Beauty and Her Beast

As soon as the infernal woman was gone, Albert walked from flowerbed to flowerbed, not really seeing the flowers, but enjoying the rich air outside.

He walked for what seemed like miles, impressed by not only the beauty around him, but the variety of blooms he saw. There were common country roses and carnations growing alongside tropical Bird of Paradise and other plants he could not name.

Each bed was well maintained, but Albert never saw any other people in the garden, be they gentlefolk or servants.

How was such a place maintained without constant care he asked himself. Even in his better days he'd employed three gardeners and a florist to care for the cut flowers he kept in the house.

Towards sunset, he was close to heading in without Agnes to assist him, when he heard the soft tinkling of bells. Turning towards the sound, he saw a faint golden glow coming from an arbor to his right that he did not remember seeing at all that day.

As he entered under a low trellis Alfred’s jaw dropped as he beheld a garden of such wonder that he fell to his knees in awe. These were not just flowers, these were flowers made of jewels, and they were more beautiful than anything he could have ever imagined possible.

Rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds glistened in the light of the sunset, each in the gentle shape of petals. Albert, still on his knees, thanked god that he had been brought to such a wonderful place. Crawling forward, his fine new velvet clothes forgotten as his hands and knees smearing them with dirt and mud. Gingerly, he began picking fallen stones out of the dirt, shoving them into his pockets by the handful. Surely the master here would not mind if he took these, they were after all only fallen petals.

His pockets ever fuller, Albert rose to his feet feeling as if this was the reason the fates had brought him here. With the gems in his possession, he could not only rebuild his shipping empire, he could destroy all those who'd been part of his downfall.

With these glorious thoughts in his head, he made one more circuit of the garden wishing he knew the secret of how to grow these jeweled flowers for himself. He almost pondered digging one up and trying to replant it once he got back to town, but he pushed that idea aside. A few pockets full of gems would be easy to smuggle out, but an entire plant would be impossible.

Heading towards the arbor to meet Agnes before the old woman came looking for him, his steps stopped abruptly when he saw the most amazing thing in the entire world.

It was a rose bush covered with flowers, its petals seeming to be made of solid gold, each one kissed with a pearl of dew. Without hesitating, Albert walked over and reaching out, broke off the largest bloom.

From nowhere came the most frightening roar he’d ever heard. It was a sound that would have frightened even the most evil of demons of the deep.

Albert turned round and round looking for the source, praying he could somehow outrun such a ferocious sounding creature. Something grabbed him from behind, lifting him off the ground by the neck of his tunic, the fabric ripping as he was raised several feet off the ground.