It was springtime, the thrill of being human again had yet to wear off, and love was blossoming along with all the roses at the castle. Belle and Adam often dashed about the castle, wild and young and in love, oblivious to anyone or anything around them. Once, tired of her laughing at him for his clumsiness, he chased her through the castle to prove that at least he was still faster than she was. When he finally caught her outside in the gardens she looked up at him, panting and out of breath, and asked what he was going to do with her now that he had caught her. The only answer he could respond with was a passionate kiss, which she returned with equal fervor and, both already dizzy from running, they lost their balance and fell into a rose-bush. The thorns, and their laughter, complicated their ability to extricate themselves from their undignified position. When they finally re-entered the castle dirty, cut, and with ripped clothing, the servants could only shake their heads and say 'C'est l'amour!".
Another time they fell into one of the fountains out on the grounds, and began laughing and splashing each other like children. When they walked into the great hall of the castle sopping wet, tracking water and mud all over the floor and still suppressing giggles, they heard Mrs. Potts approaching. The prince grabbed Belle by the arm and ran with her around a corner, where they pressed themselves against the wall. The prince looked at Belle and pressed his forefinger to his lips. Belle put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"This hall is filthy! Just look at this mess!" Mrs. Potts exclaimed, "We must stop letting the dog back into the castle when he's been out digging on the grounds, I've told Babette . . ." Mrs. Potts' voice faded as she left the hall to find a mop. Belle and the prince turned to run down the hall only to see that Cogsworth had been standing behind them the whole time, fixing upon them a very disapproving look.
They danced, took long walks, talked about their dreams and their childhoods. Belle helped the prince re-learn horseback riding, which at least did something to please Cogsworth, who insisted that a prince must look dignified on a horse. Evenings they usually spent in the library, spending at least as much time looking into each other's eyes as they did looking at the books they claimed to be reading.
Despite the distracting influence of Belle's presence, Adam had become so good at reading that one evening as they sat together on the library floor he corrected her pronunciation of a word. She looked up at him, surprised, and snapped the book closed on his fingers.
"You clearly don't need any more tutoring," she teased him, starting to stand up as though to leave. He grabbed her dress and pulled her into his lap so that she was facing him. He took her beautiful face between his hands, his fingers tangled in her hair. He looked her over and shook his head in amazement.
"I didn't dare believe this could really happen," he remarked, looking at her as though she might vanish any second.
"Neither did I," Belle whispered.
"I'm so in love with you," the prince murmured in amazement, "When you came back I knew I could die happy because I got to see your face once last time. It didn't matter if you didn't love me back. I could still die happy."
"But I did love you back," Belle said, "I did and I do and I always will."
The prince wanted to propose again, but decided against it. He was afraid she still might say no and didn't want to spoil this moment. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. She nuzzled against his chest and he simply held her, resting his cheek lightly against the top of her head, thinking of the different ways in which he might make her happy should she agree to be his wife.
The prince was undeniably distracted and conversing with him regarding anything other than Belle was nearly impossible. However, he was not the only one preoccupied by the thrill of being human again.
Mrs. Potts and Maurice shared lingering glances and shy smiles. Lumiere had been caught behind many castle curtains with Babette, along with a few other young attractive castle maids besides. Madame de la Grande Bouche, liberated from her years as a wardrobe, paraded through the halls of the castle, singing opera, wearing grand gowns, and making eyes at Cogsworth who was, of course, oblivious.
The children of the servants of the castle, lead by Chip, played hard both in the castle and out on the grounds. They chased the dog, pushed one another, yelled, pretended to sword fight with sticks, climbed trees, and were in general rambunctious and unruly, despite being chastised often by the adult servants of the castle. No one could be too angry with them though, no doubt years of living under the spell had left them with much unspent energy.
Cogsworth continued to pour over scrolls and letters, muttering to himself about the state of things. One afternoon he stood at one of the large windows of the castle, looking out on the grounds. Lumiere approached him, looking slightly disheveled and straightening his collar.
Cogsworth saw Lumiere's reflection in the glass and rolled his eyes.
"Conducting yourself with your usual amount of self-possession, I see," Cogsworth muttered.
Lumiere smiled roguishly and said, "Have you been waiting ten years for the spell to break so that you could be as boring and inflexible as you were when you were a clock?"
Cogsworth sighed, "So glad to know that despite the fact you are no longer perpetually on fire your wit remains undimmed."
Lumiere opened his mouth to respond but Cogsworth turned to him and raised his hand to stop him.
"A momentary truce, if we may," Cogsworth said, he paused, then asked, "Have you been successful in engaging the master in any conversations that don't revolve around discussing every minutiae of his feelings for the mademoiselle?"
"I've hardly seen the master since the spell has broken much less engaged him in conversation. He's courting, and when a man his courting he needs his privacy," Lumiere responded.
Cogsworth reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and produced a letter and handed it to Lumiere.
"While the rest of you have been racing through the castle halls like lustful adolescents, I have dispatched scouts to ascertain the current state of affairs in the nearby villages. One of them intercepted this letter," Cogsworth told him, watching Lumiere's typically mischievous expression harden into something much more serious.
"Sacre bleu!" Lumiere exclaimed under his breath as he examined the document, he looked up at Cogsworth and asked, "Is the situation so serious?"
"Quite. I have attempted to broach the matter with the master on a few occasions but retaining his attention has proven difficult," Cogsworth replied.
"You must tell him," Lumiere said, handing the letter back to Cogsworth, "You must tell him so he can act."
Cogsworth nodded, looked back down at the letter, and said, "I'll go find him now."
Lumiere took Cogsworth's place at the window and sighed.
"Human again," he muttered, shaking his head.