Chapter VIII – Dark Night

Luc entered the tavern that had been practically inhabited by his late brother. Some of the villagers had gathered to talk about problems at home, squeezing in beer contests every once in a while to see who could drink the most beer in the least time. Of course these nights always landed up in drunkenness and irrelevant confessions, things that Luc had come to ignore.

Luc grabbed his fifth beer mug of the night. He closed his fists so tight that his face became red. The bartender, who had been watching all this, approached him.

"What's wrong, Luc? I've never seen you so depressed!"

Luc remained silent for a few seconds, contemplating the simple beer mug. "Life's full of tricks," he finally spoke. "One day you have it all, the next you lose your reason for living."

The bartender was just about to speak when a big noise started coming from one of the tables. Some men were gathered around a table laughing hysterically, until one of them, completely drunk, cried out loud to all his fellow mates:

"There will never be a soul like Gaston! Only he could have the crazy idea of marrying that bookworm!"

"Do you really think he was in love with her?" cried out another drunk man.

"Yes, if pigs fly!" laughed another. "That was anything but love!"

Luc approached the table, not being able to hide his curiosity. The men hadn't stopped laughing. One of them finally spoke up:

"Could you imagine what it would have been like if Gaston had married that eccentric girl?"

Luc's eyes widened when he heard those last words. Eccentric? Could they be talking about…

"Any man would want to be married to Belle," replied another man. "Why, if she were my wife, I'd never let her out of the darn house! What I would do to get my hands on those –"

The man didn't have time to finish his sentence; seconds later he was lying on the floor after a punch in the face. The other men, including the bartender, quickly grabbed Luc and tried to hold him back.

"What's your problem, pal?" cried the drunken man, wiping off some blood from his lip.

"How dare you speak of Belle that way!" yelled Luc.

The man stared at Luc for a while. "Luc…" murmured the man with an evil smile. "You and Belle were quite close a few weeks before you left the village. I guess that means you two were more than merely friends…" The man got up from the floor and walked towards Luc. "Well then you'll be happy to know you were fooled. A couple of days later she was swooning in Gaston's arms!"

"That's a lie!" screamed Luc. "Gaston knew I loved her! And she knew it too! They never would have done that!"

All the men in the tavern laughed when they heard Luc.

"Your stubbornness amazes me, young lad. You saw your lover girl this morning, didn't you? Only a few days have gone by since Gaston's death and already she seeks comfort in the arms of another man!"

"You don't know that she and that man were together," smirked Luc.

"They were seen kissing each other on the bridge just a few hours ago! You want more than that?"

"I don't trust your word. I'll only give up on the day I hear the words from her mouth…"

"The castle is not far away from here. If you go by horse you'll be there in about an hour. Go and meet her. Be careful though… you might share the same fate as your late brother."

"How do you know she lives there?"

"Maurice accidentally told us when he was here a couple of days ago."

Luc broke free from the men that were holding him, and dusted himself off. Then he left the tavern without another word.

I'm going to prove they're wrong, he thought while he watched the dark sky. It's time she learns the truth.

"Did you see the look and their faces when we told them we were going to get married?" cried Belle happily. "I would almost swear they knew about it all along, but pretended to be surprised," she giggled.

Belle and Vincent walked down the main corridor after a long day. It was already after midnight and the prince accompanied his bride-to-be to her bedroom door.

"Oh, come on, Belle!" chuckled Vincent. "Do you think it was that predictable?"

"You know what they're like, my love. Nothing gets past them! But now that everyone knows, I can love you in total freedom!" said Belle as she threw her arms around the prince.

"No one has ever stopped you from doing that, Belle," replied Vincent, embracing her waist.

"I know. But now everyone knows I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want to do it offering you my heart and soul."

Vincent paused to gaze into his beloved's brown eyes. "You're probably tired of hearing this, Belle, but… I love you."

"I will never tire of hearing that, and not a day will go by without you hearing me say those same words."

They both sealed the promise with a passionate kiss.

"We're here," murmured Vincent as they stood outside Belle's door.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" said Belle teasingly.

"As much as I'd like to, I'd better not," he replied with a smile. "It's getting late and you must be very tired. Go on, my love. Sleep well!" Vincent kissed Belle's forehead and then retrieved himself.

Belle entered the room and instantly started to undress herself. It had in fact been a long day. First going back to the village, then meeting Luc again, and finally the wedding announcement. So many things in only one day. Above all, Belle felt happy. Yet she couldn't deny that there was something, or someone, fidgeting with her innermost thoughts.

Belle quickly put on her nightwear and turned down the bed sheets. She didn't feel the least bit like sleeping; therefore she decided to contemplate the night sky outside her window. The storm had brought a sort of freshness to the castle gardens. The trees were still moist and the leaves reflected the moonlight. Looking up to the sky, Belle realized that once again the stars had settled behind the dark clouds. She smiled at the thought of Vincent's words the night before: "And do you know why they aren't in the sky, Belle? Because someone took them all away and placed them in your eyes."

Could it be true that she had finally found true love in the soul of the Beast? Could it be true that she was now living her own fairy-tale without running the risk of waking up? Then why do I feel this way?, she thought. Why do I feel like my life is going back to that one night when he left without giving me an explanation? Why has he come back? Does he still remember… us?

Belle felt her head spinning. She let herself fall on the bed and covered her body with the white bed sheets. She couldn't ignore that strong temptation to run up to the West Wing and meet Vincent, throw herself into his arms and feel the warmth and comfort of his body. Only then could she be certain she would have a good night's sleep.

As Belle fell back into reality, she realized she had left the window slightly open. The noisy wind invaded her room and Belle made the effort to get up and close the window. She glanced one last time at the castle gardens. She was startled by a sudden movement that immediately caught her eye. Belle felt her heart beat faster. It was probably just a squirrel or a rabbit. She stared at the scenery for a long time. This time she was certain that a pair of glaring eyes were watching her from behind a tree. Belle took one step back, trying to convince herself that it was just tiredness getting the best of her. She rapidly made sure the window was closed and then went back to bed. The room was so silent that she could hear her own heart beat. Deep inside she felt like glancing once more to reassure herself that it was only her imagination. What could it have been anyway? Or who?

After minutes of pondering and wandering, Belle found it hard to stay awake. She gently closed her eyes and gave in for the night.