A/N: Chapter co-written by Rory4 and Wrestlemaniac829.
The light was all but gone on this lonely night, not even a speck could be seen through a tiny crack on the door. The cold winter air had since become unbearable, covering nearly every form of sounds for miles. All but the heavy breathing coming from the cellar's occupants, the group huddled together attempting to keep warm. Frederick, apart from the group, had been hard at work trying to bang his way out of the cellar. As the group had noticed, his efforts were all in vain.
"Can't let them hurt Maria!" He shouted. "I have to warn her!"
Watching Frederick hitting the door made Gabriella wince each and every time. It was so painful for her to watch him throw his weight against a strong-as-steel door. The only thing that seemed to be getting broken is Frederick, who was clearly hurting himself. Gabriella just couldn't stand it.
"Frederick, all you're going to accomplish ramming yourself against the door is getting a bruised body. You'll be of no use to Maria even if you did break the door. You need to sit for a moment so we can calmly think of a way to incinerate my brother and his grotesque followers!"
"She's right, son," Peter said. "Let's just calmly sit down and think-"
"There's no time, don't you get it?!" Frederick cried, tears running down his cheeks. "I can't lose her… I just can't."
The very words uttered from Frederick's lips made Gabriella's hand drop to her heart. In that moment, her own eyes welled with tears gazing at Frederick's face. Gabriella believed that she knew Frederick at first glance, but as it turned out she really didn't see him for what he truly is. For now, he truly had the look of a man that was about to lose the woman he loved forever. It was painful to even ask such a question, even harder to think about but she wondered. Did he love this Beast he called Maria?
"Frederick, do you really care for her that much?" Gabriella asked.
Frederick stopped what he was doing, the question itself made him pause. He takes a deep breath and slowly turns towards Gabriella and doing the best he can to answer the question.
"O-Of course I do… She saved my mother's life. She's... My friend."
"No," Gabriella said, shaking her head. "She means a lot more to you than that… Doesn't she?"
Frederick was close to answering that all important question. But before he could , a small set of knocking interrupted him followed by a rather familiar voice.
"Is everybody in there?" The voice asked. "Hello? Frederick? Why did you leave me all alone?"
Frederick turned to the cellar door, he knew that voice was familiar.
"Katrina?"
"I knew you were all inside there!" The little fawn shouted excitedly. "Can I come in, too?"
Through such an innocent voice, the atmosphere in the small, damp cellar brightened considerably, as everyone smiled in relief and silently thanked the lord for this miracle. Because now they knew one thing for sure: They were going to escape this prison!
"Katrina, listen to me," Frederick instructed. "Princess Maria is in grave danger! We need you to get us out of this cellar!"
"In danger? Oh no! How do I get you out?"
"Listen closely!" Peter shouted. "Around the house is a shed, leaned next to it is an axe. Go get it!"
"But I'm a fawn, I can't hold an axe with my hooves…"
"Just do it!"
In response, the scattering of hooves could be heard from outside. They faded into silence and they could only hope Katrina could find a way to lift that axe. As they waited for the fawn to return, Frederick grabbed Gabriella's shoulders and looked her clear in the face.
"Gabriella, when we get out, run back home and get your father. He'll know what to do… I hope."
Gabriella nodded, understanding what she had to do. Her adrenaline already racing in preparation, she needed all she could muster for the urgent flight-on-foot back to her house. She could only hope that if anyone could put a stop to her brother's rampage it was her father. Or else, the Princess wouldn't be the only one who was doomed.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Cogsworth had been pacing back-and-forth for quite some time, signs of nervousness overwhelming him, as everyone watched him ponder in his thoughts. They couldn't but think if it was true: That all hope of breaking the spell was truly lost. At the moment, it seemed everything they've done was all in vain.
"He never should've come here in the first place!" Manx grumbled.
"Manx!" Lumiere said. "How could you say such a thing? Frederick was the best thing that has ever happened to zis castle."
"If you say so, Lumiere," Manx retorted, not looking at Lumiere. "But if he really cared for us, then…"
Just then, a loud cry caused everyone to turn in one direction. Miss Doe had entered the room, practically in tears and the occupants were greatly concerned.
"What's the matter, Miss Doe?" Gutknecht asked.
"Katrina's disappeared from the castle!" She answered. "I cannot find her anywhere! Oh, where could she be?"
Miss Doe covered her face with her hooves, trying desperately to halt the rain of tears falling from her face. Gutknecht approached toward Miss Doe and held her close in a soft embrace.
"Don't worry Miss Doe, we'll find her at once. I promise."
Just as everyone began to disperse to search for the wayward fawn, shouting could be heard from outside the castle gates stopping them in their tracks.
"What on Earth?" Manx asked.
Manx had every reason to be just as curious as everyone else. None of the voices outside sounded familiar and hardly anyone other than Frederick visited the castle. He strolls over to one of the nearby windows, looking out to see what was the matter. He stares out for a long time, as everyone else shows a great deal of concern. As Manx eventually turns back, his face looked greatly pale.
"Emergency, people!"
Manx lead Lumiere, Cogsworth, Gutknecht, and Miss Doe towards the window, in a great hurry just to see what Manx saw. As soon as they were by the window, they were all shocked by what they saw before their eyes. Outside, a great number of humans were making their way through the gates. They had not expected so many humans to visit the castle all of a sudden, at least not all at once. But it was only then that they slowly realized that these humans were obviously not as friendly as Frederick had been. Judging by the looks on their expressions, these humans were more like wild animals… The very ravenous type.
"Sacrebleu," Lumiere cried out. "Invaders!"
"Aren't those people from the local village?" Gutknecht asked.
"I'm afraid so," Miss Doe nodded fearfully. "Whatever are they doing here?"
"Look!" Manx cried, a hint of panic in his tone. "That muscular man up front has the mirror!"
"Where did he get-" Miss Doe was about to inquire, when the humans started pounding at the entrance doors.
"Warn the Mistress!" Cogsworth cried. "If it's a fight they want, then that's what they'll get. Who's with me?"
Cries of agreement echoed throughout the inside of the castle. For if these humans had arrived simply for the destruction of their fair Princess, they would not allow them to have it their way. Though the humans were fierce and undoubtedly had strong weapons, these servants were willing to defend their maiden with their very lives and risk even their chance of human freedom to protect her. For this was that time; this was war!
As all the servants prepared for battle, Maria had sat by her vanity during all that time. Once again, Maria was garbed in her green dress and purple cloak. She just sat there in her thoughts, a single tear slowly fell down her cheek. Just then, Gutknecht rushed into the room, a worried expression on his face.
"Pardon me, Mistress?" He asked.
"What is it? She asked, her demure listless.
"I'm afraid the castle is under attack!"
Gutknecht waited for Maria's response, but the Mistress couldn't call forth the effort to react to his words. As concerned as he sounded, Maria neither shared her own fear or anger of the news. For a long moment, all she does is stare at her reflection in the mirror, and then turns away and down at the floor.
"Let them come," She mumbled.
"What?" Gutknecht asked, stunned. "But why?"
"There is nothing left here worth salvaging."
It was all Maria would say to Gutknecht, who could find no words to respond to such a straight-forward statement. Maria was serious about allowing them to come in, Gutknecht knew this was worse than he thought. A part of him wanted to snap Maria out of his misery, to talk some sense into her. But instead, he walks out the room, without making a sound.
At that very same time, the villagers burst through the door, using a large cut-down tree from the forest. Everyone in the castle took battle-ready positions, as if expecting company inside. But for them, there was no turning back now. This was their time to defend their home… Not to mention Gaston would not allow them to leave so easily. Among all the villagers, Angus was one of the first to enter as he eyed around the hall. Something about the castle just felt so intriguing.
"I know of this place," He spoke. "It's the castle of the Royal family that disappeared years ago."
"Hardly looks fit to house a pauper," Gaston snorted.
"Don't be fooled, laddie, I heard many stories. So much history was in these halls, back in it's prime it was once the most well known site of the old times. But I also heard that a mighty beast appeared one night, supposedly slaughtered everyone in the castle… The family… And a child, too."
"Then all the more reason to dispatch of the vile thing!" Gaston replied, looking around and about.
The hunter instincts were in full swing, as if Gaston could sense that they were being watched. Having taken on many beasts over the years, he knew that going into the castle seemed too easy. The villagers slowly entered the castle, standing close behind their fearless leader. All was quiet within the castle halls… Too quiet.
"NOW!" A voice shouted.
And in that moment, the castle's residents appeared from their hiding spots and launched their own ambush towards the unsuspecting villagers. Animals and objects alike jumped seemingly from out of nowhere and brought the fight upon the villagers. Most of the group were not prepared and were taken by surprise, as the occupants overwhelmed them.
"Take that, you ruffians!" Manx shouted, scratching two villagers in the face.
"Hei-yah!" Cogsworth screeched, landing a one-two punch toward a skinner villager. Rotting teeth knocked loosely out of his jaw.
"Where did these things come from?" Wolfe cried out.
"From the fiery depths of hell!" A villager responded. "We will all be cursed!"
Some of the villagers proceed to run straight towards the doors, as one particular villager was running from an oncoming dresser, it flapped it's doors like wings frightening the villager. Hans, burst through the crowd shooting at the dresser and the various creatures with his blunderbuss.
"Hyah! Come back you cowards! I did not come all this way to be stopped by furniture and mangy animals!"
Lumiere, who had crept unnoticed, sneaked behind the man and made his flames rise high enough to burn the man's buttocks. By the time Hans felt something was wrong, his pants lit up in a burst of flames and Hans was screaming madly. Hans ran around the room, danced around in pain, struggling to put out the flames. Gaston, seeing this display, clearly had enough of this madness.
"We don't have time for this!" Gaston cried out.
As none of the villagers seemed to hear him, the frustrated Gaston let loose a feral growl and raced unnoticed across the room. He passed by several villagers, who were getting their butts kicked by the occupants, clearly these incompetent ruffians could serve him less than expected. But at least they would keep the majority of the castle's staff distracted while he works his way through the castle. In the end, Gaston knew if he wanted the job done then he and he alone would be the one to bring down the beast. Wolfe, Hans, and Angus, having escaped their individual battles, were the only ones to see Gaston leave the group.
"Comrade!" Wolfe shouted, running after Gaston. "Wait for me!"
"Us too!" Angus shouted, trailing Wolfe while Hans followed close.
Whether Gaston heard them or not, he didn't seem to pay them any heed. All Gaston cared about was the only thing on his mind: His prey. Gaston would not return to the village empty-handed, there has never been "one" hunt he ever walked away from.
They searched the halls for quite a while, seemingly finding nothing. Trying another tactic, Angus knelt down and sniffed the floor for a trace of the beast's scent. It was a rather odd technique, but it was only then that he found something: A lock of hair. Angus picked it up and took a great sniff for the scent. Finding a match, he showed it to Wolfe.
"What do you make of this hair?" He asked.
"Hmm," Wolfe observed, inspecting the hair. "Too small to be wolf hair, yet too big to be bear hair."
Gaston simply smiled, he alone knew the answer.
"The Beast."
Angus sniffed the ground again and this time found a trail that matched the piece of hair.
"The Beast is close by."
"Excellent, comrade," Wolfe smiled, pulling out his sickle.
"Lead the way, Gaston," Hans said, pulling out a long chain. "May this go down in history as the greatest hunt of our lives."
Nodding simultaneously, the little band of hunters followed the trail through the hallway. It was a long walk for the lot, but eventually they reached a closed door, the largest of them all. Gaston tried the knob, noting it was locked. But there was no mistaking it: Surely behind these great doors, the mighty beast was waiting. He turned towards his three comrades, an evil grin on his face.
"This is it; I can feel it."
Wolfe nodded silently, sliding his sickle between the lock. With a few simple twists of his wrist, Wolfe quietly pried the door open. Though it was quiet dark inside the room, there was a slight light shining through the balcony and thus revealing a silhouette of a figure by the vanity. There was no mistaking what these hunters have seen. For they just caught their first glimpse of Maria.
"My god!" Hans harshly whispered. "It truly is the work of the devil!"
"Aye, I'd say we kills it before it gets the chance to strike!" Angus declared.
"I will go first," Gaston said, ready for a good kill. "You follow and ambush it from behind, in case it does make a move."
"Jawohl," Hans answered.
As the hunters slowly approached, quiet weeping could be heard across the room. The crying coming straight from the beast herself, Maria, who still sat at her vanity. When she lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror, that's when she noticed a large man, armed with a bow and arrow, aiming straight at her and looming over from the door. She quickly turned, seeing the man, and gasped in horror. For what she saw before her was a creature just as fierce as her, and for the first time a twinge of fear could be felt.
Gaston, with a bow in hand, sees his chance and fires the arrow straight at her. Maria tried to dodge, but it was too late. The arrow lodged straight in her right shoulder, she roared in extreme pain. Seizing the opportunity, Gaston and Angus lassoed ropes around each of her wrists. Maria tried as hard as she could to snap them off, but the ropes were much stronger than she realized. For while she was distracted, Hans snuck from behind, pulled out his own rope, and lassoed it around Maria's neck.
"Keep pulling, lads!" Angus shouts. "She'll give in soon! Just keep pulling!"
Wolfe, taking out his own rope, lassoed it around Maria's neck as well, almost choking her. He pulled out a whip from his pocket and lashed out at her midsection.
"Ha ha!" He shouted.
Wolfe repeated the process over and over, eventually Maria's strength weakened drastically. She could no longer fight off against these barbaric men and collapsed to the ground. By then, it was their one shot of clasping manacles all around her wrists, ankles, and neck.
"We've done it!" Hans cried. "That was… That was kind of easy."
Maria let out a fierce growl in reaction. So loud it was, the men couldn't help but think, as they winced, that it could be heard from around the world. Soon, she was silent, and, a tear slipped down along her cheek.