right now the other part to this story is on my other computer so you shall have to bear with me here. chapters 234 of my fractured fairy tale

Chapter 2

The solicitor then bowed low and transformed into a scruffy rat, leaving the path to the tower relatively clear. The group made their way to the bottom of the tower where all looked up (except for justice) at the great height of it. An extremely tall tower it was, with ivy growing all around it, spiraling up and creeping into every crack and crevice. The only window was so high up you could barely see the dark of it, but a voice as clear and crisp as a fresh spring of water floated down upon their ears. The old queen’s eyes filled with tears and she called out.

“Repunzle, my daughter Repunzle!” and out of the window appeared a golden head.

“Mother?!”

The queen cried out in joy at the sound of her daughter calling her name.

“My Repunzle let us up into your tower!” Repunzle nodded, hummed a imperceptible tune and suddenly the ivy began to curl and grow wrapping itself in the shape of a staircase curling up and into the window, ever moving like an escalader .

The Old Queen stepped onto the ivy and let it carry her up into her daughter’s room, the others followed. When they reached the window they all stepped rather clumsily into the room. It was dark and cold in that high tower room; the air seemed stiff, as if held by some magic.

Standing just beside the window with a smile on her sweet face and a look of pure happiness in her eyes, was the princess Repunzle. Though she wore only rags she carried an aura about her of such regal-ness, that even the old Queen, whose daughter she was, seemed dimmed by her. The two embraced happiness emitting from them.

The siblings stood watching the happy reunion, feeling al little awkward, But soon Repunzle put them at ease.

“My lady Repunzle how is it we can come into your tower so easily yet you are trapped in it?” Truth asked.

“The ivy is held under enchantment, as long as I am in the tower it will grow and listen to my command, but the instant I leave, the ivy will die and I will no longer be able to climb down.”

The siblings looked amongst themselves smile forming on their lips.

“My lady Repunzle, we also are under enchantment. By night we are humans as you see us now, but by day we are birds. Each of us great flyers I might add.” Truth’s voice assured Repunzle that even though the story seemed impossible, it was true.

“ it is but a few moments from sunrise, you must all go down the ivy and wait at the bottom until you have become birds, then you must fly up to me and carry me down. Make sure my mother reaches the bottom safely.” When Repunzle finished speaking she hugged her mother and sent the group back out the window and down the ivy staircase.

They had barely reached the bottom, when the sun peaked over the horizon and the royal children became birds again. They immediately Flew up to Repunzle’s room and carried her down, for in his bird form Justice was able to see. By the time they reached the bottom the ivy was no longer clinging to the tower but laying in dead heaps on the grass. The birds rested Repunzle’s feet on the ground and took off again wheeling in the sky above the Queen and Repunzle. The group made their way back to their original camp spot, and prepared breakfast. After breakfast the queen unfolded her green blanket and spread it on the ground, she and Repunzle sat in the middle and the birds picked up the corners. They where extremely strong birds and found the weight of the two women as nothing. They flew until late afternoon making their way toward the hideous castle of Monrough, where the queen’s eldest son had hidden himself away. They had barely made it half way when the sun neared the horizon the birds landed and the group opted to spend the night walking as far as they could.

Repunzle walked by Justice’s side guiding him as much as she could. The full moon lit their way illuminating every obstacle. Beauty sang a song of Old halls and the glorious days of peace, Repunzle and Charity joined her song and their voices echoed off the trees on either side of them. They were now in the great old forest of Monrough and were nearing the castle grounds. After a while Wisdom kindly asked the women to be quiet, for he feared silence would aid them most at this part of their journey. Justice talked quietly to Repunzle as she led him telling her of how he and his siblings became as they were.

Chapter 3

Dawn was nearing when the castle of Monrough became visible, and the siblings decided to scout it out once they had become birds again. The queen and Repunzle found themselves a comfortable place to sleep that was well hidden from view, and there awaited the return of Birds. The siblings soared above the castle and found no sign of life. The gardens were overgrown and decaying, the stone walls were stained black from mold and parts of it were nothing more than rubble. The children decided to check inside the castle. They flew in through one of the windows and spread out promising to return to the window after a few minutes.

Justice made his way into the great hall, while Wisdom went to find the library. Charity found the kitchens and noticed they had been used recently, though they were in bad repair. Truth searched what seemed like a never ending maze of halls, and beauty Flew down a great staircase and into what looked like a museum. Pictures covered the walls; glass cases covered the floor in a market like set up and cages hung low from the ceiling. In the glass cases were artifacts of every type, and in the cages were many different stuffed animals and birds. Beauty Shivered at the view. She landed below a cage that held what once had been a great horned owl. She waddled about the room, her webbed feet making pattering sounds.

She flew back up the stairway heading to the window when she saw justice flying towards her. A great beast flew from behind beauty, and grabbed hold of justice. Justice’s wings were pinned to his back by the beast’s paws. The beast lifted Justice up to eye level and peered at him.

Beauty dove beak first at the beast, but the beast threw Justice from him, jumped and grabbed beauty around the body before she could wheel away. He held her beak and put his great arm over her wings to keep her from flying and began carrying her down the stairs back to the museum like room.

Justice was knocked unconscious by the fall and did not wake until he heard Charity Chirping. He opened his eyes and tried to close his wings, which had been thrown wide by his fall, but hey would not move.

Wisdom, Charity, and truth gently picked up justice in their beaks and talons, and the siblings flew away from the castle leaving Beauty behind. Justice called out to his siblings saying that they mustn’t leave Beauty behind, but his voice was so small that they did not hear him. When the reached the spot were the queen and Repunzle were sleeping. Truth, Charity and Wisdom set justice down. Repunzle woken by the sound of the birds flying in and Justices groans, came to them and Saw Justice, both his wings were broken and his head was lolling strangely. Something in her heart broke, for the night before, she and justice had been talking and she felt herself begin to love him, and now seeing him broken and wounded, tears came to her brown eyes. She knelt and gently touched the wounded eagles Chest. The tears from her eyes fell from her face and landed on Justices chest, and instantly a change began. His Talons began to look more human and his face became as his true face, his broken wings formed into human arms and he became himself again. Justice sat up, and Repunzle sat back Stunned, though he was still blind Justice found Repunzle’s face without any searching. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips, Repunzle’s tears did not stop coming but the nature of them changed, for now they were tears of happiness. The Old queen came upon the scene sleep still lingering in her eye’s, but they were bright eye’s nonetheless, for in them glowed the happiness that can only be felt by a mother when her child has found happiness.

Chapter 3

Back at the castle Beauty had been placed in a large hanging cage in the beast’s “museum room”. Her wing was hanging limp on the floor of the cage, and it hurt her terribly. The cage was still swinging from when the beast had but her in it. She watched the beast shuffle about the room, she almost felt pity for him, his arms were bent, crooked and twisted. His one leg was longer than the other, and each of his arms and legs ended in a gigantic paw with long curving claws. His face was pinched, and beauty could see he had suffered much pain, for his eyes were dull.

He began to speak, slow and slurred though his words were, beauty could understand them.

“I shall fix that wing, and when it is healed, she should be set free.” The beast came over and peered at her in the cage, beauty could see now the compassion in his eyes, they were not as dull as she had thought them to be, but very pale green. He opened the cage door and reached a paw in, beauty shuffled back against the back of the cage.

“Shush now, I won’t hurt you. Come eat.” The beast opened his paw; it was filled with water plants. Still beauty hesitated, the beasts paw was about the size of a pillow, and he would have stood about fourteen feet tall if he wasn’t so bent. Fearfully she crept forward keeping her eyes on the beast she came close enough to grab a plant from the beasts paw. Swallowing it hurriedly she shuffled back to the far end of the cage. The beast sighed.

“You needn’t fear me so, swan, I may be ugly but I won’t hurt you anymore than you have already hurt yourself trying escape. I can’t blame you though if I saw me coming after me, I would be quite frightened too. If only you hadn’t struggled so I would have set you free right away.” the beast walked back across the room leaving the cage door open. Beauty realized her mistake the beast had not been trying to harm justice, he had been trying to protect her, he had thought justice was attacking her.

The beast left the room and hours seemed to pass, the plant had dulled the pain in Beauty’s wing and caused her to feel drowsy, she fell asleep. Beauty woke to a very dark room, it was after midnight and she was in her human from again. She lay still for a moment waiting for her eyes to adjust. When they did, careful not to put pressure on her broken arm, she inched forward. She could just barely see the opened cage door, as she moved the cage creaked and groaned under her human weight. Before she reached the door, the floor of the cage dropped out from under her, she screamed as she fell, and landed in a bruised heap on the floor. Stunned she was unable to move for a moment, but when she heard the sound of a door opening on the other side of the room; she forced herself to sit up. She had forgotten about her arm and put to much pressure on it as she sat up, causing her to yell out in pain. She could hear something coming closer, so she sat perfectly still. After a short while she couldn’t hear it anymore, and she thought perhaps she had only imagined the sound of something coming.

“I can see you, you know.” The voice came from her right but still she dared not move.

The beast, from his vantage point could see beauty and the man standing off to her right. He could see the man strike the tinder and light a candle, he watched as the man came and helped beauty up from the floor, and he saw her wince, he also saw the look in her eyes when she saw the handsome man’s face. A face that once had been his.

But it was a price he would have to pay, and a test she would have to pass.

The handsome man helped beauty to her feet.