Chapter 27- A Palace by the Sea, and Epilogue

...

"Belle, Adam," said Chip to the Prince and Princess, "Because of the Revolution, the King's Navy has been abolished, and I have nowhere to go. I'm an ex-sailor now, I guess." He didn't seem that worried or unhappy about the matter, however.

"I suspected that, Chip," Belle said. "But we've always hoped you could stay. Cogsworth needs help with running the castle. We've decided to leave sooner to visit the King of Denmark."

"Sooner?" Chip said, surprised.

"Yes, Chip," said Adam. "Belle, myself, the children, and Maurice are leaving tomorrow."

"Have you arranged for a ship? A coach?"

"You'll see," said Belle with a smile. Chip gave her a quizzical look.

...

The next day, the Enchantress Delphine arrived at the castle door.

"Mademoiselle!" greeted Cogsworth. "You are right on time. And you have what they need, I understand?" He furrowed his brow at what Delphine was carrying- a large, gold-embossed book. "What a splendid-looking book," he said. "I will tell the family you are here."

"Merci," said Delphine. She did not have to wait long. Adam, Belle, Vincent, and Hélene walked into the foyer. Hélene was pushing Maurice in a wheelchair. They carried some light luggage; not much was needed.

"Good morning, Delphine!" Adam greeted. He glanced at the book nervously. "Are you certain this is going to work?"

"You will enjoy the experience. I assure you. The book was something I thought of giving you long ago, back when...I gave you the curse as a boy. Along with the Mirror, and the Rose. But I decided you wouldn't want to use it, that you would not wish to go anywhere in the condition you were in."

The Enchantress walked over to a small table in the foyer and placed the large book upon it. She opened it up, and gestured for Belle to touch it.

"Where is it you wish to go?"

"The palace of the King of Denmark," Belle replied. As they stood there, all of the staff gathered about them. Some had nervous looks upon their faces.

Delphine turned a few pages of the book, which was a sort of atlas. There were pages of maps of each country and continent known- France, England, the Americas, China, Africa, and many others. Delphine finally found a large map of Denmark, and placed her finger on the small seaside town of Dragor, where the King's palace was located.

Belle looked over at her family of staff. "We will miss you all. It is best for us to be away while this Revolution is still going. France has changed, but our castle will always be our home. Your home. It will be safe in your hands."

Her eyes misted as she approached Chip, hugging him. She hugged Mirielle who was standing beside him, as well as Cogsworth and Lumiere. Adam and the children did the same, hugging their staff family. Everyone gave Maurice a soft hug and kiss on the cheek, tears in their eyes.

"Thank you all," Maurice said. "Don't cry now, all of you! I'm off to the seashore! It will be good for my lungs!"

Delphine placed Belle's finger on the map, and guided her other hand so it held Adam's. Adam held Vincent's arm and Hélene's hand, while Hélene held Maurice's hand.

The Enchantress placed her wand upon the golden book. It glowed; shimmered, and a cloud of white, like snowflakes, surrounded the five people and swirled about them. When the cloud dissipated, the entire family had vanished.

The staff members stood there with a mixture of sadness and relief.

"Bon Voyage, our dear Highnesses," said Lumiere, blinking his eyes rapidly while Babette clutched his arm.

...

The family opened their eyes felt themselves flying; soaring above the clouds.

"Wow!" exclaimed Vincent. "This is...wow!"

"It's incredible!" said Adam. "Belle, are you all right, darling?"

"I'm fine, Adam! Papa?"

"I feel as light as a feather! Like an angel! It is not every day I get to fly by wheelchair!" cried Maurice.

They could see the vast blue of ocean below the clouds, and after a few moments, they felt themselves descending lower to the earth. The ocean's waves appeared, brilliant and blue, catching the sun's rays and reflecting its light like diamonds. Finally, they spotted land- a beach. Before the beach was an ancient but ornate and elegant castle.

"We have arrived!" said Adam. They found themselves slowly being lowered to the earth, still enveloped in a protective white cloud. It guided them above the seashore, over a sandy beach, to the front door of the castle.

"Here we are," said Adam. "The palace of King Christian. He is also a distant cousin of mine, on my grandmother's side."

"The weather here is so beautiful- how can it be so warm?" Belle said.

"The ocean breezes make the climate warmer than in the mainland." Adam took a deep breath of the fragrant seaside air. "I haven't been to a beach or ocean since I was...probably three or four years old. I know I must have been there once, with my mother so long ago. I can somehow...remember the smell. Should we knock on the door, then?"

"I feel like we're imposing, Papa. He did write and say we are welcome to stay a while, right?" asked Vincent.

"Yes," said Adam. He grasped the large iron door knocker, and banged it against the ornately carved wood of the castle door. In a moment, it opened, and a maid answered.

"Bonjour!" she said with a kind, welcoming smile. "My name is Carlotta, I will take your things. Prince Adam of Alsace-Lorraine, France, I believe? With his entire family?"

"Oui, madame!" replied Adam. The maid let them in. It was a beautiful castle, the interior filled with dark wood furniture, decorated with seashells and starfish, but also the rosemaling embroidery on the furniture and tapestries- fitting of a Nordic palace.

"I will summon King Christian. Why, here he is, already!" Carlotta said in surprise.

The King, dressed in his best military uniform, descended the staircase with wide open arms. He was a stout and strong middle aged man.

"Adam! My distant French cousin!" He gave Adam a kiss on each cheek in the formal greeting. "Please introduce me to your beautiful family."

"This is my wife, Belle. This is our son, Vincent, he is eighteen. Our daughter Hélene, she is sixteen. And this is Belle's father, Maurice," he said, putting a hand on the shoulder of the old man in the wheelchair.

"Carlotta, please help Adam's father in law to a comfortable room on the first floor," King Christian said to the maid. Hélene pushed Maurice's wheelchair and followed Carlotta to a suite of rooms.

"You said you have a young son, Your Highness. Where is he?" Belle asked the King.

"Oh, yes. I told my boy to be here at eleven o'clock. Grimsby!" King Christian called to the formally-dressed butler. "Where is Eric?"

"Eric is...still playing outside on the seashore, as always," replied Grimsby. "I will fetch him." The head servant passed the French royal family with a sheepish "Excuse me" and headed out the front door to look for the boy.

Belle, Adam, and Vincent glanced back out the large window with its view of the beach. A young boy of about ten years old was running through the sand barefoot, dressed casually in blue trousers and a white shirt. A small, shaggy white dog ran alongside him.

"There he is!" said Adam. "Prince Eric. I can't believe he's grown that old already, Your Highness. The last time you sent us a letter, he was only a baby."

King Christian nodded with a sad look. "Queen Caroline would have been so proud of him. He looks so much like her."

Eric and his dog ran up to the front door, and approached Grimsby.

"Master Eric! We have company. Please greet them like a gentleman!" the head servant admonished.

"This family has its own 'Cogsworth,' I guess," laughed Vincent.

The young Prince bowed and greeted the family in French. "Bonjour! Je suis heureux de vous rencontrer."

"We are pleased to meet you as well, Prince Eric!" said Belle. The boy was charming in his sand-covered clothes and windblown black hair. He had big blue eyes and handsome features. "Later, could you show us around the seaside? I have never been to the ocean before."

"You've never been to the ocean?" Eric said, surprised. "I'll give you a tour, then. This is my puppy, Maxwell." He gave Belle, Adam and Vincent a shy smile.

"I like your dog!" said Vincent. He stepped out to pet the sheepdog puppy. "Bonjour, there, boy! How old is he?"

"About five months old," said Eric. "Want to see him play fetch?"

"Of course!" replied Vincent.

Eric took a ball out of his pocket and flung it back out to the beach. Max, the puppy, rushed across the castle grounds to the sand and took the ball in his mouth, running back to his young master. "Good boy, Max!"

"Eric, let's let the family get settled and have some lunch, now, all right?" Grimsby advised. "Prince Adam, you will enjoy the lunch, I am certain. Our chef, Louis, is from your country, and he makes the best French cuisine. I hope you like seafood."

"We love it," Adam and Belle both replied.

The family members each found a charming guestroom. Belle unpacked her trunk and took out one of the Enchanted Roses she had brought just to give to the household of the Danish royal family. King Christian was a widower, and Eric was his only son.

They enjoyed a seafood lunch and pleasant conversation, although the King had to close the door so as not to hear Chef Louis and Carlotta bickering in the kitchen. This household was almost as lively as the castle back home.

Later, Eric insisted on playing outside again with his dog Max and invited Vincent and Hélene. The three young people enjoyed the refreshing seaside air, taking turns throwing the ball for Max to fetch, and gazing over the beautiful blue ocean.

"This is such a wonderful place to grow up, Eric," said Hélene.

"I love it. When I grow up, I want to sail on the sea every day. A fishing vessel, maybe. And Max here will be my first mate. He'll still be alive when I'm a man. I hope."

"I hope he will, too, Eric." said Vincent.

Eric gazed over to the rolling waves of the sea. "Do you believe in mermaids?"

"Mermaids?" asked Vincent. "I don't think so. I've never seen one. But who knows? I've seen enough strange things in my life now to believe anything!"

"What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"Enchanted people. Magic spells. Those things have all been part of our lives now. Right Hélene? Is it okay if we tell him? He's just a kid," Vincent asked his sister.

"Yes," said Hélene. "Eric, there's so much more out there than what you see. You look out at the water and you see fish, seashells, and starfish. But there's another world too. A magical world. Some of it is very good. But some of it...isn't good. You have to keep your eyes and mind open. You never know when it will show up. When they'll show up."

"Who?" asked Eric.

"The enchanted people. And if there is such a thing is mermaids, they'd be part of that world, too."

"I can't wait to find out," said Prince Eric.

...

-FINIS-

...

Epilogue

Adam, Belle and their family spent two years at the seaside palace of the Danish Royal Family. When they came back, the monarchy of France was entirely toppled and they became private citizens. They lived in peace among their castle staff family, protected by the Enchanted Rose. The old monarchist period would soon be replaced by the Napoleonic era, but Napoleon and his armies did not care to disturb the area of Adam and Belle's castle and the town of Molyneux.

Belle, Lumiere, and Chip sought the Enchantress' help by using her Enchanted Book to visit Paris and give aid to the poor and orphans. They brought with them discarded clothes, blankets, and some money from the castle treasury. They took three trips, and even though they helped some, they were unable to help all. Hungry people would continue to steal bread from bakeries well into the new century, even though the penalty was to live for decades in chains.

Chip and Mirielle married shortly after the royal family left on their trip. Upon their return, they were happy to introduce the family to their newborn daughter, Nicolette Emmeline Potts. Their son was born a few years later- his name was Maurice.

Chandelle and Antoine also married that year, as well as Felicity and Henri. All of them worked in the castle, keeping the old palace running happily just as they had in its glory days.

Lefou's son Jean grew up to play concert violin and compose music. He changed his stage surname to 'LeFebvre,' as he was no fool. Lefou's daughter Sylvie married a baker named Louis and had several children. His daughter Aimee never married. She joyfully worked as an equine riding teacher at the castle. Lefou and Sophie operated the Tavern for the rest of their lives.

Renaud spent 10 years as a sentient shovel working for the diamond mine and the horse stables. After the 10 years was up, the Enchantress declared him human again. He was a reformed man, now humble and hardworking. He remained on the castle staff, and even married a pretty kitchen maid. They had two sons. His wife never learned he'd been once been briefly married to someone else- the Head of Household Madame Potts, in fact. After all, they'd been married for less than twenty-four hours. It was awkward considering Mirielle was his boss after Cogsworth retired.

When Cogsworth retired, he wanted so much to live in 'a shack by the sea.' Belle and Adam consulted Delphine again, and with the help of the Enchanted Book he spent some years with his wife in the South of England.

Magical people and magical worlds would still dwell among the kingdoms. Princess Hélene was correct about what she told young Prince Eric that day. Out beyond the seashore beyond Eric's home, in the deepest depths, a kingdom and city of good merpeople lived in peace. Dark Enchanted beings- unfortunately- also lived under the sea, not far from the Danish royal family's castle. One of them was a crafty woman named Ursula who was eagerly studying the arts of dark magic.

But for the time being, little Eric and his father and staff were happy and carefree as their French counterparts.

...

A.N. And that is the end! Yes, I love Disney crossovers and cameos. Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited and reviewed this story over all this time! Civilwarrose