La Bella y la Bestia

Taking His Place

Outside Alvarez and Isabella's cottage, Sadik and Rasym looked on as Isabella finished her chores, before heading inside.

"Isabella will be very excited," Rasym said, deadpanned.

Sadik gave a hard hollering laugh, "It is her lucky day!" He then walked over to a small clearing where a wedding was already set up, complete with cake and guests. "I'd like to thank you all for coming to my wedding. All I have to do is propose to the girl." Everyone began to snort and jeer with laughter (all but the village girls who were sobbing, thinking they lost their town hunk). Sadik looked over at Rasym and said, "When Isabella and I walk out, you-"

"I know, Bayım Adnan. I 'strike' up the band," Rasym stated, before the band started playing a traditional wedding march from Sadik's country.

"NOT YET!" Sadik cried, and Rasym just stopped playing.

Isabella settled into her chair with churros and tomatoes at her side, and her new book in her hand. Happily, she began to take a bite of her tomato when a harsh and loud knock interrupted her snack an reading. Curious, she folded the corner of her page and walked up to the door and peeked though its hole, only to roll her eyes at seeing Sadik behind the door. Dios Mio!Just be polite and ask him to go away, Isabella thought to herself as she opened the door slightly, only to have Sadik barrel into the front room. Isabella felt a burst of rage seep into her veins at seeing the man who called her older brother, 'a crazy loon', and coming into her house without so much as a 'May I please...', still she knew she had at least pretend to be cheery and nice to him. "Sadik...What a surprise," she calmly said, backing away.

"Öyle değil mi," he said in his native language. "I'm full of surprises, tatlım. You know, Bella. There isn't a person in the world who wouldn't love to be in your shoes. This is the day," Sadik looked in a nearby mirror and wiped away some broccoli from his teeth. "This is the day your dreams come true."

Isabella eyes widened in surprise and mostly worry. Her blood began to boil, but she still faked a smile. "I don't mean to be rude, but what do you know of my dreams?" she innocently inquired.

Isabella took a few steps back, ready to grab her father's old halberd that was hanging the wall nearby if Sadik forgot his boundaries. "Plenty!" Sadik cried, as Isabella gave a small glare to the man. "Here, imagine this," Sadik said, rudely plopping into Isabella's chair and kicked his feet onto Isabella's book and covered it in mud, causing Isabella to cover her nose from the smell. "A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, while the little ones, and my little wife, massaging my feet, while the little ones played with the dogs." Still clearly disgusted, Sadik gets right into her face and says, "We'll have six or seven."

Isabella, plastering a smile, said in a sweet voice, "Dogs?"

Sadik a hearty laugh and said, "Strapping boys, like me."

Isabella rolled her eyes and sarcastically said, "Imagine that," as she walked as far away as possible.

Sadik came closer as Isabella, saying, "Do you know who that little wife would be?"

"Let me think," Isabela said, growing more and more disgusted with each passing moment as she placed her book on a nearby shelf.

Sadik then pushed her against a wall and said, "You." Isabella frightened and angry ducked under Sadik's arms but continued to play the innocent little angel until she was backed up against the door.

"I'm...err...speechless," Isabella said in a sweet, but overly faked voice, but it was a good thing Sadik was as dumb as nails.

Meanwhile, Sadik thought he won, knocked over a couple of her chairs, before trapping Isabella and said, "Marry me."