Serenity and utter stillness were the pair's companions as they pressed on their journey. When they came to the woods, Babette took the time to look around her. It was indeed very enchanting despite all that she had heard about the different forests of France. Those were monster stories; this...this was anything but such a tale.
The hour was still on the left side of dusk, brightening the woods one last time before the sun was due to set. Canopies of leaves and branches allowed the sky to be viewed, hinting at its vastness. The sounds of different creatures and a small creek could bring a traveler's ears to the point of calmness. Across the stream from them came a doe, and she watched as her onlookers caught her gaze. When she decided that she was safe in their presence, she bent her head to drink in peace.
From the lead, Lumière turned back to look at his charge, following her gaze to the doe, and smiled. "She frequents this area often; knows that she can trust most of the wanderers that pass through."
Both pulled their horses to a halt to let them drink when Babette questioned. "Most? Not all?"
He shook his head. "Not everyone is as kind to her as we are; that other group finds pleasure in taunting her...or worse."
She bit her lip. "The poor thing..."
They watched for a moment more before Lumière nudged his horse to continue, but that only led to protest from the animal, perturbed that his drink was interrupted by a mere human.
Lumière frowned. "Thunder, you miserable old heathen! You are definitely one of the master's horses, always have to do things your way or no way."
He leapt down, held the reins firmly attempting to show this horse who his master was, and watched as Babette did the same. "Yours as much a devil as he is?"
"Non, it is only fair to give them a break," she replied, petting her mare's neck gently before releasing the reins and sitting on the bank.
Lumière raised an eyebrow surprised. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
He gestured to the mare, lapping up the water as she freely pleased. "Get her to stay without worrying if she will run off."
She shrugged. "Simple, show anything a bit of respect, and it will give it back to you."
"Maybe yours, not mine."
Babette heaved a great sigh as she stood. "Men...always have to do things the hard way."
When she held out her hand for the reins, his eyes betrayed a hint of worry. Thunder was a wild one; it took all the stable boys and most house servants to tame him after he was given to the young master on his last birthday. "I hope you know what you are doing."
Nonetheless, Babette casually accepted the reins, and patted Thunder's neck in a coaxing manner. The steed nearly hit them both as his head spun to look at this stranger who dared to touch him, and he pounded his hoof roughly in discomfort.
"Doucement, mon ami..." she whispered as she took her hand away, steadying him slightly. "You are right, I was wrong...there now." She brought her hand around to his snout, allowing him to sniff it with inspection. This human seemed all right. No hidden things up her sleeve that would harm him...and he pulled his head back in approval.
Babette soothingly patted him again the same way as before, but this time with better results. As she slowly let go of the reins, she turned to her stunned companion proudly. "Like I said, simple."
Lumière stared in shocked amusement, definitely impressed. "You are something else, aren't you?"
She raised an eyebrow in a questioning glare before turning her attention back to her own horse. "Meaning...?"
Lumière slowly let his eyes peruse the woman before him, swallowing as a warm feeling rushed over him. "You really know how to put things in their place, no offense intended."
She thankfully did not catch his gazing quest as she faced him. "None taken."
Then their eyes met, suddenly and unexpectedly, each deeply noticing the other's for the first time. In his, she saw a glimmer, giving her chills at such a new sight; in hers, he saw something like nothing he had seen in any girl before...
But the moment perished in seconds as a frightening musket shot sounded in the distance causing both horses to rear and buck dangerously. Lumière and Babette cautiously grabbed the reins of each, barely succeeding in calming them down before feeling their senses return to normal. Glancing across the stream, they saw the doe paralyzed in fear. The poor creature raised her eyes in the direction of the noise, and was only willing to move when a stag bounded injured through the bushes, as if trying to lead her away. She in turn was all too eager to follow.
Babette breathed a sigh of relief, looking to Lumière for answers, his eyes fixed on the bushes. She asked quietly, "What is going on?"
He shook his head in disgust. "The master's hunting time."
She would have persisted in her questions when two riders appeared from where the stag had come. Both climbing onto their horses, she looked at them closer. Two men, one was a tall young boy, hardly older than seventeen and dressed in the most elegant clothes she had ever seen. The other was older, more so than any of them, short and stout, with a manner of dress closer to that of Lumière than the boy.
As they crossed the stream to meet them, the boy snarled angrily at missing his target.
"Lumière you must have seen that stag! Where did it go?"
Lumière did not hesitate, even as he lied. "Forgive me, master, but having just arrived when the shot was fired, we saw nothing."
At the word "we", both men peered behind him to see Babette, and the older one spoke up.
"Ah yes, the new maid, that's right. I had received word of you...Babette correct?"
"Oui monsieur."
The man rode closer, kissed her hand respectively, and very proudly announcing himself as Lumière rolled his eyes, not so discreetly. "I am Cogsworth, head of the household you are joining."
Babette nodded, trying to hide a grin at both their actions. "Enchanté."
Cogsworth then gestured to the boy, who did not seem to care any less and making it a point to let his expression show it. "And may I present, the prince of our region, Vincent, our master."
Babette barely suppressed her eyes from growing another inch or two wide. A prince? No one had said anything about a prince...but then she did not ask. She tried to bow as best she could while sitting on a horse. "Monseigneur...I am honored."
The young man groaned with impatience. "Cogsworth, really, as if formalities were meant to be held outdoors in this infested God forsaken place! Besides, she is just another servant, just as the rest of you are, do I make myself clear?
Both men took on an instant expression of pure obedience, replying in unison, "Of course, master."
"Very well, may you not forget it as I say we return home this instant; this cat and mouse chase has left me famished."
Vincent did not bother to wait before he kicked his horse into a run, leaving the three of them alone. Cogsworth looked at Lumière nervously, both seemed a little disturbed and fearful, Babette observed, but decided to stay silent as they nudged their horses into a walk.
Cogsworth broke the silence. "Forgive the master, miss; failing at a hunt always puts him in a foul mood. I hope the previous part of the ride was better?"
"Very much so," she assured him, before glancing at her other companion. "Monsieur Lumière has made it...interesting enough, being somewhat of a gentleman in keeping me company."
Cogsworth snorted. "That would be a first."
Babette looked back at him puzzled. "Monsieur?"
"Are you truly serious?" he continued. "I did not know that word was even in his vocabulary! What with all the—"
Without warning, Cogsworth's horse reared and bolted off ahead of them with the poor man hanging on for dear life. Babette remained perplexed. "Wonder what on earth caused that," she wondered aloud, giving her horse a swift kick to run after him.
Lumière was grateful she didn't see the look of satisfaction on his face, and he pocketed the extra rock he kept for safe keeping in the woods. The first one had done its job at keeping Cogsworth's mouth shut; it was better to save this one.
"Indeed, I can't imagine," he said with a smirk before he too followed them home.