Circus of the Beast

3

Lorcan slammed the door to his cabin shut with a sound so deafening, it might have scared away all creatures in the night. The girl, who was she? She thought she could just waltz in there, stinking of river water and wearing a gown stained with mud. And why had she been so beautiful?

Lorcan paced in his cabin, muttering to himself in unintelligible words. The room around him was lit by a grand blaze in the fireplace, the tongues of the flames licking up the bricks alongside it and reaching out to warm the cool cabin. His otherwise warm hands were cold this night, though he didn't think it was due to the chilly temperature.

Could she be the one to lift the horrid curse bestowed upon him by the wretched enchantress? She must be; Lorcan hadn't ever felt admiration like he did for the girl just moments before. And not to mention that she had The Touch, something very few mortals ever receive. She had to be of nymph lineage, it was the only solution to her ability.

But, what a terrible introduction he had made! He knew how important first impressions were to those of the female variety, and here he had gone and messed it all up. How could he fix this issue he had created? How could he better himself now that an opportunity such as this had turned up?

Lorcan slammed a fist onto the desk in front of him. He could never win her over. Everyone involved with his circus depended on it, but alas, the girl could never grow to love him. Who could ever love a beast such as himself? He cringed at the thought of how he had treated her just moments before.

A slight knock sounded on the wooden door, signaling someone's arrival. Lorcan took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. However, his efforts were futile and he only advanced in levels of nervousness.

A small man entered the room and Lorcan instantly recognized him to be Maghnus. The man had gone against Lorcan's suggestion about not coloring his beard every shade of the rainbow. But Maghnus had said that since he was a clown, it was totally called for. Now, Lorcan had to admit, Maghnus looked quite humorous. It really did help with him being a clown.

"How is the girl?" Lorcan asked, trying to mask his admiration for the young woman.

Maghnus sighed and settled himself on a nearby cushion. "Her name is Keelia, and she is asleep."

"Good. She'll need all the strength she can muster for tomorrow and the days to come."

Maghnus cleared his throat. "Don't you think you were too hard on her? Threatening to feed her to the dragon?"

Lorcan scoffed, "Dragún wouldn't have harmed her. She is much too tame for that nonsense."

"And how was Keelia supposed to know that?" Maghnus pulled on his beard.

Lorcan had no response; Keelia wouldn't have been able to know that at all.

"You are nothing but a spoiled and unkind man," Maghnus stated. "Do you really think that by the end of the season, you'd break the curse acting the way you do?"

Lorcan frowned and straightened to his full height. "It's a lost cause. I am doomed, along with the rest of the performers. The season will be over and I will turn into a hideous monster with no conscience or consideration for others."

Maghnus sighed, "I believe that is what the enchantress saw you as before. She is only going to have your outside match your inside."

"You're a great help," Lorcan's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Lorcan eyed his Ringmaster cane, the red rose on the very end was glowing a vibrant red that was magnificent. When the glass rose turned to black, his time as a handsome man would be over, and in his place would be a horrifying beast. A beast that no one could ever understand or even love.