"I'm sorry, Cogsworth. I'm so sorry..."

His voice was only a whisper, but in the silence of the room it sounded unnaturally loud. Adam sat on a chair next to the bed, his head in his hands and sighed.

Ever since Lumiere had learnt what had happened, he had refused to leave his friend's side. Worried that he was overdoing it and jeopardising his still fragile health, the prince had allowed him to continue sleeping on Cogsworth's sofa. And he had promised to personally keep watch when Lumiere needed a break. But actually, the prince had to admit to himself, he was sitting here for a completely different reason. And this reason was as simple as it was painful:

The feeling of guilt.

"Forgive me, my friend. Forgive me..."

As he sat there staring at his hands, lost in thought, the prince's mind wandered back to that evening when the majordomo had returned, closer to death than to life. And he remembered the terrible night that followed.

Flashback: Shortly after Monsieur Cogsworth was found:

It was a horrific sight for those present, but no one could avert their eyes, no matter how much they wanted to. It was as if they were all frozen to stone at that moment, condemned to watch what was happening whether they wanted to or not. And none of them wanted to see what was happening.

Nobody wanted to see Cogsworth lying there unconscious on his bed after they had struggled to carry him to his room.

Nobody wanted to see how pale his skin had become, while his blood coloured the bed sheets deep red in seconds.

No one wanted to see how the doctor had rushed in and immediately set about cutting up the majordomo's jacket and shirt to expose the wounds.

And no one wanted to see how the majordomo, startled out of his unconsciousness by the sudden pain, reared up. With his hands clutched in the sheets and his panicked gaze wandering aimlessly around the room, he was obviously unaware of what had happened. His pain-filled cry as the doctor examined his wounds made everyone in the room flinch or freeze even more. Everyone except the prince.

He rushed to the bed, grabbed Cogsworth's hand and held it tightly while he tried to calm the man, who was panicking with fear and pain. But he didn't know how. He couldn't get a word out, just stood there and looked at the majordomo, whose fingers seemed to close around his hand like a vice every time the doctor even touched him. But none of this affected him half as much as Cogsworth's pleading gaze. Pure fear could be seen in the brown eyes from which the prince could not turn away. And so he only heard what the doctor said in passing.

"The branch has pierced right through his arm... Heavens, that won't be easy. He's already very weak and if the branch has damaged the artery..."

He looked at the prince and shook his head and he only now understood what he had just heard.

"I can try, but... It doesn't look good..."

"Try!"

His words sounded more pleading than he wanted them to, but that didn't matter.

"Try everything in your power!"

The doctor nodded, took another look at the wound and then said: "I will, my prince. But I need to make a few preparations first and then... Well, we'll need a few strong men to hold the patient down."

The startled and simultaneously questioning look on Adam's face demanded an explanation.

"His condition is already so critical that I don't dare give him a full anaesthetic. I will dose it so that he can hopefully bear the pain, but... Despite his condition, he will put up his best fight. But he needs to lie as still as possible if I'm to have any chance of treating his injury."

It took Adam a moment to really grasp what he was saying, then he nodded and turned to the servants, who were still standing frozen in the room.

"You heard what the doctor said. We must restrain Monsieur Cogsworth as best we can. Chapeau!"

"Qui, mon prince?"

"Go and fetch two more men."

The gaunt servant nodded, bowed and disappeared shortly afterwards, while the other men moved closer to the bed, waiting to see what would happen.

Adam looked again at Cogsworth, who lay there breathing heavily and whimpering in pain.

It seemed as if he had lost all strength, but when he looked at his own aching hand, the prince realised what strength the injured man could still muster. Meanwhile, the doctor had prepared a number of instruments and utensils and now left the room to get some more things he needed for the operation.

There was a strange silence in the room while those present waited for the doctor to return. Only the crackling of the fire, the ticking of the grandfather clock and the heavy breathing of the majordomo could be heard. No one in the room knew what to say or do and so everyone remained silent until Monsieur Cogsworth suddenly opened his eyes and tried to sit up with a cry of pain.

"Stop, Monsieur Cogsworth, you mustn't move!"

Everyone wanted to jump forward to hold the majordomo, but as soon as he recognised the prince's voice, he stopped. His eyes wide with shock and pain, his fingers clutched in the prince's arms, he stared at him and tried to say something, but his voice failed him.

"It's all right, my friend. Lie back down, everything will be fine. I promise you."

With gentle force, he pushed the man back onto the sheet, but he shook his head and tried to say something again.

"My... ... Prince..."

"Shhhh, don't speak! Save your strength!"

But the majordomo was not to be deterred. His whole body trembling with pain and excitement, he straightened up a little and looked at the prince. He felt a sharp pain in his arms as Cogsworth's fingernails dug into his flesh with the effort. But he did not move. He stood there, frozen, while Cogsworth looked at him with such a pleading gaze that Adam would have liked to turn away. But he couldn't.

"For... ... Forgive me... My... ... Prince..." the majordomo pressed out with obvious difficulty as he tried to hold on to his master's arms. He remained like this for a brief moment, his gaze fixed on the prince's face and frozen in motion.

"Please... Forgive me, I..."

"It's all right!"

Awakening from his stupor, Adam grabbed Cogsworth's arms in turn and looked him in the eyes. He was shaking inside, more agitated and nervous than he had been for a long time. But he had to pull himself together, for Cogsworth's sake. And so he took a breath before he spoke to the majordomo, sounding as calm and composed as possible.

"It... It's all right, Monsieur Cogsworth, I..."

He took another breath before continuing, now sounding much more composed.

"It's all good, my old friend. I have long since forgiven you."

The older man looked at his master, for a moment it seemed as if he didn't believe him. He began to tremble even more violently than before, but a small, relieved smile appeared on his face. But then all his strength left him and he slumped down limply. Everyone standing nearby reached out to support the now unconscious man and lay him back down on the bed as carefully as possible. Adam, however, stood there completely shocked for a moment while tears streamed down his face.

Completely moved by the scene, no one had noticed how the doctor had entered the room accompanied by Madame Potts and a maid. The housekeeper had several towels and bandages in her arms and was visibly fighting back tears. The maid, who was holding a large bowl of warm water in her hands, swallowed and looked to the side, her face pale. The doctor took the bowl from her and nodded to her, and she immediately turned on her heel and hurried out of the room. Madame Potts looked at the doctor, but he just sighed and stepped up to the bed. Placing the bowl on the bedside table, he glanced at his patient, then straightened up and said firmly: "Well, we shouldn't waste any more time."

They all nodded in agreement and prepared to do as the doctor told them.

None of them had any idea what was awaiting them...

It had been a terrible and long night. They had fought for their composure, for the majordomo's life and, not least, with the majordomo himself. He had cried out in pain and despair as he had tried with all his might to fight back. None of the words of reassurance seemed to have reached him and in the end several men had to throw themselves on top of him to keep him on the bed. And the doctor's firm and astonishingly loud voice could be heard over all of them, issuing orders again and again as he struggled to complete his task as quickly as possible. And finally they had done it. When the morning sun was already in the sky, he made the last stitches on the majordomo's back, who was now lying on the blood-red sheets, breathing heavily and at the end of his strength.

And after the wounds had been dressed and the prince had dismissed the helpers with words of gratitude, only he and the doctor remained in the room.

"Doctor, I don't know how to thank you..."

"Don't thank me too soon, Your Majesty..."

The interruption confused Adam, who looked questioningly at the doctor before beginning to speak again.

"But you did everything you could..."

"I did everything I could. But that doesn't mean I was successful..."

Sighing, the doctor remained silent while he washed his hands in a bowl. A strange silence spread through the room, the tension was almost palpable. When the doctor finally turned back to the prince, he saw that he had approached the bed and was silently looking at the majordomo, who was lying there as if dead. He did not say anything, but no words were needed to see what he was feeling. The youthful face was so worn with sorrow and exhaustion that the prince looked several years older than he was.

"He can't die... Not after what I did... And didn't do..."

The doctor didn't know exactly what to say, but he felt he had to say something. Even if it was just a phrase he had used all too often in recent years.

"You're not to blame for what's happened and you mustn't go out of your minds over it. There's nothing you can do but wait and see. And hope for the best."

Adam didn't say anything, he just sighed and turned to the window.

"Hope..."

It was just a small word, a whisper in the silence. But as his gaze glided over the land that lay so peacefully before him, bathed in the light of a new day, it was surprisingly easy for him to believe that everything would be all right.

Flashback End

Hope...

Yes, it had been easy for him at first, but after days and nights had passed and Monsieur Cogsworth had not regained consciousness, it seemed to fade more and more. In addition, he became weaker with each passing day, barely moving, not even during the strenuous and painful changes of bandages.

Finally, Lumiere's relapse was added to this and now there was nothing left of this hope but a faint flicker, like the fading light of a dying candle.

Completely lost in his thoughts, Adam did not realise that he was being watched. Lumiere stood in the doorway, his brow furrowed in sorrow and plagued by the same agonising thoughts as his master. So he approached the bed and said in a pressed voice: "It's all my fault..."

The prince whirled around in shock and was about to object, but Lumiere cut him off.

"If I hadn't behaved so childishly, I wouldn't have fallen ill and none of this would have happened..."

He took a breath, visibly trying not to lose his composure, but he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face as he continued.

"He... He's the best and... And most loyal friend I have. If... If he dies..."

"He won't die!"

Adam had jumped up, grabbed Lumiere by the shoulders and shook him as if he could drive away his gloomy thoughts. But Lumiere just shook his head and whispered more than he spoke: "I would never forgive myself..."

There was silence for a moment, then Adam pulled the servant, who was trembling with emotion, close to him and said, now in tears himself: "Neither would I..."