"Three." She let go of the railing, plummeting to either her death, or her
salvation.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Her bones vibrated like a machine gun, as she crash upon the stony ground. For a moment she lay motionless on the floor, "Get up Serena," She ordered herself. "Just get up." The world seamed to pause around her, "You're not dead, you're in too much pain to be dead, so get up." Her inner voice screamed at her. Body aching, she opened up her eyes. 'I made it,' she thought to herself, semi relived.
"Angel!"
The booming voice sliced through her celebrations, softly she moaned as she pushed on her arms to get up off the ground. A thick fog suffocated the air around her, making it almost impossible for her to see, impossible for her to breathe.
"ANGEL!" The icy voice cut thought the fog like a knife. Suddenly, she felt the ground below her shake. He too, had jumped off the balcony and now the choking haze was the only protection she had from him.
She raced through the fog, panting with every step that she took. Each gasp she took froze her lungs, her throat burning with each arctic breath. For a split second, she gazed up at the moon, its ghostly beam illuminating the fog like sprits lost in the night. A single silvery tear slipped out of her eyes as she sliced her way through the haze. She knew exactly where she was going, the woods. Though as dark and uninviting as they were, it was a far better place to be, then to be back with him. Back with the beast. Suddenly, the fog cleared and she could see the shadows of the tree line ahead, "Just a few more steps to go," She lied through painful breaths, ignoring the fact that the shadows of the trees were still quite far away. With every ounce of strength in her throbbing body, she pushed towards the darkness, hoping to be swallowed up by its icy touch and disappear into the blackness forever. Better the woods icy touch then his. Her feet pounded on the floor, jarring with every movement. Her white dress had become torn and stained with dirt and blood. Her hair fell around her face in shambles, 'Only a few steps to go.' She lied to herself again. Rocks slipped from underneath her feet, but somehow miraculously, she kept her balance. Blood pumping, bones aching, brain exhausted, her body slicing through the cold night air. 'Only a few steps to go.' Already she could feel the comfort of the endless darkness.
Suddenly, something pulled on her hair, using her golden locks as reigns. She spun around, ready to thrash at whomever was holding her, but she was thrown down onto the stony ground, crying out in pain as a rock imbedded itself into her back. Helpless, she tried to back away, inching closer and closer to the darkness of the woods, but something pinned her down, a large form on top of her own.
"Please." She begged, she no longer had energy left to fight. A musty breath blew over her trembling neck. He had found her. After all of that running, all that screaming and crying and fighting: he had still found her. He had won.
"Please," She begged him again, her bruised lip still trembling with fear. She stared into his black eyes; this was a side of him that she had almost forgotten. All those days in the castle, those times when she thought that she saw something else within the beast. Something kind, loving. Something warm and caring. A soul.
Now, that spark of whatever kindness was there had left him, and was now replaced by lustful eyes and a wicked smile. The same smile that had destroyed her kingdom, the same smile that had murdered her countrymen, threatened her life and broken her mother's once strong spirit. A tear spilled out of her misty eyes, as she remembered the pain he had put her through. 'I must have been blind.' She cursed herself. 'To think that there could have been anything kind within him.' She felt disgusted as the words festered in her mind, angry and alone she gathered up a wad of spit and shot it into his eye.
"See, that's what I like about you, baby." He smiled as he wiped the saliva from his eye, "You so feisty, I like that in my women." He leaned in close to her ear, his steady breathing was almost deafening. "My little stallion," he purred.
His words send the cold truth through her head; she would never give into him. She felt behind her for the jagged rock that was digging into her back letting out a small groan while trying to get it loose.
"See, I knew you would like this." His musty words stained her skin.
"Come closer." She said, in her most seductive voice. Like a lapdog, he obeyed, moving his face closer to hers. With a huge swing, she struck the rock across his temple, sending him flying off of her and into the fading fog.
"Get up, Serena." She said to herself, trying to push her weary body up off the ground.
"Oh no you don't." He roared and appeared out of the fog, grabbing her by her waist. "You are mine. You hear me!" He pushed her back onto the ground. "Stop fighting this, angel. It is inevitability."
She closed her misty eyes, as she felt the flame inside of her slowly dying.
Suddenly, the sky was streaked with a vibrant orange glow. The light burst out from behind the mountains, staining the dawn sky with a wash of fiery colours.
"Sunrise." The beast whispered, his eyes strangely turning white with fear. His hand that was stoking her stomach started to change, swelling with thick black hairs. "No!" He gasped, as he leapt off of her, stunned and afraid by the approaching sunlight. "Not yet!" He shouted. "You're not getting out this time." He appeared to be talking to himself. His clothes ripped open at the seams as floods of ebony hair enveloped his body. Serena stared on in awe, not sure what to do. The burning sun finally blistered the sky, soaking the land in light and banishing the fog with the darkness.
"NO!" He let out one final roar, before completely changing into a hideous, hairy, beast.
Silence.
Silence so quiet, it felt like the world had died. With tears in his sapphire eyes, the beast looked up at the distraught girl. "Princess? Is that you? God, are you all right? I am so sorry." He wept, slowly moving closer to the paralysed girl.
With an ear piecing noise, she let out a scream and ran straight into the forest.
"Not that way!" He yelled after the fleeing girl. "Serena, NO!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sticks clipped her ivory legs, her scarlet blood rolled down in beads. The woods were far beyond dark and gloomy, even with the sunrise they were shrouded in a heavy blanket of shadows making it almost impossible to see what lay ahead. Water continued to stream off of her tear soaked face, her legs weary from running, her body wearing from fighting.
"Mother." She cried silently to herself, never stopping her running. Suddenly, she screamed as her foot plunged down a small hole and like a ton of bricks, a very weary ton of bricks, she fell face first into the decaying earth. Panting like an animal, she looked up around her, brushing away at the twigs and dead leaves that had stuck in her hair. She looked down at her hands, blood trailing down her forearms and dropping off at her elbows. "I just want it to end." She screamed into the shadows, "I want it all to stop."
A lone wolf howled, interrupted her cries. Afraid, she looked around her and spotted a large pair of red eyes slowly moving closer towards her.
"Show yourself!" She demanded, as though she was talking to a person. Suddenly, the eyes leapt closer to her, exposing the form of a black wolf, hungry. It's fangs dripping with saliva. Wasting no time, she pushed herself up off the floor and ran as fast as she could. Her bones aching with each hammering step she took. The tree branches lashed out at her, her cries echoed throughout the blackness. She fled deeper into the woods, to afraid to turn around. Suddenly, the entrapment of trees ended, leaving her to stand in a clearing with only a sheer cliff face in front of her.
She swung around in panic, only to face a terrifying pair of fangs. The wolf leapt towards her, jumping high enough to tear at her face. Suddenly, just as the rabid animal was about to rip into her flesh, something grabbed at its hind legs and pulled it back.
With a yelp it was thrown into a tree, its bones making a loud crack its body wrapped around the trunk and then fell lifeless to the floor. Petrified, she looked up, her eyes blurry from tears.
"Please, don't run. I am not going to hurt you." A voice came out from in front of her.
She rubbed her eyes, squeezing the last tear forth. Standing in front of her was something far more frightening then the wolf she had just encountered and twice as hairy. A giant, covered with ebony hair, a coat that glistened under the dawns early light. He too, had fangs, white and sharp, and a nose that looked as moist as her eyes. He looked like the giant offspring of a bull and a puma, misshaped in everyway. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind, should she run? Should she scream? Should she attack it with every ounce of strength left in her body?
"Please." The beast begged again. "I promise I won't hurt you."
On the other hand, he had just saved her life.
"Who? Who are you?" She asked, and stared into a pair of familiar sapphire eyes.
"I am sorry." He said and knelt down at her feet. "I am sorry for everything I have done to you."
"It, it can't be." She said, and stretched forth her hand, wanting to touch his shiny coat. Instinctively, he pulled away. "Beast? Is that you?" Instantly, she regretted her words.
"Yes. I am a beast." He said in a sombre tone, his voice more sad then angry.
"What? When? H-how is this possible?"
"It no longer matters. Princess, you are free to go." He closed his eyes and turned away from her.
For a moment, she swore that she saw a tear roll from his eyes; she turned him around so that she could see his shaggy face. "What happened to you?"
"You don't belong here, among the empty rooms and frozen hearts. You must go."
"Why," Her fear was slowly fading.
"Your heart may be pure, but it would soon be corrupted by the evil that lies in these forests. Or by the evil." He hesitated. "Or by the evil that lies in me."
She stared deeply into his soulful eyes. "How is it that I see no evil in you?" She asked. "You have changed."
"Please, just go. Leave me to lie in peace, you only do my heart sadness."
"Why won't you tell me?" She insisted, "Just before, you, you were a monster, and now you are different. How could that be? Who are you?"
"Who am I?" He repeated angrily and snatched her hand. "This is who I am." He said and ran her hand along his furry coat. "I am a beast, nothing more! You, however, are a princess. You don't belong here. This is who I am." He said and backed away from her. "This is who I am, and you deserve better."
She went to open her mouth to say something, but she hesitated.
"So who do you see? Hmm?" He asked her, his anger fading away.
"I see.. I see." Her mind came up with no good answer.
"You don't have to pity me." He said sadly. Awkwardly, the two of them stayed perfectly still, as silent as deep space. "Come," he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I will escort you back to the castle, there you can gather your belongings and return home."
"But."
"Don't Serena." He uttered. She was shocked; this was the first time that he had called her by her name. "Look, I know that you don't care for me and you no longer have to pretend to." He sighed and drew in a deep breath. "You only hurt me when you are near. Please, just leave, it is for the best." And with that, he led her back through the woods, to return to the dark castle one last time.
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.
A.N~ Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up. This is not the end; there will be more chapters to go. Have a great day everybody ^_^
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.
Her bones vibrated like a machine gun, as she crash upon the stony ground. For a moment she lay motionless on the floor, "Get up Serena," She ordered herself. "Just get up." The world seamed to pause around her, "You're not dead, you're in too much pain to be dead, so get up." Her inner voice screamed at her. Body aching, she opened up her eyes. 'I made it,' she thought to herself, semi relived.
"Angel!"
The booming voice sliced through her celebrations, softly she moaned as she pushed on her arms to get up off the ground. A thick fog suffocated the air around her, making it almost impossible for her to see, impossible for her to breathe.
"ANGEL!" The icy voice cut thought the fog like a knife. Suddenly, she felt the ground below her shake. He too, had jumped off the balcony and now the choking haze was the only protection she had from him.
She raced through the fog, panting with every step that she took. Each gasp she took froze her lungs, her throat burning with each arctic breath. For a split second, she gazed up at the moon, its ghostly beam illuminating the fog like sprits lost in the night. A single silvery tear slipped out of her eyes as she sliced her way through the haze. She knew exactly where she was going, the woods. Though as dark and uninviting as they were, it was a far better place to be, then to be back with him. Back with the beast. Suddenly, the fog cleared and she could see the shadows of the tree line ahead, "Just a few more steps to go," She lied through painful breaths, ignoring the fact that the shadows of the trees were still quite far away. With every ounce of strength in her throbbing body, she pushed towards the darkness, hoping to be swallowed up by its icy touch and disappear into the blackness forever. Better the woods icy touch then his. Her feet pounded on the floor, jarring with every movement. Her white dress had become torn and stained with dirt and blood. Her hair fell around her face in shambles, 'Only a few steps to go.' She lied to herself again. Rocks slipped from underneath her feet, but somehow miraculously, she kept her balance. Blood pumping, bones aching, brain exhausted, her body slicing through the cold night air. 'Only a few steps to go.' Already she could feel the comfort of the endless darkness.
Suddenly, something pulled on her hair, using her golden locks as reigns. She spun around, ready to thrash at whomever was holding her, but she was thrown down onto the stony ground, crying out in pain as a rock imbedded itself into her back. Helpless, she tried to back away, inching closer and closer to the darkness of the woods, but something pinned her down, a large form on top of her own.
"Please." She begged, she no longer had energy left to fight. A musty breath blew over her trembling neck. He had found her. After all of that running, all that screaming and crying and fighting: he had still found her. He had won.
"Please," She begged him again, her bruised lip still trembling with fear. She stared into his black eyes; this was a side of him that she had almost forgotten. All those days in the castle, those times when she thought that she saw something else within the beast. Something kind, loving. Something warm and caring. A soul.
Now, that spark of whatever kindness was there had left him, and was now replaced by lustful eyes and a wicked smile. The same smile that had destroyed her kingdom, the same smile that had murdered her countrymen, threatened her life and broken her mother's once strong spirit. A tear spilled out of her misty eyes, as she remembered the pain he had put her through. 'I must have been blind.' She cursed herself. 'To think that there could have been anything kind within him.' She felt disgusted as the words festered in her mind, angry and alone she gathered up a wad of spit and shot it into his eye.
"See, that's what I like about you, baby." He smiled as he wiped the saliva from his eye, "You so feisty, I like that in my women." He leaned in close to her ear, his steady breathing was almost deafening. "My little stallion," he purred.
His words send the cold truth through her head; she would never give into him. She felt behind her for the jagged rock that was digging into her back letting out a small groan while trying to get it loose.
"See, I knew you would like this." His musty words stained her skin.
"Come closer." She said, in her most seductive voice. Like a lapdog, he obeyed, moving his face closer to hers. With a huge swing, she struck the rock across his temple, sending him flying off of her and into the fading fog.
"Get up, Serena." She said to herself, trying to push her weary body up off the ground.
"Oh no you don't." He roared and appeared out of the fog, grabbing her by her waist. "You are mine. You hear me!" He pushed her back onto the ground. "Stop fighting this, angel. It is inevitability."
She closed her misty eyes, as she felt the flame inside of her slowly dying.
Suddenly, the sky was streaked with a vibrant orange glow. The light burst out from behind the mountains, staining the dawn sky with a wash of fiery colours.
"Sunrise." The beast whispered, his eyes strangely turning white with fear. His hand that was stoking her stomach started to change, swelling with thick black hairs. "No!" He gasped, as he leapt off of her, stunned and afraid by the approaching sunlight. "Not yet!" He shouted. "You're not getting out this time." He appeared to be talking to himself. His clothes ripped open at the seams as floods of ebony hair enveloped his body. Serena stared on in awe, not sure what to do. The burning sun finally blistered the sky, soaking the land in light and banishing the fog with the darkness.
"NO!" He let out one final roar, before completely changing into a hideous, hairy, beast.
Silence.
Silence so quiet, it felt like the world had died. With tears in his sapphire eyes, the beast looked up at the distraught girl. "Princess? Is that you? God, are you all right? I am so sorry." He wept, slowly moving closer to the paralysed girl.
With an ear piecing noise, she let out a scream and ran straight into the forest.
"Not that way!" He yelled after the fleeing girl. "Serena, NO!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sticks clipped her ivory legs, her scarlet blood rolled down in beads. The woods were far beyond dark and gloomy, even with the sunrise they were shrouded in a heavy blanket of shadows making it almost impossible to see what lay ahead. Water continued to stream off of her tear soaked face, her legs weary from running, her body wearing from fighting.
"Mother." She cried silently to herself, never stopping her running. Suddenly, she screamed as her foot plunged down a small hole and like a ton of bricks, a very weary ton of bricks, she fell face first into the decaying earth. Panting like an animal, she looked up around her, brushing away at the twigs and dead leaves that had stuck in her hair. She looked down at her hands, blood trailing down her forearms and dropping off at her elbows. "I just want it to end." She screamed into the shadows, "I want it all to stop."
A lone wolf howled, interrupted her cries. Afraid, she looked around her and spotted a large pair of red eyes slowly moving closer towards her.
"Show yourself!" She demanded, as though she was talking to a person. Suddenly, the eyes leapt closer to her, exposing the form of a black wolf, hungry. It's fangs dripping with saliva. Wasting no time, she pushed herself up off the floor and ran as fast as she could. Her bones aching with each hammering step she took. The tree branches lashed out at her, her cries echoed throughout the blackness. She fled deeper into the woods, to afraid to turn around. Suddenly, the entrapment of trees ended, leaving her to stand in a clearing with only a sheer cliff face in front of her.
She swung around in panic, only to face a terrifying pair of fangs. The wolf leapt towards her, jumping high enough to tear at her face. Suddenly, just as the rabid animal was about to rip into her flesh, something grabbed at its hind legs and pulled it back.
With a yelp it was thrown into a tree, its bones making a loud crack its body wrapped around the trunk and then fell lifeless to the floor. Petrified, she looked up, her eyes blurry from tears.
"Please, don't run. I am not going to hurt you." A voice came out from in front of her.
She rubbed her eyes, squeezing the last tear forth. Standing in front of her was something far more frightening then the wolf she had just encountered and twice as hairy. A giant, covered with ebony hair, a coat that glistened under the dawns early light. He too, had fangs, white and sharp, and a nose that looked as moist as her eyes. He looked like the giant offspring of a bull and a puma, misshaped in everyway. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind, should she run? Should she scream? Should she attack it with every ounce of strength left in her body?
"Please." The beast begged again. "I promise I won't hurt you."
On the other hand, he had just saved her life.
"Who? Who are you?" She asked, and stared into a pair of familiar sapphire eyes.
"I am sorry." He said and knelt down at her feet. "I am sorry for everything I have done to you."
"It, it can't be." She said, and stretched forth her hand, wanting to touch his shiny coat. Instinctively, he pulled away. "Beast? Is that you?" Instantly, she regretted her words.
"Yes. I am a beast." He said in a sombre tone, his voice more sad then angry.
"What? When? H-how is this possible?"
"It no longer matters. Princess, you are free to go." He closed his eyes and turned away from her.
For a moment, she swore that she saw a tear roll from his eyes; she turned him around so that she could see his shaggy face. "What happened to you?"
"You don't belong here, among the empty rooms and frozen hearts. You must go."
"Why," Her fear was slowly fading.
"Your heart may be pure, but it would soon be corrupted by the evil that lies in these forests. Or by the evil." He hesitated. "Or by the evil that lies in me."
She stared deeply into his soulful eyes. "How is it that I see no evil in you?" She asked. "You have changed."
"Please, just go. Leave me to lie in peace, you only do my heart sadness."
"Why won't you tell me?" She insisted, "Just before, you, you were a monster, and now you are different. How could that be? Who are you?"
"Who am I?" He repeated angrily and snatched her hand. "This is who I am." He said and ran her hand along his furry coat. "I am a beast, nothing more! You, however, are a princess. You don't belong here. This is who I am." He said and backed away from her. "This is who I am, and you deserve better."
She went to open her mouth to say something, but she hesitated.
"So who do you see? Hmm?" He asked her, his anger fading away.
"I see.. I see." Her mind came up with no good answer.
"You don't have to pity me." He said sadly. Awkwardly, the two of them stayed perfectly still, as silent as deep space. "Come," he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I will escort you back to the castle, there you can gather your belongings and return home."
"But."
"Don't Serena." He uttered. She was shocked; this was the first time that he had called her by her name. "Look, I know that you don't care for me and you no longer have to pretend to." He sighed and drew in a deep breath. "You only hurt me when you are near. Please, just leave, it is for the best." And with that, he led her back through the woods, to return to the dark castle one last time.
.
.
.
A.N~ Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up. This is not the end; there will be more chapters to go. Have a great day everybody ^_^