The Beauty in the Beast

Chapter Five- Beauty in Intellect

A swift knock at her door would lift Sienna from her slumber as she would pry her eyes apart with reluctant force as the memories of the night before returned to her immediately. The nightmarish past that made up the history of Shadow Isle had been revealed to her in a session of magic that seemed impossible until now. Yet as she questioned the details of creatures both human and monster, she had recalled in this moment that this was what she had been made up of as well.

These thoughts would exit her mind as quickly as they had entered as her eyes lifted to view Ingram bringing a tray of food to the guest. But as the sound of metal sliding over its matching tray and the hum of the alchemist filling the room, Sienna realized that the visions of death and destruction were not what startled her; but how she found solace with a ruthless man’s touch to her skin. She loathed that not even slumber had felt as kind as his hands-a man she detested managed to bring her peace as she was left to question if perhaps his reputation was nothing but rumors. Yet as her heart began to soften at the thought of trusting Adrian, her memory brought the recollection of him killing a man he had trusted before her very eyes; no matter the reason, the action was as cold blooded as what pumped through his veins in the absence of a heart.

Her body pulled her back into a horizontal rest as she would now be forced to dine with this man once more, fearing what he would utter to her now from over the sight of warm pastries dripping with fresh jams and jellies. She would have to refrain from allowing her inner beast to unleash towards him once more as she sickened herself with the thought that she could ever think a single kind thought of him when knowing the selfish and wicked man he truly was.

“The king has asked me to entertain you as he sends his regrets-”

“He is not here?”

“He is present, but with his council as he does not remain king by simply charming beautiful women…” Ingram now exposed her first meal with the sight of those mouth watering pastries now set to her on this single tray; a view she had forgotten of until the echo of its chime.

“When you are finished with your meal, ring the bell and I will come and retrieve it…” Ingram would be nodded to as Sienna dug into the saccharine biscuits and soothing tea that felt heavenly against her raspy throat. It would take her only a handful of moments to finish the entire meal as her fingers reached for the metal bell at a table at the side of her bed. But as the tips of her fingers reached to obey Ingram, she decided to learn the lay of her new residence while under the guise of being confined to her room.

She would keep to the depths of the shadows while her steps would venture forwards, leading her to a dead end decorated with a single window that overlooked the courtyard below. The sound of heavy boots at her back startled her as she quickly tried the first door that came into view, closing it with a second to spare as she took a breath of relief before turning to notice a library at her back.

Her mouth opened in awe as she had yet to witness a collection such as this. Not only due to the numbers of volumes of pages, but also how it had been collected. Set on shelves made specifically for these special books, ivy had grown between each rack until falling back out within the cracked glass of this greenhouse converted into a study. A long table similar to that of one held in a dining room would be littered with papers; hundreds of sketches as notes made on parchment that spoke of lycans. Her gaze would take note of this before she would be turned with a great force and pinned against the edge of this desk with a gasp leaving her parted lips.

“Why are you free from your chambers without an escort?”

“I am not a child...I simply do not require one-”

“Then may I suggest you stop acting as one? Do you know how valuable these writings are? The blood I have spilled in order to obtain them?” Her own blood chilled at the thought of a life meeting an end over something as innocuous as written ink embedded into paper; and yet, she knew his words were true as he was a man as vile as his legacy.

“Retire to your chambers at once before I have you slumber with the foals.” His eyes would drop to her lips as he was close enough to feel her breath tease his own mouth, as her gaze did not break from his startling expression both lustful and enraged.

“I am more wolf than woman, I will not deny it, but I am to be treated as humane-”

“You desire a gentle hand? Why should I allow such kindness when you leave me in a state of perpetual questioning if I wish to see you quartered or bound to the posts of my chambers to await me in lust?” Her mouth would part at the sight as he would bring his weight into her further so she was able to feel the extent of this thought rousing him; but it frightened her as she wasn’t sure what had aroused him- the thought of her execution or s****l relinquishment.

“Sire-” The doors opened at his back as her eyes did not leave him even as he turned away from her.

“Whatever it is-”

“It is Blacksworth-” The mere mention of this name was enough for Adrian to abandon his desire to torment his charge as he would release his hands but turn to look at her once more. With a sense of aggression remaining in his enchanting features she found irritating, she would note how his eyes would take stock in her lips, analyzing the curve of her cupid’s bow before pushing into her once more.

“You have my vow that before your end is met...You will be on your knees for your Lord…” Her eyes flashed between his before she would rival his wishful ambition.

“To that would be a pain worse than death-”

Suddenly his hands took hold of her arms and pulled her close enough to bring the edge of his nose to her own.

“A woman on her knees does not always mean submission...on occasion..It could mean pleasure.” Her skin elevated in having been exhilarated at the thought as he took in his effect on her.

“My Lord!”

“Enough, dammit!” He would release Sienna as she was left winded by his words and the images conjured in her mind of events she had witnessed when distancing herself from home in the later hours of the night back in Ellemist; where women would leave their doors unlocked for male visitors and not bother to lock them even once they were quite indisposed. Due to this, she was rather knowledgeable of what he was in reference to; the mechanics or desire behind it having been lost on her, however.

When the door had come to a close, she would turn back in the sight of the pages of lycanthropic research, her finger moving to her lips as another wrapped around her stomach; her body confused in both arousal and fear as she began to feel ill from his words and the thoughts that accompanied this. Eventually when the nausea had settled enough to step forwards, she would return to the corridor with the destination having been her own chambers as she did not wish to encounter the riled king or any of those in his employ. But as she attempted to step in advance in the direction of the familiar halls, she found how they had all appeared the same. The tapestries lined identical in this hallway as they had the one before and the one following. Her steps would quicken in different directions to the sound of echoing voices and closing footsteps until she came to the sound of a familiar voice.

“Blacksworth will have us barricaded by eve’s end if we venture that way, Isaacs! I have not employed you to set us all to our death, we have no men to lose!”

“If we remain still, they will revolt with even more men, we must act immediately or risk-” As Sienna had begun to eavesdrop on this conversation, she would set herself on the side of the door, peeking into a room to stop half a dozen men peering over a map as Adrian led the conversation, seemingly unimpressed by their plans.

“Unhand me!” She would shriek at the sudden pull of her body being forced within the room as she was seen by a nearby guard and addressed to the king who now looked at her with complete annoyance. But she would be unreleased by a grip as the knight would release her, Adrian would now take hold of her.

“As you seem incapable of following a simple command, you will stay put in this corner until I see fit as the child you are!” He would toss her into a nearby chair as she would fold her arms and pout in his direction as the conversation before her continued and she was unable to break from her confines as there were far too many men in any attempt she would then make.

“Perhaps if we use the caves on the shore...it supplies enough protection as well as the element of surprise…”

“A current comes at midnight, drowns anyone asleep-daft ideas...Each one! How is it we have evaded death until now with resolutions such as this! These men will come and take the women and children as quickly as a thief in the night, the husbands slaughtered if not imprisoned and the animals hanged for...decoration-Unless you wish to have THAT blood on YOUR hands, bring me something useful!”

Sienna was rather surprised that his reason for defending his land was not his precious gold she heard rumors of him storing beneath his very throne or even the fear of his own life; he was a true king in desire of protecting those who were beneath him as subjects. Her pout lightened when learning this as she became immersed in the passion he used as he spoke-even as it was anger and frustration; there was now something intoxicating to her about his motivation; something that made him appear softer to her now. Yet it was not enough to eradicate his wickedness.

“Trojan horse?” One of the other knights spoke as Adrian was now obliterated in faith, tearing his hand across the entire table to leave only the map as several metal trinkets that symbolized soldiers and knights had now collected onto the floor.

“If he manages to infiltrate us-burn a single piece of straw on a roof or touch a single woman that is my subject-we are all as good as dead.”

“Daylight.” Another guard spoke. “They will expect us to attack in daylight...dusk or dawn-not night...We can infiltrate them then…”

“You will be killed.” Sienna explained as she held up a metal wolf.

“If you believe they will be lying in wait, even as they camp, they will be awaiting you-”

The men all looked at one another in humor.

“If I need my pantaloons sewn, I would ask your mind aloud, bird...for now-”

“Let her speak.” Adrian explained.

“Sire-”

“LET. HER. SPEAK!” He would now motion for Sienna to do just that as she cleared her throat before moving to the large map. This would be the first time she would be allowed an understanding of Shadow Isle as a whole, seeing how large it appeared in scale to the deck of the ship which made it appear miniscule in its titanic ocean in simple contrast.

“Canines will rise at an unfamiliar scent...The moment you bring a single man; by wagon, cave, or seaboard-they will rise in alert…”

“How is it helpful to speak-”

Adrian’s eyes shot to this guard who interrupted her.

“Yet you favor the idea of infiltrating first as it is this strike that will be your downfall-the impatience.” The men around her were boiling while Adrian looked at her with intrigue. “Allow them to venture to you-however...as they come to expect women and children-”

“Have my knights in their place...They will expect helpless villagers and will come upon cold iron...” Sienna nodded to Adrian having finished her thought aloud.

“Evacuate the entire island to where?” Sienna shrugged as she motioned at the castle surrounding them as she was asked this by the army’s general.

“I cannot fathom if there would not be enough space; my chambers alone could fit a quarter of the Isle!”

“They are not meant beyond the walls!” Asmodeus would explain. “Thievery alone-”

“A banquet. Inviting the entire kingdom in celebration...It will keep morale extended and allow us the time we need to rid them of our land. Send word to Gerald immediately-” The men looked to each other in concern as Asmodeus leaned in to Adrian.

“If this fails...the lives of hundreds are on your head.”

“If this fails, we are all as good as dead anyhow-at least we now have a chance.” One by one the men would leave as Sienna continued to play with the wolf figurine in her hand before her eyes would rise to the shadow cresting her.

“The opinion of a woman has never been considered in terms of war prior to now...It is quite a responsibility, yet I believe in it.” His eyes would bow for just a moment before meeting with her, only now, holding a brass key in his palm.

“The room you came upon is a sacred space to me...I find solace there when the world itself seems to suffocate as sand...It is now yours to share.”

Her mouth parted and her eyes narrowed in concern.

“Adrian-”

“If you refuse to call me by my title, I beg of you to not address me at all...I have already taken your lead today, if I do it once more and forfeit my dominance to you...I may lose credence over my men.” He would gift her the key and move towards the door, turning back once more with the profile of his side looking at her for a moment.

“If there is to be a single warning you do harbor to heart...I ask it is this...Tread carefully in the knowledge of those who came before you...the stories are not favorable in abundance...Yet, it does not mean you are fated to repeat it...You will find disheartening accounts...I do not wish for it to alter you, pup...I...It would be a shame..” This had been the closest she had come to a compliment from him; something she would neve have expected in her wildest dreams as she would be left on her own once again-only now, with a literal key to her past within her palm.