Chapter Eight

8.1

Adam sat on the bed as he watched Belle playing with Madame de la Grande Bouche. The Madam kept having Belle enter her and then she would dress her up in different fun and pretty costumes. Adam smiled as he watched her and felt joy just hearing her laughter. Maybe if he had been better behaved when he was Belle's age he could have laughed like that and looked forward to his future.

He heard a knock on the door and smiled up at Maurice as Belle came out dressed in a cute dress.

"So here is where the two of you went," Maurice commented as he came over to hug Belle. He put her down and she span around to show him how the outfit looked on her. "It's gorgeous," he laughed and Adam nodded. "How about you try something on?"

"Uh…most of the clothes are…are for girls," Adam said stiffly and Maurice hummed. He looked up at the Madame who nodded.

"That doesn't seem fair. How about next time I bring you some new clothes," he suggested and Adam's eyes widened. He shook his head quickly. He didn't want to be a burden to this family any more than he already was. He couldn't accept something like that, something so costly.

"No. I'm fine. I'm fine," he said and Maurice opened his mouth to speak but Adam wouldn't let him. "Anyway I…I kind of have to get my clothes…special because of my tail and the width of my shoulders." He looked down but then lifted his head as Belle approached him.

"Don't you think it'll be fun if we dress up together?" she asked and Adam just stared at her.

He had known it before but now it became so much more real that he wasn't like other children. Yes, he could show Belle a world that she didn't know existed, he could show her magic and enchantments, but he couldn't play with her as if they were schoolmates or even real friends. He would always be this small beast to her and she would always be a gorgeous princess…or angel…or flower. Flowers. He kind of hated flowers but saying that might hurt Belle. He just wanted for her to be happy.

"You can take some clothes home with you, right?" he asked as he looked up at the wardrobe and she nodded.

"It would be my honor. Take as many as you'd like," she offered and Adam nodded too. Maybe if Belle had things like these clothes then she would have happy and fond memories of coming to this castle. She would remember him for the good things he had been able to do even if it was just read with her, talk with her, and give her food and clothes.

"Thank you," Belle curtseyed to the wardrobe before hugging Adam who flinched. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hug her back or just sit there and accept her hug. He didn't want to frighten her. He was so sick of frightening people and being seen only as an animal. He had to bit his tongue to keep from saying how fake he found all of this. Maurice had always been fair to him, how could his discomfort lead him to think anything else from Belle?

"Now, I think dinner will be soon, why don't you head downstairs for something to eat," Madame said and Adam looked up at her and then as Belle as she nodded and took Maurice's hand so they could go down to the banquet hall. Adam stared at his paws.

"I could have given you something to play in," Madame commented and Adam looked up at her and blinked, his face turned sad again as he wrapped an arm around himself. It hurt. Being here with people who were actually living real lives was killing him. "I don't only have-"

"It won't stop hurting," he told her and the wardrobe frowned. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's fine, Adam," she said and then tilted her head. "I'm sorry that you're so lonely. You should try and open yourself up to Belle. I think that she might develop quite the little crus-"

"Stop it, please!" Adam begged her as he turned to look into her eyes. He wrapped both of his arms around himself and flopped onto the bed. He didn't want to cry. He was a prince. He was master of this castle. He shouldn't be crying at his age. Still, the desire to live such a normal life was so entirely painful that he could barely breathe.

"Adam, you might have to go out sometime," Madame said and Adam took slow breaths and shook his head. He knew that he was the key to getting everything back to normal but nobody would truly love him in this form, at least they wouldn't love him, his property, his money, even his title, but not him. If only he wasn't born a spoiled rotten prince.

8.2

Adam could hear the footsteps above him as he stayed in the dungeon level. He closed his eyes and curled into a small ball as he sat in one of the cells. He knew that at least some of the servants knew he was down hear but it wasn't as if a clock and a teapot could stop him. Here. This was a dark and cold dungeon, this was where wild animals were kept. If he didn't find the magic ingredient of love soon then he would grow bigger and more wild and more dangerous and he would have to be locked away. He didn't want that and he wished that he could go back in time and stop this from happening.

He closed his eyes as he felt the cold wind snap at his body and could hear the sound of the wolves howling at the moon. He was there a moment more before he felt his body get moved and his head hit something warm and soft and a blanket get wrapped around him.

He blinked up and then immediately got to his feet as he saw the inventor there. He had found him and tried to comfort him with his lap and a blanket. Adam felt his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at the other man. "What are -" he said and Maurice sighed.

"I was hoping to get you to sleep in a warm bed tonight, I heard that you had come down here but they weren't sure whether to go down themselves, you know it's quite a long distance for a candelabra." Maurice tried to joke and Adam looked down, if he was in his normal body anyone would just think he was a regular scared and defenseless little boy. "I thought you liked meeting Belle."

"I do!" Adam said quickly and stepped forward, "I really do. I love that I met her but - but you shouldn't have brought her here," he said with his head bowed. "I only know what I can't offer her. I want her to be blissful and -"

"Do you think that we'd never come again?" Maurice asked and Adam closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Of course we hope to be invited back, Adam. I thought that if you met someone of your own age -"

"I belong here," Adam replied and Maurice sighed.

"I suppose that is true, people oftentimes believe in things which they tell themselves which are untrue, sometimes the fantasy of something is a lot more thrilling than the thing itself. I don't want you to get hurt. I wish that you could come back with us but you're right, taking you to the village would be too risky for you," Maurice said as he felt guilty of not fulfilling Adam's wish of leaving the castle.

"No," Adam whispered, "Here. In this dungeon," he told him and Maurice watched as he broke down. "I belong locked up, chained to the wall, I'm terrifying, I'm a beast, I belong in a cage," he said and Maurice reached a hand out. He shook his head.

"Adam, when you think of yourself, when you block out the rest of the world do you think like a boy or like a beast?" he asked. Adam watched him uncertain of why he was asking that and Maurice continued, "If you were blind would you still be a beast in your own head?"

"No. I'm a boy, a prince. I'm cursed," Adam replied and Maurice offered his arms to the young prince, Adam rushed forwards and experienced a hug from a father figure he had never had before. "I'm cursed," he whispered and Maurice pulled him close.

"Then you know it's going to be hard but you've got to keep fighting. I believe in your strength, Adam," he said and Adam blinked back tears. Once he stepped away from Maurice, he took his sleeve to dry his tears and laughed weakly. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this, Adam," he told him and Adam took slow breaths before dabbing at his eyes again.

"I'm really happy that I got to meet Belle," Adam told him honestly and Maurice nodded with his own chuckle.

"I'm really happy that you two got to meet each other as well," he said and Adam smiled. Maybe he could hate being in this body and not being able to interact with other people or go out and do the things which regular children could do but not everyone in the world would hate him. He just had to open his heart up to other people so that other people had a chance to open their hearts to him.

8.3

"You shouldn't be sad, my love," Mrs. Potts told Adam as it got time for Belle and Maurice to return back to their home. "You should treasure these memories, take what they give you and learn to grow from them and improve."

"Yes, improve, always take your past and learn from it," Cogsworth agreed.

Adam nodded before seeing Belle nearing the door. He walked over to her and reached out but seeing how his paw looked against her arm, he couldn't touch her. He hated how he had to keep reminding himself that Belle couldn't see the person he was. Maybe one day she would be able to see through this fur. "It was really nice having you here, Miss Belle," he said with a cute little bow.

"I loved being here!" Belle said before hugging him. She blushed and pulled back, dropping into a curtsey. "Dear Prince."

"You don't need to call me that," Adam said before rubbing his back awkwardly. "I'm really glad that we got to read and talk and play. I hope you get to wear the clothes you got."

"Yes, I'm sure I will," she said. "Thank you, Adam." Adam grinned and was surprised when Belle took a step forward and kissed his cheek. He brought his paw up and felt his heartbeat quicken. "You should come and visit us and see me wearing them," she announced and Adam felt his heart be torn out by that. He smiled sadly. He could never come and see her in them, he would have to wait for them to come back to the castle.

There was no safe place in this world for a little beast.

End of Chapter Eight

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Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Seven

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