” They had a musical voice that sounded supernatural, or at least trained for stage. It also brought little tingles along Beauty's skin hearing it.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over. “Don't ask zir why zi is that way either.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't,” Beauty said.</p>
<p>Daman shrugged and grunted. “I probably would have. I'm curious.”</p>
<p>“It's none of your business,” said both Lanier and Pid said at the same time.</p>
<p>The mage raised zirs eyebrows at Pid.</p>
<p>Pid shrugged. “Sorry. I know, I don't talk for you. I just wanted to save you the effort.”</p>
<p>Lanier chuckled and shook zirs head. Picking up their tea, they took a drink before setting it down on the edge of the ring. “My turn?”</p>
<p>Jorul reached over and used his paws to push the three colored dice over to Lanier. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>Lanier rolled the dice in zirs palm for a second, then rolled them on the table. The red came up one, the blue showed two, and the green was zero. Smoothly, the mage picked up one of the orange ship figures and moved it one space along the ring. Then moved another ship two rings out. After a moment, they finished by moving the second ship one square along the ring toward one of the tokens.</p>
<p>“Oh, that's my island!” grinned Pid. She grabbed the dice and almost threw them across the table.</p>
<p>Jorul's paw snapped up to catch it before it fell off. “Off the table, roll again.”</p>
<p>Pid did. She got red two, blue zero, and black three. With a squeal, she moved her blue ship along the ring two and then three places to reach the crystal token first. “Mine!” she giggled and picked it up to transfer it to a bowl next to her.</p>
<p>Daman grunted with approval. “I think I get the rules now. Looks like fun.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't think so, but she didn't want to say anything.</p>
<p>Pid picked up the dice and leaned over to Jorul before rolling them carefully in front of the giant mountain lion.</p>
<p>“They are pretty simple at first blush,” Lanier said. “You have dice to travel, getting treasure, and stealing from others. You leave the game by moving away from the outer ring, and the player with the highest number of treasures wins. House rules make things more complicated, but we stick with the basic three dice, three boats, and double the number of players in treasures and rings. It's a fun game to enjoy lunch.”</p>
<p>Beauty remembered that she was making sandwiches for Daman and herself. The others already had the meal that Pid had brought along with Lanier's tear. She ducked her head and finished up before handing the delicate plate over to her love.</p>
<p>She watched them play a few rounds, not quite enjoying herself but not enough to be rude by moving around the cottage or outside.</p>
<p>Lanier finished moving off the board with three treasure tokens in zirs bowl. Pouring the bowl into the wooden case for the game, the mage cleared their throat delicately. “Now, I do consider it my business as to why I have guests.”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up and then over to her love.</p>
<p>Daman struggled to stop watching the board. He grunted. “May I play next? It looks like fun.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion looked at Lanier and then back to Daman.</p>
<p>Daman sighed. Then he sat up, shifted his position, and sat firmly down next to Beauty. His hand slipped against hers and they clasped their fingers. “We were following rumors that you were capable of transforming men into beasts.”</p>
<p>Jorul's ears perked up.</p>
<p>“We're looking for someone to bring back my curse.”</p>
<p>Lanier rubbed a finger against the edge of zirs nose. “You want to be cursed?”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “Well, transformed would be fine also.” She looked at Daman and felt the longing rise up. “We just both want the beast back.”</p>
<p>“Beast?”</p>
<p>Daman cleared his throat. “Many years ago, after my parents died, I was the marsh prince in Gepaul on the Kormar border. I wasn't exactly the nicest person so when this old lady shows up and asks for shelter, I told her to fuck off because she was so ugly.”</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “That's rude!”</p>
<p>Daman grinned at her. “Yes, it was. And I was being a proper asshole. But she then turned into this beautiful fairy princess and cursed me into a shape of a horrible beast until I found someone who could love for my heart, not my physical appearance.”</p>
<p>Lanier said, “I take it Beauty was your true love?”</p>
<p>Beauty nodded, memories of the night flashing past her. She had almost lost Daman that night when her own brothers led the charge into the castle and fought him off. Her heart almost tore in half in that moment.</p>
<p>Lanier gestured with delicate fingers. “Then when you two kissed, the curse was broken and he turned into… that?” The fingers pointed directly at Daman.</p>
<p>Next to the table, Jorul let out a long sigh.</p>
<p>Daman nodded.</p>
<p>“And you want him back? To the beast he was?”</p>
<p>Beauty said, “Yes.”</p>
<p>“After a break a curse about seeing someone's heart beyond a physical appearance, you're looking to get his monstrous appearance back?”</p>
<p>At the accusing tone, Beauty cringed. She should have been happy with what she had. The longing was just hard to resist.</p>
<p>Daman, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Sitting up straighter, Daman squeezed Beauty's hand. “We love each other with all our hearts. Nothing is going to change that. I just… We were both happier in that shape.”</p>
<p>She sheepishly agreed. “I liked his roughness. He was rough and brusque, but that's the man I fell in love with. Plus, the growls, and the fur, and the… then….” She realized she was going down a train of conversation inappropriate for public company.</p>
<p>“I had a huge log.” Daman broke his grip to hold his fingers about two feet apart.</p>
<p>Blushing hotly, Beauty elbowed her prince. “Daman!”</p>
<p>He snorted and brought his hands about eight inches apart before dropping his hands to capture hers again. He grinned as she blushed even hotter with his more accurate measurement.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail smashed into the ground and he let out a low, sultry growl.</p>
<p>Daman turned to the lion. “I know, but I'm stuck with… this shape with some of the strangest things that happen to it. You know, I can't get muddy? Every time I stand up, it just slides away. Same thing with mosquitoes, flies, and skunks. It's unnatural. I liked it when I had mud in my fur, or the way the ground shook when I stomped around, and I could open the doors easily during the winter.”</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head before she lifted her gaze to speak. “It was about four years ago, we realized we wanted him back. We talked to some mages and they said that having him cursed would trigger the initial one as long as the new curse wasn't as powerful. So we started looking for someone who curse us and bring back his old body.”</p>
<p>“I've been an asshole to every person I could find since then.”</p>
<p>Lanier asked Beauty, “You let him do that?”</p>
<p>She shook her head. “He isn't a bad person, so I usually went back after a few days and made it right. Usually food, drink, and payment. I don't want either of us to be villains, it's just a….” She struggled with the word.</p>
<p>“A longing?” Lanier asked, zirs eyes softening.</p>
<p>Beauty looked at Daman and they both nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she said.</p>
<p>Jorul laughed. “I know that feeling, that hunger to be something different. Back in the day, they sent me up because someone got it up their ass that Lan here needed to pay taxes.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared in shock. “You really were a tax collector?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, hated my job.” The lion growled. “Soulless and cruel, you spend half of your time being told to use any excuse to seize as much money as possible. Most of the other collectors in town were even worse, they went out of their way to bully others. When you get paid a percentage, it's amazing how fast you can find a missing tax payment.” He growled and shook his head. “I hated that job so much. It cost me my husband and a happy life.”</p>
<p>“You were married?” asked Daman.</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “No, but he had a crush on a cute guy who was already married to another girl.”</p>
<p>Jorul growled at her.</p>
<p>She stuck out her tongue at him.</p>
<p>Beauty cleared her throat. “What happened?”</p>
<p>The lion stretched and inched over to rest his head on Daman's thigh. Rolling over, he peered up at the prince. “Well, beautiful,” he started while looking at Daman. “We went in and started making a mess. My commander, she got turned into that white weasel that ran away, started breaking things left and right. The usual threats of prison. We all joined in, I mean, it was our job.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I used a transformation spell better suited toward combat. At the last minute, I realized I had done the wrong thing and tried to avoid turning them into sheep.”</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped against the ground. “Next thing I know, I'm a mountain lion trying to get out of his armor. Commander ran away along with the others.”</p>
<p>“I offered to turn him back,” said the mage.</p>
<p>“I hated my job and I hated my life. Even in those few minutes, being a lion felt really good. I had a change everything. So I asked to stay. Offered to protect the tower if that was payment.”</p>
<p>“I didn't need payment.”</p>
<p>“You got paid anyways, pretty boy,” said the lion with a growl.</p>
<p>“Zi!” snapped Pid. “Lan is a zi!”</p>
<p>Lanier held up his hand. “Quiet.”</p>
<p>Pid and Jorul quieted down.</p>
<p>“Now, first thing. Jorul, you are invading Daman's personal space.”</p>
<p>Daman shook his head. He rested his hand on Jorul's head and started to pet it. “I don't mind.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion began to purr loudly, a deep rumbling sound in his massive chest. “He doesn't mind.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” asked the mage.</p>
<p>The prince chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. “I know what I look like and there is no reason to deny it, I'm handsome. This isn't the first time someone found me attractive. Nor is it the first time I've had a man's head in my lap. It happens.”</p>
<p>Jorul opened an eye. “Ever do something about it?”</p>
<p>Daman leaned over and whispered something in his ear.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped loudly. Then he looked at Beauty.</p>
<p>She knew what her prince had said. The couple had a rule while traveling, one they had established a few months after their first trip out. If Jorul wanted to bed the prince, he needed her permission just as someone would have to get consent from both Daman and herself if she was inclined to spend time with a lover. She had only taken the opportunity once, with a childhood friend, but Daman usually enjoyed dalliances every few months. As long as he returned to her and it didn't turn into anything beyond a casual fling, she wasn't bothered.</p>
<p>“Not now,” Daman said. Then he spoke louder. “Do you think you could help us? We can pay.”</p>
<p>Lanier looked back and forth. Then zi sighed. “I know what it is like to feel that longing. That was how I ended up becoming a transformation mage. I'm willing to try, but I'm unsure of what price is needed.”</p>
<p>“A favor then? No questions.”</p>
<p>“That is a dangerous offer. You shouldn't ever make those, otherwise you might find yourself in the middle of a war with no one to help you.” There was a sharpness to Lanier's tone. Zi had been in that situation and Beauty couldn't imagine what had happened to cause the haunted look in zirs eyes.</p>
<p>Daman drew himself. “It's important to me.”</p>
<p>“Let me see if I can do anything first. Come on, stand up… we should probably go outside. This could get messy. Pid, find your cloak, it still raining.”</p>
<p>A few minutes later, they were outside in the drizzle. Daman stood between the two cottages, on the stone path. Lanier had put themselves right before them. The others remained by the edge of the cottage, with Pid standing between Jorul and Beauty.</p>
<p>Lanier held out zir hand. It glowed brightly, a shifting cascade of rainbows about the brightness of a good torch. The colors rolled around each other as zi pressed their fingers lightly against Daman's bare chest. “I can feel the remains of the curse. Yes, your advice was right. If you were hit with shaping magic, the original spell would take over and you would return to your form.”</p>
<p>Beauty let out a sigh of relief. Even though two separate mages had told them that, she always worried that if they finally got her prince cursed, he would become something entirely else.</p>
<p>Magenta sparks of light rose off both Daman and Lanier. A trickle of blood oozed out from the mage's nose while Daman scratched his wrist.</p>
<p>The light grew brighter. It grew from the brightness of a torch into the brilliance of a courtyard surrounded by magical lights.</p>
<p>“I'm going to charge the remnants of the curse directly. If I do that and repair some of this damage, that will let me push more power through the frame without a risk of something else taking over.”</p>
<p>Daman groaned. His body shuddered.</p>
<p>Beauty held her hand over her mouth, not wanting to cry out.</p>
<p>The light grew as bright as sunlight. Then it turned liquid before pouring directly into Daman's chest.</p>
<p>Beauty's love let out a loud groan of discomfort. His shoulders clenched and twisted. “This hurts.”</p>
<p>Lanier pulled back his hand.</p>
<p>“No!” bellowed Daman, his voice growing deeper. He turned his head to stare directly at Beauty. “More. Make it hurt, I can handle it… for her.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>The liquid energy continued to pour into him. It flooded his insides until his bones and muscles could be seen through his skin. The golden light poured out of his eyes, ears, and nose. More of it ran down his legs until his entire body was coated in the raw power.</p>
<p>Beauty whimpered.</p>
<p>Pid grabbed her other hand and clenched it.</p>
<p>Beauty dropped to her knees and held Pid tightly. She couldn't look away from her lover's eyes as he stared back at her.</p>
<p>“More,” growled the prince. “Please.”</p>
<p>More blood ran down Lanier's face. It came from his ears and nose. “This isn't something you just ram in. I need grace and control. Just a few more seconds though, I'm about done.”</p>
<p>Daman threw back his head and howled. His body grew thicker and dense, swelling up inside his shirt until the fabric tore. Button by button snapped off as fur sprouted across his body.</p>
<p>At the familiar sight of his claws, Beauty's heart almost burst. She remembered when it felt like to have his powerful hands pinning her hands over her head in the West Wing.</p>
<p>He continued grow, his body filling out to the familiar shape that she had been longing. His bestial feet slammed into the ground and then sank with his increased weight. Powerful muscles flexed underneath fur as his broad shoulders and haunches settled into place. Two horns spiraled up above his broad head, sparkling in the light before settling into place.</p>
<p>The light extinguished with a flash.</p>
<p>Lanier staggered back.</p>
<p>The Beast slumped forward, ending his howl. Shaking, he looked down at his black claws and broad hands. Then, he reached down with both hands to feel his crotch. With a grin, he looked back up. “I'm back?”</p>
<p>Sobbing behind her hand, Beauty reached out for him. “My love,” she whispered in a choked cry.</p>
<p>He lifted his hand, the size that would easily dwarf her own. Seeing it brought the memories of the warm pads against her skin, the points that trailed along her shoulder, and the way he could hold her off the ground with his strength.</p>
<p>His eyes shimmered.</p>
<p>Approaching, she breathed in to take in the musky smell that had clung to him before. It was primal and hungry, the shape of the man she had finally gotten back.</p>
<p>They touched.</p>
<p>She could feel his warmth and the tickle of his fur. Even the rough edge of his claw brought countless memories to slam into her.</p>
<p>Golden light rose around him, just like the day when he had turned into a human.</p>
<p>Daman's face flickered into a frown. “Something's wrong—”</p>
<p>With an explosion of golden light, Beauty was thrown back into the cottage as her love was ripped from her grip by the explosion that had formed between the two of them.</p>
</div>
Nor Curse Be Found 8: The Beast2021-07-11T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/nor-curse-be-found/chapter-8/Beauty and the prince have a chance to talk to the mage and see if they can get a curse to turn Daman back into his bestial form. No matter what the cost, they are willing to pay it, but would Lanier help them?
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">The Ring Islands was never a popular board game in Tarsan, but it lost even more favor when the population grew more mobile for the Mechanical War.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— Fangor da Taul, <em>Entertainment Before the War</em></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>For the youngest daughter of a trader, Beauty had met many mages over the years but Lanier was unlike any she had ever encountered before. It was difficult to classify the mage as either male or female. If Beauty told herself that Lanier was a woman, then Lanier took on a more feminine appearance. On the other hand, if she told herself that Lanier was male, then the mage was unmistakably male. It was as if Lanier was on the knife edge between the two genders, with only a phrase that would tilt them from once side to the other.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over and poked her. “You're staring,” she whispered.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed and looked down to Pid. She spoke in a low voice, “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“Not me you should be apologizing.” The little girl gave her hard look. It was adorable, but a bit fierce.</p>
<p>The blush grew hotter on Beauty's cheeks. She glanced up at Lanier who was pouring another tea.</p>
<p>The mage wore a long flannel shirt with oranges and reds in it along with a solid color skirt below. Judging from her experience, the materials were of good quality but Beauty didn't know much about the cut or shape. It looked comfortable with the faint chill of the late season and rain.</p>
<p>Zi set down the tea cup in front of Daman. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” said the prince and pushed it to the side while peering down at the concentric rings on the table underneath. It was a game board, but Beauty didn't know the rules, why the rings were segmented, or the purpose for the little markers on the lines in the ring.</p>
<p>Lanier's red eyes flickered over to catch Beauty's.</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “S-Sorry.”</p>
<p>Zi shrugged. “It happens. The question is if you keep staring or if you just accept it.” They had a musical voice that sounded supernatural, or at least trained for stage. It also brought little tingles along Beauty's skin hearing it.</p>
<p>Pid leaned over. “Don't ask zir why zi is that way either.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't,” Beauty said.</p>
<p>Daman shrugged and grunted. “I probably would have. I'm curious.”</p>
<p>“It's none of your business,” said both Lanier and Pid said at the same time.</p>
<p>The mage raised zirs eyebrows at Pid.</p>
<p>Pid shrugged. “Sorry. I know, I don't talk for you. I just wanted to save you the effort.”</p>
<p>Lanier chuckled and shook zirs head. Picking up their tea, they took a drink before setting it down on the edge of the ring. “My turn?”</p>
<p>Jorul reached over and used his paws to push the three colored dice over to Lanier. “Here you go.”</p>
<p>Lanier rolled the dice in zirs palm for a second, then rolled them on the table. The red came up one, the blue showed two, and the green was zero. Smoothly, the mage picked up one of the orange ship figures and moved it one space along the ring. Then moved another ship two rings out. After a moment, they finished by moving the second ship one square along the ring toward one of the tokens.</p>
<p>“Oh, that's my island!” grinned Pid. She grabbed the dice and almost threw them across the table.</p>
<p>Jorul's paw snapped up to catch it before it fell off. “Off the table, roll again.”</p>
<p>Pid did. She got red two, blue zero, and black three. With a squeal, she moved her blue ship along the ring two and then three places to reach the crystal token first. “Mine!” she giggled and picked it up to transfer it to a bowl next to her.</p>
<p>Daman grunted with approval. “I think I get the rules now. Looks like fun.”</p>
<p>Beauty didn't think so, but she didn't want to say anything.</p>
<p>Pid picked up the dice and leaned over to Jorul before rolling them carefully in front of the giant mountain lion.</p>
<p>“They are pretty simple at first blush,” Lanier said. “You have dice to travel, getting treasure, and stealing from others. You leave the game by moving away from the outer ring, and the player with the highest number of treasures wins. House rules make things more complicated, but we stick with the basic three dice, three boats, and double the number of players in treasures and rings. It's a fun game to enjoy lunch.”</p>
<p>Beauty remembered that she was making sandwiches for Daman and herself. The others already had the meal that Pid had brought along with Lanier's tear. She ducked her head and finished up before handing the delicate plate over to her love.</p>
<p>She watched them play a few rounds, not quite enjoying herself but not enough to be rude by moving around the cottage or outside.</p>
<p>Lanier finished moving off the board with three treasure tokens in zirs bowl. Pouring the bowl into the wooden case for the game, the mage cleared their throat delicately. “Now, I do consider it my business as to why I have guests.”</p>
<p>Beauty looked up and then over to her love.</p>
<p>Daman struggled to stop watching the board. He grunted. “May I play next? It looks like fun.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion looked at Lanier and then back to Daman.</p>
<p>Daman sighed. Then he sat up, shifted his position, and sat firmly down next to Beauty. His hand slipped against hers and they clasped their fingers. “We were following rumors that you were capable of transforming men into beasts.”</p>
<p>Jorul's ears perked up.</p>
<p>“We're looking for someone to bring back my curse.”</p>
<p>Lanier rubbed a finger against the edge of zirs nose. “You want to be cursed?”</p>
<p>Beauty blushed. “Well, transformed would be fine also.” She looked at Daman and felt the longing rise up. “We just both want the beast back.”</p>
<p>“Beast?”</p>
<p>Daman cleared his throat. “Many years ago, after my parents died, I was the marsh prince in Gepaul on the Kormar border. I wasn't exactly the nicest person so when this old lady shows up and asks for shelter, I told her to fuck off because she was so ugly.”</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “That's rude!”</p>
<p>Daman grinned at her. “Yes, it was. And I was being a proper asshole. But she then turned into this beautiful fairy princess and cursed me into a shape of a horrible beast until I found someone who could love for my heart, not my physical appearance.”</p>
<p>Lanier said, “I take it Beauty was your true love?”</p>
<p>Beauty nodded, memories of the night flashing past her. She had almost lost Daman that night when her own brothers led the charge into the castle and fought him off. Her heart almost tore in half in that moment.</p>
<p>Lanier gestured with delicate fingers. “Then when you two kissed, the curse was broken and he turned into… that?” The fingers pointed directly at Daman.</p>
<p>Next to the table, Jorul let out a long sigh.</p>
<p>Daman nodded.</p>
<p>“And you want him back? To the beast he was?”</p>
<p>Beauty said, “Yes.”</p>
<p>“After a break a curse about seeing someone's heart beyond a physical appearance, you're looking to get his monstrous appearance back?”</p>
<p>At the accusing tone, Beauty cringed. She should have been happy with what she had. The longing was just hard to resist.</p>
<p>Daman, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered. “Yes.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>Sitting up straighter, Daman squeezed Beauty's hand. “We love each other with all our hearts. Nothing is going to change that. I just… We were both happier in that shape.”</p>
<p>She sheepishly agreed. “I liked his roughness. He was rough and brusque, but that's the man I fell in love with. Plus, the growls, and the fur, and the… then….” She realized she was going down a train of conversation inappropriate for public company.</p>
<p>“I had a huge log.” Daman broke his grip to hold his fingers about two feet apart.</p>
<p>Blushing hotly, Beauty elbowed her prince. “Daman!”</p>
<p>He snorted and brought his hands about eight inches apart before dropping his hands to capture hers again. He grinned as she blushed even hotter with his more accurate measurement.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail smashed into the ground and he let out a low, sultry growl.</p>
<p>Daman turned to the lion. “I know, but I'm stuck with… this shape with some of the strangest things that happen to it. You know, I can't get muddy? Every time I stand up, it just slides away. Same thing with mosquitoes, flies, and skunks. It's unnatural. I liked it when I had mud in my fur, or the way the ground shook when I stomped around, and I could open the doors easily during the winter.”</p>
<p>Beauty ducked her head before she lifted her gaze to speak. “It was about four years ago, we realized we wanted him back. We talked to some mages and they said that having him cursed would trigger the initial one as long as the new curse wasn't as powerful. So we started looking for someone who curse us and bring back his old body.”</p>
<p>“I've been an asshole to every person I could find since then.”</p>
<p>Lanier asked Beauty, “You let him do that?”</p>
<p>She shook her head. “He isn't a bad person, so I usually went back after a few days and made it right. Usually food, drink, and payment. I don't want either of us to be villains, it's just a….” She struggled with the word.</p>
<p>“A longing?” Lanier asked, zirs eyes softening.</p>
<p>Beauty looked at Daman and they both nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she said.</p>
<p>Jorul laughed. “I know that feeling, that hunger to be something different. Back in the day, they sent me up because someone got it up their ass that Lan here needed to pay taxes.”</p>
<p>Beauty stared in shock. “You really were a tax collector?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, hated my job.” The lion growled. “Soulless and cruel, you spend half of your time being told to use any excuse to seize as much money as possible. Most of the other collectors in town were even worse, they went out of their way to bully others. When you get paid a percentage, it's amazing how fast you can find a missing tax payment.” He growled and shook his head. “I hated that job so much. It cost me my husband and a happy life.”</p>
<p>“You were married?” asked Daman.</p>
<p>Pid spoke up. “No, but he had a crush on a cute guy who was already married to another girl.”</p>
<p>Jorul growled at her.</p>
<p>She stuck out her tongue at him.</p>
<p>Beauty cleared her throat. “What happened?”</p>
<p>The lion stretched and inched over to rest his head on Daman's thigh. Rolling over, he peered up at the prince. “Well, beautiful,” he started while looking at Daman. “We went in and started making a mess. My commander, she got turned into that white weasel that ran away, started breaking things left and right. The usual threats of prison. We all joined in, I mean, it was our job.”</p>
<p>Lanier sighed. “I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I used a transformation spell better suited toward combat. At the last minute, I realized I had done the wrong thing and tried to avoid turning them into sheep.”</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped against the ground. “Next thing I know, I'm a mountain lion trying to get out of his armor. Commander ran away along with the others.”</p>
<p>“I offered to turn him back,” said the mage.</p>
<p>“I hated my job and I hated my life. Even in those few minutes, being a lion felt really good. I had a change everything. So I asked to stay. Offered to protect the tower if that was payment.”</p>
<p>“I didn't need payment.”</p>
<p>“You got paid anyways, pretty boy,” said the lion with a growl.</p>
<p>“Zi!” snapped Pid. “Lan is a zi!”</p>
<p>Lanier held up his hand. “Quiet.”</p>
<p>Pid and Jorul quieted down.</p>
<p>“Now, first thing. Jorul, you are invading Daman's personal space.”</p>
<p>Daman shook his head. He rested his hand on Jorul's head and started to pet it. “I don't mind.”</p>
<p>The mountain lion began to purr loudly, a deep rumbling sound in his massive chest. “He doesn't mind.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” asked the mage.</p>
<p>The prince chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. “I know what I look like and there is no reason to deny it, I'm handsome. This isn't the first time someone found me attractive. Nor is it the first time I've had a man's head in my lap. It happens.”</p>
<p>Jorul opened an eye. “Ever do something about it?”</p>
<p>Daman leaned over and whispered something in his ear.</p>
<p>Jorul's tail thumped loudly. Then he looked at Beauty.</p>
<p>She knew what her prince had said. The couple had a rule while traveling, one they had established a few months after their first trip out. If Jorul wanted to bed the prince, he needed her permission just as someone would have to get consent from both Daman and herself if she was inclined to spend time with a lover. She had only taken the opportunity once, with a childhood friend, but Daman usually enjoyed dalliances every few months. As long as he returned to her and it didn't turn into anything beyond a casual fling, she wasn't bothered.</p>
<p>“Not now,” Daman said. Then he spoke louder. “Do you think you could help us? We can pay.”</p>
<p>Lanier looked back and forth. Then zi sighed. “I know what it is like to feel that longing. That was how I ended up becoming a transformation mage. I'm willing to try, but I'm unsure of what price is needed.”</p>
<p>“A favor then? No questions.”</p>
<p>“That is a dangerous offer. You shouldn't ever make those, otherwise you might find yourself in the middle of a war with no one to help you.” There was a sharpness to Lanier's tone. Zi had been in that situation and Beauty couldn't imagine what had happened to cause the haunted look in zirs eyes.</p>
<p>Daman drew himself. “It's important to me.”</p>
<p>“Let me see if I can do anything first. Come on, stand up… we should probably go outside. This could get messy. Pid, find your cloak, it still raining.”</p>
<p>A few minutes later, they were outside in the drizzle. Daman stood between the two cottages, on the stone path. Lanier had put themselves right before them. The others remained by the edge of the cottage, with Pid standing between Jorul and Beauty.</p>
<p>Lanier held out zir hand. It glowed brightly, a shifting cascade of rainbows about the brightness of a good torch. The colors rolled around each other as zi pressed their fingers lightly against Daman's bare chest. “I can feel the remains of the curse. Yes, your advice was right. If you were hit with shaping magic, the original spell would take over and you would return to your form.”</p>
<p>Beauty let out a sigh of relief. Even though two separate mages had told them that, she always worried that if they finally got her prince cursed, he would become something entirely else.</p>
<p>Magenta sparks of light rose off both Daman and Lanier. A trickle of blood oozed out from the mage's nose while Daman scratched his wrist.</p>
<p>The light grew brighter. It grew from the brightness of a torch into the brilliance of a courtyard surrounded by magical lights.</p>
<p>“I'm going to charge the remnants of the curse directly. If I do that and repair some of this damage, that will let me push more power through the frame without a risk of something else taking over.”</p>
<p>Daman groaned. His body shuddered.</p>
<p>Beauty held her hand over her mouth, not wanting to cry out.</p>
<p>The light grew as bright as sunlight. Then it turned liquid before pouring directly into Daman's chest.</p>
<p>Beauty's love let out a loud groan of discomfort. His shoulders clenched and twisted. “This hurts.”</p>
<p>Lanier pulled back his hand.</p>
<p>“No!” bellowed Daman, his voice growing deeper. He turned his head to stare directly at Beauty. “More. Make it hurt, I can handle it… for her.”</p>
<p>Tears burned in her eyes.</p>
<p>The liquid energy continued to pour into him. It flooded his insides until his bones and muscles could be seen through his skin. The golden light poured out of his eyes, ears, and nose. More of it ran down his legs until his entire body was coated in the raw power.</p>
<p>Beauty whimpered.</p>
<p>Pid grabbed her other hand and clenched it.</p>
<p>Beauty dropped to her knees and held Pid tightly. She couldn't look away from her lover's eyes as he stared back at her.</p>
<p>“More,” growled the prince. “Please.”</p>
<p>More blood ran down Lanier's face. It came from his ears and nose. “This isn't something you just ram in. I need grace and control. Just a few more seconds though, I'm about done.”</p>
<p>Daman threw back his head and howled. His body grew thicker and dense, swelling up inside his shirt until the fabric tore. Button by button snapped off as fur sprouted across his body.</p>
<p>At the familiar sight of his claws, Beauty's heart almost burst. She remembered when it felt like to have his powerful hands pinning her hands over her head in the West Wing.</p>
<p>He continued grow, his body filling out to the familiar shape that she had been longing. His bestial feet slammed into the ground and then sank with his increased weight. Powerful muscles flexed underneath fur as his broad shoulders and haunches settled into place. Two horns spiraled up above his broad head, sparkling in the light before settling into place.</p>
<p>The light extinguished with a flash.</p>
<p>Lanier staggered back.</p>
<p>The Beast slumped forward, ending his howl. Shaking, he looked down at his black claws and broad hands. Then, he reached down with both hands to feel his crotch. With a grin, he looked back up. “I'm back?”</p>
<p>Sobbing behind her hand, Beauty reached out for him. “My love,” she whispered in a choked cry.</p>
<p>He lifted his hand, the size that would easily dwarf her own. Seeing it brought the memories of the warm pads against her skin, the points that trailed along her shoulder, and the way he could hold her off the ground with his strength.</p>
<p>His eyes shimmered.</p>
<p>Approaching, she breathed in to take in the musky smell that had clung to him before. It was primal and hungry, the shape of the man she had finally gotten back.</p>
<p>They touched.</p>
<p>She could feel his warmth and the tickle of his fur. Even the rough edge of his claw brought countless memories to slam into her.</p>
<p>Golden light rose around him, just like the day when he had turned into a human.</p>
<p>Daman's face flickered into a frown. “Something's wrong—”</p>
<p>With an explosion of golden light, Beauty was thrown back into the cottage as her love was ripped from her grip by the explosion that had formed between the two of them.</p>
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Allegro 55: Grand Entrance2021-07-06T05:00:00Zhttps://fedran.com/allegro/chapter-055/The three enter the auction house and are quickly overwhelmed.
<div class="layout-chapter">
<blockquote>
<p class="epigraph">I know we have only this moment together, but don't let them steal this trinket from me. It is the only memory I have of my daughter and I cannot let it go until it is stained with the blood of her killer.</p>
<div class="attribution"><p>— <em>Bear's Hunt for His Cub</em> (Act 4, Scene 2)</p>
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</blockquote>
<p>Linsan had to admit, they all looked beautiful. The seamstress had a dark blue dress that needed only minor alterations and had a beautiful bustle of cream lace and ribbons. Intricate lace ran along the top. Originally the dress was off the shoulder, but Linsan insisted on having it brought tighter to ensure she would have the maneuverability to play her violin if needed. She also had to abandon the full bustle for something narrower that danced along her hips. A quick coat of paint and some ribbons for her case covered up the worst of the burns and scratches; she didn't want to be far from her source of power.</p>
<p>Miska's dress had gloves that disappeared into her sleeves and almost completely covered up her tattoos. The intricate weaving of darker ribbons almost matched the patterns on the skin underneath. The neck had also been brought up tight to cover her markings though there was an occasional flash of tattoo when she swallowed or turned her head.</p>
<p>Both of them had stopped at a hairdresser who brushed out and did their hair in a high pile with artful braids and what felt like a pound of pins. All topped with hats with lace and mesh and flowers.</p>
<p>But compared to Miska and Linsan, Brook shine. She had a green dress the color of the ocean with a moon motif embroidered on it. Layers of taffeta and lace flowed with her flowing movements that must have taken her hours to perfect. Her posture was also flawless; Linsan thought that she looked a lot like Linsan's mother as she laughed gaily with strangers.</p>
<p>The auction house had too much gold and marble for any reasonable building, and that included the banks Linsan had visited. Even in the entry hall—larger than her parent's house—there were easily hundreds of people in dresses and tuxedos milling about. Their discussions were cheerful and gay. Conversations had nothing to do with the violin or the sale. Linsan guessed they just had an excuse to be seen more than the heirloom somewhere in the building.</p>
<p>A thrill raced through Linsan's veins. Despite the reason they were there, it reminded her of the opening nights of her mother's shows. She had only seen a few of them but they were imprinted on her. Reaching up, she stroked her mother's pin for comfort. It was like having a part of her along and Linsan could easily picture her mother taking a deep breath and saying “time to shine.”</p>
<p>“Are you two ready?” Brook asked, a flicker of nervousness audible in her voice. She gestured with a lace fan toward the inner entrance where two guards stood and watched over everyone who passed into the inner chambers.</p>
<p>Beyond the door, Linsan could see more people carousing among the tables covered in white silk and a stage with performs beyond them. She tightened her grip on the handle of her violin case, wishing it was her up on the stage instead of the high-risk position they were in now. “I-I guess. I'm just worried I'm going to screw it up.”</p>
<p>Miska leaned over. She scanned the crowds with an uncomfortable look. “Are we betting on who gets kicked out first?”</p>
<p>It was a lame joke and Linsan could only dredge up a little gallows humor to match it. “I have ten cuks on me.”</p>
<p>“Twenty on—”</p>
<p>Brook's lips tightened into a line. “Please… don't… no….”</p>
<p>She paused to take a deep breath before her eyes flickered to the side. She put on a smile that looked faked as a pair of men passed them. Then the smile froze before she turned to the girls. “No, I'm sorry. We're all anxious here and I have no clue what we're doing. I'm just throwing up whatever sounds right out of my mouth. The only thing I know is that we have to look like we're having fun, we belong here, and we are beautiful.”</p>
<p>Miska grinned, one that reached her eyes. “We all have the last one in crate. We all look amazing and there are already eyes looking toward us.”</p>
<p>“Appreciative looks?” Linsan asked, not wanting to look.</p>
<p>“Yes and more. They make me uncomfortable, I can't tell if they are undressing me or trying to approach me.”</p>
<p>Brook chuckled and fluttered her fan. “Then we're doing it right. If we looked out of place, one of those guards would be asking us to leave. You want the attention of society, not their servants.”</p>
<p>“You mean those guards we need to pass?” Miska added as she looked at the guards ahead of them.</p>
<p>At Brook's nod, she grunted. “Then, my lady, your humble servant is ready to follow you pass those gates.”</p>
<p>Brook glanced at Linsan. “Ready to play your bit?”</p>
<p>“I'm the daughter of Tisin Sterlig, so… no because I'm not my mother. But I'll do my best.”</p>
<p>Brook pulled her into a tight hug. “Come on, let's find either Lord Xasnal or the auctioneer, Tasire Dalisan da Genifir. If we're lucky, maybe we can convince one of them enough to summon the guards since those assholes laughed me out the door.” There was a flicker of annoyance, but then her brilliant smile followed.</p>
<p>Linsan nestled against Brook and put on the face of a young hopeful. It was scary, but she had seen her mother play the role enough times to remember some of the things. Wide-eyed, she looked around as she clung to Brook.</p>
<p>They got into the short queue for the door. An elderly couple said nothing ahead of them and four women were chatting happily about a sailboat race from a few days ago.</p>
<p>At the door, the guards looked them over. Brook gave her best haughty look, but the guard focused on Linsan. His eyes were piercing as he scanned her over from head to toe, but his gaze settled on her violin case. “No instruments.”</p>
<p>Linsan froze for only a heartbeat but then responded reflexively. “But sir,” she said in the breathless voice she had practiced as a child, “this is my life! I swore to keep it next to my heart the day it was given and I will not let my child escape my fingers until my heart no longer beats in my breast. Please… she's all I have.”</p>
<p>Inside, Linsan cringed. She had meant to alter the line directly from <em>Three Score and Seven Seasons</em> but the “child” slipped in automatically.</p>
<p>The guard's mouth opened to say something.</p>
<p>Panicked, Linsan turned to Brook. “Please, my lady, I beg you. I know we have only this moment together, but don't let them steal this… her from me.” It was a line from a different play, but it meshed together with line from the first one with some alterations.</p>
<p>His eyes softened slightly.</p>
<p>Brook gave him a hard look before turning back to Linsan. She had on the annoyed looked that Linsan remembered so well before both of them had become friends. It was like looking into a painting. Brook spoke in a tense voice, “She not here to play and she knows the consequences from… both of us. I only allowed her to keep the silly thing since I don't want to replace it with one of mine.”</p>
<p>The other guard stood up, a burly man with a cropped black beard. “No exceptions, no instruments.” He shot a glare to the first one.</p>
<p>Brook's jaw tightened.</p>
<p>Linsan felt a urge of panic and clutched her case tighter.</p>
<p>“My lady,” Miska said. “How about I guard your… fling's case while you carouse.” She managed to put in a petty glare to Linsan before she continued.</p>
<p>Brook spun on Miska, her eyes wide.</p>
<p>Miska gave a blank look but there was tension in her shoulders and hands. Linsan couldn't imagine her reasoning, but it was obviously wasn't her first choice.</p>
<p>With a sniff, Brook turned back, looked past the guards before she gestured curtly to the side of the door. “My servant can stand by the entrance. She is clearly not a musician. Have her stand just inside where both you and I can keep an eye on her.”</p>
<p>The second guard looked annoyed and glared at her.</p>
<p>Brook matched his gaze, not even a twitch of her neck or flex from her pursed lips.</p>
<p>The first grunted. “Very well, stay away from the stage and remain by the door. If she leaves our sight or disappears without permission, we'll have her thrown out.”</p>
<p>While Linsan handed her case over to Miska, he continued. “If that case opens, then all three of you will be asked to leave. And she will have to be out of the room during the auction.”</p>
<p>Linsan caught sight of the four women watching the encounter and she blushed. It was the wrong type of attention they wanted. As soon as Miska had her case, she turned back on both friend and her only means of defending herself and stood by Brook.</p>
<p>In the back of her mind, she wanted for the guards to chase her off.</p>
<p>The first one looked her over and then stepped aside.</p>
<p>Brook lead the way into the main hall. It was easily triple the size of the entry hall with even more gold, marble, and silk. On the walls between the columns, she could see pastoral scenes of women playing musical instruments with sculptures filling in the space. Along the back wall, where Miska situated herself, a buffet table filled with finger food had ice sculptures of violins and women playing instruments.</p>
<p>On the opposite end was the stage where musicians were set up on both sides of the stage and a duet played out between them. Linsan strained to hear the words but couldn't over the sounds of conversations. She drew her attention away to look at the others with them, the high society who milled around and gaily chatted with each other.</p>
<p>Everyone was dressed to impress. About a third sat or stood at tables along the two sides of the room but the bulk of them appeared to be happy to walk from clique to clique while greeting each other as long-lost friends or talking to one cluster or the other.</p>
<p>Brook chuckled. “It's just like one of Daddy's parties. Only the jewelry is flashier and there are a lot more like them.”</p>
<p>“And the after-show parties for my mother.” Linsan grinned. “But the jewelry isn't flasher but I'm pretty sure it isn't paste and paint.”</p>
<p>Brook favored her with a smile. “Then we know what to do. Find Xasnal or Dalisan.” She pronounced the “X” as a delicate rasp in the back of her throat. “Then, do our best to convince him that the sale needs to stop and those men need to be invested.”</p>
<p>She gestured back toward Miska with her head. “Miska has the paperwork since this dress doesn't have even a hint of a pocket in it.”</p>
<p>Linsan grinned. She gestured one direction. “Then, if my lady desires, I will trail behind in breathless adoration as we hunt our men.”</p>
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