by A. Anders
“Captain Bernard!” the bartender announced. “Welcome back. What can I get for you?”
“You can get me your finest ale.”
“Coming right up.”
The Captain took a seat at the bar and then looked around. The excitement that often surrounded him was on full display. He scanned their faces for that of Belle’s father. He wasn’t in there. That didn’t surprise the Captain considering Belle’s father wasn’t much of a drinker.
“One ale,” the bartender said sliding the pint glass in front of Bernard.
“Thank you,” the Captain said reaching for his purse.
“Oh no, Captain Bernard. You know your money is no good here,” the bartender told him.
The Captain offered him a smile. “Thank you for that. But I’m wondering if you can help me with something else.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
The Captain leaned forward drawing the bartender into a secret. “I’m wondering, have you, by any chance, seen Belle?”
The bartender stopped smiling and leaned back. Grabbing a dishrag and a wet glass, he began busying himself. This was always the response that the Captain got when he asked one of the married men about Belle. It wasn’t that they had a problem with her as much as their wives did and they had to go home to them.
“Now, Captain Bernard, you should know that I wouldn’t know nothing about that.”
“Come, my good man. All I’m asking you is if you have seen her. You know, around town. Perhaps you’ve seen her in one of the shops?”
“That, I have not,” the bartender said conclusively.
“Okay, then, what about her father. Has he been in? Have you seen him around?”
The bartender relaxed a little. “Now him, well, I don’t think I’ve seen him in weeks. It fact, it might have been months.”
“Months?”
“It was certainly before the last time that you were in town.”
“You haven’t seen him since then?” The Captain asked getting concerned.
The bartender thought about it again. “No. I can’t say that I have.”
“And you said that you haven’t seen Belle at all either?” He asked getting louder.
“I said I hadn’t, didn’t I?” The bartender retorted feeling defensive.
With mounting tension, the Captain whipped around facing the growing crowd. Standing, he yelled at the din. “Tell me, has anyone here seen Belle?”
The room quieted as if hushed by her name.
“Don’t just sit there looking like idiots,” the Captain insisted. “Tell me, has anyone here seen Belle?”
“I haven’t,” one of the boys said.
“I haven’t either,” said another.
“For how long?” The Captain yelled back at them.
The boys shrugged.
“Have you seen her since I left?”
“No,” they both answered.
The Captain’s lips tightened as he was overcome with concern for Belle’s safety. “So, no one has seen her for weeks and not one of you have thought to check to make sure that she is all right?”
The room remained silent as everyone stared at him guiltily.
“Unbelievable,” he said before racing out of the tavern.
Sprinting across town back to Belle’s house, the Captain ascended the stairs two at a time.
“Belle?” The Captain said banging on the door again. “Belle, if you’re in there answer me. Otherwise, I’m coming in.”
Listening at the door for a response and not getting one, the Captain gripped the knob ready to break it down. He didn’t have to. The door was unlocked. More than that, the place looked exactly the way it did the day he had left it. In fact, the dishes that held their breakfast still sat on the counter waiting to be cleaned.
The Captain’s greatest fear had come true. Something had happened to Belle. Bernard wouldn’t stop searching until he found out what.
Chapter 13
Belle noticed that the Beast acted differently towards her after he showed her his birds. Instead of being unkempt, the Beast’s fur appeared brushed and well groomed. What he wore also changed. His clothes, now tapering his body, looked more like the fine clothes of gentlemen.
The change was not lost on Belle. She couldn’t be sure if the Beast’s new look had to do with her but she did like it. She even found herself thinking about the Beast when she worked alone in her workshop. She often watched the clock looking forward to joining him to feed the birds. When together, she couldn’t help but stare at him. In the moments that the Beast would look back, she quickly looked away feeling shy.
After a few days of this, Belle decided that she wanted to do something nice for the Beast. She would make him a gift. Racking her brain trying to figure out what the perfect present for the Beast would be, she thought about the way she felt standing in the birdcage with him listening to their numerous songs. There chirping was the music of her affection for him. Belle decided that if she could capture that in a box, there would be no better gift.
Having found her inspiration, Belle got hard to work. What she building wasn’t going to be like a clock or fishing box. This was going to be something else. This would be her greatest creation.
Bending the metal and hammering the wood, she often paused to imagine the Beast’s response when she gave it to him. The thoughts made her warm all over. Driven to work harder and longer into the night, she finished it sooner than she would have ever guessed.
Staring at her finished invention, her heart fluttered. It was then that she realized her true feelings. It wasn’t that she simply felt affection for the Beast. She was in love. Belle was in love with the Beast.
Chapter 14
When Belle’s father wandered out of the Dark Forest, he was practically insane. His mind had seemed to twist in on itself. Still seated upon his horse, he was dirty and malnutritioned.
After a boy from his village spotted him and helped him back to town, his first words were “monster” and “Belle”. To the boy it seemed like the ravings of a madman. To Belle’s father, everything seemed clear.
Having nowhere else to take him, the boy who had found him walked him back to Belle’s house. The way François mumbled and stared into nothing scared the boy. He didn’t know what he should do.
Was Belle’s father drunk? Being the son of the bartender, the boy had seen a lot of drunks. Belle’s father didn’t seem drunk which meant that François wasn’t going to sleep it off. The boy needed to get help.
“I found the clockmaker,” the boy said running into the tavern. “There’s something wrong with him. Someone needs to help him.”
Having decided to stay as long as it took to find Belle, Captain Bernard was seated at a table at the far end of the room. Hearing the boy’s cries, he perked up. The Captain watched as the young man ran to his father pleading for him to help.
“You, boy, did you say that the clockmaker was back?” The Captain said standing up.
Not getting a response from his father, the boy left him and ran to Captain Bernard’s table. “Yes, sir. I saw him leaving the Dark Forest and I think something has happened to his mind.”
“The Dark Forest? Why would he be leaving there?”
“I don’t know, sir. But I think something’s wrong with him. Somebody needs to help him.”
Without another word, Captain Bernard took a final swig of his drink and left the tavern. Marching across town, the Captain leaped the stairs in front of Belle’s house and willfully through open the door.
The boy had been telling the truth. Belle’s father lay in bed disheveled and dirty. He mumbled things that the Captain couldn’t make out. When Bernard thought he heard him say Belle’s name, he rushed over and implored him to speak.
“Belle. You mentioned Belle,” the Captain said kneeling by his bed.
François’ desperate eyes turned to the Captain. “Yes, Belle. She was taken by a monster. I have to save her. It was all my fault.”
“A monster?”
The Captain asked confused.
“It was a monster. It had a long mouth and it had horns. And fur. From head to toe, it was covered in fur.”
“Sir, you speak of madness,” the Captain insisted.
“No.” Belle’s father grabbed the Captain’s lapel with both hands. “It’s true. I was taken by the Beast for stealing a rose. Somehow Belle found me and agreed to take my place. I didn’t want her to but the monster didn’t give me a choice.
“I wanted to find help so I got onto Tebo and rode away. But the forest, it kept changing. I would ride in the same direction for days and it was like I was riding in circles. The forest wouldn’t let me leave.”
“Then, how did you escape?”
“I don’t know. One day I went to sleep laying against a tree. When I awoke, I could see the edge of the forest. It released me. After so long, why did it release me?” Belle’s father asked desperately.
“And you say that there is a monster that has Belle?” The Captain asked unsure if he believed him.
“Yes, a monster.”
“And how would one find this monster?”
“There’s a castle. It sits behind a large wall with gates. It is always winter there. I know it sounds crazy. I can’t explain any of it. But I swear to you it’s true. You have to help Belle. You have to save her from the monster before she turns into a clock too.”
“Turns into a clock?” The Captain asked bewildered.
“Yes.” The old man thought for a moment. “Or maybe that was just me. Who knows what Belle will turn into. It’s possible that we are already too late. You need to save my little girl.”
“Sir, you’ve gone mad,” the Captain proclaimed.
“I haven’t. I swear to you. You have to help my little girl,” the old man pleaded. “You have to save Belle.”
Chapter 15
Belle fingered through the growing number of beautiful dresses in her wardrobe. Although she did her best to not think about how each of them ended up there, she was becoming more comfortable with the thought. The castle was enchanted. There were unseen servants that prepared their food and they were probably a handful of spirits that made her clothes.
Ending her selection when she found a beautiful yellow dress, she pulled it out and looked at it. Stepping in front of a mirror, she pressed it against herself. Like the others, it looked like it was a perfect fit. Slipping it on, she found that she was right. This had to be the most beautiful dress that Belle had ever seen. She would wear it today as she presented the Beast with her gift.
Belle, heading to dinner, wondered if the Beast would think that she was overdressed. He didn’t know that tonight would be special. But to Belle’s surprise, when she entered the dining hall, the Beast stood wearing full dress. He looked like an elegantly dressed French nobleman.
Belle didn’t know why he had dressed so nicely tonight, but the coincidence made her heart flutter. Maybe tonight was written in the stars. Maybe this was always meant to be the moment when she presented her gift to the Beast and the Beast told her that he loved her too.
Wait, was that what she wanted? She asked herself. Was that what was going on? By giving him this gift, was she expressing her love for the Beast? Was this her way of finding out if the Beast loved her as well?
“Is there something wrong, Belle?” the Beast asked her as he pushed in her seat. “Your chest and neck are all red,” he pointed out.
Belle blushed even further. “Maybe I’m just a little hot,” she said doing her best to mask her feelings. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
The Beast left her and took his seat at the head of the table. They were seated next to each other. Belle had been the one to initiate the place setting change a few days earlier. The Beast had liked it.
As they sat, dishes of food flew in from the kitchen. This was also something that had changed. Instead of being scared, Belle now found the flying plates magical. She often watched in wonder at how in sync it all was. Seeing them tonight, with the Beast dressed as he was, stole Belle’s heart. She could barely eat enraptured by the exhilaration of what the night could hold.
Finishing dessert, Belle turned to the Beast and rested her hand on his. “I have something for you,” Belle said with her heart racing.
“You have something for me?”
“Yes. It’s a gift.”
The Beast smiled. “No one has ever given me a gift before.”
Belle smiled back. With her eyes she declared her love for him. She wondered if he saw.
Taking his hand, Belle stood and led him out. Crossing through the rooms, they stopped when they entered an elegant music hall. Subtly shaking, Belle let go the Beast’s hand and turned to him.
“Now, I want you to close your eyes,” she said as nervous as she was excited.
“Must I?” the Beast asked with a hint of a smile.
“You must,” Belle said with a blush.
The Beast closed his eyes and Belle backed away from him slowly. Crossing to the side of the room, she removed the cloth from over her gift. It was a music box. Bigger than any music box that Belle had ever seen, on top of it was a tube as wide as her waist. She had tested it many times but about to flip the switch when it actually mattered, Belle was beside herself with dread.
Nervously putting her finger on the switch, she flicked it. The music began to play. Having composed it from the birds’ beautiful songs and the nursery rhymes that she had heard as a kid, it was beautiful. Belle was immensely proud of it.
Looking back towards the Beast, she saw his mouth drop open. He seemed to become lost in the music.
“You can open your eyes now,” Belle said shyly.
The Beast looked at Belle and the music box astonished. “Did you make that?”
“I did. It’s my gift to you.”
Chapter 16
With Belle’s father on the carriage next to him, Captain Bernard raced his horse into the Dark Forest. Whipping through the trees, the old man had to grip tightly to hold on. With François not knowing how to find the castle, the Captain insisted that either Belle’s father was going to see something that looked familiar or they would search every square inch of the forest until they found her.
The old man stared at the trees as they flew by. There was something about them that jogged his memory. “Yes, this is familiar. I have been here before.”
The Captain whipped his horse even harder after that. Dodging trees with only inches to spare, the Captain was forced to look around when something flashed in the periphery of his vision. Internal alarms sounded. Something was chasing them. Wolves. The breed in the Dark Forest was thought to be more vicious than any on earth. There was nothing that was going to deter him from finding Belle, though. And he was ready for anything that would try.
Entering a path carved into the side of a hill, Bernard looked up as a dark object leaped through the sky. Bernard ducked. It barely missed him and landed on the bed of their carriage with a thump. The Captain looked back. The wolf snarled at him viciously. Captain Bernard withdrew his sword and slashed it down with one stroke.
Quickly another wolf leaped from the hill. Soon another. They were relentless and endless and the hillside pass was long. The Captain was going to have to do something about this. Handing the reins to François, Bernard let loose the animal within.
With his sword drawn, he got up and swung wildly. The wolves fell like rain. One lunged forward and grabbed his arm. The hilt of Bernard’s sword got it to let go.
As the pack of wolves growled at Captain Bernard, Captain Bernard stood growling back. Only one side was going to survive this encounter. Staring into their possessed eyes, Captain Bernard wasn’t sure which it would be.
Chapter 17
Belle’s heart raced as the Beast got closer. Suddenly next to him, she felt so small. He was strong and powerful, she was just a girl. Close enough to touch her, the Beast said, “Belle, will you do me the honor of giving me this dance?”
Hearing his rich rumbling voic
e, her cheeks burned. “I will,” Belle replied never having wanted anything more.
The Beast opened his arms allowing Belle to walk into them. Taking his raised hand, Belle rested her left hand on his waist. He wrapped his arm around her pulling their two bodies together. Belle’s breath hitched at the feeling. Close enough to smell him, Belle felt weak in the knees lost in his presence.
As the beautiful sound of Belle’s music box played in the background, the Beast twirled Belle around the room. Belle’s mind swirled as the couple danced. She had never experienced anything more romantic.