Author's Note: OKAY. I've got something REALLY important to ask everyone. The last thing I want is to rush things, but I think the circumstances present a different idea. Tragedy can bring people together rather quickly, as the severity of whatever the situation may be, augments many emotions that (under normal circumstances) would be dormant. And it's Disney. Disney isn't known real well for taking things slow. Heck, Belle was in that castle for like, two days. If not, and she was really in there for that much longer, LeFou's resistance to snow must be astounding. So if anyone finds it strange with how quick the romance may turn out: it's a fairy tale. There are literally magical talking objects and curses and beasts and enchantresses and a man that can eat a dozen eggs in half a second. An odd romance is the least of everyone's-at least, my own-worries. Yoink. Anywho, I guess I don't actually have a question. I think I needed to just get that out.
Commence The Reviews!
Bailey Noelle: Can you believe that I haven't offed myself? Haha-Christ, that was dark. Joking aside, I have to personally thank you again for sticking with my dismissing-storied behind. I was excited to finally bring out Lumiere's inner turmoil that he'd managed to keep veiled until the break. And please, don't ever apologize for taking a while to review, because that makes ME (someone who puts off a story for months) a total scab. I appreciate all comments, good or bad, late or early, and well-written or lolz. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope this chapter can make up for my lack commitment.
Child of Dreams: The Enchantress? Ugh, not that puke-stain. Don't get me wrong; I didn't mind her in the first (good) film, but the live-action remake? Ugh. What a psychopath. Kiss my boot, Enchantress. May you burn in Hell where your rehashed face belongs. "Let me separate families, erase memories and government, promise death to innocent people if some guy doesn't get a girlfriend, and allow another ruthless jerk to gain power. Why give Gaston the 'beast treatment' when I can sit back and watch him torture an old man? Teehee! I'm benign..." -Puke-Stain (2017). But yeah, thanks for the review. Love you, dude!
A Person Who Likes Comedy: I've crawled back to finish what I've started! With Love! Passion! Emotion! Everything the remake lacks! Yahoo! Thanks for the kind words, ya bozo. I'll make sure to write the best climax ever! You won't be disappointed, by the name of God himself.
CansandraDayTree: I gotcha girl. I gotcha. Just sit tight and don't fight until the bedbugs bite...which they might. That was a bad attempt at a joke. I apologize for that garbage, and I promise I'll never do that again.
Singertobe: I'm so happy you've enjoyed the story so far and have taken the time to tell me. Thank you so much for the warm welcome back, and I hope you enjoy this and the next chapter! Stay awesome, my friend!
BoshandTosh: Your PENPAL mentioned this story? Well I'll be! That's actually pretty awesome... Where is your penpal from? I could always do a shoutout for him/her! And thanks for your kind words. It warms my heart to hear them come from readers like you.
And to all the rest of the readers who don't leave reviews: Sit back, relax, and read! No worries, my friends. Critical feedback is always nice, but if you don't have time, I understand.
...
Chapter Nine: Cold Turkey
...
The door burst open and flew off of its hinges, hurling over the heads of every servant. Behind it, a gust of snow and wind invaded the room, extinguishing all sources of light within to leave it pitch black.
The trio ducked as the door crashed across the ballroom floor, barely missing a group of dancers as they delicately leapt out of the way. It came to a groaning stop at the feet of the shocked prince, whose wide-eyed stare jerked up from the fallen door to the now open doorway.
Mrs. Potts scooped up Chip into her arms and backed away, prepared to run if anything but snow and wind decided to make an entrance.
A flicker of unnatural light weakly twinkled in the dark, illuminating off the shocked faces of everyone present before a burst of it shone through the foyer.
"What is that!?" Screeched a server, shielding his eyes from the brazen gleam. A few staff members ducked behind the banquet table, only peeking their heads out to see what was going on.
The prince braced for an impact, shielding his face with his arms, but nothing struck out at him.
As the light gained shape, Lumiere felt an acute chill shoot up his spine. He grabbed Fifi's forearm and turned her away, his own eyes unable to adjust to the light. "Run!" He barked. "Hurry!"
"From what? What is it?!" Fifi shrieked as she was yanked through the ballroom doors. Good question. But Lumiere had the sense to leave before finding out.
Small yelps echoed around the ballroom as the light finally gained a solid form: a beautiful enchantress. The prince could hardly look; the luster overwhelming enough to blind a commoner.
"W-What is this? What's going on?" The young man shouted, wavering.
A gust of wind blasted forward, slamming said ballroom doors shut behind the escaping duo, nearly knocking them off their feet. Fifi gasped, taking hold of her partner's arm to keep herself from toppling. Just like that, they were separated from the rest of the population.
...At first.
"I-I'm sorry! I beseech you! Please reconsider!"
What followed was nothing short of insane. Cogsworth literally smashed his way through the wooden doors for Lumiere and Fifi, frightening the two out of their skins.
"Run!" The man screamed, his reddened face panicked, and the two obeyed (for once) without question, deeply troubled by his expression. They could not see what lay beyond the open doors that were filled with light. It was impossible to see even if they were brave or foolish enough to investigate. Whatever it was, it had unseated Cogsworth's usual firm, no-nonsense nature.
"Where do we go?!" Fifi panted as she and the two men sprinted down a long corridor, putting as much distance between themselves and whatever madness that was.
"A-Ah-A-Anywhere but he-here!" Cogsworth gasped, already undone by the exercise. He lifted an arm to point and Lumiere followed his lead, taking hold of said arm and tugging him along.
"The West Wing!?" The tallest of the three exclaimed as they neared the staircase, looking back every so often to determine their safety. "But there's an exit down that way!" A chorus of loud screams echoed throughout the hall, and the brightest light the trio had ever witnessed burst from the start of their sprint.
"West Wing it is!" Fifi squeaked, scurrying up the stairs with Lumiere in tow. "Hurry, Cogsworth!" she urged, but the shorter man looked utterly winded.
"Go on!" He demanded, shoving the two up the staircase when they did not move as quickly to his liking. He took a deep breath. "And a-as the majordomo, I shall deal with the problem myself."
That was the last thing they heard before the light engulfed the staircase.
Lumiere could feel the heat of it. It felt alive and cruel. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his arms, but even that couldn't quell the shine from burning his retinas.
Somewhere, he heard the muffled sounds of Cogsworth trying to shout and of Fifi begging for mercy until they became one in a low-pitched drone in his ears. He could see white and nothing else. Blinded, he stretched out his arms and tried to grab onto something, but found only air.
When had Fifi let go of his hand? His insides...why did they burn?
Weakened by the intensity of the unknown ethereal, Lumiere curled in on himself.
When had he fallen? Was he still on the staircase?
He could have sworn that he was, but he could no longer feel the carpet of the staircase against his face, nor the individual steps.
Was he dying? Dead? What was happening?
Lumiere lay there, stiff and unmoving until the burning within him grew unbearable. That's when he really began to shake. His hands were searing, much like the time he'd foolishly played with fire as a child. Only this time, it didn't die down. It got worse.
The room rumbled and sparks flew from the tip of his fingers.
The room rumbled and his legs went numb.
A thunderclap reverberated off the light and-
It left. The numbness, burning, and blinding light: all of it disappeared within the blink of an eye.
Lumiere lay there, feeling as though he'd gained and lost a thousand pounds. He refused to open his eyes at first, fearing the brute force of the light. When a full minute passed, he dared uncover his eyes.
"GAAAAAHHH!"
Despite the obvious shock and horror of the scream, Lumiere found his anxiety lessening some. Cogsworth was alive! A tad off-put, probably, but alive. Now to find Fifi. Assured, he tried to pick himself up, shaky from...whatever that had been...and discovered a trifling bind.
His hands were gone.
Testing the waters, Lumiere tried flexing fingers that weren't there, maneuvering a set of golden bobeches topped with wax and flames flickering about instead. Confusion was soon overcome with the anxiety that had just been quelled. It came back full force, forcing him to physically jolt.
"Q-Qu'est-ceaunomdetoutcequiestSaint!" He spluttered and jerked upwards, upon which he also discovered that his legs were gone. "W-WHAT?!"
"Help! I-I can't move!" Came a familiar cry-...Fifi! Lumiere twisted so that he could prop himself up on his new arms and look out from the step he'd been laying on-HE'D SHRUNK?!
Panic ensued.
A small clock at the foot of the steps was m-moving...staring up at him with a pair of familiar eyes. It shrieked, "What's happened to me?!" Lumiere could have fainted right then and there on the step.
It wouldn't be enough to say that he was distressed. "C-Cogsworth? What's happened us?!" He waved his arms for emphasis, and the clock covered his mouth with his new brass hands.
At first, no answer from the clock. He stared down at himself, made a small noise, and wobbled backward.
Lumiere scrambled to the edge of the step to try and find a way down. "Are you alright, mon ami!?"
"...A-Am I alright?" Cogsworth shook his head, collapsing to sit on the floor. "In a manner of speaking… NO, I AM NOT!" He leapt from the floor as Lumiere struggled to swing his base over the edge of the step. "How could I be alright? Look at me!"
"At you?!" Came the small cry that could only belong to Fifi. "You have arms at least, Monsieur! Both of you!" Both men stared up at...the woman, the feather duster. She was standing upright, a few steps above Lumiere, evidently stuck and frightened to move. "I haven't any arms! -GAAG!" Fifi promptly toppled over, her balance severely obstructed by her new lack of limbs.
"Fifi!" Lumiere tried to make a dash for her, but tripped over his new base. Cogsworth's little shoulders hunched as she daintily toppled handle over feathers past Lumiere all the way to the base of the stairs.
After a small moment of silence, Cogsworth awkwardly moved to help her up.
"This-This is witch's work! A hex!" he cried, clutching his face with his little "hands". "That old crone must have been an occultist!"
"We've been cursed!" Fifi wailed before toppling to her side once more, "Oof!" Lumiere hopped down as best he could to the others.
"Are you injured?" Lumiere queried as he reached down with his arms, which caused Fifi to freeze.
"You'll-You're flames! Blow them out!" Came Cogsworth's outraged shout, and Lumiere caught himself just in time, jerking away before his flames caught Fifi's feathers on fire. He quickly blew them and helped her stand.
"Je suis tellement désolé," he apologized, but Fifi could only shake.
"That beyond dangerous!" Cogsworth scolded, giving Lumiere a shove. His shock and horror was wearing off, but only slightly. "Don't you even think about using that!"
Lumiere was beside himself. "Wha-?" At a loss for words at last. "How could I?"
"Well," Cogsworth went on, outrage overtaking a smidge of fear. "I for one am going to call the guard and organize a hunt for that witch!"
Fifi's eyes widened. "Will the master allow it?"
The clock nodded, glaring at his new form and shuddering. "On the behalf of his servants, he'll have to. We can't be the only accursed ones in this castle!"
"Attendez! You saw what happened to him?"
Cogsworth was about to answer, but the scariest thing interrupted him. A roar. A roar equivalent to the blast of a long gunshot. The three jumped and froze in place, staring down the hall into the darkness, where a new bounty of soft cries were now present. Lumiere's flames flickered out on their own as an augmented sense of dread enclosed the space.
"Master?"
…
The candelabra stole out of the room once the gravity of what he'd done sunk in. Hasty as always to open his mouth; it seemed he'd sealed his own fate. Not only that, but Belle seemed to have lost a bout of her fighting spirit. He saw it in her eyes when she held her father-what were once bright hazel were now dull, red-rimmed, and sunken in.
She had endured horrible things. The servants all had endured things, but they had lived with the curse for so long that these atrocities couldn't dampen their hope. That young lady shouldn't have suffered for any it. She'd witnessed a genocide of people she'd spent time, laughed, chatted, and argued with in the castle. If Lumiere were bold enough, he'd say they were all becoming quite close, but after his little stunt, how close could he really be to his remaining companions without endangering them all?
He observed his two candle-holders and squinted. His break was unexpected as the sapphire flames that had erupted from his wicks. It was bizarre, and he'd hardly noticed during the tirade. Perhaps his anger had channeled through-
The pounding hooves of a horse interrupted his thoughts, and he leapt out of the way just in time to avoid being flattened by a large wagon. Breathing rapidly, he took cover in a thorny thicket and watched it disappear behind the crest of a nearby hill.
Philippe? Lumiere shook his head. Well, even if it had, what could he do? Sighing miserably, he leaned against the base of the shrub.
What a dangerous world for a small creature, if but the wheels of a wagon could end his existence. How could he, or any of his remaining fellow servants, survive?
Lumiere shut his eyes and trembled for a moment as a rush of cold wind brushed over the meadow and rustled the leaves of all plantlife. The rest of the world; how could anybody understand or accept the idea of a living antique? How could he and the others live on?
The answer was simple: to endure as they had for the last ten years, but that was easier when there was still time to break the curse. Out of that environment could provide something, and it would be easy to pretend to not have a care out here, but he couldn't even bear the thought of trying. It hurt far too much, and to ignore what had happened, he believed, would betray his loved ones.
It was hard to admit to even himself, but a dangerous feeling of contempt for Gaston had acquired his psyche. Not just hatred, but contempt. He now believed that Gaston's life was hardly worth the ones he stole from the Earth, and he ought to be given the same treatment.
Lumiere was beyond the realms of anger. He felt hollow and dead, and wanted nothing more than to do away with Gaston. The urge was expanding until it could not be ignored, and the candelabra began to explore unhealthy schemes.
He could kill Gaston. He could sneak under the hardened glares of whoever followed the orders of the brute and end him swiftly. He could figure out a way, and dash it all with his stature! He could poison the man's drink, melt a blade into his wax and cut his chiseled throat, burn down the structure with the man inside. Something. Anything. He could!
Gritting his teeth, Lumiere nodded to himself. Revenge could be sweeter than a profiterole.
He could. He could do it. End him. End it all. Liberate everyone under his spell.
"..."
What would everyone think of him? Would they be gracious? Cogsworth would pat him on the back. Appalled? Mrs. Potts would want him to leave his soul untainted. Irresolute? Belle would... ...Belle would…
"...Pouah. What do I do?!" He muttered, weighing his options. Murder, he knew, was as serious as anything, and the cost needed to be considered, despite Gaston's actions. The last thing he wanted was a one-way ticket to a guillotine...or Hell itself.
He needed to figure this out quickly, before he endangered anyone else.
"Hey, is that you?"
The candelabra's eyes popped open as he yelped and jumped, but his bolt of anxiety relaxed instantly when he realized that it was Belle crouching on the other side of the brambles and not a strange villager...or worse.
"Oh, mon dieu!" Lumiere put a "hand" over his "chest" and sagged. He grinned sheepishly. "You gave me the fright of the century!"
"Did I? Sorry about that," Belle apologized, her smile lessening. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
Lumiere blinked, surprised. "Non, of course you didn't!" He assured her, baffled and worried that he had to at all. Moving quickly, he tried climbing his way out of the brambles, grateful when Belle delicately hooked her fingers under his "arms" and lifted him from the bush. "Merci!" He smiled. "I'm flattered, but you did not have to search for me."
That gave Belle pause, and she looked at him for a long moment. Lumiere shifted. "No?" She queried.
"W-Well, I thought your father needed looking after," the candelabra exclaimed.
"Well, I thought you were leaving for good," Belle revealed, gently setting him down. "My father's alright, though. A bit listless, but Mrs. Potts and the doorman are fixing him some tea so he can try to relax. He's alright."
"Are you?" Lumiere asked after being set down.
Belle nodded, a smile returning to her face.
"You're not too…" He gestured toward her, "...overwhelmed?"
Belle's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm nothing if not calm!" She glanced off to the side for a moment. "Y-...Gaston gave everyone quite the scare."
Ah.
The candelabra tried to not let his wax features be overtaken by the guilt he was feeling. He knew it. He knew he'd gone overboard. "I don't expect any forgiveness," he murmured, tilting his head down and pressing his "hands" together. "I was out of line, completely, and I owe you an apology for endangering you and your father."
Belle blinked, surprise overtaking her expression.
"Your situation is meant to be handled with delicacy," Lumiere went on, "and I lashed out at the most inopportune time possible. I never meant to frighten you, or anybody else, and I sincerely apologize for my behavior and any problems I've caused. You deserve any happiness left in the world, and I-" He stopped, and Belle leaned over, curious.
"...-I haven't any right to thieve that from you," he finished, staring out into the meadow, not meeting Belle's eyes, so he nearly missed her understanding smile. "That's why I've come here. Even if temporarily, my absence will do some good."
"Don't be silly," Belle scolded. Lumiere flinched, but somehow, much to his surprise, she wasn't walking off, reprimanding, or even looking angry. Belle leaned on her left arm and shrugged. "On the contrary, you've been a source of happiness since all this began, and even before that."
Lumiere took a start. It was fair to admit that he hadn't expected that. "But, I caused your father's discomfort-"
"I've said it, and I'll say it again. Lumiere," she firmly assured, taking hold of and cradling his "hand" with her own two. His eyes flickered from the comforting connection to her face, surprised and awed. "What you did was nothing short of understandable. Come to think of it, I'm surprised Cogsworth didn't go for any throats."
Lumiere snorted without meaning to, his eyes growing hot. "He would have if he could have, believe me. I just… I don't want to cause any more trouble for you and your family."
"It's not you, Lumiere. It's not. I blamed myself for this, and you told me not to. Now I will say it to you. ...Hey." Using her other hand, Belle slowly rotated his had to look at her. "Do you understand me?"
Lumiere opened his mouth, and whatever he was going to deflect instantly died. "I understand."
The young woman smiled, eyes brightening. "Good. Now let's get back home, okay? The others miss you already!"
"...Comme vous voulez," Lumiere complied, smiling back at her and leading the way.
Author's Note: Next chapter...man...it'll be the beginning of the end... Please, tell me what you think! All comments: good, bad, hatred, love; it's all welcome!