The Arrival of a Beauty

None of us knew at the time that the gentleman had a beautiful young daughter. When I first saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a girl in the castle! She was no doubt the one we had been waiting for!

She bravely volunteered to stay as the master's prisoner on the condition that her father would be allowed to go free, and the master accepted her offer. Realizing that an imprisoned young lady was unlikely to have any sort of affection for her captor, I dared to venture an opinion.

"Master?"

"What?!" he snapped.

I tried to choose my words carefully. "Since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I was thinking that you might want to offer her a more comfortable room."

A snarl was his only reply.

"Then again, maybe not!"

An incredible thing happened: The girl's tears actually moved the master's heart a little. He either felt slightly guilty or realized that the only way he would have any peace and quiet in the castle would be to try to make her comfortable.

"I'll show you to your room," he stated.

The girl seemed surprised. "My room? But I thought…"

Being selfless is still a very new concept for the master, so he wasn't feeling too patient with her. "You want to stay in the tower?!"

"No."

"Then follow me!"

After the master had carried me silently through the corridors for a while, I quietly suggested, "Say something to her."

"Hmm? Oh. I…um…hope you like it here."

In another place and time, this would have almost been amusing. The poor girl was being forced to live in a castle with hideous sculptures everywhere, not to mention the place was under the command of a heartless monster who had imprisoned the girl's father, and the master actually believed she would like it here?! What a ridiculous idea! However, it was the master's first attempt at polite conversation, so I encouraged him to continue.

"The castle is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like, except the West Wing."

She seemed intrigued. "What's in the West…?"

"It's forbidden!"

When we finally arrived at the guest room where she was to stay, the master informed her that if she needed anything, we would attend her. In a way, it would have been nice if the prince had asked us first before assigning us extra duties, but I suppose it was only fitting. After all, if this girl learned to love him, she would be our master too, so we should get used to serving her.

"Dinner," I whispered. "Invite her to dinner."

"You will join me for dinner!" Prince Adam ordered. "That's not a request!"

That wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind. In fact, it wasn't even close. I was thinking of a polite invitation with a few kind words, such as "I wish to apologize for my outburst. To show how pleased I am to have made your acquaintance, I would be honored if you would join me for dinner."

The master paced impatiently in front of the fireplace as he waited for her, wondering aloud what was taking so long and why the girl hadn't arrived yet. Mrs. Potts advised him to be patient; after all, the poor girl had just lost her father and her freedom. I asked the master if he thought this girl might be the one to break the spell.

"Of course I have!" he retorted. "I'm not a fool!"

(That was certainly debatable, but I kept my mouth shut.)

When the master asked us for advice on impressing the girl, Mrs. Potts and I had different ideas, but we both agreed on one thing: He must control his temper.

This last bit of advice was ignored as soon as Cogsworth informed us that the girl wasn't coming. The master pounded on her door and began a shouting match, threatening to break down the door if she didn't come out.

"Master," I began tentatively, "I could be wrong, but that may not be the best way to win the girl's affections."

"Please, attempt to be a gentleman!" Cogsworth begged.

"But she is being so difficult!" argued the prince.

We finally convinced him to use manners, but by that time, the girl was so frustrated with him that she wasn't about to accept his dinner invitation. Although we were a bit frustrated that it didn't seem as if we'd be human again anytime soon, we secretly admired the way she had the nerve to defy the master and how he had used the word "please."