𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 was surrounded by the dark. Even with his enhanced vision, he couldn't see anything but the solid dark shade of despair. The silence was unbearable, but only because it amplified the beating of his own heart.

He turned in every direction, searching for some sign of life or a flicker of light to prove he wasn't alone, but his request was denied. The darkness instilled melancholy while the echo of his heart intensified.

He shrunk inside himself, cowering into a curled position close to the ground as he squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his hands to his ears. However, the noise faded and his blood ran cold at the soft flesh he'd forgotten the feeling of. He slowly lowered his hands and his eyes widened at the lack of fur and claws. They were normal, human hands.

A joyous laugh of disbelief escaped his lips, which he quickly covered once he heard the foreign sound. No longer was his voice gruff with a constant growl clinging to the back of his throat, but softer and gentle. He couldn't help but look himself over, turning to capture every angle while fearing a cruel trick of the mind.

That was when the beast stepped out of the shadows, confronting the prince while shattering his hopes. The prince deflated and took a cautionary step back, holding out a hand to ward off the monstrous creature.

"Stay back."

The beast snorted, hissing hot steam from his nose as the temperature around them changed. If he looked closely, the prince could see the remnants of his own breath from his warning just a moment ago. A warning that the beast ignored as he took a step forward, paws crunching in the snow underfoot that had suddenly appeared.

The prince's breath grew shallow. He could feel the pull of something trying to put them back together again, sew them permanently as one, but he refused to willingly allow it.

He turned, boots sliding against the slick slush, and ran. The calm of the snow was fleeting as the storm swirled around them. The white flurries blinded him, blocking the path ahead in an attempt to distract the prince; however, the young royal was far more desperate than the storm. He pushed forward against the wind that made it almost impossible to move.

He only stopped when the sound of bells echoed around the inside of his head as he collided with the metal gate that marked the edge of the forest. The brief pauses of wind were just long enough to provide a glimpse of the palace just beyond the iron bars. In its golden glory, he recognized the structure he once called home, now prison.

The beast's snarl somewhere behind him snapped him out of one moment of fear into another that pushed him to take the next step and close the gate as he sprinted toward the marble steps. His now human form didn't stop him from slipping disgracefully then landing in a clumsy heap at the bottom of the steps.

The sound of sobbing he had presumed to be his own stopped. Slowly, he looked up and tilted his head in confusion to see a small girl, wiping a few frozen tears from her swollen pink cheeks. She sniffled then sneezed, clearly catching a cold from the soaked garments that failed to keep her warm.