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[Racheal and Tainted] The Beauty & The Beast

TaintedLove

Super-Earth
Joined
Aug 12, 2009
A cold wind whipped against the trees with an astonishing strength, sending most inhabitants of a village in the North of France to cover in the local tavern or the comfort of their houses. The rain fell heavily upon the ground, announcing an imminent arrival of the winter. In the shadows, however, stumbled a frail silhouette, shielding herself from the rough weather with the help of a large blue scarf.

''Father? Father!'' Her feeble voice called out, fading into the sounds of the storm. Hours have passed since her father's departure, and the young girl was growing increasingly worried about him. Making her way across the village's main place, she slowly walked toward the muddy route her father used earlier on that morning.

''Belle, why the rush? You could use some warming,'' a hoarse, narcissistic voice mused, a large male approaching the girl from the corner of the street. He looked intimidating, proud and self assured - the type of man to choose a girl because she would look good beside him, rather than because of true feelings. In Belle's opinion, he could have gotten married to a full length mirror, it would have suited him best.

''Please, leave me alone, Gaston,'' she responded, her melodious although deep voice holding notes of desperation. He inspired fear to her, never up to any good, brutalising the whereabouts and her father's working space. She loved books, always carrying at least one with herself. She dreamed of a gentle, delicate man, able to challenge her beliefs and make her want not only his body but everything that came with it. Gaston was clearly not the type she sought.

Brushing past him, she shook her head, accelerating. She was a beautiful girl, most men in the village flirted with her, some refraining from doing so due to their spouses' iron fists. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back almost to her waist, curling toward its ends, always attached in a loose ponytail. Her honey shaded eyes were large and bright, filled with wit and idealism in spite of a light shadow cast upon them by the thick and long eyelashes. Her face was delicate although held a light tan, her cheekbones rather high and her lips plump of a gentle pink shade. The girl's body was well sculpted in spite of her young age, she was merely nineteen. Standing at approximately five feet and four inches tall, she held a pair of ample breasts, tiny waistline, flat stomach, long slender legs and a firm round rear. These assets were easy to spot although her dress always left something for imagination - it was a careful light blue cloth, with a light blouse underneath and an apron that day, laying loose on her curves other than perhaps her stomach.

Attempting to avoid a void conversation with the brute, she made her way out of the village, calling out for her father. He, however, was nowhere to be seen. Finally, she came to the end of the road, where it separated in two. Hesitant, she turned left, walking for what felt like hours yet in truth preceeded one. It was not long before the nightfall was complete, nothing there to light her road, the stars hidden by the clouds. The wolves began howling, sensing her sweet scent. Letting out a yelp, she ran as fast as she could - forth, without looking back. It might have been a stupid choice, yet she knew that she would not be able to make it back to the village.

It was when the pack of wolves grew closer, their growling clearly heard by the poor thing, when a pair of gates appeared. Pushing them quickly, she entered the grounds, making sure to lock them before the dog like predators surged from the shadows. Finally, she let out a soft sigh. With any luck, her father was on the property. Turning around, she found her jaw drop.
In front of Belle lay the biggest, building she has ever gotten the chance to see. It was equally the most frightening thing she has ever laid eyes upon. Slowly walking up to it, she studied the dark, imposing rocks, the screaming gargoyles, a shiver running down her spine. It was surely abandoned, nobody could live in such a place.

However, with no way back, she decided to enter the building. There was nothing else she could do. Pushing the heavy wooden doors, she stared at the interior, dumbfounded. Everything was dark, lifeless. Suddenly, a light flickered in the distance. ''Father?'' She called out. ''Is anyone here?'' She continued, walking up to the light only to see that it was a chandelier. Arching an eyebrow, she figured that somebody must have been present.

Hesitant, she took a hold of the chandelier, surprised when she heard a sudden giggle. ''Hello?'' She called out, walking down the hallway. ''Father?'' She called out again, receiving a faint response from afar. Pacing down a stairway, she found herself in the dungeons. ''Oh, god, father,'' she let out, running up to the man. Carefully, she set the chandelier on the ground, her fingers sliding through the bars. ''What's happened?'' She questioned, listening to her father's story about him picking the wrong way and getting assaulted by wolves, wide eyed.

As he was done, he looked around, seemingly realizing where he was. ''Run, Belle, you can still save yourself,'' he coughed. ''What? No, I could never leave you like that,'' she exclaimed, shaking her head. ''He's going to kill both of us,'' her father hissed, on the verge of passing out.
 
Covered in thick hair of many colors molten brown, the Beast edged into the room, growling at the scent of a second intruder. He spotted her and was shocked by her beauty... It enraged him even futher then her intrusion. That such a creature, so full of every bit the appearance he would desire in a woman would never feel the desire to even look at him unless it was in curious hatred and horror. He cleared his throat loudly as he stood at the bottom of the stairs and growled, "Get out of my house! How dare you invade my home?"

His entire body shook with rage. It was a taunting thing. For years, he had attempted to find a woman who would not scream at the sight of him and it was clear that no such being existed in all of France and possibly in all of the world.
 
The woman gasped softly as she heard a growl, the male having startled her. Belle's father's eyes appeared to say: 'I told you so,' as he watched the creature. He was afraid, yet it was most likely not due to the Beast's appearance, but to the fact that he acted as though he could devour them at any moment. Belle's father was an open minded creature and raised his daughter to be the same - their differences from the rest of the village did not allow them to be otherwise. It would have been hypocrisy in its purest and simplest form.

''Forgive me, sir,'' she stood up, clenching her courage in an iron fist. ''I did not mean to intrude, I was assaulted by wolves while searching for my father,'' she explained, staring at a point on his forehead, to make it seem like she was looking him in the eyes. A part of her was afraid, afraid that he would hurt her father and herself. After all, no matter how much she would have loved to believe that all man and creature had good in them, it was far from always the case. ''But my father is wounded, could you please set him free?'' She pleaded, standing straight and as proud as she could possibly muster.
 
"Your father is my prisoner. He intruded in my home and made himself welcomed without even seeking the master of the home!" he exclaimed, appalled that they both lacked the ability give a man a moment's peace! Especially a man so close to failure that more and more recently he had been preparing for what he would do when the eventuality happened that the curse was made permanent... but that was something he could not discuss or mention with the staff, no matter how much the tried to care and be his friend. "He will remain here, but I will graceously allow you to return home so you can tell your idiot people that I will not have intrusion into my house. It has been that way for fifty years and it should be forever more!"
 
''I beg your forgiveness, sir, yet I doubt that my father was in any condition to seek the master, although he is sorry for behaving so rudely,'' she stated, taken aback by how cold hearted the beast was. Her father clearly needed help, it justified the intrusion in her eyes. ''I equally thank you for your grace, but please, allow my father to leave, keep me instead,'' she offered, her gaze finally daring to meet the beast's one.

Her father whimpered in the background, the man heartbroken by the mere possibility of his dear daughter getting taken away.
 
"You would trade places with him? If I keep you here, you are never leaving, you understand that, right? You will never go home. I will send him back, but on the condition that you must stay with me forever!" exclaimed, looking wild in unexplainable emotion that he would have described as hope, the first hope he'd had in almost a hundred enchanted years. That she might be the one to break the spell.... If only he could persuade her to care for him. It seemed like crazed insanity, but after several lifetimes alone, it was the kind of insanity he needed to keep going. It did not hurt that she was a beautiful creature, graceful and elegant in what she thought was righteous anger... She was of more regal baring and more beauty then any girl he'd known in his entirely too long life, including his time before the curse, when his handsome figure had afforded him countless female suitors throughout the land.
 
Belle listened to the words, only then realizing the weight of her offer. Her life would be lost to the beast, 'forever'. Perhaps the forever will be brief, she told herself, inwardly nodding. Whichever way it would be, she did not hesitate for a long time. ''Yes, I will trade places with him,'' she replied, resolute. Her father was her everything, and without him Gaston and his men seemed far more frightening than the beast, if that was possible. She stepped aside, to give him access to her father's cage. ''But please help him, he will not be able to make it back in this condition,'' she explained, shivers running down her spine as she waited for something to happen. The worst part of the events was that she had no idea what to expect from him.


((Sorry, it's kinda rushed - I'm about to leave my house. xD))
 
"I will see it it that he makes it safely back to your village," he informed, gesturing for the old man to walk out of the dungeon and out of the room so that he could speak with his daughter. "You will remain as a guest in this house, you have full reign of it, anywhere except the west wing,, that is strictly forbidden as it is my personal study," he informed tersely.
 
The girl watched her father leave, briefly wrapping her arms around the man before he left her life for what seemed to be forever. She then turned to the beast, arching an eyebrow when she had gotten informed that she was a guest at the frightening castle. ''T-thank you,'' she mumbled with uncertainty, watching awkwardly playing with the folds of her dress. She had no idea what to do, confined to the castle. A part of her thought of escaping, only it was too early to do such a thing. ''What do you expect of me?'' She wondered, needing some sort of guidance.
 
The beast gave her a sarcastic reply of, "Sit and look pretty," before glaring at her and explaining, "You are now a guest in my house and will be treated as such. If you follow my rules, your stay here will be enjoyable, despite it's limitations. Have you any questions or any needs you'd like to now share?" His tone was still gruff, but more settled, more restrained.
 
Belle was tired of the man's attitude, his anger and coldness were clearly caused by something other than mere anger of them intruding. Heck, he couldn't keep a person away forever for simply walking into his house. ''None, sir,'' she replied coldly, almost citing the words through her teeth. A part of her was raging, while another was oddly curious about the creature in front of her. It was unsettling and marvellous somehow, she wanted to find out more about him, manage to get him to stop being so rough.

Assuming that she was no longer needed, she bowed her head, leaving the room to bid farewell to her father, asking him to take good care of himself and avoid mingling with the lowly likes of Gaston.
 
(I was going to have her father already gone, as like in the movie, but that works.)

The Beast excited the room and immediately spotted the two standing there, feeling a rage of anger and jealously for their simple, honest caring towards one and other. "Be gone Old Man, be gone from my house, did I not order you to leave?" he raged towards the old man, pointing to the door. "A coach will take you home and within two days time I will compensate you for the loss of your daughter's dowry, but now be gone!"
 
Belle instantly released her father, stepping back as the chubby old man hurried away toward the door. ''Forgive me, sir,'' he yelped, smiling awkwardly at his daughter. Belle, meanwhile, clenched her fists tightly, trying to contain herself. All compassion was gone, leaving nothing but hatred and pain in her eyes. ''Thank you for allowing me to bid farewell to my father,'' she said bitterly, turning away from the beast, simply walking straight, without truly knowing where she was going, tears rolling down her cheeks.
 
"Dinner will be served at six," he informed before storming away from her, terrified at how he continued to push her away from him, knowing his pain, anger, and resentment would prevent any kind of real relationship forming between them unless he could find something to please her... (I'm going to have a few changes from the movie, if that's okay.)

He then made his way back towards her. "I'm sorry, I've been... rude. I have been without company outside of the castle's staff for over ninety-five years," he informed. "I owe you at the very least a form of entertainment. What do you in your spare time?" he asked, fully expecting her to rebuke him rather then answer.
 
The girl began to start down the hallway to explore the dreadful castle when suddenly the Beast returned, making her shiver slightly. She was afraid that he came back to tell her that she was dinner. Instead, he apolodgized? Arching her eyebrows, she studied the soft looking creature, taken aback.

''It's fine,'' she lied, although really it wasn't. Of course, she felt bad for being angry at him even after his apolodgy though, so she dismissed the negativity. He was making an effort, although she was the captive in the castle. ''I...love reading,'' she spoke softly, offering him a meek smile.
 
"Reading, huh? What sort of books?" he asked, trying not to smile at the fact that in so many years he had no one to discuss literature with. His staff, for the most part, were either illiterate as was the case for many of their station or shared no interest in actual books and used the abilities for things like recipes and giving written directions to fellow staff.
 
''Any sort,'' she replied, her eyes wide with excitement and hazed with dreams. She loved escaping to another world through books, whether it be another dimension or simply the Ancient Greece. ''I read every book I can stumble upon, I've read every book at our local shop, but there aren't that many,'' she admit, smiling apologetically, as though it would somehow disappoint him. Meanwhile, she kept walking, trying to figure out where the staff was. ''May I wonder, where are the people you mentioned?'' She questioned politely, raising her gaze at him again.
 
"They were, like me, enchanted along with this castle. They continue service now as they did before but can no longer claim humanity. They were transformed into animate objects representing their functions within the castle during their lives... Mrs. Pot, the cook, turned into a tea pot, for example," he explained, hoping she would not panic upon hearing this. There was no danger of her undergoing such a transformation, after all. "And I will inform you we have quite an extensive library for you to browse when you see fit to," he added after a moment's though, sure she would be excited by this knowledge. (I am changing it from the movie verse where he had practically forgotten how to read it had been so long.)
 
The girl was in fact startled by the information. Therefore, he wasn't truly a beast, and the castle wasn't empty, everyone was enchanted. She nodded to herself, assuming that evil forces were at play, although she assumed that there was a possibility of him being cursed. ''I see,'' she nodded, curious although afraid. ''Oh, thank you,'' she exclaimed, her eyes instantly lighting. Of course she quickly calmed down, twisting her hair around her finger absently. An optimist, she decided that perhaps the beast was not all that bad. '''Where are we going?'' She wondered, watching him.


((It's cool, you can change anything. :3 ))
 
"To the library... you seemed interested in it," he replied as he walked quickly and purposefully down several halls, never having the gentlemanly thought to wait for her. No, such polite behavior was long gone from his repertoire if it'd ever been there at all.
 
''Oh, great,'' she smiled, running up to him. Unconsciously, her hand slid over his one, grazing the soft fur. Oddly enough, Belle felt her heart skip a beat. ''Wait up,'' she exclaimed, rather tired after the run from the wolves. A part of her simply wanted to sit down, instead of racing around. ''Where will I live, by the way?'' She wondered, raising her gaze at him.
 
"You will have your own room, in the south wing near the library and a set of keys to both, for your study and privacy," he replied. "Would you rather I show you to your room? I will have the seamstress up there as soon as you are ready to fit you and see if any of the many dresses left here would fit you. She can alter them, if need be, but her current form makes such difficult at times..."

He calmed with her hand now on his, no longer feeling the insistent need to rush a head and make things ready for her or the constant fear he would offend her by brash word or action.
 
The girl was surprised that he didn't push her hand away, more so that he slowed down. ''Oh, that's great,'' she replied with a smile, her negative attitude toward him fading away. ''Could you show me the library first?'' She wondered, eager to find out what the library looked like, and find a book to read. The dress comment was surprising to her, making her arch a brow.

''Yes, I understand,'' she smiled, nodding. ''Is there a princess of the castle?'' She wondered cautiously, oddly enough feeling a pang of jealousy.
 
"You think there needs to be a princess in every castle? What, next you'll be thinking there needs to be a prince as well!" he exclaimed, laughing rather loudly at the idea.

"No, there are no 'royalty' to speak of left in this home. They left it after an angry witch cast an evil spell on it!" he added. He doubted she would believe in such things, most did not unless confronted directly with magic and even if it looked as if magic was responsible, people still often doubted such sources as curses and wicked witches, even if the woman had been evil in only the respect that she desired vengeance for his slight.

"Now, come, I will show you the library, where, unlike this very real castle, you will find princes and princesses 'til your heart's content," he added, leading her towards a very large room. "Now close your eyes," he directed. placing her hand over them. "And do not look until I direct you."

He quickly entered the room and went about lighting all of the very old brash chandeliers, leaving the room in a warm glow of evening light, much the kind one would allow their eyes to suffer in for the love of books.
 
''Well...I mean, I meant your lady,'' she mumbled, trying to explain what she had in mind, a blush playing on her cheeks. His loud laughter made her feel stupid.

''And who are you?'' She wondered, curious about his status in the castle. However, once he mentioned that he didn't want her to look she forgot all about it. Quickly, she hid her eyes with her hands, rather interested by what he had to show her. As most curious people she loved surprised.

Following him in silence, she waited patiently until he would let her open her eyes. Finally, she opened her eyes, her jaw almost dropping. ''Wow, this is beautiful,'' she exclaimed, twirling around, taking in all the books in the large room. There were so many that she would not be able to finish all of them in a lifetime, if not two. Approaching a shelf, she brushed her fingers against the book's side, looking back at him. ''This is great,'' she admired the library, pulling out a book she has heard of yet never been able to find.

''May I borrow this?'' She wondered. It was a love story, yet a darker one, one holding a forbidden aspect. Oddly, for a second she thought of what it would be like to fall in love with him.
 
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