Gaston was in a good mood. "Well, that went well," he remarked cheerfully.
"She'll never marry you," growled the Beast.
"Of course she will," said Gaston. "And it's all thanks to you. I knew you'd come in handy." Off-handedly, he reached into his jacket and pulled out an apple he'd been saving for his horse. "Here, I owe you one," he said with a chuckle, tossing the apple to the Beast. With success within his grasp, he felt he could afford to be generous. Whistling, he strolled out, locking the cage behind him.
The Beast left the apple untouched. He hadn't eaten in two days and should have been ravenous, but he was too worried about Belle to have any appetite. He paced back and forth to the length of his chains. He had to find a way to stop her from making the mistake of her life.
He would have prayed, but he didn't have Belle's faith. She always said a prayer before bed, he recalled. Sometimes he envied her. He himself had stopped believing in God the night the Enchantress had cursed him.
He stopped short. The Enchantress! Was it possible...?
He shook his head. No. It was a foolish notion. He had not seen the Enchantress since that fateful night 10 years earlier. She was no doubt thousands of miles away, cursing some other unsuspecting soul. He had no way of contacting her.
Still...she was magical...and there was no other option, really. He had to at least try.
He cleared his throat. "Enchantress?" he began tentatively. The room was silent. He felt foolish, but pressed on. "Enchantress...I don't know if you can hear me...but if you can...please, you have to stop Belle. She's going to throw her whole life away, all because of me." His voice caught in his throat. "She's - she's so good, so kind. She doesn't understand, you see. She thinks giving up her life for mine is a fair exchange. She doesn't see how unworthy I am."
He took a deep breath. "But we know the truth, don't we?" he said softly. "The truth is...I'm no better than Gaston. I locked up her father. I made her promise to stay with me forever. I imprisoned her. I terrorized her." He closed his eyes, haunted by the memories. He had been so selfish, so cruel. Why didn't she hate him?
"I know I deserve to be punished," he said quietly. "Whatever Gaston does to me...I deserve it. But not Belle." His eyes filled with tears. "Please, don't let her be punished because of me. Please."
At first, nothing happened. Then a sudden burst of light made him reel back. There was a shimmer of magic in the air, and there stood the Enchantress, looking exactly as she had on that long-ago night.
"You came," he said in wonder. "I didn't know if you could hear me."
"Do you really think I'd go to the trouble of putting an elaborate curse on someone, then never look back to see how it turned out?" she asked, a bit impatiently.
He was amazed. "Have you been watching me all this time?"
"Of course," she said. "And now, you ask my help."
He bowed his head. "I do."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can help. But first..." She waved her wand, and his wounds were magically healed.
"Thank you," he said gratefully.
She nodded. "Now then, as to your request. There must be balance. If one goes free, the other must willingly be imprisoned. I can free you, but then Belle must marry Gaston in exchange. Or I can free her, but then you would have to remain his prisoner."
"I'll stay," said the Beast immediately. "Just free Belle."
"All right, if that is your choice," she said. "Now, how best to accomplish it?" She tapped her wand against her chin, pondering.
"A forgetting spell," she suggested. "I can make Belle and her father forget they ever met you. In their remembrance, Maurice would have set out for the fair, lost his way, given up and gone back home. The villagers will likewise forget Belle's lengthy absence and Maurice's tales of a beast. If Belle doesn't remember you or have feelings for you, Gaston can't use you to pressure her."
The Beast felt a pang at the thought that Belle would forget him. But if it would keep her safe...
"Would Gaston come up with another scheme to force her to marry him?" he asked.
"No," said the Enchantress. "Since Maurice never spoke of a beast, no one would think he was crazy, so Gaston wouldn't be able to threaten him. And Maurice's wood-cutting invention is going to be a tremendous success. He'll become rich and famous, and soon he and Belle will leave this little town and move to a big city. She'll be far out of Gaston's reach then."
She leaned forward, looking stern. "You, on the other hand, won't be as lucky," she warned. "Gaston won't remember the connection between you and Belle, so he'll think that what he told the villagers is true: that he captured you to be a sideshow attraction. No one will consider you as human, the way Belle does. You'll live your life as an animal in a cage, tormented and jeered at by crowds. Gaston will mistreat you in front of others, just to impress them with his power. Eventually, when he tires of you, he'll kill you and mount your head on the trophy wall of the tavern. And it will all be for a woman who doesn't remember you or ever think of you."
The Beast nodded, accepting his fate.
"Consider carefully before you choose," cautioned the Enchantress. "If you do nothing, and Belle marries Gaston, you'll see her every day. She'll still be a presence in your life. Are you sure you're prepared to lose that?"
It was tempting...but no. He couldn't allow her to give up her dreams and live in bondage to that brute. "Do the spell," he said firmly. "I don't care what happens to me, as long as Belle is free and safe."
"As you wish," the Enchantress said.
Then the Beast had a thought. "Wait."
"What is it?" she asked.
"My servants," he said. "Can you free them of the curse? None of this was their fault. They shouldn't have to suffer because of me."
"That is true," agreed the Enchantress. She was pleased. This was certainly not the self-centered Prince she had cursed a decade ago. "Very well. When Belle forgets you, the curse will be lifted from your servants."
"Thank you," he said humbly.
The Enchantress rose to leave. "A spell this powerful requires preparation. I will return tomorrow night, when Belle comes to give Gaston her answer." With a puff of smoke, she disappeared.