Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 7

With that mortifying warning being given, Lucifer had no choice but to confess to his daughters the whole story of why his trip had lasted longer than it was meant to. He told them of how he found the mysterious castle in the woods and of it's horrible master who was determined to devour him as punishment for stealing a rose from his garden. Charlotte burst into tears upon hearing this.

"But Father!" Wailed Helsa. "Without you we'll starve! Must you return to that dreaded place?"

"I had thought to deceive the master and ignore his demands under the assumption that he wouldn't be able to find me." He said. "But last night was a message from him. A message telling me that he knows exactly where I am and that if I do not return he shall make us all suffer. I have no choice but to go back in three days and meet my fate."

"It's all your fault!" Helsa snapped at Charlotte. "You just had to have a rose! You should have asked for something more sensible!"

"Be still Helsa." Lucifer ordered.

"What a wicked and ungrateful girl you are!" Helsa continued. "It's bad enough that you caused the death of your mother but now you are responsible for the demise of our poor father! You should be the one to die!"

"I told you to be still Helsa!" He ordered again more sternly.

"No she's right Father." Charlotte wept. "She's right! Please forgive me! Let me go in your place!"

"You must never say that."

"But I am to blame for this tragedy."

"Nevertheless I shall be the one to die for this not you. I am old and I have lived my life but you are still young and have yet to truly live."

"You are my only reason for living, I cannot let you die for my mistake."

"Charlotte I forbid you to do such a thing. No. When the three days end it shall be I who returns to the castle and it shall be I who will die."

The three days passed slowly and every night of those three days Charlotte could hardly sleep for she felt as if her entire soul was being eaten alive by guilt. Guilt over the fact that she believed that in three days she would cause the death of another one of her parents. You see ever since she had learned that her mother had died giving birth to her, Charlotte had always harbored feelings of guilt. That was another reason why she was so devoted to her father. To make up for killing the woman he loved.

"Oh Mother." She prayed to Lilith's spirit on the night of the third day. "Whatever shall I do? I cannot let Father die. It is only right that I take his place but he insists I do not. There must be someway I can save him because if I don't I know that I will die of grief. Please help me. Tell me how I can spare him from the same horrible fate I had inflicted on to you."

But as usual no voice answered her prayers and she fell asleep with a heart full of unbearable guilt. At dawn the next day she was awakened by the clatter of hooves. Looking out her bedroom window she saw the fine black horse that had brought her father home running up to the house. She quietly crept out of her room and found that her father was still asleep in his bed.

"This is my chance. to make things right." The thought to herself. She then slipped on her cloak and softly pressed a kiss to Lucifer's temple before whispering, "Farewell my Father. Farewell."

She sneaked out of the farm house and went to meet the horse in the yard. It stopped and gazed at her suspiciously.

"My name is Charlotte." She told the steed. "I am Lucifer's daughter and I have willingly agreed to let your master punish me instead of my father for the theft of his rose."

The horse ushered her to climb on to it's back and she did just that. The stallion moved more quickly and gracefully than any other creature she had ever seen before. She laid her cheek against the horse's neck, it was like riding the wind and she would have very much enjoyed the trip had it not been one that would lead to her death. The horse took her through the woods and finally stopped once the castle that her father spoke of was in the clearing.

She got down from the horse and slowly approached the front gate of the castle. Each step she took toward it made her feel as if she was taking a death march which in a way she was for she had been lead to believe that once inside the forest-like castle, she would be killed by a very angry man. When she reached the gate she stopped and waited for someone to answer it. When no one came she called out,

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

But no one answered her call and still no one came to the gate. So she opened the gate herself and stepped inside but at the exact moment she did that her surroundings began to change. Everything became as pitch black as night, the horse and gate had both vanished, and she began to hear the most blood curdling noises. Growls, snarls, screeches, it made her turn as white as a ghost. Not sure what else to do she ran. She couldn't see where she was going due to the darkness but running was the only thing she could think of. She felt thorns prick at her arms and feet. Brambles from trees grabbed on to her dress and cloak. The world around her had turned into some sort of maze. A maze of fear.

She could hear her heart pounding and her breathing growing heavy. Her mind swam with horrible thoughts of what could possibly happen to her. She was so tired, she wanted to stop running but she was too afraid to. She didn't think that she would ever stop running. But then she came face to face with several pairs of terrifying eyes and several sets of horrifying teeth. In that moment she was so overcome with fright that she let out a scream and fainted on to the floor.

...

"Where....Where am I?"

It was still so dreadfully dark. Dark and cold. Why was it so dark? Why was it so cold? Where was the light? Where was the warmth? Where was she?  Was she dead already?

Then light. A great silvery blaze of light appeared all around. As she lay there completely still she took note of the glistening lanterns adorned with gold and the marble walls that they were perched upon. A face hovered over her. A handsome face, the most handsome face she had ever seen. His hair was a rich chestnut brown with eyes that matched, his skin was sun-kissed, and his smile was ever so gentle and kind.

He knelt down and took her into his arms with great care. He carried her through the lit marble hallways as if she were a young bride and his gaze did not leave her once. Her arms moved around his neck and she nuzzled her face into it, she did not know this young man but for some reason she felt more safe with him than anyone else she had ever known.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

His only response was to pluck a rose that had been growing by the window and pin it in her hair. His smile and stare toward her held absolutely nothing but pure love and adoration. She gently caressed his tan cheek with the palm of her hand. He kissed her palm softly and then kissed her lips with that same softness. She accepted the kiss even though she didn't have any inkling of who he was. But did it really matter?

She didn't know his name but she could tell by his smile and touch alone what kind of man he was. A gentle one who would never harm her. Only care for her and protect her.

"I must be in heaven." She thought looking at the young man awestruck. "I have died and he is an angel sent by God to carry me into the lord's kingdom. Mother, at last I shall get to meet you. Perhaps it is for the best that my life ended it now."

However Charlotte was actually very much alive. Alive, in a deep sleep, and having a most blissful dream. Now usually dreams were just meaningless images made up by one's mind but in these woods, in this kingdom, dreams and imagination had a very special power. A power that Charlotte unknowingly could use and if she trusted it then she would find happiness for all her days.