I forgot how many turns we took to get rid of our pursuers. My mind was a maze of panic. With a big gasp, I flung myself into the door ready to use all my weight to open the door to only fall into waiting arms. The door was shut with a loud boom and was fortified with as many furniture that could be stacked over each other within second. Beyond the door shouts of excitement were heard as the villages rejoiced in finding the lair of the monster.

The pair of hands that were holding me crushed me against the barrel of a chest.

"Can't breathe!" I gasped out.

"You are safe." Adam said in relief as he gave me just enough space to inhale and checked me from head to toe before his eyes laid on my forehead. It had turned a deep blue where Mason had hit me. Rage filled Adam's eyes.

"Get me some medicine." He quietly said, his voice deathly still. I could feel his hands trembling in anger from where he grasped me.

He pushed me to sit on the only stool left and crouched to my size to carefully apply the salve to my head. His huge hands were awfully delicate on me, as if I were the most precious thing in the universe. Such intense love had tears forming in my eyes. When I was with him, I felt like nothing could harm me. But with them, my dear father hadn't even bothered coming to meet me, unlike the drama he had acted out when he had just arrived.

Everyone else stood alert at the door, waiting. The doors wouldn't hold for long. That was given. All it had brought was time. Adam looked at me and gave me a dagger. Reality was grim even though it wasn't for killing but defence.

A loud thud sounded and everyone turned to the door. It paused for a minute before it sounded again. Powdered dust ran down from the tiny cracks that formed through the wall.

"Sound like..." Mrs Potts whispered.

A battering ram.

They had brought the battering ram. We retreated behind as the second attempt had the wall shaking. Everyone, small and big, metal or wood, looked at each other in dismay and worry. Mrs Potts held her child near while James and Mr Clok stood together at the front line, next to each other, looking fierce as the flames burnt incessantly as the time tucked away.

Before long, the door gave away with a loud groan and fell inward with dust and debris scattering everywhere making the space beyond invisible. Regardless, the villagers didn't hesitate, charging into the room bellowing. The men at the forefront and a few women behind, they seemed like they had lost their sanity as they started smashing everything in their eyesight fearing it would be live. Mason entered the room, his sights fixed on Adam and a blood thirsty gleam entered his eyes regardless of the chaos around him.

"So you are the monster who has bewitched my Martha!" He roared as he charged towards Adam.

"Where is she? Give her back!"

I was pushed aside by Adam to the back. I staggered behind. It seemed that no one targeted me, the dagger in my hand felt heavy as it felt useless. I stood in the corner half horrified, half dazed as I saw everyone I knew, loved and hated, fight.

Mason brought down his sword at Adam in full force but Adam parried it, his claws raking the sword and sparks flew into the air. All around me I saw people and furnitures engaged in a battle that would have looked ridiculous in any other circumstances.

Mr Clok and James seemed to enjoy the fight as they teamed up, jumping from a poor villager to another, burning and ticking as they pleased. The lady brooms loved to sweep all the dust up and into the noses of unsuspecting men who were armed with sticks, making them sneeze continuously. A few idiots of the lot, my dear sisters, held on to pans and ladles from the kitchen and now were struggling to free themselves of the devilish vessels that they now possessed. The fight spanned out into the corridor and beyond as everyone spread out in their own battle.

Suddenly I saw a figure run into the room. A figure that had kept me in the right head all this time. And behind ran another figure who I had dreadful memories off. Martha turned and blocked Clarissa's attack of a wooden spiked bat with her own. Clarissa always had hated Martha for her closeness with me but I never had realised that, that hatred was big enough to try and potentially kill her.

"Get back here you bitch!" she screeched out at Martha as she hurled curses at her name. Hearing her name, Mason who had been fighting suddenly lost attention and ended up with a huge cut on his face. His hands shook in shock. Was it from her appearance or that he had lost his focus, I didn't know.

Adam had drifted away from me in the fight that suddenly I noticed my father sneak behind Adam trying to maim him taking advantage of him being unaware. Outrage spread through me and shook me off the stupor I was in.

"Oh no you don't!" I growled and picked up a wooden sword and rushed block the club that he had raised to bring down Adam's unsuspecting back.

"Son, move!" He growled in annoyance as he tried to push me away.

"Don't you call me son and don't you dare hurt him!" I warned him as we were locked in a fight.

"You were always useless, but I didn't expect that you would turn out so bad. It would have been best of I had sent you along with your mother!" He spat at me.

"Then you should have." I replied, equally furious, my heart stinging as his words still got to me.

At the corner of my eye I saw another someone rush to Adam, pulling a dagger out of their dress. I lunged without hesitation towards Adam, to block the dagger while I was all aware of the club heading at my direction.

Immediately, white hot pain flared up my abdomen and my back. Both together turned into absolute agony that had the world in front of me flicker.

I heard a loud scream followed by a roar.

"No!" Another voice rang out in dispare and horror but that too was fading away.

Funny, I hadn't expected that if hurt so much when I had decided to take that dagger. I thought I would be able to bear it like those heroes of those great legends. But to my shame which was a funny thing to experience at this point, I had fainted immediately after I got stabbed.

My mind went to one last garbled thought of hope, that Adam would be safe before that too faded away and everything became blank.

***

Adam suddenly heard a a scream behind him as he parried the sword in front of him and his heart frose in terror. Strength surged from a deep place within him and he pushed away Mason, who went flying into a pole and turned immediately to see Beau fall into the floor, a dagger sticking out of his abdomen. The man pushed away the women who was responsible for it and tried grabbing Beauty as he collapsed to the floor but failed. Blood slowly bloomed onto the floor, staining the sandstone floor in red rivulets.

No! No! NO!

This couldn't be happening.

He couldn't die!

He threw his sword on the ground regardless of the danger around and dropped next to Beau and grabbed him. On the other side, the older man who seemed to be slightly familiar, tried to pull him away.

Lost in grief, he gave out a deep threatening growl and lifted Beau entirely off the floor. The man behind collapsed on the floor as he stared after Beau in a horrified trance.

Adam strode to the door regardless of the fighting that was going around him, his priority to get to a safe room as soon as possible, where Beau could be treated. Everything blurred as he relied on his instincts as his brain shut down.

Got to get to safety.

That was the only thought in his head. He should have long locked Beau in a safe room. He should have never let him go. He should have confessed to him regardless of the curse. He should have...

Outside the battle had slowed to a stop, most of the villagers gave up in shock when Beau had been hurt. It had been his stepmother who had driven the dagger in and it had been his father who had struck him down. That had shocked the villagers that parents could do something so horrible. Apart from that their strongest fighter, Mason too had been injured badly enough that he was in coma. The last blow had him hit his head that he had fallen unconscious.

The villagers had soon given up and were locked in a hall while rest of the castles inhabitants rushed to to room where Beau lied down. Even though the wound had been treated by the local medic and his own healer, it seemed that the wound was too deep that he was loosening blood at a fast rate.

A knock sounded but he didn't look up. James and Mr Clok slowly walked into the room. They looked at Mrs Potts who shook her head in dismay.

"Master." Me Clok slowly spoke.

Adam didn't reply.

He looked at James hesitant. James nodded and then looking resolved, Mr Clok spoke again, slightly louder.

"Master, the last petal... It looks like it's going to fall anytime." He said as he delicately placed the Bell jar on the side table, next to Beau.

He didn't reply as he stared at Beau.

The healer on the side looked worried at Beau. There was nothing much he could do now. Deathly silence reigned the room.

Suddenly, Beau went into a fit of intense coughing, and by the time it subsided, he had turned so pale, it was scary. And then all movement stopped. The healer shook his head.

Next to the bed, the final petal floated to the ground, to become one amongst the other petals.