"Okay," Belle said, "I know Adam has a few things he wants to get done, but he knows where to find me." She turned and walked towards the stairs, making her way to the library.
As she was walking towards 'her favorite place in the castle', Belle started to think about what had happened during this week...no, the past few weeks. She couldn't believe how much has happened; her beast-turned-prince, her and her cousin's spell removed, her step-grandmother's defeat, Adam proposing to her and, the biggest on of all, knowing that her mother is alive and a sorceress! When Belle started thinking about her mother, she started to think about what her mother said in their conversation they had the night they saw each other.
"Since you and Adam are the children of sorceresses, both of you have the choice to learn to become a sorceress or remain being human. Both of you have that choice since you have one parent that's human and the other parent is a sorceress. But I will be honest, you also have a certain amount of time to make that decision."
"What happens if we don't make up our mind?" Belle asked.
"Then your body makes the decision for you," Veronica answered, "whether you like it or not. You still have some time before that happens though."
Belle still didn't know what to think, her mother really didn't say how long Belle had to make that decision. But if there's one thing Belle knows...is that she doesn't like somebody else making up her mind for her.
When Belle reached the doors of the library, she walked in and closed the door behind her. She was all alone in the library, she took out the rainbow stone her mother gave her. Ever since Veronica gave that stone to Belle, she's been wearing around her neck during the day and at night. She walked over to the couch that Adam and her would sit next to each other while one of them reads to the other. Belle sat down on the couch, held the rainbow stone in both hands and closed her eyes.
"Hello again, my beautiful daughter." Belle opened her eyes, almost expecting her mother to be in front of her...but she wasn't. "I'm behind you." Belle turned around, there was Veronica with her arms and hands in the top of the couch. Veronica was a little...concerned because of the frown on her daughter's face. "My daughter that I love so much," Veronica said as she stood up, "what's wrong?"
"The talk we had-" Belle said in a soft voice, "is affecting a lot more than I thought." The motherly instincts started to come back to Veronica as she walked around the couch and walked up to Belle. Instead of seeing Belle as the age she is now, Veronica kept seeing the ten-year-old Belle was when she last saw her.
"Belle, I didn't mean to make you feel torn," Veronica said, "but I knew it was something that you had to know."
"That's the only thing I do know!" Belle said, "There's nothing else I know about you, what do you expect?" Tears started down her face, Veronica didn't know what to feel. Veronica wanted to let Belle know about this certain part of her, but she was still keeping it refrained from her daughter. Veronica couldn't help herself anymore, she gently grabbed Belle's shoulders, pulled her daughter towards herself and hugged Belle. Belle didn't know what to think, she wasn't expecting her mother to do this.
"I've been holding this from you because I was trying to protect you." Veronica said, "But...you're now old enough to understand...I hope."
"I'm seventeen, mother." Belle said, "I've read so many fairy-tales and fables about magic beings such as you...and Lydia. So whatever you need to tell me, say it!"
"All right," Veronica said, "Sit down first." Belle sat down on the couch, her mother sat next to her. Veronica took a deep breath before speaking. "Lydia and I aren't...the usual magical beings in your stories...or like Rouge. Just like other sorceresses, we harness our own power, but Lydia and I are called 'Mythical Fauna Creatures'.
"Doesn't 'Fauna' mean...'Animals'?"
"It does," Veronica answered, "this form that you see me in, this magic sorceress form...isn't what I truly look like. When I have my black hair and green eyes, that's my human form. I can't use my powers in that form. This form that I'm in now allows me to use my powers, but not all of them. My real life form...allows me to control all of my powers...but I can't reveal my true form without striking fear in people's hearts."
"You're that scary?" Belle asked.
"I wouldn't call myself 'scary', 'big' yes, but 'scary' no." Veronica said, "Lydia is a different story, she's scary every time she gets angry or mad."
"Can I...see your true form?" Belle asked, Veronica was very surprised.
"Belle, I wouldn't be able to fit in this library." she explained, "My head would either go through the ceiling or I wouldn't be able to move any part of my body."
"Well, at least give me an idea what you look like...your 'real' form." Veronica wasn't sure about telling Belle about her true form.
"Belle, I don't think that's a wise idea."
"I've heard worse from my books," Belle said, "and I've seen worse monsters." Veronica raised an eyebrow when she heard Belle say 'I've seen worse monsters'.
"All right," Veronica said, "have you heard of a fire bird?"
"Sounds familiar." Belle said as she got up from the couch, she pulled out a mythology book. Belle flipped through numerous pages until she found a picture of a fire bird. "Quite a powerful creature."
"They are," Veronica said, "my true form looks like a giant-sized fire bird, but in different colors in the rainbow."
"You never really explained what 'your kind' does." Belle said as she closed her book.
"Mythical Fauna Creatures have a certain kind of animal for their true forms, mythical and non-mythical." Veronica explained, "We always use our powers for good and help humans, our main powers come from nature."
"Like yours?"
"Yep, color is all around us, so is light." Veronica answered, "We get the rest of our powers from reading other sorcery books and learning as much as we can from Lady Temps."
"So Lady Temps rules over every kind of magic being?" Belle asked.
"Yes, but we all respect her because she adores us and makes sure that everyone is safe, including the children that are half-human. Lady Temps doesn't care about the part, she sees everyone whole, not half, not one-fourth nor one-eighth."
"You mean...there are others...like me and...Adam?" Belle watched her mother close her eyes and raised her head to the ceiling. "Mother?"
"There are." Veronica answered.
"Why do you sound so...uncertain?" Belle asked, now small tears started to fall from Veronica's eyes, which were turning blue.
"This is the real reason why I didn't want to tell you about me." she said, "In the past, children, who had a human parent and the other was a magic being, didn't want anything to do with their powerful parent. They would ignore them and refused to listen to them, they chose to remain human because..."
"Because why, mama?"
"...they exiled their magical mother or father, they didn't care it was their parent." Veronica answered, "Many of the magical beings that had that happened to them killed themselves. They didn't see the point of living when their most precious treasure in the world didn't want them in their lives anymore." Now Belle understood why her mother was so resistant about telling her the truth. "But Belle, don't let me stand in the way of your decision. If you want to stay human, then I'll respect that choice. I'll also respect the choice about you becoming sorceress, but as I said, it's your choice." Belle knew that there was honesty in her mother's voice, Belle no longer felt torn about the decision.
"There is one thing I do need to ask." Belle said.
"I'm listening." Veronica said.
"If I do become a sorceress...will I be able to protect myself and my family more?"
"Absolutely!" Veronica answered, Belle didn't show it, but she was relieved to hear that answer. "Another reason Mythical Fauna Creatures are so powerful, not only do we use our powers to help others, we also use our powers to protect the ones we love, especially our families."
"Mother...thank you." Belle said, Veronica had a little confusion on her face.
"For what?" she asked, Belle only smiled and said,
"For being my mother." Veronica was turning a tickled pink, not only her face. Her eyes, head, hair and robes were turning into a very tickled pink. Belle just giggled to herself, "I just hope that I don't change colors like you do."
Just then, there was a knock on the library doors. Belle and Veronica were very worried, they didn't want the servants to see Veronica. Before Belle said anything, Veronica just bolted up the stairs to the next level of the library. Belle just slowly made her way to the library door, but the doorknob twisted and the door opened.
Belle couldn't believe it, it was Adam that came into the library. She got worried over nothing, she felt a little silly.
"Thanks heavens it's only you, Adam." Belle said.
"Who else would you know would come into the library on their own without announcing themselves?" Adam asked as he was closed the library door. "Why are you relieved to know that it was me?"
"Because I'm in here." Adam looked up to see Veronica descending down the stairs, he looked back at Belle.
"We got a little worried that you may have been one of the servants." Belle said.
"Well, that's understandable." Adam said as Veronica came over to them, he was still a little nervous being around Belle's mother. Veronica could sense the tension from Adam, she can tell that he was very nervous being around her. "Well, I came to come get Belle so I could show her, her father and cousin the workroom that Mrs. Potts gave away." Belle was giggling to herself, she knew that Adam was a little disappointed that Mrs. Potts gave away the surprise. She looked at Adam again, that's when she noticed that he was staring right at her mother. Belle looked at her mother, she was giving Adam a very strange look.
"Mother?" Belle said, Veronica still didn't move. Belle grabbed her mother's shoulder and shook her, "Mother!" Veronica snapped out of it and looked at her daughter.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something else." Veronica said, "You better get downstairs, I think your father and that cousin of yours have waited long enough. I have my own matters to attain to."
"All right," Belle said as she looked at Adam. "Let's go, I can't want to see this!" Belle grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him out of the library.