Beast Taming (2)

DARRYL

"What is going on out there?!"

No one could tell. It just looked like Lord Solver was running around the garden with Winifred. It didn't look like they were doing anything serious but the beast had yet to turn its attention on the mansion.

Winifred was acting strangely. We couldn't see much but I was worried. I never wanted to leave her out there and a huge part of me wanted to wrench her from his hands. But I stayed out because I knew if it was me out there with the beast, I wouldn't have been able to do anything to protect her.

"This is madness! I cannot stay in here any longer while he gets to frolic around with the lady and use her as bait!"

"I don't think he's using her as bait, Bishop. You may not trust Lord Silver but I trust him a lot. He has saved our lives on more than one account. We owe many things to him."

"Lady Freya, I understand that you may be biased because of your carnal attraction to Lord Silver but leaving the lady in his hands is just…"

"Look! The beast is stopping!" I exclaimed, cutting into their argument on purpose. Their attention was now focused outside where the beast had indeed stopped attacking. It stumbled around in confusion, pawing at its head with those long claws.

Whatever joy we got from the beast falling into confusion was quickly drained away when we saw Winifred walking closer and closer to the beast. She had her hand out and there seemed to be black smoke coming out of her eyes. Her lips were moving as she moved closer to the beast.

Lord Silver stood behind her with an anxious look. He had his weapon ready and his muscles coiled to anticipate any move of the beast. He looked more nervous than we were.

But, what was she doing?

She finally got close enough to the beast. She put her hand forward and it landed on the nose of the beast. The Bishop lost it and ran to the door. However, the door wouldn't budge. None of us could leave the mansion, as if some strange force was locking us in. When I looked back at the window, my eyes met Lord Silver's. He shook his head, as if telling me not to come out.

So, we had no choice but to watch the tentative interaction between her and the beast. Nothing dramatic happened at first. She touched the beast and it suddenly stopped fussing. It lay down obediently as she stood there, staring at it.

When she took off her hand, we thought it would rise and attack her. But…it didn't. A large smile spread across her face. But that wasn't the only surprising thing to happen.

The beast started shrinking. It shrunk from the being a head taller than a horse to being as small as a foal. It nudged her hand gently, stumbling around on the field.

The doors swung open even though no one was near them. We rushed outside, damming all consequences. Finally, we were able to reach them and I could see with my own eyes that even though she was out there the whole time, she didn't have a single scratch on her. Lord Silver, however, was not so lucky.

"What happened? Why did…this happen?" Lady Freya asked, gesturing to the beast.

"Why don't you ask the person that did it?" Lord Silver replied, gesturing to Winifred. Looking at her hand, I saw she was petting the beast. Her hand stopped and both her and the beast turned their gaze to me.

"Darryl, are you injured?"

"…no. Can you…see me?"

"Vaguely. I guess terrible eyesight is still better than no eyesight."

"What are you talking about, my lady?" Bishop Matthew asks.

"Oh, pardon my rudeness. I've been vague up until this point. I just succeeded in taking the beast that was trying to kill us."

If anything, that explanation only made us more confused.

"Beast taming? That's impossible. It's hard to take a beast and it's definitely outlawed in the Empire."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. It's the sole reason the imperial family can hide the fact that it secretly has tamed beasts from over centuries ago guarding the sarcophagi of the past emperors."

Bishop Matthew and Lady Freya went quiet. Winifred turned to the beast and continued petting it. They looked at me again and as creepy as it was, I endured it.

"I named it Nava. Do you want to pet it too? It doesn't bite."

She tamed and named it? How am I supposed to believe that a beast capable of crawling through portals and destroying the entire garden in an altercation with one of the strongest men I knew wouldn't bite my head off if it got the chance?! And what did she mean by she could see vaguely?!

"Standing around outside isn't going to help anyone. Why don't we go in and take in such news with a spot of tea?"

"Will we be going in with…that thing?" Bishop Matthew pointed at it, a disgusted expression on his face. She raised a brow and snapped her fingers. The beast morphed again, turning into a small bird that rested on her shoulder.

"You were saying?" She replied smugly. I didn't know if my eyes were deceiving me but she turned that look at Lord Silver as well.

She started walking and when she got to where I stood, took my hands. It was hard to even recognize me in the past and I was the one who often took her hands. So…she could see. But why was she still using the cane? I had too many questions I was scared to ask.

"Darryl, are you suddenly scared of me? Why aren't you saying something?"

"You…want me to say something?"

"Unlike the others, your opinion matters to me. So, ask me your questions."

I took a deep breath. Everything she had done since that day had shocked me. I thought I was getting used to it but I guess I wasn't as used to it as I thought.

"Can you…see?"

"In a way? Beast taming is a multifaceted thing. Not only can I link my consciousness with the beast I have control over, I can also gain access to a specific side of their body. So, right now, I can use the beast's eyes. Unfortunately, the beast has very poor eyesight. But, in exchange for all the cool powers it has, I have no complaints."

"If you've always been blind, how would you know what poor eyesight is?"

She chuckled and said nothing. She wasn't looking at me but the beast's beaded eyes were on me. She didn't let go of my hand until we were inside.

"The prince will arrive soon," she said as soon as everyone was in the house. And true to her words, the servants of the prince entered the mansion, coming in with the prince.