-Belle-

The forest was dark. Well, technically every forest was dark for Belle, but this forest was cold. Cold usually meant dark and the dark brings even the most seasoned explorer cowering in fear in the Beast King's forest.

The ground was rough beneath her, and her skin crawled from the unknown. Sounds echoed oddly and imagination became her enemy. The sound of birds became screams and the leaves rustling in the wind became an unknown figure charging towards her. She was terrorized by every little sound until she tucked her head into her knees.

She would cover her ears if she could, but her hands were bound behind her back. Her hands pulled desperately at the rope that was tied just loose enough that escape taunted her. She pulled and twisted her hands until the flesh there was raw and painful. She stopped when it became too much, but then something would flinch in the forest making a sharp crunching noise and she would flinch,and attempt to struggle free again.

She worked at it until her hands became slick with blood. The blood made it easier to slip out of the rope and when she was finally free she didn't even bother to stand. The only thing she needed was to cup her hands around her ears and block out the horrors that sounded off all around her.

Her heart beat in her chest sounded like a pulsing drum in her ears and her breathing came quickly at first, but it slowed as she focused on it. When her breathing was under control, she dared to consider her options.

Stay or go. Sit or roam. Be eaten while walking blindly, or save herself the trouble and wait here to be eaten. That would be the courteous thing to do to save the monsters any trouble of following her.

Her line of thinking was pathetic and she was tired of feeling pathetic. If there was a way for her to get out of this forest alive she would find it. First she had to calm down.

Her imagination was brought to heel and the forest slowly became less intimidating.

The rythym of the forest was constant. There were birds and bugs and trees that all sang out their warning songs as a light breeze moved around all of them. In any other circumstance it would be beautiful. It was all harmonious except the faint crunching sound of leaves that was coming from behind her. Her heart rate picked up and her body seemed to have a better idea of what was sneaking up on her than she did because the hair all over her body stood on end.

She turned towards the sound of the leaves and then a low rumble echoed in her ears giving her a slight idea on the sheer size of the thing coming up behind her. The blood in her ears began to pound and she didn't hear much of anything else. Maybe there would be no way out of this forest. Not for her.

It's funny the things you think of when you're about to die. Here she was, about to be eaten, and the only thing she could think of is catching rabbits and taking them home when she was young. Especially how easy it was to catch the rabbits that were injured or clumsy. She was just a injured clumsy rabbit ready for the slaughter.

She briefly thought about running, but that would only lead to being sprawled across the ground with a broken ankle trying to desperately get her bearings before being eaten alive.

The comical thought of running wildly just to knock herself out by running straight into a tree crossed her mind and she completely ruled out running.

She was just waiting, her hand searching subtely across the ground behind her looking for the biggest rock she could find.

"Who are you?" The creature's voice was oddly human.

If she was any less petrified she might not have answered, but her mind was working on simple commands so it was easy to respond.

"Belle."

The monster moved a step closer and she shuffled back, her hand finally finding a rock big enough to give her a false sense of security. "What are you, Belle?" He asked

She didn't know how many answers there could possibly be to that kind of question but she didn't have to think about it because her voice was still reacting on instinct.

"Human."

"Belle the human." He said to himself and after a short pause, "Why are you here?"

He had backed her up against a tree trunk. She clenched the rock in her hand, waiting for him to pounce. She couldn't answer his question. She couldn't even remember what he asked. She said the only thing she could think of.

"Are you going to eat me?" she whispered.

He let out a sharp humorless laugh, "Do you think I'm going to ask your name and then eat you immediately after? Perhaps you've imagined that monsters such as I are so sinister that I would derive joy from learning the name of my meal before I devour her."

His tone was hostile and sarcastic, which should've made her scared, but after being told that she wasn't about to be eaten, she took her first full breath in what seemed like hours. Anger took over her then. If he wasn't planning on eating her he certainly didn't have any issues scaring her to death.

"You mock my question as if I'm stupid, but I'm pretty sure monsters don't approach women in dark forests to invite them to tea. I would think there's usually a lot less talking and a lot more screaming and eating."

"You've met many monsters then?" He asked and she could hear a smile in his voice, and it ruffled her pride. Eating or not, he was laughing at her.

"No, I suppose not. Although I don't know if I would officially consider this as meeting a monster. I've not learned you name, your intentions, nor anything else. I know you almost as well as I know any other monster."

She had a suicide wish. That much was clear at this point. Having your whole town conspire against you to sacrifice you to the King of Beasts was bad enough, but she didn't have to help them along with their goal by antagonizing monsters. She wished she could unsay everything.

"You want to know my name?" he asked in a low voice, his slight advances had stopped and he was completely frozen.

It hadn't actually occurred to her that monsters had names. She was initially just interested in what kind of monster she would have the pleasure to be eaten by, but she wasn't about to admit her ignorance now.

"Yes, that is after all the natural order of making one's acquaintance."

"I think I am now on the receiving end of being mocked for a sincere question. Maybe you have never come across a monster before, but I have come across dozens of maidens roaming this forest, none of which made it this far in conversation without coming to hysterics at the first sight of me."

"In fair defense of all these other maidens they could probably see you a lot better than I can." She said before realizing that maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell the huge predatory monster that she was at a disadvantage.

"Yes, one good thing about these pitch black nights is that it can hide my monstrous self." The monster said ruefully.

His voice turned sour and the mood shifted instantly, Belle struggled with something to change the subject. She did not wish to discuss her inability to see and he clearly had issues with his "monstrous self." She wondered how likely a monster would be to kill someone because their self esteem is a little low.

"I think you are avoiding the question. What is your name?"

She was greeted by silence and then more silence. "Well that didn't work very well." She thought to herself. She racked her brain to say something to break the awkwardness until he finally replied.

"I had a name once, but now I go by my more popular moniker, the King of Beasts."

"Oh." Belle said, unsure of how to respond. She let go of the rock she had been clutching in her hand. It wasn't going to help her now. The parts of her that had been lulled into security tensed back up and she said the only thing that came to her mind. "You're different than I imagined."

He let out a long sigh, "You're the one they sent then." He said not as a question but with finality.

She answered anyways, "Yes."

There was no more pleasant conversation, no more negotiations, just the simple word yes and the world was taken out from under her has the beast grabbed her and took to the skies.