Belle really wishes she'd specified a time to call Kazul when Tom dropped by last night because the sun isn't actually up yet, but somehow Tom is still insanely chipper.

"I forgot you're a morning person." She moans as he sets his mirror on the table.

He quirks an eyebrow at her. "You're the one who insisted we meet in the morning."

"I was under the impression morning involved sunshine." She says, waving a hand at the still dark window.

"The mountains are ahead of us time-wise, it's already light there."

"Next time I'll make sure I'm more specific."

He laughs. "The royal family wants me to test the contestants for magic today, so I wont really have any time later. We'll go to breakfast in the kitchens after and you can convince the staff I'm not as terrifying as they think."

She accepts the apology, and nods. "Alright, but you're making me coffee," before leaning over the mirror to call Kazul.

Despite being far too early for coherent thought, the talk with the Dragon King goes well and she offers to send her grandchild to re-fireproof Belle once he gets back from visiting friends. After a brief conversation about possible reasons the spell stopped working, they hang up and head to breakfast.

!

After the way everyone acted the night before, Belle probably should have anticipated the sudden silence when she and Tom enter the kitchen. She plasters on a false smile and spends the next few minutes trying to convince her new friends that Tommy won't hurt them, without ever actually outright promising safety. (She has never been good at lying—at least not to people she likes—and she knows that just because Tom won't purposely hurt them, it doesn't mean he can't. So she sort of understands why they're afraid of him, even if she doesn't like it.) Tommy looks pained, and she has no idea what to do to make it better. Perhaps it was a bit early to assume the others would trust her enough to automatically accept Tom, but she really wants all her friends to get along.

Just when she's considering taking Tom and leaving, Chip steps up as savior once again. He moves from behind his grandmother where she not so subtly pushed him, and runs to give Belle a hug, despite the intimidating shadow at her side.

Tom's lips tilt in a slight grin as he turns to her. "Made a friend I see."

"Yep." She peels the little boy away from her legs and picks him up so he's closer to Tom's height. "This is Chip. Chip, this is my best friend, Tommy."

The boy smiles. "Can I hug him too?"

The two adults exchange slightly wary looks, and Tom nods cautiously. "Sure, but always ask him first." She warns as she places the boy back on the ground.

After that, the room is no longer quite so awkward, and Tom is even able to fetch Belle some coffee and eat his own breakfast before he's bombarded with questions. By the time he has to leave, most of the staff is comfortable talking to him (even if the idea of physical contact with someone who can catch them on fire is a bit much) and he's been invited to drop by whenever he wants (although it is thoroughly suggested that Belle always accompany him). It's more than he was anticipating, though Belle feels it's a bit unfair. He merely smiles at her and kisses her cheek before departing.

!

She runs into the prince on her way to riding lessons later. He doesn't notice her as he stalks down the hall, muttering about the castle turning the Great Hall pink during breakfast. Laughing, she strokes the castle wall and whispers her approval of the new decorations before skipping the rest of the way to the stables.

Lumere is excited to introduce her to the horses and teach her about riding. After a tour of the stables he brings out a chestnut horse named Phillipe for her lessons. He lectures her on breeds and riding styles, and she's pretty certain he's explained Phillipe's entire history before he lets her on the horse. He's a fascinating teacher and Belle asks if he can recommend any books, which he just laughs at and offers to let her visit whenever she wishes.

Eventually some of the girls come by the stables for some riding, and Lumere is forced to help them. Belle thanks him for the lessons, gives Phillipe an apple and a pat goodbye and heads back to the castle.

Maybe the library will have more advanced books on biology than she owns?


mostly a filler chapter, but she will meet the prince properly in the next chapter