Lumiere and Miss Potts grimaced at Cogsworth's announcement before shakily turning to look at their mistress. The beast sat there, frozen in place, her jaw agape her eyes wide with surprise. Slowly, she crouched over, her green eyes blazing with cold fury, her claws digging into the table, her body trembling as if something within her would erupt. Without warning the beast threw herself up, and stormed out of the dinning hall. With panic written all over their faces, the servants dashed after their mistress, begging for her not to overreact. Their desperate pleas went unnoticed as upon reaching Beau's door the Beast pounded so heavily upon it, that it was a sheer miracle the door didn't fly off its hinges.
"I believed I asked you to be down for dinner?" the beast asked menacingly, her hair standing on their ends.
"I thought I told you I wasn't hungry!" came Beau's cool voice.
The beast grabbed her head almost like she was ready to tear her hair out.
"You come out right now or so help me I'll..."
"Mistress... I could be mistaken but that may not be the best way to win him over..." Lumiere hinted nervously with a smile.
"Please... Please ATTEMPT to be a lady..." Cogsworth begged.
"An impossible task Cogsworth because he is being so incredibly diffficult!" the beast said silkily while baring her fangs at the door.
"You're no better yourself you know..."
The beast growled and raised her arm but to everyone's surprise she preceded to lower it and take a deep breath.
"Will you come down to dinner?" she tried again her tone of voice much much much more controlled.
"No!" came and immediate reply.
The beast glared at her servants in an almost triumphant way .
"Gently gently..." Miss Potts urged.
Sighing, the beast grabbed her cloaked, nearly tearing it to shreds as she curtseyed at the door, her tail practically sweeping the floor in annoyance.
"It would give me immense pleasure... If you would join me for dinner..." she said grimacing.
"We say please..." Cogsworth mumbled subtly.
The beast rolled her eyes.
"Please?"
"NO THANK YOU!"
"SO WHAT?! YOU"LL SIT IN THERE AND STARVE?!"
"ITS BETTER THAN SITTING OUT THERE WITH YOU! WHAT GAME DO YOU THINK YOU"RE PLAYING? LOCKING INNOCENT PEOPLE UP IN COLD TOWERS THAN TREATING THEM TO DINNER EXPECTING FORGIVENESS? DO YOU THINK THIS IS AMUSING? WATCHING US SUFFERR? YOU"RE A MONSTER!"
The beast practically swelled up with rage and the servants honestly feared she'd explode and break down the door; Unexpectedly, she simmered down, her tone of voice once again becoming dangerously silky and controlled.
"Very well... You call me a monster, a monster I shall be..."
Turning to her servants, she glared daggers at them all causing them to all cower back in fear. Ignoring this, the beast leaned forward.
"If he doesn't eat with me... He doesn't eat at all!" she declared, a look of utter determination in her blazing eyes before she grabbed her cloak and stormed off...
There was uneasy silence among the servants, their ears still ringing from the unpleasant words that were exchanged not three minutes ago... The sound of a door being forcefully slammed echoed from somewhere in the castle, causing them all to unanimously wince...
"Well... That didn't go very well now, did it?" Mrs. Potts said finally shattering the uncomfortable silence among them.
"It certainly hasn't..." Cogsworth nodded in agreement, his head shaking in utmost disbelief. Even the usually upbeat Lumiere was lost for words. Another door slammed and the servants sighed... What were they thinking? There was no point trying to convince this young man that their mistress wasn't so bad... when in all honesty... SHE WAS THAT BAD... Feeling defeated, they slinked away, going back to their usual and unfortunately monotonous schedule...
Up in the West Wing, the beast burst into her room, throwing aside a table that just happened to be lying there. With a huff, she collapsed herself into her favorite armchair, digging her sharp claws into the antique oak, muttering to herself incoherently, obviously vexed by the day's events...
"Monster..." he had called her that. That sentence stung her more than she like to admit and the beast snarled low in her throat.
"Accepted his stupid bargain, released his father, gave him the nicest room in all of the East Wing and all I wanted in return...All I wanted was him to join me for dinner... Dinner! So he refuses... Fine, I ask him nicely again but he still refuses... How could he? ... I... He...Arrrghhh!" she snarled in frustration, knocking the armchair aside. With an animalistic growl, she paced around the room on all fours, then twos trying to avoid and forget the infuriating urge at the back of her mind.
"No... No... No... No..." she pleaded with herself, but it was a losing battle... to fight with her own curiosity and the beast caved.
Making her way to the stone table that stood at the balcony, she reached for the mirror.
"Show me the young man..." she muttered softly, trying to wish away the beastly reflection that glared back at her... The mirror clouded over and both Beau 's and Madame de la Grande Bouche's image appeared. The beast cringed as she saw Beau's enraged face... His gentle brown eyes were filled with unfamiliar hatred, his arms akimbo, his mouth fixed into a fierce scowl... Her ears perked up... Just a little... as the wardrobe attempted to cool the young man's nerves...
"You know... the mistress isn't so bad if you get to know her." The wardrobe said slowly. There was a huff from Beau who looked the other way...
The wardrobe bit her lip.
"You know that they say... Don't judge a book by its cover... Why don't you give her chance..."
There was no reply for a while and when Beau suddenly turned around, the beast straightened up, desperate to know his reply...
"You ask me no to judge a book by its cover didn't you?" he said softly.
The beast perked up some more, an unfamiliar feeling of... Come to think of it... Did she dare say it... hope... welling up in her chest... Eagerly, she leaned in closer...
"Well yes... Appearances can be deceiving... Believe me... So you shouldn't judge a book by its cover..." Madame de la Grande Bouche nodded. There was a harsh laugh from Beau, one that sent shivers down the Beast's spine.
"Lets look at the contents of this book then... That monster... locked my father up in a dungeon... My poor father who was lost in the woods and wanted nothing else but shelter from the cold... "
Madame was lost for words...
"Well I guess that is a... a little extreme..."
"She then proceeds to lock me up... Keep me as her prisoner... Just because I wanted to protect my father... My father who was dying at her hand... So this is my reward... ha! For being a good son, I lose my future, my friends and my family... So what difference does it make if I get to know your mistress?"
"Give her a second chance..."
"She doesn't deserve a second chance... Not now, not ever..." Beau said bitterly.
The beast flipped the mirror over, a low sad whimper escaping her lips. She didn't want to hear anymore ... She just couldn't bring herself to... His every word had sliced her like a knife... Cutting her...Hurting her... It was just too painful... What was she thinking? That he would forgive her? He had called her a monster... That should be indication enough that he... The beast whimpered. He hated her... What a surprise... Just like how everyone hates her... The beast grabbed her mane. She felt so tempted to just go straight into the East Wing and give Beau a piece of her mind... To throw him into the dungeons to rot... So he'd regret ever saying such horrible, horrible things about her... However, as appealing and soothing that sounded... She just couldn't bring herself to do it... because deep down in her conscience... the Beast knew every atrocity Beau had accused her of... was unfortunately true... And the truth hurts... It hurt so so much...
Glad that her room provided privacy, protection from the sharp eyes and the usual malicious talks of her servants... she buried her face into her clawed paws... Silent, shameful tears falling from her eyes...
"I'm just fooling myself... He'll never see me as anything... But a monster..."
