ch4

Prince Adam hadn't looked over his shoulder even once as they made their way through his domain and beyond. He had to look ahead now, look for the one who could reverse his daughter's curse. His emotions were running high, and he had to remind himself not to let his anger get out of control. If Denise was to ever become human again, he must remian civil and composed. It was nearly noon and they had made good time, they were already a good five, maybe six miles into the forest. They rode quietly along a beaten path, two guards in front, Prince Adam and Lumiere in the middle and two guards brought up the rear. The incredibly tall pine trees and thick foliage darkened the path with a lovely yet eerie dark green hue, making it difficult to see clearly for more than ten feet away or so, and in spite the fact that the sun was blazing overhead, the shade the trees offered was refreshingly cool but dank with the unmistakable scent of mold and mildew in the air.

Rumor was that somewhere just up ahead along this path and just off to the right, stood a stone cottage where a daft, old widow, soothsayer lived. More known for her match making skills than foreseeing future events, but involved in the magical arts all the same. It was a long shot to say the least, hoping this crazy match maker could point them toward the same enchantress, who had cursed Adam and his castle in the past, but it was a shot the Prince had to take. The sound of gently running water was getting louder by the moment, and even the horses perked up at the scent of fresh running water. Lumiere quietly leaned over speaking to Adam, "Your highness, I suggest we allow the horses to get some water and a short rest once we find that brook."

The Prince nodded as he leaned in toward Lumiere. "Once we're there, I'll scout around on foot. That old widow's cottage shouldn't be too far away."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Still wearing her ballroom gown, Denise and Adam quietly walked outside with Forte following behind, looking as if he was being led to the gallows. As they continued on, the distance between him and the children grew, until he finally spoke up, "Why are you two in such a rush? Do you think the ground outside is going to go away any time soon?"

Adam turned and gave the man a confused look, not understanding his sarcasm. He then noticed the dispirited expression Forte wore and felt sorry for the old man. "Why so glum chum?"

The boy then ran back to grab Forte's left hand, "C'mon, I'll race ya."

Forte tried to take his hand back with no success. "I'd rather you didn't if its all the same."

He finally pried his hand loose from Adam's eager grip and shooed the child off, "Go, go run with your sister. She looks rather antsy to go outside."

"OK," Adam chirped as they hit the door, rushing outside like a racehorse out of the gate. Denise too darted like the wind, and immediately jumped ahead of Adam. Usually she did win their races, but now it was just no competition as she bolted like the wild animal she looked to be. That is, until suddenly her feet got caught in the flowing fabric of her gown and she fell flat on her face, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Adam was closest when she hit the ground, and came to her aid. Forte's face was struck with concern as he picked up his pace to reach her.

"Denise!" he yelled out. "Are you all right?"

Denise rolled over and sat up, rubbing her bruised, hairy nose.

"Yah I guess so," she reluctantly replied feeling frustrated and somewhat humiliated. She then sighed, seeing she had torn her gown. Forte bent over and reached out his hand to help her up, while Adam began to brush off her pretty dress.

Suddenly, Denise and Forte's eyes met and both found themselves reliving the final moments they had together in the cave. Denise's eyes widened as she vividly recalled the sound of Forte's yelling then sobbing, at the same instant, Forte, too recalled his yelling and weeping. She gasped, fearing what this man may still think of her, and she froze still, sitting on the ground with her hand in his. He could see the look in her eyes and sensed her vulnerability. 'Why do people always assume the worst of me?'

"Get off your rear, Denise," he sharply snapped, as he nudged her upward. "If you wanted to sit, we could have stayed inside for that."

Denise minded her elder, servant or not, as he helped her on her feet. They then began to walk toward a large oak tree that grew beside the ground's main pond.

"Forte," she called him, as they walked side by side while young Adam ran up ahead. "Are you still angry about being turned into a human again?"

Forte was silent for a second or two; noting to himself how Denise obviously saw no need to give him an apology. Should he ask her for one?

"I'm adjusting," he finally settled with telling her in a solemn tone. They continued to walk side by side, neither sure if they should say anything else to one another. When they reached the tree, Forte took Cogsworth's advise, and stood in the shade, while Denise and Adam began throwing pebbles into the pond and watched the ripples they made. Then out of nowhere, he heard Fife's voice call out his name again.

"BonJour Monsieur Forte, how are you feeling today?" Fife kindly asked his old mentor.

Forte turned to give the young man a surly look, "Why I am happy as a lark! I was awoken far too early this morning by that bellowing Cogsworth, who then ordered me to drench myself from head to toe, the clothes I'm now wearing are too big and baggy to my liking, my coffee wasn't nearly strong enough, I'm hung over and I'm human again! How the hell do you think I feel?"

Fife tried to smile and laugh at Forte's cantankerous sarcasm, "Ha-ha, Always quick with a joke aren't you Maestr… -em," Fife caught himself before he accidentally gave Forte any undo notoriety.

"Well, always quick with the jokes," he repeated himself in a much calmer tone. Forte turned away folding his arms.

"So, is there a reason for you coming out here?" he asked, feeling slightly frustrated that Fife could no longer be counted as a starstruck underling.

"As a matter of fact, Monsieur, I do. I… I have a favor to ask of you." Fife calmly admitted in a soft and gentle tone.

Forte's ears perked up; 'favor?' If Fife didn't have the memory of a gnat, he would remember all the other 'favors' Forte had done for him in the past.

"And what would that be?" Forte asked half interested.

Fife took a deep breath and bit his bottom lip a bit, feeling as if he were trying to strike a deal with the devil himself. "Um, as you know, my wife Rosalie is heavy with child. She is due any day now, and I was hoping that when that time comes, um, if you would be so kind as to, um, step in and temporarily lead the orchestra. You know, in case the need for a maestro should come up while I'm absent. Temporary, of course."

"Oh, of course," Forte mocked, but eagerly agreed to do the favor. "Yes, I will be glad to fill in for you."

"No doubt the orchestra is dying for a real musician to lead them for a change," he added under his breath.

Fife smiled, not hearing Forte's snide remark. "Thank you Maes -em, Monsieur Forte. Rosalie will be happy to know I can be there for her when the time comes."

Forte was looking elsewhere as nodded his head, not fully hearing Fife's comment, but then thought about what he had just heard.

"'There for her'?" he repeated. "What the devil do you mean, 'there for her'?"

Fife's face turned a light shade of pink, as he went to explain his and Rosalie's plans. "Well, we've decided that when the baby is ready to come out, I'll be right by my wife's side. It will be my job to offer her encouragement and support during that special time."

Forte turned again to look Fife dead in the face. His own face was expressionless as he tried to get his head around what Fife had just said.

"Dear boy," he called his old apprentice. "Hasn't anyone told you, you've done your 'job' already!"

With his hands on his hips he then began to explain his idea of what the man is supposed to do, when his wife bares him a child. "When that special time does come, the woman goes into the bedroom, and the midwife closes the door. You then, go off into the study, smoke a cigar and sip brandy while all your gentlemen friends join in to congratulate you for having a dick that works. That is what you are supposed to be doing!"

Fife's face was now a bright shade of embarrassment pink as he tried to explain. "Monsieur, my wife lost our first baby in her fourth month. I want to be with her this time. I want to show her how much I love her and care for her."

Forte's brow knitted as he slightly shook his head in confusion. "And what precisely will you do while you're in there? Tell Rosalie when its time to push?" He then began stuttering his words as he sniggered at his own cruel joke. "Or, or, or remind her to breath?"

He then began to heartily laugh as he maliciously teased Fife's devotion for his wife. He went so far as to mock Fife's voice, "Don't forget to breath dear, ha-ha-ha! H-h-how droll!"

Again, Fife's face turned colored. It was now a bright shade of furious red. "You haven't changed one bit! You, you, you are still just a mean, old, windbag! Just forget I asked you for anything!"

He left in a huff, as Forte's arms fell to his sides, stunned by Fife's outburst.

'Well, that could have gone better,' the old man thought to himself as he folded his arms again and began to wonder if maybe he should go and apologize to Fife. Just then, Belle walked up and joined him under the tree.

"Ah Princess Belle; Here to make sure I haven't eaten the children yet?" Forte rendered some of his dark humor. Belle just smirked, she knew he was joking, but the truth was she had come to check on him and her children.

"I didn't know vampires ate children," she joked back.

"Oh yes, that's right; We merely suck the life right out of them." His folded arms, and calm demeanor made his statement all the more creepy. When the children heard their mother's voice they came running to greet her. The first thing Belle noticed was the tear in Denise's dress.

"How did that happen?" She asked trying not to sound to cross. While Denise explained what happened, young Adam found a long, thin stick and began to smack at a plain grey spider that had made itself a home inside a hollowed out hole in the oak tree's trunk. Luckily for the spider, Adam was just about an inch too short to reach the hole, but that didn't stop Adam from trying to smack the spider. Every time the stick hit the tree, the spider would nervously jump or cringe inside its humble hole of a home.

"Stop that!" Forte rebuked the child right in front of his mother. "He is out of everyone's way up there, just leave him alone. He's not hurting you, is he?"

Adam obediently stopped, noting to himself how Forte had referred to the spider as a male several times. He walked up close to Forte to get a good look at the spider from that angle. "How can you tell it's a male spider, Monsieur Forte?"

Even Denise and Belle were interested in his answer. "Well, of course its male. Why won't it be?"

Denise cocked her head, "Actually Monsieur Forte," she explained in a matter of fact way. "My grand poppa says the majority of the spiders here around the castle are female."

Forte looked down his nose at the girl and sneered, "And how exactly did your grand poppa make this discovery? Did he round up every spider on the grounds, then take a quick peek between their legs?"

Adam caught what the man said, and began to laugh. "Peek between their legs! Ha-ha!"

Belle couldn't help but find Forte's brash remark slightly amusing. "My father happens to study a number of things Forte, arachnology is just one of them."

"Well, that might be so your highness, but unless all those females spiders found a way to impregnate themselves, I venture to say, there is at least one very exhausted male spider living nearby the castle; and considering how this little fellow here, was content enough to live in the tree without stirring up any trouble, I'm willing to bet, he's the one!" Forte flatly insisted.

"And why do you believe that particular spider is a male?" Belle argued.

"Because, your highness," he explained in a matter of fact way. "That particular spider sat in his tree the entire time, and not once did it come down and cause me any grief, therefore it cannot be a female; thus making it, a male!"

Belle picked up on the subtle anger and hurt in Forte's sarcasm, but wasn't sure how to respond. "I don't understand your reasoning, Forte."

"Allow me to explain something, my dear Belle. When it comes to females, it has been my personal experience that they are nothing but trouble makers, especially for me! Every woe, every heartache, every tragedy; every time I suffered from a misfortune," he then bent his long thin frame toward Belle's smaller shorter body, and with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at her face, he continued with his rant. "I can look back and point my finger right at some woman's face. Including yours, if I may be so bold to say your highness, not to mention your darling daughter's too."

He then straightened up feeling smug and thoroughly relieved to get that off his chest. "Cherchez la femme, my dear Belle. Cherchez la femme!"

Belle was left speechless while Denise just felt eager to leave. "Momma, Adam and I would like to go play a game of hide and seek now."

Belle gladly took her attention off of Forte's stinging accusations for the moment any way. "Yes, go ahead dear. Monsieur Forte and I apparently need to have a quiet discussion."

As soon as the children ran off to play their game, Belle put her hands on her hips and turned her attention back to Forte. "All right Monsieur Forte, let's clear the air. For a start, you can tell me what did I do to you."

Forte folded his arms while again leaning toward her, "You, showed, up."

"Pardon me?" Belle gasped offendedly.

"We were happy before you came here to the castle," Forte began to explain. "Everyone knew their place, and everyone had grown accustomed to the way things were especially the master and I. But, when you showed up," his paused as he felt his anger rise. "People, began to hope, and dream of returning to their former lives."

His face filled with disgust. "I loved him Belle, he was my cher ami!"

Forte's eyes filled with deep despair, as his voice lowered to nearly a whisper. "You; you took him away from me."

Belle paused for a moment before speaking. Fort'e affection for her husband was abundantly clear, so much so that it bordered obsession. It was apparent that, had Forte had his way, he would have gladly sacrificed everyone else's life as a human being, just to satisfy his need to be near Prince Adam. She wondered what kind of love would make a person do this?

Belle thought out her words carefully, "Forte, are, you, in love with my husband?"

Forte knew precisely what she was digging at. He sighed softly and briefly looked up into the sky before answering. "Your highness, my love for your husband burns with the intensity of ten thousand suns. But I swear upon every ray of every one of those suns, not once has my love, caused me to have an arousal, or, or made me yearn to spill my seed. No, I am not homosexual, though I dare say, perhaps if I were, I would be a happier man."

Belle felt a tinge of relief, though she still thought what Forte had said about life in the castle before she came, was the creepiest thing she ever heard. "Do you still harbor bitterness towards me for that? After all these years? After everything that Adam has done for you?"

Forte shook his head, "No, I don't suppose I do. But, being left alone while the master consoled you in the dungeon," he paused so not to let her hear his voice crack. "Is one of the most painful memories I have."

"Well, one of my most painful memories is being thrown into that dungeon after you tricked me into going to the black forest and I fell into freezing water." She calmly informed him, letting him see he was far from the victim in this situation.

He gave her words some thought then nodded understandingly, "Yes, I can see how that would hurt. But, if you had just left the notion of Christmas alone, none of that nonsense would have happened."

"Well, if you would just lighten up a little you could enjoy the holiday too." Belle tried to keep her voice calm, hoping she could get this old, stuffy, fuddy-duddy to see her side.

Forte flouted her point of view entirely, "Why does everything always have to be so, so, cheery and bright, and, and ha-happy with you? It's… so depressing."

"Why does everything always have to be gloomy and grey with you?" She sharply retorted.

"What you call gloomy, I call enthralling. Before you came along, the master appreciated my sombre melodies. He would listen to me play for hours and hours. But then, here you came, and suddenly the master wanted me to play happy music." Forte's eyes were that of a wild, mad man. "He didn't want my music anymore, oh no! In fact, he actually wanted to use me to win you! He expected me to just stand idly by and watch him slip from my grasp. I, I had no choice but to stop the madness. Looking back, I truly wish I had handled things differently, but no matter what, things always seem to go badly for me."

"I'm sorry you felt that way Monsieur Forte, but," Belle reached out and touched Forte gently on his bent elbow. "Who's really to blame for all you sorrows?"

Forte's eye brows raised as he thoughtfully considered her words. Suddenly his eyes brightened as enlightenment struck him. "You may have a point my dear. You know, your father may be the one to blame, since he arrived here first."

Belle took her hand away from Forte's elbow and placed in on her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Suddenly young Adam came running up to them both. "Momma, Forte, I can't find Denise. Can you help me look?"

They each spread out looking in different places; behind nearby bushes and trees, behind walls and around building corners. Young Adam then had the idea to walk down the bank and look just under the bridge that crossed the pond. Suddenly, Adam began to yell for his Momma to come. As she and Forte approached the lad, he bent over and picked up Denise's clothing. Every stitch she had been wearing was now in a neat pile underneath the bridge.

"Where could she have gone?" Belle gasped in fright. Belle quickly decided to call for Cogsworth so that a search party could be arranged, but Forte had another idea.

Without telling a soul, he alone made his way back to the cave where he had once resided. He walked inside, but it all felt so different now. He took a lantern and walked the path to find his beloved mistress. Oh how he missed making love to her, being inside of her, feeling her, becoming a part of her. He walked down the stairs, raised the lantern and saw her standing alone. He gazed at her beauty as he quietly walked up to her and laid his hand lovingly over her keys. He looked up at her as if she had a face, and patted her keys as if patting her hand. "We have a purpose after all my dear; they've let us come home."

Then he stopped and stiffened as something behind him caught his attention. Slowly a smile of sheer satisfaction creased his face. "I knew I would find you in here."

Denise returned the smile even though she still only saw the back of his black haired head. "And I knew you would know to find me here."