The stable hand was sure that after ten years of being overgrown with weeds, the gate would be difficult to move, but it sprang open at the slightest touch. The carriage raced through into the world, Lumiere gallantly waving back to the chateau from the driver's seat. Phillipe trotted with his head held high. He happily shared the harness with the annoying, overattentive sawhorse that yesterday transformed into a handsome Percheron mare.
Inside the carriage, Adam, Belle and Maurice animatedly discussed the types of questions the mirror needed to pinpoint the location of Adam's parents. Maurice and Belle were fitted in fine traveling clothes which Mme de la Grande Bouche had whipped together with amazing speed: "At the Opera we made costume alterations right up to the overture!" Beneath their seats, four dozen wine bottles in boxes clinked against each other as if toasting their endeavor.
"Are you sure it's Rouen we should be going to?"
"My dear boy, the Gros Horloge over the street is unmistakeable. A fascinating clock with a colorful history."
"So if we were to ask the mirror to show us your parents' flat, and then show us the building from above, and then show the clock from above, the streets might look like a map-"
The carriage lurched to one side and quickly came to a stop. Maurice in the front seat nearly fell into Belle and Adam's laps. "Oof! Pardon me... What do you suppose this is?"
Adam leaned out the window. "Lumiere! What's up?" And then he saw the guns.
The slim gunman, his head covered by a kerchief with holes cut for his eyes, calmly answered, "Your hands, if you please, citizen."
The burly gunman, wearing an odd hood that covered or shaded most of his face, waved his pistol nonchalantly away from the carriage. "May I ask you and your companions all to dismount for inspection."
Adam stepped slowly out of the carriage and helped Belle and Maurice while Lumiere carefully slid down from the driver's seat. All looked wide-eyed at the gunmen. But Adam and Lumiere stole a glance at each other, to be ready to react if need be.
"And now," said Heist, the slim gunman, "please throw all your gold, jewels, and cash before you, and we all can be on our way."
The four companions looked at each other uneasily. Lumiere cleared his throat. "Truth to tell, gentlemen, you have caught us at a time when we are a bit... cash poor."
"Cash poor," mused broad-shouldered Poum as he slowly walked toward Lumiere. "Then would you mind telling me..." He picked up Lumiere by the front of his shirt. "... what sort of assets you are currently rich in?"
"Wine?" squeaked Lumiere. Adam's eyes narrowed and he quietly growled.
Heist had gone into the carriage and came out with a bottle. "Hmph, he speaks the truth. Nothing in here but a few dozen bottles." He broke the neck of the bottle on the fender of the carriage, tilted back his head, and poured wine sloppily into his open mouth. "Not bad, but it makes for a pretty thin picnic." Adam clenched his fists and growled more audibly.
Poum dropped Lumiere. "Well then, what else might you have of value?" He strolled back and forth in front of the four and stopped and stared at Belle. Belle suddenly felt very ill but willed herself to stand tall.
"No." Maurice stepped forward. "No. We can find you something. The carriage, the horses..."
"Shut up, old man!" Poum shoved Maurice backwards and grabbed Belle in one motion. He stood with his big arm around Belle's neck and his pistol at her head. "My dear comrade," he said to Heist, who was already pointing two pistols at the others, "would you mind watching these gentlemen while the lady and I go off for a short time?"
"But of course," sneered Heist, "as long as you return me the favAAAAGHHH!"
Out of nowhere a large grey shape hurtled into Heist. He fell and one of the guns fired into the air as the horses neighed in surprise. Poum turned and Belle immediately kicked behind her as hard as she could, which quite sufficiently incapacitated Poum to allow her escape. Maurice and Lumiere leapt upon Heist, and Adam lunged at Poum. Belle found Heist's other gun on the ground, but she feared shooting Adam as he and Poum wrestled. Adam started to get the upper hand when Poum pulled a short dagger from a hip sheath. Belle yelled "Knife!" to warn Adam, but the grey creature that had knocked down Heist reappeared. It grabbed Poum's arm in its teeth and twisted it behind his back as he roared in pain. Adam grabbed Poum's dropped knife and jumped up, wondering if he owed it to Poum to protect him from the wolf's attack. But the wolf immediately loosed his grip and ran off into the brush.
Poum half sat up, panting, his right arm and his face bloodied. Heist sat next to him on the ground, his wrists bound with his face mask. Adam and Belle stood before them, confidently brandishing a dagger and a gun, respectively. "How in the hell did you do that?" gasped Heist. "You have a pack of dogs following you?"
Adam had absolutely no clue what had happened but he wasn't going to let that on to the robbers. "May I suggest that you would rather not find out. Now I would recommend that you be on your way... THAT way," he pointed in the opposite direction of their travel, "and quickly, before I call in more help." A bluff, but it worked. Heist and Poum, relieved of their weapons, staggered to their feet and limped quickly down the road.
As the four travelers watched the robbers recede into the morning mist, Lumiere very quietly said, "What just happened?"
Maurice shook his head. "I have no idea what those two did that set that wolf off. But I've never been so happy to see a wolf."
Belle sagged a bit, handed the gun gingerly to Lumiere, and put her arm around Adam's waist. "Let's be on our way. I think I'd like to chat with the mirror about our route to make sure there are no more surprises."
They regained their seats in the coach. Adam helped Maurice and Belle in. Belle laughed a bit shakily, trying to regain control of her emotions. "Honestly, I thought you were going to bite that fellow!"
"Old habits die hard." Adam smiled, he hoped reassuringly. "I told you I was a work in progress."
Just before he boarded, Adam glanced down the road behind them. There, about fifty yards away, was the wolf, standing in the road. His right ear was tattered and bloodied. On his right flank Adam could clearly make out a five-petaled heraldic rose. Adam and the wolf stared at each other for a moment. Then Adam bowed slightly and extended his arm in a courtly gesture. The wolf nodded, wagged his tail once, and disappeared once again into the woods.
