My castle had been shrouded in darkness over the years, a constant fog drifting along the leaf-covered ground with dark clouds hanging in the air; a never-ending suspicion of rain. But due to its location off a fairly well traveled traders trail it would get the rare traffic. The majority of the time it was a simple traveler looking for a bit of shelter for the night and most times the cobwebs and eerie atmosphere would send them away. But one day a particularly curious man visited us.

It had begun to rain and as always I spent my evening in my large wing-backed chair, eyes fixated on the floating rose. Unknown to me, a lost merchant had stumbled upon my castle, drenched, cold, and frightened. The combination seemed to be enough to drive him past the unwelcoming state of the castle as he crept along the front hall.

My only awareness of his presence was the eventual smell of burning firewood reaching my nostrils. Due to my current state, as well as the castles, fires were no considered necessary and normally not kept. I sprung from my seat, the blanket falling from my shoulders as I growled at the unwelcome smell. Clothing had become too much of a nuisance as my fur covered all that was necessary and I never had a care towards how my servants saw me.

Stepping from my quarters, I snuck towards the dull sound of crackling wood, stopping by the crack in the door as the firelight lit a small line along my body. All I could see was a large reading chair, the light exposing the worn red color and frayed edges. On the sides I could see someone's elbows resting, mumbling and grunting to him as the room came to life around him. Furniture shifted, an ottoman scurried under the stranger's feet with an odd collection of barks, a table scooted closer to him with a steaming pot of tea and cup ready. The man in question seemed surprised but pleased, his tired laughter bringing a snarl to my lips.

I roared, the whole castle seeming to tremble from the sound as the man hesitantly turned around in the chair. Throwing the door open I lunched, my powerful haunches propelling me to the back of the chair as I used it to hurtle over and in front of him. Without giving him a chance to breathe and surged forward, digging my claws into the armrest of the chair as he recoiled. "P-please don't kill me!" He begged, trying to get as far into the back of the chair as was humanly possible.

But his pleads did nothing – though I had no intention of killing him. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling the man swiftly behind me and dragging him across the castle and down into the dungeons. As he yelped against the cold stone floor I slammed the heavy wooden door shut. "Trespassers…punishable by death," the words were rough and almost intelligible as the man looked at me with a terrified gaze. He was old, the hair on the top of his head gone, all the remained was around the sides and on his face in a bright white. Bags dropped under his eyes and he shivered, the cold already making him look sickly.

"P-please…I have a daughter, please let me contact her…I beg of you," he cried as I ignored him. During my time as queen I hadn't paid much attention to what happened to wrong doers. Normally I would simply wave my hand at them and my guards would take them somewhere to be dealt with. I gave no punishment, gave no care. And maybe that was the worst part of it because I didn't consider them and their crimes to be worth my time. Something had changed, though, after that time…the anger had built in my soul made me despise my apathy. I would care…even if it were in the wrong sort of way.

I left the man to his thoughts, to let him cower and beg to be freed. When the time came I would kill him to make an example. The worst of it, though, was that I wasn't sure whom I was making an example to.

The answer seemed to come in the next day. Unknown to myself, or the old man in the basement, but his frustrating daughter had seemingly taken his absence as something to be worried of. As to how she found my castle, I was not quite sure.

A day after the old man's capture, though, she arrived at my castle. Again I was surprised, the only alarm to arrival being her call for her father. By the time I had found her she was already in the dungeon, her hands wrapped tightly around the bars as she promised her father to get him free.

"No, Belle. You must'n be here. It will find you. Do not worry about me, you must run, run far away," but the girl simply shook her head, turning her attention to the lock of the door before searching around for any sort of key. And that's when he eyes fell upon me. I snarled, looking over her womanly frame. It was petite, but her chin was surprisingly raised, almost challenging my being. "Run, Belle!" Her father yelled as I charged forward, grabbing her by her shoulder, my claws ripping through her dress and slicing at her skin. She yelped and pulled back, forcing my hand to pull through her shoulder.

"I do not fear you beast! Let my father go!" She snapped as I skidded on the stone floor, turning to face her with my lip pulled back.

"Your father has trespassed and will be dealt with justly," I growled, my voice seeming to startle her. She grabbed at her bleeding shoulder, looking at the ground in thought before turning towards her father's face between the bars.

"Take me in his place."