The morning turned into the afternoon. Two o'clock, three o'clock, four o'clock… The hours passed, one after the other, and still no sign of Belle. Adam was getting impatient. He had wished for this day to happen for such a long time, but now that it was here, it was completely different from what he had imagined.
Lumière was doing his best to distract him with other things. They walked through the castle, seeing in astonishment that it had been transformed back to its original state. The darkness was gone. All the gargoyles had turned back into cherubs again. There was plenty for them to admire. And then there were all the servants who wanted to speak to Adam. They wanted to celebrate. But he couldn't focus on a celebration. Not without Belle.
It was the middle of the winter and at six o'clock it was already dark outside. Adam was now in the library. This was Belle's favorite place in the castle, and therefore it was the best place to be at this moment. Only he wasn't able to sit down quietly with a book and wait for her. He was pacing agitatedly from one wall to the other, trying to think of a good reason why Belle hadn't shown up yet. He couldn't come up with one.
"Your highness, the cook has made something special for tonight's dinner," Mrs. Potts said carefully.
"No one in this entire castle is going to eat!" Adam said grimly. He saw the looks Lumière and Mrs. Potts were giving each other. "Not till Belle gets home," he added with a sigh.
Not till Belle gets home. This was her home. She had to come back here. She just had to!
Slowly a terrifying thought came to Adam's mind. Belle should have been here hours ago. She couldn't live THAT far away. Something was not right here. It became clearer to him with every minute that passed. Something was wrong. What if she had gotten lost on her way back to the castle? The forest was large and every tree looked like all the others. What if she wasn't able to find her father?
No, wait! Belle had the magic mirror; of course she would be able to find her way to her father and back to the castle! But then…why wasn't she here yet!
There was a knock at the door.
There she is! "Finally!" Adam exclaimed, relieved. He jumped up and ran to the foyer. Cogsworth was already there, ready to open the door.
"Your highness, what are you doing here?" Cogsworth said in surprise. "Why don't you go back to the library, where it's nice and warm?"
"No, Cogsworth, let me be the one to greet her!" Enthusiastically, Adam grabbed the door knockers and opened the door. This was it! His beloved was coming home. Now his life was finally going to begin! And he would do it better this time. With Belle as his princess, he could make everything better!
Only, the person outside in the dark was not Belle. On the steps of the castle was an old beggar woman.
Adam gasped. Immediately he went back in time to the last time a beggar woman came to his doorstep. His first instinct was to close the door. But he knew he couldn't do that. His breath sped up. He felt the cold wind go directly into his bones. He had to swallow before he was able to speak. "H-How can I help you, madame?"
"It's a cold night, good monsieur. I'm looking for a place to stay," the woman said in a croaking voice.
Adam needed time to recover. He closed his eyes for a moment. He had no idea what to think about this. This was a test. Or a cruel hallucination Maybe he was still asleep, dreaming. Or… could it be that it was going to start all over again? A wave of fear came over him at the possibility. If that was the case, he'd better make the right decision this time. "And what are you going to give me in return?" he said, his voice trembling slightly.
"I don't have much to give, monsieur," the beggar woman continued. She reached into her robes and held out a red rose. "All I can offer you is this small precious flower."
Adam smiled. It was a test. And he would pass it this time. He stepped aside to let her in. "Of course you can spend the night here. There is plenty of room and it's a privilege to share."
"That's right." The old hag gave him a toothless smile and limped into the hall way. She reached into her robes again, this time taking out a thin wand. With a flick, she transformed herself, just as she had done so many years ago.
Now standing in front of him was the young blonde woman in the bright green robes. She sank to one knee and bowed her head to the prince. "It's good to see you like this, your highness."
"I have wronged you," Adam said as he took her hand and helped her up.
"That's all in the past now." The young woman smiled at him. "You have learned to love another and to earn her love in return."
"Yes, I did," Adam said impatiently. What was she waiting for? The spell was broken, the Enchantress was here. When was she going to make Belle appear? Hadn't he waited long enough?
"My name is Alexia. I come from Évreux," the Enchantress said. She took off her cloak and gave it to Cogsworth, then glanced expectantly around the hallway, looking from Adam to Cogsworth, to Lumière and Mrs. Potts. "I came to meet the girl who broke my spell… Where is she?"
Adam stared at her. "What do you mean, where is she?" he demanded. "I thought you would know! That you came here bring her back here by magic!"
"Excuse me? She isn't here?" Alexia said surprised. "Then how did you become human again?"
"I don't know!" Adam raised his hands to the sky. "I woke up and everything was back to normal. That's all I know! And that Belle isn't here!"
"I don't understand. How could she break the spell without being here?"
"You tell me! You're the witch! It was your spell!" Adam shouted in frustration. He had waited the entire day for Belle to get back and now this witch was asking him this stupid questions! Without bringing Belle back to him!
"I'm sorry, but this was not supposed to happen like this!" Alexia apologized.
"I don't care!" Adam yelled. "I'm human again, I'm worthy of Belle's love! Get her back here!"
Alexia tried to think. "What happened exactly? When did she leave?"
Adam grunted with frustration. He couldn't answer. He turned away from the group. Was that all she could say? "This was not supposed to happen like this"? This was even worse than the waiting he had done all day. He fell into despair. For a moment he thought that it would be better to be a Beast again. Without Belle, it didn't matter.
"She left the day before yesterday, late in the evening," Lumière answered for the prince.
"Where did she go?"
"The master let her go to take care of her father," Lumière whispered. "Unfortunately, we don't know where she is from. Only that she must live nearby."
"Belle is in trouble," Adam said firmly. "She would be here if she wasn't."
"Let's… let's not jump to conclusions," Alexia said hesitantly. "Maybe there is something I can do. Give me the magic mirror I gave you."
"I gave it to her as a present, so she would have a way to look back," Adam admitted reluctantly. Was that the mistake he had made? Without the mirror, could he never be reunited with his love?
"You don't have the mirror." Alexia looked around and walked straight to a huge mirror in the hallway. "The mirror I gave you had a spell on it. You could see other places with it, but there was more. It can communicate with other mirrors."
"That's impossible," Cogsworth said, rolling his eyes.
"No. It's not," Alexia said, annoyed. "Let's hope that wherever she is, she has the mirror with her. What's the name of the girl?"
"Belle."
The Enchantress stood in front of the mirror, she looked over her shoulder at the crowd behind her. She gave them an apologizing look and said: "I've never done this kind of magic before. Let's hope this works." She raised her arms and mumbled a spell: "Belle."
Adam looked around anxiously. No sparkles. No lightning. No Belle. "Was something supposed to happen?" he asked.
Alexia started to look anxious as well. She seemed a bit embarrassed when nothing happened. "Let me try it again: Belle."
"Let me!" Adam pushed Alexia aside and raised his arms. "Belle!" Still nothing. Defeated, he sat down on a nearby chair, his head in his hands.
No. No! NO! This couldn't be true! It couldn't end like this! Now that the spell was lifted, he and Belle were supposed to live happily ever after. He was her prince, she was his princess, the spell was broken, and the only logic ending to this fairytale was to get married and live together! In his castle!
"Maybe she broke the mirror?" Cogsworth suggested.
"Belle wouldn't break it," Adam disagreed. "She would cherish it."
"Maybe she put it in a drawer?" Lumière asked Alexia. "No light in the drawer?"
Alexia shook her head. "No. Then the image would be black, we can still see ourselves."
"Can it be that she only said it to get out of the castle?" Cogsworth remarked quietly.
"If that were the case, you wouldn't be human now," Alexia said quickly, before Adam could get a word in.
Cogsworth looked at the Enchantress. "Don't you have a spell to find her?"
"No, I don't," Alexia said. "And don't start about crystal balls, those don't exist."
"What sort of an Enchantress are you, if I may ask?"
"A very powerful one and if you're not careful, you'll be saying tick-tock again within seconds!"
Adam didn't listen to what Cogsworth and Alexia were bickering about. It wouldn't bring Belle back. One thing was clear: he would have to bring her back himself. And the sooner he started, the better. "Cogsworth, saddle my horse. Lumière, bring me my coat. I'm going to look for her."
"Your highness, it's dark," Lumière started.
"I don't care!" Adam shouted angrily. He opened the door and saw that it had started to snow again. "I have to find Belle," he said desperately.
"Going out in the dark is not only dangerous, but foolhardy," Lumière continued. "You can't rush into this. You need to have a plan of how to look for her."
"Fine. A plan. I need a plan," Adam said as he started to pace again. How was he ever going to do this? Belle could be anywhere! There were dozens of little villages in this region. How was he ever going to find the right village, let alone the right house?
"Cogsworth! Bring me a map of the area!"
That evening when Belle was brought back to her cell, she paused before entering it. Something had been troubling her for the entire day, but there had been no opportunity to ask. Being escorted back by Madame Beaumont herself, this might be the only chance she would get.
"Madame Beaumont," she said hesitantly. "May I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how my father is doing? He was rather sick when we were brought here." There. She had said it. Now all she could do was hope for an honest answer.
The woman didn't speak for a few seconds, which felt like hours to Belle. "Your father is in the hospital wing of our institution," Madame Beaumont said finally. "Your fiancé has told me he has sent a doctor to see him."
"My fiancé?" Belle asked, confused. But the moment she said it, she realized that the woman meant Gaston. She decided not to get into a fight about that. Finding out how her father was doing was more important. "Where is the hospital wing, can I go there?"
Madame Beaumont shook her head, walking on to Belle's cell. "Not if I have anything to say about it. You are not well. But you can ask your fiancé to talk to Monsieur d'Arque to see what he thinks."
"That man is not my fiancé," Belle sighed, irritated. "When will he be here?"
"Monsieur d'Arque told me he will be visiting tomorrow."
"Good, I can't wait," Belle murmured. She had to admit, it was friendly of the woman to tell her how her father was doing. If it was true, she reminded herself. Gaston could have paid Madame Beaumont to tell her lies. That wouldn't be a surprise. It wasn't right, how Gaston was in full power over everything in here! Everything that happened to her was the result of Gaston's will.
In all honesty, the day hadn't been as awful as she had expected it to be. Aside from the food being disgusting here, talking to Stella was a fine way to pass the day. She could survive for a few days here. Surely that would be enough time to make Gaston change his mind. The only thing she wasn't sure of surviving were the nights.
Last night had been terrible With the window letting the cold winter air in, the fireplace wasn't able to warm her. Being all alone in that cell was bad enough. But the low temperature made it impossible for her to sleep well. If she couldn't sleep, she would hear noises she didn't want to hear. If she couldn't sleep, she would think too much about things she didn't want to think about: her father, Adam, the fear of never being able to get out of the asylum. Those thoughts would haunt her all night. She didn't want to go through that again.
"Can I ask something else?" Belle asked when they had almost reached her cell. She hated to ask for a favor from a woman who might conspire against her.
"What is it, Belle?"
"Can I… Can I get an extra blanket?" she spoke quickly, hoping that if she could explain herself clearly, that she then would get what she needed. "You see, it's very cold in my ce… In my room."
To Belle's surprise, the woman didn't have to think long about her request. She smiled at Belle and beckoned to follow her. "Come with me."
"Thank you so much," Belle said with a deep sigh as they walked around a corner. "I really appreciate it," she added.
They stopped in front of a large cupboard. Madame Beaumont took a key from her key ring and opened the door. The cupboard was filled with clean white sheets and thick blankets. Belle was delighted. With one of those she would be warm. She would be able to sleep all night. Tonight would be a better night, and with a better night a better day would follow. This was just exactly what she needed. Maybe the woman of the asylum wasn't as bad as she had thought yesterday.
But when she reached out to take one of the blankets out of the cupboard, Madame Beaumont quickly shut the cupboard door. Belle pulled her hand back just in time. "Hey! Why did you do that?"
"We don't give out luxury goods for free here, mademoiselle. You have to earn it."
"What do you mean?"
The woman smiled wickedly, clearly enjoying every moment. "Does the beast in the castle exist?" She spoke slowly, as though Belle was really having a mental condition.
Belle rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course, he-" she began, but stopped in mid-sentence when Madame Beaumont firmly closed the door and turned the key. "Wait!"
"Yes, mademoiselle?"
"He-" Belle started, then hesitated. She knew what she had to do. She knew what the woman expected of her. If that was all it took to have a good night's sleep… it wouldn't be so bad to say it, would it? It would mean she would get a blanket. It would mean being warm. "He-" she started again.
Madame Beaumont turned the key and opened the door of the cupboard. There were those warm blankets again.
Don't say it! a voice in the back of her head begged her. Don't do this! You're going to deny his existence, his love, everything you two have shared for a blanket?
"He doesn't-"
No, don't, Belle!
She tried to listen to the voice. The voice was right, this was not good. But those blankets looked so warm! The thought of going back to that ice-cold cell for an entire night was simply unbearable. The solution was right in front of her! And if she wanted to survive, she had to stay alive. She reached her hand out to the blankets.
Don't! What will Adam say?
"Shut up! I'm cold!" Belle argued out loud.
"What was that?" Madame Beaumont said as she raised an eyebrow. She opened the closet and took out one of the blankets. She let it touch the skin on Belle's arms. "Did you know these blankets are filled with goose down feathers? They will keep you warm in even the coldest winter."
Belle bit her lower lip as the fabric touched her arm. It was almost torture. It was so soft. The blanket was thick and warm. And it felt good. She had to have it. "He doesn't," she answered breathlessly.
Madame Beaumont pulled the blanket away from Belle. "He doesn't what?" she said with a smile.
Please, Belle, don't do it! Think of Adam! Please!
But Belle couldn't help it, she had to have that blanket. No matter what it took, she had to have that blanket! She didn't want to freeze again this night. She needed it to sleep. There was nothing bad about it! "He doesn't exist!" she shouted.
"Who?"
"The beast in the castle! He doesn't exist! He's not real!" she shouted, devastated.
"That's right. Here you go," Madame Beaumont agreed as she placed the blanket into Belle's hands. "Now, it's past your bed time!"
Oh no... Belle, what have you done?
The moment Belle took the blanket, she knew that what she had done was wrong. She followed Madame Beaumont to her cell. She didn't speak anymore. She didn't react when the door was closed and locked. She felt numb. Her emotions were gone.
She sat down on her bed with the blanket still in her hands. She had been in the asylum for only a day and a half, and already it was clear that she was losing her sense of what was right. Betraying Adam's love and existence for a blanket. For a blanket!
She let the blanket slip onto the floor and stared at it in disbelief. How could I betray him like this?
From the moment she had traded places with her father, Adam had been kind to her. Yes, he did have a temper and was impatient. But he had opened his house and his heart to her. He would never be this selfish. He would never have chosen his own comfort over betraying her.
Belle curled up under the thin sheet on her bed and closed her eyes. The blanket stayed on the floor for the entire night.
