At last, we come to the end of this tale! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and having patience as I delayed months and months before uploading each chapter. I really struggled to write this entire story (serious stories are definitely not my forte), so I especially appreciate how supportive all you readers have been. You are the best!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Epilogue:

"I've never come to this room before. The door was always locked."

"Of course it was locked," Armand replied. "I didn't want to remind myself of how far I'd fallen."

They stood in the throne room of the castle, where Armand had sat in state to receive his vassals. The throne itself was a tremendous creation of mahogany wood, intricately carved with scenes from the history of the kingdom and of Armand's lineage. Belle watched Armand run fingers over the carvings, and she smiled to think of him finally taking his place upon the throne in glory.

"Are you very eager to rule once again?" she asked.

He removed his finger from the wood and wiped away the dust that had collected on it. "In some ways," he replied. "But it's rather a daunting enterprise. I was a child before the curse; it's as though I've never truly ruled."

"I have faith that you'll regain your sense of statecraft soon enough. You can practice being in company whenever my family comes to visit!"

Armand shot her an irritated look, and she laughed. Her sister Marie had hosted a dinner party so that the entire family – and assorted superfluous acquaintances – could officially meet the lord that their youngest sister had somehow managed to snare. The dinner had been pleasant enough, but Armand was decidedly uncomfortable. After all, he had not spoken to anyone besides Belle and his two servants for many years.

"How wonderful it is that you have at last returned from your crusade!" Belle's Papa had exclaimed. They were all standing together in Marie's drawing room, sipping glasses of wine and making light conversation. "And how fortunate that you were able to vanquish that horrid beast, as well. It must have been quite a shock to return and discover that such a monster had taken over your home."

Armand had glanced at Belle with an amused expression as her father recited the story that they had devised to explain his return. "Fortunate indeed, not least of all for myself," he replied.

Speaking with Papa always made Belle rather sad, for she knew that their relationship could never be what it once was. Yes, she was glad that she had been sent to the Beast, for everything had ultimately turned out for good. But still, there was a persistent sense of betrayal, a feeling that things might not have turned out quite so well – and all because her father had traded her to an unknown beast. Belle certainly forgave her father for this decision, but something had broken between them. Time would well whether it could be repaired.

At that point in the conversation, Louis had rushed over and eagerly bowed before Armand. He had become a wealthy and flabby businessman, rather overconfident in himself. His bride clung to his arm. "It's a delight to meet you, and I look forward to becoming better acquainted after you and my sister are wed. But tell me, will I ever be able to see this beast that you've defeated? You're making a trophy of it, aren't you?"

Belle briefly panicked as she realized that she and Armand had not prepared an answer to this particular question. She hoped that her fiancé would think of something.

Clever man that he was, he immediately replied, "Unfortunately, you will not have the pleasure of seeing the beast. We decided to burn the corpse, since the monster had inflicted such suffering upon my dear Belle. No one would wish her to have a daily reminder of her trials."

Chastened, Louis nodded hastily. "To be sure. That's very good of you."

"See that?" Belle said as Louis and Papa turned their attention elsewhere. "Everyone sees how good you are." She pressed comfortingly against Armand's arm as he let out a sigh of anxiety.

"At the very least, it's good to know that Vincent feels even more awkward than I do," he said, gesturing towards the far corner of the drawing room, where the former servant was sitting alone in an armchair. Armand stared at the man he had once hated with an expression of deep compassion and regret. "I think he may be lonely forever. Would that his mother had stayed."

Belle shook her head. "She couldn't have stayed in the castle or anywhere near it. The taint of painful memories was too strong, and Vincent understands that. But he knows where she is, and he can visit when he wishes." When Armand failed to respond, she glanced over to find him staring into his empty wineglass. "Is there a problem?"

"I do not have the tolerance that I had as a beast," he replied. "It's unsettling."

Ignoring Armand's newfound inability to hold his liquor, Belle shifted her attention back to her lonesome friend. "Laurent is approaching him."

"One lonely soul seeks out another," Armand philosophically remarked, still gazing into the depths of his wineglass.

Belle quickly removed the glass from his hand and set it on a nearby table. "I think we'd best take our leave soon."

Now, several days later, safely out of the reach of Belle's large and inquisitive family, they gazed at each other from across the mahogany throne. Belle could feel her heartrate increasing as Armand's eyes travelled slowly over each of her features and a gradual smile spread across his face. An involuntary cough on her part broke the spell. Armand frowned in concern.

"You've been coughing all morning. Sick, are we?"

"If I am, it's entirely your fault, as you have been quite unwell recently."

Armand threw his arms into the air in frustration. "Beasts and men do not succumb to the same sicknesses. My body is utterly confused and incapacitated. I resist no germ."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that, but my point is that you've likely given me your illness."

"Lord knows I tried hard enough," he replied with a mischievous grin.

Belle blushed as she remembered the way his lips had moved against hers the previous evening, the way her arms had seemingly of their own accord pulled him ever closer to her. Just saying goodnight to one another had become a lengthy affair; the wedding could not come soon enough.

She made herself focus on the present. "Well, I look forward to watching you take command of your subjects," she said.

"As I look forward to assuming that command and having you at my side – a woman fit to be queen," he said, moving to the front of the throne and sinking into his rightful seat. A cloud of dust rose up around him. "This throne will have to be dusted properly. One of the new servants can take care of that."

Belle laughed. "Francoise will do it herself. She would never entrust such a job to a new recruit."

Armand rested his chin in his hand and smiled to himself. "Yes, I doubt she would allow even Vincent to touch the throne." He paused. "Do you know what Vincent has decided to do?"

"Yes, and it's quite wonderful," Belle said, depositing herself in the lap of her fiancé and wrapping her arms around his neck. "He has decided to help Laurent maintain our family home." She began to fiddle with the collar of Armand's shirt. It had a frustrating habit of never lying flat.

"So they'll have company in one another. A satisfactory arrangement if I've ever heard of one," Armand said in approval. But then his face turned serious. "Belle, I can't imagine you'll be happy merely being at my side. Perhaps a year ago that would have suited you, but not now. What will you with yourself?"

Belle looked away to gaze at the stained-glass windows that extended brilliantly to the ceiling of the throne room. The setting sun shone through their colored glass to cast flaming shadows on the stones of the floor. "I've given that matter some thought, and I have a possible answer… but I don't know how it will suit you."

"Excellent. Tell me." Armand had not lost his former mode of speaking; he remained as imperious as ever.

"I'd like to go to university, if I can. I feel certain that I've read enough and studied enough to pass the entrance exams." She could sense Armand smiling, which gave her the courage to continue. "But the only university I know of that would accept a woman is in the capital, and that is some distance from here. I wouldn't want to be away from you for long."

"Nonsense. It's a perfect plan." Armand lifted her slightly so that he could rise from the throne, then set her down again in his former place. He began to pace back and forth in eagerness. "You must take the entrance exam immediately. I should go to the capital anyways, as I need to reinstatement myself among the other nobles. We can live in the capital as long as you are continuing your studies. Francoise will maintain the castle perfectly during our absence. The vassals are accustomed to managing themselves, so I should be able to rule from afar for a time. I can imagine no better scheme than this." He turned back to Belle and spread out his arms. "Can't you envision it?"

Trembling in excitement, Belle clutched the arms of the throne. "Then I'll do it."

"Then you'll do it," Armand agreed. He leaned forward to rest his hands on top of Belle's. "The lady will be magnificent. Especially since I've unburdened all my accumulated years of knowledge upon her and turned her into a proper scholar…"

"But let's not forget my natural aptitude!" Belle exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "So we'll go to the capital and live in splendor."

"And we will assist any and all beggars who appear at our door."

"And we will plant no rosebushes."

"All rosebushes will be burned." Gently, Armand took Belle's chin in his hand and guided her lips to his. "Thank you," he said simply as he pulled away.

"And thank you."

We've reached the very end of our story. Thank you for reading, and please do leave a review to tell me what you think!