Beasty and the Brave

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Part 3:

"When times are harsh and hearts grow sore,

That is when we must live even more"

"When times are harsh and hearts grow sore,

That is when we must live even more"

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"Why do these words keep repeating in my head?" Beasty wondered in complete silence about the trauma she just went through.

Beasty again slightly opened the last page of the letter and glanced at the last line with her blurred teary eyes.

"You just have to find a heart that is perfectly beautiful."

"What heart? How would I know? Where should I go?"

On asking these questions to herself, the quote of that boy again echoed through her mind.

“When times are harsh and hearts grow sore,

That is when we must live even more”

Beasty was confused. “Devastated” would describe her better. She felt hopeless and wanted to get away with every thought and feeling at that moment. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t jump off the cliff and what those words of the boy meant. While she was struggling with her thoughts and her mind was collapsing into the depth of madness she somehow fell asleep.

They say the sleep that follows a good cry is the most peaceful of all. The same happened to Beasty.

In her dream, she saw a boy. And he was no stranger. It was the same boy whom Beasty had always had a crush on. She always wanted to see a full view of his face as she’d always remembered the right side of the face. She was wearing a cloth that was wrapped around her face—An impression of hiding her face. In her dream, She found herself walking toward the same tree from years ago—the place where she had first seen the boy. Lost in her dream, unaware of her own actions, she reached the tree, only to see the boy approaching her. She got conscious of her ugly and pretentious-looking face and made sure it was all hiding properly. When they both got to each other. Beasty’s heart started pounding louder than she’d ever heard of it.

"Everything would be alright. Trust me."

He said, holding Beasty’s hand with delicacy. Words have never felt smoother and lighter to Beasty before.

Beasty didn’t dare to say a word. She was lost in his eyes when he suddenly started unfolding the veil that was wrapped around her face to cover up her ugliness. At first, she didn’t even realize that he was taking that veil off. When she did; she backed off and hid behind a tree.

She immediately got nervous and positioned the veil properly so that her face wouldn't reveal.

"I don’t want him to see my face. No! No! This can’t be… I can’t let him see my ugliness…" She whispered, sweating, to herself.

The next thing she noticed was him standing right next to her, saying:

"You’re not ugly. No one’s ugly. You’re beautiful. I can see it. No matter if you take off your mask or not. I can tell that you are the most precious and beautiful girl to exist."

"She pushed him with her heart racing fast, “You don’t know nothing! I’m not pretty. I’ve lived my life hiding from everyone. Maybe I should hide from you too. Go back to where you came from. Mother told me not to meet anyone." She turned her back on him.

“Not to meet anyone? Mary, you should give it another thought.” He said from the back, his voice still fathomless.

“Mary?” For once in her life she heard her real name from someone’s mouth. It felt so unreal. She just wanted to swim in the symphony of that fleeting feeling. “How do you know my name?” she said starstruck, “It’s not my name, I’m Beasty. The Beasty who’s dead for everyone and who’s been living a life nothing more but like an animal.”

“You’re not Beasty. I know you’re Mary. The Mary who saved me when I was about to die one day. You saved my life. You’re everything to me.Trust me!” This time he leaned closer to Mary, holding her hands again.

“When did I save your life? I don’t remember any of that happening. Who are you?” Beasty mysteriously interrogated him; her eyes still lost in the stillness of his eyes.

“Remember the oak tree; you were hiding one day? I saw you and was about to get near you when a wild animal attacked me. You! You, right there saved me. You were a little kid too; but you fought with him bravely and then ran off. You thought I didn’t see you, but I did.”

“That was you? I would’ve done that for anyone.”

"Anyone?… Yes, you might be right. Maybe you would’ve saved anyone. But Mary, would you have held onto someone's words for so long if it was just anyone? Would you have pictured a handsome face and secretly admired him all this time for just anyone?"

“What handsome face? Back off! You aren’t making any sense. Who are you anyway?”

Who was he? Mary knew who he was right away when he appeared! She had recognized him. How could she not recognize the love of her life when she had been lost in his honest, unwavering eyes? She knew—he was the same boy from the village, the one she had secretly adored for years. The same boy who had held a special place in her heart since childhood.

But she was in disbelief to know that he knew her name. She couldn’t believe her eyes when he said, “You’re everything to me”.

Although, she knew that it was all a dream but she didn’t want it to end. She thought if she revealed her face to the boy, he would get scared and wouldn’t behave the same, seeing her ugliness. She didn’t want to disappoint him.

While Mary was struggling with everything, the boy said;

"I’ll answer everything. Don’t be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you," he said softly. "I’ve kept my words locked inside for so long, and I can’t hold them back anymore."

His voice wavered, but his eyes burned with truth.

"I’ve been alone my whole life. Once, I met a Master—he was like the father I never had. With him, life felt… lighter. But in just a year, he was gone. And since then, I’ve been alone again."

He took a shaky breath.

"But that day in the forest… when I saw you, something changed. My heart raced in a way I had never felt before. You weren’t hiding your face, and to me, you looked just as beautiful then as you do now. I wanted to talk to you, to share my life with you, to be your friend. But every time I searched for you, you ran. Still, I knew—there was something special about you. I felt it."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Your name… it’s been in my dreams every night. And last night, something told me you love me too. Tell me, don’t you feel it? This strange pull between us? This connection that can’t be explained?"

His gaze locked onto hers, unshakable.

"Now that I’ve found you, I won’t let you go. No matter what you say, I have to pour my heart out—"

His breath hitched, and then, with all the emotion he had buried inside him, he finally spoke the words that had been waiting to be set free.

"I love you, Mary."

Tears welled in her eyes, slipping silently onto her veil. For a moment, neither of them spoke. But this silence wasn’t heavy or painful. It was healing. A silence filled with understanding, with love unspoken yet deeply felt.

Slowly, Beasty reached for her veil.

Something was different this time. A new light shimmered in her eyes, an unexplainable glow.

And then, with quiet resolve, she removed it.

The moment her face was fully revealed, the boy did something that made Mary’s breath hitch— He leaned in and kissed her.

A kiss so pure, so real— A True Love’s Kiss.

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Author's Note:

Part 4 coming soon! I'm sorry, I can't finish it just yet, hehe.

How was the part 3? Let me know...