Donna, with all her experience, was very well prepared for the trip. As a merchant, her father had taught her how to find the best trade routes to get equipment for her wares. Thus she had gone on similar trips many times before.
Asher was glad he didn't have to worry about sharing rations or buying extra gear for the woman. She was pretty independent in her own right, though she did come off as a bit blunt at times. Unlike most of polite society, she did not greet people with a smile unless she already knew them. She also didn't bother with niceties and would often get straight to the point in every conversation she had.
She explained early on that she was not one for long discussions, but was willing to listen if Asher felt like talking anyways. This made it clear that Theo had probably talked the woman's ear off and took her lack of replies as being friendly.
As they set off, the servant spotted Cas watching them from near one of the shops. His arms were folded and he blatantly stared Asher down the entire time. The man's eyes did not stray from them until he was out of sight. Asher decided to take his mind off it immediately since Cas had always been a sour character and was probably jealous that the lowly servant had made off with yet another beautiful woman.
Speaking of, he wondered if Donna would be a good match for the Prince? He wasn't very polite himself, and conversations with him were tedious since he got irritated very easily.
Should Asher be more quiet around him? Would the Prince appreciate that?
Whether that were the case or not, he was going to get his answer soon enough once Donna and Leon met face to face.
Crossing his fingers, they stopped near the front of the castle after a long trek. Donna dismounted without even bothering to tie her horse up.
"We won't be long." She explained and approached the large double doors.
Asher followed suit, planning on taking care of the animals once they got done with their initial greetings. If things went well then she would most likely be staying longer than a few moments like she planned.
The doors opened wide and the sconces burst to life once more. This time he led her straight to the waiting room, having memorized his way around since last time. He took her cloak and hung it up as she took a seat by the fireplace. Then he stepped out to look for the beast.
Awkwardly, he leaned closer to a nearby wall and whispered into the stones. "Can you let Leon know that I've returned?"
He was only half expecting a reply, but the elevated murmurs that he got in response were as close to confirmation as he was going to get, so he stood outside the door and waited. When he heard the telltale clopping of hooves echoing down the halls, he bowed politely.
"You said you'd be back last night." The beast grunted.
Asher straightened and noticed the Prince was once again dressed in his formal attire. His crisp white coat, silk pants, and gold buttons looked quite impressive. "I got held up. The woman I found this time is named Donna, and she said she'd be willing to meet with you to help break the curse, but she was...Busy. So we couldn't leave till this morning."
The beast glanced inside the room and spotted the woman sitting, cross legged in a chair by the fire. She was watching the flames as she waited.
"I suppose I should go greet her then..." The beast muttered to himself, seeming already irritated.
"Yeah...Uh...Just so you know. She isn't aware that you're the Prince. I didn't want rumors spreading around the kingdom so she thinks you're one of my friends."
Leon quirked an eyebrow. "That's smart. I'll make sure not to let that slip as well."
Asher grasped his sleeve sternly and gave a bold order. "Be. Nice."
Leon's face scrunched up and the servant waited to get told off for ordering the noble around, but then the beast nodded, surprising him as he entered the room.
As soon as Donna noticed the enormous creature approaching her, she was out of her chair and sizing the beast up cautiously.
Her eyes flit around the room, looking for a safe exit in case this encounter proved difficult, but the creature was not bothered.
As graciously as a monster could, Leon greeted his guest. "Welcome to my home, and thank you for taking time out of your schedule to visit."
Asher stood back, impressed by the creature's sudden display of manners and wondering where they had been this whole time.
Donna seemed to relax as soon as he spoke, realizing this wasn't some wild demonic entity. This reinforced Asher's theory that she hadn't completely believed the story until now.
"Yes...Thank you for the warm welcome. I was told you had been cursed and needed a wife to lift the spell?"
"That is correct." Leon gestured back towards the chair so that she would sit.
Donna kept her eyes on the monster as she sat back down, then folded her hands in her lap while the beast did likewise.
Asher remained in the corner of the room, arms folded behind his back and ears pricked to listen to every word of their conversation.
"Very well then. I will volunteer." Donna replied matter of fact, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket. "This is a contract I had written up before coming here. These are my conditions."
"Conditions?" Both Asher and Leon asked in unison as she cleared her throat to read them off.
"Firstly, I want to have the right to request a divorce at any time should I feel like it. Not that I'd want to get divorced right away, I just don't want it being a hinderance later on. Second, I want freedom to do as I please for the duration of our marriage. I have a business to run and do not wish to follow the tradition of becoming a stay at home wife. Third, I don't mind if you seek a mistress to have children as I do not plan to give birth myself-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" The beast waved a claw. "What kind of list is that? It sounds like all you want is to get married then go our separate ways?"
"That's right." She leaned forward, now more confidant. "Marriage is nothing more than two people signing a piece of paper. Some even get consent from the church, but beyond that marriage isn't much else, is it?"
The beast flexed his claws, sucking in a breath and tossing a confused glance back at the servant before thinking carefully on his next words. "That's...True. If you wish for a marriage like that then I won't argue...But...There's a problem with that."
She tilted her head. "And what is that? Are you going to demand I stay here and raise kids instead?"
"No. That's not it at all. I couldn't care less if you stayed or left because, quite frankly, I have no attachment to you."
Asher nearly facepalmed at how poorly he had chosen his words, and he knew that from then on this conversation was going to keep going downhill.
The beast carried on though, not caring if his words were too sharp. "You see, I'm not just looking for a wife. I need to break this curse, and unfortunately getting married isn't all there is to it."
"What?!" Asher yelped, once more surprised by a stipulation that the beast had failed to mention.
The beast ignored the servant as Donna remained focused on him. "And what else is there?" She asked, eyes squinted. "I only came here because I thought I was told the whole story, but if I was not, I may have to retract my offer."
"Then do so." The beast seemed suddenly irritated by her choice of words. "Because the spell requires love as well. A love that is shared between me and my partner. Unfortunately I don't see that being you."
"I see." Donna replied evenly, unfazed by his tone. "If that is the case, then it seems my visit was pointless. I have never felt romantic love towards anyone and do not think myself capable of it. I only volunteered because marriage isn't as sacred as people pretend it is. I can handle signing a piece of paper and going on with my life, but if such feelings are necessary, then I will have to agree. I do not see myself capable of loving you."
What. The. Hell!?
Asher clenched his fists at his sides and tried to settle on an emotion, because right now he was warring with himself.
He was irritated that the Prince had left yet another important fact out of this whole curse thing. He was also annoyed with how stubborn the two were being with each other, yet at the same time relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with Donna and the Prince schmoozing it up while he stood in the background.
"Fine. Then I appreciate your time, but I think it's best we end this here." The beast stood with a huff, and Donna did likewise.
She gave a slight nod towards the beast before heading out. Asher tried to follow, but she stopped him at the courtyard. "I can prepare my own horse, thank you very much. I still need to make it to the next town before dusk."
"Oh, okay." He stood back. "Be careful."
"You as well." She climbed up onto the horse. "And good luck finding a lover for your friend. Maybe next time lead with personal time instead of suggesting a straight up marriage?"
Asher opened his mouth to argue that he hadn't known about the whole 'love' requirement, but she didn't stay to listen as she ushered her horse away.
He watched her leave for just a moment, then returned to the waiting room where the Prince was watching from a window.
"Good Riddance." Leon muttered with a head shake.
"You could try a little harder you know?" Asher snipped. "If you had been a little nicer-"
"It wouldn't have worked out, no matter what." The beast snorted. "She was too...I don't know. I just wouldn't have been able to handle her."
"And what's this about love being a requirement? Why didn't you tell me about that part? I thought you had told me everything but you once again left out a very important part of removing the curse!"
"I thought that was a given."
"A given?" Asher scoffed. "Not everyone marries for love you know!"
"Of course I know that!" The beast suddenly snarled. "Why do you think I'm in this situation?!"
"Oh don't use that against me!"
"Who the hell else would agree to marry something like me if not for love?"
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Asher pointed out the window. "She was willing to do it literally just to break the curse! Becky was willing to do it because she knew you'd be handsome afterwards, and Theo was willing to do it because...Well I don't exactly know why she was so willing to do it, but my point is that just because you're a monster now, doesn't mean no one will marry you for another reason!" The servant stepped closer to the creature and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Like Donna said, marriage is just a piece of paper, love requires a hell of a lot more effort!"
"I know! But I thought..." The beast slumped as all his frustration had been knocked out of him. "I thought if you knew about it, then you wouldn't be willing to help me..."
Asher shook his head. "After all of this, you seriously thought I'd give up just because it'd be hard? I already knew it'd be hard! Yet I'm still here!"
"I know."
"So stop hiding information from me! I need to know everything, or else I won't be able to help you!"
"...Okay."
Asher sucked in a sharp breath, wanting to rant a little more but knowing the beast had already admitted defeat. So, to stop himself from ranting any further, he decided to tend to his horse.
"Are you angry?" Leon called after him.
In reply, Asher turned back with a frown and slammed the door shut.
His intent was to walk away angrily, then he remembered that the beast couldn't open doors and he'd be trapped in the guest room. So he scurried back to open it slightly, only for it to swing open of it's own accord, reminding Asher that he had no reason to worry now that the castle's magic had been returned.
Slightly embarrassed, he pointedly ignored Leon's bewildered stare and went to take care of his horse. Afterwards he planned on practicing the list of recipe's his grandparents had given him since he needed to find something to do until he was calm enough to speak with the Prince again.
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