Tale as Old as Time | ✓

Cinderella

The Beast growled out at Ella's touch and she retrieved her hand, "That hurts!" The Beast roared at her as she tried to apply medicine to his wounded area on his arm. Ella scrunched her face in anger as she replied, "If you held still, it wouldn't hurt as much." The Beast scowled at her as he spoke, "If you hadn't run away, none of this would've happened." Ella's eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief, "If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!"

The Beast scoffed at her reply as he looked at her, "Well, you shouldn't have been in the west wing!" Ella scowled as she spoke, "Well, you should learn to control your temper." The Beast huffed in anger as he turned around in his bed and faced the wall. Ella's scowl deepened as she saw his childishness. Her face scrunched up at the wound on his back as she tried to touch it, but retrieved her hand as she knew it would hurt him. She stood up from his bed as she spoke, "Try to get some rest."

She walked towards the door as she heard Mrs. Potts speak, "Thank you, miss." She stopped in front of them as Lumière bowed down in front of her, "We are eternally grateful." The Beast had fallen asleep as she looked back at him. She placed the cloth on the table and asked them, "Why do you care about him so much?"

Mrs. Potts, Mr. Cogsworth stood on the table as Mrs. Potts replied, "We have looked after him all his life." Ella tried making sense of thigs as she said, "But, he's cursed you somehow. Why?" She shrugged at them as she asked, "You have done nothing."

Mrs. Potts nodded at her as she spoke, "You're quite right there, dear." Mrs. Potts's expressions saddened as she looked at her, "You see, when the Master lost his mother and his cruel father took that sweet innocent lad, and twisted him to be just like him. We did nothing." She shook her head in shame and Ella turned to look at him and her heart broke at his self.

Lumière turned around as he motioned everyone to move out of the room, "Let him sleep." Ella left the room reluctantly as her heart constricted.

~~~

Ella walked back to her room as she thought of the love and hope that was still present in the castle even though there was so much sorrow. She reached the end of her hallway and entered the room, she looked at the snoring Madame Garderobe and her heart broke at the amount of pain all these living beings had to endure because of one cruel human being. The Beast's father reminded her of her own evil stepmother but, even though Lady Tremaine treated Ella this way she never treated her own daughters so badly. How twisted can a person be if they treated their own child this way? she thought as she stared out the window.

She had discovered that a person could be crueller than she had witnessed in her life and she knew she had to be more grateful of how the things were for her. She became wise and stronger than she ever was as she decided to help them out. She went to bed with a new purpose in her mind, even though she wasn't free from the castle.

The next morning as the sun shined brightly, Ella woke up and freshened herself as she and the servants made their way to the Beast's bedroom. She smiled at them and greeted them, "Good morning!" with a cheerful voice and they entered the bedroom to find Beast still asleep. She strode over to his bed and leaned on his bed to check his body temperature. She touched his forehead and found his body temperature had gone back to normal. She sighed in delight as she told the others the good news and sat at the couch, waiting for him to wake up. She leaned in front of the servants standing in front of her as she asked, "I want to help you out. What can I do?"

The servants looked baffled as they stared at her and then Mr. Cogsworth stepped towards her as he started, "Well, there's one way to help." Lumière pulled Mr. Cogsworth back by his arm as he smiled at her nervously. Ella looked at them confusingly as Mrs. Potts answered her question, "Dear, you needn't worry about that." Ella looked at her to continue, "We made our bed and we must lie in it." Ella frowned as she stared at her and then her gaze fell upon the rose in the balcony and she looked at it.

She turned towards them as she asked, "What happens when the last petal falls?" Lumière gestured at her as he spoke, "The Master remains a beast forever. And we become.." Mrs. Potts finishes his sentence as she says, "Antiques."

"Knick Knacks." Lumière relied shrugging.

"Lightly used houseware." Plumette replied flying around them

Mr. Cogsworth stepped forward as he spat out, "Rubbish."

"We become rubbish."

Ella sighed as she looked at the rose and saw another petal fall down and burn to ash.

~~~

"Love can transpose to form and dignity." Ella sat next to the Beast's bed as she spoke her favourite quotes and combed through her hair. She absentmindedly looked ahead, unaware as the Beast stirred in his sleep at her beautiful voice and didn't stop her as she continued reciting, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind."

The Beast turned towards her as she looked at her and interrupted, "And, therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." He finished for her and gasped as she turned towards him. He sat up slowly in his bed as he groaned a little at the pain.

"You know Shakespeare?" Ella asked as she looked at him. The Beast held his hand as he replied, "I had an expensive education."

"Actually, Romeo and Juliet is my favourite play." Ella replied as she shrugged at him. The Beast huffed in annoyance as he fell back into the bed, "Ugh, why is that not a surprise?" He asked out loud. Ella seemed startled at his actions and she blinked in surprise as she asked him, "I'm sorry?"

The Beast tugged on his blanket as he answered her question, "Well, you know that heartache," He scrunched his face as he continued, "Pining, and blah,,blahh" He replied as he made weird vomiting faces at the love related words. Ella gaped at him as she saw his expressions.

"So many better things to read." He muttered finally as he was done with the vomiting expressions. Ella chuckled at him as she asked, "Like what?" She stared at him in disbelief.

The Beast stood up from the bed and freshened up as Ella waited for him to get ready. After he was done, they walked out of his bedroom and made their way towards a hallway to their right. As they reached the end of the hallway, the Beast opened up a door leading to a room. He walked inside and Ella followed suit.

"Well, there are a couple of things in here, which you could start." The Beast said as he walked towards a book shelf."

Ella entered the room and halted in her steps as she stared at the long, high shelfs covering the walls of the room and books stalked up in them. Her eyes widened as she saw the books in the room. He had his own library, and she struggled to find a good book to read. It was as if her dream had come true as everywhere she looked she saw heaps of books. She struggled to speak when he asked her, "You alright?" She turned towards him as her face lit up with so many emotions, she was overwhelmed with happiness and excitement as she replied, "Its wonderful!"

The Beast looked around in the library as he realised the beauty of the library, "Yes, I suppose it is." He saw as Ella looked around the library with a gleam in her eyes and he smiled at her as she turned to look at him.

He shrugged at her as he started, "Well, if you like it so much, then it's yours." He nodded at her as she smiled at him with a confused expression. He turned around as he walked towards a shelf. He heard her speak, "Have you read every one of these books?" He turned around as he saw her standing with her arms folded.

"What?" He asked her as the question confused him but, then he shrugged at her as he replied, "Well, not all of them." He scoffed at her question playfully as he spoke, "Some of them are in Greek."

Ella chuckled at him as she asked him, "Was that a joke?" She looked at him with a funny expression as she asked him, "Are you making jokes now?" The Beast looked at her nervously as he slowly nodded his head at her and looked anywhere but her as he replied, "Maybe." He shrugged as he walked towards the book shelf and Ella chuckled at his childishness.

~~~