"Cogsworth, what on earth are you doing?"
Cogsworth sighed in frustration at the sound of Lumiere's voice. Of all the times to be bothering him, it just had to be right now. The head butler was leaning over the dining room table, holding a ruler in one hand and staring intensely at the gap between two plates that were set on top. His task required complete concentration, and now, thanks to Lumire, he would have to start all over again.
"I'm measuring the gap between these two plates," Cogsworth said. "Now, if you don't mind-"
"Why in the world would you do something like that?" Lumire replied, walking over to stand next to his comrade.
Cogsworth sighed. "Because, you know how the Duchess of Fromage can be! If she sees a single plate, knife, or spoon out of order, she'll-"
"Mon ami, I can assure you that the plates are fine. We have much more important things to worry about, if you know what I mean."
Cogsworth shook his head slowly, and then placed the ruler into his pocket.
"You're right, Lumiere," he said. "Perhaps I should-oh no!"
He stopped suddenly and ran into the hallway, with Lumiere close behind. In the middle of the hall he stopped, gasped dramatically, and pointed to the curtains on one of the tall, glass windows that lined the walls.
"Look!" he cried. "It's a disaster! A disaster!"
"What? What is?"
"The curtains!"
Lumiere blinked in confusion and stared, puzzled, in the direction Cogsworth was pointing.
"What about the curtains?"
"They're green!"
"Yes, I can see that."
"Don't you understand?" Cogsworth shouted at his companion as he became very red in the face. "The Duke absolutely abhors the color. The last time he was here, he said he never wanted to see that color in our castle again!"
"Calm down," Lumire said in the most reassuring tone he could muster. "I'm sure he'll forgive something as irrelevant as curtains..."
Cogsworth turned around and sighed in exasperation.
"Well, forgive me for trying to give our guests a pleasant experience," he said. "Especially considering what happened last time they were here..."
His voice trailed off, and he turned back to face Lumiere, who was frowning. The taller man put a hand on his shoulder.
"There, there, Cogsworth, that was a long time ago. So many things have changed for the better, everything will be fine."
Suddenly, a loud series of thumps sounded from the ceiling. After a few seconds they stopped, paused, and then began again.
"What is that horrible sound?" Cogsworth uttered in alarm.
"It's the master, I'm afraid," said a voice.
The two men turned to see Mrs. Potts come out of the dining room, with a grave expression on her face.
"You don't mean he's-" said Lumiere.
"Yes. Pacing."
Cogsworth groaned. Lumiere smiled a bit, and gave his friend a pat on the back.
"Why don't we go upstairs and cheer him up?" he said.
"Why?"
"Because we are his friends!" Lumiere chuckled. "And after all, what are friends for?"
Upstairs, Prince Adam was in his room, pacing in front of the tall, stone fireplace that was the main decoration. The prince was wearing a handsome purple jacket with matching trousers, but even though he looked his best, he defiantly was not feeling it. It had been nearly six months since the curse that changed him into a beast was lifted, and what a whirlwind the months had been. Adam and Belle were now married, and slowly, but surely, things were returning to the way they were before. The Prince knew he should be feeling happier, but for some odd reason, he wasn't.
Oh sure, he was happy to be human again, and that both his life and the lives of the servants could go on normally. He was delighted that Belle was now his bride, and loved him unconditionally. But underneath all the good feelings he had, something was bothering him. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it loomed over all his happy thoughts like a predator lurks in the darkness. And today it was bothering him even more than it had before.
Adam continued to pace in front of the fire. He didn't know how long he'd been doing it, but the fire was beginning to die down. Soon he would have to ring for a fresh supply of wood. The prince sighed and began to walk away from his pacing spot, when suddenly, a loud knock came from the door.
"Come in," the stressed man said.
Instantly the door opened, and Lumiere stepped into the room, followed by his two companions.
"Hello, Master!" he said happily. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine...I guess..." Prince Adam said, raising an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
"We just came to check on you, sir," said Mrs. Potts. "We thought you could use a bit of cheering up."
"Cheering up? Why, did you think I was upset or something?" Adam chuckled dryly.
"Well, we heard you pacing," Cogsworth said quietly.
The prince sighed, and walked back to the fireplace. He rested his arm on the mantle, and stared into the flickering flames, as if deep in thought.
"Alright. I admit it. I am a bit...stressed, I supposed," he said. "I can't help it. The last time the Duke and Duchess of Fromage were here, I treated them horribly. And up until now, I didn't even think twice about what I did..."
The three servants looked at each other as as they recalled their master's former disposition. Cold, uncaring, unkind, that was the man they served for many years. Truth be told, their master's transformation still felt a bit surreal to them, and even after six months they still weren't completely used to it.
Cogsworth leaned over towards Mrs. Potts.
"Mrs. Potts, do you know where Belle is? I haven't seen here for about an hour, and the guests will be arriving soon," he said.
"I think she went to speak with her father," Mrs. Potts replied. "I'll go check on her."
"Good," Cogsworth said.
Mrs. Potts excused herself to the prince, and then left the room, leaving Lumiere and Cogsworth to deal with the situation. Lumiere walked over to the prince and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Oh, come come, master," he said reassuringly. "You need to relax and unwind, with a good massage..."
He began to dig his finger's into Adam's shoulders. The prince winced in pain.
"Lumiere...ow!"
"Stop it! Stop that!" Cogsworth cried. He rushed over to the prince and physically detached Lumiere from his shoulders. "You're not helping!"
"My apologies," Lumiere replied in a slightly sad tone. "But I meant what I said, master. You need to relax..."
Prince Adam groaned. "How can I relax? All I can think about are the stupid things I did the last time I saw them. And you know..."
He turned around and stared into Lumiere's face.
"It's not just them, either. I've done horrible things to so many people..."
Cogsworth put a hand on the prince's shoulder.
"Master, you know as well as all of us that those things happened a long time ago. And you've changed for the better! You would never think of doing those things now, would you?"
"Of course not," said Adam.
"Good. The first step in learning from your mistakes is admitting you made them, so I think you're past that point," he said, smiling. "Don't worry about the things you did in the past. Everyone in the castle knows you've changed, especially your lovely wife."
The prince sighed again. "I know that, Cogsworth. But I'm not sure that everybody outside the castle feels the same way."
"Well, you can show them how much you've changed, starting tonight." Cogsworth replied. "Everything is all set, and I have our schedule ready down to the very second. In fact-"
He pulled out his pocketwatch and stared at in in alarm.
"My goodness, look at the time! The guests will be here at any moment! Let's go greet them, shall we?"
Meanwhile, down in one of the lower chambers of the castle, Belle was talking to her father, who had set up a workshop in the room. The walls were lined with shelves, desks, and various cabinets of different sizes, where were cluttered with various miscellaneous objects. In the center of the room was an enormous contraption, so large and unusual that it nearly covered the entire floor. It was big enough for several people to stand on. Maurice had been working on it ever since he and Belle moved into the castle months ago, and he considered it his most ambitious project. At the moment he was attempting to attach a large wooden pole to the end of it. Belle was standing nearby, watching the attempt.
"Papa, this ball is very important," Belle said. "The Duke and Duchess..."
"I know, I know," Maurice said as he steadied the pole. "And that's why you should be upstairs, getting ready for it."
"So should you," Belle replied. "Papa, I want you to come."
"For the last time, Belle, I can't. This machine's almost finished, but there's a couple of things that need to be adjusted."
The pole began to wobble slightly, as if in danger of falling over. Belle reached over and caught it before that could happen.
"You've been working on this invention for months, papa. You should be able to come to take a couple hours off to go to a ball.
"Sorry, Belle. But I just don't understand why you want me to come."
"Because I'd like the guests to meet my father."
Maurice sighed heavily. He walked over to Belle and took her hand.
"Dukes and Duchesses come to balls to meet royalty. They come to see the prince and princess. They don't come to see boring old men like me."
"I still want you to come," Belle said decisively. "And you're not 'boring' papa. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."
Maurice shook his head slowly. "Maybe next time," he said. "But for now, I'm staying down here. You should be up there helping your prince."
Belle sighed. She knew that her father was keeping something from her, and it bothered her. Because all the years she'd known him, they had always been completely honest with each other. But ever since they had moved to the castle, Maurice had been acting strangely. Nearly every time Belle asked him to do something with her and Adam, he would refuse. And she didn't know why.
She was about to speak again, when she heard someone walk into the room.
"There you are, my dear. The guests will be arriving shortly, so you should start getting ready."
Belle sighed sadly, and turned back to her father.
"I guess you win this time," she said to him. "But I want to talk to you later."
"It's fine," Maurice said quietly.
Belle leaned over to give him a hug, then she began to walk towards the exit.
"Be careful!" she called back.
"I will," Maurice answered.
Belle was soon out of sight, and the old man sighed heavily. Mrs. Potts had noticed the sad expression on Belle's face as she was leaving, and noticed an identical expression on Maurice. She walked over to him and took a seat on an old wooden chair that was pushed up against the wall.
"What happened?" she asked Maurice.
Maurice looked at her sadly.
"Nothing," he said. "She was just trying to convince me to go to the ball."
"And you said no."
Maurice nodded. "I know it hurts her, but I would just feel...out of place."
He moved closer to Mrs. Potts.
"You see, Belle has always been meant for royalty. Since she was a child I knew she was destined to live a life like this. But me? I'd...I'd just embarrass her."
"No you wouldn't" Mrs. Potts said. "She'd love you no matter what happens."
"I know," Maurice said. "But she's a princess now, and princess have...well...certain things they're expected to do. She has a reputation to uphold, and I don't want to ruin everything for her."
"Did you tell her that?"
"I did. But no matter what I tell her, she doesn't understand."
Mrs. Potts stood up, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Maurice, I know that you didn't have a very good reputation before you came here. But it was completely unjustified. Belle and I know what a good man you are, everyone in the castle does. So don't worry yourself over what others might think of you."
She smiled at him.
"Keep your chin up," she said. "And don't be so hard on yourself. It isn't becoming of you."
Maurice smiled softly. "Thanks, Mrs. Potts."
Suddenly, a loud, booming sound echoed through the entire room. Mrs. Potts put her hand over her mouth.
"Oh dear!" she said. "The guests must be here. I have to go!"
She rushed out of the room, leaving Maurice looking longingly after her. But he shook himself from his daze and returned to the task of steadying the wooden post.