Chapter 35

Thoughts and Ponders

(Rose POV)

I sat in my room crying for what seemed like hours. My heart felt torn, and hurt because of the lies that had been feed to me after all these months.

Master, the beast, was actually Calostire, the man I loved.

"How could he do this to me? He knew that I loved him, he knew that I cared about him more than anything else…" I mumbled to myself.

The horror's that I saw an hour ago still haunted my mind. Calostire and Axel, they used to be childhood friends. Then Calostire tore Axel's world apart by taking over Axel's land. How could Calostire do that? Didn't he care about his friend? What if everything he told me, everything he felt was just a lie?

"Oh! I don't know what to believe anymore! Maybe this all just one big dream that I'm having after reading a adventure book."

I rubbed my head in annoyance.

A knock at the door echoed throughout my room, and dread spread throughout me. What if it was Calostire?! I don't think I can handle talking to him at the moment. Things have just happened way to fast.

"Deary?" A soft voice said.

"Mademoiselle?" A cheery voice rang.

"Anyone there?" The last voice said.

I instantly recognized the voices as Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth. The three that I actually were able to call friends. Over the weeks, all of them were helpful and they were always there for me when things seemed down in the dumps.

"Come in," I said, somewhat monotone voice, "no one else is out there, right?"

"No dear, its just us three." Mrs. Potts replied.

As they all walked in, I could tell that they already knew of the events that had transpired. I guess all that roaring and yelling seemed to get around the castle.

"Are you all right mademoiselle? You seem to look a little pale and your eyes are all red and puffy." Lumiere asked. Concern clear in his tone.

"Lumiere! Must you be so forward to the lady! After all she's been through; you just have to be the first one to say something about her appearance. Have you no decency?!" Cogsworth bellowed. I could only giggle as I watched the two bicker and fight. Even after all that had happened, I could still laugh somehow.

"Dear, don't mind them. They really are concerned; after all we heard the tale that had happened when Master was in his human form. After he came back one day, he didn't bellow or yell at anyone. He actually seemed like he was happy. After that we knew that he kept going to the village for some reason, but he never told us that he fell in love with you let alone, even met you!" Mrs. Potts sighed. Chip was nowhere to be seen, usually he was always with his mother, but I could guess that Mrs. Potts told him that he couldn't come today. I wish she would have let him come; he always had a childish way of cheering me up.

"I don't know Mrs. Potts, maybe he didn't fall in love. Maybe he just wanted to find something that resembled friendship. After all, if you love someone you tell them if something is wrong. They tell you when there sad, or hurt. Not lie after several weeks of being around the one you supposedly 'love', when that 'loved' one doesn't even know." All this hatred and anger just kept rising to my throat and all I could do was just let it all out. It was like everything single little thing that had bothered me just poured out.

Soon I was in tears again, telling them of when I got to the castle and what had happened. I didn't even notice when Lumiere and Cogsworth stopped fighting.

After I was done, I was panting. All of my breath seemed to leave me after I finally let everything out. The tears streaked my face, and all I could do was sit in silence and wait for someone, anyone to say something.

"Mademoiselle…Rose, you know that's not true. Master does care about you! He cares more about you than anyone else he's ever known. You are the only one that showed him that kindness is in everyone, even if it's buried way down deep inside of them. When you were hurt, your side, all he did while you were resting was pace back and forth in front of your room while you slept. I, in all of my years of knowing him, did he ever do that. Plus, he kept mumbling how it was his entire fault and how someone as kind as you shouldn't have had that happen to you." Lumiere stopped, and then looked at me with such as serious expression that I almost couldn't believe it. "He also said how he was afraid of telling you something…how he was afraid that you would hate him and never see him again if he told you. When you think about it now Rose, I think he was talking about telling you he was Master Calostire. At first my dear, I think that the only reason he kept you here was because of the curse…" I stopped him.

"What curse? He never told me about a curse?" I was confused, were they talking about the curse on the castle, or something else? "Calostire already explained to me about how his temper turned everyone into what you are now, but is there something else?"

The servants looked at each other expectantly. Then Cogsworth waddled up to me and explained the rest of the tale, the tale about the rose. The very one I saw when I first came to the castle. And what part it played in the curse.

All of the servants looked at me as I got up from the bed and moved over to the window to watch the falling snow. How peaceful it looked on the outside, with the white wonderland, and the little flakes that you could catch on your tongue. I remember when I was little and I first saw snow, how I ran outside to look up into the sky and wonder what made the little flakes. But now, I was in a castle with a man that I truly care about, but he lied to me…lied to me that he was near me all this time.

Is that what he was afraid of? That I would hate him because he was a beast? That would explain…and the rose. It played a part in his explanation for the lie. He needed a woman to fall in love with him, and him her for him to become human again.

I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts. Thank you all. I think I now understand why Calostire didn't want to tell me. Now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. But still, I wouldn't have cared what he looked like. I just wanted to be with him." I said.

I needed to find Calostire and tell him that I was sorry.