Hideous: A Twisted Tale

Triselle has survived a winter of devastating snows. Spring has come,
and with it, unending rain. The land is dying, along with any hope for
happiness. Drawn to her lord’s castle, Triselle leaves her father’s farm
and finds herself in a magical world under a curse.

Lord Vanir suffers as a man transformed into a hideous beast. The
appearance of lovely Triselle threatens to send him deeper into his
living hell. Her adventurous spirit and accepting heart surprise him,
however. Somehow, she sees through his ugly countenance to the noble,
generous man hidden within.



Can they find love despite adversity? Or will the curse condemn them both?  

EXCERPT

Story Excerpt



What noise disturbed his slumber? The portcullis lifted!



Vanir heaved himself from bed, and trudged to his window. The portcullis
had not moved since January. Had his curse been lifted? Running a hand
over the rough chest he would never accept as his own, he issued a
disappointed growl. If the curse remained, then who…what…entered his
castle?



Sheets of rain hindered his visibility. Soon, the drops waned, and he
discerned a figure moving through the outer bailey. A female figure. His
salvation? Perhaps another means of increasing his torment.



Sighing, he wrapped a fur about his shoulders as she passed from the
outer bailey to the inner. She seemed to have no purpose as she
meandered along Trade Row. Who was she? Had she come here for a reason
or had she simply stumbled upon his nightmare?



Plaited hair hung past her hips, and her clothing seemed plain. She
stepped to his inner bailey and her gaze followed the stone walls of his
donjon. Her upturned face revealed large eyes and truly fair features.



His stomach dropped. She had come to increase his despair.



Clamping his jaw until his teeth ached, he planted fists upon the
window’s stone embrasure. A companion for the first time in six months.
Why did she have to be a beauty? A lovely maiden would shun his hideous
countenance. Scream from one look at him. Despise his presence within
his own walls.



From the gateway, metal against metal rang out, echoing within the solid
walls of his baileys. Already she ran for the exit. Not a good sign.