Beauty And The Beast (bxb)

Chapter 39

Adam looked at Beau with disbelief in his eyes. No. He couldn't have left him just like that. It was impossible. The room had turned silent and coldness reigned. The wind blew through the window snuffing out the candles that had been burning silently.

"Master..." James whispered afraid that any louder would trigger something more violent.

"Out," Adam whispered the order not looking up from Beau's face.

"But..." Mrs Potts looked hesitantly at James worried for Adam.

"Out!" Roared Adam as he lifted the nearest thing next to him and threw to the ground. The rest gasped in surprise and stared at Adam in sadness and hurt.

"Now now, let's give Master some time." Mr Clok said as he started ushering everyone out as he looked at Mrs Potts with a worried frown as they cleared out the room.

A glance back to the room revealed shattered glass and petals scattered all around the floor in a mess of destruction. It was the bell jar that had been smashed down, shattered into pieces that glittered on the floor in the dull light that shown dimly through the overcast gloom of the sky. With a small click, the room, at last, descended into despair.

He was falling apart now that no one could see him. He slowly gathered Beau's slowly cooling hand and brought it to his forehead as the first of the tears escaped his eyes.

"Beau."

It was a long time that he sat there, in the pain and numbness assaulted him. Everything seemed so inconsequential now. This place, this curse, this life. It felt all so pale. The feeling he had called love with Anna seemed a washed-out blur in front of what he had felt, no, still felt for Beau. Now that he had lost him, the agony of regret tore through him.

Why? Why had he hesitated for so long? The matter of him remaining forever a beast now didn't even faze him a bit. Rather he would live as a beast this life and next if it could bring Beau back. It didn't matter what he had to be, he could be it all for Beau.

A lonely howl echoed through the castle. Down at the kitchen, James looked at Mrs Potts and Mr Clok in distress. How would he like to do something to help Adam. Mrs Potts glanced to the direction of the room and sighed.

"It'll be fine. He'll be fine." Mr Clok replied to the unasked question, but the conviction in his own words dwindled down and altogether disappeared in the end.

Hours passed as dusk settled into a bleak night. No one slept that night. The castle felt like a tomb. The invaders had long since disappeared and no one knew where or why. But it long since had lost any priority. In the kitchen, no one had moved an inch all lost in their own thoughts.

"Ma, what will happen to us now?" a small whisper broke through the silence and Mrs Potts looked down to see the scared eyes of her little one.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"Will we remain as pottery forever now?" the small voice got smaller.

Mrs Potts looked down on despair. She wished that she could give her child any other answer but there simply wasn't. All she could give was a painful smile in an attempt to comfort. Looking at her effort, her little one smiled back. James looked away not able to take anymore. Uncertainty was always something that they had lived with but hope also was something that had glimmered at the distance no matter how pale it had shown, it was something that was still there at the end of the road. Now that that also had been taken away, nothing but endless darkness laid ahead. If it all looked so dark for them, he couldn't fathom what his Master was feeling now that his loved one was taken away forever and also his only chance to take back the life that he once owned.

The silence didn't last long when suddenly loud band were heard. James looked confused as he slowly got up but then rushed as the intensity just increased. Outside, in the furious winds stood Martha and Ivan. Both looked more than just worse. They looked like they had bee to hell and back.

"What the hell is he doing here again?" James growled in anger when he saw Ivan just standing there after all that has happened.

"How dare you even show your face here?" James roared as he got ready to pounce on Ivan.

"Its all your fault that master is now like this! It's all your fault that Beau is now dea..." He choked up at the end the words dying as fury turned into sorrow. His so-called chest hurt, twisting in pain as tears in the form of melted wax flowed down the sides. Ivan looked at James in pure shock. Dead?

Martha too stood confused as she stared at James. She hadn't heard it right had she? Dea...? Dead? With the ruckus came Mrs Potts, who understood that was happening in a few moments.

"Martha dear." She said softly. "Let's go in," she said as she tried to get her inside.

"No. Tell me I heard it wrong. Dead? James is just joking, right? He is just... joking. Right?" Martha asked desperately, her eyes begging the truth.

"I'm sorry dear." Mrs Potts looked at Martha understanding the need for being frank and looked down.

"It's all his fault." James hissed in hate. "If he had never taken you and Beau out this would have never happened."

Ivan not once lifted his head once while Martha had broken down crying. Instead, accepted every word that was thrown his way.

"How?" Martha's small voice drifted out of her hands that covered her face.

"He died trying to save Adam." Mrs Potts softly replied as she tried to hold back James. "When one of the townspeople tried to kill Adam, he took the dagger instead."

Martha choked as sobs shook her frame as she sank to the ground in despair.

Just then Mr Clok came in to see the scene. Mrs Potts looked at him in hopes of holding back James but to her shock, he launched himself at Ivan.

"Dirty traitor! How dare you come back here? Wasn't it enough that you lead the humans here? Beau had saved you and now he is dead. Is this what he deserved as your saviour?"

"What?" Mrs Potts snapped her head back to Ivan in shock as she let go of James. He had led the humans here? How could he?

"How could you?" Came a low whisper from the ground and everyone looked down to see Martha shellshocked. She slowly stood up
"How could you?" She staggered to Ivan and pulled him by his top as she shook him.
"How could you?" She shouted livid at him, at herself that she had trusted him.
"Martha..." Came a broken whisper from Ivan.
"How could you? He saved you! You knew how much they hated him. Hated me. How could you?" She cried out as she pushed him away from her.
"Get out." She said, her voice quiet in her rage.
"Out!"
Ivan looked at Martha in pain at her suffering. At what he had done.
"Okay." He whispered as agony coursed through him and he walked out.