The Merchant's Daughters

Chapter Three

  Helene stared off into space as her stallion shifted restlessly on his feet beneath her. Shadows blotched her skin beneath her eyes. Try as she may, she could not shake her memories of the nightmare that had ravaged her mind the last time she dared sleep. She had been right to guess that it would worsen severely as the new cycle began. It had indeed changed. Now as her father fled down the dark stairwell, a raven flew overhead, singing with a woman's voice so hypnotic in its beauty, Helene could remember every word of her song and every pause and every inhale of breath.

"What truth escapes the waking, the dreamer's sure to know.

Plant a seed in winter's depth and death is what you'll sow.

No rose will sprout from its icy tomb.

The child dies within its mother's womb.

The prince charms with alluring guiles.

The beast laughs with toothy smiles.

Wake up little sleeper.

Are you not your father's keeper?"

The raven disappeared into the shadows and the darkness became a full-fledged monster. It seized the old man with its long claws and swallowed her father up, wiping him from existence, leaving nothing but pools of crimson blood in its wake. She had awoken, mumbling that song over and over again and still she felt the need to sing it, like the rooster's insatiable need to crow.

"Helene? Helene? Are you listening?"

Helene blinked awake from a slight dozing. She slapped her horse against his flank gently, soothing his restlessness. Then her tired eyes finally turned to the young man riding alongside her. "I'm sorry, Jean. What were you saying?" She asked, her fingers restlessly running through the stallion's dark mane.

"You haven't been yourself today. You didn't even try to win our race. What's wrong with you?" asked Jean.

"I'm sleepy is all. I didn't sleep well last night. I've been worrying over Father. I'm sure my spirits will be lifted again once he's home." She replied. The wind picked up, swirling her honey colored hair around her in writhing tendrils.

Jean watched that hair dance with all the awed reverence of a man seeing the face of God. "Have you given any thought to my proposal?" He asked. His pale horse seemed to sense his nervousness. It began to prance and throw its head around, biting at its bit.

Helene was quiet a moment as she watched him pull back on his reins to gain control back over the white mare. Jean was indeed a very handsome man. She had never denied his attractiveness. He was tall and fit from an active lifestyle. He had a strong jaw, noble features and dark eyes that made many a girl swoon over him. There was something very brooding about his looks what with his eyes and the thin lips that hardly ever stretched into a smile. That was not to say that he didn't know how to have fun because he never missed an adventure. Most of the time, in fact, he was leading them with Helene hot on his heels. He was a good man and he enjoyed many of the same things that she did. She had little doubt that a marriage with him would be a happy one, but still, she could not bring herself to accept. "I'm sorry, Jean, but I'm not really the marrying sort. You know that." She smiled apologetically with a shrug. "If a good wife is what you want, might I suggest Renee? I know she's in a rush to marry. Or maybe Cecile? She loves babies and you're certain to have a lot of them if your family's track record is anything to go by." She joked. There were eight children in Jean's family. There were five girls and three boys. Few of them were more than a year apart. Their parents were apparently very, very much in love.

She snapped her reins to send her horse into a trot. Jean grabbed them, keeping her beside him. "You want me to marry one of your little sisters?" He scoffed. "You know I have no interest in either of them. They're very dull when compared to the likes of you. Why is it that you must deny me again and again? Is there something wrong with me? Do you secretly hate me, Helene?" One hand reached to brush her hair out of her face. Helene gulped at the feeling of his skin brushing against her cheek. She could see his eyes darken even further at the sensation. This was not good.

"I do not hate you." She shook her head. She bit at her cheek, not knowing what to say that would not hurt him further. He was her best friend and her best adventuring partner. The last thing she wanted was to drive a wedge between them and make him start avoiding her.

"Do you love me then?" He asked, breathily. "My father is currently arranging our marriage, you know. Your father is bound to accept it. But I would prefer that you walk down the aisle happily."

Helene huffed in annoyance as she dismounted and wrenched her reins from her suitor's hand. She led her horse towards a tree that stood alone on a hill. She wasn't a bit surprised when Jean followed suit. "What? What did I say?" He yelled after her, oblivious as to what upset her. His stupidity only served to worsen her temper.

"Why are you even bothering to ask me, if you're just going to have your daddy force me into it?" She growled, tying her horse to the tree's lowest branch and plopping down into the grass.

"If that is what you think I meant, then I said it wrong. My father does wish for there to be a union between our families and since you and I are the eldest children, and I at least love you, then we are the logical choice. However, if you truly despise me, then I will ask him to cease all talks of the arrangement. I'm not about to force you to marry me. I am no barbarian, Helene." Jean explained, joining her in the grass. His mouth was turned into a very deep scowl. He sighed in agony, "I would be a good husband to you and I would never ask you to change. The last thing I want is for you to stop being who you are."

"But that is what you want isn't it. If I marry you, things are bound to change. I won't be a free maiden anymore. I'll be a wife, and doubtlessly a mother within the first year. I'll have responsibilities." The last word sounded like a curse-spouting from her lips.

"Your rebelliousness and wild nature are what made me fall in love with you in the first place. I would never take that from you. Yes, you'll have responsibilities, but you'll have servants to care for the house and nursemaids to look after the children, should the need for an adventure arise. And once the babies are old enough, they can join you on all of those adventures. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Helene bit her lip, her words again failing her. He mistook her silence for stubbornness, guessing that she simply did not want to admit that being a mother could actually be fun in its own way. "I just want you to desire me as much as I do you. Is that so much to ask for?" Without warning, he crushed his lips against hers.

His heart swelled and thudded against his ribs, like a caged bird desperately wanting to take flight. He reveled in the softness and warmth of her lips and the taste of wild berry that still lingered there.

The only thing she could feel was horror.

---

Louis waited for the Beast's return for quite a while, but the ugly creature did not come back. Impatient, he decided to go looking for it. He walked back towards the grand house with all its white towers and golden spires, following the serpentine path. When he reached the front step, a shadowy thing rushed by him. Inky feathers beat against the jungle's abundant leaves. The shadow fluttered and swooped around him until finally, it perched itself on his shoulder.

"A raven?" He gasped in dismay. Never had he seen a raven act so oddly. They were usually such brash birds. He had never seen one perch on someone's shoulder like a pet parakeet. The bird baubled its head, watching the old man intently. It opened its beak, and instead of the raven's usual squawking, a woman's voice rang out.

"Louis?" It said, its voice freezing the man down to his very soul. The horrible bird! It spoke with his dead wife's voice! "Our children, Louis! Where are my babies?!" It began to scream as if the woman were in great pain. Louis swatted the bird away, crying out in horror as it screamed again and again for Louis' daughters. "My babies! My babies!" The black bird hovered overhead and the woman continued to cry at his dismay. Then the bird flew away, rounding the corner of the building, calling out his children's names. "Helene! Renee! Cecile! Where are you?"

Louis could not help but to follow the bird, every bone, and fiber in his body was drawn to that familiar voice. He ran after it, damning it beneath his breath all the while. With his eyes intent on the inky feathered bird overhead, Louis barely noticed that his feet had left the walkway.

Louis' knees trembled and gave way beneath him when he reached an enormous silver birdcage behind the Beast's chateau. His eyes felt like they might pop out of his head. Tears ran freely and would not stop. The raven had landed inside the cage and the door had swung closed behind it. The moment the door closed there was a clicking sound as it locked and the raven transformed into a woman before his eyes; a beautiful woman with a determined set to her jaw, wild black hair and wide, observant eyes the color of sapphires. She looked exactly as she did the day they buried her. Even her indigo gown was the same as it had been when they laid her in the ground. "Elise?" He gasped her name, unable to tear his eyes away from her face.

She sat inside her glittering cage, smiling sadly towards him. "My dear Louis. Come here to me, Darling." She cooed, her voice weak. Her milky arms reached through the bars of her cage.

And oh how welcoming those arms appeared! Louis' heart heaved painfully at the mere sight. How long had he longed to be held by her again? To hold her? His hands burned at the memory of her warmth. The last time he had touched her skin, it had felt like ice, her flesh devoid of the soul that had made her who she was, made her his Elise. Though his body craved that welcoming embrace, his mind was less eager. Elise was dead and this raven could not be her. Surely Eleanor was in heaven with God and his angels not here, smiling at him from within a bird cage.

"Be gone from here, fairy, witch or devil, whatever you may be. My wife is in heaven and I will not fall for this cruel trick," said Louis, the tremor in his voice betraying his uncertainty.

"Louis, please. You must help me." the raven begged, tears falling from her eyes and sending stabbing pain through Louis' entire body. "That monster is a demon. He has trapped my soul in this place and he is intent on taking the souls of our girls as well. Only you can stop him. Come to me, please, love, and I'll show you what you must do."

Her words pulled at Louis' heartstrings. What if he was wrong and this really was the soul of his wife? He could not bear it. He had already endured the loss of her, he could not live with even the possibility that she was not at rest. Against his better judgment, his feet began to move.

The cage was surrounded by a thicket of entangled thorns. Only one flower bloomed from the ugly things, a single white rose as large as Louis' fist. Louis watched his step carefully and got as close as he possibly could to the cage without stepping into the midst of the thorns. He could not get close enough to hold Elise, but she at least could touch him. Her pale hands held his face lovingly. He smiled. Her skin was no longer cold with death but heartbreakingly warm. "Elise, I have missed you so much." He croaked, his voice cracking horribly.

Elise's smile widened, happiness finally showing in her eyes. "I've missed you too, every single day." She whispered back. Tears rolled down both her cheeks as he kissed each of her hands.

"The rose," she said, her eyes drifting away from him to the single flower. "Take it. Once it has been wrenched from its roots, I will no longer be trapped. I'll be free to leave the castle grounds and my soul will finally be able to enter heaven."

"Would it truly be so simple?" Asked Louis, his heart despairing as her hands fell away from his cheeks and gripped the bars of the pretty silver cage.

"Do you hate me Louis?" She asked, her grip tightening around the bars. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, veiling her face in shadows. "Do you despise me for leaving you and the girls behind? Is that why you refuse to help me?"

"Of course not!" The old merchant cried. He staggered forward, forgetting the thicket. The briars crunched beneath his feet and thorns dug themselves into his flesh. Both blood and tears flowed like rivers. "I love you, Elise!" His hands found hers on the silver bars. He was so close now; he could smell her sweet perfume. She still smelled of the white lilies that were buried with her.

Elise placed a kiss, as light as a butterfly's wing on his whiskered lips. In that briefest of moments, Louis' heart soared. "Prove it to me." She breathed against his skin. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly and Louis could no longer think of anything else but her.

With shaking hands, he pulled away from her and took the stem of the white rose in his hand, ignoring the sting of its thorns.

"No!" Without warning came the guttural roar as something crashed into his side, knocking him into the nest of thorns. He screamed at the searing pain, radiating from the fresh wounds as thousands of thorns stabbed into him.

The Beast hovered over the rose, his hands shaking and eyes bulging as if in a fright. His big hands touched the flower's petals tenderly. "Are you alright?" He asked the rose. "Please, tell me you're alright."

Elise watched the Beast in silence, her face a placid mask, void of emotion. "Elise, help me." Louis pleaded, reaching a bleeding hand for her. She glanced at him, her face unchanging. She did not appear concerned for him. In fact, she didn't even seem to recognize him. She looked upon his shredded body like she was seeing a crushed insect on the ground. Her eyes were so very cold they cut through him like the thorns themselves. It was not till then that he realized his folly.

"You did this didn't you, you wretched thing!" The Beast hissed through gnashed teeth. He glared up at the beautiful woman. Her body shimmered as she once again became a bird. She squawked at the Beast in response, playing the ordinary raven. The Beast hit the cage with his fist with enough force that it almost tipped over.

"And you," It growled. It turned to Louis and stomped towards him. "Do you even realize what you could have done?" It raged. It picked Louis up by his collar and shoved him into the cage. It rattled loudly when Louis smashed his back against its bars. The raven flew around her cage in distress, squawking insistently. "That rose is not just a flower. She is my friend, my one companion, other than my hounds and you would have killed her. Murdered her!" yelled the Beast. Its ugly features twisted with the rage and panic of a cornered animal.

"The raven...she...it is my wife. It appeared to me as my dead wife." The old man corrected himself. He realized now that that hideous bird was absolutely not her. Elise would never look at him in such a frigid way. He wasn't sure what the bird actually was, but he hated that he was weak enough to believe its lie. "It said that you were a demon and that you were keeping her soul prisoner here. If I destroyed the rose, it said that her soul would be freed." He shook his head pitifully. "I now realize it was a lie. I am sorry; so very sorry."

"Your wife was a good woman, wasn't she?" asked the Beast, its anger still evident.

The old man nodded. "Elise was the kindest soul I have ever known."

"Then you should have known better." The Beast scolded. "An angel meant for heaven can never be hindered from that path, not even by a demon such as me." Louis could see the raven reflected in the Beast's human eyes. She sat upon her perch, eying them with a somehow vicious look in her beady eyes. "I know well this witch's tricks. She prods your memories and uses your loved ones' faces, mimics their voices, whispers words in your ear, things you've longed to hear. It is all a lie. She will indeed be free should the rose die, but she is not a spirit intent on heaven. Had you murdered the rose, the burden of many a ruined life would have been set upon your shoulders. That is if she even allowed you to live past your usefulness."

"If you know of her tricks, then you know how convincing she can be. I, who have been without my wife for so very long, seeing her, even as a captive, felt like a blessing from God. I should have known better, but I am a weak man, Beast; weak and unbelievably foolish."

"That you are." The Beast grumbled. It released Louis and stepped away, allowing him to get away from the cage. "I do understand why you did what you did, but it is a sin I cannot easily forgive. Giselle...the...er...rose is too precious to me. You will have to be punished."

"Oh, please no!" The merchant begged, dropping to his knees. The pain from his many wounds coupled with his distress had robbed him of his strength. "I beg you, allow me to return to my children!"

The Beast shook his head sadly, its expression dark and eyes glinting devilishly. "No. I shall not kill you. I have a different sort of punishment in mind." It said, flashing dagger-like teeth.

---

Helene ran past her sisters and threw herself into her bed the moment she walked through the door. She buried her face in her pillow and screamed in frustration. She had never even entertained the thought of kissing anyone, let alone Jean, who'd she'd punched in the face regularly when they were children. He hadn't even asked her if she wanted to kiss him. He'd just done it and that made her even angrier.

Assuming something was terribly wrong, Cecile and Renee rushed in after her. "What's wrong?" asked Renee. Both she and Cecile stood in the doorway, unsure if Helene wanted to be bothered. Their faces were pinched with worry.

Helene shot up in bed, her hair wild and angry tears in her eyes. "Jean kissed me!" She hissed, making him sound like a true villain. He might as well have tried to murder her.

Cecile sighed, her panicked heart-easing back into quiet. "Oh, it was only a kiss."

"Don't say it like it's nothing!" Helene threw her pillow at her, smacking her squarely in the face. Goose feathers fluttered through the air.

"It is nothing," Cecile restrained herself from joining in her sister's tantrum. "The way you're going on about it, I thought he had done something especially heinous."

"It was heinous!" Helene argued.

"I don't think it's heinous at all. I think it's romantic." A deep blush crept across Renee's cheeks.

"Oh, it is anything but." Helene huffed. She jabbed an accusatory finger at her younger sisters. "You have no idea what I'm going through. I have both he and our fathers pressuring me into accepting his proposal and now he's kissed me. How am I supposed to face him after this? I can't pretend that never happened!" Helene buried her face in her hands, groaning miserably. "He's never going to forgive me for rejecting him this time."

"Why must you reject him?" asked Renee innocently. "You like him don't you? You've been friends since you were tiny babies and he's been in love with you for almost as long. He's handsome and wealthy to boot! It seems perfectly logical to me that you should marry."

"I agree." Said Cecile, trying not to notice the venomous glare she was receiving from their elder sister. "It's a good match and you are nearly twenty-three, Helene. It's high time you stop all this childish nonsense and settle down."

Renee and Cecile dodged another hurled pillow. "Traitors, the both of you!" Helene screamed. "Marriage this and marriage that! I don't want it! I don't want any of it! I will not marry Jean or anyone else! I will never be anyone's wife and I will certainly never be a mother! You two can carry that burden! I will not throw my life away!"

Setting her jaw, determinedly, Cecile dove onto the bed and grabbed Helene by the arms, stopping her tantrum cold. As Helene thrashed around, Cecile stared at her sister in amazement. There were tears in her eyes. "Helene," She began, speaking softly. She had intended to thrash her good for acting like a spoiled child, but now she hadn't the heart. "Is that what you think Mother did?" Her angry heart was suddenly filled with pity.

"Get off of me," Helene muttered. She turned her face away, trying to hide the fact that she wanted to cry. When Jean had kissed her, it had made her think of her mother. How foolish she had been for falling in love. Being with father had been her hugest mistake for it had led to her untimely death and all the things that she had dreamed of, all the things she wanted to accomplish had evaporated all at once. Helene wasn't in love with Jean, she was sure of that, but the act had reminded her of all the reasons why she would always reject him and why she was the person she had grown up to be.

"Not until you answer me." Cecile retorted.

"Get off of me, I said!" Helene kicked Cecile in her stomach, finally freeing herself.

On second thought, Cecile held her aching stomach; perhaps she did deserve a thrashing. She was about to pummel her good, too, when a knock at the door sent all thought of revenge flying out her head.

"Father's home!" the girls cried in unison. They all leaped up and ran to the door with happy grins plastered across their faces. Little Renee was the first to reach the door and she wrenched it open just as the others closed in behind her.

The moment they saw the unfamiliar face on the other side, their smiles faded. A large man stood on their doorstep, cloaked in fine black velvet. A hood was drawn over his head, hiding most of his features, but the area around his chin, which seemed to be covered in a thick beard, looked extremely odd. Hazel eyes glittered at them from within the darkness cast by the hood.

"Good afternoon." greeted the stranger. "This is the Bissette residence, I assume? I'm afraid I have some very unfortunate news." Sharp teeth glistened from within a too-wide smile.