Fan Fiction ❯ The Red Red Rose ❯ The Beginning ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I will post as often as the chapters come. Keep watching they will come. Now last time Curtis, Ebony's father, made his deal, got his money, got robbed, robbed the beast, lied and was sent home (basically right). So lets now continue the story...

Chapter 3- The Beginning

Curtis had been home for two days when he called Joanna, Evelyn and (to every ones surprise) Ebony together to tell them what had happened to him during his trip. He talked over dinner about how the deal went down and all the money that he got from it. He also told them what it was like in the city from the fashion to the weather. It was not until after dinner that Curtis told them what happened after he left the city. When he got to how he was robbed and left tied to a tree naked both; Joanna and Evelyn cried about how unfair life was. At this point Ebony was trying to figure out why her father wanted her to listen to how his trip went.

It was then that Curtis started to tell them all about the castle, the magic, the riches, and lastly about the monster that was the lord over it all. This is where the story that he was telling changed from what truly happened to his own twisted version. "When I tried to leave the monster stopped me and threw me into the dungeon. As it was turning away I begged it to let me go so that I could come home and take care of my family. That was then it stopped and demanded that I tell it about my family. I told it all about Joanna and Evelyn and how beautiful they are," at this point Joanna and Evelyn almost fainted thinking about what their father went though with the monster. Curtis continued "That thing listened as I told it all I could and when I was finished it just turned way. As it started to walk away I remembered you, Ebony, and I told it that I did have a third daughter. The monster stopped at this, turned, and told me to tell it about you. When I finished it paused for a moment and said that there might be a way for me to get out. The deal was that I had to give you over to it for the rest of your life. I have to send you to it after with in three days of me being home. So tomorrow morning you will leave and go to it's castle until you die."

"No, you truly couldn't have done such a thing like that. There is no way that you could hate me so much that you would send me off to some monster, some beast for the rest of my life. No, this can't be happening."

"The thing that you do not seem to get is that it has already been done and in the morning you will be going even if I have to tie you into the saddle of that monster's horse."

"You don't understand! I can't leave. Not when I just found Henry and we have fallen in love. So you see I no longer belong to you, I belong to Henry."

"Who is Henry?" Curtis asked in a quiet voice.

Ebony realized that she made a big mistake by telling her father about Henry because her father then turned on her and slapped her across the face sending her to the floor. He started to yell and scream about how she dared disobey him, how she was a slut and a whore just like her mother. As she laid on the floor not hearing a word that he said she was thinking that things had gotten really bad because with all that her father had done to her this was the first time he had ever hit her. Then he said that she was lucky that she was leaving or he would have beaten her to death. Then just to scare her and to make sure that she knew what would have happened he described to her how he would have found Henry and killed him if she was not leaving. When he was finished, he grabbed her arm leaving marks and dragged her until they got to her small bedroom where he locked her in saying that he would let her out when it was time for her to leave.

That night Ebony cried herself to sleep praying that there would be a miracle to help her stay and be with Henry. When morning came Curtis unlocked Ebony's bedroom door and pulled her crying to the horse on which he had come home on. As he put her on top of the horse she did not struggle because she could see any hope in trying to stop him. After she was on the horse Curtis told her that she had better behave her self and not to cause problems with the beast because she was not welcome back. Then he smacked the horse and sent it on its way.

When Ebony reached the woods the horse almost ran over Henry. He was walking to her house to see if everything was all right because she had not met him for the past three days. When he saw that she was on the horse and that she was crying he pulled the horse to a halt. He then pulled her down from the horse so that he could hold her. Ebony held onto Henry like she was never going to let him go even though she knew that she would have to.

"My angel, my love why are crying? Why are you riding this strange horse? Why are you heading into the deep forest?"

"Oh, Henry, my love, I have to leave. I can't stay no matter how much I want to stay here with you, in your arms. I can't and please don't ask where I'm going. Just know that I love you and I will love you forever. This is good bye then my love." As Ebony turned to get back on the horse Henry grabbed her arm to stop her not noticing her gasp of pain as he grabs the same arm her father had.

"No, my angel you can't leave me, don't you understand that no matter where you go you will always be with me and you will always have a piece of me with you. My heart is yours to take with you wherever you go. So, don't you see I will be able to find you no matter what. Even if you are on the other side of the world. All I have to do is follow my heart and there you will be when I find it again. See there is no need for all these tears I will find you. We will be together forever just have faith in our love and wait for me. Now you must be on your way before people start to wonder if something has happened to you. Keep my heart safe until I see you again my angel, my love."

With this said Henry hugged Ebony one last time and then put her on the horse. He then kissed her hand before smacking the horse to sending the horse on its way, yet again. As Ebony rode away, she promised herself that she would await Henry's rescue of her from the beast to which her father had sold her. With this thought Ebony was able to dry her tears and face her future a little easier.

As Ebony traveled to the castle, she tried to picture how her life was going to change. She thought about what her father had told her and shuddered when she actually thought of the beast. The one thing that she thought of the most though was how she was not going to be able to live without Henry. Ebony was also wondering if living with the beast was going to be the same as living hell that living with her family had been or if the beast would just lock her in the dungeon forgetting about her until she starve to death. During the time all these thoughts were going through her head the horse had made its way to the castle and stopped outside the gates.

When Ebony realized that they had stopped she looked up and gasped when she saw the castle. It was nothing like what her father had described. The castle did have the ivy, climbing roses, and the lawn was in poor shape, but where her father said that it was dark and gloomy Ebony saw the stuff that fairy tales were made of. The castle's high towers that glinted in the sun to the arched windows that were dark and mysteries. She was awe stuck as she slipped off the horse and walked to the main gate opening it. As Ebony walked through, she noticed that the castle was even more impressive the closer one got to it. When she finally reached the wooden doors Ebony had to stop and look closely at the craftsmanship that went into them. What she saw was an elaborate hunting scene that was etched into the wood. The scene continued all over both doors with the doors reaching up a good twelve feet. After staring at that the doors for a good ten minutes Ebony reached up to knock on the door. The second that she placed her hand upon on the door it started to creek open on its own. As the door opened all the way Ebony stepped into the dark interior and the door closed behind her.