A/N: Yay! a longish chapter! I'm sorry that these have been extremely short, but that's the way I write best. And I'm not very good at refining, though I have no doubt that ArwenAria is right, I just can't seem to grasp the concept that my writings could be anything other than that which they are originally, maybe someday I'll refine and re-write this story, but for now it's stuck the way it is.



Karie awoke and quickly dressed herself and set about exploring Kylar's castle Before now, she had been led everywhere by one woodland creature or another, but she wanted to find her own way around. Through endless corridors and passageways she wandered until she finally came to a room with giant oak doors. Curious as to what was behind them, she slowly pushed them open to find a grand library. Karie couldn't read very well, but was better than most people who didn't belong to the clergy. She was amazed to find that there were so many books in the world. __Kylar must have been a very wealthy noble to have so many books!__ She chose a book at random and sat down and began reading. Her reading was slow since she had to stop and figure out all the words she didn't know. She was about a fourth of the way through the book when Kylar entered the library. " Karie...I wanted you to know that...I'm sorry." " Sorry for what? " she asked, her eyes meeting his for the first time since she had agreed to stay in exchange for her father's freedom. "For acting the way that I have, you must think I'm a heartless monster." "No, I don't think your heartless or a monster, but...will you tell me why you are the way you are, what happened? Kylar looked at her surprised, she was always surprising him. " Then you know I wasn't always a wolf." "Well, I sort of inferred it from some of Sylva's comments." Kylar smiled, "Ah, the meddling cat is at it again!" they both laughed, a beautiful sound. Kylar sat down beside her and began relating his tale to her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I was a young lord, my father had owned this castle and the little village. He died of something the physicians had never seen and have yet to see it again, I inherited everything. Once an old hag who just happened to be a powerful witch came and begged to stay the night, I looked down on her because of her appearance, but allowed her and Sylva(her companion) to stay in the hall, I gave them no food or comforts other than the hard, cold, damp floor. The old hag cursed me, saying that because I treated her no better than a creature from the woods, I and my servants would become creatures of the woods. Sylva, for some reason known only to herself decided to stay. Sylva was a cat, always has been, and I have called her several nasty names in the past, but she knew them before they were said, and she has always forgiven me and been there to support me. Sylva became the only being I would allow to get close to me, and she has become my friend, sort of. Sylva told me two things about the curse: I must protect the roses, for they are a living incarnation of beauty, and that one day there would be a girl, beautiful both in body and in spirit, only she could break the curse. Karie, you are that girl, I have felt it in my heart, the feelings I once felt, though they were dimmer, for Anlige. Anlige, was the one I was seperated from, because she wanted nothing to do with a wolf, even though I loved her. Sylva told me to forget her, for inside, Anlige looked worse than I did on the outside, but it was hard, and very painful to forget her, because when she left, she took a part of my heart with her. Karie, I must know one thing, will you marry me, or will you leave and take part of my heart with you?" "Kylar...I think I love you.. and I would be happy to marry you, but would it be possible for me to see my father again?" Kylar turned away from her, " Yes, but you cannot stay too long, because my heart would surely wither and die without you. Take this rose with you, as a reminder to return before it is too late. When the rose dies, I will die. The last petal will be my last breath." "Thank you, Kylar. I swear I will return and marry you, I won't be long, my love." Kylar smiled a weak smile and watched as she slowly left the room...

"You didn't have to let her go." "Yes I did, Sylva. She has given me all the joy in the world, I must grant her this simple request." "This 'simple request' could kill you, ya know!" "No it won't, I trust her, and I had to show her that. Remember that you don't know everything, you meddling cat." "Cha! When have I been wrong before?" " When you didn't tell me how she truly felt." " I told you what you needed to know." " Then 'cha!' yourself, you don't know what I need to know, but I know that she will return, and I will continue to have hope, to my very last breath." Sylva left the room, sincerely hoping that Kylar was right.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Karie left the grand palace, and walked quickly home. She had a pack that had been provisioned by Kylar's kitchen staff. She wondered to herself how it was that there was never any animal hairs in the food, seeing as how the entire kitchen staff had fur.... It was very easy finding her way home in the light of mid-day. After walking only a few hours she spotted their little cottage on the outskirts of the village. "Papa, Papa!" Karie shouted, running towards her home. It wasn't her father who stepped out of the little cottage, it was Taryre. She stopped and stood there open mouthed. She had forgotten that her father had granted him permission to pursue her hand in marriage(much to Karie's annoyance). "Taryre, I must speak with my father!" "Your father is ill, darling, the physician said not to allow any visitors." "But I'm his family, and I have to tell him that I'm getting married." Taryre blocked the doorway. "Oh, really, to whom?" Her annoyance with him turned to anger. "This doesn't concern you, Taryre, move out of the way, I must see Papa." "What do you mean this doesn't concern me? I thought WE were getting married! tell me, who are you thinking of marrying?" " Alright then,"she replied angrily, ignoring his assumption that she would actually say yes to him, "I'm marrying Kylar, the owner of the castle in the woods." "Karie, have you hit your head? The only things in that castle are viscious beasts!" He laughed at her, " Tell me truly, who are you marrying?!" "It's fine if you don't want to believe me, but tell me, will you let me see my father or not?" "No, not until you tell me who you are truly marrying! And why do you carry that wilted rose, it's only got one petal-" "What!?" Karie had not noticed the petals slowly falling from Kylar's rose as she wasted time arguing with Taryre. "I'm sorry, Taryre, I must go, I'll tell you later..." Karie ran off into the woods, hurrying to reach the castle before the last petal fell.


A/N: The character of Taryre is sort of mainly based on this guy I knew in the seventh grade(I'm now a sophmore) and tends to be loosely based on all the guys I've ever known who I've been annoyed with or mad at. It tends to be rather redundant at that point because he jus won't leave her alone and I, as an author, got very annoyed with him, too.