The Fowler's Daughter

Ch 9: Utterly Average

Lennox POV:

I could not possibly imagine why the curse did not kill this woman.

The curse upon the village is a peculiar one, effecting all it has been inflicted upon in ways the victims do not even realize.

She doesn't seem visibly touched by it at all.

Certainly doesn't act as if she is. Woman has the manners of a hound.

And I have a very distinct feeling its partly on purpose. Prickly thing that she apparently is.

"Alouette." I rumbled.

She took a rather loud sip of her tea, humming, "yes?"

"Stop it."

She cocked her head to the side, "I am afraid I do not know what you mean?"

I just stared at her blankly, "even for a peasant you table manners are abhorrent. Which can only mean you are doing this on purpose to irritate me."

The girl toyed with one of her irritatingly disorganized curls of hair, resting her elbow on the table very close to her tea cup.

She shrugged, moving her arm slightly.

the teacup fell to the ground and shattered.

More than irritated now I shot up from out of my seat, "that is 15th century china from the desert country of-"

Her plate went next, splattering food everywhere all over my hand woven rugs.

Her lips parted in surprise, "oh I hope none of that was expensive. I am only an abhorrent peasant after all. I wouldn't understand that porridge and tea do not easily come out of shi-mi rugs from the 5th dynasty of Ashari."

I blinked at her in silence for a moment. Surprised she knew the rug was from Ashari, a country that had note existed in over 100 years much less they dynasty it was from. And then it hit me.

The mortal woman was actually offended by my statements.

Mortals and their irrational feelings of pride. Without breaking eye contact with her I waved my hand through the air, instantly cleaning the rug and putting the table wear back together. "It is only difficult for children with a lack of care."

I looked pointed at her for a moment before sitting back down and returning to my book.

She said nothing just sort of stared.

"Attraction, fear, or dislike."

She blinked.

"the only three reasons you women stare at me like this during our first unfortunate meal together. I am assuming you lean into dislike. Your too..." I gestured in her general vicinity, "that, to be attracted to me, obviously too stubborn to fear me, so dislike it is. I assure you the feeling is mutual."

She just stared at me a little more aggressively.

"For the next five years you will be... assisting me."

Her one of her thin brows arched in question.

At least she doesn't talk a lot. The last one never shut up. "The tradition started because I grew wary of protecting the quaint little village of Lasireen and the insufferable people who lived there. I wanted to find a way to break the curse."

He brows furrowed, "by taking girls between the ages of 17 and 23?"

I sighed heavily, "why are mortals always unbelievingly daft? Have you never wondered Alouette why lasireen is legend for its beautiful women and yet living in that village everyone else is utterly average?"

She opened her mouth to say something. Then closed it, blinking.

"Or why the older women slowly lose that beauty? Sure they generally remain above average but they change Alouette in unnatural ways."

She pursed her lips, "oh."

Oh She says. I resisted the the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation, "Yes. It's part of the curse Alouette they don't actually look like that. Not a single one of them."

She seemed to bite back a smile.

"I believed the key to breaking the curse was tied in with the girls unnatural beauty. So I requested them during a woman's most beautiful years."

He brow arched again. "Is that why?"

I frowned, "i assure you I hold no interest in mortal women."

She shrugged a bit. "Then why did you pick me."

I looked her over, "obviously because you are not effected by that part of the curse. Hundreds of years of beauty and no results then you show up at a selection. It is time I try something new."

"So.." she will began. "You will experiment on me."

"That does not even begin to define what the process these years will be. But if that is what you wish to call it. First of all, it would be remiss of me not to check for glamour upon you anyways. It could always just be weaker on you. Meet me in the fourth floor third room in two hours. Do try not to get yourself dirty again on your way there."

I stood to leave when she spoke once more, "Lennox?"

"Yes?"

She looked up at me head cocked to the side, mischievous glint in her eye, "hundreds of years of failure to break a curse and you keep trying, why?"

It was my turn to raise a brow, "because I am sick of petitions from outsiders wishing to enter your village and I honestly do not believe any of you self indulgent horrors of Lasireen deserve the legend of beauty when every one of their souls is as ugly as their true appearances generally turn out. They brought what is coming upon themselves."

"What..." she frowned, "what does that mean?"

"It means if it were truly up to me the forest would have killed your village eons ago."

I snapped my fingers, disappearing before her very eyes before she could ask me any more pointless question the answers of which would likely be beyond her comprehension.