𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈. 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓, but the noise of her thoughts made up for it. It was difficult to think of anything other than the realizations she'd come across over the past couple weeks, not to mention impossible to deny the inner workings of her heart.

If she were honest with herself, she could imagine living the rest of her days in the cursed castle without any problems. Sure it was a bit drafty and eerie down certain corridors, but the company of those that actually wanted her around outweighed the negative aspects. Her mother and the friendship she still had with Belle were the only things that prevented her from leaving altogether.

After stumbling over a fallen branch here and there, Celine finally decided to take a seat for her own good. She could tell that spring was just around the corner as only a few patches of snow remained on the ground... that or it was Jack Frost playing tricks, a little warm spell before an even harsher blizzard. She certainly hoped it was the prior over the latter.

Subconsciously, she began to hum under her breath, a habit she'd picked up from her mother whenever stressed. Usually it was inaudible or ignored if anyone ever heard it, but in that moment she felt the need to voice her thoughts out loud.

"I have a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything. If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future, even if you fail."

Her head tilted back and she stared up at the sun through the bare branches of the forest ceiling. With thoughts racing around her head, she was overwhelmed. A feeling she'd felt more than she liked lately, but nature had always provided a calming effect for her. So she kept her eyes open, looking at the world around her, and took a few deep breaths.

"I believe in angels. Something good in everything I see."

It was true that she tried to look for the best, but as she'd gotten older, she was shown how cruel the world could be. Between the antlers posted to the tavern walls as trophies and the entire cursed castle lying hidden deeper in the woods, there seemed to be no escape from the brutality of humanity.

Perhaps she was included in that circle now, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She'd immediately turned the hunter down after he'd made a mistake, but she was willing to give the beast chance after chance to change. Why was that? Perhaps it was because she realized the beast wasn't really changing, just finding his lost humanity. Which meant she believed the hunter never had an ounce of humanity to begin with... a harsh judgment if she really thought about it. Was her mother right in trying to guide her back to the arms of the hunter?

"I believe in angels. When I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream. I have a dream."

She gently shook her head. There was something within her conscience that tried to push her away every time the hunter was near. She couldn't trust him. He had broken her trust by placing her second to Belle after he insisted he wanted her. She didn't know why it had hurt so much, but she realized it hurt to be used. She didn't want to be played again... and that's why she was growing more cautious of her increasing feelings toward the beast. Was he also just using her to break the curse? Afterall, she had offered to help. Was she just imagining things and their partnership was simply built on mutual benefits?