Yes I know it took more than a week but I have been really really busy... However, no more rehersals so YAY! More time for writing... hopefully... Thank you jorholic73, TheIronMask, Autobot21, Guest, Iamthebooktheif, Flower 2009, KJAX89 and guest for all your reviews and Spirit Okami, Ruby Pen, FangirlNumber1001, The Amazing Aliano, NatAngel Dark Wings for following and favoriting my story You guys are amazing...
After their eventful day of playing in the snow... The two of them trudged back towards the castle, laughing giddily as they entered through the large double doors playfully shoving each other causing some servants to pause in shock to get a closer look at this bizarre joyful spectacle... Noticing their presence, Angela's happiness dipped as she was suddenly reminded of why she had asked Beau out in the first place... To ask him out to her ball... She cringed; horrified that she had forgotten such an important matter and more importantly, she still had to get the damn ordeal over and done with...
"My lady..." Beau said suddenly catching her off guard.
"What..." she exclaimed a little too loudly.
"Be my guest..." he teased playfully imitating Lumiere's accent before bowing as he held open the door to the library for her... Angela stepped back in surprise before nodding graciously at him...
"Thank you..." she grinned before entering, sighing in anticipation as she undid her cloak ready to...
"Oh here let me..." Beau suddenly intervened before gently removing the cloak from her broad shoulders.
"You don't have to..." Angela said very quickly, nervous and excited about how Beau was suddenly so close to her...
"I know... but I want to..." Beau answered truthfully and somewhat shyly... It no longer was about to being a gentleman or a good friend... No... He felt obliged to do it... more than happy to do it...Recognizing the familiar shy fear in Angela's emerald eyes as his hand unintentionally brushed her shoulders... Beau quickly gave her a reassuring smile and made his way to the cloak rack...
Angela watched in amazement as Beau's angelic face became impossibly more angelic as he smiled handsomely at her... Feeling the warmness spread from her gut to her cheeks. Angela allowed herself a bashful smile despite knowing the prospect of this intimate moment being shattered with one question... Plucking up her courage, and deciding to get it over and done with, she took a deep breath and approached him only to back away quickly when Beau turned back around...
"So wasn't that fun?" he grinned seemingly not noticing Angela's panicked expression as he flopped in front of the fire place, giving a hearty grunt as he enjoyed how the flames removed the chill from his bones. Cautiously and trying not to trip on the long skirts with her animal feet, Angela cautiously took her place next to him.
"The most I had in years..." she admitted honestly.
Beau smiled a strange but pleasant feeling settling within him. "Same here... The village was never much fun for snow... I had to go into the woods for the real fun..."
Angela perked up upon hearing about Beau mention his hometown... Deciding that it wouldn't hurt anyone... especially herself to procrastinate just a little more... She edged him on...
"Tell me about you're village? Are there farms with animals? Oh and people? What do they do all day? Does your village have celebrations or festivals?" she asked excitedly, her curiosity towards the outside world that she hadn't seen in so long suddenly overwhelming her.
Beau struggled as he tried to answer every single one of Angela's questions while she eagerly hung on his every word.
"Yes there are farms... My father and I own a small one, we have chickens, goats, and cows... Nothing spectacular... People? Well...they go around town doing their usual businesses I guess... We have a baker who sells the most wonderful pastry... Um... The market where other farmers sell their produce... Oh we have a bookstore! That's my favorite..."
"And the festivals?" Angela urged, anticipation in her voice...
Beau rubbed the back of his neck... "Well I guess we have this huge festival every year... Right around this time actually... December the seventh..."
Angela stopped short for a second, her excited demeanor broken...
"December the seventh? Why?" her tone suddenly very very cautious...
Beau scratched his head. "Its nothing really... Just a dance in honor for the lost royal family... They disappeared without a trace a decade ago..."
"The lost royal family..." Angela repeated her insides starting to squirm uncomfortably... Could it be... Did she dare believe... Could they be... Could they be referring to her family?
"No don't be silly..." Angela muttered. There were of course other royals in France but then again... In this region? December the Seventh? Unlikely...
"You alright? You're starting to look a bit under the weather..." Beau said all of a sudden noticing how Angela's complexion seemed to have paled despite the fur on her face...
"Huh? I'm fine... Perfectly fine... So... the royal family... Tell me about them..." Angela said quickly, trying to sound as casual as possible... It appeared to work as Beau lay lazily back down, all the while continuing with his explanation..
"Well...The King and Queen I heard were tyrants... but the princess... She's the one everyone is interested in... No one knows anything about her... "
"Nothing at all?" Angela asked skeptically
"Well apart that she was really young... and apparently really beautiful... So beautiful that she was famous across the seven seas because of it..."
"Of course..." Angela said flatly, that last remark completely killing her self-esteem ... It was true... She was so widely known for her beauty that her parents had received letters regarding courtship from much older princes and kings... It filled her with much pride of course... But it only made the blow so much more painful when the enchantment took hold... Noticing that Beau was eyeing her with suspicion, she gestured for him to continue...
"Anyway... Rumor has it that they disappeared..."
"Disappeared?" Angela remarked skeptically
"Yes... That a fay had cursed them... Apparently the King and Queen had done something terrible and as punishment they were attacked by some vicious, monstrous, blood thirsty beas..." Beau quickly stopped, realizing his mistake... Quickly, he looked at Angela, whose face remained as emotionless as a statue...
"Go on..." she urged, her voice soft and child like...
Beau kicked himself, furious that he had been so insensitive with Angela... What was he thinking?! He was such a first class idiot...
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" he cursed himself repeatedly. Noticing how Angela was blankly fidgeting with a loose lock of hair, he turned back to her.
"Look... Forget about what I just said... I don't know what possessed me...I didn't mean to... I'm sorry if I..."
"You don't need to apologize..." she cut in. Despite her calm tone, the look in her eyes couldn't hide the fact that what he had said stung her deeply...
"I've seen what I am... I KNOW what I am... Speaking the truth requires no apology..." Angela muttered sadly...
Beau gazed at Angela silently, soaking in what she had said... Finally, after a full minute, he broke the silence gently. "If you believe that the beast I was referring to just now was you, than you don't know yourself at all..."
Angela raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"
"The beast I was referring to was an old folk's tale used to scare children into obedience... You have treated me with nothing but kindness and compassion over the past month... That was why I tried to apologize, because there is nothing inhuman about you and I'm sorry if I made you think that way..." Beau said firmly with a smile...
For a long moment the air seemed to crackle between them, and then by unspoken consent they both looked away... drooping their hands to their sides... Secretly, Angela was positively glowing at what Beau just said...His words replaying over and over in her head. His tone... It was so confident, like he whole-heartedly believed that there was so much good within her... Maybe... Just maybe... he fancied her too? A cough from Beau suddenly caused her snap back into reality...
"Well its getting late and I think its best if we..."
"Beau..." Angela cut in hastily... a little to hastily...
He looked at her cautiously before nodding. "Yes?"
"I was wondering... Well not really wondering but... I mean you might laugh at this and if you decline I would perfectly understand why I mean... Its just ludicrous but... I... I..." Angela groaned and dug her knuckles into her eyes, frustrated by her own scrambling thoughts and her inability to coherently voice any of these thoughts, it was only when she felt Beau's soft palm upon her paw did she look him in the eye...
"I would never laugh at you..." Beau said sternly... His hazel eyes never leaving her emerald ones...
Angela felt her ears lower while her heart rate doubled... Deciding not to waste this moment, she continued bravely.
"December the Seventh happens to be my birthday as well... the servants are throwing a ball for me... and I was hoping... I mean wondering if...if you would like to be my escort?" That sentence had taken all the strength in her system to say and Angela could literally feel her head spin with giddiness when she uttered the last word... Fearfully, she looked at him, expecting him to burst into laughter or turn her down... Who would want to go to a ball with a beast? It was insanity! It was unheard of! It was... It just defied description... However as her eyes combed the familiar lines of his face... She couldn't find a single trace of disgust or malice... There was none, in fact she could hardly believe her ears when he smiled warmly at her.
"I'd love to..."
And there it is... Yes I've tortured you all by making you guys wait for Beau's reply... Not much justification except I made so many drafts trying to make the ending pay off... What do you guys think? Was this believable? Is the characters chemistry believable? Do I have a future for writing fluffy romance plots like this because frankly this is new territory for me... So... If you hate it, review and tell me so I can improve and if you love it tell me as well because I love getting you're insightful feedback
