Do I have about 3 other stories I should be working on? Yes. I am sorry? Yes. Do I regret starting a new story? Not a bit. Also, Raven may seem a bit OOC, but that's because she grew up with a different version of her powers, and less of a need to reign in her emotions. Anywhosen, I was watching BATB, and well, first off, I could definitely see a Rae-Belle, a Mal-Gaston, and a Gar-Beast. Y'know? Again, anywhosen, I got a good idea, so ON WITH THE STORY!

~LBB

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Walking through the busy, partially crowded Town Square at about nine in the morning coming back from the library, and weaving against that mass of people, was a single, medium sized girl. She wore a royal blue cloak with the hood up, yet it was so common for her that, other than the whispers of her unusual, and slightly subtle beauty, hardly anyone gave a second glance. She walked with her head down, eyes locked on the thick book in front of her.

'And in that moment, with the demons vanquished and the sun shining brightly once more, I had no-' the final paragraph, the very last sentence in fact, was left unfinished as the book was horribly and rudely plucked from Raven's small, unsuspecting hands.

"Reading again, I see." Came the smooth, silky voice of the one and only Malchior of Nol as he pulled down her hood to reveal the girl's short violet hair, pale skin, one equally violet eye, and one vibrant, sky blue eye.

"Malchior, return my book, please." She said with a slight sigh of exasperation.

"Oh Raven, no hello?" Malchior asked, feigning hurt as he flipped through the pages.

"None. Now please, give my book back." She responded simply, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, Raven! You've read this one already. Twice in fact." He replied, leaning against the bookshop wall behind him and teasingly holding the book out of reach of her small frame.

Raven retorted, "It was three times actually. Would be four if you'd return my book." She placed her hands on her hips sternly, like a mother scolding her child. At this, his bright, wide, silvery-blue eyes sparkled with light, clearly amused. Without any warning, he had his free arm wrapped around her waist, and she was unexpectedly being pressed against the wall he had been leaning on.

"Maybe you can tell me about it sometime." He said in a voice like velvet. Bending his head down to kiss her, and her with nowhere to go turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek. Pulling back, he gave her a coy smile. "I'll have that kiss someday soon, sweet Raven." He said, smiling still as he released her waist and began to walk away, leaving her book in her empty hand. With a furious blush on her cheeks, she stormed home to the small cottage she shared with her older brother, Crow.

"Why, the nerve of that man!" Raven hissed as she slammed the door with such force it nearly tore from its rusty hinges and rattle the house.

"Something wrong, sis?" Crow asked, his honey golden eyes quickly darting up from the small slip of parchment he was writing on, yet they soon darted back down.

"'Something wrong', he asks! Something wrong? Why, I can tell you, yes, something is wrong!" She snapped, eyes blazing. They both knew that her anger wasn't directed at him, so he wasn't particularly upset, nor was he offended.

"Well then, let me rephrase. What troubles you, sister?" He asked, setting his quill down and giving her his full attention.

"Malchior of Nol!" She cried in irritation, throwing her hands up.

"A boy?" Crow asked, suddenly on his feet with his hands on her shoulders. "Do you have feelings for him?" He asked, his brow furrowing in a way that only an older brother's could.

"Only extreme feelings of irritation." She replied, causing her brother to sigh in relief, before snapping to attention once more.

"What has he done?" He asked, continuing with his interrogation.

"He's pursued me!" She yelled, nearly loud enough for the Heavens to hear. "He takes my book, refuses to return it, backs me against a wall, and attempts to kiss me!"

"What?" Crow roared, his own eyes lighting in fury. "He did what?"

"He tried to kiss me! Luckily, I managed to evade him and get my book back." She said, glazing over the fact that he did kiss her, just not on the lips.

"So he didn't assault you? Did he threaten you?" He asked with angry eyes.

"Other than the nightmare-inducing threat of 'I'll have that kiss someday soon'? No." She responded, calming herself for the sake of her brother. "Crow, relax. I'm fine." She said, easing him back into the chair and placing the quill back in his hand. "I promised Rowan I'd meet her at the river to do the laundry. I'll be home soon." She said, waving as she left the house with her overflowing basket tucked under her arm.

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Sir Richard, a man of average height, strong build, and a quick wit, rode into the small, English town with only two men flanking him. Those men being Sir Victor, who was a tall, burly, smart Moor man, and Sir Garfield, who was well built and sturdy, with an easy smile, often misinterpreted for ignorant, although he was rather smart himself. They rode in search of a new start, all of them leaving a dark past behind them.

Sir Garfield happened to spot a young maiden fighting against the current of the crowd with a blue hood covering all of her face except the perfectly shaped pink lips, and a few wisps of violet hair.

"Ay." Garfield said, loud enough for only his two traveling companions to hear. The men both turned their heads to find the woman of interest as she pushed through the crowd with a basket beneath her arm.

"What do you make of it?" Victor asked, his eyes locked on the swishing blue cloak.

"Perhaps she is hideously ugly." Garfield joked, smiling a bit. His jest was short lived, because as the girl broke free of the crowd, she removed her hood, revealing the beauty beneath. "Or perhaps not." He murmured, eyes widening a bit as she took in the vibrant hair, bright mis-match eyes, and flawless, pale skin.

Dismounting their horses, Richard leaned over to a merchant and offered him six gold pieces to watch over the horses for the time they would be gone, and the merchant nodded feverishly, smiling. They weaved their way through the crowd and towards the mysterious girl, who continued on. Finally pushing free from the throng of people, the three men picked up the pace, trying to catch the girl.

"Wait!" Garfield called, breaking out into a run. His two companions followed after him, but he was exceptionally faster. Yet, before he got there, an odd sight made him slow and quirk an eyebrow.

A young man approached the maiden, with skin pale as hers, icy blue eyes, and silvery blonde hair. He snatched the basket from her, holding it out of her reach as she placed her hands on her hips impatiently. He had an arrogant smile on his lips, a taunting expression in his eyes. As she reached for her basket, her grabbed her hand, spun her around, and wrapped his arms around her waist intimately. The three men continued to watch, confusion prominent on their faces. While the man was seemingly trying to woo her, she had nothing more than an extremely angry expression on her face.

The silver-haired man danced in circles with her, and then tipped her backwards, so the weight of her small body was centered on his arms. He ducked his head in to peck her lips, but she managed to evade him by twirling out of his arms, grabbing the basket, and hiking up the hem of her lavender dress to hurry away.

"Soon, sweet Raven, soon." He called loudly after her, which simply caused her to walk faster.

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Raven had broken through the square and onto the path the lead towards the river, humming a low lullaby to herself. She heard a sudden call of the word wait behind her, but before she could turn around, her basket was stolen from her, and held away.

"Sir Malchior of Nol, I swear your foolish ways will be the death of me." She said shaking her head and placing her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face.

"Oh, sweet, sweet Raven. You know exactly what I want." He replied, brushing back a lock of her hair and letting his hand linger on her cheek for a little longer than necessary. He removed his hand and twirled her around, then wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, holding her to him.

"And you know that I wouldn't give it to you even if it would save my life." She responded, giving him a bitter, sarcastic smile. He laughed at this, and danced her around in circles, smiling.

"I'm wounded, Raven. Is the thought of my lips on yours so repulsive that you'd rather die than let me have my way?" He asked, dipping her and leaning in for another kiss. Instead of answering, she twisted out of his embrace and snatched her basket, pulling up her skirts and making a hasty retreat.

"Soon, sweet Raven, soon." He called loudly after her, causing her pace to fasten, odd calls of wait long forgotten.

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As the strange man with the silver hair disappeared, the three traveling men broke into a sprint again, trying to catch the girl. They finally found her, angrily pacing back and forth on the riverbed, while another girl with bouncing curls the color of chestnut mixed with cherry, sat listening and washing her clothes.

"Twice, Rowan! Twice in one day!" The girl with the violet hair snapped loudly, unaware of the three men watching.

"Want me to lay a curse on him?' The girl called Rowan teased, smiling and flicking a wet dress at her playfully.

"Oh, hush, Rowwie. You know I don't wish something terribly awful on him." The violet girl replied gently as she dodged the sopping wet clothing.

"I know Rae, I was merely jesting." Rowan replied, shrugging her shoulders with a small smile. "By the way, those three men who followed you here are awfully curious about who we are." She added casually, yet her eyes never actually drifted to the men who hid in the trees.

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DON'T SHOOT ME! NUT I HAD TO END IT LIKE THIS! DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE! I HAVE UPDATES TO DO! *Hides behind Crow* SAVE ME!

Crow: "...What?"

~LBB