Chapter VI: Beauty and the Beast

Later Keria was busy trying to tend the beast's wounds, but he was being difficult. He kept trying to lick his wound like an animal. She tried to clean his wounds with hot water, but as soon as she put the rag on his cuts, he roared.

"THAT HURTS!" He yelled.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt so much if you didn't move around so much!" Keria said.

"Well, if you hadn't tried to run away, this wouldn't have happened." The beast said angrily.

"Well, you shouldn't have frightened me!" Keria retorted.

"Well, you shouldn't have been up in the West Wing!" the Beast said.

"Well, you should have been nicer to me!" the Beast couldn't think of anything to reply to this. "This will sting a little." She said as she pressed the rag against his wound. He looked about ready to rip her head off, but when he didn't, she continued to clean the wound. "Thanks for saving my life, I guess..."

The Beast's throat went dry, "You're welcome." He said.

The next day, Keria was down in the garden, enjoy the flowers while the Beast, Daxter, and Cogsworth watched her from a balcony.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before." He said, eyeing the bandages that Keria had put on him the night before. "I want to do something for her!"

"Well, there is the usual: Flowers, Chocolates, Promises you don't intend to keep..." Cogsworth said.

"No, no, no!" Daxter said, "It has to be something special, something that pipes her interest... I know!"

Later that day, the Beast lead Keria down a hallway, "I've got a surprise for you." He began to open the door, but quickly shut it again, "But first, you have to close your eyes."

Keria gave him a 'look' but she closed her eyes. The Beast waved his claws in front of her face, when he was satisfied that her eyes where closed he opened the door and led her into a dark room. "Stay there." He said, he ran to the curtains and threw them open, letting in the afternoon light.

"Now can I open my eyes?" Keria asked.

"Now... Open them!" the Beast said.

Keria opened her eyes and gasped, she must've walked into a dream, every wall, hundreds of shelves, were covered with books! She reeled at the sheer number of books. The Beast smiled at the look on her face.

"You like it?" He asked.

"It's wonderful!" Keria sighed.

"Then it's yours!" The Beast said.

Later on, they were in the gardens together. Keria was feeding the birds, and helping the Beast feed the birds too. She sang in her head:

There's something sweet,

And almost kind.

But he was mean, and he was coarse, and unrefined!

And so I'm sure,

I wonder why I didn't see it there before?

The Beast sang in his own head:

She glanced this way!

I thought I saw,

And when we touched she didn't shutter at my claw!

No, it can't be,

I'll just ignore.

But then she's never looked at me that way before!

Keria hid behind a tree as the verse rang in her head:

New and a bit alarming

Who'd have ever thought that this could be?

Keria peeked out from behind the tree and laughed as she saw the Beast covered in birds

True that he's no Prince Charming.

But there's something in him that I simply didn't see!

Daxter, Cogsworth, Ashley, and Philip were watching the scene from a window. Daxter sang:

Well, who'd have thought?

Ashley sang:

Well, bless my soul.

Cogsworth sang:

Well, who'd have known?

Ashley sang:

Well, who indeed?

Daxter sang:

And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own!

Ashley sang:

It's so peculiar. Wait and see...

Daxter and Cogsworth sang:

We'll wait and see.

All three sang:

A few days more.

There may be something there that wasn't there before!

"What? What's there?" Philip asked, looking down at the couple.

Cogsworth sang:

You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before.

"What is it?" Philip asked again.

Ashley sang:

There maybe something there that wasn't there before.

"What's there, Ashley?" Philip asked.

"I'll tell you when you are older." Ashley said.

Later the Beast was getting a bath, or torture as he called it.

"I don't think I can do this." He said as he got out of the tub and went to get done up. His Ottsel servants were crawling all over him, trying to tame his mane of hair, and such.

"Master," Daxter said, "This is no time to be shy. You have to be confident!"

"You're right, I can do... No, I can't." The Beast said.

"You have to!" Daxter said, "The last petal is about to fall!" He looked up to see how the Beast was coming along, he gasped, "You look, er... um..."

"Stupid." The Beast finished, looking at himself. He had about ten bows pulling his wild hair up in a fashion that looked more for women.

"Uh... just a little off the top, please..." Daxter said as the Ottsels rushed to fix him up. While they were doing this, Cogsworth rushed in,

"Hem!" He said to get everyone's attention. "Your Lady awaits..."

Keria descended the Grand Staircase and stopped in the middle. She looked up at the door as the Beast came through. He met her, he bowed and she curtsied. He offered her his arm, which she took. He (LES: This next part is the reason I cast myself as Mrs. Potts. Just to sing this song. A very pretty song.) Ashley began to sing:

Tale as old as time,

True as it can be.

Barely even friends,

Then somebody bends,

Unexpectedly.

The Beast and Keria are enjoying their meal. Keria gets up and pulls the Beast towards the ballroom. Still, Ashley sang in the background:

Just a little change,

Small to say the least.

Both a little scared,

Neither one prepared,

Beauty and the Beast.

Keria and the Beast made it to the Grand Ballroom. Keria took the Beast's hands and placed them in the right spots, the Beast gulped. His one hand in her hand, the other on her waist. She pressed closer to him, and they began to dance around the beautiful Ballroom. Ashley sang:

Ever just the same,

Ever a surprise!

Ever as before,

Ever just as sure,

As the sun will rise!

Tale as old as time,

Tune as old as song!

Bittersweet and strange,

Finding you can change,

Learning you were wrong!

Certain as the sun,

Rising in the east!

Tale as old as time,

Song as old as rhyme!

Beauty and the Beast!

Tale as old as time,

Song as old as rhyme,

Beauty and the Beast!

All the Ottsels sighed as Ashley finished her song. Keria and the Beast were heading out on the balcony. The Ottsels removed themselves to celebrate. Soon, the curse would be broken...

Outside on the balcony Keria sat down on the ledge, the Beast sat next to her.

"Keria," the Beast asked, "Are you happy here with me?"

"Oh, yes!" Keria said, but then she turned her head and looked off in the distance. The Beast noticed this.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"If only I could see my father again." Keria said. "I miss him so much."

The Beast thought about this, he wanted nothing more than to please her, then he thought of something, "There is a way..." The Beast led her up to the West Wing, he picked up the magic mirror and handed it to her, "This mirror will show you anything, and all you have to do is ask."

Keria held the mirror, "I like to see my father, please." The mirror began to glow with a magical light and the image of her father, alone and dieing, shown. "Oh-no!" Keria gasped

"What is it?" The Beast asked.

"He's alone, all alone!" Keria said, staring into the mirror, "He may be dying!" The Beast turned away, he looked at the rose, it had only three petals and, as he watched, another one fell off. He felt his heart ripping in half, but he knew what he had to do.

"Then you must... go to him." The Beast said.

"What?" Keria looked up at him.

"I release you." The Beast said, "You can go to him."

Keria tried to hand the mirror back to the Beast, but he didn't accept it.

"No." He said, "I want you to keep it. So you can have a way to look back, and remember me."

Keria ran up and hugged him, "Thank you for understanding!" She turned and ran out. As she ran out, Cogsworth came in.

"Oh, yes, lovely! We all knew you could do it!" He said, completely unaware of what had just happened.

"I let her go..." The Beast said, his normally emotionless voice chocked with misery.

"You... You what?" Cogsworth asked. "But... why?"

The Beast stood at the window. "Because... Because I love her."

He watched as she rode away, he felt a roar escape him. It echoed across the City and the Forest beyond. It wasn't his normal furious roar; it was the roar of a broken heart.

"HE DID WHAT?" Cried the voices of hundreds of Ottsels when Cogsworth told them the news.

"Yes, I know." Cogsworth said.

"He was so close!" Daxter said.

All of a sudden, Ashley ran in, "Has anyone seen Philip? He's gone!"