𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 into weeks which led into months: three months to be exact and the cold of January had bled into the following month. Despite the time spent beside one another, Celine and the beast had yet to find any answers; in fact, their questions had only grown. They currently sat, side-by-side, within the confines of his vast library where they'd spent most of their time since beginning their quest. They'd found very little that provided helpful information and as a means of pushing past their mental block, Celine lifted a book from the stack and began to read for pleasure aloud.

"Love can transpose to form and dignity. Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind and therefore—"

"—And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Celine looked up from the written words with a surprised look on her face as the beast had interrupted her and perfectly recited the next line. "You know Shakespeare?"

He grunted and shrugged as if it wasn't anything impressive. "I had an expensive education."

"Actually, Much Ado About Nothing is probably one of my favorite works by Shakespeare," Celine admitted to continue the conversation.

The beast groaned and rolled his eyes. "Why is that not a surprise?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, all that heartache and pining and—" He stopped and gagged reactively.

"And how do you know it's the romance of Hero and Claudio that I cherish?" Celine challenged, placing her hands on her hips. "In fact, it's the headstrong nature of Beatrice that I find appealing."

"Well, even she ends up smitten with a man by the end," the beast retorted.

"Her only fault," Celine agreed with a short nod of her head.

"Besides," the beast added, "there's just so many better things to read, not to mention more useful to our search."

"Like what?" Celine slowly crossed her arms, looking toward him expectantly.

"Well..." He paused, suddenly deep in thought before storming across the room. Of course he wasn't angry, but his large stride and heavy footsteps always left the impression that he was. In fact, it was quite the opposite as he flashed her a mischievous smile while tugging on a single book in the middle of the shelf. "There are a couple of things in here you could start with."

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed before he lifted his hand and the book remained frozen in place. The clack of her heels exposed her curiosity as she moved to his side as if the idea of his absence left a sudden chill. A soft click echoed and the bookshelf swung open to reveal a secret corridor filled to the brim with even more books. She gasped in awe.

"What?" He released an amused chuckle. "Are you all right?"

"You've got to be kidding!" Celine laughed incredulously as her eyes lit up with delight. "Where did this come from?"

"It's a castle," he replied, lips curling into a pleased smirk, "Of course there are hidden chambers, you just have to know where to look."

"Even your secrets seem to have secrets, Adam." She spoke over her shoulder as she stepped closer to the books. "How on earth am I supposed to sort through them all?"

She didn't receive a reply. A look of concern flashed across her face, and as she turned it was then she noticed that a surprised look had crossed the beast's face.

He quickly cleared his throat and shook his head to snap out of his daze. "Sorry... the name still sounds foreign."

She did her best to hide the look of sympathy creeping onto her face, but was forced to bury her face in the texts ahead to actually succeed. However, she paused as she processed what her eyes had just read.

"Is this witchcraft?" she questioned, looking up while turning to face him once more. "You have a hidden room filled with books on magic and didn't think to start there?"

The beast raised a paw and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I admit it wasn't the first thing to come to mind..."

"You didn't think a magical problem might have a magical solution?" Celine asked unconvinced before adding with exasperation, "No wonder we haven't been able to find anything!"

"Well pardon me for forgetting about the illicit materials as opposed to the thousands of books I've actually read that are kept within the main library." The beast rolled his eyes with a huff. "I only remembered it through pure luck and the relation of magic to some of Shakespeare's works."

Celine's expression softened. "Alright, I'm sorry. I've just been a bit tense over the past few days."

"Suitor problems?" The beast questioned, knowing she'd complained of a certain hunter who persistently attempted to woo her without fail. She might not have given a name, but it was safe to assume that most of her tales of irritation were inspired by the same source.

Celine didn't answer. Instead, she pulled her arms tighter around herself when reminded that whenever she left the enchanted castle, all of her problems within the real world returned. Her relationship with her mother was rocky at best while Gaston refused to understand the meaning of the word 'no'.

She sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes, taking the time to quickly throw her blonde locks back into a messy braid before suddenly changing the topic of conversation. "So, have you really read every one of these books?"

"What?" The beast looked at her in confusion. After taking a second to process, he sheepishly scoffed with a shrug. "Well, not all of them. Some of them are in Greek."

"Was that a joke?" Celine asked as the corners of her lips lifted into a small smile. "Are you making jokes now?"

"Maybe." The beast shrugged again before dusting himself off and extending an arm in her direction. "Come on, we've spent the better half of the morning locked up. Some fresh air would do some good, maybe inspire a fresh array of ideas."

She was skeptical at first, but accepted the gesture, placing her arm around his as she was led outdoors. The winter air was crisp, but the snow had fallen from the trees and although it still littered the ground, a few blossoms had started to sprout along the bare branches. They glistened with frost, creating the illusion of a delicate world that had only been viewed as monstrous beforehand.

Celine released a breathtaking sigh as she leaned up against the stone handrail of the bridge. Although the thin layer of snow that coated the rock was freezing, she didn't really mind. What she wouldn't give to paint a picture of the scene before her.

"You know," she gently broke the silence, "this reminds me of one of William Sharp's poems."

"Oh?" The beast's brow raised with curiosity.

She nodded her head before quoting the lines from memory, looking up toward the sky, deep in concentration as she did. "The air is blue and keen and cold and in a frozen sheath, enrolled. Each branch, each twig, each blade of grass seems clad miraculously with glass."

The beast's gaze softened as he looked out at the frozen lake. It was truly beautiful, and matched the picture of words that the artist beside him painted. He hesitantly admitted, "I feel as if I'm seeing it for the first time. Is there any more?"

She was genuinely surprised by his request but didn't deny it either. She cleared her throat, paused to catch her train of thought, then finished the final lines of the poem that she could remember. "But in that solemn silence is heard the whisper of every sleeping thing. Look. Look at me. Come wake me up. For still here I be."

Her eyes lowered from the sky and rested on the horizon, failing to notice that his gaze settled on her. He swallowed and his throat grew dry, but he didn't allow the feeling to linger. He cleared his throat, startling her from her state of daydreaming.

Concern flashed across his eyes as he noticed her jump, but she quickly tried to console him. "Sorry. I think I drifted off into my own little world."

He gently nodded his head, allowing that playful smile to grace his lips once more. "For an artist you certainly read a lot of literature."

She crossed her arms as if challenging the limitations of his motion. "Art isn't strictly visual. Sometimes words can do the world more justice than any combination of paints."

"So do you experiment with words much?" He asked.

She shrugged, neither answering nor denying the question at first. "I tried my hand at poetry once, but I know where my skill lies. Words may be able to speak to me, but I've always found it easiest to express myself through the brush."

The way she spoke was passionate and he found himself latching on to every word that escaped her lips. They were entrancing, but he didn't mind this kind of enchantment.

She noticed the lingering silence, and although it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, the crisp air was beginning to send chills down her spine. She shuddered and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "It's probably time to head back inside. We've got a whole secret library to search anyway."

He quickly shook his head to clear his mind then nodded in agreement. "Right... go on ahead. I'll catch up."

She raised an eyebrow with suspicion, but didn't argue. It seemed the loss of feeling in her fingers had won as she walked back toward the castle.

Meanwhile, the beast directed his gaze out over the frozen lake, trying to remember all the little details he'd failed to notice before. However, something out of place caught the attention of his peripherals. As he glanced down at the bridge, he quickly realized that while they'd been talking, Celine had begun to draw the landscape in the snow coating the handrail. He couldn't help but chuckle as he connected the dots of the misplaced snow and the girl's blue fingers.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

The beast turned his head, searching for the culprit that interrupted his observation. There stood Cogsworth and Lumiere, looking awfully smug but trying to hide their expressions.

The beast sighed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Cogsworth answered plainly.

Lumiere was more direct than the head-of-household with their method of questioning. "Is there something on your mind?"

"I... I've never felt this way about anyone," the beast hesitantly admitted before his eyes lit up with excitement. "I want to do something for her."

As he fell into a stupor, he failed to notice the silent cheers that Cogsworth and Lumiere offered. However, as he looked up, they returned to their stiff poses and serious expressions.

The beast frowned in discouragement, losing both his hope and inspiration in one moment. "But what?"

"Well, there's the usual things," Cogsworth suggested, listing several things off the top of his head, "flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep—"

"Ahh, no no," Lumiere interrupted, shoving his partner aside. "It has to be something very special. Something that sparks her interest—Wait a minute."

———— 𖥸 ————

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 nervously led Celine down the hall. He was beginning to have second thoughts about Lumiere's suggestion. What if it was too much? He certainly didn't want to leave the wrong impression.

"Is everything alright?" Celine gently asked, noticing how his brows had knit together and his gaze had drifted toward the distance. "You seem... I don't know... anxious?"

"Celine, there's something I want to show you," the beast replied, failing to answer the question because he knew if he didn't do this now, he'd freeze in his tracks. He took a deep breath and began to open the door, but stopped, turning back toward her with a combined look of excitement and concern. "But first, you have to close your eyes."

"I have to close my eyes?" She asked skeptically.

"It's a surprise," he explained without providing any real reason.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled as she played along and closed her eyelids. To ensure she wasn't peeking, the beast waved a hand in front of her face before opening the doors.

She was caught off guard as he took her by the hand to lead her inside, but it didn't take long for her palm to relax in his. "Can I open them yet?"

"No, no. Not yet. Wait here." He released her hand and by the sounds of his footprints she could tell that he'd walked across the room.

She instinctively flinched as the brilliant sunlight flooded the room and flashed across her face, but the anticipation building in her gut only allowed her to feel excitement. "Now can I open them?"

The beast looked around, ensuring everything was perfect before he nodded his head. "All right. Now."

Celine opened her eyes and her jaw dropped with a gasp at the breathtaking sight of the atelier. There were a few easels set up in the center of the room, but it was the shelves upon shelves of exotic paints and lavish brushes that caught her eyes. She covered her mouth to conceal her excited giggle as she spun in a circle to take everything in.

"I've never seen so many vibrant hues in all my life!"

The beast hesitantly sought approval. "You—you like it?"

"It's gorgeous!" Celine exclaimed, covering her mouth once more in awe.

A large smile of relief flooded across the beast's face. "Then it's yours."

Celine froze and turned to face him. She released a laugh of disbelief and shock. "You're serious?"

He nodded his head. "This room isn't used nearly enough, not to mention the castle could use a few new paintings to replace the worn ones."

"Some of those are genuine works of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain," Celine scoffed. "My own work could hardly compare to the greats."

"You're too harsh," the beast contradicted. "I've seen some of the sketches you've left around the library. I can't wait to see one of your finished pieces."

A soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she finally accepted the gift with appreciation. "Thank you."

From outside the atelier, the household servant clustered together, eavesdropping on the conversation with growing hopes. Mrs. Potts smiled. "Oh, would you look at that?"

"Ha ha!" Lumiere cheered, bumping Cogsworth on the shoulder. "I knew it would work."

"What?" Chip asked, looking between the others in confusion. "What works?"

"It's very encouraging," Cogsworth agreed, albeit still a bit skeptical.

"Isn't this exciting!" Lumiere tried once more to raise the spirits of the others.

"I didn't see anything," Chip protested.

"Come along, Chip," Mrs. Potts called as she hopped away. "There's chores to be done in the kitchen."

"But what are they talking about?" Chip complained. "What's going on? C'mon, Mom!"

———— 𖥸 ————

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐃 a breath of fresh air after the lavish gift she'd been offered. Although she probably should've continued her research on the magical properties of the castle grounds, there was too much going on inside her mind. She'd never be able to focus if she didn't step away from it all for a few minutes.

She braced herself against the back of a tree, but something tugged at the strings of her heart. She slowly peered around the trunk and was offered the perfect view of the courtyard where the beast seemed to be secretly feeding the birds that inhabited the castle grounds. She stifled her laughter, covering her mouth as her thoughts wildly swam around her mind.

'There's something sweet and almost kind. But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined.' She tried to remind herself of their first meeting, but time had passed and either he'd changed or she was suddenly able to look behind the exterior to see the qualities that had been present in the beginning. 'And now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before.'

She stepped out from behind the trunk of the tree and slowly approached the beast. Although the birds' feathers ruffled at her sudden appearance, they didn't fly away. The beast briefly looked abashed, but after getting over his initial embarrassment, he offered her some bird seed. She accepted the gesture with a whispered 'thank you' and took a seat beside him.

Unexplainably, his heart began to race and his throat grew dry. He was certain his palms would've been caked in sweat as well if that were possible anymore. However, he couldn't bring himself to move away from her. She was both the source of his discomfort and the redeeming factor that lifted the weight of the world from his shoulders. He didn't understand, nor could he bring himself to think about it any deeper for fear of what it might mean.

'She glanced this way I thought I saw. And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw.' He quickly shook his head to push aside his intrusive thoughts, reminding himself that she was not the answer to his curse. She was only there to find answers for herself. 'No, it can't be, I'll just ignore. But then she's never looked at me that way before.'

'New, and a bit alarming. Who'd have ever thought that this could be?' Her thoughts refused to leave her alone, and as they made a fleeting glance of eye contact, visions of sapphires danced before her eyes; however, for the first time she tried to push them away. 'True that he's no Prince Charming. But there's something in him That I simply didn't see.'

Just behind the windows, the pair had several hidden observers once more. The household servants glanced between each other with knowing looks of self-satisfaction.

"Well, who'd have thought?" Lumiere asked rhetorically.

"Well, bless my soul!" Mrs. Potts cheered.

"Well, who'd have known?" Cogsworth appeared genuinely surprised.

"Well, who indeed?" Mrs. Potts chuckled.

"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own," Lumiere grinned with glee.

"It's so peculiar," Mrs. Potts agreed, "Wait and see—"

"We'll wait and see a few days more." The others began to speak over one another in unison. "There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"And here's a thought..." Cogsworth grinned as if the idea was his own, finally agreeing with the others that they had an opportunity to break the curse. "Perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before."

"What, Mama?" Chip questioned, finally hoping to receive answers.

As Celine and the beast wandered back inside, walking in the direction of the library, Mrs. Potts ushered the others away. "There may be something there that wasn't there before."

"What is it?" Chip tried again. "What's there?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Mrs. Potts replied.

Chip frowned, but after a second passed, he beamed with satisfaction. "Okay, I'm older!"

"Chip..." Mrs. Potts chuckled. "You are a one."

A few minutes had passed, and the pair had engrossed themselves once more with their research. Nowadays, Celine was either in the library or the atelier. She'd been expecting some solidarity, but she was pleasantly surprised when the beast had approached her, asking for a few lessons.

Holding the brush has been difficult at first, but she'd improvised and now dozens of finger-paintings had been hung up around the library to brighten the dusty room.

She approached his side and took a seat, glancing in his direction as if trying to read the front cover of the open book in his hand. "Find something interesting?"

The beast quickly shook his head and closed the book, attempting to hide it behind his back. "No."

She managed to sneak a peek around his shoulder at the poorly concealed cover. An amused look crossed her face. "Guinevere and Lancelot?"

"Well, actually... King Arthur and the Round Table," the beast tried to defend himself. "Knights and men and swords and things."

"Mmm." She didn't seem convinced. "Still... it's a romance. And not one of the books from your secret library filled with more useful information."

"Alright," he conceded with a huff.

She smiled with a gentle laugh, but turned her attention to the books she'd gathered just as quickly. There was a sense of camaraderie between them, but she never quite new where to draw the line. It's not like she'd had many friends outside of Belle within the village, which she was perfectly alright with, but it did affect the way she established relationships with others.

She gently cleared her throat to extend a bridge of gratitude over one area that had never really been addressed. "I never thanked you for saving my life."

"Well, I never thanked you..." He replied. She tilted her head, genuinely confused, and for a brief second his voice was caught in his throat. He stumbled over his explanation, "... for not leaving me to be eaten by wolves."

She chuckled quietly, but paused as the conversation within the palace could be heard from just down the hall. Although faint, Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth were unmistakable.

Celine's smile remained as she turned back toward him. "They know how to have a good time."

"Yes." The beast slowly nodded in agreement before bitterly looking toward the ground. "But when I enter the room, laughter dies."

Although she thought about denying the fact, she took an alternate approach. "Me too. The villagers say that I'm peculiar... but I don't believe they mean it as a compliment."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "your village sounds terrible."

Celine sighed and spoke without thinking, "Almost as lonely as your castle."

The beast's shoulders tensed and she knew she struck a nerve, but before she could apologize, he offered an alternate suggestion. "What do you say we run away?"

"Run away?" Celine hesitantly asked.

The beast nodded his head. He stood from his seat without an explanation and walked back toward the secret room. He emerged less than a minute later with a new book in hand—one she hadn't seen before.

"What's that?" she was cautious as she asked.

"Another little gift from the enchantress," the beast replied, but it was clear from his tone he didn't view the gift with the same excitement she held for the atelier. "A book that truly allows you to escape."

He unlatched the locks along the side of the book before blowing off the thin coating of dust. He set the open book on the book display where the two pages containing an ornate map could be seen.

"It's beautiful."

"It was her cruelest trick of all," he contradicted, glancing away as his nose wrinkled with disdain. However, his expression softened once he noticed her concern. "It was just another curse. The outside world has no place for a creature like me... but it can for you."

"I don't think I understand..."

"Think of the one place you've always wanted to see." He took her hand and tenderly placed it against the pages as he explained. "Now find it in your mind's eye. Then feel it in your heart."

Celine's eyes watered and her heart knew exactly where she desired to go stronger than anywhere else. She closed her eyes and when she opened them once more, the book had worked its magic and the pair had been transported to a small cottage on a hill overlooking the glittering lights of the city.

The beast looked around in confusion. "Where did you take us?"

"Paris."

"Oh, I love Paris. What would you like to see first? Notre Dame... The Champs-Élysées... No? Too touristy?" The beast paused, noticing that Celine had taken a seat on the ground.

"It's not quite what I imagined," Celine muttered as her eyes drifted along the ceiling where strings of sage had been hung, reminding her of her own home. She took a breath before facing the beast. "This is the Paris of my childhood. These were the borders of my life. In this crumbling, dusty attic. Where a hunter loved his wife. Easy to remember. Harder to move on. Knowing the Paris of my childhood... is gone."

The beast was careful and hesitant to ask his next question. "What happened to your father?"

"It was the one story Maman could never bring himself to tell," Celine admitted. "I knew better than to ask."

The beast took a step forward, but stopped as he tripped over a few crystals scattered around the ground. He froze and his blood ran cold as he slowly turned and noticed several other items that forced memories to resurface at the forefront of his mind.

Celine looked up once she noticed he'd grown silent. "Something wrong?"

His breathing had grown shallow and his eyes frantically darted around to each corner of the room. "We need to leave."

"Why?" Celine stood, reaching out to take his hand to steady him in the moment. "Adam, what's wrong?"

He stopped at the sound of his own name. His eyes fixated on hers and his breathing regulated as she inhaled and exhaled in unison. He struggled to find his voice, but a whisper escaped his lips as he bent down to lift one of the fragmented crystals. "Witchcraft."

The book reacted instinctively, not only taking them where they wanted to go, but when. Of course the past couldn't be changed, but secrets could certainly be revealed. Although Celine didn't understand the full extent of the book's power, the beast possessed a greater comprehension.

"Celine," he insisted, begging her with his eyes, "we need to leave."

She gently nodded her head in agreement, but before she focused on returning to the castle, the door was flung back from its hinges. The pair stepped back in fright as a young couple rushed into the room. They paid no attention to the beast, nor did they acknowledge Celine's existence.

"What is this?" Celine's voice was a whisper.

The beast opened his mouth to reply, but it was no longer necessary as a small girl stepped out from behind her cloaked mother's form. The older woman's blonde hair curled away from the hood of the cloak, but that was all that could be used to identify her. It was the girl Celine recognized though because she was face-to-face with her young self.

"They're coming, Raoul." The woman's voice was filled with fear as she pulled her daughter close to her chest.

"Quickly gather your belongings, Althea," Raoul instructed, "I'll be right back."

"Raoul—"

"Do as I say, Althea," Raoul warned. "Pour le bien de notre petit ange."

For the sake of our little angel. Celine's eyes watered. There was no denying that the man before her was her father. She may have never actually seen the man, but she had his eyes: decadent emeralds.

She desperately tried to capture a mental image of his appearance. Dark brunet hair pulled back from his eyes into a loose-fitting ponytail. A strong jawline concealed by a bushy beard expected of every great hunter. A stance that looked ready to take his last breath fighting for the safety of his family... which is exactly what happened.

The hunter ran from the house and Celine rushed after him, leaving the mother and child behind in the cottage. The beast's eyes widened in horror and he feared she'd do something rash. He rushed after her, but it wasn't long before he lost her trail in the woods.

However, Celine had remained close to the heels of her father. The wind and snow made it difficult to see, but a daughter's intuition was somehow enough to know which direction he'd fled. He had a sword sheathed at his side and a gun slung over his shoulder, but nothing had ever prepared him to be the prey of the hunt.

"Where is she, Raoul?"

Celine whipped her head in the direction of the mob that approached from the underbrush.

"Long gone," Raoul spat, turning like a caged animal.

"You were the best of us, Raoul," the leader of the mob continued to taunt the hunter, "but even you were susceptible to the witch's charms."

"She's done nothing wrong!" Raoul reared his head as he loaded the gun now in his hands.

"She's an abomination!" the mob leader shouted his reply. "The king has warned us of these creatures and the ruins they will bring upon us."

"She's not a monster..." Raoul's voice was a whisper, but it trembled with rage as if the quieting his volume was the only way to keep himself from lashing out at the others.

"Stop lying to yourself, Raoul," the mob leader insisted. "Do you no longer remember who you are? Raoul: the most fearsome of the king's witch hunters."

"I was wrong."

"You are delusional," the mob leader retorted. "Ensnared under her spell."

"No." Raoul lifted his gaze from the ground. "For the first time I see clearly. I'm prepared to give my life for her and if you have no heart then go ahead and take mine!"

The mob was silent. For a brief moment, Celine had hope. They were instantly dashed as the mob leader stepped forward and killed her father with his own sword. He'd been so focused on redeeming his own people that he'd forgotten their dark nature. He failed to watch the sword sheathed at his side and the mob leader had taken advantage of this.

"Then take yours I shall."

Celine released a ghastly wail and fell to her knees. She choked on her tears that streamed down the side of her face as she crawled through the snow to her father's side.

The beast's ears twitched at the sound of her cries echoing through the forest. He rushed into the clearing just as the past visions faded; however, not before the mob leader uttered his final words.

"All hail, King Alexandre."

An overwhelming sense of guilt crashed down on his shoulders. Surely there had to be a reason that his father's name shouted in victory following the slaughter of a seemingly innocent man. He stepped forward and knelt down beside Celine.

"I'm sorry..."

Celine's chest heaved, but she wiped her eyes and slowly faced the beast. Her voice was meek as she said, "I'd like to go home now."

The beast nodded his head and offered her a hand which she didn't hesitate to accept. Instantly, they were transported back to the library. Celine's first action was to close the map and push away the information she'd just learned, but she also hadn't let go of the beast's hand either.

"I feel like I owe you an apology," the beast broke the lingering silence as he released her hand.

"What for?" Celine asked in confusion, wiping her eyes of any remaining tears.

"I fear I've yet to make a decent impression," the beast admitted. "First, I hold your friend hostage, then mistake you for a witch—"

He noticed she tensed at the word, but since he'd missed most of the mob's argument, he failed to understand why, instead he pushed past the uncomfortable moment. "—I had us searching the wrong section of the library for answers, and finally brought you back to a terrible memory that you must have forgotten for a reason."

She was silent for a moment before she erupted in a fit of hysterical laughter. He was frightened that he'd broken her, but he waited before calling for help. There were still tears streaming down her face, so it seemed that not even she understood how to react to what she'd witnessed.

"What about the West Wing incident?" she suggested, "Or using dinner as leverage for freedom?"

The beast sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Neither of which were my finest moments... Perhaps I could make it up to you?"

"Yeah?" She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain control of her lungs before she broke down again.

The beast nodded his head. "Perhaps we could enjoy dinner tomorrow evening to make up for my shortcomings?"

Celine slowly nodded her head in agreement before offering a suggestion of her own. "Cogsworth tells me that they've worked hard to restore the ballroom. I think dinner and a dance might be enough to make up for our first introduction."

"Now who's using leverage?" The beast chuckled.

"Tomorrow evening then," Celine finalized without giving the beast any time to actually accept. Without another word, she grabbed her cloak from the nearby chair and walked toward the front doors.

As she left the castle and started her daily walk back home, she'd left the beast standing in a stupor within the library, wondering how he'd gotten himself stuck in another moment of unfamiliar territory.