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.
