ma bête

[beheld_beauty]

Beast seems to be sleeping in a bit this morning. Perhaps he has had a good dream. Belle can study on her own, anyway.

Comments

[deslandes]

"I hardly remember what it was like to dream of anything else."

[beheld_beauty]

"Well," says Belle, "now you have. I wonder if it will happen again."

[deslandes]

"I'd like that."

[beheld_beauty]

Belle reads on for many hours. And finally she says, "I need some air. Want to come with me for a walk and see how far the forest will let us get?"

[deslandes]

He perks up. "Yes!"

[beheld_beauty]

Up she gets, out they go.

Belle sets a sedate pace. Any attempt at a brisk walk, let alone a jog or a run, will see her faceplanting in the deep litter on the ground of the forest, but she can keep her feet if she's careful and goes slowly.

[deslandes]

"It's never let me get even this far before," he says. "That was why I broke the gate."

[beheld_beauty]

"It'll turn us around inside of a few minutes, maybe sooner, but I can usually get that far," Belle says.

[deslandes]

"I love you," says the Beast.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle laughs. "This is an odd time to mention it, why just then?"

[deslandes]

"It's not odd at all, why is it odd?"

[beheld_beauty]

"It's not - topical. Is it?"

[deslandes]

"The castle lets you out. The castle let me out, with you."

[beheld_beauty]

"...And?"

[deslandes]

"...And I love you."

[beheld_beauty]

"I don't see how the things are related," laughs Belle.

[deslandes]

"Well, I don't know how to explain," snorts the Beast.

[beheld_beauty]

"All right then."

Stroll-stroll-stroll, there's the castle again, turn, stroll-stroll-there is a strange glow in that direction, a strange crackling sound -

[deslandes]

"Fire," says the Beast.

[beheld_beauty]

"Yes - has this happened before - is the castle safe? -"

[deslandes]

"Yes - yes - safer than here. But we have to hurry."

And he scoops her into his arms and bounds off toward the gate.

[beheld_beauty]

She doesn't protest. She certainly can't run.

But the fire is very swift. It hasn't rained in a while, now...

[deslandes]

And when they reach the walls, there's not much they can do to shut out the fire, and the way across the yard to the castle is thick with rosebushes.

He puts her down to claw his way through them. Going around would take even longer.

[beheld_beauty]

Belle doesn't know a spell for this, she's been so focused on disenchantment that she knows nothing about managing the elements, she is certainly not yet advanced enough to invent something on the fly -

"Beast," she murmurs when the fire is close enough that she feels sunburnt and he's only halfway through the bushes.

[deslandes]

He growls.