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"Blindfolded?" I echo.
Leta nods. "You will be tempted to look at the wonders he will reveal to you. You will want to see the castle. You will want to see his face. You will want to see the true nature of the beast." She sets her cup down and folds her hands in her lap, her expression grave. "But you cannot. No matter what he asks of you, you must not look upon him."
I swallow hard. I feel a crashing sense of disappointment. Even after all this, I'll never get to look at his face? I won't get to see what he looks like? "How do I remove the curse?"
"After three nights, if you do not look upon him, the curse will be broken."
"It's that simple? Truly?"
Leta chuckles at my question. "Ah, my dear, sweet Willow. It is that simple, and that hard."
2
WILLOW
The days pass in a rush of activity. I help my parents around the farm, doing what I can before the harvest festival. I won't be here to help them....afterward. Either I will lift the curse like Leta said, or I will end up another disappeared girl, never to be heard from again.
I think about what Leta told me, over and over again. At night, when I'm supposed to be relaxing with a book or my knitting, I sew blindfolds. Not just any blindfold, but ones with extra layers of fabric, so I do not catch a glimpse of the beast. Blindfolds with extra ties so they do not slide off. Blindfolds fitted just for me. Blindfolds for daytime, and blindfolds comfortable enough to sleep in.
My parents don't notice. They're too busy mourning my imminent death. I try not to let their sorrow get to me. I want to tell them that I'm going to fix the curse but...what if I don't? So I say nothing. I hug them, and tell them how much I love them, and do what I can to make their lives comfortable before I leave.
At night, my dreams are empty...until the night before the harvest festival.
That night, I dream of the beast again.
I'm walking in the forest, just like in the last dream. The wind is brisk with a hint of a chill, and the leaves crunch under my feet. I still can't see anything. I'm blindfolded, just like Leta said I should be. But even though my vision's gone, I can still sense someone nearby. Someone...waiting.
"I know you're there," I say softly.
"Why are you here?" He calls out. "Why are you on my path? In my forest?"
"I'm here to marry you," I tell him. "Here to break the curse."
He laughs, and the sound is deep, husky, and almost inhuman. I hear footsteps as he approaches, and then a large body presses up against my back. A clawed hand curls around my neck. He doesn't tighten, just lets it linger there. "What do you want?"
"To break the curse." Why am I aroused by his menacing touch? Why is my skin prickling with awareness at his nearness? Why is my pulse racing because I can feel the warmth of his body against mine?
"Is that what you truly want?" Something brushes against my ear. Lips? "Or is it something more?"
And I gasp because he's right...I do want something more. Something more than just lifting the curse. Something more than just freeing him. I want...more of everything. I want his hand - claws and all - to do more than just caress my neck. I want more touches.
I want to know what his mouth would feel like against mine.
More than anything, I want to see his face.
I pull off my blindfold, desperate. I turn, because I want to see his face. But the world goes black around me and I still can't see him. I can't see anything.
"You lied," he whispers, fading away into the darkness. "You didn't want to free me after all."
I wake up in a cold sweat.
The gathering for the harvest festival feels like a waste of time. I dress in my nicest frock, plait my hair, pack my small bag, and hug my parents goodbye. At the edge of the forest, where the Harvest Stone awaits, the maypole has been set up with the ribbons in bright fall colors, as if this is something to celebrate. The other girls weep and cry as they take their places by the pole. I want to reassure them that they won't be picked, but I might be wrong.
Maybe I'm wrong about all of this. Maybe my dreams are just that - dreams.
But as I pick up my ribbon and take my place amongst the others, I see Leta watching in the distance. She wears a small smile on her face and nods at me. And I know in that moment I didn't imagine things. Round and round we go, walking around the pole as if in a dream. I watch as one by one, the other girls fall away until only a handful of us still hold on to our ribbons. I can see the looks of horror in the audience as they realize it will be decided soon.
Then we are down to three, and the end of my ribbon still remains tied to the pole.
Another ribbon falls away. Two.
The other girl looks at me, fright on her face. Her eyes are red and she stumbles as she continues to go around in the circle. I'm calm, though. So calm. I already know how this will turn out.
I look up to the top of the pole. As if in slow motion, her ribbon falls away from the top of the pole, leaving mine the only one still tied.
I'm the bride. I'm the sacrifice for this year's harvest festival.
Somewhere in the distance, I can hear my mother wailing. I can hear the unhappy murmur of the crowd. The minister of the kingdom comes forward to shake my hand. "You are doing a good thing this day," he tells me.
I nod absently. I'm not thinking about him. I'm thinking about my bag full of blindfolds. I can't forget it. Not if I'm going to lift this curse. Not if I'm going to save the beast.
Is that what you truly want? His voice from my dream echoes in my ear, and I shiver.
I turn, and Leta's there with my bag. Her eyes are full of meaning, as if reminding me of our conversation. "This is your destiny," she whispers as she hands it to me.
I won't forget. I nod at her, hitch my small bag over my shoulder, and turn toward the forest.
"You do this for all of us," the minister says, but I'm not listening. I'm already gazing at the thick expanse of trees along the path, the shadows amidst the greenery.
Somewhere in there is my beast, and maybe in saving him, I can save myself. We can save each other.
It grows quiet as I walk away from the Harvest Stone, the maypole, and all the people gathered there. The forest is thicker than I thought it would be, and by the time I'm out of sight of the village, it's unnervingly silent. The path under my feet is cobbled but heavily overgrown, and autumn leaves scatter past on the breeze. I glance around, but I don't see anything or anyone.
I must remember what Leta said. I stop and open my bag, touched to see that someone's included a loaf of traveling bread and a small skin of water for me. I pull out the first blindfold and tie it tight around my head. I've even made little pockets for my ears, so I can rest the heavy fabric there without worrying it will slide too far down and reveal things. Once it's secure, I grab my bag again and tilt my head, trying to see what's changed.
I wonder if any of this is going to be like my dream.
It's still awfully quiet, though. In my dream, the birds sang and the leaves rustled, and this just feels...unnervingly calm. Nothing like my dream. "Is anyone there?"
"It's me," Leta says, off to one side.
I turn, surprised to hear the wise woman's voice. "Leta? What are you doing here?"
"I came to give you one last bit of guidance, Willow." She touches my arm. "You are being very brave. I know you can do this. Just trust in yourself and what I have told you."
"I won't forget," I tell her. "And I won't look at anything, I swear."
"I have one more piece of advice to warn you about," she says, gripping my hand and squeezing it tightly. "As I have said, if he is fond of you, the beast will try to persuade you to remove your blindfold off. You must not do it, but there is also one more thing." She pauses. "You must not let him come inside you."
"Wh-what?" I can feel myself blushing. "I'm a virgin, Leta!"
"Not for long, my dear," she says in a blunt voice. "I have seen many things in my dreams and explored many possible outcomes. I have see
n several different futures and what could happen. And that is why I must warn you of this - if you have sex with the beast, do not let him come inside you. Not until the curse is lifted."
"It'll make the curse continue?" I whisper.
"Er, no. Nothing as dire as that. Just trust me." She pats my hand. I'm not trying to scare you, Willow. Just giving you advice."
I want to ask her how she knows I'll sleep with the beast. He's a monster, after all. But then I think of my dreams, and the erotic undertone of them. I shiver a little, because in my dreams, I want to make love to the beast badly. But I also want to see his face. I don't know what to think. It's not like me to fling myself at a man - especially a cursed one. Maybe this warning's for nothing. "Thank you, Leta."
