Rose and thorns intertwined (sample) by Dawn Willow (best e ink reader for manga TXT) 📖

"You'll take the place of my roses?" He asks. "Yes. Isn’t that why you wanted to keep her here?" He doesn't answer. Instead he turns to face Arianna and grabs her by the arm, "You may leave." "Bye Arianna." I call out to her.

  "And don’t come back!” my warden growls, pushing her away and toward the gate. I don't know if it’s because it’s too late or the events that occurred here, but the garden has lost its light, its beauty has dimmed and can no longer inspire awe within me, and coincidently the birds have stopped singing as well.

My imprisoner circles around me, hands behind his back. "You will refrain from any attempted contact with the inhabitants behind this gate, and you will not disobey me." He starts. "You may however, ask for anything material to pardoning yourself from my presence." He finally stops in front of me. "This place is to be your home, I hope that you understand I have no ill will toward you...?" I do not answer, surely this is only a facade, either way, I am escaping the first chance I get. "Come" he says, walking to my side. I stay glued to the spot. “This way" he repeats, a little deeper this time. I sigh and follow him to his medieval home. Am I to live in a dank dungeon for all my life? Yes, I must not let his words just now fool me. That's what I agreed to, I said that I would take Arianna's place; I just hope I made the right choice. I think I must have, he’s massive, and because of his height I know that it’s because of muscle, not fat, he's quick, he has telekinesis, and I have no idea what else. I can only imagine what would become of me if I were to break my promise, when all Arianna did was pluck a rose, when he has a garden full of them. He looks back to me, his eyes warn against my rebellion. "I'm coming" I say in reply. I turn to him, and walk along side him and into the confinement of my new "home", but I have no intention of staying.

 I ran. I just ran, and left my friend behind. "What kind of a person am I?!" I ask when I do come to a halt. I search for an answer, but I receive none, I didn't really expect one because I know my limbs moved with almost a mind of their own. My voice echoes in the forest, and I sink to the ground, my thoughts registering my loss. The silence that ensues afterward is painful.  "I should have stood up for her!" Then I remember, Belle tried to warn me, that I caused all of this mess when I trespassed. I feel cowardly, guilty for what happened. "I have to go back!" "she put her life on the line for me... and I just let her." and I thought she was going to leave me, when we've been friends for years. I turn around ready to fume at the beast and demand he let her go. Well maybe not fume, but ...and maybe not demand but politely ask..." Jeez I am such a coward! I turn around and I look for the beast's home, "It's not there anymore!" I see the root I tripped over, but I don't see it."Oh!"I whine. poor belle I have to help her, but who would believe me if I told them?

 "I'll believe you." says a voice from behind. 

"Come along" i say. And she hurries to catch up with my stride. Her willingness she claimed to have, doesn't apply to her listening to me. She stops at times, hesitates at others, looking around, at her feet. But never at me. She eyes the gargoyles and seems be wary of them. As if they're alive. They are alive, but she shouldn't know that, should not even suspect such a thing as that. The gargoyles are my watchers, they ensure that no intruder gets nor stays too close to my castle. For centuries they have been successful and efficient in their task. Until today. It seems nothing has gone right to day.

 I let her come here, knew she would be with her friend. I wanted them to come, or at least, i wanted the one currently in my presence to come. When I didn't see her, (some of the trees hid her from my view) and because I could only use telekinesis on one of them, I thought only her friend, err, Arianna was it, came. I realized I was wrong when she spoke and told me about receiving the warning and not that other one. However, I didn't say anything, nor did I show myself in the hopes that Arianna would lose interest in my garden, which proved to be  an impossible feat. I did not think that she would eat my fruit, and pluck my roses. When my prisoner, no! I refuse to call her that. when my Rose, offered to stay and take the place of her friend, I was stunned. I only wanted her to come because I wanted to try and get someone to fall in love with me. Again. Again as in I've tried to find someone. Someone who won't run away or faint from fear at the sight of me. All the other girls ran, but not my Rose. Not yet. She hasn't seen my face yet, and I don't want her to. I want this curse upon me broken! I want to be my former self again, to be a dragon again. But she can't know... why would you free a beast, only to turn them into a bigger and stronger one? And if she knew about the curse she'd sympathize, if she knew falling in love with me would transform me into a dragon? She'd faint dead away. No! She must not find out. I must speak with the lead Gargoyle and have her on a tight watch. I could use the mirror, after all, that is how I found out anyone would be coming into the forest, but I only need to know that she does not enter the west wing, or interrupt or eavesdrop important meetings I have every now and then.

We ascend another flight of stairs, and my Rose glances at the statues nearby.

I Must ensure that she can't see anything. If she knew, she wouldn't have agreed to stay, she would run. She can't know about the gargoyles and the statues, the garden, and especially not me. I look at her again over my shoulder. My Rose... with her rich brown curls, and blue eyes, that seem to have a depth to them. If I could get lost in anyone's eyes, it'd be hers. She must feel my gaze, because she meets my eyes. No one. Not even grown men... No one has ever dared to meet my eyes. And after all I put her through!

......She's the one. I think with unwavering certainty. I can't help but feel overjoyed. She's the one! I'm free, Finally free! I'm surprised that I did not voice this, but relieved just the same because she's beside me now.

"Isn't the dungeon typically underground?" She says, rendering me momentarily taken by surprise at the sound of her voice. I thought she would rather climb the stairs in silence than converse with me. "Oh, yes of course." I stumble with my words trying to think of the best way to start our first real conversation "I just thought you would be more comfortable in a room of your own." her face goes blank. Who knows what she's thinking! So I take a guess "Instead of sharing a room with rats, you will be looked after as my guest." She makes no comment that she'd be alone either way, or even think that anyone is down there. Truthfully, I don't think I've ever used that space. No, now I remember why it was built, for spies, it hasn't been sealed off, yet, because I'm waiting for someone, and when I find him, he will pay! I know he will return, , I've waited all too long to get my hands on him and break his neck. I growl at the thought,  startling her in the process. I look to her again, to see if I can salvage any conversation. I smile to show that it was not aimed at her, something I haven't done in a long time, although,  this was only an attempt on my part, having forgotten my hood obscures my face. She was unable to see it,  meaning the smile was a waste effort. Considering if she saw my pearly whites, she'd probably faint. In a sense, my hood also saved me. If she only knew about me...

My mind races back to the garden only a few moments ago. The look on her friend's face. The fear, she couldn't even look away. She was so consumed by horror to move away, to do anything really, except breathe. I refuse to imagine my Rose reacting in the same manner, just sitting there, terrified, trembling, and looking me in the eye the whole while. I'd never forgive myself. I can't keep living like this! I want to scream out in my frustration, but I hold it in, and sigh instead. I mustn't scare her. with luck she thought my other outburst was a grumble and not the beginnings of a roar, she'd think me a monster......... just like before, oh my dear Jane. No, I refuse to give name to such hypocrites. she made her choice, she was no more caring than the rest in the end, she ran for the hills like the others. For all she spoke of love, that appearances meant nothing. She only cared that I was a nobleman, that she would live in high society if she dealt with the superstitious and slightly given to exaggerating, man. She never cared. I can still see her beautiful face, ruined by the look of fear that I am forced to see among so many others, more than that, I see her true colors mixed in with her distress.     

"Did you build this place help build it,  or uh....have it built?" A voice snaps me out of my thoughts. "or did you have it in the family?" She tries to talk to me. Wait, She's talking to me! Weak