We walked into a dining room where Lumiere and Cogsworth were talking to a piano just loud enough to be heard talking.

"There we are, dear." Mrs. Potts rolled next to a chair and I quietly sat down when Lumiere clinged his hands together. The coat rack put the candles out as a duster grabbed a plate and used it to shine a spotlight on Lumiere who was now standing on the table.

Ma chere mademoiselle.

It is with deepest pride

and with greatest pleasure

that we welcome you tonight

He cleared his throat as he continued moving just to stay in the spotlight the duster was shinning down.

"Here!"

And now...

we invite you to relax.

The chair behind me scooted closer to the table startling me slightly before looking back at the singing candelabra.

Let us pull up a chair...

as the dining room proudly presents...

I watched in astonisment as he jumped over a table cloth being rolled down the table and dishes setting themselves in front of every chair. The piano from before was playing a melody before hitting a sour note and grunting in slight pain before hitting the right one.

Your dinner!

Be our guest, be our guest

Put our service to the test

Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie

The coat rack tried just that, but I grabbed the napkin with a smile and placed it in my lap.

And we'll provide the rest

Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres

The coat rack held the dishes as Lumiere said them, and I tried to grab a bite but he pulled them away from me. I was supposed to eat, right?

Why we only live to serve

Try the gry stuff, it's delicious

Don't believe me? Ask he dishes

He spun and laughed as the dishes floated up into the air and made three circles behind him before falling gently back into place.

They can sing, they can dance

After all, miss, this is France

And a dinner here is never secone best

Menus floated by and I had to reach up and grab one before they all disappeared from reach.

Go on unfold your menu

Take a glance and then you'll

Be our guest, oui, out guest

Cogsworth seemed to try and quiet his friend down which only got him shoved away and Lumiere singing louder.

Be our guest!

Beef ragout

Cheese souffle

Pie and pudding en flambe

Something exploded a fish head onto Cogsworth's face and he stumbled for a bit before falling down on the table.

We'll prepare and serve with flair

A culinary cabaret

You're alone and you're scared

But the banquet's all prepared

Several dishes with food appeared further down the table.

No one's gloomy or complaining

While the flatware's entertaining

We tell jokes, I do tricks

With my fellow candlesticks

Some of the flateware used a napkin the help Lumiere jump up into the chandelier where he spun around impresiveily.

And it's all in perfect taste

That you can bet

Lumiere lept from the chandelier he was swinging on and landed face first on the table where Cogsworth helped him up.

Come on and lift your glass

You've won your own free pass

To be our guest

The unused glasses gathered under a chandelier while the duster with the spotlight dish used the moonlight to lite them up and I stared at all the colors in wonder as I ate.

If you're stressed it's fine dining we suggest

Be our guest

Be our guest, be our guest

More dusters fluttered down and covered Lumiere and Cogsworth for a moment before revealing a much darker end of the table compared to before.

Life is so unnerving

For a servant who's not serving

He's not whole

Without a soul to wait upon

Ah, those good old days when we were useful, Eh Cogsworth?

Suddenly, those good old days are gone

Lumiere jumped down from the table and the next thing I knew, I had to grab my plate and flateware before they fell to the floor as the table cloth was pulled from under them. Cogsworth had not been so lucky.

Too long we've been rusting

Needing so much more than dusing

Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills

The coat rack picked them both up and put them back on the table.

Most days we just lay around the castle

Flabby, fat and lazy

You walked in and whoops-a-daisy

From the kitchen I could hear Mrs. Potts singing.

It's a guest, it's a guest

Sakes alive, well, I'll be blessed

Wine's been poured and thank the Lord

I've had the napkins freshly pressed

with dessert, she'll want tea

And my dear, that's fine with me

While the cups do their soft-shoeing

I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing

I'll get warm, piping hot

Heaven's sakes, is that a spot?

Clean it up, we want the company impressed

Mrs. Potts and Chip rolled out on their small table to my side.

We've got a lot to do

Is it one lump or two?

For you, our guest

She's our guest

She's our guest

She's our guest

Even Cogsworth seemed to have started chiming in with the others now. The dusters added jewlery and extra feathers to their plumes.

Be our guest, be our guest

Our command is your request

It's been years since we've had anybody

Here and we're obsessed

With your meal

The dusters fell in synchronized orderinto the punch then started sprouting like a fountain in which Lumiere danced in what landed on the table.

With your ease

Yes indeed, we aim to please

While the candlelight's still glowing

Let us help you, we'll keep going

Cogsworth appeared out of a small building looking like it could have belonged in India if it were larger.

Course by

Course! One by one

'Til you shout, "Enought, I'm done!"

Then we'll sing you off to sleep

As you digest

Tonight you'll prop your feet up

But for now let's eat up

Be our guest

Be our guest

Please be our guest!

Everything quickly cleaned itself up and rolled back into the kitchen, except Lumiere who pulled a plate out from behind him and offered it to me.

"Pudding?" I couldn't help but laugh at the amazement I had for the servants of this castle.


After I'd eaten the pudding, I was walking with Mrs. Potts back to my room only I had a thousand questions and no answers for them.

"Why are you being so kind to me?" I finally asked her. "And not just you, but all of you. Your master clearly gave you an order that I wasn't to eat and yet you fed me as though it might be the last meal you ever served. Don't any of you ever want to leave this place?"

"The master's not as terrible as he appears," she told me and I gave her a disbelieving look. "Somewhere deep in his soul, there's a prince... ah..." she stumbled on her words. "Of a fellow who's just waiting to be set free." I turned and looked up the stairs I was about to go up back to my room when a thought came to me.

"Lumiere and Cogsworth mentioned a west wing."

"Never you mind about that," she told me quickly, which only stired my curiosity more. "Off to bed with you, poppet."

"Good night, Mrs. Potts. Thank you for a lovely dinner," I told her with a smile as I started up the stairs.

"Nighty-night." I turned and watched her wheel off. "Straight to bed." I smiled and imagined if this was like having a mother. Papa did what he could, but sometimes a girl just needs her mother to see her off to bed. I glanced up at the stairs going to the west wing then to the ones going to the east wing. I'd never been good at keeping my curiosity in check. I marched up the steps to the west wing.


Everything on this side of the castle seemed to be falling apart compared to its counterpart in the east wing. I could even hear the crumbling in the walls as I climbed. I looked down to see eitire floors missing and it gave this part of the castle a mysterious feel about it that made me smile. It was beautiful.

I continued up the stairs until I came across double doors. I placed my hands on the handles and looked behind me before quietly opening them. Inside was nothing like my own room. The room could fit my entire home back in the village and still have room to spare! There was an unused vanity covered in glowing candles with a fireplace not far from it. I turned and saw a large family portrait and moved closer to it. The man (father I assumed) was completely torn away while the woman (mother) was the only figure untouched by the vicious claws. The younger man sitting between them (their son?) had a single swipe across his face, but I could clearly see his face through the scratches and the blue eyes left untouched.

I moved further in the room and saw would could have been a large birds nest, or the result of a horrid temper. Another vanity with a large broken mirror sat close to it as I made my way to the balcony. Snow lightly drifted in and the moonlight replaced the warm inviting fires from within. On a single table was a glass, and under it was a single red rose. The rose stood on its own with black, dead rolled up petals underneath it. I felt the urge to touch the rose, to see what was making it float, but resisted and gently placed my hand on the table. I jumped and shrieked a little as the beast from before jumped down behind me and moved to the rose. I quickly shifted back into the room and away from him and the table.

"What are you doing here?!" He shouted at me. "What did you do to it?!"

"I did nothing," I tried telling him. "I swear."

"Do you realize what you could have done?" he asked me slowly. I could feel the heat of his anger rising as he gathered his height to look down on me. "You could have damned us all! Get out of here!" I turned and ran from him, and the rose, as he screamed after me. "Go!"

I ran as quickly as I could down each step, not caring if I fell and hurt myself in the process, before going straight for the door and Ninette on the other side. He ordered me to get out, and that was exactly what I planned on doing.

"Mademoiselle, what are you doing?" I heard Lumiere call out as I ran.

"I'm going home!" I called up to him.

"Stop!" Cogsworth shouted before a whistle blew.

"Go! Go! Froufrou!" The windows and doors locked around me as I drew closer to them.

"Yes, Froufrou. Stop her," I heard Cogsworth order before a dog started barking.

"Don't let her leave!"

"Stop her!" Mrs. Potts added as the bench to the piano (read as dog) ran past me barking. "No! No! Froufrou!"

"No! No, it's not play time!"

"Not now, silly boy." I watched as Froufrou ran through a large doggy door just large enough for me to fit through if I hunched over a tad.

"Bad dog. Bad dog!"

"No! No! No!" I grabbed my coat off the rack as I burst through and ran for Ninette. "Please don't go!" I jumped on the mare and left the castle behind me as I made for the woods and home.