Beauty and the Beast

Gaston VS The Beast

Adeline and Calliope ride Philippe towards the castle. She kicks his flanks and they double their speed. Adeline races up the stairs to the turret, having her sister stay behind so she doesn't get hurt.

Hello, beast. I am Gaston. Adeline sent me. Gaston steps slowly up onto the beast's turret. The beast senses his presence, turns. They lock eyes. Gaston cocks his pistol. With no hope left, the beast turns away from Gaston, whose finger tightens on the trigger. Were you in love with her? Did you honestly think she'd want you?

He fires. The beast drops over the edge.

On the turret below, his claws make contact with the slanted rooftop and break his fall. He hugs the rooftop, heaving. Gaston looks down over the edge of the turret. He pulls his crossbow and reaches back over his shoulder to draw an arrow from his quiver... but there's nothing there.

Gaston spins to see Adeline, and his arrows gripped in her hands.

Adeline?

Where is he?!

With that, Adeline snaps Gaston's arrows over her knee, and tosses them away. Gaston grabs her arm.

When we return to the village, you will marry me, and the beast's head will hang on our wall!

NEVER!

She pulls away and uses this pivot to grab the barrel of Gaston's pistol. They struggle. With Gaston on the back foot for a split second, Adeline yanks the pistol hard. Gaston, not letting go, swings with it, and seeking balance on a loose stone, he drops off the side of the turret!
Gaston's reflexes are quick. He lets go of the pistol, grabbing a gargoyle and swinging himself down through a window of the turret. He lands on the spiral staircase.

Gaston's pistol, in the meantime, clatters down, coming to rest on the landing of a stone footbridge below.

Wounded, the beast climbs around the lower turret. All around
him, turrets quaver and crack. The castle is imploding.

I'm coming for you, beast!

Gaston continues down until he reaches the bottom of the spiral staircase. He drops to a window box below, and jumps sideways onto another.

The beast makes a second leap, onto another parapet. Tiles slide away beneath him as he scrambles to hang on.

Adeline reaches the landing at the bottom of the spiral staircase, and leaps down onto another adjacent landing. She looks out, trying to see the beast through the turrets.

The beast swings around a third parapet and leaps onto another. He's now as far as he can get from Gaston.
Finally, Adeline reaches a point where she can see the beast on the faraway turret. She screams out as his grip slips.

NO!

The beast's head turns.

Adeline?

And he spots her.

ADELINE!

You came back!

I tried to stop them!

Stay there! I'm coming!

Gaston drops onto the walkway lined with gargoyles, landing directly between the beast and Adeline. He sneers the upper hand is still his. His eyes search for a weapon... he grabs a stone spire, and breaks it off.

With superhuman agility, the beast makes a giant leap from the far parapet back toward the central turrets. Back toward Adeline.

Adeline descends the stairs, finally reaching the beast's lair. The beast lands on the gargoyle walk and Gaston jumps out, bringing his club cracking down on the beast's back. The beast roars in pain. But he pushes past Gaston.