Beauty and The Cursed

"There she is! The stowaway! I told you that we had a rat aboard the ship!" Tresa heard one of the ship's hands yelling. She was attempting to make her small frame even smaller and hide behind a wood barrel at the bottom of the ship that she had snuck onto in the middle of the night. The large ship had been out to sea for some time. Tresa had been able to move about the ship with great care. It had been a few days since they left the port of her home country, Ireland. She had left a note for her family that she was going to get help and find a way to get them off the mainland. She had not dared to take much with her as to raise suspicion on the docks. Tresa had watched the ships and noticed that one had planned to leave before the morning. She quickly jumped a board and headed down to the bottom of the ships with the rest of the crates and barrels. The ship looked to be a merchant ship. During the last few days, many of the men had talked of England. That must have been the direction that they were sailing in. Tresa had been able to steal a few pieces of food each day. The starvation had hit their town hard. She was accustomed to eating very little as of late. Tresa knew that she was a sight to see. She was half the size of her normal weight, and the effect had her ribs showing and her cheeks bones very pronounced. Tresa also noticed that her hair was not as thick and shiny as it once was. The lack of food and nutrition had drained it of its beauty. "Toss her overboard. No one is going to stowaway on my ship." A man with a large belly and an even larger beard said. He flicked his hand over his head as if he was already over the conversation and was bored by it. The man who had yelled first made a quick grab for Tresa. She tried to swat his hands and make a run for it. Unfortunately, being on a ship there weren't many places that she could hide. The man cut off her escape and wrapped his arms around her waist. She kicked and punched any flesh that she could connect with. She was rewarded with a few noises from the man, but it ultimately did not stop him from carrying her up onto the main deck and over to the side of the ship. Tresa's heart sank, and she saw the large ominous waves crashing under the ship. If this man tossed her over, she would no doubt lose her life to the sea below. "Please!" She screamed to the man. Instead of fighting him off, she attempted to cling to him. The man sneered at her face, and he pried her hands and feet from his body. "May Poseidon have mercy on ya," the man said as he flung her body to the waiting waves below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sir, would you please eat? Cookie will have my head if I come back with yet another plate untouched." Susan, the maid said to Edmond. He knew that the cook was no doubt giving Susan a tongue lashing for not forcing Edmond to his meals. However, Edmond could not taste his food. The full moon was almost upon them, and human food did not fulfill his appetite. Edmond's household staff were still unaware of the curse that coursed through his veins. The only one who had some idea was his butler, Gregory. Gregory knew better than to question Edmond. He knew that Edmond would not answer. "Tell her that I forced you back to the kitchen. If she thinks that a little maid is going to force me to eat, then she is dim-witted." Edmond responded as he stared out the large window of his study. The window overlooked the waves of the ocean. The grey skies above made the color of the ocean even darker and more sinister. The mansion that he now lived in with only a handful of staff was right on the sea edge. The rocks below helped to protect the home against the large waves that crashed upon the cliff. The maid huffed under her breath as she grabbed the tray from her master's desk. Edmond decided to let the noise go. There was something in the air. Edmond could not put his finger on it, but something was coming. He could not tell if it was good or bad, just a major change in the winds that carried with it a promise of change. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tresa slowly woke. Her eyes burned from the salt of the ocean. Her lungs burned as well. She could feel her body in the water. It was being pushed by the waves. Suddenly, Tresa could feel her hand glide along the rough texture of sand. She opened her hand to grab at anything that wasn't the ocean waves. Tresa's hand came back up with a hand full of sand. She quickly turned her body over, and on the next waves, her knees and hands connected with the sand of the beach that she had drifted onto. She had no idea how long she had been floating out in the ocean. Her face was sore and tight from being abused by the elements. Her body was even more sunken in on itself as her body had pruned from being in the water for so long. Tresa attempted to stand on the sand after she had crawled on her hands and knees to get out of the water. It took four attempts to finally be able to stand on her own. She looked around quickly to take in her surroundings. She hoped that there was some town or small cottage nearby. She had no way of knowing where it was that she had washed up. She willed her legs to finally move along the beach. She walked past the sand to the green grass above. She noticed a large mansion that was perched on top of a cliff that overlooked the sea. It was some distance away. Tresa's entire body screamed at her as she squared her shoulders and made up her mind to head towards the mansion. If the people who lived there were not willing to help her, maybe they could point her in the right direction of someone who would. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Please, Miss. Miss?!" Edmond heard Gregory at the front door. He sounded agitated and then worried. Edmond finished his descent down the wrapping staircase that led into the foyer. Edmond was surprised to find Gregory holding the small body of a woman. She seemed to be unconscious of the way that she was flung over Gregory's arms. "I am very sorry, sir. She was knocking at the door. As I attempted to instruct her to the nearest town, she collapsed." Gregory looked to be struggling under the weight of the small girl. Edmond made a noise under his breath. How could he not lift the small body? Edmond walked over to his butler as he held the woman in his arms. Edmond made a grab for her. Gregory pulled away with what little strength he had. "No, sir. I can manage. I will take her to the maid’s quarters in the rear of the house." Gregory attempted once more to pull her away from Edmond's grasp. Edmond became irritated at Gregory for pulling the woman away from him. He was not so much a monster to do something to an unconscious female. "Give her to me, Gregory. You are going to hurt both of you by struggling in such a manner." Gregory reluctantly gave the small woman to Edmond, who picked her up in his arms with ease. The woman's head fell back against the crook of his shoulder and his chest. It was the first time that he caught a glimpse of her face. Edmond stood frozen in time. She was stunning. Even with her cheeks slightly sunken in. Her hair was also on the thin side, but neither took away from her natural beauty. Edmond heard a throat being cleared and remembered Gregory standing nearby. "I will take her up to one of the guest chambers. Have Susan and Rose find me. They will need to help clear out the room and build up a fire. Her body is as cold as the sea outside." Gregory nodded and rushed to do his lord’s bidding. Edmond was left standing alone in the foyer with an angel asleep in his arms. He once caught himself being drawn to her features. She was a small thing, that was certain. Edmond could feel her ribs against his hand. What had happened to this woman that would cause her to be so small and frail? The idea that someone would harm this beautiful woman made Edmond's blood begin to boil. His anger was always quick to spike the closer the full moon got. Edmond took steady breaths and looked down once more. He needed to get a grip on his emotions. Edmond slightly shook his head and turned around to begin his task of taking the young woman to one of the guest rooms. The room would need to be cleaned out as Edmond did not have any guests. Ever.