A Tale That Never Was
Chapter 14: The Beauty

“Selvina, what are you talking about?” Red asked, spreading her arms wide in bewilderment. “We have to stay here until Jolly Roger is repaired. We can’t just go off and get ourselves in danger.”

“We’re not!” Selvina replied animatedly. Ever since returning to the inn, and after sleeping for only a few short hours, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she had heard Frollo say about the bounty hunter and Belle. She had always loved the story of the beauty and the beast and she didn’t want to sit around while it was going to be ruined by a bounty hunter. She knew it wasn’t her business but she didn’t want to sit around while it happened. She sat now at a table in her room with her friends discussing the possibility of doing something about it.

“How do you expect to act?” Jack asked. He had come to visit them all early in the morning and had walked into the discussion. Selvina was slightly upset with him as he hadn’t told her what he had said he would tell her the night before. She had forgotten to ask him when they had walked back to the inn, her mind too busy dealing with the fact that a real version of beauty and the beast was happening around her. “What do you expect to accomplish, Selvy?”

“Don’t call me that anymore,” she said with a frown. “I don’t know what I can do but I can at least warn both Belle and the beast that Gaston is coming for them. Belle will probably be in the most danger.”

“Why do you say that?” Red asked.

“She comes to town sometimes, according to what I heard last night. Frollo was going to tell Gaston to use her as bait to get the beast to come out and fall into a trap.”

“There are city guards we can warn, you know. We don’t have to do this ourselves.”

“It’s Frollo! They won’t do anything against him!”

“How do you know for certain? The Frollo from your world might have more power than this one.”

“He said he had matters of the court to deal with, Red. He’s most likely a judge here too, like he was in the stories of my world.”

“I still think we should try to leave this to people equipped to deal with beasts and bounty hunters,” Jack said with a shrug. “Cap wouldn’t like it if I wandered out of the city to some abandoned castle. I can’t go too far from the ship.”

Selvina’s nails scratched grooves into the surface of the table she sat at as she grew increasingly annoyed and disappointed in her friends. She glanced at Red, and then Jack, and settled her eyes on Cindy, who had sat wordlessly throughout the ordeal. “We saved Cindy, didn’t we? She was malnourished and probably going to die of starvation but we took her in and now she’s doing much better. How would you have all felt if we had just left her there to die in the streets? We had a chance to help and acted upon it. Cindy could have robbed us or cut our throats while we slept but she didn’t. She could have been carrying a disease that would have killed everyone on the ship but that never happened. We took a risk but it was a necessary one.” Selvina stood up suddenly, throwing her chair back. “You can all stay here and do whatever you want but I’m going to that castle and warning Belle and the beast of what’s coming to them.”

“By yourself?” Jack asked with a mocking chuckle. “You don’t even know the way. You don’t have a horse and you’re travelling in a dress. If the beast doesn’t kill you some brigand or highwayman will.”

“I’ll go with her,” Cindy said shyly. Red and Jack eyed her with surprise. She appeared to shrink under their gaze but she managed to add, “After travelling with Red yesterday I discovered how much I love to explore. I would love to see a real castle; I’ve never seen one before. Besides, we’re just warning people and Bigbad would be with us. We should be ok.”

“Thank you, Cindy,” Selvina said with a sincere smile.

Red and Jack exchanged glances and then sighed simultaneously.

“I’m not going to sit in this inn alone,” Red said as she stood up and placed a hand on Selvina’s shoulder.

Jack shrugged. “Cap is probably too busy with the ship to care what I do.”

“It’s about time you two come to your senses,” Selvina told them with a small laugh.

****

They had acquired a few supplies, some food, and asked around for directions to the castle. It was discovered to be almost a full day’s ride north of the city, nestled into the side of a mountain. The friends were warned of the beast rumored to live there but they simply lied and said that they wanted to see it from a safe distance. They didn’t have enough money for a horse and Bigbad couldn’t carry all of them thus they were reduced to walking to the castle. Selvina had left a note of her whereabouts on the table in her room to inform Captain Hook or Sinbad if they came to the inn to visit. Jack had been about to tell Captain Hook personally but Selvina thought it better if he didn’t as she didn’t want to get into an intense discussion with him. She worried that they had wasted enough time already.

So, with Selvina and Cindy dressed in travelling clothes instead of dresses, the four departed the city of Our Lady and ventured north down a dark, heavily forested dirt road. It was wide but showed no sign of traffic.

Red glanced down at the dirt and said, “This road might be safer than I thought. Even thieves or cutthroats would leave hoof or footprints behind and I only see one pair here, from perhaps a few days ago. No one has travelled down here in a long time.”

“Those are probably Belle’s footprints,” Selvina said, searching for them herself but utterly incapable of doing so. She hadn’t doubted Frollo’s story but now that there were clear signs that Belle indeed traveled from the castle to the town it made Selvina want to hurry all the more.

They walked for about an hour before Cindy asked, “Where is Bigbad?”

Red glanced back at her and smiled. “He is with us. He’s just deep in the woods but I can sense him nearby. He’s a wolf, Cindy, and the forest paths will always call to him more than any road could. He’s not far, though, I assure you.”

Cindy nodded and peered into the forest on either side of the road, as if trying to catch a glimpse of the black wolf. After several minutes with no luck, Selvina saw her sigh sadly.

“Have you grown a liking to Bigbad now?” she asked her.

Cindy nodded and gave Selvina a wide smile. “I admit I was quite terrified of him at first but riding on his back yesterday showed me that he’s not to be feared at all. He’s like a big dog. He even licked me in the face a few times when I scratched his chin. I already told Red if she ever replaces more pups like him that I want one.”

Selvina laughed. “Then you and Red can go riding into the woods together.”

“You should have seen her, Selvina,” Red said, overhearing the conversation. “I let her ride Bigbad on her own and she acted like she had done it her whole life. It took me months before I could even sit on his back, let alone ride him around. He let Cindy take her wherever she wanted to go.”

“He’s just trained well,” Jack said. “I bet you if I tried to ride him he’d do the same.”

“That’s something I’d like to see,” Selvina said with a roll of her eyes.

“He’s not a horse, Jack,” Red informed him. “He lets Selvina sit on him so long as I’m there too. He respects me and though he’s usually friendly he doesn’t let other people ride him alone, except Cindy apparently. Back in Tortug, Wendy tried to ride him and he growled and threw her off. A few other people had tried too, after asking me, but they all failed to do so. That’s why it’s so impressive that he was fine with Cindy.”

Jack looked at Cindy and gave her wink. “It’s probably because she’s so cute.”

Cindy blushed and looked away from Jack. Selvina felt a pinprick of jealousy and frowned. She was about to say something but stopped herself. Why was she feeling this way in the first place? Jack was just being nice. She had no reason to get hot or angry. Who was Jack to her anyway? He was a friend but….he wasn’t more than that. Maybe she’d like him to be but that still didn’t give her a right to say anything about him complimenting Cindy. She snapped her gaze ahead, focusing on the road and trying to push down the rising swell of questions forming in her mind.

They took a break in a clearing off the side of the road. In it was a meadow colored brilliantly with flowers of all sorts and populated by several deer. The four friends sat at the top of a small hill and ate some of their food, watching the deer graze.

Selvina munched on her apple, lost in thought. She was staring at the grass in front of her and thinking about anything and everything. Images of Jack flashed through head but then the sound of Frollo’s voice filled the silence, speaking of Belle and the beast. She caught a glimpse of Gemma, her friend from highschool, and began wondering how her friends and family were dealing with her absence. Sudden movement to her left had her eyes looking that way just in time to catch a flash of white. It had looked like an animal but she wasn’t certain. She stared at the last place she had seen movement but after several minutes of nothing happening she looked away. It had probably been a bird.

They walked on for many hours, their feet getting sore and their bags of water and food growing lighter. The sun was dipping low in the horizon, leaving the world in an orange light, and there was still no sign of the castle.

“Are we going the right way?” Jack asked after they passed a huge clearing where they could all see how low the sun really was. “You’d think we’d be there by now…”

Red gazed down at the road. “The footprints we saw when first coming on to this road are still here. If they are indeed Belle’s then we should reach the castle eventually.”

“My feet are killing me,” Selvina complained. “I wasn’t built for long hikes…”

“Princess here needs her carriage,” Jack said with a chuckle. “Sorry, but we’re all out of those. I can drag you behind me if you want.”

Selvina rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Jack…”

“Why the attitude? I was only jesting.”

“First, I’m not a princess so stop calling me that already, and second, I wasn’t asking for your opinion.”

“Someone’s sour. Did you forget to take your beauty sleep last night?”

“I slept just fine, Jack! You forgot something last night, though!”

Jack furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? Did you want a goodnight kiss? Did I forget to tuck you in?”

“You don’t remember, do you?”

“Remember what, Selvina? You are quite the bitch when you’re on your period.”

Selvina had enough. Her face reddened, her heartbeat quickened, sweat beaded on her skin, and she stomped over to Jack. She pulled her arm back and, with as much force as she could muster, swung it ahead. Her open palm smacked across Jack’s face with a loud snapping clap that echoed throughout the forest. Red and Cindy, leading the way, stopped walking and turned around, startled by the sound. Jack glared at Selvina and she glared back at him.

“What is going on here?” Red asked with a raised eyebrow. “Selvina, why did you slap him?”

“I’m tired of him joking around about everything!” Selvina answered loudly.

“It’s what I do,” Jack replied in a voice lower and calmer than any of them ever heard before. “I’ve had my share of heartbreak and hard times, Selvina, so excuse me if I try to make the world a little bit better by making people laugh.”

“You’re not funny, Jack. You joke around and toy with my emotions and think that everything is ok!”

“Toy with your emotions? What do you mean by that?”

“Last night, you idiot! You had something important to tell me and you never did! If you can’t remember that then it must not have been all that important. Or maybe you were just joking around again? Was that it? Was everything you said to me yesterday a joke?”

“I told you I was serious about what I said…”

“Yeah, you also told me you had something to say but never spat it out. So how can I believe you?”

“I was going to tell you when the time was right.”

“Which means never, right?”

“No. That’s not what it means.”

Cindy stepped forward. “Can you guys….calm down? We’re almost there…”

Selvina glared at Cindy, nearly snapping at her, but replaceing the strength to calm down slightly before asking, “How do you know that?”

Cindy pointed ahead and there it was. As they were told by the townsfolk, the grey castle of stone was tucked into the side of a mountain, flanked by craggy cliffs and rocky outcroppings. There was a single light coming from a window inside the keep but otherwise it was dark, surrounded by shadow and mystery. The road curved around a bend, down into a valley, and then rose up a rocky hill to stop at the closed portcullis. The castle was a few miles from their position but it was in sight, which gave them something to look forward to.

Selvina readjusted the strap of her bag and started walking. Red, Cindy and Jack exchanged confused glances before following her.

Red caught up to her and put a hand on Selvina’s shoulder. Selvina shrugged it off. “I can call Bigbad if your feet are tired, Selvina,” Red offered. “He can carry you the rest of the way.”

“No,” was Selvina’s curt reply. “I’ll be fine. You just said he’d probably throw me off anyway.”

“I can go on with you.”

“I will be fine, Scarlet.”

Red sighed. “What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.” Selvina wiped at her eyes and sniffed once. “I said I’m fine, now stop asking me questions.”

Red stopped talking and Selvina was grateful. She had felt her voice begin to crack and didn’t want Jack to hear or notice that he had made her this way. How could he joke around all the time? Why couldn’t he just talk to her normally and stop with his stupid jests? Maybe once they arrived at the castle and he saw the love that Belle had for the beast he would finally tell her what he had wanted to say. That was Selvina’s hope. She really did want to warn Belle and the beast about Gaston but hoped that they’d let her and her friends stay the night. She desperately wanted to know what Jack had wanted to say. She cared for him but his carefree attitude and jesting ways annoyed her at times. She probably shouldn’t have snapped at him and said some of the things she had but she was only human. She made mistakes. She only hoped that having an interest in Jack wasn’t one of them…

The sky was a dark cobalt colour and the sun was gone when they reached the portcullis of the abandoned castle. Selvina banged on the metal, cage-like door with a rock, trying to make as much noise as possible, but nothing happened. No one came.

“What if Belle isn’t there?” Cindy asked.

“She’s there,” Red assured. “There was only one set of fresh tracks and they were going to the castle. The tracks heading to town were older.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jack mumbled.

Selvina banged on the portcullis again, the clanging sound of rock on metal spreading far and wide throughout the valley behind them. Anyone for miles around could hear it yet there was no answer. Sighing in frustration, Selvina kept trying.

“I could probably climb the wall,” Jack offered.

Selvina glanced back at him as he was looking up at the twenty-foot wall and rubbing his hands together. “Is this another of your jokes?”

“No, Selvina, it is not,” he snapped back. “I happen to be an excellent climber, if you don’t remember. The stones on this wall are old and worn and I see a few handholds I could grab onto to get over it.”

“Wait,” Cindy said. “Someone is coming.”

They all looked ahead and through the portcullis they could see the castle’s courtyard and a slender figure walking across of it, holding a candelabra in its hand. The light from the three candles revealed the figure to be a woman and though they saw little of her face, it seemed to glow with enchanting beauty. She walked up to the portcullis and the four had a good look at her. Eyes of silver stared back at them upon a soft face with unblemished skin, framed by locks of copper that tumbled over her delicate shoulders. She was dressed in a simple white blouse and blue skirt. The woman pursed her full lips and said in a voice as sweet as honey, “Are you four lost?”

“No,” Selvina answered. “We have something to tell you and the beast. You are Belle, right?”

“Yes, I am Belle. How do you know of me? I do not recall meeting any of you before.”

“I am Selvina, she is Red, she’s Cindy, and…he’s Jack.”

Belle narrowed her eyes, as if trying to remember something, and then shook her head. “No, I don’t know any of you. What do you have to tell me?”

“You and Beast are in trouble! We’re here to warn you.”

“Four complete strangers are here to warn me and Beast about danger? We are always in danger. There are always hunters wanting to kill him or foolish knights thinking he has me under a spell and coming to rescue me. If that is what you are here to tell me then I am sorry to tell you that you wasted your time.”

“But he’s a bounty hunter!”

“We’ve dealt with them before, Selvina. We will do it again.”

“It’s Gaston.”

Belle’s face transformed from one of near annoyance to one of barely-hidden fear. “How do you it’s him?”

“I overheard Frollo saying that it was. He said he would arrive any time. He might already be on his way.”

Belle took a few moments to think and glance about before responding. The news was clearly upsetting to her. Selvina felt like she had done something good in telling her. Perhaps she and Beast could replace somewhere safe to hide before Gaston eventually gave up and left.

“You should come inside,” Belle said. “It is getting late and the wolves are always hungry.”

Selvina exchanged a knowing glance with Red and the redhead winked back at her. Selvina wasn’t worried about wolves, not with Bigbad on her side. She watched Belle place the candelabra on the ground and then head into the gatehouse. Moments later the portcullis slowly rose up a few feet. Belle returned, grabbed the candelabra, and waved them in.

The four travellers ducked under the sharp fangs of the portcullis and walked into the courtyard. Flipping a lever, Belle had the portcullis slamming to the ground, blocking the way into the castle once more. She led them across the darkening courtyard, the fire of her candles lighting the way ahead, and beyond a great, wooden door. It brought them into the unlit keep and they followed Belle through the foyer and across the Great Hall. The light from the candles reflected off suits of armour placed against the walls, silent and lifeless sentinels, watching them all through the slits of their full-faced helms. They ascended a wide staircase and followed Belle down the hall to the right, leaving the dark Great Hall behind them. There was light streaming into the hall from an open door to their left and Belle led them there. It turned out to be a vast library with bookshelves so high they touched the roof, dozens of feet above. Rolling ladders hung on rails around the room and every shelf was fully stacked with books. Only a small section across the way had any space left for more books.

“This is where I stay for the most part,” Belle said as she gestured to the chairs in the room. They removed their bags, found their seats, and watched Belle seat herself at a table and blow out the candelabra before placing it on the table’s surface. The library was lit by another chandelier and several other hanging lights which offered more than enough light. Seated in a chair of oak and red velvet, she brushed back a stray strand of exquisite hair.

“Is Beast coming?” Selvina asked.

“Beast doesn’t like visitors,” Belle said. “I will tell him after you leave tomorrow morning. I’ll give you rooms tonight but after you have told all woken up tomorrow you have to leave. I don’t mean to be rude as I love to have company but Beast isn’t as hospitable. I hope you understand. I mean no disrespect at all.”

“We understand,” Red said. “We wouldn’t want to waste any of your time or risk angering the beast.”

“Beast is fine. Adding ‘the’ to it infuriates him and makes him feel like a monster. He has a real name but he’s only ever told it to me. You wouldn’t be wasting either of our times, though. I wouldn’t want any of you to be caught in a fight that did not concern you.”

“You aren’t going to hide?” Selvina asked in bewilderment. “You seemed afraid when I said Gaston’s name. Why would you fight him?”

Belle took a deep breath and set her silver eyes on Selvina’s opal ones. “I have hidden long enough from him. I knew Gaston, many years ago, and he was a nice enough man but he was clouded by pride and kept claiming to everyone that he would one day marry me. We had been friends growing up and I had grown to trust him but as puberty hit us it both changed us…in more ways than you can imagine. His pride made him dangerous and…I had to move away from him. He followed me throughout all of Frenis and I thought I had finally avoided him when I came to this castle but it appears that he’s finally caught up to me.”

“Why are you afraid of him? Would he ever really hurt you?”

Belle shrugged. “I don’t think he’d try to hurt me but he would definitely hurt Beast if he knew about our relationship. After his pride got the better of him he always saw me as a great prize and now that he knows I am here he’ll certainly try to claim my hand in marriage again. I can’t imagine that his new life as a bounty hunter has made him any gentler…”

“Then hide. Run away. Frenis isn’t the only kingdom.”

“Where would I go, Selvina? He would catch up to me eventually, no matter where I went. There’s only one thing left to do and that’s to confront him.”

“He’ll kill Beast!”

“No, he won’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do, Selvina.”

Selvina caught on, then. She knew what Belle was going to do. “You’re going to marry him, aren’t you?”

Belle sighed deeply and looked down at her hands.

That was enough of an answer for Selvina.