Gaston may have had little appreciation for non-antler-related home decor, but he knew luxury when he saw it. His assigned bed was soft as he lay on it. Finally, a home befitting of his greatness. Not that he would tell the Beast that.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJBFlQwq3h
He closed his eyes for a moment, exhausted from a day of hunting. ‘Do you think he’s, er… really the one?’ A posh male voice asked in the distance. Gaston opened one eye.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtl5osEJjfB
‘But of course! It is destiny that he has been brought here.’ The other voice had the thickest French accent Gaston had ever heard. ‘And look at how flustered the master is acting! He could be the one to break the spell!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGV2NzCWzZD
‘But he’s a man!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAzRhVJaOh
‘You have clearly never visited Paris.’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq4Ygxkb3v
By this point, both of Gaston’s eyes were open. He stomped to the door but, when he opened it, he saw no one. He looked down at the floor and saw a lit candelabra and a quietly ticking clock. Confusion washed over his face but he closed the door and lumbered back to his bed with his eyes already half-closed.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRJAJYUUD9
Before he reached the bed, he bumped into something. He gasped. Then he heard a gasp. Then he gasped again.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb6QPeMsAo
‘Ooh, careful!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84zjWEVg1D
A portly wardrobe stood before him. With a smile. A human smile.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12IZFOqFPh
Gaston raised his fists. ‘What are you, you… you… creature?’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jihJkwUPp
‘My, my, this one’s feisty.’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhpvBC8qYu
‘He could use a spot of tea, I think,’ a motherly voice claimed from behind him. A teapot bounced onto his shoulder.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8hZpSyIEl
Gaston grabbed the teapot and dangled it in the air by its handle. ‘Is everyone in this castle a freak?’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgHkFn0WuN
‘Hey, let Mama go!’ a squeaky voice attempted to command. On the ground was a little teacup with a chip in its rim, bouncing on the floor as he moved forward like the teapot earlier.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUdjmfSWQU
Gaston let go of the teapot, which was caught by the candelabra. The clock was there too, smugly smirking at the candelabra.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL664irYqG
‘I told you so,’ it said.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUU5Wqx8AO
Gaston plopped onto the bed, taking time to process everything in front of him. ‘Have I started dreaming?’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLRpeEmcPN
‘Oh no, dear, this is very much real,’ the teapot replied. ‘Oh, my apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mrs Potts, your humble servant.’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA97I2g0tQA
The candelabra was Lumiere, Cogsworth was the clock and the wardrobe was Madame de la Grande Bouche. The cup with a chip was, fittingly enough, called Chip.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmryOjDqFW
‘Wonderful,’ Gaston said while rubbing his face. ‘Not only do I have to live with the ugliest monster alive, I also have to live with his band of creepy servants. What a time to be alive.’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXaAWlr4s4
Lumiere and Cogsworth looked at each other with concerned faces. As if on cue, the Beast knocked on the door.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb71l7bkIFG
‘You will join me for dinner.’ A pause followed. ‘That is not a request!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxLeGlfugd
Mrs Potts stepped closer to the door. ‘Temper, Master, temper!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSXR1jthcS
Gaston scoffed a laugh at the Beast. ‘And what will you do if I say no?’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTTDftsnH4
The Beast was silent for a moment before growling. ‘Don’t push me! If you don’t eat with me, you don’t eat at all!’ Gaston could hear thudding footsteps that faded into silence.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3gp3nZYOf
‘You really shouldn’t make the master mad,’ Mrs Potts said. Gaston flexed his biceps as if that counted as a response.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQu4CK6ZMT
He lied back down and considered doing the unthinkable- thinking. How easy would it be to escape? He was not one to make plans, but without plans, Belle would be out of reach.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskW8bBwv7F
Just as he started thinking, he fell asleep.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdM3295Lyy
In the middle of the night, he awoke to a grumbling stomach. He headed out of the room in search of Cogsworth. When he found him, he picked him up and looked at the time. He then leaned in closer to intimidate him.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKbazoShx8
‘Where’s dinner?’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDZduy4z7O
‘Well, M-master said-’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FwSTTecNV
‘And I’m saying-’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqr6opW3yS
‘Be our guest!’ The two twisted their heads and saw Lumiere, who led them to the dining room. A long table stood in the middle of it, a vast number of living appliances presenting an equally vast array of food. In song, no less.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoRY28epKc
Gaston ignored the smiling knife and fork on the table, grabbing a chicken drumstick and tearing the meat off with his teeth. As he ate, he put his feet on the table. He smiled at the taste and Cogsworth huffed a sigh like he had just dodged one of Gaston’s abandoned bullets.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdUQPfQq6D
Still, Cogsworth repeatedly turned his head side to side as if checking for traces of the Beast. Lumiere noticed this and lit one of his candles, holding it in front of Cogsworth as the two stood on the table. The clock closed his eyes and let the cosy heat engulf his body. His shoulders finally relaxed.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA6yggJahW
He looked up at a winking Lumiere and his pendulum rapidly swung back and forth. Lumiere pulled his candle back as a silent apology but Cogsworth took Lumiere’s arm and pulled the candle back towards him.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4CZxRmK2k
Cogsworth pursed his lips in thought. He gave Lumiere a sheepish wink back. The flame in Lumiere’s candle shot up, bursting with energy. Still, Cogsworth kept it near him, waiting patiently for it to die down.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnTxtJL1X3
After a few seconds of mutual silent gazing, Cogsworth let go of Lumiere’s hand and crossed his arms.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF9GS3mDqY
‘Th-th-this is most unorthodox! I cannot keep up with your methods of wooing. I am clearly at wick’s end!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfFoJlG7VM
Lumiere’s laughter warmed Cogsworth’s soul more than any candle flame ever could.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFyh2SVgwv
The two were so embroiled in their flirting that neither noticed the absence of a certain muscular man. Gaston headed to the castle's front door, only to remember the West Wing. He tiptoed up the stairs to the wing as if to make up for his loud footsteps.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvK6UR4TUS
The wing was mainly one room, a dark and messy room at that. Upon entering it and stepping over the broken furniture, Gaston strolled past the portrait of a handsome young man, only to take a few steps back once he noticed the scratch marks. Envy at the man’s looks brewed inside his gut, the torn parts offering relief from such an emotion.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKDBYTgAzC
Another relief came in the form of a glowing pink light. Gaston walked towards it and saw a rose floating inside a tall glass lid, a handheld mirror lying next to it. He gazed at his reflection, the handsome portrait disappearing from his mind. The rose drew his attention again.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEXr6IpjX3
Some of the petals had fallen onto the table, but most were still intact. Gaston pictured giving a glowing rose to Belle. As soon as that thought entered his mind, he pulled the lid up and reached for the flower.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8HZOrTMEe
‘I warned you not to come here!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3i7HTvInG
Gaston pivoted towards the Beast. He was still not used to that horrid face, especially with its fur sticking up like a porcupine’s quills. The Beast’s shadow engulfed the spot where Gaston stood.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qqB5ti08W
It snatched the lid from Gaston and pushed him away. ‘Do you realise what you could have done? Get out!’
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8UN98JbUd
Gaston held up his fists but then remembered how that went last time. He raced out of the room. He could take it on. He could totally take it on. He wasn’t afraid. He just wanted to leave anyway.
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWx9fRX8Fi
Once he was on Maurice’s horse and out of the castle, a chill seeped into his bones. Snow constantly pummeled onto him, the wind’s roar even louder than the Beast’s. But Gaston pressed on. He kept riding until he heard a chorus of howls shatter the air.
ns216.73.216.204da2
