My arms were hurting too much for me to sleep, especially the right. Although I had sustained some bad wounds on my left arm and right shoulder, my right forearm had taken the brunt of the battle. Frustrated, I shouted for Mrs. Potts.

"I can brew you a bit of herbal tea, sir," she offered. "It will taste bitter, but it should ease your pain a little."

I gave a terse nod.

"I imagine the poor girl's having a bit of trouble sleeping as well," Mrs. Potts continued. "Perhaps she might like a nice spot of chamomile. Why not see if she'd like to join you?"

Hiding a sigh, I walked to Belle's room to see if Mrs. Potts was right. I still wasn't sure how I felt about my recent acquaintance. She was beautiful, spirited, and from what I could tell in such a short time, a bit concerned for the needs of others.

However, she was just as stubborn and defiant as my servants accused me of being. I told her she could go anywhere in the castle except the West Wing, my private quarters, and she went immediately to the West Wing! Every time I so much as blinked without her approval, we had a shouting match.

If I had remained human, my parents would have matched me in an arranged marriage when I came of age. Now I still had to deal with the same basic concept: No matter how much this girl and I disliked each other, I had to learn to love her and earn her love in return.

The enchantress at least should have given me a choice of two or three women so I could pick the one I liked best. Then again, any old hag that curses a child for not talking to strangers is unlikely to be merciful to her victims, so I should be grateful any eligible woman had found my castle at all.

When I got to the door of the guestroom where Belle was staying, I listened. If it had been absolutely silent, I wasn't going to knock. I would let her sleep. However, I could hear the sound of faint sobbing, so I lightly rapped on the door.

"Yes?" her voice answered tearfully.

"I…uh…couldn't sleep," I began. "Mrs. Potts was going to make some tea. Would you like some?"

Belle opened the door. "Thank you, Beast. That would be lovely."

We silently walked through the corridors, my mind racing to try to find the right words.

"Um…are you alright?" I queried.

"I keep trying to sleep, but I see them every time I close my eyes!"

I didn't have to ask who she meant. My injuries from lupine fangs and claws had been tended, much against my will, but they were still throbbing.

Belle wiped away a tear that slid down her cheek. "When I was dressing your wounds, all I could think was that they should have been on me! I wouldn't have survived! Seeing them bite you, trying to tear you apart…! It just looked like such a painful death!"

"Not as painful as having the wounds tended afterwards," I muttered.

"What?"

"I said…uh…I'm…here for you."

Belle frowned. "But if you're here to help me, why are you keeping me as your prisoner?"

"None of your concern!" I retorted.

She winced when I yelled. I'd think after hearing me rant all evening, she would have been used to it by this time, but what do I know?

I took a calmer tone. "It's…complicated."

"Something to do with this being an enchanted castle, right?" she asked.

"Yes."

We sat in armchairs across from each other in front of the fireplace, and Mrs. Potts brought us our tea. I hoped Belle was enjoying her chamomile because I'd never tasted anything more bitter in my life than the herbal brew Mrs. Potts served me. However, I could barely move my arms at this point, so I gulped down the vile concoction in one swallow.

"Are you feeling a bit sore?" Belle asked.

"Nothing I can't handle," I lied.

"It will probably be even worse when the wounds begin to heal. They'll itch like you wouldn't believe."

"WHAT?!" I took a deep breath. "I mean…I hope they don't. I wouldn't be able to scratch, or I'd hurt myself worse."

Belle nodded. I couldn't help but notice she was staring at my claws. I knew I was fooling myself about any hope she would ever learn to love me. All she would ever notice was my hideous form, my massive jaws, and the long daggers at the end of my massive paws. I'd be fortunate if she even learned to tolerate my grotesque, terrifying appearance for any longer than a few minutes at a time.

"You could try a little salve," she suggested. "It will help relieve the itch. If your muscles are sore, you could try a warm bath."

"How did you learn to tend the injured?" I queried.

"It was in a book I read."

"You like to read?"

"Don't you?"

I was unsure how to explain. I had never read anything more than lessons the royal tutors forced me to review or legal documents I had to sign, and even then, I mostly skimmed the required manuscript to get the rough idea. I knew sometimes the servants read books for pleasure, but I didn't really understand what was so exciting about sitting in the same place for an hour with nothing to do but turn pages.

"I feel so foolish!" Belle confessed. "I should have known better than to go out alone into unfamiliar woodlands in the middle of the night during a snowstorm! I've read enough books to understand why that's a terrible idea, even without the w…" She shook her head, unable to continue.

"Even without the wolves," I finished for her.

"I don't understand!" She was nearly in tears again. "Why did they do it?! It isn't a wolf's nature to attack a human! What did I do wrong?!"

"If my servants who work in the forest ever show their faces at this castle again, they'll look into the matter and rid the woods of dangerous beasts," I assured her.

Belle frowned. "Did you say you have servants who work in the forest?" After a pause, she asked aloud the same question that had crossed my mind. "What happened to them?"

How in the world was I supposed to know? It had been a good decade since I saw or heard of them. For all I knew, they had long since been killed by wolves, but Belle was still too frightened to hear as much.

"I suppose they deserted the castle," I remarked.

"They didn't even act like wolves!" Belle continued, jumping back to the previous topic of conversation. "They jumped like lions and pulled my shawl as if playing a cruel game with me! One licked its lips like this." She demonstrated. "Carnivorous animals don't lick their lips that way because of their long fangs. When they lick their lips, they…" Catching sight of my hideous jaw, she trailed off.

"Yes, I know." I sighed. "At least you're safe now."

There was no way I could have told her how frightened I was. Yes, I was angry about her running away and the wolves daring to harm her, but I was also afraid that she was going to die. She went out of her way to make me lose my temper, but I still didn't want to kill her. Besides, she was so beautiful, far too beautiful to be butchered alive.

Belle finished her tea. "Thank you for talking with me."

"You're welcome," I replied.

"It really helped."

"I'm glad."

I wanted to add that it had helped me too, but I didn't quite know how to put my thoughts into words.

"Shall I send for one of the servants to sing for you or read you a story?" I suggested. "That way, when you close your eyes, you can think of nice things instead of…"

"I wouldn't want to keep them awake," Belle stated. "I know they have chores in the morning."

"I'll consider allowing them to have a few extra hours of sleep," I responded.

"In that case, that would be very helpful. I'll ask someone who's awake already."

I nodded. "Good night, Belle. I'm glad you're safe." As an afterthought, I added, "I hope you have pleasant dreams."

She actually smiled at me and answered, "You as well."

My troubled mind began racing. Had she meant she also hoped my dreams would be pleasant, or was she somehow glad that I too had survived the wolf attack?

The herbal tea had its desired effect, and my suffering was relieved, but I still couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Belle's gentle smile and bright eyes. I felt her light hand supporting my arm as she held it steady while her other hand held the cloth to clean my wounds. I saw her hair taking on a certain luster in the firelight.

When I finally drifted off to sleep well past midnight, I dreamed that I was a handsome prince again, but this time, I was courteous, charming, intelligent, sensitive, and all the other virtues I had never been in real life. Belle was a princess who could only be awakened by love's first kiss. I arrived on my white horse, dismounted, and took her into my arms.

Before we could kiss, however, the dream ended abruptly when I rolled over onto my right arm, reopening my wounds. I roared in anguish, not caring a whit who I awakened.

I cursed the wolves. I cursed the enchantress. I even cursed myself for existing. Only after I finished cursing did I realize yet another petal had fallen from the dying rose, but since my whole life was nothing more than a curse, I can't say I was surprised.

There was nothing more to do than try to go back to sleep, hoping that I would dream once more of being Prince Charmant. After all, I knew it was the only way I would ever take Belle into my embrace, but I fell into a dreamless sleep. Even in my dreams, my hope of being her prince was dark and meaningless. Why bother trying?