Beastly

Chapter 5

Will's P.O.V.

"She's interesting," Lay said to me as we left the throne room. I had just met the girl minutes ago, but I knew I would already enjoy her presence in the palace.

"I can't tell if she likes me or hates me," I answered. "Either way, she'll be fun to talk to."

"Normally, I just let you do what you want. But, I feel I should tell you, I think you should just leave her alone."

"It's not like you to stand against me," I said, turning into my room. Lay was a foot behind me, right hand held closely to his sheathed sword, out of habit. "Why this one?"

"Well, I think she's been through enough already."

"You mean with the fall of Ishva?"

"I don't know. She just seems like she's got a messed up past."

"Yeah, she grips to that cloak and that boy like they're her life line."

He nodded, now deep in though.

I changed into a simpler pair of clothing and fell onto the bed. I heard the door click closed as Lay left. So much had happened today, within the time period of a few minutes at that. No matter what Lay said, I'd still have fun with her.

Outside of my room, I heard another door open. I carried my tired body out of bed and peeked out the door. What I saw, first, didn't surprise me much. The young prince from a fallen country, the boy called Brody. It was the guardian that walked in his shadow that made my heart skip a beat. I had thought I knew what to expect when the last king said she is a beast. I'd never knew what the word had meant until now.

The beast, with pointed ears, a swaying tail, and claws for feet, hadn't seen me. No, but she heard me. I closed the door before she actually saw me. With my back pressed against the door, I listened to the scraping of her claws until they vanished into the night, down the halls. And when they did, when they were gone, I let myself breath. I sank down until I was fully on the ground.

The thought startled me. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say that the boy was the sun, he shines brightly and throughly, for everyone to see. The girl though, she was the moon. Without the sun, her already faint light would be diminished. But she wasn't just the moon, she was the darkness. The one glance is caught from her made my heart jump. She was terrifying yet intriguing.

My heart was beating faster than I'd thought it ever would. Even through my fear, a smile still made its way to my lips. A small, trembling smile. This wasn't fear, not entirely. This was excitement. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

Beastly's P.O.V.

I regret, to a great extent, not bringing my cloak, or anything to cover my feet or tail, with me. I had heard the door to the prin-Will's room close. He'd seen me, and ran. I clenched my teeth in anger. Anger at myself.

"Beastly?" Brody was behind me. In my thought, I had continued to walk even after he stopped. "Is something wrong?"

With a fake smile, I looked back at him and said, "No. Hurry and catch up. I can already smell the food."

He smiled and chased after me. I continued to follow the strong scent down the hall until I reached the kitchen. It was empty, thank god. If there had been anyone in there, I might not have been able to go in. But, since no one was there, I walked in without much worry.

"So," I asked, "what would you like?"

"Anything's fine."

I dug through the cabinets until I found an assortment of meats and cheeses. I pulled them out, holding them tightly against myself, until I set them in the table where Brody was sitting.

"Sorry it's nothing fancy but-"

"It's fine."

He ate in silence while I leaned against a wall behind him. I watched him as he slowly devoured the cheeses.

"Beastly," he said in a meek voice.

"Hm?"

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. There wasn't much you could do to stop anything. You saved me and all I did was-"

"That's enough!"

He jumped at my stern voice, which I had never used in front of him, but didn't say anything else. I pushed myself off the wall and made my way towards him.

"You've done nothing wrong, I did. I should've tried to save more people after I got you out. I ran without a second thought about everyone else until we were out of the city. I stupidly trusted my life to a stranger who I let lead me across a foreign country. And then I begged another prince for protection, like a dog." I placed my hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "But, I would do it again if it guaranteed your safety."

He mumbled something under his breath that I could barely hear.

"What was that?"

Again, I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

"Louder."

"I'm just glad you're alright!"

I'll admit, I was surprised by his statement. I couldn't help but smile as I watched Brody finish his food. Even from behind, I could see how red his ears became.

When he finished, I led him back to the room without either of us saying a word. I pulled the door open for him and gently closed it behind him. I was aware of the bold pair of captivating blue eyes watching me from a crack in Will's, though I paid it no mind.

I had chosen the bed closest to the window for Brody, believing that it would be harder to scale the thirty-something foot wall inside of the palace garden than it was to run up stairs in the dark. Out of habit, I tucked Brody in. I laid myself on the bed beside his a listened to his slowing breath, until I reached a steady pace. When It did, I turned myself and watched him, until the promise of rest consumed me.