The Dreamer and the Hunter - A Beauty and the Beast Story

An Act of Kindness

"I'm exhausted!" Belle announced upon returning home from her visit to the tavern. Maurice looked up from the gears he was fiddling with and smiled. "Gaston certainly doesn't run out of things to say," she continued. "Especially if the topic is himself."

"But you had a nice time?"

"Yes," she admitted, almost surprised at the realization that she had, in fact, enjoyed herself for the most part. "It was interesting, hearing all his stories, seeing some of his way of life."

"See, you may come to thank me for persuading you to give him another chance."

She gave him a look. "Don't get too excited, Papa. This doesn't mean anything." Only that, she added to herself, hopefully he would keep his distance and settle for friends."

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On her way home from running errands the next morning, Belle saw something she hadn't seen before. A woman dressed in rags was standing along the road begging, but everyone who passed by just ignored her, didn't even give her so much as a glance. She had heard chatter around town of the village spinster, forced to beg for spare coins and food scraps in the streets, and apparently who lived alone in the woods. Guess Gaston was right, that is what happened to spinsters in the village. But Belle couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman, especially how she was being completely and utterly ignored, like she was nothing.

"Spare coins? Please, have you got any spare coins?" the woman asked over and over, but in vain.

Belle approached her, reaching into her dress pocket and withdrawing a few coins she had leftover from her morning errands. She held them out to the woman and gave her a warm smile. "Here you are." The woman looked utterly shocked that someone had actually even noticed her. "Please." Belle placed the coins in her hands.

She stared down at them, and then back at Belle. The shock gradually fell away and a smile formed on her lips. "T-thank you, Miss. T-that is very kind of you."

"My pleasure, I'm happy to help. I'm Belle."

"Agathe-" She cut herself off and suddenly appeared nervous. Belle turned to see a small crowd had accumulated around them, staring and gossiping. She sighed - classic village behaviour.

"Belle!" Oh no, and there was Gaston, coming through the crowd, LeFou in tow as usual. Gaston looked from her to Agathe, then back again. "What are you doing?" he said.

What does it look like? "I was just talking with-"

She was cut off as he put an arm around her shoulders. "Let me give you some advice," he said, steering her away from Agathe. "If you want to gain the respect of your fellow villagers, you don't meddle in the affairs of spinsters." He smiled at the crowd and waved them away. And just like that it was as if nothing had happened.

She managed to squirm loose from his grasp. "I was only helping her, trying to be kind unlike everyone else."

"Oh Belle, again, too kind and generous for your own good. It's just the way things are here."

"Well just because it's the way things are done doesn't mean it's right."

He sighed. "Belle, I am only trying to help you understand our way of life here-"

"Well I was only trying to help her!" And with that she stormed away and into the cottage.

Maurice noticed her frustration right away, and she related the event to him.

"Oh it just made me so mad! You're right Papa, this town is extremely small-minded."

"Well maybe all it needs is someone to help open its mind," he hinted. "You know," he said, smiling fondly. "Your mother was fearless. A reader and thinker just like you, very clever, very kind. And people judged her for it, that is, until they all began to look up to her."

Belle couldn't help but smile a little at this. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it to have the village be even a little more accepting of new ideas. Gaston had said that they would never accept the kind of change she was trying to bring. She would just have to make them trust it.

(Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading! :))