"Charming! We've been expecting you, my good man!"

The Beast was incredibly tall and built with muscles that his posh overcoat and tailored pants did little to hide. His long hair was tied with a bow – a style Dexter noticed mimicked with men in the town – and was streaked on either side with white. When he smiled, he revealed teeth that were white and long.

"And this must be Dexterous!" The Beast exclaimed. His eyes seem to read him up and down before turning to Dexter's father. "We were hoping that Rosabella would have the chance to meet all of the Charming children…"

Dexter's father forced a charming smile. "Daring and Darling are with family. They will certainly welcome Rosabella to our home in the future. Circumstances being what they are, however, we thought this the safest option."

The Beast nodded, though now he looked down at Dexter rather disappointed. "Of course…well, I am sure you are ready to meet the princess."

"Be charming, son!" said his father with a wave. As his breath hitched, Dexter watched the man leave with two of his guards. The Beast, coughing lightly, motioned Dexter forward.

"Rosabella is very excited to meet you," said the Beast, taking steps that were far too fast for Dexter to follow. The little boy huffed as he ran, desperate just to keep up.

Down each hallway that they passed, an array of servants – human and object alike – flew left and right, sweeping dust and washing windows and stoking fireplaces. The flurry of activity made the ball of nervousness in Dexter's throat double in size.

They approached double doors painted white and lined in gold. The Beast smiled, exposing teeth as sharp as wolves', as he grasped the door handles.

"Rosabella!"

The lightness in the man's voice was sweet – too sweet on Dexter's aching stomach. As the doors opened, he heard the sound of feet pounding in a run to greet them. By the time the room was in view, so was Rosabella.

For a fleeting second, her pretty face was alighted with delight. She glowed from her caramel-colored hair to her rosy cheeks. Dexter smiled, feeling slightly less anxious.

But then her smile disappeared like a book slammed unceremoniously shut. Stretching to stand on her toes, she looked beyond Dexter and her father and frowned harder, if possible.

"My dear, this is Dexterous Charming," said the Beast. His words were noticeably tight. "Say hello."

She didn't even bother a glance in Dexter's direction before turning heel and sitting on a chaise seated behind a table. From said table, Rosabella picked up a mirror in one hand and a book in another. Her lips were held in a tight line as she stared into the mirror.

Coughing, the Beast patted Dexter forward. "She is feeling a little unwell lately. Forgive her." The man glared up at his daughter. "She will make you feel welcome during your stay here."

Other than arching her brow at her own reflection, Rosabella did not react.

With yet another cough, the Beast took his leave, abandoning Dexter to the largest library he had ever seen in his life with the most silent princess he had ever met. The boy whimpered. Why couldn't he stay with Darling and Daring with the rest of the Charming family? Given, he did not appreciate much of his extended Charmings, but he did enjoy Darling's company. But his father had been firm. As firm as his belief that the girl sitting in front of Dexter was to be his Happily Ever After.

Had it been a month before, Dexter might have entertained the idea. But now he knew the golden heart that lie in the Evil Queen's daughter. The nursery rhyme children had played one of their favorite games of Ditch the Witch. The game consisted solely of running from the notorious Raven Queen at all costs. It wasn't fancy, but then Old Mother Hubbard never seemed to have toys or things for the children to play with. Dexter hadn't been participating at the time, finding the game a poor substitute when he had a book in his hand. He'd stumbled upon Raven completely by accident attempting to find a quiet place to read. She'd been sitting all alone on a bench cuddling with a puppy that must have waddled over from the village.

It was the first time he had ever seen Raven smile.

His heart quickening, his breath taken, he had looked around to see if Darling had unknowingly slowed down time. For it felt that Raven moved so slowly, so sweetly to scratch the puppy's ear and coo at it delightedly.

Remembering Raven only made Rosabella seem all the more plain. She was beautiful in the conventional sense, but from her stiff demeanor and her constant gaze at her mirror, she only appeared like another Apple in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?" responded Dexter.

Rosabella scowled at her mirror. "You made a noise. Is something the matter?"

She sounded about as interested in his well-being as in watching ink dry.

"Oh…I'm fine. Y…You have a really great library."

Looking up, she seemed to see him for the very first time. Not surprisingly, she seemed quite disinterested as ever. "It's my mother's library."

"Oh," said Dexter.

Sighing, she resumed her mirror watching. "Would you like something to read?"

"Sure!" he said, rather more enthusiastically than he meant to. His father would be fairy mad to see him ignoring his future princess for a book, but he quietly reminded himself that he was simply responding kindly to a question of hers. It wasn't his fault if she was stiff as a brand new book spine.

Yet the two sat there in silence. Waiting. Dexter staring at Rosabella and Rosabella at her mirror. She looked up as if surprised to see him still standing there. And quite annoyed.

"Pfh…oh. You're a prince. Of course you can't go get it on your own," she said. She opened her mouth wide but then looked back to him. Snapping her mouth shut, she placed her book down and in its place picked up a small, dainty bell. Ringing the bell lightly, she placed it back on the table with a thump.

Almost immediately, a servant burst through the doors with bright smile. He was of the human variety, thankfully, and long and lanky to boot.

"Yes, mademoiselle! What can I get- oh! But I did not realize that you were entertaining your beau! Bonjour, Monsieur Charming!" said the man rather loudly.

The servant bowed low and Dexter attempted a feeble smile.

Rosabella was not so courteous. "He wants a book. He's a prince so he can't…you know. Go get it himself, apparently."

"I could get it myself!" said Dexter.

"Mademoiselle Bella!" said the servant. "I am outraged! How would your mother feel hearing you speak so rudely? And to your prince, no less!"

Rosabella's lips pulled to a line so flat that Dexter feared it would freeze that way.

"Of course I will help you locate a book, Monsieur Charming," said the servant, throwing a smirk to the princess. "If and only if our mademoiselle gets up and assists us, of course."

She scoffed.

"Like her mother would want her to do," added the servant.

With a quick glance to her mirror, Rosabella stood, setting everything down to stand next to the servant. He smiled down at her, ruffling her hair for good measure.

"So, young master, what type of books do you like? We have adventure…horror…fantasy…all topped to the ceilings!"

Dexter shuffled uncomfortably. "I…actually like romance novels."

He blushed, waiting for Rosabella to laugh or smirk or snigger. She did nothing, merely looking at him as though he had proclaimed the sky to be blue.

The servant quirked a brow but smiled kindly. "A great choice! The master enjoys them when read by the mistress as well. Perhaps a tradition that the two of you shall share!"

Walking off and up a staircase, Rosabella shrugged. Dexter seriously doubted the princess would share a stick of gum with him.

Following the princess up the staircase, Dexter marveled at the grandeur of the library. As large as the Charming ballroom, the room held every book imaginable. Shelves truly climbed to touch the ceilings, books sorted by color, by shape, and by size. There were books behind glass, stuffed like pillows into couches, and even painted in the family portraits that hung along what little wall space that was not dedicated to physical books.

Dexter noted that the portraits captured Rosabella as she had been when the doors first opened: Smiling, shining, and stunning. Her mother, the Beauty, lived up to her name with swirling chocolate curls and large, kind eyes that sparkled behind a simple pair of glasses. The Beast grinned a toothy grin, his large shoulders taking up a large portion of each portrait he was in.

The portraits sent a sickening feel in Dexter's stomach. This was to be his future…if he was the Beast to be. But if he wasn't…

"Here is the romance section, monsieur!" the servant exclaimed, motioning to an entire wall. "There is adventure romance, fantasy, futuristic, mainstream, all stream from the Atlantis kingdom heh!"

"Umm…maybe just a fairytale?" Dexter squeaked. Looking so far up to where the shelves ended made his eyes hurt.

"Very good choice! Come, Rosabella. They are at the end here. You can help me pick out one that he will like."

As servant and princess walked toward the other end of the hall, Dexter huffed out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Being here made him Dexter feel anxious. Well, pretty much everything made Dexter feel anxious, but being in the Beast's castle more so. Although he thought that he would feel more comfortable once Rosabella had gone, he began to notice how large everything was, how imposing. He went after them, holding his elbows to his chest.

It was a while before he found them. The library was longer than he first realized, sprawling out step after step after step. He looked between shelves and craned his neck in case they had managed to climb to the top of the book stacks. The longer he took, the more noises that the castle seemed to make, as if offended by his presence. Floors creaked, books fluttered without a reader. He stumbled about, wishing more than anything that Darling was there to help him. She knew better than anyone how to deal with snobby princesses.

But then he saw them. Instead of looking for his book, they seemed to be in conversation. He ducked behind a book shelf, hoping to pop up when he was not interrupting them.

"Ma chérie," said the servant, on bended knee, "please do not be so harsh on the boy."

The servant's hand reached out to clasp her shoulder as she stood quietly staring at the ground.

"I am glad that you told me. But it is no reason to not speak to Monsieur Charming. It is something quite out of his control."

Dexter frowned. He didn't need to hear the beginning of the conversation to know where Rosabella's hesitancies lay. He was the second born son of the Charmings and simply did not measure up. Would he never be able to live from his brother's shadow?

"One day, Bella," the servant continued, "one day you will feel much differently. And you will regret acting so coldly now." He paused, as if trying to read his mistress's blank face. "He seems a sweet and genuine boy. And you must remember-"

"That there are worse destinies to have," said Rosabella. She sounded as if she were repeating a sacred rule.

"Yes. And you must never forget it," he said. "So let us find a book for the boy and get on with the day and before you know it…" He clapped his hands. "Years go by…hearts race…l'amour – sweet amour! – will bloom…you will be queen…he will be king…and all of our friends shall be human once more. The End."

Dexter leaned, intent on seeing Rosabella's reaction. She continued to stare at the floor, swallowing deeply.

Apparently done, the servant scooped Rosabella off the floor and onto his shoulder. He turned and spotted Dexter, smiling broadly for a moment before glancing to his princess and then back. He placed Rosabella on the floor, dropping his eyes from Dexter's. "Monsieur! We did not see you there! Uh…here! Here are the fairytales! Ho ho let us find the one…it should be near Psyche and – yes! La Belle et La Bête!"

Pulling the book from the shelf, the servant handed it to Dexter. No sooner had Dexter opened his mouth to thank the man than Rosabella was bounding off. Her servant frowned after her and Dexter turned the book to the first page, eager to have something to take attention away from his current circumstances.

"Mademoiselle is very happy to have company," the servant explained as Dexter paged through the book. "She is…how you say….awkward around children her age."

But Dexter barely registered what the man was saying. Flipping near the end of the story, he spotted a drawing of the Beauty with her mouth open in a frozen scream. Her hands were held over her ears although the hall she ran down seemed completely empty.

A blurb sat below the drawing, stark in its finality. The Beauty was asked each day by the Beast to be his bride. When her will had reached its end, she finally agreed.

Was this to be his, their, future? To hassle her day in and day out as she sat by her mirror and refused him over and over? Would he turn into a physical beast, as he heard Rosabella's father had, or would he, as in this iteration of the tale, be turned invisible? When asking such questions to his father, he had, rather annoyed, explained that each tale was tweaked to fit each new generation in order for the tale to be retold. And yet what point did meeting his princess do if it made him so averse to her? If it made him wonder if there were anyone in line for the Good King?

Were there?

A sudden scream broke his daydreams.

"Princess!" exclaimed the servant. He went rushing past Dexter and, if only not to be left alone in the creaking upper floor, Dexter went after him.

As Dexter bobbled off down the staircase, he noticed that a new servant had appeared that was standing in front of Rosabella as round and short as the other servant was lean and tall. He frowned down at Rosabella with a trembling lip.

"Cogsworth!" the first servant exclaimed. "Whatever is the matter?"

Cogsworth opened his mouth, but Rosabella beat him to speaking. She no longer held that cold, calm voice. She spoke loud – too loud.

"HE TOOK MY MIRROR!"

"Uhhh! Mistress, I will repeat again: Your father requested the mirror to be brought to him until your mother returns from her travels. Come now…quiet down and introduce me to-"

"I'M NOT BEING LOUD!" she said louder than ever. "GIVE ME BACK MY MIRROR!"

"Lumiere!" Cogsworth squeaked pleadingly. The servant beside Dexter, apparently Lumiere, stepped forward.

"This is very unbecoming of our to-be queen! Come, perhaps the library was a poor choice of a meeting for you and Monsieur Charming. I am sure the Master will let you take a peak at the mirror after your company has gone home. Oh! I have not even stopped to ask if you will be staying for dinner, Monsieur Charming!" His smile would have been contagious if Rosabella's anger were not smothering the room. "We would be delighted for you to be ou-"

"NO!" shouted Rosabella.

Lumiere gave the girl a look mixed between annoyance and bemusement.

"How about this," he said slyly. "You be a good girl – the type of princess that your mother would want you to be – and I will bring your mirror back to you."

"B…b-but the master!" Cogsworth stuttered.

"Deal," said Rosabella, quite calmed.

Cogsworth merely sputtered while Lumiere smiled.

"Very well," said the tall servant. "I think I know just the place that you two shall find each other in a more romantic mood."


"I'm sorry for your mirror," said Dexter. It sounded like something Daring would say to a damsel in distress. Although, he was quite certain, Daring would not have spent ten long, quiet minutes strolling about the rose gardens before saying it.

She turned to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. My brother really loves his mirrors to so I uh…I can only imagine how terrible it must be without it."

Though she said nothing, she seemed to want to. Instead, she looked up beyond the tall wall outlining the gardens. She did that a lot, he noticed, once they had travelled outside.

"Do you like roses?" he asked.

"I like all flowers."

"But are roses your favorite?"

"I like all flowers."

"Oh," he said. "Well. Okay."

She kept walking only to glance at him curiously. "Do you like roses?"

"Yeah," he admitted, blushing at the memory of Raven finding a rose on her desk just last week. "I do."

She glanced at him skeptically. "Well you get kind of tired of them in this kingdom."

Tired? Of roses? Of the very symbol of love? What a sad life Rosabella led! And what an even sadder fate should he be tied to her…

He found her looking past the walls again. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Oh…nothing. I just wish we could go out into the village. Do you travel much…in your village I mean?"

"Of course," he said. "You…don't?"

Looking at the ground, she shook her head silently.

It was easy to feel bad for her at that moment. Among royal parties, there were jokes made of someone not attending the party being 'Beasts' for the family's known secluded nature. Perhaps Rosabella only wanted more. She could go about it in a kinder manner, but perhaps she was not quite as rotten as she appeared.

What Dexter would have said, he'd never know. Maybe an invitation to come and see the village with him some time. Maybe a gentle reminder that the constant royal parties would give her a chance to interact and that he would be happy to introduce her to his sister and his sister to the other princesses. Maybe even invite her to the Charming castle.

But then he heard a laugh – a manly laugh – explode from near the wall they were approaching. At first, he thought himself still longing for his siblings' company as the voice sounded eerily like Daring. But Rosabella heard it too. She froze immediately and, when he looked over at her in confusion, she wore the look that Daring had when his favorite mirror shattered against the floor. Horrified. Petrified. Scared.

Before he had the chance to ask her what was wrong, she had thrust out her arms and pushed him with all of her might. The force stunned him, hurtling him into a very large and very thorned rose bush. He opened his mouth to cough and spat out leaves. Feeling the thorns tighten in on him from every angle, he glared out to where Rosabella still stood with her arm outstretched with her palm out in his direction.

"Bella, my darling!" cried a loud and masculine voice. "I heard a male's voice and came rushing for your honor!"

Somehow, some way, the bush's leaves were growing, blocking out Dexter's view and muffling the voices. Was this Rosabella's doing? Was she completely mad?

"You are mistaken, Gaston," said Rosabella. "I was…talking to myself."

Gaston? She already had a beau? He shouldn't be surprised. Well…not that his crush on Raven made things any better on his end.

Gaston laughed and again Dexter was reminded of Daring. "You are so weird! It's adorable!"

The last thing that Dexter saw before the bush closed on him completely was a gloved hand taking hold of Rosabella's. His breathing hampered by the tightness of the bush's flora, Dexter punched furiously about. Cut after cut made his hands sizzle with pain.

He kind of always knew he wouldn't die a valiant death. He might get lucky and get killed trying to save a princess, but all signs pointed to Dexter having a rather awkward, embarrassing death as he had a life. He just didn't expect it to be in a rose bush and so soon.

His head swimming, his eyes seeing spots, he jumped when hands dug in and tore the leaves and the bush and the thorns in two. Rosabella's worried face appeared as round as the moon.

"Oh Grimm, oh Grimm, oh Grimm!"

It was only when she touched him, pulling him from the bush with a gentleness that he did not know that she possessed, that he noticed the roughness of her hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" he repeated, breathless, lying on the ground. "AM I OKAY?"

"That's…what I asked," she said weakly.

He took a breath in, attempting to catch his temper. It was a lost cause.

"You nearly KILLED me!"

"I…I still don't have control of it yet!"

Dexter fumed, sitting up despite his dizziness. "Of what? Your horrible personality? Your boyfriend?"

She frowned. "I was trying to protect you!"

"I don't need protecting!" he insisted. "And what would you care if I did? You've been nothing but a troll to me all day!"

She opened her mouth but seemed speechless. She made him so incredibly mad. Protecting him! A prince! A bumbling prince, but a prince nonetheless! To make matters worse, she reached out a hand as if to help him stand.

The temper she had displayed all afternoon seemed to be contagious. He knew he shouldn't. And yet he did.

"I don't need your help…or your protection…or your story!" he said, standing up on his own too quickly. He swayed and Rosabella stood back, alarmed. He continued, though he knew not why. "There are just some fables who don't deserve a Happily Ever After."

It was the worst thing that he had ever said to anyone ever before or ever since.

There was an awful memory that he and Darling shared. Daring had a beloved golden retriever that he adored as much as he could anything that was not himself. One horror story of a day, Dexter, Darling, and their father were returning from the White Kingdom only to find the dog struck and struggling to breathe by the side of the road. Darling had held Dexter as he cried, patting the dog's head while its glassy, wide eyes stared on in desperation. Though the dog had passed, Daring never knew it. By the time he returned from his visit with Apple, a new retriever with even more luscious fur awaited him. If Daring noticed the difference, he never mentioned it.

But those eyes. That look that could not and should not ever be replicated. Those were the same eyes Rosabella wore in that moment. Yet the rest of her face remained cold, immovable. As cut as ice.

Dexter ran from her and from his own hurtful words. After the fact, he recalled that Gaston was no where in sight. He approached the castle just as Lumiere came outside with enchanted lanterns and candlesticks and feather dusters galore.

"Monsieur! I would like you to meet-"

Dexter stopped. "I'm leaving."

"But you can't! You musn't! You-"

"I don't want her," he said, unable to escape his poisoned tongue. "I don't want this…"

Some of the objects cried. Some of them screamed. One asked if this meant that he would be a lantern forever.

Dexter ran from them too, straight into the castle, straight away from Lumiere's pleads for him to return.

Though his body stung from foot to crown, he kept running. Right up until the scream that shook the very castle. The roar of the Beast.

Eyes streaming with tears, Dexter ran all the more, feeling his heart plummet to his toes when the castle's front doors swung open to reveal the Beast's guards – dozens of them – all running toward him. Palms sweating, breathing labored, Dexter could only watch the guards' faces as they passed. Some looked at him with shock, others with anger. Several were crying themselves, their blaming glances making his heart all the more heavy.

He broke into the courtyard, ran straight through the village, and was burning at every limb and joint by the time he reached the wishing well used to return to the Charming castle. There two Charming guards stood, both straightening at the sight of him.

"Young master!" one said. "It is not safe for you to return at this time."

"I can't stay," he panted. "I can't…I can't…I can't stay…"

The other guard frowned, looking to his companion. "We could keep watch of him here…"

"It is a dangerous thing that you ask us to do, young master."

As if written into a story, the Beast's castle rang with another moaning cry. The guards looked up and then back down to him.

"We have a chessboard here…"


Having received her long awaited wish, Darling sat silent, too stunned for words.

Dexter frowned down at the table. "S…saying it all out loud…I…ugh. I just don't like thinking about it and can't imagine what she might do to you. Say to you…I doubt she'd do much of anything except stare at her mirror."

"I'm a big fable, Dex," breathed Darling. "I think you, more than anyone else, know that I can handle myself."

They had been terribly, terribly cruel to one another. And now that Darling had her answers, there were nothing but more questions. Repeating among them…why?

Again, Dexter's beautiful blue eyes, the same exact shade as her own, looked down.

"I've grown since then and I know that I was just as dearly to blame. But she's ill and so unkind."

Darling frowned, her mind working. "Why couldn't you go home? When you finished…you said it wasn't safe. Wh-"

With a ping, the door to the Hatter's Tea Shoppe swung open. A girl dressed in purple with a strong nose and thickly painted lips stepped through and Dexter immediately seized.

She didn't need his answer. She remembered the day with a clarity that made her heart drop. The day that the Evil Queen met her end.