"Get off of her!"

In his whole life, nothing had ever made Seymour's heart stop as fast as the sight of the green monster trying to devour Audrey, all except her legs having already disappeared into the giant pod.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he had already leapt into action and was frantically trying to force the plant to let her free. The creature tugged back in an almost playful sort of way, like a dog that had smugly grabbed something it knew it wasn't supposed to have and was now taking great delight in not letting its owner have it back. But after a few moments of having its fun, it allowed its pod to be tugged lower and its jaws pried opened, putting up much less of a fight than it was surely capable of. Quite understandably, Audrey was more than a little rattled and disorientated, and after pulling her into his arms and away from the plant, Seymour still kept a tight hold on her, half to support her and half to guide her. As the two of them fled, the plant was already filling the night with a loud, cackling laugh.

Going after Audrey this way had all been a game to it, Seymour realized with a sickening feeling. It hadn't cared about getting a meal so as much as sending a message of what it could do if he didn't cooperate. But he couldn't stop to think about that now, not when the most important thing was getting far away and, he hoped, making sure Audrey was unhurt.

While it hadn't started to downpour yet, drops of rain had begun to come down in solid, heavy plops. In a near daze, the two of them made their way to the nearest source of shelter, which happened to be a small shed where various tools meant to tend the grounds were kept. It was dark and cramped, but it would mean they had a roof above them, which was more than plenty for the moment.

"My lady, are you alright?"

"Yes."

The word seemed to jump out as a habit, one formed over a long time of being taught to bury complaints so as to never trouble others. But as she stood there with Seymour holding onto her, his caring, concerned eyes were starting to dispel the utter terror she had felt. She was safe now.

"No…"

Her composure promptly crumbled, and she felt her legs give way as the waves of fearful energy that had kept her standing wore out. Caught off guard, Seymour scrambled to catch her, but only managed to slow the fall as she collapsed to the ground.

"Audrey? Audrey?"

He so rarely used her first name, having always known that it wouldn't seem proper. But in that moment, filled with the fear that he might lose her, no title was enough.

The sound was enough to pull through the haze in her mind, and to her relief, the wave of dizziness was already starting to pass. She had a few small injuries and had lost enough blood to cause a lightheaded spell, but nothing was deep enough to be fatal, she was sure of it. But Seymour didn't know that yet, and his terror was palpable. She started trying to pull herself back up again, determined to let him see that even if she certainly couldn't claim that everything was just fine and dandy, she at least was sure that she wasn't about to face her death.

"No, I-I'm alright." She managed to say. He hurried to help her to her feet, and carefully guided her over to an overturned crate where she could sit. He knelt down in front of her, wrapping both of his hands around one of hers, as if sensing how badly they both needed the reassurance that both of them were alive and together now.

"I'm so sorry. I'm just so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anybody. It just makes things happen somehow, terrible things." It was all his fault. He'd only planned to be away from the plant for a brief time, but he should have realized that brief time could be all it took. That plant had almost taken all he ever loved away, and it would have been all because of him.

There was enough space for two on the crate, and seeing how shaken he was, Audrey motioned for him to come sit beside her. Though even as he did so, he continued rambling out an apology all the while.

"I should have stopped when I realized what kept it alive, but seemed so small and harmless, and then I was more than just a penniless apprentice, and you chose me as your suitor, and…"

"Seymour!" She interrupted him, and he seemed caught off guard at the surprise in her voice. "Do you really believe that was the reason I chose you?"

He glanced down at the floor, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. He knew that she still wanted to be with him even without a noble title and grand estate. But even so, their plans had involved making a new start with considerably more money than they had ever had in their village, enough to give them a comfortable, secure life. It was still difficult to imagine that she could ever wish to be with him back when a life in the slums of the kingdom had been all he could ever be expected to provide.

With all those doubts in his mind, it was hard to feel convinced it wasn't a dream when Audrey stated, "From the day we met, I knew that if I could ever choose who I was to marry, I would choose you."

"Do you mean to say that you would still like me, even if…"

She leaned forward, reaching out to cup her soft, gentle hands against his face. "I would still love you, Seymour."

His gaze was vulnerable even as a small, tentative smile crept across his face. He could hardly dare to believe it, and his voice trembled as he asked, "T-truly?"

Audrey's face was certain and reassuring, and she spoke without a doubt in her mind. "All I ever wanted was you, and a sweet little cottage."

"Oh Audrey, you're the most wonderful person who ever lived." He rose to his feet, for the first time in his life feeling like more than the hopeless orphan he'd always believed himself to be. If she saw more in him, then he could believe that there might be more as well, and he would do everything in his power to be the man she deserved. "We'll have that little cottage, and everything will be alright somehow, you'll see."

A loud noise rumbled out, one that sounded different from the thunder that had been accompanying the rain. Seymour went to look out the door of the shed, and his heart sank as it became clear that the noise was coming from back at the estate. He was reminded that no matter how much he wished they could run away immediately and leave everything behind, there was a very important matter that couldn't be left unfinished.

"I'll have to get rid of it."

Audrey rose to her feet as well, her face filling with worry as Seymour began to search the shed, carefully feeling his way along the walls. "Seymour…?"

"It can't be left alone. Even locking it in my room wouldn't be enough. It calls to people, draws them in. And if it gets strong enough, it will keep eating and eating until nothing is left."

He had selected an axe from among the assortment of tools and tested the weight in his hands, though he had to admit that he was unfamiliar enough with weaponry that he didn't have much idea what to look for.

Audrey hastily caught his arm before he could head for the door. "Wait! I'll come with you!"

He was touched, but still shook his head. "No, I'm the one who got us into this, now I'm the one who should get us out."

As much as she couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him, Audrey could understand why it was important to him, and she slowly nodded and released his arm. Scared as she was, she had faith in him. And if anyone had to do this, there was no one in the world she trusted more.

Back in the halls of the estate, the plant was making more and more of a ruckus. It may not have enjoyed a full meal, but it had gotten a taste of blood, and that alone was enough to increase its strength. Experimentally, it began to push out with its roots, straining at its pot until it finally gave way and shattered, bits and pieces of it flying across the room as dirt spilled across the stone floor and the elaborately-woven carpet. Humans in the building were starting to be woken, and footsteps of several of them getting out of bed could be heard in the distance. But the plant payed no mind, focused on its own plans of feasting and destruction.

It began to flex and bend vines into different shapes, testing them out in different ways as it decided how it should go about its reign of terror. Its sight landed on a tapestry hanging on the wall, one depicting a legendary battle with a giant serpent. With a wicked grin, vines and roots began to shape into paws as long, sharp thorns formed the claws. From the back of its stem, two especially thick vines sprouted out and fanned into wings of a thin, leafy texture. Free from the soil, its stem arched into a long tail at the end, barbed with yet more viscous thorns.

People had begun to reach the room, and of what little notice the plant took of them, it reveled in the way they froze or scrambled back when they laid eyes on it. With a flap of its newly-formed wings, it hurtled towards the door, knowing that it now had more than enough strength to break through. The estate had been thrown into chaos behind it, and amongst all the yelling and commotion, it was quite pleased as one voice ring out among the others with a word that would surely strike fear into the heart of anyone it came across.

"Dragon!"