Chapter Seventeen

The room was filled with mysterious silence. Stu stared at the two children. Both had round face with soft, peach skin. Each had round, full, blue eyes with reminded him of the moon. There hair were lovely shades of blonde.
“Well?” Maiden Fancy's shrill rose into the air like the piercing scream of a falcon. “What are you standing around for? Don't you see? These beings are not deserving of our beauty! I----”
“Shush your mouth you vile woman!” A powerful voice came. Everyone looked around to see who had pronounced such strong words: their eyes landed on Cor. “I have treated you with kindness, I have let you into my home and what do you do to show what I have taught you? This! These manners that show lack of love!” As he spoke, his mask began to crack and he began to stand up straight.
“Tell me!” He threw away the cane that he had leaned on for so long. “Does anyone deserve shoddily treatment if they are not beautiful on the outside? Tell me who!” No one answered. “Many of you have followed this despicable woman but many of you have a great beauty! The beauty that lies within!”
“You old man!” Fancy yelled once more. “You are old! Foolish! Crazy! You have no more wisdom than a worm half killed! If I ran this place I----”
“Woman!” Cor's mask had fallen from his face completely, revealing a handsome young face. “Throw down your mask!”
There was a slight pause at this command from Fancy. She tried to keep her ground as she undid the lace which held her face to her face. The disguise fell to her side, shattering as well and a horrified gasp swept the room.
Her face was tremendously ugly! No one could dare look her stare in the eye. Stu felt his stomach turned at the sight of such sheer repulsiveness.
“What? Why aren't you looking at me?” Fancy questioned them. One person threw her a mirror, her eye shielded so her face didn't meet with Fancy's. Fancy held the mirror up towards her face.
A scream, a shatter told everyone Fancy had seen her own reflection. She hid her face behind her hands, peeking through to look at Cor.
“I don't understand!” She wailed.
“As I have said, true beauty comes from within!” Cor began.  “You have no inner beauty therefore you are the ugliest who walks among us!” He turned to the crowd. “Does anyone want to live like this? Tell me!” There were weeps of sorrow. “Listen to me and learn! Never look down on the ugly nor on the lovely. Look into their heart.”
With those last words, everyone froze: all except for Stu. An orange glow shined down on him. Shielding his eyes, he looked up to see Tanner in an orange jumpsuit with a long flowing cape behind him with orange wings poking out.
“ Look at the heart. Listen and learn.”
The rain started again: Tanner quickly disappeared as orange dust consumed him. Stu heaved a happy sigh and stared up into the soothing rain.

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