Soft rose petals against her flushed skin, she inhaled their sweet scent, twirling around with the bouquet in her face. Dark eyelashes fluttered above the bright red roses in sharp contrast to her light blue eyes and pale skin.
"They're heavenly," she whispered, the rustle of the leaves and petals in her ears, the sound of the grandfather clock down the hall declaring the time.
The beast stepped forward hesitantly, watching.
"But I cannot accept them." She sighed and set them carefully on the table beside them, her dark curls framing her childishly innocent face.
He looked up at her, as she stood upon the first step of the great staircase. "Why?" he asked, frowning. His eyes reflected the flickering firelight but no emotion, and the heavy brows created abnormal shadows, or perhaps it was disappointment that made them so dusky...
Curls tangling and flying, she shook her head. "This was too much. A single rose separated me from my family. Now I have enough roses to make a bed of them! It's...not right." The girl stared at the ceiling far above them, blinking star-like eyes furiously. She bit her lip and buried her smooth hands in the folds of her flawless silk dress. "I have to go," she spoke softly, her voice broke. Then it was her browns tresses down her back and the green dress swirling around her ankles, the velvet ribbons trailing, the flash of glitter embroidered into her bodice, and the echo of her footsteps as she ran up the stairs.
When the last trace of her presence was gone, the beast touched the bundle of abandoned roses. "Don't you understand?" he asked the empty hall. No one, of course, answered. "I had a choice, and a chance if I said yes. Have you ever been alone like this, Beauty? That single rose was the first token of my love. Roses are the essence of beauty, of love, they always have been. I'm just trying to show you..." He picked one up and peeled away a lone petal. Soft, like he imagined her hair, vibrant, like he imagined her. Easy to crush and fragile. But too exquisite to destroy, no matter how many nights she broke his heart and angered him to the point of insanity.
The beast placed the petal on the table, then pulled off several more and arranged them to spell out her name. When only the stem was left, he used it as the last line in the Y.
"Yes. Roses are the essence of beauty. I didn't want to hurt you. But you came back from your father's home, so surely this must mean something...?" His sigh seemed to echo throughout the grand hall as his eyes closed.
"One day, I'll die, and you'll have all the roses in the world. You could have a palace of roses. But would you be happy? No. How can I make you happy?"
Thanks for reading! Please review : )
I love you all!
-Wings-
