𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐄𝐓, but the noise of her thoughts made up for it. It was difficult to think of anything other than the realizations she'd come across over the past couple weeks, not to mention impossible to deny the inner workings of her heart.

If she were honest with herself, she could imagine living the rest of her days in the cursed castle without any problems. Sure it was a bit drafty and eerie down certain corridors, but the company of those that actually wanted her around outweighed the negative aspects. Her mother and the friendship she still had with Belle were the only things that prevented her from leaving altogether.

After stumbling over a fallen branch here and there, Celine finally decided to take a seat for her own good. She could tell that spring was just around the corner as only a few patches of snow remained on the ground... that or it was Jack Frost playing tricks, a little warm spell before an even harsher blizzard. She certainly hoped it was the prior over the latter.

Subconsciously, she began to hum under her breath, a habit she'd picked up from her mother whenever stressed. Usually it was inaudible or ignored if anyone ever heard it, but in that moment she felt the need to voice her thoughts out loud.

"I have a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything. If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future, even if you fail."

Her head tilted back and she stared up at the sun through the bare branches of the forest ceiling. With thoughts racing around her head, she was overwhelmed. A feeling she'd felt more than she liked lately, but nature had always provided a calming effect for her. So she kept her eyes open, looking at the world around her, and took a few deep breaths.

"I believe in angels. Something good in everything I see."

It was true that she tried to look for the best, but as she'd gotten older, she was shown how cruel the world could be. Between the antlers posted to the tavern walls as trophies and the entire cursed castle lying hidden deeper in the woods, there seemed to be no escape from the brutality of humanity.

Perhaps she was included in that circle now, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She'd immediately turned the hunter down after he'd made a mistake, but she was willing to give the beast chance after chance to change. Why was that? Perhaps it was because she realized the beast wasn't really changing, just finding his lost humanity. Which meant she believed the hunter never had an ounce of humanity to begin with... a harsh judgment if she really thought about it. Was her mother right in trying to guide her back to the arms of the hunter?

"I believe in angels. When I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream. I have a dream."

She gently shook her head. There was something within her conscience that tried to push her away every time the hunter was near. She couldn't trust him. He had broken her trust by placing her second to Belle after he insisted he wanted her. She didn't know why it had hurt so much, but she realized it hurt to be used. She didn't want to be played again... and that's why she was growing more cautious of her increasing feelings toward the beast. Was he also just using her to break the curse? Afterall, she had offered to help. Was she just imagining things and their partnership was simply built on mutual benefits?

"I have a dream, a fantasy to help me through, reality. And my destination makes it worth the while. Pushin' through the darkness, still another mile."

It was all so much simpler before when she didn't have to worry about suitors or how the village perceived her. She had her mother and Belle, and frankly that was enough.

"I believe in angels. Something good in everything I see."

Maybe if she just closed her eyes and thought back to easier things, the world would just stop moving forward and she could think. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn't the case and she'd have to accept reality one way or another.

"I believe in angels. When I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream. I have a dream."

She took a deep breath then stood from the stump she was seated on. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as if her hesitation would proceed to hold her back. She wished she could remain frozen in time, but then she remembered not everything was so bad. She took another deep breath then took one step forward.

"I'll cross the stream, I have a dream."

For the first time since the nightmares had begun, she finally faced those eyes head on. Their sapphire hue shimmered in her memory, flickering back and forth between two images. On one hand, there was the 'prince' from her dreams that saved her from being devoured by wolves, it was only once that dream turned into reality that she realized the beast's sapphire eyes were one and the same. It made her question what else she had missed.

"I have a dream, a song to sing to help me cope with anything. If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future, even if you fail."

She now understood that her father had been hunted down and killed in cold blood. That memory was painful to deal with, but she still didn't understand why. The mob had mentioned witches and magic... even the beast noted tools of witchcraft in her childhood home. Perhaps her parents had been harboring a fugitive? The victim never was named.

But then there was her involvement in the beast—Adam's curse. She understood that she was there that night, and had somehow repressed the memory of her youth. But it didn't fully explain why she felt drawn to the castle, nor why her mother had never mentioned it seeing as she'd actually gone inside that night. Or why no one else seemed to remember the castle either. She was clearly still missing something.

"I believe in angels. Something good in everything I see."

Maybe she didn't want to try and solve another puzzle. The clues and answers she received only led to more questions and she was beginning to fear where they might lead. Besides she had something else to provide a distraction for the evening, if not to provide clarity on her emotions above all else.

"I believe in angels. When I know the time is right for me, I'll cross the stream. I have a dream."

She couldn't remember ever attending a ball in her life. Of course she'd wanted to attend the spring fair with Gaston in her youth, but she'd quickly given up the thoughts of dances and suitors once she acknowledged how peculiar she appeared in the mind of the other villagers. She never truly belonged there.

The castle, on the other hand, always made her feel welcome. Of course there were originally a few mishaps in the beginning, and she was still a bit bitter about needing to swoop in and save Belle from captivity, but Adam understood he'd been wrong and apologized multiple times already... That didn't mean she wouldn't hold it over his head every once in a while.

She couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought of her plans for that evening. She might not admit it out loud, but she was looking forward to his company and perhaps the chance to feel like a normal girl experiencing usual courting events with just enough peculiarity to remain true to herself.

"I'll cross the stream. I have a dream."

She released a gentle sigh and leaned up against a nearby tree as she finished singing the melody laid on her heart.

"I had no idea you could sing like that." Belle's laugh was delicate, but filled with delight as she approached from down the path. She had a small basket in hand filled with an assortment of machinery and spare parts. It was clear she'd just returned from the market and Celine had no clue how close she'd actually wandered to Belle's cottage.

"How—" Celine stammered, "—How long were you listening?"

"You were in your own little world," Belle teased playfully, "but I only heard the last few lines."

Celine sighed with relief before dusting herself off. She released a nervous laugh but tried to hide the sound as she stepped up beside Belle and took her arm. "Been to the market I see."

Belle nodded her head. "Papa needed some supplies so I volunteered to head into town."

Celine skeptically raised an eyebrow. "You? Volunteered? To go into town?"

Belle shrugged. "It's not so bad."

"Belle," Celine laughed, "it's quite possibly the worst."

"Come now," Belle scoffed. "I heard your song, clearly one from the heart. Not to mention the whole town is gossiping about Gaston and the Villeneuve Angel."

Celine immediately frowned and rolled her eyes. "What are they saying now?"

"I've heard a proposal of marriage is on the table," Belle replied, lifting her brows up and down as if implying something.

Celine groaned and blew a huff of air to blow away the flyaways that had fallen from her braid. "Gaston has been proposing since the end of last fall. It's now almost spring and he will still continue to receive the same answer."

"You've got to admit he's perseverant," Belle said as if trying to improve her opinion on the hunter.

"Yes," Celine agreed pointedly. "A quality you once saw as a fault."

"He's not quite so bad once you get to know him," Belle muttered under her breath.

Celine released an incredulous laugh. "Then you marry him."

Belle shook her head. "He's entirely lost interest. I think he finally realized we wouldn't be a good fit for one another."

"And he and I would?" Celine asked.

"He's different with you," Belle defended her statement. "He just listens more, y'know?"

"No." Celine shook her head, remaining unamused. "I do not know."

"Have you noticed that he's stopped looking at his own reflection and actually hung some of your own work around the tavern to admire?" Belle asked.

Celine stopped in her tracks as a shocked look crossed her face. "He did what? Where did he even get them?"

"Bought them off some of the villagers around town," Belle replied.

"It hardly matters." Celine brushed the observation away and continued her walk.

"I think it does."

"Did my mother put you up to this?" Celine asked, growing annoyed by the conversation.

"No, I just think you need to seriously start considering your future," Belle replied, picking up her pace to keep up.

Celine scoffed. "You're one to talk."

"I am actually," Belle contradicted her sarcasm. Her voice softened noticeably and her face grew warm. "The bibliothécaire took on an apprentice from the next town over..."

"I'm sorry," a sly smile formed on Celine's face, "but do my ears deceive me or has Belle Lestrange actually found a suitor?"

Belle playfully tapped her on the arm, rolling her eyes while tucking her single loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

"Mon Dieu!" Celine exclaimed with a gasp of delight. "It all makes sense now!"

Belle's face became a brighter shade of pink and her shoulders hunched as if she were trying to hide within herself.

"That's why you volunteered to shop at the market," Celine continued to connect the dots, "so you could see him. You'll have to introduce me one day."

"Perhaps later this evening?" Belle suggested.

Celine raised an eyebrow in confusion, but her pleasant smile remained. "Tonight?"

Belle nodded her head. "Gaston extended an invitation for the four of us to attend the spring fair together."

"The four of us?" Celine only grew more confused. "I thought the spring fair took place later when the season was actually upon us?"

"They moved the date as a way to welcome in the spring season," Belle explained. "And yes, four: Gaston, you, me and Hugo."

"When did you and Gaston get so close?" Celine questioned, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.

Belle crossed her arms and a hurt look crossed her face. "When you were no longer around... You disappeared for days on end and pretty much stopped seeing me altogether. Without you, I was alone, Celine. Gaston of all people was there for me."

"Did you ever think it might just be one of his schemes to woo you?" Celine asked.

Belle laughed, her tone almost bitter. "You don't understand. Most of our conversations were actually about you. He no longer cared for my affection. Eventually, our conversations became more than just you and about our own personal lives. He's actually the one that introduced me to Hugo."

"Are we still talking about the same Gaston?" Celine asked in disbelief.

"He's different, Celine," Belle replied. "You just haven't given him the chance to show you."

Celine was quiet, processing everything she'd just learned. Slowly, she shook her head. "I can't. Not tonight."

"Are you kidding me?" Belle's brow knitted together in confusion. "What else could you possibly have planned for this evening? Other than hiding away in the cottage to finish another painting."

"I have a prior engagement," Celine vaguely explained. "I've been invited to dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yes. Dinner." Celine nodded her head. "A meal shared between two or more people."

Belle placed her hands on her hips. "With who?"

"Does it matter?" Celine asked.

Belle nodded her head. "Yes. Because I don't understand what's been going on with you lately. You're hardly ever around and honestly I'm worried about you, Celine."

Celine's lips pursed in frustration and hesitance. She glanced around as if checking to see they were alone. "Alright... fine. Do you remember the castle hidden in the woods?"

Belle slowly nodded her head.

"I've been visiting," Celine admitted, dragging out every word as if trying to consider Belle's emotional response. "And I've been invited to return for dinner this evening."

"Dinner?" Belle asked incredulously. Her volume rose into hysterics. "You're going to sit down and dine with the monster that kidnapped my father and imprisoned me?"

"That's not who he is," Celine tried to defend him.

Belle took a step away, shaking her head while extending her arms to put some distance between them. "You need help, Celine. Is he keeping you hostage or blackmailing you? Is your mother safe?."

"What?" Celine's eyes widened at her accusations. "No, I'm fine. My mother's fine too. He's not dangerous, Belle."

"Sacre bleu, you actually believe that." Belle's face paled. "You should go to Gaston. He can help you."

"No, it's not like that, Belle," Celine insisted. "He's a good man."

"He's a beast!"

The look in Belle's eyes was unlike anything she'd see from her friend before. There was a venomous animosity of trauma that had not been resolved. Despite how much Celine wanted to defend Adam's honor, she realized she might just lose her friend if she did. Gently, Celine pulled Belle close into a hug. It wasn't long before she felt the fabric covering her shoulder damien with the other girl's tears.

Belle sobbed and her knees collapsed. Celine eased her descent and simply held her close, providing the sense of security that she needed.

"Please. Don't go." Belle's breath quivered. "Come to the fair."

"I... I'll think about it," Celine replied without actually agreeing to anything. However, her mind was already made up and there was nothing Belle could really do to change it.

———— 𖥸 ————

𝐆𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 the cottage. He glanced over his shoulder back toward the village, but the raven remained ever present in the branches of the tree above. He shuddered. The bird had delivered a note from Althea saying they needed to meet. How she'd trained the bird to begin with, he didn't know.

He knocked on the front door and waited. At first there was no reply, but after another beat of silence, the door creaked open. Gaston cautiously poked his head inside the dimly lit cottage as if waiting for permission to enter.

"Althea?" Gaston was no stranger to the feeling of fear. He'd served in the war after all, but he'd never expected to experience that feeling of helplessness ever again. It was the prime reason he felt the need to hunt. It gave him control over the fate of others. Nevertheless, the beating of his heart increased to the point where he could feel it throbbing against his ribcage and hear its sound crying out in his inner ear. He gulped. "Madame de Fayette? You called for me?"

"Come in."

Gaston slowly entered the cottage and made his way into the central living space. His eyes widened with disbelief, and if he had not seen the moment for himself, he wouldn't have accepted it had anyone else told him so.

It appeared that rumors of the Villenueve Witch weren't entirely false. Althea sat behind a small cauldron, stirring a variety of herbs into the liquid concoction. Tendrils of mist spilled over the top and hid the floorboards from sight.

"What is this?" Gaston asked as he finally found his voice again.

"A solution to your problem," Althea replied, refusing to lift her eyes from the cauldron.

"This..." Gaston pointed toward the cauldron but then gestured around the room. "This is unnatural."

"I admit," Althea chuckled, "I was hesitant to consider the dark arts, but we have no other alternatives."

"The villagers were right." Gaston took a step back, practically tripping over a fallen stool. "You are the Villenueve Witch."

Her eyes narrowed and she venomously snapped her correction, "Enchantress. I do not regularly rely on the dark arts, just in times of extreme need. Once for justice and now to protect."

"Protect who?" Gaston asked in confusion.

"My daughter, you fool!" Althea's eyes had hardened and no longer held that broken fragility of time that he knew. It was frightening.

His fear for himself suddenly shifted to another as he recognized the display in front of him as a desperate act of motherly love. "Is Celine in danger?"

"She's fallen in love with a beast," Althea snarled as she continued to mix the elements of her potion, "but this will remedy that."

"I understand we don't always see eye to eye, Madame," Gaston frowned, not realizing the conversation had never been about him, "but you must understand that my intentions are pure."

"Not you, fool!" Althea's head tilted back as she laughed. "There is something far worse in the woods. Something I've tried to keep hidden from her, but now that she's found it... you are my only option left. The time has come, Monsieur. I can no longer protect her, but you can."

"I don't understand—"

"Of course you don't." Althea scoffed. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath. The color of the liquid in the cauldron changed to a vibrant pink hue. Althea released a gasp of delight before retrieving her ladle to scoop some of the concoction into a small glass vial. She then extended the vial to the hunter. "Take it. It will aid in your pursuit."

Gaston knew better than to refuse. He took the vial then held it up to the lantern light so that he might try and identify it. "What is it?"

"Amor Cantatio," Althea replied. Her eyes glinted with something dangerous. "It is my understanding that you intend to take Celine to the spring fair this evening. Should you put that in her drink, she will finally return your affections."

"A love spell?" Gaston questioned. Any sense of trepidation left as he suddenly eyes the vial like a fresh opportunity. However, there was still some sliver of doubt. "But would anything be real?"

"Do you actually care about real?" Althea scoffed. "I have given you the tool to possess everything you desire. A gift. Take it as a sign of my blessing."

Gaston's hand wrapped around the vial a bit tighter as he held it close to his chest. "Merci—"

"But be warned hunter," Althea's eyes narrowed, "should you fail to keep my daughter safe as you have promised, know there is no where you can hide from my wrath."

Gaston gulped. At that moment, he lost his voice. He quickly nodded his head and swiftly moved toward the door. He had no intention of remaining in that cursed place any longer. Either the old woman was crazy or actually a witch, and both were equally terrifying. However, nothing scared him more than the final look on her face.

However, his fear was abandoned the second he stepped foot back in the village. Now that he was back in an environment that he controlled, he felt at peace. He took a deep breath of the comforting air then strutted toward the tavern. The potion in the leather pocket attached to his belt was heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle. He lightly tapped the pouch to ensure the vial was still there. He would only use it if absolutely necessary because one way or another, his hunt was drawing to a close.