ScipioPB: Yes, this time Gwen acts as Maurice (Belle's father) although I plan something more for her than that! ^^

Guest: Actually, from this point this story will take a slightly different turn from the Disney version, so I can't tell you much. As for Zack, I will address that in the next chapter (since this chapter is pretty stuffy already). It's alright to ask me questions, I'll be happy to answer them as long as there is no major spoilers involved. Besides, I'm the kind of writer who have the beginning and the end in mind, but what happens in the middle may develop further as I'm writing, so, yeah can't really give spoilers as well :P so keep on the lookout!

Chris Shino: aw, thanks! Your words make me feel that I've done a good job on writing on Reine ^^ By the way, when I saw the phrase "she never buys any of their bull" I immediately think: "Bull's eye!" (with Reine being an archer and all... oh well... :P) and yeah, the coat hanger does meant it that way lol.

Much to her surprise, she was led into a room instead of the dungeon, and she still got to keep her bow and arrows. "I know this sounds weird…" the candelabra trailed off, his voice obviously trying to stay cheerful, "but make yourself at home."

"Uh-huh."

The candelabra then hopped away and Reine closed the door behind her before turning around to inspect the room. The size was comparable to, if not bigger than, the living room of her farmhouse with one queen-sized four-poster bed covered in dark purple blanket with the same-coloured drapes and canopy. There was a dresser and a dressing table as well—clearly a room designed for a female occupant, although the empty surface of the empty table told her that it hadn't been occupied for quite some time. Reine noticed the half-emptied cup and could feel a hint of warmth when she touched the glass surface—Gwen was being held here.

"Oh, hello!" the cup said. "You're not the lady from earlier, aren't you?"

"Talking candelabra, talking cup… can the floor talk too?" Reine asked while tapping her feet lightly on the floor, half-expecting something like a yelp of pain.

"No, my dear,"

Reine turned her head and noticed the teapot and sighed heavily. "Okay." She sat down on the edge of the bed—she didn't even care what other furniture could talk; this had been a very weird day for her with Zack and a talking beast and talking furniture.

"You look exhausted, my dear," the teapot said sympathetically, "I think you might need to sit down."

The pinkette nodded weakly and sat at the edge of the bed. "Thank you," she said, "I… I don't know what I'm getting into."

"Go on," the teapot encouraged.

"Why didn't I just shoot at him and snatch Gwen away? Well… I have promised to be his hostage in exchange of Gwen—but in this world… people rarely keep their words any longer. Why… why did I…?"

"At least you still do, my dear, and it is very admirable. Not to mention your courage and love for your sister."

"Yes! You're very cool!" the cup chirped in.

Love. That again. Reine noted in her hardened heart as she threw herself back on the bed. "What is this place? Why can you guys talk?—no offense—but what is going on?!"

"Have you ever heard of the tale of… Witch's Curse? Is that what the people said it is?"

"About the cold prince and the witch and blah blah blah—I think I heard that somewhere in the market. Yes."

"You don't seem to believe in it."

"Well, I do believe people would want explanations on what is going on in this world—just like what I'm asking of you now—and when they can't explain it based on their current knowledge, they try to come up with something. Tales… magic… witchcraft… anything that can explain the inscrutable!"

The teapot smiled warmly, "Some of those stories might be the truth, my dear," it said, "and this… is one of them."

Gwen managed to reach a more familiar part of the forest just as the sun set by urging Thor to gallop their way through. Noticing that Thor was exhausted, Gwen decided to stop for a moment there. She put her hands into the coat pocket to keep it warm, but when she did so, she felt there was something inside. Gwen pulled it out to find out that it was a ring with a single stud of clear sapphire mounted on it.

"Oh, no…" Gwen sighed as she turned around, looking at the now distant castle tower.

It was then a piece of paper fell down and Gwen picked it up. It said:

Dear mademoiselle with lustrous ebony hair,

Do not worry: this ring is meant for you, and only you. It carries certain magic in it—worthy of someone like you. Trust me.

If you really want to give it back, though, I am afraid you must wait until the next time we meet. I am sure there will be another time, but I wish you would not wish to return it.

One born of wreath of roses.

"Magic?" Gwen thought aloud as she brought the ring up under the moonlight. "What magic, I wonder…"

She chuckled and decided to slip it on her ring finger—and much to her delight, it was a perfect fit. Gwen mounted Thor again, this time taking the journey slow while thinking excitedly of what kind of magic the ring carried with it.

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of door knocking. Reine rose and opened the door and found a serving trolley; she wasn't very surprised when she didn't find no one—or no human to be precise—behind the trolley. There was, however, a clock.

Reine moved aside and the clock spoke, "Your dinner, mademoiselle."

She glanced at the dishes on the trolley: hors d'oeuvre, main course of steak with three side dishes (sautéed broccoli and carrots, mashed potatoes, and pasta salad), a fromage and chocolate pudding as dessert, and there was a bottle of red wine inside of a bucket of ice and empty wine glass together with silver utensils.

"Isn't this… too much for one person?" Reine asked, "Besides… how do you get the ingredients?"

The clock pushed the trolley next to the bed and bowed slightly, "Enjoy your meal, mademoiselle."

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Reine protested.

The clock simply casted her cold, condescending glare and left the room. "What the—who is he?!"

"That's our butler," the teapot replied sympathetically. "He might seem a bit… uptight."

"That's not uptight! That's downright rude!"

Before Reine could finish her ranting, the door was knocked again, but this time who—or whatever it was let itself in. The mahogany coat stand bowed before Reine, "Pleased to be in your service, mademoiselle."

Reine turned around and put her hands on her hips, "Aaaand, what exactly is your service?"

"Fixing your attire, of course," the coat stand replied, "you must dress properly before eating such a meal, right? Unless you want me to do more~"

Reine raised her eyebrow. Giving her upbringing—and her nature, one might say—Reine had never given much thought about attire while dining, or her dresses in general. Her only parameter for choosing her attire was whether it would be a hindrance for her while she was hunting or ploughing the field.

The coat stand was not really the one to take 'no' for an answer. It moved towards the girl and grabbed her, taking off her dress. "Hey! Who said you can just do whatever you like!" Reine snapped, kicking the coat stand away.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy, mademoiselle!" the coat stand exclaimed. It hooked her dress as it stumbled backward and Reine tried to grab it back, for she wear nothing but a thin undergarment under her dark brown knee-length dress. The tension tore the old dress apart and the cup shrieked. "Geez, it wouldn't have ended like this if you just keep quiet and be obedient." The coat stand complained, although there was no malice in its words.

"You were the one starting it!" Reine complained.

The door was opened again, this time the candelabra. When the candelabra saw the lady only in her camisole with a torn dress, the three candles on it suddenly turned brighter and it shut its eyes tight, "I'm sorry! I—I must have picked a wrong time!"

The teapot sighed, "My dear, why don't you take a quick shower?" it suggested, "We will clean this up."

Reine sighed heavily and nodded. She didn't take long to shower, and when she stepped out, only wrapped in her towel, she found that a clean undergarment—one more elaborate that what she had worn earlier—had been laid out on the bed while the coat stand was still rummaging the dresser in front of the bathroom.

"Please don't touch where you're not supposed to…" a new, quiet but shivering voice was heard.

Reine crossed her arms, "Why do I feel like I'm watching something… criminal?" she thought aloud, although the coat stand was too focused on what it was doing to hear her comment.

"Hmmm… red? Well, that's my taste but I don't think it works for evenings—no, no, no. Soft yellow? That's not appetizing… let's see… Aha!" It pulled out a teal-coloured loose dress, resembling the one in paintings on Artemis the Greek goddess, when at the same time finally noticing Reine's presence. "Wow, you're fast."

Reine shrugged and she took the undergarment. "So… I'm supposed to wear this…?"

"Yes!" the coat stand replied excitedly while shoving the dress, "and this!"

Reine nodded unenthusiastically and headed back to the bathroom bringing the clothes with her and she emerged a few minutes later, fully dressed although her loosened hair was still rather damp, hanging down to her waist. The dress—which to Reine seemed to only consist of one large piece of fabric—hung loosely on her body, pivoting on her left shoulder with a golden clasp and it reached the floor.

The coat stand nodded appreciatively, "Soft pink and teal go well together." It murmured. "And for the final touch…" it walked towards Reine and buckled a golden waistband around her, slightly accentuating her curves beneath the loose dress. The coat stand took a few steps back and studied her, before nodding appreciatively.

Reine shrugged—at least the dress was comfortable for her—and finally got to eat her dinner. The feast prepared for her reminded her of her mother and sister, What do they have for dinner today? I've salted the venison—it will last them for quite a few days.

"What's wrong, mademoiselle?"

Reine blinked her eyes and noticed the candelabra staring at her with a worried look. "Nah, just thinking about home," she replied, trying not to sound too melancholic about it. She looked at the candelabra for a few moments, and then she realized something. "What's your name?"

"Name?"

"Yeah, what should I call you?"

"Um… you can call me Candelabra… I guess?"

"What?" Reine asked in surprise. "Are you for real?"

"Well, that's what everybody called me these past few… I dunno."

"So, if I see another moving candelabra I should just call in Candelabra the Second, Candelabra the Third…"

"Hey! That's not true!" it interjected quickly, sounding a bit annoyed. "I'm the coolest candelabra around here!"

"Brightest, you mean." Reine said.

The candelabra stared at its arms and grinned, "Yeah, that works, too!"

"Seriously, I can't just call you candelabra! You must've had a name!"

The candelabra scratched its head, "I guess so… but ever since the curse… we don't really remember our names. We just call each other for what we are—except for the Master, of course."

Reine felt rather sad at that easy-going remark. As she thought about it further, an idea sparked in Reine's mind. "Take me to the archive."

The archive, unsurprisingly, was dark and dusty, with the candelabra as the only source of light. "Hello? Anybody here?" Reine called out. She could hear a faint echo of her voice for a moment, and then a cough. Reine rushed to that voice, and she found a thick book with a dark blue cover. She touched it gently, "Excuse me?"

Yesterday, she would think that someone trying to talk to a book was crazy, but this idea didn't seem too crazy to her now.

Much to her delight, the book responded. A pair of dark brown eyes appeared. "Oh, hello… not many people visit this area… and oh—a human! Does this mean…" it looked around, only to look sad afterwards, "No…"

"Um… hello? I'm Reine."

"I'm the Book, as you can see." It replied.

"It won't be for long!" Reine assured her, "Do you have something like… a list of people in the castle? Or anything containing their name?"

"…you can check the shelf, I guess."

Reine took the suggestion as permission and began to peruse the tall shelf in front of her. She noticed that many of the covers were inscribed with the name Mary and she turned to the book, trying her luck, "…Mary?"

The blue book lightened up, "Why! That name sounds very familiar…"

"I bet it's because that's your name." Reine smiled.

A slight smile graced the cover of the dark blue book, and it looked a little bit brighter. "Yes, I believe so…" it replied shyly.

Reine continued her search of something that would give her the names of the castle's occupants. List of waiters and maids, guest list, whatever. There was a huge collection of such lists, updated yearly, and the record dated back for around one hundred years that Reine was trying to see the most recent one, while Mary and the candelabra were staring at her, unsure what to do themselves.

"Actually…" Mary said, breaking the silence, "I can give you an account."

Reine turned around, "What do you mean?"

"I remember… I was holding a book and a quill on that day. I was writing… what happened around me—it was a habit."

"Ah, yes!" the candelabra joined in, "I remember I was holding onto a candelabra that time! Then suddenly I'm the candelabra!"

Okay, that sets one possible pattern of the curse thing, I guess. Reine thought to herself. "Where's this entry?"

The blue book opened itself while Reine stepping down from the ladder and walked towards it. Reine took Mary in her hands and began reading with the candelabra jumping onto the table to give her some light, "It was a modest dinner, for the Prince was not fond of large crowds…" she began, and then she skimmed through the lines until she found, "Rod was holding a candelabra to be put on the table—are you Rod?"

The candelabra paused for a moment, "Um… yeah, it lights up." He said, "Like… something was lighting up inside of me when I heard that name."

Reine chuckled, "Good imagery there." She said, "Okay, Mary, we're going to work out the names of the people in this castle together!" the pinkette could feel a slight up and down movement in her hands.

The next stop was her room, where the teapot, the cup, the dresser, and the coat stand were waiting for her rather anxiously since she just suddenly jumped and declared she wanted to see the archive earlier. Mary had filled her pages—by thinking of everything that she could remember, and she did remember a lot of things—during their journey and now there were a lot of names sprawled in her pages.

Reine stood in front of the dresser. "Tell me to stop when you feel something is… right as your name: Sunny, Babette, Ophelia, Candace—"

"Oh…" the dresser interjected softly. "Candace…" she said.

Reine said, "That's a beautiful name."

Next, Reine quickly worked out that the teapot was the head of maid who was bringing the teapot meant for the Prince, Jessica while the cup was her daughter, Cheryl, who was helping her mother by bringing the cup.

"Thank you, dear," Jessica said gratefully. "Thank you so much…"

"Thank you, lady!" Cheryl chirped.

"No problem!" Reine replied cheerfully before she faced the coat stand. "Now, you… hmm… let's see…"

Reine flipped through the pages and finally she saw a mention of a coat stand. "It was the Prince's distant relative… from a small principality bordering this country, emerging from the noble line of Rosenkrantz—wreath of roses…"

"…Ellen—no… Allen?"

Reine glanced at the coat stand and it gave her a cheeky grin, before it bowed graciously, "In your service, mademoiselle."

"You're… a guy?" Reine asked in disbelief.

"Why, yes, can't you feel it oozing out of me—my masculinity? I'm hurt."

Reine recalled the scene earlier, when she faced him only clad in her towel.

"Just now… you…"

Allen grinned, "Of course, live show. Full preview." He said, "I must say, you have a nice bust."

Her face turned bright red and she clenched her fists.

Rod tried to put Allen's chipped leg back using the wax dripping out from his candle, "You shouldn't have told the mademoiselle that, m'lord."

He looked down, "Careful, Rod, your fire."

"Just burn him!" Reine yelled from her room, "Turn him into firewood!"

Hearing her comment, Allen laughed. "Why, isn't she lively?" he said, "She's so fun to tease."

What magic resides in the ring that Gwen holds?

Stay tuned for the next update!

Thanks for reading, guys! Please rate and review! ^^

A/N: okay, so I decided that Allen shouldn't be a servant, but an unlucky guest who ended up being placed under the curse as well. Besides, I always think Allen has that princely bearing with him :P As for the letter, Rosenkrantz means wreath of roses (it is a real-life line of Norwegian and Danish nobility (although it's mostly extinct now)). So, in this story, there are TWO cursed princes with TWO "Belle"s.

About our Belles, as you can see, while Reine seems to be very down-to-earth, bordering to cynical and very rational by trying to come up with logical explanation behind anything, Gwen is more willing to believe in magic, divine power, and fantasy, while Belle in Disney is somewhere in between (clever and dreamy at the same time).

Disney stated that the Beast's transformation is not only meant to be physical but also psychological, so I play around with this statement through how the furniture slowly forget their human memories, including their names. More about the curse is going to be explored in later chapters ^^

I casted Rod as Lumiere because Rod always has this bright personality, which I translated into the candles, although he lacks the suave qualities that Lumiere has (my other candidate for Lumiere was actually Allen, but after I saw a coat hanger cutting Beast's hair during one of the scenes, I thought Allen would be a better coat hanger than candelabra :P)

I hope you enjoy how things are going up to this point ^^

In any case, any guess on the clock a.k.a. Cogsworth? :)

(I hope I don't bore you out with the explanation)