Chapter Fifteen – In Power
Belle felt a pain within her as she remembered the cruelty that Gaston had always had. He had wanted to hurt Adam several times and she couldn't help but think that this was a karmic retribution for what he had done. Still, nobody deserved to be unloved. She would have called him a pig before when he tried to limit her choices in a future even going so far as telling her not to read because it wasn't right for a woman to do anything but procreate and take care of her husband.
What was stupid was that when she did live in the village and before the events with Adam had taken place, she had turned him down several times whilst others called her crazy for doing so. That meant that there were a lot of women who would happily have become his wife. As she went into the dark dungeon, thinking of how painful it had been to see Adam in full beast mode, she flinched as she heard snarls and teeth in powerful jaws.
She looked at the beast who had dark patches of fur the same black shade as Gaston's hair. She knelt down in the dirt, feeling the cold ground on her knees. She could think much more of how disgusting it felt on her legs and how cold and hard it was this time. When she had come to visit Adam when his mind had changed to that of his outer appearance, she hadn't been concerned of where she was kneeling or how cold her body felt. At that time all she had cared about was him and making sure he was fed.
She looked into the cell and saw the beast Gaston glare at her. "I brought you something to eat," she said and he gave her a suspicious glance. She placed down a plate with chicken and potatoes on it and slowly moved it forwards. "You should eat," she told him before lifting her chin feeling her want not to forgive him.
"You brought me food?" he growled at her. He tried to reach for the plate with his paw but it was very difficult for him to grab. Belle turned away as he attempted to use his paw to eat. She thought of how hard it had been for Adam, how messy he had been and how self-conscious he had been afterwards. She had wanted to comfort him and tell him that it was okay. The beast Gaston didn't deserve that. "How am I supposed to eat this!?" he asked as he slammed his paw on the plate and the potatoes and chicken scattered on the floor. "Do you think this is funny? This food is ruined."
"You did that to yourself," Belle replied before standing up, she brushed herself down. "You can just eat it off of the floor."
"So your plan is to humiliate me!" Gaston roared at her and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You didn't care to think about how Adam would have to face the inability to eat properly when you used our daughter to blackmail him. You didn't care to think about how it would create fear in my child at seeing her father in that manner. I understand that when you brought a mob to the castle, you didn't know and were trying to help others but you still attacked my husband when he was trying to avoid you." Belle looked away. She heard Gaston rush at the bars but of course Adam had made sure that they were strong enough to hold his own beastly form. There was no way that he could escape without breaking the bricks and that would only lead to dirt.
"You're trying to murder me!" he roared and it echoed around the dungeon. Belle took slow breaths.
Adam had had a temper too, he had been in pain for ten years and logically it didn't make sense to him. He had been an eleven-year-old boy, a prince who had been abandoned in a castle where he felt rejected by his parents. Those years he could have spent educating himself, meeting different women, experiencing life had been years he had been cooped up in this castle. No child deserved that. Gaston, on the other hand, had lived a full life until now. He wasn't a child who had been cursed unfairly like Adam had, he had been someone who had attempted to kill and destroy.
"Get me some more food!" he demanded and heard footsteps. Gaston's eyes flashed with a hatred as he saw Adam, dressed in warm clothes, rush forwards and take Belle into his arms. He turned her, looking at her face and doing a quick examination of her body with his eyes to make sure that there were no wounds. He glanced at the beastly Gaston only briefly before taking Belle's hands in his own.
"My love," he whispered to her as he cupped her cheek affectionately. "Are you okay? When I had heard that you had come down here yourself…and with the…noise coming from here."
"I'm okay," Belle nodded. "I thought that it would be good to extend kindness. I think that I was -"
"It is never wrong to show kindness and forgiveness," he told her before lifting her chin and kissing her in a romantic way that some only believed possible in fairytales. She smiled before throwing her arms around his neck and took comfort in him bringing her close to his chest.
"Kindness!?" Gaston laughed as he rushed to the bars again and Adam instinctively drew Belle closer to him, holding her protectively. "You think you are showing kindness? If it was up to you, oh prince," he said with a mocking tone in his low voice. "You would have me starve."
Belle turned to the monster behind the bars, it wasn't his outside that made him ugly but the inside. She placed a hand on Adam's upper arm. "Adam is the one who requested for you to have food to eat," she informed him. "Adam is the one who is keeping you here in safety from villagers which you yourself tried to turn against him. If it wasn't for Adam, you might not even be alive."
Gaston stared at her appearing not to believe in those words. This prince wanted revenge on him. That was all that he could be, a cold and ruthless dictator. Really, Belle didn't know what she was missing.
….
…..
Adam looked sorrowfully at Belle as she transformed. He wished that he could save her. This was supposed to be his curse and not hers. He wanted to bring her out of it, make sure that she was safe but as she looked to him, he was captivated by those gorgeous eyes and how much he loved her. "My princess," he whispered as he got out of the bed and went to kneel opposite her. He could see her fear.
Placing a hand on her cheek, he kissed her lovingly despite the changed jaw. He had dragged her into this world. If she had remained in her provincial town then she would remain human. "How are you?" he asked, his eyes showing his guilt but also his unconditional love. He took her paw, bringing it to his lips.
"I am okay," Belle said with a deep exhale. Adam moved his hand to touch her horn knowing how much pleasure it brought to him. He only wanted her happiness. He would stay awake the entire night if she needed him to. "You can kiss me?" she asked and Adam looked at her in shock.
"Of course I can kiss you," he argued with her. "I love you. I just wish that I could do something to help you and to break this curse. This is supposed to be my curse, not yours."
Belle moved so that she could enjoy the way he touched her horn and Adam felt relief that there was a smile on her furry face. He kissed her forehead and then saw something glowing at the side of the room. What was this? Some other magic. Belle's eyes went that way as well.
"I assure you that I'll be right back," he told her lovingly and Belle nodded, looking at her paw and then turned her attention to Adam. He picked up what looked like a glowing book. She was afraid for him. They had both encountered pains in life that meant magic wasn't perfect. Magic didn't immediately lead to problems being solved and people being healed. She wondered whether she should warn him of that before he opened the book.
He fell down to the ground as a golden light surrounded him. Belle sat up. She didn't know how she could help him but he needed someone to be there with him. She was about to reach out to him but he stood up. His face showed how puzzled and confused he was and he stared at his hands, turning them over. "Adam?" she growled and he turned his attention to her before walking over to her.
"I don't know if this will work," he said and Belle tilted her head as she saw that his body had a slight glow through it. Was he hurt? Was he cursed again? He was physically okay, he didn't seem to be bleeding. He reached out to her, "Please stay still," he asked her and Belle nodded. She saw Adam reach out to her and felt a pleasant happy feeling throughout her body as he pushed his fingers through her fur.
As he touched her, the fur seemed to disappear and she could feel as if he was touching her skin. She heard him laugh happily and she looked at him, having closed her eyes when he had pushed his fingers through her fur. She felt her smaller body and saw the way his hand was still glowing. He stared at his fingers, widening them in the light.
"Adam?" Belle asked and he looked away from her. He walked away from her and looked out the window. She saw him reach out for a stone and her heart beat in her chest quickly. What was he doing? All of a sudden, she saw the stone turn into a sapphire. She blinked before he turned back to her.
"Why would she do this?" he asked and Belle watched him wanting for him to explain. She heard him laugh again but it seemed to be happy and relieved and so she felt more comfort. He wasn't going to get hurt, he had turned her human again but she still wasn't sure what was happening or why it was happening.
"What is it?" Belle asked as she pulled the bedsheet to her.
"The enchantress gave me her powers," Adam told her and Belle watched him. The enchantress had also given Gaston powers and Gaston had used those for evil, he had used those to hurt and manipulate but Belle knew that Adam wouldn't do that. He was gentle now that he wasn't in constant pain at being a beast. He knew how it was to live with fear and heartache and she knew he would use those powers for good.
"I suppose that would make you the enchanter," she told him before smiling and looked down, thinking of how much she loved him and how he must have always desired power to protect himself. "You are quite enchanting," she complimented him and he smiled to her. Belle paused as she thought about how Gaston was still locked up in the dungeon.
How would Adam treat him with their positions switched completely?
End of Chapter Fifteen
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Lily, sailorsenshi13
