Chapter Four

"Are you nervous, Master?" asked Cogsworth as he looked around at the Picardy royal family's extensive art collection.

"No, Cogsworth," Adam responded, rolling his eyes. "Of course not! It is just a girl."

"A girl you are going to marry, sire," Cogsworth reminded him. "And you ought to be on your best behaviour to impress her."

"I don't really care about her," said Adam, inspecting his fingernails nonchalantly. "I just want to get this over with and go home."

"Oh, but Master! You should put more effort into matters of the heart," said Lumiere, tearing himself away from a painting of a voluptuous woman with very little clothing. "Shower her with compliments! Smile for once."

"No."

"Please, Master!" pleaded Cogsworth desperately. "Please just attempt to be a gentleman!"

Adam was about to inform Cogsworth that he always attempted to be a perfect gentleman, and that the problem lay with everyone else, and that it was not his fault that others took issue with the way he behaved, when an frail, elderly servant, who looked to be in his final stretch of life, appeared in the doorway.

"The prince and his daughter will see you now," the servant wheezed, clutching at his chest. Lumiere and Cogsworth exchanged worried glances.

Adam strode down the corridor, with Lumiere and Cogsworth following close behind. The servant opened a door and led them into an expansive, exquisitely decorated room lined with even more paintings. A middle aged man was sitting on a settee, with a young blonde girl, whom Adam recognised as Princess Alexis from the ball, sitting next to him, a sour expression plastered on her face. Adam sat down opposite them, with Lumiere and Cogsworth on either side of him. The princess spent several moments sizing him up, her eyes glancing down at his feet then working their way up the rest of his body until they finally settled on his red hair.

"This is not the one I wanted, Papa!" she said finally. "It was the handsome German prince that I wanted! The one with the shiny black hair, not this red-haired fop. What am I going to do with him?"

Adam frowned. He was particularly sensitive about his red hair, considering it his only physical imperfection. Any servant who made any form of allusion to it would be fired on the spot.

"I am sorry, sugarplum," said her father, giving her an apologetic pat on the knee. "When you said you wanted to marry the prince from the ball, I just wrote to the only prince I remembered being there. Who could forget that red hair? Should we call the wedding off?"

"No, you made your mistake," sighed Princess Alexis. "He came all the way here so I may as well go through with it. Who knows, I may grow to like him."

Adam narrowed his eyes. Lumiere and Cogsworth exchanged glances.

"Do you have a castle?" the princess asked sharply.

"Of course I do," replied Adam indignantly.

"A positively beautiful one," added Cogsworth quickly. "Nice and secluded, in the middle of a forest so that we don't get any nasty little beggar children at our door."

"How big is it?" she asked.

"Enormous!" Cogsworth cut in before Adam could make a rude remark. "Hundreds, if not thousands of rooms! It takes an entire week to clean from top to bottom, and that's only if we use all of our staff."

"Is there a ballroom?"

"Why yes," cried Lumiere. "A huge one! You could fit perhaps three thousand people in there. And it is so shiny and gold that it positively sparkles in the warm crystal chandelier-lit light. Perfect for l'amour," he added with an eyebrow waggle.

"How big is your staff?" asked the princess's father.

"About a hundred and fifty in all I'd say, right Lumiere?" replied Cogsworth.

"Right! A hundred and sixty if we include the chimney children." agreed Lumiere.

"Well, I suppose you'll do," said Alexis after a moment of hesitation.

"Excellent, excellent!" declared Cogsworth jovially. "Let's go ahead and plan the wedding then! Shall we say March of next year? Just after the prince's birthday."

"But it's already June! That's not even a year away!" cried the prince of Picardy.

"The sooner the better, of course! You must provide an heir as soon as possible," said Lumiere, winking suggestively.

"An heir?" asked Princess Alexis in disgust.

"Why yes," answered Cogsworth. "The prince's family line is dying out. He is the only one left. It's his duty to replenish it, and it should be done quickly!"

It was true. Adam was the last of his line, and he needed to have children quickly. This was something that he was definitely not looking forward to. Babies disgusted him, and young children were even worse. The thought of having them in his castle repulsed him. He could see them now, running around making an unnecessary amount of noise, sticking their dirty little hands on his nice clean walls, destroying the furniture. Not only that, but there was just no one attractive enough for him to procreate with. No woman deserved to bear his children.

Back at the castle, the remaining servants were enjoying their freedom. Now that their tyrannical master was away they could engage in all sorts of activities that they could otherwise not involve themselves in when he was around. There were not many chores to do now that the prince was away. Afternoons were spent lazing around in the June sun. At night, they celebrated their brief freedom until the early hours of the next morning.

Christopher "Chip" Potts had changed a lot in the past nine years. He had recently turned fifteen, but, with his tall and masculine physique owing to a childhood of physical labour, could easily pass for eighteen or nineteen. His mother claimed him that he was the spitting image of his late father. The other young girls of the household, particularly the silly young daughters of Monsieur Robillard, the chef, were utterly in love with him and his sandy blonde hair, not to mention his twinkling blue eyes, the one physical feature that he had received from his mother.

Chip despised the prince. He saw the way he treated his mother and the rest of the servants. Mama had told him that it was not the prince's fault that he behaved the way did. The poor thing was just a victim of tragic circumstances, she had said. Chip did not believe a word of his mother's excuse. The prince was just a nasty person. That was all there was to it.

When he stepped out that morning to visit his horse, Gabriel, in the stables he was greeted with the warm sensation of the June sun on his lightly tanned skin. It was such a beautiful day, he thought to himself. It would be foolish to waste it working inside. He decided to go for a ride instead.

Gabriel trotted leisurely along the path, as Chip took in the sights and scents of the forest. Before long, he came to a vaguely familiar-looking village. He left Gabriel to graze in a wide open field by a river, and went off to explore the town on his own. He had only visited this village once before. It had been with his mother and three of his older sisters when he was a little boy. It was a lot smaller than he remembered it being. As he navigated through the crowds, he heard his empty stomach rumble. He bought a baguette from the bakery, and devoured it as he walked through the town. Just as he swallowed his last bite, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

A bookshop! He often escaped to the castle library when he wanted to be alone. The prince had a significant distaste for literature and avoided the library at all costs. Chip knew that he would be safe there. There he left his own reality and escaped into a world of fantasy, where he was the dashing, handsome prince. He pushed open the door of the bookshop and wandered in. An elderly man was writing at a desk by the window.

"Ah. You're early today, Be-" the old man stared at Chip in surprise. He had evidently been expecting someone else.

"Hello," Chip greeted him. "I'd like to buy a book. Preferably one with an adventure, please."

The bookseller considered this request, then turned his back to Chip, and inspected his shelves for a few moments.

"Ah," he said after a while, retrieving a book from the top shelf of the case closest to him. "Here's one that you might be interested in."

Chip took the book and looked at the title. It was one that he did not recognise.

"This should be fine," he said. "Are you sure I'll like it?"

"I'm positive you will. One of my other customers loves it, and you remind me a lot of her."

Chip handed the bookseller his money and took the book gratefully. He opened the book and started to skim the first page. He looked up in surprise when he heard the door open and a bell sound.

"Monsieur Gaubert?"

Chip's jaw dropped as an angel- No! A goddess entered the bookshop. She was by far the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes upon. Her face looked as though it had been carved by Venus herself. Her eyes were like amber sap trickling from a tall oak trea, and her hair was a deep brown, like the colour of a refreshing mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter's night.

"Here's the book I borrowed, Monsieur Gaubert. Do you think I can borrow the story about the prince today? The one where he has to disguise himself and go on an adventure to save his one true love? It's my favourite!

"I'm sorry, Belle," the bookseller said apologetically, as he gestured to Chip. "But this young man here just bought it."

"Oh," she squeaked disappointedly. Her face fell.

"Y-you can have it, miss," offered Chip immediately, extending the arm that was holding the book.

"Oh, no. I couldn't," insisted Belle, though she really did want to take it.

"I don't need it, really. I have plenty of books at home."

"Well, if you insist," said Belle, taking the book gratefully. "Do you live in the village? I don't know anyone else here who reads, except for Monsieur Gaubert, of course. I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"

"No, actually. I live and work at the castle. For Prince Adam."

Belle's face darkened. Her pretty features twisted into a scowl.

"Prince Adam? Oh dear."

"You're familiar with him?" asked Chip.

"We had a rather unfortunate confrontation a few months ago. What a nasty, repulsive human being."

Chip smiled. Somehow Belle was becoming even more attractive with every word that she spoke.

"Isn't he just awful?" agreed Chip happily. "Mama says he's like that because his parents died when he was a baby, but I think that's just an excuse. I think people are born rotten, don't you?"

"Oh dear!" Belle exclaimed, noticing the clock on the mantelpiece. "Is that clock accurate, Monsieur Gaubert? I was only meant to be here a few seconds. I have to go home to help my father. Good bye, Monsieur! And it was lovely meeting you..."

"Chip."

"Chip," she repeated. "It suits you. Thank you so much for the book, by the way. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Chip blushed furiously. Belle smiled back at him, and twisted the doorknob.

"Wait!" he yelled before he could stop himself.

"Yes?"

"C-can I walk you home?"

"I-if you want to," Belle stammered, surprised by his offer.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say to the other.

"How old are you?" Chip asked finally.

"Sixteen," replied Belle. "I'm turning seventeen at the end of October. How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Chip lied. He should not have lied to her, he told himself later. They were only a year and a half apart in age. It really should not matter at all.

"So what is it like working for Prince Adam?" Belle asked.

"Dreadful!" Chip told her. "He's a complete monster. He doesn't treat anyone with respect. I wouldn't work there if I could help it. I was born in the castle. My mother is a servant, all my siblings are servants, and my father was a servant before he died. There is no way out for us, unfortunately. More than anything I would love to go out and see the world. I want to have an adventure."

"So would I," sighed Belle wistfully. "I used to live in Paris, but Papa hated it there so we had to move. Now I'm trapped in this boring little village. I would do anything to get away from here, but I can't leave Papa."

They arrived at quaint little cottage by the large open field where he had left Gabriel. Chip could see his horse drinking from the river at the bottom of the hill. Belle turned towards the cottage. Chip assumed that this was her house. The cottage was aesthetically appealing, it was true, but it seemed wrong that someone so beautiful lived in a place so utterly unimpressive.

"It was nice talking to you, Chip," Belle told him, giving him a small smile. "I have to go now unfor- A dandelion!"

Belle ran into the field, Chip followed her. Grinning eagerly, she plucked the dandelion from its grassy home, closed her eyes, raised the flower to her lips, and blew softly. The seeds flew off into the wind.

"Nice blow," complimented Chip. Belle giggled. "What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you that!" shrieked Belle, horrified at his suggestion.

"Why not?"

"If I tell you then it won't come true! Oh! What a beautiful horse!" Belle exclaimed, looking down at the river where Gabriel was still drinking. "I just love the colour. Whiter than snow!"

"That's Gabriel," said Chip. "He's the son of Genevieve, my parents' old horse."

"He's gorgeous!" Belle gushed. "He reminds me of my Philippe. But Philippe is brown, not white."

"He's not as beautiful as you," Chip said, before he realized his mistake. He went bright red. He really had not meant to compare her to a horse. Luckily for him, Belle just laughed.

"I really had a nice time talking to you today, Chip," she said with a smile.

Belle and Chip stared at each other for a few moments.

"Belle!"

"Oh no! I forgot that I had to help Papa today," Belle shrieked. "I am so sorry about this, Chip! I have to go now. Farewell."

"When can I see you again?" asked Chip quickly.

"Anytime that you like," Belle answered. It's pretty boring around here. I don't do much except read, keep house, and help Papa. It would be nice to have someone to talk to."

"I'm in love, Mama!" Chip declared when he came back to the castle that night.

"Oh? Who is the lucky girl?" asked Mrs Potts.

"Her name is Belle, Mama," Chip gushed. "And she's the most beautiful creature to ever walk the Earth! She's a year older than me, but I don't mind. I am going to marry her one day. I just know I will!"

I really should have worded my previous author's note differently. No, there will be absolutely NO Belle/Chip romance in this story. That is disgusting, wrong, and sick. I like crack pairings, but that is going too far.