Chapter 7 - Playing the Happy Family

You would think that after being extremely saddened by what he found in the nursery, Beast would give up on trying to reconnect with his past, and the memories of his mother and the childhood that he had forced himself to forget.

However, it only fuelled his desire to continue to do so. Why stop when it became a little too much to bear? There were much more troubling events that were still locked away in his mind.

He had plenty of time on his hands- or rather paws- to think. If he didn't think about his past, then what else was there? He couldn't go back to questioning his abilities, or torturing himself over his appearance. Thinking back on simpler times, when he was young and innocent was what kept him sane, helped him regain some sense of control. Maybe he could learn something from his history, so that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The way he saw it, it was painful to remember but it was also painful to forget. Either way, he could not win, so why deny himself of what he wanted to recollect? He had already tried forgetting, and it was clear to him that pushing those memories away hadn't done him any good when he was human.

Now it was time to remember.

Perhaps he could try to think back on something that was more joyous. Something that didn't take on a whole new meaning now compared to what it did back then, that didn't trouble him, or at least not too much.

The only problem was that some memories were faded, they didn't return to him as easily as others, as they had been buried in the depths of his mind for far too long, and needed something to bring them back to the light. Similar to how the playroom had helped him remember his mother's lullaby.

And so, a few days after - or maybe it was a few weeks, it didn't really matter- Beast had gone into the playroom, he decided to venture into another part of the castle that he hadn't been into for quite a while. He was visiting the gallery room.

The last time he recalled going into the gallery room was to get his family portrait moved to his room, which was only a few months before he became a beast. He hadn't had much of a reason to go in there afterwards, as the only portrait he really cared about was no longer on display.

But he wasn't there to marvel at the portraits of the old kings, nor gawk at some images depicting women in provocative poses and wearing little clothing. Although he may have done that at least once in his life.

Instead, he was there to admire a couple of portraits that he remembered loving as a child.

Beast ignored the other portraits and approached a painting of a large ship sailing on the high sea. He had never been sure what type of ship it was, and wondered if his curious younger self had ever asked about it. Perhaps it was a pirate ship, or voyager, or war vessel.

Whatever it may be, it was magnificent. The ship itself was huge, masterfully built, and had three masts with opened out white sails that caught the wind. Surrounding it was the ocean, the blue waves lapping up at the side of the boat, foaming with white froth.

The sky above the ship was blue, with white, fluffy clouds rolling across it. And in that crystal blue sky were a flock of gulls, soaring above the tall masts of the ship.

He ran his paw along the canvas, across the waves, whilst being mindful of his claws as to not damage it. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear the roar of the sea, the howling wind and the screeching gulls.

Almost, but not quite. He didn't have as active of an imagination compared to when he was younger. When he was a boy, he would pretend to be battling pirates with a toy sword.

Children can often let their imaginations run wild. He certainly had. He once viewed the world with a sense of wonder. Everything had been new and mysterious and exciting, he had wanted to learn so much.

There was so much of the world he had not seen, places he wanted to go, perhaps travel on a boat just like the one in the painting, cross the sea and discover a whole new world. But now he'd never get the chance.

Why hadn't he seized the opportunity to travel when he had the chance? Not long before the transformation he didn't care about going... Well, anywhere. He would have rather stayed in his castle, with his servants and his money. He once had everything he wanted, why would he want to go anywhere else? He could read about the places he was mildly interested in, look at illustrations. Sure, he had been outside of the castle many times, visited other kingdoms with his father, taken trips to the other side of the country.

But now that he couldn't go anywhere, he found himself looking back and wishing he had done more, been more adventurous, gone to the furthest corners of the globe.

Maybe if his childlike wonderment had stayed with him in some form he would have travelled more, instead of staying in the comfort of his castle, where he could party all day and all night.

He didn't realise how good his life had once been, how much he had thrown away and taken for granted. You only miss something when it's gone.

Why did everything he tried to reminisce about become so tainted? No matter what, he always managed to poison it somehow. Even happy memories turned sower.

Beast turned away from the painting. It was time to move on and look at something else. Maybe if he didn't think too hard about it, he might actually be able to remember something fondly.

He continued to walk along the rows of paintings that ran up the walls to the ceiling. He wondered how you could admire some of the paintings that were pinned so high up that you could barely see them.

He paused when his eyes landed on a painting he didn't recall ever seeing. It was an image of Paris during twilight, the sky and clouds were so many different colours, there was orange and pink and purple, just to name a few. The sun was setting on the horizon, tinting the edges of the sky with a golden hue.

The buildings were just barely touched by the remains of the dimming sunlight, and he could only just see the silhouette of Notre Dame. There were shapes of other landmarks that he recognised, even if they were surrounded by inky blackness.

He had been to Paris quite a few times. He loved going there, it was a truly wonderful city.

On most visits to Paris he had gone with his father, but he had gone alone at least once. But there were two occasions where his mother and father, as well as himself, had gone together as a family. The first occasion was when he was just a baby, so he didn't remember it, but the second time they had all gone to Paris together, he had been around six or seven.

That day, they actually seemed like a happy family. His mother and father were getting along, no fighting or raised voices. Just calm conversations. Looking back, he almost convinced himself that he had imagined it, that it couldn't possibly have happened that way. But it did.

Maybe they were putting on a front for the public, so that they looked perfect in their eyes. But on the carriage ride there, his mother and father had seemed quite happy, both with themselves and each other, even though there was no one there to pretend for. Except for him.

He lifted his paw and ran it along the canvas as he thought hard, trying to picture that trip to Paris, to go back and relive that moment in the carriage ride.

He could hear the sound of a horses' hooves clattering against the stone walkway as it passed through the city, pulling the carriage. He could hear the wheels turning as they moved forward.

The young prince sat comfortably beside his mother, dressed smartly in a tiny waistcoat and suit jacket, which she had so kindly helped him put on. He lifted his feet off the floor of the carriage and kicked them back and forth as he waited patiently.

His father sat opposite, gazing at his mother, who caught him staring, and gave him a small smile, which he returned.

The carriage rocked as they hit a bump in the road. The young prince ended up sliding close to his mother, who caught him and kissed him on the head. "Why don't you take a quick peak out the window?" She suggested.

The young prince grinned and shuffled over to the door and pulled back the crimson curtains, revealing the window to him.

"Whoa, I can see Notre Dame!" He exclaimed. "It's even bigger than I imagined."

"You've been there before, you know." His father told him.

"I have?" The young prince questioned.

He nodded "Yes, but you were only a baby when we took you. It's where we had you christened."

"It was also the first time that the public got to see the newborn prince." His mother chimed in "And they all fell in love the moment they saw your sweet little face." She added, squeezing his cheek.

"Can we go again?" He asked "I really want to see the bell tower."

"I don't see why not." His mother replied.

"But I have some important business to attend to, we're not here to sight see-" His father stopped when the young prince looked up at him with pleading eyes.

The King sighed "Alright, I suppose we could make a stop on the way back. Perhaps we could go see a few other important monuments."

"I'd love to see all of them!" The young prince exclaimed excitedly. "I've seen a few of them in books, but never the real thing!"

"Well, your father and I can't wait to show you around the city." His mother responded. "Once he's done with his 'very important business', of course." She added.

"What will we be doing?" The young prince questioned.

"There's a party being held tonight, and we've been invited. There are several lords and ladies and dukes going." His mother told him.

"Will there be other children there?"

"I think so. Perhaps you could make some friends." She suggested.

"I'd like that." He replied, nodding happily.

"They'll be music and dancing too." She added.

"Dancing?! Oh I can't wait!" He cried. "Will you be joining us, father?" He asked, leaning towards him.

"I shall be joining the party a little while after it starts." He informed him.

"You can come dance with mother and I." The young prince said.

"I look forward to it, although I'm not a very good dancer, not like you or your mother." He replied.

"Don't worry, it'll be fun!" The young prince cheered.

"I'm sure it will be." His father responded, looking over at the Queen, who nodded in agreement.

The carriage came to a steady halt "Well, here is where I must leave you both." He stated, taking hold of his wife's hand and kissing it and then patting his son on the head. "I shall see you both in a little while."

"You will make time for us and the party later, won't you?" His mother asked as he was about to leave.

He glanced back at her and nodded "Of course." He replied, as the carriage driver opened the door for him and allowed the King to step out "Farewell." He said, waving at them as the door was shut once more.

His mother pulled the young prince close to her as the carriage started moving once again "Don't be disappointed if he doesn't show up later, Adam. Your father is a very busy man."

"He'll be there." He protested "I know he will be."

He could tell that his mother didn't think he would make it to the party, but his father did, surprising her greatly. It was good to see him act upon his word, that he pleased his mother, and they were able to enjoy themselves as a family.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to make time for sightseeing the day after, as his father had more important business to attend to. If made Beast wonder if his father had postponed his meeting the night before just so he could spend quality time with his family.

He smiled faintly and took his paw off of the canvas. But that same smile faded quicker than it appeared.

That was a nice thought, but no. His father would never put his family before royal duties.

But sightseeing didn't matter, because for the first time in what felt like forever, the young prince had been with his mother and father, and they had generally seemed happy.

Besides, they both promised him that the next time they were in Paris, they would make as much time for sightseeing as possible. They didn't take into account the possibility of his mother falling ill. It was the last time they went all together, so at least it was pleasant.

Maybe it all was just fabricated. Maybe they had been trying to get along, for his sake, as it was his first time visiting Paris that he'd be able to remember, so they wanted to make it special for him, so they shoved their differences aside.

But Beast didn't care what it was. He was just glad that there was a point in his that he could look back on where there was no fighting, no arguing, no harsh words thrown at each other. His father didn't strike out, he didn't hurt her. There was just peacefulness.

It was perfect, almost too good to be true. He wished they could have had more moments like that spent together, but as he looked back now, he realised that it was the only memory he had where he saw his mother and father together and they weren't at each other's throats.

Maybe that's why it was so memorable.

A/N - I've decided that this weekend I'm going to give you not one, but two chapters! Today and tomorrow! Because I love you all so much! I hope you enjoy them both! Let me know what you think.