She bit her lip, looking at the castle, and went to grab the reins of Phillippe, "Come on, boy, we have to find Papa.", as she led him through the gate, and she heard a faint howl, gasping softly as Phillipe nickered nervously, and she closed the gate quickly, before taking the reins again, "Let's hurry up before the clouds break open.".
The horse snorted in agreement as Belle started to move with a true pace as she headed for the main doors. "I hope someone here has seen him or we're in trouble...", she bit her lip.
She opened the main doors to the courtyard and pavement for carriages, and saw the stables, and tugged Phillipe, seeing two other equines in their stalls, a horse and a mule, and she breathed in relief, realizing that her father had gotten to the castle with some help.
Belle tied Phillippe to a ring in the wall, "I'll be back, Phillippe. Hopefully, Papa is alright.", and then left the stables, heading to the front door, knocking on it, "Hello? I'm looking for my father.".
There was no answer for a few moments before suddenly a voice called out from what seemed to be from above in one of the windows. "Just a moment! We've got someone coming to the door!", a male voice rang out.
Belle waited for a minute before one of the grand front doors opened, and a handsome young woman came into sight, and her breath caught for a moment, never seeing such rich red hair on a woman before as most of the villagers has black, blonde, brunette, silver/white hair, with rare ginger hair on a few men which was either married or too old.
Juliet herself was similar, having seen women with brown locks of differing shades through towns and inns, with different eye colors and different skin tones, but this, right now, she is certainly looking at the most beautiful young woman she has ever seen, somehow fitting perfectly with her dark brown hair, and those enchanting eyes of dark hazel...
From a sharp sound of tock-ticking with a light gong, it snapped Juliet and Belle out of the moment, and Juliet cleared her throat, "You couldn't be the daughter of Monsieur Maurice, could you? The one he calls Belle?".
God, now she can see why Maurice and his wife named her...Beautiful, indeed. Damn it, suitors must be flocking to her as she looks like about her age, maybe slightly younger...Especially if Maurice's right about this Gaston guy...
"He's here?", Belle's eyes widened as she practically went into a full excitement as Juliet chuckled from her attitude. "Yeah, he is, saved him from being mauled by the wolves last night in the storm; he suffered a pretty bad leg injury though.", she explained.
Belle exhaled in both relief and concern, "Thank goodness...Can I see him?", and Juliet smiled warmly, "Of course. The master has given permission for your father and you to be guests as long as he needs to heal. Come. The clouds look like they're about ready to burst out with rain.", gesturing with a hand as she moved aside to let her in.
"Thank you...", Belle spoke gratefully as Juliet closed the door, and replied, "And don't worry about your horse. One of my friends will settle him in a new stall, and our horse and mule wouldn't mind having a new friend to chat with.", as she walked on, gesturing for her to follow.
Belle exhaled, "Good...Oh, I apologize for being impolite. May I know your name?", and Juliet smiled lightly, "My name is Juliet, and yes, my mother heard the story of the famous couple, and so named me, hoping that I can prove my namesake wrong somehow.", with a chuckle as Belle's eyes brightened in surprise.
"You certainly don't look like the type of woman who would take after your namesake. You'd proudly proclaim your love to Romeo in front of your family and tell them off if they tried to complain.", Belle chuckled to herself.
Juliet chuckled, "That's almost what I would do, though yet I actually had a twin brother, Romeo. So, not exactly like the book, but if I was her, yes, I would have proclaimed my love to my soulmate, not that I had any luck, anyway.", with a shrug.
Belle looked at her in surprise, "Really, but you're around my age?", and Juliet took a deep breath, "Let's say that I'm strange...and one of my flaws would have put me in an asylum or...killed.", having heard so much about Belle from Maurice, among other things like his inventions, that she felt like she knows Belle somehow, never having felt like this before, yet knowing that she's a stranger, but there's something about her...something that Juliet saw in Perla, but more stronger...almost like...she's her other half...
"For dressing somewhat like a man?", Belle asked, "I'm not judging you there.", as she can see that Juliet is wearing trousers under her skirts as she saw them from behind as they walked up the stairs.
Juliet replied, "You can be surprised how comfortable trousers are.", with a smile, "Thank you for saying that, but what I mean by flaws, it's...it's intimacy, not with the opposite sex...", never having said it in front of Maurice, but Belle...she knew it's dangerous to even reveal it in the midst of strangers, but Maurice practically loves his daughter to pieces, and Belle sounds like she could understand, since he said that the village called his daughter odd for reading books and being a dreamer.
"Well, you obviously do what you want and let no one tell you otherwise.", Belle smiled as she could certainly tell with Juliet. "I don't have a problem with that... as long as you aren't offended by a woman trying to learn and all.".
"Bookworm, right?", Juliet asked warmly, and Belle nodded. "Nah, not in the slightest, I can ask you the same with a girl who likes to be a bit boyish with her life...".
Belle smiled, "Fair. And I don't mind it at all. Wearing trousers under your skirts is actually interesting.", before glancing around, "It's quite a big castle...I wonder why it wasn't on the map of the village's region in the books.".
Juliet answered, "Maybe the territory maps back then weren't updated when the castle was built...After all, maps are sometimes bad to read.", remembering that the village doesn't remember the castle or its occupants at all, thanks to the curse.
"That's actually a reasonable fact...", Belle thoughtfully nodded before replying, "Are we there soon?". Juliet nodded, "Yes, actually this floor.", hearing warm laughter down the hallway, and Belle gasped, recognizing her father's laugh, and walked faster to the room, seeing three young children playing with her father, over a game of cards on the bed, with a black man steeping and pouring tea into cups.
Belle called out, "Papa?", and Maurice looked up, smiling happily, "Belle! Oh, come here and give your papa a hug!", with Belle happily obliging and sat on the edge of the bed to hug her father, with the children smiling at Juliet as she came in with a smile to see the happy moment.
"I'm glad you made it... I was worried that you might have gotten lost yourself when I didn't come back...", Maurice said as she smiled.
"You're worried? I was deathly afraid when Phillipe showed up without you... just lucky that horse is smart enough to take me where you had been knocked off the saddle and that the castle wasn't too far away.", Belle said.
Maurice chuckled, "That's what Juliet said.", and Juliet chuckled, "Street smarts next to society smarts. Hello, children, keeping Monsieur Maurice company?".
They nodded, smiling, with Naveen giggling, "He's funny with stories!", and Maurice laughed warmly, "Why, thank you, Naveen.".
Ray replied, "I told them if they're behaving good with Monsieur Maurice, they could be treated to Mrs. Potts' apple pie for dessert after dinner.", and Carlo piped up, "And we're behaving good, Momma Juliet! Pinky swear!".
"Good.", Juliet smiled, kissing him on his forehead as Belle was surprised, having not expected that...Juliet hasn't a ring anywhere, yet she has a son? Did she adopt him? No...there's a couple of features that looks similar to Juliet...Maybe a relation?
Ella replied, "Aunt Juliet, can we have the special cream for the pie?", and Juliet glanced at her, "Hmm, you might have to ask Mrs. Potts on that, Ella. After all, it's her recipe.".
Naveen looked at Ray, "Papa, can we go downstairs and ask Mrs. Potts, please, and if Chip is around, can we play with him?", and Ray chuckled, "Well...what do you think, Juliet?".
Juliet pondered in thought, "Well...", and the three kids chorused, "Please?", with wide smiles, and Belle, along with her father chuckled at the sight.
"I'll let you all go, if you do something for me, kiddos.", Juliet replied, and the kids looked at her, "What?".
Juliet gestured to Belle and Maurice, "What do you say to them?", and the kids looked confused for a moment before Ella figured it out. "Monsieur and Miss, can you two come for dinner and have apple pie?", not quite the correct formal way to ask, but she can't be blamed for asking like that since she's almost five years old.
"There we go.", Juliet chuckled as Maruice laughed. "Well, if you're offering...", he told her as Juliet nodded.
"And you?", Juliet looked to Belle as she nodded, "Of course, I suppose we wouldn't be good guests if we said no.".
The children looked a bit confused for a second before Juliet clarified, "She said yes. Sometimes we speak like that. Now, I believe you three have a question to ask Mrs. Potts?", before the children cheered, almost jumping off the bed, and Ray called out, "No running on the stairs!", as they left.
Maurice smiled, "Young Carlo was right, they have been very much behaved with me. Delightful and lively, all of them.", with a chuckle. Juliet smiled, "They sure are. Their laughter fills the castle somehow. Now, Ray, is the medicinal tea ready? You need rest if you want to come down the stairs with the new crutches to dinner in a few hours, Maurice.".
Ray nodded as he prepared a teacup, giving it to Maurice who smiled, "Thank you, Ray.", sipping it steadily, "Ah, I must thank this Mrs. Potts for her tea recipes. That hits the spot every time.".
Ray chuckled, "I'll tell her that. She has been worried for you, and with the kitchens busy with prepping for dinner, she's busy. If you'll excuse me then.", with a nod and a smile before he left the room.
"So...", Belle took a deep breath. "I take it we're staying here for a little while until my father's well enough to get on a horse again?", she asked as Juliet nodded.
"If we want to be safe with things; of course, if you feel the need that you have to go home in the morning; we do have some carriages we could use...", Juliet offered.
Maurice replied, "Belle, my leg needs to heal for a few weeks at least, and you know as well as I do that aggravating an injury this early would make it worse in a way of sorts, prolonging the healing time, and besides, didn't you say that you'd want adventure like in your books?".
Belle glanced at her father...It's true that with the road being perhaps hard on an injury in a carriage, especially over several hours of travel back to the village, if they took it slowly, it would be really aggravating on the injury. She wants her father to be completely intact, and if staying for a few weeks in a castle, a castle of things she had never imagined to see except in books about royalty and nobility, she technically has an adventure here, and besides, she's not in any rush to go back and be practically stalked by that brutish, rude Gaston again, especially after that very...frightening way of nearly being forceful with his proposal, when her father's not there.
And besides, she doesn't know why, but she wants to get to know Juliet...She never had a friend who understood her before...She smiled at her father, "Well, if you're okay with staying, Papa, I can stay then.".
"And we'll be more than happy to have you.", Juliet smiled as Maruice took a deep breath and leaned his head back, "Great, now if you two don't mind.. I think I still need to catch up on a lot of rest... the first few days is often the roughest..."
Belle smiled softly, "Of course, Papa.", kissing him on the forehead, "Rest all you need.", before following Juliet out, as Maurice went to sleep some more, and Juliet closed the door.
Juliet smiled, "Care for a tour, Belle? Dinner's not on yet for a few hours.", and Belle chuckled, "Sure, why not? And I expect that there's a room for me as well.".
"There's a couple of other bedrooms available on this floor, if you don't want to be far from your father.", Juliet smiled, and Belle nodded, "That'd be wonderful, thank you.", and so, Juliet showed the available bedrooms, with Belle choosing one, putting her cape on a coat rack, before following Juliet as she began to show her around the castle.
Upon explaining that they don't need to dress up for dinner as it's casual and inviting, a few hours later, with careful supervision, and the crutches, Maurice made it down to the ground floor, to the family dining room.
The two guests were surprised to see a rather big chair at the center of the table, with Juliet telling them not to sit near there as the one other empty chair belonged to the mistress, with the master ordering it to be untouched in memory.
Maurice understood somberly as he remembered Leila and Juliet's sad remarks about Mistress Perla, with Belle confused yet obeyed Juliet's request.
"Papa's going to miss apple pie, isn't he?...He never misses Mrs. Potts' apple pie before...", Carlo quietly replied as he was eating dinner. Leila replies, "I know, darling, but we have guests here, and your papa's nervous. You cannot push him to come. It's his choice to come or not, and Mrs. Potts will understand if he misses the apple pie.".
Carlo nodded a bit; still not really understanding why it seemed like his family was trying to hide things from the guests, but he still nodded. "So, is Carlo the master's son?", Belle asked to Juliet.
Juliet replied, "Of sorts...Carlo is not his biological son, but he is the master's son no matter what as he asked the master to be his papa in his own wishes, and the master couldn't deny him that as he loves Carlo, as he swore to protect his newfound son, for Perla...she was practically the mistress of the castle as she changed the master's life on many things, giving him opportunities to be a better man he deserves to be despite his unfortunate appearance, and the master fell in love with her, and vice versa...Why, the first night they met, she literally stood up to him when he was having one of his temper tantrums!", with a small, fond chuckle.
Belle blinked in surprise, "Wow...She sounded like an amazing woman...", and Juliet smiled softly, "She is...was...", with a sad sigh, "Perla was a social person with the staff, she loved this family, and she was the best healer as well...She learned healing the best by doing, though she delighted in reading stories with Carlo and the master.".
"Sounded like someone I'd happily get along with.", Belle replied, and spoke quietly, "Is that why he hasn't come yet? Because of memories here?".
Juliet replied, "That, and one other thing. Before we came here, he was an introvert, and he had temper tantrums like I said, and there's the condition of his appearance. He was sensitive to the thought of people judging him for what he is, not who he is, staring, asking rude questions, or even worse, screaming and thinking the worst of him.".
"Sounds rough.", Belle said as Juliet nodded, "Like you wouldn't believe... it was... improving, I think when Perla was in his life, but after we lost her...".
"Know that feeling all too well.", Belle sighed. Juliet nodded as Belle said a bit about her mother during the tour, and she glanced at Carlo who is looking a bit disappointed, playing with his food.
She was about to gently urge him to eat the last of his vegetables, otherwise he couldn't have his piece of apple pie and cream on top when a sound of claws was heard, clinking against the floor outside the family dining room.
Carlo widened his eyes, a smile growing on his face, "Papa!", as the others glanced at the door with anticipation, with the two guests getting confused and curious at the same time.
Carlo got out of his seat to run towards the door leading out of the dining room as Juliet got up herself. "One moment...", she said to Belle.
"Carlo, slow down a bit.", she said; trying to intercept the boy before he might accidentally expose everything. Belle and her father obviously might need a few days to be eased into the world that they accidentally stumbled upon.
Carlo replied, "Papa can't miss the apple pie!", grabbing into the doorknob, wanting his papa to enjoy the apple pie for a few minutes if he can without missing Mama so much.
