The sun had just started to settle over the horizon as Belle stood on the filed of dandelion fuzzes. The birds chirped and a gentle breeze blew across the hillside. Combined with the beautiful, clouded orange sky, it made for a picture-perfect evening.

And then Belle heard a familiar snort.

Turning her head, she was surprised to see Philippe running out of the forset toward her. His sides were heaving and soaked with sweat. The whites of his eyes showed as he nervously ran on his feet.

"Philippe," Belle said, rushing over and calming the stressed horse. She patted him gently. "What are you doing here? Where's Papa?" Her hand stilled. Then it began to shake as she saw the worry in the horse's eyes. Her eyes grew wider and wider. "Where is he, Philippe? What happened?" Something had happened to her father—something bad.

Not pausing to give her actions thought, Belle threw a saddle onto Philippe's back and loosened the carriage Philippe was carrying. "We have to find him. You have to take me to him," she demanded. She knew she was asking a lot of the horse, but he was the only one who knew where her father was. Mounting, she kicked the horse forward.

Belle knew that her father had gone into the woods. That much she was sure of; it was the route he always took. But as Philippe left the familiar countryside of the village and cantered through the thickening forest, her hopes grew dimmer. This part of the forest was huge. Finding one man among all of it seemed almost impossible.

The woods grew still thicker, the sky still darker, but Philippe plunged bravely ahead. Belle scanned the ground and sides of the small path. There was no sign of her father.

Nudging Philippe with her heels, she urged him on again. The horse cantered forward, seemingly familiar with the thin and winding path. Belle could only hope that was because it was the way he and her father had gone.

To her relief, a gate came into view a moment later. Beyond the thick iron bars, she saw a giant stone castle. Philippe whinnied. Her father had to be in there, somewhere. Belle just knew it. "What is this place?" she asked herself. Philippe started getting distressed. "Philippe, please, steady." Quickly, she dismounted and patted Philippe.

Turning around, she saw her father's hat. That verified everything - her father was inside. She ran through the castle's gates. Belle felt her skin crawl. In her worst nightmares, she had never imagined a place so horrible.

Belle made her way up to the front doors. She didn't even bother to knock. If her father was indeed inside somewhere, she didn't want to waste any time in finding him. Pushing open the doors, she found herself inside a massive foyer. A few candles hung on the walls, barely casting enough light to illuminate the space. Squaring her shoulders, Belle took a deep breath and walked farther into the castle. "Hello! Anyone here? Hello?"

As Belle made her way toward the grand staircase, her eyes adjusted to the dark. She heard muffled whispers, but she couldn't see anyone. Two voices rose and fell, and then she heard one phrase uttered clear as day: "It's a girl. But what if she's the one? The one who will break the spell?"

Lumiere ran through the castle, taking a shortcut to get ahead of Belle. He stopped in the corridor that led to the tower stairs.

Belle reached the stairs. When she saw Lumiere's flickering light, she called out, "Hello? Is someone there? I'm looking for.."

Lumiere moved up the stairs, then sat on a small shelf. Belle quickly followed him. When she got to the top she looked around, puzzled. There was a candelabra and a row of doors with small slots at the bottom. "That's funny," she said. "I'm sure there was someone..."

"Belle?"

The voice that called her was hoarse, but she knew exactly who it was. Papa. It didn't matter who was whispering. She just needed to find her father. A grated iron door stood opposite the stairs. The latticework was so thick it was impossible to see through it clearly, but she could make out the shape of someone sitting inside.

"Your hands are like ice. We have to get you out of there."

To her surprise, Maurice did not agree. "Belle, I want you to leave this place," he said.

"Who's done this to you?" Belle demanded.

"No time to explain!" Maurice said. "You must go. Now!"

Belle shook her head stubbornly. "I won't leave you!"

Her father stifled a groan. He had always loved his daughter's tenacity and spirit, but for once he just wanted her to do what he said. He couldn't stomach the idea of his sweet girl meeting the creature who had put him in that cell.

Before Maurice could open his mouth to respond, a roar filled the tower. Belle spun around, raising her torch high in the air. But it was no use. She couldn't see anything in the thick shadows. She could, however, hear a voice—a deep, rumbling voice that seemed to surround her, making her heart pound faster. Her torch fell on the ground.

"Who are you?" the voice said.

"RUN BELLE!" her father cried.

"Who's there? Who are you?" she asked.

But the Beast didn't answer, not at first. He couldn't, The word ouldn't come. He felt ashamed of his ugliness as he stared at the most beautiful human being he had ever seen. But at last he answered, "The master of this castle!"

"I've come for my father," Belle said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Please let him out. Can't you see he's sick?"

The voice sounded closer as it hissed the next words: "Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!"

Belle recoiled as if she had been struck, fear turning into outrage. How dare the voice accuse her father like that? "But he could die. Please, I'll do anything," she said. Her father was a loving and kind man. He was a gentle man.

"There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner."

"There must be some way I can..." Then, in that moment in lightness, Belle had an idea. A terrible idea. But her father was more important. "Wait! Take me instead."

"You?" Silence hung in the air. The Beast looked at Belle carefully. Her hair, her eyes, her lovely face made him feel warm inside. It was the first time in years he had felt that way. "You would take his place?" he asked.

"Belle, no!" Maurice shouted in anguish. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Belle frowned. "If I did, would you let him go?"

"Yes," the Beast answered, "but you must promise to remain here forever."

Belle had had enough of talking to air. She wanted to see with whom she was bargaining for her life. "Come into the light," she demanded.

Standing in front of her was a huge creature unlike any Belle had ever seen. Large horns rose out of his head, and his lower jaw jutted forward. His entire body was covered in golden-brown hair and thick muscles. It was hard for Belle to tell just how big the creature's front paws were, clenched in fists as they were, but his back paws were large and long, with sharp claws that flashed when the light hit them. The word beast flashed in her mind as she gazed at the creature. He was a thing of nightmares—the monster lurking in the fairy tales she had read as a child. Belle gasped with horror and turned away.

"No, Belle! I won't let you do this!" Maurice said, trying to reason with his headstrong daughter. But Belle was gathering her strength. She knew there was only one thing to do, as dreadful as it seemed.

She turned to face the Beast. "You have my word."

"Done!" the Beast said. And he quickly unlocked the door and began dragging Maurice out of the castle. Belle screamed and Maurice struggled, but he couldn't break the Beast's iron grip. "No, Belle, listen to me. I'm old. I've lived my life."

Before Maurice could say another word, the Beast dragged him outside. Scraping through the floor, Maurice cried out as the reality of what his daughter had just sacrificed became clear.

Belle stifled the sob that threatened to escape her throat. She watched silently through the gate as her father and the Beast disappeared down the stairs. She waited until she was sure she was alone, and only when silence had descended on the tower did she finally slump to the ground. As the tears fell, colder and harsher than the snow that had once again begun to fall outside, one thought echoed through her mind: what was to become of her?