(This fanfic is based on Beauty and the Beast. It starts off from when she's just rescued her father, however in this tale she doesn't have the mirror and can't prove that the beast is real to save her father. Enjoy!)
The ominous knock at the door made Belle turn her head and cease her explanation to Chip. She stood up off of her father's bed and wandered over to the door.
"Can I help you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at the eerie-looking man standing on the doorstep to her home.
"Yes," Monsieur D'Arque replied, leering at her. "I'm here to collect your father."
Belle watched as the man stood aside and revealed the carriage behind him; the carriage for carting insane people off to the local mental asylum.
"My father?" Belle repeated, confused and angry.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him." The man replied in a patronising manner, holding his arm out and gesturing at the Asylum D'Loons wagon behind him once more.
"My father's not crazy!" Belle cried out, looking around at the villagers surrounding her home. There weren't many. Mostly men, there were probably only two dozen people there, possibly three. That was quite a significant amount of people from the village though and Belle recognised most of them as being the drinkers at the local pub which was Gaston's haunt.
Lefou stepped forward, carrying a flame.
"He was raving like a lunatic. We all heard him, didn't we?" He said to Belle as the villagers around him cheered in agreement.
"No, I won't let you!" Belle exclaimed just as her father appeared behind her in the doorway.
"Belle?" concern was written all over his aged features.
Lefou sneered at the man from his spot in the circle of bystanders. He took the chance to poke fun and support Gaston's plan.
"Ah Maurice. Tell us again, old man, just how big was the beast?" Lefou asked, grinning.
Maurice stepped out of his home and faced the crowd.
"Well he was…that is…enormous! I'd say eight, no wait more like ten feet." Maurice replied honestly, holding his arm above his head to gesture that the beast was of great height.
The crowd laughed at him, pointing their hands at him and sniggering at his insanity. They all thought he was a mad, crazy old loon, albeit a harmless one at that.
"Well you don't get much crazier than that?" Lefou replied, turning to the crowd.
"It's true, I tell you!" Maurice exclaimed, his eyes wide at the disbelief people were showing him.
Monsieur D'Arque gestured to his men and two orderlies jumped off the wagon and took Maurice by his arms, leading him towards the wagon.
"Take him away." Lefou ordered, waving his arm.
"Let go of me!!" Maurice cried out, struggling to get free.
Belle watched in horror as her father was being taken away from her once again.
Down below, hidden from view, Gaston stood watching the events going just as he planned. He came out and stood close to Monsieur D'Arque as Belle came down and grabbed the man who ran the asylum.
"No, you can't do this." She pleaded, placing her hand on his arm. The man sneered at her and shrugged off her hand, giving a sideways glance to Gaston as he walked over to the wagon.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Gaston tutted. "Poor Belle," he looked at her and saw he had her attention. "It's a shame about your father." He tried to look saddened by what was happening, not wanting her to know he'd planned it all to happen so she'd consent to being his.
"You know he's not crazy, Gaston." Belle said, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
Gaston nodded and placed his arm around Belle's shoulders as he lightly scratched his cheek.
"I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding," he said, "if…"
"If what?" Belle asked, raising her eyebrow as she looked up into his blue eyes, so like the Beasts, but with a coldness and lust burning within them.
"If you marry me." Gaston brought his face down close to Belle's own.
"Never!" She hissed, pushing him away.
"Have it your way." Gaston turned and walked slowly away, expecting her to grab him and change her mind.
"Belle!" her father called out to her, still struggling to get away. "Let go of me!" he shouted at the men holding him.
Belle looked around frantically, wondering what on earth she could do.
"My father's not crazy!" she cried out, running over to him and trying to pull one of the orderlies off of her father.
"Then prove it." Gaston grabbed Belle by her arm and pulled her off of the orderly. He looked down at her.
Belle looked from her father to Gaston. Her tense, then Gaston watched as she relaxed before him. Her shoulders slumped and the light in her beautiful brown eyes seemed to go out. She looked like someone resigned to their fate and for a moment it saddened Gaston before he realised that is what he wanted.
"I can't." She replied, dropping to her knees and putting her head in her hands.
"I didn't think so." Gaston looked down at her, letting the sneer sound out in his voice. "She's made her decision, men. Take the old man away!" Gaston ruled and Belle looked up to see her father thrown into the back of the wagon and it start to move away.
"No!" She cried, reaching out to the wagon. Already the crowd were moving away, no doubt returning to the local pub. Unable to move, Belle stayed on the ground and saw her father being carted away to the mental asylum.
Gaston turned and looked back behind him as he and his men returned to their local haunt. He saw Belle, still on the ground, and smiled. He knew she would crack. She'd want her father back soon enough.
And she'd be willing to do anything to do it.