Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 36

As the months went by, Charlotte continued to help Alastor to change his beastly behaviors. It wasn't easy, Alastor struggled very much and could not help but be frustrated by the difficulties he faced but Charlotte's kindness and patience encouraged him not to give up. Slowly but surely he felt his addictive appetite for human flesh and his violent animal urges become more silent. His human will and gentlemanly behaviors growing stronger. Strong enough that after half a year had passed the only thing beastly about Alastor was his appearance. Now the animal urges and blood lust would always be apart of him, there was a very slim chance of those vile desires going away completely but he could control them. He wouldn't allow them to dominant him anymore.

Alastor wasn't the only one who changed during this time. The beautiful Charlotte had also gone through a development of her own. She found herself wanting for absolutely nothing. A smile adorned her face and a song was in her heart nearly every day. She had forgotten what it felt like to be sad or scared or lonely. Her days were always filled with the pleasant company of the servants who were always eager to grant her any request without complaint. However most of the time the only thing she would request was for one of them to take a moment to spend time with her.

She would help Niffty with the cooking and the cleaning, she asked Anthony to give her some lessons on how to design and sew gowns, she would assist Cherri in the garden, she would occasionally volunteer to groom Husk's when his fur became too mangled for him to comb by himself, and she would join Vagatha in a friendly conversation. The servants came to adore Charlotte and she came to adore them particularly Vagatha and Niffty who both seemed to behave like the sister Charlotte had always wished Helsa would be. They gave her good advice, always made sure that she looked lovely and presentable, encouraged her to be confident, they always seemed to be looking out for her.

But out of all the members of the castle, it was Alastor she felt the closest to. She knew of no one else that she felt as comfortable confessing her true feelings and secrets to. No one else who seemed to value her opinions and wants as much as he did. No one else so thoughtful and caring. All he wanted was to make her happy and she in turn wanted the same for him. She never stopped trying to teach him to better himself and she always comforted him whenever he felt ashamed by his beastly nature. She came to care for him more than she had ever cared for anyone that she had ever known. He was her dearest friend. The person she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. Unfortunately the thought of a romantic love and marriage with him never crossed her mind.

Just as the thought of a romantic love and marriage with her had never crossed his mind. No, Alastor was not aware that he could have been freed from being a beast. Neither his mother nor his servants had ever told him. This was because he couldn't know. Neither him or the beauty chosen to be his savior. True love was the only thing that could break the curse and the only way that the sincerity of their love could never be doubted, was if both parties knew nothing of the curse. Whatever love they felt had to come from their own desire to love that other person, not an obligation to break a fairy's spell. True love was the most powerful force in all the world. More powerful than magic, more valuable than gold, yet twice as hard to obtain and keep.
Alastor himself had never understood the true strength of love but recntly...

"Charlotte." He said to her one afternoon as they were strolling together in the garden.

"Yes." She replied.

"Do you remember when I gave you that little riddle to solve?"

"You mean where I had to tell you something about yourself that you didn't already know?"

"Yes. I was thinking of giving you another one. One that I've been trying to figure out for years."

"What is it?"