"Why is there a stranger here?" the voice asked silkily it's every word dripping with poison.,

"Ahh your grace, you see... This gentlemen was lost and it was cold and wet and..." the former enthusiastic candlestick was silenced by an inhuman roar causing beads of cold sweat to roll down Maurice's brow.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" the voice snarled, its former silkiness replaced by a thundering growl sending shivers of fear down Maurice's spine.

"Nothing... I..."

"LIAR!" the voice roared rattling every single windowpane in the room.

"Please... I assure you... I..." his sentence was broken off by a set of piercing green eyes which immediately locked onto Maurice's hazel ones.

"What are you staring at?" it whispered, its cold breath blowing onto Maurice's exposed neck causing the fine hairs there to stand on their tips.

"Are you staring at me..." the voice asked once again silky in tone...

"No...No I..."

"Oooh... So you have come to stare at the beast... STARE AT THE MONSTEROUS HIDEIOUS BEAST!" and before Maurice could scream he felt himself being lifted by the cape around his neck. Quickly he grabbed onto his captor's arms only to yelp and let go, as despite resembling human arms... They were covered with dark tannish brown fur and they ended in paws... Dangerous clawed paws...

"Well... I suppose I shouldn't disappoint..." the voice snapped and with the quick flash of lightning, Maurice felt himself age ten years... With the quick flash of lightning he was staring at the work of the devil himself...

"My God..." he quivered as he brought his hands up to his face, to shield himself from the monstrosity before him.

"God won't do you any good... Trust me... I know..." and for a split second... Maurice swore he saw what was... pain... in those piercing green eyes. But that moment of uncertainty was broken by a loud snarl and Maurice released a blood-curdling scream as he felt himself being hauled violently out the room and into the unknowns of this strange castle...

When the beast returned from the dungeon, she entered a living room full of icy cold stares. Taking a look at all her servants she raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have to pretend I'm stupid... Out with it..." she ordered formally, her arms akimbo.

"Your grace... Was that really necessary?" Lumiere asked exasperatedly.

"It was if I wanted it to be..." the beast said simply.

"But... He only wanted shelter from the storm! He didn't do anything wrong! " Chip argued bravely. The beast rose to full height and stared malevolently at the trembling teacup that quickly ducked behind his trembling mother for protection.

"He trespassed. That's reason enough." The beast growled revealing her dangerously sharp teeth, causing a good portion of the servants to back away... All except for Chip...

"But... But that's not fair..." the little teacup said hesitantly.

"That's just how life is Chip..." the beast said silkily a sign that signaled the argument was closed.

Slowly the servants filed out one by one while the beast watched, a somewhat triumphed gleam in her eyes but a hollow feeling in her chest. Really thinking it about it now, maybe it was true she had overreacted a little with the old man... But her existence, her servant's existence, the castle's existence had been a well guarded secret for many years... and she wanted it to stay like that... God knows what would happen if she'd let him go free... The beast quivered at the thought before catching her reflection on one of the windows. She shuddered violently.

"And who wouldn't want to hunt down a hideous thing like yourself..." a nasty voice cooed in her head... The beast bared her teeth, before turning to return to the West Wing only to stop dead when four little words shook her to the core.

"Just like her parents..."

For a moment, the beast nearly whipped around to tear off the arms of whomever who dared to say such a thing... But she refrained herself... Barely... Reminding herself, if she did do such a thing... She'd really be no better than her parents... Growling, she grabbed her cloak and slinked off and the castle was once again effulged by ghostly silence...

A series of erratic knocking caused Beau to look up sharply from his book, he didn't enjoy being interrupted from his precious reading time. Grumbling, he made his way to the door and opened it.

"Guinevere... What a pleasant surprise..." he smiled, grimacing ever so slightly at Guinevere's seductive pose and her new... Very very low cut dress...

"Your new dress... It's very... revealing" Beau noted, trying to keep his eyes off her impressive chest. Guinevere laughed.

"Oh Beau... You flatter me... " the beauty cooed in her most enticing voice. Beau winced as she promptly entered and made herself at home... Without invitation of course...

"So Guinevere... How may I be of service to you?" Beau asked politely.

Guinevere batted her eyelashes seductively.

"You see Beau... You do know its customary for every young woman in the village to marry by the age of twenty one don't you?"

"Yes of course I do..." Beau nodded not liking where their conversation was heading.

"Well you see... I'll be of age in at least in a few months... And I cannot marry without a groom..."

"I know many young men in the village willing to sweep you of your feet... The baker's son perhaps?" Beau rebutted uneasily, knowing EXACTLY where this raven head was headed.

Guinevere laughed.

"Oh Quincy? He's a darling... But he's not for me... I prefer..."

Without warning, she threw herself onto a mortified Beau.

"I want you to be my groom Beau!" she insisted aggressively, a maniac-like gleam in her icy blue eyes. Beau winced, not wanting to believe this was actually happening...

"Me?!"

"Yes you!"

" Oh but Guinevere... I... I...I don't deserve you... how about...how about..." Beau stuttered as he tried to bring up her many male admirers... He couldn't... As hard as he tried, he couldn't... the list just went on...

"Who?! Avery? Louie? Rupert? Bayard? THEY'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME! I WANT YOU BEAU... JUST YOU!" she declared, her long nails digging painfully into Beau's shoulder.

Beau gulped. Apparently Guinevere was just too thick headed to deduce what he was getting too... Either that or she just chose to stubbornly ignore it completely... Beau sighed... This was going to hurt him more than it was going to hurt her...

Gently, Beau pulled her hands off his throbbing shoulders.

"You flatter me Guinevere... But I'm sorry ... You just don't... You're not... I just don't deserve you..." he said firmly before bracing himself as Guinevere's face transformed from one of confusion, to realization and of course... Rage.

"What?" she sneered...

Beau grimaced but still took a firm stance.

"I'm sorry..."

"You're... You're... YOU'RE REJECTING ME?!" Guinevere screeched, her eyes blazing with cold fury.

"I..."

Before he could continue, a loud slap sent his mind into momentary shock. Beau stepped back, the sting of the slap still fresh in his mind.

"Guinevere..."

There was no reply except for a loud wail followed by the brutal slamming s of the house's front doors. Beau heaved a sigh of relief before slumping down against the wall...

"Women..." he grunted.