Author's note: I don't own Beauty and the Beast :)


The cell was dusty, and covered with spider webs all around. There was nothing in it except for a pile of straw, an old man and a small bucket. The old man, whose name was Maurice, was wearing a dark brown cloak that seemed like it had been used often, almost worn-out boots with light green striped socks, an old white polo and dark brown pants with matching suspenders. And the pile of straw beside him seemed to be where he slept and the bucket was his seat/chair.

He how he had ended up in a dusty old cell, in a tower of a large castle, somewhere deep in the forest and far away from the village he and his only daughter lived in. All he had done was ask for a place to stay and the servants had gladly welcomed him, but their master hadn't. All he could think about at the moment, was if his young daughter, Belle, was safe back at their tiny cottage up on a hill. He prayed that she was safe.

I should've gone along with Phillipe's decision of taking the other path. Maurice thought to himself. If I had I wouldn't be stuck in a cell and I would have been at the fair, winning myself a ribbon for my invention…

Maurice continued to contemplate about this while staring at the night sky from a little window, which was filled with lots of twinkling stars, until he heard a voice call out,

"Papa? Papa? Are you there?"

Is that my daughter's voice? He thought. He rushed to the cell door as quickly as he could. He could see his daughter coming into view with a torch in her left hand as she neared his cell.

"Papa! I've found you!" Belle happily cried out as she sat in front of the cell while grasping his hand. "Oh no! Your hands are freezing cold!"

"Oh Belle! Are you okay? How did you get here?" Maurice asked before letting out a cough.

"I got here on Phillipe, I was so worried when he came home without you so-

Belle never got to finish her sentence as a shadowed being suddenly grabbed her shoulder and the torch she was holding

"Who's there?" Belle asked

"The master of this castle!" A loud voice replied

Oh no! It's the Beast! Maurice realized I've got to get Belle out of here before something happens to her!

"Please let my father go, can't you see he's sick?"

"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!"

"But he could die here…" Belle pleaded once again

Of course, Beast, being the kind person he was absolutely could not resist Belle's plea to let her father go back home. So I am pretty sure you know what happened next.

Beast seemed to stop for a moment.

Maurice was scared of what he thought the Beast could be scheming. Was he going to keep Belle? I sure hope he won't. But unfortunately for Maurice, his thoughts were exactly what he was planning to do and it came to a shattering reality when Beast said the following, "Then are you willing to take his place?"

Both Belle and Maurice were shocked at Beast's question. Belle, being the nice girl that she was, knew that this was the only way for her father to get back home safely and avoid, dare I write it, death. She had made up her mind the mind the moment Beast had asked his question and she answered with certainty,

"I will, but you have to give your word that he will get to return home safely."

It broke Maurice's heart after hearing Belle's answer. And when he thought that he was about to lose his only daughter, it reminded him of the pain he felt when he lost his wife to sickness. I can't let Belle do this for my sake. I can't bear the pain of losing another loved one too. I have to save Belle from the Beast. Were the thoughts that continually pounded in Maurice's mind. And these were the same thoughts that led him to say,

"No Belle!"


Whoo! First chapter and first BATB fanfic :))

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Reviews and comments are happily accepted!