A Rose for the Beast

A Way Inside

Light crunching footsteps in the snow disturbed the quiet night, putting Rosalie on edge as they noisely crept up an overgrown pathway to a broad iron gate. A chilling breeze blew by as they met up with the tortoise. The rusty metal squeaked with every minor movement, the grating sound slightly muffled by the mass amount of roses clinging to the gate.

Victor slowly placed the wolf on the ground, then plopped next to it. He breathed into his hands, rubbing them together for warmth. Rosalie kneeled to speak to Mr. Dubois. The little reptile was rattling in his shell.

"Can you get through?"

"Yes," he said through shivering lips, "But the gate will be loud when we open it."

She cursed, leaning back to land on the cold, wet ground. Monsieur Dubois turned and began making his way through the gate. Rosalie frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Do not fear, Madaam. I will create a distraction. Wait for my signal, then you open the gate quickly and get inside before anyone sees you," he said as he nudged the swinging bolt lock open on the other side.

The gate started to open on its own, screeching loudly before she managed to grab it. They all peeked at the castle, but no one emerged to inspect the noise. The tortoise gave her a quick salute as he shoved through the thorny bushes.

She watched him go to a large door, where he knocked several times in a distinct order. It must have been a code of some sort, because the door gently opened to allow Monsieur Dubois inside. He gazed at the gate and deliberately left the door slightly ajar.

While she waited, she glanced behind her at the tree where her father sat. He had stopped warming his hands to rub the wolf's fur. Her heart warmed at the sight, but the blue tint of her father's cheeks raised her concerns. They needed to go inside and get warm quickly. Her body shivered as if to punctuate that thought.

Rosalie pinched her nose when she realized the tortoise hadn't told her what the signal was. Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from within the castle.

"Come on, then! You fopdoodle nincompoop! FOR MADAAM ROSALIE!!!"

The crazed battlecry stunned her completely. She almost missed the signal as the shattering sounds of china breaking ricocheted around them. Before the chaos ended, she pulled the heavy gate open, dislodging several roses from their place.

Rosalie lifted the rabbit in her arms while her father picked the wolf up, they trudged through the snow as quickly as possible. She turned and pushed her back against the door to the castle, sending a silent prayer that Monsieur Dubois had successfully diverted the guards away.

They were immediately enveloped by the sweet aroma of bread being baked. She realized the door led to the kitchen as she surveyed the room to confirm that it was empty. Looking around for the door to the servants quarters, she found it around the other side of the large oven. Rosalie peeked down the hall while her father nervously waited behind her.

When she saw no guards, she quickly led her father down the hall. She realized as she was searching through the nameplates on each door that she hadn't ever asked the wolf's name.

Luckily, she wanted to find a different animal. She made a mental note to ask the wolf about his name later. When they came up to Madaam Plume's door, Rosalie knocked gently.

Laughter boomed from the kitchen, alerting Rosalie and her father of the guards' approach. They looked down the hall in unison, fear rising as they waited for the occupant of the room to answer.