The Castle in the Forest

"What is wrong, mon ami?" I asked.

"I'm doomed!" Cogsworth answered, still hyperventilating. "Even though he's still a very young child, Prince Adam is to be sent to live in his own castle, and I'm to be the head of household! If any of the other servants cause the slightest bit of trouble, I'll be sent to the dungeon…or worse, the scaffold!"

"Come now, Cogsworth. Is it really so terrible? Things could be worse."

"How?"

It nearly kills me to admit it, but he had a point, and a very good one at that.

First of all, Prince Adam hated his new castle. To the rest of us, it was wonderful: a strong fortress in the middle of a beautiful forest. Anyone who tried to harm the prince might easily become lost in the woods before ever arriving at the castle. Furthermore, it was rather spacious, and the castle library had a variety of books on every subject imaginable. The gardens flourished, and the grounds were extensive with several trees and fountains, a fine place for a stroll. Anything that could not be obtained from the forest could easily be found in the surrounding villages. However, the prince managed to find fault with it.

"I hate this forest!" he complained. "I feel like I'm in the middle of the wilderness! I'm not some wild beast who lives in the woods!" He shuddered. "The place is probably infested with wolves!"

As head of household, Cogsworth tried to see to it that the future king was well educated, but Prince Adam didn't make it easy.

"You want me to hold a book?! What need do I have for reading?! Besides, do you want me to get a paper cut?!"

"What does it matter which spoon I eat with?! I am the master of this castle! I will eat however I want!"

"Why should I learn to waltz?! When I am old enough to be betrothed to a princess my age, she will do as I say because I am the future king! I don't have to earn her love through some pathetic dance!"

"I refuse to learn any foreign languages! If anyone wants to talk to me, they can learn to speak French!"

The prince's tutors certainly got enough stress headaches to keep the royal physicians employed.

Above all, Prince Adam refused to hunt. He walked through the forest with a few guards every now and then just to prove that the woods, like everything else in France, belonged to him, but he had no use for the woodland.

It was my job to light and put out the candles in the corridors. The first time I attempted this chore, I burned my hand. The prince expressed his typical sympathy.

"Are you still able to move your hand?! Then get back to work!"

My other duties included assisting the kitchen staff, helping the prince choose his attire for the day, and advising him whenever necessary, although I had to be very careful and tactful. One of my most important jobs would have been to welcome guests, but the master never had any.

One day it got to be too much for me. I couldn't stand any more orders from the ungrateful little beast. I didn't know where I would go, but I was determined to run away, so that night, I slipped out of the castle and fled into the forest.

At first it was exciting. It was a beautiful night in the early summer, not too hot, but there was no chance of being caught in a snowstorm either. The full moon and stars made the woods nearly as bright as daytime, and the glow of fireflies was comforting. This would be simple: All I would have to do was find the path leading to the village. Then I would be able to take a wagon or sneak into a cart that led out of town. Perhaps I could find my way to a large city. After all, one young man I once knew had succeeded in running away. Who's to say I wouldn't be just as fortunate?

Half an hour later, I realized I had made a mistake. I had no idea where I was, and I hadn't thought to bring any supplies with me. Having no better plan, I lay down and fell asleep beneath a tree.

When I woke up, I was startled. There were small bones not too far from where I had been sleeping. At first I thought wolves had killed a rabbit during the night, but then I saw a human footprint in the mud near the stream. There were poachers nearby.

Looking up, I was horrified to discover that I was still less than half a mile from the castle. I had wandered aimlessly in circles all night.

When I tried to run away a second time, it was in autumn. This time I started immediately after dinner. I took several supplies I thought I would need and many I was almost sure I didn't.

I made excellent progress. When I was far enough away from the castle, I built a fire. I hadn't intended to doze off and let the fire get so out of control that the prince's guards had no trouble finding me.

My most successful escape attempt was that winter. Having adequate supplies and being sure of my way, I hid in the forest nearly the entire day, but I hadn't been prepared for the snowstorm that evening. At first I was excited because I thought it would deter anyone from finding me, but things didn't go as planned. Cogsworth found me the next morning, but that was actually a good thing because if he hadn't discovered me, I would have frozen to death.

"What are you doing here?!" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," I answered.

"I was sent to visit with the ruler of Germany on the master's behalf," Cogsworth explained. "You were trying to run away again, weren't you?! It's a real pity! You were so close! In fact, you almost made it out of France this time!"

When Prince Adam finally hired caretakers of the royal forest, I stopped trying to escape. I knew then that it was hopeless. However, the first one he hired looked nothing like anyone expected.

Instead of resembling Robin des Bois, the young man, not much older than the prince, had bare feet and very simplistic clothing. This did not look like a proper forest worker; he looked much more suited for work as the town beggar. He held a wolf pelt in his hands, claiming the master had given it to him to make into a coat or another useful item of clothing.

Mrs. Potts reminded us all that it wasn't his fault that he had come from a poor family, and we should make him feel welcome since we were also frightened on our first day at the castle.

"Right you are!" I agreed. "After all, I'm sure someone working in the master's forest will be a great help to us all!"

I asked him what his favorite food was so I could see to it that the royal chef prepared it for him. Having spent his entire life as a beggar, the new servant didn't have a favorite dish; he was grateful for whatever was placed before him. I promised him that we would help him find a favorite, but although he didn't say anything, he seemed unhappy. No doubt he would rather have returned to his hovel and eaten meager rations or gone hungry with his family rather than feasted at the master's castle.

He didn't seem to like the prince, but he certainly had good reason. The master had nearly beheaded him, only sparing his life on the condition that this unfortunate beggar would agree to serve him forever; he was little more than a prisoner. The new servant had no boots or shoes. I couldn't imagine how dreadfully walking through the forest all day must have hurt his feet, but he never complained. However, judging from the fire that burned in his eyes every time the master was mentioned in conversation, I had a feeling he wanted nothing more than to tear Prince Adam's limbs off.