The Beauty and the Beast (1st book of Fantasy Series)

Chapter 5- Belle

I tucked my cloak closer to me and kept my eyes closed, feeding the sleep that I had been faking for maybe the past hour or half. I could hear people or... Beasts whispering and didn't want to intrude. I had no idea how long I had been in here, but I knew that it was long enough for me to start dozing.

"She is pretty," one of them, a female I think, said. She sighed happily, and I could tell that she might be either wishing she was as "beautiful" like me or just being human again. "I wonder if she is a Princess. Mama used to say that Princesses were very beautiful, and she is beautiful."

"Shhhhh," others said, and Pippa growled in warning. They were silent for a bit, watching my dog before looking back at each other.

"You don't want to wake up the sleeping person," a young male whispered. "But I agree. She is pretty like a Princess."

"Do you think that she is the one that will break the curse?" the same female asked, her voice filled with hope. "I mean, every Prince needs a Princess, and His Majesty has never found his Princess. Maybe she is the one."

"What are you three give doing down here?" a deeper male voice asked. There was a slight teasing sense in his tone, and the children chuckled nervously. "You can open your eyes. I know that you are awake."

I bit back a huff and opened my eyes before sitting up. I studied the three... wolf children before looking at the male before me. I stayed silent, not speaking, but I did offer the children a small smile, and one squealed happily.

"I'm Louis. It is nice to meet you, Pr- er..." His eyes were wide with fear, and I could tell that he was beating himself up over the mistake that he had almost made. Panic filled his eyes, and I was sure that he needed me to "brush" it off.

"Belle," I said, giving him a small smile. I tucked the strand of hair behind my ear and pulled Pippa onto my lap. "I go by Belle."

"It's nice to meet you, Belle," Louis said, bowing slightly. He studied me before looking away, and I could tell that he was feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry," he said, apologetically, offering me a small smile. "I am just amazed that you are not afraid of me of us." He gestured to the three young ones, still watching me.

I shrugged my shoulder and offered him a small smile, this one being a little more forced. "I've seen scarier people," I replied, honestly. I pulled my cloak tighter around me, not wanting them to see the claw marks on my skin.

Louis cocked his head and looked at me in confusion. "But, we are Werewolves, and we have sharp claws and fangs." He bared his teeth and made a "scary" face, and the children giggled.

I blinked and raised an eyebrow, not fazed by the look. I could tell that he was joking and knew that he wouldn't hurt me. "That was not scary enough to scare me," I said; they giggled again. "You... didn't mean it."

Louis blinked and frowned. He understood what I was trying to say, and I couldn't help but be grateful. He studied me, and I had no idea what he had picked up on, but I could tell that he had picked up something that I was trying to hide. "Someone must have hurt you really bad. An old boyfriend, perhaps?"

I hesitated but nodded my head. I looked towards how the "King" had left and couldn't help but wonder what he was hiding. I could tell that he was debating with himself about something, but I couldn't tell what. "He wasn't as bad the beast that had hurt me before," I said, voicing my thoughts for the first time. My old boyfriend wasn't a man. He was a monster, a beast that preyed on the weak. "That man was a beast. This one is just... confused. He's not a beast."

Louis's eyes glowed a different color, probably shocked by my statement. He blinked and focused his gaze back on me, trying to see if what I was saying was true. "So, you don't mind getting to know him?" he asked, sounding rather excited. He moved a little forward, and I backed up a small bit and placed my arm in front of me. He furrowed his brows in confusion when I moved like that, and I could tell that he had heard my heart skip a beat. "Are you ok?" he asked, backing up and looking at me like he had injured me accidentally.

I smiled a little and nodded, relaxing my stance. "You... just startled me a little. I... don't like people moving too fast towards me," I said, honestly. "It's..." I shook my head, not wanting to go more into detail about what had happened to me.

Louis nodded his head in understanding. "I understand; I am sorry that I had scared you." He smiled sheepishly. "Forgive me?"

I smiled a little and nodded my head. "Of course," I replied. I looked at the children and smiled at them. "Now, who do we have here?"