-The West Wing-

Zelda wandered down the dark hall. She had told the servants that she would be fine going back to her bedroom by herself, and now immediately regretted that decision. She looked around the castle, the ceilings as tall as the sky above her, clouded in darkness so that they appeared to go on for eternity. She found herself at the bottom of a flight of stairs, not sure where they would lead her. She was considering heading back to try and find one of the servants to help guide her way when she faintly heard, "Zelda…"

She looked up towards the stairs at the source of the voice. She could tell it was far away, but it was also deep and booming, almost as though a giant were whispering to her. She heard this faint voice call her once more, and she realized it was coming from up the stairs. She found herself at odds what to do. On the one hand, there was no reason for her to think whatever this voice was would be a safe thing to encounter. Then again, she was lost, and maybe whatever this voice was could help her.

Ultimately, curiosity overcame her, and she ascended up the stairs, going to the left as she reached the second level. The voice was nowhere to be found or heard, but she thought she heard it come from down this hall. She walked down it, hoping the voice would once again call to her so that she may find it. She ventured further down the dark hallway, seeing additional hallways lead on into darkness, the statues lining looking more frightening and menacing than any other in the castle. It was almost as though the hall was decorated to scare away anyone who might wander in.

Finally, she reached a pair of high and grand wooden doors. Decorating the door was a golden figurehead of a beast with ram's horns and sharp teeth. Zelda's first instinct was to run away, but something compelled her to move forward, as though some unseen force was influencing her. She reached for the ram's head and pulled, opening the doors enough for her to go in.

The room she found herself in was a disaster area. Furniture lay spread all over the room in pieces and ruins. Curtains were scattered and torn up by claws. It looked like the Beast had destroyed this room in a fit of rage. Looking around, she saw a painting that had been scratched up. Approaching closer, she could observe it was once the portrait of a young man, someone of nobility given his posture and clothing. His face was unrecognizable due to the scratches torn through the painting, but there was one thing remained: his eyes, deep and blue, wild and yet tamed. They looked vaguely familiar. She could swear she had seen them somewhere before…

Looking away, she saw on the only intact table in the room a rose. It was unlike any she had ever seen; it glowed with a pink aura and seemed to radiate pureness and innocence. It was encased in glass and floating suspended in midair. Approaching it like a fly to a lantern, Zelda became entranced by its power. However, the warmth from the rose suddenly turned to chilling cold, and Zelda stopped dead in her tracks. She stiffened up, as she sensed that standing behind her was the Beast.

The Beast rushed in front of her, blocking off the light of the rose and casting a shadow on the young woman. He growled, looking at her with fiery eyes of intense fury as Zelda backed up, desperate to get out of range of the fury he was no doubt about to show. He growled loudly, "What are you doing?! Why did you come here?!"

"I…I…" Zelda stammered in terror.

"Don't you realize what you could have done?!"

"I… I didn't mean any harm…" Zelda tried to reason, backing up more, terrified for her life as the Beast approached her, roaring, "I told you never to come here!"

"I'm sorry!" Zelda pleaded, tears building up as she backed up against a ruined dresser, feeling a cold sweat run over her, "I was lost, and-"

"Get out!" The Beast roared, swiping at a broken table between them, sending it flying aside. Zelda cringed in fear, begging, "Please, I-"

"GET OUT!" The Beast roared louder, causing the young woman to turn on her heels and rush out the door down the hall, adrenaline fueling her flight. Once she was gone, however, the Beast's fury subsided, and shame overcame him, and he slumped to his knees in regret.

Now he was alone.

Sorry once again for the long time in between updates, but progress was slowed by my personal life, and my focus on other projects.