Time turner ⚜️prince Adam ⚜️

Curse

I teased Adam for hours. He stayed in my new room arguing what he meant by could have and couldn't haves. I tried to argue that I wanted the west wing. I thought he was going to take my head off at first. I had only been joking of course. The west wing was his and I wasn't going to take it.

We settled on the kitchen being mine, and the small bridge crossing the frozen lake. I say 'we' but it was more Adam declaring they were now mine and i could do anything in the castle whenever I wanted.

So I explore. Adam doesn't object either, he follows me around answering my questions or pointing out what is behind doors that I don't bother to look through. But the room that holds my attention longest is the ballroom. It is amazing. The grand room holds large chandlers that hang in intervals along the sides out of the way of the main floor. Unintentionally I giggle stepping into the center of the room to spin, arms wide head back letting my dress flare around me. "Do you dance?" Adam asks from the steps of the dais where a throne like chair sits. "I do what I can, my knee prevents me from dancing much." I tell him tapping the metal around my knee. He grimaces at it.

"Does it hurt?" I shake my head. "Not often unless I do it up to tight. The pain is usually from the muscle and bone I'm damaging more by walking." Stride up to the throne sitting in it with a very unladylike slouch and my feet tossed over the arm scowling at the middle of the room. "I can't imagine sitting on this chair and thinking that I'm better than anyone that could stand below. It just seems..." I can't think of the right word. "Inhumane?" I nod slowly. "Let's go have lunch." I toss my legs back into solid ground. My bare feet slapping against stone. Adam offers me his elbow in a gentlemanly fashion. A smile creases my face as I delicately set my hand on his arm. His fur is soft.

The walk is quiet. It's peaceful. The dining room suddenly seems empty as we enter, that emptiness hollowing out my chest. "Can we eat by the fireplace? It seems to empty in here." I question shyly. He looks up around the room seeming to take in the large space as well. "Yes, I suppose it is." I walk into the kitchen leaving Adam to do whatever he does. I take a pot filling it with water for tea and then collect up everything to make simple sandwiches, we've eaten soup to many times.

"You never told me your name." I jump. Turning slowly I brace my hands against the counter steadying myself. I take deep breaths to slow my heart back down. "No I guess I didn't did I?" I nod looking down at my bare feet, the hem of my dress at my ankles.

"Océana. Océana dell." I nod again looking back up to meet Adams blue eyed stare. He mutters it a few times getting it to roll off his tongue before nodding. "It's beautiful." I blush furiously looking down as a smile ghosts my face.

CRASH!

I screech in fright, my hand flying to my mouth. Adam looks to me, then towards the source of the noise. "I'm sorry." He nods going to walk out of the kitchen when a golden blur runs in disappearing around the sink. I scurry to Adam, hiding behind his large frame.

"Master! Has the curse been Broken?" Comes a strong French accent taking me by surprise, there is no one else in the castle. Not to my knowledge anyway.

"Lumière?" Adam questions. I peer around Adam trying to see the person speaking. "But of course. Where is belle?" This catches my interest. "I let her go. She went free. She never came back." He speaks sadly. He loves belle.

I step around Adam now looking for a person but there is no one- "bonjour!" I jump turning to the counter. A small man of gold stands on its surface, his hands are candles and so is the top of his head.

I tip my head in awe staring at him. "Master! Who is this?" He asks a smile taking over his golden face. "Lumière. This is Océana. Océana, meet lumière, one of my staff." I look between the two of them confused. "Wait, a candlestick is a person and a part of your staff?" Lumière clears his throat.

"Candel-a-bra." He corrects. I shake my head. "Close enough." Adam watches us with an amused expression. "Does this have something to do with the dead rose upstairs?" The pair shared a look, cutting my from their silent conversation. "What?" I ask, unease seeping into my nerves.

"The rose died, we became junk yet here I am. How can this be?" Lumière seems more confused than I. The two quickly take to the stairs. "What?" I demand.

I follow running after them. My limp slows me. I watch them vanish around the winding stairs me as close behind as I can be. "Wait!" I stumble, cutting my hands up on the stones. "Wait!" I crawl for a moment scrambling to my feet and up the last turn of stairs I shoulder the door open stumbling up behind Adam who reaches out, his eyes glued to the glass vase while I take his hand to steady myself.

Inside the vase, holding the dead rose. A single petal unfurls becoming a rich pinkish red and floats back up into the stem.