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Heart of the Beholder 28 91%
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28

brIDGETTE BLINKED. THERE WAS NO pain at first, just pressure. It was almost like a delayed punch to her gut, but nothing extremely painful. When the knife was removed, her legs gave out, and the room tipped. It was hard to concentrate on anything happening around her. She wasn’t sure if the king had left or if he had been attacked. She just waited for her body to hit the ground.

Suddenly, the room stopped tilting, and she looked up from the floor. That was strange, she couldn’t recall hitting the floor. Then there were brilliant green eyes above her. Bridgette smiled and reached up to touch his face. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Her eyes landed on the bloody nub where his ear should have been. She breathed in to ask him what happened, but instead gasped in pain. It was like waking from a pleasant dream, only to find herself in a nightmare.

The pain was excruciating and deep. Bridgette moved her hand to her stomach and felt his hands and some type of sticky warmth. She tried to lift her head to see, but that was too much. She only managed to see her blood-covered dress and his blood-covered hands. It wasn’t good. It was hard to breathe, hard to think.

“Bridgette, look at me,” he said. “Look into my eyes.” She managed to look up and find his eyes. “That’s it. Just try to relax.” Bridgette rested her hand on his. “I am trying to stop the bleeding. I don’t know if I am doing it right, but I am not going to remove my hand until I know you will be okay.” Bridgette's body shook violently. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. Don’t move. Edgar, where is that water?”

“Right here, my lord,” Edgar said, bustling in with a bowl of clean water. First, he filled a cup and poured it into her dry mouth. It gave little relief, but she swallowed gratefully. Edgar then dipped a cloth in the water and put it on her forehead. Bridgette was surprised at how nice it felt and realized that she was sweating. “I can take one of the horses to get the doctor.”

“Are you sure? You look terrible,” he said.

“If we don’t get someone, she will die, Thane,” Edgar said urgently and informally. “I will do it for Bridgette.”

“Then go. Don’t waste a moment,” he said.

“Right away, my lord,” Edgar said and then left the room.

“Thane,” Bridgette managed to say with effort.

Thane’s shoulders slumped, and he looked broken-hearted. “I hate that name, but it is mine. I am Thane. I am a monster.”

She reached up and touched his face again, this time smearing her blood on his cheek. He ducked his head. “No,” she said. “Don’t hide from me.”

“But I am hideous,” he said as his voice cracked.

She reached up her other hand and gently touched the rough, blackish skin on his face. “It's only a burn.”

“It is so much more than a burn,” he said, tears pooling in his eyes. “It’s a mark of my curse. It is proof that I was the cause of your house exploding and almost killing your father, but then I really did kill him. Bridgette, I am so sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said weakly. Her limbs felt like they were not connected to her body, and her hands dropped from his face. A tapping noise made them both look at the window. A white bird sat on the sill and pecked aggressively at the glass. “That's the bird…that helped me…get past the guards,” Bridgette said, trying to catch her breath.

“The bird helped you?” Thane asked, only looking a little surprised. He sighed. “More and more blood is seeping through your dress. I don’t know where the bleeding is coming from to stop it. I don't want to move my hand, in case it is helping.”

Bridgette’s eyelids were heavy, but she didn’t want to close them. She wanted to stay in this moment with him as long as she could. He whispered her name, and she liked how it sounded. The bird kept tapping on the window. A loud knock echoed through the manor.

“Was that…” Bridgette tried.

“The front door?” Thane finished for her. “I think so, but I don’t think Edgar has left yet. Edgar?” he called out the door.

“I got it, my lord,” Edgar responded from far away.

Bridgette heard a door open in the distance and mumbling. Then feet pounded up the stairs, and a familiar face appeared in her blurry vision. Bridgette tried to smile when she said, “Doc.”

“Thank the Fates,” Thane said with tangible relief. He continued to talk as Doc knelt down and dug through his bag. “She was stabbed with a dagger. I have tried to stop the bleeding, but I don’t know if I am doing it right.”

“You did well. I am going to need you to remove your hand, so I can see what we are dealing with,” Doc said.

When the warmth of Thane’s hand left, it was replaced by an awful, cold feeling. Doc leaned over her and examined her wound. He dabbed with a white cloth and used a metal instrument to move things around. The tapping continued.

“Edgar, can you please take care of that persistent bird?” Thane asked in frustration.

“Right away, my lord.”

Doc cursed under his breath. “It’s not good. The dagger nicked a few organs. That means she is bleeding from many places and could bleed to death very quickly. Press firmly on this cloth while I get everything ready. I am going to have to stitch everything up as quickly as I can.”

Doc stepped away to prepare his tools. Thane replaced his warm hand on her stomach and cradled her head with the other. He pressed his forehead against hers and let out a shaky breath. “I told you to leave. Why did you come back?”

“Because,” she said, managing to get a deep breath in. “You are the kind of king I would risk my queen for.” Thane pulled back an inch, and Bridgette looked in his eyes. “You are kind and protective, you are creative and skilled, you are strong and brave.” He looked scared and overwhelmed, but Bridgette smiled. “You said that I was your light. Well, it turns out that you are mine. And as much as I wanted to listen to you, I couldn’t bring myself to leave you.”

He shook his head, looking pained. “But I lied to you. I destroyed your home. I killed your father.”

“You also told me the truth. You gave me friendship. You gave me a home. You earned my heart,” Bridgette said with quivering lips. Thane hung his head and let out a sob. His shoulders shook, but he didn’t take his hands away from her. He looked back up and the black patch of skin was gone, leaving an ordinary-looking, angry red burn. Bridgette could tell his countenance had changed as well. His eyes were brighter, and he smiled. Bridgette had never seen the beast the others described. She had only seen a man who was weighed down by mistakes he had made. Now, he looked like a warrior crawling away from a battle he just won.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

Edgar cleared his throat and said, “My lord?”

“Yes, Edgar?” Thane asked, keeping his eyes on hers.

“I opened the window to shoo the bird away, but it flew inside, and now she is not a bird anymore.”

“What are you—” Thane said as he turned his head to look, but his words cut off when he saw something. Bridgette lifted her head an inch, but couldn’t see what he was looking at, so she rested her head back into the cradle of Thane’s hand. A figure approached, and Bridgette thought she was dreaming or that she had died. “Senara,” Thane whispered in awe. “How? I-I thought you were dead.”

Senara was beautiful, like the first snowfall of winter. Her skin was pale, and her hair was white. She wore a beautiful white hooded robe, and her eyes were icy blue. Her lips curled into a soft smile as she knelt next to Bridgette. “Hello, Your Majesty. I can take it from here.” Thane’s hands carefully slipped away, and Senara rested a hand on Bridgette’s forehead and one on her wound. The enchanting woman whispered words Bridgette couldn’t hear, and the pain in her gut eased. “Now the wounds are closed and the bleeding has stopped, but she is going to need water and rest. Then her body can replenish its blood supply, as that is something I cannot do.”

“Bless you, Senara,” Thane said, taking Bridgette’s hand in his. Bridgette’s fingers tingled with the movement.

“That is not a permanent fix,” Doc said, giving the magic-wielding woman a suspicious look.

Senara didn’t look offended. She just said, “Of course not, doctor. I will take the magic away when you are ready to treat her.”

Doc blinked, looking surprised. “I suppose this will give me more time to properly clean my instruments. Thank you,” Doc said, nodded awkwardly. “Edgar, I need some hot water and towels.”

“Let me show you what we have,” Edgar said, leading Doc out of the library.

Doc quickly poked his head back in the room. “Keep her lying down. I’ll have Edgar get some brandy for her to drink.” Then he was gone.

Bridgette looked up at her two companions. Thane gaped at Senara. “I do not understand,” he said, shaking his head.

“Your curse has been broken, Your Majesty,” Senara said calmly.

Thane looked at Bridgette, and Bridgette did her best to smile at him, even though she felt like she barely had enough energy to stay conscious. “The weight that was lifted?” Thane asked Senara.

“Yes. It is gone. You are free, Your Majesty.”

Thane looked back at the window. “You were a bird?”

“A dove,” Bridgette corrected weakly.

Thane smirked. “You were a dove?”

“Yes. Because I had failed to protect you, I was cursed to be in my animal form until your curse was broken,” Senara said.

“That was your doom for failing to protect me? To be a bird?”

Senara smiled widely. “It may not sound terrible, but it was. I couldn’t talk or use magic. Most people saw me as a pest, and I had to eat insects.”

“You used your doom wisely,” Bridgette said. They both looked at her—Senara with approval and Thane with confusion. “You were here the day I came to ask about the position. You were the sign Birdie told me to look for. You helped my mom encourage me to come back when I didn’t want to. You helped me get past the guards. You have been here every step of the way.”

“You knew Bridgette could break the curse?” Thane asked.

“Not completely. I heard you talking with Edgar many times about how to break the curse. Do you remember the words?” Senara asked Thane.

Thane nodded. “And so it shall be, unless you can find a true rarity. The majority look with their eyes and judge what they see. But for the one who beholds with their heart, they are the key. For they would have the power to see through the magic and to change you from bitter to sweet, and my curse would fall like a chain at your feet,” he said, as if he had repeated it a thousand times before, but it suddenly had new meaning.

“When Bridgette came that day, I knew something was different about her. I didn’t know for sure if she could be the one to break the curse, but I took a chance.”

“I am in your debt for taking that chance,” Thane said. He looked in Bridgette’s eyes as he lifted her hand and kissed it. Bridgette’s insides warmed at his gaze, despite having been stabbed in the stomach only several minutes before.

“I may need to call on that debt right now,” Senara said seriously.

“What do you mean?” Thane asked.

“I need you to go after your brother and get the glass rose.”

Thane’s eyes widened, but he said nothing.

“If we don’t take the glass rose away from him, Madame Rajani will have access to raw power and will be able to do terrible things.”

Thane looked panicked. “What terrible things can she do?”

“With the rose in her possession, she will not have to touch the one she is cursing. She will be able to curse from afar and curse large groups of people. She will be able to force people to do things against their will. I don’t know how she will do it, but the important thing to know is that she will have the power to do so,” Senara explained.

“That is why he wanted it. That is why he was helping her get it. If Vincent has Madame Rajani on his side with the rose, he could control anyone who defies him. There wouldn’t be anything he couldn’t do,” Thane said darkly.

“So you understand why you must get it back?”

Thane held Bridgette’s hand with both of his. “I will not leave her,” he said.

“Your Majesty, I will remain here with her, along with the doctor. She will be well cared for. You need to get the rose, or there will be no future for anyone,” Senara warned.

Thane nodded solemnly, then kissed Bridgette on the forehead.

“I will do everything in my power to come back to you,” he vowed.

“I will be here waiting for your return,” Bridgette promised.

He released her hand and stood. “I will get my sword and take one of the horses. Tell Edgar where I went and what I am doing. Take care of her, Senara,” he said, then left.

“You have my word, Your Majesty,” Senara called after him.

Bridgette closed her eyes and listened to his footsteps as he walked to his bedchamber, then down the stairs to the entrance hall, and out the front door. She opened her eyes to study Senara’s face. “You are the woman in the story. The one who fell in love with the man and mourned him for a year. The glass rose is the love you had for each other.”

Senara’s blue eyes twinkled, and she said, “You are intelligent. Yes, I am the girl from the story. I forgot that for a while. I think I was so focused on protecting the rose that I forgot why it was so important to me. I had forgotten everything else as well. I forgot about the one I loved who died for me, and I have lived for five hundred years alone.”

“Madame Rajani will use the power of your love to hurt others.” Bridgette realized out loud. “That is so backwards. Thane will catch them, and he will get the rose back.”

“I don’t doubt that he will,” Senara said confidently. “I loved watching him grow at the castle. I mourned for him when everything in his life seemed to be against him.”

“Except you,” Bridgette said.

“I tried my best to help him, but also made sure to give him space to make his own decisions.” Senara’s expression grew sad. “There was a time I honestly thought he was lost forever in his grief and loneliness. So I thank you, Bridgette Meadowbrooke, for being a true rarity and beholding others with your pure heart.” The woman smiled appreciatively at Bridgette.

Bridgette smiled in response. “Thank you for believing I could.”

Senara became serious. “I must ask one more thing of you, Bridgette.”

“Anything.”

“His Majesty has gone to fight his brother to get the rose,” she said. “But I don’t think just getting the rose back will be enough.”

Bridgette’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? What do you need me to do?”

“The glass rose needs to be destroyed. I have tried to destroy it myself, but I have only failed. I think you might be able to do what I couldn’t,” she said.

Bridgette propped herself up on her elbows. “Why do we need to destroy it?”

“I have been protecting the rose for five hundred long years. It gives good fortune, but it also causes chaos as others seek its powers. If it is destroyed, there would be one less thing for people to fight over. Before the glass rose, the land did fine. I believe I may have gathered the natural power of the earth into the rose when I mourned. If the rose is destroyed, I think that power will disperse back into the earth, like it was before.” She looked guilty. “I would also like to be reunited with my love.”

Bridgette tilted her head as she thought. “You have lived this long because of the rose?”

Senara nodded. “I believe so. It is a part of me and sustains me. If it is destroyed, I am hoping I will get to move on to the next life.” Her eyes pleaded.

“Yes,” Bridgette said without hesitation. “Yes, I will help you. But I don’t see how I can do something you couldn’t do.”

“The magic speaks to me sometimes, without using words. It helps me know the intentions of people I interact with. It warns me of dangers. It has told me, in a way, that you are who I have been looking for and you can bring an end to the rose. I am not sure how, but I think now is the best time, because they will be distracted. The sooner it is destroyed, the better. I don’t want to find out all that Rajani can do with the power of the rose.”

“Okay, then I guess I had better get going,” Bridgette said, trying to get off the floor. The room spun, and her limbs felt very heavy. Senara helped Bridgette steady herself and stand. “Doc is not going to be happy with me,” she said and felt her blood soaked dress.

“Take the other horse around back,” Senara said, walking her down the hall. “I will fly with you and guide you in the direction they went. Then I will come back and get the doctor.”

“Why?” Bridgette asked. “He will be furious with me.”

They carefully made their way down the stairs, keeping their voices low. “Bridgette, it is important that you understand when I am gone and the rose is gone, the magic will be gone as well.”

Bridgette froze midstep. “If the magic is gone, my wound will bleed again.”

“Yes,” Senara said. “I will let you get a head start so you can get to the rose. I will also send the doctor after you so that when you destroy it, he will be there. I only hope it will be enough.”

Bridgette held her head high and said, “It will be.”

“Let’s get you to that horse.”

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