Belle was almost ready, Gaston thought smugly. Maybe a few more days, at most another week, but very soon she would be his. She was a filly he'd driven to the corner of the stable, and it wouldn't be long before she was eating out of his hand. According to Madame Beaumont, Belle had already abandoned the idea of a beast in a castle; the next step was accepting him as her fiancé. It shouldn't be too difficult. It was almost time for the finale: a big wedding with him as the center of attention.

Now all that was left for him to do was make sure Belle would act like his wife. Madame Gaston… he mused. His little wife. She was almost perfect, but she needed some minor adjustments, some tweaking, and she would be done.

And he knew just the right people for that job. He was striding purposefully across the village square when he spotted them. "Good afternoon, Mayor. May I have a word with you and your wife?"

"Of course, Gaston. What can we do to help you?" the mayor greeted him heartily.

"I'm pleased to tell you that Belle is doing much better and I plan to bring her back to the village very soon."

"That's good news!" the mayor's wife, Madame Chantil, exclaimed. "Do I hear wedding bells?"

"As soon as Belle is home, Madame, we'll get married!" Gaston said happily. Then he looked away as if he were feeling tormented. "But I - or should I say, Belle - needs your help."

"Anything you say," Madame Chantil answered. She seemed so pleased to offer her help to the town's hero...which was of course no surprise.

"The thing is, I won't be bringing just Belle home, but also Maurice," Gaston continued. "Belle is still recovering, we need to make the preparations for the wedding…with everyone that's going on, I'm afraid that taking care of her sick father will be too much for her." He swallowed and looked away from the couple, letting out a deep desperate sigh. "I don't want her to have another breakdown."

"You will be a good husband to her," the woman said admiringly.

"I know," Gaston said automatically. "But she will need help with her father and the house so she can get ready to become my wife."

"No problem."

"No problem?" the mayor interrupted the conversation. "Gaston, you know I'd never want to offend you, but you are talking to my wife. The mayor's wife is neither a cleaning lady nor a nurse!"

"I know, Mayor, and I didn't mean to insult you," Gaston assured him. "But what I need for Belle is more than a cleaning lady. Belle has been without a mother for a long time. To become my wife, she needs the best help she can get. Your wife is the first lady in our town." He gave Madame Chantil his most charming smile. "Who else can teach her how to run my household?"

To his pleasure, he saw that the mayor's wife's cheeks had turned red. She put her hand on her husband's arm. "It's alright, Marcel." She spoke confidentially, but Gaston could still hear her. "We need to help him. Gaston is right: who else can teach Belle what it means to be a wife of the most important man in the village? Most important after you, of course."

Gaston hid his smile behind his hand. This was going exactly as he had expected.

"Alright, let's have a compromise," the mayor said as he turned back to Gaston. "My wife can go help Belle and prepare her for her future life, but she will take our maid with her. She can help out with the cleaning. My wife is not going to clean another family's house!"

"What a great suggestion! Thank you, Mayor," Gaston said, shaking the mayor's hand. The mayor beamed proudly at the compliment.

The conversation was interrupted by the butcher, who barged in saying that he needed to talk to the mayor urgently. This came in handy, because the next thing Gaston had to say wasn't meant for everyone's ears. The fewer people knew, the better.

"There is one more thing, Madame Chantil." Discreetly he took a little bottle out of his bag and gave it to the mayor's wife. "This is a bottle of the medication they gave Belle. Can you give it to her?"

"Of course, I'll make sure she takes her medicine." The mayor's wife took it and placed it in her basket.

"I'd rather that you not mention it to Belle." Gaston shook his head and continued softly, "I don't want her to get upset by finding out that she needs help with her recovery. She has her pride."

"What do you want me to do?"

"At the Maison they put it in her tea, a tablespoon a day."

"That's a good idea. That way Belle can recover without knowing it," Madame Chantil agreed. "Belle is really the luckiest girl in the world to get such a considerate husband."

With that, the mayor's wife left him to go on with her daily shopping. Gaston mentally went over the list of things to do before the wedding. Maurice was taken care of. Belle would get her training to become his wife. Now to make sure she would look like his wife.

She was not like other girls in the village. She didn't spend much time at the seamstress, and according to the peddler, Belle never had bought any jewelry from him. Gaston liked the fact that his wife was not vain, but he deserved something nicer to look at than that modest blue dress she always wore. He wondered if Belle would have something else in her closet. Probably not, but that was something he could get fixed.

"Girls!" he yelled when he saw the triplets walking by. "Get over here!"

As soon as the girls heard his voice, they hurried over, clinging on to him. They looked so happy to be able to talk to him.

"Yes, Gaston?"

"What can we do for you?"

"Oh please, tell us!"

"I need you to do me a favor," Gaston explained as he walked with the girls towards the tavern. When this was over he would get a drink.

"Anything you say, Gaston!"

"Very soon I am going to bring Belle home and I want you to help her," he said. He opened the door to the tavern. "Be kind to her, she needs-"

"Help Belle?" the first one interrupted Gaston's sentence.

"Be kind to that little brat?"

"You can't ask us that!"

Gaston raised his eyebrows. "Girls! Do you want to help me or not?"

"What do you want us to do exactly?" one of them asked suspiciously.

"First of all, get me a beer." He was probably going to need it. This was going to take longer than expected. He sat down in his chair and indicated that the girls had to sit with him. Only they didn't. One of the girls walked over to the bar as her sisters both took chairs and sat opposite him.

"Well?" the second one said when Gaston had his drink.

"Take Belle to the seamstress," he said with a shrug. "Help her to get a new wardrobe. Shoes, jewelry…all the other stuff my wife will need. You know what a woman needs."

For a moment the three girls all looked absolutely stunned. "You want us to dress up Belle for you?" the first girl said in disbelief. She exchanged a look with her sisters. They immediately shook their heads. "Forget it!"

"No way."

"Never!"

Totally unexpectedly, the girls gave him a piece of their mind, saying that he was out of his mind and that there was nothing in the world that would make them do this..questioning why they would ever help the girl he favored over them…how dare he to do this to them? It went on and on.

Gaston rolled his eyes. He finally had Belle where he wanted, but now the triplets were going to throw a wrench in the works! He had to do something to get them on his side again. He didn't have to think long to figure out the best way. He raised his hand and the girls stopped talking…but they were still looking daggers at him.

Whenever Gaston was training one of his dogs to fetch game, he knew he needed to have a reward in hand. In essence, a dog and a girl weren't that different. And like all girls, the triplets were very predictable. He knew exactly what their soft spot was…or rather, who their soft spot was.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," he told them.

"I don't know what that means," one of the girls whispered to her sisters.

"I mean that as a married man, some things will change in my life, but some things will always stay the same," Gaston said, standing up. He walked behind the chairs the sisters were sitting on. He ran his fingers through the hair of the first girl, caressed the neck of the second one, and patted the third on the head like a favorite pet, giving her a soft smile. "Like my visits to the tavern."

The girls exchanged another look, then looked back at him. Slowly they started to understand what he was saying.

"Your visits to the tavern?" the first one asked. "Monday night?"

"Wednesday night?"

"Friday night?"

"Saturday night?" they ended in unison.

"A man needs to keep to his routine," Gaston said seriously. And he meant it. After all, even with Belle as his wife, he couldn't eat the same meal every day. That would get boring. A man needed variety. "With precision and order."

"Give us one moment," one of the sisters said to him. They huddled together, whispering agitatedly. Apparently they weren't sure about what to do. He knew he had hurt their feelings by favoring Belle over them, but he could only marry one girl. This would be a good solution. They would still get to play a small part in his life, and more importantly, he was getting what he wanted. After a minute of discussion, the girls came back to him.

"So helping Belle, is helping you, is helping us," the third girl concluded as she sat down on the arm of the chair. Her two sisters nodded slowly.

"Good. You know what I like," Gaston said as he looked at the girl sitting next to him, her chest exactly at the same level as his eyes. Yes… that was exactly what he liked. Seeing Belle in a dress like that would be the icing on his wedding cake. Of course his wife would be an example to the other women in the village, but everyone had to know that his wife was the most beautiful one.

"And if you three behave and treat Belle with the respect my wife deserves, you can each pick out a little trinket too," he said, he gently shoved the girl off the armrest and patted her on her behind. "Now, off with you, go to the seamstress to look for dresses."


"Belle, your fiancé will probably take you home within a few days," Madame informed Belle when they were sitting in her office again.

Belle sighed with relief - finally, an answer! Okay, it was still 'probably' and 'within a few days', but that was better than waiting without any hope of ever getting out of here. She had to thank Gaston for this; it was no doubt his doing. The next time he visited her, she had to express her gratitude. Within a few days she could get back to a normal life, to her own house, sleeping in her own bed!

"What about my father?" she asked. She couldn't leave without her father. Or could she? And then what, return to this place as a visitor? No. Her father had to come with her now. And who knew how they had treated him? She could only hope and pray that he was all right.

"The doctor thinks he will be well enough to travel home within a few days as well, but he will need someone to take care of him."

"I'll manage," Belle said confidently. She had always taken care of her father when he was sick. Hearing that her father could go home too was wonderful news! "Can I see my father yet?"

"Maybe later," Madame answered. She stood up from her desk and smiled at Belle. "Now that we have cleared up that little misunderstanding about that beast in the castle, we have to make you a bit more presentable. As the future wife of the most important man around, you must always look your best." She opened the door to the next room.

Curiously, Belle walked into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of a big bathtub. The water was so hot that steam was coming from it. She looked longingly at the tub. Since she had arrived here she hadn't been able to wash herself or even put on a clean dress. Day in, day out, she had been walking in these rags. She didn't even have something else to sleep in. She felt dirty and sweaty.

She reached out and put her hand in the water. It was the perfect temperature, nice and warm. "This is really for me?"

Madame nodded as she took a basket from the table and handed it to Belle. "Your fiancé has sent you a few things you might need."

In the basket Belle saw several soaps, ointments, sponges and all kind of luxury goods. There even was a little bottle of perfume in there! She had never been a very vain girl, but at this moment in her life she couldn't resist the urge to try out everything.

"Monsieur de Soleil really cares about you," Madame said. "You have to consider yourself very lucky that he chose you for his wife."

"I know."

"With him you will not have a care in the world ever again."

"I know," Belle repeated.

"I'll be in my office, in case you need anything," Madame said as she closed the door.

Belle wasn't listening to Madame anymore. Now that she was in a big room, all by herself, without hearing anyone screaming, she had to get used to the silence. She looked at all the bottles and soaps in the basket. They all smelled so fancy! She even found a very small bottle with a language she couldn't read. She didn't even recognize the letters. Maybe they were Arabian, or who knew, even Chinese! In one of her books, she had read about countries that used a different kind of writing. She let a few drops of the oil fall into the water and immediately the smell of roses filled the room. She quickly undressed and stepped into the water. This feels amazing!

She closed her eyes and relaxed. For the first time since she had arrived here, she was able to relax. She thought back to the last time she had been in a bath. It had been in the castle…that wonderful evening when she and Adam had waltzed. Mrs. Potts had helped her with getting ready. She giggled softly. As much as a teapot could help, of course.

Stop it! she reprimanded herself. There is no Mrs. Potts! No talking teapots and no Adam! She had to stop daydreaming. Her reality, her future was with Gaston. He would be a good husband to her and look after her. He had showed her in so many ways that he loved her. He visited her in the Maison, he helped her get better. He was sending her all these gifts. That must be a sign of love. Or at least affection.

He locked you up here, a voice in her head started to argue. Belle tried not to listen. Gaston had brought her here, but that was for her own good. So it wasn't really locking her up. Here it was quiet; it had given her time to get things clear in her head. She needed it, as she was confused…disoriented, as Gaston had put it. He had been right. She wondered how long had it been going on. Had her father noticed it? Maybe, but her father would never send her away. Maybe he hadn't wanted to see it.

But Gaston did see it and he had brought her here. He had her best interests at heart. She was sure of that. What did they always say in wedding vows? 'To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part'.

For better, for worse. In sickness and in health. Gaston was honoring those vows. Belle hoped she could take just as good care of him as he did of her.

Wait! He's aggressive! Remember the way he kissed you before he brought you here? He practically forced himself upon you! the voice argued again. She wondered about that. Was that what Gaston had done? Or was that just how she had experienced it at that moment? Now that she was calm and relaxed, she was able to see it from Gaston's point of view. A man sees his fiancée losing touch with reality, shouting to a crowd about a beast in a castle, thinking a mirror could show any other image besides her own reflection. What if she was the one who had witnessed it? She would go to desperate measures to get back the man she loved. So Gaston's reaction wasn't so unusual. It was actually very sweet.

If you were engaged and everything was so sweet, then why don't you remember it? The voice kept nagging on and on. She couldn't answer that question. It felt as if there were big gaps in her memory. But did it matter why she couldn't remember it? Who knew? There was something wrong in her head. She had been convinced about a beast in a castle; maybe she had suppressed her feelings about Gaston.

And not just about Gaston; the engagement too. She had never really thought about being married. As long as she was living in Montville, she just couldn't picture herself as married, especially not to someone from the village - that would mean she would have to stay there forever. There would be no adventures and no travels to the great wide somewhere. Only now that she thought of it, living here with Gaston, a man who loved her, it might not be so bad.

She had to admit that she was a bit scared of the future, even if it was with Gaston. She hadn't known any other life than the sheltered life with her father. Now she would be living with a different man. And not just any man, but Gaston de Soleil; the most important man in town. The one who was always watched, whose every action was big news in the town. As his wife she would be standing next to him, the center of attention. That would be a first.

She couldn't picture it. Being Madame Gaston. What would her days look like as Gaston's wife?

There was a memory of Gaston telling her that he would like to have a house filled with children and dogs. Six or seven. Children, not dogs. They MUST have talked about a future together; otherwise she couldn't know that. He wanted to have sons. Strapping boys, like him.

That would be the next step. First she would be a wife. then a mother…with six children. Or seven. Great, that was one more thing she could add to her list of things she couldn't picture. Her imagination was always crystal clear when it came to fairytales, but now that she needed to imagine what her own life would be like, her mind was blank.

Of course, she liked children, but being a mother was something completely different. Especially to six children! Or seven!

Wait! Children… That means that Gaston and IWe will have to…

She and her father had animals, goats and chickens; she wasn't totally unaware of where children came from. A few months before her mother died, she had vaguely explained what happened between a husband and wife on their wedding night and how children were conceived. But back then Belle had been fourteen years old and had forgotten all about what her mother had said that same day and never thought about it again. Now, it was something she had to start thinking about.

Okay, I can do this. All I have to do is use my imagination.

She opened her eyes and sat up straight in the bathtub, trying to think of herself and Gaston in a romantic setting.

At that moment, Madame Beaumont walked back in. Belle protectively crossed her arms over her body. Madame put her hand in the water and said, "The water is getting cold. You'd better get out now. There is something for you in my office." She helped Belle out of the bathtub. "What were you thinking about?"

Madame handed her a towel. Not a rag like Belle had used on her first day; no, this one was thick and warm, made out of the finest cotton. She wrapped it around her body and felt calmer than she had been for a long time.

"The future," she admitted reluctantly. She was not going to tell Madame exactly she was thinking about.

"That's a good sign," Madame said as they walked back to her office. "What you created for yourself, your 'perfect' world out there, has disappeared for good. You have to look at what is in front of you."

"Do you think so?"

"Belle, you are not the first girl to come through here before her wedding. Many girls get cold feet. Getting married is one of the biggest steps a girl can take in her life."

"I just can't imagine my life with Gaston. I really try, I do, but-"

"You will find out along the way," Madame interrupted. "There is something on the table. Why don't you open it?"

Belle hadn't noticed them earlier, but there were two brown paper packages, both very large. She decided to start with the smaller of the two. She gasped softly when she saw the contents: a beautiful dress, much fancier than she was used to wearing. It was very different from her blue day dress. For one thing, it was red - not really a color she was used to wearing. But if her life was going to change for the better, this was a small thing to begin with.

In the second package were clothes as well. First there was a long, luxurious velvet dressing gown, deep red like cherries, embroidered with an intricate pattern. Next to that was a white thick cotton nightgown. She sighed happily. This was exactly what she needed here! Gaston was certainly generous. Clothes likes these didn't come cheap. He apparently thought she deserved it.

"Can I put it on?" she asked.

Madame smiled, "Of course you can. They are yours."

Belle quickly put on the nightgown. It fitted her perfectly.

"Sit in front of the fireplace so your hair can dry." Madame Beaumont poured Belle a cup of tea.

Belle took a sip of her tea. It still tasted strange, but she didn't want to start about her tea again. Madame was probably right that it was her imagination. That was why she was here, after all: that vivid imagination.

Out of nowhere, all of a sudden there came loud screams from the hallway - louder than Belle had ever heard here. It was definitely not in her imagination. It was frightening; it sounded like someone was going to be killed! She looked at Madame. "What is going on out there?"

"Nothing! You should be used by the sound of some of our patients by now," Madame said carefully, not taking her eyes off Belle. "Drink your tea."

Belle did her best to ignore the screams, but she simply couldn't. They were too loud. It would probably be better if she just stayed here and finished her tea, but she couldn't. She had to know what was happening. She put down her tea and walked to the door.

"Belle, stay…" Madame said with a hint of warning in her voice.

Belle didn't listen. She had gotten used to hearing the screams of Crazy Anne at night, but this was different. This person sounded like she was being skinned alive! Besides, all the women were supposed to be in the garden till dinner. Belle stood up and ran towards the sound. She saw a door closing at the end of the hall.

"Belle, get back here!" Madame Beaumont yelled, still standing in the doorway of her office.

Belle hesitated before she opened the door, but she had to find out where the sound was coming from. Who was screaming like her life depended on it? Behind the door was a staircase going down. She had no choice; she had to find out.

Slowly she descended the stairs. She recognized this place: it was where she had been taken on her first day here. It seemed so long ago. She passed the room where that woman had scrubbed her. Back then she hadn't notice it, but the hall was filled with doors. In every door there was a small window. Belle's heart started pounding in her throat. She still heard the screams, but couldn't detect where they came from.

The first room was almost empty. The room was dark, the only light coming from the hall. Belle could see there was straw on the floor. And then she saw a girl, sitting quietly in a corner. There was a bandage around both her wrists. The girl didn't seem to notice that someone was looking at her. Her eyes were open but she wasn't looking at anything particular. She was staring into space. Her mouth was hanging open a little.

The second room was much bigger, but just as dark. At least five or six women were chained to the wall. It made Belle feel sick to her stomach. Then by the third door, she saw who was doing the screaming she'd heard. "Oh my God!" she screamed. "Stella!"

Inside Stella was being held and stripped of her clothes by two male caretakers. A servant girl was filling up a bath tub with ice cubes. The tub was almost full. They couldn't seriously do this! This was pure torture!

Belle saw that on the other side of the room, Monsieur d'Arque was standing with a small smile on his lips, terribly amused by the whole scene. He nodded. Stella kept screaming and kicking, but with great ease, the two men lifted her up and put her in the tub. As soon as Stella's body hit the ice, she started to scream louder. The terrible sound went right through the walls. One of the men held her down, while the other covered the tub with a big wooden lid, only leaving room for Stella's head. She was completely trapped!

Belle could see that Stella was trying to lift the lid, but it was too heavy. The people in the room still hadn't seen Belle and, due to Stella's screams, they didn't hear her either. She was reaching out for the doorknob when Madame Beaumont caught up with her.

"Let's go, Belle," Madame Beaumont said, taking Belle's arm and leading her away from the door. "There are things a future bride should not see."

"Madame Beaumont, what is this girl doing here?" Monsieur d'Arque demanded as he stepped out of the room, carefully closing the door.

"I'm very sorry, Monsieur d'Arque, she escaped."

"What are you doing to Stella?" Belle asked. She tried to look through the window again, but they pulled her back further, back toward the stairs.

"Stella was causing a riot," Monsieur d'Arque explained calmly. "She needed to cool down."

"With an ice bath? She'll freeze to death!"

"She will not be in there for the entire day, mademoiselle," he explained with a shrug. "45 minutes is usually enough. Then the blood will be cooled down and so will she."

"45 minutes?" Belle was getting more agitated by the minute. How could that man stand there while someone was being tortured only a few feet away? He had probably ordered it himself! "You have to get her out there now! She won't survive!"

"Mademoiselle, we are used to taking care of people like Stella," Madame said. "We know what we are doing."

"You can't do that to her!"

Monsieur d'Arque had had enough. He stepped up close to Belle and hissed: "Do you want to know what I can do?" A servant girl came out of the room, carrying a bucket filled with ice cubes. He beckoned the girl to come over and quickly exchanged a look with Madame Beaumont. "I'll show you what I can do!"

The girl put the bucket on a nearby table and left. Without warning, Madame grabbed Belle's wrists and plunged her hands deep into the bucket of ice cubes.

"Hey!" Belle yelled. For a moment it felt cold, but it wasn't too bad. What was Stella screaming about? Was Stella really only making a scene, the regular behavior of a lunatic?

Then the cold penetrated her skin and went straight into her bones. Oh God! It felt like a thousand knives were sticking into her flesh. And to think she had complained about the chill in her cell! This was a thousand times worse. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, At least not about anything but the pain. Madame kept holding her. Tears filled Belle's eyes. "Let go of me! Please!"

Monsieur d'Arque shook his head. "Not until you calm down."

"I'll behave, I promise!" Belle begged. She couldn't stand this pain for one more minute. To think that Stella had to be in there for 45 minutes! "But please get Stella out, she-"

"If you don't control yourself, I'll fill the bath tub myself."

At that moment, another girl was dragged into the bathroom. She was kicking and screaming like Stella had been a few minutes ago. Stella's screams had already stopped. Belle could still hear some protests, but they were getting weaker by the second. It scared her. These people wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her.

"Women must learn to keep their thoughts to themselves," Monsieur d'Arque stressed.

"I will," Belle said meekly. Seeing her compliance, Madame Beaumont let go of her. Belle looked at her hands. They were a fiery red. The feeling of knives in her skin stayed. She kept rubbing them to get them back to a normal temperature. She swallowed. She didn't want to cry, not in front of them. I have to get out of here – I don't care how.

Barely knowing where she was walking, she allowed them to bring her back to her cell. There could not be a worse place on earth than this asylum. This was hell. And there was only one man who could get her out of here.

"Where is Gaston?" she asked before they closed the door on her. Even if she didn't exactly remember everything about being engaged, staying here wasn't going to bring the answer.

"Who?" Monsieur d'Arque asked indifferently.

"Gaston de Soleil! My fiancé!"

Monsieur d'Arque and Madame stepped into the cell, both staring at her with narrowed eyes. "I was under the impression you didn't remember being engaged," Monsieur d'Arque said.

"I do remember it! I remember everything!" She started to pace up and down her cell. "Gaston courted me for several weeks, and then he came to propose to me and I accepted."

"And…"

"And I got cold feet! I got scared!" she continued quickly. She had to keep talking; otherwise she would really go crazy. "And my way of escaping is reading and I read this story about a prince in disguise. I made it all up!"

"That's quite a breakthrough," Madame said, surprised.

"Please, get Gaston! I want to leave and get married as soon as possible!"

"He'll be happy to hear that you've come to your senses," Monsieur d'Arque said. He looked out the window. "It will be dark soon. I'll send him a message to him tomorrow. No need to rush."

"NO!" Belle yelled. She was not going to wait one more minute than needed. "I mean, I want to be with my fiancé, can't you send him a message now? Write him that he can take me home tonight? It's not that late, it's not even 5 o'clock! It only takes an hour to get here from the village." Half an hour, with Gaston's horse. That was good; if all went well she could be home within the hour!

"What about the dangers of the woods?" Madame Beaumont pointed out. "The wolves?"

"I'll be safe with Gaston."


"Lumière!" Adam yelled as he walked out of the library. "Lumière! Cogsworth!"

Where are those two? Whenever you don't need them, they are with you all the time! But when you do need them… he thought. He went back into the library looking over the maps of his kingdom. Frantically he scanned every single one, but couldn't find what he was looking for. Adam was desperate. He had to find it! He was certain it was the key to Belle's return.

"Cogsworth!" he yelled once more.

At that same moment Cogsworth and Lumière entered the library. "Here we are, your highness," Cogsworth gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "How can we be of service?"

Adam threw several maps off the desk. "Help me! I'm trying to find that village!"

Lumière picked up the maps, putting them on an empty chair. "Excusez-moi, your highness, but which one are you talking about?"

"Where we were the other day! The one near the woods!" Why were there so many maps of his kingdom? He had never been very good at geography or reading maps; to him they all looked alike! Not that he had ever been interested in the outside world, but that was not the point here!

"We have been to dozens of little villages," Lumiere pointed out.

"Where we met that hunter," Adam said. "That lackey called him Gaston."

"Ah. Montville!" Lumière answered. "That village was called Montville."

"That's not so far from here," Cogsworth added. He went over to the desk and looked through the maps, muttering to himself about the mess Adam had created.

"That's exactly what I wanted to know!" Adam said pushing Cogsworth aside. "We had been riding all day before we arrived in those woods."

"Here it is!" Cogsworth said as he pointed to a little spot on the map. "It's not that far from the castle."

Lumière looked at the map over Cogsworth's shoulder "Two hours from here."

"I'm going back there tomorrow," Adam announced, taking the map out of Cogsworth's hands. With a quill he circled the village on the map. He sat down at his desk and marked the road. Could it be that Belle was from Montville? It was not that far. If she had found her father in the woods, she would be home within no time. Then why hadn't she returned to the castle?

"There was something strange about that hunter. He knows something about Belle - I can feel it!" He blamed himself for listening to that man, letting his emotions take over. If he had been keeping his eye on his goal, he would have barged into that village and searched as thoroughly as he had done with all the other villages.

"Your highness," Cogsworth said after a moment of silence. "If I may be so free to give some advice."

"Yes, Cogsworth?"

"Use one of the royal carriages," Cogsworth continued slowly, weighing his words. "Dress up. Show that insolent peasant he is dealing with a prince."

Adam shook his head. "It's going to take longer to drive there by carriage."

"It might," Lumière added. "But Cogsworth is probably right. That man didn't know who you were. He can't act like that to royalty."

That was a good point. The hunter had probably guessed that Adam was nobility, and his rude behavior to his betters was unheard of, but even one as insolent as he wouldn't dare to cross a genuine prince. Adam could always throw him in a dungeon if he didn't tell what he knew about Belle. "Make sure everything is ready," he agreed. "First thing tomorrow morning."


Not much later, Gaston arrived at the asylum. He had been surprised when the messenger came to the tavern with Paul's letter. He had thought that it would take maybe half a week more before Belle would come to her senses. But no, a day had been enough. His speech had been more impressive than he had realized. Or Belle was more eager to become his wife than she had realized, he thought with a grin. According to Paul's letter, she was begging for him to pick her up this same evening.

Everything had gone according to plan, even better than he had pictured it. Tomorrow evening he would be a married man. Life was good. There was only one little bump in the road…but that he would solve tonight as well.

"How are things going with Maurice?" he asked as he dismounted his horse and walked up the stairs of the asylum.

"Not too bad," Paul answered. "His fever is almost gone."

"Good," Gaston nodded, satisfied. "What did he say when you told him?"

"He has been in bed over a week now. When he realized that he was in the asylum, it was easy to convince him that everything he told us about that beast was nothing more than a fever dream."

They walked through the hallways, on their way to Belle's cell. "Better a fever dream than a delusion." Gaston shrugged. "And what about Belle?"

"He asked if Belle knew where he was. When I told him she was devastated by the news, he said himself it would be best never to speak of the asylum again."

He grinned. That was also better than expected. "Belle is smart enough not to tell him anything."

"You can't avoid either one of them ever telling the other. It will happen sooner or later," Paul warned.

"Maurice is an old, sick man. He won't be around long," Gaston said confidently. And with Maurice out of the way… "Tomorrow Belle will be my bride. And after tomorrow night, she'll be my wife."

He ignored the look on his friend's face. They had arrived at Belle's cell door. With anticipation, Gaston looked through the observation window. He was very pleased with what he saw. Belle was pacing up and down her cell. She was wearing the velvet dressing gown he had left for her. With her hair loose, she looked absolutely perfect.

He opened the door. "Ah, there is my blushing bride."


"Gaston!" Belle cried as Gaston walked in. Thank God, he's here! she thought, overcome with relief. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Take me away from this place," she whispered. "Make me your wife."

Gaston removed her arms and stepped back. "You remember being engaged?" he asked.

She bowed her head in shame as a naughty child would do. "I'm sorry for everything I've said and done. I must have hurt your feelings by turning against you. Please forgive me," she said desperately. She needed his forgiveness. He had to take her away as soon as possible. She couldn't bear to spend even one more night here!

He didn't answer. Why didn't he answer? She looked back up to him, pleading. "Take me home, please!"

"Home?" he said, surprised.

"Yes, your home? Where we are going to live after the wedding?"

To her frustration, he still didn't answer her question. He didn't move. They were still standing in the middle of her cell. Was he here to visit her or to take her away? He's my fiancé, she thought, distressed at his lack of reaction. Couldn't heat least show a sign that he wanted to marry her? He should be jumping for joy that she was back to normal!They had been engaged for so long now!

"You sound like a new girl," he said after a long silence. "A complete change of heart."

That was it! That was what he was waiting for! He wanted to hear what had happened, how she was feeling! After all, she had been bouncing through emotions for the last week. She had yelled at him, spit in his face…if she had had the chance, she would have scratched his eyes out. And now she was begging him to take her home. No wonder he was suspicious!

"No change of heart, a change in me," she said, smiling as she shook her head. She had to tell him everything she was going through. She lifted one of his hands to her lips and softly kissed his palm. "Here, in my dark despair, I slowly understood that you are here to take care of me and protect me." She let go of his hand. "That's all I should be looking for in a husband. I'm the lucky girl for you have set your sights on me."

She looked up at Gaston and her heart skipped a beat. To her great joy, he smiled at her! He smiled! That was a good sign! It was perfect! He ran his hand through his hair. She could see he was flattered. This was good.

He cupped her chin in his hand and looked at her skeptically. "And the beast?"

She hesitated. One wrong answer and she would stay here forever. She took a deep breath and said: "No beast alive stands a chance against you."

"And?"

"And no girl for that matter," she added with a small smile. "At least not this girl."

"My girl," Gaston said as he let go of her chin. He wasn't simply looking at her now. He was staring at her with a determined look in his eyes. No, it was more than just determined. Hungry. His fingers trailed over her skin, following the line of her neck. His fingers went under the fabric of the dressing gown and touched her collar bone. She could see how his breath sped up.

Then she got an idea. She bit her lower lip. He might think her too bold. But if she couldn't persuade him with words… She stopped thinking before she could lose her nerve. She stood on her toes and kissed Gaston. Right before their lips touched, she realized that Gaston's eyes were the same shade of blue as Adam's. Quickly she pushed the thought of Adam away and focused on the thought that she was kissing her future-husband. She could feel some surprise from his side. But luckily he didn't seem to disapprove. A sigh of relief came over her. She closed her eyes and put her arms back around his neck.

This wasn't so bad. To be honest it felt good. His lips were warm and moist. It felt different from how she had imagined it. But then again, she had never imagined kissing Gaston. He was much more gentle than she had ever pictured him. Aside from the unusual surroundings, it was somehow romantic, like something from her books. The hero had found the heroine in the dragon's cave. Now he was going to rescue her and they would live happily ever after. And like all her stories, it had to end with a kiss.

"Open your mouth," he whispered, interrupting her thoughts.

That confused her. She wasn't sure if he was supposed to say that. They were kissing. Was there supposed to be talking when they were kissing? She didn't know. In her stories as soon as the hero and the heroine kissed, the story was over. They declared their love, their lips touched and that was the end.

But Gaston probably knew what he was doing. Uncertainly she slightly opened her mouth, waiting for something to happen. Gaston placed his hand on the back of her neck, putting more pressure into their kiss. It became more intense. When she opened her mouth Gaston's lips moved. He gently sucked on her upper lip. She felt a rush go through her stomach. It felt like butterflies. It went from her stomach to her toes and then to her head. Feeling a bit light-headed, she decided to open her mouth a little further, curious to find out what else was going to happen.

A second later her eyes flew open wide in surprise. That was not something she had expected! Although…it was not entirely unpleasant.

After a minute he let go of her and said softly, "Get dressed. We'll get married first thing tomorrow morning."

She brought her fingers to her lips. Her lips were tingling. "That will be the day my dreams come true," she said breathlessly.

"I know."