Chapter 10: The Rope Trick
Belle set her jaw in grim determination as she tied sheets and blankets together into makeshift rope. There was a lump in her throat, but no tears reached her eyes. She was not going to spend the rest of her life locked in this castle. She didn't care about the promise she had made to the Beast. Hadn't she also promised her father she would escape? That was the promise she intended to keep. She couldn't believe she had been captured a second time and was back here. Apparently having learned their lesson the first time, the servant objects had not offered to give her the freedom to roam the castle this time. Belle wasn't sure she would be afforded a better opportunity than this one, so she set her sights on making the knots in the makeshift as tight as possible. She hoped it would hold her weight and stay tied to the bed, but she had no way of testing it. Relying on blind faith was her only option.
A ping came from just outside her window. She stopped, listened, and heard it again. What was that? She strode over to the window and opened it, peering down into the snow.
"Belle!" Gaston called up to her quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.
"Gaston! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to rescue you! Obviously."
"How did you plan on doing that? Were you going to climb up here?"
"I hadn't gotten that far. How was I supposed to know you'd be in such a high tower?"
"It's a castle. It has lots of high walls."
"You're making this seem much less heroic than the way I pictured it in my mind. Do you have a way to get down?"
"I've been making a rope. I hope it will hold my weight." There was a beat of silence. "Gaston?"
"Yes?"
"Aren't you supposed to tell me you'll catch me if I fall?"
"I think that from this height you'd probably break my back and that's not going to make getting back to Villenueve any easier."
"I don't know whether I'm relieved that you're smarter than you look or offended because you think I'm heavy."
"I'd prefer relieved, but you'd better hurry up either way, before someone sees you."
She tied the makeshift rope to the bedpost and threw it out the window. She was suddenly absurdly grateful that Mrs. Potts had chosen this room to accommodate her. She had no way of knowing if the others were any less luxurious, but anything with fewer layers of sheets and blankets would have rendered her escape impossible. She poked her head out the window and saw that the rope reached the ground. She couldn't help but smile a little as she saw Gaston's expectant face looking up at her. The distance and dim glow of the moonlight had erased all traces of age from his face and she saw him as he must have appeared as the sixteen-year-old who joined the king's army many years before. She saw what all the women who swooned over him must have seen from the boyish grin to the sparkling eyes. Saying a silent prayer that she would have another chance to see those eyes up close, she put her weight on the rope and started her descent.
Several agonizing minutes later, Belle fell into Gaston's arms from about four feet above him. The impact might have sent a less well balanced man tumbling, but he was a practiced athlete and he handled the hit as if she weighed nothing at all. He allowed himself to wrap his arms around her and claim her lips in a hard kiss. She fought him for dominance as teeth clashed and tongues invaded mouths. After a moment, he pulled away and led her by the hand to where Andre was waiting.
"This is the horse you brought?" she hissed. "Isn't your mare faster?"
"She is, but I've never tested how she bares more than one person. Andre is tried and true."
"He better be fast if we're going to get away before anyone notices."
"With all these footprints, it won't make much difference. They won't have any trouble tracking us."
"Is it safe to go back to Villenueve?"
"Probably not. They found you there once before, but where else can we go?"
"Anywhere. Couldn't we stay at an inn somewhere for a day or two? Maybe once they see I'm not home, they'll stop looking for me."
"Who are they, Belle? And don't tell me another lie about bandits in the forest. I found my way to the castle where it's always winter. What else from your father's story is true?"
"Everything. A spell was cast on the inhabitants of the castle. None of them are human anymore. Most became household objects, but their master became a hideous beast. He's the one I bargained with for my father's freedom. I said I'd take my father's place, but why should I? He didn't have any reason to imprison my father in the first place. Papa took a rose from the garden and the Beast called him a thief. Taking his place seemed like the right thing to do at the time and I'd happily take some reasonable punishment for him, but I'm not willing to spend the rest of my life locked up by a wild animal. There has to be more in my future than that."
The cadence of Andre's hooves thundered like a drum as Gaston urged the animal past the frozen lake back to the warmer part of the wood. "There will be, Belle. You're still so young. Your future can be whatever you want it to be."
"You say that like it's not true for you."
"I'm a good ten years older than you. At my age, let's just say the future doesn't look as bright as the past."
"Come on, Gaston. You're Villenueve's most eligible bachelor. Your future is full of good things. Think about evenings spent with your latest kill roasting on the fire while the little ones play with the dogs and your wife massages your shoulders."
"You make that sound blissful, but the only girl I've ever really cared for isn't interested in that kind of provincial life. She wants adventure in the great wide somewhere. If I tried to convince her to settle down, I'd feel like I was robbing her of the life she should have."
"What if she changed her mind about what she wanted? It's her prerogative to do that."
"Of course it is, but I still don't think"- she cut him off.
"I didn't mean I wanted to have adventures forever, just that I want to see the world before I settle down. Couldn't we do some travelling before we decide to live in Villenueve forever? Maybe we could even live somewhere else for a while and see if we liked it better."
"That's awfully forward of you. I haven't even asked you to marry me yet."
"You ask me at least once a week."
"But I haven't asked you this week."
"We could go to Molyneaux. I know there's an inn there. We could stay overnight and find a priest to marry us first thing tomorrow morning. There must be a priest there, too, with that lovely church."
"Belle, I'm speechless. In all the times I imagined you'd be mine, I never thought it would turn out quite like this."
"You'll have me for your wife. Make no mistake about that. I'd rather have you than someone who wants to lock me up forever."
"I can't help but feel like you're only saying this because you think the Beast will come after you again. You don't need to be my bride for me to protect you."
"I know that, but I want to live before I'm locked away again. You're the only man I've ever wanted to experience married life with."
"Belle, what are you saying?"
"Make me your wife, Gaston, tomorrow in word and tonight in deed. If the Beast comes for me and I never have another chance, at least let me show you how I feel about you this once."