A Tale That Never Was
Chapter 15: ...and the Beast

After failing to convince Belle to reconsider her decision, the four travellers made their way up one of the crenellated towers and stood on its uncovered top, looking down at the valley and forest beyond. Cindy and Red soon retired for the night and only Jack and Selvina remained.

For several minutes none of them said a word until Jack looked up at the sky and said, “The stars are so bright tonight. I like looking at them. Some nights on the Jolly Roger I’ll climb up to the crow’s nest and just watch them until I fall asleep. There’s so much mystery about them.”

Selvina, still looking down at the valley, said, “There’s no mystery. They’re huge balls of burning gas in space, millions if not billions of miles away. They’re just like our sun, that’s it. There’s no mystery, Jack.” She glanced at him briefly and saw his expression change, almost to one of hurt. It filled her with a feeling of satisfaction but also pain. She didn’t understand why she felt that way but Jack shut up and that’s all she wanted out of it.

After more silent minutes passed Selvina finally decided to get to bed. Other than Jack everyone else was asleep and she had no intention of being around him for too long. Her hand still burned from the slap she had given him, a stinging reminder of the physical pain she had given him. He had deserved it, she told herself. He had been inconsiderate and had played around for too long.

“Selvina,” he said quietly.

“Goodnight, Jack.” She had enough of him. She was tired, frustrated, and still angry with him. She needed a good rest. When turning around, she suddenly noticed a figure standing atop the hatch that would take her below. It was large, tall, muscular, and did not appear human. It had fur across its whole body, short spikes on its shoulders, the side of its body and face and had long silver hair that extended halfway down its back. Its eyes glowed with their own white light and it narrowed them when she noticed it. Selvina backed up against the nearest crenel and gulped down a small fraction of her rising fear. She knew this was Beast but he was much more fearsome than she had imagined.

“Trespassers,” Beast growled. His voice sounded like a rockslide in a roaring hurricane.

“N-No,” Selvina sputtered as Jack turned around. “Belle allowed us to stay the night. We will be gone early in the morning.”

“That still makes you trespassers.”

Jack took a foolish step forward. “This castle isn’t even yours, Beast, as I assume that’s who you are. You just took it over because you had nowhere else to go.”

Beast growled and it made Jack back away. “Your insolence puts you in danger, boy. You should treat your host with more respect.”

Jack frowned. “Or what, you’ll eat me?”

“If the situation calls for it, I may.”

Jack opened his mouth to retort but Selvina smacked his arm.

“Shut up, Jack!” she hissed at him. “This is no way to talk to someone who’s letting us sleep in their home.”

“This isn’t his home, Selvina!” Jack pointed a sturdy finger at Beast. “You just came here to hide. You’re nothing but a co—” Selvina’s hand blocked his mouth as she wrapped an arm from behind and pulled him aside.

“Damn it, Jack, do you want to die or what?” she scolded. “What’s gotten into you?”

Jack wrenched himself free from Selvina’s grasp and scowled. “Since when do you care about me? I thought you might like to see Beast rip me to shreds.”

“Jack, you’re an idiot! I don’t want to see that!”

“You could have fooled me.”

“SILENCE!”

Jack and Selvina stared ahead at Beast and stopped talking. He walked toward the two and looked down at them when he stood just a foot away. He was at least eight feet tall and each of his arms was as wide as tree trunks. Two small tusks protruded from his bottom jaw and poked up over his upper lips, which were contorted into a scowl. “You have a strange scent, girl.”

Selvina met Beast’s gaze and fought through her fear to say, “I’m not from around here…”

“That much is clear.” Beast looked at Jack. “You smell of salt and wood. Do you sail?”

“I…I’m part of Jolly Roger’s crew,” answered Jack.

“Captain Hook. Why is he here?”

Selvina answered, “His ship got damaged and he’s in Our Lady for repairs.”

Beast turned his head slowly and set his glowing white eyes on Selvina’s. “I was not asking you, impatient girl. Your errand here was a waste of time, anyhow. Belle should have sent you back.”

“We will be going back tomorrow morning…”

“Yes, but not before you leave your stench in my castle.”

Jack narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “So why not send us away?”

Beast growled and shoved between them to stand at the edge of the tower, his hands on two merlons. He gazed at the land below and took a deep breath. “I must honor Belle’s wishes. She is much stronger than she looks and has a certain power over me.”

“It’s love, right?”

Beast scowled. “It is more than that. Anyhow, as much as I would like to toss the two of you off this tower I will respect her decision, so long as you do as well.”

“We’ll leave, don’t worry.”

“Good.”

Selvina mustered up some courage and stood beside Beast, leaning against a merlon and eyeing his face. “What will you do about Gaston? Belle plans on marrying him. Will you let her?”

“It is her decision, not mine…”

“You love her, though, right?”

Beast glared at Selvina and bared his sharp teeth. “Do not presume to think you know anything about me, girl. Belle is more unique than any of you will ever know. I may not agree with all of her decisions but when she is set on something there is no force on this world powerful enough to sway her.”

Selvina pursed her lips and frowned.

Beast grinned at her expression. “Something upsets you?”

“You’re supposed to marry her!”

Beast suddenly laughed, wholeheartedly and with great gusto. Selvina and Jack exchanged confused glances before he eventually stopped. “Marry her? Me? You truly are a foolish one to think that.” He spread his arms and clawed fingers and added, “LOOK AT ME!”

“That’s just the curse! Once she kisses you you’ll be transformed back into your original self.”

This time it was Beast’s turn to look confused. “You speak nonsense, girl. There is no curse. I was always this way.”

“But…wasn’t there a witch that cursed you and then gave you a magical rose?”

Beast raised a thick eyebrow. “There was no witch, no curse, and certainly no rose.”

“The west wing! That’s where you keep the rose!”

“This castle has no west wing. You are sorely mistaken for whatever information you received about my past was completely false. I suggest to never trust gypsies. They have clever ways to empty one’s coin purse.”

Selvina furrowed her brow, deep in thought. None of this made any sense to her. He was certainly Beast and she had met Belle. By all means they were the characters of the story Beauty and the Beast yet there was no curse. Beast was indeed just a beast. Worst of all, Belle was going to marry Gaston. She had come here to warn her so she could eventually marry the right person, which in her mind was supposed to be Beast, yet now she wasn’t certain. Perhaps she had wasted her time after all. Maybe she should have just kept her nose out of other people’s business and stayed in Our Lady. There was little she could do now.

“Gaston is coming here to kill you, Beast,” Selvina said, trying a different tactic. “Does that not concern you at all?”

“He will not kill me.”

Selvina frowned. “Belle said the same thing. How do you know that?”

“If he marries Belle, he will not kill me.” Beast looked down at her, grinned a toothy smile, and stepped away from the edge of the tower. “Your confusion amuses me, girl. I must retire for the night and you should do the same. I do not want you here longer than you need to be.”

Selvina watched Beast walk to the hatch and squeeze his bulk through the small hole before closing it after him. She glanced at Jack and he gave her a shrug.

“Something doesn’t feel right, Jack,” she said at length. “I can’t explain it but I feel like something bad is going to happen…”

“Neither Beast or Belle seem worried about Gaston,” Jack noted. “Maybe there is nothing to worry about.”

“What about Frollo? He seemed so sure that Gaston would kill Beast. He said Gaston was one of the greatest bounty hunters in the land and that King Charming himself had given him the contract of killing Beast. Why would he go through all that trouble if Gaston isn’t going to kill anyone? I think Beast and Belle are trusting Gaston too much. I think that they are in great danger!”

“You could be worrying about this too much, Selvina. Just because these people don’t act the same way they do as they do in the stories from your world it doesn’t mean something is necessarily wrong. What about Captain Hook? In your world he’s a dreaded pirate but here he hunts pirates. The story here is different and that’s all it is.”

“I know how it sounds, Jack, but no, you’re wrong. Something isn’t right and I can feel it.”

“Now you can feel danger? When did that happen?”

“You’re about to feel something if you keep it up…”

“You’ll slap me again? That really hurt, you know.”

“Good! That was the whole point!”

“I kind of like a girl that can slap.”

Selvina sighed and rolled her eyes. “You are unbelievable, Jack… Do you want to get slapped again?”

“Maybe. If that’s as much physical contact as you’ll give me then I’ll take it.”

Selvina gasped in surprise. “You DID NOT just say that!”

“I’m pretty sure I did.”

The nerve of him! How dare he turn it around and make her into the villain! Selvina stabbed a finger in Jack’s chest, her green eyes aflame with energy. “Why do you care about physical contact between us? You do nothing but tease me and dance around my emotions and piss me off! How do you think that’s ever going to make me want any physical contact with you?”

“You’re touching me right now.”

Selvina growled. “I am this close from slapping you again, Jack. What is wrong with you? Why do you have to do this to me all the time?”

“Do what?”

“PISS ME OFF!”

“You get flustered too easily, Selvina, or should I say Selvy?”

“Shut up, Jack.”

“No, you can’t just say that and expect me to stay quiet.”

“Then stop angering me…”

“I’m not doing anything! Selvina, tell me what’s wrong. Why are you so angry with me?”

Selvina took a deep breath and looked down at the road they had walked on to reach the castle. She studied the pine and spruce trees it meandered around, the boulders that dotted the valley it cut through, and the castle’s curtain wall it stopped at.

Jack walked up and she wrapped her arms around her body protectively. “Is it about last night?” he calmly asked.

Selvina didn’t answer. She chewed her bottom lip and kept her eyes away from Jack’s face. The moon and stars were reflecting off his brown eyes and making his skin glow. She didn’t want to get caught staring at him. She was mad at him and didn’t want him to weasel his way into her good side, especially by flashing that devilish grin of his…

“Talk to me, Selvina.”

“No,” was her reply.

“How do you expect to stop being angry if you won’t talk to me?”

“Maybe I want to be angry…”

“That makes no sense. That’s not who you are.”

“Oh, really? What do you know about me?”

“I’d like to think I know quite a bit. I know that you have a big heart full of generosity and kindness. You’re also incredibly brave and one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

Crap. Selvina felt her anger dissipating slightly. What he was saying brought a small rush of warmth throughout her body and it was satisfying. He was trying to lower her guard by saying nice things about her. She wouldn’t fall for it. And yet…

“You’re just saying those things,” she mumbled, glancing at him briefly and mentally cursing herself for doing so. “I’m not going to be tricked, Jack…”

“You should see your eyes, Selvina. They are actually glowing. Your hair looks like King Midas touched it and the moonlight on your skin makes you look…magical. You…you are so beautiful, both inside and out, Selvina. You care so much about people and aren’t afraid to get in trouble to help them. I won’t shy at fighting a pirate but it takes real guts to stand up to someone like Captain Hook. You look frail and weak but you most certainly are not. My cheek can back me up on that.”

Selvina flashed a smile and almost looked at Jack. She didn’t want to feel better. She wanted to stay mad at him. He was sweet-talking her. That’s all he was doing. She hated to admit that it was working but she would fight it anyways. There was no one else around them and he still hadn’t said what she wanted to hear. He said he would tell her when the time was right but what about now? How was this not the right time? She let out a light gasp when she felt his hands on her arms, gentle and soft, and almost shrugged them off. She should remove them. He had no right to touch her. Yet it felt good. It brought a tingle down her spine and his hands made her feel comfortable. She wanted to lean back into him but she held her ground. She would not give in. She wouldn’t let him defeat her.

“You don’t need to be angry, Selvina,” he continued, his voice so close she could feel his breath on her ear and neck. “I don’t want you to be like that.”

Selvina inhaled deeply, gathered her resolve, and said, “I have my reasons, Jack, and they concern you. You can’t just say nice things and expect everything to be ok. That’s not how it works.”

“I know, Selvina.”

“Well, then, let me go…” Yet your hands feel so warm and soothing.

“Is that what you really want?”

“Yes.” No.

“I’m not done, though.”

“I don’t care, let me go…” Please don’t. Keep talking…

“Selvina, I have something to say.”

What? Really? Is this happening? Did I hear you correctly? Selvina held her breath. Jack gently turned her around to face him and she looked up, her eyes fixed on his. She could see the stars and the moon in them. His iris was like copper flower petals surrounding a black seed, glittering and gleaming at the same time. She looked closer and could see herself staring back, the night sky behind her. Her heart began to beat faster, sweat beaded on her skin, her body tensed and she held her breath back, not wanting to breathe too loudly or she might miss something. Talk already, Jack, please. Tell me what you need to say.

Jack smiled and Selvina felt a tinge of doubt creep into her soul. Why was he smiling? she thought. Jack, if this is one of your jokes I am going to kill you. Talk already. Why are you taking so long? It felt like hours had passed yet it might have only been a few seconds. Jack’s hands slid up her arms, lightly brushing the fabric of her dress and tickling the skin beneath. They traced a path up to her shoulders and Selvina felt little explosions of ecstasy blow up inside of her. Something about his touch thrilled her. Her eyes had yet to leave his gaze and she felt captured by them, like a bug with a bright light. She wanted to say something. She wanted to get him to talk. She wanted to but she was unable to. She couldn’t move. All she could do was wait. All she could do was watch and wonder. His hands were moving elsewhere now. One was sliding down her shoulder blade and along the side of her body, conjuring goosebumps along the way and sparking more explosions. The other was placed in the middle of her back, supporting her and keeping her on her feet. She was thankful for it as her legs were growing weak. He knees felt broken. She wanted to give in to the warm feeling rushing through her veins and just drown in it.

Why was she like this? How could his touch make her feel this way? He was barely doing anything. She was supposed to be mad! What was going on? What was wrong with her? She had to do something. She had to break free from this spell. For all she knew that could be what it was. Jack might know magic and he had kept it a secret from her all this time. That could be it! That could be what he wanted to tell her! It had to be! How else could he be doing this to her?

“Jack,” she breathed.

No more words escaped her mouth as that was when Jack lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. They were warm, soft, moist, and the feeling of them against her own made her shudder and shut her eyes. He was cursing her, she knew it. That had to be what she was feeling. Nothing this simple could feel so wonderful. It made no sense. Nothing made sense.

Jack pulled her in and she let him. Somehow being closer to him felt even better. Her head was warm and her body was cold but it was fine. Everything was fine. Without thinking, her arms wrapped around Jack’s body and held him. She pulled her mouth away from his lips and breathed heavily, her breath mingling with his. She breathed in his air and he breathed in hers. Her eyes opened and stared into his. Somehow, they were even more captivating than before. Her lips were screaming at her to join them with his again. They were pulsating with magnetic energy, throbbing, raw, and aching.

So she kissed him.