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

The Returning Hero and the New Girl In Town

It was a quiet day in mid-spring when the inventor Maurice and his headstrong daughter Belle arrived in the small provincial town of Villeneuve. It was still quite early when they arrived in town so they had all day to settle into their new home, a cozy little cottage on the edge of the village.

They unhitched Philippe the horse from the wagon and began unloading their belongings, Belle happy to stretch her legs after the long journey. However, though long, it had been pleasant, chatting with her father, taking in the French countryside, and of course, reading.

Belle immediately fell in love with the cozy feeling of their new cottage, and hoped that the town itself would prove the same charm.

Later that day, a friendly face from in town came and introduced himself. "I am Père Robert," he said. "The local chaplain. Welcome to Villeneuve." Father and daughter thanked him for his welcome.

They spent the rest of the day unpacking and settling in. The following day there was still more to do but, taking a break, Maurice and Belle decided to take a walk around town. When they did they found the streets crowded with people, everyone in town it seemed, all standing on either side of the road. Confused, they were happy when they found Père Robert standing amongst the crowd.

"What is going on?" Maurice asked.

"One of the men from town has been serving in the army, and is now returning for good," the chaplain explained. "He's a very popular figure here to say the least, so everyone is very excited for his return. He should be arriving very soon."

Curious, they watched and waited along with the rest of the town, and a few minutes later a great cheer went up through the crowd. Belle peered over everyone's heads to try and see, and finally saw a man on horseback making his way down the road. He was tall and strong-looking and sat on a large horse, and was dressed in military uniform.

"Gaston! Gaston! Gaston!" The crowd cheered over and over. The man, very handsome she couldn't help but notice, sat on his horse, head held high, smiling and waving to the crowd, soaking up their praise. Belle quickly got a sense of arrogance from him.

As he rode through the cheering town, Gaston heaved a content sigh. Ah, it was good to be home. Then he stopped his smiles and waves suddenly and stared; he couldn't help it. An unfamiliar young woman stood amongst the crowd, looking curious. He didn't recognize her, and guessed that she had arrived in town while he was away - and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

At last the horse and rider arrived at the tavern where a teary-eyed Madame LeBlanc was waiting for him, Pere Robert and LeFou at her side.

LeFou stepped forward as Gaston dismounted. "How does it feel to be home?" But his friend was too distracted to answer.

"LeFou, who is that young woman?" Gaston asked his friend immediately, nodding to the beautiful brunette in the crowd.

LeFou, a little taken aback by his question, looked to see that he meant the new girl. "Oh, that's Belle, she and her father just moved to town-"

"Belle," Gaston breathed, not hearing the rest of LeFou's explanation. "What a perfectly fitting name. She's gorgeous."

"Oh it's so good to finally have you home!" Madame LeBlanc cried, throwing her arms around him, snapping him from his trance. He hugged her back.

"Welcome home, Captain," Père Robert said, shaking his hand.

Gaston gave a speech to the crowd, speaking of the goodness of his return, and announced that there would be a celebration that evening in the tavern. This received cheers from the crowd. Belle quickly tired of his boasting about himself, and she and her father returned home to continue unpacking.

When the crowd began to disperse Gaston searched for the young woman, but she had disappeared.

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The following day after a night of celebrating his return with his fellow villagers, Gaston strode through town. It hadn't changed much since he had been here last.

That was when he spotted her, also making her way through town, the beautiful newcomer. Belle. He smiled as he once again thought of how fitting her name was. He checked himself in the mirror at the hat shop, and, pleased with what he saw, he made his way over to her.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle," he said, coming up behind her.

She turned and smiled, a smile which made his heart skip. "Bonjour Monsieur."

"We have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. I'm Gaston, perhaps you've heard of me."

She nodded. "Yes, you are the army officer who's returned from the front."

He chuckled with pride. "Yes, war hero, expert hunter, and the most eligible bachelor in all of Villeneuve," he hinted.

Belle certainly didn't miss his hint. Yes, just as arrogant as she had thought. "I'm Belle."

"An absolute pleasure to meet you Belle." To her surprise he scooped up her hand and kissed the back of it. She was a little taken aback by his forwardness. "And may I say that you are absolutely beautiful."

"Oh, um - thank you." She drew her hand back.

He kept advancing. "How long have you been in town?"

"Just a couple of days."

"Ah, well then allow me to show you around town, help you familiarize yourself with everything here."

"Perhaps," she said. "But my father and I are still very busy settling in at the moment. Thank you though, for the offer. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some errands to run."

Gaston smiled as he watched her. He was so distracted he barely noticed LeFou's sudden presence.

"LeFou, I'm getting married!" he announced.

"Oh!" LeFou cried. That had been quick, Gaston hadn't even been home a whole day. "And, who is the lucky woman?"

Gaston grinned. "Our newest arrival."

LeFou's eyes widened. "The inventor's daughter?! But she-"

"Yes, she's the one, the lucky girl I'm going to marry!" There was that familiar determination in his voice. From that day forward, it was decided: Gaston was going to marry Belle, and he would achieve this, no matter what.

("Right from the moment when I met her, saw her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell!" Haha, more song references! Thanks so much for reading and patiently waiting for an update while I was away! :))