Reddest Rose

Chapter Four

Phillipe had never run so hard in his entire life. Belle bent low over his neck and clutched his sides with her knees. The howls were growing closer, and when she lifted her eyes to look around she caught sight of dark, grey forms slicing through the trees surrounding what remained of the path. She gasped in horror as yellow eyes flashed in her direction, and pulled Phillipe hard to the left when one of the forms leaped at them. The teeth of the animal barely missed scraping her shoe. Suddenly the cold air wasn't quite so threatening. The hunger she'd been thinking about fled.

She just had to go faster!

It was the wolf who suddenly appeared to run beside them that drew her attention. She'd read of Alpha wolves, but never dreamed she would see one so close. Its eyes were amber, its mouth full of hideous teeth. Around its throat was a thicker coat of black, and the fur around its muzzle was stained crimson. Across its left eye was a long, thick, pink scar that pulled its lip up into a larger snarl than it might have had otherwise. It snapped at Phillipe's leg and the horse reared. "No! Phillipe! Run!" She cried, attempting to force him back down. He pawed at the air and whinnied.

She clung to his back and gasped at the tug at her throat. One of the wolves pulled at her hooded cape, and she just barely freed herself before Phillipe landed his forelegs down again, trampling one of the smaller ones. She could easily hear the snap and crunch of the poor thing's bones, but they surged forward again, leaving the corpse behind. Several of the wolves, smaller and sickly looking, dragged it off into the depths of the trees. Only three remained on the hunt - including the alpha. Tears pricked at her vision and the ring on her finger suddenly sent fire along her hand - and she was sure - gave a weak tug to the right.

Belle steered Phillipe down a trail she would have missed otherwise, and as they galloped forward she saw what looked to be an imposing iron gate, left partially open. The steed seemed to have spotted the same and surged forward. She pulled hard enough on the reigns to pull Phillipe into a rear and slid backwards, nearly twisting her ankle as she fell onto cold, slick cobblestone. The young woman raced forward and just managed to slam the gate closed as the trio of wolves threw themselves against it. One of them managed to fit its muzzle through the gate and tear the sleeve of her dress, but the lock on the gate seemed to do its job. She collapsed backwards with a sob.

The ring no longer sent out light. It was cool against her finger, its power apparently exhausted. Only after the wolves had stalked away did she find the strength to stand and take a look at her surroundings. She was in a courtyard of some kind, full of leafless trees with gnarled branches and black bark. Dead silence surrounded her. In front of her was an imposing looking castle, its sharp turrets grey with filthy snow and gargoyles perched at every corner. She took Phillipe's reigns in hand and slowly led him forward through an arch of dark stone. Empty pots sat on either side of it, and as she walked through she found what she assumed her father had - a clean, dry stable. She penned the horse inside and continued her search.

The grounds were bare. There wasn't a single servant in sight, and the disrepair of the structure encouraged her belief that there weren't any. Belle shivered as she looked around, finally finding a strangle, glass door that opened easily to her gentle push. Inside, was a wonderland. A white, stone path curved this way and that through bushes of Azaleas and Hydrangeas. Daisies filled the gaps and she'd never seen such rainbows of colors! She walked slowly along the pathway, quite forgetting where she was. It was warm enough to melt the snow that clung to her hair. She distantly heard the quiet tinkling of a fountain. As she turned another corner she froze in her steps. There, not four steps ahead, was the most beautiful rose bush she'd ever seen.

She moved as though caught in a spell, one hand extended to clutch the silky flowers blooming on the well tended plant. It obviously had a place of honor, as four marble benches sat around it for admiring, although three were heavily damaged. Belle pushed a lock of hair that had fallen loose behind her ear, and the dizzying scent of roses froze her. They almost seemed to glow. Ever so carefully she reached one hand out and -

"What do you think you're doing?" The voice was a roar from behind her, and she whirled to see an enormous, brown...beast standing on its hind legs. It roared again. Belle stared up at the figure in horror, falling back over a broken marble bench. She'd meant to be brave. She'd meant to not cry. Yet tears streamed down her cheeks and tremors took her body. She'd done this for her father. The minute he crawled in through the front door coughing and retching with fear, she knew she'd be giving something up. "I said, what do you think you're doing?" Curling, black horns grew from its forehead and it was covered in a thick layer of shaggy, brown fur. It easily stood eight feet tall, and a long, thick tail seemed to support it as it stood.

"I-I, my father...he..." She couldn't breathe, let alone speak. Why hadn't her father prepared her for this? "I agreed." She finally managed to force out.

The beast seemed confused. "Agreed? Agreed to steal from me?" The voice was decidedly masculine, and hypnotizing blue eyes caught and held her. If she was about to die, at least she could watch them as the life left her body. "Was your father the man I fed and warmed? He sat in my chair. Slept in my bed." He snarled, going down into a crouch. She'd never seen anything so terrifying. "Then he made to steal my most precious possession."

"You...you freed him...in return for a...a daughter to marry." She blurted, staring up at him. Belle still hadn't moved from her place on the floor, and sharp pieces of stone were bloodying her hand.

The beast made a sound similar to outrage and advanced so that he was standing over her. From here she could feel the heat radiating from him, and those teeth! They reminded her of the wolves circling outside the gate. She didn't dare move. "Is that what that weasel of a man told you? Far from it. He begged to bid farewell to his precious daughters. He swore to return and accept his punishment for throwing my hospitality back in my face. If he sent you, it was out of fear for his own skin." His words were knives in her gut - piercing, burning, twisting knives - and there seemed to be no end of them.

"What did you say?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Your dear father lied to you, to save himself. If you've come in his place, this is not where you belong." He suddenly stood and pulled her up by one arm. Her shoulder screamed with pain as he yanked her off of her feet and held her arm above his head. "The garden is no place for prisoners." Lowering her back onto her feet, he stalked back through the garden. She found herself running to keep up with him. If she didn't, he might very well tear her arm from her socket.

"Please! I only meant to make amends for my father! He couldn't have lied to me like that! He wouldn't!" She tripped over a step as he dragged her into the castle, and she didn't have a second to admire it. Hallways and stairways and tapestries went by in a blur as they ascended higher and higher. It became increasingly colder, and darker, and soon she realized she was not in a very welcoming place. They entered a circular room filled with doors, each with a little window at the bottom and bars across it. Belle pulled against his grip when he jerked one of the doors open, and could do little else as he fairly threw her inside. It was wet. It was cold. It was a cell.

"Your father lied to you. The moment you realize that is the moment I know what to do with you." He growled, slamming it closed.

Belle fell to her knees and gripped the bars, pushing as hard as she could. The door refused to budge. "Monsieur! Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

His shadow was fading from view, but she heard his heavy footfalls stop short of the stairs. "I'm called Beast." He said quietly, silence suddenly dominating the small space. "You'll do well to remember it."