A/N: Hello, sorry for the wait on this one but it was particularly tough to write for some reason. But maybe after this the story can get back to the castle where I'm more comfortable. I hope this chapter is good and doesn't seem too out there. The idea has been in my head for a long time but it was hard trying to figure out how to put it words. Please tell me if it sucked or if it rocked, or if it was just plain okay. Reviews really do matter! I mean, hello! I'm not writing this for myself. you are the reader and if the story isn't to your liking then it makes a big impact on the story. So, please let me know through a review or through a message, just any way you feel comfortable with. Anyways, hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter 11

Just as soon as Gaston rushed into the light it quickly vanished, returning the room back to its normal lighting. The big man let his forearm drop from in front of his eyes and observed his surroundings. In the middle of the small room was a large bed that took up most of the space, but the bed wasn't what caught Gaston's attention. On the floor next to the bed was a half-naked girl in men's trousers lying face down. Gaston approached her cautiously, not knowing if she was awake, asleep, or simply dead. As he got closer he could barely make out the small sounds of her breathing at which he sighed to himself subconsciously, relieved his tavern wouldn't get a bad reputation because of one quarrel between a whore and a customer. He was surprised it had be open this long without any incident.

Gaston leaned in closer to her to try and see which girl it was when she shifted in her sleep, turning onto her side, and revealing her face to him underneath a layer of sandy blonde hair that stuck to her flushed cheeks. Gaston had never seen this girl before in his life, but something about her seemed familiar. Even though she was a servant girl, evident by her tanned skin, she was just as pretty as the rest of the ladies in the tavern. She was probably a girl that was hired after his death but before he woke up in his chair as a ghost. The girl must have gotten into a fight with one of her customers and he had disciplined her before leaving her. But that didn't explain the men's clothing…

"Beautiful isn't he?" A melodic voice sounded from behind him, making him jump a bit, shaking him out of his thoughts. He immediately turned on the spot to find a goddess of a woman in a green gown floating above the floor behind him, a soft glow of golden light illuminating her figure as her curly golden locks hovered in the air as if she was in water. Gaston was shell-shocked by what he saw and his astonishment showed as his jaw became slack and his mouth gaped open. He had never seen a woman so beautiful, so divine. She gave off an air of divinity as if she was angel or something else just as powerful. "H-He?" Was all Gaston could get out as his mind tried to catch up to reality. "Yes. Quincy is the boy's name. Isn't this such an improvement from the scraggly lad he was?" She asked simply but there was an air of pride in her voice. "Quincy? I've never heard of a Quincy…" Gaston murmured to himself as he wracked his brain as to who this person could be. "Wait, you can see me? And are you saying this woman is actually a man?" Gaston questioned as he remembered that he was a ghost, having forgotten for a bit after she had talked to him.

"Of course! I am an enchantress. I can see all beings, alive or dead. And to answer your other question, he used to be, that is until he lied to me and tried to cheat me. But I've been watching him for a while now and I've seen what he has done to some of the other girls; promising payment, using them, then leaving without payment. That's why I decided to teach him a lesson." The enchantress hovered closer to Gaston as she glared at the woman on the floor and he could see a flicker of anger in her crystal blue eyes. "You see, these women deserve all the money due to them. They have chosen to provide for themselves the only way they can because men think that whoring themselves out is the only thing women are truly capable of doing. Quincy fails to recognize the sacrifice they make every time they satisfy his desires. He sees them as objects that are there only to please him, and for free no less! Quincy respects no woman, not even his own mother! So that is why I decided to test him one last time before sentencing him to his fate. Starting out as a young virgin maiden, he will be shown what a women really goes through each time she has to satisfy a man and he will be treated just like all the other women in this world ruled by perverted and arrogant men like himself." The beautiful women finished her rant and she looked up at Gaston with a small triumphant smile gracing her features.

'An enchantress is here, in my tavern… And she just turned a boy into a girl…' Gaston was still letting everything soak in when he heard her speak again. "I wish he would wake up soon though so I could tell him all this and leave. I am very busy and already he has taken up so much of my time." She admitted before moving to sit on the bed, settling on it with her hands her lap. As Gaston began to wrap his head around everything he came up with a plan. "Pardon me asking, Mademoiselle-," "Clarice, just Clarice." "Clarice, but do enchantresses deal with ghosts?" Gaston asked nervously, knowing his questioning could turn out badly if he didn't go about it the right way. "Yes they do, although I've only dealt with spirits a couple of times before since I don't encounter them very often. Not many souls are kept here on Earth after they have been separated from their physical vessels. If a soul is kept on Earth it is because they have nasty and terribly ugly souls and committed hateful and selfish actions while alive. They are forbidden from moving on as punishment for all they have done." Clarice explained plainly.

Gaston had listened quietly as she spoke. He was one of those nasty and ugly souls she talked about. He was condemned to a lonely existence on Earth for eternity because of his horridness. At the realization of this Gaston was forced to look back at his life in self-examination as he became aware now of each and every time he had put himself before others and it resulted in them suffering. These memories were painful and he cringed and grit his teeth harder with each one he remembered. He started to become increasingly angry with himself, hating everything about the person he was. He began to pace the room as self-contempt and rage boiled within him. He hit and punched any surface he could find, his large fists making no indentions or marks as they glided straight through, giving him no satisfaction and no release for his anger. "Aaaahhhhhhhh!" Gaston roared and he sat down heavily on the other side of the bed from Clarice who watched the display solemnly.

Gaston bent over with his back turned to the enchantress and his hands masking his face. The room became completely silent except for the sound of Gaston's heavy breathing and Clarice could only look on as she watched tears trickle through the cracks in the large man's hands. This was this first time the man had cried since he was a small child. It just was not in his nature for him to be weak and vulnerable. He stayed in that position for a few minutes until he calmed down enough to speak. "I-Is there any way I could get my life back? Anything I could do to make up for my wickedness?" He asked softly as he closed his eyes and prayed for a second chance.

"Yes, actually there is. No one has ever attempted it though. " Clarice murmured as she tried to remember how exactly. "You can receive life again but only if you can prove that you have ridden yourself of your devilish nature and will be a blessing instead of a curse to your fellow man." Gaston opened his eyes wide in shock and quickly turned to look at the enchantress. He had a chance, he could be Gaston again. "I can do that! It's a deal!" His voice boomed as it showed his excitement. "I don't think you should agree to it yet because you don't fully understand. In order to prove yourself you must take on a temporary form and, once you do, you are given a limited amount of time to complete your task as to prove that you have learned your lesson. You almost have to become a complete opposite of your former self, and since your main problem was selfishness and pride you will become a servant." Clarice explained and she watched as Gaston's face dropped and his eyes became distant.

"You mean I won't be me when I do this, I will be someone else…" He asked slowly. Clarice nodded her head to affirm his statement before answering, "I'm sorry, but it's the only way. As a servant your status will be lowered, you will be forced to serve others and humble yourself. It is the best way to fix your soul." She said and reached across the bed to pat his hand as a way to show reassurance. "If you do decide to do this and fail though, your temporary form will be taken away and you will not be sent back here, but to a place worse than death where you will stay to live in agony for all time." She added solemnly. "I want to do this. I have to do it." Gaston confirmed and his sad face turned into one of determination. He truly wanted to change and be able to live again, and if this was the only way to do it then so be it. "Well then, if you're willing to try I'm willing to help you. I will give you a form tonight then you will have one year to prove yourself worthy of having your life back. And for your sake I hope you succeed." Clarice got up from her seat and drew out her wand, ready to cast her spell. Gaston got up as well and moved in front of the enchantress as directed before she indicated to him that she would begin. And in that moment Gaston could only hear the sound of his racing heart before he was hit with a blast of bright light and fell unconscious. And now his fate was in his hands, whether it was for the best or not.