The Dreamer and the Hunter - A Beauty and the Beast Story

Dismissed, rejected...

"Dismissed, rejected, publicly humiliated!" Gaston grumbled from his chair before the fire. Antlers protruded out the back of it making it look much like one of the huge beasts he'd hunted.

The previous day, the wedding party disassembled, most of the villagers had retired to the tavern. After storming off Gaston had gone and locked himself away in his room at the tavern, and everyone knew better than to disturb him, especially when he was in such a state. He had not reemerged for the rest of the day. Finally, mid-morning of the following day, he came downstairs but now sat alone before the fire. He had changed out of his wedding clothes and back into his usual hunting wear. The flames cast shadows across his angered face.

"It's more than I can bear!" he announced, talking to no one in particular.

LeFou cautiously approached, a mug of beer in his hand. "Uh, beer?" he asked.

"What for? Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."

"What, you? Never! Gaston, you've got to pull yourself together! Don't let yourself get so worked up over this. Belle doesn't know what she's missing." Gaston only continued to grumble. "Maybe she's just not the one."

"Oh she's the one! I knew from the first moment I saw her."

"Alright..." Gaston was sure determined, LeFou gave him that. He'd never acted this way over any woman before. "Well have you considered trying something else? Maybe try a slower pace, earn her trust before proposing - that is, if you're planning on proposing again."

"Of course I am! Belle will be mine!"

"Oh listen to you," Madame LeBlanc scolded, she having just returned, unknown to him, from visiting the girl. "Look at you, grumbling away. How do you think she feels? You really should go and apologize to her."

"Me, apologize?" he scoffed. "She's the one who rejected and embarrassed me!"

"Yes, and it's no wonder why. The poor girl looked startled out of her mind. You know most girls expect courting, then a proposal, and then marriage. They don't expect to be thrown right into the wedding. And think of how embarrassed she must be."

Still grumbling, Gaston snatched the mug from LeFou's hand and took a long gulp.

"Madame does have a point Gaston," agreed LeFou. "I mean, we know Belle's different from other girls. Maybe she is more so than you thought? Maybe this rushing into things isn't going to work with her."

"Oh it will," Gaston assured him. "Because I always get what I want."

"Okay well I'm just saying, have you considered maybe trying something different?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like doing something nice for her, so that she'll warm up to you."

"Finally, a man with some sense left in him," mumbled Madame LeBlanc from where she was now scrubbing the counter.

"Maybe giving her a gift of some kind," LeFou continued. "To show her how special she is to you..."

Gaston was starting to perk up, LeFou could tell. "Hmm." The hunter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. A gift, something to win Belle's affections. "I know! I'll get her the biggest, brightest, best bouquet of flowers!"

"That's more like it!" said LeFou. "Although..." His words trailed off.

"What?" demanded Gaston.

"Well I was just thinking: flowers are a very common romantic gift. And didn't you already try them and they didn't work? What if you were to give her something even more special, unique to her and her alone, to show her you really care? Like a book!"

"A book?!" laughed Gaston. "I'm not getting her a book. She reads enough as it is, I won't encourage it further. And she certainly won't have time for it once we're married."

"Well, just think, Belle loves books. Don't you think she would find it nice if someone gave one to her? And you're not married yet so she's still reading-"

"I'm not getting her a book," Gaston cried. "That's an absurd idea."

"Okay alright, just trying to help," mumbled LeFou.

Gaston gave a dramatic sigh and rose from his chair. He then went and slammed the beer mug down onto the counter. "I'm going hunting," he announced, grabbing his coat and rifles before heading out to the stables to ready his horse. Their company wasn't helping. He needed some time alone.

(There he is, grumbling away, looking pretty depressed... Sorry Gaston, but you asked for it! Haha! Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it! :))