Up in the West Wing, the beast did all she could to distract herself from the guilty voices that rang in her head.
"I'm doing the right thing... He trespassed and I'm keeping my existence safe... There is nothing wrong with that." she growled to herself before returning to her book. It worked for about ten seconds... Until the words "Just like her parents..." sounded in her head. The beast growled and threw her book aside. How dare they say that? The nerve! The beast crossed her arms... Just like her servants to think so lowly of her... The ungrateful wrenches... She hated them... She hated them all... And God did she hate the old man... The beast curled within herself, grabbing her throbbing her head as she growled in confusion. The fact that the old man had won over all her servants within mere minutes while she couldn't even get them to engage her in conversation for years annoyed her to no end... Sure they served her like they were supposed to but it was always done in a begrudged manner... But yet with the old man, they seemed genuinely overjoyed to serve him, they even offered to throw him a party... Did they really think she wouldn't notice the indifference towards her? When was the last time any of them bothered to throw her a party? All the birthdays she had spent alone...
The beast snarled.
"WHAT DOES HE HAVE THAT I DON'T?" she growled smashing her hand into the nearby wall.
"Nnnn..." she whimpered looking at her trapped hand, immediately ashamed of what she just did... She felt her ears press against her head. She knew what this man had... This three and half feet tall, pudgy pathetic old man had more entitlement than she could wish to have... He could walk, interact, explore, and face the whole planet while she had to remained locked up, hidden away... A prisoner in her own castle...
Sighing, the beast pulled her hand out of the wall before walking over to the stone table that housed the rose and her mirror.
" If you learn to love someone and earn his love back in return by the time the last petal falls..." she whispered softly to herself while gently stroking the glass casing of the rose. For a very short, almost brief moment, the thought of making the old man fall in love with her crossed the beast's mind. However, she dismissed it just as quickly as it had appeared almost laughing at her own desperation.
"Its not possible... He's terrified of you... He'll sooner shoot himself than look at you... Besides if it does work... Who are you fooling, it will never work..." a nasty voice spat in her head.
"So what's the point of keeping him here?" the beast thought guiltily all of the sudden. She ran her hand through her tangled mane, suddenly feeling more and more ashamed of what she had just done. Hesitantly, she reached for the mirror.
"Show me the old man..."
The mirror clouded over, then instantly cleared to show Maurice shivering and trembling uncontrollably in his cell. The beast grimaced as he released a few violent sneezes... He looked like... He looked like the Enchantress when she appeared as a crone ten years ago... The beast's gaze softened... Placing down the mirror, she opened the door to her room and peered out. Not a soul in sight... Quietly, she made her way to the dungeon... Shivering as she pushed the door open. God it was cold... She heard the old man call out in confusion but ignored it, keeping to the shadows... She didn't want him to see her again... His reaction the first time had hurt her more than she wanted to... She knew the old man would have been afraid... but... She hadn't expected him to be so... disgusted... To stare at her with so much repulsion...
"But who wouldn't?" she thought to herself as she reached for the key only to freeze when an unfamiliar voice echoed around the dungeon...
"Father?"
Beau's brow furrowed with worry... Again there was that mysterious creak and he was getting very tired of this little cat and mouse game. Every time he entered a new hallway, a door would open all by itself to lead him into another hallway or room. Was his invisible host playing mind games with him because it was getting increasingly annoying... With a frustrated glare, Beau trudged past the open door, wanting to catch his host and give him a piece of his mind. To his surprise, Beau found himself alone and in a dungeon...
Beau starred at his surroundings in disbelief...
The dungeon itself was a maze of passageways and gargoyles. Simply put, it was confusing. It would probably take days to find his way around, much less find his father in this labyrinth...
"Father! Father!" Beau called grabbing a torch and hesitantly stepping into the closest passageway. There was a moan, followed by a few rib-shattering coughs. Beau followed the sound, running up a flight of stairs into the castle's tower only to stop dead when he saw his father locked in a dingy cell with nothing but some hay and a moldy blanket for warmth.
"Father!" Beau heaved a sigh of relief as he kneelt to embrace Maurice's outstretched arm.
"Beau is that you?" Maurice grunted, his voice cracked.
"Yes father... Good God... Your hands are like ice..." Beau cried noticing Maurice's fingertips were starting to turn blue...
"Beau I want you to get out of here..."
"What monster did this to you?"
"Beau..."
"Don't worry there must be a way..."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" and Beau felt himself being pushed aside, his torch extinguished by whatever that had attacked him. He quickly pulled himself up, his eyes darted around, desperately trying to adjust to the darkness, barely able to make out silhouettes.
"Who's there?!" Beau demanded loudly, his shout echoing the walls of the dungeon.
"The master of this castle..." came a growl far louder and fiercer than Beau's own, causing him to flinch.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the voice demanded.
"I'm... I'm here for my father... Please I beg of you... Release him! " Beau said slowly trying to steady his voice realizing that to anger his opponent would probably be met with fatal consequences.
"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here..." the voice retorted, suddenly becoming silky in tone, almost like his opponent was taunting his plight.
Beau blinked, surprised by the change of tone but pulled himself together. "Please... he's sick.. Please I'll do anything... I'll..."
"Beau... I forbid you to"
"Anything?" the voice cut in, a hint of eagerness present while Maurice released a low moan.
Beau cursed himself realizing the predicament he just got himself into...
"Yes anything..." he chocked getting more worried about his father with every passing second while his invisible opponent suddenly stopped growling and Beau was left in silence.
Finally the blood thick tension was broken by a growl...
"Very well... I will release your father on one condition..."
Beau grimaced. "
What condition?" he asked dreading his fate, cursing Lady Luck for his unfortunate situation.
"You will take your father's place... And you will stay in this castle for as long as I command you too...agreed?"
Those words hit Beau like a thunderbolt, to stay in this castle... All his hopes... all his dreams...
"BEAU NO!" Maurice screamed banging weakly on the door that separated him and his son.
Beau looked away. For once, the bright young man had no idea what to do... Finally to know exactly what he was getting himself into... He made a request.
"Come into the light..." he demanded.
