Kay Productions Presents

Beauty's Counterpart

Chapter Eight:
The Masked Womanizer: Part Two

A cookie to the readers who can guess who the masked man is based off of. ;)

Late at night. Alena turned her body to get a look at Lorelei and Dixie. Both seemed to be sleeping soundly, and she was sure not even a sparrow's chirp would wake them right about now. She rolled out of bed, and let her white linen dress slip off. Alena hurriedly slipped on the dress, because thin undergarments certainly couldn't protect her from the night chill. Without the shopkeeper there, it was hard to tie the back ribbons, especially in the dark, but she managed after quite a few minutes of frustration.

Alena ran her fingers through her hair, which had curled after she bathed in the creek. Sometimes it straightened itself out, but she liked it curly, as well. When she realized the only shoes she had were the slippers made of animal hide, Alena blushed, hoping nobody at the pub would notice. A beautiful dress, and slippers worn for comfort. They didn't exactly mix.

Finally, Alena emerged from the cave, admiring the moonlight. Nervously, she looked around for Diego before making her way to town. She prayed she would remember the way in the dark. Alena followed the trail she and Dixie took to make it back to the cave.

The forest was quiet, and Alena walked faster even though she heard no footsteps except her own. The trees blocked the moonlight, and she almost lost her way. Alena heard a rustle in the tree and, before she knew it, Diego was standing in front of her.

She stopped in her tracks, for Diego was blocking her way. "And where, pray tell, is our little fairy going? Not to see that masked fellow, I hope."

Mustering up all the courage she could, Alena tried to push him out of the way. "Actually, yes. I'm going back into town."

Diego stepped aside, but walked with her. "Going alone? They'll eat you alive." he smirked a little. "That could almost be taken literally."

Alena kept walking. "I'm not afraid." Truth be told, she was very frightened. Of course, she would never tell Diego that, and she was also very excited to see the masked man. Excitement and curiosity had ruled out fear, as it had many times. Alena just couldn't learn her lesson. "After all, I had to hold my own against a night spirit last night."

Diego raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. She really called running away, and fainting 'holding her own'? "If you had to run away from me, no doubt you'll be torn apart at the pub. I should go with you."

Alena shot him a look. "Why the sudden change in..." she realized how awkward that sentence would sound if she said 'personality'. "Well, you know."

Diego shook his head at her. "Lorelei told me she would protect you like one of her own. For some reason, my mind control doesn't seem to work on her, and I'd rather not have to face her wrath. An angry Lorelei is almost like certain death. I saw what happened when a hunter tried to take off with Dixie. Dragon makes for good meat on some of the islands."

"Islands?"

"There's a large lake, with quite a few islands in the middle. The king lives on one of them."

"Really? Your king is on an island?"

They talked until they came upon the town, and Alena took a deep breath before making off toward the pub. When they were at the door, Alena turned to Diego. "I only came here to talk to the masked man. A human told me he;d be able to help me."

"Are you trying to drop a hint?"

"Yes. I don't think he'll talk to me if you're around."

"I need to be close by. Lorelei will never forgive me if something happened to you." Diego opened the door, and Alena followed him in.

She nodded her head. "I understand."

Alena looked around the pub. Humans were everywhere, as well as many other creatures. It smelled, and was hardly decorated, except for a few animal heads mounted on the wall, with a stone fireplace at the end of it. Looking over to her right, Alena could see another room hidden behind some red curtains, and wondered if he was in there. There were only a few men in here and they all looked at her suspiciously because of her fancy dress. Most of the other women were wearing simple dresses, most of which only hit their mid-thighs. If Mona or Alena walked out to a place with a dress that short, they'd be locked in their rooms. While lovable, their father was quite protective.

She looked back at Diego, who had ordered a drink. He already had one woman who sat next to him and put on a flirtatious face. Alena shook her head a made her way toward the curtains.

There were quite a few more people in this room. There was also a strange table, and Alena noticed men throwing dice, while the other cheered them on. She was so busy trying to figure out the game, she stopped looking for the masked man. It was only when one man gave up on the game and stormed off, she noticed him step up to try his luck.

He appeared to be very good at this game. She could almost see his smirk. Women swooned, and men stared scornfully, as though he were cheating. Then, he looked up at Alena, his gaze intense.

He motioned for her to come over, and half the people around him turned to look at who he was gesturing to. Alena's face turned a bright red, but she went over to see him. She could feel all eyes on her, and dared not look back up at them. "For a while, I thought you wouldn't come." Alena almost jumped when he kissed her hand.

"Who's this girl?" Alena heard the voice come from below, and noticed the dwarf she had seen with him in the bakery today.

"I don't believe you ever told me your name." It was like he planned this. Alena didn't need to reveal her identity in front of all these people.

Suddenly, she grabbed his wrist. "Let's go someplace more quiet. I'm really in the mood for a walk." she locked eyes with him, ignoring all the questioning stares. He looked down at her hand, and chuckled a little.

"Very well. A nightly walk sounds nice and peaceful." He led her out of the pub, and all was quiet. Alena knew everyone's eyes were following them out.

They passed by Diego, who was talking to the same girl, and what appeared to be one of her friends. For a brief moment, they made eye contact. Where are you going? He demanded inside of her head.

I'll be fine. Alena told him. We're just going for a little walk. Don't follow us, OK? I'll yell if he tries anything. Diego shot her a quick glance. He didn't need to send her anymore thoughts. Alena nodded at him, and walked out with the masked man.

"It is a pretty night. Just a little chill." When they were out, the masked man looked down at Alena. "Tell me, why were you so desperate to get me out of the pub?"

"Desperate? Oh, I just didn't like all the stares, that's all." Alena laughed nervously.

"Yes, and perhaps now you will tell me your name?" Alena felt even more anxious now that they were alone. She shivered, but not because she was cold. "Still nervous, are we? It's just you and I." He put an arm around her waist.

That's what I'm so nervous about. Still, he was warm and Alena had to resist any snuggling to warm up.

Nervous about what? Great, Diego was probing around through her mind.

Nothing, Diego. Go back to whatever it was you were doing. As Alena communicated through her mind, she tried not to make any weird facial expressions that would look suspicious.

I was listening in. Diego had put it so bluntly, Alena almost winced. She finally snapped back to reality when the masked man asked for her name once more.

"Oh, yes." She let out a heavy sigh to calm herself. "My name is Alena."

"Alena..." he contemplated for a moment. "Lovely. It's very appropriate." Every comment out of his mouth now flattered her.

"Are you still not going to reveal your name to me?" Alena complained. Now, she rested her head on his arm without knowing it.

He shook his head. "It's too dangerous to know who I am. I've been known as the "Masked Man" for years. Quite the creative nickname."

"I see." Alena now knew this man had a lot of information he could reveal. Too dangerous to know his true identity? That had to mean something. People didn't just conceal their identities for the fun of it. With this one, she knew she had hit the jackpot. Now all that was left to do was to "charm" the information out of him.

Alena didn't want to seem easy, like the women in the bakery and pub. The longer she could keep him guessing, and the longer she could keep him interested in her, the more information she could get out of him. However, as soon as she found something out about the hole in the barrier, she could find her way back home. She just couldn't find a way to stumble upon the subject without sounding peculiar.

When she looked up at him, they made strong eye contact. Alena wanted to stare back at the ground and mumble an apology, but she kept her focus on him. She could feel him studying her, and blushed again. She had to remember that this was the same man in the bakery with two women draped all over him. He couldn't possibly be anything more than a womanizer... Alena realized his arm was still wrapped around her waist.

"Sorry. Your eyes are just..." Even though he didn't move quickly, his movements startled Alena. As soon as his face leaned down toward hers, she jumped and pushed a hand against his chest. He blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize you were startled so easily. Please forgive me." He kissed her hand again. She couldn't decide whether to label him as a gentleman or a womanizer. If he were the prior, she would feel too guilty about tricking him. Then, he linked their fingers together. "I think you and I make a lovely pair." Alena still had one hand on his chest, which she slowly removed.

This time when he leaned in, she didn't move, instead choosing to lean toward him as well. After all, his mask would prevent any kiss, and she doubted he planned on removing it any time soon. He lifted her chin up with two fingers. "You told me you weren't from around here. I've been all around this place, and even on the islands. Yet, I have never seen you. Tell me, where did you come from?"

Alena laughed quietly. "You told me I looked familiar."

He was supposed to look like an imbecile, but her words didn't faze him, nor did he seem as amused as her. He simply wanted an answer. Not that Alena intended to tell the truth. "You say you conceal your identity for safety , it's safer for both of us if you didn't know where I came from." His hand moved away from her face. She wondered if he would tell her who he was if she revealed where she came from.

"Alena!" she heard Diego yell and almost groaned out loud. She wasn't done just yet! "We should probably get going."

I'm not through, yet! She yelled at him in her head.

We're going back to the cave, Alena. I will toss you over my shoulder if I have to. Diego shouted back.

Alena certainly didn't want to be carried off like that in front of him, so she apologized, and waved goodbye as she took off with Diego.

The Masked Man had heard from the dragons that a fairy had crossed over to this side. If Alena happened to be that fairy, he wasn't through with her just yet...

tbc