Chapter 22 - A Crystal Forest
After visiting the library, Beast headed back upstairs to his room. He found the shirt and trousers Belle had laid out for him still at the end of his bed.
He couldn't believe he was going to do this... But he was going to attempt to put these clothes on. The trousers would be easy, the shirt was the main concern. He didn't know how he was going to thread those tiny buttons through the tiny holes with his massive paws.
But he was going to make an effort. He wanted to dress more human, so that he would appear more human, and then Belle would feel comfortable around him. And maybe as an added bonus, he might feel a little more human too.
He took off the jacket he had worn to go downstairs, and put it on the bed for the time being. He decided that he would put the trousers on first, and save the shirt for last. He glanced down at the faded, tattered, torn trousers that he was wearing, and realised that they were the exact same ones he had worn when he first transformed all those years ago. He was rather impressed by the fact that they hadn't just ripped apart or fallen off his body at some point or another. They had seen better days, that much was certain. It was about time he changed them.
He sat down on the bed, and began to pull them off. His long tail was the first obstacle, as when he had first transformed, his tail had grown and burst through his trousers. The only way to deal with it was to thread his tail through the hole it had made for itself. Needless to say, it was hard to get them round the part of his leg that curved backwards, and it was struggle to get them off once he reached his paws, as they were too large and wide for the leg gap. No wonder he hadn't taken them off in ten years. Not to mention it hurt when the trousers rubbed against the bite mark on his ankle. But eventually, after some wriggling and kicking, the trousers were finally off, and he threw them to the other side of the room.
He picked up the new pair, which were a dark shade of blue. They were designed for his paws and leg-bone structure in mind, so they were much less of a hassle. He managed to put them on quite easily, and his tail was allowed to sit above and hang out of his trousers. It was surprising how much he forgot about his tail, in the early days he had stepped on it multiple times, which hurt quite a bit. Sometimes it had a mind of its own, and would swish from side to side for no reason. At least it didn't give him too much hassle, he could ignore the extra appendage sticking out of his behind if he tried hard enough.
Next came the true challenge that would test his patience. Putting on and buttoning up the light blue shirt.
Beast pulled the white one he had on over his head and discarded it along with his old trousers. Although he had no intention of putting the old trousers on again, perhaps he'd wear the white shirt underneath something in the near future.
He picked up and unfolded the blue shirt. He slid his arms into the sleeves with ease. Now came the difficult part.
He hadn't buttoned anything up in a long time, as his gigantic paws and large fingers and claws made delicate work impossible. But he would do his best, after all, he wasn't doing this for himself.
He started from the bottom and worked his way up. He made several mistakes, sometimes the button wasn't completely through the hole, sometimes it was in the wrong hole, sometimes his fingers clashed. It was a true endurance test.
After what felt like hours, he finally made it to the collar and threaded the last button through the hole. He had given up on a couple of buttons, but the majority of them had been done. He let out a sigh of relief as turned the collar down and finished off his new look.
Now that... Was an ordeal. But he persevered, and hopefully it would all be worth it. He picked up the jacket again and put it back on.
He glanced down at himself for a moment. He actually looked good, dare he even say... Prim and proper.
His stomach gurgled. The bread he had earlier hadn't satisfied his hunger.
He wondered if Belle had helped herself to something in the kitchen like he advised. After all, she had eaten half of his bread, so that wouldn't have put her on very much.
It was lunch time round about now. At least, that's what he assumed. It seemed like that time of day, plus he smelt the servants preparing something when he passed by the kitchen on his way upstairs. If his nose wasn't deceiving him, then he would say they were making tomato soup.
Beast decided that he would go and ask Belle if she wanted to join him for lunch. And there would be no shouting or screaming this time. He would make sure of that.
He walked downstairs, only this time he wasn't limping as much, as the pain from his injuries were starting to subside, as they faded into nothingness. Almost like they had never been there. Once he reached the bottom of the staircase, he went back to the library. He just had a strong feeling that she would still be there. She most likely wanted to explore every nook and cranny before she even thought about leaving to go to another part of the castle.
And sure enough, his assumption was proven correct. She was sitting in the library, reading a book.
"I thought I might find you here." Beast stated, catching her attention.
Belle lowered the book and left it opened out on her lap. "I never left." She replied.
He hummed in response.
She looked him over, glancing up and down his body and giving him a double take. "You look smart." She then commented.
"I uh... Thank you." He replied bashfully. He didn't think she would notice so quickly, but then again, it was quite a difference from his shredded cloak and torn trousers. "What are you reading?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Don't hate me, but... I found a copy of Romeo and Juliet." She answered.
"Of course you did." He sighed. "You know, I gave you this whole library so that you can read anything but Romeo and Juliet."
"I couldn't help myself!" She responded. "I'm almost done, so I'll make sure to read something else soon. I won't let any of these books go to waste." She told him. "Even if I have to learn Greek."
Did she... Did she just reference his joke from earlier? Did she really like it that much?
He chuckled at that. "Listen, I was wondering if you, maybe... I don't know... You wanted to join me for lunch?" He asked.
She titled her head slightly "Is it optional?" She questioned.
"Yes. I won't force you to eat with me." He replied.
She went quiet for a few seconds, glancing down at her book as she pondered over her decision. "Yes, I would like to join you for lunch."
She actually said yes? Whoa... Who knew that being nice to someone could get you places.
The answer is most people. The majority of people know that.
"Alright, great." He responded, although he was acting a little awkward. What was going on with him?
A wave a silence washed over the two. They were both waiting for the other one to make a move and simply start walking over to the dining hall, but neither of them did, leaving them both in an awkward and unnerving situation.
"I think they're making tomato soup." He told her, trying his best to start up some sort of small talk. He was failing.
"Oh, that's nice." She replied.
He decided to make the first move. "They'll probably be serving it soon. Would you like to head over?"
She nodded in agreement and got up out of the chair. "Do you mind if I take my book with me?" She asked.
"No, not at all." He responded. "You can do whatever you like."
Beast turned and walked out of the library, with Belle following close behind him. They reached the dining hall, and found that Beast's meal was already set out, but not Belle's.
Mrs Potts came in on her trolley, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw them together. "Oh, Belle! We didn't realise you were joining us for lunch!" She cried. "But don't worry, there's plenty of soup to go around, I'll go get it sorted out immediately!" She declared, before rolling back into the kitchen.
Beast lingered beside Belle, as he didn't want to start eating when she currently didn't have anything. "Sorry, I probably should have let them know that I was going to invite you to lunch." He apologised.
"It's fine." She replied simply.
They stood in silence for a few seconds. They seemed to keep doing that, it made him quite tense. Beast felt like he should say something... But what?
"You um..." He began.
She looked up at him, and he could feel himself sweating as those brown orbs watched his every move. He didn't think this through at all, and now he felt like he was under a massive amount of pressure. "You're- you're very good with your hands." He told her. He felt like face palming, that was so obscure and random and terrible. What was he thinking? Why was she having this effect on him that was turning him into a bumbling fool?
Belle opened her mouth, and left her jaw hanging whilst she tried to process what he had just said "Thank you...?" Was all she managed to come out with.
"The way you treated my wounds, and stitched up your sleeve, you just- you know how to handle things with care." He clarified.
"Well, when your father works with clocks and such, you learn how to have a steady hand." She told him.
He nodded. Maybe what he had said wasn't so stupid after all.
The door opened again and Mrs Potts, along with Chapeau, the coat rack, entered. Chapeau was carrying a bowl of soup along with a basket filled with bread, to dip into the soup. "Here you are!" Mrs Potts said cheerfully.
Chapeau placed the bowel and basket at the opposite end of the table.
Beast walked over to his chair and sat down, and Belle did the same at her end. She picked up a napkin and placed it down on her lap, and propped her book up against a glass that Chapeau had just poured water into.
"Enjoy." Mrs Potts told them, before taking her leave, with Chapeau following her, and leaving the two alone once more.
Belle picked up a spoon and scooped up some of the tomato soup and blew on the steaming hot liquid. She glanced at her book and continued to read as she ate.
Beast sat and watched her eat as he waited for the soup to cool down. It was much cooler now compared to Belle's, as his had been sitting out longer compared to her's, and there was hardly any heat coming off of it.
She looked away from her book to pick up some bread and caught his eye, and the two shared a glanced before Beast dunked his face into the bowel and lapped up the soup using his mouth and tongue.
He lifted his head back up, his chin and mouth covered in soup, and dripping from his fur. He locked eye contact with her again, and he could see Belle was containing her laughter, as she was trying so hard to keep a straight face. She quickly fed herself some more soup to keep herself quiet and turned back to her book, as the mere sight of him with food on his face was going to set her off.
They didn't look at each other again for the rest of the meal. Beast felt rather embarrassed and ashamed, even though he hadn't care about what people thought of his eating habits for a long time. Why did he suddenly care now?
Belle placed down her spoon and moved her book so that she could pick up the glass of water and drink it. Once she had finished it off, she placed it back down on the table, removed the napkin from her lap, and stood up, pushing her chair out as she did so. "Tell the servants that I say thank you for the meal." She told him. "And thank you for letting me join you." She added, collecting her book and leaving the room.
"You're welcome." He muttered, even though she was gone.
"Master!" Lumiere exclaimed, startling him a little. Where on earth did he come from? Did he come in while Belle was leaving? "How did you manage to get her to join you for lunch all by yourself?" He asked, hopping onto one of the chairs, and then onto the table.
"I just asked her." Beast replied.
"Really? Well that's... Brilliant!" Lumiere cried. "I'm so proud of you, you managed it all by yourself. You've put us in a good position, I think we might be one step closer to breaking the curse. Perhaps we can make this work after all."
"I don't know about that, Lumiere... All I wanted to do was invite her to lunch, there wasn't any meaning behind it. And you can't force these things. I don't want to force her into doing anything ever again." He stated.
"I'm not saying that you should force her to fall in love with you, that's not how love works, but you need to earn her trust, form a strong unbreakable bond."
"How do I do that?" Beast questioned.
"Well, why don't you try to find something that you both equally like that you can do together?" He suggested. "It's a nice day outside, the sun is out, and there's no snow falling. Why don't you take her for a walk round the garden? She likes flowers, doesn't she?"
"Yes, I think so. She likes roses for starters." Beast replied.
"There you go then! Seize this opportunity while the day is still young. You used to love that garden, and if you take a walk with her, you might start to like it again."
Beast nodded "Alright, I'll ask her to join me for a walk." He declared, pushing out his chair and standing up.
"Good, I look forward to seeing how it turns out. Just remember to make it sound like your idea." Lumiere advised.
Beast walked over to the door, and paused on his way out "Oh, and she said thank you, for the meal." He told the candle stick, before pushing the door open and leaving the dining room.
He couldn't find Belle in the library, so his next best bet was that she was back in her room. He made his way over to the East Wing. His leg wasn't hurting him as much now, so he was managing to walk properly without limping.
The injuries on his torso were causing a bit of discomfort and rubbing against his shirt. He reached Belle's room, and noticed that the door was propped wide open, and she was sitting by the window, which was also open, with a book in her hands. It looked like a different book from the one she had before.
Beast lingered outside as he didn't want to intrude. Instead, he knocked on the door with one finger.
Belle lifted her head and smiled at him. "Hello." She greeted.
'Hello'. It was such a simple greeting, and yet, he hadn't heard it in a long time. It made him feel welcome. "Hello." He responded, lifting his paw and giving her a small wave. "May I come?" He then asked.
"You may." She replied, mimicking his words. He hoped that she liked that he respected her privacy and giving her her own space.
He stepped inside the room and walked up to her. "What are you reading now?" He asked curiously.
"A collection of poems. I thought I'd put Romeo and Juliet down for a bit." She replied.
"Are they all by the same poet or different ones?" He asked.
"The same. They're by William Sharp." She told him.
"Hmm. I don't think I've read any of his work." Beast murmured.
"Well, after I've finished reading it, you can have a look at it." Belle suggested.
"Oh, I don't read books anymore. I haven't for a while." He responded.
"Why not?" She questioned.
"I find it hard to turn the pages, my claws just end up ripping them... So I gave it up. It was too much for me to bear." He explained.
She gave him a saddened look. But then, her face lit up, as she seemed to have an idea. "I wouldn't mind reading to you if you find it difficult." She told him.
"Really, you'd do that?" He asked.
"Of course. It would be a shame for you to miss out on something you love. I'd be happy to read to you anytime you like."
"I'd like that very much." He responded. He could feel his own face brightening up. Hearing her narrate a book to him would be a great experience. He could hardly contain his excitement. He hadn't been able to enjoy a book in ages. Or enjoy anything for that matter.
Beast looked at her for a moment, and then outside the window. "Are you not cold?" He questioned, referencing the fact that she had both the door and the window open. It was good for air circulation, yes, but sitting right next to it? Shouldn't she be freezing?
"No, not really." She answered. "The wardrobe gave me this wool cardigan to wear. And a few more dresses." She added, adjusting said green cardigan that was hanging over her shoulders.
That's when he noticed that she was wearing a different dress than the blue one she had arrived at the castle in. When had she changed it? Probably when he went to sleep after sharing that bread with her. The one she had on was green, the same colour as the cardigan, and shared a similar floral pattern to that of his own clothing.
"Your dress is nice." He mumbled a compliment. "Green is good on you."
Everything that was coming out his mouth just felt wrong to him. Was he trying too hard? He did mean it though, green is a good colour on her.
"I prefer blue." She replied.
He glanced over at her bed, and it suddenly dawned on him that she didn't have any bed sheets after he had taken them away. That was the first thing he should have fixed!
"I'll make sure that one of the servants bring you up some new bed sheets." He stated, gesturing over at the bed which had been stripped down to the mattress.
She stared quietly at the bed for a moment and then looked back at him. "You trust me with them?" She questioned.
"You saved me from the wolves. My life was in your hands... So of course I trust you."
He wasn't sure why she was still here. Maybe it was to make sure he had recovered, maybe it was to help the servants break the curse, even if she had no clue as to how. But whatever the reason, he had a feeling that she wasn't going to try and escape again.
"I'm glad you can trust me." She responded.
The two went quiet. Belle glanced out of the window, and he stared at the back of her head, at her long, brown locks, while she looked at the garden. "It's a nice day out." She commented. "I'd really like to have a look around the garden."
"Well, as a matter of fact, I came up here to ask you if you wanted to have a walk in the garden with me." He told her.
She looked back at him. He quickly took his eyes off of her, trying to avoid letting on that he had been staring at her when her back was turned. "Can you give me a guided tour?"
He was in the clear. She hadn't noticed.
"I can take you wherever you want to go." He replied.
Belle nodded and stood up. "I'll take this poetry collection with me, and then I can read to you along the way."
"That sounds like a good idea to me." Beast agreed.
He allowed Belle to go through the door first and followed after her. As they walked, he began to wonder what exactly it was about her that was affecting him so much. There was just something about her... It was beyond words.
No snow, no wind, no nothing. The sun had managed to break through clouds, causing the white blanket of snow covering the ground to sparkle, and the icicles hanging from the trees to glisten.
The weather just felt perfect. Well, as perfect as it could be for an eternal winter. Beast and Belle walked along side each other on the twisting and winding path. Belle admired the flowers as they moved at a steady pace.
"It's a shame that they're frozen." She commented, bending down to look at one flower in particular, its petals covered in frost.
"It is. I'm afraid there's not much I can do about that." He replied.
"They're still quite beautiful either way." She stated, rising to her full height and carrying on.
Beast clutched his side as whatever remained of his injuries stung. Belle gave him a quick glance, but said nothing. Hopefully, the soreness would go away soon. After all, his body was repairing itself at such a fast rate, that only the pain seemed to linger.
"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you eat with a spoon?" She questioned, looking up at him. "Or any cutlery for that matter."
"I find eating with cutlery just as hard as turning the pages of a book. They weren't exactly designed with my massive paws in mind. I just end up bending or snapping them. Plus they don't exactly fit in my mouth correctly, my fangs get in the way. It's just easier to eat the way I do." He explained. "Sorry, if it bothered you."
"No, not at all. To be honest, I found it sort of funny, but I knew I shouldn't laugh. Your situation must be hard." She responded. "But you shouldn't give up if things get too difficult. You should keep trying and find a way to make it work."
"It just seems pointless to take such extreme care with something that used to be so easy." He stated.
"I can understand that, but there's got to be a way that you can manage, so that you can do things the way you used to. You have to trust yourself." She told him.
"I don't trust myself to do anything right. I break things, and I hurt people. Everything I've ever done... Has been wrong." He murmured sadly.
"That's not true. You saved me didn't you, and you gave me such a wonderful library. Doesn't that count for something?"
"I suppose so." He replied.
"If you have faith and trust in yourself, then I'm sure you can do things right, whether it be something big or small." She told him.
"Well, I'm glad that at least someone believes in me." Beast said.
Belle glanced down at the poetry book she was still carrying. She had been reading quite a few poems to him over the course of their walk. "Here's a good one." She stated. "A Crystal Forest." She read out the title.
Beast listened closely as they began to approach a bridge overlooking a frozen lake. "The air is blue and keen and cold, with snow the roads and fields are white. But here the forest's clothed with light. And in a shining sheath enrolled. Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass, seems clad miraculously with glass."
Her voice faded into the background as they reached the centre of the bridge, and Beast gazed at the frozen lake, and at the frost covered willow trees that surrounded it. Beyond those trees and stretching out onto the hills and into the horizon were more trees, covered in a thick layer of snow. The sun reflected off the surface of the ice, making it sparkle, while the leaves on the trees looked like crystals. It was a magnificent sight to behold, one in which he hadn't gotten to fully look at and appreciate in a long time. He hardly ever ventured into the garden.
One corner of his lips turned up ever so slightly as he drew closer to the wall of the bridge and admired the view. Belle came to stand beside him, and gazed at it along with him.
"I feel as if I'm seeing it for the first time." He breathed. He glanced at her, and then looked down at the book. He struggled to speak after being lost in a daze, but eventually managed to get the words out. "Is there anymore?" He asked curiously.
Belle let out a small chuckle, glancing down at the book, and then giving him a small look as he waited patiently.
"Above the ice-bound streamlet bends. Each frozen fern with crystal ends." She continued.
He looked back at the lake and listened carefully, taking in every word she breathed.
"And in that sullen silence is heard the whisper of every sleeping thing. Look, look at me, come wake me up. For still here I be."
She looked up at him again, and he met her gaze. He related to those words on so many levels. After all this time, his human self had been trapped inside this body, and needed someone to wake him up, to remind him of who he once was.
And he believed that she would be the one to wake him up. To find him.
He smiled at her and she smiled back. He felt like he had stared at her for too long, and quickly looked away, whilst she did the same.
They were both silent as they stood, avoiding each other's gaze. "I think I might take a walk on the ice." Belle stated.
Before he could say anything, she walked off the bridge, and tested the frozen water by putting one foot on it. There was no creaking noises or cracking, in fact it seemed pretty solid.
She walked further onto the ice and turned to him, as he remained on the bridge. "We could walk over to those trees on the other side." She suggested, pointing in the direction of the frost covered willow trees. "We could sit under them and I could continue reading to you."
"I don't know about that. It might support your body weight, but not me." He replied, shaking his head.
"I'm sure it can support both of us. This lake must have been frozen for a long time, right?"
"But look at me, I'm huge!" He exclaimed, gesturing at himself.
"So?" She questioned. She walked over to the bridge and looked up at him. "Like I said earlier, you've got to start trusting yourself. You'll never do anything if you hold yourself back." She told him. "I know that you're afraid of what you're capable of, but I trust you, and you trust me. So have a bit more trust in yourself."
Beast went quiet. She was right, he had been holding himself back for so long, because he was afraid of what he could do. But if she believed in him... Then maybe it was about time he did too. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. But if the ice breaks, then it's down to you." He warned.
"I'll accept the blame. Now come on." She urged.
Beast sighed and walked off the bridge. He stood on the edge of the bank for a moment, before taking a shaky step onto the ice. His paw almost slipped and he nearly fell back, but he managed to maintain his balance.
He put his other paw onto the ice and stood completely still for a few seconds. He did it... He actually did it! He was standing on the ice! And it didn't show any signs of breaking either.
He walked over and joined Belle. "See, I told you. I knew you could do it."
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered dismissively.
"Come on, let's head over to the trees." She said, before turning and walking off. He followed her, when all of a sudden she slipped. She spun around, losing her footing, almost falling backwards, before she fell into him, colliding with his chest. He managed to stay firmly rooted to the spot and caught her in his arms. It was almost like he was giving her a warm hug.
He could feel his cheeks growing warm as she stared up at him. "Thanks for catching me." She said gratefully.
If his face wasn't covered in fur then she would see that his cheeks were glowing bright red. "You can let go of me now." She told him.
"Right, sorry!" He said, feeling flustered as he allowed her to stand on her own.
"How do you manage to stay up right?" She questioned, combing a bit of loose hair behind her ear.
"My claws make it easy to grip the ice." He replied.
She hummed in response, and steadily walked over to the opposite side of the lake. Once they reached the snow covered bank without any more mishaps, they sat down under one of the willow trees, each of them leaning back against the trunk on the opposite side to each other.
Belle opened up the book to the page she was on. "Now, where were we..." She muttered to herself. "Oh, we have quite a few poems left." She commented.
"I look forward to hearing them." Beast replied.
And so, Beast and Belle sat under the willow tree for some time, going through every poem. Belle's voice was pleasing to the ear, and worked well with narration. She put so much effort into reading, and there was never a dull moment, nor did she ever sound monotone.
But all good things must come to an end, and eventually she reached the end of the collection. "That's it." She stated, shutting the book.
"That was great. You're really good at narration." He told her.
"Thank you. I've wanted to read books to the school children back in the village for a long time... But the headmaster always declined my offers."
"Whatever for?" Beast questioned.
"They don't believe a woman should be able to read." She replied, hugging the book close to her chest.
"Well, that's ridiculous. You should be allowed to do whatever you want. It doesn't affect them in any way." He replied. His mother could read, and no one ever stopped her. Then again, she had been the Queen, so not a lot of people were allowed to question her. Even still, anyone should be allowed to read, no matter what their gender is. That's what he believed, anyway. "If I was that headmaster, I would let you read to the children any day of the week. I'm sure they'd love to listen to you. I have."
She beamed "I wish they felt like that."
"Well, I know one thing. I'm going to start reading again, no matter how difficult it is to turn a page. I'll do it, no matter how long it takes." He declared strongly.
"I'm glad to hear it. Maybe you could read to me some time." She suggested.
"I doubt you'd want to listen to my voice going on and on." He replied.
"I don't know, you might sound good." She responded. "You never know." She added, as she got up.
Belle rubbed her arms and shivered, as Beast used the tree to hoist himself back up.
"It's gotten colder." She commented, hugging herself and attempting to insulate her body.
"It tends to do that. It's either cold, or really cold. There's no alternative." He said, letting out a small chuckle. "Maybe you should have worn something other than a cardigan. It kept you warm in your room, but out here it's a lot different." This wasn't helping her get any warmer. She was starting to look a little annoyed. He should probably stop talking.
Beast watched her as she shivered. He wasn't really sure what to do, if he hadn't been running his mouth then they could have set off and headed back to the castle a minute ago. Then again, there was no way to keep her warm on the way. But then he had an idea. He removed his jacket and offered it to her. "Here, take this. It will keep you warm."
"Don't you need it?" She asked.
"No, I don't feel the cold. My fur keeps me warm." He answered. "You need it more than I do."
"Thank you." She said gratefully, taking the jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. It looked massive on her.
"Better?" He asked.
"Better." She replied with a nod.
"Let's go back to the castle. You can warm yourself by the fire." He suggested.
She nodded in agreement, and the two began to walk back. He noticed that his jacket was being dragged across the ground, but he didn't mind. As long as it was keeping her warm, that's all that mattered.
He was starting to enjoy her company more and more, with every passing minute that he was in her presence. She gave him confidence, she helped him believe in himself. The servants had been trying to do the same for years... And she managed it in a day.
He was starting to wonder how he had ever managed to get the strength to carry on without her.
At first, he thought she was a nuisance, that she was completely insufferable. But now... She was everything he could have ever wanted and more.
Was he falling for her?
No, he couldn't be. Could he? He really needed to figure out how he was feeling. There was so much confusion going on inside his head.
Should he tell her? How would he do that without coming off as insincere or an idiot? He didn't know how to talk about his feelings, or open up to people.
How did she feel about him? Did she feel the same way? She couldn't have. She just felt sorry for him and indulged him because she wanted to take sympathy on him. That's all. Everything else he had just confused for affection. There was nothing there.
Why were there so many barriers in his way? All he ever seemed to do was get over one obstacle and crash into another.