Here's another chapter whose main title is too long to fit in the Label bar. But the alternate title in the chapter list gets the point across just as well. Shame I couldn't use that meme too much.

Chapter 41

No One Causes Trouble Like Gaston!

Belle rode through the woods, looking around every corner and squinting as she peered through the snowstorm. She took another look at the mirror, silently asking for it to guide her. The image in the mirror zoomed out from her father's prone body and backed away until it depicted the area directly in front of her. She flicked the reins and spurred Philippe onward, continuing in as straight a line as possible.

Soon, they found her father unconscious in the snow. "Papa!" she gasped. She climbed off of Philippe and ran over to him. She checked his pulse and breathing. Both were weak, but there. She sighed in relief and started dragging him over to the horse. With difficulty, and using a rope pulley she hastily fashioned over a tree branch, she managed to hoist him onto Philippe's back, then rode off to the village she once called home.

The streets were empty. Given how late it was into the night, most people were in their homes. There were lights coming from the windows of the pub. As she passed the church, the pastor, Père Robert, who kept a library from which she would borrow books, saw her as he was locking up and waved as she went by, not noticing her plight.

Belle rode to the other end of town and stopped Philippe in front of her house. She dismounted from the horse and secured his reins, then pulled her father off of the horse's back and led him inside. She laid him on his bed and lit a candle next to him. Then, she set to work tending to him.

Someone had walked by as they made their return. He was a slightly chubby man with brown eyes and black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a brown buttoned-up shirt, a white undershirt, a blue blazer, black pants, brown boots, and a red bow tie. LeFou gasped in surprise as he watched Belle carry her sick father inside, both of them wearing cloaks and covered in snow. While he had initially subscribed to the belief that the old man was delirious when he claimed that Belle had been imprisoned by a beast, as the months went on and Belle remained unaccounted for he began to wonder if there was any weight to his ramblings.

"They're back," he said to himself. He immediately turned around and ran down to the pub.

Shortly after, Maurice woke up. Even when he was unconscious, the same thought remained in his mind, one that had spurred him on through his dangerous quest up until the point where he could not move any further.

I must find Belle…

After he was returned to the village by that horrible Beast at the cost of his daughter's freedom, Maurice had immediately run to the pub to explain what had happened and ask the townsfolk, particularly the hunter Gaston and his compatriots, for help in rescuing Belle. They had promptly laughed him off and kicked him out. But he had persisted for days. Eventually, Gaston had agreed to take some friends, LeFou, Tom, Dick, and Stanley, and go with him into the woods to search for Belle and find the Beast's castle, but after several hours it became apparent that he did not actually believe his claims and was only assisting him in an attempt to get into his good graces in his plans to woo Belle. They were forced to return to the village as exposure to the elements had begun to have an effect on Maurice's health, despite his insistence in finding Belle. Père Robert tended to him for weeks and insisted that he remain in bed until he was back to full strength. During his rest, he suffered a bizarre fever dream where the village was invaded by mysterious dark creatures, among them small, black, animalistic humanoids, blue bats, and what appeared to be a giant snowman. In that dream, Gaston led the defense, but Maurice, screaming about "No more beasts", ran out into the snow with a kitchen knife in hand and struck some down. Perplexed by the nature of the dream, Maurice decided that he would be of no help to Belle in his condition and finally agreed to get some rest. But recently, he remembered the look of fear on Belle's face when she saw him imprisoned and when she stared into the Beast's menacing visage, and he resolved to go out and save her by himself. Even when a storm fell over the woods, he persevered.

"Belle…" he muttered, half awake.

"Papa!"

His eyes shot open. He saw Belle standing over him, looking down at him comfortingly. "Belle?"

"It's all right, Papa," she said soothingly. "I'm home."

Maurice smiled and sat up, pulling her into a hug. "I thought I'd never see you again," he said happily.

"I missed you so much."

Maurice pulled back to look Belle in the eyes. "But the Beast! How did you escape?" he asked.

"I didn't escape, Papa. He let me go," she replied.

Maurice gaped in confusion. "That horrible beast—"

"But he's different now, Papa. He's changed somehow," she explained.

Before she could elaborate, she heard a rustling sound from her satchel. She turned to it and saw the flap fall open. The mirror was the first to slip out, followed by a very dizzy Chip.

"Hi!" the teacup greeted.

"Oh, a stowaway," Belle teased.

Chip hopped across the bed and landed in Maurice's lap. "Why, hello there, little fella," Maurice said, amused at the china child. "Didn't think I'd see you again."

Chip turned to Belle. "Belle, why'd you go away?" he asked. "Don't you like us anymore?"

"Oh, Chip, of course I do… Wait a second," she said, peeking over Chip's rim. She noticed something inside, which appeared to resemble two bodies crumpled together. "Sora? Kairi?"

Awakened at the sound of their names, Sora and Kairi brought themselves to their feet, but stumbled and slipped when they attempted to stand up on a smooth, concave surface. They fell against one another, then backward on the wall of the cup. Noticing that they were no longer in the library but rather within an enclosed space, they looked around, wondering what was going on. They looked up and saw that the wall surrounding them only went up a foot above their heads, and the rim was lined with a gold strip. Turning around to get a full idea, they stopped when they noticed a triangular chip cut out of their container. Looking higher, they saw an enormous face which, after recovering from the initial shock, they recognized as Belle's.

"Belle? What happened? Where are the others? What happened with the clown and the witch doctor?" Sora asked. Then, thinking of a slightly more pressing matter, "How did you get so huge?"

"Oh, good! You're awake!" They heard a voice coming from directly in front of them, and the container they were trapped in shook about as the high-pitched childlike voice spoke. "The clown guy hit you with some sort of spell and shrunk you. I caught you and decided to keep you safe until Mickey and the others could find a way to fix you."

Once he regained his balance, Sora recognized the voice. "Chip?"

"Oh! Hold on," Belle said. She picked Chip up and tipped him upside down. Sora and Kairi tumbled out of the teacup and landed on the blanket of Maurice's bed. They stood back up and took in their surroundings. They stumbled backward when Belle set Chip back down and they saw that they were now smaller than he was. They guessed that they were now only three inches tall, but they feel no different, in spite of their mass being compressed into a much smaller size.

They turned to their right and saw Maurice. The size difference between him and them was even more jarring, but they were coming to understand their situation more and were not taken aback quite as much.

"You must be Belle's father," Kairi guessed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kairi, and this is Sora." Sora waved in greeting.

"Why, it's nice to meet you, too. You can call me Maurice. Now, Belle, you must tell me what has happened to you while you were held prisoner."

Before Belle could explain herself, she heard a knock at the door. She shushed her visitors and went over and opened it, revealing a tall, incredibly muscular man with a pronounced double chin, blue eyes and long black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a red tunic, black tights, and brown boots. He gave her a smile that seemed meant to appear sweet and entreating but carried too much confidence to truly come across as such. Maurice's pleasant expression turned into a glare when the man came into view.

"Gaston…?" Belle said, wondering what he was doing there.

"Oh, Belle! When I heard that you had returned, I ran over as fast as I could!" Gaston, the renowned hunter, said. "I was so worried that something might have happened to you."

"Well, thank you," Belle said uncertainly.

"I mean, at first I couldn't be sure. When Maurice said that you were taken prisoner by a monstrous beast, it did seem rather far-fetched."

"Thank you for checking up on me, but as you can see, I am perfectly fine, now.

"When he went out to look for you yesterday, I tried to warn him that it was dangerous to go alone, fearing for his health, but he refused to listen," Gaston claimed. "I tried to help him, but he shoved me away and ran out into the woods."

"You lying, conceited swine!" Maurice shouted angrily, climbing out of bed and running to the door. Positively incensed, he moved as if to lash out at the hunter, but Belle held him back.

"Whoa! Slow down, Maurice. You need your rest. All this running around and ranting about made-up monsters can't be good for your health," Gaston said in a calming tone. "And now you're going and assaulting people? I'm starting to fear that your jumbo-sized toys blew up in your face one too many times!"

Maurice's anger faded and morphed into confusion when he glanced past Gaston and saw a crowd had formed in front of the cottage. Sora and Kairi glanced out the window and saw dozens of people standing out front. They could see that the crowd was standing around some sort of horse-drawn carriage, and were worried that Gaston had something wicked up his sleeve.

"I'm starting to think you need some help, Maurice," Gaston said, a smirk forming. He stepped off to the side, revealing an elderly man standing behind him. Belle and Maurice shivered as soon as they saw him, as did Sora and Kairi.

The man was tall and thin and he wore a gray suit with a white undershirt and a thin black bow tie. He was a balding man with long grey hair and thick eyebrows. He was a frail man with grey skin, and his gaunt features made him appear almost like a walking corpse.

"May I help you?" Belle asked in a fearful tone.

"I've come to collect your father," the old man, Monsieur D'Arque, answered in a gravelly voice. "Don't worry, miss. We'll take good care of him." He stepped to the side to reveal the carriage, which was an iron prison box marked with the words "Les Maison des Lunes".

Belle gasped, then her expression turned from horror to anger. "My father's not crazy!" she insisted, taking a step toward Monsieur D'Arque and forcing him to take a step back.

"Sora, look!" Kairi pointed at the man. Sora squinted and noticed that there was a bulge in his left pocket. "That Gaston creep must've paid him off."

"Good eye, Kairi," Sora commended.

"He was raving like a lunatic," one of the villagers, Gaston's friend Tom, shouted. "We all heard him, didn't we?" A number of villagers shouted in agreement. "Isn't that right?" he continued, leaning his elbow on LeFou's shoulder, insisting that Gaston's closest friend take his side.

"Uh, well…" LeFou stammered, not liking where this was going. He watched as two orderlies jumped out of the carriage and marched toward the cottage.

"No! I won't let you!" Belle protested. Maurice peeked outside, trying to wrap his head around what was going on.

"Maurice!" another of Gaston's friends, Dick, called out. "Tell us again, old man. Just how big was the beast?" He chuckled, and some of the others broke into chortles.

"He was… I mean he was… he was enormous," Maurice stammered, trying to keep his wits about as it became apparent that this was not going to turn out well. "Fur, and fangs and horns… and…" The crowd broke into even greater laughter, and the orderlies grabbed Maurice by the arms and began hauling him to the asylum carriage. "Let go of me!" he resisted, to no avail. A smirk plastered on his haunting visage, Monsieur D'Arque strolled back to the carriage.

"No!" Belle protested, grabbing D'Arque by the shoulder. "You can't do this!" D'Arque regarded her coldly, shook himself free, and continued walking.

Père Robert followed D'Arque, pleading for him to reconsider Maurice's fate. "This man is harmless. He needs medicine and therapy, not confinement," he insisted, but the asylum keeper ignored him.

"Poor Belle. It's a shame about your father," Gaston said sympathetically, throwing his arm around Belle's shoulder.

Belle ducked out and stepped away. "You know he's not crazy, Gaston," she told him sternly.

"I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if…" he suggested, a scheming smirk coming onto his face.

"If what?" Belle asked, not liking where this was going.

"If you marry me," Gaston finished.

"What?" she gasped.

"Uh, Gaston, I'm not entirely sure that this is the right way to go about this," LeFou whispered, attempting to reason with his friend.

Gaston ignored him. "One little word, Belle. That's all it takes."

"Never!" She ran back into the cottage.

Père Robert glared at him. "If you intend to go through with this, then you will have to find another priest," he said calmly.

Sora and Kairi traded worried glances. "We need to do something!" he said. He ran for the door, but he forgot that he was still three inches tall, and five seconds later he tumbled off of the bed.

They saw Belle run inside, pack up her satchel, and hoist it over her shoulder. "Belle? What are you doing?" Kairi asked. Belle did not answer, and instead ran back outside. Sora struggled to maintain his balance due to the floorboards creaking with her steps.

As the orderlies were about to close the carriage door on Maurice, Belle ran back outside and stood in front of the crowd. "Let him go! My father's not crazy!" she demanded. "I have just come from the castle in the woods and there is a Beast!"

Gaston had reentered the crowd and was adopting the voice of reason once again. "We all admire your devotion to your father, but you'd say anything to free him. Your word is hardly proof."

Belle's stare turned to anger. "You want proof? Fine." She took the magic mirror out of her satchel. "Show me the Beast!" She held the mirror up for all to see.

The reflection showed Beast, who stood somberly at the balcony. The crowd gasped. Gaston's face took on an expression of shock. He had never seen anything like it, and he would not have imagined that they truly were telling the truth about the Beast.

"Is it dangerous?" a woman asked.

"No," Belle insisted. "He'd never hurt anyone. Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend."

"The monster has put her under a spell!" Gaston accused. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she even cared for him!"

Belle stomped up to Gaston. "He's not a monster, Gaston. You are!" she shot back.

Gaston's face twisted in rage. He grabbed the mirror out of her hand. "She's as crazy as the old man! The beast will make off with your children! He'll come after them in the night."

"No!" Belle argued.

"We're not safe 'til his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the beast!" he declared. This was met with raucous cheers from the mob.

"We're not safe until he's dead," one man moaned.

"He'll come stalking us at night," another man said.

"Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite," a woman said as she held her son close protectively.

"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!" a third man insisted, starting to agree with Gaston's plan.

"So, it's time to take some action, boys!" Gaston shouted. "It's time to follow me!"

"No! I won't let you do this!" Belle protested.

"If you're not with us, you're against us! Lock her up too! We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Gaston grabbed Belle by the arm and threw her into the asylum carriage with her father and closed the door. Tom locked the door.

Kairi jumped off of the bed, and she and Sora began running toward the door.

"Let us out!" Belle pleaded.

"Gaston, with all due respect—" LeFou began.

"Do you want to be next?" Gaston interrupted, shooting him a fierce glare. LeFou shut up instantly. "Fetch me my horse." LeFou turned and ran off. He turned back to the mob. "We'll rid the village of this beast! Who's with me?"

More cheers were let out. Gaston's friends, Tom, Dick and Stanley, joined him at the front. Dozens of other men stepped up. They all armed themselves with pitchforks, swords, knives, shovels, and rolling pins. Gaston pocketed a dagger and a gun, and slung a quiver over his shoulder. Père Robert attempted to calm the frenzy, but the force of the mob pushed him back. Some of them lit torches and carried them to light the way. Those who did not join in the charge helped by readying the horses. LeFou let Gaston's horse out and mounted his own.

Sora and Kairi got to the bottom of the stairs outside of the cottage just as the mob mounted their horses and rode off. Amongst the anxious and fearful villagers who remained, they noticed three attractive blonde women who were identical save for the color of their dresses. They fawned and cheered for Gaston as he rode off, clearly infatuated.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Fangirls," she grumbled.

But due to their small size, they were helpless to stop the angry mob as the incensed villagers rode off to lay siege to the Beast's castle and mount an attempt on their friend's life, and they had no way to warn everyone there.