Chapter 19 - Double Rescue

It was a calm night. It was snowing lightly, but there were hardly any clouds and for once, Beast could actually see the starry sky. This was a rare occurrence, so he seized the opportunity to gaze up at them with both paws.

The bright, glowing orbs surrounded by the black void were truly a sight to behold. He hardly ever got to appreciate just how mesmerising the stars were. He had never been one for stargazing in the past, as he thought he had better things to do, but every once in a while he would take the time to look up, to see if he could spot one. He had plenty of time to do it.

He was currently sitting on the roof that sheltered the balcony. He had climbed up and found himself a ledge to perch on. He had his head titled back, so that the only thing that filled his vision was the millions upon millions of stars that twinkled in the darkness.

Normally he would just sit on the castle walkways, along with the gargoyles, as climbing onto the roof took quite a bit of effort. But he wasn't in the mood to be bothered tonight, and the servants knew that he would often come out here, so they could easily find him. But up on the roof, he was completely out of sight. They wouldn't be able to find him up there, as they wouldn't look very hard unless it was urgent. He was truly and completely isolated.

The carriage that had returned Belle's father to the village had come back. He could see it from where he was. He was fairly certain that it had been brought to life by the Enchantress' magic, and hadn't originally been a servant. But he could be wrong. It was hard to tell what was a servant and what was an enchanted object. He had been guessing for a while that everything that had something that resembled a face had once been a servant.

He had been thinking about what the girl - Belle - had said to him, about the rose, and her father's punishment, as well as his own, and how they weren't the same. And because of her... He was starting to question his motives and judgement. He had tried to tell himself to not let her words cause him to doubt himself... But deep down he knew she was right.

Beast had tried to convince himself that the curse on him was all down to the rose, and the fact that he had refused it when it had been offered to him as a gift. He told himself time and time again that everything before that - how he had acted, what he had done, how he had ruined the lives of so many people, held beauty above all else, was so cruel and unkind - all of that had nothing to do it with. When in actuality, it had everything to do with it and more.

And he knew. Of course he knew. He just didn't want to believe it.

The Enchantress must have been watching him. She was an all powerful being, he knew from experience, she could change her form into almost anything. She had to have been there all along, in plain sight. And the rose, it was a test, so that she could see just how cruel he truly was face to face, instead of being just an onlooker. And she saw him for everything he was. She saw right through him and the beauty that he hid behind. And she punished him for it.

The rose wasn't the cause, it had nothing to do with it. It was just the final straw in a long, long line of awful, unforgivable choices he had made.

He had only come to blame it because... After blaming himself for so long, he needed something, anything, to direct all of his hate and loathing towards. And where else could he look for something to blame, to despise, except for the one thing he woke up to every morning, the one thing that reminded him of the time slipping away. The flower that essentially started it all. That he had held briefly in his hand and then cast aside like it was nothing. That had been pointed at him as he transformed.

The rose was burned into his mind. For a while, it only seemed fair to unload all of his hatred and burden it on what he thought was the source of all of his issues. And then, when Belle's father came along, and stole from his mother's rose garden, it only seemed fair to punish him the same way he had been punished. A life sentence for a rose.

But while one was just an old man trying to get a rose for his daughter, the other was a Prince, who did not care for anyone but himself, who couldn't see passed his selfishness and looked upon the world through a filter, where only beauty seemed to matter. That same Prince did many hurtful things, took money from poor townspeople, bled them dry. Not allowing an old woman to stay in his castle for one night was the cherry on top.

Out of these two, who really deserved the punishment they were given?

Perhaps a life sentence was too harsh. But the old man was still a thief, and stole from one of the only reminders of his mother. There was no excuse for that. He wouldn't back down on the punishment he had given. What's done is done.

But in the end, all he wanted was to feel a little less guilty.

Now he just felt even more guilty than ever before, after allowing Belle's words to sink in. How was she able to read him so well? He thought that no one could understand what was going on inside his head.

He couldn't go back to blaming himself again. The amount of guilt that weighed down upon him was enough to suffocate him. He was drowning in it.

Beast decided that he wouldn't think about it anymore. Well, not thinking about it is easier said than done, but he would do his best to take his mind off it for as long as he could.

There was music coming from downstairs. If he had to pin point the exact location, he would say it was coming from the dining room. He could also hear the servants singing. He couldn't make out the lyrics though.

It had been going on for a few minutes now. He wasn't sure why they were playing music, and frankly he'd rather not have to listen to it. He would go down and tell them to be quiet but he was content with staying where he was. He didn't feel like leaving his room again, at least not tonight. He'd just try to block it out.

He supposed that they had something to celebrate and be happy about. After all, a girl had finally shown up at the castle. Yes, she hated his guts, but at least they were making some progress. If they wanted to keep their spirits lifted with a little sing-song then so be it.

The music was starting to die now, and just when he was starting to tolerate it. They were probably calling it a night. It would be time for him to turn in soon too.

It occurred to him that he hadn't slept for two nights, nor had he eaten since last night. He'd have to make sure to eat something as soon as he woke up tomorrow, because right now he was running on nothing.

Maybe he'd stay here, on the roof, and sleep. It didn't really matter where he slept, as he didn't have any trouble when it came to getting comfortable. All he'd have to do was lean back and close his eyes, and eventually he would slip into unconsciousness. And sleeping under the stars was a rather comforting thought.

Just as he was considering calling it a night, he heard someone coming up the stairs. And moments later, he heard the door to his room open.

Beast sat up straight and listened in on the visitor. Was it one of the servants? It had to be. Hopefully they would go away eventually.

He relaxed a little, but kept his ears tuned in on the servant that was moving around down there. But as he continued to listen to the stranger walking around, he came to realise that those were definitely footsteps. Last time he checked, none of the servants had feet. And those were shoes clattering against the stone floor.

It had to be the girl... But what was she doing here in his private quarters?

He peered over the edge of the ledge, leaning as far as he could so that he could look into the room, although everything was upside down from his angle.

His suspicions were confirmed when his eyes landed on Belle, who was standing beside the stone pedestal. His eyes widened in horror when he saw that she had removed the glass case that covered the rose, and was reaching out to touch it. Who knows what kind of damage she could do by merely touching it?!

He sprung into action. He leapt down from the ledge, landing on heavily on all fours and causing a loud thud to echo through the room. He pushed himself up onto two legs and charged over to the pedestal. Belle had retreated from the rose the moment he had arrived, allowing him to grab the glass case and cover the flower once more. He shielded it with his arms for a few seconds, briefly checking it over, before turning his head towards her. He could feel his anger beginning to surface as he approached her, towering over her. She was at his complete mercy.

She looked terrified.

"What are you doing here?! What did you do to it?!" Beast shouted angrily.

"N-nothing." She stuttered, her voice trembling.

Like father, like daughter. Had she come to steal it?

"Do you realise what you could have done, you could have damned us all!" He exclaimed, drawing nearer, casting a shadow over her, as she seemed to shrink from the sheer intimidation. In reality, she was just backing down the stairs, distancing herself from him, making him even taller than her than he already was in comparison. She wasn't going to stand her ground. Not this time. Before, there had been a door between them, giving her a sense of security. Before, in her room, he hadn't been as angry. But now she was at the brunt end of his rage, feeling the full force of it, and all of her confidence and bravery had crumbled.

"I'm sorry." She apologised.

"You shouldn't have come here! You should have stayed in your room!" He yelled.

"I didn't mean any harm, I-" she began.

"Get out of here!" He screamed in her face, cutting her off.

She didn't move. Was she paralysed with fear?

"GET OUT!" He roared, raising his paw and lashing out at her. For a brief second, his vision was clouded by a red haze. When it cleared, he saw Belle, her arm held up to shield herself. There were claw marks raked down her sleeve.

Had he... Had he hurt her?

Belle glanced at the ripped fabric, and then at him. They shared a glance, as he breathed heavily, his whole body shaking from rage. The brown orbs that stared back at him were filled with terror.

And then she was gone. As quick as a flash, she turned and sprinted out of the room. He had never seen anyone run so fast... It was like the devil himself was on her tail.

Beast glanced down at his paw, noticing that his claws were still at the ready, in a position to strike. He lifted his arm, and let out a strangled gasp as he stared at his claws, and the thought of them tearing through Belle's flesh flashed through his mind. There was no blood on them, but that didn't mean he didn't break the skin. He didn't see any blood on her arm, but that didn't prove anything. That didn't mean he didn't harm her.

He lowered his arm, forcing his stiff fingers to close into a fist. He glanced at the rose and then at the door, and then back at the rose once again. It seemed fine... All the petals were still there. Maybe she hadn't meant any thing by it... Maybe she was just too curious for her own good. No damage had been done.

He lifted his paws and clutched the fur on top of his head in frustration. He gripped his fur so tightly, he nearly ripped it out. He had attacked her... For nothing. He didn't mean to- he would never- he didn't want to hurt her.

What was wrong with him?!

Beast let go of his fur and looked over at the door. He had to go after her. He needed to see her, to make sure she was alright.

He ran out of the room and hurried downstairs. He thought that she might have ran back to her room and locked herself in, but he stopped dead in his tracks on the way over when he saw the small, dog door open, allowing snow to blow in. The servants were gathered by the front entrance, looking frantic.

"What's going on?" He asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

Lumiere spun around to face him. "The girl, she ran away! We tried to stop her, but there was nothing we could do." He responded.

When he had said get out, this wasn't what he meant. The woods were dangerous, he knew from first-hand experience, when he came face to face with the wolf pack. She could die out there.

He couldn't let that happen.

"I'm going after her!" He declared, not even taking a moment to think, but acting on sheer impulse alone, dashing down the stairs and out the front door.

"Master, wait!" The servants called after him.

He didn't stop.

He didn't have time to think and consider his options. He just had to go.

"Please be careful!" He heard them shout after him as he ran into the gardens.

Beast went down on all fours and charged towards the iron gate. It was already open, so he didn't have to wait for it and waste precious time.

He could see her horse's tracks in the snow, and smell her scent. He was on the right trail, and was positive that he would be able to catch up to her.

The adrenaline was pulsing through his veins as he broke through the trees, bitter cold snow blowing in his eyes and causing them to sting. But he pressed on, going as fast as he possibly could, ducking under branches and weaving through the trees. His heart was pounding in his chest as ran, going faster and faster, sniffing the air, following her scent, as the hoof prints in the snow.

He looked down for a moment as he kept running, and noticed that the horse tracks weren't the only things left behind in the snow. There were paw prints as well.

The smell of wolves was suddenly overpowering. It overwhelmed his senses, stopping him from tracing Belle. But if the wolves had been chasing her, then they would lead him right to her.

A wolf howl erupted from deeper in the woods. He froze, breathing heavily, his muscles throbbing. The wolves, he... He wasn't sure if he could face them again... He barely got away the last time he ran into them. Beast's blood ran cold when he heard the squeals of a startled horse, followed by Belle's cries. She was in trouble! He had to save her!

He couldn't stand there and do nothing!

He set off again, pushing himself to the very limit, running like he had never run before. Her life was on the line, he wouldn't run the risk of losing her.

He reached a frozen lake, and laid eyes on her once more. Her horse was frantically twisting and turning, trying to get away from the wolves but remaining by its owner's side, while she fought back against one of the wolves, using nothing but a tree branch.

The wolf bit down on the tree branch with its razor sharp fangs and tugged on it, ripping it from her hand, but pulling her down in the process. Belle collapsed onto the ice, and cried out in alarm when another wolf grabbed hold of her cloak with its teeth, shaking its head violently as it tried to drag her across the ice.

Beast growled and narrowed his eyes as one of the wolves charged towards Belle, pouncing at her and going in for the kill. But at the last second, Beast launched himself at the wolf and tackled it to the ground, before throwing it across the ice. The wolf yelped in surprise as it skidded across the frozen water.

He ran over to Belle, and stood over her, pressing himself against her but with not enough force to crush her. He was shielding her with his own body, protecting her from any attack, but also showing the wolves that she belonged to him, that she was his kill, not there's. At least, that's what he wanted them to believe from his body language. If they didn't believe his ruse, then at least if they attempted to maul Belle to death, they'd have to go through him, which would buy her enough time to get away. He'd make that sacrifice if need be.

He growled fiercely, baring his teeth at the wolf pack. The wolves drew closer, baring their own teeth, their hackles raised, claws at the ready, saliva dripping from their mouths.

Beast charged headlong towards them, and they all attacked at once, pouncing on top of him. The wolves wrestled him to the ground, biting at his legs, and his arms, clawing at his chest and back, shredding his tattered cloak. The adrenaline rush was helping the wolf bites feel a little less painful.

He snarled, rolling over and knocking the wind out of one using his full body weight, whilst throwing the others off, lashing out with his claws, scratching them and drawing blood. As he tried to get back to his feet, another wolf pounced onto his back from behind, knocking him onto the ground once more and sinking its teeth into his shoulder. Beast cried out, roaring in pain as the wolf attempted to tear a chunk of his flesh off.

He grabbed hold of the wolf by the scruff of its neck and threw it against a tree. The wolf hit it with full force, but still managed to get back up, despite quite a struggle.

His eyes landed on the scar running across the wolf's eyelid. He quickly realised that it was the same wolf that he had fought back against several years ago. The leader of the pack. And it seemed like he still had some fight left in him.

It didn't faze him.

Seething was unbridled rage, his blood boiling, Beast went down on all fours once more and let out loud, mighty, heaven-splitting roar.

The wolf whined and backed down, realising that this was a fight it could not win. It turned and fled, and the rest of the pack followed close behind.

Beast pushed himself off the ground, standing on his two back paws. It was harder to rise this time, as the adrenaline was beginning to fade. It was being replaced by a burning sensation in his overworked muscles, and the multiple injuries he had sustained. He certainly hasn't come out of the fight unscathed, but at least he was alive. He glanced down at the bites and scratches that littered his body, blood oozing from the wounds and staining his fur.

Belle, was she alright? Breathing heavily, he glanced over his shoulder and saw her standing beside her horse, staring at him.

Thank goodness... He managed to save her. After everything he had done to her... He had finally done something right. A smile almost appeared on his lips, but he was too drowsy to follow through.

He stared back at her, but she quickly became a fuzzy, blob as his vision began to blur, and the pain grew stronger. He suddenly felt light headed, and lost all feeling in his legs. He swayed, his legs trembling under his body weight as he could no longer stand, and collapsed onto a patch of snow.

His eyelids grew heavy, and he blinked sluggishly as he tried to fight the urge to go to sleep, even though exhaustion and blood loss was starting to take hold.

He lie there for a moment, curled up in the snow, his wounds stinging and sending surges of pain through every nerve. He kicked his legs, and rocked back and forth on the ground as he cradled himself.

He heard the crunching of snow, and something warm was draped over him. He turned his head ever so slightly, as even that was an ordeal, to see Belle leaning over him, her hand placed on his shoulder. She had covered him with her cloak. His own was beyond repair. That was so... Kind of her.

"You have to help me." She whispered softly.

Help her? Didn't she see what he had just done for her? There wasn't much more he could do. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I can't get you back to the castle on my own. We'll have to work together. Do you think you can stand up?" She asked concernedly.

Oh, so that's what she wanted. He could barely comprehend anything right now, it was like his brain had melted into mush. Wait- she was helping him? But he thought she wanted nothing more to do with him.

"I uh... I think so..." He replied. He felt sick. His throat hurt, had one of the wolves' managed to catch his neck? He didn't think so. But his voice was strained.

"Don't try to speak. Save your energy." She instructed him. She then took hold of his arm and pulled him to his feet. "You can lean on me if you have to." She told him, wrapping his arm around both of her shoulders.

Beast took her up on her offer, as he felt like he was going to collapse again at any given moment. He didn't lean on her too hard, though, as he feared it would throw her off balance. They walked slowly across the ice towards her horse, his legs trembling and threatening to buckle. All of a sudden, one of his legs gave weigh, but he managed to catch himself on his knee. He was worried that he nearly dragged her down with him, but she managed to remain upright, and catch him from falling. She placed her hand of his chest, to keep him from tipping forwards and knelt down beside him. "Are you alright, do you need a minute to rest?" She asked.

Beast was about to say he was fine, that he could keep going, but then he remembered that he needed to save his energy and refrain from speaking. He shook his head, and Belle helped him back up.

They approached her horse, who looked very startled by the strange, hideous creature staggering towards him. The horse neighed, shaking its head and backing away.

"I'm going to get him and try to calm him down. Will you be fine standing on your own for just a few seconds?" She asked.

Truthfully, he was ready to faint at any second, but he still nodded yes to her question.

She moved away from him, but lingered for a moment in close proximity, her arm outstretched so that she could catch him if he fell. Despite all the odds stacked against him, he somehow managed to remain standing, even though his body was screaming at him to give up and lie down.

Beast swayed side to side as he watched Belle walk over to her horse. She took hold of the reins and stroked the horse's nose soothingly. She then brought him over to Beast, and stood beside him once again.

"Do you think you'll be able to climb up into the saddle?" She asked.

Beast nodded slowly and stumbled over to the horse. He took hold of the saddle, and Belle stood behind him with her hand on his back, while her other hand was on the reins and keeping the horse steady. Beast struggled, his legs aching as attempted to jump up and put his leg over. It was clear to him that it wasn't working, he wouldn't be able to get on the way he used to get onto a horse. His injuries, nor his body would allow it. After several failed attempts, he finally managed to hoist himself up and into the saddle. It took whatever energy he had left to drag himself onto the horse's back.

Belle stroked the horse's neck, checking Beast as well as her trusty steed over, making sure he was secure in the saddle and that he wasn't putting too much strain on her horse's back. "The worst is over now." She told him. "Try to stay awake and keep hold of the saddle. I'll handle the rest." She added. "I'll get you back to the castle. I promise."

Her words were comforting. He believed that she would see her promise through to the end.

She gently pulled on the reins, and the horse walked on. Beast sank forwards, nearly falling onto the horse's neck. He gripped the front of the saddle tightly as he blinked, drifting in and out of consciousness.

He was barely awake for any of this, and before he knew it, he had arrived back at the castle.

But just as they had reached the steps leading up to the door, the world seemed to spin, and the next thing he knew he was lying on the cold, snow covered ground.

He must have... Slipped off.

He stared blankly up at the sky, at the stars he had been admiring earlier, that were starting to be covered by the clouds rolling across it.

Belle was tugging at his shoulders. "Come on, you have to get up! I am not dragging you up all of those stairs!" She shouted. "We're so close, don't give up now."

He groaned and rolled over onto his front, and began to crawl up the stairs, and eventually got up onto his two legs. Belle presumably put her horse in the stables, and then hurried over to him, helping him up the stairs.

As soon as they were through the front door, Beast fell to the ground once more, with no intention of ever getting up. He was back in the castle now, with a roof over his head and a warm fire close by. That's all that mattered.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was Belle staring down at him. Her face seemed to glow in the orange candle light... Almost like an angel...