Restoring Dragon's Heart

Belle- Father Daughter

“W-what?” Belle gasped as she rose from the bed instantly with a jerk.

Her pupils dilated, her heart went into a sprint. Her mind roared at her, telling her to jump off and run. Instantly, she obeyed the instinct within. Her legs fired out from her bed,dropping to the well polished floor beneath. She pushed her body upwards, her muscles twitching as she determined to get away from here as soon as possible.

She would be damned if she ended up being killed by some mad man.

“Wait…” Belle paused, holding her breath.

How was it that she was back in the house? And was she sitting on the bed? A bed? Not just any bed but her own bed?

She could recognize the familiar bedding of cream and blue checked blanket, the big stuffed bear in the corner. Just at the headpost of the end. The large white reading lamp on her reading desk. Her clothing rack and the wardrobe which she had decorated with all sorts of girly things. Stickers that portrayed her idols. Ladies like Beyonce and Rihanna and the likes, all glitter and shining in the corner. Her room's blue lights were also on. It helped her to get some early rest.

She shook her head, thinking it was all but a dream. It had to be. Otherwise, this would not be it. Maybe she had hit her head so hard, she was slipping away.

“Ohmy God.” Belle panicked. ‘Am I dying?” She asked no one in particular.

And indeed, no answer did come.

Only after a few stunned seconds on the bed, did she realize that she was not in danger anymore. She was not outside in the cold. She was not being chased by some crazy handsome psycho who wanted to get a dog killed. And she was not being saved by one heck of an arrogant man with the scent of the sea on him.

She sighed now.

Where was she? Belle tried to recollect as he held her hand to her face. One look through clasped fingers reminded her she was back in her house. In her room.

But how did she get back to her room? She could remember how she had been running in the night there. Was it even night at that time? Was it all but a dream?

‘Aouhc!” A sharp pain resonated within her knee caps. It reminded her that the ordeal of the previous time was not a dream. Else how would she feel that pain again?

“If that is what happened ,then what is it? Why is it that I can't remember what exactly it is that happened?” She grimaced, holding her hand over her head.

Belle crumpled her legs together, placing her elbows on them and then using them to ruffle her blonde hair. It gave her some level of comfort that she was back in her house.

Safe.

Her mother still had that awkward behavior out there. There was a death threat to her life. And she had wished for them to die.

Or was the encounter with that man and his goons the death threat her mother talked about?

She sighed, recalling the events that led to her running out of the house.

“If I can remember what happened then, why is it that I can't recall what exactly happened when I left the house?” Belle ruffled her hair even more. “:It is like there is some huge blank in my head. And I do feel some…” She heaved out, shrugging her shoulders.

“I just need answers.” Belle said, standing up.

She was in her dress. The same blue dress she had worn before the encounter with her mom. If this was a dream of the encounter outside, then why was she in her dress? She never went to bed in her dress!

Her head hurt the more she tried to reason about it. Finally, after a while of no answers, she gave up on that, sighing desperately.

Maybe she could get some answers on that when she saw her dad. Her dad was a fanatic when it came to mythology. Usually, when things happened and one could not recall what it was, he would say the Fates of the Universe had spun that memory away.

Why, she had often asked him.

He would reply to her that the memory was no longer needed by humans. Or the fates thought it would interfere with the grand scheme of things. And now, longing for an answer, Belle could not help but decide to trust in it.

The Fates had taken that memory from her head. Even if she knew, it was laughable. Mythology was called mythology for a reason. Itw as untrue. Yet, in her search to find an answer to why she couldn't remember the events in which she had been running for her life or even the people in it, clearly.

She only remembered two men. One who saved her, even though she did not ask for it. And the other one who chased her.

Holding her head in her hands, she sat back to the bed. Looking forward, the door handle twitched and then a soft knock rapped out against the wood. Her eyes focused on it, waiting to see who it was that would come out of it.

If it was her Mother, she would just barge in after one knock. But her father? He was more understanding of personal space. He would wait.

And then, the knock came again.

‘Belle, are you in there/”

Belle sighed, walking to the door. .

‘Yes, father. Come in.” She said, opening it and standing behind it.

Mark inhaled once he got in. He smiled faintly to his daughter. With her father’s eyes placed on her, guilt began to eat into her heart. She had wished he was dead, did she not? Yet, he was here. And his eyes? It looked red.

Like he had been crying.

“What happened?” Mark took the door handle from her, gently, and shut the door. “ You seem like you have seen a ghost?” he asked her, placing one hand against the door post while he towered over her.

If she was ever going to fall in love, she would definitely go for someone as tall as her father. She was used to having this height around her. Her love life should be no different.

“Nothing. .. I think I had a bad dream.” She said, looking at the ground.

“Dreams are good.” Mark said,walking off to her bed. :It reminds us that we are still alive. I suppose I would not have the opportunity to have bad dreams if I were dead. Or even your mother, you know.” He added as he sat on he rebd, then tapped the side.

Hearing those words, the guilt stung even harsher at her heart. There was her father, subtly reminding him of what she said.

But he was right. He was right to feel this way. She did wrong her parents by wishing that. Belle sighed, leaving the door to meet her dad. Once she was right in front of him, she knelt down and held his knees.

“Papa. I am sorry. I was… I was just in the heat of things.”

“Oh, look at you.” Marl chuckled. “You really do know some yoruba culture. You know how to kneel down when talking to an elder. That's nice. But I do not blame you. You have the temper of your mother.” He added.

The two kept silent for a while. Belle looked to the ground while her Father looked past her head. He placed his right hand on her head, ruffling it even further.

“Father. I am sorry.” She mouthed off again.

“And I asked you to sit with me, Belle,. Don't be stubborn. Get up.” Mark replied, gently nudging her off the ground.

She sat beside her father, holding his left hand as she looked to him expectantly. If he was here to scold her, her heart was ready. After all, she was even really harsh to them.

“Look, I understand how you feel about everything. But I need you to know that your mother really loves you. I do, too..”

“Are you here to talk about mother or what? '' She looked aside, the topic of her mother bringing back the sour memory of the evening.

“I know how you feel. Your mother is your mother as well as she is my wife. We both know how she can be…” Mark inhaled, flicking his tongue against his teeth. “Demanding. But she is caring. Loving. She would do anything to make sure that those she loves are not in trouble.”

“Yea. '' Belle scoffed. “Except for the part where she is in trouble.’

“I know, right?” Mark patted her back.

They shared a short laugh.

“But I love her the same. Because when you love, you dont choose who you love. It just happens. And you are left with a situation where you ask yourself: how did I even get hooked in the first place?”

“Really?” Belle asked, curiosity in ehr eyes. Her ftaher’s statement remidned him of the handsome devil whow as chasing afetr her. It did make soem sense to her now. Even though she coudl barely remeber the events afterwards, but she was certain that she did feel a bit of aatrcation to him.

Sadly, he was intent on killing her. Was he?

“Tell me about how you and mum met? How did you put up with her in the name of love?” Belle asked.

“Well, let's say. I went to look for toruble. And you know, My wife is always an Alpha. When the Alpha of a pack is threatened… Unless it is a fight to the death for the pack leader, then…'' Mark paused, patting Belle once more. “I was not a wolf so it wasn’t a pack leadership fight. It was just that I feel in love with this tigress. Then the rest of her den came after me.” Mark scoffed, looking upwards.

“I was a distraction to her. They hated it. But to keep me safe, she renounced her pack. Left her home and settled down here with me. That's how far your mum can go, for the people she loves. Left all that power and affluence for me.”

Belle smiled uneasily, Mark turned to hold her eyes, his arms rocking her shoulders gently.

“Now, tell me, Belle, How can I not be hooked to a girl who left her world for me?”

She wanted to reply, even though uncertainty clouded her mind. Her father's meter of love was based on sacrifice?

Just then, the door jerked open. Belle gasped, seeing her mother stomp in, her face a mess of hair, furrowed eyebrows and bloodshot eyes.

“Enough of that nonsense. Belle, to the car.” Lisa ordered, her eyes softening as she beheld her husband. “Mark, the airport.”

Belle frowned, exchanging glances with her father. Once she looked back to Lisa, her entire bossy attitude was crumpled, her mother’s eyes a mess of tears. And her ever uptight shoulders sagged.

“Mark, we have to go. T-they’re h-here.” Lisa whimpered.