Chapter Thirty Three

33.1

Adam opened his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling of the dungeon. He hated how he had absolutely no idea what he had done to get here and he just wished it would be a little more hospitable and he would be able to sit on a pillow or some folded sheets. His butt was not taking to this well. He put a hand to his backside after making sure neither guard was watching him and felt strange. It was almost as if he were supposed to have an added appendage there. Strange.

"Do you want to stay in there?" Adam heard someone ask him in a soft childlike voice.

He laughed, "I don't think anyone really wants to stay imprisoned but what can I do. I did something wrong and so the justice system has to work the way that it has been set up. Yes, it does feel unfair but I'm going to see that I carry out the punishment of this crime that I've done…whatever I've done."

"I'm really not supposed to let you out," the voice said again and Adam laughed.

"I'm sure that would cause a lot of unnecessary chaos," he nodded before sighing. Darn it. As much as he could try to be patient, it wasn't helping the soreness of his body. His legs had gone to sleep as well. "Who am I…uh – speaking with if it's okay to know."

"You really don't know anything, do you?" a boy asked as he sat down against the brick wall next to the cell and leaned his head back. "It's a waste that things happen to you like this. I knew you were really a good guy but it's just some people won't listen to me," he shrugged and Adam stared at him.

"I take it that we might have known of one another before I got the amnesia," he laughed and Chip stared at him.

"Yeah, we did." He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling and smiled as he looked over at Adam. It was strange, even staring at the man he could almost see the outline of the beast form as if he were wearing an invisible cloak. "I'm Chip, you…you don't have any idea of who you are."

"Hi, Chip," Adam smiled to him and then shook his head. "I know my name's Adam. I'm assuming that I'm in my early to mid twenties…or I think so. I think I've got a good amount of physical strength as well. I mean, those really aren't things but that's what I've got."

Chip looked over to him and nodded. "Yeah, you're kind of like a big brother to me," he said and Adam smiled as he took a look at the boy outside the bars and laughed happily. "You helped me get into inventing when I told you that I was interested."

"Hey, I'm not going to argue with you, if that is true then I'm glad that I've got someone like you in a little brother role and why wouldn't I trust you, there's no one else here telling me anything." Adam looked over as he heard the door and then his body froze as he could hear the sound of a baby crying. His mind went blank again but he could hear that crying. "Juliet?" he asked but he wasn't sure where that word had come from.

"Are you…okay?" Chip asked and Adam nodded slowly as he looked at his hands as if expecting them to be paws. He looked down, his expression showing his obviously troubled nature. "Adam?"

"I'm okay." Adam whispered as he saw a man come down with food for him. "You should hide," he whispered to Chip. How did he start feeling prickly when hearing that baby cry? Was it natural to have such a hard burning urge to hold a crying infant? Why did he say Juliet, was he connected to that baby? Was that the reason he was here? Did Juliet…belong to him in some way?

33.2

Belle stood frozen in horror as she looked up at the large statue of Gaston that had been placed near the fountain where she would spend time reading to the sheep before all of this happened. She sighed and bowed her head. She was such a different woman at that time and now that she had faced fear and loss and pain, she knew what she had was protection and a man who loved her and repented very deeply for the things he had done but more than anything adored her.

"I think it might be safer if we just stayed here," Maurice said as he looked around at the villagers, feeling very nervous for his daughter. "I think -"

"Papa, I don't want to disagree with you so vocally but this is the plan that Adam and I believe will work and Adam is smart. He might not physically be here but if he has thought of this plan, he's thought of the consequences. He's always thinking about them when it comes to my safety or even my happiness.

"You trust him more than…more than thinking clearly and rationally and coming to a plan yourself?" Maurice asked and Belle laughed as she stared at him with a confident smile.

"I trust Adam more than anything or anyone," she said before seeing there was a crowd at the tavern. She wasn't sure if Gaston would have been there but if she approached Gaston as herself then any black magic he was a part of could be linked back to her. She closed her eyes before deciding to get a closer look as a human before she became a cow. This was what they were trying to find out the answers to, what Gaston was doing back, what plans he had for the future or if there was any proof that he was behind the regicide.

Belle rolled her eyes as she saw the three blonde women still wanting his affections although he clearly thought that he was above them. She froze as she actually saw Gaston come out and looked quickly back in the direction where Maurice was. She nodded to him before coming back to his side.

"Well, he's here," she said although Maurice had seen Gaston from a distance. "I think it might be better to search the back room of the tavern when he's gone out of there, distracted the crowd, drawn them out. I have the feeling that if he's keeping any evidence at all, it will be stowed away in there."

Maurice nodded before he put his hand on Belle's arm, "It doesn't hurt you, does it? The physical transformation?"

"Not so much physically as mentally, emotionally, psychologically but Adam's found a way for the two of us to be able to communicate so it's better having someone to speak to who can understand me. That's why I have to do this, for us, otherwise it would just have been us going around in circles." Belle looked away and to the other side of the village. "I wonder if everyone is here at the tavern though," she thought before gesturing to the path of the bookstore. "Maybe a short stop."

"Belle," Maurice said anxiously. "I don't think that this is time for us to shop."

"I have a contact but yes, he does own the bookshop," Belle smiled. She knew that the bookseller would be able to understand what was going on if she told him. He had been the only one who had been able to match Adam to 'the beast' and knew about the curses and transformations and had even offered his help to them. Adam had taken a liking to him when they had come down to the village and she wanted to see the books and despite him knowing for all of this time why Adam had seemed to appear from nowhere, he didn't treat him unkindly.

33.3

Belle smiled as she stood in the bookstore. It felt so nice to be in here again surrounded by the objects which she had considered as giving her friends before she had gone into the castle and made real friends with cursed people who were items at the time. She saw the bookseller come to her and stiffened. Was he going to ask about Adam? Was he going to realize the truth about why she was here alone? Did he even have the secret ability to notice curses and magic and that type of thing?

"Good morning, Belle," he smiled as she looked him over. "I'd love to show you the new books which I just brought it but I have my suspicions that you may be interested in something else."

"Yes, the type of information which might not be found easily in books, I'm afraid," she said and the bookseller nodded with a sigh.

"I completely understand what you mean. I don't trust it either and I don't think it's heroic but my suspicions are raised, is everything at the castle stable?" he asked and Belle nodded. "And Prince Adam, what condition is he in?"

"Adam is…fine," Belle said as Maurice looked between the two of them. They were keeping their voices low but they were the only three people in here and he could hear their whispers. So this man knew about Adam and his history and it was as if he were completely normal to him now.

"Have you heard anything around the town?" she asked and the bookseller sighed and nodded. Belle looked at him closely and saw him gesture for them to go into the back with him. "Papa," she said but Maurice shook his head.

"You two go, talk about what you need to, I'll look around the shop a little more and come to find you if any customers enter."

"Thank you, Papa," she said before following the bookseller to the back.

"So," Belle asked feeling her stomach settle uncomfortably, "What is it? What's been happening?"

"Is Prince Adam," the bookseller coughed, "Safe?" he asked before looking away. "Gaston has been speaking to others thinking that by using 'the beast' that he can use an animal to win the war. He's attempting to gather the evidence and manpower to go and 'capture' him in the more animalistic form. I don't know if a whole mob will be involved but.."

"Adam has the ability to shift in and out of those forms," Belle admitted and the bookseller hummed.

"People do love the prince, perhaps he could come out to show that he has been cursed but then word spreads quickly so for his own safety I don't suppose he can do that. However, if you wanted to find any evidence of his cunning it would be in that tavern."

"Okay," Belle nodded. "Thank you."

End of Chapter Thirty Three

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DarthLeia19, KathyMesser