FF: ~Beauty Meets the Beast~ Part 4 Pg 18 - Page 8

Maan's arms gripped her to himself tightly. He continued to stare deeply into her. She was blessed with doe-like brown eyes. The light bounced off of them, giving an ethereal glow which added to her pure innocence. He couldn't help but to pull her to himself even more. Geet, however, stared back at him in terror. Who was this person? Where did he come from? What if he was one of those smugglers that carried women off for themselves? That last thought scared her out of her wits.

"AAAIII!!" Geet screamed.

"Get off me you lunatic! Get away from me!" She started smacking his chest repeatedly, while he just stared on. Then it hit him (literally) what this girl was doing. Wait...she's hitting him? And right after saving her too? Anger flickered through his being. In one swift motion, he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand while his other forced her body closer to his till their noses almost touched.

"Is this any way to treat your savior?" he seethed.

"Yes it is, now let go of me, whoever you are!" she yelled. Now Maan was very angry. Never in his life had he been yelled at. Where did this chit of a girl get the gall to express her thanks in this manner? So he did what every other self-respecting man would have done: he let her go. With a yelp, Geet graciously landed on the ground on her bum.

"Ow, that hurt!"

"Hmph, you completely deserved that."

"How dare you drop me? Is this any kind of way to treat a woman?" Geet spoke harshly.

"Woman? You sounded like more of a screeching banshee to me. What else can an innocent man saving one do?" He looked at her in amusement.

"Of course, we have yet another self-appointed hero here. You're just like the rest of the lot." Is this girl for real?

"What do mean by the rest of the lot?" Maan asked, astonished, "I'm my own man. Surely you must have noticed something unique about me?" There was something about this man that just rubbed her the wrong way.

"There's nothing worth remembering you about." Whoa, Geet. What is wrong with you today? You don't usually act mean to other people, especially ones you've just met who saved you from falling. But what can I do? He is just so irritating! Again, Maan's anger flared. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the trunk of a nearby apple tree. The force knocked a couple of ripe apples off.

"Act all smart-mouthed again, and you'll be sorry," he spoke in a deathly whisper. Unfortunately for him, their close proximity caused him to lose control of his senses again as he began to drown himself in her eyes. Geet was still scared, but she tried to be brave. She looked straight back into his eyes, trying to intimidate him, however it failed. Maan's steel grey eyes seemed to match his serious personality very well. She gazed at him, trying to understand what kind of person he was. No, it wasn't because of the fact that he was extremely handsome looking that she couldn't tear her eyes away. Was it because of his stubble? Maybe it was his straight nose or his M-shaped lips...no, it wasn't. Behind all that anger, she did detect...loneliness. At least she thought she did. She wasn't too sure. There was definitely something there though. Something about him that was different than any other man she had seen, but of course, she could never admit that to him. Minutes ticked by, yet the two hadn't batted an eyelash as they stared at each other. Suddenly, realization dawned upon her.

"Papa!"

She struggled against his vice-like grip, but Maan wouldn't budge.

"Please, let me go, my father is here, and if he sees us like this then-"

"Then what?" he said softly.

"Please, let me go." Geet pleaded with her eyes, and Maan found himself pulling his hands away from her. Shocked that he actually listened, she took a few clumsy steps backwards, then ran away. Maan kept staring at her retreating form in fascination.

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Geet took one last look at him before running away as fast as she could. She felt a bit'disappointed. But that didn't matter right now.

"Papa, I hope you are alright," she muttered to herself. She jogged up the hill to thankfully see that he was still asleep under the tree. Sighing with relief, Geet walked over to him to wake him up for lunch.

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Maan wore a plum vest over maroon brown pants. If only I knew what that girl's name was. Finishing the look with a black-velvet flowing cape and his crown, the king made his way downstairs in his regal gait. Despite the fact that she was down-right rude, why can't I stop thinking about her? Two guards in silver armor opened the doors for him that led to the throne room. Just as he was about the sit in his seat, a heavy knock on the front entrance door ensued. Maan motioned a servant to open the door. The moment he did, a huge gust of wind blew the poor guy away a couple of good meters. Narrowing his eyes, Maan shouted,

"Who goes there? Show yourself!"

"Ah my king, how fortunate I am to finally be able to witness you with my very own eyes. Yes, I am withering day by day, yet even at this advanced age I managed to travel to places far and wide, and to be able to greet you is an honor, my king." The unfamiliar cloaked figure made her way inside to the very center of the room.

"Why have you shrouded yourself in that disgusting old blanket? Remove it at once, its presence is polluting my palace," Maan jeered.

The figure gave a small chuckle as she unveiled herself. Everyone, including Maan, gasped in surprise and horror.

"Urgh, it's hideous! Throw it in the prison! I will decide what to do with it myself."

"No king, please don't kill me! I have done no harm to anyone. I have come here solely for the purpose of getting a place to stay for the night, for I am weary from walking. I apologize that I do not anything to give you, except this--"

The old woman put her hand in the cloak and produced a bright red rose. It appeared vibrant, drawing Maan's eyes over it in awe. But it came from that vile witch, he snarled inwards.

"No, I don't want to have anything to do with the likes of you. Take her away!" he blatantly shouted.

"King, true beauty does not lie on the surface of a person but within one. You are making a mistake."

"Oh, so now you are going to teach me what is wrong and what is right?!" he spat viciously.

The old woman looked directly into Maan's eyes and showed off a small lopsided smile. Then, out of nowhere, the winds picked up, turning around her like a whirlwind. Her wrinkly old skin dissolved into youth, ultimately transforming her into...a beautiful enchantress. Maan and the courtesans opened mouths once again, but in utter shock at what had happened in front of their eyes.

"Maan, I tried to warn you but you leave me no choice."

She pulled her wand out.

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