My next upcoming Gaston/Lissa fanfic, will he be a nicer brother, and a better person? -grin-You'll have to read it and find out! I can't wait to start posting it! But we must finish Brother Dear first.
I'm trying to work on Will You Take Me as I Am, and There IS a Beast Running Wild! I have forgotten them, I promise. It's just that I've been so into this story.
"Why?" Lissa asked wryly. "Maurice, what's going on?"
"Just do as I say." Maurice grinned, his eyes twinkling. Lissa complied, giggling, shaking with curiosity and anticipation. Maurice just drove on. Pretty soon, he had Philippe halt. "We're here! All right, you can open your eyes now." Maurice said.
Lissa opened her eyes, which bulged in awe. They were at the Beast's castle! "M-Maurice...what are we doing here?" She asked excitedly.
"We're home." Maurice replied casually.
"Wait. What?" Lissa gaped. "What are you talking about?"
"This is where I live." Maurice shrugged.
"Here?!"
"Yes. I moved in last week. I'm going to live here with Belle and her new husband. And that means that since you're going to live with me, this is your new home."
"Maurice! I...I thought...you mean...is this real?" Lissa gasped.
"Yes, Lissa. It's real. This is where we're going to live." Maurice said, helping her down from the wagon.
"I...I can't believe it!" Lissa covered her face with her hands. For a moment, she felt a slight disappointment. She'd been looking forward to living in Belle's old house, but then she saw a most welcome sight: Belle and some of the servants were down the steps to greet them!
"Papa!" Belle waved and ran to Maurice, who clasped her tightly in her arms. "Papa! I'm so glad you're back."
"Me too, Belle." Maurice smiled.
"Lissa, welcome to your new home!" Belle greeted happily. "I hope you'll like it here."
"Belle, I..." Lissa was too overcome for words.
"Come, let me show you to your new room." Belle grabbed her hand, like a giddy little girl. "Lumiere, will you have the porters bring the luggage? And Harrison, will you please take the horses to their stalls?" She instructed. Both men bowed and obeyed. Belle led Lissa inside the lobby of the castle. There was the Prince. He smiled when he saw how happy Belle was and their new guest.
"Hello, Mademoiselle. And welcome." He bowed.
"Thank you very much." Lissa nodded. "I had no idea about any of this! Maurice totally surprised me. Thank you for having me."
"You're most welcome. Well, I'll leave Belle to help you get settled."
Plumette and Mrs. Potts followed Lissa and Belle to the East Wing. "We're pleased to have you back, Mademoiselle." Plumette said. "Consider me at your service."
"Thank you." Lissa smiled. "It's good to see you all again." Belle led her to the room she'd stayed in while she'd been here. But when they opened the door, Lissa could see that it had been redecorated. It had been freshly cleaned, with new furniture. There was a lilac colored coverlet on the bed, with matching drapes on the four posters. Belle knew it was Lissa's favorite color. There were two windows, one with a window seat and the other with doors leading out to a patio.
There were several other sweet features, and best of all, there was a writing desk in the middle of the room! It was supplied with plenty of drawers, writing paper, pencils, and a quill with ink. It was exquisitely polished wood, with little intricate paintings woven onto it in soft strokes with a paint brush. It was gorgeous! Lissa nearly cried when she saw it and walked over to it. "Belle, it's...it's all wonderful! More than I ever expected. Thank you so much!" Belle and the servants smiled.
"You like it?" Belle asked.
"Very much! And now I have a writing desk too. I...I'm overwhelmed."
"There now. A cup of tea will do you good." Mrs. Potts said.
"Thank you, Mrs. Potts. You look exceptionally happy." Lissa smiled.
"I've never been this happy in my whole life!" Mrs. Potts returned. Lumiere stepped in.
"Pardon me, ladies, but Mademoiselle, we could not decipher which trunk you would like to keep where." He said.
"Oh. Well, the light one you can bring in here. It's mine. And the one next to it can come here too. The dark one you can take downstairs to the South Wing and keep it there." Lissa explained. The dark one was Gaston's. Lumiere bowed.
"The castle is your home now, so feel free to go wherever you like." He smiled and left.
"Can we help you with anything?" Plumette offered.
"Later, thank you." Lissa said. They left her alone to take it all in, except Belle. "You were the one who refurbished, didn't you?" Lissa asked wryly.
"Mmm-hmm. But Plumette did a wonderful job of sprucing it up as good as new. And I hope you don't mind, but Madame Garderobe has a whole new wardrobe all set for you. I hope you like them." Belle said.
"New clothes? Oh my word. I didn't even think of that." Lissa chuckled. "I didn't even know I was coming here!" She couldn't stop running her hands over the desk. "This is beautiful, Belle. I love it!"
"Well, the Prince asked what you like to do most. He wanted you to feel at home. When I told him that you enjoy writing, he immediately ordered a desk. He says that it's from the finest furniture store in all of Paris, and he hopes you like it." Belle explained.
"He's so generous. I do like it! I do! Tell him I love it!" Lissa gushed.
Belle smiled warmly. "I suppose I'm feeling right now the way he did when he first showed me the library. Oh, yes. Papa painted the little flowers and pictures on it when he found out it was yours." Lissa shed tears. All of this thoughtful kindness was a dream come true, and almost felt like too much.
"You're all so wonderful." She said. "And to think that in one week there will be your wedding!" She was running over with delight.
"What would you like to do first?"
"Can I stay in here a while, please? After that, I want to explore."
"Of course." Belle nodded with understanding."Oh, and the servants are at your request, so you may ask them for anything you like."
"Thank you, Belle." Lissa beamed. Belle closed the door, leaving her friend to comprehend what was happening. She'd never expected a life like this! And best of all, she would be surrounded by her closest friends. Lissa wailed happily and lay on the gorgeous bed. The covers were scented with sweet perfume and they were so soft. "Oh, Mother. I wish you could see this!" Lissa exclaimed. "If life is this wonderful down here, I can't imagine what it's like for you up there in heaven!" She grabbed her diary and ran to the window seat. But then she remembered something very important and dove into her trunk. She carefully pulled out the music box and carried it as if it were a newborn infant. She set it across from herself on the window seat, turning it on. As the familiar music chimed, she laughed and cried joyfully. Briefly glancing out the window, she quickly wrote in her diary.
Lissa traipsed down the stairs from the East Wing down to the lobby, where she saw Cogsworth giving instructions to some young men. Clothilde was hanging tightly on his arm. She was no longer dressed in her drab old clothes and wasn't wearing that crusty old glare either. She was smiling! Lissa gasped. She'd completely forgotten about the sharp-tongued woman. Well, if Belle can live with her, I guess I can too! She thought and approached them."Good day." She smiled.
"Ah, good day, Miss." Cogsworth smiled. Clothilde smooched him several times on the cheek. "Oh, please! Please! What have I told you? Not in public! Not in front of the guests, please!" Cogsworth begged. Clothilde blushed and giggled. Lissa stared at them. Her whole life, she could never remember hearing a genuine, good-natured laugh from that old woman!
"Oh, it's all right." Lissa chuckled. "Don't mind me."
"I never did thank you, Miss, for stepping in to give me a hand." Cogsworth said.
"Oh," Lissa shrugged. "I enjoyed it! Those guys have always picked on me before, I just wanted to get back at them." Cogsworth chuckled. Lissa turned to his wife. "I've never seen you so...happy."
"I was dreadfully lonesome all the time." Clothilde sighed. "Only I didn't understand why at the time."
So, that was her excuse for being rude and unpleasant? Lissa thought incredulously. Then she remembered what Belle had told her about the Beast when she'd first met him. Well, I guess she deserves a second chance. Lissa sighed. "Well, excuse me." She went out to the courtyard and decided to walk around the castle grounds again. It was a picturesque place, with rows of green fields, blooming flower bushes, and lovely benches to sit on along the stone paths.
Lissa visited the horse pasture, where she saw Magnifique, Brisa, Philippe, and the other palace horses whinnying and roaming around. Magnifique seemed to have perked up since they arrived. He'd been down in the dumps since Gaston's death. "I suppose he needed some companionship and a little change." Lissa sighed. "He certainly looks much happier."
"Can I help you, Miss?" One of the stable boys asked.
"Oh, thank you, no. I'm just watching the horses." Lissa answered. "What is your name?"
"Steven." The young man bowed.
"Hello, I'm Lissa. Have you worked here long?"
"For as long as I can remember."
"Do you like it?"
"Oh, yes. My father was a stableman, and I love horses and making friends with them." Steven said. Lissa nodded, then walked away.
"So, did she like it?" The Prince asked Belle.
"She loved it, just like when you showed me the library." Belle said. "I think she's going to be happy here. And it was so thoughtful of you to think of the desk."
"Well, I don't think I would've learned to so generous, if it hadn't been for you." The Prince replied. Belle blushed. He took her hands in his. "Ahh, just think: in seven days we'll be married!"
"I can hardly believe it myself."
"Won't you please let me see the dress you've chosen to wear?" The Prince whined.
"NO! That is not allowed."
"Oh, please?" He begged.
"No, no, no!" Belle shook her head. "It's my special surprise for you, and I don't want it spoiled." The Prince put on that fake scowl that Belle had grown to adore when he was a beast, and he pursed his lips.
"All right. Fine." He muttered. "Doesn't matter to me what it looks like anyway."
"Oh, yes it does. Otherwise you wouldn't make such a big deal of it." Belle teased.
"Maurice, thank you." Lissa said when she caught him alone. "This was the biggest surprise of my life, I think."
"You're very welcome, Lissa." Maurice smiled.
"And thank you also, for the little pictures you painted on my desk. That was so sweet of you."
In the following days, Lissa and Belle were happier than they could ever remember. Belle had her whole family, including her husband-to-be and his servants, and her closest friend. Lissa had also grown to think of them as family, though she was still getting to know everybody. Lissa was showered with kindness, more than she had received in seven years! She did miss her old home, and Lefou, but she was very happy. Lissa hadn't had any more nightmares at night since she'd moved to the castle. She spent countless hours at her desk writing, or sitting in one of the gardens. Almost anywhere someone found her, she had a little notebook and a pencil with her. At first, she was scolded by Plumette and the other maids for trying to make her own bed. She'd insisted she was used to it, but they insisted that it was their job and it had been years since they'd been able to as human beings. Not doing everything for herself was hard to get used to, but it gave her more free time to write.
Maurice thrived on his hobby of making the music boxes in the special workshop all his own that the Prince had set up for him. He was happy, and his daughter was happy and very safe, that meant more to Maurice than anything else in the world.
The castle was a flurry of activity. The wedding was only three days away! Everybody had things to do to get ready. Today, Lissa was strolling through the flower gardens. There were numerous species of blooms, but the roses outshone them all. Lissa had never seen such gorgeous flowers. She was staring at them when she heard voices. She turned her head to see Belle and the Prince a distance away. Belle was hanging onto his arm. And a greater distance away, she saw Maurice paining on an easel. Belle and her fiance stopped and gazed into each other's eyes. Their voices were too far away to distinguish what exactly they were saying, but Lissa could tell it was something very meaningful to them. She smiled, unable to peel her eyes away. Then her heart fluttered when the Prince plucked one his pink roses and tucked into Belle's long hair behind her ear. She stroked it and smiled. This was the thing Lissa had only read about in books, but here she got to see it in person! It took her breath away.
The servants enjoyed having Maurice and Lissa in the castle. They absolutely adored Belle and their master, but they were more than happy to serve their other guests, including Clothilde. She could still be bossy, but she was so different than when she had lived in the village. Chip still had his eyes on Belle and was actually jealous that his master was the one who would get to marry her! But Chip was thrilled when he found out that Lissa wrote stories. One day he found her one one of the balconies and asked what she was doing. "Writing." Lissa shrugged.
"Writing what?" Chip asked curiously.
"A story."
"What kind of story? Is it one with swords, and beasts, and soldiers?"
"No, sorry." Lissa shook her head, chuckling. "It's about a little boy like you."
"Like me?" Chip's eyes lit up.
"Mmm-hmm. You see, he makes friends with this dog that no one else likes. He and the dog like each other and his parents let him keep him." Lissa explained.
"What are their names?"
"The boy's name is David and the dog's name is Belamy." Lissa said. "They really like each other, but one day these bad men come and take David far away from home. And the only one who can find him is Belamy."
"Really!?" Chip bounced up and down. "You wrote this story?"
"Yes. I've been working on it since I was a little girl." Lissa giggled. That was the story she'd told Gaston about, the night he'd taken her in the woods with him, and he'd dozed off as she'd rambled the whole plot to him.
"Will you read it to me?" Chip asked.
"Oh, I don't know. You might think it's silly."
"I won't. I promise! Please read it to me. It's like me and Froufrou. Please, won't you please?" Chip begged.
"Oh, all right. Why not?" Lissa shrugged. I wonder if this is how Belle felt when she tried to teach little Melissa how to read.
More good stuff to come. The next chapter is the wedding, where I plan to reveal my chosen name for the Prince! I know a lot of people call him Adam, but it's been confirmed that it's not his name, and I want to stretch out and be a little different.
Can't believe this story only has two more chapters! Thank you to everyone who has followed and left reviews and input. You've been a blessing, and have often brought a smile to my face, especially your outraged reactions to Gaston's behavior!