Little Red Cinderella and the Three Beanstalks

Previously...

"Rikki has quite a habit of surprising you. She's not quite the lady she pretends to be." Ezu said knowingly, and eyebrow raised delicately.

"It was only a little growl!" I moaned in my defense.

"Oh, I've noticed. You know that red cape she tore up for your arm? Apparently it was Little Red's. According to Red, Rikki stole it from her." Jack said accusingly.

"Really? I thought it looked familiar!" Ezu replied, shaking his head sadly, as if disappointed.

"I did NOT steal it! There were WOLVES chasing me! I ran into her! She freaked, dropped her cloak, tried to shank me, and ran off! What could I do? I was going to get eaten!!" I half shouted in exasperation.

"Tsk tsk, Rikki. If I had any idea you were such a delinquent..." Ezu began.

"I hate you both!" I snarled, and I spun on my heel and marched out of the room. I'd find my way to the kitchen alone! And then I'd ditch Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Idiot and rescue the Miller's daughter on my own too!

I tried to ignore the fact that I had already threatened to do this several times in the last hour alone without it coming to effect.
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To be perfectly honest, I was expecting Ezu and Jack to come running after me a few seconds later, all smiles and half hearted apologies. But by the time I had turned to corner down the hallway, out of sight of the doorway, they still hadn't emerged from Ezu's room. I was mildly surprised, and mildly disappointed. I had almost grown fond of their endless routine of bickering and apologizing.

Almost.

Believe me, the feeling of relief when I was finally alone, surrounded by only the sounds of my footsteps as I marched down the hall was like a bountiful oasis to a man lost in a desert. Paradise, in other words. I could actually hear myself think! The novelty of it!
But now was not the time to be distracted by the simple pleasures in life. Yeah, I had managed to find my way from Ezu's room to the kitchen of the Inn once before, but that was only with the help of both Jinx, and then Jack. This time I was on my own.

Speaking of Jinx, where was the little bugger? The last time I had seen him was in what, Chapter 13? Right after I met Jack. But since then, he appeared to have made himself scarce. I wasn't too terribly worried, if any magical mechanical insect could take care of itself abandoned in an equally magical fairy tale universe, it was Jinx. You know, because I've met so many magical insects by which to compare Jinx to.

But that's beside the point.

Although I was perfectly sure that Jinx was more than capable of taking care of himself, my own abilities I wasn't too sure of. And to be honest, I think I trusted Jinx more than I trusted either Jack or Ezu. Even though the traitorous bug had ditched me in the middle of a forest while we were being chased by blood thirsty giants. But hey, forgive and forget, right?

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. Wondering where Jinx might or might not be wasn't helping me at all. I stopped walking and looked round, chewing on my lip.

Uh oh.

As I had been lost in thought, I had managed to effectively completely lose myself in the maze of hallways that was the Inn. Way to go Rikki. Identical wooden doors lined both sides of the hallway, and every other hallway in this stupid place. And by God, were there a lot of hallways! I was beginning to suspect the Inn was enchanted to be larger on the inside than it appeared to be. Unfortunately for me, I had simply set out from Ezu's room in a huff, and hadn't bothered to take precautionary measures, such as count the number of doors I passed or make note of how many turns I took as I walked.

In short, I had no idea where I was. In a bit of a funk, I contemplated my options.

1) I could keep on wandering the halls until I either escaped, was discovered, or starved to death.
2) I could stay put until I was also either discovered or starved to death.
3) I could begin opening doors at random and pray to god they led somewhere, and if they didn't, starve to death.

I opted for choice number three. Even if I didn't find a fire escape or something, one of the rooms was bound to have a window I could climb out of if I got desperate.

The first two hallways and about thirty doors were utter failures. Just spare rooms, sparsely decorated, and covered in about 20 years worth of dust. However, I hit the jackpot on door number thirty-one.

Remember that door at the end of the hall way that led down those spiral steps that Jack took us down way way way long ago?

Well, apparently the door had decided not to be at the end of a hallway any more, and was instead happily placed snugly in the wall, nestled between rows and rows of other doors in the middle of nowhere; as I discovered when I pulled open to door and nearly fell headlong down said stairs.

For a bewildered second I almost refused to believe what my eyes were seeing, but then I remembered that this entire fairy tale world needed to be put on medication and the doors could be wherever the hell they wanted whenever the hell the wanted. I figured it was best not to think too hard about it.

With a resigned sigh, I straightened my shoulders and tried to begin the long trek down the seemingly never ending stairs with a bit of dignity.

Of course, I tripped immediately over my own feet and only managed to keep myself from falling to my death by launching myself to the side and clutching at the guardrail for dear life. I may have screamed as well, but that is beside the point.

Without too much more trouble, I finally managed to get my feet planted firmly on solid ground at the foot of the stairs. By now I could smell the sweet, sweet scent of food wafting from somewhere to my left. It called me like a siren's song, and I found myself following the smell of freshly baked bread and steaming meats to their source as if in a trance. The smell of food was wafting from a slight crack in a heavy oak door which hadn't been quite shut all the way, that evidently led to the kitchens.

I paused for a second, wondering if barging in and demanding sustenance was rude; but my stomach decided for me. It gave another mighty growl, and lest the sound frighten the cook into believing a wild beast had come to ravage his kitchen, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

It was as close to heaven as any earthly experience could ever be. Strings of sausages hung in clumps from the ceiling beside cloves of garlic, steaming rolls of freshly baked bread were piled atop each other on a wooden cutting board, peeled potatoes sat in a wooden barrel, their fleshy, pale bodies just waiting to be turned into french fries or mashed potatoes or delicious, greasy chips...

"Stop droolin' like a starvin' cur, ya silly girl, unless ya want to be drownin' in it!" A gruff voice barked, making me jump and snap my mouth shut sharpish. A living, breathing mountain seemed to appear out of nowhere and towered over me, fixing me with a disapproving glare.
"Whot are ya doin' in me kitchen?" The man growled. I didn't answer him right away--I couldn't. His sheer size had me struck dumb. He was easily over six and a half feet tall, and must have been at least 300 lbs, and not an ounce of it was fat. His torso was as thick around as a tree trunk, he had the shoulder width of an ox, and gnarled, muscled arms, which were currently crossed disapprovingly over his chest. Hell, even his neck must have been thicker than my whole body!

Over all, this man looked as if he spent his spare time weight lifting elephants.

I swallowed.

"Um..." I managed to croak out, about as articulate as a bag of mud. Fortunately for me, I was saved from trying to think of some other one syllable answer to his question when the man suddenly seemed to recognize me.

"Oh... yur that little girly who showed up on the doorstep a couple o' days ago with that Ezu kid, aren't ye?" He bent forwards, so his huge, ruddy face was on eye level with mine. His eyes were surprisingly bright and green.

"Yeah, I see it now! I didn't recognize ye without all that dirt an' blood all over yur face!" I swallowed thickly and took a step back.

"Um... yeah." I said. It was an improvement, but still not quite up to par. I tried again. "Ahem... I mean yeah, that was me. And um... I'm here... in here... in your kitchen, if it is... um, your kitchen?... because..." I stumbled, getting more and more flustered with every word.

"I'm guessin' yur in me kitchen because yur hungry. A little skinny speck of a girl like ye is probably hungry all the time!" The cook said, straightening to his full, impressive height.

"Um... yeah." I said again weakly, giving up. He got the message, didn't he? I could now just sit here in silent awe of this monster of a human being.

"Girlies these days don't eat enough! Ye need a little meat on yur bones! Young tings like ye should nay be starving themselves; but nowadays it's all ‘bout corsets and teeny waists and all tat other nonsense. A little meat on yur bones, tat's what ye need!" The man began to rant, turning away from me and scooping up various edible products with his shovel like hands as he did so. I was more than a little thrown off by this strange man's advice on my eating habits, but he seemed to be throwing together a meal of some sort, so I wasn't about to complain. Instead I inched towards a tall brown stool that sat on crooked legs beside the barrel of potatoes, and when the man didn't object, I sat down.

"So yur the little lady that brought Ezu in, eh? Tat was impressive. He was near dead when Mr. Fisher brought 'im in--Mr. Fisher, that's the owner of the Inn, Jack's father's (may he rest in peace) brother. Ye musta' dragged 'im clear outta the forest, eh? All on your own. Yep, impressive. Though personally I woulda left 'im there meself." He finished with a growl.

Call me crazy, but I was getting the distinct impression Ezu wasn't all that popular in these parts.

"That seems a little harsh, don't you think?" I said, finding my voice finally.

"Ar, ye don't know that Ezu kid like we do. Yur not from 'ere, now are ye?" The cook said darkly.

Okay, now I was interested.

"What do you mean? He seems decent enough to me." I said, choosing my words carefully. I remember Jack saying something about how everyone in the town adored him as well, but according to this bear-chef, that didn’t quite seem to be the case.

"That's because ya haven't 'eard all the stories." The man said, pulling down a string of sausages from the ceiling.

"Stories? What sorts of stories?" I pressed, leaning forward in my seat eagerly. I was probably pushing too hard, but I didn't care to be cautious. Maybe I'm just nosy, but what if Ezu really WAS a mad axe murderer, and I had just gotten lucky so far? I didn't have to worry about the cook clamming up however, in fact, he seemed more than willing to share all he knew.

"All sorts, little miss. That he 'as been makin' deals with witches and giants, and that he had summit to do with his own parent's suspicious deaths, and I've even heard talk that he's a werewolf!" The last phrase was delivered in a whisper, as if the very word "werewolves" would bring the hounds down upon the kitchen, but that wasn't the part that had caught my attention. “Not e’eryone believes them stories, o’ course, but enough of us do tat we keep an eye on that boy.”

"Ezu's parents... are dead?" I said, slowly. But, just last night... I mean four and a half days ago... Ezu had told me his story, about how he had left home in search of his fortune, and his parents had still been alive! Or, at least that is what he had said...

"Oh yes, miss. And his sister, with 'em. They been dead and gone fer many a year, may they rest in peace. Right after Ezu left his father's house, it was. But their deaths was suspicious, see. Very strange indeed." The cook grunted, chopping a potato into thin slices intently. A sister. Ezu had a sister as well? He hadn't mentioned her at all...

"But if Ezu wasn't at home then, why do you think he had anything to do with... the tragedy?" I said, pressing for details.

"Well, who else would want the poor souls dead? Not a penny to their names, nor an enemy in the whole world. They was good, honest folks. No one had anyting to gain from their being dead, no one but their trouble maker of a son." The cook said firmly. I bit my lip. Well, this was becoming a fine puzzle.

"What did Ezu have to gain from their deaths?" I asked. The cook paused in chopping the potato and glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Yur mighty curious. Why do ye want to know so much?" He asked me, a hint of suspicion creeping into his tone. I did some quick thinking. And by quick thinking, I mean tell the truth.

"Well, I was planning on accompanying him when we left town. I thought it might be safer is I knew a little more about who I was traveling with." I said slowly, watching the cook's face carefully. He peered intently at me, is if expecting to see the words, "Lie" scrawled across my forehead. When they failed to appear, he gave a grunt and turn back to the potatoes.

"I've 'eard it said-- and only 'eard, mind you, I don't know nothing fur sure-- that his parents had a small fortune, a gift from a good witch for some favor his father did. But ye see, Ezu wasn't to get the fortune. He was a boy, and could go out and become rich by working hard and having a little luck. But his sister, well, she was a girl, and her only hope fur getting anywhere in life was through a good marriage. But what rich man would want to marry a penniless farmer's daughter? So the fortune, whot ever it was, was to go to her. Some folks in the village 'eard Ezu and his father arguing about the fortune one day. Apparently Ezu wasn't terribly happy with the arrangements. He left soon after that. But one day, not even a month after Ezu left 'ome, his mum and sister were attacked." The cook had abandoned the potato entirely by now, and his full attention was fixed on me. I, likewise, was completely absorbed by this piece of Ezu's history I hadn't even suspected existed. If any of it were true, of course.

"Attacked? Attacked by what?" I whispered, wide eyed.

"Wolves, miss. A pack of 'em, as blood thirsty and wicked as the devil himself. They came out of nowhere and ripped up Ezu's mum and sister." The cook hissed. I gasped.

"Yur right to gasp, miss. It was 'orrible. His sister, little Eva, she was just a little ting, some years younger than you. But you know whot the strange part was, the part that don't quite sit right with the rest of the village?"

"What?" I breathed, though I suspected I already knew exactly what it was.

"It was Ezu 'imself whot found the bodies, miss. He showed up out of nowhere after disappearing for a month. Claimed he came back to make amends with his family. Funny though, how he was the one who found their bodies. Funnier is how he didn't try to tell anyone." The cook said grimly.

"What do you mean?" I asked feverishly.

"Well, some townsfolk found 'im, kneeling in front of the bodies, covered in their blood, didn't they? He later said he was in shock, that he didn't know what to do at the time. But some of us think that's not whot really happened."

"What do you think really happened?" I asked tentatively, not sure I wanted to know, though I could guess what the suspicion must have been.

"Well, I ain't saying nothing, but there was some talk about that boy being in league with the wolves around these parts. He spoke their language, so to speak. He was always the one who took care of any wolf problems we had around here. He was mighty good with animals. And he did want that fortune." The cook grunted, narrow eyed.

"Are you saying that Ezu had some sort of pact with the wolves to kill his family for a fortune?" I repeated slowly, incredulously. The cook just leaned back and shrugged, as if he didn't care one way or the other what I made of his tale.

"I don't know, do I? Cause if I did, you could bet that that Ezu kid wouldn't be around these parts anymore, if I had anything to do with it. Me, or most of the other townsfolk here, in fact." I frowned. Nothing quite sat right with this story-- and not just on the cook's part either. Ezu sure had a lot of explaining to do, if any of this had any truth in it at all.

"But what about the father? Ezu's dad, I mean? He wasn't eaten by wolves, was he?" I asked, trying to make sense of all this.

"No. That's where it gets even stranger. When the townsfolk who took the bodies back to their house got there, the whole place had been burned to the ground-- with poor ol' Mr. Eriksson still inside. But nothin' else was burnt, just the 'ouse. It was done on purpose." The cook finished in a hoarse voice. I grimaced.

"But couldn't that have been an accident?" I asked, not wanting to believe what was being implied. The cook glared at me, as if insulted.

"I 'spose. Could'a been a lot of things. All I'm sayin' is that that Ezu kid is a mighty suspicious character." He grunted. I frowned, and kneaded my forehead with my knuckles. This just kept getting more and more convoluted, I could barely keep up.

"But if no one likes Ezu, then why is he always hanging out in town? At least, I've heard that he always does. Doesn't he help you guys with stuff? Like wolves and what not?" I asked, more than a little confused. The cook shrugged again.

"Aye, he does. But that's only because he's the only one who can help with that stuff. No one else has managed to keep us safe and stay alive at the same time for very long. Like I said, he's strange, that boy. I'll reckon he's got powers or something. He ain't normal. But we need 'im, for now anyways, and we ain't gonna make 'im shove off while he's still earning his keep." I opened my mouth indignantly to-- well, I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say, but I sure wasn't going to sit there and let him talk about Ezu like that, possible patricide or no patricide-- but was interrupted by the kitchen door suddenly flying open and two gangly, teenaged male bodies come hurtling through the doorway at the same time. It was-- of course-- Jack and Ezu. Both boys were looking slightly disheveled, Ezu with his sandy blonde hair bizarrely array, and Jack's clothes more than a little rumpled, as if the two had gotten into a minor scuffle. Which I didn't doubt for a second. They were both also carrying their own rucksack, and Ezu held a third, presumably for me.

"Oh, Rikki, there you are. We thought you'd gotten lost or something." Ezu said, spotting me suddenly.

"Yeah, we were afraid we were going to have to put together a search party and track you down before you managed to do something to get yourself hurt." Jack added.

"What?! You guys seem to think I can't take care of myself without you two acting as my... my nannies or something! I'll have you now I am perfectly able-" I began heatedly as I leaped from my perch on the stool...

And promptly got my foot caught around the leg of the stool, and would have had a painful reunion with the unforgiving floor if Jack had not, for about the hundredth time that day, leaped forwards and snatched me about my waist an inch from impact.

"You were saying?" Ezu said lazily, one eyebrow raised, as Jack snorted and placed me back on my feet.

"I hope you both die," I spat, wrenching myself from Jack's grip.

"What are you doing in the kitchen anyways?" Ezu said, ignoring me.

"Oh, I don't know, possibly because I haven't eaten in ages?" I replied sarcastically. "Speaking of which..." I turned my back on the boys, letting my gaze linger for a second on Ezu-- he didn't look like a murderer-- and turned back to the cook.

When Jack and Ezu had crashed into his kitchen, the cook had immediately jumped to his feet and began to finish what he had started. My lunch, in particular. Now he had wrapped the bundle of food in a slightly grimy, large handkerchief and shoved it into my hands unceremoniously, not meeting my eyes.

"Here. Yur food. Sausages, bread, cheese, an' some potatoes. The meat'll go bad soon, so I suggest you finish that off first. Now git. You especially know I don't like all you children roughing in my kitchen, Jacky Boy." The cook growled at Jack, practically pushing us out the door. Jack simply laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too, Bartley." Jack said good naturedly, and we were out the door.

"Ugh. That man creeps me out." Ezu said with a slight shudder. "I don't know why your aunt and uncle keep him around, Jack. He didn't try to make a move on you or anything, did he Rikki?" I frowned, casting a side glance at Ezu as Jack led us into the main room of the Inn, which was just through another door beside the kitchen.

"Don't be ridiculous. If he'd have tried anything I would have cracked him over the head with a nearest skillet. You have a nasty, suspicious mind, Ezu. But... yeah, he's definitely... interesting." I added, watching Ezu carefully. He didn't seem terribly perturbed. Did the boy have any idea that he was so strongly disliked by the people of the town who so often asked for his help?

"Oh, he's not nearly as bad as he seems." Jack said, unconcerned. "He's a little gruff, that's all. And he sure loves that kitchen of his."

The main room of the Inn-- the one I had collapsed in when I had first arrived at the town-- was currently empty, the owners no where to be seen.

"Aunt and Uncle must be out somewhere," Jack said, glancing around. "Oh well, they won't mind if I take off for... however long we're gone for. Business hasn't been too busy lately anyways." He turned to me and Ezu. "Speaking of which, were exactly ARE we going anyways?" He asked.

"Um..." I glanced at Ezu nervously. "Actually... I don't know. I just thought we'd... deal with that as it came." Ezu groaned and dropped his head in his hands.

"Oh, for the love of all the benevolent Gods in the heavens above... Jack, there is still time for you to drop out, I suggest you run while you can." He said, sounding like a man whose spirit had been thoroughly crushed. Jack only laughed in response.

"No thanks. I've been waiting how long for a chance like this to come up? No way am I skipping out now."

"Suit yourself." Ezu grumbled. He turned his back on us, hands shoved deep in pockets, and made a beeline for the front door that led into the street outside.

"Oh, and Rikki?" He said, not turning bothering to turn around.

"Yeah?"

"You forgot something." He said, and, still facing forwards, he tossed the extra bag over his shoulder. I caught it, and immediately nearly dropped it. It was much considerably heavier than I had expected.

"Geeze, what's in here?" I whined, hoisting it up onto my hip so I could open it and look inside.

And what do you know. Sitting on the top of a wadded ball of spare clothes and what appeared to be sheathed daggers, was the Book.