Lookit who's back! Kinda short chapter here, but we're about to get into the good stuff!

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...

"He said he appreciates me." Levy gasped as the laces of her corset were tightened again.

"What an idiot." Lucy was helping her puzzle over the beast's odd behaviour as Erza dressed her up.

"And earlier, he sang for me... I didn't even know he

liked music."

"Oh you poor dear, I see your eardrums are still intact though so it couldn't of been that bad..."

"Lucy!" Levy giggled, letting a soft smile settle on her face. "I thought it was... Sweet." As her corset was tied off, she glanced over at the top layer of her gown.

It was made of fine Golden silk, with small draping sleeves that hung off her shoulders. When she put it on, it clung to her curves, hugging her body until the skirt started at her hips. The skirt fell heavily to the floor, gathering above her white dancing slippers. A lace choker tied around her neck, and long soft gloves covered her arms to the elbow. As Erza started to pin up her hair, Levy held up a hand to stop her.

"I think I'll leave it down tonight." Levy brushed the ruby encrusted pins from her hair, and picked up her favourite hairband. She ran her finger lovingly over one of the silk rosettes that adorned the accessory, and tied her cerulean curls away from her cheeks. With a small gloved finger, she prodded at the ethereal beauty that stared at her from her mirror.

"You look gorgeous!" Lucy squealed and hopped at Levy's feet.

Erza deemed her acceptable, and Mira excitedly offered her a cup of tea 'for nerves'.

Levy beamed at her odd group of friends, and turned back to the mirror. Everyone had told her all her life that she was beautiful. Men had sworn their hearts to her beauty. Women had gossiped furiously behind her back. Bakers and butchers and boutiques had given her handouts frequently. But she had never really liked the way she looked. She blamed her beauty for the whispers of lunacy that surrounded her. For the way she had never had friends her own age growing up. For the look on the butcher's wife's face when she caught a grubby five year old Levy wandering around town in oil stained britches. The small minded town she left behind had always told her she was beautiful, and that she was forbidden from her dreams because of that. because she was beautiful,she couldn't love books, or be a hero, or go on grand adventures.

But here in the palace, beauty didn't matter. Her best friend was a feather duster, who was married to a candlestick. Here the master was a beast. Here, she was just Levy. And she was still beautiful, but for the first time in her life... She didn't resent that. Her beauty to the people of the castle wasn't purely in her looks. She never felt more beautiful, than when Gajeel gave her a library. He had given her books because he saw that it was beautiful to be smart. Here, her beauty could never limit her.

He was beautiful too. In a dangerous kind of way. His beauty was in sharp toothed grins, and funny little laughs, and intimidating height. It was in his scratchy singing, and his rumbling deep voice sounding out new words in the library, the reassuring way his hand caught hers while they walked, and the sweetly nervous aura he gave off sometimes when they were together. His grace was in the predatory gleam in his scarlet eyes, the way he pretended to be cruel, but had a big soft spot for the people he "appreciated" His beauty was in the way she had fallen in love with him.

Levy chuckled nervously, letting her fingers slip down the mirror's front. She straightened her hair ribbon, and headed for the door.

...

Gajeel paced nervously across the dance floor. The servants had been working tirelessly to get the ballroom ready for tonight, and they had done a good job. the ironwork gleamed in the candlelight, and the painted fairies danced across the ceiling. This was going to be a perfect night. it had to be. This would be a perfect night, and Levy would fall in love with him, and the curse would be broken.

Music filled the hall, and he stopped pacing as Levy appeared at the top of the stairs. she was more beautiful than ever, and she smiled when their eyes met. his heart pounded and he stepped towards her, then flinched.

"fuck." he growled

he stubbed his toe on the grand staircase, and grabbed at his shoe as he fell. he hadn't worn shoes in years, it was hard to walk in them when you have four inch claws at the end of your feet. Levy raced down the stairs.

"Gajeel!" she knelt beside him. "are you ok?"

her small hand wrapped around his claws, and he wished he could feel how soft they were through his scales.

"I'm fine" he watched as she took in the bright ballroom. She wasn't doing anything really extraordinary, just sitting there holding his hand. but in that moment he felt that she was the only thing holding the world together. His guard went up, a part of him protested against letting her in.

"The ballroom, it's beautiful." she smiled at him, and he looked away, he had been caught staring.

"Yeah, I guess so." He frowned. "I ain't dancing though."

Levy blushed, "me neither."

They sat and listened to the music together, but levy wouldn't meet his gaze. She slipped her hand out of his, and he felt his reservations crumbling. It was no use trying to keep her at arm's length, she had wormed her way into his heart from the moment she first defied him.

He groaned "fuckin hell shrimp, come on then."

Gajeel stood and helped her to her feet. Crossing the ballroom, he tried to conjure up memories of childhood dancing lessons with MiraJane and Pantherlily.

"Gajeel, what-?" Levy smirked when he bowed lowly to her. She laughed a little when she curtsied, and he took up her hands again, and carefully brought them to his lips in a courteous kiss. The crimson staining her cheeks was hard to ignore. He tentatively curved a hand around her slender waist, and they started to dance. He moved clumsily at first, stepping off beat, and looking at his feet too often. The music swelled then, and became an almost physical force as they danced around the room. Gajeel found, that while the music was guiding him he didn't stumble quite as often. Levy, however, still had a little trouble keeping up. So without even missing a beat, Gajeel lifted her up, and set her on top of his feet.

Her eyes never left his, and they were consumed by each other's presence, blind to the outside word. They moved together, and the music soared. He lifted her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun her. She laughed, the sound mingling wonderfully with the music, and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. He set her down again, closer than before, and they kept on spinning until the ballroom was a blur of bright color around them. He leaned closer and closer to her face, and she tilted her head up to meet him. His lips were inches from hers, his mind on fire as his breath mingled with hers. Just before the point of no return though, the music climaxed and came to an end, And the dance was over with another bow as they reluctantly obeyed custom and pulled away from each other.

Gajeel crossed back to her quickly, and placed his hands gingerly on her waist as the next song started up.

"Levy, I need to tell you something." His heartbeat against his ribs, trying desperately to escape his chest.

"What is it?" She placed a hand on his scaled arm, and he glanced down.

The difference was striking. Her silk gloves and dainty hand laid against his large arm. beneath his fancy clothing, he could see the outline of scales. His claws were inches from her arm. When he was a young boy, the Lords and Ladies of the court had told him he was handsome. How quickly those Lords and Ladies fled the castle when a white dragon appeared in the throne room. Now he wasn't handsome, his skin was warped and marred with iron scales, and he had claws teeth and horns sharp enough to cut steel. He was a monster. But Levy didn't run. She smiled at him, and Laughed with him, and though the young prince had never excelled at reading people, even he knew enough to see that the expression in her eyes was far beyond appreciation.

He glanced over to the enchanted instruments. The servants were watching from the corner, but he needed privacy for this. He closed his hand over hers and pulled her towards the stairs. Together they walked the short distance to the west wing, and leaned against the railing of his large balcony. The night air clung to their warm bodies, and the stars shone in through the mountains surrounding the castle.

Gajeel looked at his feet, and began.

"Levy, you know that you mean so much to, I mean to say that I… um."

"Appreciate me?" Levy chuckled, and he frowned at her.

"Yes." He entwined their fingers more tightly, and turned his body to completely face hers. "I do, but more than that." She blushed, and he felt his heart surge with confidence. They were pressed together as if they were still dancing, and he could feel that her heart was beating with just as much ferocity as his.

"the truth is, I lo-"

"MASTER!" Erza interrupted, and did the closest thing to a bow that she could manage in her cursed state. Gajeel thought that it proved how patient Levy had made him, when he didn't snarl and toss Titania off the balcony.

"There's a man that has collapsed at the front door."

"And you're telling me this now because?" Gajeel did what he could to keep the impatient growl out of his voice.

"He was prisoner here" Erza turned to Levy, "it's your brother miss."

Levy stiffened in shock. "Which one? is he ok?" Gajeel let her hands slip from his, and she crossed worriedly to Titania.

"He is large and he has black hair. As to his health, we have him by the fire, but he was chilled to the bone and his fingertips were raw with frost." Levy turned panicked eyes to the prince.

"Gajeel, I-"

"Go." he gave her a sad smile though waves of despair were washing over him. He knew what was coming. "If he needs you… go."

She flew into his arms, and tucked her face into his neck. He felt warm tears soak into his shirt collar. "thank you. I'll be back as soon as he is well."

Gajeel tightened his hold on her waist. "no." His heart lurched, and he buried his snout in her hair one last time. If she came back later, she would find the castle forever cursed. She would find him an eternal beast. And she deserved so much more than that.

"no," He shut his eyes, and let her go. "this is me, giving you your freedom."

Levy stubbornly held onto him. "I made a promise to you." She brushed her hand along his cheek, and he could almost hear his heart splintering.

"Shrimp, go. now." He opened his eyes and dropped his arms. His walls were firmly in place again, and he felt the animal in him start to seize control.

"but," she stepped closer, and he turned away. his iron fingers bent the railing, his grip was so tight. "i'm in-"

"NO!" he growled. "Leave now, while you've got the chance. Get the hell out of my castle, and go live your fucking life without me. because the truth is, I don't need you. I NEVER needed you! They need you. Just… go, get back to where yer wanted."

He winced when he heard her gasp out a sob, and He stumbled a bit when she sent his book hurtling into his back.

"fine." her voice was small and broken, and was quickly swallowed up by silence.

the silence was suffocating. He felt warmth on his own face. he was crying. then, the silence was broken by the clicking of her dancing shoes.

"wait."

She halted, and he didn't look at her as he crossed to the table that held his most prized possessions. He picked up the mirror and handed it to her. "just tell it what you want to see, and it will show you… take it… so you can keep up with your freinds here."

She took it without a word or even a glance, and she was gone. Titania followed after her, and the door thudded closed.

Back on the balcony, he could see the front gate, and he watched her go. With his beastly vision, he could see the way she braced her shoulders against the cold, against looking back at the castle. Feeling the old self-hatred creep back in, he leaned back his head and let out an anguished roar. Flocks of birds fled the forest, the castle shook, and he shoved himself away from the railing. Growling, he punched the wall and ripped away his fancy clothing. His gaze landed on the book she had thrown at him. he snatched the white scaled volume up and it fell open to page one.

Gajeel snatched the page violently out, He tore and tore at the book, until only the final and unwritten chapter remained, and then he dropped to his knees.

"master?" Pantherlily closed the door softly behind him as he crept towards Gajeel. "where is Misstress Levy going?"

Gajeel turned his face away from the clock. "I let her go."

He could hear the disbelief in Lilly's voice. "You what? why- why would you do that?!"

Gajeel glanced back to the gate, he could no longer see Levy, she was gone. "Because I love her."

He sagged. Stalking into his bedroom, he dropped into his favorite armchair. "leave me."

The servants that had gathered exited the room. He had failed them. He had failed himself. And, worst of all, he had failed Levy.