Beauty and The Savage Beast (closed for slippedhalo and me)

[BadForm]

In the library, I set the trap. It would probably not take much now that she had been so sorely tempted to read my journal all ready. Taking it down I laid it on the table. From there I went to find a bookmark and returned with it and a quill. At the top of the cardboard placemarker I wrote Belle, crossed it out and wrote Beauty's Journey. Finally I leafed through my journal until I found the comment which indicated that I had known the reader would read the journal and placed the bookmark at the page before closing the book and laying it down. Who could resist a book that contained intimate details of their plight?

I spent the next couple of hours poring over pictures from the book she had been viewing, in each case imagining her in the role of the woman. Each torture, each pleasure, looked wonderful with her image overlaying that of a stranger. Even where it depicted her, or rather a stranger, as dominant there was a certain appeal. Still, that would be denied her until and unless she came to appreciate all aspects of bondage and submission that I would provide. In time, I felt she would be ready. For now, she was the student.

Time flowed its gentle way through the clocks and hourglasses of the castle. Within a couple of hours I was tired once more and decided to retreat to my room for a sleep. Beauty was no longer there, and I realized that I had given her neither permission nor instruction to share my bed. It was an admirable following of her role in the castle but I was frustrated; more with myself than with her. I no longer wished to sleep alone, but that I would deal with tomorrow.

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle awoke later than she had expected to and on her nightstand waited a caraffe of coffee and warm, buttered muffins. She ate one muffin and had a cup of coffee with cream and sugar before heading off to the study to find something else to occupy her morning's free time.

Perusing was even fun for her. There was so much to choose from. Belle took a book of fairytales and old legends from the shelf for some light reading and as she rounded a corner to take a comfortable seat by the window she saw there was a book left on the desk there. Belle was curious what book it might be because she had been very careful to always put things away. It must have been something left out by the beast and she wondered what he'd been reading....but, didn't he say he would be spending the evening journaling her progress? Now, even more curious she ventured closer and inspected the book with her eyes...it did have her name, crossed out, and then written in scratchy print beneath it, 'Beauty's Journey'. She knew this was likely one more book off limits to her but...well, being that it was actually about her made her want to know what was inside.

Unable to resist further, Belle reached out and opened to the page which indicated the writing would be about her...

But all it said was:
Bring this book to me and confess your crime, else you will suffer horribly for your betrayal.

Belle dropped the cover onto the desk with a trembling hand, tears sprang immediately to her eyes. "Oh, no...what have I done?" she whispered to herself. Her mind worked frantically to come up with any way she could get away with this transgression....but the unknown factors were too great and she knew he would be so very angry if he found out that she had disobeyed him AND tried to hide it from him. What if he had been watching her from his mirror and knew the whole situation already? she thought. No lie would suffice. She had to tell the truth.

...Belle lifted the journal with trembling hands and brought it to her chest, moving slowly, as one walks to their own execution, making her way to his chambers. Her lip trembled as she knocked at the door and heard his voice within. What would he do when he found out?

 

[BadForm]

I passed the morning in politics. I was tired of the King and his bumbling incompetence and could not help but feel his daughter would learn from me far better. It occurred to me that this may be an entirely incorrect supposition based on nothing more than her resemblance to Beauty. Nonetheless, when she stole into her parents bedroom I whispered words of distress to her that spoke of the King's madness and the loss of lives he was causing. It would take time, of course, but already I could see she was listening to me. She was a substitute though, a way of passing time until I could be with Beauty again. At that, she was so far a poor one.

As the morning wore on towards noon I wondered what Beauty was doing. Had she returned to her beloved library and had she discovered the journal I had left for her? If so, did she have the courage to present herself for punishment, or did she have the foolishness to try and hide what she had done. She had to believe I would know. I waited, and wondered, impatiently. Finally the timid knock came.

"Come in," I called, feigning benevolence.

 

[slippedhalo]

"Monsieur..." she didn't even know what to call him most times. She certainly didn't think calling him 'beast' was appropriate and in this instance his first name was likely a show of disrespect. Belle looked down at the object she held and held it out to him, trying mightily to control the shaking of her own hands. "....I....I'm following instructions....I am so sorry, I was weak." she said the last part with obvious self disappointment. Her whole body showed in it's posture how sorry she indeed was. She had been so proud of her self-control but that pride was now deflated. She knealt before him, tears welling in her eyes. "It was left out...a test, I suppose...I failed it. I am very sorry."

 

[BadForm]

I looked at her as she stood before me and indicated for her to kneel. She complied. I gave her an impassive stare while studying her posture, her features, her whole body language. And then I nodded.

"Yes, Beauty, a test. You are among the most intelligent of the women I have ever owned and I value that in you, but you know of course that you must be punished. When I give an instruction I expect it to be followed to the letter without delay and for as long as it stands, no matter what the temptation to do otherwise."

Her face was a mask of fear, obviously aware of the grievous error she had committed, aware that her very life was in my hands. I hoped only that she was also aware that after the times I had said I valued her she would know that her life was safe in those hands. I paused for a moment merely staring at her.

"Further, last night when I had you eat from between my thighs, although you complied you began by sighing. However, you did follow instructions then and you have been brave and honest enough to face your punishment now. Very well, Beauty, I shall issue you a challenge. With all that you have learned so far, with your knowledge of my expectations and of your limits, with your knowledge of the uses of pleasure and pain, limited as that is as yet, and with your understanding of the grievous nature of this trespass, I wish you to spend a moment in contemplation. What do you think your punishment should be. And rest assured, your punishment will depend upon your answer and how fitting it is to the crime."

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle considered this and spoke tentatively, "Perhaps...perhaps my punishment should be something I have not done yet and still fear. It should be something I would not look forward to. But, as I did follow the istructions given right away the punishment should not be too severe or linger on for too long as you already know I am sorry and regretful for my weakness and transgression. My will was weak...perhaps then my will, my self-control, perhaps that is where the punishment should lie. But, as to the exact nature of the actual punishment, I think you are better and choosing from your vast experience than I. My imagination for such things is not as creative as your might be." she explained carefully, her eyes averted to the floor as she spoke, afraid of the anger in his.

 

[BadForm]

I nodded. She had more-or-less answered the question. Though she had not provided a direct punishment she had both suggested a test of willpower and why she felt that was appropriate. I considered the many ways that her will could be tested. There was, of course, her resistance to pain. However, pursuing that too far too quickly was a dangerous route that I was unwilling to walk. There were the various sports, from having her be a pony in a charity race onwards. Yet they seemed silly and alien at the moment, not least because they were games for several participants. Yet there was one thing that I dreamed of doing to her and one way to test her will.

"Very well, Beauty," I said. "Understand that I wish to adorn you. Tonight, immediately after dinner, I will take you to the farrier. He will pierce you and, with the help of one of the healers to make sure you are safe, have you fitted with rings. Not ear rings but nipple rings. You will consider whether you wish them to be golden, silver, bronze or titanium and whether they will be fitted with diamond, obsidian, or ruby."

She would, no doubt, blanche at that concept. It would truly test her will to accept such decoration and be an active part in their selection.

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle went sickly pale at this suggestion remembering how much it hurt just to have her sensitive nipples pinched. "I suppose at this point my forfeit for today is moot and I must accept this?" she asked, for clarity,although she was certain her assumption was correct. She'd been naughty today, why should she be allowed her right of forfeit? One look at him told her this was so. She nodded and looked down at the floor again. "Why my nipples, monsieur?" she asked in a voice that betrayed her by announcing her trepidation.

 

[BadForm]

"Beauty, your forfeits are for preventing standard training and sexual experiences that you feel are rushing too quickly, not for preventing punishment you have earned. I would expect you not to need to ask that."

I watched her and saw that I was right. She had simply been hoping against hope that I would let her escape the punishment, but had indeed realized it was a futile hope.

"And as to why I wish to have your nipples pierced and decorated, I wish to have you gain from even the punishments you earn."

To say she looked skeptical would be more than an understatement. She looked thoroughly disbelieving and filled with repressed terror. That was fine, what she would experience would hurt, at least at the point at which each nipple was punctured. Without magical healing recovery would take months, but I was fortunate that even before the fairy had transformed my people I had magicians, priests and healers available to me who had such skills. She would heal enough to be ringed within seconds after piercing.

"Beauty, your breasts, your nipples are a wondrous part of your femininity. It is right that they be decorated for the beautiful things that they are. Further, most people find that once done, they find that any stimulation of them will prove arousing. Deliberate stimulation of the nipples becomes far more erotic than anything they experienced before. However, if you desire to avoid this there are other things I am willing to provide as your punishment.

The brief light of hope was extinguished as quickly as it was lit.

"At some time in the future I am considering also having your womanhood decorated similarly... should you further disobey me of course. Again, many find that after the even this is arousing and I wish you to be aroused as frequently as possible. If you desire I will switch your punishment to such a piercing."

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle gasped,"Oh...no,no! I will cooperate with the nipple piercings. My apologies for questioning you." she hastily replied, crawling close enough to put a pleading hand upon his foot.

 

[BadForm]

I nodded and reached down to pull her to her knees. "Beauty, you are permitted to ask questions, merely not to resist orders save when you should invoke your forfeit daily. Now, kiss me good morning and show me your love."

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle rose up to her knees and kissed his face several times as he bent to her, kissing him lastly on the lips, a kiss more passionate than the previous ones meant as soft, affectionate, apoligies. The kiss lasted a little while longer than she had expected it to, as he had taken the initiative to deepen it to a lover's kiss and she was not in a position to resist nor would she. When she had a moment to breathe she asked, "My choices...when do they have to be decided?"

 

[BadForm]

"You suggested that your punishment be a test of willpower. That is why I have told you now that your adornment will take place in several hours time. This will also be when you announce your selections. My farrier has access to all of those materials already, and waiting until then will indeed test your willingness to face fear over a period of time."

I responded to her kisses again with welcoming deepness. She was developing well, yet I knew well enough that it was easy to be faithful to a master in a closed castle. I wondered, feared what she would do if she fell truly in love with me and the spell were to be broken. Would she still wish to be mine then? I had no way of knowing that and I had come to value her more than any woman I had previously owned.

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle considered this as they kissed some more. She was indeed not looking forward to this punishment however she could take solace in the fact that it would be her very first time chosing any kind of jewellery for herself. At least she'd get to decide what she was pierced with even if the very idea of being pierced made her cringe. And, he had spoken of wanting to adorn her womanhood with a piercing also? She shivered from the thought. That, she imagined, would hurt even more than her nipples. She dreaded the day he would bring this idea of his up again.

 

[BadForm]

I reached for her right breast with one hand and with the other brought her to my lap. The fabric of her new dress was sheer beneath my fingers as I felt her sweet bud already pushing against it. I spent some time savoring this delight, and nuzzling against her sweet neck, kissing and nibbling it softly with my sharp teeth. It seemed the tiny pain merely aroused her now and I brought her into my lap.

"Beauty, tell me of your home," I said. It was something I had broached once before and found her reluctant. "Were you loved? I see from your father that you were, but tell me more. What were your duties there, did you cook, clean, take care of children? Did you work and what did you do for work if you did? I wish to know YOU, Beauty, all of you."

She had been reluctant to talk about her family before. She knew now that when I asked questions I expected full and considered answers. Of course, she had her forfeit, but would she use it so early in the day for something so simple? If so then she was not the intelligent woman I too her for.

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle sighed heavily. He could ruin her arousal so easily by speaking of her old life...she wondered if he was aware of that effect. Quietly, she answered, "I usually tutored the youngest two in their studies, reading, writing, mathematics...I cooked sometimes but my other sister and I used to take turns before she got married. I was in the process of teaching the second youngest to cook and mend clothing before...before I came here. I was also the one my father used to spend the most time talking about politics, world affairs, and his job with. The other two older ones had little interest in such things and are much more feminine and frivilous, and the youngest, just too young to understand it all yet. I spent most of my spare time reading books from the local book-lender, talking news of the day with some neighbor's boys just a couple of years my junior, and sometimes just out walking, daydreaming, I guess. I never thought I would end up here but somehow I knew I didn't truly belong and would not stay there long either..." Belle trailed off again, her face reddening as tears threatened to come. "What's wrong with me that such a pleasant, simple life could not keep me happy?"

 

[BadForm]

I reached up and stroked her cheek just below her eyes. The tears were heavy in her and ready to fall. She had never imagined, never COULD HAVE imagined, that she would find a life of pleasure and pain more satisfying than the life her father offered her. Still, it was important to me to know what she had done in the past. That guided me as to what she could do when not involved in sexual liasons.

"Beauty, you were dissatisfied for you are not a simple girl. Born of a merchant in a small town you may have been, but belonging there you were not. Do you think I would be satisfied with such a life? Nay, and nor is there anything wrong with me. You are a woman for wealth, for a surfeit of pleasure and pain, not an elegance of simplicity. It is merely a difference and not a flaw. I see however that you need to cry. Do not stop yourself, but accept my warm breast as a comfort while you do. Such an adjustment from the wrong life to the right is never easy."

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle accepted the beast's offer, turning her face to weep softly into his softly-furred chest and realizing the only thing she truly mised was the company of her family, her conversations with her father...putting the little ones to bed at night and watching their progress from babies to toddlers, from toddlers to bright children and knowing she'd never see those two children blossom into the young ladies she was shaping them to become.

 

[BadForm]

As she leaned into me weeping I caressed her hair and held her securely. It was a lovers gesture, a true lover not the fumbling idiots who would have been available to her in her old life. Few ever learned to care enough to know how to drive someone they loved to new heights nor to comfort them when they needed it. In truth, few nobles did either. Not that it mattered who else did what, what mattered was what I could do for Beauty.

"Beauty, only the future will tell whether you live with your family again. However, you may use the mirror to stay in contact with them. I know that you miss them so dearly. Indeed, I am considering gifting the mirror to you, at least unless this castle should be returned to normal. I cannot communicate with my mother, the mirror, but merely use her to contact the King and his family. Though I spent years manipulating the various Kings and Queens of the lands to lead us to grow as a nation I find that I am little interested in politics with you in my life. Whether our borders grow or shrink matters not, while your happiness matters greatly."

 

[slippedhalo]

"Thank you...I must admit it helps greatly to know I can still contact them and in that way won't be separated from them entirely." she said, sniffling as she tried to reign in her tears and out of control emotions. "I will endeavor to be deserving of such a gift."

 

[BadForm]

I embraced her warmly, giving her the time she needed to still herself. In so few days she had learned to embrace more than most would accept if granted a lifetime. To say that I had fallen in love with her would be an understatement, to say I was proud a defamation. This woman was amazing. I kissed her face gently, nuzzling away the tears as she held me. I had considered using her sexually again. Indeed it was difficult not to do so, so aroused did she keep me. Yet she needed time and that meant I needed to be the gentle master.

"Beauty," I crooned. "I would like to take you for a walk around the gardens. You have been trapped inside for two days now and a treasure such as yourself should feel the sun on her body. Come, let us leave."

With that I stood and placed my arm around her waist to walk her from the castle to the gardens.

 

[slippedhalo]

Belle had not expected that an invitation for a stroll in the gardens would brighten her mood so much, but it had. She was glad for her silk robe, even though it provided only a little more warmth than nothing, but there was a cool breeze which raised the flesh on her arms to bumps and raised color to her cheeks as they walked around and she admired the blooms, grateful the beast was not so angered by her indiscretion that he would be cruel to her all day long. She walked on his arm, in quiet admiration of the flowers and fruit trees.

 

[BadForm]

We walked together peacefully, making smalltalk as we went. I showed her the roses more closely, the truest beauties of the garden and she seemed content with the peaceful nature of the garden. As we walked, a butterfly, white and silken, flitted across the bushes until it came to land on Beauty's shoulder. I gasped and stared at it in shock. It was small, insignificant to anyone else. Yet it was the first animated life I had seen since the fairy's curse was cast.

I kept my thoughts to myself as we walked further, and continued to make simple smalltalk. I led her through the orchards and reached up easily to collect two ripe apples for us to eat. They were fresh and ripe, almost yellow in their vibrant color. The breeze blew softly and coolly between the trees in the morning light, bringing promises of warmth to come.

And then it happened. It rained. A crash of thunder peeled the heavens above and a storm hurled its torrent down at us. I looked up in bewilderment. The weather had been steady late summer weather for as long as I could remember. The breeze had not shifted, the sun had never failed to shine. Rain had not fallen. Nothing that heralded change had occurred... until now. I stared up into the heavens between the branches of the trees and saw lighting streak between clouds above as another cannonblast of thunder rolled through the sky. How could this be?

 

[slippedhalo]

Shivering now and soaked Belle was in a hurry to get out of the rain. She pulled on the beast's paw to try to coax him toward shelter but he stood looking up at the sky in bewildered wonder. She couldn't figure out what he found so amazing about a storm.

 

[BadForm]

An insistent tugging slowly gained my attention. It was Beauty. She was urging me to come in out of the storm and she was right. Whatever had caused this change could wait. For now we needed to get somewhere dry. I picked her up and ran for the castle.