Chapter Three
Across the room, Babette drew Lina close to her, Angelique and eventually Fife standing over them. There was safety in numbers, and uncertain as to what precisely was about to occur, group protection was the better option.
"You!" Lumière growled. With Jacques grinning maliciously, wordlessly daring him to strike, he started to advance, but halted his steps when Vincent pulled him back.
"Stop," the prince warned quietly. "He is armed and prepared to fight; no good will come from antagonizing him."
"A wise decision, your highness!" Jacques laughed, moving stealthily towards the three men, a predator taunting his prey before an attack. "The smartest words I have ever heard from you!"
Vincent stepped forward in cautious defense. He would not start a fight, but like Lumière, was quite willing to finish one. "I do not recall sending an invitation to your current residence at the prison."
Jacques nodded. "I thank you for that; even if you had sent one, it would not have reached me. On the other hand," he shook his head in mock dismay. "I must offer my distress at not being invited to such an affair!"
"You were not wanted!" Lumière snarled so heatedly that he frightened himself, let alone others. He was rarely considered violent or vicious, but at that moment, he wished for nothing but every drop of this man's blood.
Jacques' eyes flashed sharply back to his. "I realize that, you idiot! Unlike some of us here, my mind is not petty and ridiculous."
"Says the hypocritical murderer!"
To kill him was Lumière's only intent as he moved to strike, but Jacques proved the faster combatant. He drew a sword swiftly, aiming the point directly at his throat and forcing him into a standstill.
"Papa!"
Both men turned at Lina's cry, smothered by Babette's hand covering her mouth. When Jacques glanced to his opponent once more, there was a revolting glimmer of pleasure and certain victory in his dark eyes.
"How stupid of me," he muttered, a grin playing about his lips. "I keep forgetting. There is little satisfaction in giving you a scratch or two; those will heal."
A snap of his ungloved left-handed fingers brought enough of Jacques' own followers to hold back anyone willing to attack him. Turning to three of his masked men, he nodded to Lina and ordered, "The child…bring her here."
"No!" Babette screeched, clutching Lina protectively. "Jacques, please!"
"Bring her here, now!" he barked, ignoring her pleas. "One of you…take care of the mother should she put up a fight."
The men did as they were told, two of them struggling the daughter away from her mother, as the one remained to keep Babette, Angelique, and Fife at bay.
Jacques smirked as he knelt and gripped Lina's tiny hands in his own, his guards holding Lumière at sword point. "My congratulations to you both," he mocked, grinning hungrily at his newest prey. "Such a beautiful child; thankfully looks more like her mother…'tis a shame though…"
Lumière shoved the blades away as he attempted to break past his captors, but they were well trained. Gripping him tightly back, blades returning to his throat, Lumière was rendered helpless, only able to battle with desperate words.
"You harm one hair on her head…and I swear I'll…!"
"You will do what?" Jacques scoffed, seizing the crying, terrified girl by the collar of her bedclothes and thrusting her towards him as if she were nothing but a rag doll. "I would have thought you more intelligent than to threaten me when I can slash her to pieces right here and now!"
"You would not be such a madman…" Lumière muttered, more like a prayer than a statement.
Jacques looked back to Lina, reveling in her tears, and smiled carnivorously as he continued to address her father. "As I said, a few scratches would not hurt you enough to satisfy me. Destruction of your most precious possession…that is an entirely different story."
With the little strength she had, Babette pushed herself away from Angelique, who tried to hold her back, and pleaded trying to shove past the single minion in her way. "Jacques don't, please! For the sake of humanity, don't do this!"
Jacques glanced at her once, but said nothing as he returned his gaze to Lina. "Bid them farewell, small one…short as it was, your life has gone on for too long." He threw down his sword and drew out his dagger, raising it into the air. "All my best in the life to come…!"
For a brief moment, time stood still. Amongst the shrieks and protests as the dagger plunged towards its target, Lina heard nothing…except a voice that sounded like a distant echo, a woman's voice resounding off the walls and into her tiny ears.
"Palmus bursto flamus…"Young as she was, Lina heard these words, hastily repeated over and over…and miraculously understood. As if entranced, she reached her small hands into the air, gripping Jacques' wrist, and ceasing his attack. The man cried out in pain feeling the most unusual, intense burning sensation as if a flaming hot poker had been thrust into it. Loosing grip on his dagger, hardly hearing the "clang!" it made as it hit the marble floor, he desperately tried to free himself from her grasp as the glove he wore literally began to let off steam.
Never one to accept defeat so easily, but smart enough to know the victory was no longer in his favor, Jacques gave one more rough pull from Lina's hands and sounded the retreat. For now, the battle was over.
Freed at last, both Lumière and Babette raced to Lina's side and held her close. Babette gathered her quickly into her arms as Lumière led them into the hallway, offering their excuses as chatter arose from the crowd of guests.
"The very nerve of that man…"
"But did you see what she did to him…?"
"It was as if her hands were made of fire…!"
If seeing to his family had not been his foremost concern, Lumière would have stayed to listen to that last comment. He had hoped no one saw that, although how could they not? A little girl, hardly more than a baby, bringing down the most dangerous man on the face of the earth…it was like magic…enchantment…
No…it couldn't have been…could it? And if it was…why?
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Later that night, or morning, Babette could not tell which, she finally surrendered to her mind's warning to stay awake. Normally, sleep was her way of healing. It allowed the mind to clear throughout the night, making it easier to ponder over important matters the next day. Unfortunately, that would not happen tonight.
Glancing beside her, she smiled as she gazed upon the sight of her husband and daughter sound asleep. Lina begged to stay with them, rightfully so, and without hesitation they agreed.
Babette could not help but laugh inwardly at the thought, however. If she still had any doubts of Lumière's fatherhood before, they would have vanished that night. He had been patient and a gentleman, awaiting their evening together; it was still their anniversary, after all. Any other man would have found an excuse to ignore Lina's pleas, but his first concern was to their daughter. For that, she loved him even more.
"Can't sleep?"
Lumière's whisper interrupted her thoughts, and Babette looked at him, nodding silently. Slowly and carefully, he slid off the bed, and gestured her to follow him. As she did, she covered the blankets over Lina more snuggly, placing a gentle kiss to her cheek, then took his hand as he led her to the adjoining room where the girl usually slept. The door was left open to make their presence known; she would not take any chances.
As actions often speak louder than words, Babette wholly accepted the embrace Lumière offered. His arms…he was not the strongest man alive, but she always felt safe and loved when he held her.
Sobs escaping from deep in her throat, she mumbled as she nuzzled into his throat. "I'm frightened…tell me this was all a nightmare."
As he softly stroked her hair, loosening a few locks from her usual nightly braid, Lumière swayed a little, soothingly rocking her. "Shh, do not cry; it will not change what happened."
"I have never hated anyone in my life, until now; I will never forgive him for this."
"I know," he crooned. "But…I think one thing is for sure. Lina may be young, but she is starting to take care of herself…"
Babette pulled back to look at him. "You saw it too, when she burned him."
He nodded. "The question is why would she be able to do that? I do not understand…"
"No," Babette argued. "The real question is what do we tell her when she starts to ask us the same thing? You know Lina. If she were not so horrified this evening, she would have started asking already. Come tomorrow morning, the interrogations will be endless. But Belle and I discussed the matter, and agreed that we would never tell the children about the spell, at least not until they were older if we must. We were prepared to say it was a legend, a myth if they ever caught wind of it sooner. She will never believe that now."
Lumière shook his head, moving away to sit down in a chair close to Lina's tiny bed. Not since the spell had he felt so helpless, a feeling he despised with a mighty passion. "I wish I knew what to say…"
Babette seated herself on his lap so he could rest his head on her shoulder comfortably. Holding him close, it was her turn to be the consolation for him. "Do not trouble yourself, amour; we can not answer a question we do not understand."
"So you are saying we stall until we hopefully get our answer, which could be never?"
"If this was the enchantress' sorcery, it must be important; I doubt it will be long before we have our answer. In the meantime…we distract her; we have no other choice."
Lumière sighed frustrated, but nodded. "Stalling it is…but I do not have to like it."
Babette kissed his forehead affectionately. "I never said you did."
Having already been in place, he leaned up a bit to return the kiss at her cheek. "Je t'aime." ("I love you.")
She smiled, trying to make him do the same. "Je sais." ("I know.")
She had succeeded, for he grinned adorably.
"Not tonight," he said. "But tomorrow, I will hold you to that."
"Please do."
Only Lina's timid call could interrupt them then, as it occasionally did.
"Maman? Where are you?"
Babette, Lumière in tow, immediately returned to her side as he lit a candle to give them some light. "I'm here, ma petite, right here. I won't leave again, I promise."
Lina snuggled tightly into her mother's arms, already closing her eyes again. "Good! I was scared…"
"Don't be, my precious." Babette kissed her cheek softly. "I'm staying right here."
Lina yawned tiredly before she reached over and doused the candle's flame, as Lumière could, with her bare fingers, no sign of a burn. "Ok…good night…"
Both parents shared one more worried glance. It was clear, with all the explanations they had to think of, sleep was not in their favor tonight.
