They rode up to the stable, dismounted, and tied their horses to the posts. Her father grabbed her hands and seemed to plead with her once more. With a small smile, she gently removed her hands from his and patted his shoulder as she moved past him towards the castle doors.
A meal had been prepared and laid out for them in the small dining room, and soon they were eating. When they were almost finished, I knew it was time to speak to them.
As I approached the room in which they were dining, I could hear their conversation. “Please reconsider,” the father begged. “There is still time for you to leave. You don’t know what that monster wants. You can’t stay here.”
“No, Father,” she replied. “I will not let you die. He did not kill you immediately upon your having picked my rose, but he gave you a chance to redeem yourself. A beast that does that cannot be all bad. I believe I will be perfectly safe here.”
“Indeed, you will not be harmed.” I said, standing in the shadow of the doorway. They both jumped at the sound of my voice and turned to the doorway. “Have you come here willingly, my lady?”
“I have,” she replied, her voice shook only slightly as she spoke.
“Then I assure you, sir,” I continued, directing my words towards her father. “She is in no danger here. She is a most honored guest. She will be well taken care of and provided for in every way. Now since you have finished eating, your horse has been prepared for you, sir. I will leave you two to say your goodbyes, and then I will show you to your room, my lady.” With that I turned and left the room.
~4~
I watched their goodbye in the mirror. The tears in their eyes almost made me rush out there and tell them she could leave, but I had grown excited at the opportunity of having another person there to see and talk to. When he had left, I returned to the room. “Follow me, my lady, and I will show you to your room.” She stood, and followed me, eyes remaining downcast as if she was afraid to look at me. Or maybe she was just sad.
After walking a corridor and a stairwell in silence, I realized it was up to me to speak. Trying to think back to before I was a beast and how to have a conversation, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “So, what is your name?”
She let out a small gasp, which made me realize I had asked the question in a menacing way. “Forgive me, my lady,” I said, trying to use a gentler growl. “I have not had the opportunity to converse with humans for many years. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?”
She gave a small little surprised laugh as her eyes flitted up towards my face before returning to the floor in front of her. “My given name is Laurel, but my family has called me Beauty for as long as I can remember.”
By this time we had arrived outside the door to her room. Suddenly feeling embarrassed about how difficult I found turning doorknobs, I merely gestured to the door, saying, “This is your room. If you need anything, simply ask. I have assigned several invisibles to serve you. They will always be within hearing distance. You are free to go wherever you please, as long as you never leave the grounds. Now I bid you good night, and remember, if you need anything, ask.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, as I turned to go. “What’s your name?”
I turned back to look at her and found her looking directly at me. In her eyes I saw kindness and no fear. “You may call me Beast.”
~5~
I did not sleep well that night. My thoughts would not settle down. The kindness I saw in her haunted me. Is it possible that she could help break the spell? I had almost forgotten that there was a way to break it and had resigned myself to ever being a beast. But now that Beauty was here, a tiny seed of hope had wormed its way into my heart. I already felt a sense of protectiveness toward her, but could it ever turn to love? But she would have to love me in return, and if I did truly love her, would I want her to be in love with a beast? Yet if she loves me, I will no longer be a beast. On and on my thoughts went, and I was no nearer an answer when the sun began to rise than when it had set the night before.
◆◆◆
The gardens were always beautiful in the morning, so it was there that I headed after I had eaten some breakfast. The mirror went with me.
Usually the rose gardens took my mind off my problems, but today they only reminded me of Beauty. I took the mirror out of my pocket and said, “Show me the girl.” Immediately the scene in the mirror changed from the gate to a corridor in the castle. There I saw Beauty. At that moment, she was looking at a painting that was hanging on the wall. Then she moved on, and went into the room nearest her. I did not look to see what she found there, but put the mirror back in my pocket and returned to roaming the garden. However, the mirror was rarely in my pocket that morning.
~6~
I decided that I would leave Beauty alone that first day, to allow her to get settled in. Now that she was here, I was nervous. I had been alone for so long, I had forgotten how to act around others. I spent much of the day trying to remember life before the enchantment so I wouldn’t scare her every time I spoke or was near her. Perhaps she thought I would join her for meals, but I knew I could not. It’s not very easy for a beast to eat neatly. During the evening meal, I realized I probably should make an appearance at some point during the day, so I decided that after she was done eating would be as good a time as any.
“Good evening, Beauty,” I said from the doorway of the small dining room.
Beauty rose from her chair. “Good evening, Beast.”
“Have you had a pleasant day, my lady?”
“Yes. I have been exploring the castle. It’s very nice so far. Very big.”
I chuckled. “Yes, it is. Will you be able to find your way back to your room by yourself or do you need a map? Or a guide?”
Beauty gave a small smile as she looked down at her hands. “I believe I know the way back, thank you.”
I nodded and turned to leave, but then something came over me and I turned back. “Beauty,” I said, staring at the floor, “will you marry me?”
I did not look up, but if I had, I would have seen her face turn pale and her eyes become nervous. “No, Beast,” she said softly.
I nodded my head and turned to leave.
“Good night, Beast.”
“Good night, Beauty.”
◆◆◆
I don’t know why I asked her, but every night after supper I would ask, “Will you marry me, Beauty?” “No, Beast.” was always the answer. I didn’t expect her to say yes, but I had to ask.
~7~
As days went by, Beauty and I began to spend more time together. I took her to the rose garden and explained to her how they were my Mother’s roses.
“I understand.” she replied. “My mother loved roses too. That’s why I asked my father for one. They remind me of her.” I felt a twinge in my chest as I watched her gently caress one of the large blossoms. “They remind me of my mother, too.” I said softly.
Beauty turned from the roses and patted my arm with a smile. “It’s nice to have something that reminds you of those you love, isn’t it?” she asked. I nodded, finding myself unable to speak. Beauty had never touched me before.
I showed her the music room. “I used to play the piano, long ago.” I said, gently poking a key with my claws. “Sadly claws are not conducive to instrument playing.”
Beauty laughed. “Well, I never learned how to play any instruments, or I would offer to play for you.”
I smiled at her. “That’s very kind of you.”
Beauty smiled back. “Well, you’ve been very kind to me.”
One day I showed her the library. I had discovered that she loved to read, and my library had a vast selection of books. “Oh, Beast!” was all she could say when she entered the library.
“You like it, then?” I asked.
“Oh yes.”
“Would you mind reading to me? I cannot read books because I cannot turn the pages.”
“Certainly.” She said, and selected one, which
she began to read to me immediately. It was at this point when I realized I was beginning to really like her.
~8~
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months but I did not notice. Beauty and I were almost always together during the day.
A few weeks before, I had begun to sit with her while she ate her dinner. I was able to tell that something was the matter that day. She was only picking at her food, and she was not her usual happy self.
“What’s wrong, Beauty?” I asked her.
She sighed and put down her fork. “I’m sorry Beast. I’ve no right to complain; I enjoy being here. But I miss my father and sisters, and wish I could see them again, just for a little while.”
I looked down at the empty plate before me, not knowing what to say. I understood her loneliness. Then I had an idea. “Maybe you can,” I told her, pulling the mirror out of my pocket and handing it to her. “This mirror is a special mirror. Ask it what you want to see, and it might show you, but I am not sure. I’ve never asked it to show me anything outside the castle gates.”
“Could you show me my father, please?” she asked the mirror.
I did not look at her until I heard her gasp. “What is it?” I asked.
“He looks so old and tired and very sad. Oh how I wish I could be with him.”
I looked at her face and saw the sorrow there. I knew I had to let her go. “Beauty, look at me.” She looked at me, tears filling her eyes. “Beauty, I will let you go home to your father. But come back to me in one month, for I find I can’t live without you anymore. I will die if you don’t come back.”
“Thank you! Thank you for letting me go home. I’ll go for a visit and then I’ll come back and tell you all about it!” she said, throwing her arms around me in a hug before running from the room to get ready so she could leave.
How could I not let her go? I loved her.
~9~
The days that followed went by so slowly. Everywhere in the castle reminded me of her. I spent most of my time in the rose garden. The invisibles tried to force me to eat, but nothing appealed to me. Nothing but counting the days until her return.
◆◆◆
The last day of the month arrived. All day, I sat in the rose garden, staring at the gate through my mirror. But she did not come, and night fell.
~10~
Beast? Beast? Where are you?
Beast! Oh please Beast, don’t be dead!
I am sorry I took so long to get back.
Please, Beast, wake up.
I want to tell you something.
Don’t die, I love you and want to marry you.
The darkness which had swallowed me suddenly exploded in light. A weird feeling washed over me. It felt like I was caught in a whirlwind and an earthquake all at the same time. Suddenly everything was still and calm. My body ached. I opened my eyes and saw the rose bushes towering above me where I lay on the ground. I reached up to rub my eyes and froze when I saw my hands. They were human hands! “I’m back! I’m human again!” I yelled, sitting up.
Sitting on the ground in front of me was Beauty, her mouth open in shock. I moved and knelt before her. “My dear lady,” I said. “Don’t be alarmed. You have saved me from an enchantment put upon me many years ago. Through your love for me while I was still a beast, you have broken the spell.” Standing up, I reached down, took her hands, and pulled her to her feet. “I love you, Beauty. Will you marry me?”
She smiled at me and said, “Yes. But what should I call you now? I can’t call you “Beast” now. You’re no longer a beast.”
“You’ll have to decide for me, dearest. I don’t remember what my name is, and as you said, “Beast” is definitely not appropriate anymore.”
For I am no longer a beast.
Author’s Note
Readers may have noticed that I never described what Beauty looks like in my story. I myself didn’t notice this until after I asked a friend to do some proofreading on it and she remarked, “I do wonder here–what does she look like? Does the name fit?”
I thought about going back and adding a description of her, but then I decided: No. I was going to leave it completely up to the reader. Partly because everyone has a different idea of what makes a person beautiful and partly because I realized: Beast didn’t care. It didn’t matter to him what she looked like because he never expected the spell to be broken, and the whole point of the spell was to teach him to show kindness and love.
Sneak peek of Global Warning
The Captain stood in her darkened room, staring out the small window into the vastness of space. Traveling at trans-light speeds, there wasn’t anything for the Captain to see except for the occasional flash of light or swirl of color as they sped past stars and nebulae, but the Captain didn’t notice as she was lost deeply in thought.
She turned from the window and picked up her info-pad, bringing up the information on the current mission. After only a cursory glance, she dropped the pad back onto her desk and rubbed her eyes. Days of studying the information sent back from the advance sensor probes they had sent ahead of them to map their way were catching up with her. Tired. So tired. She covered her mouth to hide the yawn that escaped. Perhaps I’ll just lie down for a bit, she decided. A nap would help. She slid her feet under the covers and sighed as she lay down. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Six hours later, the three consecutive beeps of the intercom woke the Captain from sleep. Years of service had given her the ability to go from deep sleep to being awake and aware in seconds. Reaching out from under the blanket to tap the intercom, she lifted her head from the pillow and spoke. “Yes, Commander?”
The deep voice of the second-in-command came clearly through the speaker. The Captain had long ago drilled into her crew to be clear, precise, and concise when speaking on the intercom. “The fleet has exited trans-light speed at the edge of the star system. Scans to find the safest light-speed path inward have begun. Judging by the size of the system, I estimate we should arrive at Planet 3AR-T4 in less than an hour.”
“Excellent. Set course when complete. Begin initial analyzing scans as well.” The Captain swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched. Enough time for me to get cleaned and dressed. Maybe even enough time for some actual breakfast food instead of the nasty smoothie I usually have. She yawned as she stood and headed for the shower. Ten minutes later, the triple beep sounded again just as the Captain stepped out of the shower. Slapping the intercom button on the bathroom wall she responded, “Report, Commander.”
“Initial scans show the planet may have the capability of detecting our approach, Captain. Scans have picked up satellites and intra-system probes,” the Commander informed her.
“Understood.” The Captain began pulling on her uniform. “Adjust course as necessary. Inform the fleet to activate stealth mode. I’ll be on the bridge in half an hour.”
◊◊◊◊◊
The Captain stared at the monitor in her chair’s arm, on which the image of Planet 3AR-T4 was visible. Her eyes traced the white cloud swirls atop the blues, greens, and browns of the planet’s surface, reminding her of home. No matter how many missions the Planetary Protection Agency sent her on, it amazed her every time how similar the life-bearing planets of the universe looked. She slid her finger across the screen to rotate the image. So beautiful, yet so out of balance. How is it that the higher-intelligent species of a planet always manage to get everything so out of whack? She looked up as the Commander entered the bridge and moved to his post adjacent to her. She was about to speak to him when a beep from the helm’s control panel drew their attention. “Report, Lieutenant,” the Captain said.
“We’re approaching the planet, Ma’am,” the Lieutenant responded, fingers moving across his console. “We are dropping out of light-speed.”
The Captain rose from her chair and took the two steps down to stand at the center of the bridge. She rested her hands on the railing which separated her from the variou
s control centers located at the front of the bridge. “Bring an image of the planet up on the main screen. What’s the news from the fleet?” she asked without turning her head.
"All ships have reported in,” the Lieutenant-Commander replied. “All are reporting stealth mode functioning within acceptable parameters. They’re awaiting instructions.”
"Tell them to take up their positions in orbit around the planet and begin scans of their sectors.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” the Lieutenant-Commander said, returning her attention to the console in front of her, fingers flying across the necessary buttons. She spoke softly into her headset, relaying the commands to the rest of the fleet.
The Captain continued to stand, keeping her gaze on the image of the planet below on the main screen at the front of the bridge. She smiled as the image altered and an overlay of small ovals with ship-identifying information appeared showing the fleet moving into position. The screen’s image split into two, each image now showing one hemisphere of the planet so they were able to see the whole planet at one time. The Captain made a mental note to give a commendation to the Sergeant in charge of the viewscreen for not needing the Captain to tell him what his job was and for anticipating the Captain’s needs.
With her eyes moving back and forth between the images, the Captain called out, “Lieutenant-Commander, notify the Griffin. There appears to be a large orbital station moving through her quadrant. Tell her to keep well above it. Also keep an eye on the station, Lieutenant-Commander, and notify any other ships that may be in its path as it moves.”
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