Bride and Beast: chap 5

[lil ole me]

A/N. Thank you to all who commented on my fic. Sorry that its been so long since my last post. But me being me, i decided to procrastinate on all my summer hw, and theres a lot. totally backfired. neways, here's the new chap. enjoi, and reviews always welcomed.

Disclaimer: I own squat.

Chapter 5

He never really cared for the taste of virgins. True knowing that you are their first gives a wonderful thrill and the fact that they will never forget you adds to the beauty of it all. But wooing them requires patience and charm, and sadly the Dragon lacked these two qualities. As he weaved his way through ancient debris and stains of blood, he cursed his misfortunes. All he wanted now was his chair, the warmth of the fireplace, and a nice cup of port. He realized he would be deprived of all those as he entered the great hall and saw someone else in his chair, drinking his port, and sitting in front of his hearth.

?Ahem? he cleared his throat.

?Oh sorry old chap?, came the cheerful reply of his companion, his violet eyes twinkling with amusement. ?So have we found out any information from the fair maiden? What was her crime to have to suffer such torture at your hands?err, or claws? Whichever.?

Duo quickly got up from the chair when he saw the mood the Dragon was in.

The Dragon sauntered towards the fire and collapsed in his chair.

?Nothing, she did absolutely nothing.? He said.

?Oh come now, you can tell me. There must be some reason the villagers deemed her worthy of death by your claws?err?hands. So is she a thief? Perhaps a harlot? A murderer??

?You really are annoying.? The Dragon answered warily. ?If she were a harlot, I'd know what to do with her. She has done nothing. She is an innocent?a virgin.?

There was a period of silence until?

?HAHAHAHAHA? the Dragon turned to see his friend convulsing with mirth and laughter.

?Will you shut up, this is not funny,? He said gravely.

?Heehee?oh sorry there old pal, its just that?haha?*snort*. Those villagers?you never know what they?ll do next. A virgin!? exclaimed Duo between fits of laughter.

After Duo was able to control and abate the fits of laughter, his face turned serious as he asked,

?So what do you plan to do with her??

?What can I do? I don?t know that myself.? Came the curt reply.

?I can disguise myself as a villager and sneak her back to the village in the dead of night. I told you that rumor I spread about the Dragon able to turn into a man would become useful.? Came the suggestion from Duo.

?Yes and we shall attach a letter to her saying ? thank you for the delectable offer but next time I prefer a nice strumpet?. She already thinks I?m nothing more than a cowardly liar. It?ll be seconds before she can arouse those pesky village people in defying me. No we can?t do that?I guess she will just have to stay here with me?I mean uh?us?

And with that said, the Dragon gave Duo a glare that spelled out the end of this conversation.

Relena awoke by the grumbling in her tummy. ?So hungry, I could eat a whole cow.? She noticed how different her surroundings looked in the light of the day. Gone were the fears, replaced by an overwhelming curiosity. She got up from the bed, and wrapped the silk sheets around her body like a robe. She instantly searched for some way of escape. The old tower in which she was presently held captive had been spared by the cannons and still remained intact. There was an ancient privy but the drop would ensure an instant death at the jagged rocks below. The tower was quite plain, bare of everything but a bed and broken pieces of bricks. ?The dragon must?ve taken everything away?. There was a small window but she could barely reach it, it was sealed off with steel bars. Her hopes of escape were crushed. There wasn?t even a visible door, just some sort of paneling that could only be opened from the outside.

?I?m a little teapot, short and stout?
?la la la la la?

Relena pressed against the wall, straining to hear who was singing. The voice grew louder and louder, and the click of footsteps became distinct. She realized that whoever it was, was heading for her ?cell?. ?This is my only chance? she thought. She searched around trying to find a weapon. Finally setting her sights on a large piece of rock, she pressed herself against the wall, waiting for her captor to enter. Her arms poised to strike. Finally a soft ?click?. And the panel slid open.
Thud?and a huge crash, as silver wear went flying about.

?OH NOO!!? Relena cried, not so much for the man lying face down on the floor, but the contents of his load. Cinnamon buns rolled across the floor but she was able to save one from rolling under the bed, but it was too late to save the jug of hot chocolate, the liquid had already seeped through the cracks. Her teeth tore through the sweet roll and she hungrily devoured it as she bent forward to study her captor.

She was somewhat disappointed by this man. He was indeed very handsome with long rich brown hair pulled together in a braid. His boyish face was very appealing. However she had just expected something more from the shadow she met. This Dragon was not dangerous, nor did he possess those qualities that made Relena melt.

This? This, was the man who had terrorized her village, who sent shivers throughout her body with a whisper of words. ?Ha? she thought indignantly.

A small snore escaped his mouth, and Relena could not help but chuckle. She chided herself for her imagination. After all what had she expected? A handsome brooding rogue, with piercing eyes and a devilish smile? Some dark prince with a curse that could only be broken by a maiden?s kiss?

Shaking her head she sighed ?Farewell, my Lord Dragon, for I doubt we will ever see each other again.?

? Oh I wouldn?t be too sure about that my dear.? His silky voice caressed her skin, warm hands made their way to rest on her shoulder, and she felt his soft breath on her neck. ? In fact I believe that we?d be best prepared to enjoy each other?s company for quite some time.?

Of course, how could she have thought this jovial young man was the dangerous Dragon, she cursed her luck. She looked at his hands, long lean fingers, neatly trimmed nails. An aristocrats hands.

?Ughhh? came a groan from the injured man.

?Duo are you alright? the Dragon asked.

?Yea, I?ll be fine. Never thought that was gonna happen.? Came the reply as Duo?s hand massaged the back of his head, he already felt a bump rising from where that stone had landed.

?I take it she has no great fondness for cinnamon buns and hot chocolate.?

?She has no fondness of being locked up like a prisoner, or a caged animal.? Relena said resentfully.

?You might try to think yourself as more of a pampered pet? came the smug reply.

Her insides were boiling with rage by now.

?Well Milord, you might like to know that even the most pampered of pets have been known to tear at their masters throat if ill-treated or neglected for too long? she said with an air of confidence she somehow summed up, even though she wanted to tremble being so close to him.

?Well then I?ll just have to make sure that I don?t neglect you or deprive you of my attention.? The Dragon said. She wasn?t sure whether this was a threat, but coming from him with his deep and rich voice anything sounded dangerous.

?Miss Relena may I introduce you to my friend and future Viscount of Winthrope, Duo Maxwell? The Dragon quickly made the introductions.

?A pleasure to meet someone as lovely as you, Miss Darlian.? He made a grand and sweeping bow that went so low he almost stumbled. She heard a sigh of annoyance from the Dragon and felt his warm breath on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. ?Please call me Duo, all my friends do.? He gave her a smile that stretched further than the ocean.

?Pleased to meet you too Mr. Maxwell. Seeing that I could never be friends with someone who insists on keeping me hostage, I?m afraid we could never be close.? Although she was amused by his puppy eyes and moved by his beautiful smile, she had to continue to keep an air of indifference. He was the type of man who would have made any woman the luckiest in the world, sharing his wealth, title, generosity, but most importantly his love. Duo?s smile faltered a little but he understood that Relena was not in a good mood. He was sure that they would become friends later on if in different circumstances.

?Duo, your cravat.?

?What is it crooked?? Duo hastily tried to straighten it. The Dragon sighed.

?Oh!? Duo finally understood the Dragon?s silent request as he took of his cravat and handed it to him.

The Dragon then slowly and gently tied it around Relena?s head as a blindfold. She would have turned around and knocked his hands away, but the way he was so gently and careful not to tangle her silky locks in the knot she only stood there. But she still struggled against it until he said

?If you don?t stop your insistent wiggling I?ll bind you hands so that you won?t be able to hold up that sheet.? At the thought of being totally nude in front of the already blushing Duo and letting the Dragon she her body again, she stopped struggling.

?Duo if you would please let Miss. Darlian and I chat in private.?

The Dragon?s tone revealed that his patience was wearing thin, Duo was worried that he may try something.

? There?s no need for you to be angry with her, if I had just been a little more careful??

?Don?t worry, I have no plans on torturing or ravishing our guest. Yet? His voice was so low that only Relena could hear his last word. She sucked in a gasp, determined to let him, and herself, know she wasn?t the least bit afraid. But she knew it was a lie. She heard the click of the panel and knew that Duo had left. The Dragon held her wrists firmly as he steered her toward the bed.

? Sit? he ordered, and her legs obeyed. Grasping the sheet more tightly around her slim body.

?Surely, Miss Darlian, you realize that your untimely arrival here is as much a misfortune to myself as to you. I don?t need you hear, you?re a distraction to my goals.?

?Then why don?t you send me home? It would make all parties very happy I?m sure?. She piped in.

?Because I?m as much a prisoner as you are. I cannot let you destroy everything that I have labored for and achieved.? His voice was harsh and she could feel the fury in his words. He stopped for a moment to let all the rage escape from him.

?For the next few months you will just have to content yourself at being my?guest, until my business here is done?

?Your guest? Relena repeated with disbelief. ?Is it your habit to lock your guest in rooms with no doors? And what sort of business would you have here in Blisslake? There is nothing here but a dying village, populated by only the poor and those too mule headed to leave.? Suddenly a thought struck her. ? Did you and your friend, Mr. Maxwell, hear bout the curse? And decided that our small village would be easy prey for you trickery??

She heard him pacing, ?Yes I did seem to hear about some vague mentions of some curse or whatnot.? She could almost see him tapping an arrogant finger against his chin.

? Yes, I remember now. Something about the villages? own Lord calling doom to his loyal subjects. Now tell Miss Darlian, why would he do such a dreadful thing??

All will FINALLY be revealed in chapter 6, hope you keep on reading. i would luv to hear your opinions ^_^.

[Nikouru]

Oh! The suspense! I can't wait for everything to be explained in chapter 6! Great chapter, it reminds me slightly of Beauty and the Beast, which is pretty cool. Keep up the great work!

[Eienvine]

I am loving this! I'm so excited to hear what happened to the village. Great story!

[Elyn Yuy]

Oooooh! Spooky.

giggles.

sorry, I just watched Pirates of the Caribean for the first time!
FINALLY!!!

Good chapter, but I note that you're trying to keep it original in the process. You pause the chapters differently than the book

Keep it up!!!

Elyn Yuy

[Faye Faye]

YAY Thank you for updating this story, I Love it so much and I it was the highlight of my not so great week to read chapters 5 and 6 of Bride and Beast. I can't wait till the following chapters come out. KEEP WRITING!!!

[Yawning!]

Wow, very impressive piece. I'm dying for the next chapter to read what happens. I'll be biting my nails in suspense meanwhile. Great chapter.
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Homer Simpson: I'm sick of my own creation. Now I know how God feels.