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As predicted, it took them several hours to make their way through the rough country between the carnival camp and the palace. When they caught their first glimpse of it in the first rays of sun light, Ingrid thought that it seemed a rather frightening place. Coming closer to the overgrown gate did little to ease her fears. She was beginning to doubt the sanity of following Beast in until he opened the gate and she could see inside.

 

The interior of the grounds belied the frightful exterior. In fact, she was rather enchanted by what she saw. While the outside seemed to be even wilder than the forest they had just left, the inside looked as though it had been painstakingly and lovingly maintained.

 

Hidden by the wall, there were flowers blooming everywhere. More flowers than Ingrid had ever seen in one place. There were at least a half dozen varieties of roses, lilies, violets, pansies, and some flowers that Ingrid couldn’t even identify. Here, the bushes and trees were trimmed and pruned to give them a more tame appearance instead of the unruly look of the wild ones growing along the wall.

 

Ingrid explored around for a while, Beast keeping her in sight but giving her her space. “Oh, this place is so wonderful! I’ve never dreamed of even setting foot in a place this amazing, let alone living there.”

 

Beast smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Would you like to see the inside?” Ingrid followed Beast up the steps of the palace to the front door. With a strong tug, the door swung open, and Ingrid gave a gasp. The ceiling stretched high above her, and in front of her, there was a giant staircase leading up to the second floor, which wrapped around them about 10 feet up in a grand balcony.

 

Stepping to the middle of the hall, Ingrid spread her arms wide and turned around a couple of times. When she stopped, she faced Beast with a smile. “Am I dreaming? Is this really where you live?”

 

Beast smiled at her enthusiasm. “Yes, for the last several years it has been. It took me my entire first summer here to get the gardens fixed up. They were in a terrible state. I spent that winter cleaning up the palace as well. Speaking of which, since this will be your home for as long as you like, you are free to go anywhere that you like, accept the northern wing on the second floor. Those are my rooms and I enjoy my privacy.”

 

Ingrid thought that this seemed a little strange, but she let it pass. She had far more interesting things on her mind. After asking permission, she explored the castle. She snuck around quietly, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. As far as she knew, she and Beast where the only ones here, there was no one to disturb. But Ingrid couldn’t help but feel completely out of place. When you’ve lived most of your life in a tent, it takes time to get used to a palace.

 

The outside of the palace was smooth grey stone, stained with age. The inside mostly the same color, with marble staircases and banisters and faded tapestries hanging on the walls that looked as though they had once been vibrant and bold. There were dozens of rooms, including several bedrooms, four bathrooms that had been the height of luxury in their day, a library and a drawing room.

 

The kitchen was a bit on the small side for such a large place, but the dining room was extravagant like nothing Ingrid had ever imagined. Solid hard wood paneling with ornate carvings covered all the walls and in the center of the room was a table that was twice as large as the big wagons the carnival had used to haul everything from town to town.

 

It was several weeks before Ingrid began to feel that this place was actually her home, but she soon took to life here, though she acted more like the head maid than the lady of the manor. While Beast was usually kind to her when they were together, he usually kept to himself. Ingrid kept herself busy by taking care of the gardens and the castle, making sure that everything was neat and tidy. When she was finished, she would sometimes spend her evenings reading. She couldn’t read very well, but she pushed herself to learn more and was quite glad she did. She tried to get Beast to join her, but it was never any use. He would sometimes sit and watch her, or sit quietly staring off into space, but she never once even saw him touch a book, much less ever try to read one.

 

By the spring, Ingrid and Beast had learned to live together in almost total peace and harmony. They stayed out of each others‘ way for the most part, spending some evenings together, sometimes traveling to town together. But mostly they were alone. It was far better than being stuck in the carnival with all the jeering people filing past her day after day, but it wasn’t quite perfect.