Remnant of the Beast by Stephen Reid Andrews

Author:Stephen Reid Andrews [Andrews, Stephen Reid]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1483986764
Published: 2013-05-17T04:00:00+00:00

***

The next day, Elise and her sister spent most of the morning with their father. In the same manner as before, Elise mentioned nothing of the Beast though her mind was crowded with thoughts of her reunion with the Beast the night before.

Gradually regaining his strength from day to day, Pascal ate nearly the entire time they spoke to him. The prince’s doctors had done an excellent job repairing his wounds and resetting his bones, and, although Pascal was still in pain and would not be able to walk on his own for several more weeks, Pascal was grateful for the prince’s kindness.

Elise was surprised by her father’s gratitude. She was hardly grateful to the prince because it was the prince’s celebration that put her father in his bed. Yet, the way in which her father somehow found appreciation for the prince, softened her heart.

“Oh Elise,” he said, “it’s not the prince’s fault. Had my invention worked, I would not have fallen, and lines of people would be at our door wanting their own wings.” Pascal laughed.

Elise hardly found the matter funny. “But father, they didn’t invite you there to see you succeed – they invited you there to see you fail.”

“Yes, my dear,” he said reaching his hand to her cheek from where he sat. “But it only takes one success to erase all the failures. When an opportunity presents itself, the only true failure takes place if one doesn’t try at all. My wings weren’t ready to fly this time, but next time, you’ll see. They all will see.”

Despite her own feelings and although it pained her to see the entire kingdom laugh at her father, this was somehow what her father had expected. Suddenly, she became upset with her father for not preparing her and her sister for what he apparently knew could be a possible result of the evening. Conflicted, Elise wondered if her vocal reprimand of the queen and the royal court had not been completely justified and whether she had ruined any chance that her father might have at another opportunity to find success.

Pascal sensed that his daughter was in deep contemplation, but he was left to guess the reason.

“I’m sorry about Patric,” he said thinking that the queen’s rebuke of Patric was the only negative thing that would have impacted her the night of the celebration. His ignorance made it evident that he still had much to learn about being the father of two daughters. “I didn’t know the queen would treat him that way. I thought those days were long over.”

“We all did, papa,” said Elise soothingly.

“I must go speak with Suzanne and Francois – they must think I am an animal for bringing their son to the castle only to have him humiliated like that.” Pascal made an attempt to get up but promptly realized from the pain in his leg, his arm, his back, and nearly everywhere else on his body that he would not be going to see the Clementes for some time.

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