One Tale After Another
Sep. 13th, 2016 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katleeptTitle: One Tale After Another
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Character/Pairing: Adam(Beast)/Belle
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
a_war_of_roses: One For All: Glasses (If you join, tell them Kat Lee of Team White Rose sent you!)
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,485
Date Written: 11 September 2016
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to Disney, not the author, and are used without permission.
She cocks her head to one side, her chin resting on the palm of her hand, as she listens to the song of the bluebirds outside her window. They've fed the birds almost every day since she's been here at the castle, and in return for the little seed and few treats they give them, the tiny, winged animals gift them with lovely music year round. It's a really nice deal. One of her favorite things to do is listen to them, but Belle sighs as she remembers another thing she loves but hasn't been able to do for far too long now.
Her big, brown eyes cast up at the books surrounding her. She knows the tales by heart. She's read every book in this vast library at least three times, but she'd love to read them another half dozen times. She'd love to, but she can't. She can no longer see the words and having them read to her just isn't the same. All she can do is relive them in her mind.
She closes her eyes, still listening to the songs of the birds and pictures one of her favorite moments from one of her favorite tales. She'd rather read an adventure than a romance, but even she likes romance on occasion, and besides, the best tales always span more than one story in them and have romance, adventure, and much, much more in them. With her eyes closed and her head still tilted to her friends' songs, Belle remembers how the Princess became lost in the forest without ever truly being lost. She never ventured to far from home where the old women cared for her, and the animals were her friends just as the ones here are the castle are Belle's. With them to guide her, she could never be truly lost.
But she had lost track of time that day and the afternoon was growing late by the time she realized the shadows of the trees were getting long. She still wasn't bothered. She continued to sing and play with her friends until, suddenly, a stranger's voice answered hers. Before she knew it, a handsome man had swept her all but literally off her feet. Belle's smile grows at the memory of how the Prince and Princess had danced in the forest and how the Prince had recognized the lady fair as the girl he'd known so many years before when they had been children.
She hears a soft, rustling sound behind her and tilts her head backwards in the direction. She's no more afraid of whoever might be trying to sneak up on her here in the castle than Aurora was afraid of any one venturing upon her in the forest. She recognizes the soft steps of her husband trying to sneak up on her and waits as he closes the distance between them. She expects him to hug her from behind or perhaps kiss her, but instead he drops something quite peculiar feeling gently down upon her upturned nose.
Belle sits straight up, her eyes blinking open in surprise. The world suddenly seems sharper and brighter, and she realizes that she's looking at it through two tiny panels of glass. Carefully, she lifts the gift up off of her nose. Holding to the tiny, metal sticks that are on each side of the panels, she looks at the instrument. They remind her of Cogsworth's spectacles, but they're larger and lighter in color. Belle narrows her eyes and looks closer at the metal. She's surprised to see tiny, pink roses intricately curling throughout both sticks.
"Do you like them?" her husband asks from behind her.
"I . . . I don't know," she admits, turning to look up at him and still carefully holding his gift. "What are they?"
A wide smile spreads over Adam's handsome face. "Why, spectacles of course, my darling!"
Belle blinks and looks at the spectacles. "I . . . I've never seen a pair quite like them before."
"That's because I had them especially made for you, my wife. You were the first to see the man inside the beast. I could not allow for you to miss seeing something else in the world, not when you first opened my eyes to its beauty as well."
Belle smiles at his words but continues examining the spectacles. She slides them carefully back onto her nose again and blinks as their world once more comes into clearer focus before her brown eyes.
Adam looks up and selects one of her favorite titles from a nearby shelf. It's a well worn book that she's read both to herself and to him and the whole castle for he knows they always listened even from a distance as she read to him when he was still under the curse. He misses those nights by the fireside, watching and listening to her bring new worlds to life and the excitement and pleasure she derived from doing so. "Here," he says, placing the book in her hand. "Try this."
Belle does as he asks and murmurs softly, "Once upon a time . . . " But then she jumps from her seat, slamming her cherished book shut in her excitement. "I can see them!" she exclaims joyously. "I'm not just reading from memory now! I can actually see them!" She throws her arms around him and hugs him tight. Beaming, he returns her hug, but she gives him pause as she murmurs, her cheek against his chest, "How can I ever thank you?"
"My darling," Adam replies, smoothing a hand down her back, "how many times do I have to tell you it is I who am thankful for you? You did so much more than just break my curse. You loved me when I was unlovable and taught me how to love -- "
"You were hardly unlovable. I couldn't have loved you if you had been now, could I?" she asks, pulling back just enough that she can look up at him with a cheeky grin.
Adam chuckles. He cups a loving hand around his wife's beautiful, smiling face and tugs gently on a loose tendril of her brown hair. This is an argument they've had many times before. Mischief suddenly gleams in his blue eyes. "Still," he says, "if you must thank you, I know just the way . . . "
"How?" she asks, leaning in for a kiss, but that's not what he has in mind.
He passes his lips gently and swiftly over hers before murmuring against her sweet smile, "Travel to exotic lands. Find new romances and new words." He gestures with his empty hand, the one not filled with the gentle press of her round cheek. Cogsworth and Lumiere walk up, each holding a brand new stack of books. "Read to us?" he asks, and Belle's grin is the brightest, warmest, and most beautiful sight he's seen since the day they wed that sometimes feels just like yesterday but, in truth, is now many years ago.
She whirls out of his arms, something he's become quite accustomed to over the years, and grabs the first couple of books off of the nearest stack. "Nothing would please me more, my husband!" Realizing how quickly she's brushed him aside, she glances back at him. He's still smiling, and she knows he understands. Nonetheless, she adds, "Other than loving you, of course." She steps back to his side and kisses him once more but then starts looking through the books in her hands.
Adam claps his hands loudly together and high in the air. "Hear ye! Hear ye!" he calls out. "All duties may be overlooked today." He doesn't miss Lumiere teasingly nudging Cogsworth, Chip's excited squeal, or their dog's equally excited bark. "Today is a special day, and I order you all to come rest and enjoy as our Queen reads to us!"
They're surrounded instantly by servants who are also their friends. One spreads a blanket for them before the open window. Mrs. Potts slides in, quickly pushing a cart loaded with tea and cakes before her. Babette laughs as she dusts books that don't need dusting, but then she lays her feather duster down and comes to join them. Chip flops down on his stomach right by the blanket, his eagerly smiling face cupped in his hands and his feet swinging innocently through the air. The dog curls up beside him. Even the birds seem quieter now as they wait for Belle to begin.
The King makes certain every one is settled. He nods to Lumiere who grabs Cogsworth's hand and tugs him forcibly down beside him. At last, Adam takes the place of honor at his wife's side on the blanket and pulls her into his arms, quite content and happy to hold her as she reads to them one tale after another.
The End
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Character/Pairing: Adam(Beast)/Belle
Rating: G/K
Challenge/Prompt:
a_war_of_roses: One For All: Glasses (If you join, tell them Kat Lee of Team White Rose sent you!)Warning(s): None
Word Count: 1,485
Date Written: 11 September 2016
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to Disney, not the author, and are used without permission.
She cocks her head to one side, her chin resting on the palm of her hand, as she listens to the song of the bluebirds outside her window. They've fed the birds almost every day since she's been here at the castle, and in return for the little seed and few treats they give them, the tiny, winged animals gift them with lovely music year round. It's a really nice deal. One of her favorite things to do is listen to them, but Belle sighs as she remembers another thing she loves but hasn't been able to do for far too long now.
Her big, brown eyes cast up at the books surrounding her. She knows the tales by heart. She's read every book in this vast library at least three times, but she'd love to read them another half dozen times. She'd love to, but she can't. She can no longer see the words and having them read to her just isn't the same. All she can do is relive them in her mind.
She closes her eyes, still listening to the songs of the birds and pictures one of her favorite moments from one of her favorite tales. She'd rather read an adventure than a romance, but even she likes romance on occasion, and besides, the best tales always span more than one story in them and have romance, adventure, and much, much more in them. With her eyes closed and her head still tilted to her friends' songs, Belle remembers how the Princess became lost in the forest without ever truly being lost. She never ventured to far from home where the old women cared for her, and the animals were her friends just as the ones here are the castle are Belle's. With them to guide her, she could never be truly lost.
But she had lost track of time that day and the afternoon was growing late by the time she realized the shadows of the trees were getting long. She still wasn't bothered. She continued to sing and play with her friends until, suddenly, a stranger's voice answered hers. Before she knew it, a handsome man had swept her all but literally off her feet. Belle's smile grows at the memory of how the Prince and Princess had danced in the forest and how the Prince had recognized the lady fair as the girl he'd known so many years before when they had been children.
She hears a soft, rustling sound behind her and tilts her head backwards in the direction. She's no more afraid of whoever might be trying to sneak up on her here in the castle than Aurora was afraid of any one venturing upon her in the forest. She recognizes the soft steps of her husband trying to sneak up on her and waits as he closes the distance between them. She expects him to hug her from behind or perhaps kiss her, but instead he drops something quite peculiar feeling gently down upon her upturned nose.
Belle sits straight up, her eyes blinking open in surprise. The world suddenly seems sharper and brighter, and she realizes that she's looking at it through two tiny panels of glass. Carefully, she lifts the gift up off of her nose. Holding to the tiny, metal sticks that are on each side of the panels, she looks at the instrument. They remind her of Cogsworth's spectacles, but they're larger and lighter in color. Belle narrows her eyes and looks closer at the metal. She's surprised to see tiny, pink roses intricately curling throughout both sticks.
"Do you like them?" her husband asks from behind her.
"I . . . I don't know," she admits, turning to look up at him and still carefully holding his gift. "What are they?"
A wide smile spreads over Adam's handsome face. "Why, spectacles of course, my darling!"
Belle blinks and looks at the spectacles. "I . . . I've never seen a pair quite like them before."
"That's because I had them especially made for you, my wife. You were the first to see the man inside the beast. I could not allow for you to miss seeing something else in the world, not when you first opened my eyes to its beauty as well."
Belle smiles at his words but continues examining the spectacles. She slides them carefully back onto her nose again and blinks as their world once more comes into clearer focus before her brown eyes.
Adam looks up and selects one of her favorite titles from a nearby shelf. It's a well worn book that she's read both to herself and to him and the whole castle for he knows they always listened even from a distance as she read to him when he was still under the curse. He misses those nights by the fireside, watching and listening to her bring new worlds to life and the excitement and pleasure she derived from doing so. "Here," he says, placing the book in her hand. "Try this."
Belle does as he asks and murmurs softly, "Once upon a time . . . " But then she jumps from her seat, slamming her cherished book shut in her excitement. "I can see them!" she exclaims joyously. "I'm not just reading from memory now! I can actually see them!" She throws her arms around him and hugs him tight. Beaming, he returns her hug, but she gives him pause as she murmurs, her cheek against his chest, "How can I ever thank you?"
"My darling," Adam replies, smoothing a hand down her back, "how many times do I have to tell you it is I who am thankful for you? You did so much more than just break my curse. You loved me when I was unlovable and taught me how to love -- "
"You were hardly unlovable. I couldn't have loved you if you had been now, could I?" she asks, pulling back just enough that she can look up at him with a cheeky grin.
Adam chuckles. He cups a loving hand around his wife's beautiful, smiling face and tugs gently on a loose tendril of her brown hair. This is an argument they've had many times before. Mischief suddenly gleams in his blue eyes. "Still," he says, "if you must thank you, I know just the way . . . "
"How?" she asks, leaning in for a kiss, but that's not what he has in mind.
He passes his lips gently and swiftly over hers before murmuring against her sweet smile, "Travel to exotic lands. Find new romances and new words." He gestures with his empty hand, the one not filled with the gentle press of her round cheek. Cogsworth and Lumiere walk up, each holding a brand new stack of books. "Read to us?" he asks, and Belle's grin is the brightest, warmest, and most beautiful sight he's seen since the day they wed that sometimes feels just like yesterday but, in truth, is now many years ago.
She whirls out of his arms, something he's become quite accustomed to over the years, and grabs the first couple of books off of the nearest stack. "Nothing would please me more, my husband!" Realizing how quickly she's brushed him aside, she glances back at him. He's still smiling, and she knows he understands. Nonetheless, she adds, "Other than loving you, of course." She steps back to his side and kisses him once more but then starts looking through the books in her hands.
Adam claps his hands loudly together and high in the air. "Hear ye! Hear ye!" he calls out. "All duties may be overlooked today." He doesn't miss Lumiere teasingly nudging Cogsworth, Chip's excited squeal, or their dog's equally excited bark. "Today is a special day, and I order you all to come rest and enjoy as our Queen reads to us!"
They're surrounded instantly by servants who are also their friends. One spreads a blanket for them before the open window. Mrs. Potts slides in, quickly pushing a cart loaded with tea and cakes before her. Babette laughs as she dusts books that don't need dusting, but then she lays her feather duster down and comes to join them. Chip flops down on his stomach right by the blanket, his eagerly smiling face cupped in his hands and his feet swinging innocently through the air. The dog curls up beside him. Even the birds seem quieter now as they wait for Belle to begin.
The King makes certain every one is settled. He nods to Lumiere who grabs Cogsworth's hand and tugs him forcibly down beside him. At last, Adam takes the place of honor at his wife's side on the blanket and pulls her into his arms, quite content and happy to hold her as she reads to them one tale after another.
The End
