I love this, so many stories just stop with "and they lived happily ever after". I like that you are touching on how such life-changing events really leave an impact on a person, even if they are suddenly free and have what they always wanted. One can be glad the wall they were banging their head against is gone and still be a bit lost as to what to do without the wall there.
I hate to see Argus sad, but I am so happy you didn't sweep his negative emotions under the rug. Anyone in his situation would be dealing with a wide range of emotions and reactions. He has Beauty by his side, but her presence won't get rid of the hard things he's dealing with; she can help, but she's not a complete and instantaneous cure, and it's so important that you show that.
One of my initial thoughts was that I hope Argus would resist the typical fallout of escaping narcisstic abuse by refusing Beauty and focusing solely on finding himself. Oftentimes this can lead people to becoming cruel and even more lost.
God, I'm so glad we are still acknowledging the depression and trauma Argus still has instead of doing the whole "Tada! He's better 100% because he found love and the curse is gone! Happy Happy Time!" (like some other BATB and other romance stories imply). Also seeing how Beauty continues to support him while he confronts his own internal conflicts and understanding that he won't just magically be better is so :,,,,,) What a couple.
Classy artist gets a classy audience.
Its a facinating story that puts borders on it own magic and limits on its happy ending. Its even better when the tale's ending holds up a mirror to our own lives, and we nod our heads in agreement. I like replace "Happily ever after" with "I take you to be my mate. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life."
I appreciate that this page acknowledges the fact that even with a healthier mindset and a lot of love and support in his life, Argus is still going to have depressive episodes, and that the trauma that he went through will have a lasting effect on him. Again--and I've said this before--it's a much more realistic take on how mental illness works, versus what happens in a lot of other fantasy stories, with love being the "cure" for mental illness and trauma. I also appreciate that this story doesn't expect Beauty to "fix" him, either--instead, we see her gently offering her support and him accepting it. That's lovely, relatable, and /attainable/ to people who have loved ones with depression. This they can do, unlike providing a magical cure for melancholy.
As a side note, the snow reminds me of earlier parts of the story, and the hand-holding is very sweet! <3
