Prince Henry held tight to Belle amid the destroyed bedroom, while a man she didn’t immediately recognize stood in front of them like a shield, his arms extended. “What happened?” Henry shouted as the castle walls started to shake.
“I performed the counter-curse, but Adam died before I could finish. Then he came back to life! Let me go, Henry! Adam needs me!”
“Stay back,” ordered the mid-forties man in front of them. He wore gray slacks and a pink dress shirt, his black hair cropped in a clean, modern cut. “Adam’s body needs space to figure out what it’s going to do.”
When the man turned his head to the side, Belle finally recognized him from photos in the paper. It was the great Remus Johnstone, in the flesh. He was the only one who’d been able to successfully pull off the counter-curse before – Malaura’s student coming out to storm the master.
Belle was astonished he’d come to see it all play out. Remus’ arms were raised toward Adam, and he began to mutter a string of Latin that Belle could only pick out bits and pieces of.
Pure light emanated from Adam as his body lifted and turned, so that he was vertical in the air. It was as if Remus was making him levitate – a thing that was far beyond a person’s abilities. At most, Belle had seen someone at a traveling show that came to her school levitate a bowling ball. It was so impressive, the entire school cheered the accomplishment. To levitate a whole person, much less someone as large as Adam, was an impossibility Belle couldn’t wrap her mind around. She began to understand Remus’ advice about ignoring the traditional rules of magic.
A harsh breeze that seemed to exist only around his body whipped in a swirl. The concentrated wind grew at an alarming velocity. It blew his fur so hard that a peppering of hair ripped off his skin and was caught up in the growing tornado that was rapidly gaining momentum.
Henry let out a noise of distress when Adam shouted through the pain of his bones going through yet more breaking, his body contorting midair. Adam’s eyes weren’t closed due to unconsciousness, but instead scrunched in agony, his mouth open through his distress.
Belle wanted to get to him, to ease his pain somehow, but as the tornado encased the man she loved, she knew this was lightyears beyond her level of study. All the schooling she’d undergone for both nursing and magic felt like a joke as she drank in things she’d never before witnessed, or even heard of.
Wolves were howling below, some scattering and leaving the fresh kill behind at the sight of the tornado. In the backdrop, far enough away from the scene to be part of it, Belle’s gaze caught on a flash of red. Her eyes widened at the sight of the woman in the red cape.
The woman seemed to say a great many things without even opening her mouth as she took in Adam’s agony. Next to her was the enormous pure white wolf, who was almost invisible, surrounded by snow as he was. Her hand rested atop his head, not to pet him, but as if to unite herself with him as they studied the rare bit of magic.
Belle held tight to Henry, whose fingers were digging deep into her ribs. He’d started out holding her back from the chaos, but now it was him who needed someone to hold him through his best friend’s pain.
Belle watched Adam as his body started to slowly turn as if on a spit, moving in conjunction with Remus’ rotating hand motions. Adam’s fur flung off in chunks, carried away by the wind, who seemed to know what it was doing. Nature had a plan for Adam, but Belle was still teetering on the edge of betting whether nature would be kind or cruel.
Remus’ arm reached behind him so he could tug Belle forward. “This is your magic at work, Belle. Hold your hands out and repeat after me.”
Belle found herself standing in between Remus’ outstretched arms, her back pressed to his chest. He was one of the elite – the Chancellor’s brother whose extensive understanding of magic saved Rory. He had a seat on the council and was the successful CFO of the Foundation that had granted Belle her scholarship.
Belle swallowed hard and tried to make-believe she belonged on the playground with the big kids, swinging for the homerun as if she knew what she was doing.
Belle held her head high, extended her arms to press against the inside of Remus’ reach so he could guide her. She held her love for Adam tight in her breast as she repeated the string of syllables as crisply as she could manage. Without meaning to, the last few words welled up inside of her and came out with a ferocious punch that echoed out across the castle grounds, as if the words had been waiting for her to set them free. “Caritas est fortior!”
Belle felt suddenly weak with a sensation of carbonation popping over her skin and fizzling in her esophagus until it bubbled and snapped in her chest. Her left knee buckled, but she didn’t fall.
Remus was silent for a few beats, and then let out a gust of relief when light shot out of Adam’s body like a beam of hope. The inches of fur that made Adam look like the beast he’d feared he would become dropped from his skin completely, whipping away, due to the kindness of the tornado.
Remus’ voice was tense, but relieved. “That was brilliant, Miss Belle. You did it.”
Belle shook her head, confused at the storm that was brewing in her belly as the carbonation in her chest moved downward. A fierce battle waged inside of her, begging to be unleashed. “There’s something more!” she told Remus, not holding back the uncertainty and fear in her voice.
Remus paused, but then moved his hand to her abdomen, palming her stomach as if to feel for the source of her magical dilemma. “Let it out,” he urged her, pressing into her stomach to encourage the last vestiges of the spell to birth from her – creating what textbooks had never captured. It was the next evolution of magic, and Remus was prudent enough to see the miracle for what it was. “Open your mouth and unleash it all!”
Belle didn’t have time to give in to her fright, but listened to the words of her impromptu professor. The voice that erupted from her didn’t sound like her own, but carried with it a baritone quality that almost made her shut her mouth. She closed her eyes and trusted her instinct that the universe wanted good things for the magic that danced about in the world. She trusted her intuition, though she had no explanation for the hunch.
Finally, she trusted in the love she had for Adam – that it was stronger than any curse Malaura could’ve dreamed up. Belle’s head tilted back, and to the sky she shouted, “Et cum hoc mundo liberari a malo!”
A gust of something pure and new erupted from Belle’s lips and shot out into the air toward Adam, leaving her limp in Remus’ arms.
The lavender glittering cloud that emanated from her seemed to operate outside of nature, ignoring the tornado as if it was a hyperactive puppy that could be brushed aside. The whirlwind slowly died down, lowering Adam to the stone balcony like a lover carrying its weary mate to bed. The wind returned to a slight winter’s breeze, giving the lavender cloud space to dissipate and spread out into the world, infiltrating the air with something entirely other.
A smattering of the lavender puff remained, hovering over Adam’s flaccid, supine body like a blanket. After a few beats, the glittery cloud sank into Adam’s skin, mending abrasions and setting his crooked legs straight again – only this time, without the agony of rebreaking his bones.
Remus hadn’t seen Adam’s true face without the fur and slight mutations in a decade, but suddenly there he was – the boy who’d come over to play with Rory and Henry, aged passed the young man who’d lost his way when his parents died without nature’s permission.
Remus hoisted Belle up in his arms like a bride and carried her over the rubble, making sure the glass had been blown away by the tornado before he laid her body next to Adam’s. He leaned over and tested Adam’s heartrate, pressed his ear to Adam’s stomach, and then listened to Belle’s, taking mental notes to explain the uncharted magic, and predict any possible ramifications.
Belle remained still, too stunned to speak. She was the perfect patient while Remus poked and prodded them both, jotting things down on the paper that Henry brought him upon request.
Prince Henry knelt at Adam’s side, willing his oldest friend to open his eyes. Adam’s heart was beating, but he was locked in a deep sleep.
“It’s the same as Rory.” Henry swallowed hard as the memory played clearly in his haunted gaze. “I tried to wake her. I do love her, but I’ve never been in love with her, so my kiss did nothing.” His eyes moved to Belle, whose body felt like jelly after the new magic had birthed from her. “It’s you. You’re the cure.” Then Henry moved over to Belle’s side and helped her to sit up, allowing her to lean back against his chest while she fought to steady herself. “Only Cordray could wake Rory, because he’s her true love.”
Remus nodded. “That’s exactly right. When I got here and saw the chaos, I wasn’t sure Adam’s body would be okay. My contribution tonight was the same thing I did for Rory – putting her in a deep sleep until true love’s kiss could wake her.” He pried open one of Adam’s eyes to check his pupils. “But it doesn’t seem like that was necessary. You did it all far beyond what I thought possible. He’s… I only thought you might be able to stop the mutations, but he’s actually restored as if it never happened!” He slapped Adam’s cleanshaven cheek, but the patient didn’t stir. “Miss Belle, this is incredible.” His eyes drifted from Adam back to her, taking in her heavy breathing and languid demeanor as she rested against Henry. “I should like to work with you. I’ve been Rory’s tutor since she was a small girl, and I work with other exceptional students on occasion. I think Rory might enjoy having you sit in on her lessons.”
Belle’s mouth fell open. “Remus Johnstone? You want to tutor me? You’re like, way up here.” She tried to motion with her hand a level above her head, but her palm flopped back onto her knee. “And I’m way down there.”
Remus smiled, his eyes locking on hers with a promise. “You didn’t just stop Malaura’s curse, you reversed it. Even I couldn’t do that.”
“Sure you did, saving Rory like that.”
“Adam’s curse was far more complicated. Death is one action, but a mutation is a series of steps that are far more complex. Never in my wildest… Say you’ll let me tutor you.”
Belle stammered through her response, but eventually landed on a humble, “I’d be honored.”
Henry squeezed her biceps and shoulders, rubbing sensation back into her body so she could sit up on her own. “Expect an obnoxiously large gift from me, once I process all I just saw.”
Belle laughed through her nose. “He really won’t wake up unless I…” She didn’t want to say the words out loud in front of the Great Remus Johnstone, but in that moment, there was nothing she wanted to do more.
Henry started making kissing noises. “Would you like me to sing a love song to set the mood?” Then before Belle could answer, he belted out a few lines of the sappiest song to hit the top of the charts that year.
Belle clamped her hand over the prince’s mouth and giggled, wondering when it was that she’d become comfortable enough around the prince of Avondale to pal around with him as if he was a ridiculous brother. “Give me some space for this. We’ve never… This would be only our second time… Just turn around or something. I can’t do this with an audience.”
Henry scoffed, affronted. “I can’t believe you don’t want me here to sing for you. What a grand story that would make for your grandkids. ‘The Prince of Avondale sang while I kissed grandpa back to life.’ The press release practically writes itself.”
“Come on, you.” Remus hefted Henry up, and the two stepped over the broken doorframe to give Belle her moment.
When she was finally alone with Adam, Belle’s eyes fixed on him. He’d been in agony a handful of minutes ago, but now he looked peaceful, if not totally foreign to her. “I’ve never seen you without your fur in person.” Though she knew he couldn’t see her, she took her time drinking in his features, weighing how strange it would be to kiss a face she wasn’t totally familiar with.
She pushed the strands of hair that had come loose from her bun behind her ear. Though Adam was unconscious, she was suddenly nervous. He was far more handsome than the pictures of him she’d seen in the papers. Of course, he’d been only twenty back then. In slumber, the childishness seemed groomed out of him, replaced with a maturity she couldn’t tear her eyes from.
In a word, Adam was beautiful. Still, she wondered if she would one day eventually prefer this vast improvement to the fur-lined face she’d grown to love.
She knew she should complete the breaking of the curse and kiss him, but she was transfixed, inching closer so she could study the crevices and angles of his features that had been previously concealed. He had a strong jaw, with a slight dimple in the center of his chin, though it wasn’t overly pronounced, like Gabe’s had been. Before she could stop herself, she reached out and traced the hard line of his jaw, acquainting herself with the feel of his skin. It was smooth and untarnished by life, and a little foreign.
There were slight crinkles on the outsides of his eyes, making her desperately wish she could see him smile. She’d only ever seen his mouth covered with his thick beard. Belle studied his lips, running her finger over the plump bottom to test its silkiness.
That was all the hesitance her body allowed her. Belle curled her forearm under his head, lifting him slightly so she could cradle him as if he was her most precious thing. Belle could have stared at his handsome face forever, but the urge to see him open his eyes again drove her to lower her lips to his, and placed upon them the first kiss of the rest of their lives.