The beauty is a beast

The King return

There had been no howls that night, and the following day Damien felt more rested. Princess Pandora too seemed to have gotten some sleep as she met them for breakfast that morning, wearing a beautiful gown in pale green lace. Princess Hero Olive sat on her right in an equally impressive pale pink gown. "My father has been meaning to ask: How would Vucan see on a potential building on the far west of our shared border?" She chipped politely.

"Well that would depend on the building," Pandora simply answered and sipped her tea. Damien could see a slight smile that was playing on her lips as her eyes met his.

"It would be a monastery of sorts," Princess Hero continued.

"If it is a monastery, then why is the king asking me instead of the church?" Pandora asked her quickly but lessened up, as Hero tensed. "Have your father send the plans to Lord hasting, and I will take it up with my advisors," she kindly offered to her friend, then sat down her teacup and cleared her throat. "There is supposed to be held a ball tomorrow, as I am sure you know. Please feel free to invite anyone you'd like... Mr. Arrent?" She asked pointedly. "If there is anyone we should send word for, please let Lord Hastings know. I want you to feel welcome at this event."

He was surprised but gave her a court nod. "Thank you, your highness."

She quietly stood up and looked to Lord Hastings. "I'll be in the office. Please make sure my guests are properly entertained," she ordered. He gave a nod as she left the room. 

The rest of breakfast was quiet, till Lord hastings announced to the royals that they should go look at the butterfly sanctuary in the garden. As they left the room, he went by Damien and lowered his voice and his head. "I want you to go be with her highness. It seems you calm her, and she needs that right now. Ask a maid for her office: Tell them I sent you," he told him and then quickly left to entertain the royals.

Damien did as he was told and found a maid to show him to the office. The maid, a pretty brunette with short hair and dark skin, looked startled but nodded and showed him up a spiral of stairs to a corridor of only three doors, one of which she knocked on quietly before letting him in. He stepped inside to see the princess sitting at a large mahogany desk in a big office filled with bookcases, busy writing something down on a scroll. He wondered briefly if everything here was as her father had left it and quickly decided it must be. He stepped onto the expensive carpet and quietly sat in the chair in front of her. Her gaze lifted slightly to him and an entertained smile graced her lips yet again. He liked seeing her smile, even if it seemed she was simply amused by triviality. "Mr. Arrent," she acknowledged. "Please find a book to entertain yourself. I am afraid this cannot wait."

"I am sorry to disrupt," he apologized.

"You are not," she quickly denied. "Please, take a book."

He stood up and looked over the many bookshelves. His eyes landed on a history book about the nation, and he decided that was the most interesting for him to take. He sat down again and began on his book while she worked in silence. After a while, her voice interrupted his reading. "I see you are interested in history?" She asked, eyes not leaving her work.

"Trying to learn more about the kingdom who has shown me such great hospitality, your highness," he answered truthfully.

She gazed at him again, her face unreadable. "Call me Pandora," she told him. "In here you can call me Pandora."

"Pandora," he repeated and watched her lips twitch. "Call me Damien then."

"I will," she promised still unreadable. "Is it true you were cursed?" She asked suddenly. Her question took him by surprise: She hadn't yet made a move to acknowledge his looks - he had thought she was insistent on avoiding it. "My doctor talks, Damien. I just want to know who is in my castle," she explained.

He relaxed again. Apparently, she still avoided actually addressing how he looked like a beast. "It is true... A witch cursed me many moons ago."

"Why?" 

It was a sharp question, one he didn't like to answer but knew he had to: "I... I didn't show her the kindness I should have. She looked like a gypsy, and I didn't want her in our village. I let her stay temporary, but... I should have been kinder."

"And she cursed you for that?" Pandora asked seeming bored.

"Yes."

She snorted. "How pitiful... Well, I will let you know: You will not find any solutions in my library. I banned that sort of reading when I took over the throne." 

He felt disappointed to hear that but also confused. She didn't strike him as someone to hate magic. "May I ask why?" He questioned.

Her hand paused in the middle of a word. "Magic... It is so... Tainted. Unreal. I will not allow such nonsense in a place of knowledge and science. I forbid it."

"But do you not also find it wonderful and enchanting?"

"Enchantment is exactly what I am trying to avoid," she stated humorlessly. "My mother loved magic..."

"The queen?" He asked before he could stop himself. It was the first time she mentioned her mother, and considering the talk he had with the doctor, he figured there was an important story.

Her eyes snapped up to his quickly, as if she had said too much, but she continued. "Yes. Demi," she said her mother's name as if it was strange to her. "She was... a foreigner. She loved magic and everything that had to do with it."

"And your father?" He asked. "His majesty?"

She smiled slightly again, more to herself than to him. "My father... My father is a reasonable man. He let her have her little quirks, as long as it didn't influence his kingdom."

"What happened to them?" He asked carefully. He knew the story, but he wanted to hear it from her too before making up his mind about it.

"Their marriage or their lives?" She asked snarkily with a twitch of her lips.

"Both."

She hesitated slightly, then put her pen down. "Their marriage was always terrible. It was arranged, and they hated each other. Of course, it didn't help when my father took a lover. Then my mother had an affair and finally, someone broke someone's very expensive vase... Anyways. My mother was murdered, and my father went to war. It is a short story," she closed up quickly.

"That does not seem like a short or simple story?" He asked her more intensely.

She sighed. "My mother... She was in the inside garden one night when an intruder caught her and stabbed her. They never caught him... After that, my brother left, and I was alone with my father."

"Your brother. What was his name?" Damien asked, trying to let her tell her story on her own.

"Loukas... He was always my mother's favorite, you know? She loved him so much." Something about the way she said it was so incredibly sad he felt his heart clench.

"I don't believe in parents having favorites," he told her kindly.

She snorted. "Then you never met my parents. It is okay. My father loved me," she smiled to herself again. "Anthimos loves Pandora..." She trailed off. Something about the way she said it gave him chills. It was self reassuring and denying all at the same time.

Someone knocked on the door and came running in before they were invited. A flustered maid with a curly braid looked at them flustered. "I am so sorry, your highness-"

"You are going to be for interrupting," the princess told her coldly.

The maid visibly paled but continued anyway. "I- It is his majesty, your highness. The king. He is back!"

Pandora's eyes widened as she stood abruptly, work long forgotten. "My father," she whispered. "Is he in the castle?" She demanded to know.

"No, no not yet," the maid explained. "We caught sight of the flags from east. They should be here in an hour."

"There is no time to waste then," Pandora declared. Notify our guests and have Lord Hastings find me. Prepare the great hall, send someone to prepare every spare room we have got, and make the stables ready for the riders. I want the kitchen working on a meal immediately, and we will have to set up tables wherever they fit - the dining hall is not going to fit them all, so prepare the garden as well! The weather is nice, it will do. Send word for the merchant: They will need new clothes. We need a writer for the tales and a priest for the prayers and-"

"Pandora," Damien began ever so calmly. "I think you need to focus on greeting them: Your father is coming home."

Her big scared eyes met his. He didn't expect her to be afraid: This was what she had prayed, for was it not? "You are right," she admitted. "I have to change," she muttered and looked at her dress. "Oh my and this place is a mess. There are not enough staff to have everything ready- Maid!" She shrieked. "Get to work immediately! We have to be ready! The meal takes priority and the great hall! The rooms can wait till they have eaten. Go now!" She ordered. The maid was already out the door, the princess hot on her heels, but she stalled at the door and gazed at Damien. "Go change: Be in the great hall in an hour: Make yourself useful!" She barked and then disappeared out the door.

He found his room and changed to formalwear and went to help out. He found Lord Hastings barking orders in the great hall. "I want those over there, and you! Stop pulling and find a butler! The king will need to get changed immediately. Make sure he brings the crown!" He ordered a servant, who had been taking care of the drapes.

"Archer? How can I help?" Damien called over the noises.

Lord Hastings looked at him suddenly but quickly found a use for him: "Go help with the carpet and then stand aside where you won't be noticed. Make sure the king doesn't see you!" He instructed.

Damien thought the order was weird but did as told. He helped to remove the carpets then tried to blend in with the staff.

The royals arrived, all taking a stance around the room with their immediate staff. Heels clicked over the marble floor as the princess and her handmaids made their way down the stairs. She was nervously straightening her black silk dress while seemingly rehearsing herself. Finally finding herself at the bottom of the stairs she straighten up and took a deep breath, the corsage of her dress following the movement of her chest.

The doors opened in perfect timing, letting in the bright sunlight and along with it an army of men. Four knights dressed in armor came first, then stood aside for two armor-clad men, one wearing a red cape, the other a black one. The man in red continued after the other stood back. He was tall, almost as tall as Damien, in his forties with a short silver-stained beard and greying hair. A servant cleared his throat and announced the new arrivals. "His majesty King Anthimos Tyros returned from war!"

The king continued till he stood about two meters in front of Pandora. "Daughter," he addressed her and took a look around the room. "I see nothing has fallen apart."

She swallowed. Damien could see she was nervous. "No father."

"And yet nothing has flourished either. What have you done in these four years since my departure?" He asked skeptically.

"I-" she froze, seemingly unable to find the words.

"Her highness has kept the country running perfectly, waiting for his majesty's return!" Lord Hastings interrupted and steeped in from the side. "And she has done a remarkable job, just as you taught her, your majesty!" He complimented the king with a deep bow.

"Archer," the king seemed to soften. "I see you are still around." His gaze shifted to the royals standing around them. "Actually, it seems we are interrupting something important?" He returned his gaze to his daughter who had found her tongue yet again.

"Yes, father. We are having Princess Olive, Prince Harrold, Prince Varnick, and Prince Hale to-"

"Take my throne, no doubt," the king interrupted her. "And my daughter." He raised a brow at them. "I see. I have been gone for too long, but I am back now. Your assistance with my kingdom will not be necessary." He looked around at the staff. "Well? Get to work! You are dismissed!"