Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; they are the product of Disney producers. I do own the OCs like Danielle, Annette, etc. though. Oh yeah, and some of the ideas are mine too…
"Be safe, Father. Please…There are bandits in the forests and strange tales of faeries…" Belle la Roux advised her father as she handed him the last of his traveling bags. A cold autumn wind blew around them and scattered fallen leaves, making Belle shiver in her light chemise. Her hazel eyes were serious as she looked at him and they contained a hint of worry. Maurice la Roux, a forty-something inventor chuckled and looked down at his daughter. He took his daughter's hand in his and squeezed it gently.
"Do not worry, Belle. I will be fine…I have traveled these woods before and nothing strange or unusual has happened. If there is any danger I have a knife in my boot here"- He stopped and gestured to his leather boot. "And I know how to use this crossbow…" He gestured to that as well, pulling it out of his pack.
Belle glanced at the weapon briefly and squeezed her father's hand. "I know, Father…Just…be careful…" She sighed heavily and looked earnestly into her father's gentle hazel eyes, so much like her own.
Right now they sparkled teasingly and his long white hair fell around his warm, tanned face. He was tall and thin atop his obedient brown horse, Châtaigne. In his younger years, her father had been vigorous and strong but now that he was getting older he had become gaunt. Wrinkles had started to show on the once smooth skin of his face and they spoke of many happy years.
He grinned mischievously and released his hand from hers to cup her chin. "It should not be me that should be careful, my daughter, it is you," Belle sent him a confused look and he continued, "I would have reason to be more worried for you. I have a feeling that Gaston Gagnon will ask you to marry him one of these days…"
Belle made a sound of disgust and rolled her eyes. Maurice laughed and patted her cheek. "That is very unladylike, my dear Belle…Gaston would be appalled…"
Belle could tell that he was teasing and she smiled helplessly. "I cannot get rid of him, Father!" she cried. "He comes to the house everyday and I see him at the library! He is always pestering me with talk of himself and of his hunting! OH! How I hate his stories of hunting!" She groaned in frustration.
Maurice laughed. "Belle, I do not know how I will find you a husband as unique as you…"
"Oh, I do fine alone without one Father…Believe me, I am quite content the way it is…" Belle admitted.
Maurice sighed, knowing full well that he would not be able to convince his daughter otherwise. She was a unique girl indeed, spending countless hours pouring over books borrowed from the library and talking of fantastical fairytales.
"Anyhow, I should be on my way!" he announced, placing his hat on his head.
"Goodbye Father!" Annette, Belle's sister, called from the house. She waved at him and a white cloth dangled from her hand. Belle realized that she was cleaning. Annette was the youngest daughter in the family and she was the fairest, with pale blonde hair. Annette had a vivacious personality and she seemed to always be bursting with emotion, whether she was excited, happy or angry.
"Goodbye Annie, sweetheart!"
A second later Danielle appeared at the open door beside Annette. She was Belle's other sister and she was a year younger than Belle. She had dark brown hair and beautiful wide set brown eyes. Danielle was like Annette, except she was the mellower and more mature version.
"Goodbye Father!" Danielle called, smiling widely. "Have a safe journey!"
"Goodbye Danielle!" He turned back to Belle and leaned down to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Take care, Belle."
"I will Father…" she promised quietly. Maurice went on his way to the county fair in Poitiers where all inventors and scientists from around France gathered to show off their inventions and scientific work.
Annette and Danielle had rushed into the house to finish cooking and cleaning but Belle had stayed outside to watch her father go. Although he loved them all the same, Belle was closer to her father than her sisters. Where Annette and Danielle were concerned with homemaking and husbands, Belle was more interested in books and adventure. She pursued knowledge like her father and was always thinking, except she was thinking about far-off places and different people instead of scientific formulas.
Belle didn't feel ready to settle down yet; she was restless and yearned for excitement. She couldn't understand how her sisters were happy with this provincial life and the dreary hum-drum of everyday. Belle watched with envy as her father and Châtaigne grew smaller and smaller, until finally they disappeared over one of the rolling hills that surrounded the countryside.
Belle wished that she could travel and go different places like her father but her station in life as a commoner and the expectations of her gender hindered that. She sighed and wiped her hands on her apron as she made her way into the house. She would be expected to marry soon, become a wife and have children that she would take care of, along with the house.
Belle was at a suitable age for marriage and that was what worried her. When Gaston Gagnon had seen that Belle had grown into an attractive woman with flowing auburn hair and sparkling hazel eyes, he had become determined to marry her. He had made it a habit of calling on her and showing his interest in her during the last few years. Belle had been polite towards his show of interest but she had never led him on or returned the interest. Belle wondered with dread whether Gaston would visit their house and ask for her. She really hoped that he wouldn't; her sisters and she had too much work to do.
With her father gone, they had to fetch the firewood, feed and take care of the livestock, cook, clean and prepare food for the coming winter. It was already late fall and the weather was getting chillier. When Belle came into the house, Annette and Danielle were baking a meat pie.
Annette stood at the table, rolling the dough with a rolling pin, the sleeves of her chemise rolled up and her arms covered with dough. Danielle sat at the table, cutting up vegetables to put in the pie. A pot hung over the fire in the fireplace and Belle guessed that they were cooking meat.
"The festival is tonight! I cannot wait!" Danielle exclaimed happily, smiling as she cut up the onions. She looked up at Annette and nudged her. "Are you not delighted for it, Annie?"
Annette's eyes widened and her face lit up. "Oh yes! It is just…" she trailed off, biting her lip.
"Just what, Anne?" Belle pressed, curious. Belle was naturally curious and she couldn't help but be inquisitive.
Annette raised troubled sky blue eyes to Belle's. "I just do not know what to wear to the festival tonight…"
Belle groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh Annette, you have many dresses that you can wear!"
Annette pouted. "What?" she asked sharply. "All the dresses that I work in, you mean?! Uh! All my dresses are so plain, Belle! I have nothing! Nothing!"
"Annette!" Danielle spoke up and both sisters looked at her. Danielle's brown eyes were alight with excitement and a smile graced her pretty face. "I have an idea. How about you put slashing in your skirt to make it look nicer and maybe put a garland in your hair?"
"It is autumn, Danielle! What am I going to use for the garland? Dead leaves?" Annette snapped, sarcastic. Belle could see that this worry was wearing thin on Annette's nerves and Belle was afraid that Annette would throw a fit.
She walked over to her sister and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come, Annette. Let us see what you have and perhaps I can help you with it so it looks nice for the festival."
Annette sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Oh, all right…" she answered. "I will come but I cannot promise you that you will find anything of value or charm there…"
"There must be something we can do that will make you happy…" Belle suggested as they walked up the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters.
Danielle watched them as they ascended the stairs and leaning back in her chair, she shouted, "A nice young man!" A sly grin graced her face and she chuckled quietly when she heard her sisters' agreement.
When evening came for the festival, Annette and Danielle were extremely thrilled and could hardly keep still. Belle, however, was not looking forward to it. She knew that if she went to the festival with her sisters then she would see Gaston there and he would try to court her. None of the young men in their town seemed desirable to Belle just because she could never see herself with them. They were like many other men; they expected women to laugh at their jokes and only want to be good wives and mothers.
Belle could imagine her sisters being good wives and mothers when they married. Both of them already had their sights set on two eligible men; Annette liked the baker's son, Daniel and Danielle was fond of the blacksmith's son, Frédéric. They were both nice-looking men with admirable personalities but the one thing that irked Belle was that they were friends of Gaston's.
"Daniel smiled at me today when I went into town!" Annette exclaimed as they doused the fire for the evening. The fire hissed as Belle poured water over it. They had more firewood for later, piled on the floor beside the fireplace. Danielle idly poked at a glowing ember as Annette talked. The blonde giggled playfully. "His father became angry with him because he became distracted talking to me and he was not paying attention to what he was doing…Haha!"
"Annette, you are positively evil." Danielle remarked.
"He likes you, Anne…" Belle surmised, smiling.
"And I like him…" Annette added, returning the smile. "Oh, I do hope he asks me to marry him! Can you imagine what our children will look like?" Annette's blue eyes were bright and she looked at them with a brilliant smile. "They will have his beautiful brown eyes and that wavy brown hair!"
"Do you mean to say they will not look anything like you, dear sister?" Danielle asked innocently. Annette thought for a moment but before she could respond Danielle spoke again. "Well, thank heavens! It will certainly be a blessing if they do not inherit your looks!" she joked, a teasing grin spread across her face.
Annette's mouth dropped and she shrieked. "Danielle!" Annette pouted and then stuck her tongue out at Danielle. Danielle returned the gesture, smiling proudly.
Belle could only laugh at their antics. She was so much more mature and serious than her sisters but they were young. She wanted them to enjoy life before they married and had children. Not to say that they were bad things, getting married and having children, but life certainly changed when one or both of those things happened in a person's life. At this moment though, Danielle and Annette were focused on the festival.
Danielle and Annette had dressed up for this occasion, no doubt wanting to impress the men. Danielle wore her hair up and her deep red skirt was hitched up to reveal the orange skirt underneath. A black laced bodice hugged her waist and dagger sleeves showed a hint of her freckled shoulders.
Annette wore her golden blonde hair down and it cascaded around her in waves. She wore a laced blue bodice as well and underneath a white chemise, which showed through the slit in the burgundy skirt. Belle was dressed as she had been in the morning; a dark forest green skirt complemented her brown hair with its red highlights and the bodice she wore hugged her tiny waist. Her russet hair hung in waves about her face and shoulders, reaching mid-way down her back.
Danielle tried to persuade her to come. "Come, Belle! Come with us!" Danielle begged, tugging on her hand. "You will miss out on fun and dancing!"
Belle shook her head. "No, I do not want to go and have Gaston pestering me. What will be the fun in that? I will be miserable! He is a brutish, boorish, dumb pig!"
"Belle!" Annette scolded a smile on her face. "What awful words from a lady! How can you be so cruel?" she quipped.
Belle sighed and closed her eyes briefly. She pulled her hand out of Danielle's grip and walked away to stand at the window. As she looked out the window, she could see that the sun had almost set and the sky was darkening. For some strange reason, she got an ominous feeling. She frowned and hugged herself. She was worried about her father. He was older and he didn't travel much so he didn't know the roads as well.
"Belle? What is the matter?" she heard Danielle ask from behind. Belle's eyes widened and she turned around.
She flinched and shook her head. "Oh, n-nothing." she stammered. She didn't want to bother her sisters with her worries.
"We do not want you to be alone, Belle…" Annette told her, looking concerned.
"Yes, besides, you are our older sister and you are supposed to look after us!" Danielle teased.
Belle gave a sigh and then grinned. "All right…"
Her sisters started to clap happily. "Oh Belle that is wonderful!"
"We will certainly have fun!"
She gave them a stern look. "But I am only going because you want me to go."
Belle braided her long auburn hair into a neat braid and grabbed a cloak for the night before they headed out. The sky had now darkened to a dusky blue and the wind had gotten chillier. They passed over the bridge by their house and came to the center of the town- the town square.
It was filled with colorful tents where merchants displayed their wares and many performers showed their skill. Belle found herself even amazed at the display. Jugglers worked with burning torches, clowns made silly faces and did backward somersaults, and a flutist played a lovely tune and a fortune-teller coaxed people to come sit in her tent.
Belle heard a giggle from beside her and looked over to see Annette laughing. "How about we have our fortune taken, Danielle?" Annette suggested excitedly, making her way toward the tent.
Belle sighed. "Oh Annette! It is never true- it is just a bunch of nonsense! You know that they dupe you out of your money!" Annette made a face as she listened to Belle. "Besides, what is the point of having your fortune told? Where is the adventure in that…?"
Annette's shoulders slumped. "All right then…What shall we do?"
Danielle giggled and leaned toward Annette. "How about you ask Daniel to dance?"
Belle's mouth dropped. "That would be a bold move…"
"But it would be fun!" Danielle cried her eyes bright. She turned back to Annette, who looked thoughtful. "Why do you say, Anne?"
Annette pursed her lips and then smiled slyly. "I say yes." With that, the blonde-haired beauty walked over to Daniel, who was standing talking to some other men and without a word, she grabbed Daniel's hand. Daniel looked surprised at first but then it quickly melted into a goofy smile as he dazedly let her lead the way.
Danielle and Belle noted the surprised looks on the villagers' faces; the men who had been talking to Daniel, the mothers and the older folk. They exchanged glances and then burst out laughing.
As they laughed, Belle noticed that Frédéric was staring at Danielle. She turned to her sister and saw with amusement that Danielle had noticed this too. Belle turned and watched as a smile came to his face as he looked at her sister. After a moment, he moved from where he was standing and made his way toward them.
"He is coming over here! What do I do? I am so nervous…" Danielle whispered to Belle.
"Just stay calm…" Belle assured, watching the tall man as he moved closer to them. He was tall and muscular with curly golden hair and warm green eyes. His gaze was focused solely on Danielle and he only glanced briefly at Belle to say hello.
When he was in front of Danielle, he seemed imposing but his friendly demeanor didn't make people feel uncomfortable. Belle had to smile. Compared to Danielle and Frédéric, Daniel and Annette were exactly the same height. Daniel was considered short and sometimes teased for it. Annette had never minded though. Belle guessed this was the reason why Daniel liked her so much.
"Bonjour, Danielle," Frédéric greeted in his deep voice. "You look very nice tonight…" His eyes trailed over her in one sweep.
"Merci, Frédéric…" Danielle beamed and lowered her eyes shyly.
Frédéric smiled adoringly at this action and offered her his arm. "Would you care for a dance? Perhaps you can make a lonely man happy by giving him your company…"
Danielle raised her eyes to his. "I would be happy to, Frédéric…" She took his arm and they walked off to dance.
Belle watched them go with a smile. She was happy for her sisters and knew that they had found good men. She wasn't upset because she wasn't focused on finding a partner. If it were up to her, Belle would rarely go to festivals. She would rather curl up by the fire and read a good book.
"Belle!" an arrogant, deep voice cut into her thoughts and she gritted her teeth. "There you are! I have been looking everywhere for you. So, you have finally decided to come out of your shell, have you?"
She started to walk away and knew that he was following behind. "Hello Gaston…" she greeted impassively. She did not feel the need to be friendly or genial to him. Belle didn't appreciate the comments he made and how ignorant he was at times.
"You do not know how happy I am to find you…" he began. "I have been meaning to ask you something…" he trailed off.
Belle's stomach dropped and she made a face as he uttered those words. He was going to propose to her. Couldn't he take a hint and leave?
He laughed. "I bet you came here because of me, right? You just had to see me!"
Belle resisted the urge to roll her eyes and spun around to face him. Gaston stopped short and stared down at her in mild surprise. She looked up at him, feeling very annoyed. "No, Gaston. I came here so I could spend time with my sisters."
He raised an eyebrow. "You do not seem to be spending time with them…"
She looked over at her sisters, laughing and having fun with their love interests. Belle sighed and turned her attention back to her infuriating admirer. "Listen, Gaston, I came here with my sisters and they are enjoying themselves. Now, please let me enjoy myself. I just want to be alone now…"
Gaston scoffed. "Belle! Come, what fun is it if you are by yourself?" He moved forward and placed an arm around her shoulders. Belle shrugged herself out of his grip and hurried forward. "Do you really want to be reading those stupid books?"
Belle felt her control burst and she spun around to face him again. "Yes, I do. And they are not stupid!" she snapped succinctly.
She watched as his face darkened and he glared at her with fury. "When you become my wife I will make sure that you will not have any books to read! Those books are doing no good for you, Belle…They only make you cranky and distant!"
Belle's eyebrows knit together as she frowned at him. "When I am your wife?! I will never be your wife!"
Gaston clenched his teeth and glanced at the onlookers. "Belle, be quiet! People are starting to stare!" he hissed.
Belle narrowed her eyes at him. "I do not care!" she snapped. Belle turned on her heel and stormed away.
She heard a growl from behind her and knew that it was Gaston. Belle didn't care if she made him angry; she was standing up for herself. The brunette hurried home, not caring that it was dark out and that she was alone.
Belle became aware of the coal blanket of sky, dotted with stars. A cool wind lifted her cloak and a few loose strands of hair. The trees rustled softly and an owl hooted in the distance.
When Belle reached the stairs to the house, the far-off howling of wolves drew her attention to the sky. A pale, glowing moon hung high in the sky and cast its light on a lone wolf, howling at the sky atop a cliff. Involuntarily, Belle shivered. The image of the wolf and its eerie howling had aroused fears in her about her father. She hoped he was all right and that he had made it to the county fair safe.
But no matter how much she tried to remove fear from her mind, she had a feeling that something menacing lurked in those forests and that something unfortunate had happened to her father.
To be continued...R&R! Hope you liked this. Tell me what you think.