Chapter 32 - Their Happy Ending

It had been a week since everything had returned to a sense of normality. It felt like it had been much longer.

The castle grounds and doors were open, allowing villagers to go in and out as they pleased in order to visit family and friends. Despite the fact that the villagers had all rallied against him and had stormed the castle just to kill him, the Prince held no grudge against them. He couldn't really blame them for wanting him dead when he was a beast, the fear of the unknown can be very powerful. Besides, they had all expressed guilt for what they had done, and each one of them had apologised in some shape or form, so they had been forgiven. Belle had also been able to forgive them for their treatment of her when she lived in the village.

Maurice had moved in, along with all of his paintings and music boxes. The Prince had given him his father's old study, and told Maurice that he could convert it into his own personal art room. Maurice had protested at first, but had eventually accepted his offer. It was about time that room got some use.

Philippe had moved in permanently as well. They changed the name that was displayed on his stall from Jean to Philippe, and the Prince would help Belle tend to him. He also slipped Philippe carrots whenever Belle wasn't looking, as he still owed the poor horse for listening to him go on about his feelings. The couple then rode Philippe together, galloping beyond the castle and the woods and across the hillside. It felt good to ride a horse again, as well as having the sun on his skin and the wind in his hair. He liked to sit behind Belle and let her take the reins, but she let him handle driving Philippe a couple of times. The Prince enjoyed it when she sat behind him and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his back.

Adam and Belle had started reading to each other. He had begun reading Guinevere and Lancelot to her, which she was highly invested in. They also took annual walks in the garden and admired the colourful flowers that were no longer covered in frost. They also took turns quoting lines to each other. Belle had also managed to build the washing machine she had been talking about, and he got to see it in action. It functioned really well, and now the servants used it to wash clothes, instead of doing it by hand. Adam congratulated her for doing such a fine job, which she humbly accepted, and thanked him for taking a huge interest in her inventions.

A few days ago, he had gathered all of the servants into a room and informed them of his father's demise before the curse had been placed upon them. He also told them that he was the rightful heir to the throne, and that it was only a matter of time before he was crowned King.

Was he prepared for this? Not in the slightest. To go from being a beast to a Prince and then to a King in such a short amount of time was going to weigh heavily on him. But it didn't really matter if he was ready or not. He just hoped that he would be able to stay true to himself once he was crowned. He didn't want to turn into his father.

The Prince had also taken a trip to his mother's grave, to discover that the tombstone had been fixed. He guessed that the Enchantress had something to do with the restoration of his mother's final resting place, which he was grateful for. Belle had accompanied him and laid down a bouquet of white roses they had arranged together for his mother. Belle had then embraced him in a comforting hug while they stood there on the hilltop. He wished she could have met Belle. He wished she could have seen how happy Belle made him feel. He hoped that his mother was proud of him, whether she may be.

In the span of a week, he had also started wearing proper clothes, instead of walking around in a state of undress. He had to have at least some standards, as well as set an example. He certainly didn't visit his mother's grave in what he had been wearing when he turned back into a human.

He had taken to wearing a similar style of clothing that he had worn when he was a beast, a long jacket and floral pattern shirt and simple trousers. He also liked wearing the colour blue, instead of the black clothing he often wore before the curse. He also started wearing shoes again, as walking around bare foot wasn't working out, not in the same way as it did when he had paws for feet. He also considered cutting his hair, but decided to leave it, as he liked it long, and would occasionally comb it back into a ponytail or just leave it hanging loosely.

Aside from reading to one another, Adam and Belle spent the majority of each day together, almost every waking hour. They enjoyed each other's company a great deal, and couldn't bear to be apart for very long. It occurred to him that the love they shared between them had grown even stronger, which he had previously thought wasn't even possible. Their bond was unbreakable.

And now, there was something very important he wanted to do. It had been on his mind for the last few days, but he had told himself to give it more time and to not rush into anything. But he couldn't wait anymore.

It was the current day, and they were both taking another walk through the garden, although neither of them were carrying a book this time. It had proven rather difficult to get Belle to put a book down, but he had eventually succeeded without arousing too much suspicion from her. It was a hot summer's day, the sun was high in crystal blue sky, beating down on them with an extensive amount of heat. The Prince had abandoned his outer layer jacket as he still hadn't adjusted to this kind of temperature, while Belle seemed perfectly fine with it. Then again, she was wearing a sleeveless red dress, so she was bound to feel much cooler.

Eventually, they reached the bridge that went over the frozen lake, where she had read that collection of poems by William Sharp to him. Only, the lake wasn't frozen anymore, it was the exact opposite in fact. They stopped at the centre of the bridge and watched as pond skaters glided across the surface of the water, and dragonflies swooped down to nestle on the long grass growing at the water's edge. A light breeze rushed passed them, causing the lake to ripple.

The Prince rested his hands on the wall of the bridge and stared off into the distance at the sloping hills. Belle stood beside him and stared at the lake, most likely admiring the way the light from the sun reflected off of it. He caught her looking up at him in the corner of his eye.

"You've been looking a lot better lately." She commented.

Adam turned to look at her. "I feel a lot better too." He replied. "You made that possible. You just being here has helped me a great deal." He added. "I still have a long way to go but I'm getting there... Slowly but surely."

"You'll get there. I know you will."

The two went quiet for a moment. Adam stared at the lake for a bit before glancing back at Belle. "I've been thinking..." He began.

"What about?" She asked.

He had her full attention now. "After being cooped up in this castle for so long... I don't want to spend the rest of my life here. I'll have royal duties to attend to, of course, but I'd like to go and see the world, whenever I get the chance. I want to get on a boat and set sail on the high seas, travel to the furthest corners of the globe, explore uncharted territories. I don't want to waste a second." He told her. "But... I don't want to do it alone. I want someone to go with me."

He would have suggested using the enchanted book, but that had disappeared, along with the enchanted mirror, most likely because he had no use for them anymore.

"You want someone to go with you on the adventure of a life time?" She asked, a small smile beginning to form on her face that was slowly getting wider. She was smart, he knew that she would be able to guess where this was going.

"Yes. But I don't want just anyone to go with me." He took hold of her hand in both of his and squeezed it gently. "I want it to be you." He stated. "I want it to be... My wife."

Belle's eyes widened in shock and amazement. She didn't see that part of the conversation coming. Her mouth fell open and she looked like she was lost for words as he went down on one knee. "Belle... You make me so happy. I've never loved anyone more than I love you. Will you do me the honour of making me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?"

Belle stood in stunned silence. She looked like she was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out of her mouth. After a few seconds, she finally got her voice back. "Yes, yes I will!" She cried, throwing her arms around him. She nearly knocked him off his feet, but he managed to stay balanced and hugged her back.

"First thing we'll do is take a trip to England and I'll take you to the Globe theatre to see Romeo and Juliet." He told her. "Although, they might have some competition... As I think we're a better couple of star crossed lovers."

Belle pulled away from the hug and laughed whilst shaking her head. "You had to work that quote in there, didn't you?"

"I couldn't help myself." He replied.

She immediately pulled him back into the hug and kissed him on the cheek. Their lips eventually managed to meet and the engaged couple continued to hug and kiss on that lonely bridge under the hot summer sun.

The wedding rolled around quicker than expected. It was upon him before he even realised it. A month just seemed to fly by. Belle looked absolutely stunning in her white wedding gown, as well as the long glittering veil that trailed behind her. Her brown locks were done up in a bunch, pinned there using small white flowers as a hair piece. The skirt of her gown didn't meet the floor, but it was layered, and had a floral pattern on the skirt as well as the waist and sleeves, which was made up of several pink and orange flowers, as well as their swirling green stalks that were stitched into the fabric. They almost looked real. Adam was wearing a light blue jacket that ran down to his knees. It had its own floral pattern stitched into it in a slightly lighter shade of blue. The front of the jacket had sliver stitches running around the buttons, and the waist coat he was wearing underneath had similar sliver stitches, that were stitched into a pattern that looked like the stalk of a flower. This silver pattern could also be found on the turned up cuffs of his sleeves. Around his neck he wore a white cravat. His trousers were a light blue, mixed with grey, and although they ended at his knees, his long white socks covered the rest of his legs. His light blue shoes were buckled and also had tall heels. To finish off his look, his long blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail using a blue ribbon. It resembled the ballroom attire he wore when he danced with Belle for the first time.

The ceremony was incredible. They had it in the garden, with rows and rows of chairs arranged for guests to sit. All of the villagers turned up, with the men wearing black clothing, whilst the women wore white. The altar was on a pedestal, under an archway made up of flowers. The look on Belle's face when she joined him under the archway and he lifted up her veil... He would never forget it. She was glowing in the sunlight, her brown eyes beaming with happiness. She couldn't stop smiling. Neither could he.

They said their vows and put on their rings. But that wasn't the end of it, far from it, as after the ceremony was complete, and they were announced husband and wife, Belle took off her veil, and he offered her his hand, and they headed to the ballroom, with the guests in tow.

The ballroom had traded its candles for dozens upon dozens of flowers, all neatly arranged in baskets and bouquets, as well as hanging over head along with the crystal chandeliers. The flowers above and around them were many different colours, there were pink ones and yellow ones and white ones, all of which were pleasing to the eye. The aroma coming from them was both wonderful and overpowering to the senses. Adam and Belle walked to the centre of the room, while some of the guests sprawled out to the far corners, and others linked up with a partner. Even the servants were getting involved, Lumiere had linked up with Plumette, and Cogsworth was with his wife.

It was time for their first dance.

Madame Garderobe and Maestro Cadenza were in position, ready to perform, just like they did all those years ago, when all of this began. Along with the Maestro's piano, they had other musical accompaniment, consisting of several stringed instruments being played by talented musicians. He also caught sight of Maurice, who was planning on painting a picture of the whole event as it happened.

Once everyone was ready, Madame Garderobe, who was cuddling Froufrou, began to sing. She was singing the same song Mrs Potts sang when he and Belle danced to when he was a beast.

Tale as old as time, tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong

Adam and Belle began to dance together, taking each other's hand, while she placed the other hand on his arm, and he wrapped his around her waist. They took two steps forwards and a couple of steps back, keeping eye contact as the villagers and servants danced around them, the whole room completely in sync.

The couple parted, swirling around each other, before Adam took hold of her hand again and allowed her to do a twirl, her beautiful, flowery dress spinning along with her.

The music grew softer and there was an absent of the piano, as Mrs Potts chimed in with the song.

Winter turns to spring, famine turns to feast

Nature points the way, nothing left to say

Beauty and the Beast

Adam and Belle lifted up their hands, moving them around the other in their own sort of dance as they moved round in a circle.

The other dancers moved to the edges of the room, to admire the couple and allow them to dance alone. The bride and groom didn't notice as they were too focus on each other.

Adam offered her his hand, which she gladly took, and they slowly moved round in a circle once more, their arms outstretched.

"I've been meaning to ask..." She began.

"What's that?" He replied.

"How would you feel about growing a beard?" She asked him, a smile crossing her face.

Adam grinned and growled playfully at her. What came out of his mouth was reminiscent of the noises he used to be able to make when he was a beast, that stunned both of them.

They both laughed in surprise. "I'll take that as a no." She responded in disbelief, still reeling from the shock.

They drew closer to one another. He wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned forwards to whisper in her ear. "I'll see what I can do. I didn't actually mind having a beard, or whatever that was growing on my face." He couldn't blame her for wanting a sense of familiarity, she was bound to miss the beast, even though he and the beast had been one in the same.

"Extra fur?" She questioned.

"Probably." He replied. "You never know, I might forget to pack my shaving comb when we go travelling." He teased.

"With the amount of books we'll be carrying you probably won't be able to fit anything else in our luggage." She commented.

Adam pulled away and allowed her to do another twirl, before pulling her closer to him again. "Did you know you could still growl like that?"

"I had no idea." He admitted. "Should we be concerned?"

"I don't think so. Besides... I think it's cute." She told him.

They both laughed again, as Belle bowed to him and he lovingly kissed her hand. The music grew louder and Madame Garderobe began to sing once again.

Certain as the sun, rising in the east

Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

Adam lifted Belle up by her waist and held her high above his head, the skirt of her dress surrounding his arms as he spun around, holding her up in the air. He gazed up at her face, the sunlight coming in from the windows giving her a heavenly glow. He carefully put her back on the ground, and as soon as her feet touched the floor, they began to dance again, waltzing around in a circle, before she did another twirl.

Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

They pressed their foreheads together, their lips inches apart. They both closed the gap and kissed, and in that moment, he knew that there was nowhere else he'd rather be than in that ballroom with her.

She was everything to him. The light of his life, his hopes, his dreams. She gave him the strength to carry on, to live, to accomplish the goals he set himself and chase after the things he wanted most from life. She had saved him from himself, and for that he was eternally grateful. The beast was gone, all thanks to her, although it was unlikely that either of them would ever forget that part of himself. He didn't mind that lingering after thought all that much. In a way, the beast would always be part of him, as much as he had been a part of it. He was thankful, in way, for being turned into that creature. Meeting Belle had made all those years of torment and suffering worth it, just to see her smiling face. He would never stop telling her how much he loved her, nor would he stop showing her through the little things he did every day.

He knew that no matter what life threw at them, they would be able to make it through the trials and tribulations. Their love would withstand the test of time and last...

Forever.

A/N - And so we bring this story to a close. This chapter was important to me, I wanted to make sure that everything I wrote was wrapped up nicely in a neat little bow. To give them a happy ending. I also wanted to combine the original ending and the remake, by having the guests dance with them for a little while, before having the Prince and Belle dance alone, to make it both a huge celebration, and have some close intimacy. A special moment between just the two of them.

This has been an absolute joy to write and share with you all. When I first conceived the idea of expanding upon Beast's backstory and the years he spent alone, I never thought I would write the movie plot as well from his perspective, but I'm glad I did. Expanding on his and Belle's relationship was great.

I honestly didn't think I'd be able to finish such a project, as I often lose motivation halfway through and give up. I suppose my passion and fasnisation with Beast's character and his development helped me see this through to the end.

So, a few closing statements from me before I have to love you and leave you. I'd liked to say a big thank you to everyone that has read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I've noticed quite a few people that have been here since the very beginning, and others that have nearly reviewed every single chapter, like kunoichi418, mmusicjuliet, theodor10 (a good friend of mine who I appreciate being here!), Jznna1010. Not to mention the countless guest reviewers like Cress, Guitarist Girl, Audrey. But we'd be here all day if I named all of you. Just know that I appreciate every single one of you, whether I named you or not. Thank you for sticking with me, and thank you for all your positivity. I hope you share your thoughts about this final chapter and what you thought of the whole story overall now that you've read all of it. I'd really like to see.

I'm not sure if I will ever write a sequel of what happens after the curse is broken, but if I ever get a solid idea, then I definitely will. As for the alternate ending and mini story I've mentioned before, I've been thinking about it, and whether or not it will actually happen is up in the air at the moment. But perhaps you will see a follow up from me at some point. I'd like to think so.

If anyone with an account wants to PM me and ask about anything or just want to have a chat with me about the story then feel free to, I'll be happy to talk to you.

EDIT: Here's something I forgot to mention. Not sure if any of you will read this but I wanted to give you a little fun fact. I only had to consult the movie four times, firstly for the Prince's dance with the maidens in the beginning, then much later on for Beast and Belle's ballroom dance, then for the fight between Beast and Gaston (although not a whole lot, I just had to make sure how many towers Beast jumped to and what Gaston attacked him with and where) and then the final dance with Adam and Belle. Everything else I did from memory. It was mostly just choreography I needed as it's somethimes hard to remember every single dance move they did.

And that's about all I have to say. Thank you all once again for all the love and support. You all really are the best.

See you around!