Belle's POV

Were those hoofbeats or heartbeats Belle heard as Philippe galloped through the woods? Probably both. For sure she heard hoofbeats, and her heart sure felt like it was pounding just as loud. She felt bad for Philippe, who she was riding as hard as possible, and she knew he was beginning to tire.

"Keep going Philippe," she said when his pace slowed a bit. "We're almost there. Papa needs us to hurry. I know you're tired but you've got to push just a few minutes more okay? Good boy Philippe. You're such a good boy."

Philippe, seeming to understand, picked his pace back up. Soon she let him slow to a canter as they came into Villeneuve. And the sight that greeted her was a very unwelcome one. Her father was thrown into the asylum wagon! Gaston was saying something to him that Belle couldn't make out. Maurice must not have told Gaston what the latter wanted to hear, for Gaston closed him in and ordered him taken away.

"Stop!" Belle yelled as she urged Philippe into the crowd before bringing him to a stop and dismounting. "Let him go!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Monsieur D'Arque, the asylum keeper said. "But we'll take good care of him."

"My father is not crazy!" Belle cried.

"He was raving about a beast in a castle," LeFou said.

"I just came from the castle," Belle said. "There is a beast. "

"You'd say anything to help him," Gaston said. "You're word is hardly proof!"

"You want proof?" Belle said. "Look at the dress I'm wearing. Much to fancy for me to get from a peasant source. When I looked in the Beast's enchanted mirror and saw you taking my father into custody I didn't even take the time to change into my peasant dress."

At this, the mob erupted in laughter.

"Enchanted mirror eh?" someone yelled. "Guess craziness runs in the family!"

"Belle," Gaston said, voice dripping with feigned concern. "Apparently your father isn't the only one in need of Monsieur D'Arque's help."

LeFou pulled Gaston aside.

"Uh, Gaston? Perhaps you're being...slightly hasty? She does have a point about that dress."

"Well I don't see her producing a mirror LeFou," Gaston said. He then started toward Belle.

Beast's POV

The Beast suddenly realized how tightly his paw was gripping the handle of the mirror. Fur bristled as a growl sounded. First he'd asked to see Gaston. The man that showed up in the mirror was telling Belle's father he wouldn't have to go to the madhouse if he'd just promise Gaston Belle's hand in marriage. Maurice refused and the wagon door slammed shut and Gaston ordered him taken away. When the Beast heard Belle announce her presence, he directed the mirror to shift its focus on her. And what he was seeing was making him angry.

Yep, things are going south, he thought once the crowd laughed about her enchanted mirror comment, practically ignoring her very valid point about the dress. The Beast briefly wished she had taken the mirror, but then an idea came to him. Time to give them the proof they demand, he thought as he burst out of the west wing, still holding the mirror, and running as fast as he could towards the library.

Lumiere and Cogsworth saw their master in an apparent panic and ran after him.

"Master!" Lumiere called as the two sentient appliances reached the library. "What's wrong? You look like you're running from a ghost!"

"Belle's in the village and things aren't going well," the Beast said. He set the mirror down on a table and grabbed the enchanted book he had previously despised. "I said before this was the enchantress' cruelest trick but now it may be my greatest ally. Perhaps Belle and her father's only hope of staying out of the insane asylum!"

"Insane asylum?" Cogsworth asked.

"No time to explain other than apparently she tried to corroborate his story about a beast and they say she has no proof. If you want to know more you'll have to watch in the mirror. I'm going to go give them their proof!"

With that, the Beast placed his paw on the page, silently willing himself to the edge of the mob. Once he found himself with the mob before him, he hid the book inside his cloak.

Omniscient POV

Gaston held the door of the asylum wagon open with one hand and Belle's wrist tightly in the other.

"Now Belle try to be reasonable," he said. "It grieves me to see either of you go to the loony bin. Now if you'll just agree to marry me, and tell us you're just kidding about the Beast, I won't put you in this wagon. I might even be charitable and let your father out, if he agrees to give his blessing which he's thus far been reluctant to do."

"Why would I give my blessing?" Maurice shouted angrily. "You only have me on the way to the madhouse to cover your own rotten posterior after trying to kill me!"

"What?" Belle gasped, horrified.

But before anyone could say anything, a very loud roar ripped through the crowd, bringing it to such a silence that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone turned to stare as a very large Beast made his way through the crowd, and said Beast did not look at all amused.

"Beast!" Belle cried out. "Well everybody, is this proof satisfactory enough for you?"

The Beast walked right up to the wagon, having no trouble since frightened villagers scrambled to give him a very wide berth. He grabbed the wagon door, still open to receive Belle, and with his incredible strength ripped it off its hinges without much trouble and chucked it aside like it was nothing. He then grabbed Gaston by the shoulders, causing the latter to lose his grip on Belle's wrist. The former positioned Gaston so that the two made direct eye contact.

"You must be Gaston," the Beast said gruffly. "I've heard about you. And if you think I've heard good things about you, allow me to disabuse you of any such notion. Nothing I've heard about you has been good. And nothing I saw of you in my mirror that Belle spoke of was good either."

As this was going on, Belle went into the wagon and over to Maurice.

"Papa, this may be a lot to get your mind around but trust me," she said just above a whisper. "The Beast isn't who he seemed. There's a kindness in him that was so long buried he forgot it was within him. He let me go when we realized you were in this fix. He's here to help us Papa."

"Help us?" Maurice asked skeptically.

"Yes," Belle said. "We need to go with him back to the castle. I know you may think I've taken leave of all reason but we're safer there. So much for small meaning safe. We've got to get out of Villeneuve, and you'll like Beast once you get to know him. Trust me."

Outside the wagon, the Beast continued speaking with Gaston.

"I was cursed with this grotesque body you see for my past selfishness and callousness, traits of which I see you are in no short supply," the Beast said. "I learned my lesson. You're fortunate to have your human form. So a word to the wise, not that you qualify but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Learn a few things about kindness and humility. Learn it quick, because you never know if or when someone will test your character with the power to teach you a lesson in very creative ways. If you have to learn it like I have then by the time you've learned what you're meant to, you'll find out you also get to learn a lesson on this pesky thing called regret, and that's the most painful to have to learn. Believe me you do not want to go down that particular road. So your lesson in kindness and humility starts right now. Call off your troops, send the asylum warden away with an empty wagon, accept that Belle does not wish to marry you, and from what I've seen I don't blame her, and start striving to be a better person. Do I have your word on that?"

"Of course," Gaston said, making sure he sounded sincere. "Thank you for the good advice."

"Now get to it," the Beast said, pushing Gaston away from the wagon.

By this time, Belle and Maurice had stepped out of the wagon. The Beast pulled the portal book out of his cloak.

"Shall we go back?" he asked.

"You take Papa," Belle said. "I'll get back on Philippe. He knows the way to the castle. Gaston was just a bit too quick to agree with you for my comfort. I'm not sure I trust he'll hold his end. I don't want him deciding to hop on Philippe to get to the castle."

"You're not afraid he'll follow you?" the Beast asked. "Bring Philippe over here. If you're holding his reigns while your hand is on the book I would think he should come with us."

Belle went to get Philippe, but was clearly distressed when coming back.

"We have to hurry," she said. "He's coming back with his gun. Papa, we must all put our hands on the page the Beast has opened to.

Belle's hand, with Philippe's reins between the thumb and index finger went on the page. Beast, who would direct their destination, hovered his paw over, waiting for Maurice to place his hand before he would make contact with the page. But Maurice just stood there looking skeptically at the book, or more accurately who held it.

"Papa," Belle said with urgency. "We have to hurry!"

"I don't know," Maurice said.

Sighing, Belle grabbed her father's hand with her free hand and planted it firmly on the page.

As the Beast finally allowed his paw to rest upon the page, a gunshot rang out and the Beast let out a roar.