Hello all of you lovely viewers! I hope you are all having wonderful weeks. I am just sitting here writing my head off as I anticipate the new live-action Beauty and the Beast! I cannot wait to see what they do with it. It is time for the next chapter of our tale. I hope you all enjoy it and I shall see you at the bottom of the page! :)

Gardenia Allaire possessed every gown that her heart could ever desire. Her closets were filled with clothes of the finest fabrics and shades. While I did not have much in my wardrobe, it was still an expectation, set by Gardenia's mother, that guests were too arrive for visits in their finery. I usually chose to ignore this rule. I was much too welcomed into the home for Mrs. Allaire to argue with my plain appearance. I did decide, however, to change my dress so that I would at least not appear with grass stained skirts. It had been quite too long since I had last done any laundry, so my dresses were all out of commission at the moment. I wandered into my parent's room and searched through my mother's closet. My mother passed away not but a few months ago, and after, my father gave away most of her clothing to the other poor neighbors in our village.

"Where did you say you were off to my darling?" My father asked as he peeked his head inside of my room.

"Allaire Manor for tea with Gardenia. I won't be long, and I shall be back in time to cook dinner for you." I replied as I admired my dress in the mirror. He nodded, but did not turn to leave. Instead, he simply stood there staring at me.

"Is something wrong, Papa?"

"No, nothing is wrong. That dress, it just reminds me so much of your mother." He said. He came over to the mirror and brushed his hand along her initials, stitched on the cuff of my right sleeve. "She would be so proud of you, Belle."

"I would dearly hope so." I replied.

I bid goodbye to my father and prepared my horse for the ride to Allaire Manor. Phillipe was a kind horse, but stubborn in spirit when he so desired. The manor was in no doubt his favorite place to ride. Along the way we would encounter hills and areas with nothing but pure green grass for him to canter. I would find myself arriving late some visits simply because I stopped to admire a piece of land along the route. It had been some weeks since I had last been to the manor, but I did not realize it until I came to the gates and was greeted with open arms.

"Belle! Long time no see!" Gardenia's oldest brother Francis said as he picked me up and spun me around.

"It is lovely to see you! I know it has been quite some time since I was last here." I said as I reached for Phillipe's reigns. Francis accompanied me to the stables to hand Phillipe to the stable master.

"I dare say you look even more handsome than the last time I saw you." The stable master nodded and led Phillipe to an empty stall.

"How kind of you to say. What brings you all the way out here?" He asked.

"I am supposed to be having tea with Gardenia, but I see that she is no where to be found." I replied.

"Well, come into the house. I am sure she is about." He said. Allaire Manor was one of the most beautiful houses I had ever seen. It's floors were crisp white and did not have a speck of dirt even in the cracks. The high ceilings created an echo in our voices as we spoke amongst one another. The walls and furniture had accents of gold and cream colors throughout every room. It was pure magnificence. At the top of the stairs stood Mrs. Allaire. She was a rather plump woman who usually wore some type of large pastel gown and bejeweled shoes. Her pinned up hair was raven black, which Gardenia compared to being the color of her natural soul. I did not disagree with her accusations.

"How good of you to pay a visit, darling Belle." Mrs. Allaire announced as she descended the grand staircase. It was just then that Gardenia's twin brother, Jean-Luc, also made his way down the staircase, but by different means. He seated himself on the railing and slid down in front of his mother. Her face instantly turned to complete disgust as she watched her son lose all decorum. I couldn't help but laugh as I complimented his smooth landing. Francis escorted me into the drawing room, with no complaints that Gardenia was no where in sight.

Mrs. Allaire watched as her son escorted Belle into the drawing room. She did not like the fact that Francis was so enthusiastic about her presence. What could a little peasant girl such as that have to offer a wealthy, young bachelor? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Mrs. Allaire grabbed a hold of her son's arms and whispered closely in his ears.

"Jean-Luc, do you believe that Francis and Belle are just slightly too comfortable with each other?" She said sternly.

"You mean...is Francis attracted to Belle? I cannot say that I would know, mother." He replied.

"I want you to keep a close eye on those two. I will not have any flirtations with peasants in this household." She released Jean-Luc's arm and gave him a glare before he made his way into the other room. She was very serious when it came to her threats. If Jean-Luc would not keep the two apart, she would.

I could not help but laugh at the two boys sitting in front of me. They had this wit and comedic attitude about them that seemed to fill the room with joy. I cannot say that I know where such characteristics came from. After all, their mother was quite bitter. An hour had passed since I had a arrived at the house, and still, there was no appearance from Gardenia. Francis informed me that the last time they saw her she went out for an afternoon ride.

"She said she would be back before your arrival." Jean-Luc said as he took another biscuit from the table. Gardenia was never one for being late. I did not want to believe that something was wrong. If I did, her mother would go ballistic.

"I think I shall check the stables and see if any one has seen her." I said.

"That sounds like a rather good idea." Francis agreed. The two boys followed me to the stables. Her horse was still missing, and none of the stable boys had seen her since she left.

"That is very odd indeed. Perhaps I should ride after her." Jean-Luc offered. It was just then I heard a loud animal cry coming from the other side of the hill. All of us turned around simultaneously, and watched as Gardenia's horse ran towards us.

"Daisy! Daisy darling do calm yourself!" I said as I stroked the top of her head. "Where's Gardenia? Can you show me?" I begged the horse. She turned herself around as if she was asking me to climb on her back.

"Belle you should stay here. I will go find Gardenia." Francis said as he started to climb on the horse's back. She pushed him off and snorted in his face. It was me she wanted.

"Brother let Belle go find our sister. It seems the horse has already made that choice for us. Besides, if something is wrong, Belle may have better luck bringing Gardenia home than we would." Jean-Luc was beginning to make sense. I was her closest friend. If anyone could bring her home, it was me.

"Tell my father where I have gone. I will be back with her as soon as I can." I said. Daisy took off as fast as she could across the hills. I had never seen a horse run so fast. I sensed her tension and her fast heart beat. I began to worry even more about my friend when we entered into the woods. The sun was going down and our light was slowly fleeting. I tried to make Daisy turn back. It would be no use looking for Gardenia when it was completely dark. The horse refused, instead, her speed only increased deeper into the woods. Creatures from every angle had their eyes on us as we rode. I'm sure they wondered what a white horse and young girl were doing sprinting through their territory. Daisy halted mid trot and neighed as we arrived at our destination.

A castle...a dark castle. The front gates were practically rusted to the point of collapse. The exterior of the castle was covered in dark green moss and layers of ivy. Surely this is not where my best friend was being held? Who could possibly live in a castle that was falling apart? I looked at Daisy in disbelief, but she insisted that I enter the gates. I tied her up on a post immediately through the entrance. I was scared, to say the least. I felt foolish for putting myself in this kind of situation, but nevertheless, I was getting my best friend out of there.

It seems that Belle has stumbled upon a mystery! I wonder what she will find inside the castle. Thank you all so much for reading! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite as well!

Shoutouts:

TheUserOverHere: Thank you very much for your review! Also, thank you for the follow, as well! I am so glad you are enjoying the story so far! :)

SailorSedna052: Thank you very much for following and favoriting this story! I really appreciate your support! :)

The Queen of Water: Thank you so much for following and favoriting! I am so glad you are enjoying it! :)

Well...that looks like all for tonight everyone! Until next time my dears! :)