Lumière stepped into the darkness of the Beast's chambers, concerned. "Master, are you awake yet?" It was well past the hour he usually arose from bed, and he'd already missed two appointments that Lumière rescheduled for later that day. The valet turned secretary was aware the Master had had a difficult time sleeping the night before, plagued once again by the headaches that seemed to be hitting more frequently and severely, so he hadn't bothered to try to wake him until now. However, Tobias was waiting in the study and threatened to storm into the West Wing again if he was kept waiting much longer, and the secretary knew it wasn't just a threat.
Beast stirred at the sound of his friend's voice, but dragged the blanket over his head when the curtains were pulled back, allowing the light to spill in through the balcony. He grumbled something inaudible into his pillow and tried going back to sleep, thinking he had made it clear he wasn't moving yet.
"I am sorry, sire, but Tobias is insisting you keep your appointment with him," Lumière said timidly. It had been ages since he'd seen his employer this agitated. It brought back a flood of memories from before Belle had entered their lives, when he didn't dare wake the sleeping Beast for any reason, and at the slightest provocation the Master would unleash the furious temper they all cowered from. He assumed this recent bout of melancholy had to do with the fair maiden and her lack of presence in the Master's life, but until last night, Lumière felt they both were handling the separation with grace.
The former candelabra noted a few broken pieces of furniture around the room, and recalled hearing the Master stomping around the place, followed by crashes and growls of pain. It had taken several cups of Mrs. Potts's calming tea and finally a sleeping dram from Kara to get him to settle down. Tobias was the one to send for the concoction from Kara, keeping a tight lid on the King's difficulties. He was concerned about his friend, which was why he was so insistent on seeing him now.
"Tell Tobias I will see him tomorrow. And cancel the rest of my day. I'm not leaving this room," Beast grumbled and pouted. His headache from the night before was gone, but that wasn't the only place he had been pained yesterday, and facing today was simply something he was unwilling to do.
Lumière was confused and taken aback. It was so unlike him. Unaware of the reasons behind it, Lumière wisely agreed, leaving the room, knowing if he didn't, something might come flying at his head.
Beast rolled over again, glad Lumière wasn't going to press him. It wasn't that the situation yesterday was so traumatizing, or even unexpected, for Beast knew it was coming. But nothing could have prepared him for what he felt.
The day started as any other, with a small breakfast taken with Lumière as they discussed the agenda for the day, followed by a few meetings with various subjects, mostly concerning the establishment of commerce within the kingdom, as well as the outside world. After that, he took lunch with Tobias, who informed him that Belle and her teacher friend would be visiting today to assist Kara in setting up the new school.
Beast was curious about the man Belle was spending so much time with, but from the way Belle spoke of him in her letters, Beast assumed he was an older gentleman who had taken her under his wing as a kindness, and he felt indebted to the man. He was looking forward to meeting him that afternoon, as was Tobias. Kara had met him a few days before, but hadn't really spoken much about it, other than that he was a very kind fellow, and generous in sharing his expertise and materials with them.
Beast planned on meeting up with the group to help prepare the classroom, but his meeting with Cogsworth about ordering supplies for the castle and the rest of the kingdom ran longer than expected, so by the time he got down to the village, Belle and her friend Edmund were walking into Monsieur Levi's bookshop arm in arm, with a slightly disgruntled Tobias trailing behind.
As he observed the pair from a distance, his eyes narrowed and he felt the air leave his body, as if someone had struck him with a blow to the stomach. The man wasn't much older than himself, tall, lean, and unmistakably handsome. He hadn't even considered the possibility that the studious, stuffy, but kind gentleman Belle mentioned in several of her letters was a good-looking young man, who by the expression on his face when he looked down at Belle, was very much interested in things beyond a friendship.
Beast hadn't known who to be furious with. Himself, for driving Belle into the open arms of another, her for concealing exactly who Edmund was, or Edmund for having the audacity to strut around his kingdom with his fiancée! The swirl of emotions and visceral reaction sent him running back to the castle before he made a scene, and sealed himself off in his room.
Once alone, he released the rage he felt inside, tossing a washbasin and stand, kicking a chair across the room, and ripping apart the curtains that draped the sides of his bed. It had been nearly a year since he'd unleashed his full temper like this, and when it was over he felt none of the relief he used to. All he felt was a vice on his heart that left a lump in his throat making it impossible to eat anything. Every insecurity and self-doubt he had conquered along their journey came rushing back in, and the nagging voice that told him a human man was a far better choice for Belle than he was returned with vindictive sharpness, and with it a monster of a headache.
Only Mrs. Potts was allowed into the room with some soothing tea. She tsked at the condition of the room, and tried offering a kind word but his headache overwhelmed him, and he cast her out. After releasing a second bout of rage that left his mirror shattered on the floor, Mrs. Potts sent Tobias for a sleeping dram from Kara and practically forced it down his throat, before cleaning up the broken shards.
The dear housekeeper was beside herself seeing the Master in that state, and her first instinct was to send for Belle immediately. Having no idea what caused a return of his uncontrollable temper, she resigned herself to give him a night's rest before doing anything that might cause further upset. As the closest thing he had to a mother figure following the death of his own, she was very protective of him and understood his moods more than anyone else in the castle. The frequency of the headaches that tormented him since his return home were beginning to worry her. For now, she blamed them for his shift in temperament. It was well after midnight when she looked in on him before retiring for the night, making sure he was fast asleep.
As Lumière had warned, Tobias refused to be put off, and he came barreling into the room not ten minutes later. Taking in the atrocious state of the room, and his friend concealed under the covers, Tobias scoffed in disgust. "Get your sorry arse out of that bed, Your Majesty!" he bellowed as he yanked the covers from the bed, discarding them on the floor.
Lumière, who was out of breath having chased after Tobias, closed the door, unwilling to be witness to the altercation about to occur, and returned to the lower level warning all to scatter.
"Tobias, get out!" Beast yelled back, turning a scowl on him that would have made any other man quake in his boots. He was in no mood to deal with his best friend's impudence. He was determined to wallow in self-pity for at least the day.
"No! What's this I hear you've been here since yesterday afternoon? And look what you've done to the place! Is that what it was like before Belle arrived? You brooding in here, giving into whatever horrid thoughts entered your mind? Well, I won't allow it. Plus, I have problems of my own, and I need you to help me sort through them. I'm always there for you, so you can damn well be here for me!"
Tobias plopped down on the end of the bed, gazing at Beast, who had finally sat up and looked back incredulously. Beast was thrown by the end of that tirade, and intrigue pulled at him.
Beast raked a hand through his mane, then propped up his pillows so he could lean against the wide headboard. "I can't fathom your issues holding a candle to mine." Raising an eyebrow, he taunted Tobias to try to top the onslaught of misery currently dogging him.
Tobias rose and started pacing the floor. "Kara is interested in another. And damn me if I didn't find the sod agreeable myself! There's not a single thing to hate him for, and he's far better suited to the wench than I am."
Beast couldn't believe what he was hearing, for it was nearly identical to his own troubles. "I fear Belle is in a similar state, and I honestly don't know how to process it." The lump returned to his throat, and he knew if he spoke anymore about it the tears he refused to allow any time to the night before would finally come spilling out, and he was not willing to have a witness.
"Belle? And who? If you're worried about Edmund, don't be! I'm the one worried about him! You should have seen Kara with him yesterday. Fawning all over him as if he was sent from heaven itself. Belle found the scene quite entertaining, actually. Not once did I see Belle make any gesture or say anything that could be contrived as flirting. In fact, she went out of her way to put him and Kara together! Which I can tell you, I did not let slide." Tobias's face turned red with fury and he kicked the chair that was already in pieces on the floor.
Beast was dumbfounded. Belle really wasn't giving her affection to another? He had tortured himself for almost twenty-four hours over nothing? No, he knew what he saw.
"Then why were he and Belle arm and arm when they entered Levi's yesterday? And the way he looked at her. I know that look! I've seen it on your face and my own. At minimum he has an over fondness for her." Crossing his arms across his chest for emphasis, Beast locked eyes with his friend, who paused his pacing long enough to give him his full attention.
"That was because she was angry with me for accusing her of trying to set Kara up with him. She was worried if left unattended I would trounce the man, so she kept him close when we left the school. As for the look you saw, I can't say one way or the other, except to point out that I got over my attraction to Belle rather quickly. And rest assured that she never once looked at him, or me for that matter, the way she looks at you."
Tobias released a slow breath as he once again slumped down onto the end of the bed, looking defeated and tired.
"Up all night fretting over this?" Beast offered a look of sympathy, dropping his arms to his side, allowing Tobias's words to sink in and redirect his energy to helping his friend.
"Yes. I just don't understand Kara. She's magnificent. Smart, beautiful, compassionate, and stubborn as they come. Hell, we've even shared a bed on several occasions! Most women require a lifelong commitment for something like that. But Kara isn't most women. She lives by her own set of rules and you can either fit in or move on. I really thought maybe this could be something."
"Were you honestly prepared to settle down and marry her?" Beast asked gently, but his brow rose just slightly.
"Well, no. But shouldn't she have wanted me to?" The forlorn look on Tobias's face as he said it was almost more than the Beast could withstand, for the question was so ridiculous it nearly caused him to burst out laughing. He shook his head and gazed at his friend with humor in his eyes. "I know, it's absurd. She's a free woman who can do what she wants, when she wants, and apparently who she wants."
If Tobias wasn't so hurt by the entire situation, he'd see the hypocrisy in it all, since he certainly hadn't had any intention of pursuing Kara only. There were in fact a few others that had caught his eye, one of them being a human girl in the village. "And she never would have consented to turning into a werewolf either. So perhaps it is best to end it now." He ran his hand through his unruly auburn hair and sighed. "But damn if she isn't the most luscious lover I've ever had. I'm definitely going to miss that."
Beast felt his cheeks heat and turned away, having gotten out of bed finally and thrown on a robe.
"Sorry, furball. Sometimes I forget you're an innocent." Which immediately earned him a scowl and a grunt.
"Well, I am glad we could work this through," Beast said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, still aggravated at Tobias. He went behind the dressing partition and got dressed in a blue lawn shirt and black breeches, choosing to leave the waistcoat behind. By the time he finished, he'd decided to let that comment slide, mostly because his insecurities were flaring again. "And you are certain I have nothing to fear from Belle spending nearly every day with that man?" He looked at Tobias with concern still lighting his eyes.
"Nothing at all," Tobias assured him, rising as the King walked passed, opening the door and starting down the hall.
"What's he like?" Beast asked casually as they made their way to the dining room. Finally regaining his appetite, he was famished and asked a passing servant to inform Chef Bouche to prepare something quickly and it didn't need to be hot.
"Smarter than anyone I've ever met. Even smarter than Belle, but not pretentious or arrogant about it. In fact, had it not been for Kara's attention being diverted from me to him, I think I would have rather liked the fellow. He's got an ease about him that is inviting, yet formal at the same time. The children adored him, and he really was invaluable in organizing the classroom and providing needed materials. He is very genuine in his desire to help, and refused the gold you sent. He did have an odd request, though. He wanted to see your library?" Tobias looked confused by the request, and couldn't fathom why anyone would refuse gold over visiting a library.
Beast chuckled and knew that anyone who would make an inquiry like that was definitely someone his Belle would take a liking to. "Not that your library isn't magnificent, because it is, and I have found myself spending a lazy afternoon getting lost in the pages of a good war novel, but more than gold?"
"Clearly Belle has found a kindred spirit in this Edmund. As a thank you for his help with the school, tell him he may visit it next week and I'll give him a tour personally."
Beast sat at the table and gestured to the seat next to him for Tobias to join.
Having skipped lunch himself, Tobias gladly accepted, and the two made short work of the delicious meal that was set before them.
As they ate, the topic of conversation shifted to the guard and the odd behaviors that kept cropping up around the kingdom. Beast was concerned the warning beacon wasn't working properly, and Tobias assured him that it had been checked several times and nothing was amiss there, leaving them with no clue as to the cause.
"As long as these odd occurrences keep happening, I am going to need you to always escort Belle and Edmund around the village. The other humans who visit have their own friends who have committed to being their escorts. You know I appreciate your volunteering to watch over Belle. If it's too difficult with Edmund, I can always ask Kara…"
Tobias shot him a murderous glance at the suggestion and acquiesced to the request. "Fine. I'll do it, but I won't like it."