Before Beauty (18 page)

She politely greeted him from bed
when he knocked, and Ever grinned to himself as the female shadows
flitted about angrily when he entered. He knew they didn’t think it
proper for the prince to visit a woman in her bedchambers, but they
settled down somewhat when Garin floated in behind him.

After sharing such deep emotions
the night before, neither Isa nor Ever seemed to know quite what to
say, but the air between them was most assuredly
altered.

It didn’t help either that Ever
found himself continually distracted by the way her wavy auburn
hair framed her heart-shaped face. The servants had left it down
since she was in bed, and it was a surprising length. It gave her a
softer appearance, making her look more vulnerable than he had ever
seen. Multiple times, he caught himself wondering what it would
feel like to touch her face.

By the end of the visit, not much
had truly been said between the two humans in the room, but Ever
could hear Garin smothering his chuckles, and realized that the
female servants were very ready to shoo him out. Apparently, his
thoughts hadn’t been as well hidden as he had believed them to
be.

Thanks to Ever’s quick binding
skills, Isa’s leg was healed within a few weeks. Ever felt a bit
bad about this. He knew that if he really wanted to, he could heal
her using his strength. If she suspected his selfishness, however,
she gave nothing away. Instead, their relationship seemed to
improve.

While they were not exactly what
Ever would consider to be friends, he found that she no longer sent
him scathing looks over her supper, and she ceased to tremble when
he led her to the dance floor each night. While she was far from
throwing herself at him, it seemed at least her hatred of him had
subsided. And if Isa’s actions didn’t confuse him enough, Ever’s
emotions finished the job.

“
You must guard yourself, Son,”
Rodrigue had told Ever after his first ball. The poor prince had
been dumbstruck by the great number of eligible beauties that had
paraded themselves in front of the young man that night, hoping to
capture his attention before he was old enough to make a decision.
“A worthy queen will bear a king children, but she can easily
become a distraction as well. You must protect this kingdom before
all else, and that includes your queen.”

King Rodrigue had lived by his
word. Queen Louise rarely saw her husband. Rumor had it that the
king had all but stopped visiting the queen’s chambers once Ever
was born. Always training the soldiers, always on a campaign, and
forever consulting with his generals, Rodrigue had believed his
marital duties fulfilled when his wife produced a son. Just as he
abstained from all strong drink and any food that might be
considered gluttonous, just as he slept keeping watch from the
sacred Tower of Annals, he had denied himself the company of a
woman all in the name of duty.

Ever had tried to follow his
father’s instructions, but just as the idea of choosing a wife
based on politics alone had made him apprehensive, ignoring the
draw he now felt to Isa seemed impossible. Finally, tired of being
at war with his logic and his desires one day, he called
Garin.

“
Have you discovered something
that will win her affections?”

“
Do you mean something that will
win her heart, or something that will hasten your plan?”

Ever rolled his eyes. “I don’t see
what difference it makes,” he snapped. “If the plan is going to
work, she might as well be happy about it.”

Despite the steward’s shadowy
appearance, Ever could just imagine Garin’s mouth turning down at
one corner, and the thin wrinkles around his eyes deepening as they
always did when he didn’t approve of something. But he responded,
“As for the plan, you can see for yourself that the crystal glows
brighter with each night. As for earning her love, she no longer
despises you, if that’s what you are asking.”

Ever gave a short, humorless
laugh. “While I would agree that that is a start, I am asking what
I should do next. I’ve never–I don’t even know where to start.”
Ever walked out onto the tower’s balcony. A breeze ruffled his left
sleeve as Garin came to stand beside him. The air was warmer today
than it had been for a long time. An early spring was on its
way.

“
No man has ever truly mastered
the way to a woman’s heart.” Garin’s voice was kinder this time.
“And anyone who thinks he has doesn’t deserve her.”

They were silent for a moment as
the sound of a lone jay was carried to them on the wind. It had
been a long time since any bird had dared to makes its home on the
Fortress grounds. In spite of his misgivings, Ever found a small
shred of hope in the lonely sound.

“
You know about the old way of
choosing a queen on the crystal balcony,” Garin said softly. “When
one of the women brought a fire of her own to make the crystal
glow, it meant the Fortress had chosen her as its queen. There is
something your father never told you though, probably because his
father never told him.”

Ever turned in surprise to the
steward’s voice, forgetting, as he often did, that he couldn’t see
Garin.

Garin continued though. “It is
true that the young ladies would present themselves to the future
king, and it is also true that they would dance on the crystal
floor until one showed a sufficient strength of her own, just as
you’re attempting to do with Isa.

“
But the kings of old didn’t stop
there. You see, any king could find a woman of worth by looking for
an answer from the crystal floor, but a wise king would realize
that the Fortress had chosen for him a jewel, a pillar of strength
to be his helper, his partner in guarding Destin.”

Ever could hear the smile in his
mentor’s voice as he spoke.

“
In the stories you begged me to
tell when you were small, the queens weren’t treated as delicate
flowers to be left in their chambers, produce children, and amuse
themselves until they died. They were advisers to their husbands,
and their words were regarded more highly than generals’, for the
wise kings trusted that the Fortress had chosen for them only the
best. A number of the great queens even learned to wield the
strength just as well, if not better, than their husbands
could.”

“
What happened?” Ever frowned as
he took this in. He had always prided himself in knowing the
history of the Fortress. How had he not known this?

“
The kings stopped trusting the
Fortress, to put it simply.” Garin suddenly sounded tired. “They
believed they knew best, and as a result, the queens were chosen
for alliances and politics, rather than virtue and strength. With
all due respect to your mother, of course, the bright lights that
burned by the kings’ sides disappeared.”

“
That’s all quite interesting.”
Ever shook his head to clear it and turned to go back inside. It
was nearly time for his daily ride, something he insisted on
continuing as long as he was physically able. “But I don’t see how
that is going to help me with Isa.”

“
It’s really quite simple, Your
Highness,” Garin said after calling for two shadow servants to
prepare Ever’s riding things. “If you saw a jewel buried in the
dirt, what would you do?”

“
I’d pick it up.”

“
But you wouldn’t just pick it up
and stick in your saddlebag, would you? You would lift if gently.
You’d take your time so as not to scratch it. And once you had it
in your hands, you wouldn’t allow it to stay filthy. You would
brush the dirt off, polish it. And the more you worked, the
brighter it would shine.”

“
Garin, please, I didn’t sleep
last night, and my mind is not up to answering your
riddles.”

“
Everard, Isa is the jewel, one
that has been drawn to the Fortress just as the queens of old were.
And just as a jewel needs someone to help it shine, so does this
woman. Heartbreak isn’t easy to clean up. Lift her up, make her see
her worth, and she might surprise you with her
brilliance.”

By this time, they were on their
way down to the stables. Once they were there, Ever painfully
pulled himself up onto his horse. He pushed the animal into a quick
canter, but he could hear Garin call out from behind
him.

“
The Fortress has brought her to
you for a reason, Ever! You might want to reconsider trusting it to
help both of you break the curse!”

Ever didn’t answer as he rode
quickly towards the north end of the Fortress grounds. His joints
ached with each of the horse’s steps, but riding was the only way
he could move fast enough to think to his satisfaction. As usual,
Garin’s answers to his questions had only served to breed more of
the unknown.

As he made his way, however, Ever
suddenly felt as though he was being watched. Surely enough, when
he turned around, a large pair of dark eyes were following him from
the grand entrance where Isa stood in the doorway. She looked
nervous. Ever’s curiosity got the best of him, and he cut his ride
short. His father would have been appalled.

“
Can I help you, my lady?” he
called out, somewhat shocked at his confidence as the words left
his mouth.

Isa gave him a half smile. “I
would like to go out, but I am not sure if the weather agrees with
me.”

Ever noticed the catch in her
voice, however, and saw right through her brave face. He brought
his horse up to the grand doors, still held open by the shadows as
Isa lingered on the threshold.

“
There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
As he spoke, he realized he sounded like a commander insulting one
of his cowardly soldiers. “Remember, the danger is only at night.
Their birds and archers can’t see well until the sun has set.” Why
was it so hard to soften his voice?

Isa smiled, but he could still see
her trembling hands. Suddenly wondering if he could do as Garin had
advised, he stiffly dismounted and held his arm out to her. “Would
you like me to accompany you to the garden?”

The young woman studied him for a
moment, tilting her head a bit as she stared at him with those dark
eyes. Ever wasn’t sure what she saw there, but she finally nodded
lightly and took his arm.

Together, they shuffled down the
stone path to the rose garden. And for the first time since the
curse had fallen, Ever didn’t mind the slow pace. The warmth of her
arm felt nice on his, and the soft way she grasped his arm made his
heart jump unevenly. She kept her head down, staring at the ground
as they walked, but Ever longed to lift her chin so she would look
him in the eyes.

Though he escorted her to supper
every night, this felt different, more intimate outside in the thin
sunlight that was almost warm. For all his father’s training in
self-denial and duty, he felt like an adolescent again. With a bit
of disgust, he realized his constantly growing desire to be near
her was somewhat akin to that of a puppy.

“
Would you mind if we go somewhere
else today?” he asked as they approached the rose garden, suddenly
desperate to keep her arm and her attention.

Isa turned to him with wide eyes.
“Where would you like to go?”

Ever honestly had no idea. The
question had been spontaneous, so he said the first thing that came
to mind. “If you’re going to live here, you might as well know a
bit about the grounds. They hold more stories than one would think
by looking at them now.”

Isa’s eyes stayed wide, as if this
was the last thing she had expected, but to his relief, she nodded.
And so, they began to explore the many gardens that had once
adorned the Fortress’s front lawns. Ever pointed out places in the
foliage and shrubs where he had played in the days of his boyhood.
As he told her stories of how he had evaded his tutors and hidden
with the servant children, Isa seemed to relax. She even laughed a
few times when he mentioned some particularly ornery tricks he had
played on Garin.

“
You really love this place,” Isa
said as they stopped to rest on a stone bench in the ancient Garden
of the Queens.

“
I was born with a love for this
place,” Ever answered uncomfortably. “As a child, I never felt
alone. Even when I escaped to be on my own, I always felt loved and
protected. It was as if the Fortress itself had wrapped its arms
around me. I felt special.”

“
But you don’t feel that way
now?”

Ever sighed. Isa’s guesses as to
his feelings were getting better, and she was fast approaching a
conversation he preferred not even to have with himself.

“
I used to know how I felt. I knew
what the Fortress was doing. It was a part of me. But ever since
this curse, since this sickness has fallen, I have felt alone.” He
let out a gusty breath. “To be perfectly honest, the Fortress has
abandoned me. Garin always told me the Fortress never abandoned
anyone it chose, but I can’t say I believe that
anymore.”

“
Oh,” was all Isa said. Ever
watched her out of the corner of his eye. She stared at her left
wrist, turning it over again and again in her lap, tracing out the
lines in her skin with her other hand. As she did, Ever suddenly
found himself staring at her lips. They looked soft, and he
resisted the sudden urge to touch them. Before his thoughts could
wander further, however, Isa spoke again.