Lover and the Beauty Beast

Chapter 3 Surprise Turn of Event

"Good bye, mama!" He called back at his mother, she was waving at him good bye with a bright smile in her face, eyes proud and tearless-she need not cry, he was already an eighteen year old man. His sisters had packed everything for him, had even made a little farewell party and gave him presents for the way. Dominich, his older brother, had got him two beautiful stalions, young and strong horses for the way.

Hunter didnt accept them at first, but he gave in when Dominic had threatened him with a sweet smile to find him an tie the horses to his ankles if he had to. "Good bye, father!" He waved at his dad, looking straight and proud. A grin on his face.

"Dont forget to get to know each other more!" He called. "Come back when you think you're ready, son, I'll be waiting!" Hunter laughed, looking at his beautiful girlfriend; she had wavy blonde hair that fell to her back, beautiful green eyes and the fairest skin, her full lips red as roses and beautiful like a new morning if spring. She looked up at him, taking his arm a bit too harshly to her.

"I love you, Hunter." She whispered, pecking his cheek. "Do you love me?" She giggled, Hunter sighed internally. Father couldnt take a little chick and put it in my back pocket instead? He thought, huffing.

"I do, Vanessa, I do." See, the thing with Vanessa, was that ... she was another girl of the town: rich, blonde, prideful ... blonde ... rich. You got the point, yes? "We will be heading into far deep in the woods, so it will be darker than it os out where we live-"

"Ooohh...the woods are scary..." She freared. "Will you hold me?" Hunter smiled, tightly, and took her hands, squeezing them briefly. The whole ride he spent his time like that-and hating himself for what he was going to do. But he had to. Finding camp near a slow running river, he set everything up, while she lazily picked up flowers and giggled when butterflies would pop up in front of her. By night, when he slept in his tent, he kay awake, thinking about what his life would be-when he heard something move outside. He sighed, maybe it was Vanessa again, trying to get him to sleep in her same tent.

Two things: he wasnt supposed to, she was a lady and he was a man, that wasnt a thing to do. And two ... Hunter didnt even want to. Her chirpy voice and squeaky giggles made him wince-yes, she was beautiful, but he wanted something serious, something where both could talk about their lives and problems,where they could both hold each other while trying no to break-he sat bolt-right up, there was clang of pots and a slight curse. When he opened the tent, ready to take whoever was there, he took hold of a sword he carried whenever he tried to go into the woods alone. He walked out, getting slightly cold from the breeze over his bare chest.

Hunter made sure the man who was hovering over Vanessa's tent wasnt armed, he saw nothing. But the man looked easy to take, he was small and not built enough. He did have bows and arrows-his bows and arrows.

"You, who are you?" Hunter asked, angry that someone took his bows and- "What are you...?"

"Hunter!" Vanessa exclaimed. "I...I can explain this!" She began to scramble to her feet, the cape behind her getting by her feet, in some other circumstane, it would be funny, but Hunter was wide eyed, unable to get words out.

"Then do, please," he said, leaning against a tree's trunk. She huffed, all her innocent voice and stance gone, she looked like a fighter with those man's gear and bots, he was used to seeing girls with dresses and skirts. She looked like a portrait of Boadicea, a old but strong woman who fought bravely agaisnt an army towards her kingdom.

"I dont love you...Hunter," she said, a bit sorry but not sorry. "I just wanted a ride to this lake, so I could go find my hometown, it's a few miles from here. I couldnt afford to get my own carrige, so...when I heard that your father-rich he is-wanted a daughter to marry his son..." She tilted her head to the side. "I am...sorry, Hunter, I never meant to hurt you..."

"You didnt," he said simply. "I..." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled a bit with a wince. "I was planning on leaving you here anyways, Vanessa. I never really wanted to marry you in the first place." She raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I didnt think you'd leave a woman in the woods all on her own." She laughed, with actuall humor. "Oh, Hunter, we are so wrong!" She laughed again, this time he joined. And to think! To think that she was all a little cherry cake! She was dressed like a hunter and ready to take a bear. "Look, which way are you going? So we dont meet each other by the way to a better life." Hunter smiled widely, telling her where he was heading, her own smile vanished. "What do you mean you're going west? The people that go there...they dont come back, Hunter." He frowned.

"Why not?" She crossed her arms.

"You dont go out much to the woods, do you?" He made a face, as if to say: I know, I know. Incredible, he thought, a girl giving me answers about a death road. "Well, there is place...I myself dont know what it is, or where exactly, but the place is magical ad enchanted, held by an evil queen. That since her parents died, she turned evil, a blood thirsty beast."

"So..." Hunter said slowly. "There an enchanted castle with a ... killer beast in it?" She nodded gravely but truly. "Like in the feary tail, Beauty and the Beast!" He said with a grin. Vanessa face palmer her face.

"Just, dont go there, you can go east, I'll be heading south." She walked to him, putting a hand on his face. "And, Hunter?" She said softly. He looked down at her.

"Please, do watch where you go; you are a wonderful man and any woman would be more than blessed to have you by your side. Now, be safe and promise me that you won't go to that castle." He smiled unnevenly and nodded.

"I promise I wont kill myself," he joked, Vanessa shook her head with a laugh.

"Geez! When will the man stop reading my mind? And cover your chest, cant younsee Im blushing here, Hunter?" They both laughed and held hands.

"Well," he said, after they finished their laughs. "This is good bye, my dear Vanessa...I will see you in a future, yes?" She embraced him one last time.

"Closer than you think, my dear Hunter." A few tears escaped her eyes, as she remembered the times that Hunter had been there for her and had held her close, even when he didnt love her the way she had. She also knew they had been very great friends, sharing theirs as an impossible love. Because she wanted to be united with her hometown and he wanted to find his own life. With a farewell kiss, "Good bye," she turned and began to dissapear in the darkness of the forrest's trees. She never loked back again to him, knowing she would be torn to leave her one true love.

"Good bye," Hunter whispered to the shadows ahead. He willed to turn his body to his tent, to get rest and keep his journy in the morning, but he wanted to part now-to go and see what destiny will bring him to. And so he did, taking everything, he mounted his horse and left his belongings behind, bringing only his sword and food. The rest? He had a feeling he wouldnt be needing them much.