The Lady in Green

Beauty and the Beast

Disney owns Beauty and the Beast and its characters.

Chapter 1- Homecoming of Chip Potts

Lumiere and Cogsworth sat in the carriage opposite the young man, who had been quiet and somber for the journey. Chip Potts noticed that they even refrained from arguing amongst themselves in front of him. The two servants chatted and joked and did everything they could to cheer him up.

"Everyone cannot wait to see you again, Chip," Cogsworth told him. "They are making your favorite dish, shepherd's pie-"

"And for dessert, pudding en flambé!" Lumiere interrupted.

"Everything has been cleaned and fixed up splendidly." Cogsworth continued.

"You may also want to know that there are some lovely new mesdemoiselles on staff!" added Lumiere with a wink.

Chip raised his head slightly, glancing at Lumiere through a lock of blonde hair that hung in his eyes. "That reminds me: how are your little girls?" he asked.

"Oho! Our daughters are no longer little! Ma petite Chandelle is eighteen, and sweet Félicie is nineteen!" Lumiere replied. Cogsworth nodded and smiled at the mention of his own daughter.

"And how are Vincent and Hélene?" Chip asked the two servants. "They must be...thirteen? Fourteen?"

"Why, Prince Vincent is seventeen! Princess Hélene is fifteen, and she is the spitting image of her mother!" exclaimed Lumiere with pride.

"It's really been that long, hasn't it?" Chip lowered his head again, slumping down the plush carriage seat. "I wish I wasn't so tired. I really want to get some sleep before I have dinner and see everyone..." He yawned.

"We understand. You certainly may. We just cannot help but be excited to see you after the past few years!" said Lumiere.

"I only wish that circumstances could be better, Charles," said Cogsworth, his tone more serious.

...

Chip Potts, at twenty-eight years old, was now known as quartier-maître Charles Bouilloure of the Royal Navy of France. He had decided to Frenchify his surname when he enlisted six years earlier, so no one suspected he was of English heritage as he sailed his first mission. The war with England over the revolution in America had ended, and he did not wish to fight people whom he thought could be kinsmen.

The sea was everything he'd dreamed of. He was free to travel all the waters of Europe, and he had recently come back from across the globe - balmy Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean. He had been on the crew of the great frigate Galatheé under Captain Joseph de Cambis.

Chip was no longer a lonely young man. He had plenty of peers around him, and he had made a best friend, a cobbler's son named Pierrot, whom he could spend hours talking with. Pierrot was impressed that Chip had grown up as a servant for French nobility. The fellow sailor kept telling him he wanted to someday see that magnificent castle; as he had grown up in a poor rural village nowhere near aristocratic homes.

Only a year into his enlistment, Chip's hard work and positive attitude had allowed him to graduate from seaman to the rank of quartermaster quite quickly. He had gotten acquainted with the contre-amiral, who was of noble blood himself, being a duke and a second cousin of Prince Adam. There had once been a ball held at Duke Mériadac's palace in the south of France, and a few of the best young enlisteds were allowed to attend after a hard month at sea.

When Chip was at the ball, he happened to dance with the duke's daughter, a pretty duchess named Joséphine. They ended up strolling the gardens, talking, and quickly developed an attraction to each other. For the young sailor, it was the most exhilarating night of his life. Joséphine was sweet and intelligent, with a tumble of honey blonde curls, and when it suddenly rained that night, they rushed inside the horse stables, laughing. They talked into the night, and Joséphine surprised him with a kiss on the cheek, his first ever kiss from a girl. They promised to write to each other when they said goodbye.

They wrote for the next few months, and when they reunited at the Mériadac palace, he proposed marriage. She accepted. Chip spoke with the Duke, who had no qualms about the good-hearted, hardworking boy not being a noble. After he gave his blessing, the sailor asked if he and Joséphine could be wed at Prince Adam and Belle's palace in eastern France.

It was an unfortunate choice. Old family feuds were still simmering among the aristocracy. Duke René-Louis Mériadac remembered that Prince Adam was the grandson of Prince Jules-Alexandre, who had supposedly 'stolen' the grand castle in the mountains from René's father, who was Jules-Alexandre's brother. Adam's Grand-Père Jules had a noble wife, but sired his third-born son, Alexandre, through a commoner mistress. That son was Adam's father. Mériadac felt that the great castle should still be the property of his family branch. It made no sense at all to Chip, Adam, or Belle, and was indeed very frustrating.

A quarrel erupted during the wedding rehearsal dinner in Adam's grand ballroom. The Duke, who had been Chip's respected superior, ranted and raved at Adam and Belle over things they had nothing to do with. Mériadac even made an insulting jab at the handful of English servants, whom he identified by their accents.

Then, Chip did something that he soon regretted. He identified the sweet old English maid as his mother, and proclaimed that he was raised French, was completely loyal to his country, but by blood was 'as British as Limeys and crumpets.'

Mériadac was incensed. He called the wedding off, and ordered his daughter to leave with him immediately. As her father walked her away, Joséphine glanced back at her beloved with a distraught face, mouthing the words, 'Je t'aime.' Nothing had changed for her.

The young man was heartbroken.

Chip was able to transfer and serve under a new admiral; Mériadac could not prove the sailor's disloyalty to the country just because of his heritage. The irony was that the duke had British relatives himself, a branch of cousins descended from Prince Charles Stuart.

As for Chip, he dealt with the pain of his failed engagement with the distraction of sailing. His love and his lady was the sea.

The sun and salt gave his fair skin a ruddy glow, and his hair was sun-kissed gold. But he suffered a good share of injuries working on deck, and walked with a slight limp ever since he fell from a mast he was rigging.

One winter, while on break in Normandy, he received a letter addressed from the household of Prince Adam and Princess Belle. It was written by Cogsworth.

Dear Charles,

This letter is quite late forthcoming. I am grieved to inform you that your sweet, dear mother Emmeline passed away last November. I am weeping as I write this, dear Chip. Maurice is handling it well, but he is dreadfully quiet, and no longer tinkering with his tools and inventions. Mistress Belle is devastated, as we all are. I tried to write you through Captain Richelieu, but the letter came back 'return to sender'. Master Adam and I had to travel in order to find out the name of your current commander. I hope this letter finally finds you, so that you can come pay your respects to your dear mother.

Your friend,

George A. Cogsworth

Chip was anguished. He had been out to sea from mission to mission, and had received the news so late. He never got to even say goodbye to Mama. The only consolation was the support of Pierrot, who had also lost his father while on a voyage. The other young man was the only one he could weep in front of.

He tried hard to numb himself with his work, as it would be some time before he was finally given a release to go home to the castle.

...

The carriage arrived at the palace gates. As it proceeded through and the three passengers disembarked, Chip saw a billowing, light blue dress rushing toward them from the castle doors, like a bluebell flower slowly growing as it came closer. With it appeared a lovely face, with flowing auburn hair. He exclaimed "Belle!" as he walked with his slight limp through the gardens.

She rushed to him, and to his surprise, he realized that it was Princess Hélene, not her mother. The daughter of Belle and Adam was now fifteen years old, and resembled her mother greatly, her hair a slightly lighter shade of auburn than Belle's. She also had her huge hazel eyes and heart shaped face.

Hélene collided with Chip, giving him a warm hug. Belle, Adam, and seventeen-year-old Prince Vincent trailed behind her, and soon hugs and kisses were flowing. Vincent was nearly as tall as Adam. He looked much like his father in facial features; his bright blue eyes in particular. Vincent's hair was darker than Adam's, much more like Belle's in color. He was slender in form, and most likely had not stopped growing yet. His voice had changed from that of a boy's to a man.

So many years had passed, and the family had changed. Chip looked around and expected- for a brief moment- his sweet elderly Mama to rush to embrace him.

But Mama was gone.

"I'm home..." His face crumpled in grief as he locked eyes with Belle. She gave him a soothing look.

"Oh, Chip..."

He dissolved into tears in the princess's arms. She felt like the closest thing he could have to a mother now.

After some time, the family walked together in the gardens and through a little forest path, which led to a small servants' cemetery. It was easy for Chip to identify; his Mama's was the immaculate white stone covered in English tea roses. Emmeline Potts DeFleur, née Brown, had lived a rich and full eighty years.

Maurice came up behind him, and they stood together until the tall pines' shadows grew long.

"I need to go on with my life, Maurice. What would Mama say?" he said, voice thick with grief.

The old man smiled gently. "She'd say, 'chin up, back straight, and stop your grousing.'"

"Yes, she would," the sailor mused as he took Maurice's arm and helped walk him back to the castle, despite his exhaustion. Lumiere met them on the castle stairway, and rushed to help Maurice up the steps, as the elderly man's legs were stiff and tired. Belle's papa argued of course, not wanting to be aided. When Maurice was safely settled in his easy chair in the parlor, Chip went up to his old room, near his mother's old quarters, to retire early. He slept through dinnertime.

After breakfast the next morning, he visited and caught up with the royal family, and the servants' families as well. Cogsworth's daughter Felicity and Lumiere's daughter Chandelle still fought as much as they did when little girls. Pippa and Babette, their wives, were doing well. New little babies had been born to younger servant couples since Chip had left.

Chip was especially happy to see the girl who had been like a sister to him growing up- the maid, Mirielle. She was four years older than him, now thirty-two, and unmarried. Mirielle was, in a word, a genius. It was a shame she wasn't allowed to attend university just because she was a woman, and not only a woman but a castle servant at that.

Mirielle was extremely loyal to her Master Adam and Belle. However, she despised King Louis and the Bourbon dynasty with a passion. She read the newspapers voraciously, and social justice was a topic she would talk about until her cheeks glowed red. Chip listened to her speak and confirmed everything that she brought up about the advancing Revolution.

Mirielle finally paused from her speech as she and Chip sat in the parlor balcony.

"You kind of fancy him, don't you?" he asked.

"Who?" She narrowed her pretty brown eyes at him.

"Robespierre."

"I've never seen him in person. But I support him wholeheartedly," Mirielle declared, ignoring Chip's attempt at teasing her to not give him the satisfaction. "If only he could seek out Master Adam and Mistress Belle, he could see what a good leader of the nobility ought to do for his subjects. He could get their support, as Adam no longer sees those monsters in Versailles as anything close to his family." Mirielle shook her head in revulsion. "Do you know how long Master Adam and Belle have been deceiving His Majesty? Have you heard about the jewels?" She leaned toward Chip with a grin, anxious to reveal a juicy secret.

"Jewels? What jewels?"

Mirielle lowered her voice. "In the east mountain of this castle...on castle property...some precious gems- diamonds- were unearthed! Adam and Belle allowed the villagers in Molyneux to mine them out. The village has prospered so much in the last twenty years! And what's more, is that instead of taxing the villagers like Louis commanded, Adam just sells his portion of the diamonds to traders across the border. The Germans, the Swiss, anyone! And then, he sends a portion of his diamond earnings to the King's treasury. He decieves that tyrant Louis about charging taxes. I just hope and pray it never runs out. Our principality has been secretly thumbing its nose at Louis and Marie-Antoinette for years now! I just hate seeing Adam having to go to Versailles every year to kiss their feet. I'd love it if Robespierre learned what Adam and Belle are doing! He'd love them!" Mirielle gushed.

"Bad idea," said Chip. "I don't trust the guy! He wants to spill as much royal blood as possible. And I'd just keep quiet about diamonds- you know how greedy people are." He sighed. As book-smart as Mirielle was, she was also sheltered and naïve.

"They need to hide, Mirielle. Or leave the country. I wish I could just get all four of them to dress in plain clothes and use aliases- I can arrange to transport them all to the Caribbean, on the Galatheé. I'm going to suggest it to them tomorrow."

Mirielle looked upset. "This is serious, isn't it?"

Chip nodded. "Yes. It's very serious."

The door opened, and in burst Vincent. "What's serious?" he asked, the grin on his very Adam-like face fading away.

Chip gave the young Prince a pained look. "I...um..." He sighed. "A political uprising, Vincent. Lots of crazy things happening in Paris. I was just there after I got back from my voyage."

He averted his eyes from the boy, stood and walked away. He didn't want to use the word 'Revolution' just yet. Vincent and Hélene were still only children.

...

Soon after lunch, and more mingling with the family and the servants, Chip rode one of the palace horses in the woods, for a chance to breathe the forest air and reconnect with the venues of his childhood. He had already walked through the gardens where he used to play alone, the hills he used to sled and the river he used to skate on in the winter. He crossed the high bridge over the river and dismounted his horse, sitting down on the bridge and letting his feet dangle over the water as it flowed downstream. He gazed at the church steeple marking the village, and remembered a few of the boys he had once known there.

Chip was contemplating taking a ride to the village to pay his old friends a surprise visit, when he noticed movement to his left. His heart jumped when he saw an enormous grey wolf only three meters away, staring at him with intelligent blue eyes.

He took a sharp intake of breath. The wolf began to glow with a blue, misty hue, and transformed quickly into a man.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Potts," said the aged man. He was well dressed in a blue suit, and almost resembled an aristocrat except he had plain, short grey hair instead of the typical wig the pompous royals in the city wore.

"How- how did you do that? Who are you?"

"I'm Monsieur LaBarre. I've been acquainted with Their Highnesses Adam and Belle for over twenty years," the old sorcerer replied. "You may just call me Fabien if you wish. I am an Enchanter."

"Enchanter? You mean just like-" Chip remembered the cruel, crazy Enchantress who had caused him to live suspended for a decade as a six-year-old boy in a teacup form, until Prince Adam broke his Beast spell with Belle's love.

"Yes, Just like Mademoiselle Delphine, the Enchantress who was your old tormentor," explained Fabien. "She wants to seek audience with Their Royal Highnesses. But first, she wants to speak with someone close to them to prove herself. She wants to help. I have decided to approach you on her behalf."

"I don't understand," said Chip. "She was an evil witch who went to some magic prison or something. I was only seven when that all happened right after the spell was broken- but my mother explained it all later. Why would she be back?"

He had no patience for this in his life again. France was falling apart, he was grieving his mother, and now he was being subjected to the crazy hocus-pocus of his enchanted boyhood. It was the last thing he wanted right now.

"I want you to seek out the Enchantress and let her explain things to you. It is about Their Highnesses' safety," Fabien informed him.

"But- how am I supposed to know where she is?" Chip wished he had stayed in the castle if he knew he would be faced with this.

"She lives in a cottage in the forest close to the village. It is on the opposite end of the village from the road you usually take into Molyneux. The church side. If you have trouble, stop in the inn and pub. Villagers- likely children- may be able to help you." Fabien bowed politely, and instantly transformed back into a wolf.

"Wait! This is a huge forest! How am I- Fabien!" Chip shouted in exasperation. The wolf gave him an encouraging look with his human-like eyes, and turned to trot through the forest path in the direction of the village. Chip remounted the black horse and began to follow him.