Chapter 30 - In Her Arms

Beast was emotionally drained. His throat felt sore after roaring at the top of his lungs for what felt like hours.

He was crouched down at the edge of the tower, leaning against the nearby gargoyle and staring off into the distance.

He had heard chanting coming from the woods not too long ago, and seen the flicker of bright, orange torch light through the trees.

He had done nothing but simply watched.

The large mob, marching on horseback and on foot had knocked down the castle gate using a make-shift battering ram, and were now moving through the gardens, approaching the castle.

There were dozens of people down below, a trail of them stretching out as far as the eye could see. He tried counting, but he lost track quickly. They all wanted to stain their hands with his blood, that much was certain, as they were shouting 'Kill the beast' over and over again. Their voices were thick with anger but also a great sense of fear.

Was this the same mob Belle had been talking about? The one that had gone after her father? What had happened for them to come looking for him? Was this Belle's doing?

Did she turn them on him to save her father, so that they could both get away? Had they managed to escape while the mob was distracted? Or did they beat any information about him out of her?

Was she even alive?

Or was there some malicious intent behind this attack? Had she wanted this?

So many questions, so little answers. He was starting to drive himself mad.

He heard the clattering of metal against stone as well as heavy breathing. "Oh, master, there you are." The voice of Cogsworth came from behind him. The mantle clock was wheezing after climbing up so many flights of stairs. "I'm sorry to disturb you-"

"She's not coming back, is she?" Beast questioned sorrowfully. He didn't turn around to face him, instead he just stared off into the distance. There were so many scenarios buzzing around in his head about what could have happened to her, and none of them resulted in her ever returning to him.

"No, I don't think she is." Cogsworth responded. "But you have to help us, master, these people - they're breaking down the doors, they'll get in if we don't stop them."

He glanced back at Cogsworth, who was looking to him for help, for guidance. The servants needed someone to tell them what to do.

Beast couldn't do that.

"It doesn't matter now. Just let them come. Let them take everything I have, even though I have nothing left to give."

"But master, they're going to kill us, they're going to kill you!" Cogsworth argued.

"I heard." Beast responded dejectedly. "There's no point resisting, they're going to get in eventually. We may as well get it over with, before the curse claims us all." He added. "Now could you just leave me be?"

Cogsworth was silent for a moment. The cold, bitter wind rushed passed them, and the shouts from the mob grew louder, as well as the banging on the front door as they attempted to knock it down.

"No, it can't end like this. You may have given up, but I haven't. This is our home, and I'm not going back down to a bunch of intruders. We're going to fight till the last man! We won't die in vain!" Cogsworth stated strongly.

"You're going to die anyway, Cogsworth. You all are." Beast murmured sadly.

"Maybe so. But I'm still not going to give up, not until my last dying breath!" The mantle clock cried. "Farewell, master."

Cogsworth saluted, before hurrying back down the stairs. Beast watched him leave for a few seconds before turning to look down at the chaos happening below.

Cogsworth and the other servants could fool themselves that they could win. They could fool themselves that they stood a chance against these people. In the end, none of it mattered.

He would consider this a blessing. The servants would be set free when the mob tore through the castle, breaking everyone and everything. This was going to save them from a fate that was far worse.

Maybe this would set him free too. If he could not die from old age, and if he couldn't take his own life... Then maybe one of these people could finish him off. He wasn't sure if they'd be capable of killing him, as he wasn't sure how much his body could take.

But he knew that these people were very willing to try.

Beast was standing on the far side of the tower, allowing the seconds and minutes to tick by. The mob had stormed the castle and broken down the front door using their battering ram. They were inside. It was only a matter of time before someone found him.

He wondered what had become of the servants. Had they managed to hold out? But for how long?

Maybe they were already dead. Maybe he was the only one left. He hoped that their deaths had been quick and painless. He hoped that they were at peace now. At least they wouldn't have to suffer any longer, and wouldn't end up as inanimate objects.

His ear twitched and he shuddered, a tingling sensation rushing up his spine. He wasn't alone anymore. Someone was here with him, he could sense their presence.

Beast turned slightly, and heard the click of a gun, and saw the barrel of a pistol being aimed directly at him. The owner of the gun was a rather muscular man, adoring a red leather jacket, with bronze buttons that had deer antlers engraved into them. He had a sandy brown waistcoat underneath and a white cravat around his neck. His tight fitting clothes showed off his well-built physique. The stranger had a crossbow strapped to his back, and a holster for his pistol attached to his belt. He wore big, black riding boots, that covered the majority of his leg. His long black hair was slicked back into a ponytail and his dark, grey-ish blue eyes were wild with hunger. This man knew the thrill for the hunt, and saw Beast as a prized creature just waiting to be slaughtered.

The hunter was grinning menacingly as he took a step closer. "Hello, Beast." He greeted coldly. He had a deep, loud, booming voice, that was also slightly gravelly. "I'm Gaston. Belle sent me."

Belle? But she couldn't- she wouldn't... Would she?

Beast turned away and looked towards the horizon. He recalled on every moment they had shared together and began to wonder if it was all false, if she had been luring him into a trap. To trick him into releasing her.

Was their relationship a lie?

This was Gaston, the man who had been chasing after Belle, the man who wanted her hand in marriage. Maybe they were engaged after all. Maybe he wanted to kill the monster that had kept his finance prisoner. Maybe Belle had asked her soon to be husband to take revenge on the creature that locked up her father and herself.

No. He couldn't think like that. He didn't know this man at all, he was making it all up, trying to make him vulnerable. It was a lie, it had to be, Belle wouldn't do this. And even if she had, she would have done it to save her father, she wouldn't have wanted to doom him unless she had to.

But... Why did he feel so empty? The mention of her name was enough to make his heart sink.

Whether she wanted him dead or not... She was still gone... And she was never coming back.

"Were you in love with her?" Gaston questioned.

Beast was silent as he lowered his head sadly. He had been in love with her. He still was, and always would be. His heart belonged to her. He just felt ashamed to announce it out loud to this man that he barely knew. He knew Gaston would only laugh at him if he declared his love for Belle.

"Did you honestly think she'd want you?" Gaston mocked him. "She would never choose such a misshapen creature. Not when she has someone like me."

Gaston's words rang true. Why would she ever want to be with him? Had he really gotten it into his head that she would love him in return?

Beast could feel himself sinking further into despair. He wanted the ground to swallow him up and eat him whole.

A shot rang out behind him. A sharp pain rushed through his shoulder, as a bullet carved it's way into his body and embedded itself in his flesh. He felt blood trickle out of his fresh wound, running down his back and through his fur, staining his white shirt.

Beast roared in pain, the blast from the gun and his legs caving causing him to topple over the side of the tower. For a moment, he was dazed, and only realised he was falling when he was just about to collide with another tower. He landed heavily on the roof, but managed to catch himself from sliding off. He grabbed hold of the tiles with all four paws, scraping some of the tiles off. He watched the pieces of broken slate fall down into the chasm below, becoming lost in the darkness.

That was one hell of a drop.

A surge of pain rushed through his shoulder. He could feel the bullet lodged in his shoulder blade, grinding against his bones. There was no time to catch his breath, or nurse his injury. He winced and gritted his teeth, before moving around to the other side of the roof, where he would be sheltered from anymore gunfire.

He heard some commotion going on above him. What was happening? Why hadn't Gaston taken another shot? In the corner of his eye, he saw something sliver fall through the air, and land on one of the castle walkways below. Was that Gaston's pistol? How had he managed to drop it?

Beast attempted to climb higher, but only ended up sliding further down, more tiles chipping off and falling down into the chasm below. He was losing his footing. He needed to move, and he needed to move now, or else the tiles wouldn't be the only thing falling off this roof.

"I'm coming for you, Beast!" Gaston shouted.

Maybe he did want to die, maybe he didn't. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. But he refused to die like this, not on this stupid roof! And not by Gaston's hand.

He turned and jumped towards another tower. He landed heavily, another surge of pain rushing though his shoulder as he grabbed onto the roof tiles, using them as grip. He could hear the castle crumbling around him, as well as heavy movement, as Gaston attempted to follow him.

Beast moved round and jumped towards a tower with two twin spires. He roared in pain when he landed heavily once again. The bullet wound wasn't making this any easier, in fact it was starting to become unbearable. At least he still had feeling in that arm. He scrambled upwards, grabbing hold of the closest spire.

"No!" A familiar voice cried.

He knew that voice anywhere.

"Belle?" He murmured aloud. Was he imagining it? He turned his head and immediately caught sight of her. She was across quite a large gap, standing in the doorway of a crumbling tower, wearing little-to-nothing but white undergarments from her yellow ball gown, as well as her worn, muddy, brown boots.

She was real. She was here.

Beast swung round the spire and jumped onto the other, so that he was directly across from her and could get a better look at her. "BELLE!" He shouted. A wave of happiness and relief washed over him. How he had missed her in such a short amount of time they had been apart. "You came back."

"I tried to stop them!" She shouted.

He knew she wouldn't send the mob here because she wanted him to be killed, he knew Gaston had been lying. She wouldn't want him to get hurt.

But... She was in danger. The castle was deteriorating, any second now and the floor could cave underneath her, or the roof could come crashing down on her.

He had to get to her.

"Stay there, I'm coming!" He instructed.

Beast jumped across to nearest tower, but didn't give himself time to recover before leaping across a large gap to another. He was cutting corners, taking the shortest and fastest route. He didn't care if it was dangerous, he didn't care if his shoulder and arm were pulsing with unimaginable pain. He just wanted to get to her.

He didn't think about the future, he didn't think about what they would do after he reached her. All he wanted was to be with her again.

The tower he had just jumped to was causing him problems. He was having a hard time gripping anything, and was beginning to slip and lose his footing. He managed to latch onto a piece of the stone wall and hoist himself up. But just as he was getting back to his feet, pieces of rubble came crashing down on top of him, causing him to fall to the ground.

Gaston had jumped down from above, and broke off a small, stone spire, which he began wielding like a club. Before Beast could react, Gaston slammed the club against his back, knocking him against the wall.

As Beast recoiled, Gaston struck him again, knocking him down onto one of the castle walkways, that began to crumble under his weight. Beast rolled over, and attempted to get back up, but Gaston kicked him while he was down, and Beast ended up in a stone encirclement, surrounded by several columns that were supporting a dome shaped roof above them.

They were back where he started, only a short distance from his balcony and room.

"Gaston, no!" Belle pleaded. What was she doing here? He thought he told her to stay put. He supposed she couldn't help herself, she wanted to help him in any way she could, but was instead putting herself in harm's way. At least she wasn't in the thick of their battle.

Her voice lit a fire inside of him. Beast snarled, baring his teeth as he pushed himself off the ground and whirled around, grabbing hold of the club before Gaston could bring it down upon him and crack it over his skull. Beast rose to his full height, towering over Gaston and wrenching the club from his hand, smashing it against one of the columns.

Gaston was left stunned, almost quivering with fear as Beast turned on him, grabbing hold of his neck with his large paw and holding him over the edge. He could drop him if he wanted to. All he had to do was let go.

Gaston grabbed hold of Beast's paw and held on for dear life. It would seem that the brave hunter had been reduced to a snivelling coward as soon as the tables had turned. "Don't let me go! Please! I'll do anything! Anything!" He cried fearfully. "Don't hurt me, Beast."

Beast stared quietly at him for a moment, his hardened expression beginning to soften. Who was he to choose whether this man lived or died? If he let him fall, then he was no better than he was. Worse even. He would reduce himself to nothing more than a cold hearted monster.

That wasn't him.

Beast took a step back and pulled Gaston away from the ledge, bringing him closer to his face. The hunter looked confused and afraid, taking sharp intakes of breath as he came face to face with the creature he came to kill.

"I am not a beast." He growled. On the outside maybe, but not on the inside. Not anymore. He had grown, he had changed. He had gotten better. He was human. The beast was no more. He let out a roar before throwing Gaston to the ground. The hunter quickly got to his feet and scurried away, running down the spiralling staircase that surrounded the dome structure. "Go, get out."

He turned, laying his eyes on Belle. They were alone together once more. She was only a short distance away. He was so close.

He backed away and went down on all fours. He was going to need a bit of running room, as the gap he was about to jump was fairly large.

"Don't, it's too far!" Belle warned him.

He didn't listen. He was willing to take the risk. He let out a grunt of effort as he charged forwards, reaching the edge and pushing himself off with his legs, soaring across the gap and reaching the other side.

Belle leant down to help him up, but he managed on his own. He got to his feet and met her gaze. She stared proudly into his eyes, as he panted heavily, still trying to catch his breath. A smile crossed his lips.

A gunshot erupted behind them, echoing throughout the castle. His lower back exploded in pain and he screamed in agony, before collapsing onto his knees.

He glanced behind him to see Gaston standing on a crumbling walkway, holding his pistol. He came back, after he showed him such mercy? Why didn't he just leave? Why was he doing this? What had he done to make him hate him so much?

Belle immediately came to his aid, trying to help him up. He couldn't stand, the pain was excruciating. He could barely move. "Please stop!" She pleaded with Gaston.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. He could hear Gaston reloading as he crawled towards his room, where he would hopefully be safe from gunfire.

Another shot rang out, with another bullet meeting its target. He roared in pain and fell forwards, rolling down the stairs before coming to a stop on the balcony, lying on his back.

There was a rumble, and the sound of a large chunk of the castle breaking off. A scream followed, which was cut off when the source hit the ground, causing a loud crack to echo throughout the chasm.

It would seem Gaston couldn't save himself.

At least the hunter had gotten what he wanted. He had fatally wounded his prey. He had also succeeded in driving a wedge between them. It would seem that if Gaston couldn't have Belle, then neither could he. He assumed that Gaston thought that he had stolen her from him, when in actuality she never belonged to him. She didn't belong to anyone. It would seem the hunter didn't take being rejected very well after all.

The former Prince lay on the stone cold floor, bullet wounds littering his body and blood beginning to pool around him. Belle knelt beside him, anguished.

He took hold of her hand in his large paw and she wrapped her other hand around his head, holding it up and supporting him, cradling him in her arms.

He was already starting to lose feeling in his legs.

"You came back." He whispered, his voice strained. He was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Of course I came back. I'll never leave you again." She told him. Her voice quivered, she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm afraid it's my turn to leave." He stated, choking on his words.

"We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." She whispered. "I can fix you. You're going to be alright." She told him comfortingly. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

They both knew there was no coming back from this.

He squeezed her hand gently and lifted his other paw, touching her face and running his fingers through her soft, brown hair. "At least I got to see you, one last time." He whispered. He ran his thumb across her cheek and she leaned her head against his paw, closing her eyes and savouring his touch.

Using all the strength he had left, he lifted his head ever so slightly and pulled her hand closer to his face. He then kissed her hand, and his lips lingered there for a moment.

He was starting to lose feeling everywhere. Even the pain was starting to fade.

"Belle, I-" He began, but the words became lodged in his throat. He couldn't speak.

No, it couldn't end like this, not now! He never got to tell her how much he loved her.

His paw slowly slid off her face and his grip on her hand loosened.

This wasn't what he wanted anymore. He didn't want to die, he wanted to live, he wanted to be with her! He didn't want to leave her alone. He-

His thoughts were starting to become clouded, he was having trouble focusing.

If he had to die, at least he could die in her arms. That's all he could ask for.

His eye sight began to fade. The last thing he remembered seeing was Belle's face as she sobbed, before his world went black.

A/N - Just when he had found her, he lost her again, as well as his own life. Tragic. Here's a little detail I'll leave you with as I don't want to say much after such an ending - when Beast states that he is 'not a beast' the third person narrator stops referring to him as 'Beast' and only calls him 'he' and 'the former prince', to show if he doesn't think of himself as a beast, neither does the narrator. It's something I wanted to include.

The next two chapters will be coming tomorrow and Wednesday, due to most of you wanting them back to back.