Beauty & the Beast: The Tale Continues

Chapter 54 - A Final Loss, Part 2

Author's Note: Disney is the rightful owner of this franchise. I just own the story… and, to the recent guest reviewer; no, I was not offended by your words, and while I appreciate that you still like my story, I apologize if the characterization took you out of it.

"Adam? Are you alright?"

The young prince was currently standing on the edge of a cliff, looking at whatever was in front of him, and for a moment, Nathaniel started to become concerned.

"I'm alright, Uncle… I just need a moment to myself."

Knowing that his uncle was hesitating, Adam turned around, and assured him, "I am fine, really… wait by the horses, please. I will be there in a moment."

"Well, if you say so, nephew," replied Nathaniel, and while he walked away, Adam turned back around to look at the chasm that was in front of him.

"Um, hello…" The young man said, his eyes moving upward. "I normally, eh, do not do this sort of thing, but with all that has been going on, I feel like this is something I need to do."

Adam kicked at a small pebble, and watched it tumble all the way down below until it was out of sight.

"What exactly is your plan for me? Why does it feel like everything is going so fast?"

Thoughts and images of his parents entered Adam's mind, and he let out a sigh.

"My mother entered your kingdom when I was only a child, and my father turned me into someone that was cruel, selfish, and unkind…

"After my 18th year, he left without even saying goodbye… when it seemed like he was never coming back, we held a funeral service for him, but I never once shed a tear for my father since, frankly, I did not think he deserved it."

He then began to frown as the memory of when he had been cursed came back to him. "Because there was no love in my heart, I caused myself to be transformed into a hideous beast, as well as cursing everyone else who lived in the castle…

"Then, Belle entered my life after I caught her father trying to take a rose from my garden."

With a smirk, Adam added, "I don't think that I need to explain how I felt during all that tine I spent with her… you already know, don't you?"

He recieved nothing in response, so Adam shrugged, and continued to speak.

"Maybe I did take things too fast with Belle… I mean, it's only been ten months since June of last year, and we're already married, with our first child… I mean, she's not even twenty-one yet."

He brought a hand to his cheek, where Belle had slapped him so long ago, and added, "I am not the only one who has not been feeling like myself… I don't know if you and Belle have talked yet, but she has showed signs of change since the transformation, and-"

Before he could continue, Adam felt a small gust of wind flow through in his direction, and an apologetic smile on his face. "I don't blame you for that… but, I mean, there are times when she's afraid of not being like herself entirely, while I only express feelings of happiness or anger…"

He paused, for a moment, to rub the side of his face. "Now that I think about it, my mouth does ache every once in a while…"

Do not cry for me, son.

Some of his father's final words entered his mind, and Adam let out a sigh as he said, "I don't know what stage of grief I am currently in, but… I just… why would you have my father enter my life, but only for him to be taken away from me again?"

He was now looking up at the sky. "You have my parents, and the only member of our family that I left in my life is Nathaniel… how long will it be until he's gone forever? What more could you take from me?"

[Back at the castle]

"... and, checkmate!"

Cogsworth frowned, and he said, "This is absurd! You've been taking lessons from Lumiere, haven't you?"

As he held Liliana in his arms, Lumiere began to laugh. "Oh, come now, Cogsworth, do you really think Belle is not smart enough to figure out on her own how to beat someone at chess?"

"Perhaps I could teach you how to improve your playing skills," added Belle, with a smirk. "And it could be when I'm teaching in the library."

"The library?" said Cogsworth, surprised. "Who would you be teaching in there?"

"The children in the village, of course," replied the young woman. "And, I think LeFou mentioned to me about him having problems with-"

Before she could finish, Chip suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, and said, "Lumiere, I think some food is burn- oh, wow, is that your baby, Belle?"

While a smiling Belle nodded her head, Lumiere had a look of confusion on his face. "What do you mean, Chip? No one is working in the kitchen right now."

"Well, I smelled something burning as I was walking past the library, and I just thought that you or-"

"I'm sorry?" interrupted Belle, who immediately began to feel worried once she heard the words burning and library in the same sentence.

Chip nodded his head, and replied, "Yeah, I mean… the doors were even closed, and like I said, the thought of… ohhhh, you mean that-"

However, he was suddenly cut off by Belle, who got down to his level, and she placed her hands on his shoulders, looking at him with a worried expression. "Chip, please tell me that you did not smell smoke while walking past the library."

The small boy gulped, now feeling a little nervous, and he replied, "I… I would, Belle, but Mama told me that it was not right to lie, especially to pretty women, and I did smell smoke coming from-"

"No!"

Belle ran as fast as she could up the stairs, and headed in the direction of the library, while Chip eventually hurried after her.

Before Cogsworth could say anything, Lumiere handed him Liliana, and cried, "You stay here with her, my friend!"

Then, as the former candelabra ran after them, the head of the household looked down at the small child in his arms.

"I don't suppose you know how to play chess, little one?"

Liliana just gave him a confused look, and Cogsworth sighed. "I figured as much…"

When Belle finally reached the library doorvs, which were, in fact, closed, the young woman used all of her shoulder strength to burst them open… luckily, the doors were not locked, but that did not really matter once she saw what was in front of her.

"Bonjour, madame… glad you could join the party."

Standing in the middle of the room was Raphael, who was wearing the same cloak he had worn the first night he'd looked at her from afar with his spyglass telescope.

He was also holding onto the Enchanted Atlas, and it didn't take long for Belle to realize what was going on.

"Y-you… my… library…"

Raphael gave her a sinister smirk, and replied, "Did you honestly think I could change, Belle?"

Before she could even say or do anything to recover from the shock, the half-brother of Gaston used his fist to knock her out cold, and as she collapsed to the ground, he said,"Now, that felt like a good punch."

He then walked over to the doors, and closed them again, as well as activating the locks.

"Isn't this ironic, Belle?" said Raphael, as he began to pick her up, and hold her in his arms. "You have such a love and passion for books… and now, you're about to turn into ashes alongside them."