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Description
The sky was dark; as dark as a raven's back; as dark as the castle with the lamps out; as dark as her heart at that point. She stood by the window, watching the rain lash down with the force of a thousand whips. Each streak of lightning felt as thought it were cutting into her heart. Her tears rolled down her cheeks like the raindrops down the window pane. She shivered although she wasn't cold, and wrapped her purple cloak more tightly around her shoulders; not that she needed a cloak, her fur was generally enough to keep away the cold. It had once been a symbol of her status as a princess. But now she felt like all the status in the world couldn't make her feel any better.
For the first time in her life, things had been perfect, just perfect. And it had been because of him, because he had been there.
Beau. Even thinking of his name made her cry. He had been the first man not to shy away from her fearsome appearence when he had stumbled upon her castle, looking for his mother. So many had, but not he. He had seen inside her; she had felt him, like he was looking into her heart. Now her heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces, like glass and no one could fix them, no one but Beau. And he had gone.
She turned to look at the enchanted rose, her hourglass. The curse she was under would only last for a few more petals. After that, there would be no way of ever breaking it. But that wasn't what hurt her anymore. What hurt her was the fact that in the space of a few weeks, she had fallen, really, truly, deeply in love with him. But he didn't love her back, of that she was certain. And her heart was breaking and it was going to kill her...

"Hello, Beau!"
Sitting on the hillside, with his head buried in a book as usual, Beau looked up. He hadn't been concentrating on the words at all. He'd been thinking, thinking about...Beastia. He couldn't understand it. Ever since she had told him to leave and return to the town that he had missed so much, although now he was back, he wasn't entirely sure why he had missed it so much; his thoughts had been just of her. At first, he hadn't liked her firey temper and fiesty spirit but gradually he had come to like her, once he had seen that within she was actually a very kind, gentle and somewhat vulnerable young woman. And he had to admit, he did miss her now she wasn't around. He had thought for a second that it was she that had called his name. In disappointment, he saw that it was...
"Oh, hello, Gastonia," he said, flatly.
Wih her black hair, arrogant attitude and cruel nature towards animals, Gastonia was the last person in the world he had wanted to see at that point. Even so, she strode towards him and plucked the book from his hands. "How can you read this, Beau?"
"It's exciting," he replied, holding out his hand for the book. "Can I have it back, please?"
"Can't be that exciting if you haven't read a lot of it yet!" she sneered, tossing it to the floor. Beau quickly grabbed it and wiped the dust from it. "Please, Gastonia, I really need to be alone right now. I'm trying to gather my thoughts."
She bristled slightly. "It's that creature you're always going on about, isn't it? You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for it!"
"She's not an "it!" She's a "she!" Beau replied hotly, but her words had struck a chord with him. He thought about it. Beastia, she was, well, she was very kind and he liked being with her and she could make him laugh and cheer him up and she didn't find his love for books strange at all...
"I do have feelings for her!"
Gastonia's face clouded over at once. "For that monster?"
"She's no monster! The only monsters are people like you!" Beau scrambled to his feet. "I've got to go back there!"

Another petal fell slowly from the rose, drifting like a snowflake to the bottom of the belljar. Her tears had frozen on her cheeks. Time was running out...

Beau rode as fast as Phillipa could carry him. The wind whistled through his hair and branches caught at his clothing, but he didn't care. Now he was certain of his feelings, he had to get back to the castle at once. Fear had gripped him, suddenly. For some unexplainable reason, he was worried abou Beastia.Something inside him was telling him that if he didn't find her and tell her that he loved her soon, something terrible would happen.
A sudden whirlwind of black caused him to rein in Phillipa and look around. A fast black stallion had just shot past them at top speed. Beau panted in shock. Only one person in the village rode a horse like that! And she was heading for the castle!
Panic gripped him now. What was she going to do? He urged Phillipa forwards at once...

The door opened with a creak. She looked around. It was a girl she had never seen before in her life; tall, arrogant looking, black haired and holding a bow and arrow, which was pointed at her. She said nothing. Who as this strange and hostile woman who had just entered the castle? What was she here for? Before she could speak, the girl let the arrow fly. She dodged aside but the head of the arros grazed painfully into her arm. Before she had time to recover, the girl leapt at her...

Beau reached the castle gates, which had been wrenched aside and lay almost falling off their hinges. He threw himself from Phillipa's back and hurried across the courtyard...

"Are you in love with him, monster?" Gastonia demanded. "Well, you won't have him! He's mine!"
She struggled to her feet, a newfound strength suddenly coarsing through her. Gastonia had wrenched a stone from the roof and now she attempted to bring it down on her opponant's head. But her blow fell short as she was knocked off her feet with one swipe of a furry paw. The stone clattered from her hand and down into the courtyard below. Gastonia looked down and realised that she was almost dangling from the roof. If she fell, she would not survive. "Don't kill me," she whispered in fright. "Please, let me go! Please!"

Beau charged up the stairs, where he knew he would find Beastia. Please don't let me be too late, he thought...

"Get out." Her tone was clipped and firm. She turned away from the now terrified girl and examined the wound on her arm. It wasn't too servere. It would heal soon.
"Beastia!"
She turned at once. Her heart leapt with newfound joy. "Beau? What are you doing here?"
"I came back."
"I can see that!"
"Beastia, I needed to tell you that-"
Everything happened so quickly. A flash of silver in Gastonia's hand. A quick motion of her arm. Bestia cried out with pain and fell. "No!" Beau cried, leaping down from the balcony and running to her side. "What have you done?"
"I wasn't going to lose you to some savage animal!" But Gastonia had teetered too close to the edge of the roof. She lost her balance and with a cry she fell down, down, down into the mists below...

Cradling his love in his arms, Beau carried her back into the West Wing. "Just hold on," he murmured, setting her down. "You're going to be alright."
She shook her head. "The wound's too deep." Her eyes found his. "I can't believe you came back."
"Of course I did. This is all my fault. If I'd gotten here sooner..."
She reached out to touch his face. "I'm just glad I got to see you before...I love you..."
Her eyes closed and she became still in his arms. Tears overwhelmed him. "No, no, it can't be this way! Don't leave me! I love you. I should have said it sooner, I know. I love you. I love you."

The last petal fell from the rose...

Sparks were falling from the sky. Beau watched as they lifted his love into the air. Powerless to resist, he stared as, with a sudden burst of what he could only call magic, she became a woman. A beautiful young woman with pale skin, aurburn hair that fell in waves and flowed like water and when she opened her eyes they were still that same beautiful shade of green. His heart hammered as she settled to the ground and looked around. She examined her hands, got to her feet, stared down at her feet, felt her body and face and then, with a sudden shout of joy, she flung herself into his arms. He lifted her off her feet and spun with her, holding her tightly.
"I can't believe it," she whispered. "You love me."
Wordlessly he kissed her with all the passion in his heart. "I love you," he murmured. "Oh, Beastia, I thought I'd-"
"Don't call me that," she said, running her hands through his hair. "My name's Audrina. I suppose I didn't feel that was name when I was...what I was."
"I love you no matter what your name is or what you look like," Beau declared.
"I love you too."
"So marry me?"
"Of course I will."

And that was how a cursed princess and a book-loving young man became the rulers of all of France...simply by finding the beauty within.

THE END

Picture by xavierhaven

Story by me

Description
The sky was dark; as dark as a raven's back; as dark as the castle with the lamps out; as dark as her heart at that point. She stood by the window, watching the rain lash down with the force of a thousand whips. Each streak of lightning felt as thought it were cutting into her heart. Her tears rolled down her cheeks like the raindrops down the window pane. She shivered although she wasn't cold, and wrapped her purple cloak more tightly around her shoulders; not that she needed a cloak, her fur was generally enough to keep away the cold. It had once been a symbol of her status as a princess. But now she felt like all the status in the world couldn't make her feel any better.
For the first time in her life, things had been perfect, just perfect. And it had been because of him, because he had been there.
Beau. Even thinking of his name made her cry. He had been the first man not to shy away from her fearsome appearence when he had stumbled upon her castle, looking for his mother. So many had, but not he. He had seen inside her; she had felt him, like he was looking into her heart. Now her heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces, like glass and no one could fix them, no one but Beau. And he had gone.
She turned to look at the enchanted rose, her hourglass. The curse she was under would only last for a few more petals. After that, there would be no way of ever breaking it. But that wasn't what hurt her anymore. What hurt her was the fact that in the space of a few weeks, she had fallen, really, truly, deeply in love with him. But he didn't love her back, of that she was certain. And her heart was breaking and it was going to kill her...

"Hello, Beau!"
Sitting on the hillside, with his head buried in a book as usual, Beau looked up. He hadn't been concentrating on the words at all. He'd been thinking, thinking about...Beastia. He couldn't understand it. Ever since she had told him to leave and return to the town that he had missed so much, although now he was back, he wasn't entirely sure why he had missed it so much; his thoughts had been just of her. At first, he hadn't liked her firey temper and fiesty spirit but gradually he had come to like her, once he had seen that within she was actually a very kind, gentle and somewhat vulnerable young woman. And he had to admit, he did miss her now she wasn't around. He had thought for a second that it was she that had called his name. In disappointment, he saw that it was...
"Oh, hello, Gastonia," he said, flatly.
Wih her black hair, arrogant attitude and cruel nature towards animals, Gastonia was the last person in the world he had wanted to see at that point. Even so, she strode towards him and plucked the book from his hands. "How can you read this, Beau?"
"It's exciting," he replied, holding out his hand for the book. "Can I have it back, please?"
"Can't be that exciting if you haven't read a lot of it yet!" she sneered, tossing it to the floor. Beau quickly grabbed it and wiped the dust from it. "Please, Gastonia, I really need to be alone right now. I'm trying to gather my thoughts."
She bristled slightly. "It's that creature you're always going on about, isn't it? You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for it!"
"She's not an "it!" She's a "she!" Beau replied hotly, but her words had struck a chord with him. He thought about it. Beastia, she was, well, she was very kind and he liked being with her and she could make him laugh and cheer him up and she didn't find his love for books strange at all...
"I do have feelings for her!"
Gastonia's face clouded over at once. "For that monster?"
"She's no monster! The only monsters are people like you!" Beau scrambled to his feet. "I've got to go back there!"

Another petal fell slowly from the rose, drifting like a snowflake to the bottom of the belljar. Her tears had frozen on her cheeks. Time was running out...

Beau rode as fast as Phillipa could carry him. The wind whistled through his hair and branches caught at his clothing, but he didn't care. Now he was certain of his feelings, he had to get back to the castle at once. Fear had gripped him, suddenly. For some unexplainable reason, he was worried abou Beastia.Something inside him was telling him that if he didn't find her and tell her that he loved her soon, something terrible would happen.
A sudden whirlwind of black caused him to rein in Phillipa and look around. A fast black stallion had just shot past them at top speed. Beau panted in shock. Only one person in the village rode a horse like that! And she was heading for the castle!
Panic gripped him now. What was she going to do? He urged Phillipa forwards at once...

The door opened with a creak. She looked around. It was a girl she had never seen before in her life; tall, arrogant looking, black haired and holding a bow and arrow, which was pointed at her. She said nothing. Who as this strange and hostile woman who had just entered the castle? What was she here for? Before she could speak, the girl let the arrow fly. She dodged aside but the head of the arros grazed painfully into her arm. Before she had time to recover, the girl leapt at her...

Beau reached the castle gates, which had been wrenched aside and lay almost falling off their hinges. He threw himself from Phillipa's back and hurried across the courtyard...

"Are you in love with him, monster?" Gastonia demanded. "Well, you won't have him! He's mine!"
She struggled to her feet, a newfound strength suddenly coarsing through her. Gastonia had wrenched a stone from the roof and now she attempted to bring it down on her opponant's head. But her blow fell short as she was knocked off her feet with one swipe of a furry paw. The stone clattered from her hand and down into the courtyard below. Gastonia looked down and realised that she was almost dangling from the roof. If she fell, she would not survive. "Don't kill me," she whispered in fright. "Please, let me go! Please!"

Beau charged up the stairs, where he knew he would find Beastia. Please don't let me be too late, he thought...

"Get out." Her tone was clipped and firm. She turned away from the now terrified girl and examined the wound on her arm. It wasn't too servere. It would heal soon.
"Beastia!"
She turned at once. Her heart leapt with newfound joy. "Beau? What are you doing here?"
"I came back."
"I can see that!"
"Beastia, I needed to tell you that-"
Everything happened so quickly. A flash of silver in Gastonia's hand. A quick motion of her arm. Bestia cried out with pain and fell. "No!" Beau cried, leaping down from the balcony and running to her side. "What have you done?"
"I wasn't going to lose you to some savage animal!" But Gastonia had teetered too close to the edge of the roof. She lost her balance and with a cry she fell down, down, down into the mists below...

Cradling his love in his arms, Beau carried her back into the West Wing. "Just hold on," he murmured, setting her down. "You're going to be alright."
She shook her head. "The wound's too deep." Her eyes found his. "I can't believe you came back."
"Of course I did. This is all my fault. If I'd gotten here sooner..."
She reached out to touch his face. "I'm just glad I got to see you before...I love you..."
Her eyes closed and she became still in his arms. Tears overwhelmed him. "No, no, it can't be this way! Don't leave me! I love you. I should have said it sooner, I know. I love you. I love you."

The last petal fell from the rose...

Sparks were falling from the sky. Beau watched as they lifted his love into the air. Powerless to resist, he stared as, with a sudden burst of what he could only call magic, she became a woman. A beautiful young woman with pale skin, aurburn hair that fell in waves and flowed like water and when she opened her eyes they were still that same beautiful shade of green. His heart hammered as she settled to the ground and looked around. She examined her hands, got to her feet, stared down at her feet, felt her body and face and then, with a sudden shout of joy, she flung herself into his arms. He lifted her off her feet and spun with her, holding her tightly.
"I can't believe it," she whispered. "You love me."
Wordlessly he kissed her with all the passion in his heart. "I love you," he murmured. "Oh, Beastia, I thought I'd-"
"Don't call me that," she said, running her hands through his hair. "My name's Audrina. I suppose I didn't feel that was name when I was...what I was."
"I love you no matter what your name is or what you look like," Beau declared.
"I love you too."
"So marry me?"
"Of course I will."

And that was how a cursed princess and a book-loving young man became the rulers of all of France...simply by finding the beauty within.

THE END

Picture by xavierhaven

Story by me