Chapter 3 - Rooms of Amusement

The next couple of days the poor youth sat in his room, fidgeting from the bed to the plush chair that sat next to the window. All his meals were brought to his room personally by the Beast though they never said a word to each other and Jack always turned his head away when Chase looked at him. He didn’t care if it angered the Beast, which it did, but he was too hurt and angered to look in the face of his holder.

Too soon boredom caught hold of Jack and he could no longer stand being in his room for hours on end. Quickly stepping in and out of the joined bathroom he cautiously opened his bedroom door for any signs of the dragon-like creature. Seeing none he made his way out into the lit hallway.

Venturing through the many hallways of the castle, he came to many amazing discoveries. Jack had begun to open random doors when walking in the hallways grew uneventful and since the Beast had shown many of the same hallways. Opening one door he stepped into a somewhat large room filled from top to bottom with mirrors. Jack had thought it odd to have a room of mirrors but shrugged it off and went about looking at himself in different shapes and angles that the mirrors provided. He laughed when one mirror showed him stretched out and shortened, and then another that showed him zigzagged.

Looking closely at himself in one short mirror that was suspended in midair. “What a beautiful creature.” Chase’s words echoed through his head. He blushed and then scoffed at himself, waving off his image and walking back through the maze of mirrors.

The next few rooms were as amazing as the mirror and he searched through those rooms as well until one particular room caught more of his attention. The room was dimly lit and the curtains were drawn in front of the windows. Not liking the darkness of it all, Jack, one by one, opened each curtain and let in a burst of light. The room, now lit with light, was also covered from top to bottom but with pictures.

Each one was of a different couple or person, looking as royal and noble as the next. A beautiful woman dressed in elegant
attire to a gruff looking male standing with a stern look on his face graced Jack with their pictured presence. Jack was in awe that he never noticed when he reached the back of the room. Turning he came face to face with a handsome young male with long black hair and the brightest golden eyes he had ever seen. Jack was taken aback and stumbled away from the male when he noticed that it was just a picture set in a gold colored frame as were the others.

Jack slowly walked back when his heart settled down and again looked at the painting. The man had strong features with high cheekbones and a perfectly shaped nose. His skin was tanned and his body was in good shape from what Jack could see through the man’s tight clothes. Jack was truly taken by the man in the picture and for reasons unknown the eyes reminded him of the Beast.

The next room he came to was truly the most delightful of them all. Musical instruments of all kinds surrounded Jack. He went around the room blowing through horns and listening to the different sounds that came from them. Clanging, pounds, and high notes wafted through the air until it all came to a silence when Jack’s attention was brought to a sleek black piano. Sitting on the stool in front of the keys he pressed each one gently.

The sounds were soft and filled Jack with delight to hear them, glad that the piano was in very good shape. Placing both hands above the keys, his fingers glided across them in harmony and filled the air with a joyful and happy song.

“I see you’ve found my music room.” A voice said behind them. Jack jumped and quickly turned to face the Beast. “I’m sorry!” He said quickly. “I just thought that since I was to stay here…I’ll leave if you-““No, please, do stay.” Chase said. He moved around the stool and sat down next to Jack, who fidgeted away to the edge of the seat and looked down at the floor.

“I always used to play, I still do every now and then it just grew tiring when I had no one to share the music with.” Chase explained. His clawed hands glided over the keys just as Jack’s had and a song of a more depressing tone flowed around Jack while he slowly inched himself closer to the lonely creature.

“You play beautifully.” Jack commented when the song was over. Chase looked over to the man next to him and stared at him thoughtfully. Jack began to fidget under the gaze and returned his attention to the piano. Noticing the youth’s nervousness Chase spoke up, “You also play beautifully.” Jack smiled in glee and a shade of pink appeared on his cheeks. “I would be very grateful,” Chase continued, “If you would join me for a duet.” “I would very much appreciate that…Chase” Jack replied, using the creature’s name to prove so.

Chase once again replaced his fingers over the high section of the piano while Jack followed with his fingers over the low section.

“I’ll lead…if that’s all right with you.”

“Quite”

The melody began on a high note and continued this way until Jack began to play his lower notes. Mixed together, the sounds played a sweet, yet depressing song all throughout the castle and the grounds outside, the trees seeming to come to life as they swayed in what seemed to be perfect rhythm while the birds flew into the air and around the dancing trees, doing a tribal dance of their own.

Jack laughed aloud when he hit a wrong note and the song was completely thrown off. Chase stared at the laughing male beside him while he only chuckled in his deep voice. “I am truly sorry for ruining the rest of the song.” Jack apologized when he had stopped laughing and sheepishly looked at the piano. “Not at all. I dare say that that is the most fun I have had playing a piano.” Chase said, standing up from the stool and heading towards the door. “I will see you at dinner then.” He stated rather than questioned. “Yes…”Jack replied, still looking at the piano. With that answer, Chase left the room and Jack was once again left alone and wishing that the Beast had not gone.


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The one true place that Jack liked the most was the beautiful garden around the back of the castle. Though most of it was enclosed by the dome like ceiling, Jack still enjoyed stepping through vines of flowers to come to a whole new place, or that was
what he had told Chase when he had joined him from one such adventure through the forest of flowers.

Of course, having searched through the garden Jack had come across a door hidden by vines. He placed his hand on the knob and turned it with ease. Jack jumped to the side when a bird of blue and green feathers zoomed past him and again when another, this one with deep red feathers, landed on his shoulder. He laughed and lifted his hand for the bird to move onto when other birds began to gather onto his arms and head or fly around him. Smiling he moved to sit on an overturned bucket in the corner of the aviary.

The birds created quite a show with their many different colored feathers and the way they flew through the air. After some time, Jack’s stomach gave a rumble, a sign to say that it was dinner time, but looking into the air he felt that he didn’t want to leave. “How I wish this were closer to my room, I would very much like to hear all of you sing often.” He sighed.

Standing up from his spot he walked back over to the door only to open it to his bedroom. Jack was amazed and his face glowed with pure child-like delight. Looking back he smiled at the two birds that had still not left his shoulder. “Would you like to join me for dinner?” He asked them, and then laughed when they chirped at him.

Chase had been quite confused when he had come into the dining hall to find Jack seated in his usual spot, the right chair next to the Beast’s chair, but with two birds on each of his shoulders. He recognized them to be from his aviary but had never thought of seeing them at his dinner table. “What is this?” He asked Jack.

“I…I thought that we could use some guests so I invited the two birds that followed me.”

“I see…” Chase was still very much confused but let Jack have his fun chatting with the small crimson bird and didn’t say a thing when the much larger bird landed on his own shoulder. Jack giggled when he saw Chase slip the bird a piece of his food and did so with his own bird.

“I bid you goodnight, dear Jack.” Chase said to Jack, watching the youth make his way up the stairs with the two birds on one arm.

“As I, you.” Jack called back to him, looking back before making the rest of his way to his room.


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Days passed very much the same way, Jack listening to the birds as they sang their sweet chirping songs, spending the rest of the day amusing himself, and when dinner came he would sit and talk with Chase as they ate their meals, telling him of the rooms that he had found that day that could probably be very interesting to go searching through again.

Jack grew very much accustomed to this lifestyle and enjoyed every minute of it. He sometimes wished that it would never change. To live in enjoyment as he was, he hoped that this would be very much it though life had other plans.

On a warm spring morning, for he had lived with the Beast for four months now, Jack awoke to a knocking on his door. He opened his bleary eyes, yawning, and stepped quickly to answer the door. Outside in the hallway, Chase stood straight with his arms behind his back and the seriousness of it all gave Jack a very odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Walk with me.” Chase said, holding out his arm for Jack to take. Jack almost reached out for it when he remembered that he was still in his nightwear. He excused himself and quickly ran about changing into his clothes and smoothing down his hair. Chase still stood in the hallway when Jack opened his door again and stepped out to take the Beast’s arm.

They walked in tense silence out to the sunnier part of the garden and watched as the trees swayed in the breeze and the flowers shined in their glowing brightness. “For some time now I have wondered what this feeling was deep inside chest.” Chase started, moving Jack around to face him. Jack looked up with curious and nervous red eyes, feeling Chase take his hands into his own. “And now that I look at you, I ask you the question that has been in my head and waiting for its release. Will you do me the honor of becoming mine?”

Jack stood in shock as the question sunk in. Marry this…creature? He couldn’t possibly! Though he had enjoyed the Beast’s company he just couldn’t possibly see himself being with him. The Beast grew impatient as the silence grew and squeezed Jack’s hands to bring an answer out of him. Jack blinked and looked away, “I’m sorry, Chase, but… I must decline your request.” He felt his hands slip away to fall in front of him and he chanced a look up at Chase.

Chase stood there but he was no longer looking at Jack and more like glaring angrily at the grass beneath their feet. “Chase, I-“Jack began but Chase would no longer listen to his rejection and stepped away quickly, disappearing through a wall of vines.

“Chase…” Jack’s heart clenched tightly from guilt and he felt a tear as it ran down his pale cheek.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Jack Spicer or Chase Young...though I wish I did...

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