X :: Love and Affection

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MORBID BITE

Chapter Ten :: Love and Affection

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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The dawn sun shone through Belle's open windows. She lay sprawled across the white bed, wearing her tattered blue dress and her hair, a tangled mess, covering the pillows. She squinted against the bright sun and cursed under her breath for leaving the curtains undrawn. Heaving herself up from the soft inviting mattress, Belle dragged her feet over to the window. The mercury glass window panes distorted the world around her as she tried to order the events of last night; they came back to her in a wave of emotion that flooded her senses with heartbreak, fear and adventure. She looked down at the dirty damp dress that lay across her bony body. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled off the dress and threw it into the corner of the room not wanting to ever see it again.

As Belle washed herself in the basin standing by the wall in her room she contemplated how she would sort out the problems she had created for herself. She needed to fix things with Nicholas, she had thrown herself upon him without a thank you or appreciation. His sister had been right, she was using him as means to an unknown end and he was seemingly blind to it. The guilt was too much for her to bear. She had to sort it out before it was too late.

She splashed the cold water across her face and began to scrub the mud from the bridge of her slight nose. Belle thought of the night that had just passed and the terrifying secret that Raoul had unveiled to her. He was the beast. The pain gripped her like the unforgiving hand of death. Raul was the monster that had ripped apart her father and left him in unidentified pieces across the forest floor. But he was also the man who had saved her from the wolves, spared her the pain of self-wallow and been the hurt animal that needed protection from the cruel world.

Belle dried off her face and walked over to the wardrobe where she picked out a plain dress and heaved it on over her undergarments that she saw no point to change. She turned to look at the sun that was just making its appearance over the trees. In that instance she decided in what order she would sort out her life.

Grabbing her white hooded cloak, so not to make the same mistake as last night, she slipped out of her room and descended the stairs in absolute silence. Firstly, she was going to sort out the problem with Raoul because she feared that one could not wait.

The morning air smelt of damp leaves and heavy mist, a feeling there was a storm heading her way. A sudden loud chorus of voices heading her way on the dirt road made Belle look up to see a large group of farm labourers heading for the fields. Quickening her pace, she tried her best to hide her face from the men as they stared at her with remorseless curiosity. Belle recognised many of them from the gathering mob last night but luckily, they had been too drunk to remember her. As she drew closer to the village she noticed a few young boys come in and out of a small building in a constant flow. Then as the church came into view she spotted a pile of weapons from rusty spears and cumbersome maces to polished swords. Staring in horror at the war artilleries Belle went over to the side of the pile and kneeled down to pick up a small dagger that lay at her feet. One of the young boys came out of the small house and dropped his sword as he noticed Belle gaping at the weaponry.

"What you doing!?" he yelled as he ran towards Belle.

"Oh, sorry." Belle quickly hid the dagger under her cloak and gave the boy the sincerest smile she could muster.

"It's alright mademoiselle," he shakily replied as he averted his eyes turning pink when he realised how beautiful Belle was.

"What is this all for?" Belle asked as she tried her best to keep her innocent façade intact. The boy cheered up his eyes bubbling with exhilaration as he realised he could answer her question.

"It's to kill the beast! It's time they've finally decided to do it!" The boy was so excited that he did not notice Belle's face as it turned a shade of palest ivory.

"Kill it," her voice almost a whisper.

"Yeah and display its head for all to see at the entrance to Chartres." The boy pointed towards the main road as he jumped up and down on the spot in excitement.

"Excuse me," Belle said.

Belle turned on her heels and advanced towards the forest, her hand clutching the dagger to her chest. She did not start running until she was sure the boy could no longer see her and then she took off, her feet hammering the ground in quick succession.

They were going to kill him! She could not believe it, last night she had just thought it had been a mob of drunken men, but it was not they were serious. Belle wondered that if she did not know Raoul was the beast, would she have shared that same excitement the boy had? Belle shook her head, no, she could not think like that and she would not allow people to die, damned or not.

The top of the small wooden house came into view and Belle took her chances and yelled.

"Raoul!" Her voice felt like a bang going off in a silent hall and it made her flinch. There was no reply, so she tried again "Raoul!" She skidded to a halt outside his house and banged her hand against the door - hoping he was either inside or somewhere close by.

A rustling from within relived her fear and at an excruciatingly slow rate the footsteps came closer. The panelled door gradually cracked open and the smell of cooking meat and warmth wafted straight into Belle's face. She blinked rapidly as the smoke stung her eyes.

"Belle?" Raoul stood, surprise covering his normally unchanging face.

"You need to leave now." Belle pushed past him and ran into the small room that contained all of his few belongings. She began grabbing all his clothes and throwing them onto the bed. Raoul was so stunned for a moment as he stood outside staring at Belle as she picked up his effects.

"Wait, why?" he asked shaking his head and rubbing his hand over his forehead.

"They're coming for you, they've got weapons and and..." Belle stuttered as she grabbed his violin, small pots of herbs and other small cooking equipment.

"I'm not leaving." He placed his hands over Belle's and pressed them into the straw mattress. His voice was calm and as he let go he leisurely went over to the chair next to the fire and sunk into it.

"What?!" Her jaw dropped open.

"I can't." Raoul leaned forwards on his arms and stared into the fire.

Belle marched towards him and in a high panicked sound she said "Why can't you just leave!"

"You wouldn't understand."

"No!?" Belle stamped her foot down like a little child and showed that she would stand her ground until she knew the truth.

"No!" He turned his head his tone strong and assertive.

"Well try me, because it can't be worse than either you killing all those men or them killing you!"

"Belle, just drop it!" His large hard eyes did not leave Belle's face but this time she was not afraid of him.

"No, because although I shouldn't care what happens to you, I do," her voice broke and she felt herself slipping, "and the reason can't be that important compared to your life!" Belle recovered her confidence and stared back her mind running over any possible reason for his reluctant behaviour.

"My family, Belle!" Raoul stood up, towering over her his voice raised for the first time. "My family, live here," he whispered and looked down at the ground.

"Your family?" Belle rattled her mind, for any mention of a family but all she could remember was the statement of a dead heathen mother.

"You know them." He turned his back and walked towards his belongs that lay across the bed.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Lyons." He searched the pile and closed his hand around a silver cased miniature.

Belle was silent as she ran Raoul's and Nicholas's face through her mind trying to capture any similarities between their features. Their eyes dotted with specks of dark navy, the square shape of their jaws and their thick brown hair that they both had placed behind their sharp-edged ears.

"My true name is Raúl Henri Lyon. Nicholas is my little brother and Sylvia is my baby sister," he said rubbing his thumb over the miniature.

Brothers. Now Belle knew she could not believe she had never noticed the similarities.

"No," Belle whispered her mind unable to compute this information.

Raoul placed a hand on Belle's shoulder and guided her towards the chair. She sat down in silence and eyes wide open as she stared into space. He knelled down and put his hand over hers, carefully opened her fingers and pressing the small locket into her palm. Belle averted her eyes and carefully pierced open the delicate silver case. She stared at the faultless painting, the miniature family staring up at her with their taunting dead eyes.

"That's my mother, Giselle." Raoul pointed at the seated woman, her red dress with creases in just the right places and a stunning gold necklace that Belle remembered Sylvia wearing one evening.

"Your brother?" Belle pointed at the young boy on Giselle's lap who looked like a smaller version on Nicholas.

"Yes." Belle smiled at the admiration in his voice and noticed a small grin tug at the corners of his dry lips.

"My father." Raoul moved his small finger to the stern man that stood behind his mother. "A horrible man, I hated him." Belle was taken aback at his forwardness; he had never talked about anyone like that before.

"Oh." Belle swallowed dreading her next question. "Did you kill him?" Belle asked, looking down on him in all sincerity.

"Yes." Raoul tensed and waited for Belle's reaction.

"Why?"

"He took me out for a hunt while my mother gave birth. I was twelve years old." He sighed and his whole body became tranquil and his voice easeful as the truth came out finally after so many years. "But what my father and his friends didn't know was my mother had sold her soul for me and as she died, the beast inside me was born. No one survived. I stumbled home in tears covered in blood and only wanting the comfort of my mother but as I arrived back I found out she had died and that I had a baby sister. I didn't stay long, I ran away blaming myself for my mother's death. Now, I just feel guilt. I should have been there for them, protected them."

Belle placed a hand on his and leaned down. "Don't ever feel guilt for something you cannot change, Raoul."

"But you see. I cannot leave them." Raoul looked up at Belle his eyes slightly glazy with such blamelessness that she could not see him as the beast. He was a broken man.

Belle moved closer to him feeling his warm breath on her chin. He straightened his back to gaze into Belle's eyes and he moved his arms up around her body to hold her closer to him. Belle could not avert away from his open tender eyes or the rustic smell of his skin that pressed up against her nose. Bringing up his head his lips brushed against her mouth and as he moved his hand to her cheek he kissed her gently. Every sense was heightened as the sound of the crackling fire dimmed into the background because all she could think of was that kiss.

Belle stood outside the Lyon's house, staring up at the huge front with its seemingly never-ending windows. Here was the place she was living in...a mansion with great stone staircases that took you to the giant glass entrance which ended a foot below the ceiling. Belle had always entered via stables it had made so much more sense. The back of the house lead straight onto the path into Chartres and the walled, shadowed courtyard made the house seem more discreet.

She ascended the stairs as she ran her finger over her bottom lip. He had been so gentle, she thought, a nobleman who was the main benefactor of this house. No, that would mean kicking Nicholas aside and neither she nor Raoul would do that to him.

Belle reached the front door and turned the handle before walking in, and without looking around she headed straight for the living quarters. She shoved open the doors to each room and with each scrap along the carpet Belle worked out each word and every possible answer. As soon as she reached the back of the house Belle headed for the library and sat down on the sofa that was placed in the middle of the sunlit room.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Belle took in one light breath and answered.

"Nicholas!" Belle softly shouted, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. She pushed open the door to see the back of Nicholas's head. He turned around and a wave of relief washed over him, he had thought she had left, never to return and he feared Sylvia had been right.

"Belle." His smile radiated across his face.

"Bonjour," her voice felt breathy as she closed the library door. "We need to talk."

"Of course, of course, what do you need?" He placed his hand awkwardly on her shoulder but then removed it thinking it may be a bit forward. He led her into the drawing room that contained Nicholas's desk and a few important books.

"Please sit," he said gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. He walked around as she sat down wondering if he should lean on his desk or sit on the chair behind it, deciding on the first he rested on the wooden counter.

"I have taken advantage of you Monsieur Lyon, I have lived in your home, eaten your food and stolen your money. I wish to offer you my service as a maid or a woman to take care of your house until you have a wife to do those duties and when I have repaid you for your generosity I shall leave so I am no longer a burden on you." Belle could not look at him, she felt so terrified, what if he said no?

"Belle," he whispered, kneeling down to take a hold of her hand, "you have been no burden, ma rose, in fact you have been a blessing." Nicholas stood up a smile spread across his face. He headed around the desk and opened up a compartment underneath. "You have brought music and laughter back to this house and although my sister would deny this, you have brought our family back together." The truth of his last statement made a bolt of ice run through her body.

"But I...I...I took advantage of you." Belle stuttered unsure how to answer him.

"Belle," a soft chuckle entangling his word.

Nicholas knelt down his hands steady as they removed a golden box from his pocket. Belle's heart leapt, and a plan quickly formed in her head. How else could she have repaid him? Marrying him would bring up her status and help her show Nicholas that she was not just using him. But at the back of her mind she felt the feverish lips of Raoul. The tiny box that held so much power opened to show the biggest diamond ring Belle had ever cast her eyes upon.

Nicholas caught Belle's gaze and held it, his intense blue irises a thin line around his wide pupils.

"Annabelle," he said, his tone soft, inviting and safe. "Will you marry me?"

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Sooo...What'd you think?

I hope you liked the twist? I personally really enjoyed writing it and I hope the revel wasn't crap or anything. Did you guess it? And the kiss was is written aright as it's only the second one I have ever written so please give any tips/advice if you have any!!

And Nicholas has proposed to Belle!!!! But she likes his brother which he thinks is dead!! Comment and vote if you enjoyed.

Also *she calmly states* THANK YOU FOR OVER 11,000 reads!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!