A/N: Hello everyone! I apologize greatly for the late post. Things have been quite busy, but now with a soon month long Christmas break, I hope to update more :)Don't mind the grammar errors, it's certainly not my forte.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the Bride and the Beast.


Chapter Nine

IX

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Bella quickly dropped the card from her hand, as if her hand was scorched by the card itself. Bella's heart beat slowly quickened each moment that passed. Her eyes painfully followed the skeletal face as it drifted to the floor. Those empty vacant eyes staring at her. Her throat dried up, and her body went ridged. Those vacant eyes reminded her of her captor… a serpent like gaze with empty longing beneath those deserted eyes…

Bella had an idea what the ominous card meant, and knew nothing good could come out of it, especially if the skeleton resembled him.

She continued to stare at the card. The cruel hollow face jeering up at her, as the flames from the hearth attempted to catch the card aflame. The flames reaching out as if to take it back to hell itself.

If death was what it meant…then she had no choice. She didn't think, how could she think? She was terrified! All reason left her. She could but only act on one impulse. Her will to live – the basic human instinct.

She ran.

Bella sprinted to the large dining hall doors, and pushed them open with all her strength. She groaned as her palms pushed against them. The splinters scratching into her skin. Her adrenalin rush was strong and was driving her actions. She was fortunate her captor hadn't have locked them in his fit of rage.

She forced open the doors, leaving herself panting. She didn't bother catching her breath, but compelled her legs to drive forward. She darted down the hallway. Her feet slipping underneath her as she attempted to gain balance, her eyes fighting back tears of fear. She had to leave this place. She had a feeling that The Black Dragon would kill her…isn't that what the card meant? Those skeletal eyes…so much alike…His serpent like gaze.

The maid was standing at the end of the hallway, staring wide-eyed at the darting lass.

"Where are ye' going!?" The maid gasped out in surprise at the racing Bella.

"Out of this hell!" Bella yelled, dodging past the maid easily. The maid quickly turned around after her.

"No! You don't know what ye' doing!" The maid gasped exasperatedly, attempting to catch up to Bella. Her arms were outstretched as if to catch the trail of Bella's dress.

"Leave me be! He will only kill me!" Bella shouted angrily with venom in her voice, not bothering to look back at the panting maid, and quickened her pace.

"Don't make me get the master!" The maid threatened warily, not wanting to face his wrath either. Bella blocked out what the maid said as she quickly turned around the corridor, leaving the maid out of sight.

"Oh no, dear Lord," The maid whispered to herself, her face contorting into a pained expression. The maid quickly grabbed her skirts more firmly and headed after Bella, not wanting to go fetch her master first.

Bella's legs guided her, not knowing where she was headed, but desperate to find an escape out of this demonic hell hole. She ran through the dimly light corridor, with only the sparse accompaniment of torches. With each door she passed, she attempted to tug it open, but would only find them all locked.

The thunder rumbled inside the stone walls and Bella's heart quickened in terror. She had the feeling that every corner she turned she would find her captor waiting for her.

Every corridor looked the same. It was an endless labyrinth. Bella would've sworn she had only been in this hallway a moment ago. Everything looked so much alike…or maybe she had already been there before.

Bella groaned in desperation and was beginning to become hysterical. Maybe her captor was telling the truth, perhaps there was no way out of this prison.

She was choking up on all her emotions surfacing through her. Bella slowed down her running pace and began to stumble from walking to running. Her hand began to trail against the wall for her support as she staggered along.

Bella was thinking of her father, her childhood, and the village that betrayed her. She went back to fond memories, when there were no dragons or sacrifices.


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In Draynar Village

12 years ago…

A six year old Bella was walking merrily with her father up along the woods that bordered the monastery walls. The trees filtered scattered light on the forest floor and the air was filled with a homely earthy smell.

"Father, what was mother like?" Bella asked curiously, as she tugged on the fabric sleeve of her father's arm.

A pain pierced her father's heart at the mention of it. Bella's mother died only a few hours after Bella's birth due to complications. It was something no knowledgeable midwife could help with or prevent. It was God's will.

"She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I daresay," her father answered with a sad grin that tugged his mouth, "I met your mother when I resided in the royal court of his majesty."

"Then why do we live here, in such a small village and not where the people of the royal court live?" Bella wrinkled her noise in confusion, trying to think of her father living in the royal court.

Her father sighed, and nodded up to the monastery walls that weren't too far away from them.

"You know the monastery, darling? In the monastery lives a prince who is being taught by the monks." Bella's father stated, staring up at the stone walls. His mind was somewhere else though, he was thinking of something else.

"A prince?" Bella questioned in surprise. Her eyes following her father's up to the walls that were overgrown with wild vegetation.

He quickly looked down to his daughter, "Yes and the King asked me to live in this village that is very close to the monastery to keep an eye over him." He was trying to make it less complicated for his daughter's six year old mind.

"Will I ever meet this prince, father?" Bella asked with a bright smile across her face. She quickly stood in front of her father with a forceful determination. She was energetic with the very thought of a prince living in the walls only a few paces from her.

He gave a hesitant laugh, and swept Bella up into his arms, making her scream with amusement, "Oh my little nymph, you will meet him soon enough, just don't grow up too fast for your father, is that understood?"

"Why can't I grow up too fast?" Bella questioned crossly, "I want to grow up really fast so no one makes fun of me anymore! All the other children chase after me, father!"

"When you grow up, you will understand, Bella, it will all make sense someday," her father spoke sincerely, and then to make light of it he added, "You don't want to become old as me now! " He teasingly put his face against Bella and rubbed his stubbly beard against Bella's face, which made her squirm and laugh.

"And for the children, if they knew any better, they wouldn't be doing such foolish things," Her father stated angrily, now glancing back up to the monastery.

"No one is allowed to tease my daughter, except for me," he added with a kind smile back down to Bella.

The distinct hum of monks chanting became prominent over the monastery walls. It was a beautiful and unearthly sound that made Bella still in awe. The music had the effect of converting the woods into a spiritual realm.

"It's so beautiful!" Bella murmured with amazement, wishing she could sing with them too.

Bella's father nodded his head in agreement, his mind was somewhere else, thinking.

"I have a question, father," Bella whispered, trying not to be too loud over the chanting. She felt like if she talked too loud the beautiful sound would vanish.

"Yes, what is it?" Her father murmured back, looking down at Bella.

"What is the prince's name?" Bella asked shyly.

"His name is Edward," Bella's father stated hesitantly.

"Prince Edward," Bella muttered under her breath looking up at the monastery walls.


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"Bella!" the maid yelled down a hallway, hoping that a voice would answer her. There was only silence around her, which made her nerves on edge.

That girl could be anywhere in the castle. Even she, the maid, had never ventured throughout the whole fortress before. The maid herself was tracking over unknown ground. She only resided in a small proportion of this large castle.

She must have been chasing after her for a good hour or so. The maid's legs weren't meant for such running and it showed greatly by how many times she had to stop to catch her breath.

"Oh Dear Lord, I hope the master won't find out yet," the maid sighed in fear, as she took a handkerchief out from under her sleeve and wiped her brow.

"And pray what is it that I won't find out yet?" a steely baritone voice responded behind the maid.


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Bella had manage to get into a more rough and unkempt part of the fortress, where the torches were even rarer to come by, which led to Bella running in darkness from one torch till she could find another source of light.

Bella exited off from one corridor and noticed a doorway leading downward into a staircase. There was no source of light down into the staircase, so she grabbed the torch off the nearest wall in the hall and descended the staircase that led her deep down. She was hit with a cold breeze that accompanied a putrid smell, which reminded her of the time when she was taken down to the dungeon by her captor. If the stairs did indeed lead to the dungeon, then there must be some form of exit down there. There had to be.

She descended further, her hand on the wall for balance down the steep steps. The palm of her hand made contact with filmy condensation and mold. It made Bella wrinkle her noise in disgust and stomach twist in knots. The air became suffocating and damp, which intensified the horrid smell of rot and decay.

Bella made it down to the floor level, the torch light made the chamber look disturbing and sickening. The light flickered off the moist stone walls and created unpleasant shadows around the bars of the gates.

Bella looked around, but constantly had her hair stand on the back of her neck. She felt like she was a child again, afraid of the dark…especially what lurked in it, but now she had reason to be afraid what could be residing in the darkest corner.

The sound of water moving became aware to Bella. She listened closely to it and followed it through the dungeon, trying to concentrate to it closely over the sound of her deep breathing.

With torchlight, she attempted to locate the source of the noise. Then she found it, there was a small ravine in the stone floor where water was slowly moving from one small low arched entrance to exit at another at the other end of the dungeon. Bella walked alongside from one end of the small ravine to the other with her torch examining it closely. It was only a few paces wide and looked like it could be deep enough to swim. The water was an ugly murky color, which was not inviting, but did she have any other choice?

Bella knelt down to the edge close to the water. She put her hand in and felt the strong current. She knew she couldn't swim against it, and knew it would be dangerous to even enter the forceful waters. The only way out, was to follow where the current would take her. There was no grate on the low arched waterway exit, so that was a favorable sign.

Bella exhaled hesitantly as she gazed down to the dark waters before her. She didn't know where it could take her, or if air would become scarce along her journey in the shadowy water.

She didn't have a moment to second guess her choice, for at that moment she heard the clacking of boots echoing down the staircase. She glanced behind her at the entry way of the staircase and could see the faint shimmer of light on the filmy walls.

Bella felt like her heart was about to stop that moment in panic. She quickly threw the torch into the water, which extinguished it immediately, and in darkness, she lowered herself into the frigid water. She was left to the mercy of the shadowy waters, which swept her swiftly down underneath the surface down its dark path. She was trapped in utter darkness, and was struggling to breath.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm sorry that it's shorter than usual, but I have finals coming up... Reviews are welcome! :D