The Beast threw open the doors to his room and stalked right past the broken bed, broken chair, and torn portrait, his attention on the small table covered with a torn white sheet. Two things sat on it: a glowing wilting rose under a glass container and a beautiful silver hand mirror with the raised design of a rose on the back. He grabbed the mirror and flipped it around, seeing himself in the reflecting side.
"Show him to me," he demanded. For a moment, the mirror glowed and then he saw Stan sitting on the edge of his bed with Token standing next to him.
"Come on," Token encouraged, "give him a chance. If you get to know him, you might find that you actually like him."
Stan looked over at the wardrobe with a deeply sad and angered expression carved into his face. "I don't want to get to know him. Did you even hear the way he yelled at me?"
"Oh, come on, he's just on edge."
"'On edge?' The way he yelled…he's nothing but a monster!"
The Beast's face dropped. A monster?
"He's not that bad, really. Besides," Token put on a small smile, "they say love blooms–"
"Love?" Stan seemed appalled by the very idea of loving The Beast. "Look at him! He's a monster, a beast! And who could ever love a beast?"
Having seen and heard enough, The Beast rested the mirror back down on the small table with the reflecting side down again. He sighed sadly, his eyes becoming forlorn as Stan's words rang through his head. "Why am I even trying?"
…
"Ugh," Stan groaned as his stomach growled loudly again for what seemed like the millionth time within the past few hours. Ever since he turned down The Beast's offer to eat dinner, his stomach had been sounding off nonstop. "Maybe I can sneak to the kitchen for a snack," he muttered, not caring that Token could hear him.
He stood from the edge of the bed and walked over to the door, opening it only a crack to make sure no one was going to stop him. When he saw no one and nothing, he slipped out of the door and closed it quietly behind him. The hall in front of him was completely empty, not even Pip or Ike was around. They were probably down in the kitchen too, they were pieces of china after all.
Slowly and almost hesitantly, Stan walked down the stairs leading to the east wing and then down the grand staircase to the first floor. He looked around, trying to find which door led to the kitchen, but having a hard time. The only door he was sure the kitchen wasn't through was the open door leading to the staircase to the prison block.
Where could the kitchen be? He opened a few doors, finding a lounge area and a dining room before he opened a third door where he found Pip talking with Butters and a candelabra. All three looked over at him as he walked in, closing the door behind him. Now he decided to show up?
"Um," Stan looked at the ground, "sorry if I'm interrupting, but I'm really hungry. Could I get a snack or something?"
"No!" Butters said quickly, trying to sound like he really wanted to uphold what The Beast had told them. "Back to y-your room! Since you wouldn't dine with the master, you're not permitted t-to eat tonight!"
"Come on Butters," the candelabra jumped off of the small table and over to Stan, "we can't just let him go hungry." He bowed slightly. "I'm Eric Cartman, most just call me Cartman."
Stan smiled a bit. "Hey Cartman. So, uh," he looked up at Pip, "is there anything left that I could eat?"
"But of course!" Pip turned to the now excited looking stove. "Get cooking, we have a hungry guest!"
As the stove began cooking, Pip and Cartman led Stan into the dining room with Butters trailing behind complaining. When he was ignored, he said, "F-Fine. Give him a glass of water and a bagel."
"God Butters, you're so stingy." Cartman rolled his eyes as he pulled out a tall chair for Stan to sit in. "He's going to eat until he bursts!"
Stan chuckled. "Maybe not until I burst, but close to it."
Pip smiled and hopped onto the table in front of Stan. "It should be out shortly, it just had to be reheated really."
Just as Pip said, the food came shortly after he had said it would, being wheeled out on huge trays and carts. They had really been expecting him to eat with The Beast and for them both to eat a lot. Cartman hopped onto the table next to Pip, telling Stan that he had to try everything at least once, and that's exactly what the boy did. He dipped his finger in the pudding, took a spoonful of the macaroni, grabbed a small piece of the cut spiral honey ham, and then did the same with the turkey. He continued grabbing the solid foods and then spooning everything he couldn't grab into his mouth, loving every flavor that touched his tongue. Before long, Stan let out a breath to signal he was finished.
"That was great!" He smiled.
"Are you sure you can't eat anything else?" Pip asked just to be sure.
Stan shook his head, the smile still there. "No way. If I eat anymore, I'll explode."
"Wonderful!"
"G-Good." Butters climbed onto the table. "Now, o-off to bed with you."
"Nope." Stan shook his head. "I'm too wide awake to sleep now. I would actually like to see the castle, I only got to see a little bit around my room. Besides, I've never been in an enchanted castle before."
"Enchanted?" Cartman chuckled nervously.
"W-Who told you that?" Butters asked. "Was it Cartman?"
"I would never…!" Suddenly, Cartman and Butters were exchanging hits, yelling at each other about who told Stan the castle was enchanted.
"Guys, guys," Stan yelled to get their attention, "I figured it out myself."
"Oh." Butters cleared his throat. "Anyway, y-you're not going to walk around this castle, the master wouldn't like it. You're g-going to bed, gosh-darn-it."
Stan smirked, knowing from dealing with Craig how to persuade Butters into being okay with it. He leaned forward, his chin resting in his hand, and poked the clock in what he assumed was the stomach. "Why don't you show me around? I'm sure there's no one else that knows more about the castle than you."
Butters chuckled bashfully and bumped his fists together. "W-Well, that is true… Hehe… Okay then, just a-a quick tour."
"Great." Stan's smirked turned into a smile. That was almost too easy.
He stood up and followed as Butters and Cartman walked out of the dining and into the main hall. It was then that Butters began rambling on about the architecture of the castle, then about the suits of armor that had been hiding behind the black brick pillars lining the main hall. Stan didn't hear a word of it, impressed by the castle itself and the fact that the suits of armor turned their heads to look at them as they passed by.
"As you were," Butters said to the suits of armor, causing them to turn their heads to look straight ahead again. Stan was amazed by the fact that he didn't find the armor weird at all, but after the tea pot, tea cup, clock, wardrobe, and candelabra, it wasn't really all too odd.
The trio walked up the stairs and went to turn to the east wing again, but Stan looked up the other set of stairs. Without thinking, he began climbing them, stopping halfway up. "What's up here?"
Butters and Cartman stopped and looked back, darting in front of Stan when they realized that he was heading up the stairs leading to the west wing. "Nothing!" Cartman said quickly.
"It's just the west wing," Butters said right after Cartman, "n-nothing of interest up there. Actually, it's all very uninteresting."
"So that's the west wing!" Stan said with a devious smile. Time to find out why it was forbidden. He tried taking a step forward, onto the next stair step, but Cartman and Butters - who was getting a dirty look from the candelabra - blocked his way. "Come on, let me pass…!"
"Wouldn't you rather see another part of the castle?" Butters asked quickly.
"No, not really."
"What about the weapons room? Or garden?" Cartman asked just as quickly. One of the rooms just had to appeal to Stan. "What about the music room?"
Stan looked at Cartman and Butters with a wide, excited smile. "You have a music room?"
"Of course!" Butters exclaimed. "With lots and lots of sheet music!"
"A piano," Cartman added, "violins, a harp, flutes, so many instruments!"
"Could you guys show me?" Stan asked excitedly. The thought of a music room being in the castle made the place seem a little less like a prison.
"Of course." Butters smiled, hooking his arm with one of Cartman's. Two began walking happily towards the music, glad that they had talked Stan out of his interest in the west wing…or so they thought.
The moment the two turned their backs, Stan turned back to the stairs leading up to the west wing and silently climbed them. At the top, he nearly froze, almost afraid to continue. Broken statues of warriors and gargoyles lined the hall on either side, along with more torn portraits. Every room, it seemed didn't have or needed a door, either having a collapsed roof or floor. He continued to the end of the hall, where a dark wood door stood half open, he could see a soft glow coming from it. What was that?
He gently pushed open the door and walked forward, his eyes immediately draw to a portrait of a man with pale skin, piercing blue eyes, and spiked blonde hair. It was torn apart by what could've been claws, the face undistinguishable. He raised his hand to move the torn fabric of the portrait back into place, but stopped when the same glowing that drew him into the room caught the corner of his eye.
Stan turned and saw a wilting, glowing rose underneath a glass container. He walked over to it, amazed by it. How did it glow? Why was it glowing? He lifted the glass container off of it and reached out to brushed his fingers across the petals, only to stop when he heard the familiar roar of The Beast.
His eyes went wide and he jumped out of the way when The Beast ran over to the rose and quickly put the glass back over it. "What are you doing here?" He roared at Stan.
"I'm sorry, I was just curious," he apologized as quick as he could, hoping that he wouldn't be killed for his curiosity.
"Do you know what you could've done?" The Beast lashed out, missing Stan but hitting the broken bed pole he'd been pressed against only a moment ago. "Get out!"
With those words, Stan turned and dashed down the hall and the stairs. He was going to leave, regardless of the promise he had made, being around The Beast was too much for him to take. He ran past Butters and Cartman, both asking where he was going.
"Away from here, away from The Beast!" Stan yelled as he threw open the double doors leading outside.
"But your promise," Cartman reminded him.
"Screw the promise! It's not worth it!" Stan ran out into the snow as fast as his legs would carry him, through the gate and back towards South Park.
