> A Court of Beasts and beauties > by GRYFFINDOR123456 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > PROLOGUE: Tamlin's rule > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tamlin glared at Feyre. He was unhappy, angry, annoyed that she had killed Andras, one of his kind, a faery. Feyre sighed, her brown eyes hard as rock, her golden hair as solid as Midas Gold. She was determined to fight. Fight so her family was safe. She sighed. > 18 years later... Chapter 1: A letter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset sighed. It was the first day of the Fall semester and she was starting her Senior Year. It was also her 18th birthday. 1st September. She sat in her seat, in Advanced Physics, thinking about the letter that came for her today. She didn’t even open it, as she had to rush. But she brought it with her to open at recess, which according to the clock, which was extremely accurate, read 10:30. Only 15 more minutes to go then she could open the letter. Time passed slowly. To her, it felt like double the time, instead of 15 minutes. After what felt like eternity, the bell rang for break. Sunset scooped up her stuff and followed her classmates out onto the lawn. She opened the letter. Dear Sunset, I am sorry to say that Tamlin(your dad) has been shot. You need to return to carry on his rule. Your friend, Lucien Sunset wiped tears from her eyes. It couldn’t. It couldn’t be. Dead. Dead as a dodo. It was time. Time to tell her friends the truth. > Chapter 2: The truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Rainbooms met in the band room. “Guys,” she said. “I’m leaving. My dad, he’s the High Fae of the Spring Court. He’s died. And I have to return to carry on where he left off. If I don’t, the entire Court will fall. I’m sorry.” The girls hugged her. “We’re gonna miss you,” said Fluttershy. “Good luck.” Sunset nodded. “Thanks, girls. We’ll meet again soon. I promise.” > chapter 3: Prythian > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset shivered slightly as she walked through the borders between the human world and the faery world. Her icy blue eyes widened at her homeland, her true home. She had never been to her birthplace, well, at least she didn’t remember it. She took off the orange mask and shoved it into her brown satchel. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of the palace. “Sunset!” cried a familiar voice. Alis. Tamlin’s servant, and Sunset’s as close you can get to friend. Alis greeted her with a smile, and a laugh. Sunset grinned shyly, remembering all the good times they had together, before Feyre, her human mother, sent her away to the human world to find a cure. Which she was still searching for. Sunset’s tiger mask creased into a smile, her eyes lighting up with joy. She laughed, for the first time in many years. “Sunset.” said a familiar deep voice. Lucien, the auburn haired fox-masked faery, stepped out of the shadows from behind them. “We have to crown you.” Sunset looked at him in horror. “Lucien, I let you down,” she said. “I- I didn’t find a cure. Dad will be so disappointed with me.” Lucien grasped my hand. “He won’t,” he said gently. “He understood, when he died,that although you didn’t do as he said, you’re still a teenager. You’re young.” He smiled. “I miss your father. He was a good man. Noble.” Sunset grinned. “I guess.” “I’ve got to find the young man who killed him,” said Lucien. “You need to get ready and sit on your father’s old throne.” He turned. She headed upstairs, towards her bedroom, and got changed into a simple orange dress, black, swirling patterns decorating it. She ran downstairs and sat on her father’s throne, soon to be her own. > chapter 4: My coronation(Sunset pov) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alis presented an orb and sceptre on a golden tray. I took them, my hands shaking with fear and nerves. She, like all the other servants, bowed. I could hear my father’s voice in my mind, telling me to relax, to think, to show. His vicar spoke, I made vows to protect the Spring Court at all costs, like my father. He then tapped me, and I bowed. Then a crown was lifted onto my head. High Lady. No such thing. Well, that was until now, at least. > chapter 5: I meet our hostage > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lucien dragged a boy of about 16 into the room. He had short wavy brown hair and wore round, brown glasses. He was about 5 ft 5, 5 ft 6, I couldn’t tell. He was taller than me, I was only 5 ft 4.5. Short for my age. Lucien nodded, and put the boy on the floor. “Don’t hurt him.” I said sharply. “I know mortals are supposed to hate our kind, but father only went out to find me. He is under our protection.” Lucien sighed, his metal eye hard as stone. “You did it to my mother.” I continued. “You gave her mercy. Now I follow in his footsteps.” I turned to the boy. “What’s your name?” I asked in a soft, but kind voice. “Klaus Baudelaire,” he said, shaking from head to toe. “I’m truly sorry about him. My family, they were in need of food. I was desperate. If I had known...” “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Honestly. He was getting old anyway. He knew he would die.” “What will happen, by the way?” he asked. “To my family. My sisters. My friends. My Guardian.” “We will give them wealth and luxery.” I said. “They will be content. But if you escape, your family will have nothing.” Klaus nodded. He looked around, at each person, at me, at Lucien. At everyone. “Now,” I said. “Alis will take you to your room. You can go anywhere... But the west wing.” Klaus nodded. Klaus POV Alis led me into a large room, adorned with fancy patterns and exquiste ornaments. I saw an ornate wardrobe, bedazzled with mirrors that sparkled because they were so clean. I then looked at the large bed, the bed bigger than the bed at home, which only had room for 2 extraordinarily thin people. Myself and a friend, Duncan Quagmire. Alis led me into an ensuite bathroom, and took off my clothes and bathed me. She then got me into a pair of clean, brown trousers, a grey short-sleeved t-shirt and a black smart jacket, very much like the jacket I wore when I first arrived at Count Olaf’s. She put on my glasses for me and led me downstairs. “Tea?” she asked. “It’s harmless. It won’t hurt you.” I shook my head. Now she was standing up, she looked about my age maybe older, judging from the height. I was 5 ft 6. She looked about 5 ft 4. She smiled, her teeth pointed and sharp, as sharp as knives. Probably lethal. “Something to eat?” she asked. “You must be starving.” She gestured to a seat next to her. I hesitantly took it. “What do they call you?” I asked. “Sunset Shimmer.” she said. “My name is Sunset Shimmer.” > Chapter 6: Impossible dream(Klaus pov) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you ever wanted to escape from your prison? Yes, I have. Many times. Escaping from Count Olaf. Escaping here. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle tries to escape her prison by tying her clothes that Madame de Garderobe made for her. That’s what I feel like doing. Right now. Yeah, she seems nice and all, but Alli said she has a bit of a temper And I believe her. I just want to get back to my family. See if they are okay, if Sunny needed anything. Or if Violet needed a new screw for her invention. But I can’t. I can’t escape. Not like Rapunzel, or Belle, who weren’t bound by treaties. I looked out of the window, looking at the 100 ft drop below me. I’ve jumped off a 20 ft building before. But that was in a burning half-built hospital, with a surgical tube as a rope and my siblings to protect me. We protected each other. I’ve faced trials and tribulations, and adversity has always followed my family. I mean, Count Olaf has slapped me across my left cheek when we went to live with him. He also killed Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine. Dr Orwell and Count Olaf hypnotised me and made me commit attempted murder, not once, but twice. He kidnapped the Quagmires and hid them in an elevator shaft. Count Olaf and Esme accused us of murder and HE killed our friend Jacques under the name of Olaf. He took Violet and I had to disguise myself as a doctor to save her, and then Olaf accused us of arson, not once, twice. He trapped Sunny in a cage. Sunny got infected by Medusoid Mycellium and I lost my first girlfriend. We were accused of arson again and then got ourselves trapped on an island, with Kit Snicket. We were left with her baby. Now, I am 16 years old. Beatrice is with Sunny and Violet, and my friends. Quigley. Duncan. Isadora. Now my family is out of reach. That is my impossible dream. Getting out of this place and seeing my family. > chapter 7: dinner > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A knock sounded on the door. Alis came in, her bird mask glittering in the moonlight. “Dinner’s served,” she said. “She’d like you to come down immediately.” “Is she crazy?” I cried. “She takes me as her prisoner, now she wants me to join her for dinner? Is she insane?” Heavy footsteps pounded on the floor. “FINE!” shouted Sunset from the other side. “If you don’t eat with me, you don’t eat at all! Go ahead and starve!” Alis whipped around and laid a cool hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright.” she said to me. “She’s just frustrated, angry, stressed. She’s just lost her father, left her friends behind and she’s just been told that she needs to rule The Spring Court at 18 years old. She’ll come round soon.” I nodded. “Thanks, Alis,” I said. She squeezed my hand. “Go on.” she said gently.”Go and get some dinner.” “I thought you weren’t coming down,” said Sunset. “Sorry,” I said, sitting down next to her. “Alis persuaded me to come down.” “She was like that,” replied Sunset softly. “When I was 12, she used to persuade me to eat even when I was grumpy. She’s only a few years older than me.” She giggled. “Tell me about yourself, Klaus.” > chapter 8: Klaus's story(3rd person pov)(the bad beginning, meeting Strauss) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Well,” replied Klaus, “I guess I’ll have to tell you my story. You see, to know who I really am, you have to know my story. Well, I am the middle child of 3 children. My older sister, Violet and my younger sister, Sunny. My mom and dad died in a fire.” FLASHBACK The Baudelaire children woke up. “Rise and shine!” cried Mr Poe. “We’re going to your new guardian, Count Olaf.” “How come we have never heard of them?” asked Violet Baudelaire, throwing her long, chocolate brown hair over her shoulder. Violet was 14 years old and the oldest of them all. She loved inventing and you knew when she was because she always tied up her hair in a ribbon. Klaus was the middle child and was a little older than 12 years old. He wore glasses. People assumed he was clever. Boy, he was smart. Klaus loved to read and had read half the books in his parents’ rather extensive library. But being only 12, he hadn’t read all of them. YET. Sunny was the youngest, at 2 years old, and could only talk in gibberish, or baby talk, as most young children of that age. They had stayed with Mr Poe and his family until he had found a guardian. Violet sighed, packing up her stuff. Her brother threw in his stuff moodily while Sunny chewed on everything to make her mark that they had been there. The 3 children got in the car and Mr Poe drove off into the city. Deeper and deeper, into the heart, then out on the other side. They stopped outside a lovely, clean, shining house. A woman with light brown hair waved at them. “Hello!” she called out. “You must be the children Count Olaf must be adopting!” Violet laughed. “We are,” she said in a warm, friendly, light tone. “I’m Violet, this is my brother Klaus and my sister, Sunny,” “Count Olaf lives over there,” she said, pointing to the grimy, dirty house opposite. “Oh,” said Klaus. “That’s different from yours.” “Indeed,” babbled Sunny. “Children,” said Mr Poe. “Come.” The woman smiled.”I’m Justice Strauss. Count Olaf’s neighbour.”