Chapter 8: Through the Darkness and the Shadows
It had been nearly a week since her father departed for the fair.
On the fifth day of his absence, Belle began to worry. By day six, she had gone into town and found that most of the men had returned to their families and no one had seen her father.
The dread in the pit of her stomach grew to fear.
That morning she secured a horse. By noon the same day, she packed her bag and set off on the trail to the faraway town.
It would be a long ride, nearly a full day and night. Belle made sure she filled her pockets with enough coin to rent a room if the need arose. Inside, she hoped against hope that she would meet her father on his way home.
The brown dirt road was empty except for a few merchants traveling to sell their wares. One or two of the men stopped Belle and offered to pay handsomely for her beautiful white cloak. She simply pulled it tighter around herself and declined.
Grabbing the cloak had been a sentimental impulse. Belle was fearful for her father and upset about her last moments with Gaston. The cloak was the closest she had come to her friend in almost a week.
He had not been back to her cottage since the awful morning of his proposal and she had not seen him in town at all. When she casually questioned after him to the local baker he just winked at her knowingly and told her Gaston was out on a hunt. The news didn't surprise her. The hunter was in the habit of taking to the woods when something upset him. Belle sighed.
He had definitely been upset.
She shuddered as she recalled his words as he left her, "You'll have a nice long time to regret this!"
Sitting on her borrowed stead, Belle did have many long hours to torment herself over the subject.
A marriage between the two of them would have been a disaster. He was insufferable, she reasoned in her mind as the hours passed. It was ridiculous.
Still, if she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply enough, Belle was positive she would be able to smell his fresh woodsy scent. She might feel his arms crushing her into his chest.
Belle shook her head and refocused her thoughts.
The sun was setting. Belle was still some ways from the first town on her route. If her calculation were correct, she would arrive there in just over an hour. Belle gnawed on her lip and bit back her fears. Her father was not on the road.
It had been a snowy couple of days. Perhaps he was delayed by a storm, Belle thought logically.
Without the sun to warm her, Belle began to shiver in the open air. Her hands cramped as she clutched the reins. Then, just when she felt as if the cold could not be more brutal, it began to snow again. It came down in a crisp drizzle and the wetness stung her cheeks and dampened the earth.
The stead began to veer off the road slightly as it bent its head to the snowflakes. Poor horse! Belle thought, as she rubbed its neck and whispered encouraging words. He bobbed his head obediently and returned to the muddy path.
Belle felt her lashes begin to frost and her eyesight become blurred. Thinking quickly, she scanned the dark woods for a large enough tree to provide shelter for herself and the struggling animal she rode.
It was then that she made a shocking discovery. There, under a tree was an impossible sight. Belle yanked her reins back and halted in surprised horror.
How had a child found herself in such a place and alone?
Beneath an enormous oak and protected by its outstretched limbs, a child stood staring at the girl on the horse. From a distance, Belle could barely make out her tiny frame but as she drew nearer her features became clear.
She was small, no more than ten, with a long white gown that reached to her feet. Belle noticed the tiny pink toes that poked out from underneath the fabric.
Barefoot in the snow?
Long blonde hair hung down in ringlets at the sides of the child's face, creating an innocent halo of gold.
As Belle reached her, the girl looked up and smiled. Her green eyes seemed to dance and two adorable dimples deepened in her cheeks.
Belle hurriedly dismounted and bent down before the child.
"What...why are you here alone?" Belle stuttered, completely confused.
The girl looked back with glistening eyes but didn't speak. Her cheeks were rosy and Belle frowned.
"Are you ill, mon ange?" Belle asked. She inspected the child quietly but could not see any signs injury. Her relief was great when the tiny child shook her head.
Belle turned and searched the surrounding woods in desperation. She wondered if perhaps there was a campsite not far away. She squinted through the darkness but saw nothing.
"Are you alone?" Belle inquired hesitantly. Her mind instantly went over every scenario that might lead to a child being abandoned in the cold.
Perhaps she had wandered off from her parents. Or they had left her due to some terrible illness. Belle was disturbed by the cruel possibility and did not linger on that thought. Then another soon replaced it. Could this be a set up by woodland robbers? She had heard tell of such rouses before, with people pretending to need assistance and then attacking those who offered aid. She looked again into the dark night but saw nothing. The little girl simply nodded her lovely curls.
"But where are your Mama and Papa?"
The girl shrugged and shivered. Instinctively, Belle removed the beautiful white cloak from her shoulders and wrapped the girl in its warmth. The child sighed and rubbed her plump cheek against the fur collar. She sent a dimpled smile up to Belle.
"Will you tell me your name?" Belle inquired softly of the girl.
The child hid her head by nestling lower into the cloak.
"That's fine, mon ange. It shall be your secret."
The girl smiled and nodded. Belle did not miss the tiny twinkle in the child's eyes and wondered again if she was being deceived in some way.
The forest seemed quiet. If there were robbers, they were incredibly stealthy. Either way, Belle felt a sudden urgency fill her mind. They needed to leave quickly.
"It's getting colder. Would you like to ride with me on my lovely horse?"
The girl turned to gaze to Belle's mount and nodded. Belle whispered a thankful prayer. She had imagined that the girl would protest at leaving her spot beneath the tree with a stranger.
Belle held out a hand and led the girl to the horse. It was easy to lift the child. She weighed practically nothing. Soon Belle was mounted behind her small frame. She grasped the reins lightly and smile down at the little blonde cherub.
"Would you like to help me?" Belle asked, lightly. She took the girl's small hands and placed them on the leather straps. Then with an encouraging look, she urged her to twitch them slightly. The horse took the hint and began walking again.
The child let ring a twinkling giggle, then fell silent. Belle prattled lightly as they traveled, hoping to keep the little girl at ease. All the while, she searched the dark woods for the child's lost family. There was nobody at all.
"Do you hear that sound, mon ange?" Belle inquired after a long moment of just the sounds of the forest. She waited for a nod from the girl and then continued
"It's a nightjar. I love her song. Even when the night is dark and cold the little bird will still sing and bring light into the forest. I have always felt that if I could be any animal, I would wish to be her."
Belle looked down upon the small child through the falling snow. "Have you ever thought of which animal you would like to be?" She waited hopefully but the girl just shook her head and remained silent.
"Well, shall I guess for you? Let me think. You are small and brave. You are pretty and…blonde." The child giggled at the smile in Belle's voice. "I think perhaps you are a golden fox, little one. Small but strong. Beautiful but fierce. I have a feeling you are very clever too. What do you think?" She waited but did not expect an answer. Belle's head jerked slightly when the child spoke.
"Yes. I am fierce, clever, and strong."
Without intending to, Belle pulled the horse to a stop. She leaned back from the girl and gazed down at her in wonder.
It was not just the words that caused Belle to pause but the child's dark tone. It was almost menacing. Her expression did not seem to belong to the cherubic face, either.
Bright eyes stared back at Belle from rounded cheeks. There was something in those eyes that caused prickles to run down her arms and her breath to become shallow. Belle knew in an instant that there was something amiss.
She placed a hand to her lungs and whispered quietly. "What is your name, child?"
The little girl smiled angelically. Her strange eyes widened.
"Name? I like the one you have given me. You may call me Mon Ange."
The girl began to slip off of the horse. She pulled Belle down until they both stood.
The earth was wet from the snow and the forest sloshed with movement. The moon was bright and Belle watched as Mon Ange wrapped herself tighter in the white cloak. The child glanced up at Belle and grinned, petting it.
"This is lovely. You were kind to share it."
Belle smiled but her brows pulled together in confusion. The girl raised on her toes and traced the crease between Belle's eyes with gentle fingers.
"You're worried." She stated rather than asked.
"I am curious," Belle responded automatically. Doubt was starting to trickle into her thoughts. Something was dreadfully wrong.
"Yes. You are always curious, are you not?" Mon Ange tilted her head to the side quizzically and continued. "But you are worried as well. It is for another, you fear, not yourself. Do you not know that you are a lost child as well?"
Belle frowned at this assertion and shook her head. "It is my father who is lost. I am traveling to find him." She stopped and gave the strange child a piercing look, calculating her next words. "Perhaps he is traveling with your parents and we shall find them together."
To Belle's surprise, the girl let out a sweet laugh and twirled around. The fox lined coat blew out to her sides and billowed at her feet. "Oh, you are clever!"
In the forest, the dark trees began to move with a sudden gust of wind and dead wet leaves fell around them. Belle shivered in the punishing gale and rubbed her hands up and down her arms to create a warm friction. The girl watched her with open fascination.
"You're cold." She remarked, her eyes focusing on Belle's movements intently.
"A little. I'll be fine once we reach the town." Belle insisted, hoping the fear in her voice was hidden by the false cheer she placed in the words.
Mon Ange frowned then and shook her head sadly.
"We are not going to the town, Savior. You have another road to travel."
Then the storm began.
A.N. All characters belong to The Walt Disney Co.
Hello, readers! Yes, let's add a creepy child in the woods! Can you figure out who this is, clever readers? If you do I'll loan you my cloak! I wish to thank kdm956 for your review. I'm glad you liked it! To my guest reviewer, sorry last chapter was so dark. I hope I didn't scare you away! As always thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and/ or favoriting! – S.