Beauty and the .EXE

Chapter Three: Losing Their Way

Meanwhile, Eggman was looking in a mirror, trying to come up with lines to win Maddie's affection. But, while doing that, Knuckles approached, asking if he had caught Eggman at a bad time. Eggman asked what Knuckles wanted, to which Knuckles explained that Maddie was in trouble with the townsfolk. Hearing this, Eggman stepped away from the mirror to go see if everything was alright with Maddie.

"Maddie!" Eggman called out to her as she entered her garden, "I heard you had trouble with the Headmaster. He never liked me either."

Maddie ignored him and tried to go about her business.

"Can I give you a little advice about the villagers though? They're never going to trust the kind of change you're trying to bring," Eggman explained, stepping over the cauliflower that was growing to get to Maddie.

Maddie was upset at what Eggman had just done but turned to the matter at hand, "All I wanted was to teach a child to read."

"The only children you should concern yourself with are..." Eggman motioned between Maddie and himself, "Your own."

Maddie looked at him in disbelief, shocked that Eggman would imply that the two would one day have children. She's never taken an interest in Eggman. And never would she think of having children with him.

"I'm..." Maddie tried to go towards her home but Eggman blocked her way, "...not ready to have children," Maddie finally got past him and walked through a gate.

"Maybe you haven't met the right man," Eggman tried to argue.

"It's a small village, Eggman. I've met them all," Maddie locked the gate and walked up the stairs to her front door.

"Well, maybe you should take another look," Eggman unlocked the gate and chased after her, "Some of us have changed."

Maddie turned to confront him, "Eggman... we could never make each other happy. No one can change that much."

"Oh, Maddie. Do you know what happens to spinsters in this village after their fathers die?"

Eggman pointed to a girl on the corner next to them, begging for any kind of money or food.

"They beg for scraps, like poor Honey. This is our world, Maddie. For simple folk like us, it doesn't get any better," Eggman explained, taking hold of Maddie's dress

"I might be a farm girl," Maddie took her dress back, "But, I'm not simple... and... I'm never going to marry you, Eggman. I'm sorry!"

Maddie finally closed the door in Eggman's face, hoping that he would finally take the hint and leave her alone. She meant what she said. She would never marry Eggman. A man who was only chasing her because of her beauty. And because he too was good-looking, he believed they were the perfect match. But, alas, taking the hint for now, Eggman left Maddie's home. Maddie walked out of her home through a side door, watching Eggman leave.

"Can you imagine? Me? The wife of that boorish... brainless..." Maddie started to walk down to her chickens, 'Madame Eggman, can't you just see it? Madame Eggman, his little wife. Ugh! No, sir, not me, I guarantee it! I want much more than this provincial life!'

Maddie ran off to a nearby hill where she could look over her village.

'I want adventure in the great wide somewhere! I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand. I want so much more than they've got planned...'

As the sun set, a storm was forming in the distance. In the forest, Jet was still out riding with Philippe. Despite going on this trip more than once, Jet was lost. He found the woods lovely yet he couldn't figure out where he and Philippe were going. He assumed, by this point, Philippe knew where they were going. As they came to a fork in the road, lightning struck the tree in front of them, blocking the left path. Philippe reared in fright at the lightning and the tree falling. Jet calmed him down, suggesting that they go down the other path to see if it would lead them to where they needed to go.

Philippe went down the right path, taking Jet down a narrow path with snow down it. This made Jet weary. While trying to assure Philippe that it was only a bit of snow, he seemed to realise that it was June. Snow doesn't fall in June. But Jet had Philippe go on regardless. As they went on, white wolves started to take notice of the new strangers entering this part of the forest. It wasn't often that people went down this path. In fact, hardly anyone did because no one knew where it lead. Jet soon took notice of the wolves surrounding them and ordered Philippe to go faster, hoping to outrun these rather hungry wolves. One of them howled, attracting the attention of the others nearby.

They began to chase the horse and wagon, hoping to stop them in their path. Jet just encouraged Philippe to go faster, all the while the wagon was starting to fall apart. Soon, the wolves caught up with Jet and Philippe, blocking the way. The wagon bumped over a log, causing it to break loose from the harness on Philippe, and making Jet fly off his seat on the wagon. He fell on a small hill while Philippe ran off. Jet climbed up the hill, only to come face to face with a hungry wolf. Taking his chances, Jet fell back down the hill, calling out to Philippe to save him from the wolves waiting for him below.

Philippe came just in the nick of time, catching Jet before he fell into the pack of wolves below. Philippe started to carry Jet away, trying his best to outrun the wolves. Which worked because the wolves stopped their chase when the two went through some frozen, iron gates. The wolves knew not to go past this point. Inside the gates, Jet and Philippe wandered through what looked to be a large garden with perfectly trimmed hedges, covered in snow. And, in front of them, a large castle. At last, the two seemed safe. Seeing a stable, Jet led Philippe there, letting him get a drink and some hay to eat. Meanwhile, Jet planned to venture inside the castle, hoping to pay some respects to their unwitting host.