Blind and the Beast

The Forest

-Belle-

The forest was dark. Belle was no stranger to darkness, but the air was frigid and unrelenting. The lack of warmth made the darkness feel feral, the kind of night that sends even the most seasoned explorer cowering in fear in the Beast King's Forest.

The faceless mob had bound her hands behind her back when they realized she would not be quietly marched to her death. The rope was just loose enough that escape taunted her. Every sharp crunching noise made her desperate for freedom. Her hands twisted and pulled until the flesh there became raw and slick with blood. Eventually, there was enough give that her hands slipped their binds. 

Finally free, she didn't even bother to stand. She only needed to cup her hands around her ears and block out the horrors that sounded off all around her in a comforting but weak moment of cowering.

The creatures of the forest all had their eyes turned to the woman with her head buried in her arms. She was a foreign invader encroaching on the hierarchy that existed in the forest. Creatures, monsters, and magic wielders alike all watched for a tense moment. There was one rule of the forest, and she would be victim to it soon enough. The weak are prey.

They watched, waiting for movement. They were waiting to see who would challenge her first. One by one, they all abandoned their perches and began to flee from the new beast approaching. 

  Belle's breathing came quickly at first, but it slowed as she focused on it. With her breathing under control, she dared to consider her options. Stay or go. Sit or roam. Be eaten while stumbling blindly, or save herself the trouble and wait to be eaten. Waiting would be the courteous thing to do to save the monsters the trouble of tracking her.

She needed her mind if she was going to survive the night. She would head toward the rising sun if she made it to sunrise. Civilization was due east of the Beast King's forest, and civilization meant survival. Her imagination was brought to heel, and she no longer flinched at the sound of the wind shaking the trees.

The rhythm of the forest was constant. There were birds, bugs, and trees that all sang their warning songs as a light breeze moved around them. In any other circumstance, it would be beautiful. It was all harmonious except the faint crunching sound of leaves that was coming from behind her. The hair all over her body stood on end.

She turned towards the sound of the leaves, and then a low rumble sounded as a warning. The sound reverberated in a massive chest, giving her some indication of the size of the beast. The creature easily towered over her. The blood in her ears began to pound, and she heard nothing else. Maybe there would be no way out of this forest, not for her.

She entertained the idea of running, but that would only lead to being sprawled across the ground with a broken ankle trying to get her bearings before being killed horribly.

There was a beat of silence. Waiting for something to happen was misery.

"Who are you?" The creature's voice cut across everything. It was menacing and terrifying all at once, but what shocked her was the strangely human quality of it.

She might not have answered if she was any less petrified, but her mind was working on simple command. A response came unbidden to her lips.

"Belle."

The sound of the creature's short, angry breaths drew closer, and she was like a rabbit, cowering with fear and frozen for the taking.

"What are you, Belle?" He asked

She did not know how many answers existed to that question, but she did not have to think about it because her voice still answered on instinct.

"Human."

"Belle the human." He said her name like an inside joke, and she had no idea how to respond. After a short pause, he continued.

"Why are you here?"

She could not answer his question. The answer escaped her, and she couldn't even remember what he had asked. The fear in her mind became louder and louder until she finally asked the question that was burning a hole through her.

"Are you going to eat me?" The night air was cold and menacing.

He let out a sharp, humorless laugh, "Do you think I am going to ask your name and then eat you immediately after? Perhaps you have imagined that beasts are so sinister that we derive joy from naming our meals."

His tone was hostile and sarcastic, which should have scared her, but all she felt was relief. She waited for the catch, but he said nothing.

"Truly. You are safe from becoming my dinner."

Belle took her first full breath in what seemed like hours. His tone was derisive. If he was not planning to eat her, he certainly intended to intimidate her.

"You mock my question, but I am sure monsters do not approach women in forests to invite them to tea. I would think there would be much less talking and a lot more screaming and eating."

"You have met many monsters then?" She could hear a smile in his voice, and it ruffled her pride. Eating or not, he was mocking her.

"No, I suppose not. Although I do not know if I would officially consider this as meeting a monster. I have not learned who you are, your intentions, or anything else. I know you almost as well as I know any other monster."

She had a suicide wish. That much was clear at this point. She had already decided her oncoming death was the townspeople's fault, but here she was antagonizing monsters.

"You want to know my name?" he asked in a low voice. His slight advances had stopped, and he was completely frozen.

Goosebumps erupted down her back. It had not occurred to her until this moment that monsters might have names, but she was not about to admit her ignorance now.

"Yes, that is, after all, the natural order of making one's acquaintance."

"I think I am now on the receiving end of being mocked for a sincere question. Maybe you have never encountered a monster before, but I have encountered dozens of maidens roaming this forest, none of which made it this far in conversation without coming to hysterics at first sight of me."

"In fair defense of all these other maidens, they could probably see you a lot better than I can." She said before realizing it was best to keep her blindness from the huge predatory beast.

"Yes, one good thing about these pitch-black nights is that they hide beasts like me well enough." The monster said ruefully.

His voice turned sour, and the mood shifted instantly. Belle struggled with something to change the subject. She was reluctant to emphasize her blindness and he clearly had issues with his "beastly self." She wondered how likely a monster would be to kill someone because their self-esteem was a little low.

"You are avoiding my question. What is your name?"

She was greeted by silence and then more silence. "Well, that did not work very well." She thought to herself. She racked her brain to say something to break the awkwardness until he finally replied.

"I had a name once, but now I go by my more popular moniker, the King of Beasts."

"Oh," Belle said, unsure of how to respond. She let go of the rock she had been clutching in her hand. It was not going to help her. Nothing could help her now. The parts of her that had been lulled into security tensed back up, and she said the only thing that came to her mind. "You are different than I imagined."

He let out a long sigh, "You are the one they sent then." He said, not as a question but with finality.

She answered anyways, "Yes."

There was no more pleasant conversation, no more negotiations, just the simple word yes, and the world was taken out from under her as the beast grabbed her and took to the skies.