The Beast of Rose Castle

-= 4 =-

"Stay," he growled. 

"No," she snapped out in a harsh response. She was not going to be bossed around by some man she hardly even knew. Annelie spun, her green eyes lit with fire once more. She met the Beast's onyx eyes strongly, defiance simmering through her. "I. Am. Leaving," she stated, words clipped. 

The servant girl looked between them, her eyes wide as she watched the interaction. No one stood up to the Beast. No one... except one... so many years before. Annelie blew out a breath of hot air and brushed her hair back from in front of her face roughly. She turned, nearly falling, to walk out of the castle. She made it halfway to the door before hands gripped her wrists, like shackles. 

"You will stay!" the Beast roared. 

"I will not!" she shouted back, finding she hadn't lost all fear, but couldn't help the anger she felt inside herself towards the man. How dare he try to order me around, she fumed. 

"You will stay and I am not taking any other answer!" the Beast growled. He began to tug her forward, towards the stairs. She found struggle quite useless. It was obvious from before that the Beast was already stronger than she could ever hope to be. He had pulled her in through the window after stopping her from falling with one hand. How could she ever hope to top something such as that? 

So, she was dragged back up the stairs, and instead of being taking to the side of the castle she had been on, to the room that seemed so far away from everything to her, she was taken down the other hallway. He dragged her further and further, before stopping before two grand white doors. 

"This will be the room you will be using for the night," he snapped out. He ushered her forward and she wanted to cross her arms, unmoving. He growled. "Fine." He nudged open the door with his shoulder and pushed her inside. Without a pause, he shut the door after her and the sound of the lock clicking filled her ears. 

"How dare you! Don't you lock me in here! Let me out this minute!" she shouted. Her fist banged on the door, and she tried the handle despite knowing that the door was locked. He didn't respond, but she knew he continued to stand there, hearing her protests. "Let me out!" 

She kept yelling until another wave of drowsiness hit her. Then, she gave up on attempting to leave and instead turned to look at the large, comfortable bed that awaited her. Annelie nearly collapsed to the ground in relief and envy of such a large bed. It even had a canopy, something she had only read about in her books. 

Her steps were light as she moved to the bed, hand moving over the soft fur. She laid down, unable to resist the temptation, and laid her head upon the thick, cushioned pillows. In only moments she found herself falling into a deep, well-deserved slumber. 

---

Only when she seemed to grow quiet and no longer moved did the Beast unlock the door. He tugged it open slightly, finding she was sleeping on the bed. The girl, she had no sense of anything. Her own pride irritated him to no end. Yet, the way she had looked at him for one moment, that single moment after he had tugged her into the room once more, it had been enough to shock him. 

Why had he pulled in into the room when he should have just let her fall? Why did he have to care? He supposed it just because the servants had been there, though he was sure none of them actually came in until after he was tugging the girl up. 

He had to admit that she wasn't like most. It almost reminded him of someone he had met before that had, admittedly, made him soft for some time. No, I cannot think of such times. I am the Beast, he reminded himself once more, blocking the memories before they could resurface and make him feel guilt. 

He had been watching her sleep for a long moment before he shut the door once more, satisfied with her acceptance of the situation. The Beast backed away a few steps, letting out a low breath of air. 

His onyx eyes moved down the hall where Liyor and Zaman stood. The tall man smiled slowly at the Beast, the grin spreading from ear to ear. Zaman, the shorter one seemed to be shocked, if not intrigued by the developments. The man tried to hide it, the Beast could see that very well. Yet, he couldn't hide the way his eyes moved between the room in which the girl slept and the Beast himself. 

With an aggravated noise, the Beast swept forward, deeper through the halls. He couldn't stand the idea of someone seeing such weakness, especially from him. So, with stiffly set shoulders he began to think about how to get rid of the sleeping girl when she woke. 

---

"Did you see the way he looked in on here, Zaman? There is surely something there! I know there is!" Liyor exclaimed. His eyes danced brightly as he spun. "Ah! The master isn't as hard as he tries to show, no?" 

"Don't look too far into it. He won't let her stay. The Master is far too lost within keeping himself safe by now to let her enter his life for very much longer. No, he is sure to send her out by the time she wakes. Who knows, maybe he will act impulsively and wake her before she is fully rested and send her out into the snow," Zaman considered aloud. 

"Hmph. He is no gentleman," Liyor commented with a wave of his hand towards the room in which Annelie slept. "If he knew manners he would invite her to whatever meal is closest when she wakes up! After all, she looks like she can use a good meal!" 

Zaman shook his head. "That will never happen. Don't you get your hopes up... or better yet, don't mettle, Liyor!" 

The servant shrugged innocently to Zaman. "I have not a clue as to what you are alluding to," he responded. A voice called out something indistinct down the hall. Liyor turned and grinned from ear to ear. "Ah! My dear! Oh, how I missed you!" he cried out. He hurried down the hall, trying to further his conversation with a servant girl he was utterly infatuated with. 

Zaman growled. "Liyor, you must get to cleaning! We have a whole castle to get back in order!" the fat man shouted. He shuffled forward, red entering his face once more as he tried to chase down the incredibly elusive Liyor. 

---

"Oh! Where could she have gotten to, Merrick? Do you think she is lost out there somewhere?" Gioia exclaimed, before becoming overtaken by hysterical sobs. 

"We must wait for her to come back to us, my dear. She will come! Our daughter is nothing if not adventurous and independent," Merrick explained lightly to his wife. Instead of reassuring her, as he wished to do, only more sobs left his wife. 

"What if she can't make it home?" 

Merrick put her finger under his wife's chin, staring down at her with a softening expression. "Then, as a good father and a brilliant husband, I will go out searching for her. If she has yet to return come evening tomorrow, then I will head out in search of her. However, we must work at the bakery until that point in time," Merrick explained with a wave of his hand. 

In having his wife back, he had forgotten to check in on the Beast. He wondered what the man was up to, despite his daughter being missing. It still lingered in his mind. The Beast was, after all, not that bad of a man at all. He was just someone who held too many secrets to count, all of which Merrick wanted to know. 

So, he took his wife to their room, helping her lay down gently on the bed, before rubbing her back in soft circles. When she had finally slipped to sleep, he walked to the window to stare out at the night sky. For once it was perfectly clear, leaving an illuminating moon in the sky. Only then did he let his worry for his daughter show. 

His hand moved up to rub at the chain necklace at his neck.  On it was a pendant she had given him so many years before as a gift. "Annelie, where have you gone now?" he whispered to no one but himself and the old golden moon.