Archive-name: Fantasy/beaubeas.txt
Archive-author: Raven St. Clair (c) 1992
Archive-title: Beauty and the Beast
As It Really Happened
It's funny how time tends to distort history. And how we old
men remember our youth with such clarity, when we can't even remember
what we had for supper last night. Someday you boys will look back in
fond memory on these days, sitting in the garden listening to an old
man tell stories from his youth. But better the stories I tell you
than the nonsense that foolish bard spouts every night. Like the one
he told you about Beauty and the Beast last night.
What? No, of course he doesn't know the real story. And
wouldn't care if he did. His version of it is a nicer one, more
acceptable to the common folk. They'd frown if he told the truth, not
that he ever would, of course.
Tell you the truth? You're both a bit young. How old are you
now, Tony? Eleven? Well, I suppose that's old enough for you to hear
such an adult story. In fact, we have to go back to when I was eleven
to start the story.
Eleven is such a tumultuous age for a boy. The body is
beginning to change, and feelings awaken for the first time, making
you look at women and sometimes men in new ways, longing for something
you aren't quite sure what. Your grandfather and I went through that,
just as you boys are now. He was a month younger than I was, and
perhaps it hit me a little sooner than it did him. But I began to
notice him in a different way.
You see, I'd been placed in the cradle with him when he was
born, destined to be his companion and servant. We grew up together,
playing with the same toys, learning to love each other and fight with
each other, just as you boys do. We learned the manly arts, and our
tutor began the laborious job of teaching us such things as history
and mathematics and geography and sorcery. Yes, the same things you
boys are studying now.
Your grandfather -- Ian was his name, though I called him
always 'Highness', as was proper -- disliked our studies, preferring
to practice with his sword or bow. But I took to the study of sorcery
well enough, and learned many things. Some healing, a little skill
with illusion, warding, and a few other such things.
Then we turned eleven, and suddenly I saw His Highness in a
whole new light. I'd never before realized how beautiful he was. His
hair was like yours, Tony, so black it looks blue in the sunlight. And
his eyes were like yours as well, that deep warm brown flecked with
gold. His body was beginning to take on some of the manly contours it
would later have, and I found myself watching him at every available
opportunity, with some strange longing in me that I didn't -- or
wouldn't -- recognize.
If he felt the same thing, it was never toward me, of course.
I was but his servant and companion. Always along when he went
anywhere, always taken for granted as simply as he accepted his horse
and his dog. I was just a part of him, as were they.
But he began experimenting then, with the noble sons who were
here for training. They'd ride into the woods, with me along to guard
them, and in some sheltered glen, they'd undress and teach each other
about the joys of the flesh. And I'd ache inside, longing so to be a
part of it. My young cock would harden against my belly and throb as I
watched them. After a while I learned that if I stroked it as I
watched, I could get release, with none the wiser.
We were thirteen when I had my first experience with sex. One
of the warriors took me behind the stables. It was nothing like the
carefree experimentation I'd seen between His Highness and his
companions. Instead the warrior urged me to suck him, and he held my
head, making me gag from it. When he saw my reaction to it, he turned
me around and took me. And it hurt, very much. After he left, I sobbed
for a long time before taking myself to the baths to clean up. And I
made sure none of the warriors ever got me alone again, though some of
them tried.
At night, it was my job to sleep across the doorway of His
Highness' room. Sometimes he'd invite one of his friends to spend the
night, or a wench, and I'd hear them playing in the bed. I cried
sometimes, from the longing that filled me.
We were seventeen when the invasion came. A foul sorcerer and
his army conquered the kingdom next to ours, and then moved on into
ours. His Majesty called us to him, and charged me with taking care of
His Highness. Then he sent us flying in the opposite direction, to
hide until His Highness was old enough and skilled enough to return
and retake the kingdom.
We fled for months, to a small kingdom far from home. There,
with the money and jewels we'd brought with us, we bought a walled
estate outside of a small city. And His Highness hired a sorcerer to
continue our lessons in the craft, this time in earnest.
I didn't trust the sorcerer he hired. There was something
about the man which rang untrue to me. However, it wasn't mine to
judge, but to protect and to learn. I told His Highness of my
distrust, and he merely shrugged it off. We studied with the sorcerer
for a year, and I carefully hid from him how much I was learning,
pretending that it was as difficult for me as for His Highness.
Then one day, he asked why we wished to learn sorcery, since
we were obviously so unsuited for the craft. His Highness told him of
the invasion of our kingdom, and that he had to learn sorcery before
he could return and defeat the evil sorcerer who now controlled our
kingdom. His Highness had no way of knowing what a terrible mistake it
was to reveal himself to this sorcerer, whom it turned out was a
brother to the one who'd conquered our land. When he learned who His
Highness was, he placed him under the foul spell, that by day he'd be
a horrid beast, and only by night would he be a man. Having no fear of
me, a poor servant, he left me there to guard the prince. He warded
the walls of the estate so the prince couldn't leave it, knowing I
wouldn't leave without him.
Oh, it was a most horrible day. His Highness went quite mad, I
think. He rampaged through the gardens, killing his own dog,
destroying half the flowers. But when night came, he collapsed near
the garden door, a man again, though exhausted and dirty and beaten.
I took him inside and bathed him as gently as I could, then
put him into bed. He slept the sleep of the damned, too deep to suffer
from nightmares. And just before dawn, he woke, and returned to the
garden, where he again became the horrid beast.
The next few months were a living nightmare. I arranged for
seven sheep to be delivered to us at the beginning of each week. We'd
learned quickly that one sheep was what the beast needed for
sustenance each day. I dismissed the servants, and took care of our
needs myself. Whenever I had to go into town for supplies, I locked
and warded the door carefully, both to keep him inside and to keep
strangers out.
After a month or so, we'd settled into a routine of it, and I
began to search for a way to save my master from the spell. It was a
long and laborious process, since I had to tend to all our needs in
addition to whatever I did in the way of study. Nearly a year after he
became the beast, I finally discovered a simple spell which would
allow me to sleep but one hour and still have the benefits of a full
night's rest. After that, it went a little faster, since I could tuck
him into bed and then go straight to the study, working most of the
night.
I was still working there one night when he appeared in the
doorway.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
I bowed my head. "I suppose it's foolish of me, Highness," I
admitted. "But I'm trying to find a spell which will free you from
this curse."
His expression flickered through a number of emotions, and
then he turned away and left me without comment. I took a deep breath,
and continued what I'd been doing.
The rampaging of the beast during the day so totally exhausted
his body that he'd been sleeping much of the night prior to this. But
perhaps he was starting to get accustomed to it, for the next night he
returned to the study again, shortly after midnight.
"Do you sleep during the day to make up for working all
night?" he asked me.
I told him of the spell I'd discovered to allow me to sleep
less. He looked at me for a long time, then nodded. "Teach it to me,"
he said.
I did, and after that, though he still needed more sleep than
I did, he worked with me at night, trying to find the answer.
During this time, when I bathed him at night, I couldn't help
noticing that he was suffering more and more from the lack of any
sexual outlet. At last, one night, as I bathed him, I washed his cock
carefully, then left my hand around it, moving it gently. When his
only reaction was to close his eyes, I moved with more assurance, soon
giving him the release he needed. Afterward, I simply continued
bathing him as though nothing had happened. He said nothing of it, and
neither did I.
Each night after that, if his cock was hard, which it usually
was, I did the same for him. And neither of us mentioned it.
When he'd been the beast for two years, the strain told on
him. He went quite mad again, and tore through the garden all day long
like a crazed animal. When dark came, he collapsed at the garden door,
his body shaking and trembling. I had to carry him to the bath. I
washed him tenderly, then helped him out and dried him off. He leaned
on me as I helped him to the bed. When he collapsed face down, I got
some scented oil, and began giving him a massage.
He sighed with appreciation. He'd always loved massages. I'd
never given him one before, but I'd seen the bath wenches do it, and
just did what they'd done. When I finished with his back and legs, I
asked him to turn over. He did. His cock was standing up hard and red,
and I had to stifle a moan when I saw it.
I massaged the front of him with the same thoroughness, then
moved back to his cock at last. I massaged his beautiful balls gently,
loving the feel of them in their giant sack. Then I tenderly touched
his cock.
He moaned. It was the first time he'd made a sound when I gave
him release. I stroked the cock with my hand slowly, and then
hesitantly lowered my mouth to suck the head. His pelvis arched up to
me, and I took more of it, losing all control of myself. It was his
cock in my mouth, my beloved master's, the one I'd wanted to suck for
all those long years. I sucked greedily, and all too soon the hot
fluid spurted from him, filling my mouth and throat. I swallowed
hungrily, loving the taste of him. And very slowly, I released him and
then drew a sheet up over him.
His eyes were closed. I stared down at him for a long moment,
knowing from the even movement of his chest that he'd dropped into
sleep the instant the release had come. Tears fell from my eyes then.
I leaned over and kissed his forehead lovingly, then slipped
from the room to go to the study.
It was well after midnight when he joined me, more relaxed
than he'd been in a while. Common sense told me it was the beast's
rampage which had purged him of the wildness which had been steadily
building up in him. And yet a part of me persisted in thinking that it
was my love which had given him a little of that peace.
The bard tells that the merchant came into our garden and
stole a rose. I've already told you that such was impossible, since
the entire estate was sorcerously warded from intrusion. The truth is
that he came there having heard that we were selling some of the
treasures from the estate. The money which we'd brought with us was
disappearing rapidly, and I saw no recourse but to sell some things to
get money for us to continue living there. He arrived around noon, as
I was eating my midday meal. But I brought him inside and served him
some wine, then showed him the things we were considering selling.
He bought three of the items, and paid a decent price for
them, though I knew well he'd sell them for far more. He wanted a
fourth, but offered much less than I felt the piece was worth. We
haggled for a time, and then he made his offer. He had three
daughters, and would allow one of them to come to serve me for a year,
if I'd agree to his price.
I thought about it for a while. It would be nice to have
someone to take over some of the household chores, leaving me free to
do more studying. And His Highness would be grateful to have a wench
again. At last I agreed, with the reservation that he had to bring her
to me for my approval before taking the vase.
He brought Anna the next day, a comely fifteen-year-old with a
ready smile and reasonably decent manners. I accepted her, with the
provision that if she left before the year was up, he would pay me
fifty gold pieces to make up for it. He beamed happily and took the
vase with hardly a backward look at her. So much for her being his
favorite and beloved daughter.
I showed the girl the kitchen and her room, then explained
that we kept wild animals in the garden and she must never go out
there, under any circumstances. She agreed, and went to reheat my
lunch.
Things went along well for a week or two. I enspelled her to
make sure her courses stayed regular, and then gave her to my master
for a sleeping companion. This meant I had less opportunity for
pleasing him now, but he was happier, and that's all that mattered.
She'd been there for a month when she saw him change. She was
standing in the garden door looking out when the beast staggered near
her and collapsed, slowly becoming my master. When I got there, she
was standing wide-eyed, her hands over her mouth to hold back her
screams. I harshly ordered her to her room, then helped him to the
baths.
When he was in bed, I went to her room. She was lying across
the bed, weeping.
"So now you know the truth," I said.
"I've been sleeping with that monster," she sobbed.
"No. The beast is the result of a foul spell. His Highness is
fated to suffer that during the day, and only at night may he be his
own true self. You've given some solace to him. Are you to withdraw it
now?"
She sat up, drying her eyes. "Do you swear it?"
"Yes."
"No one must ever know that I've done this," she said firmly.
"No one will ever know unless you tell it yourself."
"All right," she said. "I'll go to him then. But you must pay
me extra for it."
They say she slowly fell in love with him during the months
she was with us. In truth she bedded with him and kept house for us,
and just bided her time waiting for her year to be up. And when it was
up, she left without even saying goodbye to him.
That night, I gave him a long slow massage.
"Where's Anna?" he asked.
My hands stilled for a moment, then continued their movements.
"Her father sold her to us for one year, and the year was up
today. She's gone," I told him quietly.
He was silent for a few moments, then buried his face in the
pillow. "I see," he said, voice muffled.
I massaged his buttocks particularly well, letting my finger
slide down into the crack to stroke his anus. And at last I told him
to turn over.
He did so. The pillow was wet, but his tears had stopped. I
massaged his front slowly and thoroughly, then lowered my mouth to his
balls, sucking them gently. Then I moved to his cock and sucked it as
I'd learned he liked best. Slow and easy at first, then getting more
passionate as his pelvis began moving rhythmically under me. I'd
conquered my gag reflex at last, and could take him all the way to the
root, and now I did so, sucking feverishly, wanting all of him that I
could have for the time that he could be mine.
He fell asleep at once, his body drained. I watched him
sleeping for a while, the longing in me bringing tears to my eyes. I
knelt by the bed then and kissed his hand.
"If only I could take your place," I whispered. "What would it
matter if I were a beast? Oh, my beloved prince, if only I could find
a way to save you from this."
I wept then, more than I ever had, silently so as not to wake
him. When the tears stopped at last, I kissed him gently and went back
to my studies.
It was scarcely two hours before dawn when he woke and came
out to the study.
"Have you made any progress at all?" he asked.
"Perhaps," I said. "This ancient manuscript I bought from the
merchant has some information about similar spells. It seems to say
that they feed on the hate and anger and bitterness inside the person
enspelled. That the only way to overcome them is with true love, which
will overcome those emotions."
"True love?" he said sarcastically. "And how am I to find true
love when I'm a beast all day long?"
He wheeled sharply and left the room. I bowed my head and wept
again. The true love was there waiting for him, if he could only see
past the veil of servitude through which he saw me.
The next day, I went back to the merchant and contracted for
another year of Anna's service. The price was another of the
magnificent vases, but I thought it would be worth it if she could
grow to love him.
He seemed a bit happier, at first. Then he asked why she'd
returned. I told him the truth, and he went silent again, as he did
sometimes.
She stayed for a month, then refused to stay any longer. He
wasn't nice to her anymore, she said, and she wouldn't tolerate it.
She packed her things and left. I sat in the study the rest of the
afternoon, unable to concentrate, wondering how he was going to react
to the news that she was gone.
I gave him another massage that night, to try to make up for
it. When he turned over onto his back, his cock was throbbing and red.
I could hardly complete the massage for wanting it. When I moved to it
at last, I looked up at him. Always, his eyes were closed when I
touched him. But this time they were open. He was watching me. I
swallowed hard, not sure of what to do. Then slowly, I lowered my
mouth to his balls and sucked them gently. He closed his eyes for a
moment, then opened them and continued watching me. I couldn't bear
it. I closed my eyes as I lowered my mouth to his cock, sucking it
gently, as he liked, then slowly increasing the pace, allowing myself
to suck it as greedily as I wanted to. When he exploded into my mouth,
I swallowed it all hungrily, licking the last residue from his cock,
and then my eyes opened.
He was still staring at me, and when my eyes met his,
something happened to me. I began very slowly moving up to his face,
like a fish being pulled in on a line. When my head was directly above
his, I started to lower my mouth to his. And he closed his eyes and
turned his head away.
It was like chilled water in my face. I drew away from him, my
back to him to hide the sudden tears which poured from my eyes. He was
silent, and I stayed silent as well.
When I regained control of myself, I surreptitiously wiped my
eyes, and then turned to help him to the bed. He was already there,
asleep.
I stumbled into the study and dropped my head onto my arms,
sobbing helplessly. How could I have been such an utter fool, to think
that a prince would want to kiss someone like me? It would be like
kissing his dog or his horse!
I don't know how long I cried there that night, but at last
all the hurt was washed away, replaced by a dull ache deep down
inside. I looked at the manuscript, and then suddenly hurled it from
me. Who was I to think I could learn enough sorcery to counter the
spell of such a strong sorcerer? I was just a servant, not a sorcerer.
I got up and went to my pallet across his door, and fell into a deep
sleep, in which dreams of him kissing me alternated with dreams of him
shoving me away.
It was after dawn when I awoke, and he was already gone. I
made breakfast and did the morning chores, then dealt with the
merchant when he came to call. He insisted that he owed me nothing
since the girl had been mistreated. When I insisted that she hadn't
been mistreated, he made her bare her back and show me the wicked
scratches on it. I sighed then, and gave in. It didn't seem to matter
anymore.
That evening, I helped my master to the baths, but I made no
move to pleasure him, even when his cock bobbed hard and red as I
washed it. I bathed him carefully, then helped him to the bed and
wished him a good night. Then I curled up on my pallet and tried to
sleep myself.
When sleep refused to come, thanks to my own throbbing cock, I
went out to the gardens, thinking a walk would help to relax me. I
walked through the flowers close to the house, coming to a small
fountain with a stone bench around it. I sat down, wondering what was
to become of both of us. Would he kill himself at last in one of his
crazed fits? Or would he come into the house and kill me? Would the
girl tell what she'd seen, and bring the authorities down on us? Would
things go on as they were, and if so, how would I get the money for
supplies? There was a limit as to how much could be sold from the
estate. Perhaps I could get a job in the city. But doing what? I had
no skills worth selling.
I sighed and buried my face in my hands, the tears coming
again, along with helpless sobs of pain and fear. I'd been charged
with taking care of him, and I'd failed. His father was probably dead
now anyway. His whole family was gone, most likely. No one would know
I'd failed him so. Only me.
I don't know how long I sat there, long enough that the night
chill soaked into my very bones. I was shivering when I sought my
pallet at last, still with no answers to any of my questions.
The next morning, I woke with a fever, and cursed myself for
the too-long excursion into the night air. I staggered into the
kitchen and made a brew of herbs and honey to fight the fever.
All day long, I chilled, unable to get warm in spite of fires
built high and hot drinks one after the other. When darkness fell, I
staggered to the garden and was unable to lift him, and him in too
much of a stupor to help himself, as he sometimes was. I pulled him
onto a rug and dragged it through the house to the baths, rolling him
into the hot water, and then stripping and following him in. I passed
out for a few minutes, and when I came to, he was staring at me.
"What's wrong?" he asked hoarsely.
"Chills and fever," I whispered. "I'll be all right soon."
He shook his head and lay back in the water. "We're a fine
pair, aren't we?" he said huskily.
"Yes, Highness," I whispered, unable to fight the hot tears
which filled my eyes.
He sat up and washed the filth from himself. Then he began
bathing me, though I protested. When he finished, he dried both of us
off, and then we helped each other over to the bed.
"Get in there and cover up good," he ordered.
"Highness, I can't take your bed!" I cried. "Where would you
sleep?"
"Right here next to you. The warmth of my body will chase the
chills away. Lie down. That's an order."
I obeyed, and he stretched out next to me, holding me close,
all the covers pulled up over us. I went to sleep almost at once, but
it was a feverish sleep, with dreams coming and going, dreams of him
holding me and loving me as much as I loved him. And nightmares of him
turning away from me, making me sob helplessly.
When I woke, it was past dawn and he was gone. On the table
next to the bed was a pot of herbal tea, with a candle to keep it warm
for me. Tears filled my eyes as I poured it into a cup and drank.
I got up at noon and staggered into the kitchen to make more
of the tea. The fire was out, and I had to struggle to rebuild it. I
had finally succeeded, and put water on to boil, when I felt eyes on
me. I looked up, and the beast was standing in the doorway, staring at
me.
Every muscle in my body went limp. I knew I couldn't escape
from him even if I was well, and I certainly couldn't do it now, in
this condition. I closed my eyes and bowed my head, accepting the
inevitable.
When several minutes went by without a sound, I slowly lifted
my head. He was gone. I stared at the empty doorway in shock,
wondering if I'd dreamed it.
I drank more of the tea, and sat before the fire, trying to
recover my strength as rapidly as I could. But when darkness came, I
was no better. I staggered out to the garden. He was just changing,
and I turned away, unable to bear watching.
When I turned back to him, he was on his hands and knees,
trying to stand. I staggered over to him.
"Lie down on the rug, Highness, and I'll drag you to the
bath," I said, my voice hoarse beyond belief.
He shook his head, and managed to get to his feet, swaying a
little. I put my arm around his waist, and he put his around my
shoulders, and together we staggered into the bath.
After the bath, he was a little stronger, and helped me over
to the bed. Then he disappeared, and came staggering back with a pot
of the herbal tea. I wept again.
"Highness, it isn't your job to wait on me," I tried to
protest.
"Shut up," he said quietly. "Who'll take care of me if I let
you die of this? Drink it, then lie down and let me get you warm."
I obeyed, and again I slept in his arms, the torture of it
almost more than I could bear.
Again when I awoke, he was gone, and the tea was on the table
for me, with some bread. I hadn't eaten anything the day before, but
the bread reminded me that I must, to keep my strength up as much as
possible. I forced it down and drank the tea, then fell asleep again.
This went on for five days and nights, until the fever broke
and left me. I felt unbearably weakened, but whole once more, and
began eating again to try to regain my strength. That night, he
started to help me to his bed, and I told him, almost reluctantly,
that the fever was gone. He hesitated for a moment, then continued on
his way.
"Nonetheless, you don't have your strength back yet. You'll
sleep here until you're completely well again."
Three nights later, when I was well again, I decided to have
one more night of the closeness of him, and I let him take me to the
bed. He snuggled me close, my back against his chest, and his hard
cock pressing against my bottom, making gooseflesh ripple across my
buttocks. One of his arms was under me, and the other around my waist.
As my cock swelled in response to him, I felt the tip of it touch his
arm. I didn't know what to do. If I tried to move away from his arm,
it would send my buttocks back harder against his cock. And if I
didn't, he'd know I was hard from being so close to him.
Then his arm moved, and his hand slipped down to encircle my
cock. My breath stopped for a moment. He'd never touched me before.
His breath was warm against my neck as he whispered, "May I
take you?"
I nodded, unable to speak.
He took his hand from my cock and lifted my leg, spreading my
buttocks, and positioning his cock against my anus, which was
pulsating wildly. He smeared the fluid from the tip of his cock over
the head, and then slipped it inside me. It hurt, but I gritted my
teeth and tried not to tighten up on him. He withdrew a little and
then moved a little farther in, continuing until he was completely
embedded in me. When he was fully inside, he stopped moving, giving my
body time to adjust to him. I sighed, feeling almost dizzy from the
pleasure which was replacing the pain.
It was my beloved master whose cock was splitting me. If only
he'd touch me again. But even as I thought it, his arm came around me
again, and his hand encircled my cock. A low moan escaped from my
lips, and he started moving then, slowly and easily. By the time he
started moving rapidly, the rapture had overtaken me, and I was
soaring high above the room. When he drove into me and I felt his cock
pulsating, his hand tightened on me, and I came, harder than I'd ever
come in my life.
His arms tightened for a moment, then relaxed, and he
whispered, "Good night."
Incredible peace washed through me. "Good night, my beloved
prince," I whispered.
I realized what I'd said just before sleep claimed me, but it
was too late to call back the secret name I'd never said aloud before.
When I woke, less than an hour before dawn, he was asleep, but
hard again with a morning erection. It had almost slipped from me, but
I moved down on it, capturing it fully, and slowly began moving on it,
my hips pumping up and down. He came awake then, with a low chuckle,
and his hand came around me to capture my cock and take me with him to
bliss. When we came, he held me for a few moments, then slipped out of
me and quietly left. I lay there in the bed, unable to believe what
had happened the night before.
Maybe he didn't love me as I did him, but this was as close as
I was going to get to that love. And as long as he wanted me, I was
going to be available for him.
For a while, this renewed my energy and my interest in trying
to find an answer to the puzzle. I didn't work at night anymore,
though, preferring to sleep in his arms for as long as he allowed me
to remain in his bed. He always took me like that, with us lying on
our sides, my back to his chest. And he was always kind enough to
stroke my cock and give me release, too. Though I'm not so sure I
couldn't have come just from having his cock in me.
Two weeks went by like this, and then one morning, I woke near
dawn, to find him hard inside me, his cock moving slowly. I snuggled
back against him, welcoming him, and his arm came around me to
encircle my cock.
"Do you think the change would take me if we were still doing
this at dawn?" he asked thoughtfully.
My blood chilled. "I don't know," I whispered.
He held me closer. "But what do you think would happen?" he
insisted.
I closed my eyes, knowing that tone of voice. "I'm willing to
try if you want to, Highness," I whispered.
"This is such a peaceful thing. I don't see how the change
could come upon me during this."
I surreptitiously wiped away the tears that filled my eyes.
"Neither do I, Highness. Certainly it will work."
He slowed his movements. "Then we must make it last," he
murmured.
I closed my eyes. "Highness, may I beg a favor of you?" I
asked.
"All right. What is it?"
My voice came out husky. "I've been in love with you for
years. And I've longed for you to kiss me. When the moment comes, will
you kiss me, please?"
"Can you turn over enough for that?" he asked, after a long
hesitation.
I shifted my shoulders enough to bring the back of my head
onto the pillow.
"Can you do it like this?" I asked.
He lifted himself a little and checked, his lips very lightly
touching mine. "Yes."
I closed my eyes, my heart pounding. Who'd take care of him
with me gone? Who would arrange for the sheep he needed, and all the
other little details of life? But that would have to be his problem.
He was willing to trade my service to him for a crazy experiment which
would cost my life. In spite of the love he'd shown me lately, I was
still no more to him than his horse or his dog. The ache in my chest
was so strong I didn't really mind dying, just to get rid of the hurt.
The window lightened, and I felt the first hint of the change
in his skin. He felt it, too, and lowered his mouth to mine. His kiss
was skilled and deep, making me dizzy. Oh, by all the gods, if I had
to die, let it be like this!
My anus began stretching then, as the beast cock began
expanding. My breath quickened as the pain built. Soon it would
stretch to its limit, and then it would tear, my blood spilling down
over those giant beast balls. A sob caught deep in my throat and I
threw my arm around him, feeling not my beloved master, but the thick
fur of the beast.
The pain overwhelmed me then, and merciful darkness carried me
down.
I woke up there in his bed, feeling weak and dizzy. The sheets
were stiff under me, and I knew it was my blood which had made them
so. I hadn't died then, but I'd lost a lot of blood, or I wouldn't be
so faint. I tried to sit up, but the room swirled around and blackness
threatened again.
By the sun through the window, I knew it was near noon. I had
to have something to drink to replace all the blood I'd lost. I tried
again to sit up, but couldn't. I slumped back against the pillows.
Then the door opened. I stared, not believing it. My master
was coming toward me, with a tray containing food and drink. He smiled
at the look on my face.
"You look like you're seeing a ghost," he said cheerfully.
"It's daylight out. You're not --" I stopped.
He sat down on the side of the bed, and lifted my head,
holding a cup to my lips. I drank thirstily. It was the herbal tea,
thick with honey.
"No, I'm not," he said when he took the empty cup away.
"Thanks to you."
"Me?" I whispered.
"Yes, you," he said tenderly. "You loved me enough to risk
your very life for me. And when I felt that love washing through me as
I kissed you, the hatred and bitterness all washed away, and the beast
started losing his hold on me. He wasn't able to take me. And I don't
think he ever will again."
Tears washed down my face. "Thank the gods," I sobbed.
"Highness, I'm so happy you'll never have to go through that again."
He wiped the tears away. "Why did you never tell me before how
you felt about me?" he asked, his voice gentle.
My face burned. "I had no right. I'm but your servant, and
you're my prince."
"I know. Your beloved prince," he said softly. So he had heard
that. He took my hand in his. "But this morning, you told me. Why?"
"I thought I was going to die. I couldn't die without a kiss
from you, and I knew you'd never do it unless I told you the truth."
"Why did you think I wouldn't do it without that?"
I turned my face away. "Why would you ever want to kiss me?"
"I've wanted to kiss you many times, and I never let myself do
it."
"Why?" I gasped.
"Because I was afraid," he admitted honestly.
"Afraid of what?"
"The depth of my feelings for you. And fear that you didn't
return those feelings."
My head whirled, and I fell back against the pillow.
"Don't die on me now," he whispered. And lifted my head to
drink more of the tea.
"I think I must be dreaming," I said, tears racing down my
face.
"Don't cry. You've lost too much fluid already. Just drink
this and then sleep some more. We'll talk later."
I obeyed him, too weak to do anything else.
Every time I woke during the next two days, he was there to
take care of me. And finally the time came when I was able to make it
over to the bath with his help. I settled back into the hot water with
a sigh of relief. He left me there to go change the sheets on the bed,
then when he'd finished with that, he joined me in the water.
"I did remember a little of my sorcery," he said quietly.
"Enough to stop the bleeding and heal the tears in your body. But even
so, I think I ought to wait a few days before trying to take you, if
you'll ever trust me to do that again."
His hand was very close to mine, and I took it, lifting it to
my lips to kiss. "I trust you completely, Highness. In all things."
He shook his head. "You shouldn't. You warned me that damned
sorcerer wasn't to be trusted, and I ignored you. Don't let me do that
again. None of this would have happened if I'd only listened to you in
the first place." He took a deep breath. "You told me that you loved
me. Did you mean it?"
I bowed my head. "Yes, my prince."
"How long have you felt that way?"
"Since we were eleven."
"I wish you had told me a long time ago."
Tears were running down my face. "I had no right to tell you
anything like that. I'm but your servant, Highness."
"You're more than my servant, and you know it. You're brother,
confidant, friend, companion, lover. And for the past two years, you
were mother and caretaker to me as well. I don't know if I'll be able
to reclaim our kingdom or not, but if I do, I swear to you that I'll
give you the highest title in the land, and treat you always as my
first adviser."
I hesitantly moved a little closer to him, and he put an arm
around my waist and drew me close to him. "Do you --" I began, but
stopped, unable to ask the question which tormented me.
He tilted my face up and kissed away the tears, then kissed my
lips gently. "Do I love you?" he asked softly. "Is that what you want
to ask and are afraid to hear the answer to?"
I swallowed, eyes closed, then slowly nodded.
"Look at me," he commanded.
My eyes flew open and I looked up at him. He grinned.
"Old habits are hard to break, aren't they?" he teased. "The
answer is yes. I do love you."
I felt as though my heart would burst from my chest. I laid my
head on his shoulder, and he held me close to him, his arms warm
around my body. He loved me. Oh, by all the gods, he loved me!
And you boys know the rest of the story. We sold the estate,
and returned here to do battle with the foul sorcerer who'd taken over
the kingdom. Between the two of us, working together, we were able to
overcome him, and restore the kingdom to its rightful rulers again.
His Majesty was in a dungeon, his health nearly broken. But he
recovered enough to rule another ten years. Then His Highness took the
throne and ruled for another forty, before abdicating in favor of his
son, your father, who rules today.
And here he comes now, still handsome even in his old age. Sit
here beside me, old friend, and help me amuse these boys. They've been
having me tell them the tale of Beauty and the Beast, though I told
them that indeed Beauty was no beauty, and won not your heart.
You boys stop laughing and pay him no mind. I'm no beauty now
and I was no beauty then! 'Tis only in his own eyes that I look good.
Here comes your tutor and you must go to your lessons now. Learn them
well, lest another foul sorcerer come to take what is rightfully
yours.
Look at them run, my beloved prince. They do remind me so of
us when we were that age. I wish we still had some of that boundless
energy.
Why, yes, my heart, I do believe I could get up enough energy
for that, if we do it slow and easy. Let's go to my room. No one will
disturb us there.
--
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