Theo didn't believe that Asher was serious when he said the beast was real. It took quite a bit of persuading before she was willing to agree on an outing, leaving Asher to wait as she went to inform her parents with the promise that she'd be back later. This had the servant feeling guilty all over again. She was new to the village and didn't know very many people, yet she was kind and trusting enough to take him on his word. 

She didn't bring nearly as much as Becky had and he had to urge her to at least pack a lunch. In the end she only had a satchel full of bare necessities. Theo insisted this was all she would need and readily hopped onto Asher's horse. 

It was probably for the best since she didn't have a horse of her own, and Asher couldn't afford to rent an extra for their trip. At least with her meager luggage, his mare wouldn't suffer from the extra weight. 

Upon leaving the village, Theo seemed eager. Then about twenty minutes into the trip the woman began asking questions, becoming skeptical of her new friend's intentions.

"I told you, I'm taking you to see my friend to help break his curse." Asher responded, having purposely left out that his 'friend' was really the Prince. He didn't want a repeat of Becky who had only looked forward to the man's good looks and wealth. If she was willing to help a complete stranger with no prior knowledge to how rich and handsome he was, then it would be a nice surprise for later. 

"You mean to say you were serious?"

"Yes. Why else would I ask you to come out into the woods with me?"

The woman pouted, though Asher couldn't see it since she was facing away. "Never mind..."

"Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He promised, this time more prepared for the beast's potential outbursts.

He may be small and scrawny, but so was Theo, and he was confident that he could drag her away before the Prince tried anything funny again.

"That's far from what I wanted." She murmured.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" She chirped, changing her disappointed tone. "I'm looking forward to the trip. How far away is it again?"

"A few hours. We should be there by noon."

"Oh is that all?" She huddled closer, rubbing against the man's chest. 

To keep them warm, Asher had brought along a large bear-skin cloak to shield them from the cold during their journey. The ends of the cloak were wrapped around his wrists, so as he held the reigns he also held up a layer of fur to shield Theo from the worst of the wind.

Every now and then he felt the woman lean back against him, probably for more warmth. He didn't complain, though he found it odd when she would randomly stroke his arm.

"You're such a good friend for doing this." She complimented. "Not many people would stick around after someone's been cursed."

"Why do you say that?"

"Think about it. The only people who get cursed are the ones who anger a powerful spellcaster. And if you stick around them, then that spellcaster may turn their wrath on you."

He laughed nervously, thinking of all the poor servants who had been cursed on behalf of the Prince.

Theo eventually dozed off for a portion of the trip, allowing Asher some peace and quiet, which was a nice change until the winds picked up. He decided not to wake her until he was back in the courtyard where she stretched, leaning back and smiling up at him.

"You're very warm." She remarked.

"Thank you?"

He got down from his horse and helped her dismount, slightly concerned with how chummy she'd been acting. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was flirting, but that couldn't be right because Asher was the plainest looking man in the village. 

No one ever looked twice at him.

A sudden gust of wind caused his cloak to billow out around him, and he glanced at the cloud riddled sky. "You don't suppose those clouds will go away soon, do you?"

She eyed the abandoned looking castle before fluttering her eyes. "And what if they don't?"

Asher readjusted his furs. "Then we may have to wait a while before leaving. That looks like an oncoming blizzard."

"I have no problem with that." She said bashfully.

Perplexed, he guided both Theo and the horse towards the stables so his steed could be sheltered from the snow. Then they returned to the front entrance where the doors once more flew open on their own.

"Oh wow." Theo remarked.

Asher smirked, feeling more hopeful about this encounter.

Same as before, he called out to the beast from the front entryway. This time he heard the voices chirp up, followed by the wall sconces bursting to life and illuminating a path down the nearest hall. Figuring that the castle was trying to guide them, he urged the woman to follow.

Asher theorized that Leon had deigned to prepare for their arrival this time to reduce the risk of anyone seeing him in his usually tattered attire. That or the castle felt sorry for him after the last encounter. Whatever the case, the pair were led back to a waiting room with a table and two chairs. Theo gladly took a rest by the window, watching as the sky darkened from the oncoming storm.

"I think I should probably make sure he's aware that we're here. Last time he wasn't quite...Uh...Ready..." He made his way towards the door, hoping the Prince wouldn't be in a sour mood again.

Back at the village, he had made sure to give her a proper description of the beast, going into very graphic details so that she wouldn't be as surprised as Becky was. He was lucky that he hadn't scared her off then and there, and hoped it would be enough to prepare her for the real thing. 

Just as he reached the threshold, he bumped onto a wall of muscle and stood back to find the creature already there, scowling down at him.

"You majesty!" He quickly bowed, wondering how he hadn't heard the beasts hooves. "I'm sorry, I -"

"Where is she?" The Prince interrupted, scanning the room and spotting the woman by the window.

Despite being made aware of their presence, the beast hadn't bothered to try and dress up again and was wearing a very ragged looking outfit. The sleeves looked a little too short on his extended arms and the bends of his knees left holes in his pants.

He watched as Theo stood, eyes wide, examining the creature as Prince Leon stepped into the room and watched her. She didn't scream or run, so that was a plus. Instead she took a moment to collect herself, then curtsied.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She said politely.

Right. He almost forgot that she didn't know this was the prince, and he hoped the beast wouldn't be offended by the untraditional greeting.

"Look at me." The beast ordered, stepping closer to the woman. "Look at me now!"

His tone was sharp as always, but Theo complied. She was visibly nervous, but did as he requested. After a short examination, Leon nodded. "You may do the trick."

A sudden howl from outside drew their attention to the window. One second they could see the courtyard beyond, the next it was a wall of snowflakes, whipped about by the raging winds.

Asher groaned. "I knew that looked like a blizzard."

"Does that mean we're stuck here?" Theo asked with less enthusiasm than before. "My parents don't actually know I'm here. I thought we would be back by nightfall."

"I don't think that's possible anymore." Asher replied, then cocked his head. "Wait, I thought you got your parents permission? What did you tell them?"

The woman grew sheepish as a blush graced her freckled cheeks and she looked away. "I just said I'd be spending the day with a friend."

That concerned Asher even more, because now he'd have to explain to them why their daughter went missing for the duration of this storm. Unfortunately there wasn't anything he could do about it now, and he faced the beast. "It looks like we're going to have to stay here until the storm passes. Since you've been expecting company, I hope you at least prepared a room for her?"

It was almost comical how the creature went still, his yellow eyes flitting between the two as they looked back expectantly. Apparently he'd never been put in charge of hosting a guest before. That was probably something his other servants had done. 

"I will show her to her room." He answered monotonously.

Asher was amused by how uncomfortable the creature seemed, so he decided to see how far he could take this situation. "Sire, isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?"

That was the wrong thing to say as the beast immediately snapped out of his uncomfortable stupor. "Don't get cheeky with me! There's no point in getting acquainted until she proves her worth!"

With that, the Prince stormed out of the room angrily, leaving Asher and Theo to stare after him in shock. After a few moments, the creature popped his head back in and snarled. "Follow!"

They jumped at his tone, then obeyed quietly. Theo cautiously followed behind Prince Leon before leaning over towards Asher and whispering.

"You weren't joking when you said he'd be rude."

The servant grinned. "This is nothing compared to last time."

"What are you whispering about?" The Prince demanded, spinning around to glare at the two.

"Nothing!" They both replied in unison, then waited until the beast huffed and proceeded down the corridor.

They took a detour through the southern wing and arrived at an ornate guest room with a crystal chandelier, tall stained glass windows, and a wall full of shelved books. At the head of the room was a four poster bed with white quilts decorated with golden patterns.

"You will be sleeping here. You are free to roam as you please but do not leave the castle grounds without my permission." The creature ordered. 

"I need permission to leave?" Theo balked. "Am I a prisoner or a guest?"

The creature glared, but did not grace the woman with an answer before stepping out.

 Asher frowned. "I'm sorry, let me talk to him. Could you wait here for a moment?"

Theo stood, confused, but waited obediently as the servant chased after the boorish Prince. He had to practically jog in order to catch up to him. "What are you doing? That was extremely rude!"

"Do not question me, peasant!"

"Oh I'm going to question you, because if you don't treat Theo with some form of decency then there's a good chance that she'll change her mind and run off!"

"Theo?"

"The woman!" Asher trudged ahead and stopped in front of the creature, blocking his path and putting his hands on his hips like his mother used to do. "You're supposed to introduce yourself to your guests and be polite. Especially if you're expecting favors from them."

"That's your job." The beast retorted. "You're the servant."

"And what's your job then?" Asher demanded. "You just sit around here all day don't you? I doubt you have any paperwork, what with all the servants being cursed into the walls and whatnot." He eyed the claws on one of the creature's hands and pointed. "I doubt you can even write with those!"

"Don't you dare lecture me!" The creature barked, though he flexed his claws at the mention of them.

Asher wanted to continue arguing, but knew he had already tested his luck with that little outburst. Instead, he waited for the Prince to continue.

"I don't need a smart mouth. I need a servant who can entertain a single guest until this damned curse is broken!"

"And how long will that take? You never explained how the spell can be broken."

"However long it takes."

"Ok, great. Do I at least get a room of my own till this is over?"

The creature looked at him like he was insane. "A servant getting a room?"

"Where else am I supposed to sleep?"

"In the stables for all I care!"

Asher scoffed, but at that point the beast brushed passed him, uninterested in continuing their conversation. 

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