Author's Note: A special thank you to my first reviewer Over the Winter Wall this chapter is dedicated to her, and I am so happy to say that I am back to uploading once again on this site.

Chapter 2 Soulless Eyes of the Beholder

Date Written: 7/12/12

Belle

Belle is just the youngest maiden girl out of her two eldest sisters and she has three brothers as well. She stood up in awe at the enchantress. Little did Belle know her two sisters were eavesdropping on her conversation with the enchantress.

The oldest sister has an oval shape face, long dark brown hair that stops at the middle of her back, her eyes are olive-green, and she's wearing a red maiden dress similar to Belle's. Jolie is the tallest one out of her two sisters. The other sister has a round face, shoulder length dark brown hair, her eyes are light-blue, and she is wearing a green maiden dress similar to Belle and Jolie. Mirielle along with Jolie wanted to know why the enchantress was in their home.

"What is a witch doing at our house?" Mirielle asked Jolie in a harsh whisper.

"How should I know? Belle is the oddest maiden ever! Even when we were middle class a few men flocked all over her, but she never told me what happened to them." Mirielle said to Jolie in a bitter tone.

"I heard at our old town that Beauty only cared about father and her stupid obsession with books." Jolie said to Mirielle in her monotone voice.

Mirielle sighed and then rolled her eyes as she shushed at Jolie to be quiet. They looked from a far at Belle and the beautiful enchantress still talking to each other.

"Enchantress I have come to a decision and I am willing to leave my love for my father behind, to pursue my dream to go on my adventure and see the world." Belle said to the enchantress confidently.

"You have made a wise choice; that not too many young women would consider to sacrifice," The enchantress said to Belle.

"Since I have made my decision I will have to go upstairs and pack up my things." Belle said to the enchantress about to run upstairs in a hurry.

"That won't be necessary I have packed up everything that I know you will need. I will be here for you whenever you are in danger or need some guidance." The enchantress said to Belle as she faded away.

Belle turned around and saw her two sisters standing on top of the stairs. She was shocked that they were there all the time. She knew that her two sisters would ridicule her, for sacrificing love to go on a dream adventure. Belle knew her sisters never thought about love as a special bond between a man and a woman. All their vain minds were thinking about was marrying rich men, so they could leave the old cottage.

"Dearest Beauty I cannot believe you are sacrificing to leave your love for father behind." Mirielle said to Belle in with fake astonishment.

"Mirielle even heroes have to leave something behind that they cherish the most. Then in the end of the hero's journey the hero gains something that he or she never expected to have." Belle said to Mirielle casually as she walked up the steps.

"Don't be so melodramatic about leaving our cottage and country life behind," Jolie said to Belle in a threatening tone.

Belle rolled her eyes, squeezed by her sisters, and walked up the stairs to the first door that led to the bedroom she shared with her sisters. She knew that she was all ready to go, but she could not just leave home for a while without leaving a letter for her father behind. A pad of lineless paper and a pen sat on her small bureau; Belle picked up the items and sat down on her bed.

Dear Papa,

I will not be here whenever you come back from the village. I have gotten a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on my adventure that I have always dreamed of. Therefore, I have made my decision to take it since I am going through a traumatic experience right now. I have no idea how long I will be gone, so please do not worry about me. Somehow, I will be able to write you another letter soon.

Belle

After she wrote the letter then neatly folded the letter up, and entrusted Jolie and Mirielle to give it to their father whenever he returned. Jolie and Mirielle shared a telepathic evil glint with each other and told Belle to leave before dark sneaks up on her.

"I love you, sisters." Belle said to Jolie and Mirielle as she walked down the stairs walking towards the front door.

"We love you, too Beauty!" Jolie and Mirielle said in a fake sincere voice.

"Good Riddance to her. I'm glad that she's gone. Why should we give father her precious letter when our prayers have finally been answered?" Mirielle said to Jolie with a devilish grin on her face, while her eyes sparkled with glee and satisfaction.

"Jolie why are you looking like that? Belle is gone forever. I doubt she will come back alive. Who knows maybe a death telegram will arrive to our cottage sooner or later." Mirielle said to Jolie coolly.

"I just came up with a plan. Lovely, Belle entrusted me with this letter. We are going to make sure that father and our brothers will be filled with complete misery and heartache." Jolie said to Mirielle as she wrote down a fake letter and read:

Dear Papa,

I tire of living as a poor maiden in this little cottage. I have decided to kill myself and I am not sorry for what I am going to do. That's if a rich man doesn't wed me or Gaston the handsomest hunter.

Belle

Jolie and Mirielle smiled at each other. Soon after Belle was out of their sight, the girl's three brothers and father came up.

The Beast

"Enchantress I need to discuss my punishment." The Beast asked aloud to the enchantress waiting for her to appear in thin air.

"Adam what is there to discuss? You will embrace the beast that you are on the outside. Like I said there is a young girl out there who is miserable in the inside, but she has her own beauty on the outside." The enchantress said to Beast sternly.

"I don't want to be called Adam that's my human name. Just call me, Beast since I am one now." Beast said to the enchantress.

"There is one rule I will enforce you not to do." The enchantress said to Beast.

Beast looked at the enchantress with a quizzical expression on his beastly face. He was shocked that she was going to enforce something else on him. Before he could say a word, the enchantress had started speaking.

"You cannot hold the young girl captive in your castle. She will have to come to you willingly and once she does. She cannot leave the castle grounds until the curse is broken." The enchantress said to Beast.

"I will do as you say, Enchantress. Why would I want to hold a young maiden captive? If I would have done that I would think of myself more than a monster then I am now." Beast said to the Enchantress with sadness in his voice.

The enchantress looked into the Beast's eyes trying to stall on what she was going to say to him next.

"Beast I didn't imply that you would be bitter and selfish enough to keep her trapped like an animal. I was just giving you a warning and now I must go…" The enchantress said to Beast as she began to fade away.

Beast did not want to talk to any of the people that were tending to his every need whenever he would request it. He requested them to go in their rooms so he could be alone and wallow in his own misery. Beast raised his arms towards his beastly face and could see that his hands were twice the size of a human male's and that the hairs on them were thick like a wild beast. His blue eyes became glassy as if he wanted to shed tears of anguish and sadness over how beastly his hands looked. Then, Beast looked at himself in the mirror that was standing right in front of him hanging on the wall, and when he saw his face and how he looked a deformed beast with many animal features a deep guttural roar came out of his throat and through his mouth.

'I am so ugly and hideous! What kind of young maiden would ever learn to love a beast like me and turn me back into a prince?' Beast thought to himself as he kept on roaring at his reflection in the mirror.

Belle

Belle was looking around for the things that she needed that the enchantress promised that she would give to her. The woods looked spooky, grim, and ominous there was no animals in sight.

'Belle this is where your journey begins, but remember what I am about to tell you.' The enchantress said to Belle through her mind.

'Wait enchantress before you tell me what you have to say. I want to know what your name is.' Belle said to the enchantress through her mind.

'My name is Dahlia, my loving Beauty.' Dahlia said to Belle through her mind.

'Dahlia is a beautiful name.' Belle said to Dahlia through her mind.

'Thank you and what I have to tell you are vital information. The woods have changed as far as you can see. Nothing is what it seems in those woods anymore. What you need is in those woods and I will guide them to you. Those woods will change who you are and make you out to become a dark maiden or a light maiden. You will never be the person that you once were anymore.' Dahlia said to Belle through her mind as her voice was trying to fade away.

'What do you mean I will never be the same again? I don't understand what you are trying to tell me.' Belle thought to Dahlia in a panic as she tried to process her words.