Blue Eyes
The prince continued to watch Belle, his eyes never once leaving her pale face. Even though the doctor had said she would be fine, he couldn't believe it… She was just too still.
A frown had been permanently been etched onto his forehead; he was worried about her, to say the least. He wanted her to wake up, show him herself that she would, in fact, be fine.
However, she continued to sleep soundlessly. Every once in a while, an eyebrow would twitch or her hand would grasp his a little tighter in her deep slumber, but nothing more. The prince could practically feel himself bounce on the bed with anxiety.
All of a sudden, he heard the giant door to Belle's room creak open. Mrs. Potts quietly entered the room, her arms full of towels, blankets, and a large bowl of steaming water. She sat the large china bowl on the wooden nightstand that no longer moved the blankets and towels still in her arms.
"Here we are," she said in a cheerful whisper, careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the bed. As the maid started to unfold the blankets, the prince stopped her. It was time he started his plan.
Mrs. Potts raised her eyebrows at the young man, "Yes, Adam?" she asked.
This time the prince acknowledged his name. His eyes widened at her as he realized he hadn't been called that name in ten years. Mrs. Potts chuckled.
"That is your name, whether you remember it or not," she said, smiling.
"I do," Adam replied. "It's just been a while, that's all."
Just as Mrs. Potts began to unfold the blankets again, the prince stopped her again.
"Wait," he said quietly, not entirely sure what would be the best way to tell Mrs. Potts about his decision; it certainly was an outrageous idea. "Is... Is there any way we could move her to another room she hasn't seen before?" Adam asked hesitantly, his voice shaking. This was it, this decision would change everything.
Mrs. Potts frowned, "Why would you want to do that?" She asked, completely confused. "The rest of the castle looks so different now... She won't be able to recognize it. I think this is the only room that hasn't changed, it and the ballroom; isn't it best to keep her here, in familiar surroundings? She's bound to be frightened enough as it is. She us all so different doesn't help the matter either..."
"Exactly," the prince said with a little more confidence.
The maid became all the more confused at the master's statement.
"You don't want her to recognize the castle?"
"No."
All was quiet for an immeasurable moment. The former Beast resulted to softly stroking Belle's face again, enamored by her beauty and kindness that showed even in sleep. She sighed softly and unconsciously relaxed into his hand. He smiled, this was what he was doing this for. As a prince, he might actually have a chance...
He felt Mrs. Potts lay a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You know," she said, "The spell wouldn't have been broken if she didn't love you too."
The prince shook his head, "It's not the same. The Enchantress never said what kind of love I needed to break the spell. Belle never loved me this way, the way I love her. She was merely expressing her gratitude and sympathy."
Mrs. Potts sighed and shook her head at his stubbornness. "I don't think that's the case."
He ignored her, asking a simple " Will you prepare the room beside the West Wing? It's closer to the library, I think she'll like that."
The servant shook her head once more and chuckled silently to herself before she hurried out the door. Belle was a smart girl, she'd figure it out sooner or later.
Adam stood beside Belle's bed, sliding his hands under her body. He picked her up, cradling her against he body with the utmost reverence. Then, carefully, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and she nuzzled against his bare chest in response. He shivered, whether it was from the ice-cold of her cheek or the pleasure of her touch, he did not know. Though, he knew he was anxiously awaiting the time when she would, hopefully, return his touch consciously.
He made his way through the castle, noticing how different it was indeed. In fact, it looked like a different castle altogether; the grey stone of the floors and pillars had been replaced with sparkling white marble. All broken sculptures had been repaired. The dusty tapestries that had once depicted scenes of horror and anguish now showed famous Greek gods and goddesses in poses of elegance and beauty. Like the outside of his castle, the gargoyles had transformed back into angels and cupids ready to strike the unsuspecting passerby with his arrow of love. If only... the prince mused.
When the he reached the West Wing, he gasped in shock. This, by far, was the most different. It no longer looked like the home of a Beast, but now had been repaired to the former glory of his childhood. Large gleaming mirrors gleamed pristine and unbroken, framed in golds and silvers. Inanimate suits of armor were fixed into a permanent salute upon jewel encrusted stands. The large door to his own room was a brilliant mahogany with ruby handles that had taken the place of the frightening Beasts.
The prince was careful not to look into any of the mirrors, suddenly afraid of his new reflection; it was one he hadn't seen in ten years. He knew it was a ridiculous idea, but he secretly knew he was terrified of looking into one of those millions of mirrors and seeing the reflection of a Beast again.
So, before he could catch sight of his own reflection, he walked as fast as he could with Belle in his arms towards the room across from his at the entrance to the West Wing.
He entered through the already open door to see Mrs. Potts putting the finishing touches to the room. He looked around, noticing this room was much more grande than Belle's previous one. From the best he could remember, this had been his mother's room.
And it was a room fit for a queen. A massive bed dominated the room, it was positioned in the center of the farthest wall. Its elaborate canopy was made from the finest of white silk money could buy. Ruby and white walls reached upwards to form a high ceiling. The prince chuckled to himself as he half expected the furniture to move and greet him.
Adam went to stand beside the bed as Mrs. Potts unrolled the overly fluffy coverlet and blankets. She fluffed the pillows and he carefully laid Belle down on the bed. When Mrs. Potts tucked her in, he smiled as he saw the design on the blanket.
Though it was the wrong color, he could still sense the irony. Red roses decorated the sheets, intricately weaving through each other in a beautiful design.
It was now late in the night, and Adam still kept watch over Belle. He had not left her side since he had brought her into the castle. His eyes drooped with exhaustion, he had not yet slept in his new human form; he had to keep watch over Belle, to make sure she would really be alright. However, his body wasn't complying with his wishes as his eyes slowly started to slide close into sleep. Before they could close completely, sending him into a peaceful slumber, he was woken again by a quiet knock at the door. He groggily stood and made his way over to the source of the sound and wiped the sleep from his eyes as he opened the heavy door.
Two men stood there, one was short and stout, with a rather stiff mustache that looked like clock arms. The prince recognized him from before when he first arrived back to the castle with Belle; he was Cogsworth. Then, Adam looked at the second man he hadn't seen in ten years. This man was rather skinny, the exact opposite in fact. His lanky limbs and tall stature reminded of of a candlestick. Adam's eyes widened as he took in other features of this man, the brown curl on top of his head that had one been made of wax and the wide grin that had not changed no matter what form this man was in... He was Lumiere.
"Lumiere!" The prince said excitedly, and hugged his old friend firmly, glad to see that he too was back to his original state.
Lumiere chuckled at the prince's enthusiasm and returned the hug before letting go and holding him out at arms's length to look at his master's new appearance.
"I must say, master, that you look quite a bit different!" Lumiere beamed. The prince was so happy, he could only smile in return. "See, I told you she'd be the one to break the spell!" Lumiere smirked, nudging Cogsworth in his large belly with his skinny arm.
"Yes, well..." Cogsworth said, stuttering a bit. Then he turned toward the prince, deciding to avoid the insuring argument altogether. "Your highness," Cogsworth began, "Wouldn't it be wise to freshen up a bit? I don't mean to insult you, but you look like a mess."
"And," Lumiere grinned wider than ever as he spoke, "Wouldn't it be easier to win the lady's affections if you were... Clean?"
Adam frowned, his mind still in a vague fog of sleepiness. He looked over at Belle's sleeping form; she rolled over on her stomach and hugged the pillow closer to her head. He could not stop the smile that slowly spread across his features as he watched his love. Then, the frown came back just as quickly as it had disappeared. What if she woke without him there? What if something happened to her while he was gone? He would never be able to forgive himself.
Sensing his master's worries, Lumiere added, "If she wakes before you are back, I will come for you immediately."
The prince felt a little comforted by Lumiere's words, but he couldn't help but worry...
"The doctor said she'll be fine, your majesty," Cogsworth reassured him, "But you on the other hand, need to relax or else you won't be."
Adam looked once more in Belle's direction. He longed to be able to hold her while she slept, he wanted to be there for her whenever she needed him. Then Adam realized something that almost made him laugh, and he would have if he hadn't been worried that it would wake Belle from her much needed sleep.
"I suppose you're right," he conceded. "Besides, I don't need to be looming over her when she wakes up. To her, I would just be some strange man watching her sleep. Being there when she wakes probably isn't the best idea."
Both of his servants smiled at the though and nodded in agreement.
"I'll be in my bedroom," he said with a yawn, "Be sure to wake me if anything happens."
"Of course," Lumiere promised.
With that, the prince headed past them out the the door and down the long hallway to his room.
A/N: Hi there again! So, I hope everyone likes this! Send me a review if you want another chapter ;)
By the way, sorry if there is any OOCness... My advanced placement history class is doing a study on transcendentalists and Henry David Thoreau and we are going without technology for a week. However, I was allowed to get on fanfiction still because my teacher said we were to spend this week reading and writing, and that's exactly what I'm doing. However, my TV is unplugged and youtube is blocked so I can't go back there for reference. I tried as hard as I could to get the characters right without going back for reference. Hopefully I did okay and I hope you all won't kill me for any OOC that might have occurred.
To the wonderful reviewers T a s h ax, BronyBraeburn, collective2220, Fanficlover555, The Green Archer, PrettyQueen, obsessive360, Groovy Geek, Nami Swann, civilwarrose, yovillelova, and Clara Spencer THANK YOU! You all are the reason each chapter exists :)
Anonymous reviewers:
T a s h ax: Hi there and thanks for your review! I'm so glad you enjoy my story. I'm really trying to make this a fic of quality by adding as much description as I can. Being called 'brilliant' just puts a big cheesy grin on my face. Thanks again :)
Fanficlover555: Hello again! I really can't thank you enough for all your continuous reviews. Each one encourages me to write some more ;) I hope I don't let you down with each chapter so each review I get I have a little sigh of relief that no one's mad... yet lol. I'm definitely planning on continuing as long as I keep getting positive responses from my readers. I'm also glad that I gave you a little scare; I was hoping people would get a little panicky over Belle's condition, but wasn't quite sure if I wrote it right. Anyways, thank you so much for your review! :D
-Elizabeth