concordia

three

word count: 666 (nice)

date written: 28.9.18 | 27.12.18

verse: beauty & the beast au (excerpts)

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excerpt #1

"why have you been undoing everything?" elle asked, more confused than she was annoyed. she didn't care that all of her hardwork had been undone behind her back, she just wanted to know why connie had felt the need to go around undoing it all in the first place. "i'm just trying to be nice! i don't understand why you're so insistent on shutting out any more of the world than you've already been made to." 

"because i want to be left alone!" connie snapped in frustration, failing to realize that she'd contradicted her own claim by letting her entire morning be spent following elle around. "and now that you're here, i can't even have that anymore." 

"it's not like i want to be here," elle reminded her. if she'd known that entering the castle would lead to all of this, she likely would've endured the thunderstorm instead. "but i'm stuck here now, aren't i? so i might as well enjoy myself." 

"fine," connie growled, eyes narrowed. "just enjoy yourself as far away from me as possible; i don't have time for your incessant optimism and naivety." she turned away, fully expecting that to be the end of it, but elle wasn't willing to let her leave so easily. 

"what else could you possibly be doing besides brooding away in that west wing you keep telling me to stay away from?" she countered. connie immediately froze, gown sweeping the carpet as she pivoted to face her again.

"excuse me?" 

elle continued as though she hadn't said anything. "why don't we do something together?" she suggested, eyes brightening. "maybe you'll find that my being here isn't as bad as you seem to think." connie didn't even consider her answer.

"no." 

"look, all i'm asking for is one hour," elle said. she was persistent, connie would give her that. "and if you still hate my company that much by the end of it, i promise i'll never come near you again." 

connie faltered. never was a long time. but it was what she wanted, wasn't it? and if this was all that she had to do to be left alone again... "one hour," she repeated blankly. "but that's it. one hour and then you're done bothering me."

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excerpt #2

"if they're guarding the castle," elle started slowly. "then why didn't they attack me when i arrived?" tonight was the first time she'd seen the wolves, dancing in the dark like stars in the sky, and if it hadn't been for connie... well, it would have been the last time too. 

"because they're not there to keep people out," connie told her with a wry smile. "they're there to keep me in." 

elle frowned. "what, like a prisoner?" 

"exactly like a prisoner. i can't even escape this place by dying." connie sighed; not even sitting mere feet from the fireplace was enough to dispel the cold chill that kept creeping through her bones. 

she must have shivered for the next thing elle asked was, "are you cold?"

connie glanced up from the fire, shaking her head slightly. "no." 

in spite of the answer, elle got to her feet and freed the blanket that had been draped over her shoulders. "here," she said, approaching the chair and silently coaxing connie forward so she could wrap it around her instead. "it'll keep you warm." she paused, gaze shifting to the violent claw marks marring connie's cheek. "doesn't that hurt?" 

connie gently touched her fingers to the injury, unfazed by the slight sting that doing so caused. "it's nothing," she decided, lowering her hand again. "they're only shallow." 

elle wasn't convinced. "still, it couldn't hurt to clean them..." she posited. "just to be on the safe side." she hesitated for a brief moment before pressing a soft kiss just above the area. "i'll be right back." lost for words, connie watched her go in silence, the cold chill from earlier suddenly replaced by a pleasant warmth she hadn't felt in a long, long time.