The bright morning sun shone through the window as Leon was waking up after a surprising goodnight's sleep in spite of the previous day's events which reminded him where he was and why he was here- in an enchanted castle in a middle of a dark and inhospitable forest, separated from his mother forever.
He only had the company of a beast and walking, talking household objects and furniture and the beast herself hadn't been what he would call good company to begin with.
But after last night, he was feeling a bit better about being here as he would never have to deal with Amandine, the boys, girls and the villagers, especially after the proposal fiasco where he would have been on the receiving end of their retaliation.
He would never have their constantly-staring eyes boring down on him or hearing unfavourable, ill-concealed gossip about him, pig-kissing jokes and being subject to ridicule, mockery and rejection again.
But he felt sad about leaving Jean-Luc, the only one in the village apart from his mother and Monsieur Livre who had always been kind to him and became his friend, even if it had to be away from Henri and the others.
As for Amandine, she would have hopefully got it through that pretty but completely empty head of hers that he was not going to be her handsome husband, to be nothing more than a possession that she wanted all to herself but show off at the same time and doing the things that he disliked just to please and provide for her.
She would move on and find some other gullible, love-sick fool who would be more than willing to be the husband she desired.
And the castle in the daylight looked more bright and inviting, with many other rooms waiting to be explored and he had made new friends in the servants, who had gone out of their way to make him feel welcome, treated him as an honoured guest instead of a lonely and miserable prisoner.
They had also given him a fantastic dinner and a cabaret, defying their mistress to ensure that he wouldn't go hungry.
If Leon had to be entirely honest, he had fitted in much better in a castle full of enchanted objects than he did in the village.
He had also seen a different side to the Beast- no Rose, ROSE (he was going to have to get used to calling her that), after she had risked her life to save him from the wolves that could have killed him had she not come in time and saw a lost, lonely soul rather than the cruel, cold, ill-mannered, angry and bitter creature that he had first seen.
In spite of this, Leon wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to be friends with Rose just yet, as she was still a hideous and terrifying creature with a horrible temper and was rude, spiteful, not to mention how she had treated him in the first place.
But he took some comfort in the fact that they had made it through the rest of the night without ripping each other's heads off, like some uneasy truce reigning between them that could be broken at any time.
It was going to take some time and patience and understanding before he would be comfortable around her, but if the wolf chase and treating Rose's injury was anything to go by, they seemed to be pointing in the right direction.
Stretching and yawning, Leon felt his muscles stiffen due to all the riding he did with Sabine and whacking wolves with a huge stick, but managed to get himself out of bed, smiling at Sophie's drawing on the bedside table where he kept it and his bag, having got it off Sabine, with his book still inside, hoping to find some spare time to read it.
The bed for its feminine appearance, made up for it by being very comfortable and spacious, so he had been able to stretch out his legs without feeling cramped, compared to his simple but narrow bed back at the cottage, which didn't allow any room for them.
He walked over to the window and looked out into the huge grounds and gardens, covered with light snow, but seemed scarce of plant life, like no living thing had ever grown here.
Still, the sunlight made it look beautiful under the snow and Leon couldn't believe the amazing view he had from his bedroom and was keen to go out there at some point and also explore the rest of the castle.
'Good morning,' Katrine said, as she entered the room, carrying a huge pile of clothes that she had successfully managed to get from the West Wing and laid them down on the unmade bed. She had also given Leon the nightshirt he was wearing and had found waiting for him on the bed when he had gone to his room last night.
'Good morning, Katrine,' Leon said, turning around and seeing the smiling mannequin, 'Thank you for giving me the nightshirt and I'm glad that you didn't watch me sleeping and scaring the wits out of me when I woke up.'
'Oh, you're welcome,' said Katrine, while giving a small giggle at Leon's last comment, ' and I also got you some lovely clothes to wear, hopefully they should fit you, considering I risked an arm and a leg to go into the West Wing to get them for you!'
'You were in the West Wing as well?' said Leon, confused as he hadn't seen Katrine when he was in there, 'But how did you get in there?'
'I could say the same for you, since you seemed to have snuck in there and caused all the debacle that happened. I was just about to enter when I heard the mistress roaring and throwing furniture everywhere and I thought,
Oh no, here we go again, the boy is going to get it, he shouldn't have entered in there! and my fears were confirmed as I saw you running away.
It was too risky to go in, so I waited until it was safe when you all were downstairs in the den with her, so I went into where the clothes were and lo and behold, I got them especially for you! I hope you like them!'
'Thank you, Katrine, they're lovely,' said Leon, looking through the silk shirts, trousers, waistcoats and capes far grander and elegant than his usual outfit, something more suited for a prince, noble or duke than a peasant boy.
He felt unsure about wearing them but since Katrine had gone to great lengths to bring them to him, it would be rude to refuse and he needed more clothes, even if they weren't entirely his style.
Katrine smiled, happy that Adam's old clothes, some that he hadn't even worn or had been gathering dust in the wardrobe for years were going to good use and was relieved that the moths and spiders hadn't got to them.
'Well, look who's up and about!' Madame Armoire said, as she let out a falsetto which was her usual morning greeting.
'A very good morning to you, monsieur and I trust that you slept well?' she then said.
'Does your aunt always let out a falsetto every morning?' Leon whispered to Katrine.
'She sure does,' replied Katrine, amused, 'but don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while. Consider it your personal alarm clock!'
'I heard that, Katrine!' said Madame Armoire, which made her niece grin sheepishly.
She then saw the pile of Adam's old clothes that Katrine had brought and said to her excitedly,
'Katrine, you clever girl, you got the clothes ! He'll look so dashing in them!'
To Leon, she said,
'Aren't you a very lucky man that my Katrine got you those fabulous clothes to wear, since you can't wear that peasant outfit all the time, especially not to dinner! You know, these used to belong to the mistress's father..'
She stopped mid-sentence, horrified that she had brought up such a taboo subject.
'Aunt Estelle,' said Katrine, giving her aunt a warning glance, 'Ixnay on the parentnay!'
'Be- Rose had a father? Maybe even a mother as well?' said Leon, as he was surprised to hear that she may have had parents, thinking that beasts wouldn't have them but she had to been brought into the world and exist somehow.
But he had not seen them anywhere in the castle and he was curious to know what had happened to them.
'Madame,' Leon said to the wardrobe, 'whatever happened to her parents?'
'Oh, it's a very sad story dearie and I would strongly suggest that you don't mention them again. You don't want the mistress to be upset if you bring it up; it's what we have learnt the hard way.'
'And it's not good,' Katrine added.
The look on both Madame Armoire's and Katrine's faces convinced Leon not to say anything more.
The subject was soon dropped when Mrs Potts entered the room followed by the coat rack and a pink heart-shaped chair carrying a fancy gold-decorated tub, a bucket of hot water, soap, brushes, a bottle of pine oil and some towels.
'Good morning dear,' she said, 'I thought you might like a nice hot bath to freshen yourself up.'
'That would be wonderful, thank you,' said Leon. He hadn't had a chance to wash since yesterday morning and his muscles were starting to ache again, so a long soak in a bath was exactly what he needed and he didn't want to give everyone the impression that he lacked personal hygiene (which he didn't but it was a scarce thing in the village).
'I'll leave you to it then,' Mrs Potts said, as she and the coat rack poured the water, pine oil and soap in the tub, making bubbles and the chair lay the brushes and towels next to it and she left the room, followed by the chair.
'I better get going too,' Katrine said, ' It's back to the salt mines or rather my workroom, as those dresses aren't going to make themselves you know, or they could, with the help of the needles and thread being able to move'
'There's a first,' Madame Armoire said, as Katrine left noticing that she didn't get stuck in the door, 'She actually managed to get through a doorway without getting stuck in it!'
However, as she said it,
'Little help?' Katrine's voice echoed around the corridor.
'And I've jinxed it,' she said, chuckling, 'anyway, looks like your bath is ready, dearie. Don't worry, I won't look, just pretend that I'm not here!'
'Thank you,' said Leon, as the coat rack bowed to him and left and he undressed discreetly, so Madame Armoire wouldn't see, but she kept her eyes closed and he stepped into the tub.
As Leon scrubbed his skin until it was pink, cleaned his nails and washed his hair, ducking under the warm, soapy water; he was feeling relaxed as his muscles were soothed and the pleasant scent of pine oil (fresh from an actual pine tree) entered his nostrils.
He was thankful Mrs Potts had thought not to give him any floral scented oil or get the coat rack to put flower petals in the bath as he wanted to be clean but not smell like a flower garden!
He leaned back and blew a few bubbles from the soap, thinking that it wasn't so bad here if he could have the luxury of warm water and a scented bath, but he would be shallow in thinking that he could be able to give up his mother and freedom for a petty thing such as a warm scented bath, that very few people were able to enjoy.
But it wasn't often that he had one and decided to make the most of it, since it was a scarce thing in the village, where you had to make do with a wooden tub which would most likely have a few splinters in it and use cold to lukewarm water if you were lucky and soap made out of goose or pig fat, or not bathe at all.
Satisfied that he was now clean, Leon got out of the tub, drying himself off with the towels provided, wrapping one around himself, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day, as he went through the pile of clothes, to pick out a comfortable outfit to wear.
With Madame Armoire's help, Leon picked out a silk white shirt with slightly puffy sleeves, a dark blue waistcoat with silver buttons and trimmings, black silk trousers with a silver square pattern to match the waistcoat, white stockings and brown shoes with golden buckles.
He felt a bit foolish and overdressed, since he didn't usually wear stockings and shoes other than boots, but had to admit they did look good on him and the wardrobe had certainly thought so.
'Hi, Leon, are you ready to play with me?' Sophie's chirpy voice said, as she entered the room, hopping happily towards her friend who she thought the world of. Seeing the eager, happy little paint bottle, Leon had remembered that he had promised to play with her and she was not going to let him forget it.
'Hello, Sophie,' Leon said, holding out his hand as she hopped into it.
'What are we going to do today?' said Sophie, ' I want to do some painting and drawing in the studio and I would like it if you would draw a pretty picture for me, like I did for you and I can show you how to make sculptures out of clay and we can play games and..'
'I'd love to do that,' said Leon, 'but first, I'm going to take my horse out for a stroll and go exploring in the castle and…maybe spend some time with Rose, so I can get to know her better, but we can play later,' as he saw Sophie's disappointed face.
'Tell you what, you can come out with me when I take my horse, Sabine out for a stroll in the gardens and you can see her in the stables as well. Would you like that?'
'Yay! I love horses!' Thank you, Leon, you're the best! And I can also see Phillippe as well!' said Sophie. She loved horses and had pestered her parents to get her one but to no avail and she had to be content with riding Phillippe, but she didn't mind as she loved it.
She hadn't been able to ride or see the horse in years and was not only keen to see him, but the new horse in the stables, not letting the burden of not having any arms and legs get in the way.
'Sabine would love to see you, Sophie and she's very friendly to everyone. It's such a shame you won't be able to pat or ride her because you may fall off and break and we don't want your parents to be upset if that were to happen, won't we?'
'I guess so,' said Sophie, 'but it doesn't matter if I can't ride Sabrina...'
'Sabine,' Leon corrected her.
'Sabine,' Sophie said, 'I just want to see her and Phillippe again, it's been so long since I have and he hasn't had any company since…'
'Okay, Sophie, we'll get going. I'll be ready in a few minutes anyway, I just have to make my bed, put my clothes in the laundry and get my cape. Meet me downstairs in a few minutes.' Leon said.
'Okay, I'll go tell Mama and Papa where I'm going, because I don't want them to worry about me,' Sophie said, as she hopped out of Leon's hand and was about to leave the room, when she said,
'Leon, are you and Rose friends now? You aren't going to fight and yell at each other anymore? Because Mama and Papa told me what happened last night, when she made you go away and saved you from the mean wolves and you helped her when she got hurt.
So that must mean you like each other now and I want her to be nice to everyone again.'
'Well,' Leon said, 'not yet, I still have to get to know her since we just met but we got through the night and you can't rush into these things, but it's looking promising as I now have seen something in Rose that I haven't seen before. But it may take some time before I can actually call her my friend.'
'I hope you do, Leon, you and Rose need each other.' Sophie said, as she hopped away to the studio, leaving Leon to tie his hair into its usual ponytail, making his bed, putting his clothes from yesterday in the laundry hamper that Remy had left for him and getting his cape and to think about what Sophie had said.
She had seemed so hopeful that he and Rose would be friends and fall in love, but she was naïve to think that, since she really didn't understand that no one could rush into love like in the fairy tales Leon had read.
They had to get to know each other, but he remembered what Irena, the enchantress who had appeared to him, said,
Through your own efforts, unselfish love and giving the Beast a chance to change her ways for good, it'll happen, but I know that the both of you can do it, if you let it be.
And he knew that she was right.
However, he soon got it out of his mind, when he and Sophie entered the stables, with her tucked into his pocket so she wouldn't get damaged like Chip had done in the past and found Sabine in the stall he had put her in.
She was looking relaxed and happy as she was being brushed down by the stablemen, who were the objects they had been during the first enchantment and was nuzzling and nickering against Phillippe in a friendly and affectionate way, as was he, happy that he had a friend after ten years of abandonment and isolation.
When the second enchantment had been placed, Phillippe, unlike Sultan and Lila, had not been transformed into an object or turned into stone but was in an ageless state, not having grown one day older.
He had been isolated in the stables, cut off from his masters and condemned to a life of loneliness and feeling of being abandoned as he didn't know what had happened to his masters and servants and had also not been given the chance to get some exercise and fresh air.
If he were to see Rose as she was now, he wouldn't have recognised her and most likely to have run away in fear, so it was best if he didn't see her at all, which made him sad, as he loved his young mistress and would give her rides.
Although he had been well looked after and cared for by the stablemen the best they could in their forms, the poor horse suffered just as much as everyone did, longing for a companion to make the terrible curse more bearable and he had found it in Sabine, the new mare that had come to the stables.
But the modest village horse, upon meeting Phillippe, didn't warm to him at first, feeling that a castle horse would be too good for her and was surprisingly intimidated by him, but Phillippe was instantly attracted to the strong mare, not knowing or caring that she was a peasant's horse.
He saw her as the friend that he had wanted for so long.
Eventually, seeing that Phillippe liked her, Sabine warmed to him and returned his affections, as she had wanted a friend too but never had one in the village apart from Leon of course as all the other horses' owners made them shun her, since Leon was her owner, but she never held that against him.
The two lonely horses had spent the rest of the night together as the companions they had waited so long for.
'Found a new friend, have you Sabine?' said Leon, as she turned towards him, grinning and whinnying in embarrassment like she was a child caught doing something that she shouldn't but Leon smiled at her.
'It's okay, there's no shame in it,' he said, patting and nuzzling her, 'He seems to be a very nice horse,' while looking at Phillippe, who nickered against him.
'Here, Sophie, this is my horse, Sabine,' Leon said, taking Sophie out of his pocket and put her in his hand. Sabine sniffed the paint bottle but in a friendly way, as she giggled.
'I like Sabine,' she said, while Leon was clipping her reins to her halter and gave her a carrot from the barrel to munch on, 'She's really pretty and friendly and Phillippe seems to like her too.'
'She's tough as nails, is Sabine. She's very loyal, brave, tough and powerful, not easily scared and has good instincts when it comes to danger. She'll do anything for you and won't let anyone be abandoned no matter what.
She stood up to the wolves the best she could and saw that Rose was hurt and needed help. She also listens and understands me when I tell her my problems and I don't know what I'll do without her.' Leon said, patting Sabine.
'Come on girl, let's go for a stroll in the garden,' he said, leading her out, but she seemed more interested in nuzzling up to Phillippe.
'You can come back to.. Phillippe, is it?' Sophie nodded.
'Yes, he's the mistress's horse,' she said, ' but she hasn't ridden him for years, since he'll get scared if he was to see her now since he's easily frightened.'
'The poor horse, he must not have left these stables during that time, he'll need exercise and some fresh air. I wonder if Rose will let me take him out with Sabine.
But in the meantime, she needs to get some exercise herself. Let's go, Sabine, you can come back and nuzzle Phillippe later,' said Leon in an almost teasing manner, which made the two horses snort.
Sabine whinnied and followed Leon out of the stables and into the garden, with Sophie in the travelling bag that he had attached to the horse, so that she could ride her safely and was happy that she could do what she hadn't been able to do for so long, not caring that she was a paint bottle, as Sabine trotted gently across the garden path.