Chapter 8: Gaston's Pride

Back at the village, a strong blizzard was building outside. Everyone was inside their homes and shops, staying warm. Inside the local tavern, Gaston was back in his normal attire and sitting in front of the warm fireplace. His chair was made out of animal skins and topped with deer antlers.

On the walls were the heads of animals, including eagles, rams, deer, bears, rabbits, and boars he hunted and stuffed them as decorations. Above the fireplace was a portrait of himself, holding his rifle, and standing above the corpse of a dead deer and framed with antlers.

He was slumping in defeat as Belle had rejected his proposal and humiliated him on what was supposed to be the best day of his life, even Odette got to shove him out of the house.

"Who does she think she is?" Gaston ranted. "That girl has tangled with the wrong the man! And the other one spoiled it!"

"Darn right!" said Lefou, coming over holding two mugs of beer.

"Dismissed, rejected, publicly humiliated!" the raven-haired man snatched both of the mugs and threw them into the fire, before Lefou could take a sip from his own. "Why, it's more than I can bare!"

"More beer?"

"What for, nothing helps!" Gaston turned his chair. "I'm disgraced!"

"Who you? Never!" the short man said, Gaston turned away to ignore him. Lefou followed him as the tall man was facing the patrons. "Gaston, you've got to pull yourself together!"

Gaston faced away once more and Lefou stretched his idol's lips to make a smile and began to sing:

(Lefou):

"Gosh, it disturbs me to see you Gaston,

Looking so down in the dumps!"

Gaston punched Lefou in the face and the short man landed on the table occupied by four men named Tom, Dick, Stanley, and Gramps. Lefou continued as the men cheered in agreement and Gaston moved his chair away to face the fireplace. The short man slapped his companion on the back stuck his head underneath Gaston's arm as if he were to get a head lock. Lefou stood in front and turned the hunter's chair to the patrons.

(Lefou):

"Every guy here'd loves to be you, Gaston,

Even when taking your lumps.

There's no man in town as admired as you, you're everyone's favorite guy!

Everyone's awed and inspired by you, and it's not very hard to see why!"

The Bimbettes came over to Gaston to sigh and gush over him. Lefou began to dance around the tavern and snuck over to a man talking to his face. The short man pulled a belt from the man's pants and they fell down exposing his heart boxers!

(Lefou):

"No one's slick as Gaston
No one's quick as Gaston
No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston"

Lefou tied the belt around Gaston's neck tightly, but the hunter used his powerful neck muscles to snap the strap off! The short man went back to the men's table and jumped on the heads of Tom, Dick, and Stanley.

(Lefou):
"For there's no man in town half as manly!
Perfect, a pure paragon!
You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on!"

The four men grabbed Lefou by the wrists and ankles and swung him back and forth towards Gaston.

(Lefou and Chorus):

"No one's been like Gaston
A king pin like Gaston"

The short man felt Gaston's cleft on his chin.

(Lefou):

"No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston"

Gaston's confidence came back ad he joined in, showing off his muscles;

(Gaston):

"As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!"

The crowd cheered and raised their mugs of beer.

(Lefou and Chorus):

"My what a guy, that Gaston!

Give five "hurrahs!"

Give twelve "hip-hips!" "

(Lefou):

"Gaston is the best and the rest is all drips!"

Gaston stood up and was feeling proud. Then, Lefou accidentally splashed his beer into Gaston's face. The hunter growled, punched his stooge in the face and began a brawl with the patron, punching one guy and biting Stanley on the leg!

(Chorus):

"No one fights like Gaston
Douses lights like Gaston"

(Stanley):

"In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston!"

Paulette, Laurette, and Claudette were sitting on a bench and swooning over Gaston. The hunter lifted up the bench with the triplets on it, and he threw it on top of Lefou!

(Bimbettes):

"For there's no one as burly and brawny"

(Gaston):

"As you see, I've got biceps to spare"

(Lefou):

"Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny."

(Gaston):

"That's right! And every last inch of me's covered with hair!"

Gaston unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a large amount of chest hair! He sat down to a game of chess with another patron. Then he slapped the board away after losing!

(Chorus):

"No one hits like Gaston
Matches wits like Gaston"

Gaston brought out the belt, took a bite, and began to chew it.

(Lefou):

"In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston"

(Gaston):

"I'm especially good at expectorating! Ptoooie!"

He spat out the piece of the belt and zoomed past the men. Three held up signs that said 10, and one held up another sign that read 9.8. and they held up signs of points. The piece zipped across the tavern, hitting a bottle, then a chandelier, and then landed in a bronze bowl held by Lefou, knocking him to the floor!

(Chorus):

"Ten points for Gaston!"

Gaston stood at the bar, surrounded by the Bimbettes, Lefou, and the patrons, by a bowl of eggs. He took the eggs and juggled them; he tossed them in the air and they all landed in his mouth and swallowed them! Lefou attempted to imitate the stunt, but all of the eggs cracked onto his head!

(Gaston):

"When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs
Ev'ry morning to help me get large!
And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs
So I'm roughly the size of a barge!"

Gaston took out his rifle and shoot at a barrel, making holes and beer poured out, filling the mugs of his companion's.

(Chorus):

"No one shoots like Gaston
Makes those beauts like Gaston"

Gaston stomped around the tavern creating vibrations from his boots, if he were a giant. Then he plopped back down on his chair, admiring his portrait and taxidermy.

(Lefou):

"Then goes tromping around
Wearing boots like Gaston!"

(Gaston):

"I use antlers in all of my decorating!"

The men clinked their mugs of mugs as it splashed to the ceiling and swung from the chandeliers. Four of the lifted Gaston in his chair and carried it like a palanquin. Lefou attempted to run, nearly tripped over a bear-skin rug, and was crushed by Gaston and his chair.

(Chorus):

"My what a guy!

Gaston!"

The patrons in the tavern cheered for the town-hero as his pride and confidence was back.

Then, the doors to the tavern were slammed open and in came Maurice. The middle-age man was pale, his white hair was ungroomed, and he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.

"Help!" Maurice cried. "Someone help me!"

The patrons in the tavern turned to the middle-aged man alarmed. This also caught Gaston's attention.

"Maurice?" a bartender asked.

Maurice ran frantically around the tavern, grabbing one patron by the shoulders and spun him as he held his beer.

"Please, please! I need your help!" the middle-aged man exclaimed and he hurried towards Tom, Dick, Stanley and Gramp's table. He grabbed Tom by the scarf and shook him. "He's got them! He's got them locked in the dungeon!"

"Who?" asked Tom.

"Belle and Odette! We must go! Not a minute to lose!"

"Whoa, slow down Maurice! Who's got Belle and Odette locked in a dungeon?" Gaston asked sarcastically.

"A beast!" he answered, running straight towards the raven-haired man. "A horrible, monstrous, beast!"

Everyone in the tavern was silent for a moment and began to laugh, not believing the middle-aged man. Maurice grew disappointed by their response.

Stanley came up to Maurice, and opened up his jacket to make himself look large. "Is it a big beast?" he asked, mockingly.

"Huge!" Maurice answered.

"With a long, ugly snout?" Stanley asked, putting his mouth in his glass to make it look big.

"Hideously ugly!"

"And sharp, cruel fangs?" asked Gramps.

Tom, Dick, Stanley, and Gramps pushed Maurice towards Gaston making him land on the floor.

"Yes, yes!" the middle-aged man said. "Will you help me?"

"All right, old man," Gaston said, sarcastically. "We'll help you!"

Dick and Stanley carried the middle-aged man by the shoulders and took him to the door.

"You will?" Maurice beamed, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The next thing the man know, was that he was thrown out of the tavern and landed in the freezing, cold snow.

"Crazy old Maurice!" laughed Tom.

"He's always good for a laugh!" agreed Stanley.

As the cronies left to go back to their drinks and socializing, Gaston overheard their conversation and began to wonder. "Crazy old Maurice, hmm? Crazy old Maurice, hmm."

He turned to his companion, who was still trapped under the chair.

(Gaston):

"Lefou, I'm afraid I've been thinking,"

(Lefou):

"A dangerous pastime…"

Gaston nodded, grabbed Lefou by his shirt collar and pulled him out. The two began to discuss about their new plan.

(Gaston):

"I know!

But that wacky old coot is Belle and Odette's father,

And his sanity's only so-so

Now the wheels in my head have been turning

Since I looked at that loony old man

See, I promised myself I'd be married to Belle

And right now, I've evolving a plan!"

Gaston pulled Lefou aside and whispered, "If I…"

"Yes?" said Lefou.

The patrons leaned in to listen to Gaston's new plan of how-to woe Belle into marriage.

"Then we…" Gaston whispered.

"No! Would she…"

"Guess!"

"Now I get it!" cried Lefou, until another thought came. "But what about Odette?"

"We'll…" Gaston whispered.

"Got it!" Lefou exclaimed with excitement.

"Let's go!" the two yelled in unison, before singing and dancing.

(Gaston and Lefou):

"No one plots like Gaston!"

(Gaston):

"Takes deep shots like Gaston!"

(Lefou):

"Plans to persecute harmless crackpots like Gaston!"

Everyone joined in as Gaston and Lefou prepared to walk out of the tavern with their plan.

(All):

"So his marriage we soon will be celebrating,

My what a guy!

Gaston!"

Outside, Maurice began to walk around the village to look for help. "Will no one help me?!" Maurice cried in despair. The winds grew strong, cold, and icy blowing snow all around in the dark atmosphere.