On feet that felt as if they did not belong to her, Amber slowly walked into the center room so that she could stand in front of the mirror at the edge of the open trapdoor.  She stared in wide-eyed wonder as she saw the casting hall again.  It looked surprisingly untouched but the bigger item that caught her attention was the foggy glass dome sitting in the middle of it.  If she didn’t know better, it was at the same spot the original scrying portal had been in.  Entranced, she reached out as if to touch the mirror and stopped when something moved beyond the dome.

                Amber froze and her stomach turned to lead when a monstrous beast came into view.  Dark fur, dark eyes, b with power and a strange juxtaposition of lumbering grace, it resembled both a bear and a creature from legend.  It was big.  Bigger than Seungho.  And it was looking right at her.  “Father?” she whispered with a breath of sound and a quivering heart.

                He lumbered towards her on strangely long limbs, body swaying with serpentine grace and his eyes blinking slow with each advancing step.  Amber stiffened when she saw no recognition in his gaze.  He was nothing more than a beast in truth.  She gasped when he started moving faster, beginning to run at the mirror.  Her heel slipped on the edge of the doorway when she stepped back and she glanced down for the briefest of moments.  When she looked up, her father’s mouth was open wide in a soundless roar, the jaws more than big enough to bite her in half.

                “e!” she hissed, stepping back and dropping through the opening.  A bone-shaking roar emerged with a brilliant flash of light above as Amber caught the lip of the ledge to break her fall.  Her feet brushed against the stairs and she let her momentum send her flailing down the steps.  A large crash above made the floor tremble and she heard the beast snarl with a breathy huff.  “Not again,” Amber exhaled, risking a glance over her shoulder at the bottom of the steps.  An ominous shadow filled the space and she stepped back involuntarily when the beast’s paw and snout appeared first.

                Immediately, Amber pulled the door closed and bolted.  A small part of her worried about Seungho already up there with her father but if he was following her, he had very little to be worried about.  Running hard, she sprinted down the stone hallway, flinching when wood splintered and stone cracked.  Her ears rang from the howl that engulfed her, echoing from the space even as she emerged.  Vibrations trembled through her feet with each step.  He was chasing her!

                She wasted too much time hitting the door to the village houses.  It opened quietly and she stepped through, slamming it behind her.  “Watch out!” she screamed, digging her feet into the ground as she tried to put as much distance between her and the beast as she could.  Amber stumbled slightly when the barrier didn’t hold again.  Looking over her shoulder, saw watched pieces of wood and stone fly outward, shattered by his power.  “Help!” she cried, rounding a corner of one of the houses when she saw him focus on her.

                A handful of villagers scattered with the movement, retreating where they could.  Amber continued to run and ducked with a panicked cry as her shield – the house – crumpled under the beast’s assault.  Screaming, she saw the entire corner break apart as he ran through it with little trouble.  His momentum carried him past, giving Amber a chance to hide behind another house.  Claws scrabbled in the dirt and he hissed in irritation.  Without waiting to see if he would pause, Amber moved for another house, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.

                Hiding was impossible.  Going into a room with no exit was a terrible idea.  And running would only serve her for so long.  “Father!” she yelled, flinching again as more wood shattered under his assault.  “Stop it!” she added, winding around another house that slowed her pursuer for a moment more.  “It’s me!  Amber!  Your daughter!” she shouted, punctuating each statement with as much conviction as she could.

                The beast ignored her and kept coming.  And she was running out of distance between them.  Around one house she went.  She pushed off another to go a different direction, trying to use his momentum to throw him off.  He was too fast in the open.  He covered too much ground.  And another house fell under his determined rampage.

                Breathing hard, she could barely believe when she saw a cleaver trying to hop towards her.  “Youngwoon!” she panted, bolting in his direction.  Her diversion took her back towards the outer wall of the castle.  Still running, she scooped up the cleaver in her right hand and brought herself alongside the wall carefully.  A quick glance in her periphery showed the creature to be chasing her still.  Praying this worked, she tucked her left shoulder harshly against the stones with her right arm cocked inside.  Rolling against the surface to keep moving, she threw the cleaver with a sideways toss at her father.  There was no time to see if it hit.  Amber finished spinning and pushed off with her right hand to send her moving back towards the houses.

                A pained yelp was her only confirmation she’d hit him somehow.  But then he crashed into the wall and she felt the vibrations through the air.  He roared again, a pained, angry sound.  And the chase began once more.  Amber had to do something.  She couldn’t keep running forever.  He would catch her.  Already, she could hear him making up ground, closing the distance.  Faster, faster!  She had to run faster!  Fear and despair crept up, making her breathe harder.

                She was going to die.

                Her father was going to kill her.

                “No!” she cried, sprinting with hopelessness seeping into her legs.

                A frightful yowl cut through the air and then a roar answered immediately, howling in pain.  The ground shook and savage growling tore through area.  Amber risked a glance back and her eyes widened immediately.

                “Seungho!” she screamed, sliding to a panicked halt.  Seungho was latched onto her father’s back, claws and teeth sunk into dark fur.  Her father reared up, slapping over his shoulders with swiping talons.  His maw chewed the air as he attempted to dislodge Seungho.  Crashing back down, he shook himself hard, rattling the golden creature on his back.  But Seungho held tight, tail thrashing behind him.  The beast snarled and threw himself against the wall, ramming his shoulder into the hard surface.  It cracked the stone and the force threw Seungho’s body against it, jarring him from the impact.  His hold weakened.

                Dazed by the hit, he didn’t see the claw that came around to stab into his paw, giving the beast enough of a hold to drag Seungho off.  With a pained yowl, Seungho lurched forward and skid against the ground, his teeth and claws stained red.  The beast snarled and advanced, bounding after him.  Awkwardly, Seungho managed to turn himself over so he wasn’t completely helpless.  The force of Jongwoon’s jump sent them both sliding back against the ground with Seungho pinned beneath him.

                “No!” Amber cried in denial, her heart in .  Seungho’s hands were on her father’s chest and throat, desperately trying to keep him from biting down.  Massive maws snapped at each other, fangs bared and horrible sounds emerging at every moment.  Jongwoon scratched furrows of red into Seungho’s arms while he shoved him over the ground.  Clouds of dust rose up as the beast shook him from side to side, ever trying to bite down.

                Casting about for anything to help before her father killed him, Amber inhaled sharply as she saw Youngwoon returning with both Jonghyun and Donghae in tow.  Her gaze jumped between the rake and the scythe and she winced.  She didn’t want to risk killing or maiming her father, but she had to do something.  “Jonghyun!” she cried, lunging towards the scythe.  Hefting the clunky tool, she held it so that the curved blade was behind her, the tip pointing outward before she started running towards the back of her father.  Growling through her teeth and getting much closer than she wanted to, Amber swung so the blade reached past her father’s body to cut into his right rear flank.  She felt the edge sink into flesh and fought a bout of nausea at the sensation.

                Jongwoon keened in pain and spun around to his right side.  It was the only thing that saved Amber as she was knocked back by his hindquarters instead of the claw swipe that ripped the air on the other side.  Coughing at the impact, she fell to the ground and rolled in an awkward attempt to get back to her feet.  She couldn’t quite use the momentum of her fall and ended up kneeling with one hand on the ground.  Even as she watched her father rip the scythe free, she noticed Seungho getting up as he started to leap in her direction.

                Everything felt as if it was happening in slow motion.  She could see the blind pain and rage in her father’s eyes.  He hurled the tool into the wall, shattering it on impact.  Seungho’s desperation was plain to see.  Gold warred with crimson on his body and he reached a bloody hand towards her.  Amber mirrored him, looking over her arm as her father started to move again.  Valleys of earth formed beneath his claws as he leapt their direction.  Seungho’s hand wrapped around hers and suddenly, Amber was being pulled into the air with a gut wrenching sensation.  Her shoulder and arm howled against the treatment, but then she hit Seungho’s back and her legs automatically wrapped around his torso.  Clamping down hard, she buried her fingers in his mane when he let go.

                Time resumed its normal progress.  With a jolting leap that made her head snap back, Seungho raced ahead.  Her father jumped into the spot they been in and scrambled to correct himself, snarling terribly as he tore into the ground for traction.  Amber ducked low over Seungho’s neck as he ran on all fours, trusting he had a plan.  With his speed, they were able to stay ahead of her father even as they turned back into the broken entrance to the castle.

                They cleared it just fine but when they got into the hallway, Amber’s right leg brushed against the wall and she hissed, flinching from the contact.  Seungho noticed and tried to be more careful going up the stairs, but they heard Jongwoon following and he panicked, flying up the steps.  Amber had to duck or risk being scraped off.  She wasn’t able to avoid her leg being trapped against the next doorway though.  A tortured scream ripped from as it felt like her knee was broken.  But there was no time to stop and she clung tight, breathing in small gasps.

                Blood rushed through her ears, making hearing difficult.  But Seungho’s ears continued to flick as they moved and passed through the next set of doors.  He was more careful this time though the damage had already been done.  At last, they reached the outer ring and he bolted for the next door.  Amber didn’t know where they were.  She’d lost track after the trapdoor room.  She merely held on and let Seungho take them to… her room.

                “What are you-” she started to ask before he spun around in the enclosed space and stared into the hallway with a breathless growl.  His shoulders twitched under her and she could feel his tail thrashing, the motion slightly moving his hindquarters.

                There was no time to wonder anymore.  Her father was coming through.  Furious, the beast scraped through the doorway, bloody and upset.  He roared at them once more and then started sprinting down the length of the room.  Seungho took a step back, angled his body, and tensed up as he crouched down.  Amber whimpered but held on, her hand aching from the intense grip.  Fear turned her blood to ice as she watched her father lunge towards them through the open doorway.

                Seungho jumped away at the last possible moment, sending them sideways in her room.  Amber was squashed flat against his back as he jumped on the side of the wall and then used it to push off of once more.  Her father crashed into the room, destroying her bed and nearly knocking himself senseless when he missed them.  In the clear, Seungho hit the ground at the doorway and lurched through.  His claws dug into the ground so he could pivot quicker.  The centrifugal force yanked Amber free and sent her skidding over the stones as Seungho moved back to slam the door shut.  Gripping the handle with both hands, he braced himself against the barrier.

                Boom!

                Still reeling from being tossed, Amber shied away from the sound and dazedly tried to find where it was coming from.  Her gaze landed on Seungho and her heart jumped into again.  He jumped from another impact on the other side but the barrier held.  Claws scraped inside, loud and ominous, accompanied by angry snarls.  Another thud happened.  Seungho flinched.  Then all fell quiet.  He continued to stare at the door while Amber stared at him from afar.

                “Seungho,” she called in a voice that barely escaped from .  As hoped, his ears twitched her direction anyway.  “What happened?” she asked in the same tone.

                He paused for a moment and then shook his head slightly, still holding onto the door handle.  With a slight turn of his head so he could look at her, he shrugged.  An obvious swallow made his throat bob when he carefully uncurled his hands from the handle.  He looked tense; as if he was ready to jump back and grab it again if he needed.

                Amber felt her heart slamming against her ribs and she was terrified her father would break out and come kill them both.  She knew they wouldn’t be able to survive another chase like that.  Taking a shaky breath, she tried to slowly push herself to her feet but when pressure was applied to her busted knee, Amber whimpered and clapped a hand over .  Seungho immediately looked her direction and then back at the door, his ears fully raised.

                Backing away carefully, he moved towards Amber with a finger to his mouth.  She nodded in understanding and then pointed at her knee with a helpless gesture.  Seungho’s eyes narrowed with a pained look and he nodded to her in turn.  Glancing at the door quickly, he bent down and scooped Amber up into his arms, balancing carefully as he got used to the offsetting weight.  Partially tottering on his hind legs, Seungho awkwardly managed to get them both to the end of the hallway and through the open doorway as quietly as possible.

                Amber merely did her best to ignore the pain – keeping one hand over the whole time – and Seungho’s obvious, bleeding wounds, and let him lead the way.  She was a little nervous when he returned to his room, but it was the only one with a usable bed at the moment.  It was the lack of an escape route she didn’t trust.  But by the way Seungho’s ears continued to flick around, she knew he was just as nervous as she was.

                “Don’t go,” she pleaded after he carefully set her on the bed, making sure not to jostle her.  It still hurt her injured knee but she was more worried about him leaving so she grabbed his hand instead.  He gently pried her fingers free and shook his head as he pointed towards the door.  He mimed putting stuff in front of it and then nodded outwards.  “You know that’ll never hold,” Amber swallowed, pitifully sitting in the fur covered bed.  Seungho didn’t argue and he simply shrugged before he returned to all fours and started padding off, leaving Amber to her pained thoughts.

                Her knee really did hurt, especially since her fear was starting to abate.  But she was just as concerned about Seungho since all the blood on her clothes now was from him.  She hadn’t been hurt by her father, more than being knocked down anyway, but he had.  Badly.  Since he wasn’t here though, she decided to focus on her knee.  With a small, shaky breath, she ripped the already torn fabric away to reveal the scratched and bruising skin beneath.  The swollen area was hot to the touch and had lovely shades of blues and greens and yellows already filling in.  Amber hissed and tried to bend it herself but squeaked in pain and fell onto her side.

                “Oh boy,” she panted, holding onto her leg above the knee as if that could somehow help the pain.  After a pause, she forced herself to sit up again, wincing against the steady, pounding hurt that pulsed through her.  With a grimace, she looked again and felt a little nauseous upon realizing the knee itself looked wrong, not just discolored.  When comparing the two, she found the bend of her right knee was off-center and protruding.  “Oh, that’s not good,” she swallowed, feeling around the area to see what else she could figure out.  Her eyes widened when she got to the lower part of her leg and she could hardly feel it when she poked and prodded around.  “Really not good,” she added in a tight voice while tears pricked her eyes.

                Feeling helpless, hurt, and unsure about what to do, Amber laid back with her hand on her forehead and her injured leg extended.  She took several deep breaths to try and stay calm as she hoped and prayed that Seungho would return soon.  Every nerve was tense as she strained her hearing to catch any sound of him.  It was still a surprise when Seungho returned with near silence.  She only knew he was back when the door closed and she sat up in surprise which quickly became a groan of pain.

                Immediately, Seungho was by her side, his fingertips brushing against her shoulder and leg as he searched for her injury.  It didn’t take him long to notice her knee looked wrong and he focused his attention there with feather light hands.  But Amber was more concerned about his weeping wounds and she pushed his attention away to look at his.  Her knee still ached but she bit her lip and managed a determined grimace.  “You first,” she hissed through her teeth.

                Seungho shook his head despite her protests and waved his right hand over her wound as if he could magically make it better.  When the effort didn’t do anything, he balled his hand into a fist and gestured at her to be calm.  Amber tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes in confusion.  Pausing to think of a better way, he grimaced and moved his hands again to show one pushing on the knee and the other pulling her ankle.

                “No,” Amber denied, shaking her head immediately as she tried to wave him off.  But Seungho merely rested his left, mangled hand on her thigh and looked her in the eyes with a sad nod.  He pointed at himself and then towards one of the rooms outside.  Amber frowned, trying to understand.  She made the connection when he pointed to her and then out, then himself and out again.  “Your father?”  He nodded in confirmation.  Another point to her knee and more pantomiming let her know one of his brothers had this happen once and their father had to fix it.  Apparently. 

                “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” Amber asked, though she knew the answer already.  Seungho nodded and then pointed at before covering his own.  Another finger to his lips meant she needed to be quiet.  Gesturing towards the rest of the tower allowed her to assume her father was still a threat if they made too much noise.  She nodded in understanding and then placed a hand over before looking away.  Seungho’s hands on her leg were incredibly gentle, but it still hurt.  She wasn’t ready when he yanked and her head swam with agony before she simply lost consciousness.

                When Amber came to, it was with the realization she wasn’t alone and that a warm body was curled around hers.  “Seungho?” she whispered, touching the arm that was curled protectively over her.  He jerked awake with a start, pulling her closer as if to keep her safe.  Then he realized she was the one to touch him, so he let go and tried to move away quickly.  “Wait,” Amber called, grabbing his arm before he could get too far.  Seungho stopped, listening.  “Stay,” she urged, carefully moving to sit up so she could better survey his wounds.  “You’re hurt,” Amber murmured in apology, ignoring the obvious pain in her knee – even if it did feel slightly better – so she could trace the extent of his injuries.

                Seungho sat up to mirror her and sighed, relaxing more on the bed as his arm grew heavier in her hands.  Deep wounds were engraved into his flesh, some cutting to the bone.  Amber had to stifle a sob at the damage.  It was worse on his arms, and his left hand in particular, but extended to his torso as well.  Some of the attacks had split open the skin over his ribs and she was reminded of when he attacked her the first time.  Sniffing to keep the tears at bay, she forced a smile and looked for something to at least bind them with.  Stopping the bleeding would be the best thing now.  But the only thing at hand were the sheets she was sitting on.  With a determined nod, she started pulling them up and shaking the fur off.  With nothing on hand to cut with, she used Seungho’s claws to make tears she could use to continue ripping the fabric into shreds.

                “You saved my life today,” she murmured as she gently worked to bind his wounds.  Seungho gave a slight huff in response and twitched when she wrapped his arm too tightly.  “Sorry,” Amber apologized, trying it again before moving on to another spot.  “Thank you,” she added, resting her hand on top of his warmly.  He nodded with the barest of smiles appearing on his face.  He pointed at her and then held up two fingers.  “I should have listened to you,” she admitted with a slight frown, paying special attention to cleaning the worst of the blood from his ribs.

                He flinched away and she winced sympathetically when he groaned in pain.  “I just…  I just thought he would know me.”  The words were quiet, subdued.  It hurt that he didn’t.  At least with Seungho, she somewhat understood; they’d only known each other for almost three years after all.  But her father…  Sniffing away the tears brought by the thought, she swallowed and looked at him again.  “How did you know my room would hold him?” she wondered aloud.

                Seungho shrugged uncertainly, his gaze searching.  But after a moment, he pointed at Amber and then back at himself.  She was having a hard time understanding so he pointed at the sheet she was working with and then repeated himself.

                “Oh.  My smell?” she clarified.  When Seungho nodded, she hummed to herself.  “That was how I got through to you.  I see,” she whispered with a smile tugging at the corners of .  “Good thinking,” she added with a breathless laugh.  Goodness knew she didn’t have any ideas at the time.  And if he hadn’t shown up when he did, she really would have been dead.  The thought prompted her to lean against him for comfort and support.

                She rested her hand and head on his chest and closed her eyes when she felt his arms wrap around her carefully.  His chin gently rested on the top of her head, covering her with the hair of his mane.  It tickled.  With a smile, she pushed away and rubbed at her ears with a reassuring nod.  “Alright.  That’s the best I can do for the moment,” she admitted, scanning his body for more wounds.  She did not have enough of the sheet to cover all of him and she’d rather clean the injuries before leaving them completely bound, but he was well enough for now.  Mostly.

                Amber pressed her fingers to her lips and nodded.  “We should go check on the villagers.”  She wanted to investigate the mirror but the people outside the castle had been put at just as much risk as herself and she wasn’t entirely sure if Jonghyun was better or not.  The image of him shattering against the wall was still in her mind and it made her shiver.

                For his part, Seungho simply nodded and carefully eased off the bed, mindful of his injuries and trying not to jostle Amber.  As soon as he was up, Amber tried to follow after but he stopped her and pointed at her knee with a shake of his head.  Before she could ask what he had in mind, he reached to scoop her into his arms again.  Amber inhaled slightly and tensed up until she was flush against his chest, cradled securely in his hold.

                “I’m guessing I shouldn’t be walking on my knee,” she suggested aloud.  His nod was confirmation enough and Amber pursed her lips as he started moving.  She had to hold onto him while he shifted enough to open the door with one hand, but when they were otherwise moving, Amber had to admit that she kind of liked the feeling of being carried.  In this instance anyway.  Seungho’s steps were careful and his balance slightly tenuous but he walked with such focused intent, she was well aware he was doing his best to keep her comfortable and safe.  It made her heart warm to think about, even if she didn’t like that her being hurt was the reason.

                A couple more times, he had to open doors again, and Amber held on each time, growing more and more used to the sensation.  But by the time they reached the trapdoor room in relative silence, they paused, both staring at the mirror.  It was quiet but there was no reflection; it showed the casting hall and the strange scene Amber had seen before her father had chased her off.  Wordlessly, she pointed a trembling finger at it and looked at Seungho pleadingly.

                He met her eyes and held her tighter against him, worry obvious in his gaze.  “Please,” she whispered, looking back at the non-reflective surface.  Even though she had every intention of going to the villagers first, she needed to know.  After a brief pause, Seungho slumped slightly with a sigh and she knew he would help her.  Together, the pair approached the mirror carefully.  Seungho avoided the open door and brought Amber close enough to touch the surface.

                Her hand shook as she reached towards the pane of glass.  She hesitated just in front of it, a frown creasing her brow.  But then she continued and gasped as her fingers disappeared into it with a soft light.  Pulling her hand back reactively, she turned to stare at Seungho with wide eyes.  He seemed surprisingly calm about it.  With a nod, he turned them so that they could both step through.  Amber held her breath as Seungho angled his body into the strange portal, clenching her eyes shut when the light threatened to blind her.

                Power flowed over her skin, warm and tickling at the same time.  And then they were through!  Amber pried her eyes open and inhaled at the sight.  “Oh my gods,” she whispered, holding her hands to as she looked around.  As she’d seen from the other side, the casting hall was nearly untouched and it appeared almost exactly as she remembered it.  Except… there was the mist filled dome again.  “There, Seungho,” she pointed expectantly, swallowing her nerves.

                With careful steps, Seungho brought them closer.  The mist was difficult to see through but when they were right outside, Amber placed her hand against the glass and squinted.  She gasped when she thought she saw what was inside.  “Mother,” she murmured as her heart clenched and tears stung her eyes.

                Seungho grunted in surprise and peered inside for a better look himself.  His expression was thoughtful but he had never seen the woman in the flesh, only her picture.  While Amber stared within, he turned his attention outward to the dome around her and the rest of the room.  Already the wheels of his mind were turning, trying to understand it.

                It was only when Amber tried to hit the glass that Seungho pulled her away with a quick shake of his head.  “I have to get her out, Seungho,” she nearly cried, holding her hands uncertainly over her body.

                Obviously frustrated with his inability to talk, Seungho set Amber carefully on the ground and then turned to mime hitting the glass himself.  Only he added on the action of his fist opening as it came away.  Turning to Amber, he pointed at the woman in the dome and drew a line across his neck.  Then he repeated his breaking gesture.

                Amber’s heart dropped and her stomach clenched in fear.  “You mean she might die if the glass is broken?”  Seungho grunted in hesitant agreement, looking away as he moved to investigate the room further.  Amber watched him for a moment before her attention returned to her mother floating in the mist.  With some pained effort, she managed to scoot close enough to see better and simply stared at the woman inside.  Floating within, Amber’s mother appeared to be sleeping.  Her wavy, brunette hair drifted around her shoulders and face.  She was still wearing the same clothes she’d disappeared in and her expression was achingly peaceful.

                “Mother,” Amber whimpered with her hand pressed against the glass.  “Father was right,” she laughed once, the sound filled with tears.  “You weren’t dead.”  She rested her forehead against the cool surface and closed her eyes as she listened to Seungho moving about with careful deliberateness.  Her mind ran through the possibilities and several thoughts came to her, but none she knew how to do anything about.  “How,” she sighed, her eyes opening to see the way her breath fogged up the outside.  “How do we get you out?”  Once more, she looked up to behold the achingly familiar woman inside.

                Without the ability to cast magic, that was indeed the question.  While Amber could have stayed there for eternity – and the thought occurred to her that it was what her father had felt upon finding her mother – she knew it was also but one more problem to solve.  Reluctantly, she called out to Seungho to get his attention so they could head on.  They knew what her father had been guarding.  Now it was time to check on the villagers, pray her father didn’t get out, and see if they could figure out some sort of non-magical solution between them.

                Regardless, with the other beast free and there being no guarantee that he would recognize Amber, they both knew time was limited.  But Amber at least had hope.  The impossible had happened.  And if it could happen once, it could happen again.  That was enough for her for now.

(a/n: Inside the casting hall!  Woohoo!  And miracle of miracles, who did they find?  ;)  But yes.  As you can see, the second chase scene would have made the previous chapter considerably longer.  But this one was still fun to write.  Anybody seeing any similarities to the Disney version anywhere?  There are bits and pieces here and there.  And as Amber joked previously, she has now gotten to ride Seungho like a horse.  hehe  Even if it didn't work out quite as well as hoped.  :/  But I do hope you're enjoying the story.  Thank you to all my readers and commenters.  I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions so please feel free to let me know.  Otherwise, please look forward to the next update and happy reading!)