As Alastor got closer, his face became more visible. His smile still remained but there was something off about it. Charlie didn't know how it was possible but it looked like an angry smile.
"Alastor are you alright?" She asked him.
"Perfect. Never been better." There was a nasty tone to his voice and he refused to look her in the eye when he spoke.
"I...There's something I want to tell you." Charlie said.
"You don't have to tell me anything Princess. I heard enough last night."
"You heard what I said?" She replied in shock.
"Every word. Especially the 'Who could love such a hideous freak?' Part. Oh, ho! That was a good one!" His sarcasm was bitter.
"Why are you so upset about it? I thought that wouldn't matter to you."
"Wouldn't matter to me?!" He snapped. "Boy did you have me fooled lady! For your information it does matter to me! A lot actually!"
"But I..." She mumbled meekly. "I thought that you'd understand."
"Oh I understand alright. Like you said, 'No one who is different will ever be accepted.' And you know what? You're right! That's how it is around here and that's how it will always be. So no point trying to change it, right?!"
The princess was devastated. If there was anyone who could overlook her "problem" she thought it would surely be Alastor. But he was being so callous to her.
It was no use. Alastor couldn't know that he hadn't heard everything she'd said, and neither could Charlie. So there he was, thinking she'd been calling him a hideous freak. And there she was, assuming that he understood that she was talking about herself.
Before this conversation could go any further, the moment was interrupted by a sound. A sound which woke up a sleeping Angel and Vaggie. They both sat up with a start.
"I'm up! What I'd miss?" Angel said.
"Where's the fire?" Vaggie said.
Then they noticed that they had their arms wrapped around each other, blushed hard in the face, and awkwardly scooted away from one another.
All attention was turned to the hillside as Lord Vox and his men arrived.
"Oh goody, your fiancé has arrived Princess." Alastor said once again with a sarcastic tone.
Lord Vox was the first to arrive.
"Princess Charlotte." He said eyeing her up and down.
Charlie was stunned by the sight of the man who's entire left half was made out of metal.
"As promised." Alastor said to Vox. "Now hand it over."
"Very well wendigo." He said flippantly while producing an official looking piece of parchment. "The deed to your forest, cleared out as we agreed. Take it and go before I change my mind."
He handed the deed to Alastor and turned his back abruptly, not looking at the horror on Charlie's face as she realized for the first time that she was being traded like a piece of property.
Lord Vox then spoke to her.
"Forgive me for startling you Princess." He said. "But you startled me. For I have never seen such a radiant beauty before. I am Lord Vox."
"Lord Vox?" She concluded, trying not to stare at her suitor.
"Oh." Vaggie whispered to Angel. "Now I get the jokes. What the hell is he? A robot or a man?"
"Worse. A cyborg by choice." Angel whispered back.
Vox took hold of Charlie's hand.
"Princess Charlotte." He said. "Beautiful, fair, flawless, Charlotte. I ask your hand in marriage, will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom?"
Charlie was hesitant. This was all happening so fast, not to mention Lord Vox wasn't anything at all that she had hoped her true love would be. Well, that is, at least he was human. Sort of.
She looked over at Vaggie and Angel. Angel was shaking his head while Vaggie was mouthing the word no. She then looked back at Alastor, secretly hoping that he would say something. But he didn't. He wouldn't even look at her. This made her angry. She glared at him, then she glared at Vaggie and Angel for giving her the ridiculous false hope that Alastor would accept her.
"Lord Vox I accept."
"Excellent!" Vox said. "I'll start the plans, for tomorrow we wed."
"No!" Charlie blurted out.
Hearing this, Alastor turned around with a hopeful look on his face.
"I mean." She corrected herself. "Why wait? Let's get married today, before sunset."
Alastor's moment of hope faded. He couldn't hold his smile up any longer. He turned away as his mouth fell into a frown.
"Oh anxious are we?" Vox said excited. "You're right. There's so much to do."
"Um excuse me." Vaggie spoke. "I hate to interrupt but could I have a word with the princess, please?"
"A word of advice creature." Vox spoke to Vaggie in a superior tone. "Don't speak unless your spoken to."
"I beg your pardon." Vaggie said insulted.
"It's alright my lord." Charlie said. "Please excuse us."
They both stepped inside the mill and made sure that no one would hear them.
"Okay hon, I know that this is the moment you've spent your whole life waiting for but I am begging you, please think about this before you make any rash decisions." Vaggie said. "What does Alastor say? Did you tell him?"
"He already knows. He overheard us talking about last night."
"And what did he say?"
"He's repulsed by me, just like my father was." She sounded ready to cry.
"That can't be true." Vaggie said. "Are you sure that he knows about the curse?"
"He said he heard every word!"
"Things aren't always clear if you over hear them. Maybe you should pull him aside and talk to him-"
"He won't even look at me!" She almost screamed. "He thinks I'm ugly! Disgusting! He'll never accept me! No one ever will!"
"But Charlie-"
"I don't want anymore of your advice! It's already given me enough heartache!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You told me that he'd understand. You told me that if someone truly loves me then they would accept both sides of me! You said that he was my true love and that he would accept me! But he didn't! And if he can't accept me then no one can!"
"Charlie true love is complicated."
"Stop giving me advice about true love because it's obvious that you don't know anything about it! A monster like you wouldn't!"
Now it was Vaggie's turn to be devastated. That was the meanest thing Charlie had ever said to her. She could hardly believe that such hurtful words came from Charlie's mouth. But they did and it brought the moth adze to tears. Unable to speak, she ran out of the mill sobbing.
"Vaggie? Hey what's wrong?" Angel asked but she just moved past him.
Next Vox came escorting Charlie out of the mill and the two of them heading for his kingdom with his entourage. Alastor just continued walking away from them.
Watching all this, Angel looked desperately between Alastor and Charlie. How could this be happening? What was wrong with those two? Alastor and Charlie were meant to be. Anyone could see that.
"Alastor what are you doing? You're letting her get away." He said going after the wendigo.
"So what?" Alastor said.
"Smiles there's something about her you don't know. I talked to her last night-"
"Yes I know you talked to her last night you eight legged Judas!" He snarled. "Quite the friends you two have become, hanging out and talking about me behind my back!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play innocent! God I'm a such a dumbass! I actually believed that crap you were spewing about wanting to be my friend and caring about me, what a crock of shit!"
"But Alastor I am your friend."
"Will you just leave me the hell alone?! I should have never saved your hide that day! I rue the day I ever laid eyes on you! Get away from me! Get out of my life! I don't need you! I don't need anybody! I live alone! Me! Nobody else! Understand?! Nobody!" He almost sounded ready to cry. "Especially useless, pathetic, annoying parasites like you!"
Angel felt as if he had been slapped in the face. Slapped hard. Like the many times Valentino had slapped him around just for looking at him wrong. Only this hurt ten times worse.
"But..." He whimpered. "But I thought-"
"Well you know what? You thought wrong!"
Then he stalked off, leaving Angel more hurt than he had ever felt in his entire life.