Before Beauty by Brittany Fichter

she was soon on her horse and headed towards the
mountain.
    Isa had never feared the mountain.
As a child, she had run up and down its familiar face with her
brother and friends like mountain goats. More hill than cliff, its
slopes were gentle, and its peak was rounded off at the top. It
would take a few hours to get to the Fortress because of the
melting snow drifts that still stood from the last night’s storm,
but the path would be easy enough to find. An ancient tree marked
its beginning, towering over all of its neighbors. From there, the
path ran right alongside a stream carved every spring by
snowmelt.
    It felt strange to begin up the
path again. She hadn’t visited the Fortress since the incident with
the prince. It was too strenuous for her ankle, and her father had
thought it best if she wasn’t near the prince. The last time she’d
set foot on this path was when she was young and free, able to run
and dance without a care in the world. And now she was headed for
the domain of the man who had taken it all from her, strong leg,
strong hand, even her wedding.
    Isa couldn’t help but shudder as
she tried not think about what he could possibly want from her. Did
he know who she was, or had he simply chosen to pour out his wrath
on the first passerby he could find?
    Though the stories of the Fortress
monarchs had always painted them with at least decent senses of
honor and chivalry, Isa had heard stories of how the rulers of
other lands treated their wives and concubines. She wondered if
that was what he wanted of her.
    Even admist such dire thoughts,
Isa was never left alone with her fear, however, for her anger at
what he had done, what he might want her to do, burned deep inside
as well. She would go, but she would not go quietly.
    As the slope got a bit steeper,
Isa had to focus more on guiding her horse along the snowy trail.
As they moved, however, Isa began to sense that she wasn’t alone.
She looked around warily, hoping to spot a harmless animal in the
brush or the trees, but she could see nothing. The forest was
silent. Not even squirrels chattered. She tried to focus on the
road ahead, pushing her horse just a bit faster. But the closer she
got to the Fortress, the more she felt the prying eyes.
    When she spotted the Fortress
entrance, Isa let out a sigh of relief and dismay, thinking she had
made it. At that moment, however, something large flew out of the
bushes and slammed into her, knocking her off her horse.
    “ Launce!” she gasped as she stared
up into the face of her brother.
    “ What are you thinking?” He
ignored her question. “I thought you might get curious, but I
didn’t think you would actually be stupid enough to go!”
    “ If you get off me, I’ll tell
you!”
    Launce sat back enough to allow
her to stand up. Isa scolded herself silently. She should have
known her brother wouldn’t let her leave without a goodbye.
Actually, she knew he wouldn’t let her leave at all. That was why
she’d slipped out of the house when she thought he was out visiting
his sweetheart one last time. Apparently, he’d been able to read
her better than she had thought.
    “ Father might think we can outrun
the prince’s powers, but he’s wrong.”
    Launce stared back at her with
unforgiving eyes. “So I am simply supposed to let you run off to
live with the madman prince?”
    For the first time, Isa wondered
if she would actually be able to follow through with her plan.
Launce was strong, and though she was tall for a woman, he was a
whole head taller. It would be nothing for him to pick her up and
take her home against her will.
    “ Would you sentence Megane to a
slow death of sickness and pain?” she asked. His eyes widened a
bit, so she continued. “Because he’s strong enough. Launce, I’ve
felt it! When the prince touched me in the street all those years
ago, I felt his power! It was more painful than I can describe. I
don’t know what he wants me for, but I do know that I want none