Winter's Rose ~A Beauty and the Beast Retelling~

The Lie

He had avoided Rose the past few days. Cassandra had been acting like a nuisance to the both of them since that night. William had buried himself in his studies--he had to find a way out of this curse. Rose had sparked a new mission in his heart to overcome this obstacle; he had discovered that he could feel like a man again with no qualms. Silas watched him carefully from across the room. He was pretending to read a novel, but William could see his eyes flit up from his reading glasses ever so often.

"You need to tell her," Silas said finally.

"It is not a concern yet," William huffed. He felt like a child that was being stubborn.

"How much longer is it not going to be a concern?" Silas prodded.

"I don't know," William confessed. He ran his hand through his hair in anguish. Silas sighed deeply before shutting his book.

"It is dangerous, William. It is getting harder for you to control."

William took in a deep breath. He knew that Silas was right, he was a danger to her--to everyone. He had promised himself that he would stay away from her, but how could he? Oh God! She was utterly enchanting, she was the first person in years who hasn't feared him, how could he give that up? He was so selfish. He was keeping her here; the snow had begun to subside and he had kept it from her. William knew he was lying to himself; he was promising himself that if he could keep her here just a little while longer that he may have some hope of being normal again. But with every second that passed he could feel little bits of himself slipping away.

His anger was becoming more and more irrational, as if the smallest detail sent him into rage. William no longer slept--he spends his days pouring over books and scrolls searching for a way out of this hell; he spent his nights roaming the forest searching for someone or something to change his fate. William knew he had done the right thing in destroying Astra, but the thought that she could have reversed her curse nagged at him and taunted him endlessly.

The only peace he had ever felt was when Rose was near. William had found himself completely infatuated with her. Her icy blue eyes which were ironically warm and welcoming--she couldn't see him; he knew that, but her eyes would fix on him whenever he spoke that for a second he could almost believe that she could see him. Her cheeks were permanently bright red--whether it was blushing or cold. He was enamored with the way her smile allowed dimples to show. Her lips; so pure and sweet. Her hands where soft and her touch was addicting--she could soothe the dull ache he had felt for years. William could not forget the way her brown curls had felt between his fingers. William wanted her to stay with him forever. He needed her too.

He groaned in frustration.

"The girl cannot stay here," Silas told him.

"I know!" William growled; he pushed his papers and books off the table in rage.

"Really now William, you've made quite a mess."

"Do not patronize me, Silas."

William stomped over to the bookshelf. His eyes skimmed the titles in front of him. There had to be something. He had poured over all these books for years--his father had collected novels on mythology and unnatural beings. None of them have helped his predicament.

"She's going to leave when the snow lets up," William whispered quietly.

"It won't be long now, then--the snow has been falling less and less. It should only be a few days more."

"I know," William said leaning his forehead against the edge of the bookshelf. Days were not long enough--he wanted her to stay longer. Weeks, months even. "I want to do something for her; something special."