He is Beauty, She is Beast

Chapter 2- Sweet Dreams Lavi

                Chapter 2- Sweet Dreams Lavi

                The beast let out a wicked growl, glaring at Cullen." Stop staring at me you idiot man!" She whipped back around and stormed out, blowing the candles out with a gust from her tail. The cold room was dark and lonely no doubt how the beast must have felt for a very long time.

                "It's okay lovely. She doesn't bite," A voice called from the shadows of the hall. A pale hand beckoned Cullen forward into the silent hall. He followed a tall woman as she led him to his room. She was tall with dark brown hair tied in a loose bun on the top of her head. She was human, with light green eyes and a soft pink-lipped smile. Cullen found her lovely and charming, someone he wished to get to know better. Even the soft curves of his body made him more comfortable in this morbid setting.

                "And here we are. The misses wishes for you to go out and chop wood. We need a fire for tonight, so don't forget to bundle up." The sweet girl left without another word, leaving Cullen in his new room alone. Although the woman was no longer in the room Cullen still felt her warm and good character. She must have been the polar opposite of the beast who was vindictive, ugly and cruel beyond humanity. If he was destined to stay here for eternity then at least he would have someone to fall in love with.

                This thought put Cullen in a better mood and as he chopped the wood, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he though.

~                                                                             ~                                                                                             ~

                Lavi watched from the library's window as the man called Cullen chopped the wood for their fire. He was smiling slightly but she knew who that tender smile was for. Her maid Jessie had gotten to him. All the men that worked in the household fell for the tall woman. Besides her, Lavi and the old croon Sister Ann Elizabeth was the only other woman there. It wasn't that Ann Elizabeth was ugly it was just that she would never sleep with any of them. Soon after figuring that out the men left their flirting comments all for Jessie.

                With a bitter sneer on her blood red lips, Lavi turned and faced Jessie who stood stiffly in the door.

                "Miss you mustn't be so cruel to this man. He has a good heart." Jessie's light green eyes shone with a layer of tears. Obviously Jessie though that Lavi planned on cooking the man for supper.

                "Jessie are you developing feelings for this man?" Lavi asked and turned back to the window. Cullen had stripped himself of his shirts and was finishing chopping wood with no protection from the bitter wind and frozen rain. He was well muscled and handsome in a more rugged way than what Lavi was used to. The old suitors used to be gently bred and knew the exact things to say in any moment. This man seemed to know all the wrong things to say.

But Lavi continued to watch as his pale skin was turning red from the cold and though Lavi would have rather watched more of this show of his muscles and the work they were doing under his tight skin, she beckoned Jessie to the window with her paw.

                "Miss this man means nothing to me. I merely don't want you to miss out on love. The time is fastly tickin' miss." Jessie shut he mouth when she noticed the yellow eyed glare Lavi was giving her,

                "You think I don't know this? Go get him and have the other men take the fire wood inside. Make sure he gets warm."Lavi walked out of the room before Jessie could make another pointless comment.

                "Yes miss," she whispered softly and smiled to herself. She had known Lavi her whole life and knew that the hard edges of her were a facade of pain. The tone she had just spoken in was kind and sincere, a tone that Jessie hadn't heard for years. They would fall in love for sure. If she could keep herself in check and make him forget about her.

~                                                                                             ~                                                                                             ~

                Cullen brought the axe down and split the log in two. The satisfying crunch of the wood made him remember the years before they had moved to the town when they would work outside together; James writing or inventing a new ways to do things and Cullen doing the actual work.

                The happy feeling he had disappeared as he thought about where he was now. He would never see his brother or the annoying routine of town. The castle he was staying for the rest of his life and even after that was hard, cold, and a morbid sight to be seen. No one else had ever come to this place because they were smart enough to figure out that nothing good lived in it. Well actually the only bad one that resigned in this place was the beast. She was the only evil person he had ever met.

                A thought popped into his head as he thought of the many books he had read. The evil thing always dies in the end and the man always saved the princess. All Cullen had to do was kill the beast and they would all be free at last. He would be the maid's hero and soon her husband if he could slay the beast.

                "Yes!" He yelled and rushed towards the nearest castle door. When he opened it he found Jessie grinning slightly at him. She had such a pretty grin.

                "Going somewhere?" She asked and walked with him through the halls. They had no actual destination but found themselves walking aimlessly instead.

                "I need to, um, know where the beast's sleeps. Would you-"He looked at Jessie and found she was only a few inches shorter than he.

                "Of course. Oh, and call her Lavi." Her grin grew into a wild smiled as she grasped his hand and hurriedly walked down the corridor. She was warm and beautiful to Cullen and her grasped hand around his was the closest he had felt to someone in many hours. He squeezed her hand gently and sped up until they reached the door of the beast's chamber.

                He probably would have been able to find it himself if he had wondered around the castle. It was the biggest door he had seen with ornate carvings that made it look as if roses were climbing up it. He was glad at how obvious it was because it would be that much easier to find himself.

                "Is she in there?" He asked, hoping his tone was casual.

                "Yes but she is asleep at the moment. Would you like me to wake her for you?" Jessie smiled again at Cullen and reached to open the door.

                Cullen grabbed her arm lightly and flashed her a grin. "It's okay. I can do it."

                "Alright," she said nervously. Would he do something sinful to a woman he wasn't married to? She wondered until she remembered that Lavi wasn't the beautiful princess she once was. He also didn't seem the type to do something that would hurt a woman. She walked away quickly, hoping he was going to confess his love to her but knowing that it wasn't that simple.

                Cullen watched Jessie leave and waited until she was out of sight and he couldn't hear her footsteps. When he was sure no one was around he gently opened the door and walked in. The door didn't even make a sound when it closed. This was all too easy.

                The room where the beast slept was clean and dark. Painting filled the empty spaces on the wall that the claw marks hadn't. Picking a sword from off the wall, Cullen inched slowly towards the four poster bed with the thick red canopy. He braced himself for the beast no doubt hearing him then attacking him. Would death be such a bad thing though?

As he drew back the thick curtain he saw something he never thought he would have seen, especially from this horrible beast.