The Heart of The Beast: A romantic adult fairytale revealing how the power of love can overcome the hardest heart. Susan Kohler

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The Heart of The Beast: A romantic adult fairytale revealing how the power of love can overcome the hardest heart - Susan Kohler

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and roughly all over. The maid then washed and rinsed her long hair. Beauty stood as the maid dried her with a rough towel. The maid towelled her hair, then brushed it dry. Lastly, she rubbed scented oil over Beauty’s skin, frowning as she noted the calluses on Beauty’s hands.

      Finishing her silent inspection, the maid finally spoke to Beauty.

      She asked coldly, “Who are you Lass? And why are you here?”

      “I’m just a peasant from the village,” Beauty answered softly, shyly. “And I’m here to save my brother’s life.”

      “Your brother was one of the lads who was supposed to be hanged?” The maid was surprised, muttering, “Queer business that.”

      “How so?” Beauty’s interest was piqued and she forgot her nudity.

      “Tis a bit of a mystery how the theft came to the master’s attention. No one actually saw the theft and no one noticed any grain missing, so who told the head guard? ’Twas Gerrin himself told the tale to the master,” the maid puzzled. “Anyway that’s not what I was asking you. Who are you?”

      “Just one of the villagers. They call me Beauty,” she replied calmly.

      “Tis fitting enough,” the maid chuckled almost against her will. “But it’s not your given name, I’ll wager, and you are not just one of the village maidens.”

      “I lived there before tonight,” Beauty asserted, uncertain just what this woman knew about her. “In the village.”

      “Sure lass, if that’s what you want me to believe.” The maid paused. “Be ye a virgin?”

      “Yea.” The reply was soft and nervous, the truthfulness of the claim written all over Beauty’s face.

      “Have courage, lass,” the maid said softly. “Many of the stories you’ve heard about my master are not true. He’s a rough man to be sure, but he’s a good man inside. I believe he has love and mercy locked away somewhere inside him but he doesn’t know it yet.”

      “How can a man not know when he holds human emotions deep inside his soul?” Beauty puzzled aloud.

      “He was raised not to show any emotion at all, except anger and ferocity. Any trace of humanity was soon thrashed out of him. He needs a strong woman who can show him the secrets of the heart, one who can teach mercy to the Beast. ’Tis a job that will take a great deal of inner strength.” The older woman looked Beauty over carefully and poured her a glass of dark Spanish wine.

      Her manner gentled and her tone softened. “You just may be the one.”

      “What one?” Beauty refused to see the woman’s point and ignored the proffered glass.

      “God’s truth, the woman who can tame the Beast!” The woman smiled softly as Beauty gasped. “It’ll be the hardest thing you’ve ever tried. Take the wine.” She paused until Beauty did so. “You’ll need the courage of a legion of fighting men and the patience of a saint, and all the endurance you can muster. You might be able to do it though. I’ve a feeling.”

      “Why would I try to tame the Beast? Right now, I just want to survive the night,” Beauty said softly, sipping the rich wine. “I want to serve the Beast well enough so that he doesn’t regret the bargain we made.”

      “Someone has to reach his soul, to find the man within. With courage, you will be the one. Me name’s Gwyneth. Seek me out in the kitchen in the morning if you need aught. And drink at least one more glass of the wine before he comes to you, maybe two, but no more,” the maid told her softly before putting a soft, sheer gown of linen and delicate white lace over Beauty’s head and leading her to the bed. “Two or three glasses may help ye, but any more would truly make things worse.”

      The maid waited for Beauty to get into the bed before she stepped out into the hall and ordered the men in to empty the tub. Alone in the huge bed waiting for the Beast to come to and take her, Beauty was more than nervous, she was truly scared. She sipped a second glass of wine as she looked within herself, deep into her heart and soul. She decided that the only way she could keep her promise to the Beast and her own self-respect was to accept the promise she’d made, within her own heart and mind at least, as a marriage vow.

      After she spent time with the Beast she knew she would be ruined, far too much in disgrace to ever marry another man anyway. To her, for the sake of her sanity, this had to be a marriage and she would honour it as such even though there was no priest and even though to the Beast it would be a mere dalliance. Her resolve was firm as she came to a kind of peace within her own mind. As the maid had suggested, a third glass of wine helped.

      Waiting alone in the huge bed, she clung to the thought of her brother and remembered their hurried conversation earlier in the main barn.

      The barn was a large wooden shed, with stalls for more than twenty horses, a hayloft, and piles of deep clean straw and sweet smelling hay. A room off to one side held tack and armour, while off to the other side stood a forge where several blacksmiths constantly laboured over the making of horseshoes, swords and arrowheads, along with other weapons and crude tools.

      Both of the condemned men were held deep in the far end of the stables. She found her brother Tom chained to the wall in a stall filled with dirty hay. He and the other Tom, a lanky youth, were both considered too lowly and unworthy to even be taken to the dungeon. Both of the men had soiled their clothes from being tied up all day unable to undo their pants, and the stench in the stall was foul. As soon as they were unchained, the other Tom ran home, leaving Beauty alone with her brother.

      Tom was covered with filth. He had been beaten almost beyond Beauty’s recognition. His handsome face was covered with bruises and his dark brown eyes were filled with despair and fear. His dark blonde hair was dirty and matted. Tom loved his sister dearly and once he learned of the bargain, he had pleaded with her to leave him to his fate and save herself but she held fast. She could not bear to see him hung. He wanted her to run but she refused to flee.

      “He’d just hang us both! You know there is no escape from the lord,” Beauty sobbed. “Furthermore, I gave him my vow. You know I cannot break it.”

      “I know you always honour your word, Beauty, but I don’t want you to end up like Molly!” Tom protested, tears in his eyes. “I cannot leave you to the Beast. It would kill our mother.”

      “I can only hope and pray that I don’t meet the same fate as Molly. You know that I have to be the one who stays here, brother. First, because I love you, but also because I have looked at the facts with a cold reason. See it like this: If you are hung, we will not be able to keep from starving, lest I turn into a whore. If I stay with the Beast, you will be able to provide for Nate and mother, and only one of us will be lost. True, he will certainly disgrace and dishonour me, he may even kill me, but as long as the three of you are safe I know I will, in some small way, manage to be content.” Beauty said before adding cautiously, “I do believe however, against all reason, that all will turn out well in the end.”

      “Sister!” Tom was shocked. “Could it be that you are attracted to the Beast? Do you have soft feelings for this monster of a man?”

      “I confess that he is the most beautiful man I have ever seen, brother, but I am deathly afraid of him. He scares me with his smallest glance. Indeed, he is almost inhuman, with no trace of compassion or mercy in him.” Beauty lowered her gaze. “Nevertheless, I did give him my promise. I will strive to love him and to give him my

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