Chapter 5:
Written by @mariska98
Edited by @QueenOfGeeks

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"Get out!"
Gaston could still hear the prince yelling from yards away as he fled. His fragile body finding each step to be more difficult then the last, but still he ran as fast as his tired feet could carry him.

Collapsing, he had eventually given up; his body hit the forrest ground so suddenly that he managed to scare the living daylights out of a small squirrel family.

The inviting darkness of sleep enveloped Gaston as he lay there; a mixture of mud, and leaves clinging to him like a second coat.
Sleep. His only comfort that hadn't changed after the curse took over his existence.

_______

The ball of rage the prince had felt pent up within him had yet to subside since he had found that monster inside his castle.

"How could you do such a thing Mrs Potts?!"
He shrieked, a type of anger swirling within the blue eyed prince that he thought had dispersed with the rest of his beastly curse.
"How could you bring that thing into my palace after what he did to me? God... After what he nearly did to you and your son? He almost killed us all!"
Cried Adam, fists balling to his sides, it was all he could do not to walk around the kitchen smashing dishes in rage.

"Master, with all due respect..." She began. "I will not apologize for what I did, only that I hid it from you."
He ran his hands into his long strawberry blonde locks and pulled at his hair in frustration.
"Mrs Potts... I swear, any other monarch would execute for such insubordination!"

"Your not any other Monarch though." She had to stop herself from narrowing her eyes at him,
Remembering her place, she quieted, folding her hands behind her back and waiting to see what her boss would do next.
"True, but did you not think about how it would affect your position here?!?" Countered Adam. She had been too good to him for too many years for him to ever even consider having her executed, or even locked away.

"You may fire me if that is your will, but you still won't get an apology from me for saving his life your Grace." She said calmly but firmly.
"I... I won't fire you." He sighed, he loved this old woman too much to leave her jobless, especially after she was cursed to be a household object because of him.
"Can you tell me why? Help me to understand why you took in a man who wronged us so?"
He crossed his arms, anger subsiding just slightly.
She always had that affect on him, even when it was her that he was angry with.

"He would have died otherwise."
Her answer started off simple enough. "When that boy brought him here, Gaston was bleeding out from a Wolf fight. One that he was only got into to save the life of another. He was dying from trying to do a good deed.
As much as I hated him, I had to help."  Mrs Potts wiped her hands on her apron.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you would be too blinded by rage to see the state he was in.
You didn't see him when he got here...." She shook her head.
"Wounds aside, he was skin and bones. Starved and imprisoned in that forest by the same sorcery that trapped you. He has your curse yes, but that is all." She explained.
"No warm castle to protect him from the elements, or a team of enchanted servants to feed, bathe, and clothe him."
When provoked, Mrs Pots stood her ground as well as the woman he married.
"That is not my prob..." he tried to cut over her but she simply carried on.
"Do you remember your mass?"
The motherly woman posed.
"You nearly equaled a horse..." She thought back to the way the upstairs would creak with his every heavy step.
"When he got here he had riddled so far down to nothing that Monsieur Lafou carried him... carried him upstairs, like you carry my son. What was I supposed to do? Turn him away.
How did it work out for you the last time you turned someone away from the castle?"
She brought up, and he actually growled.
Turning away, he stormed out of the kitchen.

_________

Gaston suddenly found himself being surrounded by the burning torch flames of an angry mob. Looks of disgust poured upon him from all around as he tried to take in their faces, or find a reason for such hostility.
Some of the faces he recognized as villagers, a few were the highest of nobleman, but each bore the same look, hatred.

"We're not safe until he's dead"
One peasant villager said to another, as he shoved his flaming torch closer to Gaston, making the beast jump back in fright.

"He'll come stalking us at night,
Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!" The other agreed, his unkept teeth as sharp as a kitchen knife.

"No!" Gaston shouted, but it seemed that they did not hear him as the villagers continued to speak with one another.

Soon an evil laugh broke through the crowd and a hooded figure came into view. His long black cloak coving his face, but his torch burned brighter, and bigger then the rest.
"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free"
The figure begin to tirade as Gaston's stomach dropped. Something about this situation was oddly familiar.
"So it's time to take some action, boys" he called out to the crowd as he pointed at Gaston.
"It's time to follow me."

Without hesitation Gaston shoved four men to the ground as he took off further into the woods. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard them closing in fast behind.
"Hear him roar, see him foam
But we're not coming home 'til he's dead, Good and dead, Kill the Beast!!"

Gaston ran as he pushed back the pain that began to form in his aching and tired bones.
"Bring your guns, bring your knives
Save your children, and your wives"
The cloak familiar voice sang through the darkness as he ran faster then the rest of the villagers, and almost as fast as Gaston himself.
"We'll kill the Beast!"

"Raise the flag sing the song
Here we come, we're fifty strong" The figure waved at the slower mob members to hurry along.
Gaston felt a rough hand on his shoulder, and it jerked him back then threw him to the ground. He roared out in pain as the hard forest rooted cut deep into his thick skin.

Gaston rolled over to see the hooded figure looming over him alongside Lafou.
"Lafou! Thank god. Help me!" He comanded as he tried to stubble to his feet, but his own body defeated him.

Lafou looked down opon the beast with a never before seen satisfaction, as if he were actually happy to see Gaston in such agony as he turned to the mysterious figure with a twisted smile.  
"Fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong" The chilling, evil tune of Lafou sounded so distorted and unnatural.

"Let's kill the Beast"
The stranger agreed as he reached his hand to his waist, and pulled out a dagger.
Gaston froze as he looked up at the dagger. First out of fright, but then out of a cruel recognition. He realized the irony of his fate as the dagger was the same one that he himself stuck into another beast.
The odd,  familiar blade catching him completely off guard as the hooded figure held the weakened Gaston down, ripping off his disguise in the process.

The Air from Gaston's lungs seemed to be sucked from his body as he looked opon the face of his attacker. It was that which once matched his own. His own sky blue eyes were staring down on him with disgust.

"Please," The Beast, Gaston found himself begging as the dark haired villain raised his dagger with determination.

"Don't look so sad there Beast," The other Gaston said.
"I'm doing you a favor."

"Poor, lonely Gaston."
Lafou agreed kneeling down beside Gaston.
"You are still that whining orphan brat craving attention and love."

Human Gaston gave Lafou an aproving smile before he fixed his gaze back down to the Beast. "Do you think anyone could ever love you?"
He pointed sharply to the beast, motioning his hand over his furry body.
"When they had someone like me?" He showed off his perfect human smile as he flipped his dark locks with an arrogant pride.

"It's not like your worthy of anyone's love anyway."
Lafou spat as he nodded for Gaston to end it.
"Kill the beast."
__________

In the morning Prince Adam finally cooled down enough see the validity of his servants words; particularly her last ones. His selfish turning away of someone who needed help was what had gotten the poor woman cursed into a teapot for nearly a decade, he could see why his servants would be weary of repeating that same action, no matter who it was that needed aid. Hours had passed and though was still reeling from the sharp exchange of words he had shared with the woman who had practically raised him, he realized an apology was in order.
Hovering outside the secret entrance, he was about to step in when the strains of a particular conversation stopped him.

"Thank you for this Madam Potts, and you as well Chef..." It was the voice of that short, stout, exuberant man with the always rosy cheeks.
The sounds of Chef Bouche cooking and bustling around the kitchen was unmistakable.
"I could never afford to bring Gaston enough food in his beastly form on my military pension."
Lafou's words caused Adams fists to ball at his sides.
That blasted woman...

"Are you sure this is ok? I wouldn't want to upset the prince..."
Worried Lafou.
Well you did.
Thought Adam, just about ready to bust through the door and wring the neck of the chubby Frenchman.

"Though I don't know him very well, I have a lot of respect for him. He seems nice."
Said Lafou. Adam grumbled, he couldn't possibly pummel him after such a compliment.
"You let me worry about the prince dearie." Reassured Mrs Potts. "I was a teapot for 8 years, I never ate, so I do believe I have a few meals still owed. " She joked.

"He is a good man. The best man... but the beast is still within him, and when angered his better judgment is clouded. Or else he would be able to see just how important helping this man could be to him. That perhaps this act of ultimate compassion, could help him finally rid himself truly of the beast."

Adam was stunned by these words. Does she really believe that?

"Gaston...." hmmed the Chef, handing Lafou a basket.
"Gaston what?"
"Dubois." Answered Lafou. "His mother was a Dubois. I don't know who his father was...."
"Dubois?" repeated the Chef.
"Mrs Potts, didn't we once have a Dubois work here?"

Mrs Potts thought back.
"Yes, about 25 years ago...
Eleian Dubious, she was a Scullery maid." Answered Mrs Potts. It was hard to forget a girl so pretty.
"Yes.. That was Gastons mother.
She passed away from the fever when he was a lad." Added Lafou.
"Terribly sorry to hear that..." Nodded the chef. "She was quite a beautiful one, with the long dark hair..." Remembered Chef Bouche. "She quit so suddenly. Do you remember why?" He turned to Potts and asked.
"Yes she was unmarried and became with child. It was quite the scandal."

_____________

Rays of morning sun hit his dirt covered fur as he fought consciousness. He had awoken from his horrid nightmare hours ago, but still found it hard to fall completely back under, no matter how much he wanted too. Nevertheless he was not going to move, open his eyes or try to stand. He wanted to stay in the peaceful dark void of nothingness, forever.

"Gaston!" A voice could be heard, but it sounded far off, the Beast chose to ignore it.
"Gaston, get up!" The voice repeated, this time sounding rather annoyed with him. "Beast!" The voice, which he now recognized as Lafou called out. He could now feel himself being shaken awake.

"Leave me be!" Gaston grumbled through a weak, tired voice; still rather angry at the dream verson of his former comrade.
"Just go."

Lafou looked down onto Gaston with an almost pity.
His fur, which had been previously cleaned, and combed by the castle servants, was dirty and mangled with leaves.
His skinny beast form looked almost lifeless as it lay on the cold forest floor.
"I brought food."
Lafou stated factly, hating to admit that he knew his former "friend" all too well.

Much like Lafou expected, Gaston's lifeless eyes shot open as his stomach let out a large rumble. Gaston began sniffing the air and his eyes locked onto the large, brown basket that Lafou carried.
"Eggs?"
His low voice sounded oddly excited as he guessed the continents of the basket, his beast senses were hardly wrong.

"Five dozen eggs,"
Lafou, who if wasn't so angered, and hate filled with the blue eyed, self-invested monster man, would have cracked a smile.

Gaston didn't give so much as a thank you before roughly snatching the basket from Lafou and barbarically beginning eating the contents inside. His large beast claws tearing at the handmade food basket with such hostility that he tore it apart.

The taste of the phenomenal cooking that Gaston instantly recognized as have been done by the castle servants overloaded him, and his anger with Lafou subsided subsided with his hunger.

"How did you find me?" Gaston grumbled as he looked behind him. If Lafou could find him, so could the Prince.

"You have never been the best at covering your tracks Gaston. For a hunter you make an easy prey. If his highness wanted you caught, you would have been." Lafou stated matter of factly.

Gaston huffed off his comment.
"Why did you follow me" H3 asked bitterly as he handed back the now destroyed basket to Lafou who looked down opon it with disapproval.
"Honestly I have no true idea."
He answered as he leaned against a tree trunk for support, pondering Gaston's question.

"I know the Prince is right, and you don't deserve help after what you did... but I am going to help you. I know his highness will not like it, you will fight it, and I certainly won't enjoy it but I am going to help you break this curse, as I promised."

Gaston stood there in silence as the once shy, and squirmish man now talked with such clarity and confidence.
"But remember," he warned.
"I am not your lackie, and I will not be pushed around by anyone anymore, least of all you, so don't ever try to tell me what to do ever again."

With that he pushed himself off of the tree, and started down the path that he had came from, not caring what Gaston had to say about his comments.

"We will meet here every day at Noon." Lafou called out. "If you want to eat, I suggest you show."
                         

______________

A long forgotten memory so vivid had punched the prince in the gut. Hours later he sat alone is his chambers, still trembling from shock. He had turned from the kitchen and grabbed the stone wall, doubling over as the flashback the tender age of 3 played back in front of his eyes.
The confusing words his mother had spoken so long ago suddenly he understood with perfect clarity.

"That girl... She died from the fever a week ago."
His mother had approached his fathers throne one day to say. Toddler prince on her hip.
"What girl?" His already tipsy father had replied, taking a swing from his goblet.
"The one you... dabbled with." She tried to explain, the words clearly angering her, but Adam had not understood why at the time.

The King let out a hearty laugh.
"My dear I've dabbled with so many girls in the course of our marriage, least of all you. You are going to have to be a bit more specific." These words had hurt his mother more than Adam could ever begin to comprehend.
But still it never did harden her caring heart.
"The Scullery maid I caught you with before our son was born..."

"She's dead?" said the king.
"Pity. She had a really fine set of..." He trailed off once he saw how upset it made her. Happy he had gotten what he wanted.
Tormenting her was one of his main sources of amusement.
"Regardless... I don't see why this is so important."

"She has a child... A boy just a few years older than our own. 5 years older to be exact." She narrowed her eyes. "And no husband."
"And?" he shrugged. Not particularly caring.

"I think you should aid the boy. He is an orphan now."
The king had only laughed her out of his chambers.

Adam clutched his stomach once again, biting back the urge to throw up...
The weight of the truth crushing him.
Gaston had been that boy.
The air seemed to be sucked from his body as it sunk in that, the man who had tried to kill him was his bastard half brother.