Never Again, Forever Love Always

She thought she was alone. From the moment she walked in she thought that the beast, as horrific and cruel as he was would have locked himself somewhere away in the solitude of his large mansion. Arrogance was written on the face and within the heart and the mind of this young woman, making her blind and ignorant to all that was around her. Everyone that had become acquainted to the village life was just like her. None of them wanted to see past their farms and their large fences to the lurking world outside, because outside of their fortresses, there was danger to be found. Fear lurked within the hearts of the very ‘civilized’ person.

My presence was everywhere and nowhere at once as I watched Beauty for three days straight before I planned to show myself to her. These matters were to be taken delicate and given at once. I had to wait until she was comfortable and absolutely sure that I was gone on some wild hunting trip and would not be back until a later date.

She busied herself with my library during the day, sitting for hours on end reading. For an hour or so a day she would do small cleaning jobs around the mansion, tidying up one place or another and wiping the dust and the cobwebs away. I had almost forgotten what humming sounded like until Beauty came to stay with me and for that I will be forever eternally grateful to her. She hummed tunes that were all but lost on me, but still nonetheless pleasant to hear as she worked.

But on the third day, I had figured that she had spent enough time with reading and cleaning all on her own. It was time to appear to her, and I decided as the dined would be the best possible way. I had lain out a larger meal than usual for her, and I decided to wait off until she was fully settled in before making my grand appearance known to her.

She was already busy eating the main course when I rounded the corner, startling her and causing her to freeze with her fork midway to her mouth. She was very beautiful, and I could understand why she had the name Beauty and I the Beast. Her hair was of a dark chestnut color, falling in waves down to her porcelain chest. She was of medium build, with a small but healthy frame. It almost seemed like a pity.

“Are you the Beast that stays within this mansion? Are you the one that asked my father to stay for picking me a rose?” Her voice was modest and acquiring rather than accusatory.

“I do not know of another Beast like myself, especially one with a mansion as large as this one.” I spoke with an unneeded gruffness as I sat down in a chair at the opposite end of the oak table from her. I piled my plate with the large feast that had set, noticing her curious gaze at how much I was planning on eating. Just to add to it, I acted a little bit more animal-like as I ate the roast chicken, forking the potatoes and the carrots into my mouth as if I had never eaten a meal in my life. She watched without comment to my behavior, probably expecting such behavior coming from a beast.

After she had finished her meal, she stayed and waited at the table until I was finished mine. Curious as to what she was going to say or do, I hurried to finish mine more sooner, causing an even bigger mess to my already animal-like behavior.

“I was wondering…” She trailed off.

“Yes, Beauty?” I asked, drinking from my goblet of wine like a gentleman once more.

“When will it be possible for me to see my family again?” I laughed at her request, my laugh sounding somewhere in between a bark and a genuine laugh.

“Leave? There is no leaving for you. You will stay here for the rest of your life, one way or another.” I told her. Her chin quivered as if she was about to cry, but instead she shook her head.

“I’m sorry. It was a foolish request. I understand, but I miss them so.” Her request was so soft and genuine, something inside of my chest ached for her.

“If you leave, you may never come back to me.”

“But you don’t understand I will come back. I will spend my lifetime with you here in your mansion if you just let me have one more weekend with my family.” She pleaded to me. I sighed, rubbing my hairy chin as I thought this over, Beauty awaiting my answer.

“Yes Beauty, I understand. I will allow you a visit. But your trip must not last more than a weekend, and you must be back before sundown on Monday afternoon. If you do not, then I have but no choice…” I trailed off for her to make what she wanted out of my sentence, and as soon as I finished she was running across the dining hall to throw her arms around my large neck. I stiffened as she hugged me, and as she pulled back a large smile was pressed across her face.

“Thank you for your kindness.” She answered me before running out to pack in her room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Days passed, with no sign of Beauty. The more she was gone, the more I thought of her and how pleasant her company was while it lasted. She had not come back by sundown on Monday, nor was she there by Tuesday. As the days continued on, I was sure that she was never coming back to me, and my heart began to rip into two.

It grew hard to be without her. I needed her here with me, because without her I was surely going to die from a broken heart. I made a promise to myself, that if she did return, we would never be separated again.

On the second week since her departure, she returned back to the mansion. I heard her come through the door, and my heart broke even more at the decision that had gripped me.

“I am sorry that I am late, Beast. My family had begged me to stay and made it difficult for me to return, but I cannot live without you anymore.” Beauty said, taking off her blue cloak at the door as I appeared on the grand staircase. She had a basket with her, and she was dressed in a new white dress, her hair plaited in a braid behind her. I walked down the steps toward her, a wooden axe swinging within my right hand.

“Beast, what have you been up to since I’ve been gone?” She asked me, before letting out a scream once she saw the axe and then my face.

“I cannot live without you anymore either Beauty. I am in love with you, from the bottom of my heart. I fear for how much they have corrupted you and how they tried to keep you away from here; away from me.” I said to her. If I could cry, I would have surely been crying.

“Beast, what are you talking about? I’m back now, and I will never leave you again. We can be happy now, within our mansion.” Beauty said, still calmly but now more defensively. I had reached her now, and she was slightly cowering against the door. I raised the axe above my head.

“I love you, Beauty.” I said, bringing the axe down. Beauty screamed and then dashed out of the way. My axe slashed through the door. I roared as she ran off through the dining hall. I ripped the axe out of the door and chased after her, my paws patting hard against the stone floors as well as the floorboards. I slashed the axe around me, hitting and destroying the walls of my once beautiful mansion. Beauty screamed and kept on running from me.

“Don’t run Beauty! Don’t make this hard!” I yelled, my voice coming out as animal noises. She continued to run from me, skating around the halls until I had her cornered in her very own bedroom. I shut and locked the door behind me as I came in. I swung the axe around, splintering one of the four posts on her bed. She screamed as she cowered in the far corner, her arms over her head as if she could stop the axe from falling on her.

“I’m sorry, Beauty, but I just cannot take that chance again.” I told her. She didn’t look up at me, but instead screamed as the axe came down on her shoulder. I could hear the crack of her bone as the axe drove right through it. I yanked it out of her bone, blood already seeping down her arm as she cried out in agony. I brought the axe down again, this time on her side up to her chest, hoping to kill her quicker by aiming for an important organ. Beauty fell backwards from the blow, and rolled onto the floor beneath my feet, her eyes shutting from either passing out or from death coming quicker.

I threw the axe down, and began to rip at her clothing, taking off the bindings that held her fleshy form in. Never had I seen her unadorned before, and even in death she was magnificent and practically glowing. I kissed her lips—the first and last time I would ever be able to do so before I began to tear at her flesh between her breasts with my claws. The flesh tore easily beneath my claws, and I tore deep into the muscle, finally getting to the part that I wanted the most.

I took out Beauty’s heart, now silent but still very much alive in the sense that my love will always keep it alive as long as the Earth turns. I began to rip at the fleshy organ with my sharp canine-like teeth, tearing it and digesting it into my system so that she will never leave me again.

By the time I was finished, I was began to feel quite ill. My body began to feel shaky, and felt like something was crawling within me. I was sure that it was Beauty’s love that I was feeling for me, and as if to prove it, I felt the hair on me begin to grow inwards, my claws and teeth shrinking. Beauty’s love had turned me into a man, so lost and so desolate in this world without a love to share it with. The only way that I could repay her was with my own heart.

With now wobbling human’s legs, I walked over to Beauty’s old nightstand, and pulled out a knife that she had hidden there when she was still in fear of me. With Beauty’s knife, I ripped off my shirt, and began to tear out the heart that forever will belong to Beauty.