Evermore [The Beast/The Prince x Reader]

chapter eighteen

She was pushed and shoved all the way out the front of the building. With a gasp, she fell forward, her knees knocking against the marble stairs. She caught herself, feeling the pain of several heels and boots knocking against her body.

She was gasping, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. Her breath came in thick, visible puffs out of her mouth. She knew that she needed to get back inside. If the Beast hadn't already escaped, he was probably facing those guards.

She pushed herself up and faced the running crowd. They hit her shoulders and dragged her back. She yanked her dress up over her ankles and pushed herself forward.

A woman's wrinkled hand grabbed her wrist. She turned to face the old lady who had stopped her, only to be met with a sharp slap on her right cheek.

"You!" she scolded, hate turning her old voice to venom, "you brought a monster in our gates!"

She held her face in her hand and saw, with pure horror, that everyone was turning their frightened eyes on her. A few of them grabbed for her, screaming horrible names and yanking her curls and gown.

"Throw her in jail!"

"Choke her!"

"Kill her before she brings another monster in our city!"

Shreds of gold fabric; thin pieces of gold silk and beads of bronze scattered around her. Her hair was either pulled out or left in a matted mess. She yanked and pulled away, ignoring the sharp stinging of hair being plucked from her head and nails against her soft skin.

She saw a forest between two shops. She made her way down the alleyway, kicking her heels off. The cold stung her now bare feet, but she did not slow down. She ran as fast as her legs could allow.

Her dress, the beautiful gold that she had looked so beautiful in, was left in tattered shreds around her as she dashed away from the away from the crowd and away from the Beast himself.

Meanwhile, the Beast was yanking on a closed window. The guards had trapped him in a spare bedroom and had been debating his fate just outside of the door. While he didn't want to kill the men, he was starting to see it as his only option.

He was hooking his talons underneath a windowsill. Yanking desperately, he used all of his strength to pull the window up. On his fourth and final yank, the entire glass panel shattered around his feet.

The men outside panicked. The Beast wasted no time to dive out of the gaping space. As they barged in the door, he leapt from the windowsill to the stone side of the building.

He growled as he dug his fingers in the soft mixture of stone. He was weak already, but he needed to move. A growl hummed in his throat as he began to climb upward.

He felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg. With a roar, he glanced down to see a man clinging to the wall and his leg. The blade of a knife was digging itself into his leg.

Desperately, the Beast kicked backwards, knocking the man off the wall and sending him barreling to the ground. With a throaty scream, he landed in a heap on the cobblestone, a puddle of blood forming behind his head.

The Beast pressed on. He climbed, his arms shaking and his talons shattering under the weight he was holding up. The back of his leg stung as he pulled himself up onto the roof and fell on his stomach, his hands weakly clinging onto the metal panels.

He heard shouts from below. He forced himself to stand and, leaning against a chimney, he looked down. A mob of people, horrified and angry, shouted towards a figure fleeing from them.

He recognized her immediately. His heart panged in his chest and he clung to the chimney in horror. They were running after her, using their hands and words as weapons. He wished the distance between them weren't so great, so that he could leap in front of them and take her away.

"___!" he screamed. She didn't turn, although he doubted that she had not heard him. "___! I'm coming!"

He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, crashing through panels and crushing pieces of wood. He did not stop; he did not hesitate. She was so far from his reach, and yet he found himself holding and outstretched hand towards her.

She was sprinting towards a dark forest. While he knew the villagers wouldn't follow her there, he also thought of all the other dangers that could put her in harm's way.

He slid down the roof. As quietly as possible, he landed on the cobblestone street. He ignored the pain in his leg as he limped towards the girl that needed him more than ever.

For the first time, he did not care about being caught. He did not care about being persecuted or imprisoned, so long as ___ was safe in the castle back home. Hopefully, she would learn to find happiness in the prison he had confined her in.

But she had looked happy when she was with him. Perhaps - and his mind fought with him on this thought - but just maybe she didn't see her life as a prison any more. For as they danced, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. Perhaps one night was enough for her to see that he had done all he could to bring her the happiness she so rightly deserved. As he held her, he could have sworn that he saw a small glimmer of passion - maybe even love - in her beautiful eyes.

As he ran towards her, he thought about how desperate he was to reach her. He would not be able to rest until she was back in his arms or her hand was in his. Then, they would be safe. They could go home.

It was beginning to snow. Thick, full flakes of ice. He did not falter in his steps.

He would save her, and he would bring her home.