Chapter 31 - Resurrection and Redemption
Darkness.
He lay floating on his back in the vast emptiness, staring blankly into the swirling void of black that stretched out into the sea of nothingness.
He felt like he was on the surface of a body of fresh water, even though there was nothing around him or beneath him.
Where was he? What was this place? What happened?
Was he dreaming? No... He was dead. He had been fatally wounded by a hunter... What was that man's name again? His mind was foggy. He remembered being with Belle in his final moments... And then he ended up here.
Was this what death felt like? It was lonely. The only thing he had for company was the calm, gentle breeze that rushed passed him, rustling his fur.
Fur?
There really was no escaping it. Even when he was stuck in limbo, he was still trapped in this body. He couldn't move his arms, or his legs, or anything for that matter, but he could feel it. He still had horns, he still had a tail, he still had paws and claws.
He was still a beast.
Wait, there was something above him. It was a light. It was small, barely noticeable, just a flicker in the darkness. But it was growing in size, becoming bigger and brighter, at quite an alarming rate. The wind began to whip up, whirling around him, getting stronger and faster, roaring in his ears.
He stared up at the light as it grew. Despite the harsh wind that was battering him from all sides, he could hear a quiet murmur, a voice that felt familiar and yet so new to him at the same time. He couldn't make out what they were saying as it was only a whisper.
The wind howled, and the light started to cloud his vision, banishing the darkness that was consuming him. He squinted as the light burst, reaching its full potential and piercing through the void, as well as momentarily blinding him.
The light suddenly shrank, vanishing into thin air. The wind abruptly stopped, leaving him alone in the dark, where there was nothing but the deafening silence.
And then he woke up.
There was a sort of grey, blurry haze in front of his eyes. He fluttered his eyelids, to allow his eyesight to adjust. However, he quickly realised that he was lying face down on the cold, hard stone floor.
He felt oddly refreshed, not even slightly sore, even though he was lying in a strange position, and the floor wasn't exactly comfortable. Plus, he was pretty sure he had been shot at least three times. But he was alive... Or at least he guessed he was. Maybe he had imagined all of it? He wasn't really sure what was going on, he was a little dazed and confused. He grunted as he heaved his body, pushing himself off the ground.
He sounded different. The noise he just made didn't sound as deep as usual, nor did it have even a hint of a low, rumbling growl added to it.
He struggled for a moment, before eventually managing to stand up. As he got to his feet, he quickly noticed that something was definitely off. For one thing, he wasn't as tall as he normally was, in fact it would seem that ten inches had been taken off his height, which wasn't normally possible. He swayed for a moment as he was a little off balance.
Another thing was that his clothes didn't feel like they fit him anymore, they seemed rather large. And the floor felt cold, in fact his entire body felt a little chilly, which was something he didn't normally experience.
He glanced down at himself and quickly realised why. He didn't have any fur. There wasn't even a tuft of brown fur left on his body. The huge amount of muscle mass was gone too, leaving him in a loose fitting white shirt. His trousers were still managing to hang on though, thankfully. The structure of his legs had changed, and instead of having paws... He had feet, and toes! And there was no long tail trailing behind him.
He quickly looked at his arms, raising his paws up so that he could get a better look at them. Only they weren't paws anymore... They were hands! And he didn't have any claws either.
He glanced at his shoulders, noticing the long blonde hair that was flowing down his neck, instead of the mane-like fur. His head felt much lighter, like a large amount of pressure had been lifted off of it. His horns must be gone too.
He ran his hands down his chest. Was this real? Was he actually human again? But how was this possible?
Wait, could it be- did Belle-
The Prince quickly turned around and caught sight of Belle standing on the other side of the balcony, staring wide-eyed at him. She was just about as stunned as he was.
He stood there silently, rooted to the spot, staring back at her. She broke the curse, she was in love with him, she had to be, she-
She looked a little unsure.
He wasn't really sure what to do. She knew he had been human once, but he supposed after being around him when he was a beast for so long, seeing him like this was still quite a shock. And she had most likely just seen him transform and come back from the dead.
He didn't want to approach her, or be too forward, as it might scare her. She had just been through an ordeal, he didn't want to put her through any more stress. He was practically a stranger in her eyes. Did she even recognise him?
Belle slowly and silently approached him, closing the gap between them. He studied her expression and body language for a few seconds as he stood there nervously, still unable to decide what to do with himself. He swallowed hard, trying to hide his nervousness but failing miserably. The Prince's bright blue eyes never left her as Belle lifted her hand and ran it along his neck, brushing back his long blonde hair and leaving her hand to reside behind his head. She did the same with her other hand on the other side of his face. No one had ever given him this kind of affection, no one had touched him like this before. No one had touched him in so long, he had been starved of it. What she was doing... Was magical. It made his heart race.
Her brown orbs looked up at him and stared deeply into his blue eyes, the only thing about him that had never changed. The one thing that she would be able to recognise.
A smile crossed his lips. No more fangs either, he couldn't feel them digging into the inside of his mouth. He could show her his teeth, instead of hiding them or feeling anxious about revealing them.
Belle let out a strangled gasp, that had a bit of laughter in it. Her eyes welled up with tears of joy.
She knew it was him. She knew it was the beast she had fallen in love with.
He finally made a move. He lifted his hand and touched her cheek, running his fingers through her brown hair. He no longer had to be afraid of snagging her hair with his claws, or scratching her face. He could do anything.
The two leaned in for their first kiss. They shut their eyes tight, and when their lips met and connected, it made his heart skip a beat and nearly burst out of his chest. He felt lighter than air, that he could soar high above the clouds. This was everything he could ever hope for and more. She was everything to him, she was his world.
He felt like he was falling in love with her all over again.
They moved their head and leaned deeper into the kiss. He roamed his hands down her face and her shoulders, moving closer to her, embracing her, allowing their lips to dance. They wanted to get into every nook and cranny, but never parted, not even for a second. They wanted this kiss to last forever.
For a moment, just a brief moment, they were interlocked. They were one.
He wanted to hold her and kiss her and hug her and never let her go again. That's all he needed, to keep his heart and himself afloat. This was the girl he always needed, the one that he had waited for. She was the one.
He was in love. He finally knew what it felt like to be in love and be loved. A kiss was enough to show that she loved him in return. But it wasn't just the kiss that was special, it wouldn't be special without Belle. She made it enchanting.
She set his heart ablaze just by being her.
And now she finally understood how much she meant to him, all through nothing more than a kiss. A kiss that he knew he would never forgot.
After what felt like an eternity, the two pulled away, coming up for air. The two smiled at each other breathlessly, their arms still wrapped around the other. "I thought I lost you." Belle said, her voice cracking as she spoke.
"And I thought I lost you." The Prince responded. He was a little taken aback by his own voice, he wasn't used to this pitch. It wasn't high or squeaky, but it wasn't a low, deep growl either, which was a welcoming change.
Belle leaned forwards and kissed him lovingly again, tracing every corner of his lips. They couldn't bear to be apart, not even for a second. "Don't ever do that to me again." She murmured, speaking into his mouth, their lips still touching.
"I don't plan on it." He replied.
They pulled away again, and Belle cupped his face with her hands, almost as if she was beholding him. "Look at you, you're-"
"Not as furry?" He asked wittily.
"I was going to say human, but that works too." She responded, snorting a laugh.
The two stood holding hands for a moment, smiling warmly at one another. The Prince then glanced around the room, noticing that the broken balcony wall had been restored, along with the fallen castle walkways. And was that... Daylight?
"It's not winter anymore!" He cried, racing over to the edge of the balcony with Belle in tow. He was right, there was no more snow covering the gardens or the castle, and the fountains were no longer frozen over. It was early morning, and he could see the sun on the horizon, the golden glow banishing the darkness that had surrounded his castle for so long. There wasn't even a single cloud in the bright, ocean blue sky.
It must have changed while they were kissing. It had sealed their bond, and had completely lifted the curse.
Oh how he had missed seeing a bright, summer morning.
Wait, if he was human again then that meant... The servants had to be human again as well! Maybe they had managed to hold out after all. That was evident by the crowd of people by the front entrance. It just had to be them.
The Prince could feel himself bursting with excitement as he turned back to Belle and squeezed her hand. "We should go and see the servants right away!"
Belle nodded in agreement, and the two walked hand in hand out of his room and down the stairs. It was pleasant to see that the West Wing had been completely restored as well, as last time he checked it was about to cave in on itself.
As they were nearing the front entrance, he could hear a big commotion going on outside. It would seem that all the villagers had come back, and were greeting the servants, reuniting with those that had been erased from their memories.
The Prince and Belle paused on the stairway and shared a glance. "Are you ready to face them?" Belle asked him.
"No." He replied. A wave of nervousness washed over him. What would the servants think? After years of verbal abuse, would they really be able to forgive him just because he wasn't a beast anymore? And what about the villagers? What would they think, now that they remembered him and how cruel he had been.
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You can do this." She told him encouragingly.
The Prince smiled at her and nodded "You're right. Come on, we can't keep them waiting."
The two descended the last few flights of stairs and out through the front door. He was greeted by the warm summer heat, something he hadn't experienced in a long time. Had the sun always been this bright? The scent of pollen from the garden was strong too, overwhelming his senses. The crowd of people at his front door went quiet as soon as they came out, and stared in awe and wonder. There was a quiet murmur and hushed whispers amongst the group of villagers and servants alike.
"Oh, my prince!" Lumiere cried. The Prince's eyes landed on one of his most trusted servants, who was no longer a walking, talking candlestick, but a man wearing a white wig, and a golden jacket, waist coat and trousers. Lumiere bowed to him and the woman next to him, who was wearing a white, feather lined dress, and was unmistakably Plumette curtsied.
The Prince glanced at Belle for a brief second, who smiled and nodded, urging him to go over. He turned back to Lumiere and let go of Belle's hand, drawing closer to him. "Hello old friend." The Prince greeted, smiling at Lumiere.
He offered him a hug, but was a little worried that he wouldn't accept it. Lumiere embraced him in a hug almost immediately and began to pat his back. "It's so good to see you."
What did he ever do to deserve such kind and forgiving servants?
The Prince was a little stiff at first, but relaxed in Lumiere's arms. "It's good to see you too." They held their friendly embrace for a few seconds, before pulling away. His hands lingered on Lumiere's upper arms for a moment, gripping them tightly and smiling at him. It felt good to hold his old friend again, to see him normally, instead of looking at a candle stick.
"You saved our lives, mademoiselle." Plumette addressed Belle, giving her a grateful nod.
"Belle, it's me, it's Chip!" The teacup that was now a human boy came running up to Belle, throwing his arms around her waist. Belle beamed, smiling ear to ear and returning his hug. He watched for a moment, smiling warmly at the sight of Chip, as well as his two parents that were following close behind him. Mr and Mrs Potts together again. A family reunited.
The Prince began to go around everyone, talking to Cogsworth, then Chapeau, then Mrs Potts and her husband, and even Chip, who gave his leg a hug. He really was a sweet child, and it was pleasing to know that he wasn't afraid to hug him.
After a short while, he noticed a woman standing alone, distant from everyone else. She had curly dirty blonde hair, and her slightly pale skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. She was adoring a hooded cloak and a rather simple brown dress that was a little rugged. She looked vaguely familiar. After shooting a few quick glances her way and trying in vain to figure out who she was, he went over to talk to her.
"I'm sorry, but you seem familiar to me... Have we met somewhere before?" He asked.
The woman turned to him and gave him a brief nod. "We met once, a long time ago." She replied. "I looked a little different back then."
He examined her face a little more, studying her features when it suddenly clicked. "You're-" he began.
"Yes, am I." She stated before he could even finish. She could read his thoughts? Or maybe she could predict what he was going to say?
"The Enchantress..." He breathed in disbelief.
"Most of the people here know me as Agathe." She responded. "I wasn't going to return here, but I wanted to make sure that everything worked out in the end. I haven't intervened all that much, but sometimes people or events need to be pushed in the right direction. My last act was to ensure you stayed alive." She told him.
The Enchantress had brought him back to life? He supposed that would explain it, there was no mention of reviving him in the curse. And had she been living amongst these people this entire time? "You knew all of this was going to happen?" He questioned.
"There were many outcomes that I foresaw. I'm glad that this was the one that came to fruition." She replied. "I'm glad you found love, young Prince."
"So am I." He told her. It was strange, he thought he would hold more of a grudge or some sort of animosity towards her... But he felt not even a shred of burning hatred. After all, she never wished death upon him. "I'm sorry for how I treated you that day... And I'm sorry for everything I did before then. I was a terrible person, cruel and selfish... I deserved the punishment I got."
"You've come out of this a changed man, and that I am thankful for. I never did this to be cruel, I'm not as sick or twisted as you once thought me to be. To tell you the truth, doing this pained me a great deal. All I wanted was to teach you a lesson... And I'd say that lesson has been learnt." Agathe finished. She then bowed her head. "Good day to you, young Prince. May your beauty remain on the inside as well as on the outside."
And with that, she walked away, disappearing into the crowd of townspeople. He assumed that this was the last time their paths would ever cross.
He silently thanked her, because if none of this ever happened, he would never have met Belle, and never found true love.
Eventually, he and Belle met up again. "It's getting a little crowded, huh?" She commented.
"Yes. Do you want to get some air? I've been meaning to talk to you in private." He replied.
"I've been wanting to talk to you too. But my father isn't here, I thought he would be..."
"Maybe he's still back at the village?" He suggested.
"That must be it. But how will he get here? He can't go on foot."
"Don't worry, I'll send someone to go fetch him for you."
Belle smiled "Thank you." She said gratefully.
"Why don't you go wait in the ballroom and I'll catch up with you in a second?"
She nodded, walking over to the front entrance. She glanced back at him for a moment, and his gaze lingered on her before she disappeared out sight.
He turned and walked over to Lumiere, who was currently all over Plumette, roaming his hands down her body, planting kisses on her face. He placed his hand on Lumiere's shoulder to catch his attention. "Master, what can I do for you?" Lumiere asked, his hands wrapped around Plumette's waist.
The Prince smiled "I'm glad you two are able to hold each other again." He commented.
Plumette kissed Lumiere on the cheek as he continued to speak "We're glad too. I don't know how I was able to last so long without being able to kiss my love."
The Prince quickly got back to the matter at hand "Can you send someone down to the village to find Belle's father and bring him back here?" He requested.
"Of course, master. I'll make sure that it is done right away."
"Thank you." The Prince replied gratefully. He was about to depart and follow after Belle when Lumiere called him back.
"Master."
"Yes?" The Prince replied, turning to look at his old friend.
"I'm glad you were able to fix this." Lumiere said with a smile.
"I couldn't have done it without Belle." He stated, before taking his leave.
He wasn't used to walking bare foot in the castle. Without his paws and the hard pads beneath them, his feet were cold and he was a little worried about stepping on something and hurting himself.
Thankfully, he reached the ballroom unscathed, where Belle was waiting for him. They could still hear the villages and servants talking amongst themselves, but it was quieter and less noticeable.
Belle was standing in the middle of the ballroom, staring up at the glistening sunlight that was coming in through the windows. Was she admiring her own handy work?
It occurred to him that their dance had only taken place last night. It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then.
He deliberately cleared his throat, alerting her to his presence. She turned round and smiled when she caught sight of him.
"Would you like to go out onto the balcony overlooking the gardens?" He asked.
Belle nodded "Yes. We can sit on the bench out there." She agreed.
He walked down the steps and joined her in the centre of the ballroom, and they walked across to the other steps and pushed the balcony doors open, heading outside once more.
He could hear birds chirping as he allowed Belle to sit down on the bench and get comfortable, before sitting down close beside her. The Prince stared at the lush, green gardens, and the colourful flowers and hedge rows stretching out as far as the eye could see. The castle grounds never looked more alive.
He turned back to Belle, who was sitting quietly and playing with her dress. She looked like she wanted to say something. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. "So, you're a prince." She commented, glancing up at him.
"Yes, I am. I'm sorry, I should have told you." He apologised.
"Maybe you should have. But I probably should have guessed really, what with the castle... And the staff... It just never seemed to cross my mind." She responded. "I'm not sure why."
"I thought you might have figured it out at some point."
"Utterly clueless." She admitted. "Still... I don't even know your name. I only ever called you 'the Beast' when talking to other people about you." She wasn't looking at him anymore, instead she was staring down at her hands that she had folded together on her lap.
She talked about him to other people? When? And what about? Did she share her feelings about him with someone else beforehand?
"Well, I never told you it." The Prince replied.
"And I never asked." Belle murmured.
"I didn't think I was worthy of name... Because I didn't think a monster like me deserved one." He explained.
"Do you think you're worthy of one now?" She questioned, glancing up at him again.
He went quiet. "Yes, I believe so." He answered. Up on the castle walkways, when he had spared Gaston, he had reformed himself, he had taken control of who he was. He didn't think of himself as a beast after that point. And now he deserved a name.
"You were always worthy of one, whether you were human or not." Belle stated.
The Prince smiled. It was nice to know she thought that way. "You know, we never actually introduced ourselves. I only learnt your name from your father."
"Well, it's not too late to introduce ourselves." She responded.
"In that case..." He began, lifting his arm and holding out his hand. "My name is Adam." He stated.
Belle took hold of his hand and shook it, smiling warmly. "Hello, Adam. My name is Belle."
"It's nice to meet you, Belle." Adam replied, smiling back at her.
They let go of each other's hands, and went quiet again. Belle looked away and lifted her hand and moved a wisp of hair behind her ear, while Adam watched her silently. Was there something bothering her? She seemed to be lost in deep thought.
She turned back to him with another question on her lips. "What broke the curse?" She asked. "Plumette said that I saved their lives... But how? What did I do?"
Adam was silent. He supposed that it was time to tell her the truth, after holding back on giving her information about himself ever since they met. "It was love." He stated. "In order to break the curse, I had to learn to love another and earn their love in return."
"I see... So that's why you didn't tell me... We had to bond naturally."
"Yes. Empty words would never break such a powerful spell." He paused for a moment and sighed. "I wish I could have told you, I wish I could have told you everything, but... You had to learn to love me how I was, and not who I had been. I just want you to know that, at first, I didn't care about anything but breaking the curse, I was only looking out for myself. But when I got to know you better, I started to deeply care about you, and stopped putting myself first. I may have set out to get your affection for my own personal gain, but by the end of it... I didn't care about becoming human again, all I cared about was how you felt, and what you wanted. I would never have forced myself upon you, and I would never have forced you to love me. My feelings for you are genuine and real... And I know yours are too... But I deceived you, and I'm sorry that I did that."
Belle lifted her hand and combed her fingers through his golden locks, curling a strand around one of her fingers. "I'm glad that you can be honest with me. You were put in a difficult situation, you were desperate, and you were given a chance to fix all of this, so you had to take it, for your own sake, as well as the servants. You've grown and you've changed... I won't hold what you set out to do against you, because in the end... All you wanted was to make me happy."
He almost breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that she would take it the wrong way, perhaps abandon him for lying to her. His intentions had never been bad, truth be told he had thought for a while that this would never have been the outcome, so he didn't think if he told her about the curse or not would make any difference. Still, there was still something playing on his mind...
Adam turned away and stood up, getting off the bench and moving over to the edge of the balcony. He rested his hands on the stone wall and inhaled, breathing in the fresh, pollinated air. He heard Belle get up, as well as her boots clattering across the stone floor. He caught sight of her as she came to stand beside him, resting her hands on the balcony wall. Her hand moved across the surface of the wall and settled on top of his. He tensed up a little and turned his head to look at her. Her brown orbs were looking up at him, a look of concern and worry written on her face. "I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore." He began. "I don't exactly look like the person you fell in love with anymore, and I know there's so much you want to do with your life, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me, not if you don't want to, especially after I've been keeping you here, and-"
Belle put her finger up to his lips in order to silence him, as he was getting flustered and starting to ramble. She then lowered her hand and kissed him on the cheek. "I want to be with you." She stated strongly, before pulling away. "Do you want to be with me?" She questioned.
He didn't even take a second to think about it. "I do. I've never wanted anything more."
The two leaned forwards and kissed each other on the lips. He would never tire of kissing her.
"There may be some things I still want to do with my life... But finding you was the best thing that's ever happened to me." She murmured through the kiss. "Everything else can wait, because right now, I just want to be with you."
Adam's heart fluttered, a smile crossing his lips as he leaned deeper into the kiss.
Belle's father had been found. He had been in the village, having a nice conversation about children and the ups and downs of fatherhood with the carriage driver that was supposed to have carted him off to an insane asylum. The Prince believed that odd story in a heartbeat, as much stranger things had happened to him.
He was sitting outside the library, still adoring his baggy white shirt and blue trousers that he had to keep adjusting around his waist. After closer inspection, he had noticed that there was no blood staining the back of his shirt or any trace of bullet holes. It would seem the Enchantress had repaired his clothing as well as his wounds.
He would go and get changed, but he was eager to settle things with Belle's father before he did anything else. A change of clothes would have to wait, as Belle had nearly wrapped up the private conversation she and her father were having in the library. They were catching up, as well as talking about him, so he wanted to give them some time alone, as she hadn't seen him in days and their last meeting must have been brief, as she had immediately rushed back to the castle.
The door creaked open and Belle poked her head out. Adam quickly got up out of the chair he had been settled in and turned to her. "You can come in now." She told him.
She lifted her arm and offered him her hand, which he happily took hold of, and followed her inside.
Adam immediately caught sight of Belle's father, sitting in a chair across the room. "Papa, this is the man I've been telling you about." Belle told him, gesturing to Adam. "This is Adam. Prince Adam." She stated. "And Adam, this is my father, Maurice."
The Prince felt a wave of anxiousness wash over him as he locked eye contact with Maurice. He gulped and let go of Belle's hand, approaching her father and holding out his hand, looking for a handshake. Maurice stared at him for a moment, looking him up and down.
Adam could feel himself sweating. How stupid did he have to be to think that Maurice, the man he had taken as his prisoner, would ever-
Maurice took hold of his hand and gave it a firm shake, which took him by surprise. "Nice to meet you." He stated. "You seem to be in a state of undress." The old man commented.
Adam glanced down himself and laughed. "Sorry about that, I'm a little all over the place at the moment."
Maurice let go of his hand and studied his face for a few seconds, almost as if he was trying to find any trace of the beast he had once been. "Belle tells me that you're the beast that locked me up in the dungeon."
"Was, Papa." Belle corrected him.
Adam's brow became knitted with guilt. "Yes, I was." He responded. He then knelt down in front of Maurice, so that he was much lower than him. "And I'm so deeply sorry for what I did. I don't know what was wrong with me. I was just so angry and filled with hate. I was constantly blaming myself for what had happened to me and the servants, and I needed something - anything to take all of my frustration out on... And you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He let out a shaky sigh and bowed his head. "There's so much that I have done that I need to fix and I will do everything I can to make up for what I did to you, and... I hope that one day you'll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me."
The room went quiet. The Prince knelt in silence, unable to look Maurice in the eye. All of a sudden, a hand touched his shoulder, catching his attention and causing him to lift his head and meet Maurice's gaze. "There's nothing to forgive, my boy." He said softly. "You've made my daughter so happy, you've helped her understand what happened to her mother, what happened to my wife, and in turn... You helped me come to terms with her death. And that's all thanks to you." Maurice told him. He then helped Adam to his feet and gripped his arm tightly. "Just promise me that you'll continue to make my daughter happy, and we won't have a problem."
The Prince smiled and nodded firmly. "You have my word."
Maurice moved his hand away from his arm and sat back in the chair. "I know you'll do right by her." Belle walked over and kissed her father on the cheek, and then gave him a warm hug.
"Perhaps you could keep an eye on me. You're more than welcome to live here in the castle, Maurice. We have plenty of rooms for you to stay in, and I'm sure you'll be able to fit your music boxes and painting equipment anywhere you like, as there's lots of room. And I'd love to hang up one of your portraits in the gallery room. Belle has told me all about your work." Adam told him.
"Are you sure that's alright? I wouldn't want to get in your way." Maurice responded.
"Nonsense. You wouldn't be in the way at all." He replied. "Besides, I don't want Belle to be separated from her father ever again. Please stay, I insist."
"Well, if you insist... I'd be happy to stay here." Maurice stated. "Thank you, I'll move in right away."
"And I'll help you pick out a room." Belle stated.
The Prince smiled. It was so good to see Belle and her father together. Their strong bond reminded him of his own relationship with his mother. He didn't want to keep a father and his daughter apart, not when they mattered so much to each other. He just hoped he wouldn't have to compete with Maurice for Belle's affection and attention. He was sure there wouldn't be too much rivalry.
"I have some duties I need to attend to, but I'll catch up with you later." He told Belle.
"That's fine, you have missed out on a lot. I'll see you later." She replied.
Adam nodded, turning and leaving the library. It was going to take a while to catch up on ten years of lost time. He didn't even know where to start.
It had been a long day. Most of the servants had gone back to the village, to spend time with their families and friends that they hadn't been able to see in years. He had told the staff that they could take as much time off as they needed. By the time everyone had cleared out, the only servants that were left were the cook, Chapeau, Lumiere, Plumette and a few maids. He also believed that Madame Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza, as well as Froufrou were still hanging around somewhere. Cogsworth had wanted to stay, but his wife carted him off. The head of the household didn't seem too happy about that.
The Prince still didn't have time to change his clothes, he had been too busy seeing to everyone's needs to worry about what he was wearing. And since it was now night time, it seemed worthless to get changed now. He'd have to scour through his wardrobe to find something to wear in the morning.
The castle was dark, silent and still. The majority of the candles had been put out, leaving only the light from the silver moon shining in through the windows to guide him. Adam was getting ready for bed, but before he went and hit the hay, he decided to venture over to the East Wing to find Belle, as that's where he assumed he would find her.
The door to her room was shut, and there was no light streaming out from beneath it. Had she already gone to bed? He decided to open the door just a little bit and peek inside, just to make sure.
Her bed was empty, in fact it didn't have any sheets on it, but it didn't take him very long to locate her as his eyes darted across the darkened room. Belle was sitting on the window sill, white bed sheets draped across and wrapped around her body as she stared outside.
Adam opened the door fully and knocked, making his presence known. "Hello." He greeted with a smile.
Belle glanced over at him, the silver moonlight illuminating her face. He liked the way it made her skin glow. She gave him a blank expression for a few seconds, almost as if she was staring right through him, before her tired eyes suddenly lit up and a small smile formed on her lips. "Hello." She greeted softly.
The Prince stepped into her room and walked over to her, but stopped halfway. "I was wondering if you would maybe like to sleep with me in my bed tonight?" He asked her. "You don't have to obviously, we can take it slow, just one day at a time if you prefer." He quickly added.
"I'd like that very much." She responded. The smile on her face faded, and she went back to staring out of the window. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed. Her body language seemed to contradict her statement.
"Is something wrong?" He asked concernedly.
She quickly turned back to him. "It's nothing, I just..." She trailed off for a moment. "I'm just having a hard time getting used to it, that's all. Whenever I see you, for a few seconds I forget who you are, and it feels like you're a complete stranger to me, but then I look at your eyes... And I remember."
"I know it's a lot to take in. I only just turned human this morning, so it's bound to be a little jarring." Adam responded. He had expected her to feel at least a little bit uneasy around him after such a drastic change in appearance. "I'm sorry. I know this is strange for you... I'm not the person you feel in love with."
Belle sat up straight. "You don't have to apologise. I just... I think about who you were and what you used to look like, and then I look at you now and it's almost like you and the beast were two completely different people. But then I see the way you act and the way you move and the way you talk and... It's you. It will always be you." She stated. "Whether you're a beast or a human, it doesn't matter what you look like... I'll always love you."
His heart skipped a beat. He felt like it was going to jump up into his throat. "To be honest... I'm finding it a little strange too." He admitted. "I keep thinking that any second now, or tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up, and all of this would have been a dream... That I'll be alone again, and I'll be trapped in that body."
Belle got up and crossed the room in a matter of seconds. She was holding the bed sheets around herself, but moved one hand to touch his face. She ran her thumb along his cheek. "Hey, look at me. You're not dreaming. I'm real, you're real, all of this is real." She told him comfortingly. "You're not alone anymore. I'm here, and I'll always be here." She lifted her other hand and cupped his face. "You've been living in a nightmare that you haven't been able to wake up from. I may not have been there for all of it, I may not have been there at your worst... But you were strong, you kept fighting, and you carried on when there were so many times you could have given up. And now you're free, you don't have to go through any of that ever again."
He could feel his eyes welling up with tears. "I fear that it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life." He whispered. "You don't know how happy I am to be human again, I don't think any amount of words would ever do it justice... But I thought that everything would return to normal, that all the pain and the hurting would go away, but... It hasn't. I thought I had gotten better, I thought I had fixed everything... but I'm still broken. And... I'm scared. The future still seems so uncertain." He told her, his voice cracking. A tear ran down his face, which Belle wiped away with her thumb.
"You are better. You went from being a cruel, uncaring beast, to a merciful, loving human, trapped inside of that creature. And now you're human, and that matches who you are on the inside. But what you went through was still traumatic, I doubt anyone would be able to come out unscathed. I can't promise it will get better straight away. I need time to adjust and you need time to heal. Eventually, it will get better, and in a few years all it will just be a bad dream." She told him. "And we'll get through this together. That I can promise."
Adam lifted his hand and touched her's. He let out a shaky sigh of relief and closed his eyes, savouring her touch. He then opened them again and stared into Belle's brown orbs, and he managed to form a weak smile. "I love you so much."
"I love you too." She responded, smiling warmly.
She then embraced him in a hug, which he accepted. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her head. "I can cuddle you in bed and keep you warm. And that will hopefully keep any nightmares away." She told him.
"I feel safe whenever I'm with you." He stated. "I doubt I'll be having any bad dreams tonight."
They pulled away from each other, and Adam glanced at the bed sheets she was wearing as she adjusted them. "Are you... Wearing anything under that?" He questioned.
Belle blushed and smiled gingerly, quickly pulling the sheet over her mouth as she spoke. "No." She responded, her voice a little muffled.
He laughed. "You're almost as bad as me! We can't have you walking over to the West Wing like that." He commented. Before she could say anything else, he scooped her up in his arms. She let out a surprised gasp as he lifted her up and kissed her on the neck. "You don't mind if I carry you to bed?"
"If you're up for the task." She replied, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
He smiled. "Let's go."
And with that, he carried Belle out of her room and over to the West Wing. He was ready to dive into bed and snuggle up to Belle under the wine red sheets.
Her words rang in his ears. She was right, he couldn't expect it to get better in a day. It would take time for him to come to terms with what he had been through, so that he could face his demons and eventually move on. But he had a feeling that as long as Belle was with him, he would be able to do and overcome anything.
A/N - It was hard, characterising the Prince post transformation. I didn't think all of his insecurities would immediately go away just because he was human. I also didn't want Belle to be used to him straight away either, as it was bound to be a bit jarring.
I made his realisation that he was human mirror that of when he realised he was a beast way back in chapter 2, to bring it full circle.
Tomorrow's chapter is the last one. This... has been a journey, I'm looking forward to showing you the finale.