A Different Path

Belle climbed the stairs, carefully carrying a tray with soup. She refrained from sighing, she had done that too often in the last days.

After Gaston had fallen to his death, after she had confessed her love for the Beast, fireworks had gone off. A wave of magic racing all over the castle, the deary building had turned white and welcoming, the servants had found themselves to be human again.

The spell had been lifted from everybody and everything.

Except the Beast.

He had lain there inhuman and gravely wounded.

His body was well on the way to healing now, but a morose sadness clung to him. He didn't want to see anybody, especially not his once again human servants. They understood, it was difficult to see what he had been denied. Belle knew it was more than that, he also felt guilty for begrudging them their humanity.

The doors to his room loomed before her.

She knocked and waited a few moments. Nothing stirred, she had expected that.

Balancing the tray she opened the door and entered. Here, too, the magic had done its work, the walls were white. The damages of beastly temper had been repaired. Belle glanced at the picture of a blue eyed young man, he would look like that now, had the spell been lifted from him. A stranger in appearance.

She turned to the bed, the Beast lay unmoving under the blankets.

It couldn't continue like this, he was wasting away.

With clang she set the tray deftly on the nightstand next to the tablet with his uneaten breakfast and sat down on the edge of the bed. There was movement then. A pitiful moan, the corner of a blanket moved, pained blue eyes locked with hers for a moment, before becoming unfocused and distant. He sounded miserable.

"Why, why do you come here? You should be with the humans not a beast like me. It would have been better to let me die that day."

She interrupted him, drew the covers back from his head down to his shoulders, a soft smile on her lips. His ears laid back, he wouldn't look at her.

"Oh, Beast. All of us want you to live, to be with us again.

"I told you I love you. It might have been too late to turn you back into a handsome prince, but it wasn't the handsome prince I fell in love with. I fell in love with a kind and caring man, even so he still has to work on his temper."

She leaned against him, mindful of his still healing wound. His fur was soft against her cheek.

"I fell in love with a man who accepts me as I am. A man who didn't give me flowers and pralines, but a whole library."

Sitting up she turned his head towards her and waited till he looked at her, ears still flat, a watery sheen in his eyes.

"I love you, temper and fangs and horns included."

A little peck against one of the aforementioned horns and she snuggled back against him to play with his mane gone shaggy from neglect.

After a while his ears pricked up and he turned slightly into her ministrations.

The next day, with the sun just raising, saw the castle servants busy in the gardens. Not they hadn't take care of the gardens, but today they were extra enthusiastic. In no time at all the statuary sported an extra sheen, the walks were clear from even the slights speck of dirt. The staff tried to be inconspicuous, waiting.

Finally, the garden doors open, Lumiere came out first talking and gesturing while he walked. Behind him their master appeared, Belle at his side, Cogsworth trailing them. Slowly they made their way to the breakfast table that had been set up. Kitchen outdoing themselves, the table laden with delicacies for all tastes.

It was the first day of spring, new life was blossoming all around.

End


Thanks to voksen from the Yuletide chat for giving it a once over.