Twisted Fairy Tale Short Series
A Beauty Needs Her Beast — Rumors
Part 1: Someone or something was coming toward her, and not attempting to hide their approach…
Rumors of a beast living in a rundown castle swirled from time to time. Sometimes a mangled animal carcass stirred the pot, sometimes a youth from the village would go missing and the gullible said the beast had captured and enslaved them, not wanting to face the fact that sometimes people just run away.
It was these rumors that caught the attention of Gwen. She traveled to the area to seek the truth. The locals warned her that everyone who had tried to find the castle failed. Most returning within a day or two and the others never returning at all, but Gwen shrugged off their concerns and after gathering supplies for her journey, she set out into the woods.
Two days in to her trek, Gwen saw smoke rising above the trees to the East. She changed direction to investigate the cause. The maps she had studied suggested the castle was to the South but she couldn’t let a lead go unexplored.
Gwen was closing in on the source when she felt eyes on her.
“I am a peaceful traveler,” she announced without breaking stride. “I mean no harm to anyone.”
Rustling in the bushes did not deter Gwen. She came across a makeshift alarm of dry twigs covering a large area. She could not cross without snapping them.
“I do not wish to damage your alerts. Is there a path I can take that will not require this?”
A young man in homespun clothes stepped out from behind a large shrub.
“You will not be easily dismissed.” He said.
“My curiosity never fails me.” Gwen laughed.
“Follow me.”
Gwen was led to a small village of no more than twenty huts and what appeared to be a storage room. The inhabitants of the village were fascinated by her as she was by them. Most were young and full of energy. They had to be; the rows of crops and the drying meat told her they hunted or grew all their own food. Their clothes ranged from mended items that were too small and clearly from their days in the town, to hand made items, seemingly stitched together from scraps they found.
“You have a nice home here, deep in the woods. Am I to assume some of you are the youth who the villagers claim are enslaved by the beast?”
“We are,” the young man who led her to the village replied. “We all had different reasons for leaving, and over time we came to rely on each other. We ask that you do not share this. We — like you — mean no harm to anyone.”
“You have my word.” Gwen replied.
Gwen was welcomed to stay the night. She asked about the castle and was given its location, although the villagers assured her it was completely abandoned and so ruined, it was worthless.
The next morning, Gwen set out to make her own determination of the state of the castle.
She found it exactly where they had said it would be, and from the outside it looked to be on the verge of collapse.
“I come as a friend.” Gwen called out as she moved closer.
She couldn’t sense any life, not even insects called the castle home.
“Keeper of this castle, please reveal yourself.”
The winds changed and Gwen noted the smell of burning wood, not from the village but coming from further South of the castle. She immediately set out for a better vantage point.
The climb up the spire was treacherous, steps giving way beneath her even though she trod carefully.
When she reached the summit, she looked for the smoke. Not far behind the castle, she saw a dim orange glow in the woods. Shadows danced in the area, but she could not determine if it was movement of a body or of the flame.
Clouds ruled the sky. It would be pitch black by the time she could get to the flame. She decided to spend the night in the castle but, extended an invitation first.
“Inhabitant of the woods. I wish to meet you. Tonight, I will stay in this castle, tomorrow I will seek you out. If you wish to meet, keep your fire burning throughout the day.”
Gwen was confident her voice had carried well enough to reach her target. She descended the spire and prepared a camp in the castle’s entryway. It was well into the night before her task was complete.
Sleep had just come when a commotion woke her. Someone or something was coming toward her and not attempting to hide their approach.
She took a deep breath before she said, “I am a peaceful traveler seeking knowledge.”
“You are a trespasser.” A voice, not quite of a man but neither that of an animal, roared.
“I sought an owner to ask permission but found none, so I made my intentions clear.”
“So I heard.”
This time the voice came from another direction.
“Shall we have this conversation in the open?” Gwen asked as she held up a dim torch.
“I shall speak but only if you put out the fire.”
Gwen didn’t hesitate for a moment. She dipped her torch in a bucket of water then doused her campfire. Smoke and ash filled the air, making it more difficult to see.
“Now we can speak but not see.” Gwen said.
“You cannot see.”
Gwen turned toward the direction of the voice. Forty paces away, a pair of large green eyes pierced the darkness. They were set too far apart to belong to a man and appeared to be eight feet off the ground.
“Why are you here?” The voice snarled.
“I have long heard rumors of a beast living in a castle in the woods. I seek knowledge and truth.”
“You put yourself in great peril.”
“Do I?”
“What does that mean?”
“Less than a day’s travel from here lies a quiet village, only defended by sticks and traps laid by children. If a terrible beast resided in these woods, he surely would have slaughtered them by now.”
The eyes came closer. For a beast of great size, his movements were silent.
“They are wise enough to leave me alone.”
“Are you saying I am not wise.”
“I am saying you should be afraid.”
“I fear ignorance more than anything.”
“So your plan?”
“Is to meet the beast, learn what I can, then be on my way.”
The beast launched himself into the air. Before Gwen could react, he landed directly in front of her, causing the ground to shake. She stumbled and fell.
“You wish to learn how hideous and terrible I am?” The beast roared, still partially concealed by darkness but obviously towering over her.
Gwen calmed her nerves and planned her next move carefully. Above her was a beast, far larger than any bear in the woods, with fangs that could easily pierce her skull and claws that could dismember her with minimal effort. He stood like a man but was covered in fur.
Gwen reached out her hand, requesting help getting up.
Stunned by her demeanor, the beast aided her to her feet.
“You are well traveled.” The beast said.
“How do you gather?”
“You are not panicked. Those who have come across me have never stood this close without their heart racing and terror setting in.”
“Are those the ones in town who spread rumors of you?”
“Doubtful.”
Gwen gave him an inquisitive look.
“I have not come face to face with anyone in many, many years. Everyone who has seen me has long since passed.”
“Yet you have not.”
“I have been cursed with a long life.”
“You call it a curse?” Gwen questioned right as the morning sun broke the darkness.
“Everyone I ever cared for has died.” The beast snarled.
“That is a true burden. May I ask who cursed you?”
“A deceptive witch.”
“I see. May I ask what reason she gave?”
“You may not!” The beast roared, the sheer force of his bellow pushing Gwen back two paces.
“I understand.”
Gwen waited, expecting him to storm off, but he remained in the room. As more light poured in through the cracks in the castle walls, Gwen began to notice that while a menacing figure, the beast appeared to be sad.
“Join me for breakfast.” She offered.
The beast gave her a confused look.
“I do not fear you.” Gwen laughed.
“And why not?”
“Because if you wanted to harm me, you would have already.”
Gwen set out a small portion of food. She had carried everything on her back and while the villagers she met had given her what little they could spare, she had to carefully ration what she had.
“I’ll be right back.” The beast said and quickly left.
He returned as promised with a load of wood in one arm and a fresh kill in the other.
“That explains the carcasses the townsfolk talk about.”
“I only hunt what I need to eat.”
“As you should.”
He built a roaring fire and hung the deer above it. Gwen watched in utter fascination. The man in him desired cooked meat but the beast devoured more pounds of it than she cared to track.
“Is it still considered impolite to stare?” He questioned.
“It is. I’m sorry.”
The beast’s laughter echoed around them. He did not care at all about polite behavior.
“May I explore the castle?”
“You may.”
Gwen stood up and looked around. While the outside walls of the castle appeared to be crumbling, the inside had held up well over the years. She headed toward the east wing first, taking advantage of the sunlight.
The castle was similar to others she had seen. The family’s wing, grand and well lit. The servant’s wing, simple but comfortable, and the main hall, designed to project wealth and power. The beast had let it all fall into disrepair, which made the small garden outside the south wall all the more peculiar. It was well maintained, with a grand arch leading to a back garden.
When Gwen followed the path, she discovered not a second garden, but a small gathering of grave markers. Names appeared to have been carved on the stones although they had worn away. Upon closer examination, some names had been carved with tools, the more recent tombstones however appeared to have names carved by a claw.
“Their memories escape me more each day.”
Gwen jumped up, having no idea the beast was behind her.
“Your family?”
“Yes, and the most loyal of my staff.”
Her eyes asked the questions before her lips could.
“Thankfully, my parents passed before this was done to me and I have no siblings. They never saw what became of their son. When the witch transformed me, most of my staff fled in fear. A select few stayed, confident we would find a way to break the curse. We never came close and over time, I had to bury them, one by one.”
“How long ago? How long have you been alone?”
“I stopped counting after thirty years but it has been many more than that.”
Gwen wanted to console him but she did not have any words.
Several days passed and Gwen and the beast settled into a routine. He would check on her in the morning, eat with her, then leave. Each night he would hunt their dinner and eat with her.
During their third dinner, Gwen asked, “What is your name?”
To be continued here…
Another story from Michael
And one from Grimm Lamont
