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Beauty and the Beast
by Pirate Turner
Raven Darkholme noticed her daughter staring up at the sky. "What's going on?" she asked, coming to stand beside her.
"There's someone up there, Mom," replied Rogue.
Raven looked up at the sky. "There's no one up there."
"Not in the sky, Mom," Rogue agreed with a chuckle. "On the roof," she pointed up to the roof of the castle that served as home for her and her mother.
"Oh, that's just the chimney sweeper, dear. No one to worry about."
"Ah wasn't worryin'. Ah just wondered what he was doin' up there."
"We hire him to sweep the roof and clean out the chimneys."
"Oh." Rogue paused before adding, "He looks mighty lonely."
"Nonsense. He likes it up there."
"Are ya sure?"
"Of course, I'm sure." Raven headed for the castle doors. "Come on inside. You'll catch your death of pneumonia if you stay out too long."
Although she wasn't convinced that the guy on the roof wasn't lonely, Rogue followed her mother indoors after glancing up once again at him. She wondered if he was watching her like she was him.
Kurt Wagner watched from the roof as the Princess Rogue followed the Queen into the castle. He sighed, wishing for a friend. He spent all his days working on the rooftops of the castle. He liked his job, but he couldn't help but to feel lonely with no one to talk to. Abandoned at birth by his parents, he'd been lonely and poor all his life. A mockingbird called out, and Kurt snapped back to what he was supposed to be doing. He forced a grin as he picked up sweeping where he had left off to watch the lovely Princess and her mother, the Queen.
The Princess found herself alone the next day with the exception of the servants her mother hired. "Where's Mom?" she'd asked the cook over breakfast.
"The Queen had to go into town today to take care of some business, Princess," the cook had told her.
Rogue sighed. Her mother spent more time in town than at home nowadays, and she was lonely. She was never allowed to go into town with her mother or even to play outside the castle gates. If being royalty meant such loneliness and work as it seemed to be, she would gladly give up her heritage if she could, but she wasn't allowed to. Just like she wasn't allowed to do so many other things.
One of the few things she was allowed to do was play in the snow inside the castle gates, which was what she was doing now. Well, actually she was building a snowman, but it still involved snow and fun. She stuck a carrot in the middle of the snowman's face and stepped back to examine her handiwork. {Not bad,} she thought.
A few gray drops fell on the perfectly white snowman from above. Rogue looked up to see what had caused the gray drops only to see a shadowy figure dancing on the rooftops. {Ah wonder if it's the chimney sweeper again,} she thought with a smile. {Only one way to find out.}
Rogue snuck back indoors and followed a winding staircase up to the roof. She opened a door and peeked out. There was a man dancing from roof side to roof side! Without thinking, she laughed. She quickly stopped, but not in time. The man had heard her and stopped. "Who's there?"
Rogue stepped from behind the door. She smiled at the dark-haired man who held a broom.
"Oh, did I disturb you, Princess?" the man asked. Alarm showed in his eyes.
"No, ya didn't. I just saw ya up here and wondered what ya were doing."
"Oh, I'm just doing my work," the man humbly replied, returning to his sweeping.
"Ya were dancin'," Rogue reminded the chimney sweeper.
"Please don't tell the Queen, Princess Rogue!" begged the chimney sweeper. "She'd fire me for sure!"
Rogue was puzzled as to the chimney sweeper's fear of her mother, but she didn't dare ask for fear of his answer. Instead, she just said, "Don't worry, Sir, Ah won't."
"Please, your Majesty, don't call me 'Sir'," the sweeper humbly requested.
"Ah won't call ya 'Sir' if ya just call me 'Rogue' and tell me your name."
"If that's your wish?"
"It is."
"Okay, Rogue. My name is Kurt Wagner, and it's a true honor to meet you." He bowed low. "I've heard tales of your beauty. I must admit I thought they were greatly exaggerated, but, now I see that none of them captured the true extent of your beauty."
Rogue couldn't help but to blush. "Why, thank ya, Kurt! No one's ever said a nicer thing to me!" She smiled again at Kurt.
Kurt returned her smile as he worked. Rogue watched him work for awhile before commenting, "Ah've never seen anyone dance as well as ya do."
"Thank you, Rogue," Kurt replied, uncomfortable with calling the Princess by her first name.
"Will ya teach me how?" Rogue asked eagerly.
Kurt couldn't help but to grin. Who would believe it: a beautiful, rich princess asking a lowly chimney sweeper to teach her how to dance? "It would be my pleasure, Rogue," he said with a low bow.
Rogue smiled. Her green eyes twinkled with anticipation.
"Watch me first," Kurt said. He then began to tap his feet against the roof. Before the Princess knew it, the chimney sweeper was tap-dancing from the right side of the roof back to the side she remained on. He did this several times, while she watched his every move. She was impressed not only by his dancing, but also by his gracefulness and agility. After what seemed like mere seconds, Kurt extended his hand to Rogue. Rogue smiled widely as she took it. They begun to dance side by side, both tapping their feet. Rogue was a bit late starting, but she quickly caught up to Kurt. They went from side to side, grinning and tapping their feet in rhythm.
"Ready?" asked Kurt.
"For what?" asked Rogue.
"For this," Kurt replied, releasing Rogue's hand just a bit. His hand still hovered above hers, just in case she wasn't.
Rogue nodded. "Ah think so." They started back again, tap-dancing from roof side to the opposite roof side. "This is fun!" Rogue exclaimed, grinning, as she returned to the opposite side. Her foot went out from under her, throwing her off balance, and she started to slide toward the edge!
"PRINCESS!" cried Kurt, forgetting that she'd asked him to call her Rogue. Kurt watched helplessly as Rogue continued to slide to the edge. The only thing he could do could very well cost him his new friend. Rogue reached the edge of the rooftop! She flailed her arms in the air, grasping at nothing! And, then, she fell out of Kurt's sight! Without another thought about himself, Kurt disappeared from the rooftop with a strange sound. BAMF! He reappeared right underneath Rogue. She fell right into his arms with a thud. BAMF! Kurt teleported back to the rooftops with Rogue. The rooftops now smelt of brimstone.
After Rogue caught her breath, she remembered how she had survived. How Kurt had appeared out of nowhere. She sniffed the air only to smell the still strong scent of brimstone. "What are ya!?!" she cried.
Her green eyes clearly told Kurt that she was scared of him now. He sighed; he had been afraid this would be the result of his playing hero. "Princess, please," he reached out his hand for her.
"Don't touch me, ya - ya demon!" she yelled out.
Her words were harsher than she realized to Kurt. Memories flooded his mind. Unknown to Rogue, he had been hunted like the demon she now called him by the townspeople when his difference had became known. "Princess, I mean you know harm," he tried again to calm the frightened young woman.
No such luck. Instead of relaxing, Rogue opened the door, without turning her back to the "demon", and fled. Kurt sighed as the door slammed behind the beautiful princess. What had he done? He had finally became accepted by the people that lived at the palace, and now one knew how different he was. He knew it wouldn't be long before the word got out again, and he would have to leave. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. He then stooped to pick up the broom that lay still and silent on the roof and began to sweep slowly, all thoughts of dancing gone from his mind.
Halfway down the staircase, Rogue nearly collided with the cook, who had heard her scream and came running up the stairs as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. "What's the matter, Princess?" asked the cook. "Why did you scream?"
"The chimney sweeper!" Rogue gasped.
"What about him?" asked the uncomprehending cook.
"He-he's a demon!"
The cook, who had been left in charge of looking after the princess, shook her finger at Rogue. "We won't be having none of that nonsense in this castle," she said sternly.
"But he is!" insisted the princess.
"The chimney sweeper is not a demon; he's a chimney sweeper. Besides, you know your mother doesn't want you up on the roof!"
Rogue hung her head, realizing that she wouldn't be believed unless she could prove it and she couldn't make the demon teleport in front of the cook, so she couldn't prove it. "Yes, ma'am," she mumbled.
"Now, go wash up. Lunch is ready." The cook bustled away towards the kitchen from whence she had came.
Rogue sighed. She couldn't understand how a demon had worked its way into the castle or why the cook wouldn't believe her, although she had to admit to herself that she probably would not of believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, or how the cook could tell her what to do as she was royalty.
The cook poked her head out the kitchen door, "Why are you still standing there? Go wash up and then come back down and eat your lunch!"
Rogue nodded before turning and heading for the royal restroom.
Sunlight poured through the window onto Princess Rogue's state bed. She stirred slightly but didn't get up. There was the sound of the morning bell outside her door. Still she refused to rise from her slumber; instead, she turned over. A few minutes passed, and, then, the door opened with a creak. "Rogue?" asked her mother, coming over to stand beside her bed. "Rogue?" she repeated. Her only answer was Rogue's pulling the sheet over her head. "Rogue?" she persisted, shaking her daughter. A hand pulled a pillow over Rogue's exposed ear. With a sigh, Queen Raven Darkholme leaned over and yelled just above the pillow, "ROGUE, GET UP!"
Rogue yawned as she sat up in bed. "Okay, okay, Ah'm up, Mom."
"Listen, I have to go into town today - "
"You're always going into town. Why can't I come?!?"
"It's business."
"So?"
"Don't bug me, child. You can't go, and that's final." Irritated by her daughter's persistence, Raven fled the room.
{Fine,} Rogue thought to herself with a pout. {If Ah can't go with ya, Ah'll go by mahself!}
Rogue gaped in awe as she entered the Town Square. Children were playing, while their parents worked. The stores like a street from a fairy tale, all comfy and cozy on their selected lots. A few chickens pecked at dirt, hunting for their morning breakfast. Birds sung. A gentle breeze blew past Rogue. Two lions guarded the library. Best of all was the silver fountain that lay in the middle, water spewing into the air from the top only to fall into the bottom. Rogue smiled. She noticed a few giving her a strange look, but she ignored them and went into the library. She went up to the librarian and begun to ask her about checking out a book. As Rogue accepted her brand new library card from the librarian, their hands touched. The librarian tumbled in a heap to the floor. Rogue stumbled backwards as her mind was flooded with memories, memories that she somehow knew belonged to the librarian.
Strangers begun to gather around the fallen librarian and startled princess, mumbling about mutants. Scared, Rogue turned around, searching frantically for an escape route. She stopped as her eyes met the yellow eyes of a guy dressed from head to foot in clothing. The guy approached her carefully. When he was close enough that she could hear him, he whispered, "Come with me, Princess."
She recognized the voice as that of the chimney sweeper Kurt Wagner, of the teleporting demon. {He's different and so am Ah. Maybe he is a demon. For that matter, maybe both of us are. But Ah have to get out of here!} Without another thought to the matter, Rogue accepted the hand Kurt offered her. There was the sudden smell of brimstone and the strange sound of BAMF! and then Rogue and Kurt were in the middle of a meadow near the palace.
"What happened?" Rogue asked Kurt, hoping he knew what she was. "When Ah touched that librarian, she passed out and Ah somehow got her memories What am Ah, Kurt?" Tears threatened to flood from her green eyes.
The chimney sweeper took the Princess's hand in his. "You're beautiful. You're a lady. You're a mutant. You're everything any man could possibly want."
Rogue sniffed back her tears with the tiniest of smiles. "What's a mutant?"
"A person that's born with abilities others don't have. Someone who's different than those townspeople back there."
"But why didn't something like this happen before at the palace?"
"The palace and its grounds are magical. They allow us to have full control over our mutantcy. Does that answer your questions?"
"All but one. Why are ya dressed the way ya are?"
Kurt removed his extra clothing, revealing his blue fur underneath. "Unlike you, I even look different."
Rogue gasped in surprise.
Kurt's fur disappeared.
"What happened?"
"This meadow is part of the castle's grounds."
"So?"
"I did not wish you to have to look at my hideousness."
"Hideousness? Kurt, you're not hideous!" Rogue exclaimed. "You're handsome. Ah'd much rather see the real you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Kurt grinned as he allowed his fur to reappear. This time, he allowed his pointed tail to do so, as well. He followed Rogue's green eyes to the tip of his blue-furred tail. "Do you still think so?"
In response, Rogue pressed her lips to Kurt's in a gentle kiss. "What does that tell ya?"
Kurt's eyes twinkled as a smile formed on his lips.
There was a cough as Raven Darkholme appeared from the trees and approached her daughter and the chimney sweeper. Seeing the Queen, Kurt instantly fell on his knees. The Queen reached them. She gave Kurt a brief look, "Get up." Kurt instantly obeyed. Raven took her daughter by the hand and led her away from the chimney sweeper a few paces so they could talk, just the two of them, "I had hoped I could spare you from finding out about us mutants, my daughter, but now I see there's no way I could have possibly prevented it."
"Ya mean to tell me you're one, too, Mom?" Rogue surmised.
"Yes," Raven admitted. She gave the chimney sweeper a single glance before transforming into the librarian Rogue's touch had knocked out earlier.
"Ah don't understand..."
Raven shifted back to the form of the woman her daughter knew her as. "I'm a shapeshifter. I can change my appearance to make me look like anyone I wish. I can be the librarian..." She shifted back to the librarian she had just been. "...or the chimney sweeper..." She transformed again, this time to make herself have blue fur, pointed ears, a pointed tail, and yellow eyes, just like Kurt Wagner, whose jaw was open in surprise as he watched the two women from a respectable distance. "...or even you." Finally, Raven changed her body's appearance to match that of her daughter's.
"Spooky," Rogue said under her breath as she stared at a duplicate of herself that was really her mother. "With so many appearances, what do ya really look like, Mom?"
"Are you sure you want to see?"
"Yeah," Rogue nodded firmly.
Without another word, Raven Darkholme transformed to look like her real self. She had blue skin and yellow eyes, a lot like Kurt whose jaw widened in surprise again at the sight. Her hair was long in length and a fiery red in color. She wore a sleeveless white dress; skulls were her jewelry.
"Whoa," Rogue breathed.
Raven motioned to the chimney sweeper that it was okay for him to join them now. As he came into hearing distance, Raven told him, "As you can see, Kurt, I am one of you."
"Yes," Kurt nodded in thought. Could Raven be his long-lost mother? Should he bring it up?
"I know what you're thinking, Kurt," Raven said with a mischievous grin. "You're wondering if I'm your mother."
"And the answer is.....?" Rogue prompted her mother, curious to know if she had a brother.
"Yes," Raven finished the sentence her daughter had started.
Kurt and Rogue looked at each other as they simultaneously said, "That means we're siblings!?!"
"Yes and no."
"Huh?"
"Is it me - or is Mom makin' no sense at all?"
Raven looked at her daughter with sadness in her yellow eyes. She knew what she had to tell her, but she also knew that there was no way for her to know how her child might take the realization. When she spoke, her voice was gentler than any tone she had ever before used. "Rogue, my dear girl, I will always love you both equally, but . . ." She shook her head, a movement that sent her long, red hair cascading down her blue shoulders in fiery waves. "I found you alone when you were just a baby. You were left on the castle steps, and I adopted you."
Rogue was stunned beyond speech at her mother's words, but then she began to realize that it was all right for her to love Kurt as he was not her kin. Her emerald eyes lifted and turned to meet with his yellow eyes, and slowly the two began to grin mischievously. Both opened their mouths to say something, but, once again, their mother interrupted, "You two are to be married."
"Wha-!?!" they exclaimed in unison, eyes wide as they flicked immediately back to their mother.
Raven just grinned as she told them, "You are both my children, and I love you both dearly. Do you not think I realize the inner most desires of your hearts?" She paused and allowed a period of silence before adding, "Buuuuuut if I'm wrong and you truly don't want to celebrate your love........."
There was an immediate chorus of "no"s from both of Raven's children.
"Great! Now let's go home!" Raven said, turning for the forest.
Rogue and Kurt exchanged glances. Kurt reached out his open hand for Rogue's, Rogue accepted, slipping her hand into her husband-to-be's. Their smiles were bigger than the Grand Canyon itself as their fingers entwined, and then they turned as one to follow their mother.
Rogue and Kurt married a little over a month later. Raven decided that it was long past time that she was more of a mother than a Queen and spent more time with her family which was what she had really wanted to do all along. In short, everyone lived happily ever after.
The End