The Beast of Rose Castle

-= 5 =-

She stood among the flowers, their cheerfully bright silver petals shone in the light of the sun. They reflected a golden hue onto the grass, making the field look mystical. Annelie breathed in the scent of sweet sugary butter. 

With a laugh, she spun in the warmth and heat of the summer sun. It was welcomed with open arms as the cold of winter was still embedded deep within her. Shivering nights spent curled and shaking with tears spilling easily down her cheeks. They nearly froze there, little pieces of icy sadness. 

Now, Annelie was finally freed from the heavy shackles, somewhere safe. However, the elation was quickly dissolved into a cloud of smoke. It faded, as did the light of the sun. It grew dark, the world dropping into an unknown void. 

With nothing underneath her feet to center her, she fell. It was impossible to fall for such a long time, you would have thought she would have gotten bored. Yet, the terror hit her in giant waves, one after another. She was left feeling torn open, empty, and numb. 

When she hit the ground, it was nothing like it had been before. She slipped out of her bed, her small feet padding on the ground. The world suddenly seemed so much large, expanding out in front of her in terrible grays. "Mama... Papa?" she called out, voice small and high pitched. The floor, it was so cold, and she felt like her feet were freezing. 

Her eyes darted down when an overwhelming smack of pain shattered through her feet. Small toes had turned blue and her head swam. "Mama! Papa!" Annelie shouted. With a minuscule cry, she shot forward. Her limbs were uncoordinated, moving around like she had yet to figure out how to properly use them. 

It didn't take her very long to find herself outside, in the pure, white snow. Flakes of it drifted from the gray sky and the darkest trees she had ever seen loomed in front of her. They were black, pure black. Even so, she could see a light, or a lamp, and the fire there looked so inviting. 

So, she stumbled forward, her eyes wide and green with innocence and youth. Fire, the thought made another shiver slip down her spine. It was due to an intense need for the feeling of it warming her body, heating her back up from the outside to her core. "Hello! H-hello!" she called out, voice squeaking eagerly. 

The lamp was held by a hand, a strong hand. She looked up, farther and farther. Yet, the face of whoever help the lamp was something she never saw, as Annelie woke up. 

She sat up in the warm bed with a snap, breathing unevenly. Outside the sun was drifting farther up in the sky. It was nearly to the top of the sky, making her gasp. Annelie jumped from the bed, finding her hands moving over the fur, reflexively straightening it. 

No, I stayed here. I stayed in his castle, the Beast's castle, she thought with a harsh shake of her head. Disappointment clouded her mind, but that was quickly replaced with irritation towards the Beast once more. He had been the one to drag her to the room, and gave her no option in the matter. 

Her mouth thinned into a line as she fussed over her cotton dress. It was wrinkled and dirty from her having worked the day before. How had she not noticed? 

I must leave before he gets it in his head to keep me prisoner here, she thought. 

With rushed movements she fixed up the room the best she could, then paused. There was not a sound coming from the hall. A sudden idea came to her, and she found her feet padding over to the door of the room. It opened easily, the handle turning down under the slightest pressure. 

Instead of crying out in happiness at the discovery, she stayed silent. With a light tap, she closed the door behind herself. Annelie knew that if she was to leave, then it would have to be when no one was around to keep her from escaping. She set off down the hall he had led her down, remembering that she had seen a painting of a horse out of the corner of her eye on the way to the bedchamber.