I still don't own Beauty and the Beast, nor do I know the Beast's real name.

Smiling, young Danielle turned the page, refreshing the words of her book. From a bystander's viewpoint, it would seem as if she were asleep or possessed as she read; her eyes looked glazed over, she continuously was smiling in a far-off way, and she only moved to turn the page. This was the state in which Cogsworth found her, "Aha!" He yelled, making the girl jump and almost drop her book, "There you are!" He scolded her as she looked lost as to where she was, "Do you know what time it is, young lady?"

Looking puzzled, Danielle turned to the large clock behind her and said, rather unwillingly, "Ten till noon." Turning back to the impatient clock.

"Right," he said, still in a scolding tone, "and when do your lessons start?"

"Never?" Danielle asked in a laughing tone of voice, then, seeing the look on the clock's face, sighed and said, "Oh, Cogworth, when will I need to know how triangles are congruent? When will I need to know when France's first war was and against whom? Never, really," She concluded for herself, "so why teach me things I never need to know?"

Astonished at her speech, the clock stared at her, jaw nearing the ground. The girl went to put her book away when he spoke, "Your father wants you to know this information." he said.

Turning around, book halfway on the shelf, the girl looked at the clock questioningly, "Why?"

The clock returned her look, and twitched his mustache, which meant he was thinking. Turning around, smiling as she placed the book on the shelf, the princess waltzed over to the clock and sat down in front of him, waiting for an answer. The clock's mustache kept twitching, and the girl soon got bored, so she picked him up- with much protest- and started walking down the stairs.

The girl walked out of the room with the squirming clock, smiling at the other members of the household she passed; a number of maids, some non-talking candle sticks, and stopped when she came to Lumiere. "Good morning!" She said cheerfully to the candlestick, still holding the protesting Cogsworth.

"Ah, Madmoiselle!" The candlestick smiled and bowed, "Zee day iz so beautiful today, iz eet not?"

"Tell her to unhand me, you brainless idiot!" Cogsworth shouted to Lumiere.

Looking hurt, the candlestick dramatically replied, "Why must you be so hurtful to me, Cogsworth, old friend?"

Sitting down, Danielle put the clock next to the candlestick and folded her hands in her lap.

Brushing himself off dramatically, the clock sighed as if exhausted, "Thank you."

Danielle smiled, knowing he was not actually thankful, resting her chin in her hand, the girl said to Lumiere, "Cogsworth wishes me to learn things no one needs to know." She explained, "Do you agree with him?"

"That's not fair!" The clock interrupted, "You can't just make someone tell me that you don't need teaching anymore!"

Ignoring the clock, the candlestick said to the girl, "Why, mon sherrie! Zat eez 'orrible! No one should be taught sings zat one does not need!" The girl smiled at the clock in a know-it-al way as the candlestick continued, "No, a girl your age should be out in zee world, exploring eets wonders! Meeting friends! And perhaps," He said in a handsomely-devilish say, "meet a missour whom you have feelings for?"

At the last one, Danielle turned a tint of pink, but covered in up, clearing her throat and saying, "Exactly! See, Cogsworth," She said to the clock, "no one but you wants me to learn pointless things."

Dumbstruck, the clock's jaw dropped, but started to move, saying, "Well, don't talk to me, your father's the one having me teach you."

Looking at the clock to the candlestick, Danielle sighed in defeat, her father's mind was made of stone. Hearing a noise get nearer, all three turned their heads to see Mrs. Pots and Chip bouncing along the hall. When the teapot saw the girl, candlestick, and clock, she changed her direction towards them, "'Ello all!" she said kindly, seeing the princess's face, "My, whut's the matter, love?"

Danielle smiled sadly at her nanny and replied, "We're discussing my education."

"Really?" the teapot exclaimed, the three nodded their heads, "Whut abou' it?"

"She doesn't want to be taught anymore!" Cogsworth exclaimed in a scandalized voice.

Raising what one would guess to be an eyebrow, Mrs. Pots looked at the clock, "And?"

"And," the candlestick said, "zis fellow says she 'az to talk to her fazer about eet."

"Oh my!" the teapot said, "Have some tea, dear." She said to Danielle, pouring raspberry tea into the chipped cup and adding a few sugars.

As Chip hopped over to her, Danielle picked him up gently and thanked the teapot. After taking a sip, she asked, "Do you think Papa will be easier to persuade when the spell's broken?"

The other three (excluding the teacup) looked at each other. They didn't know. Or, they couldn't remember, more like. The candlestick cleared his throat and replied to the princess, "Well, one would sink so."

Smiling, Danielle kissed and put the now empty Chip down next to everyone, got up and left, saying, "I'm going to go talk to him and Mama, they're in the living room, right?"

"Yes, dear!" Mrs. Pots shouted after her.

Closing the door behind her, knowing quite well either Cogsworth or Lumiere was going to follow her, the girl ran off down the hallway, sky blue dress rippling as she walked. Coming to a large oak door, the girl caught her breath for a few seconds and walked in to the living room. Inside, the fireplace roared and the room had a cozy feeling to it. Looking around, Danielle spotted her parents in two of the three big armchairs by the fire. She heard her parents talking about her, and closed the door as quietly as she could. It wasn't quiet enough, her father turned himself around in the armchair facing towards the fire, looking angrily at the door. Seeing his daughter, his expression softened, and he smiled, saying, "Ah, Danielle."

Her mother looked toward the door and greeted her daughter as well, "Hello, Danielle."

"Mama," She said walking toward the armchairs, "Papa." She said, kissing her father's head as she passed him. Seating herself in the empty armchair, across from her mother, she said, "How have your mornings been?"

"Fine." Her father growled, he never really talked much around anyone.

"It was wonderful!" Her mother said cheerfully, "We took a walk in the garden, the tulips are starting to bloom, they look so gorgeous!"

"How was your morning?" Her father asked Danielle, obviously in need of some news that did not include the words 'wonderful,' "extravigant,' or any words that over-describe 'good' as his wife tended to do so often.

"Oh, it was fine." she said, "But I don't think the things Cogsworth is teaching me are really helpful."

The king froze for a second, as if in shock. Then, snapping out of it, asked, "What are you learning?"

"France's warring history," the girl counted off with her fingers, "triangle congruences, the periodic table of elements, how to write an essay... Boring, unneeded stuff like that."

Her father growled in thought, turning his head downwardly to the left, scratching his chin, "You do have a point." He said to his only child, "Have you told Cogsworth this yet?"

"Yes," Danielle replied, "this morning, and he told me he was doing it by your request."

The Beast raised an eyebrow at his daughter, "Really?" He said, as if asking himself.

"Yes, Papa." Danielle replied.

While her husband was still deep in thought, Belle said to her daughter in an overly cheerful way (of course), "Why don't you give your father some time to think about it? Say, why don't you go into town and hang out for a while? You haven't been out of the house in a while."

Danielle smiled happily at the thought, but remembered that she needed her father's permission to leave, "Can I, Papa?"

Snapped out of thought already, the Beast replied, "Only if you visit your grandfather while you're there, he misses you."

"Okay. Thank you, Papa!" Danielle said, hugging her father and kissing her mother, she went to get her cloak.