The carriage creaked lullingly, but Gaston eventually awoke. He slept on the softest and most delightful pillow, his little wife's thighs. Belle was dozing, leaning against the stagecoach wall. Opposite was Adam, sleeping on a pile of his clothes that Mrs. Potts and Lumiere had gathered for him.

Through the curtains of the stagecoach window, which were not fully closed, the rays of the setting sun filtered into the wagon. So they had been traveling all day.

Gaston sat up straight so as not to wake Belle, and pulled back the curtain to look out of the window. But instead of glimpses of the countryside, he saw scenes of farewells in the castle.

Gaston had left the puppy Bruno in the castle, in Chip's protection. They had to get back quickly, right? So in such a short time, it was unlikely that his hunting pup would become a second Sultan, so no harm done. Also, Gaston had asked Chip to run down to the village to Lefou to pick up his horse from the castle and care for it and Belle's horse while they were away. The horses knew Lefou and trusted him, so they would be in good hands. Mrs. Potts, for her part, promised to visit Belle's father every other day.

The servants in the castle took different views of the prince's departure. Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and Cogsworth felt that he should finally take his place, the place that was rightfully his. They were worried about the prince, of course, but they thought that sitting alone forever in an almost abandoned castle was no business at all for a young prince. So they sent the prince on his way with hope and joy, albeit with tears. Lumière was eager to go with his master to Paris, but the military marshals were against it. There wasn't enough place in the carriage as it was. So for the first time Prince Adam was without servants.

Paulette, however, stood silently beside Fifi, white as death, and wept. "He's not coming back here again," she kept repeating and sniffing her nose ungracefully, not at all ashamed of anyone. Adam, of course, assured everyone that he would be back as soon as possible. As soon as this misunderstanding with him and Belle was finally cleared up. His aunt lived in Paris, who was to identify him and confirm that he was indeed Prince Adam.

One of the marshals who sat on the bench next to Adam also looked out the window.

"We are arriving in Lyon," he said to his comrade. "We should stop for the night."

"I agree," the other marshal replied.

It was a good idea, because Gaston was hungry again. He didn't want to sleep anymore, but he needed to stretch his legs and get out of this uncomfortable carriage for a while.

"We mustn't tire His Highness by traveling nonstop," Francois chuckled. They were making wisecracks about Adam, not believing he was a prince.

"Laugh, laugh," Gaston mumbled. " You'll cry later."

"Shall I do the honors for you, too, monsieur?"The marshals continued to laugh, and Gaston spat in the corner of the stagecoach.

The stagecoach stopped and Belle and Adam awoke.

Belle blinked slowly, coming to her senses from sleep and, sitting up straighter, touched his arm:

"Where are we?" She asked.

"In Lyon," Gaston replied.

Belle took out of her corset a map of France torn from one of her favorite books and began to trace it with her finger, whispering something to herself.

"So, in two days we should arrive in Paris," she finally announced, turning to Gaston and the awake Adam.

The marshals laughed:

"The little one knows everything!"

All three of them, Belle, Adam, and especially Gaston, frowned, and the marshal cut short his laughter.

"We'll stop here, at the inn, and you can eat and sleep," he said in a different, dry, irritated tone. "I hope the three of you will be smart enough not to try to escape. We've already given your description to the right people, and we'll probably get a painter in here, too. Either way, it's going to be difficult for the three of you..." he hesitated, searching for words. "It's hard... to move around undetected. You three are too... too beautiful."

And it was true. Gaston didn't think about his own looks, or those of his wife and friend, but, come to think of it, even any one of them alone would attract attention immediately. And three people of rare beauty at once would be something like a performance in a circus. The three of them looked so unnatural in the midst of the filthy inn next to its servants with red, soaked faces riddled with smallpox. Gaston, Belle, and Adam looked like aliens, like something foreign, like people from another world, and yes, Gaston noticed out of the corner of his eye how people whispered and pointed fingers at them as he took Belle's hand and walked beside Adam inside the inn.

They began to eat, and the marshals laughed again, pointing fingers at Adam as he drank the soup straight from the bowl without using any cutlery.

"I'm sure your aunt will recognize you,' Belle said encouragingly to the prince, and she did as well as he did, drinking the soup over the edge of the plate.

"I remember her when I was just a kid," Adam said thoughtfully. "But they say I look a lot like my father, and he's her brother. She should recognize me."

When they had eaten, the marshals showed the prisoners their sleeping quarters. The marshals took two large rooms with all the comforts of their own, while two tiny rooms were chosen for Gaston and Belle, and separately for Adam.

Cuddled up with Belle on the terribly cramped bed, Gaston said thoughtfully, watching the cold autumn rain beat down on the window.

"We should get back soon. The fall hunting season is starting, and I don't want to miss it."

"We'll be back soon," Belle replied. "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless Adam wants to stay here longer."

"Why would he want to do that? Everyone close to him had stayed at the castle."

Belle propped herself up on an elbow and said, pondering:

"But still, he was lonely there. And Paris is a fun city."

"Nonsense. What would he do there without us? We're his friends. I'm definitely not staying in Paris."

"Me neither."

And they fell asleep.

...

Gaston woke up to someone shouting his name. He opened his eyes. Belle was already dressed and braiding her hair. At his questioning look, she nodded toward Adam's room:

"He's calling for you - says he needs help with something. He asked me not to come in."

Gaston shrugged and went into the prince's room, dressed. Then he laughed in surprise.

There was a pile of Adam's clothes beside the bed, and he himself, wearing only a shirt but tangled in his pants and tails, was spinning on his back on the floor like a huge beetle.

"Why are you laughing, help me!" Adam turned to him, stopping his chaotic movements for a moment.

Gaston sat back in his chair and put his foot on his leg.

"Help with what?"

"Help me get dressed! You see, I'm not coping! There are no servants here."

"Can't you do it yourself?"

"Of course not," Adam replied irritably. "I've always been dressed. Come on, help me quick."

"Can't I help you pee?" Gaston jeered, laughing heartily. To his surprise, Adam replied quite seriously:

"I'll go to the bathroom myself, but then someone have to clean up after me."

"And who's going to do that?"

There was silence. Adam looked Gaston in the eye for a while and apparently realized that it was not worth asking for help.

"Belle probably won't clean up after me, will she?" Finally, the prince said.

"That's the right answer," Gaston said, and gradually stopped laughing. He looked thoughtfully at the prince, who was still struggling with his clothes, rolling on the floor. He looked ridiculous. That said, the prince himself, when he was in his normal state, was not funny at all, the way some people, like Lefou or Maurice, can be funny. And the more obvious was this dissonance, this apparent helplessness of a handsome and strong man. "And what else can't you do yourself?" suddenly asked Gaston.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know for a fact that you can not cook your own food, or even heat up soup and pour it into a plate, you can not walk in the town and even in the woods without an escort. You don't know how to dress yourself. What else?"

Adam, apparently realizing that there would be no help from Gaston, gathered all his wits and let his legs out of his pants. And then almost immediately put his legs back into his pants. It's amazing what a man can do when they start laughing at him.

"I can do everything myself, I just don't do some things."

"Like what, for instance? Washing yourself, I hope?"

Adam remained silent, and Gaston realized with horror that this was no joke.

"What? Someone's washing you? And you're okay with that?"

"Of course it's bloody fine. There's a special servant for that."

Gaston was shocked into silence. It was the first time he had ever seen a living aristocrat, even a prince. And it was strange how different they were from the common people after all. With the enormous power that belonged to them, the fact that with a single word they could decide destinies, these people were shockingly helpless in everyday life. Not even as children, but as babies, they were totally dependent on the actions and devotion of their surroundings. Even small farmer children could eat, dress, and run to the forest for berries on their own, and help their parents to the best of their ability, but Prince Adam was completely dependent on his servants. Without his servants he couldn't survive a day, and if he was left alone in the forest or even in the city, he wouldn't be able to get out on his own.

"What about... With women? Do you need a servant too?" Gaston asked the question because he couldn't help but ask it.

Adam had managed with his pants and was now struggling with his shirt.

"With women? What do you mean?"

"Well... Let's say you married some princess. And then there's the wedding night. Do the servants help?"

"Well, of course, they help you undress, each with his own servant or maid. Then they leave us alone, but they're on duty at the door, and then they have to make sure the marriage is consummated.

"Ugh, I don't even want to know what that means," Gaston spat. "Anyway, Adam, my advice to you is that knowing how to dress yourself and wipe your own ass might come in handy in this life. What if you get attacked? You won't even be able to run away. This trip will help you get by without babysitters for a while."

The marshals shouted from downstairs. Adam silently pulled on his shirt and slipped the tailcoat over his shoulders. He and Gaston left the room, Belle already waiting for them on the stairs. The trip continued.