Chapter X

By the time Gaston woke up, the huntress had already left. Last night passed by like a dream. He felt the warmth of her body pressed against his as he lay beside her. She kept on whispering sweet nothings in his ear, such as how strong and confident he always was, until she fell asleep and buried her face in his neck. She looked so endearing in her sleep, he felt as if he wanted to kiss her through the night. He pushed aside the thoughts and concentrated on the challenge, keeping in mind that the stakes were high. If he lost, he would go to Paris and live a life subject to the social hierarchy that nobles treated with great import. She promised him that fame and fortune would come and he knew she was serious, but he was still uncertain. He rarely kept his word, but he wouldn't dare break his word to her. He pondered about it all morning.

Before noon, he went to the florist to buy a single red rose.

"Monsieur Gaston, it's been a while since you last visited!" exclaimed the florist.

"Well, it's been a while since I met a girl I actually liked."

"What a lucky girl! Have you proposed to her?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure she'll say yes!" he answered with an air of confidence that didn't fail to awe the florist.

He rode his black steed to the meadow and when he got there, he was relieved that the huntress had already arrived.

He dismounted and asked, "Wait long?"

"It's rude to keep a girl waiting," she teased.

He held out the rose to her, smirking.

"Oh, you're giving me roses now?" she grinned and took the rose from him, caressing its dainty red petals.

"You know, you're not unattractive," he remarked, walking a short distance away from her. "And don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"Likewise."

They went off to the forest in different directions. As usual, the huntress started looking for tracks in the animal trail. It was much easier to spot signs of game in the exposed ground than in grass and shrubs. Her mind wandered off into thoughts of her winning. She knew that Gaston could easily refuse her offer as easily as he dismissed the crowd in their first match, but she had nothing to lose and if he demanded another challenge, she will deny him and never set foot in Villeneuve again. The past few weeks with him was a diversion that took up a lot of her precious time, worthwhile though it may be; however, all good things must come to an end, and if he did something as grave as break his word to her, then that would be the end. She swore not to give up on him, but she thought that there are times that one has to be brave enough to accept that not all expectations end up fulfilled, and that a refusal to give up would only lead to one's own demise. It all depends on one's choice and that choice is influenced mainly by one's own principles. Did she love him enough to a point that she was willing to sacrifice her principles? It was so much easier to fall in love with someone compassionate, but the most satisfying rewards do not come easy, she thought. She already made compromises, but if she were required to compromise the very thing that made her who she is, then she will not. If she lost herself in the process, then making a difference would amount to nothing but a false endeavor. She believes that no man is born evil, so much so that she regards it as truth, but when beauty and evil are interminably intertwined, she will not sacrifice the good in her for a chance to tear beauty away from evil. Benevolence is a principle that she treasured far more than beauty and for that reason, she couldn't bring herself to condone Gaston's wrongful actions no matter how handsome he was.

ooo

The huntress hauled the ten point buck along the meadow. For a long while she searched for tracks of a larger animal, but there was no luck finding game as good as the elk she had captured in the first match. She could see Gaston at the meadow, standing near the tree where they were supposed to meet, stroking the glossy black mane of his robust stallion. It seemed that the magnificent creature reflected the beauty of its owner.

She arrived to see that he had bagged a twelve point stag. She felt her spirit sink but knew better than to take the loss bitterly for she had tried her best. Gaston won a fair match and she wanted nothing more than to congratulate him.

He saw her looking downhearted and teased, "Did you even try?"

"My best," she replied, smiling. She didn't have to shut him out of her life after all, and she would just keep looking for a generous man willing to be a figurehead in her occupation. She wasn't completely opposed to the idea of taking occasional visits to Villeneuve.

He lifted the deer, placing one on each shoulder, and said, "I told the villagers that we'll have a party tonight. You have to come, wear a dress for the dance."

"You really are full of yourself, aren't you?" The thought that he always organized the celebration even before he accomplished the task should have made her cringe, but she chuckled instead.

"Why, yes I am," he responded, nodding unabashedly. "There's no reason not to be. Just come. Try not to be so serious for once."

It was long since she attended a celebration and he did earn his victory fairly, so she thought it was just proper for her to go.

ooo

The air surrounding Villeneuve was festive and merry, toned down by the solemn glow emitted by the lamp posts temporarily erected around the village square. There was a long table on which laid many platters filled with different kinds of dishes, most of them cooked with venison and chicken. Barrels of ale were lined beside the table and bottles of wine were placed on wooden trays.

The huntress wore the formal red dress she used to wear to social gatherings where her family was invited by nobles. She liked the ambience of simplicity that pervaded the spacious village square. It was a breath of fresh air from the lobbies of majestic mansions which were crowded even before the stroke of midnight, usually because uninvited guests let themselves enter and join in the feast.

She sat on the edge of the fountain at the center of the square and saw the moonlight beautifully reflected on the water. The townsmen drank and cheered, toasting to each other's health as they laughed heartily. The women wore simple yet elegant gowns, giving each other compliments about their neatly arranged hair and flawless makeup. Some couples were already dancing slowly to the mellow music played by the band. The soothing melody of the violin stood out from the harmonious blending of sounds produced by the other instruments. The whole atmosphere of the occasion resonated with a peacefulness that calmed the soul.

She was staring at a waltzing pair and failed to notice that Gaston, dressed in a red tailcoat decorated with gold trimming, had approached. He sat beside her and asked, "You like it?"

She looked at him and at the wonderful scene around them. "Yes, very much."

"You see, this isn't just to celebrate my winning the contest." He stood and faced her, hands on his belt. "It's a farewell party. I'm going with you to Paris."

It took her a while to take in what he had just said. She stared at him in astonishment, apparently speechless.

"I know, I know, you don't know how to start thanking me, but I already thought it through and if I really want people to realize how great I am, I can't stay holed up in Villeneuve for the rest of my life." Gaston held out his hand to her, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and said, "Let's dance."

She held his hand and asked, "You really mean it?"

"Every word." He chuckled.

He walked her to the center of the dancing crowd, placed a hand on her waist, and playfully intertwined his fingers with hers.

"It's been so long since I last danced," she said, looking up at the moon and then at the small group of young women who were whispering to each other. "I think those girls are out to lynch me."

"Don't mind them," he grinned. "It's not your fault you're dancing with the most handsome man in town."

The huntress turned her gaze to him and lost herself in his eyes. They were the shade of icy blue that could send shivers down her spine, but tonight, they reflected the moonlight in a way that made them sparkle magnificently.

"Are you sure about it? About going to Paris with me?" she asked.

"I told you, I am," Gaston reassured her. He loved her and he wanted to make her happy, and if that meant going to Paris, then he would do it for her.

"Then I owe you, I owe you a lot."

"You can at least tell me your name."

She stayed silent for a while and said, "Diana."

"Diana," he mused. "Like the goddess, the goddess of the hunt?"

She smiled. "My parents named me thinking that I was born to be a great hunter."

"Well, they were right."

They danced slowly to the tune of the mellow music. The night grew deeper and the air colder, but the warmth of the festivity and their love for each other prevailed over the coolness of the night. Both moonlight and candlelight blended to create an aura of romantic resplendence. Diana rested her head on Gaston's chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

"Hey, Diana," he whispered lovingly in her ear.

Hearing him call her by her name made her feel an intimacy with him that she had not felt before. She kept quiet and let him continue.

"You don't mind going back here to get married, do you?"

She looked up at him with a mixture of tenderness and wonder, and answered, "Of course I don't, we can always go back here, whenever you like!" His mention of marriage made her grin from ear to ear. She felt as though she was the luckiest girl in the world.

Gaston held her hand firmly as if he never wanted to let go of her. She was like no other woman he had ever met. She looked stunning in her red dress. To him, the beauty of her dignity was unparalleled. The shallowness of the other women paled in contrast to her strength of character. She was the only one who earned his admiration and for that reason, she was the best, and he deserved only the best.

Diana closed her eyes and pulled him in for a tender kiss. When their lips parted, she smiled and touched his cheek, thumbing his well-defined cheekbone. To her, he was the definition of beauty. Was it worse to be wretched and ugly yet capable of love or to be devastatingly beautiful yet incapable of love? Both are tragic but they are two different tragedies that are incommensurable. At first, she believed that his self-centeredness rendered him incapable of love and the mere thought of it was enough to make her weep, but she knew that if he didn't love her, then he would not have kissed her, he would not have spent the previous night with her, he would not have given her the rose, and he would not be dancing with her at that very moment. These thoughts gave her peace. His beauty was not a tragedy after all.

As they danced, the red hue of their clothes blended together, as red as the rose he offered to her as a symbol of his love and respect.

A/N: Thanks for sticking with me through this short read :) When I thought of actually writing this fic, I wrote it as an outlet for my thoughts/opinions on physical beauty, shallowness, and a somewhat hypocritical society that places a high value on appearances even though people keep saying it's what inside that counts (media and all that hoohah), and what better fandom to do this than Beauty and the Beast, so I just wrote and wrote (more like rambled hahah), hoping that the plot would be interesting enough to keep my readers entertained while I spout some opinions on the concept of beauty.

The huntress/Diana is a hypocrite herself. She denies her immediate attraction to Gaston in the belief that any sort of "love at first sight" is just objectification of the person, and yet she wants to get to know him more, despite her initial attraction being physical, which is why she doesn't just up and leave him even though she could. She's infatuated and very much in denial. Then she thinks about "saving himself" from his and society's objectification by exerting efforts to woo him by spending time with him, hoping that he'll fall in love with her, so that she could have him all to herself. Her thinking is like: If he's mine, then at least I'm the only one, and no one else, who has the right to ogle him. I know she's flawed and that's selfish on her part, but at least she knows.

A wedding or a dance? I chose the latter because I think it's too early for Diana to accept a proposal and I'm a sucker for dance endings! (Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast). If Belle's and the Prince's story ended with a dance, why not Gaston's? And partly because of the super romantic and adorable Wonder Woman cafe dance scene (I like the coincidence that Wonder Woman's name is also Diana, why not name my character after the goddess of the hunt and Wonder Woman? So I did).

Please review :) I would love to hear what you have to say. Tell me if you want me to explain something. Thanks!