Beauty and the Beast: The Tale Continues

Chapter 16 - The Proposal, Part 2

Author's Note: Disney is the rightful owner of Beauty & the Beast; I just own the story.

Also, I apologize if the pacing here seems a little too fast, but I figured that right now, everything seems like its going fast for Belle... and whatever you assume might happen by the end of this predicament, you may or may not be right... possibly.

Adam couldn't put his finger on it, but ever since he and Belle walked out of the castle to be outside, she seemed a lot happier than he had ever seen her before.

"Did you have a good dream or something, Belle?"

The young woman gave him a confused look, and said, "Just like any other regular dream. Why do you ask?"

"Because you just seem so... happy today," replied Adam. "Even the way you've been reading to me seems different... and I'm not complaining or anything like that, but it's like you woke up with a smile on your face."

Belle gave him a small shrug, and said, "Today just feels... wonderful... would you prefer that I didn't smile?"

Adam chuckled, and he shook his head. "No, I... enjoy seeing it. It's actually something that I look forward to seeing everyday."

Belle felt herself starting to blush again, but in her mind, she was telling herself to stay calm and relax.

He won't even ask until nighttime, anyway.

As they continued walking on the grounds, having an enjoyable conversation about the books that Belle had discovered in her library, her stomach let out an unexpected growl.

"Um... sorry..." said Belle, now feeling a little embarrassed.

Adam waved it off, however, and he gave her a warm smile. "Don't be... we're actually right on time to enjoy a picnic."

He pointed at something that was a few feet away from them, which was an adult-sized quilt blanket that had a picnic basket, two wine glasses, a bottle of Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose, and the sight of it made Belle grip her poetry book a little tightly as she remembered Adam talking about this in his plan.

Oh, my gosh, this is actually happening!

"I hope you don't mind eating some sandwiches and some slices of apple pie," said Adam, as they sat down on the blanket, with the young man pouring some sparkling wine into her glass

"Oh, not at all," replied an amused Belle, who poured the tasty and light-pink colored liquid into his own glass.

A few minutes later, Belle found herself looking at her glass, thinking about something, and so, she asked, "Hey, Adam, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can," replied Adam, after taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Belle nodded her head, and she proceded with showing him her glass of wine, asking, "Do you see it as half full or half empty?"

Adam rolled his eyes, and he let out a laugh. "Out of all the questions you could have asked me, Belle, you chose that one?"

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad of a question," replied Belle, giving him a pleading look. "And you said that I could ask it, so..."

Adam sighed, knowing that it was something he had told her, and as he looked at his own glass, the young prince said, "Well, when I was a beast, I always used to see it as half empty... because as the years went by, I could never find anyone who would love me, and vice versa, so I just lost whatever hope that was left inside of me."

All those lonely nights that I spent in my tower, with nothing but a magic mirrow and enchanted rose.

"I suppose you see it as half full?"

Taking another drink from her winr glass, Belle smiled, and replied, "Yes, I do, actually... so, does that mean you see it the same way, now that you are a changed human being?"

Adam's response was another smile, and he said, "I'll get back to you on that once I know what the answer is."

Once the food and sparkling wine bottle were finished with, the two of them continued to walk across the grounds when Belle surprised him with another question.

"Did your mother enjoy reading, as well?"

Suddenly, Adam stopped walking, and he took a moment to think about it.

"From what I can remember, she did.. in fact, there was a particular story that she would read to me every night, and it had a song that, back then, would have me fall asleep right away once she had finished it."

"What kind of song was it?" wondered Belle, and Adam began to chuckle.

"Well, in the well-detailed book that she read to me, the prince comes across this beautiful girl in the forest, and the next thing I know, they are both waltzing around as he sings this song to her..."

Before he sang, however, the two of them got into a dancing position, similiar to the one they had been in at the celebration.

Then, with a toothy smile that almost melted all of Belle's insides, Adam began to dance with her.

I know you

I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you

The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

I know its true

That visions are seldom all they seem

But if I know you

I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once they way you did once

Upon a dream

After the song was over, and the two of them stopped dancing, Belle asked, "What was the name of that story?"

"I honestly don't know," admitted Adam, giving her a sheepish expression. "After she... passed, I never bothered to try and find out."

Then, he rolled his eyes, and added, "If it's similar to Romeo & Juliet, then I don't even want to bother trying to figure out what it is."

Belle started to laugh, and she replied, "You really aren't fond of that book, are you?"

Adam let out a groan, and he explained, "As I have told you before, Belle, there are far more better things to read."

Belle couldn't quite put her finger on it, but as the sun began to disappear, and the moon started to rise into the sky, she felt like the day had gone by so quickly.

Alright, Belle, keep it together, thought the young woman, who was brushing her hair again, and preparing herself for dinner. Even though you know that he's going to propose, don't act like you know because then he'll know that you knew about him proposing to you, and if he knows about you knowing, then he won't propose.

She paused, for a moment, and let out a sigh. Gosh, I sure hope I don't ruin anything for him.

"So, how's it going with you-know-what?" asked Adam, who was standing by the doors of the dining room.

"Oh, excellent, Master," replied an overjoyed Lumiere. "Next is the dinner portion of my plan... you don't mind if I borrow the dining room tonight for a little bit, do you?"

Adam smiled, and shook his head. "Not at all, my friend... I just hope that things turn out alright in the end for you by the time you pop the question."

"As do I, Master," replied the former candelabra, and as Adam began walking away, he added, "The same goes for you when it's your turn to ask!"

Adam just responded by giving him a smile, and he continued making his way to the ballroom, where he found Maestro Cadenza playing some music on the grand piano.

"Sounds wonderful, Maestro," complimented Adam, once the court composer had finished. "And where is your wife?"

"Taking our beloved pet out for a quick walk," replied Cadenza. "I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about not seeing her throughout the entire day, Master."

Adam smiled, and nodded his head. "I understand completely... and, um, since you are here, would you mind creating a song for me?"

"For you?" repeated Cadenza, looking surprised.

"Well, technically, it's for Belle," admitted Adam. "I just want it to be a surprise for when I choose to pro... to show her when it's a special occassion."

Cadenza nodded his head, and he began preparing his hands and fingers. "So... what do you want to know first, the music or lyrics?"

"Let's start with the music first, my friend," replied Adam. "I'll focus on the lyrics tomorrow."

"Of course, Master," said Cadenza, and after flexing his fingers one more time, he started to play a soft and sweet melody that instantly brought a smile to Adam's face.

[Author's Note: Just try your best to imagine Emma singing this aloud to herself, since I know there are those who were not fond of her singing in the new film, unlike myself, who was just fine with it.

Also, I apologize if the lyrics don't make sense, but I'm not much of a songwriter. If anyone has some suggestions, please let me know.. oh, and this song belongs to Disney, as well, not to me.]

As Belle continued to get ready for dinner, she still couldn't believe that Adam was actually planning on proposing to her by the end of the night.

Angel in disguise

Stories in his eyes

Love for every true heart that it sees.

Now, although it seemed like the "surprise" aspect of Adam's proposal was no longer in effect, Belle figured that she could still act surprised, and pretend like she had never seen it coming.

Was it just a lucky day

That it turned to look my way

Or is it Heaven right before my very eyes.

Meanwhile, in the ballroom, Adam couldn't help but think of Belle, and while part of him wanted to propose to her tonight, the rest of him wanted to wait just a little more.

"I haven't even asked her father for his blessing yet," whispered Adam, talking to only himself.

He showed me all new things

The shimmer of moonbeans

I was blind, but now he's helped me see.

Belle closed the poetry book that she had been reading, and placed it on the table.

I was lost but now I'm found

His happiness surrounds

And now I find that my dreams can come true.

Once she was finished with her preparation, Belle looked at her reflection, and loved what she saw, with the awful and negative words from the Bimbettes no longer in her mind.

Cause I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life

I'm holding you safe here in this heart of mine

I can't live without you cause my soul would die

You know I'm telling the truth, I'll spend the rest of my life loving you

After Cadenza played the final notes, he looked over at his master, who said, "That was... brilliant, Maestro... truly... well done, my friend."

"It was my pleasure, Master," replied Cadenza, giving Adam a slight bow, in respect. "Just come to me tomorrow when you know what the lyrics will be."

"Of course, my friend," said Adam, and after thanking him again, the young prince left the ballroom, now making his way over to Belle's bedroom door.

Once he had reached it, Adam knocked on the door a few times, and when he opened it to see how Belle looked, his mouth almost dropped to the ground.

My gosh, she is so beautiful...

"Is this too much, Adam?" asked Belle, and the young man shook his head.

"Nonsense, my love, you look amazing," replied Adam, quickly snapping out of his trance while Belle began to blush. "Um, would you mind following me to the balcony up in the West Wing before we eat dinner?"

Belle was genuinely surprised when she heard him ask this. "Uh... y-yes, of course we can... sorry, I just thought we would be eating dinner first."

"Not to worry, my love, we will," assured Adam, who was hoping that everything was going well for Lumiere and Plumette. "But first, I have something very special to give you, so..."

The two of them began walking in the direction of the West Wing, with Belle wondering if he would propose to her on the balcony.

When they reached their destination, and were standing in the same place that they had shared their first kiss at, Adam smiled at Belle, who was doing her best to remain calm.

"Belle? I have something that belongs to you..."

That's certainly a new way to propose, thought Belle, but she just waved it aside, and patiently waited to see what Adam was going to do next.

He reached into his pants pocket, while Belle's heart began beating faster than usual, and her mind was filling up with thoughts about how-

"Wait, is that... my rattle?"

A look of confusion appeared on Belle's face as Adam handed her the rose-shaped rattle that Lillian had carved for Belle when she was just a baby, except it no longer looked aged and worn-out.

"I had one of my servants restore it," said a smiling Adam. "Was that okay?"

"Um... yes, thank you," replied Belle, though not as enthusiastic as Adam had hoped for. "But wasn't there something else you wanted to-"

Suddenly, the two of them heard the voices of several people making their way to Adam's room, and Lumiere was the first.

"Master, it worked out perfectly! She said yes!"

Before Adam could give his congratulations, Cogsworth entered the room, and exclaimed, "For goodness sake, you fool, must you be so rude, and invade our master and Belle's privacy?"

"Must you two always argue?" said Mrs. Potts, letting out a yawn as she made her appearance. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Forgive me," apologized Lumiere. "But I'm just so happy right now that I-"

"Belle? Adam?" Maurice walked onto the balcony, joining everyone else. "What is going... oh, wow... you look wonderful, Belle."

Lumiere gasped, and he cried, "Oh, Master, where you just about to pop the question to Belle?"

"What?!" exclaimed Cogsworth and Maurice, at the same time. "Master/Adam, what is he-"

"ENOUGH!" roared Adam, who had lost his patience, and as everyone closed their mouths, he sighed before saying, "I... was not proposing to Belle. The ring is not even-"

"You... weren't?"

Adam turned to look at Belle, who was going through so many emotions right now, and unfortunately, he began to chuckle. "Of course not, Belle... wherever did you get that idea from?"

Oh, no, thought Cogsworth, realizing what was going on. This cannot end well.

"T-this morning," answered Belle, whose eyes were starting to water up. "Y-you and Lumiere were talking about you taking me outside and... having a picnic... and being underneath the stars to-"

While Lumiere gulped, also realizing what was happening, Adam shook his head, and explained, "Oh, that was just me repeating his plan to him again for the umpteenth time... and the only reason we did those things was because I wanted to make you forget about the things that those girls said to you, but I wasn't thinking about-"

All of a sudden, his sentence was cut short when Belle slapped him across the face, with the young woman looking furious with Adam, but as she quickly realized what she had done, her anger turned into shock.

"Oh... oh, my God... I... Adam, I..."

Before Adam could even say anything else, Belle felt like she was about to explode into tears, so she ran past everyone, leaving the balcony, and didn't stop until she reached her bedroom.

Then, once she was inside, Belle closed the door, and raced over to her bed, laying her face against the covers as she erupted into tears and sobs, feeling everything from anger and pain to sadness and embarassment.

I'm such an idiot! I should have never assumed that he was going to propose... stupid, stupid, stupid!

As for Adam, he was at a loss for words, and not long after Belle had run off, Mrs. Potts and Maurice had hurried after her, with hopes of trying to console her, while Cogsworth said, "Um... Master?"

"Are you alright?" asked Lumiere.

The young man brought his hand to the part of his face that Belle had slapped in anger, and as he finally realized what was going on, as well as what he had done wrong, Adam said, "I... I don't know... but part of me is thinking that I deserve to be turned back into a beast again after what just happened."