A/N: Just a little chapter about Mina's mother before she died. Read & Review.

It was just little time before Christmas when Mina's mother was in bed, falling ill. She had been sick for a while and refused to leave her side, but if she were tardy for meeting with the Maestro, she would be in a lot of trouble. Mina looked hesitantly at her mother, then out the door to report to the music room in the West Wing.

"Mina, go ahead and attend to your lessons." Mina's mother told her, rasping, her voice used to be bright and angelic, but now it was cracked and sounded deathly.

"But, Maman... You need to get better..."

"Mina, I promise, I'll be fine. Now, get to Maestro Forte."

"O-Okay, Maman..." Mina was really unwilling to leave her sick mother, but she really had to get to her lesson.

"Tell me all about it when you come back..." her mother smiled, but she was very weak.

"Okay, Maman... Get some rest."

"Thank you, Mina..."

Mina bit her lip as her mother's eyes slowly shut. The day Mina's mother was found sick, Mina found herself in a panic. She always worried if she left her mother alone her mother would be found dead once she would come back. Mina would be like a waterfall and stream out stories to tell her mother about her time in the castle while she would lay there, happy for her daughter who would find happiness.

Mina ventured out of one of the castle guest rooms and nearly floated down the tiled floor to go into the darker than shadows music room belonging to Maestro Forte. She shuddered as she heard the pipe organ music rise and fall from behind the doors. She knew it was only music, but something about Maestro Forte had always frightened her.

He was very tall and overwhelming at times. Especially when he would look down at one harshly for doing something he wouldn't tolerate. Not even Mrs. Potts' son was exempt from his temper. One time the boy was found in the room without permission and from being startled by cold Maestro Forte, it made the boy accidentally break the music box in his room and it had sheet music scatter across the marble floor. Chip said this happened, but no one was sure if it happened, but he had mentioned that Maestro Forte had hit him for his childish actions.

Mina opened the heavy doors as Forte played another masterpiece. He often spent some alone time in his room, feeling the King was his only friend in the castle. True, the court composer had Fife and Mina for company, but he found himself too sophisticated for their conversations and viewed some of them as infantile and not useful to listen to.

"G-Good morning, Maestro..." Mina greeted, as quiet as a fairy that only exists in a baby's imagination.

Forte rested his fingers from the keyboard he desired the most. He crept his fingers and turned them into his hand, slowly turning to face Mina. No one knew his true age, but he had to have been the oldest resident in the castle, topping Mrs. Potts. "Bon nuit, child..." Forte greeted, nearly breathing and sounded aged as well as his body.

Mina stood aside, looking around. She saw that Fife hadn't made it to musical practice, which is odd. Fife was like the maestro's pet, often doing what he was doing and following him around like a lost puppy. Mina visibly shook as Forte stood up from his bench and approached Mina, stroking her face with his spine chilling cold fingertips.

"In no time at all you will grow up to be a beautiful ballerina that will bring my music to life..." Forte cracked a friendly smile.

Mina quietly whimpered once Forte was touching her face. She was inside afraid of him, because of how sharp he would be with his lessons. But his temper was nothing compared to how Adam was after his parents died going on a trip. They were lost and no one could find the bodies as they ventured outside of France. Mina's mother was dying, would she be this way when her mother would pass on?

"Have you practiced your dancing?" Forte asked, returning to his bench and setting his fingers ready to preform a masterpiece he had conducted from memory in his subconscious.

Mina nodded. "Oui, maestro."

"Show me what you got then."

Forte started to play, the music forming from the ancient pipes with the gloomy melody. Mina did her best to dance along to the music as well as she could, keeping her balance. Everyone had a job in the castle best suited to their skills, and Mina was the dancer. She sometimes had a hard time keeping up with Forte's challenging composing, since he was very advanced and went fast. Even when Fife would struggle to keep up his piccolo playing, Forte didn't dare slow down for him. Mina slipped at the final key and landed on her side.

Forte stopped, chuckling a bit with his hands together. "Looks like someone needs a dance lesson..."

"I-I'm sorry, Maestro, I tried!" Mina sniffled, trying to fight her tears of humiliation in front of him. She didn't want to look like a fool in front of him with his musical genius, but sometimes she felt like he did extreme notes on purpose to make her a fool in front of him. Forte was a really complicated person to understand.

"Don't beat yourself up, child," Forte consoled her like the father she never had growing up. "Not everyone is as graceful and talented like moi."

Mina helped herself up and dusted herself clean.

"The King and Queen might have approved of it..." Forte said, in a nearly grave voice.

Mina bowed her head, slowly shutting her eyes, thinking of the departed royal adults of the castle. They were like family to her too, the Queen was more motherly since Mina's mother was too busy helping out in the castle and the King was like another father. Mina had her mother, but she never understood what it was like to really have a mother with her being busy at nearly all hours of the day. Now Mina had to take care of her. At least they were bonding a lot more they ever did before.

"Maestro, do you remember anything about your own family?" Mina asked the ancient aged man.

Forte sharply exhaled. He looked back at her. "I never knew my father... He ran out on us after I was born. I had soul crushing elder siblings. They always told me I was 'second fiddle' and that's all I would ever be. They would have been a happier family if I hadn't been born..."

"Did you ever marry?"

Forte scoffed. "Why would I waste my time with such a pity emotion like love? No one ever loved me. I have no friends..."

That hit Mina deeply. "What about myself and Fife?"

"You're just my students," Forte corrected. "You two do nothing but keep me company in my room. Haven't you noticed that I lock myself in my room all the time and don't talk with anyone. Everyone's afraid of me, Mina. I know you are too."

"I-I'm not."

"Of course you are... You're just as spineless and cowardly as your father was before he died."

Mina's nearly gray eyes widened. "You knew my father?"

"I knew some about him, I knew him before you were born. He was always drinking, a very miserable old man with no one in his life. I felt really sorry for him, but I didn't feel too bad when he wanted me to put him out of his misery."

"What...?" Mina's voice cracked. "Maestro, did you kill my father?"

"He asked me to," Forte shrugged. "He just handed me the dagger and pleaded to be put out of his misery."

"Why, Maestro? Why did he want to be put out of his misery?"

"It's best that you do not know, mademoiselle. It's not a pretty story."

"Maestro!" Mina's eyes were filled with tears.

Suddenly, the music room doors opened. "Oh, Mademoiselle Mina, there you are," Cogsworth came in, out of breath. "I-It's your mother..."

Mina rushed to the portly man. "What? What is wrong with Maman?"

Cogsworth swallowed hard. "I-I'm sorry, child but... Your mother has passed away..."

Mina felt emotionally stung inside her body. Her heart suddenly felt stabbed, her eyes felt shot, and she felt instantly weak. She heard complete silence which was eerie and unsettling. She then couldn't do anything, but she fell on her knees and buried her face in her hands, resisting the need to cry.

Cogsworth frowned apologetically, holding her in his grasp. He didn't cry himself, but he was deeply saddened for her. "I'm so sorry, my dear... The best doctor couldn't even save her."

Mina sniffled and looked up with her tear-stained and smeared face. "H-How did it happen...?"

"That cold got a lot worse than we all thought it was. I'm so sorry, Mina..."

"It's okay..."

Cogsworth took her out of the room. Forte watched them leave, his expression as always, was emotionless.