Ariel couldn't understand what was happening to him.He screamed in pain as the shift threatened to force itself on his body again. The pain had become a permanent friend over the past three days."Arghhh!"The sound of a bone cracking sliced through the air and Ariel's pained scream cut through the silence of the castle. The bodies of four men lay on the stone floor, in different positions, intestines leaking out and stomachs torn, the look of pure pain and anguish on their faces still present.They all had their mouths in the shape of half formed screams.Ariel looked at them and he felt a different sort of pain rip through him.He screamed.He could feel his heart ripping apart to let forth the monster. The same monster that had been restless for the past few days now.Ariel felt himself being thrown into the cage at the back of his mind again. He couldn't do anything to fight it. It felt like every part of his body had knives protruding from them.Dangerous and sharp weapons ema
Roxanne woke up to the sun on her face.It's rays hitting her neck and the heat burning the skin slightly."Hell."Roxanne sprang up, her voice sounding groggy as she blinked and rubbed the part of her neck that had taken the full brunt of the fire like heat. It was either the sun was literally shining fire today or something had bit her there and run away.The events of yesterday didn't take any time in coming back to her and she froze.She wasn't at home anymore.She wasn't with Annabelle and she wasn't with Lord Alex too. She was somewhere else.The walls here weren't wooden, they were made of stone. Hard and dark stone.Had she been thrown in the dungeons?Roxanne turned her head to examine the room she was in.It didn't look like a dungeon. It looked like.............. something else. At least it wasn't a dungeon.The sleep she had woken up from just a few minutes ago seemed irrelevant now, forgotten even. Roxanne was fully awake and she was ready to run at the next sound she hea
Ariel gasped in pain, his breath coming in short spurts as he looked at the spike embedded in his chest.Where did he get a spike from in the first place?It hurt like hell!Ariel could feel it touching parts of his innards that weren't supposed to be touched.The spike was in deep.He needed to get it out.He felt her before she even arrived. Like an invisble tug in his stomach.Ariel looked up at the door and there she was.In a short white dress and her hair in a mess."What are you doing in here? Get out."The words came out as a pained groan more than it came out as a growl.Even speaking made intense pain rip through him.Ariel groaned and coughed out blood."You need help."Ariel felt someone come close to him, his eyes had gone glassy with pain and his heart pounded in his ears. He had a splitting headache. and coupled with the fact that his heart probably had a spike through it, Ariel didn't want anyone to be near him."Go away. Leave me alone."Ariel could feel his strength
Ariel woke up to the feeling of bandages on his body.He looked down at his lower chest and saw that someone had taken the time to put strips of cloth on the wounds he had there.He had been too preoccupied with the spike in his chest and passing out from the pain to notice that anyone had been near him.Okay, maybe he had noticed one person near him.And speaking of the spike in his chest, it wasn't there anymore.Someone had pulled it out.But who?The scent of cinnamon and fresh oats wafted into Ariel's nose and he scrunched his face up in confusion.Who could be in his castle?He could feel the presence of someone else nearby, like warmth on the tip of his tongue, or the smell of sunlight on a dreary day.The only problem was that he couldn't actually see this person at the moment.Ariel hissed as pain shot through him. He had shifted slightly and one of the bandages on his side had moved making the wound there open again.It hurt like hell.It always hurt like hell.Every tear,
"Do you know how hard it was to get you into those bandages?!"Ariel was having a problem."Do you think it's easy for me to clean up this place?!"A very big problem."Do you think I want to live here?!""Then leave!!" he screamed back."No! I won't be leaving."This girl was going to run him mad.Half of the villagers already believed he was mad but this girl was going to run him mad for real.Where was the curse when you needed it?Roxanne looked at the male in front of her and smirked inwardly.He thought he could shout at her and run her out of his castle so easily? She would make him think twice about that.So far so good, they hadn't ripped each other to shreds, or rather he hadn't ripped her to shreds, because he could actually do that if he wanted to, but he hadn't, so they were clearly making progress.She had managed to get him into a chair, but only after he had staggered down the rest of the stairs and almost collapsed at the foot of it.Ariel was stubborn, and she had ev
Ariel had locked her out.Roxanne sighed as she sat down on the stone steps that led to the main castle's double doors.He might not want her here but she didn't have anywhere else to go.No one would bully her here and she could take care of him when he hurt himself.But apparently he didn't want that because he had locked her out of the freaking castle."Son of a bitch."Roxanne muttered those words as she picked up one of the stones on the floor and aimed it at the statue that stood in the middle of the fountain.The fountain was dirty. It didn't bring out clean water anymore. Roxanne sighed.It barely brought out any water at all.It would have made this whole cleaning up thing a lot easier.Roxanne let her eyes drift to the bodies that were littered all around the...... courtyard? She really didn't know much about castles or the homes of the mentally deranged.Only a mentally deranged person would refuse her help.She wasn't going to be touching any dead bodies though. The pri
Lord Alex left and Roxanne had to sleep outside for the night.Ariel didn't let her in even though she begged. People were much more enchanting when they saved you from bad people.The mystery that surrounded the cursed prince in her head had been shattered now. She didn't like him so much anymore.But she couldn't leave.Roxanne dozed off with thoughts of Anabelle and Lord Alex in her head. The news of Annabelle's disappearance was all she had been able to think of ever since Lord Alex told her.She hoped Annabelle was safe and alright.The cold hard floor wasn't the best condition for comfort but sleeping here made Roxanne nostalgic as well as it made her afraid.She woke up on the floor, but this time she was inside the castle and in the presence of someone else.Ariel stared at the body of the woman that slept on the floor.She couldn't be past the age of eighteen, twenty at most.Twenty measly years of age and yet so annoying.She was also beautiful. So beautiful that it felt lik
"Can I know more about your curse Ariel?"Roxanne knew she had asked the wrong question the minute the words left her mouth. She could feel Ariel's glare burning into her back the minute she said it.It was just a question wasn't it?What was so bad about asking questions?It had been like this all week.She would ask a question and he would simply glare at her. Like she was committing the gravest offense.Speaking to him made her breathless and made her heart pound, but that wasn't her fault. Anyone would be breathless if they were talking to the cursed prince. She felt brave for even being able to speak to him. She could do what a whole village couldn't, but being around him also made her have a lot of questions, and she needed answers to all of them.For instance, what exactly did his curse do to him, and in what way did that make him a threat to her?There was always a leeway to curses. She had read many in a lot of books, and she knew that the best way to beat a curse was to s
Ariel walked into the stable hand's salon and the minute he did, a deathly silence washed over the place. Everyone seemed to be frozen in their seats and only one man stepped out from his former position behind the counter. He gave a small bow and gestured for them to go outside. He received a small nod in return. Ariel followed the aged old man outside and he felt something boil in him at the way the man directed a kind smile at him. He was never scared of him. Instead he was always full of smiles and sympathetic looks. "Back for your horse Mi Lord?" Ariel nodded and tried not to sound gruff or rude as he spoke. "I'll need an extra one too. One that isn't too wild." The old white haired man was named Arnold and he felt surprised. He didn't hide his emotions and his surprise was clear on his face. Ariel sneered underneath his mask. "I'm not planning to eat any of them, and I'm in a hurry. I also need a saddle and harness. I'll pay for everything in full." The older man nodd
"No?"Ariel nodded at Roxanne."No. I will not agree to you carrying anything we don't need.""How the hell do we not need clothes? Do you intend to sleep naked!"Roxanne immediately regretted the statement the moment she said it. Her mind pushed an image right in front of her and she felt her cheeks redden.What the hell was wrong with her? Wasn't it enough already?Her blushing only lasted for a moment before she regained her composure and stared at the man in front of her. He was making her feel like a fool. She had spent all night searching for clothes with the aid of a lamp! He couldn't be bothered to light any of the chandeliers and she hadn't expected him to. She had taken on the task of searching for clothes suitable for the both of them herself and she had even taken on the job of mending the tears on them.All because she wanted to feel good that she had done something for him too.Okay, getting some clothes for them was more out of necessity than anything else. Even if she
Annabelle stared at the goon she had hired and she chuckled softly. An incredulous look had overcome her features and she didn't know if she was to cry or to sneer. "I'm sorry but I don't quite get what you're trying to say." The goon stared back at her with a hardened look on his face and he said one word. "No." Annabelle felt like screaming. What kind of answer was that supposed to be? "No?" "No. Look, I might be short on money but I'm not foolish enough to throw my life away." Annabelle sneered at that statement and turned away. What was the life of one thug worth anyways? She had taken great care to make sure that she didn't get any of those fat dirty thugs from the village. No, the one she had asked for especially was a young man. With a tall stature and brown curly hair. He looked rough at the edges, but that was the kind of person Roxanne would fancy the most. A man who looked like he needed tending to. In her opinion, all men were animals anyways, and Roxanne seeme
Annabelle stared at the goon she had hired and she chuckled softly. An incredulous look had overcome her features and she didn't know if she was to cry or to sneer. "I'm sorry but I don't quite get what you're trying to say." The goon stared back at her with a hardened look on his face and he said one word. "No." Annabelle felt like screaming. What kind of answer was that supposed to be? "No?" "No. Look, I might be short on money but I'm not foolish enough to throw my life away." Annabelle sneered at that statement and turned away. What was the life of one thug worth anyways? She had taken great care to make sure that she didn't get any of those fat dirty thugs from the village. No, the one she had asked for especially was a young man. With a tall stature and brown curly hair. He looked rough at the edges, but that was the kind of person Roxanne would fancy the most. A man who looked like he needed tending to. In her opinion, all men were animals anyways, and Roxanne seeme
Roxanne was scatterbrained for the rest of the day.It was like someone had forced alcohol down her throat and now she was drunk, except she wasn't. She was just surprised.So the cursed prince could be so emotional and touchy feely? How could he be a monster then?In a way, she knew that Ariel wouldn't allow just anyone touch him, he was a prince after all and coming into bodily contact with people would have been something he was never used to in the first place, but that would mean he had made an exception for her and hugged her especially, which was really strange.Strange enough that she refused to accept the fact. She had almost melted in his arms.Ugh!It was like coming into contact with the warm sun on a cold night, or dipping one's leg into a warm stream while out foraging. Ariel had been warm and his hair had smelt heavenly.His personality always made her believe that he would be a cold and unfeeling person, both on the inside and on the outside, but who knew his charact
Ariel could feel his heart taking him back down memory lane as he listened to the words the lady in front of him spoke. She was reading his letter to him. A letter he had read countless times himself now and in which he only saw one thing. His father's hate for him. He had been a very bad child. A really bad one who had even wished his own father death once. He had been rebellious, wild, unwilling to listen to anyone and without fear or favor of anything. He had been renowned for his looks once, but after the curse, that beauty turned to shame and he couldn't look anyone in the eyes again. He had read this letter a million times now, but never had he heard the words like this and never had he seen those words in this light. Roxanne was changing his father's words. That was what she was doing, but at the same time she was keeping it as it really was. He could hear his father's displeasure in the way she spoke. He could hear the anger and the disappointment his father had expre
"Do you think we should go to the capital?"Ariel was pacing the length of the kitchen as the lady behind him continued with her task. She was cooking for them, again, and even if he didn't really need her food, he still enjoyed eating it.There was a huge gash on his chest now, the curse had manifested8884 while he was asleep and he slashed a claw against his chest.Roxanne helped him clean it and bandage it, but for some reason she seemed out of her element today.She looked sad.Ariel found himself letting out a sigh and turning to face her."Is this about the letter? I thought you'd have forgotten about that?"Roxanne tried her best to smile but she failed."I have, I just don't think it's fair."Ariel shrugged."The world isn't fair."Roxanne nodded glumly and went back to stirring the contents of the pot."I can see that now."The sunlight pouring in through the open windows did nothing to alleviate the sadness she was feeling. She was trying her best to feel better, but it just
They argued again.Roxanne sighed as she dropped her bag back into the room she resided in. It was on the main floor of the castle. The place had probably been a storage room.It annoyed her that Ariel was so determined to see himself as a monster. Yeah. he was cursed, but that didn't mean he was a total monster.It would be almost a week now that she had been living here with him and she hadn't seen him shift into his cursed form once. The only thing he complained of was a headache, and even that seemed to have subsided."Roxanne?"Ariel's voice made the frown on Roxanne's face disappear and she turned back to face him. He was holding something out to her. An envelope. She recognised it immediately. It was the same one from this morning.It was almost noon now. They had spent a whole day arguing again.Roxanne found her heart sending a weird emotion through her and she sighed as she took the letter from him. She hated arguing with him.He probably wanted her to help him open it
Roxanne refused to say anything. She started packing her things instead. She didn't come with much anyways, but the little she came with seemed to be scattered all around the castle now and she had to look for each one of them. Coming here was a mistake. Coming to this darned town alone had been a huge mistake. She had to go. '"I'm still waiting for my answer Roxanne. You won't leave this castle unless you tell me what I want to know." Roxanne raised her head to look at the prince and she gave him a bored look. "You'll kill me if i don't won't you?" Ariel seemed miffed by that and Roxanne tried her best not to feel amused at how he opened his mouth and closed it again. She failed miserably. "I'm not joking Roxanne. I mean it. I could end your life and forget I even did it." Roxanne ignored the prince and picked up the comb she was looking for. That was the last of her belongings. "I'll be leaving now Prince Ariel." Ariel blocked her path and Roxanne glared at the masked p