Max woke up the next morning by the sunlight that seeped through the curtains of his room. He stretched himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He then remembered about last night's incident—how he tried to steal the glowing rose from The Beastess and how he ran out into the woods in fear and got attacked by hungry wolves. And it was truly surprising for him to be saved by the very person that had been mean to him ever since he got here. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had been saved by the meanest, most dangerous creature known throughout land and sea and that he had done the same thing to her as well.
Maybe…Maybe The Beastess wasn't so bad as everyone thought her to be. Maybe inside, she's just human…
Max's thoughts were stopped short by the sound of barking. He looked down and saw that it was the footrest dog wagging his tail and having its front legs on the side of bed. Max grinned and stroked the footrest.
“Hey there, little buddy. Good morning to you too. You wanna go for a walk?”
The footrest yipped gleefully in reply.
“Alright, pup,” Max chuckled. “A walk it is.”
After freshening himself up and got into his T-shirt and jeans (and a jacket to match-the morning air was quite cold), Max took the footrest outside in the yard to play. The footrest barked happily, running around trees and going about in a frenzy without even a care in the world until finally jumping into Max’s arms. If that footrest dog had a tongue right now, he would’ve slobbered all over Max.
Max laughed out loud; he had never felt so relaxed and happy since he got here. He stole a look at the castle and realized that it didn’t look so creepy and grotesque after all. In fact, it looked mighty nice and magnificent, well, ignoring the gargoyle statues and stuff, that is.
The Beastess was standing at the verandah of her East Wing quarters with Rusty and Virgil while she watched Max continue playing with the footrest dog. She stared long and hard at Max’s features: golden blonde hair that shone under the sun magnificently and blue eyes as clear as the sea. She never thought she’d see such a sight. For many long years, she had been looking at things the glum, dark way, but to see Max with such radiance, now that was different. She couldn’t help thinking that there’s something inside her blooming for this little teenager.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone…” The Beastess said quietly, then clenched her fists in determination. “I want to do something for him…but what?”
“Well, there’s the usual things,” Virgil suggested. “Flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep…”
“Ah, no, no,” Rusty shoved Virgil playfully. “It must be something really special. Something that sparks his interest…Wait a minute! I got it!”
Soon, Max could be seen standing in front of a white door with The Beastess. For once, The Beastess was talking in a slightly friendly tone.
“Max, there’s something I want to show you. But first, you have to close your eyes.”
Max raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
“It’s a surprise,” The Beastess noted.
Max finally closed his eyes. After making sure he couldn’t see anything, The Beastess opened the door with a leap in her heart she had never felt before and led him in. She took his hands and led him until they stood in the middle of the dark room inside. When they stopped, Max’s curiosity got the better of him.
“Can I open them?”
“No, no, not yet,” The Beastess replied. She led him further into the room, then stopped and said, “Wait here.”
So saying, she ran across the room and pulled all the curtains. Max was getting a little impatient with the suspense as he heard the sound of curtains being pulled. Finally he asked, “Now can I open them?”
“Alright, now!”
As Max opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the light, he gasped when he saw that he was standing in a glass room with walls made out of pure glass that could see through the whole place. He could see that the room was facing the sea and the scenery was just immaculate. But the most interesting thing of all was that it was packed with shelves upon shelves of books that stood tall and reached up to the ceiling. When he took one book out to read, he saw that they were actually comic books! This was the comic studio Rusty has been talking about! She actually had every single issue for every cool comic he had seen back in the comic house at Fishermen’s Friend Village, including his favourite comic ‘The XYZ Men’. He bet even the comic house wouldn’t be able to beat this.
“I can’t believe it! I’ve never seen so many comics in all my life! Where did you get all this duff!”
“I had free time, and these comics are the entertainment I’ve got nowadays,” The Beastess replied sheepishly.
“I didn’t know you read comics!”
“Well, not all the words. I’m quite illiterate. But the pictures make me understand the whole story.”
“You must’ve run across the world and spent loads of cash to get all these stuff, man! You’re magnificent!”
“You…You like it?”
“Like it?! Man, this is awesome!!”
“Then it’s yours,” The Beastess announced. Max gaped in disbelief. The Beastess nodded, assuring him that she meant what she said. Max jumped onto her and gave her a bear hug.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The Beastess blushed. She had never had this much close contact with anyone, least to say a guy, and now Max was actually hugging her willingly. She smiled and let him hug her for as long as he wanted.
In the background, hiding behind the door, the animated objects grinned as they watched, hope sparkling in their eyes.
Since then, Max and The Beastess were in good terms. Sure, there may be occasional fights and stuff, but they got back again pretty quick. Max taught The Beastess lots of things, from reading to table manners to just try and have fun. There was once when they were having breakfast of oatmeal and rye and Max was horrified to see The Beastess gobbling the whole lot, like the beast she was. She tried using the spoon, but she had been so accustomed to eating savagely and that her hands were too big for the spoon that she dribbled all over the place. Finally Max gestured her to drink it from the bowl instead, and it worked out pretty well.
As the days went by, The Beastess’s anger management was handled pretty well. She seldom lost her temper at everyone now and she had become very tolerant. When Max requested her to put aside eating those noisy cashew nuts while he was reading, she patiently obliged, even though those cashew nuts were her favourite. It was a great improvement.
Probably the best and most fun challenge would be how to handle small animals. There came a day when Max asked The Beastess out in the yard to get some fresh air and feed the birds. He started by putting some birdseed onto The Beastess’s hands and let her have a try. But the way she shoved her arms towards the birds to give them the birdseed scared the birds and moved them further from her. Max shook his head and showed her how it’s done—he had seen his mother do it: he lay The Beastess’s hand-filled seeds on the ground and scattered some of the birdseed on the ground near her hands. The birds pecked on the seeds on the ground first before miraculously jumping onto The Beastess’s hands to peck some more.
Seeing The Beastess looking so happy brought a smile to his face. He never thought he had seen her so happy. It was as if he had become his best friend in the whole world. Well, come to think of it, he probably was his only friend that ever made her happy. He felt a sense of accomplishment and a deep feeling of friendship for this creature.
As he continued to contemplate about her changes, he almost laughed out loud when all the birds came flying and perching on The Beastess wanting their share of birdseed. The Beastess shooed them away and looked up, only to receive a face full of mud. Needless to say, it was Max’s doing. It was raining the night before and Max had fashioned mudballs from the wet soil on the ground. Soon it was a battle of mudballs as Max and The Beastess tried to out-dirt each other with the dirty muck of mud. They really had a lot of fun throwing mudballs at each other and making each other look like they were swamp monsters or something, much to the delight of the animated objects who were watching their every move. They could tell that there were some certain feelings their Mistress were having for Max, and they sure were intimate ones.
Later that evening, after their mud war, they were ready to clean themselves off the gunk when The Beastess, looking all muddy and soiled, asked Max if he would like to have dinner with her. This time Max agreed willingly, much to The Beastess and the animated objects’ delight. The Beastess almost ran inside towards the East Wing excitedly, anxious to look good for tonight. She went to the huge bathroom she hadn’t used since, like, ever and requested the warm bathing water for her bath. Rusty was in the bathroom with her, giving her moral support.
“Tonight is the night!” Rusty exclaimed as water was poured on The Beastess to wash off the soap. It sure wasn’t easy to wash dirt off a huge 10-feet tall ogress that hasn’t actually been bathing for, well, ages.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” The Beastess replied, her stomach having butterflies.
“You don’t have time to be timid!” Rusty scolded. “You must be bold! Daring!”
“Bold. Daring,” The Beastess repeated her words, shaking herself off the water like the animal she was. Rusty grimaced as she, too, tried to flick off the water got on herself. The Beastess walked towards the mirror to be wiped dry.
“There would be music,” Rusty continued. “Romantic candlelight provided by myself. And when the moment is right, you confess your love.”
“Yes,” The Beastess muttered, then turned to the mirror, saying, “I con…I…I…no, I can’t.”
“You care about the boy now, don’t you?” Rusty asked as The Beastess, for the first time, received a proper haircut from a coat hanger.
“More than anything.”
“Well then, you must tell him!” Rusty said.
“But…aren’t boys supposed to make the first move or something?”
“Move-shmoves! This is the new age! Men don’t exactly make the first move nowadays. People don’t date anymore like the old-timers did.”
“Well, if you say so…” The Beastess was still skeptical.
“I know so, Mistress!” Rusty replied confidently. After the cutting was done, it didn’t exactly turn out the way they expected it to be (A/N: Her haircut looked exactly like the girly, crazy-looking stupid haircut The Beast got in Beauty and the Beast XD). Rusty hesitantly commented, “Voila! Oh, you look so…so…”
“Stupid,” The Beastess couldn’t agree more to this haircut.
“Not quite the word I was looking for, but perhaps a little more at the top,” Rusty clapped her hands and the coat hanger continued cutting. By the time she was done cutting, Virgil has already come in, clearing his throat deliberately loud.
“Your man awaits.”
After The Beastess was all dressed up in her finest ballroom gown of pale pinkish-blue, she came out of her room and saw standing at the staircase opposite hers was Max, dressed in a dark gray one-set suit. His handsome blonde hair and blue eyes shone under the chandelier above them and both of them looked magnificent. The Beastess adjusted her curls and went down the stairs as Rusty ushered her to. Soon both of them stood face to face. For the first time, The Beastess was smiling at him sweetly and lovely.
“You look wonderful tonight, Beastess,” Max commented, looking impressed. He bowed as gentlemen always do to ladies. The Beastess curtsied as well.
“So do you, Max.”
“Shall we?” Max asked as he offered his arm for her to hold.
“Of course, Your Grace,” The Beastess said jokingly and took his arm.
They went down the steps, occasionally bugged by the barking footrest, towards the dining room. During dinner, The Beastess finally got the hang of using the cutlery without dribbling or spilling anything. Soon, another coat hanger came in playing the violin. It was playing a ballroom dance version of the song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and Max got off his seat to ask The Beastess for a dance. He led her down to the ballroom and showed her how to put her hands on the right place before dancing to the beat. He had been to enough courting ceremonies to know how ballroom dances are supposed to be like. Surprisingly, The Beastess never stepped on Max’s feet at all when she danced. It was as if she was reliving something she had long forgotten in the past. They danced and danced and were enjoying every moment of it. When Max brought her closer to him, this was it. The Beastess was sure of it. Their feelings were mutual. Rusty was shaking her hands with glee and Virgil was giving her a thumbs-up.
Soon, the dance ended. Rusty dimmed the lights and the door to the verandah opened by itself, gesturing them to come and sit under the starlit sky. Max and The Beastess moved towards the verandah and let her take the seat first before him. They sat side by side with an awkward silence between them before The Beastess inched closer towards Max and took his hands.
“Max…uh…are you…happy here with me?”
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Max replied. His eyes wandered out the yard until finally, they set upon a large greenhouse. It was really large and long, not to mention wide, and inside it was a vast garden. It was like a house built exclusively for the garden and it seemed like it could be acres and acres vast. It was separated and secluded from the rest the yard and was only visible if you’re in higher ground. It was a surprise that he hadn’t noticed this in the first place. The Beastess saw the look on his face and was curious.
“What is it?”
“That greenhouse over there. I didn’t know that it existed.”
“Except the gardeners that tend the garden,” The Beastess replied as she, too, gazed at the greenhouse. “We grow the finest plants in there, even my favourite roses.”
“Many people say that there’s a particular rose that bloomed the freshest, the reddest and the biggest. Is it true?”
“Yes. There is one. It’s our prized rose. It just so happened to grow there just like that and it pretty much is the oldest rose among its kind. It’s about 200 years old, if I’m not mistaken, and it’s still standing.”
“Re…Really…?” Max replied in awe. His heart pounded with excitement. ‘So that’s where it had been all this while!’ he thought.
“Is there something bothering you, Max?” The Beastess asked.
“Uh, no, no, really,” Max replied quickly, trying to make up an excuse. “It’s just that…well, I do wish to see my mother again. Just for a moment. I kinda miss her. I’ve been away for quite a long while now and she must be frantic.”
The Beastess looked away, hesitant. It’s true that Max has been here in the castle for quite a long while, isolated from everyone else in the world, and it’s not uncommon to feel a little homesick. But she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him to stay forever and love her like she loved him. She didn’t want to let him go, and yet she didn’t want to see him hurt.
Suddenly, an idea clicked. She turned to Max and said, “There is a way.”
She took him to her private quarters in the East Wing. Ever since they’ve got along fine, Max was allowed to venture into the East Wing, just as long as he didn’t question anything about the room, the portrait, the rose or anything else that was there. Inside, The Beastess picked up the ivory mirror and passed it to Max.
“This mirror will show you anything. Anything you wish to see.”
Max stared at the mirror and at the reflection on it. He was skeptical at first but since the whole castle was enchanted anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. He spoke to the mirror timidly, “I’d like to see my mother, please.”
The reflection in the mirror soon changed. In its place was his mother, lying on the bed sleeping. But it wasn’t the sleep normal people do at night. This kind of sleep was not right. He noticed his mother looking very pale and had a face of malnutrition. There was a tube stuck to her elbow with fluid dripping in. Beside her was Norman nursing her and beside him was the village doctor.
“When will she exactly be out of her coma?” Norman asked.
“I’m afraid I cannot tell,” the doctor shook his head. “If she continues to stay unconscious like this, I’m afraid we’ll have to do euthanasia on her.”
“No!” Norman stood up abruptly. “There is no way you are going to kill her just like that! She will wake up! She will! She has to…”
Max’s heart ached. He could tell that her worry and her trauma must be so great to fall into a coma like that. The Beastess looked at him, wanting to know what he had seen.
“My mom…She’s sick. She’s fallen into a coma and is into it bad. She might die and she’s all alone…”
The Beastess was afraid of this. She knew that if she let him see his mother, he would surely request her to let him go. She looked out of the verandah, not wanting to meet his face. She had to confess to him. She had to tell him now.
“Max…I’m sorry. I can’t let you go.”
“Wh…What? Why not?” Max asked.
“Because…Because I say so,” The Beastess replied hastily. “And also because I…I…have deep feelings for you…”
Max sighed sadly. He knew this would come. He had guessed it all along. He went over and lay his hand on her shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry, Beastess. I cannot give you what you want. You are, to me, just a dear friend. A best friend. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Wha…?” The Beastess turned around, looking at him in disbelief.
“I’m really, really sorry. Whatever reason you thought I was here for, it’s not. I had no idea that my mother was captured here in the first place. My intention to come here is to get the rose from your garden—the one you said is about 200 years old. I need it for my debt, because in truth…I have someone else in my heart…”
“No…No! It can’t be! It can’t be! I thought you liked me! I thought…!”
“Yes, I do like you, but not the way you think I am. I’m sorry. Really I am. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but this is my true intention of being here. I’m so sorry. We can still be friends…right?”
“NO!!!” The Beastess roared as she grabbed Max by the waist. She stomped out of the East Wing and brought him all the way up to the tower. Once there, she threw him inside and locked the door. Max ran towards it and pounded furiously.
“Beastess, please! Please let me out! Don’t do this to me! I thought we were friends! I’m sorry I can’t be what you want me to be, but please don’t hold it against me, please!”
“If I can’t have you, no one can! You’re staying here from now on, and this time you are my prisoner forever!”
Max wasn’t sure how long time had passed. He first counted by the rising and setting of the sun, but soon he lost count. He got his meals through the opening below the door and that was it. There were no conversations between him and whoever was bringing him his meals. He didn’t know how he was going to get it through The Beastess that he didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. He understood how it feels like to be rejected, but he and The Beastess were just not meant to be. They were two different worlds living in completely different lifestyles. There is no way he and The Beastess can be together.
Besides, his heart was only for Princess Phoebe, and he was only willing to transform himself for her, not for The Beastess.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door opened. There stood The Beastess, tall and strong like the ogress she was. In her left hand held the ivory mirror and in her right hand held the rose that he had been yearning for since the day he arrived to this castle. Both of them stared at each other in silence, no one saying a word to break the ice. Slowly, The Beastess came up to Max and knelt down before him.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I realize that keeping you here is not going make you change your mind about your feelings for me,” The Beastess said quietly. She took a deep breath and continued, “You must go to your mother and sought after the love you have been yearning for.”
Max stared at The Beastess’s eyes in disbelief, “What did you say?”
“I release you,” The Beastess replied sadly. “You’re no longer my prisoner.”
“You mean…I’m free?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much, Beastess. You know how much this means to me. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out the way you wanted. I…”
“I understand,” The Beastess said. She passed the things she was holding to Max and said, “Here’s the rose you wanted. May it be in good use to you and worth your effort to come here. 200 years. I hope its death wouldn’t go to waste. And take this mirror with you, so you’ll always have a way to look back…and remember me.”
“Thank you for understanding how important this is for me,” Max said as he got onto his feet.
“And I thank you for giving me such wonderful memories for me to live by. As a return for your favour, I pledge myself to be your loyal guardian, and a faithful friend.”
Max smiled. He leaned over and kissed The Beastess on the forehead and was soon heading out of the tower, down the steps and towards his freedom. The Beastess remained kneeling there. Virgil, who had listened to everything, crept in.
“You understand, Mistress, that this would be a permanent decision.”
The Beastess nodded.
“Why, Mistress? How could you let him go just like that?” Virgil was in a state of disappointment. “You know that he could be the key. How could you do that?”
“I had to.”
“Yes, yes, but…why?”
“Because…I love him.”
The animated objects were quite shocked and disappointed to hear from Virgil that The Beastess had let Max go. They were glad to hear that their Mistress had finally learned to love, but were sad that it was not enough. Max had to love her in return to break the bestial curse she was placed upon by the very mysterious person who told her to guard the castle for the rightful owner of it to return.
As Max made a dash towards the island shore to where the oar-less boat was waiting, his heart ached as he heard the agonized, heartbroken roar of The Beastess.
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