My Candle in the Darkness ~ A Beauty and the Beast fanfiction

Chapter IV

"I don't understand why you're all being so kind to us," I told Mrs. Potts. She was sitting on her rolling table, rolling with Belle and me as we returned to our rooms.

"Surely you're as trapped her as we are," Belle added. "Don't you ever want to escape?"

"The Master is not as terrible as he appears," Mrs. Potts said. "Somewhere, deep in his soul there is a prince... of a fellow," she added quickly, "just waiting to be set free."

"Lumière mentioned something about the West Wing," Belle said, looking around curiously.

"Never you mind about that," Mrs. Potts said. "Off to bed with you, puppets."

"Good night," Belle and I told Mrs. Potts.

"Nighty night," she replied and Belle and I climbed the stairs.

"Don't you want to know what's in the West Wing?" Belle asked.

"Not really," I told her honestly. "It's probably as creepy as the rest of the castle." My curiosity for the mysterious wing had faded.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Belle said, but she sounded a little absent-minded.

We arrived in the hall to our rooms. We stopped walking and looked at each other.

"Good night," I told Belle.

"Good night," she said and we each entered our own rooms.

I heard soft snoring as I closed the door behind my back and saw that Monsieur Armoire was sleeping. I quietly slid into bed and pulled the covers around me. I was too tired to change my clothes and immediately fell asleep. It had been a very tiresome day.

A flash of light... Music in the background. The sound of people laughing and chatting. The feeling of someone's hand in mine and the other on my waist. Then — in the blinding light — a dark shape that began to form... a rose.

I opened my eyes and shot up. It took me a while to realise I was in the Beast's castle and not in Belle's and Maurice's house or my own house. Why did that dream keep coming back? It used to be exactly the same dream every time, but now it kept changin. The same dream, but something else happened in it every time.

I got out of bed and noticed Monsieur Armoire was still asleep. I wondered how long I had slept.

Grabbing a cloak, I left my room and wondered if I should see if Belle was awake. I immediately rejected that idea. No, she was probably asleep.

So I decided to explore the castle. I couldn't set my mind of that ballroom, so I descended the stairs.

"Checkmate, again," I heard someone say and recognised Lumière's voice. I walked towards the origin and saw Lumière and Cogsworth playing chess on a table. They were standing on the hand railing of the chairs and the chess pieces were almost as big as their hands.

"Hello," I greeted them, walking closer. I saw Froufrou, the dog, laying on his back next to the table.

"Âllo, Alex," Lumière greeted me. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah, sort of," I told him.

"Then you can help me," Cogsworth said. "I am absolutely sure he is cheating."

"I am not!" Lumière protested.

"We shall see," I chuckled and grabbed another chair. I made sure that I didn't accidentally step on Froufrou and put the chair down, watching Lumière and Cogsworth move the chess pieces.

"I noticed you had changed into other clothes," Lumière told me, moving his black horse. "Might I ask why?"

I frowned. "I don't really like dresses. They're very uncomfortable, but you wouldn't know that, of course."