Orren awaited the arrival of his new housekeeper. She was to appear today. He wondered if she would be afraid of him like the others. The only one to stay with him through all of this ordeal had been his best friend and he had taken up the buffering between the Prince and the public. He knew what they said about him and it enraged him at first but then he would pass a mirror and his heart would sink. His own family had left him how could he expect some unsuspecting girl to look past the horrid appearance he had been cursed with, to the soul inside. 

That thought made him snicker derisively. The icy cold soul that got him into this entire thing? Who would want to see that? It was precisely why he was now a huge hulking monstrosity that made women scream and run and men quiver in fear of him. Hearing footsteps approach he turned to find James bringing in his lunch. It was an incredible amount of food for one but his size demanded it. 

[color=f7941d]"So Orren, today please try not to scare this girl on the first day, ok? You are running out of days til your birthday and you need a year and her heart."[/color]

Impatient and irritated Orren grabbed the drink off of the table and guzzled it and then slammed it down. [color=00aeef]"Do you really think I don't know!"[/color] He paced to the window and glanced out and saw a rider coming up to the gate. His eyes took this in and his heart did a flip flop and his stomach began to churn anxiously. [color=00aeef]"Is everything in place? I think that must be her."[/color]

James smiled and said, [color=f7941d]"Yes it probably is her and yes everything is perfect, except for you!"[/color] He teased his friend. [color=f7941d]"You are still as big of an ass as always my friend."[/color]

Orren smirked at him and warned him. [color=00aeef]"Don't you let her fall for you. If you do I'll be forced to rip off an arm or a leg to make you less pretty."[/color]

James laughed exuberantly as he left the room to answer the door.

[@XxLyraxX]