#eyelessbeast

[zealousdragonsong]

Chapter 5

It was Serenity’s parents who found Beast’s body. They would have thought that Beast was dead if it were not for the minute twitchings of their wings and the bubbles in the blood around Beast’s mouth. At first, it seemed that Beast had killed Serenity, until they looked at the death wound. Beast was curled around Serenity as if protecting her body. They also knew that Beast would do anything for Serenity just as Serenity would do anything for Beast. It was then that they noticed the shattered pieces of Ruthian’s body and the gore stained Judgement.  They gasped as they came upon the conclusion of Beast having killed Ruthian to avenge Serenity. 

Serenity’s mother, Peace, wept with tears of woe, while her father, Ruhe, stood in silence looking upon the bodies covered in gore. “Well, let us take Beast so that the Guard does not torture them any more and to honor the sacrifice that took place here”, stated Ruhe. Peace nodded, seemingly to be gathering her courage while still gazing at her daughter’s blooded headless body. Ruhe gathered up the remains of Ruthian’s stone and threw them into the lake by way of the window of the hall. Upon hearing the splashing and the last few bubbles come up from where the heavy stone displaced the lake’s water, Ruhe picked up Beast, being mindful of Beast’s sluggishly bleeding wings and started walking. Peace collected the pieces of Serenity and quickly walked after Ruhe. Slipping through the shadows, they were able to make it outside to the stables.  

Mossed Star nickered over her stall door when she smelt Peace. Ruhe’s horse, Anord, reared up kicking at the door, seeming about to knock down the walls. His whinnies starting up the entire stable in a chorus of chaos. Peace rushed to quiet Anord and Moss, who at this point were the ringleaders in the noise. Moss calmed down first leading to the other mares to quiet as well. Anord took longer, as did the other stallions. It took Ruhe grabbing the reins to hush the crazed creature. 

 Sickly Shine was Beast’s pegasus. Shine was rejected by her mother similar to Beast. It was only due to Beast being at the stables to “apologize” for their actions did they see the stable hands about to kill the feeble pegasus. The poor creature’s cries stroked a chord inside Beast’s heart, leading to Beast begging to care for it. The stable hand baring the axe agreed as long as he would have a favor granted. He wanted Beast to slip a note to Yakabsar, his brother’s niece’s new male slave. The Jinn was captured earlier that week in a raid of the lands that border the kingdom. He was inhabiting a small empty treasure chest and was weakened greatly. It hadn't taken much effort to retrieve him from the chest. 

[zealousdragonsong]

Stranges Chapter 3

Beast grew up treated like the scum under the Queen’s feet. The abuse they received daily made nearly everyone avoid them. Even Indulf treated them bad, as he did not know better. Beast did have one friend, Serenity. Serenity was the daughter of one of the court ladies-in-waiting and a cook. She was human but didn’t care that Beast was a Strange. She thought It was interesting. Beast would show Serenity small tricks and feel the weight of whatever happened that day lessen with Serenity’s smile or giggle. Beast grew to love Serenity as a sister and became even more protective of her. Serenity took to that role well. She would always remind Beast to eat or would bandage them up when Beast was too hurt to do so themselves.

The guards would almost always be the abusers causing the most wounds. Ruthian, the Head Guard, took particular pleasure in hurting Beast anyway he could. During ceremonies he would do his best to jab Beast through the wing or tail to make them cry out, interrupting the proceedings. That way the session they got from the Queen would be forty times worse, often leaving broken bones and whip lashes. The next day, they would have to glamour themselves to go grovel at the feet of everyone at the ceremony and beg for punishment. They were often met with further wounds and harsh words about how lucky they were to even go to the ceremonies and how could they stand to put their freakishness in plain view of everyone. “Are you not lucky to still be alive after all of your screw ups? You should be sent to the slaughter pen like all other worthless creatures. No, wait, those creatures have worth while you have none, you sad pathetic waste of flesh.” After they would have to go to the castle staff and beg forgiveness. Serenity would often find Beast slumped in a corner, bruised and bleeding. The few times Ruthian found them he tried to attack Serenity. Using the last of their It, Beast sent him a vision of his worst nightmares come alive. He ran away in terror and three minutes later Beast started to cough up blood from the strain of using their It. Serenity was barely able to drag them to their rooms before both collapsed. That was the normal end of the day for them.