Chapter Seven

Meeting the Master

(Rose's POV)

"OUCH!" I yelped as I tried to sit up and move.

"Where am I?" I mumbled as I looked around.

The last thing I remembered before I blacked out was looking for my father and then the wolves appeared…I couldn't remember anything else past that besides hearing my name. Forgetting about last night I looked around again. To my astonishment I was laying in the most azure bed that was silk and crimson red, and I was the most comfortable thing I had ever slept in. As for the rest of the room, it was all covered in the finest furniture and beautiful things imaginable. Something that a pheasant girl like me, would never imagine to see in all of my life.

Out of nowhere a tea pot came in and asked, "Would you like some tea dear?"

I didn't answer for a moment staring at the pot with amazement, thinking that this was all a dream. I pinched myself, which must have been why the tea pot was chuckling a little. A girl randomly pinching herself, nice way to introduce yourself to someone. But none the less it was real. So I responded politely,

"No…no thank you. Do you mind me asking where I am?"

The tea pot kindly responded while she was hopping onto the moving tray so she could look at me eye to eye.

"You are in the Masters castle dear."

The Masters castle? What a strange name for a castle...no it must be her 'masters' castle.

"Excuse me…umm Mrs.?"

"Potts dear" the tea pot kindly responded.

"Thank you. Mrs. Potts, do you mind telling me how long I have been here?" she nodded,

"Certainly dear, you've only been here for a day. And I must say that you've been sleeping from dusk to dusk." She chuckled at her own joke.

A day! Anything could have happened to father by now, what am I going to do? Wait! Maybe the person who lives in this castle saw him and helped him. I hope.

"Where is your Master Mrs. Potts?"

Mrs. Potts at first asked what my name was so I told her. I asked the same question again like before. She didn't answer the first time.

"Master is in the West Wing."

Okay so this 'Master' lives in this giant castle, the castle is in the woods, has a talking tea pot and so my only question was how I got into his castle unless…

"Mrs. Potts did your Master…well did he bring me here?"

Mrs. Potts said in a very low whisper,

"Yes dear, but you must not get out of bed. You are still injured and sick. Don't forget about the cuts everywhere."

I ignored her, how could I sit in bed when a kind man allowed me to rest in his home. Plus the sooner I thanked him the sooner I could go and find my father.

Just as I was about to walk out of the room, with a smooth and white silk dress on, a candle and a very plump looking clock, jumped out at me from behind the doorway making me jump and fall on my butt.

"Mademoiselle! Are you OK? We didn't mean to startle you."

I only laughed. Meeting a talking candle and a clock was not something you see every day. "It's OK, I'm fine. Just a bit startled."

The candle made a sigh of relief. "I am monsieur Lumiere and this is-", the candle was cut off as the clock yelled angrily.

"I can speak for myself Lumiere! Pardon me, I am Cogsworth."

With that, I kindly greeted them both, as I raised myself up from the floor, brushing myself off. Then I offered them both my warmest smile.

"Please to meet you monsieur's. Do any of you mind showing me where the 'West Wing' is?"

Both of them quickly started asking if I would rather look around the other parts of the castle instead.

"How about the dining room or the study!" that definitely sparked an interest in me because where there was a study there was books, but I had to hurry and find my father.

"A study! I love books!" I said.

The two started laughing and singing about how many books there were, and how no one would be able to read them all. In all of their laughing glory they didn't happen to notice me slipping away into the West Hallway, where both had looked as soon as I asked where the certain wing was.

As I walked through the hallways I noticed it was a very dark, gloomy and the beast like statues made me even more frightened than I already was, but I kept going. I also noticed the farther I went down the hallway, the more broken things started showing up. They all seemed to come from something that I would have in my nightmares, I was terrified now.

Finally I reached a gigantic doorway with a lion head as a handle, and it now occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't be here. After all Mrs. Potts, although she seemed more concerned about my cuts, she wouldn't let me know about her master. And Lumiere and Cogsworth both immediately went do a different subject. This made me wonder if I was allowed to enter, but I was just going to thank the Master of the household.

After arguing over whether or not to open it, I finally came to an agreement with myself. I opened the door, once I got inside I wondered if I was in the right room because compared to the other lavished rooms this room was disastrous like the hallway, except much worse.

Broken things lay everywhere, such as tables, a bed, and some things I couldn't make out. But in the middle of the room a glowing rose sat on a small table inside a round glass. Beside the rose was a balcony that looked over the village, out to the mountains, and even a gorge that surrounded the castle. I didn't want to look down at the cliff, but I couldn't anyway, I was too caught up with the rose. I walked over to the it and removed a round cylinder glass that covered it, and just as I was about to touch one of its red petals, a voice came from behind me,

"What are you doing in here?"

I turned around but couldn't see anyone due to the darkness.

"I…I came to than--"

"Get out of this room" the voice growled. It sounded deep like thunder.

I was now terrified. I tried scanning the room looking for some sign of where the voice was coming from, but the voice echoed as it spoke.

"You are to stay in this castle with me, but for now get out of this ROOM! No one is to ever come in here, but since you are new you will not suffer the consequences. Anyway, you will never leave this castle. You will soon learn the rules."

I was now confused and scared. I came to thank this 'Master' for his hospitality only to find out he wanted to keep me here in his castle against my will.

"NO!" I yelled. A growl was heard again but oddly enough laughter soon came from the shadows.

"Yes, you are to stay in this castle with me. You owe me for taking you from the woods and the storm. I will never let you go…Rose."

I ran. I ran as fast as I could down the hallway and to the entrance. I could see that Lumiere and Cogsworth finally found out that I didn't follow them. The voice still rang in my head, as if it wanted to continue to torment me even though I was well away from the actual speaker. What if this 'Master' had put a spell on me, to make my spirits break, thinking it would never leave me alone. The thought made shivers go down my spine.

"Rose, where are you going?" asked Lumiere.

"Away. Thank you Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts. For everything, but I can't stay here. I just can't."

I heard a roar coming from the end of the hallway. My head turned towards the West Hall from where I came from, the roar was close. I looked down at the people/objects that had been so kind to me. Their pleading looks puzzled me, but all I could muster before I left was a quick, "Goodbye."

With that I ran out into the snow.