Chapter 26

The group was walking down the hall, a footstool hopping happily beside them. Jewel was looking at the walls and everything, just to seem interested to humor Cogsworth.

"As you can see," he said, "the pseudo facade was stripped away to reveal a minimalist rococo design." Jewel noticed the suits of armor they were pacing turning their heads in their direction as they passed by them.

"Uh..." Jewel said, quite uncomfortable.

"Note the unusual inverted vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the neo-classic baroque period, and as I always say, if it's not baroque, don't fix it! Ha ha ha. Now then, where was I?"

"Um... Cogs?" Jewel said, still looking at the suits. He turned to see what she was looking at.

"As you were!" he ordered. They all snapped back to face forward.

"That's better." Jewel said.

"You're welcome." Cogsworth said. "Now, if I may draw your attention to the flying buttresses above the- Mademoiselle?" He looked back to the group and noticed he was one girl short. Then he saw Belle beginning to climb the grand staircase. Panicking, he and Lumiere ran up and jumped in front of her, blocking her.

"Hey! What's...?" Jewel realized why they were blocking the stairs: They led to the west wing. "Oh." Jewel then inched her way in front of Belle to join Lumiere and Cogs.

"What's up there?" Belle asked

"Where? Up there?" Cogsworth said. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing of interest at all in the West Wing. Dusty, dull, very boring." After nudging him, Lumiere nods in agreement with Cogsworth.

"Oh, so that's the West Wing." Belle said, fascinated.

"Nice going!" Lumiere whispered harshly to the clock. He looked up at Jewel, but only received a glare.

"Smooth as silk Cogs." she whispered

"I wonder what he's hiding up there." Belle asked

"Hiding? The master is hiding nothing!" Lumiere said

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." She said, stepping over the clock and candelabra and going around the girl, but they dashed up and blocked her again.

"Nothing is in there. Trust me. I was there." Jewel said. "There's nothing to interest the likes of you."

"Perhaps mademoiselle would like to see something else." Cogsworth said. "We have exquisite tapestries dating all the way back to..."

"Maybe later." She repeated her actions, with them repeating theirs.

"The gardens, or the library perhaps?" Lumiere, trying to find something to draw her attention away from the west wing.

"You have a library?" Belle asked, interested.

"Oh yes! Indeed!" Cogsworth said, excited that he found something that interests her.

"With books!" Lumiere said

"Gads of books!" Cogsworth said

"Mountains of books!" Lumiere said

"Forests of books!"

"Cascades..."

"... Of books!"

"Swamps of books!"

"More books than you'll ever be able to read in a lifetime! Books on every subject ever studied, by every author who ever set pen to paper..." The two cursed castle goers marched off to the library while Jewel leaned against the staircase and looked at Belle, who stopped from following. She then turned and began up the stairs.

She's brave, I'll give her that. But how am I gonna make her fall in love with Beast? she thought as Belle went down the hall. Bugger. She's gonna get herself killed if Beast finds her here... Jewel strolled around the stairs so she's looking right up them. Wait. How can I make this into a good thing? Come on Jewel, think like dad. What would he do?Jewel then made her way up the stairs and ran after Belle. The room at the end of the wing was open.

Uh oh.Jewel thought as she silently made her way inside Beast's room. Inside Belle was wandering around, looking, and knocked over a table, but she caught it before it crashed to the floor.

"A bit clumsy, aren't we?" Jewel said, sneaking up on Belle.

"What are you doing here?" Belle asked

"What am I, what are youdoing here? This place is forbidden!" Jewel said

"I know, but this is just so... Interesting." Belle turned and saw a shredded picture on the wall. Belle reached out and lifted the shreds of the picture.

"Huh. Didn't see that when I came here." Jewel said, reaching out for the picture, too. She didn't notice Belle walking over to the rose. She glanced at Belle, then looked at what she was doing with fear. The lid was off the rose and she was about to touch it. Jewel gasped.

"Belle, don't!" she cried out. A shadow fell over Belle as she looked over at Jewel. Beast then jumped into the room from the balcony. Belle ran over to Jewel as Beast put the jar back on the rose. He then turned his attention to the two girls.

"Why did you come here?" He growled angrily

"I'm sorry." Belle said, backing away, and pulling Jewel with her.

"I warned you never to come here!" he said

"I told you not to come here!" Jewel said to Belle.

"I didn't mean any harm." Belle said

"Do you realize what you could have done?" He began to thrash at the furniture, lashing out at the girls. Jewel moved in front of her friend and got slashed in the neck, falling to the ground. Belle looked over in shock. Jewel laid flat on the floor, unmoving.

"Jewel! Please, stop! No!" Belle said, scared for her life.

"Get out! GET! OUT!" He roared. Belle obliged and ran out of the room. Beast stooped down to Jewel.

"Don't move don't move don't move," she whispered to herself. Beast growled and pulled her up to his face.

"Why did you allow her in here?" he yelled. Her eyes shot open and she glared at him.

"It was part of the plan that you ruined! Now if you let me go, then maybeI can still fix it!"Jewel said, jumping out of his grasp and rubbing at the bleeding slash mark just below her neck. Beast calmed down, falling into despair. Jewel looked on, feeling sorry for the monster that hurt her.

"... Look. We better hurry up and get her." Jewel said, trying to lighten his mood. He remained motionless on the ground. With a sigh, Jewel turned and ran out of the room to the entrance hall.

This was nothing at all like I planned.she thought. She saw Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts gathered together in a huddle.

"Oi, any of you know where Belle went?" she asked, walking over to the doors.

"She ran away." Lumiere said. "She said she wouldn't stand living here for another minute."

"Thought so." Jewel said as she pulled open the doors, only to close them after being pelted by snow.

"Anybody have a coat?" she asked. A coat rack came running in, one coat hanging on it's hooks. It used two of it's hooks to hold it out for the teen who put her arms in her holes and had a sudden realization.

"It's too big." she said. The rack was holding it's hooks out for the coat. "No no, I'll keep it." She undid her sash around her waist and redid it around the coat and buttoned it up to the top. She then moved her bandanna around her lips. She pulled open the doors and started trudging out in the snow. A large paw came on her shoulder.

"I'll go find her." Beast said. He walked forward, before Jewel jumped on his back and held onto his horns.

"Not without me you're not!" she said. With a growl, he ran out into the snow covered forest, leaving his servants to stare in surprise, and, with Lumiere, wonder.

"... Hm, I believe the plan is going well." Lumiere said

"What could you possibly mean?" Cogsworth said

"Oh, I see. Wonderful." Mrs. Potts said

"Um, exactly how is all of this part of the wonderful plan to bring Belle and the master close?" Cogsworth asked, close to spazzing out.

"He went after her, didn't he?" Lumiere said.

The snow and ice stung Jewel's face, causing her to close her eyes and not see where they were going.

"Bugger it's cold!" she whispered. Then she heard an unwanted sound: wolf howls and a scream.

"It's Belle!" she shouted

"I know." Beast said, picking up speed. "Get off now!" Jewel jumped off and was able to see Beast suddenly attacking wolves. She reached inside her coat and carefully pulled her sword out to impale two wolves before they killed Phillipe. She held her sword akimbo and ready for more. They all ran off and Jewel finally saw Belle looking at a collapsed Beast.

"Belle." Jewel said, hugging her friend and dropping her sword.

"He... He saved me." Belle said, still staring at Beast. Jewel ran up to him and looked at his wounds.

"He's hurt pretty badly." Jewel said. "They could help him at the castle." Belle was turned towards her horse and was about to get on before Jewel said those things. She walked over to the fallen Beast and with Jewel's help, put him on Phillipe.

"Is this because of what I said or did your conscience change your mind?" Jewel asked

"My conscience." Belle said. "Which way do we go?"

"This way." Jewel said, pointing towards where she thought the castle was. The two walked alongside Phillipe all the way to the castle.

Hm, Jewel thought, this is not what I had in mind. But if they fall in love, I' don't care. Whatever works to keep me out of this weather is fine by me.