Chapter 1 Two Lives Change Forever

Belle

Life in the French village seemed anything but ordinary. The townspeople were friendly to each other and busied themselves with their daily routine. A young girl with a heart shaped face, brown eyes, a pert nose, and full red lips. Wearing a sky-blue dress with white long sleeves dressed like a maiden was walking around with a book in front of her face. Belle took a second to look up at the sky-blue skies and the white clouds above. She felt as if today of all days was perfect, with the beautiful weather and no Gaston around begging her to be his wife on a daily basis. Belle ignored the usual stares that the townspeople had given her on a daily basis. Though she keeps reminding herself not to worry about what other people think of her. In the back of her mind there are doubts resurfacing telling her that she should stop acting so odd.

'I am who I am and I should not act like a clone to please them. I would not be happy with myself if I did decide to be one.' Belle thought to herself feeling exasperated with her own doubts.

She had looked down at her book again and found a blank page and writing had appeared inscribed within a few lines saying:

There once was a young maiden in a village.

Who looks forward to going on daring adventures?

Instead, of reading about heroines and heroes adventure's.

She does not yet know what she will be getting into.

Once she's on her first adventure.

After Belle had read the few lines that she assumed was a poem had faded away from the blank page and then the words reappeared on the page she was going to read next. She had started to wonder if something magical was going on around her, but she wanted to wait until she made it back home to her father and siblings. Belle was not paying any attention to what was going on around the village. As she was about to walk pass a dim alley there was a shadow figure watching Belle.

The shadow figure was walking out carefully and cautiously, so that Belle would not have a chance to run away. The figure is tall, has black hair tied into a ponytail, and has a masculine build. He wears a red shirt with a belt over it, black pants, orange gloves, and brown boots. He held his shot gun firmly in his left hand. Gaston's lips formed into a sneaky smirk as he yanked Belle by the waist with one hand and his other hand covered her mouth, so she would not be able to scream for help. Belle's eyes widened in shock as her book made a thud on the cobble sidewalk and she was scared to know what was going to happen to her next.

"Belle don't try to fight me. You know that you can't win." Gaston said sweetly to Belle as he stroked her face as he moved up closer to her.

"Gaston please leave me alone! What do you want from me?" Belle said to Gaston in a firm tone as she backed away from him.

Gaston ignored what Belle said to him and he pulled her into a tight hug and he was whispering into her ear. Telling her about how beautiful she was and that he wanted all of her, and wanted her to feel the same way for him. Once Belle heard that she squeezed out of the hug and started running towards the villa's courtyard full of people. Gaston grew angry with Belle and started running after her. Belle was sure that she was going to be free, but a strong hand caught her flowing dress and pulled her back hard. She had went in blinding speed flying backwards and hit the brick wall facing Gaston a few inches away from her face.

"Now I got you where I wanted you to be." Gaston said to Belle in a husky tone as he began feeling over her hair, rubbing her stomach, and rubbing his body against her repeatedly.

Gaston let out an aroused sigh after he rubbed himself against Belle, for so long and told her to leave before anybody would be suspicious. Belle felt like her whole body had went numb and became weightless. It was hard for her to believe that she was happy to have a new book to read and then it all seemed like a distant memory compared to the tragedy she had just endured.

'Why didn't I just scream for help? Instead, of having to endure the terrible act that scared me completely.' Belle thought to herself as she picked up her book and basket, too.

"Are you thinking about becoming my wife?" Gaston asked Belle as he reached out for her hand.

Belle hurriedly snatched her hand away from his grasp and looked at him, with such hatred and disgust that she wanted him to stop pursuing her and go after the triplet blonde girls who she knows are still pining for him.

"Why aren't you chasing around those blonde triplet girls? I'm sure that one of them would love to marry you." Belle said to Gaston noticing how he walked up closer to her.

"I feel nothing for those girls. I want to be with you and have you all to myself," Gaston said to Belle as he grasped her hands as he leaned his head down towards hers.

'No please don't let him kiss me. I would rather be consumed in my own chaotic darkness then to be his woman.' Belle thought to herself though she felt dirty in the inside.

Gaston's lips were an inch before hers and Belle breathed in his breath that smelled sweet to her. Belle could have sworn she could hear her heart beating. She felt like fainting any second now from all the recent excitement. Finally, she had built up enough strength and courage to get away from him.

"Don't worry, Belle. I will see you again." Gaston said to Belle's retreating back.

The Beast

Later on that same day it was nighttime far away from the village; in the deep woods there is a pristine castle. The ruler of this castle was named Prince Adam and he was feeling cozy enjoying the dreary weather. Until, there was a knock at the door that echoed throughout the castle. They young man with blondish-brown hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing a white shirt and red pants, with fair skin had walked up to the door. As he opened the door he saw a short old lady, with a hooked nose and humped back wearing a black cloak with the hood over her head.

"Good evening, sir. Would you let an old beggar spend the night in your warm castle?" The old beggar said to Adam kindly.

"I would never let anybody repulsive as you enter my castle," Adam said to the old beggar.

"You didn't let me finish saying what I was going to offer. For the stay as a thank you I am going to give you a rose." The old beggar said as she pulled out a healthy, red rose from her cloak pocket.

Adam looked at the rose and then at the old beggar. He couldn't believe that she was expecting him to take a rose as her token of thanks. He could feel his cheeks flaring up that was when, he was sure that he was about to get angry. Adam balled his hands into fists and could feel his anger rising even more. The old beggar's mouth flopped open in surprise over the young prince about to throw a tantrum.

"Wench I have listened to what you had to say and I refuse to let you step foot any further in my castle!" Adam said to the old beggar practically growling out the words to her.

Lightning had struck and brightened the sky up the old beggar raised her head up and Adam looked down at her with fury in his blue eyes. The old lady pulled her hood back and transformed into a tall and statuesque young woman. She has a fair complexion and long, blondish-brown hair, a crown on her head, and she wore a yellow-green dress that dragged down to her feet. Adam was awed by this young woman's beauty it made him instantly want to apologize to her.

"It's a shame that you have everything your heart desires, but you are blind to not see the real meaning of beauty." The enchantress said to Adam in a remorseful tone.

"My apologies, Mademoiselle. Beauty is obviously seen from the outside." Adam said to the Enchantress.

"Your weak apology and answer saddens me. You have proven that there is no love in your heart from your shallow words." The Enchantress said to Adam as she whipped out her wand from thin air.

Adam was about to ask the Enchantress what she was going to do to him. Nevertheless, she waved her hand in front of him and then Adam had started levitating in mid-air. The gold magic dust swirled all around him and he was trying to break out of the magic hold, but he was bound by the enchantress spell. He began to roar out in pain, but it sounded more animal than man. Brown fur had grew out on his head and face, his teeth turned into fangs, then his arms and legs, but his feet grew out longer than the average man. He grew out a tail and little black horns on his head, too. His clothes had huge rips and tears in them when he floated down to the ground.

"What have you done to me?" Adam roared out to the enchantress furiously.

"You cannot put the blame on me because you believe that beauty can only be seen on the outside." The enchantress said to Adam as she turned transparent and then disappeared.

Adam could hear her faint voice saying:

There is someone out there that is cursed like you.

But that person is your only key.

To setting you free from your own misery.

Be patient and when the time is right that person will come to you.

Belle

Alone in the cottage that Belle and her father calls home didn't seem like it to her anymore. She wondered how could something that didn't seem like a big deal, but now as she is leaning on the wooden door. Thinking about how happy she was to have a new book, but after what Gaston had done to her and made her feel completely helpless.

'I could tell, Father what happened to me. However, most likely he would end up spreading the incident to the whole town.' Belle thought to herself in exasperation.

Belle walked over towards the sitting area where her book sat on the coffee table. She picked up the book and then turned around as she found herself facing the enchantress.

"Oh hello. Who are you?" Belle said to the enchantress politely.

"I'm just an enchantress and I have some important things to tell you. Belle please just listen to me," The enchantress said to Belle.

Belle wanted to know how the enchantress knew her name, but she didn't want to be rude towards her guest. Just looking at her it instantly brought back a memory of a strange poem that reoccurred in her book. She wondered if that was what the enchantress wanted to talk about with her.

"I have foreseen that something bad has happened to you, so I have decided to make your dream into a reality." The enchantress said to Belle casually.

"Ever since I was little I always had dreams going to a faraway land that never existed. I would love for you to fake her excitement; as she tried to get over Gaston feeling all over her.

Subconsciously, through Belle's mind she could feel him holding her hand and touching her body. Her brown eyes widened when she felt like Gaston was breathing heavily down her neck. Belle gasped out loud in shock and slowly began to realize that she was still in the cottage alone with an enchantress. She could feel that her adrenaline was lowering and within seconds everything seemed to make only little sense to her.

"In order to go on your dream adventure. You will have to leave the one that you love the most behind. In order to gain another love that is cursed like you." The enchantress recited to Belle.

"Love is one of the most powerful things in human nature. Leaving my love for my father behind for a while will be difficult, but I am willing to do anything to break this curse that has been put on me." Belle said to the enchantress intuitively.

Belle never thought that if she was magically offered a chance to go on an adventure. She never would have guessed that she would have to leave her father behind. A thought has crossed her mind that there must be a reason why the enchantress wants her to abandon her father runaway on an adventure as a cursed maiden. She knew that abandoning her love for her father, and getting away from the cottage would be the greatest thing to ever happen to her. Belle knew despite what choice she was about to make that her father would not be mad about her decision.

The Beast

If it was possible to change what he said earlier to the enchantress, Adam without a doubt would never have said those ugly words to the old hag if he had known how beautiful she was. In the foyer of his castle he was sulking over the enchantress turning him into a beast.

"My face is hideous and covered in fur, my hands look twice the size of a man, and my feet are way bigger than the average man." Adam said to Lumiere angrily as he paced back and forth.

"No, no, Adam you must not think so negatively. You heard what the enchantress said there's somebody out there who equals your misery." Lumiere said to Adam in a calm voice.

"Lumiere I no longer want to be called Adam, for now on call me Beast." Beast said to Lumiere furiously.

Lumiere looked up at Beast and could see his clear blue eyes darken as he glared icily ahead.

"I will just be on my way, Master." Lumiere said to Beast trying to hide the timidness in his voice.

Beast stood like a statue looking at the heavy wooden door, but he was not admiring the craftsmanship. His thoughts were wandering on what his parents would think of him, whenever they would invite him to see them on Christmas. Then he had thought about all the young girls wanting to marry him, so they could become a princess and have no care in the world for the rest of their lives. Even though he had never felt like he had met a young woman that was desirable enough for him. Until, he met Adelaide who instantly fell in love with him for his looks a few months ago. She had no idea that he was a beast yet, and he knew that she was going to be home soon. He wondered if Adelaide would be able to break the curse instead of another woman. The beast even wondered why the enchantress would try to set him up, with another woman to be the only one to break his curse.