Chapter VII- "He's Back, Papa!"
"Come along now, come along!" Cogsworth yelled throughout the castle corridors.
It was almost two o' clock in the afternoon. Belle and Vincent were expected to arrive at any moment. Cogsworth, who was quite tense, ran around the castle giving orders to the household.
"Lumière, make sure the lighting is perfect! Babette, I expect not to find a tiny spot of dust! Chip!" Mrs. Potts' little son had just run into the hall covered in mud and followed by the dog. "Chip, I've warned you to play with the dog outside!"
"But I was playing with the dog outside!" Chip complained.
"Ssh! No talking back! Get into the bath, NOW!... and make sure the dog gets washed too."
Chip twitched his nose, disappointed, and dragged his feet towards the wash room.
"Mrs. Potts!" yelled Cogsworth as soon as he saw her come in. "Is everything prepared? Is lunch done? Is the table set? Is everything clean and tidy? Any sign of the master and Belle?"
Mrs. Potts laughed. "Calm down, Cogsworth! Yes, everything is prepared, and no, they haven't arrived yet. But I'm sure they must be arriving very s—"
Cogsworth was interrupted by another fellow servant who seemed to carry very happy news.
"Monsieur Cogsworth! They have arrived! The master and mademoiselle have arrived! The master has called for someone to take care of the horse."
"Poor things," said Mrs. Potts. "They must be starving!"
Moments later, Vincent entered the grand room with a radiant smile, holding his beloved's hands.
"Good afternoon, everyone! We apologise for the delay. We weren't expecting the storm to come our way."
Lumière, who had meanwhile also joined the group, approached Cogsworth with a discreet smile.
"My, my! This is quite a surprise. The master has never offered any explanations for his delays. And he looks so jolly! I wonder what happened," he murmured.
Cogsworth was also a bit surprised. "Maybe he asked… the question."
"What question?" asked Lumière, not realizing how loud he had pronounced those words. No sooner had he spoken than he felt Cogsworth give him a poke with his elbow. "Oh!..." he suddenly remembered. "That question."
The prince approached all the servants that had gathered to welcome the couple.
"Belle and I have something to announce."
Just as Vincent finished the sentence, the servants started whispering amongst each other. A few seconds went by until he could speak again.
"Yet we will only announce it at dinnertime, when everyone is present. I would also like to thank you all for your hard work and effort, and I can guarantee you that this announcement will bring nothing but joy to the castle."
Belle simply smiled while she gazed at the rest of the household's excitement. It was as if they had predicted this moment for quite a long time. She turned to Mrs. Potts.
"Good morning, Mrs. Potts! Do you know where my father is? I would really like to talk to him."
"I believe he hasn't left his room yet, my dearest. I too think you should go up and talk to him. He loves you very much and is going to be delighted with the big news!" she replied with a wink.
Belle smiled and immediately ran up the stairs towards Maurice's room. He had to be the first to hear the announcement.
Belle knocked at the door and opened it slowly. Maurice was sitting at his improvised desk, seeming lost in his own thoughts.
"Papa?"
"Belle, my dear! Please, come in! I was just thinking of you."
Belle entered the room and closed the door behind her. Then she delicately embraced her father.
"Oh Papa, it's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed.
"Tell me, Belle. How did things go in the village?"
Belle's smile quickly transformed into a frown when she heard her father's words.
"He's back, Papa…"
"He? Who?"
"Luc. We met at the bookshop door."
"Luc? You mean that… Daughter, why have you become so sad? What did he do to you?"
"Nothing, papa. He didn't do anything. He just asked me to explain Gaston's death, along with the rest of the villagers."
"And what did you say?"
"I told them Gaston fell off the tower. They didn't believe me, and I became so scared! Until Vincent came and defended me." Belle remained thoughtful for a while. "Luc said he returned to the village when he heard of Gaston's death, but he never explained why he left three years ago."
"I always liked that boy! He had nothing to do with Gaston. No one could ever guess they were brothers! But I must confess that on the day he left without an explanation, I felt an upheaval in my heart. It hurt me to see you suffer that way, seeing that you were his –"
"Please, Papa!" Belle interrupted. "That was a long time ago. I was very young. Right now Vincent and I are deeply in love and I won't let my past get in our way! Besides, that's why I wanted to talk to you. There's something I need to tell you, and I wanted you to be the first to know! Vincent and I, we…"
Belle was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" called out Maurice.
"Good afternoon, monsieur. I need to talk to you about ---- Belle? You're here?"
It was Vincent. Surprised at finding Belle in the same place at the same time, he quickly apologised and prepared to leave the room.
"Wait, your highness! You may speak now, if it is urgent," said Maurice.
Vincent glanced at Belle. She smiled, as if she understood why he had followed her steps. Belle noticed he was a bit nervous because of the way he rubbed the nape of his neck.
"Well…" Vincent began. "Monsieur has probably noticed that I am deeply in love with your daughter. A life without her wouldn't make much sense, and everyone knows I'd do anything for her." Vincent walked towards Belle and held her hand. "I know I'll forever love her, and forever she will be the air I breathe. My main goal in life is to make her happy, therefore I seek your approval for me to marry Belle, so that we may live our love together, in life and in death."
No matter how many times she heard his love words, Belle always felt a lump in her throat when he spoke that way about her. I know I'll forever love her… so that we may live our love together, in life and in death. She had heard similar words before, only from a different man.
"You have convinced me of your true love for my sweet daughter, and therefore I am willing to leave the past behind," Maurice said with a laugh, recalling the night the Beast had imprisoned him. "If you promise to respect her and take care of her, then you have my approval to wed her. I'm very happy to have you as my son!"
Taken by a wave of happiness, Vincent lifted Belle up in the air and swung her around. She laughed at his excitement. He reminded her of a little boy who had just received the present of his life. Soon Vincent paused Belle on the floor and gazed her in the eyes.
"Yes," he finally spoke out, caressing Belle's cheeks. "I promise to love her, respect her and make her the happiest woman in the world!"
"I already am the happiest woman in the world…" she murmured back.
Maurice couldn't help but smile. "I believe this is what you wanted to talk to me about, Belle."
"Yes, Papa!" she replied with a radiant smile.
Maurice approached his daughter and whispered her in the ear: "It's time for you to be happy. Leave the past behind you."
Belle gave her father another comforting smile in reply.
There's still some time left before dinner," said Vincent. "Belle, maybe we could go read a book in the library. If you want to, of course."
"Of course I want to, my love!" exclaimed Belle. She turned to Maurice, "I'll see you at dinnertime, papa. I love you."
"I love you too, Belle."
Belle and Vincent left the room holding hands, murmuring and giggling. Maurice let out a happy sigh. How she has grown, he thought.
TrudiRose: I can never thank you enough. I know I might sound a bit repetitive, but... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Shortstef: Auntie Fish! I know I'm haunting your inbox, but it could be worse, right? I mean... at least it's ME, hehe! Thanks )
Disney Princess: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you can relate this to the "real" characters. Sometimes it's my biggest challenge. Double thanks for the review!
LumBabsFan: Oh shush it, plugger! What chapter were you reading anyway:P
Meiko M: Thanks! That was so sweet of you! I can't tell you if Belle and Luc have a past together, but you've probably guessed that he IS going to bring some trouble! )
Mysterious Muse: Well... keep tuned in ) And thanks!
