Beauty Taken

Within A Beast

Chapter 1 – Enchanted by the unknown

It was the middle of winter when it came. The frost touched at the corner of my windows as snow fell gracefully outside, covering my castle garden in a blanket of white. I was in awe of the magic brought each year at Christmas, the glistening snow showing winter was finally here.

The candle lanterns flickered outside, covering the pavement with light. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. I turned to my father, who sat by the kingdom throne chair next to the fire. He turned his eyes to me and smiled happily and turned his gaze back at the burning warm fire.

I leaned against the window tapping my fingers against the wooden sill, watching the snow fall gracefully to the floor. I stare for a long moment, noticing one of the lanterns was dying out. I rise up quickly, excited to go outside as i turned my father with an instant plea.

"Papa, one of the lanterns outside is going out. Could i please?" i begged, as he knew what i was talking about. As he faced me, turning flushed by the heat. He noticed my pleading eyes.

"My dear belle, you'll freeze to death. Get one of the guards to go and do it." He kindly orders, smiling over to me with his tired eyes. I watch my father slowly turn back to the fire, gazing deeply into the orange flames. I look again outside, shifting my long blue silk dress aside to adjust to my chair to feel comfort and at ease.

I blink suddenly, reaching forward to the window frame noticing that there was an unknown guy staring outside at me. ~who is that~ i thought to myself, keeping my eyes focused on the unknown guy outside in my garden. I watched him for a moment, watching him when i got startled by a loud nose right across the room.

I turned my head around for a minute to check on my papa, now noticing he was fast asleep and saw his glass of wine was spilled all over the floor. "Oh papa, why now." I say with a huge sigh. I walk quickly over to him lifting my dress up away from the wine. I grabbed the cup from the floor beside him and notice he was yet again drunk, and every Christmas was always what made him happy.

I grabbed a cloth from the side of the fire, and slowly wiped away the spilt wine across the floor. Suddenly i raise my head to meet my papa's face, feeling his breath breathe down to me. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and his eyes rose up to meet mine. "Oh belle did i." He says confusingly, his eyes searching the room to see his environment. His eyes look back down to my helpless look when i nod my head to him. "I'm afraid so, papa." I say kindly to him with concern. I raise my body slowly from the floor, grabbing my father's arm. "Come on, papa. Let's get you to bed."

I guide my father up onto his feet, steadying him so he doesn't lose his balance. I shout for a maid to help me escort my father to bed as i place his arm onto my shoulder. "Come on, papa. Let's go."

I notice the maid and another male servant come into the throne room, as they bowed to both of us my papa turned and grabbed my too shoulders "what will i do without my belle?" he says kissing my cheek, now being carried away to his chamber.

The door closes behind them, feeling nothing but the emptiness what was left in the room. I rushed back over to the window to look outside. As I looked outside noticing the stranger was no longer there, i cursed loudly. "Damn it!" I shouted, searching with my eyes outside trying to find him. I opened the window trying to get a better site, but it wasn't helping me see at all.

I closed the window slowly, walking back trying to think. I held my head for a moment, remembering the lanterns were blown out by the cold wind. Raising my head now, i raised my dress up and ran out of the throne room, quickly rushing down into the kitchen to grab my cape and my small lantern from the kitchen cupboard.

I light a match from the draw, and held the fire under the oil until light shone through the timmered amber light. I closed the hatch, and turn behind me to grab my cape from the rack. I slowly open the clasp that hung my cape together, and wrapped it around my bare shoulders covering my body from now the wintery coldness from outside.

I open the door slowly, trying not to make a sound but silence broke when a loud creak came from the door. I stopped quickly, looking around watching out for the guards to spot me. But thankfully, the coast was clear.

I stepped outside, taking in the darkness that now draped along outside my garden. I watched eye fully, inspecting for any sight of the unknown creature or man, trying to think ~ what it was or how do i find it~. My feet trod along the snow, stepping carefully with a few steps in front of me. I felt my feet begin to freeze up, but i couldn't stop now.

Now looking in front of me i notice the lanterns, i step onto the white marble bench studying my steps in case i slipped and fell to the floor. I reached high for the lantern door and opened it up, my hand blue from the coldness. I reach slowly into my pocket, grabbing a match. I flick the match across the box and rise onto my tiptoes to reach for the oil surface in the bowl. The fire began to glow bright now bringing light back into the quite garden.

I close the hatch slowly, feeling the fire burning inside. I smile by the light, and turn to face my garden with such awe by the light it gave. "Beautiful." I whisper, as i shifted back.

I turn my eyes to the floor, raising my skirt to see my feet when a hand appeared in front of me. I raise my eyes up quickly, following the covered arm up to a covered face. I look deeply for eye contact but i got scared to look anymore when i see his feet begin to move closer to me.

"Stop," i say, i notice him stop in his tracks and he tilts his head to the side. "I mean it, Stay away." I warn one more time, holding my lantern now in front of me. "I'll call the guards."

"Oh dear." I hear him say, when a loud laugh came from him. It was like if it was a little child was up to something or it was up to mischief. He sighed and quietly spoke up to me. "I'm not going to harm you, dearie."

"Then why are you here, why are you in my garden?" i questioned him, watching him in the coldness of the snow as he stood there, like the cold was nothing to him.

"I'm here, dearie because I've come to find a beauty." He says, watching me now shiver on top of the marble bench. "But," he walks forward, stopping just by my feet. "i think i might have found one." He points to me, his finger nearly touch my cape as he looked up to focus his eyes on me.

I blink suddenly and i begin to bite my lower lip in worry. My head suddenly becomes confused and i didn't know what to think.

"What...meme, me." i point to myself. Trying to get my words out, but the coldness wasn't helping.

"Of course you." his voice becomes suddenly high pitched. "Why not you, you are indeed a fine breed defiantly, a hard one to find indeed." He eyes my cold body, like he was scanning my naked body within my dress.

"But i don't want to go with you." i interrupt and i suddenly become cocky. "I'm engaged." I say down to him, showing him my silver ring across my finger. He inspects the ring on my finger and nods. "You were engaged." He says with a quick quip and he laughs like a child again and points to my hand. "But now you're not."

"What?" i look down to my hand, noticing my engagement band was missing. "What! What did you do?"

"Ohh, were you looking for this." He steps back, holding the ring in-between his scaly finger tips, showing me he now held it in his Possession. "How...How did you get that?" I question him, watching him step inches away from me. "Give it back to me, or ill."

"Or you'll what, kill me, call the guards. name it child." He says, his teeth were now shown, his voice becoming threatening pushing his chest forward. "I'm not a kid!" i shouted to him. "How dare you be rude to a princess in her kingdom."

He scoffs and bows his head. "I apologise, but you have nerves telling me off little girl." He said mockingly, but with a threatening tone once again. He holds my ring in his fingers inspecting the craftsman ship, he shook his head in disgust. "This man dearie, your engaged to has poor taste." He flicks the ring to the floor, hitting the snow as it fell.

I raise my eyes in shock, watching my ring fall into the snow. I moved forward to run over to grab my ring, but his hand stops me in his distance he stood. "I wouldn't do that, if i was you." he warns to me, urging me not to step forward. I watched his covered features watching me, urging me not to gain my ring back. But it was now too late, when i rushed forward i felt my dress being tugged from in front me and with that. I instantly slipped from under my dress, falling quickly but a pair of hands grabbed me just before i hit the ground.

I open my eyes slowly, feeling a warm sensation on my cheek, noticing a breathing movement underneath me. His body began to shift underneath me, and i raise my head feeling him watching me as our eyes suddenly meet one another's.

To be continued...