Beauty and His Beast [MxM] (UNEDITED)

Ares POV

It was now or never..

This was the longest time he had ever gone since I was here, making me believe that fate was finally on my aide after all the fucked up shit that had happened.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, clenching and unclenching my fists as I looked down the eerie dark corridor beyond the door I has just opened. The very door he had used these past few months and the fact that he hadn't mentioned it nor did his sister led me to believe that no one knew of the door's existence.

I lit one of the torches I had found packed neatly against one of the walls and held it up, causing a light to spread throughout the dark passage. I let out one last sigh , praying to whoever was listening to me that this was not yet another mistake and walked into the hallway, closing the door behind me.

I tried to make as little noise as I possible could as I walked through the hallway, paying close attention to everything around me, not that there was even much happening around me, which was starting to deeply worry me.

I stopped walking after what felt like hours and leaned against the wall, inhaling and exhaling as I looked further down the hallway, seeing nothing but darkness causing me to internally panic as I began to wonder where this tunnel led to and how long it really was. Whether it was a trap or whether there really was a way out of this hellhole.

I held the torch above my head and closed my eyes, trying to listen for any sound at all that would indicate that I was going the right way, when I snapped my eyes wide open at the feeling of something cool against my skin. I widened my eyes further and looked down at the torch in my hand that blew slightly towards my direction.

I gasped further when I felt a cool breeze blow against my face, my hair falling across my forehead. I followed the direction I felt the breeze coming from, a slight smile creeping its way across my face as I rounded what seemed like a corner , the breeze seeming to get stronger as I came face to face with what would soon be the source of my freedom.

A crack within the wall, a few of the palace bricks gathered on the ground. I narrowed my eyes at the manner in which the bricks were stacked up against the wall as well as the way they had been removed, all indicting that it had been done intentionally with the sole purpose of entering and leaving the palace undetected. I walked closer to the crack noticing the size of it, which was big enough to fit an entire person through.

I looked through it, seeing the night sky and wasted not a single moment longer as I wedged one of my legs through the open space followed by another before eventually getting my entire body through which proved to be easier than I had initially imagined given my lean frame and all the weight I had lost since I had been here.

I could not even begin to word out the feelings that rushed through me as my bare feet touched the moist grass beneath them. The smell of clean, fresh air filling and invading my nostrils as I inhaled deeply. The sounds of various creatures of the night and nature itself all surrounding me, connecting with me, tripling the only feeling I could identify in that moment..

Freedom..

I smiled widely and looked up at the night sky, numerous beautiful stars all scattered across it adorning it like tiny lamps. I felt my heart beating rapidly against my rib cage as I looked around me, seeing nature for the first time in what felt like a really long time.

I didn't know how long it would take for the Hybrid to notice that I was gone and wasted no time as I sprinted towards the nearby forest, paying no mind to my aching feet as thorns pierced my flesh and ran like my life depended on it which couldn't be further from the truth as I knew there was no way I was going to get out of this alive if I were to be found.

I ran through the forest until my chest felt like it was going to burst. I stopped and leaned against the trunk of a tree, breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath. I lifted my foot and gritted my teeth at the blood beneath my foot, dead leaves and soil sticking to it. I rested the back of my head against the tree and let out a sigh before I snapped my head towards my left, my eyes widening as I heard something which sounded like a twig snapping and walked backwards while I looked ahead and tripped.

I looked down at the thick root beneath me, the source of my tripping, that I had failed to notice earlier and winced as thorns pierced my palms, a burning sensation quickly following. Panic filled my chest as I looked ahead through the dark forest..

Please no, please.

I gasped as I felt the thick root beneath me move, bending and twisting, wrapping itself around my waist and legs, lifting me up towards the higher branches. I gripped onto it as I felt my body lift up until I was settled among the branches at the very top of the tree.

"Apologies my King." Said a voice to my right causing me to narrow my eyes in confusion for a split second before I widened then in realization that the voice was coming from the tree.

"Who are you?" I asked in reply and gripped onto the branch for safety from falling down.

"I go by no name my King. You may call me as you wish." It replied.

"Do you know where I am?" I asked as I leaned against the branch trying my best not to fall off.

"The realm itself is unknown Your Majesty." It replied causing me to narrow my eyes in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"This very realm was cloaked a few years ago by a witch brought here by the Orc King, along with everything else you see here Your Majesty." He said causing me to widen my eyes at what he had just told me.

"Are you saying that no one knows of this place? That it's not even on the maps?" I asked as I felt that familiar feeling of panic arise within me once more.

"Precisely My King, we were all enslaved within the barrier against our will." He said and although he was just a tree, I could hear every trace of sorrow in his voice.

That explains why no one came to get me yet. They didn't even know this place existed!

"Do you know how to get back to my Kingdom?" I asked as I looked ahead into the dark forest.

"Time moves differently within this realm, affecting the flow of the stars, but if you follow the North Star, it should lead you right to your Kingdom lands Your Majesty." The tree replied to which I nodded.

"I cannot thank you enough and I promise that I will see to it that you do not remain here." I answered as he lowered me down gently until my bare feet touched the ground beneath me.

I looked up once more at the huge tree in front of me and placed my hand in the trunk, feeling the vibration of life flowing through it. Something only my kind was blessed with.

"I wish you safety on your journey My King." It said to which I nodded.

"As do I"

I turned and looked up at the sky, finding the North Star within seconds, and like the tree had instructed, I began walking through the forest using it as my guide.

I walked through the forest for a few minutes longer until I heard something which made me widen my eyes and my heart beat so rapidly, it was as though it was going to rip through my chest. Without looking back, I broke out into a sprint not even caring whether I ripped my feet with the amount of thorns I was tramping on, running ahead and not even looking behind for a split second, because I knew the moment I did that..

I would most definitely end up as a corpse.