The Monster

His captor

There were two things that stirred Feliciano awake:

First, the sound of hooves clopping against wood.

Second, the inviting smell of a freshly baked apple cake wafting through the room.

He groaned and opened one eye, wincing at the pounding in his head. The sound of the hooves, perhaps startled by the groan, jumped a little and came closer. "Human! You're awake! Don't sit up just yet, give your body a chance to get your bearings..." a deep voice rumbled above him. Feliciano looked up and gasped at the tall figure in front of him, staring down from a great height. "ARGH! DON'T EAT ME!" He shrieked in response, cowering into the corner of the bed he laid in and groaning again as the pounding in his head grew worse. "Wha-eat you?! You complete dummkopf! Can't you see what I am?! I am a centaur! I eat greenery only!" The man hissed. His tone only made Feliciano whimper and shield his face even more. The hoofed beast had decided, maybe it was a little easier to speak to the cowardly human if he were at eye-level. With some difficulty, he lowered himself against the foot of the bed so he was almost at eye-level with the brunette.

"Human, I'm sorry for startling you. Tell me, what is your name?"

Feliciano stopped cowering for a moment and looked at the centaur with teary eyes. "I-it's Feliciano. I'm sorry, uh, s-sir...I-I don't know where I am or what you want with me. I-I just came into these woods because of a stupid media project. Please let me go!" He replied squeakily. The centaur looked straight through him.

"My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt, and you are now my captive. You will do exactly as I say and you won't see the outside of these woods again, do you understand?"

Feliciano began to sob and curled up against his knees. "W-why?! I have a family! And friends a-and I can't just leave them, Ludwig sir!"

"The heart of a human....The heart of a horse...." Ludwig murmured to himself, "I have already acquired one. But now, I'm going to have both. Feliciano, you are going to be a sacrifice to lift this curse!" Feliciano couldn't stay a second longer. He leapt off the bed and sprinted to the door, only to fall onto his face, as if some force was holding him back. Attached to his foot was a long chain that kept him stuck to the bed. "N-no! Please, sir! I'll do anything, please don't hurt me!" Feliciano screamed desperately. Ludwig scraped his hoof against the floor impatiently. This human was too pathetic. He was in hysterics, clinging to Ludwig's legs and begging for his life. It was too pathetic. So, so pathetic.

"...Human, calm down now..." Feliciano didn't listen, he was still shrieking and begging to be saved.

"I SAID CALM DOWN!" Feliciano abruptly stopped shrieking to look up at Ludwig's towering height. Ludwig sighed and lowered himself to his eye level. "Listen...this is the only way. Unless you could acquire a human heart for me?" Ludwig asked calmly. There was a long silence between the two. Of course he was asking far too much. "But you wouldn't have the guts to do it. So this is the only way-"

"You wouldn't have the guts to do it to me, either!" Feliciano spat shakily. He tried to shake and rattle the chains desperately to cut himself free, but found it to be useless to escape his captive. Ludwig watched calmly as he tried everything, eventually giving up and sobbing on the ground. "Feliciano...I won't do anything to you, please calm down. You know, this place has been very untidy lately. And I'm in need of a companion. Winter will arrive in the forest very shortly. I find it's a little less cold when there's somebody there" He rumbled quietly.

Feliciano looked at the centaur as if he had lost his mind. Him? Stay with this monster? He knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to kill him in his sleep! Feliciano gave a look of uncertainty and stayed perfectly still.

"What I'm asking, is for you to be my housemaid a-and my...friend"