When Brianna woke up the next morning, she felt more relaxed than she had been in years. It was strange to think that she felt so safe when she was suppose to be a prisoner. But she did and people treated her well. She hand an other example of that when she saw the green dress that someone had left for her to wear.
Her only dress had been torn by wolves. She remembered what she had thought about before going to bed and tried to figure out a way to ask the beast about it.
She got dressed, ate her breakfast ans went in search of the strange master of the castle.
She found him in the hallway, pacing as if he was waiting for something. Or someone she corrected when she saw him ran to her. He looked…impatient and almost like a child at Christmas.
"There you are!" he exclaimed.
"Good morning. I am sorry to have kept you waiting but…"
"of course, you were tired. Do not worry."
He seemed to hesitate, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. She smiled. He look so…human.
"is there anything you wanted to tell me?"
"Not really. It is more…well, I want to thank you."
"Thank me? But you saved my life!"
"Maybe but you saved mine, plus you stayed. I want to show you something."
She hesitated but the look on his face decided her: he looked so happy. Furthermore, her curiosity was burning.
"Alright."
He smiled widely and she cringed when she saw his sharp teeth. He began walking toward a wing she had never been to before. They reached a large door and he told her to stop.
"Close your eyes and do not open them until I say so. Please," he added.
She stared at him for a few seconds and closed her eyes. Before he opened the door, she felt him push her slightly into the room. She smelled something familiar but could not quite identify it: the smell was so strong. Then she heard him open curtains and the sun warmed her cheeks. He did so again a few times then walked back to her.
"Alright. Open your eyes."
She obeyed and gasped for air. She was standing into the greatest library she had ever seen. Book where everywhere to be met with. They were just too many for her brain to count them. She placed a hand above her heart and said: " it is wonderful."
"You like it?"
"How could I not? It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
"it is all yours if you want."
"oh thank you."
She smiled and he was almost blinded by the intensity of it. How could make someone else happy make him so happy as well? He could have stayed here forever, watching her run from shelf to shelf and smile like a little girl. She was so beautiful that it was breathtaking. He had always thought that it would be hard for him to be confronted to such beauty when he was so hideous. But Brianna was so sweet and adorable that it did not matter. He liked the fact that he had found out something about her. Something she liked. She was different from other women as far as he could remember. Or maybe she was not.
"Would you not prefer a dress or jewellery?"
"Books are the only treasure I wish to possess. They are magical."
They were just books. "Really? I always thought they were boring."
She turned around so abruptly that he was startled. She was staring at him as if he had just said the worst thing ever.
"What is the last book you have read?"
"I…I do not remember," he confessed.
"You do not remember which book?"
"No. I do not remember how to…read!" he roared.
He felt ashamed. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said: "would you like me to teach you? Again?"
He stared at her in awe. As he hear alright? "You would?"
"Why yes. I would love to. I cannot let you miss the world's greatest invention."
"really? Books?," he asked, sarcasm obvious in his tone.
She smiled and replied on the same tone: "yes, books."
He still looked sceptical but she loved a good challenge.
"what is the last book you have read?"
"it was when I still had tutors. Hum, it was a history book. War, war and oh more war."
She laughed and he smiled, happy to be the reason of that again.
"I understand now. You have never read a book that transported you to places you have never seen. A book with magic, princes, adventures and suspense. Books can make you laugh, cry and even scare you. They can make you live!"
She looked so passionate, so sure of herself that he felt her desire to read. Maybe I would have felt less lonely if I had been able to read, he thought.
"Alright. You could convince a blind man to read. Teach me, please."
She smiled and began to search the library for a good book to begin with. She froze when she saw a familiar title. She pulled the book out of the shelf and held it against her heart. She looked so deep in her thoughts that he hesitated to say anything. Only when he saw a tear drop from her eye did he do something.
"are you alright?" he asked her gently.
She opened her eyes and smiled softly. Her expression was so tender that he had to clear his throat before asking again: "are you alright?"
"I was…back in time."
"An unhappy memory?"
"oh no. quite the contrary."
He wanted to know more bit did not want to sound like he was invading her privacy. She seemed to hesitate and finally said: "my father used to read me this book when I was little."
"oh," was all he could say.
He did not understand the feeling of remembering happy things concerning his parents. All he had was sad memories. He realized that she was staring at him. He smiled but she did not seem to buy it.
" I am sorry," she said.
"what for,"
"You are obviously sad and if it is because of something I said, I am sorry."
"You have the luck to have happy memories of your parents. I envy you that," he confessed.
She then did something he never expected her to do: she touched him voluntarily. She placed her hand over his paw ans squeezed it. She did not say anything but there was so much compassion, so much sweetness in her eyes that he felt like crying. He realized that she was actually touching him, and not pulling away, screaming with terror. An electric wave ran through his spine and he shivered, yet he was not cold. It was rather the contrary. It was like he was looking at her with renewed eyes: he was attracted to her. He had never experienced it before but he recognized the symptoms. Embarrassed, he pulled away.
She frowned but did not ay anything. Instead, she turned her gaze away and focused on the book's cover.
What had just happened? She just wanted to comfort him and touched him. But when she did, she felt something pass between them. Something she could not identify. Or would not.
Confused, she choose to look down at the book rather than into his mesmerizing blue eyes.
She cleared her throat and, rather than letting an uncomfortable silence settle in, she said: "shall we begin now? Unless you have something you need to do."
After all, he was the master here. He probably had hundreds of things to do. He shook his head.
"I usually stay in the west wing and stare at the horizon. Or pace."
"oh." What life he must have had. All alone, with no one to talk to. She often felt lonely herself but she knew she had Gertrude or even Jacqueline. But he had no one. She felt pity for him but knew it was not fair. He deserved better: he deserved a friend. She smiled. She was welling to become his. More than that, she wanted to.
"What is so funny?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I…I was thinking that I had never teach to anyone before. I hope I am going to be good at it."
"I have no doubt about that," he said.
She smiled again: it was a nice thing to say.
She began her lesson: he was true when he had said he could not read. She had to teach him the alphabet and how to identify each letter.
Then she quickly told him about grammar and conjugations: she did not want to bore him to death.
By the end of the week, he was already reading: it was slow and he made lots of mistake but he was reading nonetheless.
"Very good," she said when he had finished the first chapter.
He looked proud. Once agin she thought he looked almost like a child: it was adorable.
"This book," he said, "what is the story about?"
"Do you really want to know? Or do you prefer to discover it on your own time?"
"if you put it that way," he mumbled. She laughed.
"Trust me, it is worth the wait."
"I trust you."
For a reason she could not understand, she blushed.
The following days, snow was everywhere to be seen and it was almost impossible to go outside. They spent their days in the library, reading.
After two more weeks, he was almost able to read on his own. Only a few complicated word remained out of his reach.
Like she had promised, he was captivated by the story: two people who were never meant to fall in love but did anyway. Every time they were separated, fate seemed to bring them together. He liked this idea: if you loved someone strong enough, nothing could separate you. He was to the point in the book where the heroin thought her lover dead.
"I cannot wait to know what is going to happen. She cannot marry Lord Byron!" he exclaimed.
"You will see," she said mysteriously.
He smirked and said: "if this is your favourite book, it cannot end in a bad way."
She looked taken aback then recomposed herself.
"what makes you think that?"
"You love happy endings."
She could not help but smile. He was beginning to know her pretty well. But he was not the only one in that case.
"Yes, and you love it when the obstacles are overcame. It is the same."
"I like the action and the suspense."
"and the romance?"
"That too, but only a little."
They looked at each other and laughed.
"Alright, that is what I prefer," he admitted.
After a few more laughter, they finally calmed down.
"it is true that I like happy endings," she said, "because…"
"Because, in real life, it is not often the case," he finished for her.
She nodded. They knew they were both wondering the same thing: what had happened in the other's life to make them desperate to read about happy endings?
None of them dared to ask the question.
