Chapter Eleven

Very early in the evening of the following Saturday, Maurice, who had just started preparing dinner and was in the process of chopping up an unusually large carrot, was interrupted by a knock at the door. He carefully set his knife down on the table and went into the living room to answer it. He was surprised to find a tall, handsome, redheaded man dressed in an expensive blue suit standing on his doorstep.

"Good evening," greeted Adam stiffly. "Is your daughter in?"

"She certainly is!" Maurice turned around and called up the stairs. "Belle, there's a young gentleman here to see you! So, do you live around here?" he asked, turning back to the prince.

"Not exactly," replied Adam curtly.

"Oh no, of course not!" exclaimed Maurice. "I remember you. You're the prince, right?"

"That is correct," Adam confirmed.

"What an honour it is for you to be visiting our home," Maurice said, beaming. "Belle has told me so much about you. She's taken quite a shine to you."

"Really?" asked Adam curiously.

"Oh, yes," Maurice told him happily. "I am quite pleased by this development, of course. Belle has been going through a bit of a phase lately. She keeps telling me that she will never get married because she doesn't want to be burdened by a husband and children. In her eyes, men are all scoundrels who view women as nothing more than objects. Teenagers!" Maurice chuckled and shook his head. "Then again, I suppose she likes you because she knows that you have no romantic interest in her as you are already engaged to another woman."

"I-I guess so," stammered Adam. The mention of his fiancée had caught him off-guard. He had completely forgotten about her.

"Oh, Prince Adam!" Belle exclaimed as she appeared in the doorway next to her father. "This is a pleasant surprise. Did you just meet with the mayor?" Belle peered behind his back. "Where are your servants?"

"I'll leave you two alone," said Maurice, winking at Adam as he shuffled off back to the kitchen.

"I came by myself," Adam told Belle, gesturing to a tall, elegant stallion grazing nearby.

"Well, I have to take a book back to Monsieur Gaubert before it gets dark," she said, holding up a thin, red book with gold lettering emblazoned on the spine. "Would you like to come with me?"

Adam nodded. Belle shut the door behind her and the two of them set off towards the village.

"I am glad you came to see me," Belle said. "I really do want us to be friends."

Adam grunted.

"How are things at the castle?" she asked.

"Fine."

"How are your servants?"

"They're fine too."

"I had forgotten I even borrowed this book. I only just found it under my bed. Beauty and the Beast was my favourite story when I was a little girl," she said, showing him the book. "Have you ever read it?"

"I don't read," Adam replied curtly.

"You don't read? Why not?" Belle demanded, looking at him as if he had just told her that he enjoyed killing small children and feasting on their insides.

"Books do not interest me," replied Adam.

"You'd like this one," Belle insisted.

"Why?"

"It's got magic and romance and intrigue and mythical creatures. You'd like it if you gave it a try, trust me," Belle told him confidently.

"No, Dulcinea! Come back!" called a frantic voice just as the pair entered the constraints of the village. Dulcinea came speeding towards them and attached herself to Adam's leg. Adam looked as if he had just been attacked by a small rodent. Dulcinea smiled up at the prince, her icy blue eyes sparkling warmly.

"That's so sweet," cooed Belle, bending down to pat Dulcinea on the head. "She likes you. I'm not surprised, though. You did save her life after all."

"Dulcinea, there you are!" Lenore huffed as she came running up. She took a moment to catch her breath before greeting them. "Good evening, Belle. Good evening-" She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed who Belle's companion was.

"Prince Adam, this is Lenore," Belle said, gesturing the older woman. "She is Dulcinea's mother. Lenore, this is Prince Adam."

"Yes, I have seen him around before," said Lenore. "Good evening, Your Highness."

"Good evening, Madame," Adam greeted her uncomfortably. Belle gently pried Dulcinea off Adam's leg and handed her to Lenore.

"My Dulcinea likes you a lot," Lenore told the prince. "I've never seen her act like this around a stranger before."

"Prince Adam saved her life when she fell into the river last week," Belle told her.

"Oh, so that was you?" asked Lenore, flashing the prince a grateful smile. "I can't thank you enough for that." She turned to Belle. "By the way, Belle, you are a nice girl, but I think I'm going to have to turn you down the next time you offer to babysit."

"I don't blame you," said Belle, her face turning bright red. "Oh, but what if the prince was with me?"

Adam looked at Belle as if she had just volunteered him to be the subject of a human sacrifice.

"Maybe," said Lenore with a small smile. She turned to Belle again. "Gee, I had no idea you and the prince were such good friends."

"We're not friends, really," said Belle quickly. "We just keep bumping into each other."

"Oh." Lenore frowned. "Well, you will have to excuse me. I must get home and start dinner. It was nice meeting you, Your Highness."

Adam and Belle continued to walk through the busy village towards the bookshop. Hushed, excited whispers followed them as they made their way through the streets. Though Adam often visited the village, he usually did not stay longer than the time it took for him to meet with the mayor and make his escape. For the villagers, it was quite a shock to see their prince strolling along with the girl many had dismissed as being a book-crazed oddball who, while insanely pretty, was destined to become an old maid due to her disinterest in non-fictional men.

Monsieur Gaubert had been about to lock up for the night when Belle and Adam walked into the shop.

"Ah, Belle," he exclaimed as he greeted his best-and only-customer with a kiss on the cheek. He glanced over at Adam and his jaw dropped.

"Good evening, Monsieur Gaubert," Belle greeted him. "This is Prince Adam."

"Good evening, sir," Adam murmured quietly.

"Your Highness, what a pleasure it is to meet you!" declared the bookseller, rushing forward to shake the prince's hand. "You look just like your mother."

"My mother?" repeated Adam, confused.

"Your parents used to come into my shop all the time," the bookseller explained. "Lovely couple. I remember how excited your father was when he told me that his wife was expecting a baby. It's a shame they left the world in such tragic ways."

"They liked books?" asked Adam curiously. Truth be told, the prince did not know all that much about his parents. Several of the older servants occasionally mentioned them in passing, but he had never gleaned enough information to get an idea of what they were really like.

"They loved them," said the bookseller. "Reading was one of the many things they bonded over. They must have bought thousands of books from me over years."

"Monsieur, I just found this book under my bed. I had forgotten all about it," Belle said, handing Beauty and the Beast to Monsieur Gaubert.

"I had forgotten you borrowed it," confessed Monsieur Gaubert with a slight chuckle.

"I am trying to persuade His Highness to read it. Do you think he could borrow it for a few days?"

"He can keep it if he wants," offered Monsieur Gaubert.

"You are very kind, Monsieur," said Belle, smiling as Monsieur Gaubert gave her the book. She pushed it into Adam's hands. "We should probably get going now. It's getting dark."

As they exited the bookshop, they came across yet another familiar face.

"Prince Adam? What are you doing here?" wheezed the mayor, as he waddled up to them. "We didn't have a meeting today."

"I-I'm just visiting someone," Adam stammered. Belle raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, good evening, Belle. I didn't see you there. Well, I must be off now. The wife gets dreadfully upset when I'm late for dinner, you know. Have a nice night." The mayor shook Adam's hand and waddled off into the night.

"You didn't have a meeting today, huh?" Belle grinned from ear to ear. "That means you came all the way here just to see me. I'm flattered." Adam was thankful that it was too dark for her to see his reddening face.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing towards a large building that a large group of men were entering.

"That's the tavern."

"What do you do in there?"

"I don't go in there myself," said Belle. "Men go in, they get drunk, they ogle at the barmaids, and they stagger home at one o'clock in the morning."

Overcome with curiosity, Adam strode towards the tavern.

"Where are you going?" Belle called after him.

"I'm going to look around inside. I have never been inside a peasant tavern before. I want to see how commoners spend their evenings."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You wouldn't like it in there," insisted Belle.

Adam ignored her and pushed open the tavern doors. Belle reluctantly followed him in.

"Gaston, look! It's Belle!" cried LeFou. He and Berenice had been sitting together at the bar as they watched Gaston chug a whole keg of beer. "She's never come in here before!"

"And she's with the prince!" gasped Berenice.

Gaston finished off the keg and threw it to the ground.

"What's he doing here?" he demanded, glaring at the two newcomers.

Meanwhile, Belle and Adam were standing by the fireplace, inspecting the animal heads displayed on the wall.

"Who decorated this place?" the prince asked in disgust.

"I'm going to sit down," said Belle, taking the book from him. "Tell me when you're ready to go." She sat down at an empty table by the window and started thumbing through Beauty and the Beast, glancing up every few seconds to check on Adam.

Adam screwed up at his face as he stared around at animal heads. The whole building had a morbid, eerie vibe to it. A putrid smell entered his nostrils and Adam turned around to see Gaston glaring at him.

"I think you should leave now, Your Highness," Gaston ordered, sneering at the prince. His breath reeked of alcohol.

"Who are you?" asked Adam. There was something very familiar about Gaston's eyes. Adam felt like he had seen them somewhere before.

"I am the owner of this tavern and Belle's future husband," Gaston spat. "I would appreciate it if you stayed away from her."

Adam was taken aback. Belle had never mentioned being engaged to him before. Her father had given him the impression that she despised the mere idea of marriage. Perhaps Belle hadn't told him about their relationship yet?

"Leave now or I will make you leave," Gaston demanded. The tavern fell quiet, and all eyes turned to where the two men were standing.

"I am your prince. I have a right to be here, " Adam told him curtly.

"You're a drain on society like all royals," Gaston hissed.

"You're trying to pick a fight now. I have no interest in participating in a fistfight with a loutish peasant such as yourself," Adam said, turning his back on Gaston.

"You're a coward," Gaston screamed.

That did it. Adam turned around and swung a punch at Gaston's face, but before his fist reached its destination, Gaston kneed him in the stomach. Adam clutched his abdomen and fell to the floor in pain. Gaston smirked triumphantly and flexed his muscles. The entire tavern erupted in laughter. Belle couldn't help but giggle to herself a little. The sight of the prince, who had once stood so tall and mighty, reduced to a crumpled heap on the floor was both pathetically tragic and morbidly humorous at the same time. However, she instantly regretted it as she saw the pain in Adam's eyes as he looked up at her. The prince struggled to his feet, shot her a look of disdain, and stormed out of the tavern.

Belle quickly grabbed the book, pushed past Gaston, and ran after him. The cold night air stung her cheeks as she surveyed the area. She caught sight of the prince striding purposefully towards her cottage where his horse was waiting for him.

"Prince Adam, wait! I'm so sorry!" she called, running after him.

By the time she finally managed to catch up with him he had already found his horse and was about to mount him when Belle came running up to him.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she wheezed, desperately trying to catch her breath. "I shouldn't have laughed at you. Please forgive me."

"I'm sorry about your fiancé," muttered Adam.

"My fiancé?" Belle repeated, confused.

"That oaf in the tavern."

"Gaston isn't my fiancé!" Belle snorted in disgust and wrinkled her nose. "I don't know how you got that idea."

"He told me he was your future husband," said Adam.

"That explains it. I wouldn't marry Gaston if my life depended on it," Belle said. "I suppose he thinks that he's charming and attractive, but he's really a revolting, repugnant little rat. He's obsessed with me and there is nothing I can do to repel him. The attention he gives me is flattering, I must admit that, but I'm just not interested in him. Of course, every other girl in the village would kill to be in my shoes. I don't understand it."

"Really? Him?" Adam asked in disbelief. "He smells like a putrid deer carcass. Looks like one too," he added. Belle sniggered.

"You should see him with his shirt off," she said, shuddering in disgust at the memory of Gaston strolling around the village completely bare-chested. "Why can't he go bother one of the other girls and leave me alone? Why can't he see that I am just not interested in him?"

"Maybe that's why he wants you," suggested Adam. "You are beautiful, of course, but I think there is something more to his obsession. He sees you as nothing more than a trophy. He doesn't have any real feelings for you, though he might think he does. You represent the ultimate challenge for him. You are like that one animal in the forest that he has yet to shoot and hang on his wall."

"I guess you're right. I suppose I could try pretending to be interested in him, but I don't think- Wait, you think I'm beautiful?" asked Belle in delight.

Adam's face reddened.

"You'd have to be with a name like Belle," he said with a shrug.

"That's not my real name," said Belle. "Not the one my parents gave me when I was born, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"My real name is Evelina," Belle said after a few moments of hesitation. "Revolting, isn't it? Please don't tell anyone."

"I think it's rather pretty actually," replied Adam.

"Really?" asked Belle in surprise. A slight blush crept over her face.

"Belle suits you more, though," Adam continued.

"When we first met you said I was ugly," Belle reminded him.

"I did?"

"Don't you remember?" asked Belle. "I accidentally bumped into you while I was reading a book and you started screaming at me."

"Oh, yes. I remember now," Adam said, his face turning even redder. "We never did have that dinner together, you know."

"No, we didn't," confirmed Belle.

"Are you free next Saturday?" asked the prince. "There is something I want to show you."

"Of course."

"Good," said Adam. "I will have you picked up at four. Wear something nice. You may stay the night if you wish."

"That's very kind of you, but I can't imagine that my father would approve of me spending the night in a man's home."

"You've done it before, and it's not like we are going to be alone together," Adam pointed out.

"You're right," admitted Belle. "I guess I will see you next week then. Remember to read this." She pushed Beauty and the Beast into Adam's hands. "We can discuss it over dinner."

Adam tucked the book into his pocket and mounted his horse.

"Good bye, Mademoiselle Desrosiers."

"I told you to call me Belle. Mademoiselle Desrosiers sounds far too formal. I want us to be friends," Belle told him.

"Very well," said the prince. "In that case, you may call me by my first name."

"Thank you," said Belle, smiling. "Good bye, Adam."

"Farewell… Belle."