Training with Gaston has been the most tiring thing I've ever had to do, and after living with my mother for most of my life that is saying a lot. I thought that he would go a little easy on me, but I was wrong. I'm starting to think he is simply a difficult man to do things with.
Despite being fairly old, mildly crippled, and half-drunk most days the man makes me work. Run three laps around the entire village or shoot ten arrows through that hole in the sign right there and sometimes he appears out of nowhere and attacks me with a sword and I have to grab mine and defend myself. Yes, I got a sword, it is very cool.
If I don't do things properly his punishments are even more tiring than the exercises. He made me do one hundred push-ups yesterday because I didn't run my track fast enough. If I didn't do the push-up right I had to start counting from number one all over again. After three hours I managed to get all of them done and my arms felt like they were about to fall off.
Adrien, that little fucker, vividly enjoyed watching me struggle to move my arms. I never wanted to hit someone so bad, thankfully his mother stopped him and gave me some kind of makeshift ice pack to put on my arms. He is such a child but over the last few weeks, he has slowly become one of the greatest friends I've ever had. Scratch that he is the only friend I've ever had. Being a girl who doesn't follow the social norm doesn't get you a lot of friends. I might have had one but she fell into the rabbit hole of acting like a proper lady as everyone else in my class did.
Only Gaston's training and Adrien's teasing haven't been the only things on my mind. The woman in the window. The one who could be in danger from the Beast. The one who I have to save. Which is why I have decided that today is the day.
I got an all-clear from Sophie allowing me to take the day off. She thinks I will be helping Gaston move some things around in his house.
With my bow and arrows as well as a few knives safely attached to my body I mount Dante who in my opinion has gotten too used to spoilt in the stables.
I nudge him into a walk and together we make our way into the woods.
Anyone who has traveled in the woods, like me you would know that they are seldom quiet. No matter where you step there is always some sort of animal around making a sound. A bird singing in the tree, a deer walking through the brush, or if you are very unlucky a wolf or bear is stalking you from a close distance. However, I find that the closer I get to the castle the quieter the woods around me become. It's as if all the woodland critters know what is lurking in that castle and they want nothing to do with it. They like me hold a sliver of fear for the beast within those castle walls.
Only I'm not going to cower away from the Beast.
Dante suddenly becomes very skittish, rearing his body up, shaking his head, and releasing a long high high-pitched neigh.
"Okay boy, it's okay," I repeat as I quickly dismount Dante and carefully tie him to the strongest-looking tree.
I am not willing to force him to go any further since it is making him so uncomfortable. That and I can sneak into the castle easier on foot. Patting him goodbye I rush off into the thicket. Using both of my hands I furiously push the flood of bushes that were blocking my path to the imposing iron gate entrance.
I take no notice of the branches that whip and slash open small amounts of my bare skin, they and the small flashes of pain they shoot through me are nothing to the danger that I am running towards.
Finally, my efforts were rewarded, the thick bushes vanished and the hard iron gates stood before me. My eyes drift upward and settle upon the outline of the castle just a few steps ahead. My mind dances with the array of plans I've made to safely get to the second floor where I believe the young woman is trapped and then of course safely get her back out before the Beast catches us and rips us apart with his sharp claws.
"Piece of cake," I quietly laugh to myself.
Taking deep and labored breaths I carefully and slowly push the gate open, just enough for my slim body to wiggle through the gap.
Not wanting to be easily spotted I drift away from the stone pathway that leads up to the door and duck into the bushes that are scattered along what I can only conclude was the garden way back when this castle was used. As I walk I pull an arrow out of my bag and place it in my bow. Keeping my body low beneath the line of sight from the multiple windows that line the building I carefully make my way closer and closer to what appears to be a side door.
The bushes that were hiding me suddenly disappear leaving me out in an open patch of the garden. Circular patch lines with moss-covered stone pillars and a stone bench in the dead center are also covered in a layer of green moss. Dead branches spiked with protruding thorns twist around the pillars and some are even wrapping around the bottom. Despite little sunlight and I'm also assuming little water small flowers are drooping on the thorny branches. They are brown and withering but I can make out the famous shape of a rose.
As if they have some sort of power over me or it's just my horrid sense of curiosity (my mother's words not mine) I stand up to my full height and walk up to the plants and delicately touch one of the roses. Its paper-thin petals break apart with my touch, the pieces floating down to the dirt below me.
"It's such a shame, isn't it? To see such beautifies reduced to this state," a male voice resonates from behind me.
With a small jump, I spin around on my heels and point out my loaded bow in front of me.
To my relief, it is not the Beast standing in front of me but rather the other man I met the last time I was here. Maurie, I believe his name was.
Not caring about my bow at all he walks up past me and plucks off one of the dead roses. Shaking his head he crushes it with his fingers and sprinkles the broken pieces over the branches.
He turns his head to look over at me, an amused smile tugging at his light pink lips.
"You can put that bow down, my lady. I am no danger to you," he says as he motions to his skinny physique.
I lower my bow but still keep the weapon tightly clasped in my hand.
"Listen I'm just here to-" I try to explain but the man raises his bony hand in a gesture meant to shush me.
"I am sure you are here for a good reason or at least that is what you think. Whatever it is I am not interested, however, before you do what it is you want to do I must ask you to take a seat with me so that we can discuss something important," he tells me in a tone that resonates with confidence and class.
"My mission is very time-sensitive," I say.
He shrugs, the gesture makes the ends of his shoulder-length dark hair bounce up and down. "So is mine."
"Listen I know you are staying here of your own free will but the last time I was here I saw a woman standing up in the window and I think she needs help." I quickly explain to him.
His brown eyes crinkle and his smile widens as he lets out a wholehearted laugh.
"Trust me, my lady, Belle is the last person in this castle who needs help. Which is the perfect segway into the conversation that I must have with you. Please sit down so that-"
His smile drops and his eyes temporarily hold a sliver of fear.
Confusion washes over me but it is sniffed out as quickly as it came when the sound of heavy footsteps rushes in behind me.
I spun around and attempt to aim my bow but it is ripped out of my hands by two large brown paws. The Beast tosses it into a nearby thorn bush then releases a loud and animalistic growl that causes goosebumps to form on my skin.
"What are you doing here?" he roars in my face which sends small droplets of saliva flying from his mouth and onto my face.
"I was... I just..." I stutter only to be interrupted again.
"You what? Came here to try to kill me again!" he furiously yells at me.
An irritated sigh echoes from behind me and Maurie casually walks up to us and places himself in front of me standing between me and the snarling Beast.
"Stop with your yelling this lovely young lady was merely confused. She caught sight of Belle in the window last time she was here and believed her to be in danger."
This explanation seemed to infuriate the Beast even more and his menacing eyes push into a glare.
"She. Doesn't. Need. Saving. From. Me," he growls at me.
"Yeah, that's a great way to tell me that. It truly makes me believe you," I snap at him, surprising everyone including myself.
With his paws curled into fists, he attempts to rush towards me but is stopped by Maurie grabbing his hairy arm.
"Calm down, it was simply a misunderstanding. Right?" He cocks his head to the side so that he can ask me the question.
Even though I want to be cocky and snap back at the Beast I decide to simply nod my head in reply.
My small reassurance manages to calm the Beast down however he seems reluctant to uncurl his fists.
"Just get her out of here, Maurie, before I change my mind and rip out her little throat," he says to Maurie, almost barking out the order.
At this request, Maurie presses his teeth together and takes a deep breath in creating a small hissing sound.
"Actually I need to speak to her for a moment."
"What the bloody hell for?"
"I think she may be able to help on a project I am busy with and if she agrees I will need her to come back to the castle every once and a while."
"Excuse me!" both the Beast and I yell at the same time, his coming out in anger and mind in our shock and horror.
"I will not have this woman back in my home," he hisses as he points to me.
"Relax, grand garcon, I'm not exactly keen on coming back to this hell hole and seeing your ugly face again."
"Oh, you little-"
"Henry, please leave so that I may speak to this young lady-"
"Valerie, my name is Valerie," I snap at him. I didn't mean to be so blunt but this Beast just makes me so angry that I couldn't help but speak in that tone.
"My apologies, Henry, please leave so that I may speak with Valerie alone. You aren't exactly going to help my case by standing here and glaring at her."
The Beast remains quiet for a moment before he turns around and storms back into the castle slamming the door behind him.
Maurie sighs and shakes his head.
"Honesty he can act like a child sometimes."
"How can you stand to be around him? I've only been here for a few minutes and my blood is boiling."
Maurie flashes me a small smile and points to the bench behind me. "Allow me to explain."
Despite my desire to leave I take a seat beside him on the cold stone bench, my fingers dropping to my sides begin to play with the moss, breaking it off and twisting it into balls and throwing them to the floor.
"This might be hard to believe but long ago that... Beast that you saw earlier was a prince-"
"You're right it is hard to believe."
He raises his eyebrows giving me a look that clearly says don't interrupt me.
"Sorry," I mumble.
"Well, he wasn't always a nice person that didn't stop some of us from caring about him. After all, we helped raise him after his mother passed and his father shut himself up in his study where he wasted away with his work. Suddenly one day something happened and he turned into the Beast. Everyone except a small group of us ran away and as the years have gone by the castle has changed to what it is now while we have remained the same, physically anyway."
"I'm sorry but what does this have to do with me?"
He clears his throat. "I have been trying to find a way to break the curse that was put on him so that hopefully we can get the prince that we remember back. I've read through so many books in our library but the one that I believe holds the answers I need was stolen by a hunter from your village many years ago when he accidentally found the castle."
"Gaston," I gasp.
"I didn't catch his name while he was here you know didn't have time with him trying to kill Henry and running around like a headless chicken, but I'll take your word for it. I think he might still have the book so I need you to steal it and bring it here for me so that I can work on it."
I shake my head. "I'm sure he will notice a book is missing."
"Then you will just have to return it when you leave and then keep bringing it back until I am done with it."
My eyes widen in horror. "You seriously want me to keep coming back to this place."
"Valerie, I need to help him."
"Yeah well, I don't," I snap.
Maurie sighs and using his thumb and pointer finger he pinches the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths in and out. He lets go of his nose and looks back at me.
"I know that you don't have to help him and I even understand why you would be hesitant to come back here, but it's not just him who is affected by this curse. We all want to get our old lives back. We want to live, grow old and see the bloody sun again. Miss Potts wants to grow her plants again, and Charles wants to hear the clocks tick and watch time go by. Amelie is dying to sing in front of an audience again and I want to take my beloved Fabienne to Paris where I can give her the life she always wanted. We may not have been turned into beasts but this curse is ours as well and I need that book to break it and I need you to give me that book. Please."
I couldn't help but shed a few tears as he pleaded with me and told me the names of the people trapped there. The ones who can't live a normal life because of the curse.
The Beast who deep down I think kind of deserved this curse (if it was given to him because of his attitude) these other people don't deserve this.
I must help them.
"Okay, I'll find the book."
Maurie smiles. "Thank you, Valerie, you don't know how much that means to me."
After retrieving my bow which thankfully was still perfectly intact I rush to the gate and squeeze out through the gap.
I may not completely like the promise I just made but it's too late to go back on it. I have to help these people, even if it means helping him as well.
Not going to lie I had a lot of fun writing this chapter.
Having Valerie interact with the Beast the way she did (that little bit of sass she gave him) and I can't wait to bring you guys more chapters with the two of them cause now they will be interacting more.
Translation:
grand garcon= big guy