Chapter 2: Finding Belle
It was early in the morning and the prince had just woken up from a five-hour sleep. It was 5.30 am and he sleepily made a little groan as he stretched out his arms above his head. He wanted to go back to sleep. But he was still thinking about the events that had happened only five hours ago. So instead of nodding off back to sleep, he decided to check if Belle was sleeping alright. However, just as he went to touch her cheek, he found that he was only rubbing her pillow beside him. Belle wasn't in her side of the bed. She usually wasn't up until 7.30 am and after lasts night's events, he didn't believe that she had decided out of pure choice to wake up before her usual time.
He quickly rose up out of bed and didn't even stop to pull on his slippers or night robe. He was too busy thinking of what Belle could have possibly wanted to do for that man at 5.30 in the morning.
He didn't believe that she was in any real danger, but even so he moved as fast as humanly possible as if her life depended on it.
He skipped every two steps all the way down to the main hall and swept down through the shadows all the way to the man's room.
But before he reached it he noticed that the door was wide open. He quickly but quietly rushed to the door and peered into the room he had given the man the night before. No one was there. Feeling frustrated he ran his hand severely through his shoulder-length blonde hair. It fell back over his face and sat in that position for a while, as he tried to think. His hair was soon flying through the air again as he ran towards the main room in the hall where Belle, himself and the man had been last night. He ran all the way to the main room, with his eyes fixed on his path ahead, making sure nothing got in his way, that would slow him down.
He had a feeling that something was not right. Belle had left her side of the bed early; the man was nowhere to be found. Finally the prince reached the main room. Yet again there was not a single soul, except for his own. He thought again. Where would Belle have taken that man at 5.30 in the morning? Or even worse where had the man taken Belle?
Nothing came to mind.
He was so sure that he would start to lose his temper and scream out Belle's name, that he wondered outside and literally shoved his head into a deep, freezing cold puddle of icy rainwater. He kept doing this for the next five minutes or so until he finally snapped back to thinking logical again.
Slowly he trudged back into the castle. Running through the dark hallways he thought to himself, The kitchen, the library, the West Wing?
At the thought of the man in the prince's West Wing the prince bolted up the stairs thinking, If I find that man in there I'll make sure he never walks again.
However, right after that, he stopped in his tracks and thought, What am I doing? The West Wing was a thing of the past. He had nothing to hide. Even so the man shouldn't be in there. The Prince started to feel his inner beast start to take over again, like it had so many years ago. He was once again, angry, moody and ready to fight. He swore never to go back to his old self again. He was a new man, Belle's husband, kind, understanding and...
"Ouch!" he shouted and put his hand to his head. He'd run into the door of the West Wing and his head was throbbing with pain. He must have wondered the rest of the way to the West Wing without even realising it. He peered through the door, which was slightly ajar. No one seemed to have been in there. He himself hadn't been inside, since he was transformed, on the balcony of the West Wing eight months ago.
It looked different somehow, he thought to himself as he started to walk through the damp but strangely comforting room. It had no real life anymore. After all, he occupied this room for so many years, that he practically used to live in it. Brushing away the memory he walked over to the table that his rose once sat on, waiting for him to fall in love, so that the curse would be lifted. He went to pick up his mirror but was shocked to find that it was not sitting where he had last left it. He started to reminisce about the stormy night on which he had battled Gaston. He remembered retrieving the mirror from Gaston's stiff grip on the ground below. He had then buried his body and brought the mirror back up to the West Wing and placed it on the table. That was the last he had seen it.
Thinking of Belle, the library came to mind once again. As quickly as possible he ran to the library doors. Passing old paintings on the way, which seemed to follow him with their eyes as he moved. As the library doors came into view, he slowed down, so as to catch his breath. He stopped a few metres away from the door. He waited until his breathing had calmed down and then slowly pushed open the doors. Belle was lying fast asleep in her night robe, near the fire, holding a red-leather covered book in her left hand. He ran to Belle immediately and said in a concerned matter, "Belle wake up, Belle are you alright? What happened? What did he do to you? Belle..."
He was interrupted by a familiar, disturbing voice, coming from behind a chair by the fire, "She is merely sleeping. Do you wish to wake her from her dreams?
This was just all too strange for the prince. What would Belle possibly be doing in the library at 5.30 in the morning? And with this weirdo? Why would Belle leave her comfortable bed, to come into the library to read, only to fall asleep on the floor? And why would this man be sitting in the chair, near the fireplace acting as if it was all perfectly normal?
"What did you do to her?" yelled the prince angrily, feeling the blood rush to his face.
The man stood up out of the chair, acting as if he owned the place, and walked over to the prince, who was kneeling next to Belle. Standing over the prince and Belle he said calmly, "What do you mean? She is sleeping. The worst I could have done was to sing her a lullaby."
The prince feeling irritable with the man by now, stood up so that he was looking directly into the mans beady black eyes.
Quietly he said, "You've come into my home, acted like a mad man, made disturbing remarks and now you've hurt Belle. I was kind enough to offer you a room for the night, without even knowing you. However I will not let any harm come to Belle while I'm around. Now I'm requesting, not asking nicely, for you to leave right now and never bother us again or I'll..."
The prince stopped as he heard Belle whimper. Rushing to her side, he lifted her head up to rest on his shoulder, as he kneeled beside her.
"Belle, tell me what happened." Said the worried prince.
Putting her hand up to her face to rub her eyes, she seemed disorientated. With her eyes half open she looked around the library and mumbled, "I don't know, I fell asleep."
"Why are you down here though? The sun isn't even up." He said looking at her anxiously.
"Master, is everything alright? We heard a commotion and we..." started of Lumiere worriedly, as he entered the library.
The prince turned to the doors where Lumiere and Cogsworth stood. The man then quietly snuck over to Belle and took the book out of her hand. He secretively replaced the book, back on the bookshelf, and gave her a new book to hold.
"We? Ahem, I believe it was you who heard this, "so called" commotion. I was merely drinking my cup of tea when... oh dear, is the girl alright?" Said Cogsworth, his taking charge attitude was quickly taken over by a worried and concerned tone, as soon as he saw Belle lying on the ground.
Lumiere seemed to think that something wasn't right in the room. It had something to do with the stranger.
"Master, step aside. I'll fix him for you." He said in a hero type manner.
Just as he was about to take charge like a bull with his head bent down (almost as if he was thinking he could head-butt the man to death), Cogsworth put out his hand so that it rested firmly on Lumiere's head, to stop him.
"Now is that any way to treat our guest?" said Cogsworth authoritatively.
"I can assure you that he is no longer our guest." Said the prince eyeing the man angrily.
He noticed that the man had gotten even closer to Belle.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't get any closer to her. Come and stand in front of me, so that I can be sure you won't hurt Belle again." Said the prince demandingly.
The man walked casually over, to stand in front of the prince as if he was the most significant thing that ever roamed the earth. He didn't even try to defend himself about hurting Belle. Which made the prince even more suspicious.
However everything came to a halt, when Belle finally woke up and saw everyone around her, looking like they were about to pummel the man.
"What's going on?" she said looking around confused.
The prince bent down and helped her up from the floor.
"Belle are you alright? Tell me what he did to you." Whispered the prince in a calm soothing tone.
"He hasn't done anything to me. Whatever gave you that idea?" asked Belle eyeing her prince carefully.
The prince turned to look at the man. Who in return stared right back with a look of sympathy on his face. The prince had to take a double take at this. What was he up to this time? The man had once again put on a different attitude, now that Belle was involved. The prince didn't know whether the man was trying to confuse him, or to make Belle think that the prince was mad. The prince turned back to Belle a lot more seriously this time to say, "Belle, I really don't trust this man. He has been acting strangely ever since he's arrived. I don't want him to hurt you."
Belle laughed, "What could this man possibly do to me?" As she walked over to the man.
As she linked arms with the man, she held up the book she was reading. Hang on the prince thought. Belle was holding a red-leathered covered book before. Now it was blue. Maybe I really am starting to go mad.
The prince looked at Belle, and then at the man, who only shrugged his shoulders and said, "We all make mistakes." He then led Belle out of the room, with her arm wrapped around his.
The prince listened to their conversation as they walked out of the room.
"I'm sorry for the way he has acted kind sir." Said Belle apologetically.
"Don't mention it. Everyone gets a little "crazy" sometimes." Said the man turning to stare at the prince, making sure the prince had heard.
Belle then asked Lumiere and Cogsworth to help prepare breakfast.
As the library doors were closed, the prince felt as if he was in the West Wing again. All alone in the darkness with nothing but a rose to light the room. In this case, a fire. He was still in the same position, that Belle and the man had left him standing in. His fists were clenched so tight that his knucklebones were visible through his thick skin. He eventually loosened his grip and stood there thinking, What's happening? Why am I alone? Why is it dark? Why is it quiet?