He remembers how he saw this boy in the beast's reflection the night before, and the mental puzzle pieces slide into place. Although he'd told Tyler his name, he can't quite remember what is is.
"Excuse me," Tyler says, nudging the boy with his bare foot.
The boy jerks up, the crown sliding his head. He pushes it up, and Tyler sees that despite the fact that he looks normal, his eyes have stayed the same; they kept their catlike shaped pupils, the irises a mesmerizing yellow-green.
"Do I know you?" Tyler acts dumb, hoping the boy will leave if he does.
He's wrong. The prince stands, standing a couple inches shorter than him but Tyler takes a step back anyway. Even though he doesn't look like the beast, his eyes are still intimidating.
"Will you come and eat breakfast with me now?" He asks, gesturing to the food. "Please."
Same voice. Same eyes. Same aura of reticence. Tyler is right. This boy is the beast.
"You are the beast that I met yesterday," Tyler says, unable to believe it. "How are you human?"
"It is a part of the curse," he mumbles, fixing his crown. A curl sticks up. "I am human when day breaks, and a monster the moment the sun sets."
"Curse, what- oh."
The same curse that caused Brendon to become a clock and Ryan to become a candlestick. Tyler wonders why they were cursed so, since he has no verbal filter, he asks.
He bristles, obviously uncomfortable with opening up to someone he just met. Perhaps he'd overstepped, seeing how they just met the night before.
Tyler kneels down, picking up the plate and glass and putting on the friendliest smile he can. "Shall we eat?" If he was going to spend the rest of his life with the prince, he might as well get comfortable.
The boy stares at him and nods slowly, leading Tyler to an extravagant dining hall, the table longer than any he's ever seen before. A variety of lit candles adorned the center, along with tea cups that seemed to be moving on their own. There's only one plate sitting at the very head of the table.
"Do none of the others eat with you?" Tyler asks, setting his plate down beside the prince's. When he gets no responds, he continues. "Is it because they are your servants or because they are furniture?"
"Unlike our master, we do not need to eat to survive," a booming female voice appears behind him, making him jump.
He turns to see a woman standing behind him, holding a tray full of tea cups and a pot. Everything about her screams artificial. She's quite beautiful, but her pale skin shines like ivory and there's no color in her eyes. Her blonde hair is held back in a loose braid, strands falling on her face. She has a wide smile, and Tyler thinks she's a mannequin before she begins to speak again.
"Oh, dear, did I frighten you?" Her voice is smooth and warm like hot liquid. "I apologize, I guess my appearance is quite bizarre for our new guest."
"This is Jenna Potts, my advisor," the prince mumbles, waving a hand to her before scooting Tyler's chair out for him. He won't meet his eyes.
"Tyler Joseph." Tyler holds his hand out to Jenna, who shakes it. Her skin feels like porcelain. "I am sorry if this is rude, but what are you?"
She tilts her head back and laughs, the sound airy and quiet. "You are a quick one, I see. I am actually a tea pot. Was it the eyes or the hand?"
"Both, actually. You are quite beautiful for a.. kettle."
Jenna laughs airily. The prince clears his throat, and she winks at Tyler, gesturing him to sit. She sets an tea cup beside his plate, then moves around him to set another in front of the boy.
"Do you require anything else, Prince Joshua?" She asks.
"No, Jenna. Thank you."
Joshua. That's his name. Tyler watches him as Joshua unfolds the white napkin in front of him, tucking it into the collar of his shirt. He looks down, seeing three forks, two spoons, and four glasses, including the one with water and the tea cup.
Overwhelmed by everything, Tyler doesn't move, only stares as Joshua begins to eat, taking the fork farthest from the plate and beginning to eat. He hesitantly copies his actions, hoping Joshua can't see how nervous he is.
"You have never eaten in a place like this, have you?"
Tyler chokes on his first bite of eggs, his face turning hot. "Do not make fun of me. I have not seen this many forks in one house since we moved to France."
"Are you not from here?" Joshua asks. "I should have guessed, your accent is different."
"Yes, I moved here from Romania after-" Tyler pauses, looking across the table to the empty chair on the far end. He wishes he'd sat there instead of so close to the beastly prince. "We came here to live with my aunt after my father's death."
"Oh. I am.... sorry for your loss," Josh says.
"As am I."
Don't get too friendly now, Tyler mentally scolds himself. He took you away from the only family you have left.
He plucks a grape from a bowl in the center, trying not to stare at Joshua. The beast-prince fairly attractive, minus his monstrous eyes, and under other circumstances, he would've been attracted to him. Relationships between men weren't wrong, although they were rarer in France than in Romania, as Tyler found out, but not persecuted like they were in Britain.
As much as Tyler wants to hate the prince sitting beside him, he can't help but feel pity for him being unable to control the curse put upon him. Unless...
"May I ask again why you were cursed, or is that overstepping?" He asks.
Joshua coughs slightly in surprise and wipes his mouth with the napkin tucked into his shirt. Tyler sees a flash of fangs poking between his lips. He realizes that his eyes aren't the only permanent effects of the curse.
"My father was dealing with dark magic to keep control of the kingdom," Josh begins after a bout of silence. "He captured magical beings and killed them for their abilities. One day he accidentally summoned a goddess. She was furious at him for meddling and, after he tried to kill her for her power, cursed the castle and every other member of the royal inside. I was the only survivor as I was in the village when this occurred, but when I stopped foot in the castle... I turned into a hideous beast. All of the servants were... changed. The goddess said the spell could be broken only if-"
He stops and looks up, almost startled.
"If what?" Tyler asks.
His pupils go thin. Tyler looks around, then realizes Josh is startled by him.
"What is the matter?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Josh replies quickly, pushing his chair out and throwing his napkin on the table. "Brendon!"
The ticking man appears at his side, fiddling nervously with the hour and minute hand on his chest. "Yes, your majesty?"
"Give our... guest a tour of the castle." He looks at Tyler, who's confused. "You will have access to most of the castle, but you are forbidden from ever going into the West Wing."
"What is in there?" Tyler stands as well, but Josh waves a hand, and his nails seems to extend. He sits back down.
Josh walks off, heading out of the dining hall. As soon as the doors shut behind him, he hears howling. Brendon jumps, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you done eating, monsieur?"
"Yes, thank you."
He takes Tyler's hand and drags him through the castle, explaining every piece of tapestry and art hanging in the walls. His voice drones on and on, not in an annoying way, but Tyler can't help but be distracted the entirety of the tour.
The West Wing never leaves his mind.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PT 2
Start from the beginning
