That night was non-eventful. She woke up the next morning and moved the fireplace tools back. Belle finally turned her attention to the packages Lumiere had bought and left for her. She opened tied paper package after package of dresses, chemises, shoes and ribbons. She tried to contain her delight at so many fine things that she had never had before. She picked one out, tasteful, nice and not too showy. Getting dressed, she patted the knife sheath on her leg. She wasn't going to take any chances. She was tying the ribbon on her front when Mrs. Pott's loud knock came at the door.
"I came to see if you needed any help, oh my, don't you look lovely." She clasped her hands together.
Belle gave her a terse smile, "Thanks."
Mrs. Potts went to her dressing table and picked up the hairbrush, "Here, let me help you." She went behind her and reached out for her waist –long locks.
"No!" Belle reflexively pulled away, holding her hand up.
"I – I'm sorry."
Belle took the brush from her, "I'll do that, thanks."
Mrs. Potts held her hands tightly in front of her. "Breakfast is ready." She turned and left.
Belle held the brush tightly in her hands, then took the right half of her hair over her shoulder and started brushing from the ends up. She was not there for their needs, for their enjoyment as a pet or whatever. She was there to get out and be free. She was no thief, she would only take what she needed to escape.
She ate breakfast alone again, Lumiere admiring her attire. "Thank you, it's, it's really nice." She told him.
She went to the library after she ate, looking around for her book from the day before. It was in a slightly different place, and her ribbon was missing. "Hmm." She turned the book over, who had taken it, and why? She was starting to feel very uncomfortable in this castle. She decided to check out the stables that day to see how many horses there were.
She again found refuse in the library, after having scoped out the carriage and horse situation. She wasn't a good horsewoman, but was adequate. If she could figure out where the other village was Lumiere said was close, she could make it there. She was nearly finished the book she was reading, and walked back to her room to get another one she'd started earlier. All her clothes had been neatly put away in the wardrobe and drawers. "Mrs. Potts must have been up here," she said. She sighed and sat down at the desk. She couldn't understand why they were being so nice to her. The Master must have them scared into being that way for some reason. She shivered, the anticipation of when he would come to get her increasing. He was probably getting her cleaned up first – bath, then new clothes. "Yes, that's it." She thought about trying to leave that night. "Ugh, no, I don't know where the other village is yet. I'll have to wait." She spent more time reading, then as she got up to get a drink, she noticed a paper on the floor by her door. Picking it up, it was a note. She took it over by the window and opened it.
"Dear Belle,
Please accept my apology for not introducing myself to you yet. I am giving you time to become accustomed to the castle. I hope you find the accommodations to your liking. I am sure you will find life here suits you. My servants are at your disposal to assist you with anything you may need. I assure you I have no ill intentions towards you. You are safe here in my castle.
Please observe the following rules while you are staying here-"
Belle quickly skimmed the list, staying out of the woods, keeping out of forbidden rooms in the castle, etc. She made a face and crumpled it, putting it in the fire and watching it burn.
That night at dinner, she went into the kitchen and sought out Lumiere. "I was thinking we could go to the nearby village – what was it called?"
"Seillans?"
"Yes, that was it. I was thinking there are a few things I still need and I do not want to go back to my village, would cause problems I believe."
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Could you give me a list and I could get it for you?"
"Not really. I need to look around for myself." She held her breath a little and smiled.
"I will have to ask the Master if that is acceptable."
Still wondering if this mysterious Master even existed, she had an idea, "Could you write the name of the village down for me, so I could remember it?"
Looking perplexed, he said, "Yes, I can do that for you." She followed him to the salon where he sat at a small desk and carefully wrote out using a quill the name of the village. "While I'm here, I can write a list out for you if you need it." He offered.
"No, thank you." She blotted it and looked at it. The handwriting was distinctly different from the note that was pushed under her door. "Does Mrs. Potts or Chip read or write?"
He shook his head, "No, neither one. I've tried over the years, but alas, for different reasons, not much. Mrs. Potts reads a little."
"Well, thank you for this. Could I have some paper and writing implements for my room as well?"
"Yes," Lumiere nodded, "I can bring some for you."
She thanked him and walked back to her room, looking again at his long scrawling handwriting he'd so carefully written. The handwriting on the note from the Master had been smaller, more elegant. She sighed, the mystery of this place was deepening. She was actually starting to look forward to seeing this Master of the Castle. Maybe she was more afraid than what she should be. Perhaps her fear was making more of him than there was. After all, he seemed more afraid of her for some reason. Perhaps he was weak, disabled, and did not want her to see it.
That night she found herself awake and as she started to drift off again, she heard someone behind her. Her eyes flew open wide. Heavy footsteps, slow and deliberate got closer. She felt the bed move slightly as someone leaned on the edge of the bed. She snaked her hand down, keeping as still as possible and slowly pulled her knife out of the sheath. She heard breathing, not moving, not going away. She moved her arm out under the blanket and the side of the bed. She waited. She felt some movement on the blanket and lunged up and around, stabbing her knife down into the hand of the intruder. She froze – staring into the eyes of a creature the likes of which she'd never seen. Large, imposing hulking mass, curling pointing horns. She looked down at the knife piercing his arm into the bed. She screeched and ran out of the room, down the hall, out the front door. Frantic, she went to the stables, but they were locked with a heavy lock. She pulled at it uselessly. She ran in the back yard, and into the woodshed, hiding herself behind a stockpile of firewood, huddled there until the sun came up.
It was Chip who found her there, she woke up to him yelling out, "She's in here," and walking out. She stood up slightly, peering out as Lumiere came in. She stood up, talking rapidly, "There was a creature – a monster – in my room last night!" she grabbed at his coat, "He – he stood over me, you have to find it and kill it!"
Lumiere was nodding calmly, irritating her. "I know, it's the Master. It's the Master."
"What?" she pushed her hair out of her face, "What do you mean?"
Lumiere put his hands on her shoulders, "That was the Master of the house. He said he had gone in to check on you, as he does every night. He did not mean to frighten you."
She shook her head, "No, no. This was not a man, he – it had horns, and was huge," she held her arms out to describe him.
"He had dark brown hair all over his face and body, yet the clothing of a gentleman?"
She thought back, "Yes, he did."
"Blue eyes?"
"I don't know. It was dark." She shook her head, "You are saying that is the Master of the house?"
Lumiere held onto her as if to keep her there, "Yes, that is why he was hesitant to let you see him. I know it's hard to understand, but he was once a man. He has been cursed to be half Beast, I cannot tell you more about it."
She pushed him away, "This is mad, you all are mad."
"Please, Belle, just – listen. He may have a frightening appearance, but he is of a kindly nature. This curse was imposed on him."
She tried to push past him, "I want to go back to my village now."
"Belle – at least meet with him."
"No, for what? So he could eat me for dinner?"
Frustrated, Lumiere snapped at her, "Do not be so cruel. What has he done to you since you have arrived to threaten you? All he had done is rescued you, let you stay in his house, given you food and clothing, and allowed you free access to his library and us at your disposal to give you what you need?"
"Why, so he could attack me last night?"
He snorted, "Attack you? What did he do to you?"
She snapped back, "I stopped him in time. I stabbed him."
"You slashed his coat with your knife, nothing more. If he wanted to hurt you, to have his way with you, he would have already."
She thought that over.
Lumiere took a deep breath, "Look, I understand this is very strange and shocking for you. This is not how any of us wanted this to turn out."
"How was it supposed to turn out, sir? What was the point of buying me at the auction?" she said angrily.
"He, ugh, he saw you from the carriage and pitied you. He didn't think about what the next step was. I'm sure he still hasn't."
She crossed her arms. This story was too fantastical to be true. She decided to call his bluff, "If this is true, I want to meet him, to talk to him."
"I can arrange that. Now please, come back up to the castle."
She nodded and walked slowly behind him. She shivered in the cool morning air, her thin chemise giving her little protection against the wind. She looked up at the castle and again saw a curtain move as she did so. She pointed up, "Is that him looking down at me?"
Lumiere looked in the direction she was pointing. "Yes, likely so." He walked forward.
At least I'm finally getting somewhere, she thought.
She walked in the castle, past Mrs. Potts' disapproving looks, and up to her room. She washed up, her feet, her hands. She got dressed, all the while seeing the image of the creature in her mind. She thought over what Lumiere had told her. It was a mad story. A story – she dropped the shoe she was putting on. She suddenly remembered an old village story about a Monster in a castle who had been cursed. She struggled to think back to when she was a girl and had heard this tale told. She remembered it was about a man who had been changed into a monster. She shook her head. There couldn't be anything real about it, could there? She'd brushed it off as a story told to children to scare them away from the woods.
In the Master's chamber, Lumiere paced back and forth. "She was most distressed, Sire. She thought you were there to attack her."
A deep voice answered from a large, oversized chair. "And what did you say?"
He threw up his arms in frustration, "I told her if you had intended to hurt her, you would have done so."
He nodded, "Good answer."
"Sire, what are your plans with her? Now that she has been here and knows more, she is a threat to us if she decides to be."
"Yes, I am aware of that."
"So what now? She is asking to meet with you."
He growled, "Not yet. I am not ready."
"When would you be ready?" Lumiere put his hands to his head. "She is unlike any woman I've ever met. Willful, cunning. Take heed, Sire."
"Advice taken."
Lumiere turned to the door, "When would you like your meal?"
He paused, "I'll be coming down to eat."
"Indeed? That will be good. She is likely on her way there now." He left.
Beast looked down at the blue satin ribbon he'd been rubbing between his fingers.
Belle sat at the table, drinking from her cup. No meal was forthcoming. She wondered if Mrs. Potts was still mad at her. She started to get up and peer around the corner of the arch to the kitchen, when suddenly the door opened and the creature came in the room. He nodded to her, then went into the kitchen. Her heart started to beat out of her chest, he was actually there, so unexpectedly and nonchalantly. She sat back down as she heard him talking to Lumiere and Mrs. Potts. She took another drink and tried to calm her nerves. He came back in, sat down in the large chair across her and Mrs. Potts put a plate in front of him, smiling at him, and giving her a warning look. Belle frowned, and looked over at him as he put a napkin in his lap.
"I am the Master of this castle." He started.
"Yes, I figured that out." Her knees were shaking under the table, but she was determined not to show any fear.
He stopped and gave her an indulgent smile, "Indeed. I apologize for frightening you last night."
Mrs. Potts brought in a plate of food and placed it in front of her. She picked up a fork and started to eat, looking at him, studying his appearance. He cleared his throat, "You can look as much as you like."
"You don't look as frightening as you did in the dark of night."
"And neither do you, without a knife in your hand."
"I hope I didn't injure you too much," she took a bite of bread.
He laughed heartily, "You didn't even graze me, not that it would have mattered. You did slice a hole in one of my favorite coats."
"I don't feel so bad, after having been frightened out of the castle for the whole night."
He looked at her, this girl, this woman was hard, tough. He had never encountered someone who challenged him so. He grunted and continued to eat in silence.
"How old are you?" he finally asked.
"I'm twenty."
He nodded.
She focused on her food, struggling to get it down. It was unbelievable, he was actually the monster she'd heard about. She was living in the castle the village women had warned them about. She stole a glance up at him as she took another spoonful of food. "So, what happened with this curse?"
He stopped, "Another time." He took one last bite and pushed his chair away from the table. He turned and went back towards her. She instinctively leaned back, eyes wide. He really was a massive presence. He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in front of her. "This is yours, I believe."
She looked down at his massive paw, as he moved it back, she saw her knife. "You're giving it back to me?"
"It's good to have, for self-defense. Besides, I would never take anything of yours from you."
She grabbed it and put it under her skirt in the sheath. "What is your name?"
"It's Beast."
She shook her head, "No, what is your name."
"You can call me Beast."
She huffed, "That's not a name."
He lunged at the table, pushing it up against her abdomen. She flailed her arms as the chair tilted back, off balance. He grabbed her wrist, stabilizing her. He leaned forward and got close into her face, "I am Beast – don't ever get so comfortable that you forget that." His deep voice rattled in her gut.
She felt his paw grip her wrist tighter, and fought the urge to spit in his face. She was too frightened to move, but gritted her teeth and refused to cower in front of him. He stared at her, not moving.
"You are hurting me, sir." She said as calmly as she could get out.
He slowly moved back and pulled her back down, letting go of her wrist. He stood up and pulled his vest down, straightening his coat. "I'm going to the library, if you'd like to meet me there when you are finished." He turned and left.
Only then did she notice Lumiere and Mrs. Potts were in the doorway of the kitchen, looking at the scene with shock. Belle rubbed her wrists, "Is he always like that?" she barely contained a tremor in her voice.
Lumiere was quick to answer, "No Miss, not usually, I apologize. He is kindly at heart, there's a lot he had been through."
She pressed her lips together at his defense for his behavior. It was all a bit too much. Her hand shaking, she closed her eyes and put her hand up to shield her face to them. Mrs. Potts wrung her apron in her hands, looking pityingly at her. "You see, he's made her cry now."
Lumiere was concerned, and they both looked at her with furrowed brows. She finally moved her hand down and to their surprise, instead of tears they saw a flash of anger in her eyes. She stood up abruptly, thanked her for the breakfast and stormed out of the dining room and outside on the back grounds. There weren't many places she could go, and instead paced back and forth in the gardens. She finally went back to the woodshed in the back of the castle. She sat and played with a piece of kindling, thinking over the crazy scene she'd just been through.
"These people are crazy, and they're trying to involve me with this insanity." She moved dirt around with the end of the stick. She heard some thudding sounds outside, and holding the large piece of wood, peered around the corner – ready to defend herself. She saw Chip, re-stacking the wood pile near her. She relaxed a little, and walked out. "Hi, Chip, isn't it?"
He nodded, his blond hair hanging in his eyes, dirty smears on his forehead where he'd wiped sweat off the back of his dirty gloves.
"I'm Belle."
"I know. My mom told me."
She sized him up – he looked a little bit younger than herself. "You know your way around. I'm going to the nearby village soon. Not sure what direction you can get there. Do you think you could help me? I think it's west, but I'm not sure."
He shook his head vigorously, "I don't go there."
"No? You've never been there?" she was surprised.
"No, mama says I'm not allowed. I stay here at the castle."
"Well, maybe you could draw me a map then. I could get some paper-"
"I don't know how to read or write."
"You don't?" she frowned. "Um, you could draw a little, right? The correct directions perhaps?"
He shook his head no.
She furrowed her brows. She took another tactic, "I would love to see those horses in the stable, you know, brush them, feed them, help take away some of your chores. Do you have the key with you? We could let them out and exercise them a little."
He shook his head again, "Only Lumiere and the Master do that. They have the keys."
Frustrated, she said, "So you don't ride the horses and you never leave the castle. What do you do?"
He stood his tall lanky frame up straight and said defensively, "I know a lot of things, I fetch wood, and help Lumiere with the horses. I tie my own boots now too."
She laughed, "Tying my own boots wouldn't be a thing to be bragging about. How old are you?"
He put his hands on his hips, "I'm 241 years old. I do lots of grown up things now. Mama says I'm doing better. I use the ax now with the wood too. I – I don't need her watching me anymore."
She squinted at him, and studied his demeanor a bit more. It suddenly dawned on her he was slow.
"You know what, you're right. I'm sorry. That is a lot of grown up things to know how to do."
He relaxed a bit, but was still mad. He threw a piece of wood on the pile he was making.
"I tried to read," he finally said, "Mama says she's not the best teacher."
"I'm sure you did your best." She looked down.
He continued to chop the wood.
She turned to go, "Oh, let's keep my questions about the village a secret, okay?"
He looked puzzled.
"You know, I wanted it to be a surprise. You like surprises, don't you?"
"I guess."
"Okay, good. Thanks, Chip. It was nice talking to you." She walked slowly back to the front of the castle. "241 years old. He really is daft."