Readers! This is very important! I added a bonus chapter. So before you get angry at me for not putting up the next chapter. Go backwards one chapter!

One petal left...that was all, my time was up. The last petal hung on the stalk like the last leaf of autumn, about to succumb to winter. Even though spring would begin in only a few months, I knew it would never come for me. Twelve long years, twelve years of waiting in the darkness, I felt like I had come so far, but it didn't matter now. I was going to be forever trapped in this hideous excuse for a body, this beastly frame, with no control over it. It wasn't fair and I knew that, but I refused to play the part of the victim. That was why I had decided to leave in the first place, when the spell wouldn't break in time. I didn't want pity; I didn't want disgust. I was no longer Prince Sagittarius, nor was I just Sagittarius. I didn't quite know who I was, but I did know that I was no longer able to exist. The Werewolf didn't belong here, nor did I. By the end of the day, I would be gone, in every sense of the word. There would be no trace of the prince that ever lived here. There would only be the Werewolf...and I...will be silenced.

The castle was silent, the blanket of dusk settling over it like a shroud. I tried not to look around as I descended the staircase for the last time. Despite the fact that I was opting out of this life, this had been my home for almost...twenty...thirty years...maybe? I lost count when I was cursed. It had been my sanctuary as well as my prison. In a strange way, I was sad to leave it, because it truly meant that I had no hope left, no second chance...but...this was the only way I had of taking control.

I cringed as the front door creaked when I eased it opened. I could hear the Werewolf's laugh as I paused for a brief moment. I was concerned someone may have heard the door, but I realized that it truly didn't matter. The Werewolf will soon have complete control over me...and no one can stop him. There was a sheet of ice on the snow as I stepped out into it. The icy wind bit into me, driving through my fur straight to my bones. I had brought my cape, the one Sapphire had made for me, including the pants and shirt she had made as well.

"Don't be a dumb fool, Sagittarius!" I'm not, there's no way that either one of us would survive in just skin and fur. He made another chuckle, this one had much more evil than last time. "No, you just want the last piece of your sweetheart with you. Well, no matter, for once that last petal falls, I'll destroy them and everything that has to do with her!" I made my own growl at the Werewolf as I wrapped the cape and shirt tighter around me. I headed toward the gate with my head down, trying to make as little noise as possible. It saddened me, somewhat, to think that I would never see Brimley, Lilla, Pierre, Maxence or any of my family's servants ever again, but I also knew that it would hurt them too much to see someone else in control of my body. I slowly walked across the grounds, focusing on my thoughts and watching my feet...and hands...as every step took me father away from this life.

"Sagittarius!"

"Huh?"
Huh? I glanced up, startled and stopped in my tracks. I saw a figure coming right towards me, I...almost...couldn't believe it...Sapphire?
"No! It...can't be her!" But it was, I was looking right at her. She was on Snowflake's back, dashing toward me, her black and white cloak billowing out like wings. Snowflake nearly skidded in the snow as Sapphire quickly jumped off, actually stepping on my foot as she stopped herself right in front of me. "Keep her away from us!" She was breathless, her hood was off her face and her cheeks flushed pink from the frigid wind. She grabbed my face in her needle hands, staring at me intently.

"Sagittarius," she said, trying to catch her breath, "are you okay? Please tell me I'm not too late!" I simply stared at her stupidly for a moment, wondering how much of this was a wish-fulfillment dream, maybe caused by the cold, how much I missed her and all the taunting the Werewolf had been doing to me.

"You...you...you came back?" I managed to say. She closed her eyes, smiled, put her hands on my shoulders and rested her head against my chest.

"Of course, I'm back, Sagittarius." I heard her cry. "I promised you that I would. Lilla came and told me what was happening, I came as fast as I could." Lilla? But...how? How can that be? Lilla's been here the whole time Sapphire's been gone and...Brimley had been trying to figure out which village Sapphire was in. How could Lilla be able to do this?

"You shouldn't have done that!" I heard coming out of my mouth, I saw Sapphire look back up at me...and...I grabbed her and threw her away from me, to the right side of me. "You may have come back, but it's too late to save Sagittarius!" Not if I have anything to say! I tried to take control of myself...but to my shock...I couldn't. "I'll get rid of you and regain my control over him!" I felt my paw rise up, I couldn't believe it! The Werewolf was going to try and kill Sapphire. As my paw came down, Sapphire rolled out of the way. The Werewolf managed to grab her cloak though.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" I heard her say. Both, the Werewolf and I, looked at her and we both saw what the rest of Sapphire's body looked like. I knew that between her shoulder and elbow her skin shrank down to the bottom half of a needle, but now I see the same thing again, only this time it was between her hip and knee. She was also wearing this strange white dress; it looked like it was a combination of a skirt and a corset. I heard the Werewolf make his awful laugh again.

"You've got a lot of guts, lady, but there's no possible way that you can save him. There's only one petal left on the rose and once it falls...I'll have complete control over him. Sagittarius will be gone forever and I'll destroy every trace of him...and...I might as well start with you!" The Werewolf jumped into the air, but Sapphire got out of the way at the last second. The Werewolf was surprised, so was I, that Sapphire could move so fast like that.

"You'll have to be quicker to catch me, you stupid Werewolf!" Sapphire said, I head that once before, our first dinner together. That just made the Werewolf furious.

"You called me that once before! I refused to let you call me that again!" I felt my body charging at Sapphire; I was doing all I can to regain control, but I guess the Werewolf was too enraged for me to do that. Sapphire stood her ground as the Werewolf charged. It was like time stopped as the Werewolf reached out to grab her...but...she ducked below him. I felt the punch underneath my jaw. I also tasted the blood from chomping down on my tongue. We fell backwards and landed on something hard. I...almost blacked out. I was seeing stars as I looked straight into the sky.

"Sagittarius!" I heard Sapphire scream. I quickly got up, but...I didn't feel any resistance. That made me believe that I regain control of my body and that the Werewolf was going to leave us alone...for the moment. "Sagittarius!" I heard again; I found Sapphire standing in front of me. "Please tell me that it's you!"

"Yes...it's me." I managed to say. Next thing I know, Sapphire jumped on me and hugged my thick neck.

"I'm so sorry, Sagittarius!" She cried; hearing her cry was breaking my heart. "I didn't want to harm you, I really didn't, but...I really didn't have a choice!"

"Don't apologize, Sapphire." I said as I pulled her into my view. I held Sapphire's face with one paw; her blue eyes sparkled against her black markings. "You did...what you had to do...to save yourself. I don't blame you for hurting me or fighting me. I'm still very surprised that you could run so fast."

"I...I've been able to run fast for a while." Sapphire said, "Enough about that, I'm so sorry that I took so long to come back! My Aunt and Lucinda were so infuriated that I ran away that...they tried to make sure it didn't happen again." She raised her needle hands and held onto my arm and that was holding her face. "They locked me in the house and refused to let me outside, they wouldn't even let me go out to take care of Snowflake. Stephanie finally stole away the keys and helped me escape."

"Why didn't you pick the locks?"

"I tried, but they were new locks and...they bent the tips of my fingers." Sapphire said, "I'm here now, Sagittarius. I promised you that I'll help you break this spell, despite what the Werewolf said."

'Sagittarius, don't be a fool! It's too late!' I gently pulled her into my arms, throwing caution to the winds and hugging her. I wanted her to know how much it meant to me that she had come back, that she actually cared. I felt her arms slip onto my chest...right where my heart was, the gesture meant more to me than anything. 'No, Sagittarius, don't do this again!' I looked straight into her beautiful blue eyes, our gaze never broke as I leaned into her. 'No Sagittarius!' I felt her human lips touch mine again. This kiss was much sweeter than our first one...but the moment was shattered; all Hell broke loose!

"SAPPHIRE!"