(Beauty and the Beast AU. Varys x reader. The original story was written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.)

Varys considered himself a man of intelligence. He was always one step ahead of most people (Tyrion excluded). So how had he ended up banished to an almost forgotten little village on the outskirts of a looming and foreboding castle that no one else seemed to notice or rather didn't want to talk about? It made no sense to him, but that little village would end up changing his life in ways in never would have expected.

Curiosity was one of Varys' more troublesome traits. He was always curious about what people would say or do in certain situations. So, when no one could tell him anything about the castle or its inhabitants, Varys took it upon himself to find out. Before he'd had a network of spies to do that for him. In this new place, he was on his own. With that in mind, he set out toward the castle on the other side of the forest.

As he traveled deeper into the dank woods, the atmosphere shifted. The air felt stifled and heavy. The light was nearly gone despite the fact that it had been early morning when Varys set out. There was something dark in that place and Varys found himself spooked for the first time in a long time. He was half tempted to turn back, but once again, his curiosity got the better of him. He had a need to know everything about everyone wherever he went. This was no different. So he pressed on.

It felt like he'd been traveling for hours when he finally made it to the castle. The air was even denser and the sky even darker. The castle itself was also dark and looked to be falling into disrepair. Stones were cracked. Walls were covered in ivy. Snow crunched under Varys' feet which surprised him. There was no snow anywhere else along his journey or in the village. That was when he truly knew why no one wanted to talk about the castle. There was almost certainly a curse upon the place.

A low growl caught Varys' attention. He turned to see a pack of wolves circling around the gate of the castle. These wolves were hunting and Varys was not about to attempt a return to the village in the middle of a hunting pack. He was sure they wouldn't attack, but wild animals were unpredictable. That left only one option that didn't lead to him freezing to death. He had to enter the castle.

To his surprise, the door opened easily. "Hello?" he called as he entered the castle. It was cold and dark except for the light coming from one room. A fire. Varys slowly walked toward the room only to nearly trip on an old clock. He bent down to pick it up.

"Will you please put me down?!" Varys nearly dropped the antique. A talking clock?! "You need to set me down and leave. Immediately! Before the master finds you here!" Varys brows furrowed. "Honestly, can't you see he's chilled to the bone?"another voice asked, "We can't just throw him out!" Varys glanced down to see a candelabra and a teapot looking up at him.

"It seems I was correct. This place is cursed," he muttered, but the household objects heard him anyway. They all looked crestfallen. "Yes...a sorcerer cursed our master, the castle, and all of us. As well as the people of the nearby village. It will take a special person to break the curse...so far, no one has been successful and it has been ten years already."

"And how is the curse to be broken?" Varys asked. There was a small part of his brain that was calling himself stupid for talking to a candlestick. "We cannot say. The curse forbids it." Varys sighed. Damn his curiosity. "Come, let us take you to the fire to warm up and I'll fix you a nice spot of tea," the teapot offered. Varys thought about declining, but he didn't want to face the snow and wolves outside. So he reluctantly agreed.

He was hardly in his seat when he heard what sounded like another growl. "Who are you?!" Varys jumped in his seat and turned around. Whatever he had been expecting, this wasn't it. Honestly he was expecting a beast. A monster of some sort. What stood before him was a person. Albeit, this person was scarred and their face was twisted into an expression of pure rage. "You are not welcome here!"

"Master, please. This poor man has lost his way. The wolves..." Your face hardened further. "So, you decided to trespass? Come to look at the monster? Well, take a good look!" Varys didn't see what you meant, but looked at you for a long time. After a while, he spoke again, "I was simply looking for a place to wait out the wolves." Once more, your expression grew fierce. Clearly the wolves were a tender subject for you. "Oh, I'll give you a place to stay. The tower."

*time skip and YOUR POV*

You found yourself sighing as you tried to read again. Your prisoner, Varys, had been in the castle for months now. Actually, he wasn't a bad person. You were simply angry. You were angry with the sorcerer who'd cursed your home, your friends, and yourself. You were angry every time you looked at the scars littering your face and arms. And you were angry with yourself. It was your fault you'd been cursed. You truly were a monster. But Varys didn't seem to see that.

After your initial anger, you let him out of the tower and offered him a room. You weren't going to let him go. You didn't want the villagers crashing down your door once he told them, as he was likely to do. He was angry at first, but you soon found yourself enjoying his company. In fact, you could say you were falling for him. But it wasn't enough. Not enough to lift the curse upon your house. He needed to love you in return. And no one could love you. That was all you thought.

Still, as time passed, you began feeling something you hadn't before. Hope. Varys didn't look at you in disgust. He didn't look at you in fear. Even in the beginning. He seemed to like spending time with you until your temper got the best of you. And after his sixth month with you, you decided that you were definitely falling for him. Because of that, you could finally explain your curse.

"The wolves out there weren't always vicious. The sorcerer made them that way. He took away my biggest vice. My vanity. My pride. He used the wolves that used to protect us. He turned my people into objects that grow less human every day that passes. My castle has fallen to ruin because I cannot break the curse myself. I gave up caring. People began avoiding the castle. Avoiding me. And after a few years, they forgot all about us. Because of my selfishness and pride, I'm disfigured and angry. I'm unlovable. A beast."

For a few moments, Varys said nothing. Then, he cleared his throat, his eyes meeting yours. "What happened to you does not make you a beast. While your temper does not help, you are changing already. Since I have been here, you've become kinder. More conscious of your actions and words. I am happy to say I can call you a friend...one of the few I have. And I will help you break the curse. If I can. I hope I can."

You gave him a smile. For the first time since your curse began, you felt that your heart was full. You took a chance and reached over to set your hand on his. "I hope so, too." Your eyes met his and the feeling in your chest bloomed into something you'd never felt before. You only hoped that one day, Varys would come to love you the way you were beginning to love him.