Chip wasted no time. His master was in grave danger, and the big mean man...Gaston was what everyone called him, threw Belle and her father in the cellar so they couldn't warn 'the creature'. But the teacup was not locked up. And he knew how to stow away, having done so a few hours previous. What better way to help than to travel with the very people who meant such harm. After all, they were headed straight to the castle, exactly where Chip needed to go. He snuck into a bag carried by one of the men.
Chip was just a boy, and it was scary for him to be riding in the middle of a mob of angry men singing all those awful things about the Master, and about how they were going to kill him. He heard the voice of the big mean man Gaston say that they would 'lay siege to the castle and bring back his head'! It was a long ride for the little teacup and it felt like it would never end. But finally they stopped, chopped down a tree, then they travelled a bit further until Chip heard the castle gates open.
He chose this moment to get out of his hiding spot and hop toward the castle, making sure not to be seen. He knew of a small hole in the castle wall that you might not know existed unless you were a sentient little teacup with a penchant for exploring. Once inside, Chip made his way to the West Wing as fast as his hopping base could carry him up the staircase. His mother was in the door, asking for instruction. Chip didn't like what he heard next.
"It doesn't matter now. Just let them come."
"No!" Chip cried, causing his mother to spin around. "Master I need to tell you some-"
"Now Chip," Mrs. Potts said sternly. "I already told him they were coming." She gave him a nudge with her spout. "We must leave the Master alone as he wishes."
"But Mama," Chip said. "I gotta tell him something you don't know!"
"Nonsense Chip," the teapot chastised with another nudge away from the door to their master's room. "Off we go now."
"But Belle and her...oof...father," Chip protested as he received more nudges from his mother's spout. "They're in...oof...trouble!"
Suddenly, the teapot and teacup heard a familiar growly voice behind them. Despite its gruffness, they had stopped fearing the voice's owner some time ago.
"Wait!"
They spun around to see the Beast now looking at them. They hopped back into the room.
"What do you mean they're in trouble?" he asked, concern written all over his features.
Chip looked slightly sheepish at this point, knowing he was about to admit to something his mother wouldn't be pleased with.
"Well, when Cogsworth said Belle was going away, I went and hid in her bag so I could try to get her to come back. So I saw things get really bad."
"You stowed in her bag?" Mrs. Potts asked sternly.
"Handle that later, Mrs. Potts," the Beast said, more harshly than he meant. He knelt down and held out a paw, which Chip hopped into. He spoke more gently this time. "What happened to them Chip?"
"After Belle got her father into bed and he woke up, I came out of her bag and asked if she didn't like us anymore. She said of course she did and started to explain but someone knocked at the door. Everyone was outside and were going to lock her papa in the asylum because he was raving like a lunatic about a beast...you Master. he came out and they asked how big you were. They laughed at his answer and started hauling him off. Then the big mean man...Belle called him Gaston...he said he could stop Belle's father being taken if Belle would marry him. She said no, and she could prove her father wasn't crazy. She got the mirror and showed you to them. She tried to keep everyone calm, but the big mean guy got them all excited saying you'd eat the village children. That the village isn't safe until you're dead. Belle tried to stop them, but the big mean guy threw her and her father in their cellar and locked them in. I hid in a bag in the crowd so I could come warn you Master."
"This big mean man Gaston you speak of," Mrs. Potts said. "Is he the one with the mirror? At the front of the crowd?"
"Yes," Chip said. "He took it from her as he started getting everybody all riled up."
"Master?" Mrs. Potts asked. "What shall we do? Something besides 'just let them come'?"
"Yeah, definitely something besides that," the Beast said. He thought for a moment, trying to push his anger at what he was just told happened to Belle and her father aside so he could formulate a plan. "Try to keep everybody at bay," he said. "If this Gaston tries to sneak through, let him. I'll be waiting. But keep the others from getting too far in. If they flee that's great. I want a few of you to take the carriage to the village and free Belle and her father from the cellar. I'll keep Chip up here with me since hopefully no more than Gaston gets up here if you would like."
"Thank you sir," Mrs. Potts said. "I'll make sure your instructions are seen to. Chip, wherever the Master wants you, stay put. Do exactly as he says, and don't go getting bright ideas of doing things he hasn't said. I don't want you getting hurt."
And with that, Mrs. Potts left to go back downstairs. The Beast stood, Chip still in his paw, and walked to the window just in time to watch the mob enter the castle, having succeeded in ramming the door open. He then walked over to a high shelf and placed Chip down.
"You should be out of the way here," he said. "When this Gaston character finds me, I want you to keep quiet, all right?"
"Yes sir," Chip said. "What are you gonna do?"
"Hopefully gain the upper hand...er...paw so I can resolve the situation quickly and peacefully," the Beast said. "As much as I'd like to rip into him for what he did to Belle I'm not the violent type anymore. The less violence it takes to deal with him the better."