𝐀 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞

𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭

Plumette waited outside of Leta's room, hoping that the master would come. She flew back and forth as if she was pacing. She wanted everything to be perfect, but knowing the master something would go wrong. Eventually Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Lumière had arrived. The master had trudged behind, almost as if he had to do it. Plumette had only suggested dinner to him. It didn't mean he had to do it. Somewhere in his heart he wanted to. The prince huffed harshly before he knocked on the door. It was if he was banging on it "You will join me for dinner. That's not a request" "Gently master. The girl just lost her father and her freedom in one day" Mrs. Potts tried to reason. The prince rolled his eyes and yet, Lumière began talking "Yes. The poor thing is probably in there, scared to death" "Exactly" Mrs. Potts said. Little did they know that inside the room Leta made herself a robe. She took some of the fabrics from her dress she had changed out of as
well as the ones in Madame de Garderobe's drawers and made a rope.
She was planning on scaling the side of the castle and leaving. She just hoped no one walked in on her and saw this. The prince made a gruffly noise before lightly knocking on the door. By that point, Leta was on the window sill, ready to escape. She turned around and looked at the door. She stepped down from the window "Just a minute" She called "You see. There she is. Now remember, be gentle" Lumière recommend "Kind" Mrs. Potts told him "Mmm, charming" Plumette said with a little swish in the air "Sweet" Cogsworth added "And when she opens the door, give her a dashing, debonair smile" Lumière told the master "Come come. Show me the smile" The prince attempted a half-hearted smile, which caused the servants to all shutter back. Noting their reactions, he stopped smiling and turned back towards the door "Will you join me for dinner?" The prince asked in an odd voice. Hearing this, Leta walked closer to the door "You've taken me as your prisoner and now you want to have dinner with me?" Leta was angry at this point "Are you insane?" The prince got angry by Leta's reaction. Plumette started to fly
around nervously, her anxiety building. She was hoping Leta would accept, but she also hoped the prince would be better behaved. Plumette flew over to Lumière and held him as best as she could "He's losing it" "Oh dear" Cogsworth said as he hid behind the leg of the drawer in the hallway. The prince started knocking heavily on the door repeatedly. Leta was on the other side of the door, scared as she could be "I told you to join me for dinner!" The  prince yelled. Fury built up inside of Leta "And I told you no!" She yelled back. All the yelling caused Madame de Garderobe to wake up "Ah, what time
is it? What's happening?" The wardrobe asked "I'd starve before I ever ate with you" Leta said a little bit more calmly. She then walked away from the door and sat on her bed "We'll be my guest!" The prince yelled "Go ahead and starve" He stomped away from the door and turned to Lumière "If she doesn't eat with me than she doesn't eat at all. Idiots!" The prince stomped down the hall angrily. Once out of sight, everyone
seemed to relax. Cogsworth had finally come out from hiding and pretended to be tough "You can't talk to us like that. I forbid it" Cogsworth said, pulling out a sword of some type "Oh. Am I too late?" Lumière walked over to his friend "Shame. I was really going to tell him off this time" Lumière lifted his arms up "Oh master, you have returned" This caused Cogsworth to get so scared that his parts flew out. Lumière laughed at his friends reaction "Oh very funny"Cogsworth muttered loud enough for Lumière to hear "I got you there" Lumière replied. On the other side of the castle was the prince. He had walked into his room in the west wing. It seemed he was shoving stuff around and slamming doors. He made his way over to the rose on the balcony. He remembered that night when it was given to him. He was sure that Leta had the same scared liked that she did tonight when he yelled at her. It haunted him every day of his life and he wished he had made a better choice that night. Maybe he could be living happily, maybe with Leta by his side. But that all seemed to be over now. He believed he had no chance of returning to a human now. He picked up the mirror that was placed beside the rose "Show me the girl" On the mirror appeared Leta, looking scared as she sat on her bed. He had remembered that look and it haunted him. The tragedy that he had caused. She looked the same though. Still as beautiful as ever.
The picture of Angelica disappeared and he faced himself in the mirror.
The terrible person and beast he had become. He moved the mirror from in front of his face and looked at the rose. His shoulders shrugged in sadness and watched as another petal fell. The castle became more dark once the petal crumpled. Across the castle, Lumière stood in front of the fire "Another petal fell" "Lumière, I grew three more feathers and I just plucked yesterday" Plumette complained "I know darling" Lumière said and heard himself squeak "Ah, I'm getting more metallic everyday" "Oh, no, no. It's happening again" Cogsworth said as his dials reset "Pardon me" "Oh everyone calm yourselves. We still have time" Mrs. Potts reminded them all "Mama" Chip hopped over "Am I ever going to be a boy again?" "Oh yes Chip. You'll get your days in the sun again. You just leave it to me" Mrs. Potts hugged her son as best as she could. Inside Leta's room she was heaving her rope of fabric out the window. She couldn't live like this anymore. Even if it was only a day,
the master was a horrible person. Who would do something like that to someone? He had no decency as to even acknowledge what happened to her.
Everything she had was gone. Her home, her father, Belle, Maurice, and
her books. Oh how she wished she could have had a book with her. A knock on the door caused Leta to stop what she was doing. She turned around and faced the door "I told you to go away" "Don't worry dear, it's only Mrs. Potts" This caused Leta to calm down slightly. She didn't want Mrs. Potts
seeing that she was trying to escape, so she shuffled the rope around to
prevent it from being seen. To prevent some of it from being seen, Leta stood in front of one of the bedposts. She tried to look as relaxed as possible when Mrs. Potts entered the room "Are you alright my dear. I know he master scared you and-" Mrs. Potts stopped her train of thought when she saw the rope.
Angelica noticed where she was looking and kicked the rope some more "It-it's not what you think" Leta tried to tell her "It's a very long journey. Let me fix you up before you go. I have found
that most troubles seem less trqubling after a bracing cup of tea" Mrs.
Potts told her. Chip hopped down from the tray and made his way towards Leta.
She knelt down and picked him up. The two looked at each other and Chip looked sad "Please don't go Ms" Leta gave him a sad smile and took a sip of the tea "That was a very brave thing you did for your father dear" Mrs. Potts
said to Leta. And again for the third time, Madame de Garderobe had woken up "Yes, we all think so" "I'm worried about him" Leta admitted them as she placed Chip back on the tray "He's never been on his own" "Cheer up my poppet. Things will turn out alright in the end. You'll feel a lot better after dinner" Mrs. Potts informed her "But he said 'if she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all" Leta told the teapot "Mhm, well. People say a lot of things in anger. It is our choice whether or not to listen. You coming poppet?" Mrs. Potts asked as she wheeled out of the room "Go" Madame de Garderobe told her.