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Belle finally set down her quill and got up from her desk as quietly as she could to not disturb Adam who had surrendered to sleep hours ago. She carefully picked up the candle she had been using and made her way across the room, holding her breath. Even so, as she was passing the bed, Adam began to stir, patting the side of the bed that she usually slept on in a vaguely confused manner.
“Darling,” Adam mumbled, “come to bed.”
“Just a minute.” Belle stretched out her ink-stained hand to open the door and Adam immediately sat up straight, as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
“What on earth happened to your hand?” He exclaimed, standing up to get a closer look. Every drop of sleepiness had disappeared and the flame from the candle was now dancing around in his wide blue eyes. “Let me see.”
“I’m alright, it’s just red ink.”
Adam took a long deep breath and counted to three then pulled her closer to him, burrowing his face in her hair. “I thought you were bleeding.”
“No, look I’m completely fine.” Belle said, slotting her hands into Adam’s much larger ones. “I had the idea because my main character is a villain and it looks like she’s writing with the blood of her enemies.”
“Right. Of course.” Adam snorted and even though Belle couldn’t see, still safely cocooned in his arms, she knew the exact facial expression he was making. The one where his eyes crinkled at the edges and the corner of his mouth quirked upwards, in that familiar way she so loved.
“I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.” Belle assured him.
“Sorry. I’ve been so on edge lately, just expecting the worst all the time. I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Adam pulled back and ran his hand through his messy hair. Belle loved his hair like this, loose and free around his shoulders instead of slicked back tied into a low ponytail like the way he wore it while carrying out his princely duties.
“You don’t have to apologise.” Belle smiled up at him and smoothed down a clump of his strawberry-blonde hair. “And you’re not losing your mind. You’re perfect.”
“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know that right? I love you so much ma Belle. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
It was now coming up to three months since Adam's curse had been lifted. As could be expected, Adam was really struggling to adjust to his new life. He had been The Beast for longer than he had been Prince Adam and now had the mammoth task of ruling a kingdom. Most importantly, he wanted to do right by Belle and be the best husband he could be, keeping her safe from the sneering townsfolk who had always seen her as an outsider, a weirdo whose head was always in the clouds. Oh and there was Gaston who would harass her whenever she went into town. And of course, on top of that, there was the ever-looming fear that the Enchantress would return. Nearly every night, Adam would have the same nightmare of looking into a mirror and seeing himself, a monster once more weeping at Belle's grave. He would wake up drenched in sweat and crying in Belle’s arms.
“It’ll get better though, Addy. I promise it won’t always be like this.” Belle would say.
She was his everything. The most understanding, kind-hearted, selfless person he had ever met. Since it was the day that the curse was lifted, on the fifth day of every month so far, Adam gave all the staff the day off and he and Belle spent the day together celebrating. The first time, Belle arranged for an orchestra to come to the castle and they danced for hours around the castle, their joy radiating around in the atmosphere in a rosy pink glow. After that, Belle surprised him with a treasure hunt leading to a picnic in the West Wing.
The second time, Adam took charge and gifted Belle signed copies of all her favourite books and arranged for her to meet the authors (those who were still alive, of course). She had cried so hard that Adam grew quite concerned after several minutes and very nearly interrupted Mrs Potts’ day off to see if he had done something wrong. Belle started sobbing all over again when Adam showed her the room filled with a hundred roses just for her and later in the day, when they went out horse-riding, there were yet more tears running down her strawberry-pink face.
“I’m so just so happy!” She had yelled, cry-laughing so passionately that Adam didn’t know what to do with himself.
And see, that was one of the things he loved most about Belle. As soon as he thought he knew everything there was to her, she turned around and surprised him with a completely new side.
The third anniversary of the curse being lifted was quickly approaching and since it was Belle’s turn to organise the day, she was constantly disappearing off to town and having secret conversations with Cogsworth and Lumiere in the gardens. Originally, she had planned to take him birdwatching but when the day came around, it was so mind-numbingly hot that they didn't last long and quickly moved on to swimming in the brand new swimming pool that Belle surprised him with. They happily splashed around for most of the morning, basking in the sun rays, drunk on each other's laugh. They had no other thoughts in their mind other to love and be loved and their love was a love more beautiful, more enchanting than any love that had existed before.
After a few hours, Belle went to her old bedroom in the East Wing to retrieve second half of Adam's surprise which came in the form of two large watercolour paintings she had commissioned a local artist to create. One was of Adam with his glossy copper hair flowing past his shoulders and forming the background. The other was of them looking lovingly into each other’s eyes, enclosed in the thorny embrace of two red roses. Both were hidden from sight underneath a deep purple translucent covering that felt silky underneath her touch. Belle had one under each arm and was slowly making her way down the hallway when out of a shadowy corner, a dark-haired woman emerged, wearing a dress which looked as though it had been made out of burned rose petals.
“Let me help you with that dearie, you look rather weary.” The woman said in a husky voice. She didn’t wait for a response, which was just as well because Belle had been rendered speechless. She simply hoisted one of the portraits up on her shoulder and extended her hand, gesturing for Belle to continue walking.
“Who… Who are you?” Belle asked, confusion spreading across her face.
“I am executioner, judge and jury.” The woman said, tilting her head to the side. “Are you not aware that this castle has once before faced my fury?”
“You’re the Enchantress?” Belle gasped, dropping the painting. She made to run away but the woman grabbed ahold of her arm and pulled her close. “You monster! Let me go!”
“You must tell me how he outsmarted the curse.” The Enchantress hissed and her breath smelled of sweet smoke, like that which fills the air after blowing out a candle. “Tell me! Or I’ll turn you into something far worse.”
“Adam is a good person!” Belle cried, trying desperately to get free. “He’s gentle and kind and he loves me!”
“Oh, this is a turn of events I didn’t expect. You are his lover, the one whose heart he chose to infect?” The Enchantress released Belle’s arm and examined her from head to toe, smirking when Belle shrunk under her gaze. “So you are the infamous Belle? Well hello angel, pleasure to meet you, my name is Axelle.”
“I don’t care what your name is.” Belle said, rubbing her arm. “You need to leave. There was no trickery, Adam broke the curse by falling in love with me and I with him.”
“It cannot be!” Axelle said firmly. “Trust me Belle, just you wait and see. If this man loves you so much, well then where is he?”
At that very moment, Belle spotted the top of Adam’s head coming up the stairs and she immediately rushed over, urgency in her voice. “You’ve got to get away. She’s here and she’s trying to…”
Adam’s face shattered into a billion pieces when Axelle stepped out of the wall behind him, blocking off the only exit. Belle stepped in front of him protectively and began to plead for mercy, but Axelle just spoke louder, drowning her out.
“Hello again darling, what perfect timing. It seems your final hour of being human is chiming.” She sang, stretching out her arms as though asking for a hug.
There were around a million different emotions flooding through Adam’s mind at that moment. There had been that high-on-life feeling when he began ascending those stairs to see what was taking so long. The confusion when he spotted the dark clouds gathering outside since it had been so sunny just moments before. Expecting the worst as the familiar uneasy feeling in his gut grew with each step. White-hot rage when he saw who had invaded his home and a dizzying sense of terror as sharp as knives stabbing him over and over. But the fear wasn’t for himself. A freezing wave of calm washed over him and Adam leaned down and traced the outline of Belle’s lips with his own for the last time. Then he stepped into Axelle’s deadly embrace and became a blurred collage of amber and aquamarine dusted with the shimmering powdered fragments of Belle’s crushed heart.
Adam’s kiss had left Belle’s mouth stinging with frostbite and she almost lifted her hand to her face to check that there weren’t tiny little icicles sticking out of her lips like she was envisioning. Belle wiped her eyes, her eyes focusing on Adam’s trembling hands. Before Axelle’s glittering fingertips could brush against Adam’s face, Belle’s freckled hand shot out and pressed Axelle’s curse-drenched hand to her forehead.
Axelle jumped back as though she had been burned and both she and Adam could only watch in horror as Belle fell to pieces, leaving behind a small pile of fresh rose petals. Axelle cursed loudly and Adam fell to his knees.
“Please undo it!” Adam begged his cheeks wet with tears. “I’ll be the Beast again forever. I don’t care, just please don’t do this to her. Don’t make her go through this.”
“Alas. Once I have cast a spell, it must come to pass.” Axelle said quietly. She bit her lip and looked away as the petals rose into the air and began knitting themselves together. “I cannot make her completely curse-free; however I can shorten the years to a maximum of 3.”
“She has to live as a beast for 3 years?” Adam roared, “How could you do this? She didn’t do anything to you!”
“Need I remind you to watch your tone?” Axelle snapped. “One word from me and I’ll have you transformed into a stone.”
“She’s everything to me.” Adam said, his face crumbling at the sight of Belle’s face beginning to re-form, so familiar yet so foreign. Caramel brown fur was lining her face and two jet-black horns were sitting on top of her head. Her eyes were shut tightly and Adam could feel his heart aching as he remembered how scared he had been when this was happening to him.
Axelle’s gaze had landed on the portrait of Belle and Adam and she crouched in front of it, her lips slightly downturned at the corners. “I misjudged you, it seems I still have things to learn.” She snapped her fingers and a cloud of shadows began encasing her, ready to spirit her away. “I will not return.” She promised, but Adam could barely hear her since all of his focus was on the last few seconds of Belle's transformation.
Belle opened her eyes and locked eyes with the human version of herself in the portrait. She still had the same eyes that Adam had fallen in love with. Chocolate brown peeking out under long fluttering lashes. What had once been tiny hands as soft as velvet were massive paws lined with claws. Adam placed his hands over Belle’s hand and gently pulled her to her feet.
Her favourite yellow dress was now torn and tufts of honey-coloured fur were peeking through the rips. Adam leaned up on his tiptoes for a hug. She was smaller than he had been as the Beast but was still taller than her, even hunched over like she was now. She pulled him closer to her, resting the bottom of her chin on top of his head.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Belle smiled, revealing pointy canines but it slowly began to fade after a few moments. “So, 3 years? I understand if you don’t want to…”
“Ma Belle," Adam interrupted, "you’re just as beautiful as the first day I saw you. I love you. Always and forever.”
“I love you too, Addy.”
And neither were quite sure who said it first. It might even have been at the exact same time, but the phrase that had been with them right from the very beginning wrapped itself around them, enveloping them in a tight hug.
“I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”