Beauty And the

NotSoBeastly BeastTygati

Chapter 1

It was a dark and stormy night. That's just how these things worked. You couldn't go traipsing about mysterious castle courtyards and knocking on ancient worn doors in the middle of a sunny day. It just wouldn't have been right.Therefore, it was a dark, moonless night, the skies were pouring down rain, and a hint of thunder off in the distance suggested that life was about to get even worse.Herb was thrilled.Perhaps a normal man under normal circumstances would have had a different opinion about the current state of affairs. Herb, however, was not a normal man; not precisely a man at all, if one wanted to be technical. His particular circumstances were such that Herb was, at the moment, about seven and a half feet tall and furry. Very furry.

Herb, you see, was a Beast. Not just any garden variety beast mind you, but an honest-to-goodness Enchanted Beast with all that such a thing entailed. Mostly. There were a few key points missing, which would be the reason that this particular beast was out and about in the middle of the night getting soaked to his skin, fur and all.The weather, though, was a good omen to his mind. Maybe, just maybe, he'd get lucky this time. It was always supposed to be dark and dreary when Events occurred, therefore...Drawing himself up to his full height and endeavoring to look as impressive as possible, Herb reached out and knocked three times upon the heavy oak door.

Someone was knocking on his door.Beldon sighed softly and closed the book he'd been reading, after carefully marking his place with a large red velvet bookmark. The clock

above the mantle read 4:15 or thereabouts, but it hadn't worked for at least three years, give or take, and he was fairly certain that the large grandfather clock in the foyer had chimed one not long ago.Either way one looked at it, it was really a most peculiar time of night to receive visitors.With a slight frown, Beldon placed his book on the side table and reluctantly arose from his nice cushy chair by his nice warm fire and went to go see who would be calling on him at-- he glanced at the grandfather clock as he passed--one-seventeen in the morning.The Great Hall was almost painfully opulent, legacy of greedy old rich men with less taste than money and less brains than both. Still, it was suitably impressive when the occasion arose that required such, so he left it alone. The air here was cooler than in the sitting room, though not at all drafty. That little problem had been taken care of when Beldon first arrived.

A light touch upon the handle was all that was needed for the great outer doors to swing silently open, leaving Beldon to face... a monster.Easily seven and a half feet tall and built like a brick wall, the creature towered over him. It had all the usual features, lion's mane, boar's tusks, claws, tail... all quite intimidating under the proper circumstances. Beldon, however, was not the least bit impressed. Primarily because the thing was soaking wet and peering short-sightedly at him over delicate, half-moon spectacles."Yes?" he inquired calmly."Oh, um, pardon me ma'am," the Beast said nervously, fidgeting with his lapels, "I realize the hour is late but you see I was rather wondering if you would mind having a Beast terrorize your castle? You see, I really need a castle to lord over because of this spell that's been put on me and for some reason one wasn't provided to me

when the spell was cast and... um..."If it was possible for a giant, hulking monster to look contrite, the Beast managed it. "Well, you're also the only one who hasn't fainted just at the sight of me..." he mumbled sheepishly.The patter of rain was the only sound between them for a long moment as Beldon let an eyebrow drift upward at the rather unusual request, then he shrugged fluidly and stepped out of the way, allowing the Beast into his castle. The doors closed themselves once the Beast was clear, leaving the two of them staring at one another in the middle of the Great Hall."You can have the North Wing," Beldon told the Beast offhandedly. "That's the usual area a Beast makes his lair in, if I remember right. Just hold still a moment, because you are not tracking water all over my rugs."A soft word and a slight gesture was all that was needed to dry out the bedraggled Beast, though being dry didn't really do much to improve upon

his appearance. He still managed to look incredibly pathetic for a creature that normally inspired terror in even the bravest of men.This, Beldon decided, was going to prove rather interesting.Herb was the happiest he'd been for... well... as long as he could remember. He had the run of the castle, provided he didn't damage anything and bathed regularly, and the incredibly annoying itch of the spell had finally settled down now that he was located inside a castle. Granted, it wasn't actually his castle, he was just borrowing it, but for the purposes of the spell it worked.There were plenty of things to look at; the Enchantress seemed to be a collector of unusual objects, and every time he turned around there were new rooms to be explored. It had been rather confusing at first, having everything change itself randomly when least expected, but he'd soon discovered that all he had to do was

decide he wanted to return to his suite and he'd find himself there in short order.Even more impressive was the library, a wide open room with bookcases that rose several floors up and was dotted with the most comfortable chairs he'd ever had the pleasure of parking his posterior on. The only restriction the Enchantress had placed on him was the ultimatum not to damage any of her precious books Or Else.Herb had absolutely no desire to find out what that Or Else might be. He might have been granted technical lordship over the castle, but they both knew exactly who was in charge.It wasn't Herb.Still, she surprised him rather soundly one morning four days after his initial arrival when he'd heard the dull thud of someone knocking on the castle doors and gone bounding down to investigate. His role as a Beast, of course, meant that he was supposed to immediately terrify

anyone foolish enough to venture too near his castle. To that end, he positioned himself just right, tucked his glasses safely into a pocket of his jacket, flung open the heavy oaken doors and roared "WHAT?!" at the top of his lungs.The scrawny beanpole of a man standing on the step stared at him with wide eyes for a long moment (during which Herb did his best impression of enraged panting and glowered rather convincingly if he said so himself) then turned on his heel and ran flat out for the village. Herb fell backwards onto the floor, howling with laughter.So thrilled was he by his first successful act as Lord of the Castle that he didn't hear the Enchantress approach until she was nearly upon him. When he did finally notice her, or more appropriately the peculiar expression she wore, he sat up quickly and looked at his feet."Err.. I'm sorry..." Herb mumbled to the purple and gold blurs that he was fairly certain were the

Enchantress's slippers, "Was that someone you wanted to see? I was just... I'm supposed to..."That was when she surprised him entirely. By laughing. Rich, hearty laughter that was entirely unbefitting of a lady, yet seemed to fit her just fine. When at last her mirth subsided, she looked at him with her golden eyes twinkling."Well," she said with a secretive smile, "I can see that having you around may prove more useful than I thought."That said, the lady turned around and disappeared into the East Hall.Herb blinked.Beldon managed to hold out for nine whole days before it finally got to him. It wasn't the Beast's fault, not really. How could he know better, after all? Still, there was a finite limit to Beldon's patience and his houseguest had passed that about twelve "M'lady's" ago.Sometimes he wondered if he might not be better off just walking around naked.

They were in the Dining Hall eating breakfast when he finally snapped. Beldon had merely asked the Beast to pass along the cream and the creature decided to walk it to him, grinning like a vapid hyena, and say, "Here you are, M'lady."Thunder cracked outside as the Enchanter's temper let itself be known. He rose to his full height (still falling woefully short of the Beast's) and glared up at his furry guest."Oh for the love of little carnivorous daisies!" he growled. "Are you really that dense? Don't answer that. Just.. just... Arrgh."A flick of Beldon's finger sent the Beast's spectacles from the pocket they'd been riding in to the creature's face. He grabbed one of the monster's ears and pulled the Beast's head down so that they were more or less face to face and managed from between clenched teeth, "I. am. not. a. lady. Not a lady or a ma'am or a bloody shrieking girl! My name is Beldon and I am an Enchanter. Not an Enchantress, Enchanter.

Male. Call me Lady one more time and I'll prove it to you."The Beast's mud brown eyes blinked at him for several heartbeats, then his face scrunched up in utter confusion. "But..." he said plaintively, "The villagers said..."Beldon released his hold on the Beast's ear and sat back down in his chair, glowering. "I know what they call me. I've been trying for years to correct them, but they all seem to have a mass hearing affliction. No matter how many times I tell them my name is Beldon, they still call me 'Enchantress Belle.'" He sighed."Now, would you mind passing me the brown sugar?"To say Herb was startled would have been like calling the Great Giant of Thornklops 'larger than average.' In his experience, men didn't come in the 'beautiful' variety. That was a word reserved exclusively for girls, or so he'd thought. Beldon, it seemed, was a law unto himself.

The Enchantre- Enchanter's hair was long, straight, and dark. Green, Herb thought, though the lighting in the castle wasn't the best. He knew several court ladies who would have happily killed for hair like that, and Beldon hardly seemed to be aware of it. Nor did the problem end there. No, the la- man had high, fine cheekbones, perfect, fair skin, and eyes that couldn't seem to decide if they wanted to be gold or blue. Either way was just as bad.And it certainly didn't help matters that the ornate enchanter's robes he always wore completely masked his figure. Though, given the elegant hands Herb had seen when Beldon was casting spells, he didn't really think even form-fitting clothing would help matters much."So, um..." Herb asked hesitantly, retaking his seat with the greatest of care, "Would that be why you live way out here in.. um...""In practically the middle of nowhere?" Beldon finished wryly, "Yes."

The Enchanter took a bite of his porridge and ate it slowly, some of the tension draining out of him in the process. He studied the bowl for a moment, prodding halfheartedly at a strawberry, then looked back up at Herb."I've done my time in the great cities, magician to kings and all that. I even had an invitation for a position in the High King's court. But..." The Enchanter frowned, stabbing frustratedly at his toast. "There are only so many times one can take being hit on before it starts to become really annoying. So I took myself out to the edge of civilization, removed an evil tyrant from power, and claimed his castle for my purposes. Now all I have to put up with is the occasional villager seeking this or that charm from the so-accommodating "Enchantress Belle" and even that has died off rather nicely now that you've snapped at a few of them."Herb blinked, which was something he seemed to find himself doing a lot in the Enchanter's presence. In his eighteen years of life, he'd never

met anyone quite like Beldon. He didn't think there was anyone quite like Beldon."But... don't you get lonely?" Herb asked, his ears drooping to match his mood. Having been raised in a castle with a full court, he really couldn't imagine anyone willingly choosing to cut themselves off from people."Not really," Beldon replied with a slight shrug. "I've gotten used to it. I have my books and enough magic mirrors that I can keep up with the majority of current events. I can do without the rest of society."Privately Herb was of the opinion that nobody could live alone forever, but he kept that thought to himself out of pure self-preservation. Still, one thought did occur to him."Err, but if you disliked the villagers coming up to ask you for things, why didn't you ever just tell them to go away?" Herb asked curiously, and was rather startled when a faint blush spread across the Enchanter's cheeks.

"Yes, well, that wouldn't... I mean... Enchanters are supposed to work on the side of Good, after all. I could hardly turn them away once they'd asked..." Beldon murmured into his orange juice, refusing to meet Herb's eyes.Herb stared at him for a long moment before he found himself laughing, even as the other part of his mind was shrieking in terror that laughing at Beldon was a very good way to get turned into something even worse than what he was now. He just couldn't help it. For all that Beldon tried so hard to be cold and intimidating, apparently he had a good side buried underneath all of that frost.Beldon was glaring at him when Herb finally got his laughter under control, and that little part of his brain with the survival instinct informed him that he'd better apologize."Sorry," Herb said, unable to quite keep the smile off his muzzle, "But I guess I'm glad I could help you in some way, since you sure don't

seem to need help for anything else."The Enchanter actually looked surprised, then thoughtful. He cleared away what was left of breakfast with a wave of his hand and stood. "Well, fair is fair, I suppose," he said, gesturing for Herb to follow him, "So why don't we see what we can do about that curse of yours, hmm?"Beldon led the Beast into the sitting room, murmuring a few words to reinforce the furniture before sitting down. While he had to admit that the Beast was as careful as was possible for a seven-plus-foot monster, he was also remarkably... clumsy. Therefore, precautions were in order."Sit," Beldon ordered, curling up in his own favorite red velvet chair. "Tell me how you came to be placed under the curse of the Beast."The Beast poked at several chairs before finally settling himself uneasily upon a plush green divan. He looked rather comical, all fur and

muscle upon the elegant seat, but he didn't really seem to notice."Um, well," he said after he'd gotten as comfortable as his awkward form would allow, "It happened four years ago. We were all at home, my brothers and me, me being the youngest, when this wizard shows up in town and starts harassing the people. All sorts of vile stuff. So then father, that is, King Hughbert of Irenia..." He looked up hopefully to see if Beldon had heard of it and continued at the Enchanter's nod."Father told us that one of us, us being the princes that is, would have to go out and defeat the wizard before something really bad happened. Richard decided he wanted to take the first shot, Richard being my oldest brother, Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian the First, and rode out to confront the fellow, getting himself turned into a willow tree in the process.""So then Edmund went, Herbert Edmund

Richard Bastian the Second, that is, and the evil wizard turned poor Edmund into a girl! The last time I saw him, he was still locked in his room..." The Beast spared a moment of worry for his second eldest brother, then took a deep breath and continued his narrative."That only left me, Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian the Third, to ride out and-""Wait, wait, wait," Beldon interrupted, sitting up slightly in his chair to regard the Beast in mild bewilderment. "Your father named all of you Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian?"The Beast blinked. "No, Richard is Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian the First, Edmund is Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian the Second, and I'm-"Beldon waved a hand at him in annoyance. "Yes, yes, the Third. But it doesn't strike you at all strange that aside from being First, Second, and Third, you all have exactly the same name?"Mud brown eyes gazed at him in puzzlement. "...

no?" he said at last. Beldon sighed."Never mind. Continue.""Right. So, I went out to see the wizard and I asked him as politely as I could if he would please mind going somewhere else as the villagers didn't particularly care for his wizardry. I guess he took offense to that or something, because the next thing I knew I was really big and furry..." The Beast paused to look at one of his paws, carefully extending and then retracting his claws, before continuing."Anyway, the wizard told me that for my rudeness I was cursed to remain a Beast and lord over my enchanted castle until such time as the curse was broken and I was restored to my rightful shape. Except I guess something must have gone wrong, because I didn't have an enchanted castle. Father's castle is really more of a fortress than a castle, and it's not enchanted.""So you went looking for an enchanted castle to

lord over," Beldon finished for him, fingertips pressed together thoughtfully as he gazed at the monster before him.Herb nodded. "I'd just about given up when I found your castle," he confessed. "I didn't realize enchanted castles were so hard to come by.""Most Enchanters and Enchantresses take their magic with them when they leave, yes," Beldon agreed."And that wizard guy was pretty adamant that I'd never break the spell without one," Herb continued, "So..." He grinned sheepishly. "Here I am.""Indeed," Beldon agreed quietly, "Here you are." He regarded the Beast for a long moment, eyes shifting from gold to blue and back again, before sitting up and snapping his fingers. A massive, leather-bound book appeared in the air, floating obediently into his lap as the Enchanter lowered his hand."What's that?" Herb asked curiously, partially

rising from his seat to get a better look."The Big Book of Enchanted Men," Beldon replied absently, flipping through pages until he'd found the section on Beasts. He was vaguely aware of Herb crossing the room to look over his shoulder as he narrowed his search down to Beasts without castles, then to those who had since found a castle, finally leaving him with only two pages of entries."Hey, that's me!" Herb exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a small picture on one of the pages. "What's it say?"Beldon read the short paragraph beside Herb's picture, then read it again, his lips pursing in a way that made it appear as though he'd just eaten something very unpleasant. The Enchanter looked over the page one more time before snapping the book shut and banishing it back to the library from whence it'd come.Herb blinked. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, bewilderment thick in his voice. "Did it

tell you how to break the curse?""No," Beldon replied, sitting up straight and staring at the fireplace, "It didn't. Apparently your wizard was a particularly bumbling one and not only messed up your enchanted castle, he messed up the spell itself. There is no cure for your curse."

Chapter 2

Playing Beast of the Castle wasn't nearly as much fun when you knew it was permanent. Beldon had retreated to his suite and not come out for days, leaving Herb to go stir-crazy in the meantime. He'd actually left the castle at one point to go terrorize travellers in the nearby Dark Forest, but even that lost its appeal rather quickly.Eventually he found himself back in Beldon's parlor, curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace. It seemed as good a place to mope as any, and it smelled nice. It smelled a lot like Beldon, actually, which only made sense as the Enchanter tended to spend most of his time in one of three rooms, the Sitting Room being his favorite.He was still there when Beldon finally put in an appearance, waltzing through the doors with three of the largest books Herb had ever seen

trailing along after him like overgrown floating ducklings."I think I know what spell that sorry excuse for a wizard used," Beldon announced without any preamble, "But I can't seem to figure out how he managed to screw it up. Beast spells are not particularly difficult compared to other Enchanted Monster spells. You should see the preparation needed for the simplest Enchanted Frog spell..."Herb blinked. "Um, so...""So," Beldon continued, his robes swishing around him as he stalked over to Herb, "I need to be able to see him cast the spell."Herb blinked. Again. "Err.. but...""But that occurred in the Past," Beldon mused, apparently not hearing Herb at all, "And my mirrors are tuned to watch the Present. The best they can manage is about a month into the past, and that's not even close to how far back we have to go. Therefore..."

The Enchanter leaned down over Herb, hands on his hips, a peculiar sort of smile on his lips. "Therefore, we need a Magic Mirror of the Past."For all that Beldon was rather small and Herb was a seven-and-a-half-foot Beast, the Enchanter still seemed to tower over him rather impressively. Perhaps the man wouldn't be quite so terrifying if Herb got up off the floor, but at the moment none of his limbs would obey him."Ah. Okay, so... where do we find one of those?" Herb squeaked.Beldon straightened and turned away, gazing with unfocused eyes at a spot on the far wall. "The nearest one is in the hands of a Witch who lives about five days west of here," he replied. The Enchanter was silent a moment, then glanced over his shoulder at Herb with that little half-smile that never failed to unsettle him."Feel like going on a Quest?"Being the youngest son of a king, Herb had quite a bit of experience with Quests. Well, the

preparation thereof. So when Beldon appeared on the stairway with only a small knapsack slung over one shoulder, all Herb could think of to say was: "Wow, you sure pack light..."Beldon snorted inelegantly and joined him in the Great Hall. For once the Enchanter wasn't wearing his ornate robes, rather, he had chosen to don what appeared to be rather fine riding clothes done in shades of reddish-brown and trimmed in gold. They fit him considerably better than his robes as well, and if Herb squinted a bit it wasn't quite so easy to mistake him for a girl.Herb himself was still wearing the only set of clothing he owned, though Beldon's magic had repaired the damage four years had done to it and now it looked practically new."All right," Beldon announced as they exited the castle, "Just one little..."From a pocket Herb hadn't noticed before the Enchanter pulled a small white card with gold

lettering. He held it up to the door and released it, speaking a single sharp word as he did so. The card rapidly expanded, still apparently attached to the door, and now Herb could see that it had become a large wooden sign.The letters read: "Out Of Town""There," Beldon announced smugly. "That should do us. Ready to go?"Herb nodded.The Enchanter led the way, back through the courtyards and down the path Herb had used over a month ago to bring him here. The Beast followed without question at first, then frowned in puzzlement once they passed through the wide iron gates and found themselves on the dirt road leading to the village."Aren't you going to ride?" Herb asked curiously."Don't be ridiculous," Beldon snorted. "You'd frighten the horses."

"Oh," Herb said quietly.He remained silent all the way to the village, which they skirted rather than terrify anyone with the sight of Herb. It was the typical reaction, and yet... he couldn't help but wonder. Beldon hadn't even flinched upon first meeting him, yet the two other Enchanters (and one Enchantress) he'd encountered while travelling had run him off on sight.What made this Enchanter different from the others? He wished he knew more about them, but the only magician of any sort in his father's court had been old, forgetful, and truth be told not very good. Although he hadn't been frightened by Herb's appearance... of course, his eyesight was even worse than Herb's..."You said it'd take five days to get to the witch's house, right?" He asked Beldon."Approximately.""That's walking?""Yes."

"Ah, well, I'm pretty fast, being a Beast and all, so maybe if I carried you then-""I am not being carried, by you or anyone else."Herb was fairly certain the tone of his voice could have frozen molten lava. He swallowed and ran through the Gentleman's List of Ways To Apologize."Umm...""Just walk," Beldon said with a sigh. "And listen. If you're quiet, you can hear at least eight different species of birdsong, and there are several squirrels tailing us."Herb blinked. "Oh.""Yes, oh. And speaking of listening..." Beldon frowned. "Your hearing should be sharper than mine, and we're going to pass through bandit country. Make yourself useful and play lookout."Taking a deep breath to steady himself, and perhaps convince his courage to quit hiding behind his knees, Herb complied.

They met no bandits, and by the end of the trip Herb had managed to identify fully half of the creatures hiding along the road's edge as they passed. Not too bad for a spoiled, citified prince, Beldon had to admit.It was late morning when the witch's cottage came into view, situated in a glade not too far from the edge of the Dark Forest. Beldon identified at least forty varieties of toxic plantlife between them and the door and the bulk of the witch's garden was spread out behind the house. A few bats peered sleepily at them from beneath the eaves as they approached, five of the thirteen spiders he could see paused in the spinning of their webs to watch, and the mangy black cat which had been napping on the front porch jumped inside through an open window.A moment later the door opened and the witch emerged.Like all her kind, she dressed in flowing black which appeared to have been mended more than

once, a crooked hat perched atop her head with yet another spider clinging for dear life to the brim, and she carried the world's worst excuse for a broom. She wasn't particularly unattractive, as witches went, lacking a hooked nose and warts, and Beldon rather thought that she might clean up rather nicely if someone forcefully bathed her and attacked her hair with some heavy-duty detanglement spells."Well, well, well..." the witch rasped, grinning at them as though they were a particularly tasty delicacy, "What do we have here? An overgrown puppy and a pretty little..."The witch trailed off and squinted, then came down the steps to peer closely at Beldon. "Huh. You're not a lady..." she said finally, surprised enough to forget to use her witchy rasp.Beldon arched one eyebrow. "No, I'm not. My name is Beldon, and I am an Enchanter. My companion and I have come to see if we could make use of your Magic Mirror for an hour or

two," he explained, gesturing mildly at Herb."The high and mighty Enchanter needs to borrow a lowly witch's mirror?" the witch taunted, remembering to rasp properly this time, and waggled a sharply-nailed finger in front of Beldon's nose. "Stooping a little low, aren't you? Consorting with evil witches... what will the Sorcerer's Council think?"Beldon scowled. "The entire council can go fuck themselves for all I care. Not a decent magician in the whole lot of them."The witch blinked. So did Herb. Beldon wished she hadn't brought up the council. He'd never gotten along with them and the fact that a group of complete morons was responsible for all the magical dictates in the world still chafed at him. Still, he'd made his choices. The past was the past.It was Herb who broke the silence, looking around rather wistfully at the deadly flowers which comprised the witch's garden. "Isn't there

anybody else here? You must get awfully lonely..."Both the witch and Beldon turned to look at Herb. The Enchanter wondered what it was with the Beast and being lonely. One would think that a prince with two brothers wouldn't have lacked much for companionship."... I have Hocus and Pocus," the witch said slowly, pointing at the two sleeping bats, "And Abracadabra to keep me company."Abracadabra turned out to be the black cat, who came darting out of the house and jumped up onto the witch's shoulder at the sound of its name."But there's no one to talk to," Herb protested unhappily, his furry ears flat against his head. "I mean, your garden is lovely and I'm sure your pets are very nice but it looks like you've been out here for a very long time and... and... I'd be terribly lonely out here all by myself..."The witch eyed Herb for a long moment before

looking back to Beldon. She pointed at the Beast. "Is he for real?" she asked.Beldon smiled slightly. "Insofar as I have been able to determine.""Beldon," Herb asked, looking more pitiful than Beldon had ever seen him before, "Can't we help her somehow?"Beldon glanced at the witch who was watching them both rather closely. While he initially would have been inclined to laugh off Herb's observation, the intensity of her gaze made him reconsider."What did you have in mind?" the Enchanter asked slowly.The Beast scrunched up his nose as he thought. On anyone else the expression would have looked rather alarming. On Herb, he simply looked distressed."Well..." he said finally, "Couldn't you make a magic spell that could find somebody else who's lonely and wouldn't mind living in the middle of

the Dark Forest with a witch...?"Once again, Beldon found himself having to re-evaluate his opinion of the enchanted prince. He wouldn't have thought of something like that on his own, and yet it was a perfectly simple solution to the problem. Granted, most people wouldn't know such a thing was even possible, but in Herb's case that seemed to work more for him than against."It's High Level Magic," Beldon said slowly, looking from Herb to the witch and back, "But I don't see why not... if, of course, the lady agrees..."The 'lady' looked rather stunned and took several moments to compose herself. "Well I... that is... would you?"Something in the rather wistful way she asked struck an echoing chord deep inside the Enchanter. He swallowed and bowed slightly, ruthlessly squashing the feeling. "I think it would be a fair trade, if M'lady would allow us

the use of her mirror..."For the first time since they'd arrived, the witch smiled. "All it does is gather dust anyway. It'll probably be thrilled to be used."Herb's smile was almost blinding, and not just because of the sheer amount of sharp white teeth he showed. Beldon shook his head slightly, hiding a smile of his own, and made the necessary preparations to cast the spell. It only took a few minutes; not very impressive for High Magic, some would say, but few knew just how many tiny details had to go into a spell of this nature.For Beldon, such a thing was as close as he ever got to 'fun.'"Alright, done," he announced when he finished and was rewarded by the witch shooing them both inside."C'mon, might as well have some tea while we're waiting and you're fighting with that old thing. Incredibly lazy, that. Takes forever to warm up

even on a good day."The inside of the house was considerably larger than the outside would have led them to suspect, and Beldon could feel magic at work. Rather efficient magic, actually, and he said as much, earning a blush from the witch."Ah, well, what's the point in doing if you're not going to do it right?" she muttered, but they could both tell she was pleased.While the witch "Call me Hilda, boys" started the water for tea, Beldon and Herb hiked up the stairs to the attic where the Magic Mirror was stored. They had a bit of trouble at the top when Herb's shoulders wouldn't quite fit through the doorway but fortunately the house managed to accommodate him before Beldon even had time to begin a spell.Like the rest of Witch Hilda's house, the attic proved to be considerably larger than anticipated. Herb nearly got a finger bitten off by a bespelled gargoyle before Beldon

remembered to tell him not to touch anything.Eventually he located the Magic Mirror, shoved up against a wall and half covered by the grimiest cloth the Enchanter had seen in his life. He stared at it for a long moment, trying to work up the courage to actually touch the thing and wondering if Hilda would be offended if he cast a Cleaning spell on her attic."What's wrong?" Herb asked, peering over the top of Beldon's head at the cloth-and-ick-covered mirror. "Is that the mirror?"Before Beldon had a chance to reply, Herb reached out and pulled the cloth off, tossing it off to the side so he could get a better look at the mirror itself. It was nearly three feet tall and framed in one of those hideously gilded monstrosities that never failed to make him want to throttle whoever made it. Also, it didn't appear that the cloth had done any good as the mirror was just as filthy, its glass rather clouded and apparently home to more than a few dead

bugs."That's it..." Beldon muttered beneath his breath, then pointed imperiously at the sorry excuse for a magical artifact. "Alakazam."Like magic, which it was, all of the dirt and who knows what else melted off the mirror and gathered in a pile on the floor. The frame remained horrid, but at least he could see himself (and Herb, still peering over his head) in the glass."Neat." Herb said."Hmmmrrrmmblepph?" The Mirror mumbled."Good Morning," Beldon said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest and endeavoring to look Important. "Do I have to word all my requests in rhyme, or are you one of the sensible mirrors?""Mmmrrgleplitz?" The Mirror asked, its surface slowly beginning to swirl in a hypnotic silvery pattern.Beldon sighed. "Right. Let me know when you

finish waking up."Herb blinked and looked at Beldon. "Is that normal?" he asked.The Enchanter shrugged. "If they haven't been used in a while, if they're particularly old or not so well-made...""Oh," Herb said, blinking again and peering more closely at the swirling surface of the mirror. "That's kinda neat."A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Beldon's mouth. He'd never admit it, of course, but the Beast's rather naiive outlook on life was rather cute.The silver swirls gradually managed to form into the semblance of a face, which yawned widely before addressing them."Hmm... Must say, you're a sight prettier than my last Mistress..."Beldon twitched."He's a boy," Herb offered helpfully.

The face in the mirror blinked. "Are you sure?" it asked.Herb looked at Beldon. "Um, pretty sure..."Beldon felt his hands clench tightly as he attempted to rein in his temper. It wouldn't exactly be politic to destroy Hilda's mirror in a fit of pique, no matter how disrespectful the thing was."If you two are quite finished," he ground out, "There is a task I need you to complete, Mirror."The silver face grinned and reformed into a hand making the thumbs-up gesture. "Ready when you are, Mistress," it replied impudently.Beldon took a deep breath. Released it. Took another. Released that one, slowly. "Four years ago, give or take, in the kingdom of Irenia, a spell was cast on this man to change him into a Beast," he explained, keeping his voice as flat as he could manage. "I need to see that spell being cast."The grin reformed and the silver face batted its

eyes at Beldon. "Say please," it instructed."Please," Herb interrupted quickly before all hell broke loose."Aw, I wanted him to say it..." the mirror mumbled even as it faded into an overhead view of a town square.There were two people present in the image, a wizard who looked as though he'd been kicked in the face by an angry mule more than once and the most unremarkable teenage boy Beldon had ever seen. The wizard made a gesture and spoke a series of words, causing the boy to wince briefly before transforming into the Beast that now stood beside him.The scene faded out on a close-up of the newly-transformed Beast, then the mirror's face reappeared. "Well?" it asked, "That good enough for you?"The Enchanter was silent, frowning at the mirror."Beldon?" Herb asked hesitantly, trying to twist

himself into a position where he could see the Enchanter's face without knocking anything over. "What's wrong?"Whatever Beldon might have said was lost as a rather loud crash echoed up from downstairs. Both of them jumped, then Herb dashed down the stairs with the Enchanter right on his heels. They burst into the main room, the source of the crash immediately identifying itself as a broken vase, but it failed to hold either of their attention for more than a moment.Witch Hilda was pinned against the front wall by a man only a few inches shorter than the Beast and appeared to be attempting to suck his tonsils out. Neither of them noticed Beldon and Herb's arrival in the slightest, and really, he couldn't blame them.Beldon could feel his face getting hot even as Herb turned away to intently study a tapestry on the wall. Some distant part of his brain that was was still functional pointed out that at least the

spell had worked, even if Mr. Tall, Dark, and Burly wasn't exactly Beldon's cup of tea. Still, the fellow was huge, ogre blood perhaps, and if he was proportionate all over... Well.Hilda and her beau finally noticed them before Beldon could manage to humiliate himself any further and released their liplock, though the distance between them remained so slight that they seemed poised to resume it at any moment."Oh, hello boys," Hilda managed, slightly breathless. "Did you find what you were looking for?"Beldon wished his fair skin wasn't quite so given to blushing at a moment's notice. "Err, more or less..." he managed. "I, ah, see the spell worked...""That it did," Hilda said, leering at the giant of a man holding her. "This is Grun. He tended the grounds at the Witching Academy when I was there. I had no idea he was in the area..."Grabbing Herb's sleeve, Beldon inched toward

the door. "Glad to hear everything worked out okay. Why don't we skip tea, and we'll be on our way, and you two can... um... catch up..."Hilda didn't get more than a muffled "B' bye" out before she and Grun resumed their 'catching up.' Beldon managed a strangled "Thanks" before dragging Herb out the door."Is it safe to look now?" Herb asked, his eyes shut tight."I think so," Beldon breathed, willing the blood to leave his cheeks. "I didn't know witches were so... randy.""I don't think anyone knew that..." Herb mumbled, leading the way out of Witch Hilda's garden and back toward the trade road. "But at least she looks happier...""Yes," Beldon agreed. "Considerably."They walked in silence for several minutes, Beldon convinced that the image of Hilda and her... Grun... was forever burned into his eyelids, before Herb spoke up again.

"So... what did you find out from the mirror?" he asked cautiously.Beldon's steps slowed, though he didn't stop, and he frowned over what he'd seen. "Quite a bit, and nothing at all," he replied at last. "The spell was correct. There is no reason for it to have warped in the manner it has."Herb's confusion and disappointment were almost tangible as the Beast drooped, kicking halfheartedly at a stone in the road. "I guess that means I'm stuck like this, then.""I didn't say that," Beldon scowled. "It's just going to take me longer to figure it out."Herb glanced briefly at the Enchanter, but didn't reply. He seemed to be losing hope in the prospect of ever finding a cure and Beldon didn't really blame him. Nothing quite seemed to be going right for the young prince, from the getting cursed in the first place to the complete mess that the curse in question had turned into. It was frustrating for both of them. Herb

because he was stuck as a Beast, and Beldon because he was rather used to getting his way when it came to magical spells and it was vexing to be running into so much difficulty.So absorbed was he by the puzzle presented to him that Beldon was quite unaware of the troupe of bandits which surrounded them until being snapped harshly out of his thoughts by the burning pain of an arrow lodging itself in his arm. He bit off a pained cry before he'd done more than half voice it, looking up to gague the situation and getting a face full of rather soft brown fur for his troubles. Herb?A low rumble built up in the fur beneath his cheek, then abruptly Beldon was left alone as Herb released him and tore into the underbrush like a possessed thing. He could hear shouts and pained cries inbetween the breaking of branches, then all went silent.Beldon picked himself up off the ground and looked around, more surprised than he let

himself admit when Herb reappeared between two trees, blood on his claws and thunder in his eyes, dragging two petrified bandits behind him. "Herb...?" he called out gingerly and watched as all the anger abruptly bled out of the Beast."Are you okay?" Herb asked mournfully, looking at the blood soaking through Beldon's sleeve. "You told me to listen and I wasn't paying attention and this is all my fault and I'm sorry..."Once again, Herb managed to prove that even seven-and-a-half-foot monsters could look incredibly pathetic when provided with the proper stimulus."They're sorry too, aren't you?" Herb continued, forcing his two misbegotten thieves prostrate at Beldon's feet. They were undoubtedly very sorry, as one managed to babble nothing but terrifed gibberish and the other repeated an impressive variety of prayers to more deities than Beldon was even certain existed.Beldon didn't fight the bemused smile that made

its way onto his face, shaking his head slightly at the sight. "I'm fine," he reassured the Beast. "Just let me cast a healing spell and we can be on our way again."Promise?" Herb asked plaintively.The Enchanter smiled. "Promise."

Chapter 3

Beldon was perplexed. There was a spell on Herb which had transformed him into an Enchanted Beast. The spell was wrong, however the Magic Mirror had showed the wizard casting the spell correctly. Therefore, something other than general incompetence had caused the spell to skew. Something about Herb?The Enchanter glanced at his traveling companion thoughtfully. Herb, aka Herbert Edmund Richard Bastian the Third. His two elder brothers being H.E.R.B. the First and Second, respectively. That in itself was cause to raise a few eyebrows, though apparently Herb himself was oblivious to the idiosyncrasy. He appeared to be particularly sensitive to loneliness, despite the fact that being a prince should have provided him with more social contact than any sane man would be comfortable with.

And then there was the brief glimpse of Herb's actual shape that the mirror had shown, though Beldon had primarily been concentrating on the wizard at the time. It was disconcerting for the Enchanter to realize that he could recall almost nothing about Herb's appearance, aside from the fact that he'd been human and rather ordinary. Normally Beldon could recall the smallest details after only a single glance. This incongruity was... odd."Enough of this," Beldon proclaimed aloud, causing Herb to jump and very nearly fall flat on his face trying to regain his balance. "We're not going to get anywhere out here," Beldon continued. "We're going to Irenia."Herb blinked. "... okay?"Beldon shrugged his knapsack off his shoulder and rummaged through it as Herb continued to walk on obliviously. In short order he found what he was looking for, replaced his knapsack, and waited calmly for the Beast to realize he'd

stopped."But Irenia's far away... it took me months and months to get here, though I guess I was stopping at every castle I saw so maybe it's not quite so far as that but still, it's going to take a long time and..." Herb stopped, blinked, and turned around. "Beldon? What'd you stop for?"With a faint smile, Beldon closed the distance between them. "I'm an Enchanter, Herb. We don't normally walk anywhere unless there's no other alternative."Herb remained quite obviously confused, his head tilted to the side, face scrunched up in thought. It really was rather cute, in a lost-puppy-dog sort of way. Beldon shook his head with a smile."Here, put these on."He held out a pair of what appeared to be doll sized hiking boots, which Herb took doubtfully."Umm, Beldon, these aren't- YIPE!"

Herb leapt backwards as the shoes abruptly started expanding, tripping over his own feet and crashing into the underbrush alongside the road. A rather spectacular struggle ensued as the great Beast managed to get himself entangled in the now full-size boot laces and panicked trying to escape.It wasn't at all easy, but Beldon managed to keep from snickering."Herb, sit. Hold still."With more patience than he was normally given to display, Beldon disentangled Herb from the boots and got him back on his feet. The Beast kept shooting looks at his former assailants, quite certain they were going to resume their attack at any moment. For their part the boots sat quietly on the road, unaware of their fearsome battle prowess."Now then," Beldon said, a lingering smile on his face, "Put those on, carefully, and don't take any steps. Those are Seven League Boots." At

Herb's confused look, Beldon explained. "Each step you take in them transports you seven leagues. They're fast, but not overly efficient as we'll have to stop and reorient ourselves every few steps."Herb slowly donned the boots, still looking as though he was just certain they were going to bite him at any moment. A thought occurred to him as he was lacing the last boot and he blinked at Beldon. "But... how are you going to..."Beldon grimaced, then sighed quietly. "... you're going to have to carry me.""Okay," Herb said, wise enough not to make any sort of comment that might get him turned into a Beast-skin-rug. Beldon stood in front of him awkwardly, not entirely certain what to do with his arms or how he should stand at all. Fortunately the problem was rendered moot when Herb calmly swept the Enchanter up and settled him in the crook of one furry arm. "Now

what?"Determined not to show any startlement at having been scooped up in such an abrupt manner, Beldon made a show out of gesturing to trigger his map spell. It sprang up around them, a translucent overlay through which the actual landscape could still be seen. The dividing lines between kingdoms shimmered faintly and cities were marked with miniature clusters of houses. One in particular glowed a gentle peach color, and that was the one to which Beldon pointed."Okay, that's the capitol of Irenia. Take two steps in that direction," he instructed.Herb complied, taking the requisite two steps and stopping. Beldon reoriented his map and pointed again, and in this manner they found themselves on the outskirts of a decent-sized city. A few travelers glanced curiously at them, then continued on their way. Apparently an Enchanter and Beast appearing out of nowhere was nothing to be concerned about.

"Hey, we're here!" Herb exclaimed cheerfully."Down. Put me down. Now," Beldon ordered. He was obeyed post-haste.The boots went back into Beldon's knapsack, doll-sized once more, and the two of them set off toward the castle in the center of town. The further into town they went, the less people seemed to notice them, until finally they were ignored completely. It was eerie."Hey! Richard!" Herb exclaimed suddenly, breaking Beldon's train of thought and dashing off into the middle of a large town square. He stopped in front of the sorriest excuse for a willow tree the Enchanter had ever seen and waved Beldon over with barely-restrained energy."Beldon! Look, this is my oldest brother Richard. Guess nobody's figured out how to break his spell yet."Beldon approached the tree in a far more sedate manner, studying it for a moment before

snorting in derision. "Amateurs," he muttered beneath his breath, then spoke a sharp word. Leaves rained down all around them before fading away in little drifts of brown sparkles, leaving behind a man who was almost big enough and ugly enough to be related to Grun the half-ogre."Wow," Herb said, wide-eyed."Fair Maiden!" Richard proclaimed, grabbing Beldon's hands and pulling them up against his chest. "How can I ever repay you for breaking that terrible curse?""For starters," Beldon replied icily, "You could unhand me.""Um, Richard..." Herb offered tentatively."But Maiden! Fate dictates that I take for my bride the one who was brave enough to free me from my torturous prison!" Richard continued, oblivious to the hulking monster that was Herb. "One so beautiful and virtuous as you must be destined to wed such a noble and virile prince as

myself!""Richard..." Herb whimpered."If you do not remove your hands from my person this instant," Beldon hissed, "I am going to permanently remove your so-called virility from your body."Richard blinked. Herb blanched. Beldon reminded himself that it was terribly impolite to kill your companion's brother, no matter how much you wanted to."Um," Richard said.Herb very carefully interposed himself between his brother and the fuming Enchanter. "Richard," he said again, "This is Beldon. He's an Enchanter. He's here to help us.""Oh, hi Herb," Richard said absently, then blinked. "He?"Beldon fumed. Herb grinned nervously. "Er, yes. He. Um... we should probably go see Father now... check in and all that... Heh..."

Richard continued staring at Beldon until Herb physically picked him up and set him back down facing the castle, then kept trying to look over his shoulder as the Beast prodded him into moving forward. Beldon remained where he was for a moment, reining in his temper, then followed behind them, a litany of I will not kill Herb's brother repeating in his head.Fortunately the trip to the castle was mercifully short and the guards let them inside after the most cursory of inspections. Something about that encounter bothered Beldon, though he was still furious enough at Prince Richard that he couldn't quite manage to concentrate on exactly what it was. Still, he filed the thought away under Things to Think About Later and returned his attention to his surroundings just in time to be presented to the king.Beldon wondered if it would be impolite to ask the man to put a bag over his head. Whereas Richard had merely been particularly unattractive, King Hughbert was, in a word,

butt-ugly. He was almost making Beldon nauseous just by the sight of him."Richard!" King Hughbert exclaimed, leveraging his bulk out of his throne and clomping across the floor to roughly embrace his eldest son. "We thought we'd lost you, son! What happened?""It was terrible, father!" Richard exclaimed, putting a hand to his head to further express his trauma. "I couldn't move, couldn't speak... trapped in that horrible prison of wood until this beautiful lady rescued me!"The 'beautiful lady' in question glared daggers at both men and was kept from doing serious damage only because Herb physically restrained him."My name," Beldon growled chillingly, "Is Beldon the Enchanter. I am here on your youngest son's behalf and looking into the curse that has been laid upon him.""Hmm? Oh, Herb," King Hughbert said airily. "Was wondering where you'd got to. Don't

suppose you'd mind looking in on your brother Edmund, hmm? Terribly distraught, he's been..." The King's smile brightened and his eyes refocused as he looked from Beldon to Richard. "Wonderful! Just wonderful, Richard. Of course you'll want a grand wedding, nothing less for my son and his beautiful rescuer-"If Hughbert had anything more to add it was lost in the sharp CRACK! of lightning as twin bolts of electricity streaked down from the ceiling to narrowly miss King Hughbert and his eldest son. Smaller arcs of lightning crackled around Beldon's hands, their light casting eerie shadows upon the Enchanter's face."I'm sorry to cut short this little family reunion, but Herb and I will be retiring to his rooms for the rest of the evening to work on that curse. Do not come anywhere near me or you will not live to regret it," Beldon snapped, grabbing Herb's sleeve and stalking off toward the nearest exit.Behind them, stunned silence reigned.

They made it the majority of the distance to Herb's room, Herb leading once they'd cleared the throne room, before the Beast managed to work up the courage speak to the still-furious Enchanter."They're not so bad once you get to know them," he offered meekly. "And Edmund's actually pretty nice when he feels like it..."The door to Herb's room flew open of its own accord and slammed shut once they were through. Beldon took several deep breaths, willing himself to calm before something exploded. Or worse. Finally he rounded on Herb, blue eyes flashing darkly. He opened his mouth to say something, snapped it shut, rubbed roughly at his eyes, then let out a slow breath and glared at the Beast."I have never, never, met anyone as incredibly, amazingly, phenomenally stupid as those two," he seethed. "If they weren't your family I'd... I'd..."

"M'sorry..." Herb mumbled softly, the very picture of Abject Misery.Beldon took another deep breath, then sighed quietly. He was here to help Herb, not incinerate his relations. No matter how much they might deserve it."It's... all right..." he said at last, dropping into a nearby chair and rubbing at his temples. "I've lived alone in my castle for so long I'd forgotten about... that."Herb remained silent for a long moment, then looked up sadly. "It sounds funny, but it's not really, is it? You can't go anywhere without being mistaken for something you're not..." He looked forlornly at his paws. "No wonder you decided to live all alone."The Enchanter's lingering anger evaporated beneath the sheer misery in that soft voice. He hadn't meant to cause Herb pain, however indirectly. There was just something inherently wrong about inflicting suffering upon someone

who cared so much for others.A faint, pained smile made its way onto Beldon's face as he rose from his chair and crossed the floor to lay a gentle hand upon the Beast's arm. "It's okay, really. Just frustrating to be constantly judged on how I look rather than who I am." He smiled wryly. "I'm sure you can empathize."Herb's muzzle shifted into a faint, wistful smile as he looked from Beldon to himself. "Yeah, I guess I can."Beldon smiled again, this time closer to a true smile. "Well then, what do you say I do something about that spell, hmm?""Okay," Herb blinked, "But I didn't think we'd discovered anything new... we kind of got distracted after you freed Richard."Although Beldon scowled at the mention of the eldest prince, he refused to allow himself to get distracted. There was something he needed to remember, something that he hadn't been able

to focus on properly before."Yes and no..." he said slowly, frowning as he walked back and forth across Herb's room. "Herb... does your family always... mm... ignore you?"Herb tilted his big furry head to one side. "Pretty much. I'm the youngest son. I'm not real important.""Mmm..." Beldon mused, idly playing with his hair as he thought. "And the townsfolk? They didn't seem particularly concerned to have a giant hulking Beast in their midst...""Yeah, well, they know me," Herb demurred. "People in other towns didn't know about the curse, you know.""What about when you were human?" Beldon pressed. "Did they pay much attention to you then?"Slowly, Herb shook his head. "Not really. I'm kind of forgettable."

Beldon frowned. "I'm beginning to see that. I wonder..."Without warning, the Enchanter suddenly stepped up close to Herb and placed both hands on the Beast's chest. Herb held very still, to the point of holding his breath, wondering what Beldon was up to and trying not to panic. The Enchanter Looked at him rather intently, his eyes shining a soft gold, then he blinked."Oh."Herb bit his lip. "Oh?" he echoed. "What's Oh?"Still rather close for comfort, Beldon looked up at the Beast and smiled faintly. "I'm an idiot. No wonder the curse got so messed up. There are two spells on you, Herb."Herb blinked. Then blinked again for good measure. "... two?""Yes," Beldon continued, sounding rather satisfied with himself. "They both appear to be intended to alter your appearance and thus they clashed rather spectacularly when the second

one was cast. I don't know why I didn't notice sooner.""Oh," Herb said again. "Err... can it be fixed...?""Now that I know why it's so screwy, yes," Beldon replied. "Hold still."The intricacies involved in extracting one spell from the other required a considerable measure of concentration as Beldon murmured quiet words beneath his breath and drew complex symbols both in the air and on Herb himself. He checked and then double-checked his work, then nodded slightly to himself."That should just about do it," Beldon said with a nod, then smiled ruefully. "And, ah, sorry about this..."It was only meant to be a quick peck, the requisite kiss to break the Enchanted Creature spell, but as fur gave way to skin and those lips softened into something quite warm and pliant it became rather difficult to remember the original reason for kissing the Beast. Herb's

arms had gone around him at some point and Beldon felt like he was drowning, only he wasn't, but Herb was warm and soft and tasted wonderful and he really couldn't for the life of him remember much beyond that.When at last they separated, slowly and with no small measure of reluctance, it took several long moments for Beldon's dazed mind to catch up with the rest of him. Coming back to reality was like awakening from a particularly potent dream, except that he was fairly certain he was awake."Umm," Herb said slowly, trying very hard not to fidget, "Please don't zap me with lightning..."Beldon blinked at him, actually looked at him for the first time, then flushed a brilliant scarlet. He pulled away from the former Beast and clung to a chair to get his bearings and keep his balance at the same time."Ah, no... no lightning..." he managed finally after several false starts, looking back up at Herb

and feeling his face heat all over again. "I think you're safe."Herb grinned lopsidedly, untidy strands of mousy brown hair falling into his eyes as he gazed down at the Enchanter. He was barely of average height now, though still taller than Beldon (who wasn't?) and was quite simply the most ordinary man Beldon had ever seen.Average height, brownish hair of unremarkable length, average build, boring eyes... really, entirely forgettable. The only thing at all of note about him was his smile, and even that was primarily because of the contrast between how it looked on a man from how it had looked on the Beast."So, um, if you're not going to zap me or incinerate me or anything," Herb said impishly, "Does that mean I can kiss you again?"Beldon cursed his so-fair skin as he felt himself blushing again and tried to regain at least a little of his dignity. "I'm not a girl," he muttered, not

quite able to meet Herb's eyes."I know." Herb said cheerfully. "Can I?"Beldon studied his feet intently, his mind whirling, unable to stay focused on any one thing longer than a moment. He drew in a slightly ragged breath. "If you want to..." he mumbled softly.This time he was slightly better prepared for the feel of Herb's arms going around him, drawing him close and holding him there. He could feel every breath the prince took, the heat of his body, his very heartbeat so incredibly close. Then Herb gently tipped his head up and he was suddenly drowning, no, flying. He couldn't decide. Couldn't think. All of his being was caught up in warm lips that nibbled at his, teasing, then a faint caress that he willingly opened up to before his mouth was suddenly devoured.All the magic in the world couldn't compare to this.

When Herb released him this time, Beldon managed to catch his breath and smile ruefully up at the prince. "If you don't quit distracting me, I'm never going to be able to break that second spell..."Herb grinned unrepentantly, though he did clasp his hands behind his back to keep himself out of trouble. The Enchanter had to take several deep breaths to steady himself and even so he was rather painfully aware of Herb's proximity as he forced his attention back to magic."This..." he said slowly, curiously, "This spell has been on you a long time... since you were a small child, at least..."Once more Beldon placed his hands on Herb's chest, trying very hard to ignore the warm heartbeat beneath his palms. He could sense the spell now, and marveled anew at the sheer complexity of it. Only a Master Magician could have cast such a spell, he knew, and he said as

much to Herb."Does that mean you can't get it off?" Herb asked, his voice losing some of its perpetual sunshine as worry began to seep in.Beldon waved off the concern. "Hardly. There isn't a spell that's been cast that I can't break," he stated derisively. "I'm just studying it for a minute. I'd like to know who would cast this sort of spell on you and, more importantly, why.""I dunno," Herb replied doubtfully. "I'm nobody special."Beldon paused in his inspection to look up at Herb, one eyebrow arched. "I beg to differ."Herb blushed.Point proven, Beldon restored his attention to the matter at hand, making unintelligible noises and poking at Herb for several minutes before he abruptly straightened and fished a small object from his knapsack."Hold this," he instructed, handing Herb a

smooth white pebble and backing up far enough to fling his arms out and make a swift gesture. Colored sparks appeared at his fingertips as he waved them around, voice falling into an even cadence."Benatir Cararkau Dedos Etinarmi," Beldon stated imperiously before suddenly pointing at Herb."Shazam!"The former Beast's entire body shimmered with a faint blueish light reminiscent of a hazy morning sky before melting away like paints all run together, gathering into a single focal point in the stone he held in his hands. When the transformation was complete, the stone had changed from white to blueish-grey.Beldon stared.Herb blinked, noting that given the angle from which he was looking at Beldon, he must have gotten taller again. That was nice. Taller was far more useful for getting things up high. Were

there any other changes?"Beldon?" Herb asked, starting to get concerned with the way the Enchanter was staring at him without saying anything. Before his legs could do something embarrassing like give out, Beldon sat down abruptly on the floor. "Beldon!" Herb squeaked, kneeling next to the Enchanter and grabbing him by the shoulders."Beldon? Beldon! Beldon what's wrong?"Getting no response, Herb swiftly stood and looked around frantically for a mirror. There was a large one in the bathing room and Herb sagged in relief to see that he was still human. His frame had filled out, putting muscle in the right places, his features had gotten a little sharper, more chiseled, his eyes had gone from muddy brown to a rather vibrant green, and his hair was now a rich red-auburn just starting to curl at the ends.All in all, he thought he looked pretty handsome. But then what had caused Beldon to react like

that?Returning to the main room, Herb managed to get Beldon off the floor and into a chair as the Enchanter began talking to himself. "That explains the spell," Beldon murmured slowly with a slight shake of his head, "And the strength of it. Hiding in plain sight... no wonder no one ever noticed him... No magical signature on the spell, obviously... a Court Magician wouldn't want anyone to be able to trace it...""Beldon," Herb tried again, kneeling in front of the Enchanter's chair, "What explains it?"Beldon blinked twice and waved a hand at the air, conjuring up the slightly-translucent image of a man who looked eerily similar to Herb. A little taller, a little older, and sporting a tidy goatee, he could have been Herb's brother."Who's that?" he asked curiously."That," Beldon replied slowly, "Is the High King."Herb felt like he'd just been kicked by a horse.

"What?"

Chapter 4

The mid-morning sun shining through his bedroom windows was beginning to get annoying, but Herb really didn't want to get up yet. He was warm, happy, and perfectly content for the first time in, well, as long as he could remember. Being not quite awake yet he wasn't entirely certain why there was a person sleeping in his arms, but he did know that it felt completely right.A faint waft of honeysuckle and cinnamon tickled his nose as the man in his arms made a muffled sound of protest and attempted to hide from the encroaching sunlight. Herb gave in to the urge to grin like an idiot, carefully moving wayward strands of dark green hair out of Beldon's face.He remembered, faintly, trying to reassure the Enchanter that, High King look-alike or whatever, there really wasn't anything to get so

worked up about. Somewhere along the way reassuring Beldon had turned into kissing Beldon which had then led to... Herb blushed.Now as long as the Enchanter didn't attempt to fry him to a crisp when he woke up, Herb was pretty certain he could call that the best night of his life. Which would then make this the best morning, provided of course that nothing too terrible happened before lunchtime."Mmmph. Somebody tell the sun to go away," Beldon mumbled, his face hidden between a pillow and Herb's chest. "S'too bright."Herb laughed. "Well, now I know why your castle is so dark..."With another muffled sound of protest, Beldon turned over to glare blearily up at Herb. "I happen to like sleeping in."Herb grinned. "You certainly stay up late enough to warrant it.""And whose fault is that?" Beldon inquired dryly, reaching up to drag Herb down for a slow,

sweet kiss.Looked like he got to keep his life after all. That was nice. Kisses were also nice. But only with Beldon. Kissing other people would just be weird. Other people weren't Beldon."Good morning," Herb whispered softly against Beldon's lips when they parted."Morning, yes. Good... meh. That is not a word that should ever be applied to mornings," Beldon muttered."No?" Herb inquired archly.Beldon eyed him, a hint of a bemused smile tugging at his lips. "Hmmm... are you going to attempt convince me otherwise?"Herb's emerald eyes glittered with mischief. "Oh, I'll do more than just attempt," he promised, tracing a thumb lightly along Beldon's cheekbones and around the curve of his ear before leaning close to steal another kiss.Abruptly the door opened with a bang to admit a

dark-haired young woman dressed in the simple linens of a palace servant. She shoved the door closed again almost before she was completely through, sagging against it once it was shut.A string of rather creative curses erupted from Beldon's lips as he grabbed the small blue pebble from the floor and shoved it roughly against Herb's chest. "Shazam," the Enchanter growled, and Herb was suddenly back in the shape he'd grown up in."What? Who? Edmund?" Herb asked, sitting up quickly and exchanging a startled stare with the woman."Huh? Herb?!" Edmund exclaimed in disbelief, a scowl quickly settling over her face, "When did you get back?""Yesterday," Herb replied, starting to crawl out of bed before he realized that he wasn't wearing anything underneath the sheets. "What are you doing in my room?"Edmund shrugged. "Nobody ever comes in here.

It's a good place to hide.""And why," Beldon interrupted dryly, "Would you be needing to hide, Prince Edmund?"Edmund's comely features scrunched up in an expression of wary confusion. "Who are you?" she asked.Beldon rose from the bed, magic cloaking him in a shimmering flow of golden brown magecloth as he stood, managing to somehow look both Impressive and slightly Dangerous despite his sleep-tangled hair. "The Enchanter Beldon," he replied coolly.With widened eyes, Edmund took a step backwards away from Beldon and only succeeded in running into the door. "Enchanter?" she repeated. "You're the one who broke the spell on Richard, aren't you?"Beldon twitched at the sound of the eldest prince's name, then blinked at the gentle touch of a hand on his arm. He took a deep breath, resisted the urge to lean back into that touch,

and replied evenly, "Unfortunately. I should have left him a tree."A wry smile turned up the corners of Edmund's lips. "Yes, well, I'm sure father's much happier now that his precious Richard can do more than stand around and be decorative." He snorted. "Not that he was ever particularly worth looking at in the first place...""What about you?" Herb asked, peering over Beldon's shoulder. "Beldon can break your spell too...""No!" Edmund exclaimed, his arms coming up as though to ward off any magic the Enchanter might cast. "That is... I mean..." She grimaced and sat down on the floor in a huff. "Oh botheration."Herb blinked curiously at his next-eldest sibling, puzzlement writ in every muscle of his body. "No? What's wrong, Edmund?" he asked, not getting an answer.A soft chuckle broke the silence, Beldon crossing

his arms in amusement as he watched the prince-turned-princess. "I think I understand," he drolled.Edmund scowled up at Beldon, the very picture of Indignant Princess. "How would you know?" she asked.Beldon smirked. Edmund scowled more. Herb blinked at both of them."Umm... so Edmund doesn't want you to turn him back into a boy?" he asked finally with the air of someone who was used to being confused and in need of confirmation. "How come?"The Enchanter smirked pointedly at Edmund. "You get to explain this one," he said mercilessly."Herb," Edmund said carefully, obviously having had to explain things to her younger brother before, "Think about it. What does Richard look like? What does Father look like? You've got the best genes out of all of us, and even that's not saying much." She sighed,

getting back onto her feet. "But as long as I'm under this spell, I'm actually pretty. People smile at me and give me things, and there's this rather handsome baker-"She stopped abruptly, coloring and looking away. Beldon laughed, though Herb was still puzzling through what she'd said. When he finally had it figured out he drooped, looking at his brother-turned-sister with pitiful brown eyes."I didn't know you were so unhappy, Edmund... I'm sorry..."Edmund waved off his concern. "Forget it. I'm happy now, so don't worry about me. Just let me use your room as a hiding spot until I get everything sorted out with Landon, okay? Then I'll be out of this stupid city for good.""You're sure you're happy?" Herb asked doubtfully."Quite sure," Edmund replied. "And if you ever wander through Skanli, look for 'Edwina' and I'll

prove it to you."Looking decidedly more cheerful, Edmund waved at them and pulled the door open again, peering briefly into the hallway before tossing them a quick wink and running off. Herb stared at the door for several moments before a slight gesture from Beldon closed it."Well, that proves it," Beldon stated dryly as he retrieved his clothing from where it had gotten strewn across the floor, "Your entire family is insane."Herb smiled slightly and disentangled himself from the sheet he'd donned for decency's sake. "Told you Edmund was nicer than Richard.""Hmm," Beldon replied noncommittally. "Herb...""What?" Herb asked, fishing clean clothing out of his wardrobe."I was thinking... the only place we're going to find any answers about that spell on you is Throne City," Beldon said slowly as he banished

the magical clothing he'd constructed and redressed in something real. "We don't have to, but..."Herb was quiet a moment as he slipped on shirt and trousers, then looked up determinedly at Beldon. "But we're not going to find out anything here, and I'd kinda like to know why my life is so... weird."Beldon nodded and stood, once more clad in his Enchanter's robes. "Pack light," he instructed, "And put that stone in your pocket. It's much easier to transfer the spell back and forth than to keep breaking and recasting it."As Herb went to pack, Beldon drew a small jar of carved jade from his knapsack. Removing the lid, he dipped one finger inside, a thick silvery liquid clinging to it when he drew it out again. Murmuring softly beneath his breath the Enchanter painted the door jam with the shimmering stuff, finishing just as Herb announced he was all packed.

"Hey, cool, what's that?" Herb asked, resisting the impulse to poke at the goo."Dragon's blood," Beldon replied absently, wiping his finger off and replacing the lid on the jar.Herb stared. "Dragon's blood? But... wouldn't that hurt the dragon...?" he asked.Beldon smiled wryly and put the jar away. "Yes, although this particular dragon's blood was payment from the dragon in question for a rather complicated spell.""Oh," Herb said, once more staring at the glistening stuff outlining his bedroom door. "So, um, what's it for?""A transport spell," Beldon replied, making certain all of his things were tucked away in the knapsack where they belonged. "It will take us directly to Throne City."Herb was suitably impressed. "Wow," he breathed, then blinked. "Er, so, how come you didn't do that to come here?"

"Because I'd never been to Irenia before, of course," Beldon replied matter-of-factly. "It doesn't work if I don't know where I'm going.""Oh," Herb said again, somewhat sheepishly.Beldon smiled and shook his head, stepping close to Herb and reaching up to tie something around the prince's neck."What's-" Herb started to ask."Don't take that off," Beldon instructed. "It will let me find you in case we get separated at the capitol, amongst other things.""Not even for baths?" Herb asked."Not even for baths," Beldon confirmed. "Now then, one moment..."The Enchanter held up a hand and crooked one finger. "Ism-El-Azam," he intoned calmly. From all around the doorway silver flowed inward, meeting in the middle and swirling around in a chaotic manner. It made Herb's stomach a bit queasy to look at it for too long.

"In you go," Beldon said cheerfully, giving Herb a shove that sent him tumbling into the silver door. A moment later, Beldon followed.They emerged, Beldon with considerably more grace than Herb, in a curved room with green and black marbled floors. There were only a handful of people present, all of whom were dressed similarly to Beldon in flowing, embroidered robes, and none of which paid any attention at all to the new arrivals.Without giving Herb much time at all to gawk, Beldon dragged him over to a man dressed in dark red standing next to an ornate podium. The man glanced at them briefly before summarily dismissing them to write on a small tablet.Beldon was not dissuaded. "Enchanter Beldon, here to see the ArchMage," he stated calmly.The man in red smirked as he looked them over again. "Sure you wouldn't rather stay here and spend some time with me instead?" he leered.Beldon twitched and drew in a slow breath,

letting it out even more slowly. "I need to speak with the ArchMage. It is a matter of some urgency.""Do you have an appointment?" the man in red inquired snidely.Herb silently took a step back, then made it two just for safety's sake."ArchMage. Now," Beldon said flatly.The man in red sniffed. "The ArchMage isn't available except by appointment."Beldon smiled darkly, his eyes gleaming golden. "Oh really?" he inquired, raising one hand into the air. "Zim Salabim!"People jumped as multiple cracks of lighting struck, their noise almost deafening, seeming to touch ground just outside of the room they were in. Most looked around, wide-eyed, while a few found solid pieces of furniture to hide behind. Beldon just smirked and counted aloud."Three, two, one..."

An elderly man dressed in gold-trimmed white suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and looked around rapidly, alighting on Beldon and hurrying over. The people around made little signs of respect as he passed but the old man didn't pay them any mind."Beldon! Was the lightning really necessary?" he asked, sounding mostly resigned though there was an undercurrent of nervousness in his voice."Your trained monkey here needs to be retrained," Beldon replied calmly, pointing casually at the man he'd been arguing with. "I figured if he was going to be difficult then I'd have to get your attention some other way."The ArchMage, for that is exactly who the old man was, shot a look at the man in red. "We'll talk later," he muttered, ushering Beldon, with Herb following along in bewilderment, across the room and through a set of golden doors."Up," the ArchMage said to the air, precipitating a slight tingling sensation before the room faded

out only to be replaced by a different one entirely."Really now, Beldon," the ArchMage continued as he led them to a set of chairs, "You don't have to terrify everyone to get what you want..."Beldon only raised a single eyebrow and made a point of pulling teacups out of the air for himself and Herb.The ArchMage sighed and acquired a teacup of his own. "Very well, then... so what brings you to the capitol? I thought you'd sworn never to set foot in the Tower of Magic again.""I had," Beldon replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of his tea before smiling in a manner that Herb was quickly coming to realize was a good sign that he should be finding a good place to hide."I found something."Beldon flicked a finger toward Herb, murmuring a soft word under his breath as he once again deactivated the spell. No sooner was Herb back

in his true body than the ArchMage jumped."Prince Adrian!" he exclaimed, teacup falling from his nerveless fingers."Oh good," Beldon said calmly, "You know who he is. That will make this so much easier.""Adrian?" Herb pouted, "But I liked being Herb..."Beldon smiled. "You can still be Herb. Now then, ArchMage... do tell me what's going on."Slowly, still staring wide-eyed at Herb, the ArchMage settled back into his chair. He fidgeted nervously with his hands for a moment before speaking with an uncertainty that was not at all befitting of the highest magical authority in the land."I don't really know all the details," the ArchMage said, "I don't think anyone does really, though High King Aiden probably knows more than most... All I really know is that Crown Prince Adrian vanished one night when he was barely three years old and no one really seemed

particularly concerned about it." He frowned, looking at his hands. "Magic was suspected, of course, but nothing was ever proved. The magicians who asked to be allowed to inspect the nursery were turned away, King Aiden telling them there was no point in it."Beldon frowned thoughtfully, his teacup floating in the air as he threaded his fingers together. "Magic..." he mused, glancing over at Herb who was looking mournfully at his empty teacup as though he could convince it to refill by sheer force of desire. With a soft smile, he filled the cup."There is magic at work, I'm certain of that," Beldon said finally, "But as you said, one would have to be at the palace itself to figure out exactly what. I think... yes. Herb."Herb blinked over the rim of his teacup. "Mmph?""Finish your tea. We're going to go visit the High King."

Chapter 5

With the Tower of Magic being fairly close by, the trip to the palace was thankfully short. Herb was back in disguise and thus mostly forgotten, but Beldon had gotten hit on four times by the time they finally made it inside. He did his best to curb his temper before something exploded, but the look that the Majordomo was giving him wasn't helping matters at all."May I help you?" the man inquired archly of Beldon, completely dismissing Herb as unimportant.It's impolite to kill the help. It's impolite to kill the help. It's impolite to kill the help."Please inform the High King that the Enchanter Beldon and..." Beldon paused and smiled wryly, "Adrian... would like a word with him."The majordomo appeared entirely unimpressed, peering loftily over his spectacles at the petite

Enchanter. "I will inform his Majesty, but I would not get your hopes up," the man stated arrogantly as he left to relay the message.Beldon simply stood and crossed his arms, waiting impatiently for the majordomo to return and wondering who in their right mind hired these idiots. Herb on the other hand was gawking like a country boy, unable to keep his gaze on any one thing for longer than a few moments. Beldon managed to hide a smile with some effort.Sooner than expected, though not soon enough for Beldon, the majordomo returned. He appeared rather surprised as he gestured them to precede him. "King Aiden will see you now," he announced, his expression saying quite clearly that he had no idea why the king would have granted this audience."Come on, Herb," Beldon said, dragging the enchanted prince away from an ornate fountain.They passed through a long hallway cordoned

off by heavy drapes before being shown to a set of carved doors. A soldier stood to either side and the one on the right opened the door as they approached. The majordomo preceded them in, bowing deeply to the figure sitting on the golden throne at the far end, then straightening and announcing, "Sire, your... guests."The High King waved the majordomo away, then summarily dismissed his servants. In moments the three of them were left alone.Beldon approached the throne, having to stop halfway and retrieve Herb who had tripped over the carpet while trying to stare at the painted ceiling. Once they were within a comfortable speaking distance the Enchanter bowed, somewhat stiffly from lack of practice, and elbowed Herb to do the same once it was apparent that the prince's attention had once again wandered.Although he was trying not to show it, the High King practically radiated tension.

"Majesty," Beldon said with a slight smile, "I am the Enchanter Beldon." He paused, looking thoughtful, then spoke a few soft words and waved his hand around his head in a slow circle. The High King frowned."What did you just do?" he questioned.Beldon shrugged. "Better to be safe, considering the circumstances. I just negated all possible prying eyes and ears," he explained, then gestured briefly at Herb."Shazam."As Herb's spell melted away, leaving him tall and auburn-haired once more, the King tensed again. He gazed at Herb for a long moment, eyes betraying little, then let out a slow breath."How can I be certain that this is not all an elaborate trick?" he asked cautiously.Beldon snorted. "With all due respect, your Majesty, we didn't come here to convince you of anything. We'd simply like to know what the hell is going on so Herb can make some sense out of

the mess that passes for his life. It's certainly not our fault that your entire bloody kingdom appears to be completely insane."Silence reigned supreme.It was Herb who broke the stand-off at last, scratching thoughtfully at his head. "Huh... He's older than in the picture you showed me, Beldon.""I'm not surprised," Beldon replied with a shrug. "Until today, I hadn't seen the High King for decades."Herb blinked. "Decades?" he repeated. "Er, how old are you?"Beldon shrugged. "Master Magicians can extend their life indefinitely from the moment they achieve that rank," he explained. "Essentially, however old you are when you master your magic is how old you remain until your magic is no longer strong enough to support you.""Oh," Herb said, though it was clear that he was still trying to puzzle through all of the

ramifications of that."I remember you now," the High King said slowly. "The child prodigy... Master Sabin's protege."Herb blinked again. "Child prodigy?"An amused smile curved the corners of the High King's lips. "Indeed. He caused quite a stir at the time. Master Enchanter at age... seventeen, I believe. Between his age and his... penchant for trouble, I believe the entire Sorcerer's Council breathed a collective sigh of relief when he chose to isolate himself."Beldon scowled. Herb laughed. "I'm not surprised," he said cheerfully."I could always turn you back into a Beast again," Beldon threatened sulkily.The High King blinked. "Beast?" he asked.Beldon and Herb exchanged a look, then Herb smiled sheepishly. "Er, yes. Um, you see, it started at home. Or, um, Irenia anyway," he

explained, confusing himself in the process. Beldon smiled and shook his head, gently prodding Herb to continue his narration."You see this wizard came and was causing trouble, so fath.. um... King Hughbert sent the three of us princes out to stop him. He turned Richard into a tree, Edmund into a girl, and me into a Beast," Herb continued, oblivious to the way the King tensed at the word wizard. "Then I went looking for an enchanted castle because I needed one or the spell wouldn't break and that's when I found Beldon."At this point, Beldon took up the tale. "I discovered that the Enchanted Beast spell had gotten warped and eventually deduced that the cause was two conflicting spells. When I removed both it became quite evident that there was more going on than either of us knew and we came here in search of answers."He finished and looked pointedly at the High King, who nodded slowly and rubbed at his

goatee."As you may have deduced, there are traitors in the city," he stated quietly. "I haven't identified them all yet but I have a few guesses, including," King Aiden looked pointedly at Beldon, "A few on the Sorcerer's Council."Beldon snorted. "Most likely more than just a few," he grumbled.Herb suppressed a laugh. "You really don't get along with them very well, do you?" he asked."Most of the Council is still afraid of him," the High King said helpfully, hiding a smile of his own."Good," Beldon stated icily. Herb grinned and reached out to ruffle the Enchanter's hair, earning himself a sideways look for his trouble."Okay, so we told you our story," Herb pointed out, "So now will you explain the parts we don't know yet? Or maybe those parts too, because I still don't get it."

The High King smiled faintly and shook his head in bemusement, then slowly, very slowly, rose from his throne. "Fair enough," he said, his voice no longer certain, his eyes pained, his hands trembling. Herb darted over to help, managing miraculously to get there without tripping over anything, and the King leaned heavily on him.Beldon frowned. "Majesty...""Just feeling my age at last," King Aiden said, carefully straightening and descending the steps of the dais."Somehow I doubt that," Beldon murmured, coming up to walk at Aiden's free side and reaching out to gently touch the High King's arm. A few soft words escaped his lips, then the Enchanter stiffened. "This is not age, Majesty. This is magic," he hissed, anger coloring his words. "Someone has been stealing your power."Both Herb and the High King started in surprise. Beldon looked up at King Aiden. "This

is no recent thing, but a slow drain. Why hasn't the ArchMage noticed?" he demanded.Aiden shook his head slowly. "I don't know...""Can you fix him?" Herb asked worriedly, looking from Beldon to the King and back again.Beldon was silent a moment, then shook his head slowly. "I... I don't know. The Royal Family is... different.""Huh?" Herb asked eloquently."Walk with me," King Aiden instructed, "And I will explain."They passed through a small doorway at the rear of the throne room, emerging in a long corridor. Although not as extreme as the entry hall or throne room, it was still quite opulent and the King allowed Herb some time to gawk before speaking."There has been a certain sort of power that has run in our bloodline for more generations than anyone can remember," he explained. "No one

really remembers why, but where it came from is not as important as what it does. The old power grants us a longer lifespan than normal as well as giving us some immunity to magic."Herb blinked. "But I had two spells cast on me."King Aiden smiled. "I suspect that the second would not have been able to be cast if not for the first, and it took a very special magician and a highly complicated spell to cast that one."Beldon stopped, an odd expression on his face as he looked at the High King."... Your Majesty," he said slowly, "Master Sabin cast that spell, didn't he?"Aiden nodded. "Yes, he did."Beldon remained silent for the rest of the trip, lost in thought, while Herb and the King chatted about all that they'd missed in each other's lives over the last fifteen years.They stopped in front of a plain wooden door with no ornamentation, unlike the rest of the

palace. It was old, very old, although still in remarkably good condition. Neither it nor the hallway they were in, it seemed, got much use.King Aiden laid a hand on the door, looking at it silently for a long moment before turning to address his companions. "This is... part of the royal treasury. There is a very old and powerful spell on this room which requires one of my bloodline to open the door," he explained, looking sadly at Herb. "That is half of the reason that I had to send you away."Curious, Beldon reached out to the door, not quite touching it. His eyes acquired a far-off look as he silently studied it, then with a slight nod he stepped back. "Hmm, not bad," he commented, "Though I could probably circumvent it if I had to.""It's a good thing you're on our side, then," King Aiden said, nonplussed.Herb laughed and hugged the Enchanter. "Beldon can do anything," he stated proudly.

Beldon blushed.Aiden laughed. "I'm beginning to get that impression as well," he admitted. "It really is a pity you turned down my offer all those years ago. The kingdom would benefit greatly having you for a Royal Enchanter.""I don't like people," Beldon muttered, his voice lacking any real heat. After all, it was terribly hard to get upset at things when a certain enchanted prince was still glomped onto you."So, um, what's in that room that's so special?" Herb inquired, peering at the ominous door from over Beldon's head.The High King stiffened, his face losing all traces of humor. "Something very dangerous," he said softly. "Many years ago I aided Master Sabin in sealing away a very powerful Dark Enchanter. His prison lies within that room."Beldon stiffened as well, despite Herb's proximity. "Morgemeil..." he breathed quietly.King Aiden nodded. "Apparently Morgemeil had

a son, who showed up fifteen years ago swearing revenge upon me for my role in the matter. He threatened to destroy my son if I did not set his father free." He rubbed at his face wearily, looking very old, and very tired. "Obviously, that was not an option. So I sent Adrian away in disguise and Master Sabin cast a spell to make everyone forget that he'd ever existed. Only in that manner could I be certain he'd be safe."Silence stretched between them for a long moment, then Herb asked curiously, "If this Master Sabin guy could do all that, then how come he didn't just make the bad wizard go away?"It was Beldon who answered him. "Sabin was old. Very old. Even the most powerful magician cannot live forever.""The spell to hide you away was the last spell he ever cast," Aiden added quietly.Again there was a long moment of silence, none of the three of them really looking at anything,

then Herb's stomach abruptly decided it needed food and rumbled loudly.Beldon smiled wryly. "Apparently it is supper time," he announced.Aiden chuckled softly and led the way.For nearly the entire journey Beldon eyed Herb thoughtfully, earning himself a quizzical look in return as they entered the dining hall."Herb," Beldon asked suddenly, "How do you feel about being bait?"Herb blinked. "Bait?" he repeated.The Enchanter smiled in that unsettling manner of his that usually meant people should start ducking. "This upstart magician wants to free his daddy from the treasure room. You and the High King are theoretically the only people who can do that. He's obviously had years to work on King Aiden here and still doesn't have what he wants. Therefore..." Beldon's eyes glittered, "If the Crown Prince was suddenly seen waltzing around, I'm willing to bet he'll make a move."

"Most likely," Aiden agreed, "But how do you plan on keeping Adrian safe?"Beldon laced his fingers together, eyes narrowed, a positively evil expression on his face. Both Herb and the King blanched."Never mind," Aiden said quickly, "I don't want to know."Talk then turned to more trivial matters and Beldon dismissed his privacy spell so that the servants could enter with the food. He said little throughout the course of the meal, letting father and son bond while his attention was focused on less lighthearted matters. Both Herb and his father had faith in him and he wasn't about to let them down due to poor preparation. By the time dessert had been consumed, everything was ready. The initial spells had been cast, the secondary spells selected and readied, and the plan finalized.Now all he needed was for the idiot to just show up.

"I've had the servants prepare a room for you," King Aiden said once he finally managed to get Beldon's attention. "And Adrian's room has been aired out and readied for him as well. They can show you to them now, if you'd like."Beldon shrugged indifferently. "There is little more that can be done tonight," he said. "Perhaps it is best to retire for the evening, as tomorrow we will see about catching ourselves a traitor."The three of them said their goodnights before allowing the servants to whisk them off to their respective suites. Beldon wandered around his, looking at everything without any real curiosity, though the bathing room sparked a little bit of interest.It didn't take very long to come to a decision.Casting a quick you can't see me spell, he slipped out of his room and followed the bright trail of magic that wound through the palace hallways and eventually ended at a set of

horribly ornate painted doors. Beldon cancelled the spell before knocking, taking a step back when the door was opened from within.With a shy smile, Herb let him in, closing the door behind them.

Chapter 6

Herb awoke slowly, feeling deliciously relaxed and incredibly comfortable. There was definitely something to be said for royal beds, though the fact that this particular royal bed had a nude Enchanter in it made it particularly enticing. At present said Enchanter was still asleep and draped half over Herb, his hair spread out over both of them like threads of dark silk.Maybe they could put off ferreting out the evil wizard for a day or so. Staying in bed all morning sounded like a lovely idea, though he doubted Beldon would consent to it. Maybe with a little convincing...Impishly, Herb ran his hands beneath all that dark hair, along the curve of the Enchanter's back and cupping Beldon's behind. He got a sleepy murmur from the man, but not much else, and so began to gently massage from buttocks back up to Beldon's neck.

"Mmmm..." Beldon murmured, "Don't stop doing that or I'll turn you into a guinea pig..."Herb laughed and kissed the top of that dark head. "You sure?" he asked, sliding one hand between their bodies. "I could do something else instead..."The Enchanter gasped softly and arched back, blinking several times to clear the fog of sleep from his mind, his eyes eventually managing to refocus. Personally Herb thought watching Beldon try to wake up in the morning was the best entertainment ever, though he'd never say as much out loud. He did value his life, after all."Herb..." Beldon breathed, his voice catching momentarily before shifting into a low moan. "Mmm...""Are you awake?" Herb asked innocently, letting out a soft meep as he abruptly found himself straddled by the now quite-awake Enchanter who glared down at him from beneath the fall of dark hair.

"You... are incorrigible," Beldon told him flatly, before leaning down to steal a long, slow kiss.He loved the taste of Beldon's mouth, loved the feel of the slender body beneath his hands, the wave of dizziness that threatened to carry him away and left him completely light-headed every time the man kissed him. He'd managed to work his hands back down to cup the perfect curve of Beldon's ass again when someone knocked on his bedroom door.Beldon broke off the kiss and scowled fiercely. "Now what?" he demanded of no one in particular.The door opened and a young woman entered, radiating worry. "Prince Adrian," she said, looking slowly from her trembling hands to Herb's bed, "The King would like me to tell you that the Enchanter seems to have gone missin- EEP!"All at once the girl's face flushed crimson and she stepped backwards rapidly. "I.. oh! Sorry!"

she managed to gasp out before turning and fleeing from the room.Both Herb and Beldon regarded the door for several moments before Herb began laughing quietly. Beldon sighed, sitting up and pushing his hair back out of his face. "Well, I suppose we should get dressed before the entire palace comes to investigate," he muttered in annoyance.Herb was still snickering as the Enchanter fetched a fresh set of clothing from his knapsack, though he did take a slight breather to enjoy the view as Beldon got dressed. The tables turned once Beldon was fully clothed, however, as every time he attempted to dress himself Beldon touched him."You are so not helping," Herb whined after having dropped his socks for the fourth time.Beldon smirked. "You woke me up," he pointed out.Very carefully, Herb placed two chairs and a

table between himself and the Enchanter and scrambled into his clothing faster than he'd ever done before. Beldon was still smirking when he finished, though there was an amused light in his eyes."Your buttons are all one off," he pointed out.Herb grinned. "Will you fix them for me?" he asked innocently. Beldon raised an eyebrow, but stepped around the blockade to assist. He'd gotten two of the buttons undone when Herb tipped his head up and kissed him soundly.They hadn't moved from that spot when the second knock of the morning came, though Herb's buttons had managed to right themselves at some point. The door cracked open, King Aiden's voice audible outside."Adrian?" he called tentatively, "Are you... up?"Beldon and Herb exchanged wry smiles before separating and turning toward the door. "Yes, Father," Herb replied cheerfully, "And clothed too."

Cautiously the High King pushed the door completely open, stepping into the room and looking from his son to Beldon and back again. "Ah," he said faintly, "That's good. The maids were most concerned this morning when they discovered that the Enchanter's bed had not been slept in.""Obviously it didn't take them that long to find me," Beldon pointed out sweetly, taking merciless pleasure in the way the High King's cheeks colored. Some things ran in the family, it seemed.King Aiden coughed and looked at a wall for a few moments until the blush faded. "Right, well... I thought you might want a quick breakfast before we headed out..."Taking pity on his father, Herb pulled Beldon out of his suite and into the hallway. "Breakfast would be great," he said cheerfully, then beamed as he spotted a servant bearing a covered tray. "Ooh, hello breakfast," he greeted, snatching the

lid off and peering at what lay beneath.Beldon snickered, then blinked as he abruptly found a small piece of fruit pressed to his lips. Herb grinned, popping a second piece of fruit into his mouth with his other hand. Undaunted, Beldon accepted the morsel, taking great care to lick Herb's fingers clean afterwards.Both royals and two of the three waiting servants flushed scarlet, the last one opting to gape instead. Beldon smirked and licked his lips, then carefully selected a strawberry to feed to a red-faced Herb."Maybe breakfast wasn't such a good idea after all..." King Aiden said faintly."Probably not," Beldon agreed, "But it does taste nice. Shall we be going?"The High King led the way, followed by the servants, with Herb and Beldon following behind and nibbling at their breakfast. The servants departed upon reaching the foyer, the High King continuing right out into the

courtyard where a number of retainers waited. As they stepped outside, three saddled horses were brought to meet them.Herb and his Father both swung up onto their mounts with ease, Herb displaying considerably more grace in the saddle than he had while on his own two feet. Beldon on the other hand eyed his with an expression of distaste and pulled himself onto it a touch awkwardly. He really wasn't all that fond of horses. They were so... stupid.King Aiden led the way with Herb a half pace behind him, a number of guards right on their heels. Beldon waited until the rest of the retainers began to ride out, placing himself in their midst so as not to draw undue attention to himself. Herb was the bait here, not him.As they passed off the palace grounds and into the city itself the Enchanter cast a small spell to make certain the animal would behave under any circumstances and set his mind free to

search for any traces of unusual magic. This being the capitol city with the Tower of Magic and the Sorcerer's Council both nearby there was quite a bit of ambient magic everywhere. He barely paid any attention at all to the tour of the capitol or King Aiden's running commentary, trying to sort out why things felt... off.They'd turned the procession around and were circling back toward the palace when it happened. There was a sharp build-up of magical energy, far too much for one person to wield, then suddenly there were panicking horses everywhere. Beldon silently thanked his own foresight for remembering to bespell his beast as it was the only one that didn't seem to think the world was about to end.All around him guards and retainers were slowly toppling over onto the ground, caught in the grip of a powerful sleeping spell. In moments, only Beldon, Herb, and his father were still awake, protected as they were by Beldon's magic.

"What's going on?" Herb asked, barely managing to stay astride his panicking horse. "Beld-"Abruptly a man appeared out of nowhere, dressed in vivid purple wizard's robes that glittered in the sunlight. He reached out to grab hold of Herb's arm only to be zapped backwards into a wall by a bolt of pure magical energy as the protective necklace Beldon had placed on the prince reacted to the possible threat.Beldon stared. "Melanth?!" he exclaimed, sliding down off his oblivious steed and walking over to watch as the wizard slowly picked himself up off the ground. "You're the idiot wizard causing all this trouble?"The wizard, Melanth, stared back at him. "Beldon?! You're supposed to be hiding out in the middle of nowhere! The hell are you doing here?""Cleaning up your messes, apparently," Beldon retorted. "You're still a lousy excuse for a mage."

"Just because you and that crazy old man were both insane doesn't make me a bad mage!" Melanth exclaimed, drawing himself up to his full, and taller than Beldon, height. "I found better teachers to learn from.""Apparently not very good ones," Beldon pointed out with a smirk, "Or I wouldn't have been able to put you through a wall again. Obviously that's why you're trying to free your daddy." He rolled his eyes. "If I was Morgemeil, I so would have disowned you."Melanth sneered. "At least I'm not a girlie-boy," he retorted smugly.Beldon's fists clenched at his side, years of childhood taunts ringing in his ears as his temper flared. He focused his thoughts to cast a spell- Only to watch as a fist connected with Melanth's face, sending the wizard flying backwards once again.Herb glared down at the wizard, the angriest expression Beldon had ever seen writ across his

normally gentle face. The Enchanter blinked."I suggest you rethink your words, wizard," Herb growled, eerily reminiscent of the voice he'd possessed as a Beast.The wizard struggled to his feet, again, and cast an arm out imperiously... only to blink as nothing happened. He stared for a moment, then repeated the gesture. Still nothing. Beldon smirked."That's impossible!" Melanth screeched, starting to panic. "Even you couldn't stop me with the full power of the council augmenting me! There's no way!"Beldon's smirk widened as he casually crossed his arms across his chest. "You really should have paid more attention to Master Sabin," he pointed out, "Rather than constantly whining about all the 'weird' and 'backwards' methods he taught."Melanth blinked. "What do you mean-" The rest of the wizard's sentence died as his breath

caught in his throat and his eyes crossed. He managed a strangled sound before he began shrinking rapidly until a large slug was all that remained where once a man had stood."Woah," Herb said, impressed."Um," King Aiden managed, blinking."Beldon! You witch!" the slug shrieked in Melanth's voice, "What did you do to me?!""I should think that would be obvious," Beldon said, calmly withdrawing a small crystal salt shaker from a pocket. "You're not the only one who can cast transformation spells." He crouched down next to the furious creature, carefully sprinkling a few grains of salt onto it.Predictably, it screamed. Beldon smirked."Now then," he said conversationally, "I want the names of every single person working with you and what their involvement has consisted of. Can you do that for me, Melanth?""G-go to hell..." Melanth-the-slug retorted.

Beldon sighed. "Fine, be difficult," he said and sprinkled a bit more salt on Melanth. When the former wizard's screams died off this time, he shakily listed a series of names. At each successive conspirator, Beldon's smile grew."That's almost the entire Sorcerer's Council," King Aiden breathed. "Including the ArchMage!""Yes, it is," Beldon agreed, looking positively gleeful at the thought of finally being able to get even after so many years of scorn and ridicule. Herb and Aiden both blanched and took a step back away from the Enchanter."I'm really, really glad I'm not a sorcerer..." Herb stated.King Aiden could only nod his agreement.Beldon regarded the slimy creature for a moment, then cast another spell to turn Melanth into a rather fluffy chinchilla. He reached down and picked the furry thing up by the scruff of the neck, depositing it in the arms of one of the

guardsmen who were slowly waking up as the sleep spell wore off.Orders were issued and the party broke up, the guards taking the wizard-turned-rodent back to the palace while Aiden, Herb, and Beldon went to the Tower of Magic to deal with the rest of Melanth's associates. They'd nearly made it to the entry doors when several bolts of lighting streaked down from the sky directly overhead.The Enchanter snorted. "Like I wouldn't know how to counter my own trademark spell," he murmured, shaking his head. Aiden hid a smile."Beldon," Herb asked thoughtfully, "How come you're so much stronger than the whole Council?"Beldon blinked, then snickered softly. "I'm not, actually," he replied with a smile, "But I did cast a spell earlier that the idiots up there obviously haven't figured out yet.""What spell?" Herb asked curiously."Something I created in my youth," Beldon

replied with a soft smile. "I was desperate to gain an advantage over my teacher, so I found a way to use his own power against him." He laughed softly. "It took him a week to figure out how to counter it and get his revenge."Herb grinned. "Sounds like you and your teacher had a lot of fun.""Yeah," Beldon said with a smile, "We did.""Including making every well and river in the kingdom carry strawberry juice for a week," King Aiden inserted dryly.Beldon flushed and looked at a wall. "That was an accident..." he mumbled.Herb and Aiden both laughed, breaking off when sharpened stakes appeared in the sky above them before glancing off harmlessly to the side."Well," Aiden said nonplussed, "I believe it's time to end this.""Agreed," Beldon snorted, looking up at the top

of the tower. "Hello up there," he called, magically augmenting his voice to carry. "You can come down now, or we can do this the hard way."Silence stretched out, Beldon's foot keeping time as it tapped softly against the cobblestones. Finally the three exchanged glances and Herb shrugged."Fine then," Beldon said, "The hard way it is."He closed his eyes, lips and fingers moving in silence, arms coming slowly up until he pointed straight at the very top of the Tower of Magic. His final words were breathed in a voice so soft that they were only barely audible. "Zim Salabim..."Everyone's hair stood on end momentarily before the largest lightning bolt yet split the air, enveloping the entire tower and lighting it up from within like a giant lantern."Oooh," Herb breathed, "Pretty..."Beldon smirked briefly at Herb before restoring

his attention to the tower. A few moments later a handful of skittish-looking mages appeared, then a few more, then finally the ArchMage himself who attempted to hide behind one of the others as soon as he was fully visible."Good boys," Beldon purred before turning to Aiden. "Your Majesty, would you care to pronounce sentence on these would-be traitors?"King Aiden eyed the frazzled magicians thoughtfully, then smiled and looked at the Enchanter. "Why do I have the feeling that nothing I could do to these men could possibly compare with what you have in mind?" he asked."I have no idea," Beldon replied innocently, his golden eyes gleaming, "Although..." He waved a hand at the sorry-looking lot. "Hekas Este Bebeloi."Between one blink and another the entire group vanished, to be replaced with a number of fuzzy

white bunnies. "There," Beldon said smugly, "That should keep them out of everyone's hair until they can be... permanently dealt with."Aiden stifled a chuckle while Herb went to go play with the bunnies. Beldon watched for a few moments before turning to the High King. "You know..." he said thoughtfully as Herb spun around in a circle and hugged two of the rabbits, "Nothing I could possibly do to them would be worse than what he's doing right now.""You have a point," Aiden laughed.In the end, Aiden had agreed that giving the rabbits to Herb was very fitting punishment indeed, although Herb was, of course, oblivious. They began slowly rebuilding the Sorcerer's Council, appointing Witch Hilda as first chair much to her blushing delight.Beldon was unwillingly named ArchMage, protesting loudly until Herb turned puppy eyes on him and kissed him until the Enchanter was in no frame of mind to protest much of

anything."It's incredibly hilarious," King Aiden mused as he watched Herb put the Enchanter in his lap and pet him, "That I gave you a Royal Invitation to come live in the palace twice and you turned me down, yet all Adrian has to do is give you puppy eyes and you consent without another word."Beldon glared but was restrained by Herb before he could strangle the High King, fuming silently until Herb kissed him senseless.And so Beauty tamed the savage Beast.

The End