Beauty & the Beast [Narry]

Chapter 6

Quick Note, none of the books I mention in this story are real (unless, coincidentally, they are). I made them all up. I'm sorry, I probably should have mentioned that earlier.

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Nathan came to, finally. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he hoped it hadn't been for long. He was in a completely unfamiliar place, and he just hoped he hadn't been here long. A woman was stood at the stove, her back turned to him.

"Hello?" Nathan asked, not really sure what else to say. The woman turned around. She was old and ugly. Her back was bent and she had warts all over her face. Nathan crinkled his nose, turning his face away in hopes that she didn't notice. "I... um, where am I?"

"The one you love has been kidnapped." The old woman said, completely blowing off his question for a minute. He looked back at her, a little shocked. Her voice was low and rough, as if she had gravel in her throat. "He's been kidnapped by a beast. He will die if you don't kill it."

"Niall?" Nathan asked. How did this old woman know about Niall? He sat up, leaning on one arm. He was on a table of some sort. He didn't know why, but he didn't care. He had tons of questions running through his mind, but only one slipped out of his mouth. "Is he hurt?"

The witch smiled. Her spell had worked, and now her plan was falling into place. Her spell was simple: to take over Nathan's mind long enough to get the beast killed. For now, Nathan was completely convinced he was in love with Niall, and that he would do anything for the younger boy. Once the beast was dead, the thoughts would go away, and Niall and Nathan, well, they could do what they wanted. Her plan was perfect. Everything was perfect.

"I'm Gretta." The witch said, the little smirk still on her face. She loved changing the subject on people who questioned her. It kept them in suspense, always wanting to know more. It was a form of control for her. "You are in my home."

The entire place smelled of cats, soup, and apple cider. Nathan crinkled his nose again, but not because of Gretta's awful appearance. The smell was strong, and Nathan would have probably thrown up had it not been for his constant curiosity. "Well, um, why am I here?"

"Niall is not hurt," She said. Nathan was confused. She kept changing the subject, answering questions he'd asked before. Why? "but he will be. He will be pulled into the beast's spell if you do not save him."

"Spell?" Nathan sat up fully now, his eyes slightly wide, his heart beting a little quicker in his chest. Was this old woman crazy? "What do you mean spell? Magic isn't real!"

Gretta smirked. "You're here because I know you love Niall. I'm only trying to help you, young one. If you manage to kill that beast, Niall will fall in love with you for sure. There's simply no way he could not."

"Well, where can I find this beast?" Nathan asked, a little worried for his own well-being. Gretta could see that, and she almost shook her head at him. Only cares about himself, even when he's under a spell. His head throbbed. He guessed he hit it pretty hard when he collapsed.

"The beast has a spell over the castle." Gretta said. She turned back around, stirring whatever she was cooking in the pot on the stove. "He traps people there. If they are there for too long, they can never, ever leave the forest."

Obviously that wasn't true, but Nathan didn't know that. Nathan's eyes widened at the false fact. How dare the best trap people? Innocent people! Niall! "Oh my god! Is there a way to break the spell?"

"The beast is deep in the forest," Gretta said, glancing back to study the expression on Nathan's face for a moment. "He lives in a huge, old, dark castle. No, my dear. The spell can not be broken, but Niall can still be saved."

"All I have to do is kill it?" Nathan asked. He was glad the witch had finally caught up to all of his questions. He was sick of waiting for one thing to be answered while he asked another. "I just have to... kill that beast? Then Niall will love me?"

"Of course," Gretta lied. "You can kill it only one way. You must stab it repeatedly- seven times should do the trick. No more, no less. If he isn't dead by the seventh, leave him there to bleed out and suffer."

Nathan wasn't even repulsed by the idea, and that's when Gretta knew his mind had been taken over completely by the thought of loving Niall. He just nodded. "How will I find Niall? Do you know where he is in the castle?"

"He's always with a girl who has pink hair." Gretta said. "And I must warn you, there are other people there. They will try to protect the beast, but you mustn't kill them. Just throw them to the side or knock them out. They can not die, no matter what."

Nathan didn't even ask why. He just nodded. "A girl with pink hair . . ." He repeated. It shouldn't be hard to spot a girl with pink hair. How many girls had pink hair, anyways? The girl was sure to stick out like a sore thumb.

"Yes," Gretta's tone was growing much more evil, though Nathan didn't notice. How could he, when his thoughts were so consumed in other things? "The beast must suffer. The humans must live."

"Must I go alone?" Nathan asked. He wasn't sure why he asked. Even if he could take someone, who would he take? One of those girls who always followed him around? Gretta turned the stove off and poured the soup equally into two bowls.

"Why, yes. If you want to be the hero, you have to go by yourself." Gretta handed him a bowl and a spoon. He was unsure of what kind of soup it was, but it looked and smelled quite delicious. He began to eat it.

"How long do I have before Niall's pulled into the spell?" Nathan took another bite of his soup. It was warm and tasty and it helped warm him up against the chilly feel of the house.

"Five days at most." Gretta said. She ate the soup, too, though she wasn't cold or even hungry, for that matter. "You must hurry, as well. It's a long journey."

They ate te rest of their soup in silence. They finished at the same time, and Gretta tool both of their bowls. She dug a wooden box out of a nearby closet, handing it to Nathan.

"Kill the beast with this," She said. Nathan opened the box. Inside was a large dagger. It looked much too sharp to be natural, but Nathan, although he should have, did not question it. "It is a special knife, made to kill only the cruelest of the cruel."

Nathan took the dagger out, holding it in front of him. It had an eerie gleam to it, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The blade itself was tinted purple, and the handle was pure silver. It looked horrible expensive.

"Go now," Gretta said as Nathan put the dagger back in the wooden box. "Prepare yourself. It will be a long, hard journey. You must not lose your way. Take this as well."

Gretta handed him a flashlight. This was gold and, upon flicking the light on, it was purple as well. "This will point you directly to the castle. Follow the beam."

Nathan was outside then and- wait, he doesn't remember walking out. He turned back to the old lady's house to discover it wasn't there. He still had the flashlight and the wooden box, but something was missing.

Yellow Breaks was gone.