A Curse of Thorns

by Nicole Mainardi

  He looked away, huffing through his snout.

  “I know what it’s like to have scars,” I continued on. “I can’t count how many I have, and how much I hate every single one of them. But I’ve learned that you can’t let them define you. This,” I said, gaze flitting across his face, “this isn’t you.”

  He shook his head, refusing to look at me. “But it is, and I deserve it. I’ve deserved every moment of my punishment,” he answered softly. “Do you not think me to be a hideous beast?”

  I looked at him plainly. “There are plenty of other men in my life that merit the name beast more than you. You deserved to be cursed by the witch then, but not now. Bastian.” I said his name—his real name—and he finally looked at me. Even though his face wasn’t human, I could tell he was masking his emotions. I didn’t care. He needed to hear this, even if it felt a little strange saying it to someone I thought I’d hated not long ago. “No one deserves this fate, not even you.”

  I brought my hand up to his face tentatively. When he didn’t flinch or back away, I placed it on his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed and I stroked my thumb against the crevices in his skin. It was strange to me, to feel someone else’s scars. He breathed out shakily as I pushed my fingers lightly through the fur by his temple—it was softer than I thought it would be.

  A thought hit me then: this had become about more than just gaining his trust. More, even, than bringing a king back to life. Barring his single outburst, he was kind to me and thoughtful for bringing me to his library after learning that I loved to read, and his inability to hide his emotions endeared him more to me. I didn’t hate him, not at all…

  I jerked my hand back, which forced Bastian’s eyes back open. Oh no... I turned away.

  “I—I have to go,” I mumbled, and I ran past him before he could say anything.

  I expected him to call after me, or try to stop me, but he didn’t. After racing back to my room and slamming my door shut, I couldn’t believe how much I’d wanted him to.

  Chapter 18

  Deceived by Appearances

  BASTIAN

  W hat in the hell was that? was all I could think after Belle ran out of the library like a bat in the belfry. I hadn’t been touched like that since before I became the Beast, and it had felt so foreign to me. It had felt…

  “Sophie,” I called, because I knew that, despite my requests, she was waiting nearby.

  Sure enough, she peeked around the corner of a slightly open doorway that lead to the private study hidden at the back of the library. She beamed for a moment, but when she looked around and realized Belle wasn’t there, she hurried over to me.

  “What happened?” she demanded.

  My fingers reached for the places she’d touched me. Her warmth lingered with me, and I thought about when she’d pulled back the neckline on her sweater to show me her scars, but all I’d seen was the creamy skin of her neck and shoulder.

  “She saw my face,” I told Sophie in wonder, and her eyes widened. “She touched my face, and she didn’t hate it. Didn’t hate me.”

  At that, I don’t think her eyes could’ve gone any wider.

  Then, she grinned. “This is the moment where I should say, ‘I told you so,’ but we have too much to do for me to have time to gloat.” She launched into some long-winded explanation of what I should do, where I should take her, how I should look, how I should act. But I barely heard her.

  “I’m taking her hunting tomorrow,” I said after Sophie had finally stopped for air. I wasn’t sure if that had been one of the things she’d just suggested, but when she didn’t answer, I continued, “If I can get that reaction from her just bringing her to a library, then imagine what she might feel out in the forest, in the heat of the hunt.”

  But Sophie was already shaking her head. “She doesn’t know that you spied on her, so how are you supposed to explain that you know she likes to hunt?”

  I thought for a moment. “Well, we salvaged her bow and arrow that she had with her, so I could say I assumed that she hunted because of that.”

  Sophie sighed. “It’s not a strong argument, but it’ll do. When do you want me to relay your message?”

  “Tomorrow, at dawn,” I replied immediately. “I want her to be surprised.”

  Scoffing, she replied, “Nothing more romantic than getting up at the crack of dawn to hunt down some animals. But, since we have until tomorrow, please consider taking a bath.” She moved closer to me and sniffed before pulling away, her nose wrinkling. “I’m honestly surprised she got close to you at all with how odorous you’ve become. Enchant one of the combs and half a dozen bottles of shampoo. That should just about do it.” Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

  I wanted to protest, but I took a whiff of myself and realized she was right.

  But nothing was going to dampen my mood. Peering up at the high shelves of my library, I couldn’t help the toothy smile that formed on my face. The hope growing in my heart—it was intoxicating.

  And dangerous.

  Chapter 19

  Destined for a Better Fate

  BELLE

  I slept fitfully that night, going over and over in my head what had possessed me to be so bold with the Beast—Bastian. There was no denying that I was starting to care for him, but I couldn’t let that get it in the way of what I had to do. I still needed to get the ring. I still needed to save my sisters.

  But maybe I didn’t have to steal it from him anymore. Maybe now we could come to some sort of agreement.

  No, I could already see the betrayal in his eyes. The betrayal would be there no matter what I did, but I was selfish and it would hurt too much to see it for myself. This was going to wound both of us in the end, and I wasn’t sure I could care for Bastian the way he needed me to. What if he turned out to still be the spoiled prince he once was, or the terrible king who’d gotten himself cursed? It would be almost worse than marrying Thomas. But I had to believe that Bastian had been through too much to revert back to his former self.

  My mind was far too busy for sleep.

  It was in the early hours of the morning when I was woken up by a knock at my door, after finally drifting off. I grumbled something unintelligible and pulled the sheets over my head; I was getting used to their silky feeling and the weight of the fur comforter in the cold parts of the night. The knock came louder a minute later when I was nearly asleep again, and I growled as I pulled myself out of bed, hair sticking sideways, clothing askew, and answered the door.

  It was Sophie, as I’d expected, and I glared at her. But she didn’t seem to notice.

  “Bastian wishes to see you,” she said calmly. Her eyes were devoid of sleep, her uniform unwrinkled. She looked wide awake and I was completely envious.

  “Now?” I asked groggily, rubbing at my eyes. Not that I wasn’t used to getting up before the sun rose, but not when I’d gotten as little sleep as I had.

  Sophie smiled. “Against my recommendations, yes.” She looked me over. “Wear something warm and comfortable. You’re going outside the castle today. I suggest pants and the black tunic.” And then she left.

  I closed the door slowly and leaned against it, lost in my sleep-filled mind. Outside the castle? I wondered why Bastian wanted to go outside the castle. But it didn’t matter why. At the thought of being outside, I had a sudden urge to run as fast as I could—not to anywhere in particular, but now that I think thinking about it, I felt confined inside this place. I’d been trying so hard on getting the ring, while avoiding being killed by the Beast I’d thought Bastian was, that I hadn’t noticed how much the castle walls were restricting me.

  The openness of the greenhouse hadn’t been enough.

  I wondered if Bastian knew how I was feeling or if he simply wanted to spend time with me outside these stone walls. Probably a little of both.

  Standing in the middle of this room that had become mine, I tried to understand why I seemed to mean so much to him. Why my opinion of him mattered. I knew
that the stories said he needed a girl to fall in love with him to break the spell, but if it was true, it felt like more than that. He couldn’t know why I was here unless Sophie had told him, yet I was sure he’d guessed by now that I wasn’t staying because I wanted to. And while my feelings towards him had started to change, I’d leave the moment the ring was in my possession. My first priority was to keep my sisters safe. Nothing else was going to get in the way of that.

  I slipped on the pants and a new black tunic like Sophie had suggested, tying my hair back loosely. It revealed more of my scar, but I got the feeling Bastian wouldn’t care. And for once, neither did I.

  I found some black riding boots in the back of the closet and was amazed that they fit, though that probably had something to do with magic, like everything else in this place. I reached into what was left of my pack—which I’d nearly forgotten was there—and pulled out my leather jacket. There was a small tear in the arm where the elbow was but otherwise it was in good shape. This was one of the few times that I wished there was a mirror in my room, even knowing why there weren’t any. I tended to avoid mirrors as well, but I wanted to look at myself, to know which version of me Bastian would like more: the girl in a gown at dinners, the girl underdressed for a king and infatuated with every book in the library, or the girl who wore hunting pants and loved being out in the woods.

  Does it really matter?

  I sighed as I zipped up my jacket, feeling like I was being torn in two different directions by my feelings.

  Stepping outside of my room, I found Sophie waiting for me. She didn’t speak, and there was a small smile on her lips that seemed permanent now. Wordlessly, we again swept through the dining room and I was finding it easier to walk today, my broken leg less unsteady beneath me.

  “Are we seeing the roses again today?” I asked as we turned down what I now knew to be the corridor towards the greenhouse, but Sophie didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure why that put me on-edge, my muscles tensing unconsciously.

  The glass doors to the greenhouse were closed, but Sophie wrenched them open with a screech. At first, I couldn’t see anything—the sun wasn’t up yet, and the room was filled with shadows. Then, rays of sunlight peeked over the nearby mountains and in through the green glass, casting everything in an emerald glow.

  And there was Bastian, appearing out of the darkness like a phantom. I took a few steps towards him without thinking, and then decided to go the rest of the way. He wasn’t wearing his hood today, and his mane actually looked tame for once.

  Did he do this for me? I wondered.

  He was wearing all black to match me, his blond mane contradicting his clothes in a way that made my breath stutter in my lungs.

  When he heard me coming, he turned slightly, smiled close-lipped, and offered me his arm. I took it. His cobalt eyes caught the sun, and I stopped breathing altogether. They really were striking…

  “Good morning, Belle.”

  “This feels like the middle of the night for me,” I admitted, grinning tiredly. “There’d better be a good reason why I’m up this early.”

  He chuckled. “Of course there is. But, first, I wanted to show you the greenhouse at sunrise. It’s the most beautiful room in the entire castle at this time of day.”

  I looked around us, and the contrast of the green light and green plants against the red of the roses was stunning. I reached toward one of the blooms, and Bastian must’ve used a bit of magic because it bended on its own to meet me, my finger brushing against the velvet of the petals.

  But when I looked over at him, his expression was one of confusion.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “The roses never do that for anyone but me,” he said, pausing thoughtfully. “Did you cut yourself on one of the thorns?”

  I thought of the first time that I’d come here with Sophie, and vaguely recalled pricking my finger. I nodded, still not sure what that had to do with this rose moving on its own.

  Bastian smiled, almost as if he didn’t believe it. “The roses recognize you, Belle. They know when you’re near because they’ve had a taste of your blood.”

  I pulled back from the rose and it seemed to wilt. “That’s not comforting at all.”

  He looked down at me. “They completely harmless.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know that, it’s just—a little unsettling.”

  “Fear not,” he told me gallantly. “I’ll keep the murderous roses at bay.”

  I laughed. “Now I feel safe.”

  His gloved hand brushed my arm. “Come with me; it’s time for your second surprise today.”

  I looked at him, but didn’t move, not sure what I wanted. Going outside the castle walls with Bastian suddenly felt like we were going past the point of no return, and I didn’t think I was ready.

  He peered back at me. “Do you trust me?”

  The question caught me off guard, and it took me a moment to answer. “I want to.”

  “I want that too,” he said quietly, smiling sadly as he started down the castle corridor, and I followed.

  We left the green room, taking our time finding our way back through the dining hall and down a corridor I thought I remembered but couldn’t be sure. This one was short and wide, and it wasn’t long until we reached a high-ceilinged entryway ending in two large doors. Bastian flicked his wrist and they swung inward, revealing spikes on the other side. I eyed them warily as we passed through, but Bastian seemed completely at ease.

  New snow coated the castle grounds, nearly blinding me as the sunlight reflected off it. It was beautiful.

  What are we doing out here?

  Wordlessly, he left my side and went over to retrieve a couple of packs that were waiting on top of the thick layer of snow, holding one out for me. Watching the tops of my feet sink into the snow as I moved towards him and grabbed one of the straps, I was glad I chose to wear the riding boots.

  He grinned at me, teeth and all, and I didn’t have the urge to pull back when I saw how sharp they were. “Here, this is yours.” He handed me my bow and quiver, which he’d filled with black-feathered arrows. I took it from him, unsure. Is he taking me hunting?

  Before I could ask, he took off, striding purposefully towards the Black Forest, and I hurried along after him, finding his arm again where he held it out for me. I didn’t have the best memories of this forest, and I had to admit I was anxious about what might happen. But having Bastian with me made me feel safe.

  In the silence, I watched our breaths cloud the air in front of us, his was bigger than mine.

  We walked further down the path, and as the cold set into my bones, I moved closer to him. I thought I heard a sound low in his throat, but was sure I’d imagined it.

  Looking around, a strange color caught my eye and, despite the snow that coated the ground, I noticed that the land was bursting with fruits and vegetables. It was such a contrastingly beautiful thing, seeing life like that in the dead of winter, and I was again struck by the power of Bastian’s magic.

  “I thought you could use some time outside of the castle,” he explained as we walked through a wrought iron gate and past the tree line of the forest. I ripped my gaze away from where it had landed on a golden-apple tree, the skin of the fruit sparkling in the sunlight.

  “You have no idea,” I replied, but then felt a twinge of guilt of how that must’ve sounded.

  Bastian just chuckled. “Believe me, I do. For the first year after I was cursed with this”—he gestured to himself—“I locked myself inside my room and refused to even look out a window.” He shook his head, remembering, but he didn’t look sad. He looked thoughtful—pensive. Despite his indifference to it, those must’ve been dark times for him.

  I didn’t want to flesh out old wounds, but I was curious. “How long ago did it happen?”

  Bastian sighed, and then stopped. I turned to stand in front of him, keeping my hand on his arm. It felt natural. “It’ll be five years on February 5th.”

 
That was only a few days away. “Is it—” I began, but the words stuck in my throat at first and I forced myself to clear it.

  “Is the story true?” I asked finally. “All of it?”

  Bastian looked down at me and pinned me with an intense gaze. “Every word, I’m sure.”

  For no reason at all, my eyes strayed to his cheeks, his snout, his jaw, and then back to his eyes. I caught his own gaze drifting to my lips, and he swallowed before he moved towards me. But I stepped back, dropping my hand from his arm, and looked up at the trees. The sounds of the forest found their way to my ears, and I remembered why we were out here.

  I crossed my arms and turned back to him as he looked away, disappointment flashing across his face before it disappeared. Mutely, he headed towards the trunk of a tree, where I saw a wooden pole propped up against the snowy bark. It looked like one of the ones from his weapon room—he must’ve put it out here earlier. Grabbing it with one hand, he came back towards me.

  My arms uncrossed and fell to my sides. “What are you doing?”

  “Teaching you something,” he told me surreptitiously, and handed the pole to me. I held it awkwardly until he’d positioned it in my hands to where I was holding it with both palms facing down and my knuckles were pointing out.

  “As I’m sure you remember, the Black Forest is dangerous, but not just because of the Forest Wolves,” he explained. “Bandits and thieves from other Regime territories have taken to hiding here to avoid being captured and put to death. I don’t often run into them, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

  I waited for him to continue, and he asked me softly, “Remember how you said that you wanted to trust me?”

  “Yes,” I said; I was sure he could hear the uncertainty in my voice.

  “Well,” he continued as he walked behind me, coming up close, “Let me show you that you can.”