When a huge house -no, it was a castle- appeared in front of her, Bella knew she was at the right place. The grandeur of the house was a sure sign that there was definitely a dungeon sitting below the cellar.
Not only that, but the fact that the entire garden was filled with roses, the exact roses that she had wanted, made her frown.
In another lifetime, she would have loved coming to such a place. Being within the house would have made her feel like a princess and the gardens could have been her safe haven.
Yet, that was not to happen.
She was not here to play princess, not anytime soon. Instead, she was going to serve out the sentence that the horrid owner of the house had given her father by staying in the dungeons of the house.
As Bella got closer to the castle, she tried to swallow the strong emotions in her chest. Yes, it had been terribly easy to take the place of her father at her house where she was convinced what she was doing was right. While that hadn't changed, Arabella grimaced, feeling the one thing she had not felt this strongly for a long time.
It was fear. She was afraid. More afraid than she ever thought she would be. The last she felt this way was when her mother passed and even then, it hadn't been this strong.
Did that make her selfish? That she felt more afraid at the thought of her impending doom than the actual death of her mother? Yes, perhaps it did, but she didn't want to spend her last moments in the fresh air feeling guilty.
It was perhaps the last few seconds she will get of freedom, of not being locked in a cold, dreary dungeon. Not that the weather outside wasn't cold enough, but it was pure fear that made her not feel the bite of the wind.
Instead of feeling misery at what could happen next, she wanted to savour these moments, breathe it in, so that she would not lose the feeling of the sharpness of the air and the cool breeze blowing her hair from side to side.
As she got down her horse, slinging her small pouch on her back, she took small steps, guiding the horse to the stables.
The overwhelming dear in her chest almost made her eyes tears up. Was it too late to back out?
Then, the thought of her father being forced to go through this very feelings made her shake her head. No, she didn't want to subject anyone to this torture. She would go through with it, she had to!
With a heavy heart, she tied up her horse in the stables, taking hesitant steps towards the castle.
Her feet hovered over the ledge that separated the castle and the rest of the world.
Did she really want to do this?
A small part of her was screaming, begging her not to do it. She had her whole life in front of her, she shouldn't be wasting it away, locked inside a castle that looked as inviting as thorns on a rose.
Yet, the bigger, more loving part of her yelled back. She could not subject her father to this torture. Not the man who did so much for her. The man who was both her parents to her and treated her the best he could as a princess.
She could not do this to him. It was just not right.
With that, she stepped into the castle, the open doors slamming shut immediately behind her.
She jumped in terror, her heart beating as fast as a horse's hooves in a race.
The sound made everything a reality for her, there was no way to back out anymore.
With that, she took careful steps forward until she noticed the shadow casted over the large stairways. Dragging her eyes to the top of it, she finally acknowledged the large form standing there, looking at her with dark eyes that seemed to glint with evil. Without doubt, she knew who it was.
She had just met the Beast.
Gathering all the courage she could muster, Bella bravely called out.
"I'm here to take the place of my father," Bella said, her heart pounding with fear.
The beast smirked, his face the epitome of evil. Within the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, his intimidating form towering over her head.
"Well then, I hope you enjoy the dungeons because from now on, that is going to be your home forever," he whispered as he walked closer to her before bending down, his lips hardly an inch from hers.
A moment later, he was out of sight and Bella let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.
Gulping down the fear in her chest, she turned down to pick up the bag that she had hurriedly grabbed from her from its place of the floor.
How was she going to kill a beast who seemed to move faster than light?
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Question of chapter: What does your dream home look like?
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The Beast Inside | ✓
Romance"I'm here to take the place of my father," Bella said, her heart pounding with fear. The beast smirked, his face the epitome of evil. "Well then, I hope you enjoy the dungeons because from now on, that is going to be your home forever," he whisper...