Met Him, Saw Him

When Belle first met Gaston she was utterly, completely terrified. She hated her life in the small provincial town. Her plan was to run away, far away. What could a girl of sixteen do? She slowed Phillipe, and they rested in the middle of the road. What could a girl her age actually do? Yes she could sew, cook and clean. What adventures could she have on those funds?

"None," She said to no one in particular. Then it would get lonely, and she would miss her Papa something terrible. She glanced back at the road behind her. She would look like a fool if she returned. Those girls would cluck about like normal, going on and on about some guy. A giggle escaped her lips as she idly wondered why this poor man they wanted desperately did not just marry all them. "Maybe he is not a fool, and even one is to much."

As they continued on, the forest got denser, darker and much to Belle's dismay - colder. Belle stopped again as snow drifted down around her. How odd, she thought holding her bare hand up. It was early September, the trees where just beginning to turn but here snow fell freely. To her right she heard a growl, slowly she turned her head, the large white wolves, teeth bared seemed to smile menacingly his one good eye cast it's golden gaze upon her. Belle swallowed hard. Was this the end of her failed attempt to runaway, her shirt life of sixteen years?

The sound of musket fire in the distan e drew the wolfs attention mommentarily giving her emough repreove to turn her horse around and speed off. She could hear the pack now, growling disgruntled and most of all hungry. This fear drove horse and rider from the odd path and soon they where met with the heat of early September, a welcome from the bitter cokd they had just entered.

"Whoa! Phillipe!" Belle pulled up on the reins but the horse, in his State of fear ran harder, his hooves pounding as they bounded through the forest. She screeched as a large bunk jump over them, for a moment it ran along side them trying to out run something much more dangerous than wolves -a hunter. Belle glanced at it, it was large, much larger than she had ever seen and unlike the dull brown of a normal deer this buck was grey and white. Phillipe jumped again and Belle almost slipped off.

"Someone help!" She was pulled back to reality, who was yelling for help? She relized it was her as she narrowly ducked beneath a tree branch. She laid as close to Phillipe as she could, her fingers grasping his main, eyes tightly closed She really didnt want to see how she was doing to die, and planned to hold onto the horse till he calmed down or became exhausted.

A deep baratone pulled her from her thoughts. She studied the man that rode up beside her. He was handsome, and she couldn't help but notice his physice was nothing like the other villagers. Obviously the man was young, a few years older than herself. From a first glance he carried himself well, even on the large horse that was going at a full gallop. Belle tried sitting up but fear paralized her and she clung tighter. She peered up at the man, "help me." She whispered, terrorfied. Water splashed onto her face and she screamed. Am I drowning?

She shut her eyes tight as the water assaulted her, she felt water soak her dress, her bare foot. Shs tried tightening her grasp with both hands and knees but, unlike the man, she wore no gloves and her hands slick with sweat and water where not holding onto the reins.

"Give me your hand!" She reached for the tan glove, her fingers grasping his wrist. She gasped as she was pulled off Phillipe, she noticed as the man pulled her onto his horse. He no longer held the reins. The horse slowed to a trot, stopping on the bank. Belle gasping for air held tightly to her rescurer.

"Are you alright?" Belle nodded brushing the loose strands of wet hair from her face. The man dismounted taking the horses lead in hand. Belle moved to stradle the horse, watching him intently.

Her curiosity peeked, "what are you doing?"

"Tracking, your horse was going rather fast. Seems He got lost." Belle blushed as he climbed on behind her, he placed his hands on her hips. Belle couldn't help but note how large and strong his hands where. Distantly Belles' mind raced she quickly stamped those ideas down as he moved her slightly foreward, positioning himself behind her And picked up the reins Belle, thankful that the man hadn't noticed her blushing, looked ahead. He lead them off the main road into the forest. It didnt take long to locate Phillioe, tge stallion had gotten himself tangled around the tree. The man dismounted, grabbing a rope from his saddle bag and walked over. She watched amazed as he talked to her horse even as he tried to attack his would be rescurer. Honestly she was amazed, the man had managed in mere seconds what would take her minutes to do.

Her heart fluttered watching him lead her wayward horse over. He tied the rope to the horn on the saddle. He climbed behind her again, heading back to the main road. She looked down at the reins, his gloves where off and he had a rather large ring on his index finger, but his ring finger was bare. They rode quietly, Belle enjoying the scenery now that she wasn't seconds from death. She lost herself in the comment and she drifted away to a far away place with horrid wolves, a dashing raven haired prince and his majestic steed.

"If,for courtises sake, may I ask what you where doing out here this late at night?" Belle, startled, glanced a bit over her shoulder. She was in the outskirts of Villaneuve and while she wasn't with a Prince, she must admit that her companion was a sight for sore eyes. With a sigh, she informed him of the issue, the triplets and their ever constant gossip, the townsfolk and their judgemental stares. It made it hard to fit in. He didn't interrupt a few, hmm, and yeses, informed her he was listening.

"I just want adventure in far off lands." Belle muttered. A blush dusted her cheeks as he lead closer.

"With daring princes and dashing knights?" His breath tickled her ear, and he sat up straighter as they cleared the tree line. She relized a while later he had to duck under a branch. Atop its hill Villaneuve shined like a candle. Belle frowned, it was odd for the village to be this awake so long into the night, other than the Tavern which never seemed to close.

Her mind drifted elsewhere,a bit closer to herself. Precisely to the handsome man behind her, his heroics, his gentleness with Phillipe and most of all his hands. She blushed as her stomach tightened, "and daring sword fights." She added quickly, anything to get her mind off him. As they drew closer to Villaneuve a shirt man and his red headed partner stood guard at one of the entrances. They jumped to attention as they saw the horses and riders approaching. The short man turned to the red head quickly muttering something. The red head nodded and rushed into the gates.

"Gaston!" Belle frowned, she had heard that name many times. Mostly, if she recalled correctly in the breathy, wanton sighs of the triplets, even a few of the married women of the town. This man was the one those girls, and many other women dreamed about. Belle nodded to herself, she could understand. He was a nice figure to look at.

"LeFou?"

"You found the girl! Mademoiselle Belle, your father has been worried about you! We have all been looking for you." Confusion blossomed on her face, the town had looked for her. She felt Gaston shift behind her, something about him changed.

Lego moved out of the way, "I will deliver the Mademoiselle to her father LeFou." The man nodded. The town slowly fell silent around them as they made there way to the residences, past the Tavern. The triplets huffed, eyes narrowed as they rode past. Belle ignored them. The horse stopped and Gaston nodded to the girls, patting his horses neck. They praised him and he basked in it,The horses hoove pawing the ground behind them . Then Belle heard a scream. She looked around him, her mouth opening slightly as she took in the brown spots. The horse had splattered the girls with mud.

Belle chuckled as they continued to her home. Phillioe neighed joyfully as they came to a stop. Gaston dismonted untying the rope. He led Phillipe to the barn. She could barely hear him as he repremanded the horse, aa he father in his excitement banged around in the house. Belle shook her head, gladly accepting Gaston's help off the horse, her legs where numb and she wasnt sure if it was from the rode of the felling the mans touch created.

"Oh Belle! Never do that again!" She nodded to her father returning his hug. As they pulled apart he turned to the man before them. "Capitan."

Belle drowned out the rest. He was a Captian, a military man, while not a Prince he surely held status. Not a daring prince, but an ever heroric duke, possibly? Or a viscount. Most importantly, why would a young, single, aristocrat live in this pigeon hole town. She never got her answer as her father led her towards the house.

"Now the Captian, he seems nice." Belle groaned, she had discussed this a thousand times with her father. She wanted to marry for love, not need. "Belle."

She didn't let him finish, with a groan of exasperation she closed the door behind them. "Papa!"

When Belle actually saw Gaston, it happened to be in the Magistrates court. Everyone in town had came and the court house was packed to standing room. Her father had insisted them come as it gave them a glimce into the legal workings of the town. The defendant was tightly bandaged, his arm in a sling and Gaston himself sported a dark purple black eye, a busted lip and his arm was wrapped in gauze. Belle couldn't help but notice the few women fanning themselves as they looked him over. He paid no heed to them, his attention solely fixated on an elegantly dressed woman, her black hair, much like his was highly ornate, decorated with rubies and emeralds. The woman showered him with equal attention. She carresed his cheek, frowning at his lip and brused eye. In return he looked at her with adoration, like the sun shines on the earth. Beside her sat a distrungled looking man, near to his late sixties. He obviously looked fed up with the whole process.

The crowd stood as the judge superior entered, the Magistrate would not be over seeing this case."Honorable Judge Cavelier presiding, Lord of Angers, Duke of Visla. Court is in session. In the case of Lord Gaston Jean-Luc Boutellievre-LeGume of Note the verses Jacques Bernard of Villaneuve. The charges brought forth are drunken misconduct, destruction of property, multiple counts of slander of a Lady, and lastly an unpaid bill." The sheriff nodded to the judge.

The man, obviously not wanting to be in the court room on the warm fall day glared at both men. "What happened boys?" Both men glared at each other. Jacques stood, pointng an accusing finger at the young Lord.

"He called my sister a whore!"

Gaston stood with a boss, "my Lord, his sister was carrying out illicit activites in my tavern, in plain view of patrons." The judge nodded looking at the man.

Jacques frowned, "she had asked for a room."

"She had no money, I run a business not a charity."

The two landed in a stalemate, a few in the crowd siding with Gaston. The Judge frowned, banging his gravel. "On to the next matter, drunken belligerence. It seems as well, with testimony to support that Lady Boutellievre-LeGume had been slandered and groped." The crowd fell silent. Neither party said anything. "By the looks of your face and arm Monsieur Jacques, you have learbed a lesson. In regards to the unsettled bill, Monsieur Gaston you shall forfeit the profits of the tab." The two men said nothing more as they sat down. "I am not requesting any jail time, a night in the jail seemed to havencamled both tempers." The gravel banged three times and the judge stood. The audience stood as well as the Judge left the courtroom. The crowd, slightly disgrunted at the preceedings walked out to return to their normal day to day.

Belle hung back, watching the young Capitan as he talked with his parents. The old man wasn't pleased. His tone was harsh, condesending, volatile to say the least. The woman, his mother, shook her head, grasping her husbands hand in her. She smiled up at him shushing him a bit. From a distance they looked like newlyweds. She led him out, there son following. Surprisingly, Belle noted they where noted dressed like an aristocrat would be. They dressed rather simply, the woman especially in a dress that if it lacked jewels and embrodery would have been just as simple as hers.

"Belle, Maurice. I'm surprised to see you both here." Belle frowned at the bruses, they some how made him more handsome. However, she had seen another side of him, past the dashing hero. He was a shrewd businessman who had the gall to call a girl a whore. Althought the girl should have restranted herself. She also noted the way he looked at his mother, no one would be set higher on a pedistal than her. For the first time she heard the womNs voice, it was sweet and pure. They bid farewell and deep down, Belle wanted someone to look at her with the same love and worship her showered his mother with.

Ugh, Gaston! I don't know what happened because I do not like the movies. But I absolutely love Belle with Gaston. I know, I know. He is a jerk, a psycho but i just see this...he has a...je ne sais quois about him.