'Belle, it's time to wake-up,' Red spoke and with a slight shake Belle was awoken from her uncomfortable position in the coach chair.
'We're here?' Belle asked and scrambled up to look out the window at the view. It was snowing in this part of France, even though it was in the middle of summer. The dark castle was covered in it and looked just like something out of a Grimm's fairy tale, though much, much more grim.
With spires as sharp as lances climbing up toward the sky, and towers that climbed even higher, it was terrifying. With the snow all around it, it could be mistaken for a haunted castle. Belle loved it and, so wiping the sleep from her eyes and combing her fingers through her hair she grabbed her bag and jumped off of the bus.
'Yes, isn't it wonderful?' Red asked to which Belle uncharacteristically squealed girly and threw her arms around her best friend; she just could not contain her excitement.
'Are we at the wrong place?' Monsieur Joulton asked concerned to which the girls looked up at him in confusion.
'Excuse me monsieur what do you mean the wrong place?' Red asked as Belle took in the midnight black gates of steel that seemed to tower way over the entire castle if looked at from a certain height.
'I mean this is not the castle that we were invited to. Firstly it is surely not a place of learning, and secondly there is nobody here to welcome us in,' Joulton explained, just as the old gates creaked open and a servant of some sort exited the castle grounds. He had to be a servant for he was dressed identical to many of the servants she'd had at home when she'd had one. The college was great and all, it served a purpose, but it was no home for her.
'Apologies for my lateness. Monsieur Joulton, I suppose?' the servant asked and the professor nodded. 'Ah, welcome to Le chateau de bêtes de maudites, I am Monsieur Barbary, head servant at the castle…I do hope you will forgive me but the master is not at home at present. He has not been home for many, many years, but he shall return when the time is right.' At that last sentence his gaze strayed to her, Belle, in her black as night skinny jeans and her obsidian black top with her blood red gloves.
Does he mean me? Belle wondered to herself and tried to remember the dream she'd had on the coach on the way from college. She'd fallen asleep pretty early on in the journey, but could not recall much of the dream. Hmm she wondered why, when she was so very good at recalling the dreams that she had. Dismissing the insane thought, since when did anything revolve around her anymore; she thought to ask a question of the servant.
'What is the legend surrounding this castle?' She asked, in the hope that he would give her an answer. She had searched the computers, the internet, and books and had found nothing, not a single legend to give her some kind of clue. Perhaps the castle itself would give her a clue.
'What a curious young lady, you must be very intelligent, but I apologise for I myself know nothing of the legend, only the architecture of the building, but as you are so curious about the Chateau itself, surely you would be curious to know of how and when it was built?' The servant asked and Belle gave a curt nod. Fine, she would settle for that, for the time being, but it was still not enough.
'When was the chateau built?' Belle asked, trying to keep the boredom from her tone. She wanted the legend not the architecture.
'This castle was built in the 14th century, for a handsome young man and his young mistress,' Barbary began. 'You see the young woman that the man loved was not his fated mate, though she was kind and caring, and though he wanted to love her he was not able. And tragedy struck the master and his mistress. He became enraged and with his inhumane strength he committed manslaughter. He killed his mistress,' Barbary continued and Belle found herself engrossed as they entered through the gates and came across the grounds of the castle.
The grounds were just as terrifyingly beautiful as the rest of the building, with dark gargoyles watching over, appearing as though they would come to life should one even lay a finger on them. The grass was as green as her eyes and, she knelt down, just as soft as cotton. So the castle and its grounds weren't completely harsh in their appearance or texture.
'He killed his mistress?' Belle asked shocked, but excited too. She kind of wished that she could high five the handsome young man but he was long, long dead.
'Oh yes, it was as though he had been possessed by some evil beast and that is why many dub this castle that of the cursed beast. But as all lives end, the man died and many of his descendants have lived in this castle. I have been lucky to serve the latest of his descendants. A lovely man, just as kind as his ancestor was. Yet less violent,' Barbary said and Belle nodded. Something was ringing a bell with this story but she couldn't think what.
'Now, let's go inside the castle and we can show you where you will be staying for you time here,' Barbary added, and they entered the castle. Belle and Red were the only ones who had been brave enough to come to the castle. As soon as their fellow students had heard the name of the castle they had backed away in terror, their eyes lit with fear. Odd, what had they known that Belle and her best friend had yet to learn?