It Is You I Have Loved

Chapter 38

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 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."