Chapter 11- He Wouldn't Dare

After delivering Belle to the school, and having a brief conversation with Kara, Tobias raced to the castle. He had to inform the Beast of what he had witnessed today, consequences be damned. The day before he had been so sure of her relationship with that boorish, placid tome duster. But after seeing their picnic, and the way in which they worked together to help Maurice, he now had doubts. That Edmund stayed behind to watch over Maurice for Belle was yet another clear sign that the man could in fact be a formidable suitor. The walk to the school had been fairly quiet, Belle's mind distracted with concern for her father's health. The few attempts he made at making conversation drifted off quickly with her lack of participation.

As he rushed up the castle steps, he paused at the door, taking a moment to consider his options. If he were Beast, he would want to know everything he had to say. But Beast wasn't him, and with how frequent those crushing headaches were becoming, he worried that divulging news like this could do more than just bruise his friend's heart. It wasn't in his nature though to keep things from those he cared about, even if the truth hurt. So resolved to continue his course of action, he threw open the doors, startling the footman that flanked the large opening, and proceeded to Beast's study where he was typically found this time of day.

Concentrating on the papers that lay in front of him, Beast jumped a bit when Tobias entered the room without so much as a knock for warning. He sighed as he saw the determined and agitated look on his friend's face.

A thick brow rose, and his mouth formed a thin line of irritation at the intrusion. "What is it, Tobias?"

"Good afternoon to you too," Tobias said curtly as he took a seat in front of Beast's wide desk.

Beast leaned back into his chair, pushing the papers he was reading aside, and focused his sharp blue eyes on Tobias. "You're the one who burst in here like a storm, so don't keep me waiting. Clearly you have something of an urgent nature to discuss with me or else you would have remembered proper decorum, waiting to be announced, and invited in."

It was incredible how quickly Beast could make Tobias feel about two inches tall when he chastised him for impudent behavior. But what he had come to say was too important. "I may have been mistaken yesterday," Tobias started, his voice uneven and unsure.

"Regarding?" Beast's frustration at his friend's evasiveness was starting to grate on his nerves, and he let out a huff of exasperation.

"Belle and Edmund," Tobias said slowly, studying the King's reaction as the words sank in.

First there was a look of confusion as he likely recalled the conversation the two had had in his chamber the day before, followed by the color draining from his face as his mouth dropped open. The hardest thing to see was the shift in his deep blue eyes as they went from annoyed to devastated. Beast's face was one that didn't hide his feelings well, and at this moment it was very clear that he was deeply pained and concerned.

"Explain," Beast managed to choke out beyond the lump that formed at the base of his throat, threatening to cut off his ability to breathe.

Tobias went into detail, starting with the day she and Edmund met, and finally ending with what he had seen today at the picnic, and back at her cottage.

Bidding the last of les charmantes' children goodbye, Belle and Kara sat back at their respective desks, sighing in relief. It was a very short day, just to get the children familiar with the classroom, and various materials they would be using. The adrenaline rush having passed, they sat relaxed and satisfied with how things had gone.

"You've had an exciting day, haven't you, Belle?" Kara asked with a knowing grin, "First a lovely picnic, now a successful first day here. What more could one ask for?" The beautiful witch reclined in her chair and put her feet up on the desk before her.

Belle's brow rose and her lips pursed as she glared at her friend. "How did you know about my picnic this afternoon? I didn't have time to mention that after telling you about Papa."

Kara placed her feet back on the ground and the chair legs following closely behind with a thump on the wood floor. Her face contorted in a slight panic as she realized it wasn't Belle who had told her about it, but Tobias when he briefly pulled her aside to share his concerns about seeing the intimate scene between Belle and Edmund. Trying to save face, she asked, "Didn't you say something about it?"

Belle got up, and was now leaning on the opposite side of Kara's desk, hazel eyes blazing in a way Kara had never seen before, or at least had never been directed at her before. "No, I absolutely did not. How do you know, Kara?"

The witch shifted uncomfortably under the heat of that gaze, as she struggled to come up with a logical excuse that wasn't the truth. "Kara…" Belle said in a controlled, but seething tone.

"Tobias," was all she could get out, as she smoothed the hair out of her face and wiped some of the sweat that formed on her forehead.

"But how would he know?" Confusion was back on Belle's face for a moment before she finally hit the mark. "He wouldn't!" screeched out of the typically even tempered young woman, and she stomped across the room. "He was spying on me! For how long?!" Sparks practically flew off of Belle as she furiously paced the room.

"Since we got back," Kara confessed in shame, hanging her head, unable to look at her friend. "He was worried about you and…" She didn't get to finish, Belle stormed out of the school, slamming the door behind her.

Beast looked incredulously at his friend, not knowing how to feel after listening to the full account of everything Belle had been doing since the day after arriving home. Shame for invading her privacy was prevalent, along with relief that Tobias had been watching over her to keep her safe, and heartache over now knowing the full extent of her affection for her school teacher. He sat silent for a long time, unable to choose which emotion to focus on first when they heard a ruckus down the hall, and a familiar voice using a very unfamiliar tone.

"TOBIAS!" echoed outside, as the doors slammed against the interior walls of the study, making the paintings on the walls rattle and one come crashing to the floor.

Belle stomped into the room, her hair flying wildly about her shoulders, her eyes a shocking bright green that lit with a golden glow zeroed in on the large man wincing at her curse. "How dare you... you… jackanapes!"

Beast watched with shock as his love unleashed her fury on their friend. The crack of her hand coming down across Tobias's cheek reverberated throughout the room. Both men were stunned into silence as she turned to face Beast.

"Were you in on this too?"

She rounded the desk, coming face to face with Beast, her words cutting him deeper than any wound. "Did you put him up to it?!"

The look of horror and confusion on his fur covered face was enough to get her to step back a pace, but she didn't drop her gaze.

"No. No, of course not. I only just found out myself, and… and was about to trounce him for it," Beast stammered as he found his voice, his face burning.

"You told him everything?" Belle turned back to Tobias, seeing the truth written across his ashen countenance. "I have never been more violated in my life!" She looked ready to strike him again, but instead ran from the room as tears poured down her face.

Tobias sank further into the chair, wishing he could just disappear. He never meant to hurt her, and that last look of absolute betrayal as she fled from the study stung more than the throbbing pain in his cheek. Part of him wanted to go after her, to explain and apologize, but he was frozen to his chair.

Beast shouted, "Belle!" as he stood, knocking his chair over as he went after her. He too had seen her face as she turned to leave, and it wounded him deeper than the idea that she might have feelings for another man. He went towards the front door, thinking she had left the castle in her race to leave, but the door was still closed, and one footman gestured towards the East Wing.

Instinct brought her back to her former room. In her rush to be alone, she forgot to close the door behind her as she flung herself onto the bed while tears choked out in great sobs. While the anger, hurt, and disgust poured out of her, she recalled the last time she wept in this room nearly a year ago, when she was first taken prisoner in this place.

It was so different now that most of the curse had been lifted. No longer dark and gloomy, with all the fierce gargoyles replaced with angelic cherubs, dirty dark gray stonework cleaned and sparking white, and even the artwork had gone from solemn faces to happy ones. But she didn't feel happy. She was crushed that someone she cared about had betrayed her in such a deep and personal way. Someone she believed she could trust and rely on, thought so little of her that he found it necessary to spy on her.

She still had questions as to what all Tobias had seen, knowing that from a distance situations could look very different from what they actually were. She feared what impressions he'd passed on to Beast.

But she couldn't investigate that now, she was too distraught. The tears continued to rain down, and her body shook.

Suddenly, she was lifted into the soft, warm arms of her Beast, and she buried her head into his lapel. His large paw stroked her hair and rubbed her back as another tidal wave of anguish ripped from her. She wanted to melt into him and never leave the comfort of his arms around her. Thinking of how this was no longer her room, and that she would have to leave soon brought on a new rush of sorrow, and a shudder ran down her spine. He pressed her closer, reacting to her body's need for reassurance.

"I am so sorry, Belle," Beast whispered, rubbing his cheek against her head. She finally relaxed, and the tears slowed. "I would never have allowed Tobias to do such a thing, to invade your privacy like that. Had I known earlier I would have put a stop to it." His voice was low and calm, and Belle felt safe and comforted. The sun was just falling below the hills, and as the light faded, the room grew dark, leaving them holding onto one another in the shadows. Belle wanted to remain here in his arms all night. She had almost forgotten how right it felt being there.

"Ahem," Cogsworth cleared his throat as he stood in the open doorway, holding a candelabra that looked so much like his colleague used to. "Dinner is served, Your Majesty." And he left the light on the dresser as he exited.

"Would you like to join me?" He looked down at her with hope in his eyes. She wanted to say yes, but she couldn't.

"I wish I could... but Edmund is waiting for me back at the cottage," she said shyly. Her gaze fell, and she failed to notice the impact that statement had on him. His arms dropped as he slid her off his lap onto the bed beside him.

"Then don't let me keep you," he stiffly replied as he stood and started for the door. Belle leapt off the bed after him, capturing his paw in her hand.

"If I could stay, I would. I'd stay forever. There's nowhere I would rather be than here with you." She dropped his paw so she could wrap her arms around him and hold him close once again.

Reluctantly, he returned her embrace.

"But Edmund has been watching over Papa for me this afternoon, as I am sure Tobias told you. Papa was hurt when one of his inventions went awry. Edmund promised he would have dinner prepared for me and Maman, and I'd feel very ungrateful for his kindness if I didn't show up." She felt like her insides were being torn in two, having to choose between staying with her love and being polite to a good friend.

Beast looked down into her eyes and could feel her hesitancy to leave him. "I understand." He gave her a slight grin and placed a kiss on her head. Walking out of the room, hand in hand, he mentioned, "After what he's done, clearly Tobias will not be escorting you home. Would you like me to?"

"That would be wonderful. But I don't want your dinner to get cold if it's already waiting for you." She blushed slightly, realizing she had already kept him from it for probably some time now.

But he insisted as they continued down the stairs and out the main doors.

The icy breeze hit her, causing a shiver to run down her body. It was such a sunny and relatively warm day that she hadn't thought to bring a cloak along with her, assuming she would be home before dark. Without the sun, the temperature dropped at least ten degrees, and she huddled closer to Beast, allowing his radiating heat to warm her. Throwing back a command that she didn't pay attention to, they stood on the top step until she was surprised by a thick velvet cloak dropping over her shoulders.

A boyish grin softened his features as they continued on their way. "Ann made that for you last week and I've been meaning to send it with one of my letters."

She examined the fine material, not quite able to make out what color it was in the darkness, illuminated only by the torch held by Beast. They came around to the stable where two horses were awaiting them.

It had been some time since he attempted to ride. In his youth, he'd been a very accomplished equestrian. His many awards and trophies from competitions used to line the shelves in his father's private chamber, the one thing the King had ever been proud of him for. The large black stallion the stable-master brought out for him was well trained, and could easily manage a bulkier rider, while a small mare with a shiny light brown coat had been chosen for Belle.

They rode in relative silence, and the guards were surprised to see the King leaving the kingdom so late at night, even to escort Belle home safely. As they approached the edge of the forest, her cottage with a line of smoke coming out of the chimney and a warm glow cascading out of the windows in the distance, Beast finally spoke, "Belle, I hope you will return to the castle soon. I understand why you've stayed away, but your library and I miss you."

"I miss you too. And I suppose I shouldn't be so neglectful of our library, should I?" she teased playfully, turning a glowing smile on him. At the edge of the forest, she moved to dismount off the horse and walk the rest of the way, but Beast stopped her.

"She's yours," he said, covering her hand that held the reins with his paw. "This way if Rosalind has Philippe, you have a way to safely travel between here, and home."

She winced slightly at his word choice, then changed the subject. "Thank you. What's her name?" Belle asked before leaning forward to pet the creature.

"Lisette, I believe," he replied as they sauntered closer to the cottage.

"Hello, fair Lisette. You and I are going to be great friends," she soothingly cooed to the horse as she brought her round to the stable in the rear of the house.

"Would you like to join us tonight?" Belle invited, looking back at Beast as they entered the small room. Philippe was already settled in for the night in his stall, and Marcel was grazing quietly in the corner on some alfalfa Maman must have provided when she returned.

He dismounted and tied his horse to a pole near the entrance. "I wouldn't want to intrude when you already have a guest. Besides, I really should be getting back."

"It wouldn't be an intrusion. And I have been hoping you and Edmund would meet. Sometimes it feels as if one or the other of you is some sort of hidden secret, when really my fondest wish is that you might become friends."

She stepped close to him, taking his paws into her hands, then looked up into his eyes with a pleading gaze he found impossible to say no to.

"You know, there is nothing more than friendship between Edmund and myself. I love you. Only you. Nothing, and no one, will ever change that." Her eyes locked with his, and he could feel the sincerity in her words. It made him feel silly for having ever doubted her, since he knew she wasn't a feckless woman whose affections could be easily swayed. He smiled down at her, running his paw against her cheek, then through her hair.

"I love you, too." He leaned down to kiss her head when a shooting pain struck his temples. Not again, not now. He cursed internally as the pain reverberated throughout his entire skull.

Doing his best to hide the discomfort, he looked back at Belle and softly but firmly replied, "I really ought to be getting back. But bring Edmund tomorrow after the lessons at Petite Famille, and we can show him our library together." He kissed her hand and took his leave, regret and longing thrumming in his veins.

He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay and be a part of her life every day. But with each thought of being with her, his head throbbed a little harder and his heart ached a little sharper. Getting to the bottom of why these headaches plagued him was becoming an increasingly important priority. Then again, the pressure of running a kingdom was enough to give anyone headaches, he supposed.