They decided to head out after sunset. Not because it was the safest time to leave, but because the darkness would provide them with the best cover from Gaston's guards.
Outside Agathon's cottage, Adam, Belle, and Maurice assembled their horses for their respective journeys. Belle hadn't spoken another word to Adam since their fight, which was perfectly fine by him. He feared that if he said anything more to her, he would compromise their relationship, or mislead her into thinking that he'd changed his mind about joining the resistance. He'd said what he had to and had no intention of going against his word. Still, he couldn't help but sneak a few glances at her as he packed his saddlebags with Agathon's supplies. This would be the last time he'd see her, both in this timeline and the next. He might as well make the most of it.
He'd just finished fastening the collar to his horse when he heard a loud snapping noise. He looked up to see that the trees, which Agathon had previously enchanted into a sturdy barrier, had broken out of their formation.
"What on earth?!" the Enchanter said, raising his brows in alarm.
No sooner had he uttered the question, than a frigid gust of wind struck the group sharply in their faces. It was so strong that it caused several leaves to detach from the nearby trees and fly towards them. Adam shivered and hugged himself for warmth. Even after sunset, such a powerful gust of wind was far too cold for summer.
Then, adding to his confusion, several pricks of light began to emerge from behind the trees.
"Look!" a man shouted from the darkness. "There's something over there!"
"Damn," Agathon cursed as he turned back to the three fugitives. "Gaston's men must have found us. Belle! Maurice! You need to get out of here. NOW!"
Belle and Maurice didn't need to be told twice. They hopped onto Philippe's back and galloped away from the lights, which were getting larger by the second.
As they disappeared into the woods, Agathon turned his attention back to Adam. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I would have accompanied you to the tree, but it seems that something or someone has cut our road trip short. If I don't stop whoever's out there, then you may not be out of Gaston's grip for much longer. Now, listen carefully. The Forest of Brocéliande lies within Paimpont Forest, near the Château de Comper. Do you know where that is?"
"Yes." Adam nodded. "In Brittany." He'd visited the area a few times when he used to travel around the country with his parents.
"Good." Agathon passed him a leather satchel. "Go to the forest and take this with you. It contains the magic mirror and the amulet you'll need to enter Brocéliande. The mirror is your map. Once you reach Paimpont Forest, ask it to show you how to find Brocéliande, and it will give you directions. Once you reach the barrier, put on the amulet and you'll pass through safely."
Adam obediently slipped the satchel over his back. "How can I ever thank you?"
"By getting to the tree and not getting killed, that's how," Agathon replied. "Now GO!"
At his urging, Adam mounted his horse and sped across the clearing. The last thing he saw before he vanished into the forest was the Enchanter, raising his hands towards the approaching lights. Adam hoped he knew what he was doing.
As he had no time to light a torch, Adam could only depend on the light from the crescent moon to guide him through the darkness. But even this didn't provide him with much visibility. He could hardly see anything in front of him. If not for the greyish silhouettes of passing trees and underbrush, he would have thought that he'd rode his horse into oblivion. As time passed, he began to wonder if the encompassing silhouettes weren't in fact from trees, but from the whiskers of a colossal demon from the nine circles of hell…
Snap out of it, he told himself firmly. This wasn't the time to let his childish fears get the best of him. The important thing was to keep riding North until he reached the main path out of the kingdom. Once there, he would begin his three-day journey to Brittany, and the tree...
A woman's scream startled him from his thoughts. It came from somewhere off the trail, not too far away from him.
"Well, well, well," an unknown man was saying haughtily. "Looks like we've got ourselves la prise du jour."
"Stop! Don't come any closer!"
Adam tensed and stopped his horse upon hearing that second voice. It was Belle.
"What's the matter, petite fillette?" a second man said mockingly. "Scared now that your precious daddy's not here to protect you?"
The two of them laughed as Adam gripped the reins of his horse tensely. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't get involved in Belle's life again. But those strangers didn't sound particularly friendly, and Belle could be in some serious danger. He would never forgive himself if he let something bad happen to her, again…
Before he could change his mind, the Count dismounted his horse and made his way towards the voices. He spent a minute stumbling blindly downhill until he saw a lantern flickering in the distance. He meandered around a tree to get a closer look, and nearly gasped at the disturbing display in front of him. Belle was lying helplessly on her back, eyes wide with fear. Surrounding her were two men in shabby civilians' clothes and black tricorn hats—Adam assumed they were townsfolk or ruffians. The shorter of the two was holding the lantern, while the taller one had a rifle pointed at Belle's face. Maurice and Philippe were nowhere to be seen.
"Come on now, up you get," the taller man said, flicking the muzzle of his rifle at Belle lazily. "The King's going to have a lot of questions for you, and Maxime and I certainly aren't keeping him waiting."
"C'est vrai," the man named Maxime agreed with a gleeful nod of his head. "Once we hand you over to King Gaston, we're going to be filthy rich!"
"Well you can tell your King to get lost," Belle said boldly, despite the uneasy expression on her face. "I'd rather die than tell him anything."
"You're in no place to be making decisions, girl," the man with the rifle snapped impatiently. "Now get up before we make you."
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" she challenged, crossing her arms defiantly. "Threatening me with your scary rifle? Beating me into submission? As the King's future courtesan, I'm sure he'll be very pleased to see all the bruises."
"She does have a point, Perducas," Maxime said uneasily as he stepped closer to his companion. "The King said we have to bring her back unspoiled if we want the full bounty."
"Shut up, Maxime!" Perducas snapped. "I'm the boss around here, not you!"
Adam took advantage of this lull in the conversation to make his "daring entrance." He emerged from the trees and approached Belle's captors with his hands raised. "Stop!" he shouted. "It's me you want, not the girl! Let her go and take me to the King instead."
Maxime furrowed his brows in suspicion. "Who in the blazes are you?"
"Are you daft, Maxime?" Perducas replied, smacking his partner on the side of his head. "That's King Gaston's brother! The one he's sent his guards all over the kingdom to look for? His Majesty will give us anything we want if we turn him in."
"Oh." Maxime's eyes widened with realization. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get him!"
They had their backs turned to Belle now, leaving her free to escape unscathed. But rather than flee the premises, Adam watched dumbstruck, as she reached for a thick branch on the ground and rose to her feet. As the bounty hunters slowly approached Adam, she snuck behind them and clubbed them in the back of their heads with all her might—first Perducas, then Maxime, who grunted in pain and released the lantern. The impact sent the two of them tumbling to the ground; the lantern shattering into a nearby shrub, which immediately burst into flame.
Satisfied with her distraction, Belle darted past Adam and clambered up the hill he'd just come from. "Come on, run!" she shouted back at him.
Adam turned to the bounty hunters, who were already struggling to get away from the rapidly growing fire. Maxime was crying out in panic as he tried to put out a flame that had caught on his sleeve.
"Perducas! Help me! My jacket's on fire!"
"Then take it off, you idiot!" Perducas shouted back at him. "And make it quick. Our bounty is getting away!"
Taking that as his cue to leave, Adam followed Belle back up the hill, catching up to her as they reached his horse. He jumped on to the saddle and lowered his hand to help her up, but she purposefully ignored him and climbed up herself. Adam rolled his eyes. So much for chivalry.
He kicked the horse in the sides and led them into a full gallop down the path. Belle's hand lightly brushed against the back of his leg as she gripped the saddle, causing a bead of nervous sweat to trickle down his face. He'd known that Belle's added weight would slow down the horse. But he hadn't counted on the closeness of her body being such a noticeable and awkward distraction.
They hadn't travelled far before they heard fast trotting behind them. Perducas and Maxime had emerged on to the path on their own horses, and they were furious.
"There they are!" Perducas shouted. "Don't let them get away!"
"Oui oui, mon capitaine!" Maxime replied.
Adam groaned. "Those two can't take a hint, can they?"
"We need to get off the path," Belle urged as she gestured to her left.
"What?" He looked back at her in disbelief. "That's insane! The forest is a maze at night! If we leave the trail now, we may never find our way back."
"Do you want to outrun them or not?" she snapped back at him. "Do as I say!"
Adam rolled his eyes again. He was beginning to wonder if rescuing Belle was worth all this trouble if all she was going to do was boss him around and nag him. But since he could think of no other reasons to object to her solution, he veered the horse off the path, back into the darkness.
Under the shadowy cover of the trees, Adam had no idea where they were going. The bandits remained hot on their trail. Even with Belle shouting arbitrary directions at him to shake them off, they still continued their pursuit.
Then, he saw an opening in the trees ahead of them. Finally. Maybe there was a literal "light at the end of the tunnel," after all! He rode through the opening, across a rocky plateau, and straight towards the edge of a cliff.
Belle let out a high-pitched scream. For a few terrifying seconds, Adam saw nothing but a treacherous-looking river below them. Then, his wits returned, and he coaxed his frightened horse back onto solid ground. Guess we aren't getting out of the woods that way…
To make matters worse, when he turned around, he saw Perducas and Maxime pointing their rifles at them menacingly. They must have followed them out to the cliff.
"End of the line you two," Perducas snarled. "I'll make this quick and easy. I can kill you both right here, or you can quietly hand yourselves over so we can get our reward money. Your choice."
Adam looked nervously back at Belle. "Got any more brilliant ideas?"
Belle examined her surroundings before her eyes settled on the cliff. "The river. We need to jump."
"Are you mad?!" he shouted. "There's no way we can make that jump! We could drown, or-or have our bones mashed into a pulp."
"Do you have a better solution?"
"Last warning!" Perducas shouted, cocking his gun.
"I'm sorry," Belle said decisively. "I'm not going to stand for this." She dismounted the horse and walked towards the edge of the cliff.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Maxime cried in sudden panic. "Don't you dare take a step closer to that cliff, girl. HEY!"
BANG! The explosive sound of a gunshot filled the air, causing Adam's horse to whinny and jump up on his hind legs in fright. Adam tried to hold on to the mane, but it was no use. With one wild fling of the horse's neck, he went flying out of the saddle, straight over the edge of the cliff.
The fall seemed to take forever. Adam wildly flailed out his arms, searching for something, anything to hold on to, but there was nothing. A deep sense of panic began to set in, not only for his situation but for Belle's. Where was she? Had she managed to jump into the river before Perducas had fired his rifle? Or was she still on the cliff, wounded and at the mercy of those two heartless crooks?
He landed in the water with a tremendous splash. For a few seconds, he couldn't see anything, only feel the weight of the freezing water surrounding him and the power of the river's current dragging him rapidly downstream like a limp rag doll. Using the power of his arms and upper body, he forced himself back up to the surface. It was a relief to be able to breathe freely again, but that relief was short-lived. There was nothing to hold on to in the darkness, and the current was so strong and fast, that any efforts to swim towards the closest bank would be impossible. It was all he could do to keep himself afloat, and even this grew more tiring as time passed. His head bobbed up and down like a cork, he sputtered as a large amount of water forced its way into his mouth, and then he fell under the surface again, seeing nothing but the rippling crescent moon above him, hearing nothing but the harsh roaring of the water in his ears…
This is it, he thought in despair. He was going to die here, alone in this dark, freezing water. If he was lucky, his body would be washed up on a riverbank for a passerby to find, and then he'd be buried in an unmarked grave where nobody would remember him. Worst of all, all his efforts to stop Gaston's regime and undo this timeline would be for nothing. He had failed Agathon, he had failed his servants, and he had failed Belle…
Water entered his nose, then his throat and chest. His insides constricted against the foreign substance, but he had no air to breathe that could relieve the pressure. In his last moments of life, he tried to think of something comforting. Eventually, he settled on a memory of his mother singing him a lullaby that he still heard in his dreams, even though it had been over thirteen years since she'd passed away…
"Days in the sun
When your life has barely begun
Not until my own life is done
Could I ever leave you…"
He awoke to semi-darkness, and an intense burning sensation in this throat. Moments later, he doubled over and vomited violently on the rough ground.
After his bout of nausea had passed, Adam leaned back and took in his new surroundings. It looked like the current had transported him to a shallower part of the river, though how much time had passed since he'd lost consciousness, he couldn't say. The water lay an arm's length away from him. Behind him stood the billowing silhouette of an unknown forest.
He crawled backwards, stopping as his hand touched a thin piece of fabric. Turning around, he saw Belle lying face down on the ground next to him. Thank God. She must have jumped off the cliff moments before the bounty hunter had fired his rifle.
"Mademoiselle?" he said hoarsely as he moved closer to her. "Mademoiselle Gagnier? Can you hear me?"
There was no reply. Starting to become very worried, he turned her over, patted her cheeks and then forcefully shook her shoulders. "No. No no no," he muttered. "Please don't be dead! Not again."
Suddenly, Belle coughed loudly and turned her head toward him. Adam sighed in relief. She was alive.
He moved away to give her some space. Given their currently sour relationship, he doubted that she would appreciate him sitting so close to her. Not to mention how inappropriate it would look.
"Are you all right?" he asked as she slowly sat up from the ground.
"I think so," she answered in a wheezy voice. "Where am I?"
"I'm not sure. The current must have washed us miles away from the cliff."
She studied her surroundings frantically. Then she said to herself more than to Adam, "Where's Papa? Papa? PAPA? PAPA?!"
There was no answer. Only the dull burbling of the river and the wind rustling through the trees.
"No," she moaned, burying her head in her hands. "I should have stayed with him. After we fled Agathon's house, we heard a gunshot, and it scared our horse. We fell off the saddle, and before we knew it, bandits were coming at us from all directions. My father ran one way, I ran the other way…"
"It's not your fault," Adam consoled. "You were running for your life. You couldn't have done anything to save him."
Belle dried her tears and looked back at him. "You have to help me find him."
"Are you serious?!" He widened his eyes. "We narrowly escaped certain death from the river and those bandits back on the cliff. And you still want to go back?"
"You would do the same thing if he was your father," she argued. "I can't leave him behind to become the King's prisoner. Not again."
"Look, it's not that I'm trying to undermine your concern for your father," Adam emphasized. "But what you're asking me to do is complete and utter suicide!"
He couldn't see her eyes clearly in the dark but had the strangest impression that she was shooting daggers at him. After a moment, she stood up resolutely and said, "Fine."
"Wait. What are you doing?"
"I'm going to find my father on my own."
He furrowed his brows, unable to believe what he was hearing. "And how do you plan on doing that? We don't even know where we are!"
"Simple. I'll follow the stars and keep walking upstream. I'll have to get back to the cliff at some point."
The Count gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't tell if Belle was being serious or not, but either way, her stubborn air and vindictive tone were making his blood boil. "That is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of!"
"Sorry, can't hear you," said Belle as she walked briskly away from him. "I must have some water stuck in my ears. Don't you have something better to do anyway? Like fleeing France, pretending that this isn't your problem?"
Adam seethed with an anger he hadn't felt since… well, since the days when Belle still lived in the castle as his prisoner. He briefly wondered if he should let her go and be stupid on her own. But when he weighed that against the very high possibility of her being raped and murdered, he knew that he couldn't be that cruel. He wanted Belle to be safe, not to be left for dead, again. Even with the fate of the kingdom resting on his shoulders, her well-being still meant everything to him.
"Wait," he called out in defeat as he stood up from the ground. "I'll-I'll help you find a way to get back to your father. But that's it. I can't get involved after that."
Belle's footsteps slowed as she turned back to look at him. "Why, thank you, Your Highness," she said with a grateful smile. "You know, perhaps there's a heart beating inside that chest of yours after all."
He scoffed. "Says the girl who I just rescued from those bounty hunters in the forest."
"I was perfectly in control of the situation, thank you very much."
"Oh, yes. I could see that as you were lying defenselessly on the ground, cajoling your enemies and luring them into a false sense of security."
"The point is, one act of chivalry is hardly enough to earn you a place in my good books," she explained sharply. "I will always think unkindly of any man who puts the needs of himself before the needs of his kingdom. But since I can't do anything to change your mind on that particular decision, I suppose it's best we drop the subject. Now, shall we be off?"
Before he could answer her question, she was already marching past him, searching for a quick way to cut from the riverbank into the forest. The Count took a deep breath before he followed her. Keep it together, Adam. It's not worth wasting your time bickering with Belle when she'll only be stuck with you for a couple of days at most.
Still, he couldn't deny that he was taking a big risk in agreeing to help her. As long as he played the role of Belle's travel companion, his plan to reach Paimpont forest and find the Nexus Tree would have to be put on hold. Which wasn't exactly the wisest decision, given his status as a wanted enemy of the King.
As he looked back at the river, Adam noticed that Agathon's satchel was lying by the edge of the water. He hastened towards it and opened the clasp, relieved to see that the magic mirror and amulet were still inside. He slipped it over his shoulder before returning to Belle.
The walk through the woods was quiet and awkward to say the least. Adam felt a bitter sense of irony for his current circumstances. He'd always dreamed of the day he could be alone with Belle as a human. Now that day had come, but instead of feeling overjoyed, he felt terrible.
Belle hated him; no question about it. An apathetic, self-centered, aristocrat like himself was the last person she'd want as a travel partner. Once she found a way to return to her father, she'd take off and never look back. Just like she had when the Beast had freed her in his original timeline. He would never be good enough for her, would never leave a lasting impact on her no matter what reality he travelled to. And he deeply resented that.
"Mademoiselle," he said after they'd been walking through the woods for about fifteen minutes. "I know you don't want to listen to my advice right now. In fact, I'm quite sure that you don't like listening to anyone's advice but your own. But surely it wouldn't be unreasonable for us to find some place to spend the night? We won't make much progress looking for your father in the dark."
"Absolutely not," Belle replied firmly. "The King could already be sentencing my father to death for all I know. I can't afford to waste any time."
Adam sighed. There was clearly no way of getting around Belle's headstrong attitude, no matter what he said or did.
"Look," he appealed, in another half-hearted attempt to reason with her. "There's no point in going back to the castle without proper food and rest. Besides, we're going to catch a cold in these wet clothes unless we find a place to dry off. I'm sure your father wouldn't want you to come and rescue him, only for you to die of pneumonia straight afterwards. He'd be devastated."
Belle paused, considering Adam's logic. Then she said, albeit reluctantly, "Well... I suppose we could stop for one night. But just one. After that, I can't afford to stop for anything."
"Of course not." He nodded. "Quite frankly, I'm convinced that you would sell your soul to the devil if it would buy you more time."
"Very funny, Your Highness." She crossed her arms and scowled. "So, seeing as it was your idea, where do you suggest we stay for the night?"
"First of all, if we're going to be travelling together, I must insist that you call me Adam," the Count corrected. "Not 'Your Highness.' Not 'My Prince.' Not 'Thomas-Alexandre.' Not… whatever other silly nicknames I may go by. And I think our best bet is to find the closest town from here. We might be able to acquire a horse and seek shelter in an inn or a church for the night."
"Whatever you wish, Your High—I mean, Adam," she agreed reluctantly.
They continued to walk in stilted silence until they reached a signpost by a crossroads ahead of them. As they moved closer to read the names, they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from their left.
Adam's heart began to race, thinking of the two bounty hunters they'd encountered earlier. He placed himself in front of Belle, prepared to shield her from their pursuers.
But instead of bandits, a beautifully decorated carriage emerged around the bend. Its windows and roof were accented with golden vines, likely indicating that it belonged to a member of the French upper class.
The driver was a middle-aged man wearing a simple cloak and tricorn hat. Upon seeing Adam and Belle standing beside the road, his eyes widened, and he pulled the horses to a halt.
"What on earth?!" a male voice shouted from inside the carriage. "Samuel, why have we stopped?"
"Sorry, Your Lordship," the coachman named Samuel replied. "It's just that there's a man and a woman standing by the side of the road. Likely village folk from the looks of it."
The unseen man let out an exasperated "tut" sound. "Village folk have all sorts of reasons for being out in the woods late at night, Samuel. Hardly something we need to waste our time investigating."
"But My Lord… they're all wet and the lady is missing one of her shoes," Samuel asserted. "What if someone mugged them? What if they're lost and need our help?"
The man sighed. "Fine. I'll go out and take a look. But after that, no more stops. We're late enough as it is."
The carriage door opened. Out stepped a young man with shoulder-length brown hair and grey-blue eyes. His outfit—a dark blue suit with brass buttons—was just as opulent-looking as his carriage and reminded Adam of something he might have worn in his pre-cursed life.
"Can I help you?" the nobleman asked, looking at Adam and Belle curiously.
Adam's eyes widened in recognition. "Vincent?"
The man blinked at Adam in surprise. "Cousin?"
He stepped closer to get a better look at him. Then, a huge smile appeared on his face. "Good lord, it is you!" he exclaimed. "How long has it been now? Eight? Nine years? What are you doing here? And what on earth are you dressed as?"
"It's… a long story," Adam replied awkwardly.
"Well, could you at least tell me who this young woman is?" He gestured to Belle with interest. "Your courtesan?"
"Oh no no no." Adam shook his head, embarrassed. "This is an acquaintance of mine, Mademoiselle Belle Gagnier. She's a peasant girl from a village near my old castle. She was separated from her father and I'm trying to help her find him. Belle, this is my cousin, Marquis Vincent de Breil de Pontbriand."
"Good evening, Your Grace," Belle said with an awkward curtsy.
"Enchanté, mademoiselle," Vincent replied with a bow. "I still have no idea what's going on, but it's nice to see my cousin spending time with someone other than his dogs for a change."
"Dogs?" Adam repeated in confusion.
"You know. Your Poitevins. Don't you keep over a dozen of them in your estate?"
"I've… lost count," Adam replied. Truthfully, he had no clue what his cousin was talking about.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter anyway," Vincent went on. "Still, the question remains. What are you doing so far from Droitebrume, soaking wet and travelling through the woods with this peasant girl?"
Adam felt it would be pointless to avoid an explanation. Vincent may have had obtuse opinions about certain subjects, but he was also quite perceptive, which made him difficult to lie to.
He exasperatingly recounted the day's events: going to see Gaston to propose an allowance raise, getting arrested for challenging his brother's leadership, escaping the castle, meeting Belle, fleeing from Gaston's guards again, only to nearly drown and end up on the edge of a riverbed…
"Bless me! It sounds like you've had quite a day," Vincent replied once Adam had finished speaking. "I always knew that your brother had a mean streak in him, but I never expected him to be that awful. I guess that explains why I saw his guards when I was passing through Grange-sur-bois earlier this evening."
"He sent his guards to Grange-sur-bois?" Adam was surprised to hear this. That town was nowhere near his old castle. In fact, it wasn't even part of his jurisdiction.
"Yes," Vincent confirmed. "They were announcing something to the villagers in the town square. I assumed it was for some sort of new bylaw, though I did think it a bit strange that they'd be delivering that news outside of Gaston's official territory. Based on what you've told me, I wouldn't be surprised if they were telling the people to be on the lookout for you."
"Blast," Adam cursed. "If that's true, then that completely rules out our chances of finding someplace comfortable to spend the night."
"Well, that's not a problem," he reassured. "You and your lady friend can come with me."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"To the Château de Vivecolline to see the Princess of Claircomble. It's her birthday tomorrow, and she's invited me and some other nobles in the region to celebrate."
Adam raised his brows in surprise. "You're... going to see Princess Amandine?"
"Oh. You know her?" A worried expression appeared on Vincent's face.
Adam had never seen his cousin look so startled before. Not wanting to bring up the fact that he'd almost married the Princess in another timeline, he replied, "Well, I know of her, though I've never met her in person. I don't think so anyway."
"Oh." Vincent instantly relaxed and lowered his shoulders. "Well, I know for a fact that the Princess's family isn't terribly fond of King Gaston. Ever since he insulted them at a dinner party a few years ago, they've wanted nothing to do with him. I'm sure they wouldn't object to taking you in as their guest. And as long as you stay in their castle, Gaston can't arrest or execute you without their permission. It would be a perfect place to seek refuge… unless you have somewhere else in mind?"
Adam looked back at Belle, half-expecting her to voice her opinion, but she only stared at him politely and waited for him to speak. He looked between her and Vincent before deciding. "Fine. We'll go with you to the Château de Vivecolline and ask Princess Amandine if we can stay with her."
He didn't know if it was the best choice, especially if it meant prolonging his journey to the tree, and his promise to help Belle find her father. But what was the alternative? Gaston's men were on the move and were getting closer from what Vincent had described. All things considered; Amandine's castle was the safest place to be right now.