Beauty and the Beast

Gordon and Sarah watched Beauty. They could tell only after a moment that she was at home in the trees. She was doing something she enjoyed and she was doing it in captivity. The two smiled at each other smiles that spoke volumes of the minor miracle that had begun to unfold right in front of their faces.

When she lowered from the tree, Gordon took his gloves and spoke, "Your welcome. I'll have the tanner make you a pair if you wish, Beauty." A smile crept across his face at the thought of being Able to serve such a special woman.

Sarah glanced up into the sky and sucked in a breath in a short moment of panic, "Oh, my!" She spoke, "We really must get back to the dining hall. The king will be waiting for us." Sarah started toward the palace and paused mid stride, "Beauty, please don't anger the king today. I couldn't bare it should some ill fate fall on you."

Sarah, Gordon, the kingdom couldn't afford the loss. If Malece was the one who would guide their king back to humanity then to lose her would most definitely condemn them all to a fate far worse than death. Gordon's eyes pleaded the same thing, though his were less visible than Sarah's. He was a warrior, a general, just as his king, he did his best to hide his weakness.

"If you please, Beauty, the king is waiting." Sarah called for one of the other servants to take the basket. The young woman, no older than fifteen, approached Beauty and meekly extended her arms for the basket, "Please, we shouldn't keep the king waiting any longer." Sarah finished.
 
Malece offered a gentle smile to Gordon when the man offered to get her a pair of gloves for her to have. "That would be great. My hands aren't quite as large as yours," she said, offering the male a small joke, holding up her tiny hand in comparison to his own large hands. Even with that hindrance, she was able to climb the tree without any difficulty. She was used to using gloves too big for her own hand. Her brothers were not quite as large as Gordon's, but they were still larger then her own.

"You sure you don't want your own pair of gloves Mally? It's only two silver pieces," Isaiah asked her, climbing after Malece as she climbed higher and higher into the tree. "Why? You want your's back?" She asked in a playful tone as she settled onto a thick branch, sitting close to the trunk. Isaiah moved to branch close to her and did the same, sitting closest to the trunk. "No, but wouldn't be more comfortable for you?" he asked. Malece shrugged. "I don't mind, it means I get to bug you," she said smiling widely at Isaiah. The older male smiled back at her, love in his eyes and he admitted defeat.

Malece came too when a young girl, another maid she assumed, held her arms out to take the basket from her. She shook her head. "I can carry it," she said to the young girl.

She finally registered that Sarah was rushing them back to the castle. Malece didn't want Sarah in anymore trouble so she began walking back towards the castle to have dinner with a man that had become a monster.

"What was it that you told the maid my first night here? You can't rush beauty?" she asked looking at Sarah. "He can wait," Malece said as they continued walking at the pace they were going. She wasn't being vengeful or rude, that was not her intent. She just didn't want to be sitting with Vincent tonight, not when she was thinking about her brothers. She hugged the basket closer to her as they began walking through the garden. Once inside she turned to Sarah. "Where is the kitchen?" she asked. They walked into the dinner room, but Malece did not look at Vincent. She still carried the basket in her arms.
 
Sarah smiled as Malece recounted their first night meeting. She was right, you couldn't rush beauty and since the king had named her such, she guessed he would have to deal with the consequences. Sarah led the way to the kitchen just as Malece had asked. As the trio entered the dining hall, none of them dared look at the king. Sarah felt his eyes on them the whole way through. The heavy gaze only fading as they entered the kitchen.
--------------
Vincent looked on with a puzzled look as the trio walked right passed him without even an acknowledgement. Had his act of mercy made them look weak in their eyes that they couldn't even provide him with the proper respect? He watched as they disappeared into kitchen. Beauty had been carrying a basket, she must of had something for the kitchen staff but still...not even a look from her?

He had been getting angry, but when he thought of the fact she hadn't even looked in his direction, he was hurt. Vincent had done so much, given so much to her and she still wasn't grateful. Not even that he set her free of her confinement.

"Walter," he called to the old servant standing not far from the king, "Bring in the meal. If they cannot be courteous as they pass by, the I shall not we courteous and wait," Vincent commanded. The old servant nodded and hurried off. The meal as delivered shortly thereafter and just as he had said, Vincent did not wait.

Gordon returned from the kitchen before the others and silently took his seat close to the king, but Vincent spoke just before Gordon could begin eating, "Gordon, you're late. Fix your plate and eat it on the floor two paces from the table. You know how I want you and Sarah here on time. Now, beauty as well."

Gordon's heart sank. Mercy or no mercy, his king was still a beast. Gordon nodded sadly and fixed the three of them a plate. When Beauty and Sarah would exit the kitchen they would find him eating on the floor with their plates beside his.
 
Malece stayed in the kitchen. She didn't want to eat with the king. She needed to think on her own but Sarah seemed to think that she had join them all so as to not anger Vincent. She didn't follow after the maid though. She said she would join them once she was done washing the fruit. It was a habit of hers to wash fruit she picked herself. That way she can figure out if the fruit had any bugs in it. She hummed silently to herself as she washed the fruit, not rushing or anything. The king didn't seem to be waiting for them to eat, thinking they were disrespecting him, when in reality, Malece just didn't want to look at him. She didn't know the others had not looked at him either.

~

Once the fruit was cleaned and dried, she looked around her and noticed no one was in the kitchen with her. She decided to look around then, looking at the various food and such. She liked exploring on her own. So she decided to do just that. She prepared five small bundles and put them in the basket.

She walked out into the dinning hall and she finally looked at Vincent. She had pain in her eyes as she saw that his small moment of mercy had died. The beast had Sarah and Gordon sitting on the floor eating. She blinked, holding her tongue. She walked around the table and didn't grab a plate to get food.

"If you can Vincent, I'd like for you to join me," she asked him. She stood by him waiting. The basket hanging by her elbow. She was waiting for him to either follow her or to ignore her. Either way she had something that she needed to do before she could feel alright with eating.

It was a custom where she lived. If you found out someone had died, even if you had never met them, you bring the grave a small bundle of herbs meant to sooth and heal. She always put apples or fruit she hand picked and washed herself in the bundles as well. She also had a prayer her mother taught her that she wanted to say for the innocent that had fallen.
 
Vincent looked up and stopped mid chew. He caught sight of Gordon and Sarah doing the same. Did Beauty just ignore dinner, rudely pass Vincent without an acknowledge, call him by his name instead of title then top it off by being bold enough to ask for his attendance after all of that?

"My lord," Sarah stood up ready to plead for Beauty's life, "I'm sure she meant nothing of her-"

Vincent silenced her with a hand signal. He was angry, outraged even that Beauty had once again disrespected her. But he was also curious. What was so important that she would willingly risk her own life?

"Don't make excuses for her Sarah," he waved her back to the floor and turned to Beauty, "Very well, Beauty, I will go with you." He took his napkin, wiped his face and stood to his feet, "I am curious as to what is so important that you are willing to risk your life for."

He turned to the two on the floor, "You may eat at the table now that I am gone. Your disrespect will not soil me when I am not here." He loved the two people, almost as much as his family, but kindness, mercy, these things were weaknesses.

When he joined Beauty he motioned with his hand, "Well? Lead the way, Beauty."
 
Malece looked to Sarah and Gordon, her look reassuring. She then turned her gaze to Vincent. She didn't care if he killed her, but her conscience thought that this would be best. After the supposed king said he would join her, she didn't wait any longer and headed out of the dinning hall. She continued to walk, walking out the doors that lead to the garden. She looked around, looking for wild flowers, but could not find any so she decided against getting any wild flowers to put on the graves.

She continued walking until they passed the hedged arch into the the center of the garden. She then looked at Vincent. "I wanted to pay proper respects," she said softly. "Please sit," she said, motioning for him to sit down, if he wanted.

She looked to the graves and closed her eyes. She opened them and kneeled in front of each grave, taking out a small bundle from her basket. She opened the simple bundles and sprinkled the herbs along the grave. As she did this she sang once again. It was a softer a song, but one filled with respect and care as she moved carefully. She then laid the cloth that held all of the contents and she set the apple on it. It was a large apple, one that was at the peek of ripeness and was cleaned thoroughly and was still a bit wet. She did this to each grave, her song still going as she did this.

Once each and every grave had an apple, all of which were perfect, beautiful, she kneeled once more, at the center of all of the graves. She then brought her hands to her chest and stopped her song. She closed her eyes and bowed her head and began praying.

Everything she said was in a foreign tongue but it sounded beautiful and she couldn't help the tears that feel from the corner of her eyes as she prayed for the innocent people that were taken from this place and she prayed for Vincent, who needed their loving memories to bring his true self back.

When she ended the prayer she sat up and looked up at the sky, at the moon. She wiped the tear stains from her eyes.

She stood up from where she had been kneeling and she turned to look at Vincent. "Where I am from, the herbs are meant to sooth their souls and the apples is just an offering of condolence. It can be anything, but I don't have anything to offer but the apples I picked. So I washed them for them," she explained. "I also can not eat until the morning," she added after a moment.

She walked closer to Vincent. She looked up at him the pain in her eyes there, amongst the emerald color of her eyes. "You can kill me now if you find it necessary," she said to him. "It will end my pain," she added in a whisper, looking away from him.
 
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Vincent followed her down the long halls of the palace. Each step only accompanied by the echo of the footfall. Neither one of them had said a word since leaving the dining hall. He was still milling over the different punishments that he could enact depending on how big of a waste of time this was.

When the pair had exited the glass doors leading to the garden, he hesitated. This would of been very bad for her if she dragged him out here just to disrespect the memory of his loved ones. Before she could notice that he had stopped he continued, now more determined than ever to figure out her motive. His hand rested on the hilt of the sword that hung around his waist. Part of his collection or not, any hit of desecration would result in immediate death. There was no question of that.

Vincent followed her through the archway when she decided to finally unveil her motivation for dragging him back out here. He tilted his head in curiosity but chose not to sit. If she was lying to get even then sitting would give her the upper hand. No, he would stand just in case there was another motive to brining him out here.

But Beauty did exactly what she had said she wished to do. He listened to her words and watched her actions each one slowly touching the dark corners of his cold heart with warmth. But it was when she sang, that beautiful voice, that her deeds really struck the king. Each soft note, each tear that fell, each tender gesture knocked chunks of ice from his heart. Vincent had never felt so many emotions, at least not since after their deaths.

Vincent was angry, sad, self loathing, and...grateful.

His anger was not toward the woman, who had every right to hate her captor, but at the men who had killed his family. He had only managed to find three of the supposed five murderers not including the man he had been kind to. He was angry that he had allowed himself to be weak enough to not see the murders coming.

His heart was heavy with sadness because he had never come to terms with the loss. He knew they would never return, but he was never willing to let them go. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he had never admitted it until now. He wasn't responsible, he wasn't weak...the men who did this were. They preyed on the sleeping.

Self loathing tore at his soul for the this he had done since their deaths. The people he had killed, or hurt, was far more than he wished to count. He had destroyed so many lives just as those men had destroyed his. And here, in front of him was one more life touched by his monstrous hands.

But amongst all the painful emotions was gratefulness. Here was a woman who deserved better. Who had the right to hate him and say all those things she has said to him. Yet, she chose to honor his loved ones.

Tears fell from his eyes as she prayed. He didn't understand her words, but they were beautiful. He knew not who she prayed for, but he hoped silently that she prayed for him. He hoped that she prayed for his salvation.

When she began to stand, the king quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. It appeared that breaking his view of weakness would be hard. She explained why she did what she did and came closer to him. Her next words melted any ice that was left. It also felt as if she had shoved a dagger clean through his chest and pierced his heart.

"You can kill me now if you find it necessary, it will end my pain."

Vincent had to clear his throat to keep himself from crying. He had done so much damage. Could he even express in words how sorry he was? Or could he even express how thankful he was for this woman that hated him?

"Beauty," he said trying his best to hide his ever changing emotions. He needed to still be strong, no weakness, "Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, you will ride with me. I came with you to this," he meant a gesture of mockery but it ended up being reverent and respectful. Even his tone of voice expressed his awe, "You will ride with me."

Vincent turned without further words. He was afraid that testing his voice further would only end in him breaking. Only with one phrase did he end, "Please rest, we leave early."

With that said, Vincent started to move from her. If she had anything else she wished to say, she would have to stop him.
 
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She couldn't see the struggle in Vincent's eyes, having looked down waiting for him to say or do something. She had done something for his family that she had not been able to do for her own. That thought alone made her heart ache greatly. She would have done all of these things for the innocent people that had died. She didn't eve know if her brothers had taken the time to bury the others. They would have buried their father, no doubt, but she wasn't so sure about the others. She would be the one forcing them to help her dig the holes into the ground before burying the corpses of people they had not known all that well as well as their father. It was her nature.

As he cleared his throat, she looked up and looked at his face. She could see how his eyes were tinted pink slightly and slightly puffed from crying. He had been crying? She didn't want to make him cry. She just wanted him to be present since it was his family and she thought he needed to be there more often then he was.

At the same time she could see all of the emotions running through his eyes and even though he tried to compose himself and put up that cold front, she could see he was struggling to keep the tears back. What was it that Malece had done to help Vincent just then? She would never know, not unless he ever told her. But he spoke, his voice feigning the cold beast that she had met and had known most of her time here, but it failed him and genuine emotions came through the words that meant to be cold. He wanted her to go with him on a ride first thing in the morning. Why?

What was he going to show her? She looked at him with a bit of confusion in her eyes but she nodded her head to Vincent as he commanded her, only his voice was not of the beast she had known, but of someone else she had not ever met. She hoped this was the real Vincent talking to her now.

He turned from her and began leaving. She didn't follow at first but after a few minutes she followed after him, walking back to the castle. Once inside they parted ways, Malece going to the room she had been sleeping in. She sat on the bed for a few minutes before she moved to the windows ledge, looking out into the sky. She smiled looking at the moon. She felt her mother and father's approving smile and she hugged herself silently before she got up and changed out of her dress and laid down into the bed, waiting for either Sarah to come and talk to her or for sleep to take her.

~

The morning came all too soon, but she did not mind it. She woke and went with a maid named Anna to bathe.

Once she was cleaned, she dressed in a thicker dress, yet this one was also very simple. She wasn't one for extravagance. This dress matched her emerald green eyes and she was given riding boots to wear instead of the slippers she had been wearing with the other dresses she had been given.

Once she was dressed, she loosely braided her hair to the side, not too tight so not as to give herself a headache, but tight enough so the locks did not fall loose too quickly.

She walked down on her own to the kitchen and grabbed an apple to eat for breakfast. She asked for some hot water and made her own tea to drink while she sat in the dinning hall, waiting for Vincent. She had gotten up just as the sun began to rise, not wanting to be late, she guessed at least. She wasn't all too sure why she was up so early... maybe she just couldn't sleep any longer.
 
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Vincent didn't return to his study after the gave sight meeting with Beauty. In fact, Vincent didn't go anywhere else but his room. His heart and mind were tugging his soul in opposite directions and for the first time since the loss of his family, Vincent mourned. He mourned their death and his deeds. Beauty's fact of kindness, not to him but to the memory of his family had brought life back into his dead heart.

Vincent eventually fell asleep and for the first time in ages, slept soundly. When he finally awoke, he dressed himself, not in his armor like the last time he took a ride, but in fighters garb. He wore a white undershirt and a burgundy over shirt. He laced leather bracers on and tide his belt around his waist. His legs were covered by brown trousers and black boots. He was taking a Beauty for a special ride, and because of the nature of it, chose not to inform anyone. It would just be the two of them.

Vincent moved down to the dining hall and stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on Beauty. For the first time, he saw her for what she was and not why she was there. Beauty was just that, beautiful. Her dark hair fell rom her head just as his sister, Abigail's, had. Today she wore a gene dress that matched her eyes. Vincent actually blushed slightly. It was probably a good thing he was far enough away that it would be nigh impossible to tell.

Sarah and Gordon came in behind him and when Vincent noticed them he smiled, actually smiled, "Good morning you two, and to you, a Beauty." Vincent then didn't take a seat, but went into the kitchen himself.
----
When the king exited the dining room, Sarah and Gordon looked at each other slack jawed. Then their combined gazes fell on Beauty. Sarah hurried to the young woman and grabbed her hand. With a small quiet voice she leaned in, "What did you do?" She asked, once again on the verge of tears.

"Yes,"Gordon agreed, "What did you do? The king never greets us in that manner."

But Beauty wouldn't get a chance to answer. Vincent returned from the kitchen holding an apple. He turned to Sarah and Gordon and spoke, "Gordon, plan games for the men today. They've worked hard and need a break. Sarah, after their chores are done, send the servants home for the day. Everyone needs to see family every once in a while."

He took a step toward the door and turned to Beauty, "Well? Shall we go?"

Under normal circumstances, Gordon would of opened his mouth in protest to the king going anywhere without an escort, but he was too dumbfound. Sarah couldn't seem to muster the words either. Bot just bowed in compliance to the kings orders, kind orders.
----
Outside the palace gates were Dia, and another horse. Dia wasn't wearing her armor, instead, she wore light cloth with the king's crest on it. The second mount wore a matching cloth. Dia seemed glad to once more be of service to her rider and even more excited that she wasn't carrying the armor.

Vincent patted his horse and quickly mounted her, "Beauty, you must hurry. I do wish to get to our destination before the weather sets in." The air was cooler, the sky darker than normal. It was going to rain. So today wouldn't be as nice as he hoped, but he wasn't going to change his plans. She had shown him kindness, he needed to return the favor.
 
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Malece looked up to see Vincent in the door way of the dinning hall. She was finishing off her second apple by the time anyone else came to the dining hall. She nibbled on the apple, looking at Vincent as he stood in the doorway, speaking to Sarah and Gordon. Apparently whatever he had said had both Sarah and Gordon dumbfounded. She was a little shocked as well, seeing the smile on Vincent's face. She had never seen him smile and it caused something deep inside to stir. She didn't know what it was exactly that stirred in her chest, but she felt her cheeks flush slightly with blush.

She looked down, glad that the shorter parts of her hair fell in front of her face as she took another sip of tea. She did, however, look at Vincent and bow her head in acknowledgement as he walked passed her to go to the kitchen.

~

She looked up at Sarah as the older woman took her hand and asked what she had done. There were tears in her eyes and she gripped Malece's hand tightly, happiness in her face. Malece looked confused and she looked at Sarah. "I don't understand," she said softly, looking at Gordon now as he asked as well, wondering what she had done. "I... I just..." she began before the king came into the dinning hall holding an apple, one of the many she had picked from the tree yesterday. She looked at him as he looked to Gordon and Sarah relaying orders. But these orders were kind, happy, relaxing ones.

Malece felt her eyes widen with shock but happiness as well. She forced herself to relax though, not too look too shocked but still she still looked shocked.

Gordon and Sarah looked completely dumbfounded and it was a miracle.

Vincent looked at her and she stood from her seat. She had finished her tea and felt energized and ready for whatever it was the king had in mind for her. She waved good bye to Gordon and Sarah before she left. A maid handed her a brown cloak to wear outside, since it would start raining. "Thank you," she said softly to the maid before following after Vincent.

~

Once they were outside, she spotted the two horses and smiled. She hadn't been able to ride a horse in a few months and she missed it. She moved closer to the horse that was meant for her and she smiled at the large creature. She looked up at Vincent as he hurried her, since the weather was going to worsen. She nodded her head and climbed onto the horse, settling in before she looked to Vincent. The brown cloak was tied snugly around her neck and rested behind her as she sat. "Lead the way... Your Highness," she said, offering the male a simple smile.
 
Vincent lifted a brow to the young woman as she addressed him by a royal title. Had she fallen and hit her head or something. This was a woman who despised him, or so it seemed. She had no respect for him, but on this morning, she showed him respect twice. She must of been feeling ill.

He was about to ask her if she felt well, when Dia shifted underneath him restlessly. The poor girl had spent the last week and two days confined to the stables and now was more than eager to run. And so Vincent gave into Dia's mostly silent pleas and spurred the horse on.

To best the rain, he ran her hard. It wasn't how he wanted to get to their destination, but he hadn't planned on the weather interfering. Fortunately for them, they had been riding for three hours and hadn't been touch by a single raindrop. It wasn't until they cleared the forest edge and the familiarity of that fateful riverbank filled his eyes did he slow Dia down to a walk. Just before the site of the massacre, Vincent dismounted Dis and tied her off.

Though he tried to hide it, his eyes shown with shame and his shoulders sagged under the weight of it, "You were so kind to do what you did for my family. I have been nothing but cruel to you, Beauty, and you still did that. A part of me knows that your motivation was not to show kindness to the beast that had your father killed, but that you were raised to respect the dead. A trait that I respect greatly."

Vincent turned from her, his hand shifted his sword nervously. It had been a long time since he had stared fault in the face and admitted to it, "I know that there is nothing I can do that will ever undo what I've done, or even make it right. But I wanted you to have the same opportunity to honor your father as you honored mine." That was as close to an apology that she would get from him now.

As they rendered the site, Vincent sighed slightly in relief that the bodies were gone. He wouldn't have to stare into the faces of his victims today. But that also meant that there would be no father for Beauty to honor, "I'm sorry, I thought," he stopped himself. He ought the bodies would still be here.

"Someone must of taken them and buried them," Vincent turned to head back to his horse. He felt like he had failed her in this. That thought hurting him. Now there was nothing, nowhere, for her to place her gifts or say her prayers.

"I'm sorry I brought you back here for nothing," he apologized as he reached Dia. He was about to untie her to mount up and take a Beauty back to the castle. He had never been raised in Beauty's rituals of honoring the dead. He didn't know if there was anything else she could do to honor them now that there wasn't a body or a grave.
 
Malece followed after Vincent, urging the horse she rode to keep up with Vincent. She thought to herself as to why she hadn't called him by his name. Maybe she just wanted to show him a bit of respect since he was being kind to those that cared greatly for him, despite his beastly actions? She wasn't all that sure at the moment as the wind blew passed them, tossing her braid behind her as the horse ran after the other. She loved this feeling and didn't realize how much she had missed it until that moment.

She opened her mouth to call to Isaiah and Thomas, but then she remembered they were not there with her. They weren't next to her on borrowed horses, racing her across the countryside to give the horses exercise. Her smiled dimmed and her mouth closed and she remained silent as they continued on.

Hours passed and she wondered just where they were going when Vincent slowed in front of her. She pulled the reigns on her horse and had him slow down.

She looked around and realized where they were. Why had he brought her here? What was he planning on doing? All these questions ran through her mind as she watched him climb off his horse and tie it off. She climbed off her own horse and tied him off as well. She moved quickly, running passed Vincent to the clearing where the bodies had been left. But they weren't there. Only the broken remains of a few caravans. She looked around looking for any signs of disrupted ground, but there was none.

She felt a sob coming up her throat as she spotted something shining on the ground. She knelt down and moved the dirt away and found her fathers wedding band. She felt tears fall freely now. She had dropped it when Gordon had bound her and tied her to Vincent's horse. She cleaned the dirt from the simple gold band and she looked at Vincent. Although there was pain in her eyes, there was also thanks.

She held her hand open and let him see the band. "My fathers wedding band... I thought I'd lost it," she said softly. She slipped the band on her middle finger, but even then it fit a little loose. She decided to tie it to her wrist. She took a piece of twine from her hair and tied the band around her wrist, this time she would not loose it.

When Vincent apologized for bringing her here for nothing she shook her head. "I can still honor him," she said softly.

She began gathering stones, piling them by the fruit tree she had climbed that day to get fruit for her father to eat. When the pile was high enough she then gathered some wild flowers and wild herbs that had been growing by the river bank. She then began her ritual, singing softly as she knelt on the dirt, spreading the herbs onto the stones. She then rested the wild flowers onto the stones before she prayed for her father and everyone that had died.

When her prayer was done, she stood up and she wiped the tears from her cheeks, looking to Vincent. "Thank you," she whispered softly to him.
 
Vincent watched from afar, not wanting to disturb the woman as she sang and prayed. It truly was a beautiful sig to behold. A beautiful ritual, accompanied by a beautiful song, sung by a beautiful woman, Vincent once again found himself wiping tears from his face.

No weakness, she's making you weak, his mind argued.

This is not weakness, but life, countered his heart.

Vincent shook his head as Beauty stood and thanked him. IT was then that the first drops of rain fell. Vincent looked up and closed his eyes. It had been far too long since he enjoyed the fall of rain on his face. When he looked down, he instinctively reached for Beauty's cloak to tug it over her head. He always did it for Abigail when hey were out.

When he realized that this was not Abigail, Vincent pulled his hands away, "I'm so sorry," he apologized. He had no right to touch her cloak.

"We're sorry, too," came a voice accompanied by laughter from several voices.

Vincent spun around to face the men that mocked them. There were four, and they were armed. Vincent's eyes shifted from male to male as he tried to guess which one would attack first. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword and his fingers wrapped around it. Instinct kicked in once again and Vincent pushed Beauty close behind him so that he knew where she was.

"Come now, is that the thanks you give to the man who made you king? Rather the men who made you king," a smirk spread across the face of what appeared to be the leader.

It was then that realization slammed into Vincent making him take a step back. Without the dirt smudged across his face and the rags upon his body, it was hard to recognize the man, "You!" Vincent spat out in disgust.

The man spread out is arms, "Us." He spoke., "I know the rumors said five, but there were nine."

Vincent stepped back yet again. As realization hit him, "That's right," the man continued, "Your sisters were raped by nine men and it seems you've brought us one more to add to our collection if memories."

Vincent's sword rang as he drew it, "You won't have her, not while I'm alive."

The man laughed, "Then I suppose it's time to dethrone another king, huh boys? You will not deny us this fair prize."

Vincent pulled Beauty into his back as the men approached. He had ruined his woman's life. He would not fail her again, "I will keep you save, Beauty, I must keep you safe." He quietly promised her. He wasn't even sure she heard him, but he needed to say it aloud.
 
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Malece looked up as the rain began to fall, just a few drops at the moment. She loved the feel of rain on her face, it was another reminder that she was alive. She had a habit of forgetting that she had a life, health, as well as anyone else. She would sometimes work herself to the bone and not rest, trying to save a few people's lives that she would make herself sick. Feeling the rain or the wind or the snow reminded her that she had to take care of herself as well as others.

She looked at Vincent as he reached forward and pulled the hood of her cloak up to cover her head from the rain. That gesture reminded her of Thomas. He was always worried about her and fretted whenever she would climb a tree too quickly or he would remind her to pull her hood up when it began raining. She half expected Vincent to pinch her nose gently smile a goofy grin but the male looked shocked at what he had done. He was suddenly apologizing to her. She looked at him with confusion and opened her mouth about to ask him what he was sorry about but she heard another voice, followed by laughter.

She turned and saw the four men standing there, holding swords and daggers. She felt Vincent's arm as he touched her and moved her behind him. She pulled her cloak closer to her as if the cloth would protect her from the hungry stares of the men that had joined them.

The conversation that followed, had Malece feeling the pain Vincent might be feeling. It was not five men that had raped and murdered Vincent family, it was nine. She felt anger and pain and shock all at once at this realization and she had not known the kings family. Malece just hated the thought of innocent people being hurt in anyway.

...And it seems you've brought us one more to add to our collection of memories.

Malece looked at them then, fear in her eyes. They were going to rape and kill her. She felt her hand clench with the fear inside her, but the ringing of a sword filled her ears and Vincent held his sword out and at the ready. You won't have her, not while I'm alive. She looked at Vincent then. He was willing to die to protect her? Why?

She didn't have time to think about it as Vincent pushed her further behind him as the men spoke of dethroning another king. She trembled with fear, four against one was hardly fair, but these men would not fight fair.

She faintly heard Vincent talking but she barely caught it, only hearing that he must keep her safe. She felt her heart skip a beat and she would be questioning that feeling but she heard rustling above them. She looked up, seeing Kale. The man had a bow and arrow ready to loose. She looked around frantically, looking for any signs of her brothers, but she saw none.

Before she could focus on that for too long, two men charged forward and raised their swords at Vincent. Malece felt her heart quickening in her chest.
 
Vincent sidestepped and parried the first blow, all the while keeping his hand on Beauty. If he knew where she was, then he knew she was safe, but fighting with one hand would give him a slight disadvantage. The second strike was wilder. The attacker was not as experienced as the first, he would die first.

Vincent parried the blow and took his hand off of Beauty long enough the throw a well placed punch. It slammed into the face of the lunging man. A wet crunch awarded Vincent as he drove his sword through the staggering man's chest. But he didn't have time to celebrate the kill. The second man swung making Vincent let go of his sword not having enough time to withdraw it from the dead man.

With his hand back on a Beauty, he used his other hand to glance the strikes away until he had the opportunity he was waiting for. The man swung high with his knife. Vincent used his forearm and blocked the blow by striking the forearm of his attacker. His hand moved from a Beauty once more as he grabbed the armed wrist and twisted the arm. With one blow with his elbow he shattered the man's own elbow forcing him to drop the knife. Vincent swept it up and plunged rough the man's head. Two down, two to go.

Vincent returned his hand to Beauty and pulled free his sword as his eyes scanned the riverbank for the two men. When Dia stirred restless, Vincent looked in time to see one of the men scurrying amongst the trees. Vincent pulled the dagger from the skull of the dead man and threw it. A soft thud and a cry told him he hit his mark. The familiar sound of the curses that came shortly after told him exactly who he had hit and that it wasn't fatal. Good, that man deserved more than a quick death. As soon as Vincent finished the fourth, if he could find him.

Little did Vincent know, that the fourth man was quietly approaching from his left. So focused was he on finding the man, that he didn't notice him.
 
Malece moved with Vincent, looking behind her so she wouldn't trip but each man fell swiftly, even with Vincent having one hand on her at almost all times. She flinched every time she heard a wet crunch or heard a cry of pain before one man died. She was a healer for a reason, she would not, could not harm another person with her hands. It made her physically sick even thinking about it or hearing it happen. But she remained focused, making sure she wasn't too much of a hindrance on Vincent as he fought to protect her.

With two men dead and one down but still alive, she felt like this was going to end soon but she suddenly felt someone grab at her wrist roughly and yank her away from Vincent's side. She let out a scream of surprise as she was pulled from Vincent, her arm being twisted behind her and a dagger held to her throat. It was the fourth man, a shorter man but still strong enough to hold her to him. She whimpered as he held her arm tightly. She felt the dagger digging into her neck and there was fear in her eyes as she looked at Vincent. "Make any sudden moves and I'll slice her throat open," the man hissed at Vincent.

She brought one hand up and pulled at the mans arm, struggling as best as she could.

She looked up, above Vincent, and Kale was gone. Where had the man gone? She felt panicked and scared. She wanted to cry out for her father, for her mother, for her brothers but when she opened her mouth none of their names fell. "Vincent," was the name she called in her fear stricken mind as the fourth man began pulling her along with him, backing away from Vincent.

Suddenly, however, the man let out a wail of pain. Kale stood behind them, his bow drawn and he had let an arrow loose, hitting the fourth man's shoulder. This caused the man to let go of Malece and shove her to the ground. She gasped as she hit the ground, but she quickly sat up and watched as Kale was able to stab his gutting knife into the fourth mans neck, but not before the fourth man stabbed the old mute in the stomach.

"Kale!" she screamed as both men fell down to the ground. She scrambled over to the two, pulling the armored man off the older man. He was gasping and trembling, but he smiled seeing Malece. "No, you won't die, I won't let you die too," she stammered out, tears falling from her eyes. She pulled his shirt apart and pressed the cloth into the wound to stop the bleeding. "Thomas! Isaiah!" she screamed as loud as she could, praying that her brothers would hear her and come to help her.

Kale began coughing up blood, but he reached a hand up and cupped Malece's cheek, offering a weak toothless grin. Malece was crying freely now, but she could feel his hand loosing strength and it fell from her face.

Her eyes widened and she began to sob out. "No! No! Please no... not you too," she cried out, feeling his life leave his body right under her finger tips. "No... mama what do I do? What do I do? I don't know what to do," she began stammering, her hands shaking as she looked at Kale, his smile fading as he finally slipped away.

He was the one who taught her how to tell what fruits where perfect and which ones had bugs inside. He taught her brothers how to fish and make traps for squirrels and rabbits. And he was the only one who would have known where her brothers were. He was her fathers friend and her friend... and he died saving her.

Why did everyone she care about die protecting her?
 
Vincent's hand was warm against Beauty's body and then suddenly cold and alone. When he turned around he found Beauty's life in the wrist of the fourth man. Vincent took a step toward her but was warned away.

"Make any sudden moves and I'll slice her throat open."

Vincent took half a step back but still held his sword up. Given the opportunity, he would gut this man and enjoy doing it. No one took the people Vincent loved away without consequence. The leader of this four man group would soon understand that.

As she was pulled back by the man, she called out for him. Her plea broke his heart. There was nothing he could do right now. He would have to come after me after the man took her away. In the mean time he would have to pray that he could save her before she came to any harm.

Suddenly the man cried out in pain and released her. Vincent hurried to her only for her to move before he could get to her. Whoever had saved her, had died in return. Beauty mourned the death of yet another loved one it seemed. This was Vincent's fault. Every bad thing that had happened to Beauty was his fault. Her father's death, her kidnapping, the death of yet another loved one, if he had left her alone, if he had never ridden out to raid that caravan, none of this would of happened.

Vincent couldn't bring himself to approaching the mourning woman. His sword slid back into its scabbard as he lowered his head and spoke softly, "I'm so sorry, Beauty. I should of never brought you here."

Barely audible above they crying of the woman was the groans of a dead man, well soon to be dead man. Vincent's anger boiled over. This man would be the instrument that he would use to funnel out all his rage.

Vincent turned and left the mourning woman. There was nothing he could do. Vincent was a beast, a man of destruction, this only further verified that as he once more looked at the woman that suffered because of him. Some of Vincent's thawed heart froze back over. Being a weak man only hurt those you cared about.

Vincent moved to the man and bent over the knife that protruded from his shoulder as he tried to crawl away. Without mercy or restraint, he firmly grasped the knife and pressed it further in. The man let out a satisfying cry of agony that brought a smile to Vincent's face. This was the leader of the men that killed his parents and had killed is man that Beauty had loved.

Vincent tore the knife from the man's shoulder and straddled the bleeding man. Vincent saw nothing but red as he rained blow after blow upon the man who was initially responsible for so much pain.
 
Vincent's words did not fall on deaf ears. Malece had heard him and her eyes closed with her pain. She stayed holding onto Kale's limp hand, just letting the tears fall from her eyes. She looked at Kale's face and she reached a hand up and closed his eyes and then closed his mouth. She couldn't look at the mans eyes any longer. She wanted to bury him, pay her respects and then leave. This place only held horror for her.

She stood up and began pulling Kale's body away from the other mans body. She would bury him next to the tree with the stones she had piled up for the others that had died. She struggled a little, dragging him up towards the tree when she heard someone start yelling in pain. She left Kale's body and ran towards the yelling thinking Vincent had been hurt, but what she saw was Vincent beating one of the men that had ambushed them.

She felt sick to her stomach as she watched his fists pound into the other male's face.

She stood frozen for a few minutes before she ran over to Vincent. "Vincent! Vincent stop," she begged him, grabbing at his shoulder.

But he continued on, pushing her away by accident from how quickly he was beating the man he straddled. She landed on her bum on the dirt and she winced slightly. She looked at Vincent and she didn't know what else she could do. She decided to take a leap of faith and try something else.

She moved behind Vincent and wrapped her arms around his chest from behind. "Please stop," she begged in a soft voice. Her arms trembled and she had barely reached her hands as she held him from behind. Her hands held onto his chest, while her chest pressed into him, her face leaning against his back as well. "Don't become a beast like these men," she whispered softly. He was not being strong by beating this man to a pulp. He was letting his anger and rage consume him and make him into the men he hated. A beast that preys on the weak and harms the innocent. He was not that, he was not a beast.
 
Vincent's blows rained down on the man unaware that Beauty had come to stop him. He wasn't even aware that he had accidentally shoved her when he pulled back for another blow. Blood covered his knuckles and the man was moaning weakly when arms wrapped around his chest, a small framed body pressed against his back and a soft voice spoke against him.

"Please stop." He hesitated but dropped another blow.

"Don't become a beast like these men." He stopped.

With her arms wrapped around his chest, the anger washed from him like floodwaters. Grief flooded his heart, and relief as he had finally found justice for the deaths of his loved ones. His chest rose and fell as he cried over the broken, yet still living body of the man who had haunted his dreams every night since their deaths.

His broken and bloodied hands held hers against his chest as he spoke, "I am so so sorry, Beauty. I am no different than this man. I took so much from you. You deserve justice as much as I do."

He wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat as he gently pulled her arms from around him.confident that the man under him was so badly beaten that moving wasn't an option, he untied his sword and offered it to Beauty.

"After I watch this man hang for his crimes against the royal family, you may have your justice. You deserve it. You will be held blameless for the action and free afterwards. No one will harm you and no one will stop you."

He held out the sheathed blade, "Take it. I will not take no for an answer."

With the completion of justice for his family, there was only one other way to save his people and right the wrongs he committed. He only hoped that Beauty still hated him enough to carry it out.
 
Malece held onto Vincent as she felt him cry. She had reached him, through all of his rage and his pain she had reached past him and pulled him out of it. She was glad he had stopped beating the man that now lay on the ground, bloodied and in pain. She felt his chest heaving and she could hear the gasped sobs that came from Vincent's chest, hearing it clearly with her head so close to the males chest.

She didn't relax her hold on him. She wanted him to know she was there for him. In her mind she wanted to heal him, more then think about her own pain. She felt his hands on her own hands holding them to his chest as he spoke, his voice sounded broken but relieved and grief stricken all at once. It broke her heart a bit but she let him speak.

"No, you are different from him," she said to him, but he pulled her hands from him and had her let go of him. He untied his sheathed sword from his waist and handed it to Malece.

What he said next made her look at him with shock. She looked at the sword and then at him and she shook her head. But she took the sword, moving over to Dia, tying the sword to the horses saddle, moving calmly and slowly before she went over to Vincent. She helped him to her feet and had him look at her. "I will not take your life... It won't bring me justice," she said looking at him. She reached a hand up and wiped the tears from the males face.

"I never knew your sisters... but I made a promise to them in the prayer I said to them," she said to him, bringing her hand up and touching his chest, right above his heart. "I promised to heal you and bring the real Vincent back, and make sure this beast that has been parading around in his place never rules your heart," she said to him, looking up at him.

"If I succeed, then I my heart will rest," she said to him softly.

She pulled her hand away from his warm chest and took his hand, moving to the river. She washed her hands and then gently washed his own, looking at the damage. She got up and collected a few leaves and she wet one and rubbed it gently before placing it on the open cuts. At first it stung, but after a few minutes, the plant numbed the pain away and stopped the bleeding. "I want to bury Kale..." she said softly to him, although she focused on putting the small medicinal leaves on his injured knuckles.
 
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