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apachefirecatTitle: Roar
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Beast/Belle
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary: Belle finds a champion roaring within her.
Word Count: 1654
Written For:![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
comment_fic: Disney, Belle, only as she's racing home to save her father does she realize that she might never see the Beast again requested by templefugate
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Belle laid low against Phillip's neck. The horse was moving fast, almost as though he sensed that her beloved Papa needed them, but Belle couldn't help thinking, as she heard the castle gates slam shut behind them, that perhaps it had more to do with the fact that they were finally escaping. The Beast's roar sent a chill crashing through her being that seemed to reach to the very recesses of her soul. She had seen the crazed townspeople in his mirror, and she knew, with a flash two things: She did not actually want to be escaping him; she had stopped being simply a prisoner long ago! And she may never get to see him again! She may never get to come back to him again!
"HURRY, PHILLIP! HURRY!" she shouted at the horse's ear. His muscles rippled underneath her, and she could feel her old, animal friend pushing himself to the max. He was running full out, as fast and hard as he could go, but would it be enough? Fear thundered in her, drowning out the thunder and wind all around them. A ghastly storm crashed not just throughout the forest but, she knew, in the town itself as well, but the storm was not that of which she was afraid.
The storm could hurt them, yes, but she could care less to Nature right now. What frightened her to her very core was the nature of the people with whom she had grown up. Gaston was the true beast. He had always been a monster, but the townspeople would never see him that way. They would buy whatever story the town's favorite citizen gave and follow him into any nasty depths. They would do anything for him, including, Belle knew, kill -- or worse, as evidenced by her father's predicament. Her father had never hurt anyone in his entire life! Yet the fate they had in store for him was quite possibly a fate even worse than being outright killed. They would have his land, his shop, his very life if she did not reach him in time!
And she already knew what Gaston would demand to save him. She was the only one throughout their entire lives who had ever stood up to the monster, and for some crazed reason, that made the killer want her. There were many more beautiful women in the village, but not more challenging ones. Everybody else succumbed easily to his charm and supposed wit or, at the very least, to his father's fame and fortune. She was the only one who had ever presented a challenge to him, the only one who did not want him, the only one who questioned his power... And so he had taken her very father, for whom she had cared her entire life much more as though she was the parent rather than he, and was going to use her to become one of his many -- she shuddered -- wenches.
She deserved so much better! The thunder roared again, and she thought she heard the Beast's cry in the whipping winds. They all deserved so much better! Her father did not deserve to be imprisoned, and the Beast did not deserve to have her leaving him now, when he inarguably needed her the most! Yet she had no choice! She had to reach her Papa! She had to save him!
And then what? Belle questioned herself, icy dread forming what felt like a cage around her heart. She did not have the strength to fight Gaston! She had only one way to free her father. She was going to have to agree to marry the beast, and not the one she -- yes, she realized, her heart pounding, the one she loved, the one she was leaving behind for the villagers to slaughter! She had to save them both, but how?! How?!
Oh, Mama! she found herself crying inwardly, almost praying. Her father had never been a truly intelligent individual. It had taken first her mother and then herself to care for him. He'd always been a loon, a harmless loon but a loon nonetheless! Perhaps not even really a loon, she reasoned with herself, trying desperately to think of other things. He was creative. He was smart in a way. He just had no sense when it came to the matters of adult life! He had, her entire life, been a boy caught in a man's body. She loved him -- of course she did for he was her Papa --, but there was a part of her, and of him, that loved him as a parent, as the mother she herself had barely gotten to know.
She had to save them both! There was no other answer! But how, oh how?! She had no answers! She was going to have to think, and think faster and act faster than she had ever done so before! The other villagers, she knew, would not present a true threat. They were only a threat when heralded by Gaston. She was going to have to convince him that she would marry him, stay behind when the villagers went after her beloved Beast, and then somehow beat him back to the castle. She could try to distract him with words of marriage, perhaps woo his ego with subtly crafted lies of how she had never thought she would miss him until she had found herself without him... The mere thought was revolting, but it might buy her a little time.
A very little time, Belle knew, because he was determined to kill the Beast! Knowing that monster, he would probably even think of giving her the Beast's head as a wedding present! She shuddered, though she didn't even feel the cold that was setting in through her soaked dress. "HURRY, PHILLIP! HURRY! RUN AS THOUGH OUR LIVES DEPEND ON YOU, NOT JUST THEIRS!" If the horse heard the change in her words, he did not appear to show it, but he kept moving more swiftly than she'd ever known him to run before. She knew the poor boy was exhausted, but there truly was no other choice.
Just, she reflected, shuddering, there was no other choice but to appear to succumb to Gaston's supposed charms. He was the ugliest, most cruel and vicious monster she had ever known! The Beast she was being forced to abandon was actually one of the gentlest, most wonderful and loving creatures she'd ever known, and she would be honored to be able to give her heart to him! But she had to find a way to save him first.
She had to find a way to save them all, she knew. Gaston would not hesitate to shoot Phillip out from beneath her if he even so much as suspected she would try to save the Beast. Lightning streaked in front of them, striking yet another tree, and Belle realized that she still did not even know the Beast's name. No. He was more than a beast! she thought. He was much, much more even than the Beast! He had been the Prince, the true Prince of the land!
Which meant, she realized almost in perfect tune with the next bolt of lightning, that of course Gaston would want to kill him! Not only did he think he was an animal who might not be able to easily slaughter, but he was the rightful ruler of the land! He was the one who had the women should be flocking after -- although, for him, she would fight her way through any amount of bar wenches, or any amount of villagers! He was more than a Beast, more than the Prince... He was the man she loved and would wed!
"HURRY!" she screamed, seeing the town beginning to loom in the gray distance. "HURRY!" She wondered, fleetingly, if it were possible to give her strength to the horse. She plastered herself against him as low as she could and, with her fingers curled tightly in his dark mane, closed her eyes. She tried to will her strength and energy to him. She didn't know if it was possible or not, but with a family made of enchanted objects, who knew what was possible?
They would be killed too, she realized. Cogsworth, Lumiere, even Missus Potts and Wardrobe and little Chip... They would all do everything in their power to defend the Beast, just as she would, and the villagers would not hesitate to kill any of them to reach him and secure Gaston's filthy, bloody crown! Lightning illuminated the town as they barreled through it on the way to her father's shop. Dear God, she had so much to do this night! But with God as her witness, she would succeed in doing it all, in saving both the men she loved, her beloved and her Papa, or she would die trying!
She would succeed, Belle knew! She must succeed! Good always triumphed evil, and there was none more wicked than Gaston, who always took pleasure in other living beings' miseries and even deaths! She didn't know how she was going to save the day, but she would find a way! She must! God would not have led her to the Beast if she was not intended to save him! She would save them all for there simply was no other choice! Her Papa deserved to be free, her Prince deserved the love that roared in her heart for him, and none of them, including his supposed subjects who were much more like their family, deserved to die!
Phillip whinnied, and Belle thought she heard the Beast roar in the sounds of the fierce storm again. She thought she heard him roar, and in her heart, she roared too! She would save them, and she would marry the man she loved! No one could stop her, especially not the town bully!
The End
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Beast/Belle
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary: Belle finds a champion roaring within her.
Word Count: 1654
Written For:
comment_fic: Disney, Belle, only as she's racing home to save her father does she realize that she might never see the Beast again requested by templefugateWarnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Belle laid low against Phillip's neck. The horse was moving fast, almost as though he sensed that her beloved Papa needed them, but Belle couldn't help thinking, as she heard the castle gates slam shut behind them, that perhaps it had more to do with the fact that they were finally escaping. The Beast's roar sent a chill crashing through her being that seemed to reach to the very recesses of her soul. She had seen the crazed townspeople in his mirror, and she knew, with a flash two things: She did not actually want to be escaping him; she had stopped being simply a prisoner long ago! And she may never get to see him again! She may never get to come back to him again!
"HURRY, PHILLIP! HURRY!" she shouted at the horse's ear. His muscles rippled underneath her, and she could feel her old, animal friend pushing himself to the max. He was running full out, as fast and hard as he could go, but would it be enough? Fear thundered in her, drowning out the thunder and wind all around them. A ghastly storm crashed not just throughout the forest but, she knew, in the town itself as well, but the storm was not that of which she was afraid.
The storm could hurt them, yes, but she could care less to Nature right now. What frightened her to her very core was the nature of the people with whom she had grown up. Gaston was the true beast. He had always been a monster, but the townspeople would never see him that way. They would buy whatever story the town's favorite citizen gave and follow him into any nasty depths. They would do anything for him, including, Belle knew, kill -- or worse, as evidenced by her father's predicament. Her father had never hurt anyone in his entire life! Yet the fate they had in store for him was quite possibly a fate even worse than being outright killed. They would have his land, his shop, his very life if she did not reach him in time!
And she already knew what Gaston would demand to save him. She was the only one throughout their entire lives who had ever stood up to the monster, and for some crazed reason, that made the killer want her. There were many more beautiful women in the village, but not more challenging ones. Everybody else succumbed easily to his charm and supposed wit or, at the very least, to his father's fame and fortune. She was the only one who had ever presented a challenge to him, the only one who did not want him, the only one who questioned his power... And so he had taken her very father, for whom she had cared her entire life much more as though she was the parent rather than he, and was going to use her to become one of his many -- she shuddered -- wenches.
She deserved so much better! The thunder roared again, and she thought she heard the Beast's cry in the whipping winds. They all deserved so much better! Her father did not deserve to be imprisoned, and the Beast did not deserve to have her leaving him now, when he inarguably needed her the most! Yet she had no choice! She had to reach her Papa! She had to save him!
And then what? Belle questioned herself, icy dread forming what felt like a cage around her heart. She did not have the strength to fight Gaston! She had only one way to free her father. She was going to have to agree to marry the beast, and not the one she -- yes, she realized, her heart pounding, the one she loved, the one she was leaving behind for the villagers to slaughter! She had to save them both, but how?! How?!
Oh, Mama! she found herself crying inwardly, almost praying. Her father had never been a truly intelligent individual. It had taken first her mother and then herself to care for him. He'd always been a loon, a harmless loon but a loon nonetheless! Perhaps not even really a loon, she reasoned with herself, trying desperately to think of other things. He was creative. He was smart in a way. He just had no sense when it came to the matters of adult life! He had, her entire life, been a boy caught in a man's body. She loved him -- of course she did for he was her Papa --, but there was a part of her, and of him, that loved him as a parent, as the mother she herself had barely gotten to know.
She had to save them both! There was no other answer! But how, oh how?! She had no answers! She was going to have to think, and think faster and act faster than she had ever done so before! The other villagers, she knew, would not present a true threat. They were only a threat when heralded by Gaston. She was going to have to convince him that she would marry him, stay behind when the villagers went after her beloved Beast, and then somehow beat him back to the castle. She could try to distract him with words of marriage, perhaps woo his ego with subtly crafted lies of how she had never thought she would miss him until she had found herself without him... The mere thought was revolting, but it might buy her a little time.
A very little time, Belle knew, because he was determined to kill the Beast! Knowing that monster, he would probably even think of giving her the Beast's head as a wedding present! She shuddered, though she didn't even feel the cold that was setting in through her soaked dress. "HURRY, PHILLIP! HURRY! RUN AS THOUGH OUR LIVES DEPEND ON YOU, NOT JUST THEIRS!" If the horse heard the change in her words, he did not appear to show it, but he kept moving more swiftly than she'd ever known him to run before. She knew the poor boy was exhausted, but there truly was no other choice.
Just, she reflected, shuddering, there was no other choice but to appear to succumb to Gaston's supposed charms. He was the ugliest, most cruel and vicious monster she had ever known! The Beast she was being forced to abandon was actually one of the gentlest, most wonderful and loving creatures she'd ever known, and she would be honored to be able to give her heart to him! But she had to find a way to save him first.
She had to find a way to save them all, she knew. Gaston would not hesitate to shoot Phillip out from beneath her if he even so much as suspected she would try to save the Beast. Lightning streaked in front of them, striking yet another tree, and Belle realized that she still did not even know the Beast's name. No. He was more than a beast! she thought. He was much, much more even than the Beast! He had been the Prince, the true Prince of the land!
Which meant, she realized almost in perfect tune with the next bolt of lightning, that of course Gaston would want to kill him! Not only did he think he was an animal who might not be able to easily slaughter, but he was the rightful ruler of the land! He was the one who had the women should be flocking after -- although, for him, she would fight her way through any amount of bar wenches, or any amount of villagers! He was more than a Beast, more than the Prince... He was the man she loved and would wed!
"HURRY!" she screamed, seeing the town beginning to loom in the gray distance. "HURRY!" She wondered, fleetingly, if it were possible to give her strength to the horse. She plastered herself against him as low as she could and, with her fingers curled tightly in his dark mane, closed her eyes. She tried to will her strength and energy to him. She didn't know if it was possible or not, but with a family made of enchanted objects, who knew what was possible?
They would be killed too, she realized. Cogsworth, Lumiere, even Missus Potts and Wardrobe and little Chip... They would all do everything in their power to defend the Beast, just as she would, and the villagers would not hesitate to kill any of them to reach him and secure Gaston's filthy, bloody crown! Lightning illuminated the town as they barreled through it on the way to her father's shop. Dear God, she had so much to do this night! But with God as her witness, she would succeed in doing it all, in saving both the men she loved, her beloved and her Papa, or she would die trying!
She would succeed, Belle knew! She must succeed! Good always triumphed evil, and there was none more wicked than Gaston, who always took pleasure in other living beings' miseries and even deaths! She didn't know how she was going to save the day, but she would find a way! She must! God would not have led her to the Beast if she was not intended to save him! She would save them all for there simply was no other choice! Her Papa deserved to be free, her Prince deserved the love that roared in her heart for him, and none of them, including his supposed subjects who were much more like their family, deserved to die!
Phillip whinnied, and Belle thought she heard the Beast roar in the sounds of the fierce storm again. She thought she heard him roar, and in her heart, she roared too! She would save them, and she would marry the man she loved! No one could stop her, especially not the town bully!
The End
