For there's no man in town half as manly. Perfect, a pure paragon...
●●●●●
"There's that ugly, little man." Claudette's eyes narrowed before she motioned his direction to her sisters. "He's walking over there, hand in hand with Stanley," she said.
The three siblings had been in a rather foul mood since the ball at the castle last night. Much to their dismay, Gaston hadn't been there either. In fact, Gaston hadn't been seen for the better part of the past week.
"Ew," Laurette shook her head in disgust. "Stanley could do so much better."
"You mean like Gaston?" Paulette batted her lashes in a starry-eyed gaze as she thought about the hunter.
"No!" Claudette snapped. "He's mine!"
"You mean ours?" Laurette challenged.
Claudette groaned but quickly recovered. She could never let her sister's know what she was really planning.
"Of course!" With a fake smile and a giggle, she turned to face her sisters. "After all, I'm sure there's enough of him to go around. He's just so-- so--"
"Dreamy," the triplets sighed in unison.
Shaking out their perfectly pressed petticoats, the three, curly headed brunette's descended upon the two unsuspecting men.
"Where is he, LeFou?" Claudette's tone was as icy as her heart. "We haven't seen him all week."
"He wasn't at Beast's castle last night either," added Laurette.
LeFou swallowed hard, glancing around nervously at the vicious circle of lace and bonnets that had surrounded him. "Actually girls, Madame Belle would appreciate if everyone referred to 'Beast' as--"
Claudette scoffed. "You really shouldn't have mentioned her," the shortest triplet informed him.
The men looked confused, but as if on cue, Laurette and Paulette suddenly burst into tears.
"It's just so unfair!" Laurette wailed.
"What is?"
LeFou could have kicked Stanley for asking.
"Well, the fact that she landed herself a King, of course!"
Paulette nodded in agreement with Laurette. "What makes her so special anyways?" The tallest of the three whined. "We're just as pretty as her."
"Of course you are. But honestly, who cares?" Claudette rolled her eyes in annoyance as she spoke. Leave it to her sisters to lose sight of the real prize.
"Being married to a King sounds positively boring," she declared. "But, being married to a hunter and the most handsome Captain in all of France?"
"It's never going to happen, ladies."
"Oh yes it will! And you're going to help us." The three women each took a threatening step closer to the men as Claudette's mood turned more vicious. "Now, tell us where he is, LeFou."
The short man ground his jaw angrily as he thought back to that night. "Gaston is not the man you think he is," he snarled.
The girls balked.
"It's true!" He exclaimed. "When we stormed that castle, Gaston left me for dead. I haven't seen him since then, and honestly, I don't care if I ever see him again!"
With a permanent scowl, LeFou and Stanley shoved past the three women before disappearing into the crowd. The girls didn't get the answers they were hoping for, but they'd let him go-- for now.
"Well, if LeFou won't help us, that leaves only one other person."
"Who?" Laurette and Paulette asked at the same time.
Claudette shook her head slightly before turning towards the town's tavern. Sometimes, she really wondered how the three of them were related.
"Come along," she called to her siblings as she began making her way to the pub. "I think it's time we paid old Agatha a visit."
Laurette paused. "Why, whatever would we need to see that hag for?" She questioned.
"She's not just a hag," Claudette snapped.
Stopping just outside the entrance, Claudette turned. "Believe it or not, Agatha just so happens to be the Enchantress," she whispered.
"The Enchantress?" The sisters asked simultaneously."You mean the one who cursed the Beast?"
With an all knowing smirk, Claudette nodded.
"But how could you possibly know that?" Paulette asked. "And why would you keep it a secret from us? Your own sisters!"
"Don't be silly," Claudette retorted. "I didn't keep it a secret. I just found out last night," she insisted. "It's amazing the things you can learn from the castle staff. A very gossipy lot, they are," she informed them. "Did you know the fishmonger's wife was having an affair?"
With an audible gasp, Laurette and Paulette followed their sister into the dimly lit tavern-- hoping she'd give them more details about everything she had learned from the previous night. Unfortunately for them, the moment Claudette's eyes landed on Agatha, she immediately went back to the task at hand of finding Gaston.
"Good afternoon, Agatha." Claudette's smile was sickly sweet as she took a seat at the same table the town's hag was sitting at. "Fancy meeting you here." Her sisters followed suit in sitting down at the other two available seats before she continued "Why, we were just talking about you."
Agatha's light blue eyes scanned the faces of the triplets before turning back towards the most devious of the three. Though she could probably guess what the women were after, she remained silent. She wondered what Paulette and Laurette would do if they ever found out Claudette's true intentions.
"You know, I asked around at the castle last night, and it seems no one has seen Monsieur Gaston for the past few days," Claudette said. "It's a little odd, don't you think?"
"Perhaps he's on a hunting trip," Agatha shrugged.
"I don't think so." Claudette's voice took an accusatory tone. "I think you did something--"
With an offended glare, Agatha stood to her feet. "I don't know what you're talking about," she snarled.
But just as she was about to storm off, Claudette caught the glint off of something in her pocket.
"It's the mirror!"
Before Agatha could react, Claudette had pulled out the enchanted item.
"So it's true!" Paulette cried.
"You were the last person to see him," Laurette concluded. "Gaston had the mirror with him that night."
"Go on then, Claudette," Paulette urged. "Ask it!"
Despite Agatha's warning, Claudette looked into the glass, holding it cautiously in-between her two hands. "Magic mirror, show me Gaston!"
Immediately it sparked to life with a magical glow.
"Oh, la veche!" Paulette exclaimed. "He's dead!"
As the girls crowded in around the mirror they watched as Gaston remained motionless. With his eyes closed, he might as well have been dead.
"You did this!" Laurette snarled as she looked up towards the ugly hag. "You sent him to his death!"
"No, wait," Claudette sighed. "Look at his chest. He's still alive!"
The girls continued to watch him until the image faded away.
"Make it come back!" Paulette grabbed the mirror from her sister, giving the enchanted glass a frustrated shake.
The mirror forgotten, Claudette stalked forward towards the hag. "Why? Why would you do this?" She asked.
"To give him a chance," Agatha simply replied. "As with all my lessons, once he has learned his, he may choose to return."
"But at whose expense?" Claudette cried. "Certainly he can't learn a lesson if he's dead!"
"I'm sure he'll be just fine."
"But you don't know for sure," the shortest triplet hissed.
"No, I don't." With a heavy sigh, Agatha sat back down.
"Then at least let us send LeFou to check in on him," Claudette offered. "He has been so lost and depressed with out his best friend."
The Enchantress seemed deep in thought as she took out a small bag from her apron. "You'll send LeFou to check on Monsieur Gaston and then have him come straight back. I'll allow it this once but then you're never to interfere again."
As she spoke, she handed Claudette two crystal looking beans. "Tell LeFou that wherever he throws this, a portal to the other world will open. But be forewarned--" Agatha made sure to look each girl in the eye before going on. "--If you do anything, anything at all, to interfere with my magic, I will cast a spell on this entire village that will make them forget you."
Rushing forward, Claudette threw her arms around the old hag. "Oh, Agatha!" She slowly pulled away. "How can we ever thank you?"
With a frown, Agatha shoved the girl off of her. "Don't forget what I said," she warned.
As she turned her back to the three girls, Paulette and Laurette grabbed on to their sister.
"But why would we want to send LeFou?" Paulette asked.
"He used to be Gaston's friend, but now--"
Laurette trailed off as a wicked gleam grew across Claudette's face. As the sisters silently walked out of the tavern, Claudette's fingers slowly uncurled, revealing the same bag Agatha had pulled the magic beans from just moments ago.
"But what about what she said?" Laurette whispered. "Do you think it's true?"
"If she could cast such a spell," Claudette snorted, "then she wouldn't have given up the beans so easily."
"Maybe," Paulette shrugged. "But I still don't know how you plan to get LeFou into that world."
"Watch and learn, dear sisters," Claudette smirked. "Watch and learn."
*****
"What are you doing?" LeFou cried out. "I said I didn't want to go!"
With his red bow tie firmly in her clutches, Claudette held LeFou as he balanced on the perimeter of the green vortex swirling underneath his heels. The girls had explained to him everything that had happened- how the Enchantress had sent Gaston to another world- but LeFou was still holding onto his grudge.
"Gaston needs you," the shortest brunette urged. "We need you," she smiled.
Using her free hand, Claudette leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to his pudgy cheek while placing one of the glowing, clear beans into his pocket before letting go.
"Bring him back to us," Paulette called to him as he teetered on the edge.
For a few moments, the plump, middle aged man whirled his arms around in a propeller type motion. It was only a matter of time before he fell backwards into the portal, but the girls were feeling particularly impatient.
"Bring us our man," Laurette barked.
"And don't forget, LeFou--" Claudette smirked as she placed a hand to his chest and gave a little push. As the chubby man fell into the vortex screaming, Claudette could barely be heard-- "It's hero time."