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Maurice hugged his daughter. It was going to be a while before he saw her again, the fair in the city was a couple days' ride away, and lasted a full week. He checked that his wood chopping machine was securely attached and covered. He mounted Phillipe and turned to face Belle.
“Goodbye, Papa! Good luck!” Belle waved to him as he started off down the lane.
“Goodbye, Belle, and take care while I’m gone!” He waved back at his daughter as he went on his way.
Maurice and Phillipe were well outside of town by early afternoon, the golden fields of grain gradually turning into sparse woodland, then into a denser forest. A couple miles into the forest they approached a split in the path, and Maurice slowed them to a halt to consult his map.
“How odd, this fork isn’t on the map.” He squinted at the signpost, it was no longer legible from what looked to be decades of neglect, so that was no help. He compared the two roads, the left was well traveled and maintained, and the right… well, it didn’t look like much of a road at all. It looked like a forgotten hunting trail, overgrown to the point it was almost impassable. It was obvious which way he should go, and Phillipe seemed to agree, heading that way without Maurice even directing him to do so.
“Out of the way old man!” Maurice was startled by one of the men from town rushing past on a horse.
“Watch where you’re going!” Maurice shook his fist at the man recklessly riding past, and was suddenly thrown off Philippe, who was startled by several more men rushing past on horseback. He groaned as he pulled himself off the ground, luckily he wasn’t hurt, nothing worse than a bruise anyway, but his horse, cart and all, was going as fast as he could back towards town. “What is the meaning of this?” He turned to the one man that had slowed down when he was thrown, It was LeFou, that short lackey of Gaston, on his small gray mare, staring nervously down at him.
“Uh, sorry Maurice, Gaston is getting married to– well, he’s getting married and we need to get supplies for the ceremony.”
“What’s the rush? I’m sure it can wait long enough that you don’t have to run over an innocent old man in the woods!” LeFou looked sheepish, but impatient, “Surely one of you could give me a ride back into town?”
“I’m really sorry but we need this wedding to happen as soon as possible,” He looked around hurriedly, pointing to a small path Maurice hadn’t noticed before, “if you take that trail it will take you to the edge of town, by the apple orchards, and no one rides through there so you shouldn’t have any more trouble.”
“How long will that take?” He turned to look at the narrow path but turned back quickly when he heard LeFou taking off on his horse again. “Wait! Where are you going?” Too late. LeFou was already around the bend and out of sight. “I guess I’ll start heading back then.” Maurice sighed and started on his way, not even realizing that he had lost his hat.
~~~
“Can you believe the nerve of that– that brute?!” Belle was angrily tossing feed out for the chickens, she could finally get started on her afternoon chores, now that the impromptu wedding party had finally cleared out. It really was just like Gaston, to wait for her father to leave town so he wouldn’t be around to protest his only daughter from being married against her will. He was such a conniving bastard! She sighed as she finished up with her chores, she had fended him off for now, he wasn’t likely to give up that easily, but hopefully it would at least be awhile before he made another attempt at having her as his “little wife”.
“He doesn’t care who I am! He only cares that I’m pretty and that I don’t want him.” She walked up the hill behind the house, sitting down in the shade of the large oak there, enjoying the lovely orange and yellow hues the leaves were adopting. She wondered if she would ever meet someone that understood her desire to live, to want more than what her simple life had granted her.
“Not in this town, that’s for certain.” Everyone here was too stuck in their routines, too busy with the mundanity of life to hope for more. She’d probably live a boring life, and die a boring death. She hoped her father’s invention would secure a path out of this town, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud whinny. Belle stood up and looked towards the house, was that? She ran back down the hill, towards a nervous Phillipe. She looked him over, thankfully he was uninjured, but he looked exhausted, his copper sides were heaving, glistening with sweat, his coat foamy around his collar and his saddle. She unhitched the cart and examined the contents, the wood chopping machine was still wrapped tightly in it’s canvas tarp, but there was no sign of her father.
“Phillipe! What are you doing here? Where's Papa? Where is he, Phillipe? What happened? Oh, we have to find him, you have to take me to him!” Phillipe’s only response was to rub his huge face on her, “Well, I’ll let you rest for a moment.” She scratched him behind his ears and headed inside to grab her cloak.
~~~
She rode Phillipe down the road that her father must have taken to head to the city, although the late afternoon sun was still fairly bright, it’s rays shining cheerfully through the autumn trees, she saw no sign of her father. Although if she was being honest, Belle had no idea what counted as a sign of her father, all she saw was a dusty country road, and too many cart tracks and hoof prints to make sense of at all. She wasn’t much of an outdoors person, preferring to spend time indoors with a good book, including books on survival skills. However Belle was finding that reading about tracking was a lot different than actually doing it, and she wondered how to find her father.
She kept down the main road, searching for anything that could explain the disappearance of her father. She eventually found something that caught her interest, a split in the road, with the path on the right seeming poorly maintained, a dilapidated sign standing between the two directions. It didn’t look very inviting, but it reminded her of something about her father; his tendency to attempt shortcuts, even if they seemed like more trouble than they were worth. He hated traveling and always wanted to try and find a faster way to his destination, and he did so quiet recklessly. Belle grimaced, this path didn’t look like anyone had traveled it in ages, but it would be just like her father to try a “shortcut”, and besides, did she know what it would look like if he had used this path? She glanced around, unsure of what to do next, when she spotted something, her father's hat, caught in the brambles at the edge of the road. He had made it this far at least, slightly more certain of herself, she rode a very reluctant Phillipe down the narrow path, going slowly so the large horse could pick his way through the overgrown brush.
In time she came upon a huge intricate iron gate set in a stone wall. The wall seemed to go in both directions for quite a distance, and the road ended at the gate. Maybe her father found shelter with whatever people lived here? It looked as if it rained quite a bit in these woods, and she hadn’t seen any trace of him anywhere besides his hat. She had no idea how to tell if he had come this way or not but, either way she wanted to get out of the cold autumn evening. Belle dismounted Phillipe and opened the large iron gate. She pushed it open wide enough so she could then lead Phillipe onto the stone bridge, and as she glanced up her breath caught as she took in the massive castle, with its imposing gargoyles and impossibly tall towers. She didn’t remember there being a castle this close to her village, although she had never been this far into the woods, so she supposed it wasn’t that unusual that she didn’t know about it. And besides, her and her father had only moved out to the countryside last year.
She led Phillipe along the stone bridge towards the foreboding structure, hesitating only for a moment when she realized that all the windows were dark, despite the setting sun. She set her jaw and continued on, even if the castle was uninhabited, her father might have sought shelter inside, and she would do the same. She dropped the lead and left Phillipe to wait outside, grazing in the courtyard as she climbed the steps to the tall double wooden doors. She knocked, and one of the huge doors swung open just enough to let her inside. When she hesitantly stepped over the threshold she glanced behind the open door instinctively, and she felt her blood run cold when there was no one there.
“Hello?” Belle called out into the huge dark space of what looked to be a huge foyer, it was grand, but it felt as if no one had lived here for quite some time. It wasn’t dirty and dusty, just devoid of life. She took a few steps down the long scarlet carpet that led towards a massive staircase, shivering a little as she did so. She paused, wondering what to do next, scanning the stairs, doors, and archways that led to unknown places. If her father was somewhere in this huge, apparently abandoned castle, she wasn’t sure where to start looking. She chose a direction at random and started walking, figuring that she had to start somewhere.
Belle slowed her pace almost immediately, hearing something behind her, but when she turned to look, all she saw was a marble table with a mantle clock, and a lit candelabra? The hair on her neck prickled, she swore that there hadn't been any light at all when she entered. She shook her head and started walking faster, sure she must be seeing things.
“She could be–”
“You have no reason–”
Belle whipped back around, breathing quickly. There was someone, no two someones in the room with her. She walked cautiously over to the table, looking around and seeing absolutely no one. Maybe carrying a light would help her move more steadily in the gloom, and hopefully help her see anyone that might be hiding from her in the shadows. As she picked up the candelabra she heard someone say something under their breath.
“H- hello?” She lifted the candelabra higher to illuminate the room a bit more, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, “Is anyone here? I’m looking for my father!”
“You are certainly welcome to stay while you search, mademoiselle!”
“Who– where are you?” Belle turned about, searching for the speaker, startling when she felt a gentle tap on her head. She looked up and looked at the candelabra, which was making eye contact with her.
“Hello.” In shock she let go of the living candlestick, sending it clattering to the floor, the candles going out. “Aie.” She stumbled backwards, falling on her ass in an attempt to distrance herself from the offending object.
“Now look at what you’ve done! You are going to give the poor girl a heart attack, and scratch your lacquer while you’re at it! Heaven knows we don’t need help looking any shabbier.” Belle stared in open mouthed disbelief as the mantle clock hopped off the table to point it’s handle accusingly at the candelabra, which was now pulling itself upright.
She pointed shakily at the two objects,“Y-you’re moving and talking… are you, enchanted? Haunted?” The two objects shared a glance with each other, looking as if they were deciding if they were going to tell her something or not.
“Ah, it is a long story miss, much too long to tell you this instant.” The clock teetered forward towards Belle, bowing politely, “I am Cogsworth, majordomo of this castle, may I ask what brings you to our humble abode this fine evening?”
“Hello, I’m Belle." She hesitantly got to her feet, feeling a bit foolish introducing herself to a clock,"I’m, um, looking for my father, he left earlier in the day from our village, he was headed to the city for the fair,” She twisted her hands together, and her face crumpled, “but our horse returned to the house without him, I’m worried he got lost somewhere in the woods, I had hoped he sought shelter here. I can’t bear the thought of him getting soaked in the rain.”
“Unfortunately, we have not seen anyone besides you entering the castle.” The candelabra looked apologetic, but then beamed, his flames brightening, “We can of course let you stay here while you search for your father!”
Cogsworth snapped his face to look at him, "The master would never allow it!” He looked nervously up at Belle and muttered,”We aren’t even sure she’s the one.”
Belle wasn't sure what he had meant by that last part, but perked up slightly at the idea of speaking to whoever was in charge, “Let me speak to your master! Maybe he can help me look for my father, or knows where to look around here!”
Cogsworth tensed up, “I’m not sure that is a–”
“That is an excellent idea! And perhaps ,you can stay for dinner?” Lumiere made a sweeping bow, bonking Cogsworth in the face with his outstretched candle, “I am Lumiere! The finest maître'd in France, and I would be honored to introduce you to our master!”
Lumiere started to lead Belle through the dim hall, while Cogsworth tottered behind them, sputtering about rules and no guests being allowed in the castle. Belle glanced around, more curious than nervous now, as she followed the live candlestick, admiring the dusty but otherwise well kept castle. There was stunning artwork covering the walls, and scores of suits of armor that turned their heads creakily as she passed. She had always thought that she would love to be in the place of the heroines in her books, that encountered enchanted castles, and mysterious magic, but other than the initial astonishment at speaking to household objects, it was rather unsettling. Was there really no regular people here? Maybe the master of the house was a strange old magician, one that found talking furniture amusing, or maybe he was a forgotten member of royalty, banished because of his strange ways and morbid collection of magical objects. She shook her head and sighed, here she was actually living what could be the plot of her very own fairytale and she was still daydreaming. She was here to look for her father, and although she was excited for the possibility of an adventure, she had her priorities.
"After you, mademoiselle," Lumiere ushered Belle into a cozy looking sitting room, "Please, take a seat and we will fetch the master shortly."
"We?" Cogsworth scowled at him, having just entered the room behind Belle, "I suppose you expect me to clean up your mess, hm? Do you really think he will come easily? What are we supposed to tell him?"
"Do not mind Cogsworth, he just isn't used to such beautiful company." Lumiere winked at her as he pulled the clock out of the room and shut the door, the sounds of them bickering with each other slowly fading down the hallway.
Belle chose a large overstuffed chair near the fire, and sat down, rubbing her arms to try and warm herself. This room was pleasant, not nearly as imposing as much of the castle she had seen so far, it almost felt out of place, like someone else had decorated this single room. She gazed into the fire, trying not to imagine everything that could currently be going wrong for her father, when the door opened again, revealing another strange inhabitant of the castle.
"Can I interest you in a spot of tea, miss?" A cart rolled over beside her chair, topped with a lovely white and lilac tea set, the steaming pot the one who had spoken to her. She was beginning to get used to the idea of living furniture, strange as it seemed, and at least so far every being she had met had been kind, even when less than thrilled about her arrival, as it had been with the grumpy clock.
"Oh, yes please, thank you." Relieved, Belle took the cup that the teapot poured for her and was surprised to see a sweet little face shyly smiling at her, "Oh, hello!"
"My name is Chip!" the little teacup smiled at her, and she saw that yes, he had a chip in his rim, nothing too bad though. She couldn't help but smile back at the tiny thing when he snuggled up in her hands as she warmed them on his delicate porcelain.
"Oh, hush little one, let the poor woman fortify herself, her father is missing."
"You've heard?" Belle turned to look at the teapot hopefully, eager to hear anything she had to offer.
"Nothing goes on in this castle without Mrs. Potts knowing about it dear," She smiled at Belle reassuringly, Belle felt calmer around Mrs. Pott's motherly personality, she felt better knowing such a kind soul was watching over her, if only for the moment.
"Have you heard anything about my father?" She asked as she blew on her tea, making Chip giggle.
"I haven't," Mrs. Potts frowned and looked at her with pity, though not unkindly, "Hopefully the master will come to his senses and help you find him, although if you are going to meet him, you'll need to brace yourself, please drink."
She drank a good bit of her tea, grateful for it's warmth after the cold and damp of the unnaturally dark woods. She hoped that if her father was out there, that he had at least found somewhere safe to rest.
Belle started when she heard a distant crashing sound from somewhere deeper in the castle, not seeing Mrs. Pott's cringe as she set Chip down beside her on the tea cart. She stood, thinking maybe there was something going on that she could help with, and headed towards the door.
"I wouldn't go out there if I were you." Belle hesitated and turned to look questioningly at Mrs Potts, who had rolled her cart halfway across the room towards her, looking stern, "The master… is a bit out of practice when it comes to having guests," she furrowed her painted on brows, "Finish your tea and I'll sort this out, dearie. Nothing for you to worry about."
"Alright." Belle reluctantly picked Chip back up and watched as Mrs. Potts rolled out the door that opened itself up for her.
"Don't worry miss, Mama knows how to fix everything." Belle looked down at Chip who was trying his best to look reassuring.
"You mother seems like a very capable lady," she smiled and raised him up to eye level, "My name is Belle, and I am glad we met, Chip." She walked back over the plush chair and sat down, setting Chip on the small side table, sighing, "I think I may be a bit too excited for tea just now."
"What are you excited about?" Chip hopped a bit closer to her, sloshing the cooling tea as he did.
"Oh, I just mean my stomach is in knots, I'm worried about my father, and I guess I'm a bit nervous about meeting your master." She frowned, propped her elbow on the chair's arm and leaned her head onto her hand, "I mean, this place is a bit, well, unusual."
Chip tilted his little face, thinking about this, "I guess that makes sense, I don't really remember what it was like before." He looked back up at her, "The master is kinda scary, but my mama says he's just sad and doesn't know it."
Belle considered this, she of course didn't know the circumstances of the master's state of mind, but she knew what it was like to be so sad that you were angry. It's how she felt when her mother died, it changed into other things as the time grew, but she understood. She hadn't really thought of that time in her life for several years, and felt sad at the idea that someone couldn't get past that awful stage of grief.
~~~
Belle followed Lumiere down the hall, anxious about finally speaking with the master of the castle. She had been talking with Chip for a while, hearing all about what it was like to live in a big old castle, and about all his brothers and sisters, all of them tea cups, when Lumiere and Cogsworth had returned to fetch her.
"The Master has decided to speak with you over dinner, Miss Belle. Lumiere will show you the way to the dining hall."
She worried briefly if she had to worry about any specific manners at dinner, in some of the books she read that always seemed to be an issue that came up for heroines in mysterious castles. None of the
servants had said anything about it to her, so she tried to put it out of her mind. If she was reading between the lines correctly, it didn't seem like the Master was necessarily the type of man that worried about pleasantries.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Lumiere paused in front of a large double door. "Here we are, ma chérie," He hesitated and bit his lip, his flame flickering a bit, "I do want to ah, warn you first."
"Warn me? I know that your Master has quite the temper, Chip told me about that."
"That is… only part of it, I'm afraid." He winced and held his two candles together like he was clasping his hands, a small bit of wax dripping onto the wooden floor, "the Master can be, a bit, well, intimidating to meet. His appearance is…"
Belle shook her head, not understanding what he was getting at, "Do you mean he's a piece of furniture like the rest of you? I'm still a bit surprised by that, but I don't think it would bother me at this point."
Lumiere laughed nervously, "No, no, not furniture, he was, ah, affected, differently than the rest of us." He paused, seemed to come to a decision, and stood up straighter, gesturing with his candles as he spoke, "It's a bit difficult to describe, but I wanted to prepare you, he is a bit, well, startling." He cracked open the door and gestured to Belle, "I will lead you to your seat, mademoiselle."
She entered in behind him, catching her breath at the sight of the room, the longest table she had ever seen in her life, lined with countless chairs, a huge marble fireplace lit with a cheerful blaze, over which hung an enormous painting of a woman in a beautiful garden. And the chandelier, it wasn't lit at the moment, but the light of the fire caught on the hundreds of crystals that dangled from its golden structure. As she was examining the intricate light fixture, her eyes caught movement in the darkness at the far end of the table.
Belle lowered her gaze and squinted at the shadowy form, trying to make sense of the hulking shape that now sat rigidly, as if caught in her stare.
"Master," Lumiere bowed towards the mysterious shadow and gestured at her, "I am pleased to introduce mademoiselle Belle, she would be very grateful for your aid in the search for her missing father."
Belle looked towards Lumiere at the emphasis in his words, but he didn't meet her gaze. She instead turned back to the shadow, the master. Now that she was paying attention, she noticed how large the shadow was, hulking, and taller than any man ought to be while seated. She shifted on her feet, unable to look elsewhere.
"Belle says her father's horse showed up at their cottage without him, and that he wasn't anywhere along the main road!" Lumiere pulled out a chair, and used it to hop up onto the table, he gestured his candle at the chair, and, still not looking at Belle, "Your seat, mademoiselle."
She stood where she was, having barely heard Lumiere address her, her eyes still riveted onto the dark form at the far end of the long table. What was that? Was that the master of this castle?
"I'm sure we could get together a small search party of some of the more capable servants, and we could find her father in no time!" He grinned, putting his candles up in a triumphant gesture, and in the slightly brighter light, Belle saw the glint of huge teeth set into a grimace, and eyes that reflected like an animal's.
For a moment she couldn't breathe, and without thinking, took a step backwards. The eyes disappeared as the huge form turned away from her, "Where is our dinner? Are you going to just stand there talking, or are you going to do your job!?" The gruff voice that rumbled out of the master made her jump, and maybe it was Belle's imagination, but it also sounded a tad embarrassed, albeit mostly impatient.
Immediately chastened, Lumiere stood straight and nodded to his master, "I will make sure it is out at once, monsieur." He quickly hopped off the table and headed out another door, the room dimming as he left. She hadn't realized how much he had been illuminating, but now that he was gone, she was aware that the fireplace barely lit the huge space.
"Will you sit down?" She started again, having almost forgotten about her present company. She reluctantly sat in the chair that had been pulled out for her and looked down at her hands, her eyes adjusting to the darkness slowly. She looked back up at the chandelier that had first caught her attention when she entered the room. Without Lumiere's light the glittering was much more subtle, but no less beautiful. She found herself wondering how none of the townspeople ever mentioned that there was such a grand castle so close by, her and her father were new to town, and yes, considered odd by most, but surely someone would have brought it up? She shivered, realizing they probably didn't know either, if the path that led up to the castle was any indication. She felt her blood run cold as she thought to herself, the path looked as if no one had used it in years. That included her father. All the she had found was his hat, and that didn't mean anything.
"Why are you here?" She came out of her thoughts and the Master had turned to face her again, and now she could faintly make out more of him, horns, fur and of course, the intense eyes that captured her gaze even from how far they sat from each other. He was a beast, it wasn't a polite word, but that's the only way she could have described him.
She swallowed, "I'm… looking for my father?" She hesitated, not sure if he had actually missed Lumiere saying the same thing. "I thought he may have sought shelter in your castle, but, I must have been mistaken." Her shoulders slumped, saying it out loud made her mistake feel real, made her feel like a fool. She lowered her face again, wringing her hands, unsure of how to continue.
"Well what do you expect me to do about it?" She raised her head to meet his gaze, momentarily more stunned than afraid, had he really just asked that?
"I'm asking for help in finding him, and if he's not here he could be lost in the woods, and now in the dark!" She closed her eyes and took a breath, she needed to stay calm, getting upset wasn't going to get her anywhere. "All I am asking for is a place to stay, temporarily, while I search nearby."
"I don't see why that's my problem, you trespass onto my property and you want me to grant you hospitality?" The contempt in his voice was palpable.
She was stunned by his speech, and no longer afraid, in fact, she was getting rather angry herself. "Are you always this hostile to visitors?" She said it without thinking, and his snarl immediately made her wish she hadn't.
"For your information," He stood up, making Belle cower in her chair, "I do not recieve visitors. Nor do I want any!"
The door Lumiere had exited earlier opened, revealing a procession of serving carts, the candelabra himself smiling awkwardly as he waved in the carts, from a side table. The beast sat down, a bit sheepishly, which struck Belle as odd. Why would the master act like a child caught at misbehaving?
"Dinner tonight is starting with an appetizer of delicious gougères, followed by the main course of a delightful bouillabaisse, and for dessert, a tarte tatin." The maître'd hesitated, and continued, "Bon appetit. Please call for me if you need assistance in any way." He bowed and was out of the room as quickly as he had come in.
Belle accepted some of the small pastries from a dish that approached her, taking a bite and sighing with delight. They were filled with a rich beef and mushroom stuffing, and she realized that she hadn't eaten since before Gaston's impromptu proposal. She had forgotten about that completely in the panic about her father.
If that jerk hadn't pulled that stunt today, she might've asked him for help actually. As much as she hated to admit it, he was the best woodsman in the village and he would have helped her look for her father. Sure he would have been insufferable the entire time, but he would have been better equipped at navigating the woods than she. She furrowed her eyebrows, it was too late to ask him now, and there was no sense dwelling on could haves. She needed to figure out how to convince the beastly master of this castle to aide her in the search.
She looked deliberately down the table at him, forcing him to meet her gaze in between his huge bites of savory stuffed pastry. He glowered at her, "What are you looking at?"
Ignoring the question, she said, "I'm wondering why you would bother to invite me to dinner if you aren't going to help me?" She was being rather forward, but delicacy didn't seem like it was going to have much of an effect here.
"It's the polite thing to do." He ground the words out through his teeth, making it obvious that he had no desire to appear polite, and in a quieter voice, "it was my housekeeper's idea."
Mrs. Potts flashed into Belle's mind, she has said she'd sort things out. Aha. He didn't invite her to dinner of his own volition. But what sway did his own servant have over him? He didn't seem like the type to listen to anyone.
"You didn't have to invite me, you could have turned me away." The beast flinched at that, but she continued, "I don't understand what you have to gain from my being here?"
"And I don't understand why you are being so nosy!" He threw his huge arms into the air, "I don't see how any of this is your business!"
Her face grew hot and she gestured angrily at him, "It's only my business because no one in this castle is being honest with me! There is clearly something going on that involves me somehow, and all of you are hiding it from me!"
He stood up again, his chair clattering to the floor behind him, "You want honesty? I think your father is dead! There are wolves in these woods and an old man stupid enough to get lost in them at night wouldn't stand a chance in hell!"
Belle's hands shook with rage, how dare he suggest the idea, she didn't even want to stay in his stupid castle anymore, no matter her curiosity at the strange things were going on here. Not if he was going to treat her like this.
"Fine. I'll finish my dinner and then I'll leave. It won't be your problem anymore." She was a little unnerved at how cold her voice came out, but she didn't really care. She took a bowl of stew and started eating, it was delicious, but she hardly tasted it. She couldn't believe anyone could be so selfish. Even Gaston seemed to care about others more than this beast. How fitting, that he was one, an appearance to match his attitude.
She sipped from her spoon, and cleared her throat. She was having trouble swallowing, and she suddenly felt like something was wrong. She set her spoon down and pushed her bowl away from her. The room was beginning to spin around her and she grabbed onto the edge of the table, her breath now coming in wheezes. What was happening? Was it something she had eaten? Her eyes widened, remembering how her father had told her about the time her mother nearly died when they visited the coast before Belle had been born. What was it that her mother had eaten? It had been something that wasn't available where they had lived, otherwise she would have avoided it. She looked up at her abandoned dinner through blurry eyes. Shellfish.