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A/N: Okay. I love Beauty and the east, so I am now re-writing it to be how I imagine it being. One question: What DO lilies remind people of, anyway?
“Yes.” Said their father. “You were, too-“
He would have said more, but Iris broke in and said, “I’ll call her Rose, because that’s what color she is.”
Lily pulled herself up on her mother’s skirts, and looked at her little sister. “Beauty.” She said clearly.
“Rose Beauty.” Their mother looked up at their father. “What a beautiful name.”
It was only a month later that their mother died, of a fall off of a horse.
As the two older children grew up, they grew into their names. Iris Truth became known for her almost physically bruising wit and opinions. She made herself many enemies, and enjoyed only the company of her two sisters, and her dogs. She would go out on long walks in the woods with them, and soon became known as the best dog trainer in the town. Her favorites were the huge hunting hounds used by the lords, but she usually just trained hunter’s beagles, bloodhounds to track, and little ladies’ dogs to do tricks. While she was not particularly beautiful, she was tall and willowy, and had her mother’s flowing black hair, and father’s golden brown eyes, that could be meltingly like a dog’s themselves. Lily Love was the most beautiful of anyone in the family, with gold hair that shone in the sunlight, and was the subject of many love poems written to her. She had her mother’s striking emerald eyes, and had already a bevy of suitors ready to court her. She was loved by all, and loved everyone back. She would train dogs with Iris, but her real love lay in birds. The window to her room was always open, and soon the birds of the town became accustomed to her, and would fly in and out of the room as they pleased.
However, Rose Beauty was a complete misnomer. She had a very pale complexion, without any hint of color in her cheeks or face. Her hair was a plain, dark brown, and refused to co-operate with any attempts to either curl or straighten it, instead falling in stubborn half-waves around her face. Her eyes were somewhere in the ‘hazel’ range, never really consenting to green or brown. While all her sisters were called by their first names, Beauty was called by her middle, at first jokingly, to tease Lily, but the name ended up sticking. She loved horses with a passion, for when she was a very small child, her mother used to take her riding. However, after their mother’s death, their father refused to let any of his children have any contact with horses, so Beauty took up gardening, planting roses all about the house, and spending hours in the kitchen garden with the cook, annoying her half to death.
“Hello, Iris.”
Iris sat down next to her on the plush window seat of the library, and stared out the window. “Don’t worry, the rain will stop soon. Think about it, it’s good for the flowers.” Glancing about furtively, to see if the housekeeper was anywhere nearby, she put the puppies on the floor, and opened the library door for the mother dog.
“Jade had puppies.” She said, watching the little greyhounds topple over and jump about the room.
Beauty picked up a little shy one that was huddled against her leg. “Hello.” She said softly to it. “What’s the matter?”
Iris stroked Jade’s sleek head absentmindedly, gazing out the window. “Look at Lily.” She laughed suddenly. “She’s out in the rain, trying to catch that merlin she let go the other day.”
Beauty looked out at her sister, who was standing expectantly under a very tall tree, being soaked by the torrential rain. “Will she ever learn?”
“I highly doubt it…oh!” Iris pointed at a little speck in the sky. The merlin swooped down to a lower branch, and also watched Lily, as if amused by her pitiful efforts to catch him. The determined girl shed her rain boots, and began to climb up the tree. She slid down the wet bark a little, and was forced to fling her arms over a branch.
“I suppose one of us should help her.” Iris said casually. “After all, we are the tall ones in this family.” Which was true. Beauty and Iris were each at least five and a half feet tall, but Lily was only 5’3”.
“What would be the fun of that?” Beauty asked, as Lily slipped to the ground, and landed with a thump. She was just standing up, when the merlin appeared to have had enough fun, and flew down to his mistress. Lily jumped around a bit in a victory dance, and took off at a run towards the manor.
The greyhound puppy squeezed into Beauty’s lap, and she stroked its head. Lily walked into the room, with a towel over the merlin’s head and one over her own. “Hello, Beauty, Iris!” she said cheerfully. Although she was spattered with mud and had twigs stuck in her hair, she still was the picture of beauty. “I saw you in here. You could have come and helped me catch Tems.”
“You could see us?” Iris was aghast.
“Actually,” Beauty corrected, “It was you who stepped on his foot.”
“Oh.” Iris watched Lily dancing. “I should go apologize. Beauty? Beauty!”
“I’m very sorry that my sister snapped at you.” Beauty told her sister’s former dancing partner. “Sometimes she doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
The young lord smiled gracefully, and thanked Beauty, just as Iris came running up to her, and pulled her away. “Are you insane?” she shrieked, gracefully.
“Um…no?” Beauty said hopefully.
Lily fought her way over to them. “Isn’t this party fun?” she asked.
“Yes. Very.” Iris snapped sarcastically.
Their father approached the three girls. “Children. We have to leave now. I have terrible news.”