The Feathers Fly (Book One): A Batb Fanfic

The Tavern

Babette closed the door and collapsed against it. Maybe staying in this town for a while wouldn't be too bad? She immediately went to her bag to find something to wear. Unfortunately, as a maid, the other dress that she packed was identical to the one on her at the moment, and the only other articles of clothing she brought were pajamas and a coat.

She frowned slightly. What a way to make a first impression. To keep her mind off tonight, she made her way into the bedroom and cleaned it: organizing the tools under the bed into the toolbox nearby and making the bed. When she was finally done, she made herself a cup of tea and took a seat down in the kitchen.

So, she thought carefully to herself. The purpose of this trip is to get my mind off Lumiere. But the real question that hung in her mind was if she would fall back into Lumiere's arms when she returned? He made her weak at the knees; it was impossible to stay angry at him. But then again, would she even return? Gaston seemed like a perfect guy: able to take care of a family, which she began to long for. Her family had long forgotten her, and after the years her and Lumiere spent together without him proposing, she began to doubt if he ever would.

All of this thinking and cleaning made quick work of the day. Babette was even able to sit down and read; something she had not been able to do for quite a while. Belle strongly supported that the castle workers read, but most of her time was spent with Lumiere instead.

As nightfall approached, Babette slid on her coat over her dress and looked at herself once in the mirror before leaving the cottage and heading toward the Tavern.

The sky was painted a navy blue, and a few bright stars shone, while most of them were covered by the light layers of clouds that hung in the sky. She walked rather quickly, worried herself of wolves that could be nearby. Upon arriving at the tavern she braced herself for the absolute worst before entering.

The tavern was large and lively. A bar stood on one side of the room, with the fireplace and a large chair nearby, and antlers decked out every square centimeter of wall space. It didn't take her long to find Gaston.

Guys were crowded around him. Three girls in different colored dresses were serving him drinks. Babette moved back slightly, overwhelmed by the scene. The only type of party she was used to were the ones from the castle, where everyone wore long, flowing dresses and waltzed. This was out of her league.

"Babette!" Gaston called over to her, walking her way. She smiled, relieved that she didn't have to enter herself.

"Bonsoir Monsieur," she greeted with a firm curtesy. Immediately she realized curseying was uncommon, but shook it off.

Gaston looked to the other guys in the room. "This is the beauty I've been telling you about." Babette's face flushed slightly. She wasn't here to flirt.

"Come, why don't we get a drink?" Gaston offered, and she found herself following. As much as her mind wanted to leave she couldn't help but stay. She watched as the village people put on a huge musical number about Gaston, and found herself humming along.

After the number, Gaston took her over to the fire to warm herself. He sat down in his large chair. "Why don't you sit with me?" He offered. She bit her lip. "Non, that's your chair; I'm fine."

"It's a large chair." He pointed out. She gave him a fake gracious smile and sat on the floor by the chair, her legs tucked delicately under her.

Gaston thought (what a dangerous pastime). Most girls would jump at the opportunity to share a chair with him. But not this one. She was very odd, but also immeasurably beautiful. Why did he always fall for the difficult ones?

Babette huddled towards the warmth. It felt so cozy. She leaned her head back on the end of the chair and closed her eyes just for one moment.

-------------------------------------------------

Babette opened her eyes slowly and drowsily, then more hurriedly. Where was she? She was in a large bed, with bright red curtains hanging from each side. She quickly got out of bed and smoothed her maid's dress and looked around. Her eyes caught a note on the dark oak dresser next to her:

Babette,
It seems you fell asleep last night while we were in the tavern. Instead of waking you and having you walk home I've brought you up to my bed to spend the night. I'll be in the other room, probably sleeping in late. Thank you for coming last night.

-Gaston

Babette smiled gently to herself. That was so sweet. Nonetheless, she had work to do and no men to get in her way. She got up, walked past Gaston, who was sleeping on a sofa, and left the tavern, quickly heading back to her small cottage.

----------------------------------------------

Lumiere paced in front of Belle. "But Madame, you don't understand. She's never gone for this long. If you know where she is, I'd be more than happy to retrieve her," he begged.

"I've sent her away on private business. It's a favor for me. Really Lumiere, I insist that you give her time," Belle requested, recalling back to how heartbroken Babette was when she visited Belle for the last time.

"I know I made a mistake. But it was purely innocent, I insist. I fully intend on proposing to Mademoiselle Babette, but I didn't know how to. I simply decided to ask Angelique for advice, but then her name came out of my mouth and she assumed I was fantasizing about other women," Lumiere complained, holding his head back in agony.

"Propose? What a wonderful idea!" Belle exclaimed, "you have to wait until she returns though, and who knows how she'll feel then."

Wait? That was not in Lumiere's vocabulary. He bowed his head to Belle and left promptly. If Babette wasn't returning, he'd go find her and win her back.