AN: I will most likely continue the flashback in the next chapter. To those reading and enjoying this story, thank you. As said, it's my first Beauty and the Beast story in quite some time so I hope that you're at least finding it interesting.
Chapter Two - Isolation
Belle froze as she heard the retelling of the story. She had come back to the castle after sunset and so had been informed that Isabella was in bed. What was truly concerning her was this story. The man who had tried to get her to marry him despite not loving him had turned her daughter into an illustration that was only able to be reached by a book and so her husband had chosen to take on the curse of the beast so that she would be okay, so that she would be safe.
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand," Belle said as she looked at the woman that she cared for greatly. "Gaston is alive and Adam…."
"He was quite serious about being locked away in the dungeon," Mrs. Potts told her and Belle covered her mouth alarmed, her eyes widening and shaking her head slowly. They rarely if ever used the dungeons and she hated knowing that they were there. That Adam would voluntarily trap himself there because of his curse, that wounded her emotionally.
"He's not…is he?" Belle asked. She knew how stubborn he was, if he really wanted something then he couldn't be prevented from it.
"He's in the east tower," Mrs. Potts told her and Belle nodded slowly. "You know, where you started your jour-"
"I know where it is, thank you," Belle told her as she stood up and Belle heard a voice behind her.
"I wouldn't do that, he's expressed to us that he doesn't want you to see him whilst under the curse," Cogsworth told her and Belle rolled her eyes. How could he say that? She had seen him as the beast, she had fallen in love with him. Of all people, she should be the one to see him. Well, woman or not she could be just as stubborn.
"Then he'll have to learn how to deal with it," she said. She grabbed the keys before walking away to the tower. He didn't deserve this. He had done this to protect a life, taken a huge burden on himself, he didn't deserve this.
…..
…..
Adam looked at his paws again. Would this undo the previous six years? He had tried so hard to change himself and now he was starting to feel that anger again, that anxiety. He had to keep himself together before he lost his mind within this form. He was the same person but trapped under fur. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Same person but as if under a weighted costume.
He had to adjust to being in here because maybe being locked up would help him or at least he wouldn't hurt anyone. He couldn't let them see him like this. He couldn't let Isabella see him. He froze as he heard a key in the lock and tried to back away to the shadows.
He was surprised when he saw Belle enter. Of course, she knew, she was good at figuring out puzzles and she was headstrong. If she had found out what had happened, she would have come to see him.
"Adam?" she asked as she blinked into the darkness, "Are you in here, darling?"
"You shouldn't use that name" Adam finally growled and Belle turned her head in the direction of the sound. Darkness, he was trying to use darkness to hide in. Belle hummed before taking a step in the direction of where she had heard the noise. She wasn't afraid of him like the first time they had met. He would never harm her on purpose.
"It's your name. It still belongs to you," Belle said as she saw the flash of a large shadow. She turned towards where the shadow had come from and turned to the side so she could use the light to see him. She nodded as she recognized this form. She had believed that he had been like this when she was ignorant and just a peasant from a poor provincial town. Now she knew of his human side.
Adam's eyes made contact with hers and he pressed himself against the wall.
"You know, you can't really hide from me and you shouldn't," Belle said as she gazed into those beautiful blue eyes as they stood in the near darkness. "My love, it's all right. You don't need to hide from me. Please step into the light," she requested and she saw the pain in his eyes.
He sighed before doing so and Belle nodded. She had seen him like this before. She wasn't scared of him but her heart hurt more than it had the first time for him. He was her husband now. She had known him for six years and what kind of a man he had matured into. She let her fingers brush through his fur before she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.
"It's okay," she tried to tell him, "I love you. Beast or not, I love you."
"It's not okay," she heard him argue, "This form, this monster, how am I suppo-"
"Adam, look at me," Belle pleaded. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "You know what you told me when the curse was broken, the first time. You turned to look at me and told me that it was you. You're the same. The outside isn't what's important, please know that to me you are the same person that I fell in love with."
"You shouldn't use that name," he protested and Belle faced him confidently.
"I am going to continue using it. You don't act like a beast anymore. You've shown your colors as a hero, as a strong and wonderful person who I am very fortunate to call my husband," she took another step forward and let her hand bury into his fur. She leaned up and kissed him, feeling his sharp jaw and the larger teeth, the fangs. He was surprised by the kiss but soon kissed her back, his paw going through her hair. She took it in her hand and let her head press into it. "See, it's not that bad," she whispered as a few tears fell from her eyes.
"You're crying," he commented and she nodded.
"Because I feel so bad for you," she said as she threw her arms around him again. "I love you so much. I never want anything bad or painful to happen to you. Now, can you please come to bed with me. I'd appreciate that."
"You don't want to look at the beast when you wake up," he told her and Belle held onto him, pushing her head into his fur and she felt him hold her back.
"I want to see my husband no matter what form he may be in," Belle assured him. As she pulled back and saw his hope, she tried to dab away the tears from her eyes. "I won't leave you," she assured him. "I will never leave you."
"Don't be a fool," Adam replied as he took a few steps from her and Belle stared at him. She bowed her head and shook it.
"The only foolish one in here is you if you don't see how unconditional my love is," she tried to comfort him but he shielded himself, hiding away from her again. "I'll be back later. Please try to get some rest. I really do love you," she said honestly as she stepped away from him.
She brushed away more tears as she stood outside the room and her heart twisted in her chest as she held the key to the lock. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lock him inside no matter how he might want her to. She put her hand to the door and then took a step forward, pressing her lips to it. "Adam," she whispered knowing that he couldn't hear her, "I love you."
…
…
Belle felt weak as she took a look back in the direction she had just come from. She didn't like the idea that he was alone up there at all. She didn't like the way he was treating himself and holding himself responsible for what happened to him. She most definitely didn't like the way that he didn't appear to trust her.
Belle walked into the kitchen area and her eyes lit up as she saw the fresh ingredients that one of the servants had bought. She could make something for him, porridge or a thick soup, something where they could both eat without the need for silverware. He found it difficult to use silver ware with his paws or he had last time he had been in this form.
Some kind of fresh soup would probably be good for the two of them. She looked through the bags before hearing a voice behind her.
"What do you think that you are doing, Madam?" Cogsworth asked and Belle turned to him in surprise.
"He hasn't eaten has he?" she asked and Cogsworth sighed.
"I'm afraid that the answer is no and I don't see him ready to eat at any point soon. It's such a debilitating thing to be cursed and I was cursed for many years. Of course, the master does have more abilities than I did as a clock," he smiled before stepping forward and putting the bag out of Belle's hands. "Now, what was it that you wanted to make?"
"I'll be all right," Belle protested, "It's just a soup. He needs to eat something to keep his strength up. I'd be happy to make it for him rather than be a bother to anyone else."
"I feel that I could produce a better meal and it's no trouble, I assure you of that, really it isn't troublesome." Belle nodded slowly, she understood that it was easier with Cogsworth to just go along with what he wanted to do. He had good intentions even if he was set in his ways. "Are you sure that the master is ready to eat?"
"I don't know," Belle admitted, "but I'd rather give Adam the choice. He won't come down on his own, I know that much about his stubbornness. He still eats like a human…without the silverware of course so I need for him to have food if he's going to stay up there."
"Any preference as to what is made?" the head of house asked as he rolled up his sleeves and Belle shook her head.
"Just something where he won't feel too hungry. Even if he wants to be in isolation right now, I don't want him to starve. I don't like his lack of confidence but…" Belle sighed, she closed her eyes, "I just want to make sure that he doesn't go hungry."
…..
…..
Belle hadn't been to the palace in the capital before, of course why would she? She had been the only daughter in a small village with her father being a pre-successful inventor. She had only really come to know the royal life after living with a man who had once been a beast. Everything was more fairytale than historical fiction.
"I…" Belle said showing her nervousness and Adam looked at her, taking her gloved hand and kissing the back of it.
"I assure you that it will be fine," he told her, "It's just a formality and one that I'm anxious about as well. I was discarded by these people myself but I survived and only through survival did I meet you and they wouldn't treat you nearly as terrible."
"They treated you terribly?" Belle asked. She had a hard time believing that Adam was talking about his own parents. He looked to her and nodded.
"I don't blame them though," he said and Belle stared at him confused. "Imagine returning to your own child to find that he has turned into an animal and you fear for your own safety. No, it was right for them to leave me alone, for them to fear me."
"They don't need to fear you any longer," Belle said as she touched his cheek and smiled to him. "Let's show them what a kind person you've turned out to be. How you now care about more than just yourself." She looked at him with a smile, "You're not a beast," she said as she put a hand to his chest. "You are the man that I love. You are a prince."
