Sleeping Roses

Locked Away

"Was Briar locked away to die?!"

Luka looked up from his work as the doors to his office were hurled open and Kilan stormed in, his face pale, eyes exhausted and angry, he almost looked ill.

The servants who were already in the office looked at him like he was insane as he marched past them towards the desk.

"Kilan," one hissed.

"I beg your pardon?" Luka asked slowly, straightening in his seat.

"Was Briar locked up as a child in the hopes that she would die?" Kilan snarled, stopping in front of the desk.

Luka looked at him for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "That's quite a thing to say to your master."

"I'm not asking as your servant, I'm asking as the person who's trying to save Briar."

"Why, is that what she told you?" Luka asked, his voice darkening to match his eyes.

"That is what my dream last night suggested."

Luka's dark gaze changed to confusion. "What?"

"Where did that horrible version of My Fair Lady come from?" Kilan demanded and Luka's eyes widened.

"That's what was in you dream?" Luka snarled, his voice suddenly so loud that all the servants in the room flinched backwards as he rose to his feet, hands slamming down on the desk and it was in that moment that Kilan happened to glance in the mirror above the fireplace as Luka's reflection rose into view and he stared.

Luka's image was shifting. The more fury that flared up in Luka's eyes, the more the reflection changed from the man before Kilan to something akin to a monster.

His eyes widened. Was that The Beast? What Beldon had first come to know? Was this how Luka was still cursed?

At that moment, the doors behind them flew open and a high wind raced through the room, pulling at hair and clothing and sending pages racing away in its wake, rose petals caught in the air.

"What is going on in here?"

Everyone looked around as the wind died away to see Beldon stood in the doorway, irritated as he looked at each member of staff then to Luka, then to Luka's reflection. His eyebrow rose at the sight and he looked at Luka again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking forwards, "Why are you so angry?"

"He's accusing my family of locking Briar away so she could die," Luka snapped, rounding on Beldon. Kilan flinched as Luka loomed over Beldon and Beldon didn't even bat an eyelid.

Instead, he looked him dead in the eye and asked, "And did they?"

"Of course not!"Luka roared.

"That's all you had to say," Beldon replied and turned to the room. He pointed at the staff. "You may leave. You may not discuss what happened here with anyone else. Someone call Vanessa here. Kilan, stay."

The others quickly left, closing the doors behind them and Beldon set his hands on Luka's shoulders and forced him to sit back down again, resting a hand on his cheek before walking around the desk.

"Accusing your master of something is not the best way to gain his support," Beldon said, frowning at Kilan as he pointed at a seat.

Kilan took it, glancing back to the mirror but Luka's reflection was now out of sight.

"The reflection will not show a monster," Beldon answered before he could ask, brushing abandoned rose petals off another chair and sitting down. "It only happens if he is truly enraged, and I'm not surprised to see that he was with such an accusation coming at him."