Evermore [The Beast/The Prince x Reader]

chapter one

She pressed herself against the rose bush. She felt the thorns prick into the back of her ballgown, but she did not move. The shock of seeing the snowflakes wildly coat the entire courtyard left her frozen.

The color of the gardens and nature was gone. The roses, once vibrant and crimson, were grey. The marble ground was cracked and crumbling at the sides. The lake froze over, a thick layer of ice coating it in seconds.

She couldn't explain the sudden change. When she had come outside, the rain was falling hard and the lightning was hitting the trees of the nearby forest. She had taken shelter beneath the alter-like curve of the bushes; something she often did with her friend. There were always too many roses and leaves to allow any more than a drop of water to fall.

But he never came, and winter did, instead. It felt below zero, and she was wearing thin fabric. She hugged her arms close to her and, after waiting several minutes, stepped out of the bushes. She turned her body towards the giant castle and gasped.

The once gold exterior looked dark and rusted. There were grey clouds looming, and snow already covered the porches and balcony. She swallowed hard as she waited for a sound.

There were none.

Hesitantly, she stepped forward. Her flats slid against the icy ground. Still, she pressed forward. She had never been so frightened before. She pulled her dress up so her trek up the stairs would be easier. Her breath was difficult to catch through the panic swelling in her chest.

She touched her hands to the door and pushed with all of her strength. As if it had been frozen for years, ice crumbled off of the surface. She stepped inside of the now dark castle.

"Hello?" she called out. "Hello? I-"

The trail of snow dragged in with her gown brushed across the faded floors. It seemed as if the inside of the house had aged drastically. She looked around. All of the candles were blown out.

Hesitantly, she touched the side of a tall candle. Her finger pressed into the soft wax that slowly dripped down the side. Proof of the party that lived merely moments before.

A brushing sound of curtains against wallpaper made her turn around. She gasped lightly, hands tightening in fists around the skirt of her gown.

"Hello?"

"Mademoiselle, mademoiselle!"

She took a stumbling step forward at the familiar sound of the quiet, childlike voice. She knew it well, and her heart skipped a beat at the sound of it.

"Chip," she whispered. "Chip, where are you? What happened?"

"I - uh - do not know-"

She looked around, but she did not see him. "Well, where are you?"

"I'm here," he said, but he hesitated. "Well. Sort of, I guess."

His voice was just beneath her. She looked down. What she saw left her puzzled. A small teacup, just before her skirt. It jumped slightly. She gasped and smacked her hand against her chest and she made sight of the golden sketch of eyes and lips on the small, porcelain teacup.

"Chip," she gasped. She fell onto the ground, careful not to sweep the cup into the fabric of her skirt. Her palms pressed against the floor. "What on earth happened to you?"

She heard quiet tapping noises. As she observed Chip, she looked up. In front of her was an array of objects. A candlestick, a clock, and a teapot. Fluttering above them, a duster.

She called out and staggered backwards, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. The objects moved forward, and their expressions were of sorrowful relief.

"Oh, thank goodness you were not affected," the teapot said.

"Missus Potts," she breathed.

"We feared the worst for you, mademoiselle!" the candlestick said.

"Lumiere?" she questioned. She looked up. "Plumette. Cogsworth - what has happened?"

She touched her hand to her forehead. She swallowed and fell back against the floor, her hands slick with sweat.

"I must have fallen and hit my head," she whispered. "I must have - I - I need to wake up."

"I'm afraid that you are already awake," Lumiere said sadly. "This... is all very much real."

She shook her head. She moved again to sit on her knees. The objects gathered around her. Chip, looking afraid and frail, made her hold out her hand. He hopped gently into her palm. She stared at him with wide, sad eyes.

"But how?"

"A curse," Cogsworth answered. "A curse placed upon the palace by an enchantress."

"And enchantress?" she asked. "I didn't know such things existed. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, I am in a castle and friends with a Prince-"

She stopped midsentence.

"The Prince. Where is he?"

They were rushing down the halls. The objects had a hard time keeping up with her long strides as she ran through the hallway as fast as she was able. He was in the west wing. They stopped breathlessly as she jumped onto the second step of the staircase and bounded upwards.

"Mademoiselle!" Lumiere called nervously. "Please, you must know-"

"I don't care what he looks like, I have to find him," she argued. She went up the stairs without him.

Her hair was messy and her gown was wrinkled. She held it up far higher than what was considered ladylike, but for once, she did not care. Her forehead grew more damp as the nervous sweat trickled from her hairline.

She entered the dark west wing. All of the usual candles that lit the room were blown out. It would have been impossible to see anything, were the window not open and the sky blue enough to bring some light in.

She saw a figure move slightly in the shadows. It looked as if it was curled in around itself, its hands brought to its head in anguish. She stood a few feet away, her hands twisting nervously on a ribbon on her gown.

"Your majesty," she breathed.

"____?" It was him, but it wasn't. His voice was deeper and followed a long and rumbling growl. "Don't - don't come closer."

She didn't. "I came to see if you were all right."

He growled. "I'm a monster."

She felt her eyes wet and shook her head. "I can't see you, your majesty."

"You shouldn't," he insisted.

"Please," she pleaded, "let me help you."

"I am beyond help," he said. He growled again. "There's nothing that can be done!"

As if to prove his point, he untangled himself from his position of anguish and stepped out of the shadows. In the dim blue light, he was merely half a silhouette, but she saw his eyes. Hauntingly familiar blue eyes.

She felt the breath leave her lungs in a rush.