Chapter Twenty Five

Adam looked at his brother for a long time. Yes, he was doing something that he could have easily run from and was actually being a good guy and doing what people were expecting for him to do as the next in line but leaving this castle when he had no idea if the pain would be too unbearable that he would have to become a beast was not something Adam was looking forward to or even sure he was able to do.

"Well, it does seem that you might need some more time to make this public appearance," Antoine thought aloud and Adam exhaled in relief. Finally things were starting to look better. "However, I do want to take her," he gestured to Belle, "in your place."

Adam's back straightened and he stared at his brother before shaking his head. "You can't have Belle."

"You want me to go?" Belle asked with an eyebrow raised with curiosity. She still was recovering from giving birth even though she had used magic to ease the pain but she hadn't thought that she would go instead of Adam. "Why?"

"I think it would be important for both of us remaining sons to stand together," Antoine said and Adam stared at him. Belle placed her hand on Adam's shoulder. She still didn't quite understand how she could be seen as any kind of replacement for Adam. She was a woman and in the eyes of most people, a woman was far lower than a man and for her much lower than a man born into the royal family.

"You can't have her," Adam frowned, his eyes hardening. "Belle is mi-" he coughed a little as he stopped himself from saying that. Already he had memories of Gaston yelling that at him whilst they fought on the balcony that night. 'Belle is mine.' 'Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she'd choose you when she had someone like me.'

Adam took another look at his wife and was slightly anxious at the eagerness in her expression although it was so subtle that Antoine wouldn't be able to tell. He leaned forwards. "How about we discuss it over a meal?" he asked. "You must be hungry after travelling for such a long time."

Belle smiled weakly. She could tell that Adam didn't want to let her go.

Antoine sighed, "Fine. We can also discuss the murder of our brother and our father but I think that is a discussion meant for following dinner. Now, don't tell me that the reason I haven't seen my niece is because she is as ugly as you are," Antoine said dismissively and Adam frowned.

"Juliet is gorgeous," he told him. "I think she looks a lot more like her mother, wouldn't you agree?"

"She looks a lot like you too," Belle told him. Antoine sighed and looked away from them. "I mean, as he looks now, as the men in the royal family look," she tried to explain and saw Antoine smile again. No. They did not mean that she looked like a little baby beast although if that had happened and she had fallen to the curse, they would still have loved her as much. "I'll go get her so you can meet her."

Adam watched Belle leave and then looked to his hands again, turning them. A slight buzz started in his head indicating that he were to suffer from a headache if he continued to remain in this form for a significant amount of time. There was no possibility of him making it to the castle or even through an important dinner or speech whilst he was like this.

"So are you afraid that she'll be charmed by my beauty and talent?" Antoine asked and Adam looked up at him.

"I trust Belle," he told him and Antoine sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Any woman would whimper and wilt at my touch," Antoine replied to him and Adam sighed. Maybe when he was younger and before Adam was completely disowned by the family, Antoine would be able to attract any maiden that he set his mind to. He was a lot like Gaston in that manner. This man could charm anyone that he wanted and the more beautiful they were, the more he wanted them. However, Belle had fallen in love with ugly. Adam didn't want to vocalize this thought but Belle wanted substance over style. Despite how he had to look, Belle wouldn't turn him away and go with somebody else.

"What is wrong with her anyway?" Antoine asked.

Adam stared at him, he tried not to growl out in his protective nature. "Belle?" he asked before shaking his head, "Nothing is wrong with her. She's intelligent, beautiful, creative, loving, generous, she can talk to anyone and empathize or at least sympathize with them."

"So she does it to make herself look good? Quite a talented woman," the soon to be king said and Adam shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, you haven't placed an enchantment on her, have you? Or…she isn't loony and needs to be locked up? Is it Stockholm Syndrome?" he asked and Adam stared at him.

"There is nothing wrong with Belle," he said before taking a deep inhale. "Yes, when I was stupid and reckless and my heart wasn't as good as it is now, I did make her my prisoner and force her to stay with me but I didn't torture or abuse her. I have apologized many times to her for that. She started to care for me when I stopped being a jerk. Until I saved her life, she wouldn't give me the time of day and she almost left me for dead but she's kind and I reacted to that kindness. If my life hadn't been threatened then she may not have returned but I -"

"I would have returned," Belle told them with Juliet in her arms. "Maybe not until my father was better but I would have wanted to return," she said before sitting down next to Adam as he gazed down affectionately at their daughter. "I have good memories here. Maybe Adam wasn't the kindest to me but I didn't leave this castle because I wanted to escape, I left because I care about my Papa and Adam knows that."

"So, were you into bestiality?" Antoine asked, "Sheep? Cows? A horse?"

Belle raised her chin. She didn't want to have this conversation in front of Juliet but she had known that were Adam's secret to get out, she would be faced with these types of inquiries. "I'm not into bestiality. I am into fairytale romances and maybe Adam and I haven't always had a perfect romance but there is a lot of literature written about those turned into animals. The goddess Circe for example turned man into beast. I had suspicions that the true Adam was under that fur because I found an enchanted portrait of him that showed who he was supposed to be at the age he was at the time. Adam had to fight to become who he is today and I love that I was able to witness that."

"So, would you sleep with him?" Antoine asked and Belle nodded.

"I would. I think that it would be easier biologically were he to be human to be physical," she blushed. This wasn't the type of discussion which she had wanted to have with anyone other than Adam but she wanted to stand up for and defend her husband just as he would do for her. "However, held in his arms, feeling his embrace, knowing that I'm warm and safe with him. I don't want to be anywhere else."

"But he's so ugly," Antoine continued.

Belle turned back and kissed Adam's cheek, she gently transferred Juliet into his arms. She saw the sweat on his brow that came from him having remained human for such a long time. "Not to me," she replied. "Not since I know who he really is. You might think that I'm chemically imbalanced but I am beyond proud to be his wife no matter what form he's in."

Antoine sighed, he then turned to Juliet. "She is rather cute," he said. "May I?" he leaned forwards and Adam transferred his daughter to her uncle. He stood once he had done that and looked quickly at Belle.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to excuse myself," he told her and Belle nodded. She knew he was uncomfortable about turning into his more animalistic self in front of his brother who had already mentioned his revulsion for that form. Belle watched him go. She believed him to retreat further but he stood by the wall near the doorway as he changed back. He wanted to listen to this conversation. He trusted Belle but he was still anxious about their discussion.

"So," Antoine said as he felt Adam had left, "How does something so ugly make something so beautiful."

Belle felt her back straighten. "Again, I don't find Adam ugly," she said. She looked to her daughter and was grateful that Antoine was holding her properly. "It was before the curse returned that she was conceived. Juliet is fully human."

"And you're saying that my younger brother is not fully human?" Antoine asked.

"He's as human as he needs to be," she argued back and Antoine hummed. "Maybe he doesn't fit the form of a human but his mind doesn't change, he can still talk with me and act as he does in either body. Physically, he might be something repulsive to many but not to me. If people give him a chance they'll be able to discover who he is."

"People won't give him a chance though, they'll run away in fear," Antoine commented and Belle frowned, she didn't glare at him but her expression was firm.

"That's why he needs time to learn how to control his transformation before he takes the throne. I know and more importantly he knows how people will treat him when they find out about this. I don't want him to get hurt. I am willing to go to the palace in his place because I don't want for him to be attacked. They might not believe who he is but I know," Belle placed a hand to her heart. "I love him. I know him. I want to save him, keep him safe."

"Because it's a charity project for you?" Antoine asked and Belle's look deepened at that. "Are you sure he hasn't trapped you under and enchantment?"

"Unless you mean love?" Belle asked, "Then no. Maybe I'm the one who enchanted him," she said before reaching out to take Juliet back. "Have you ever thought that maybe I'm the lucky one to have a husband who cares for me so much, who is willing to make so many sacrifices for me. So, call me crazy if you want to but if the reason that you're doing so is because I love my husband and I want to remain with him, I will proudly allow you to do that."

"And you've seen how he looks?" Antoine asked.

Belle grinned to her daughter and embraced her closely. "I'm sure that there's a part of you that is a lot like Adam and that maybe you haven't found it yet. I love Adam because of him. Looks definitely don't matter to me," Belle said. She was happy that her daughter was so beautiful but if she had turned out to be a little beast, she would still be loved and belong.

"Okay," Antoine sighed. "I'll give you a little more time but as soon as he's fit for travel then you should at least visit the palace," he looked to her. "There's no way that you'd want to be my wife instead of his, you could be queen instead of a princess."

Belle laughed, "I'd prefer to be a peasant again if it meant that I was with Adam. Yes, though, I would like to visit you."

Antoine sighed, "I hate to be denied access to you," he said and Belle shot him a soft glare, "but do you have a sister? Someone who might fall in love with me?" he asked.

"Just try to do what Adam did and improve yourself and I'm sure that you'll have girls fall in love with you all the time," Belle said as she kissed Juliet's forehead. "But you can't have me. I am hopelessly in love with Adam and I don't think there's a cure for that. I would never seek one out either. Even if I were to die before him, I would still be a ghost haunting him. That's how much my body is magnetized to his."

Antoine sighed, he hated to admit it but he was now jealous of his brother for one very important thing. His brother had found someone who he could love and who loved him in return.

End of Chapter Twenty Five

Thank you for reading

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Twenty Four

KathyMesser