Just like I had thought, the next morning she had found her father’s steed and it led her back to my castle. She approached with the horse, her little feet rustling the leaves as she moved.
I watched her from my window, high up in the castle. I liked it up there, I could see everything. Belle didn’t bother knocking on my door. Instead, she snuck in through a side entrance – one I had purposely left unlatched for her. She probably thought she was lucky. I had other thoughts.
Using the secret passageways in my castle, I followed her every move. She crept around the grey rock corridors, quietly calling out for her father. She was certain he was there somewhere. I was certain she would find him. That was the plan, after all.
Considering her father was still in a state of sleepy disorientation, I called out softly to guide her when she took a wrong turn. “Belle! Is that you?” I did a wonderful imitation, even if I did say so myself.
“Father? Papa?” She hurried toward the voice. Finally, she found him. Through the slits in the dungeon door, she crouched down and placed a gentle hand on his face. “How did you get here?”
He mumbled something in reply, it was inaudible to my keen hearing. I couldn’t delay any longer, their reunion would need to be cut short. I needed to turn back into the handsome man I was, there was no point in waiting.
I stepped out from my hiding place in the wall. I towered over Belle as she cowered on the floor. She was prettier than I had remembered. Her long brown hair was kept neatly from her face while her blue dress was clean and tidy. Perhaps if she had been more remarkable, I would have tried to get to know her better.
“What have you done to my father?” She demanded. She had nerve, I would give her that. Foolish, but brave nonetheless.
“He trespassed on my land.”
“I’m certain he didn’t mean to. Please let him go.”
I walked around her, waiting for her to flinch at my beastly appearance. She stared, watching my every move, but she didn’t recoil. Interesting.
“I will let him go.” I paused for dramatic effect. “If you take his place.”
She didn’t even hesitate. Did the girl have a death wish? “I will do it. Let him go and you can have me.”
I was certain she didn’t understand what she was getting herself into. Like I said, foolish. I would have to spell it out for her. “You will remain here forever. That means you will never leave my castle. You will never see your father again. Do you understand?”
Ah, that made her think a little harder. She pushed herself up from the floor, standing at her full height. She still didn’t even reach my shoulder. “I understand. I will remain here forever.”
Fear flashed through her eyes, her determination faltered for just a moment. So she was breakable, that was good to know. All I had to do was wear her down so she loved me and then I would break the curse.
“Lantern,” I called, making the candlestick skitter over. “Take this man away and make sure he gets home. Meanwhile, we have a new guest.” I didn’t take my eyes off Belle, studying her every move. She only broke my gaze long enough to watch her father be taken away.
I took her to the foyer of the castle. She was yet to shed a tear but I was certain she was on the verge of it. After all, she had just made a bargain with a beast. She was surely having second thoughts now.
My booming voice scared her. I would have to work on that. “You may go anywhere in the castle except for the south wing. Under no circumstances are you to go there. You may take your meals in the kitchen. However, tonight you will dine with me. Do you understand?”
She nodded her scared little head. I almost felt sorry for her. Except, she was there for a purpose. I would not forget my curse and everything the witch stole from me.
I left her alone, knowing my servants would take care of her. They thought I was mean, both before and after my transformation. They would love lamenting with her about me.
The dinner was going to be the first opportunity to make Belle fall in love with me. I dressed up for the occasion. Well, as much as a beast could. I put on a blue suit jacket and pulled my infernal hair away from my face with a ribbon. It would have to be good enough.
I graced the dining room with my presence, taking a seat and awaiting my guest. As I sat there, I thought about all the things I would say to Belle to make her fall in love with me.
Compliments would have to flow freely, that was for sure. I needed to make her think I was kind and gentle, telling her she was those things would help me too. If I said the words enough, she would start to believe them.
I would need to show her how wonderful I was too. Perhaps I would stage some kind of show, pretend to rescue a bird or something. She seemed like the kind of girl who would fall for an injured animal act. Belle would probably want to nurse it back to health herself.
I guessed I could act as an injured animal myself. If I was troubled enough, she might think I needed rescuing. The thought of Belle trying to make all my problems go away was tantalizing. That was what she was there for anyway, right?
I had been so caught up in my spectacular thoughts that I didn’t notice how much time had passed. It was more than an hour since Belle was supposed to meet with me. That was unacceptable. Nobody made Prince Francis wait.
“Lantern! Where is Belle?” I bellowed, my voice bouncing off the thick stone walls.
“She said she wouldn’t eat with you,” Lantern replied with a quiver in his voice. The damn candelabra was so dramatic. “I’m… I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
I stood, my chair falling backwards and banging on the floor as I did. With one swipe of my hand, the table was cleared of everything it held. The plates crashed to the floor with a loud clatter. I hoped it echoed all the way up to Belle’s ears.
I stormed out of the dining room. I was going hunting for a stupid girl.
CHAPTER 5
Belle wasn’t in her wing. My guards said she hadn’t left so that only left my wing – the one place I had forbidden her not to go. The girl needed to be taught some manners, that was for sure.
Each of my storming footsteps sounded like thunder as I moved. My breath was ragged as I puffed out all the anger swelling up in my belly. Nobody stood up Prince Francis. Especially not a plain girl from town.
I found Belle in my ballroom. My ballroom. The place where she had been told not to go. “What are you doing in here?” I yelled, making the paintings on the wall rattle.
She spun around to face me. The girl had enough sense to be terrified. The fear shone from her eyes as bright as they were blue. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? First you missed dinner and now you are snooping in places where you aren’t allowed?”
Her hand was resting on the glass dome covering my golden rose. The same rose I had promised Gus if he won the bet. If he saw us now, he would probably believe he had a good shot at getting his hands on it.
Her gaze fell to the floor as her shoulders slumped, all fight gone from her defiant stance. “I didn’t wish to dine with you.”
I took a few more breaths, needing the time to calm down. I was supposed to make her fall in love with me. Yelling at her probably wasn’t going to work. This romance thing was so difficult.
“I wished to dine with you,” I said gently. “You hurt my feelings when you didn’t turn up. I sat waiting for a long time.”
My confession seemed to take her by surprise. “But you locked up my father. You’re keeping me prisoner here.”
“Only because I am so lonely.”
“I wish to leave.”
Did she not remember our deal? Had I not warned her it would be forever? This girl seriously needed a reality check. I held my tongue, I even managed to not roll my eyes. “I wish you to stay. I will give you anything you need.”
I tear escaped down her cheek. I had no time for tears. I stood there and waited for her to stop crying. My self control evident in the way I didn’t tap my foot the entire time.
“Go back to yo
ur room,” I instructed when it was clear she wasn’t going to speak any further. “We shall talk again tomorrow.”
She gave me a wide berth as she shuffled out of the room. I had my servants tend to her so she wouldn’t feel so lonely in the castle. I wasn’t all bad, I did actually have feelings. Besides, if she wasn’t okay, then she wouldn’t fall in love with me.
And that was what it all came down to.
I went to bed myself, trying to remember that it was early days yet. Gus had no chance of winning the bet, he didn’t even know where Belle was. I would have everything I ever wanted soon enough.
In the early hours of the morning, my servants woke me from my slumber. I had been having a good dream too, one where I wasn’t cursed with the face and body of a beast.
“What is it?” I asked Lantern.
“It’s Belle, she’s gone. She’s running away.” He skittered around the room with indecision, unable to remain still.
“Is she still within the castle walls?”
“She is.”
I threw back the bed covers. Perhaps Belle’s foolish act was just what I needed. I quickly dressed and followed Lantern through the woods of the castle grounds.
Belle was on foot so I easily caught up with her. My long strides were nothing compared to her tiny ones. I watched her through the trees, seeing each of her determined and frightened steps as she moved. Such a silly girl to think she could back out of her promise. Had all those books taught her nothing?
There was no real plan for me once I found her. I had hoped to convince her to return just by talking reasonably with her. But, she was a foolish girl, that probably wasn’t going to work.
All of a sudden, a shriek rang out in the woods. All the birds in the trees quickly flew away with fright. The scream was a horrible sound, even worse when I realized it belonged to Belle.
In her haste to escape, the girl had fallen over and was about to slide down a very steep embankment. She was hanging on to a branch but it wouldn’t hold her for much longer. She was in very real danger.
Despite getting my clothes dirty, I rushed over to her. If I lost Belle, then the bet would be off. Or Gus would assume I had lost and therefore come to claim his prize. I had to keep the bet going.
I grabbed Belle’s hand just as she couldn’t hold on any longer. She squealed again with fright as I pulled her back to the safety of the wood’s floor.
“You saved my life,” she panted out. Her eyes were wide with fear still, unable to believe she had been rescued by a beast, no doubt.
“You ran away,” I pointed out. Although, I did put some pain and hurt into the statement. I had to win her over and I had to do it soon. If I had to rescue her every night, neither of us were going to last very long.
“I’m sorry.” She looked at her fingers, twisting them together in her lap. The moonlight caught the angles of her face, making her beauty absolutely stunning. Must have been a trick of the light.
“Will you come back with me? Please? I will forgive you,” I offered.
“I can’t. I miss my papa too much.”
That darn man. I should have kept him in my dungeon when I had the chance. Then she wouldn’t have an excuse to run away. Ah, regrets.
I put on my best sad, disappointed face and turned slowly. I bowed my head with the gesture. “I understand. Goodbye, Belle. I’ll miss you. You were my only friend.”
I started my walk back into the woods. The entire time, I hoped to hear her soft footsteps after me. But they didn’t come. Belle wasn’t going to chase after me like I thought she was.
If I didn’t have Belle in my castle, she wouldn’t fall in love with me. Then Gus would be able to charm her and he would win the bet. That couldn’t happen. I had to think of something – fast.
Then, like always, I had a brilliant thought.
CHAPTER6
At the largest tree I saw, I purposefully fell over the roots. I crashed down with a great thwack, hitting the floor with a thud. It hurt much more than I had intended it to.
I groaned in ‘pain’, making sure I played it up. Belle was instantly at my side, her eyes searching for injuries. I cradled my stomach, crossing my giant hairy arms over it and moaning.
“Beast, you’re hurt,” Belle said, stating the obvious. She wasn’t the sharpest sword in the armory. “What can I do for you?”
“Help me,” I gasped. “Help me back to the castle. Please.”
The conflict raced across her face. She still wanted to leave, but I was now a helpless animal. Sometimes looking like a beast came in handy.
“Please, Belle,” I groaned again pleadingly. I looked directly into her eyes, adding even more pain to her already-torn heart.
“Yes. Let me help you,” she finally replied.
I allowed her to assist me to sit up. Then, I used her slight weight to get me to my feet. I huddled over, trying to cradle my ‘injured’ stomach some more.
She fell for it utterly and completely. She even forgot her fear of me to place her arm at my back. I held out my free hand for her to take, she placed her tiny fingers inside it. She nodded as we continued our way back to the castle.
The silence was painful. I was used to girls gushing about how handsome I was and how much they loved me. With no words being spoken, it was more awkward than I ever realized.
But Belle was with me. I had managed to convince her to return to the castle, even when she was so intent on leaving. That was a win. Also a sign that she was able to be won over.
I now knew exactly how I could get Belle to fall in love with me. All I had to do was play the poor, innocent beast for a while. Then she would be putty in my hands.
Back at the castle, I allowed Belle to break my own rules by accompanying me all the way back to my room in the forbidden south wing. She helped me into my bed, pulling the covers up to my chin.
“Is there anything I can get for you?” She asked, pulling a chair over to sit by my bedside.
“No, just having you here is helping to make me stronger,” I replied, sounding like I might die at any moment. While I had her, I may as well lay it on thick. “I really am sorry you miss your papa so much. It is selfish of me to have you here. I just get so lonely. And you are so wonderful.”
A small smile quirked her lips. She was actually buying it. “Maybe I could stay a little while longer. I did promise, after all.”
Exactly, good of her to actually remember it for once. “Would you? It would make me so happy.”
“I will. For you, Beast. I will stay.”
She held my paw until I drifted off to sleep. I wanted to tell my servants not to let her out of the castle again before I did, but lost my opportunity.
Belle was still there when I awoke. She slept soundly in the chair, still holding my paw. There was a grim satisfaction in that. Either she was too scared to leave or she actually cared.
I nudged her arm and her eyes sprung open. We shared breakfast together that morning. And many more mornings after that.
Belle and I became inseparable. We spent many hours walking in the castle grounds. I even picked some flowers for her one day which brought her great delight. It wasn’t like I was incapable of romance. I just didn’t have to do it before.
Unfortunately, things were progressing much slower than I had anticipated. Gus kept knocking at my door, wanting to speak with me about Belle’s whereabouts. There was only so long I could hold him off before he realized I had her captive.
Belle rarely smiled like she used to when I saw her in town. It was getting frustrating always seeing her so forlorn. For some reason it made me have feelings of sadness too. I quickly reminded myself how wonderful I was and the feeling would soon pass.
We were having lunch one afternoon when I was completely over her attitude. “If you don’t like anything here, what do you like?”
Belle thought about it for a long time. It shouldn’t be that hard. I could name a hundred things I liked just from the top of my head. She was impossible.
>
Finally, she replied. “Books. I like books.”
Now that was something I could deal with. “Come with me. I want to show you something.” I held out my arm and she slid her hand through it.
I led Belle to my library. I didn’t have a need for books, I knew everything anyway. The castle had come with a complete library, however, so I was well equipped with books.
As we entered, Belle’s face lit up. “This is magnificent. Do you enjoy reading?”
Only the labels of my hair care products. “Oh yes, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I can’t even count how many hours I’ve spent in here with these wonderful books.” I could never count something when it was zero.
She ran her hands lightly over the books, delighting in reading the titles of them individually. It was almost like she was having a religious experience.
“You can read anything you like in here,” I offered, rather kindly if I did say so myself.
Belle turned to face me, as if only just remembering I was still there. “Thank you, Beast. I would like that very much.”
I left her to it with a smile on my face. Belle was putty in my hands.
CHAPTER 7
After showing Belle my library, she was much more pleasant to live with. She managed to make it to every meal we shared and she was much nicer to me in general. If I didn’t know better, I would think she was falling in love with me.
Things were still moving too slowly though. I needed to step up my romance so I could finally be turned back into the handsome prince I truly was.
It happened one night, the brilliant idea crept into my thoughts and I knew it was perfect. I loved the way I could think so spectacularly.
After Lantern took our dinner plates, it was time to make my move. “Belle, I was wondering…”
“Wondering what?” She asked sweetly.
“Oh, don’t worry about. It’s silly. You won’t want to do it.”
Fairy Tales Retold Page 14