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Belle groaned as she put back the door-viewer. Her father had barely been gone a day and she was already being called upon by Gaston. She had been hoping to just spend a quiet day reading until it was time for her to feed for the chickens and goats and then herself before going to visit Ariel. But now if Gaston was here, there would be no time for that; even a closed door couldn't keep him away for long.
"Gaston," she said, feigning pleasantness as she backed away from him. He was unusually smartly-dressed today and seemed even more full of himself than usual, if such a thing was possible. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Isn't it, though?" he said, grinning at her. "I'm just full of surprises. You know Belle, there's not a girl in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes today. This is the day your dreams come true."
"Um," Belle backed around the table in an attempt to ward him off. "What could you possibly know about my dreams, Gaston?"
"Plenty," he replied, sitting in her chair and putting his feet on the table; kicking off his boots. "Picture this; a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting over the fire and my little wife massaging my feet whilst the little ones play on the floor with the dogs..."
Belle descreetly put a hand up to her nose. How dare this man stride into her house and put his feet on her furniture and his muddy boots on her book?
"Of course, we'll have six of seven," Gaston was saying, now on his feet.
"Dogs?" Belle asked, politely.
"No, Belle! Strapping boys, like me!"
"Imagine that!" Belle attempted a chuckle as she removed her book from the table and wiped the dustjacket with her apron.
"And do you know who that little wife will be?"
"Let me think." A sense of dread was filling her.
"You, Belle!"
Yes, she had been right. "Gaston!" she exclaimed, playing the helpless-girl role just to get him out of the house. "I'm...speechless. I just don't know what to say."
"Say you'll marry me," he said, pinning her to the door. Belle twisted her head to avoid him kissing her. Oh, good, there was the door handle. "I'm very sorry, Gaston," she said, "but I just don't deserve you!"
And, with that, she opened the door and Gaston fell through it, right into a muddy puddle outside. Belle threw his boots out after him and slammed the door. Leaning against it, she took a deep breath. That was a lucky escape. She waited until she was certain that he was gone before she opened the door again.
"Can you imagine?" she said to the chickens because there was no one else around. "He asked me to marry him! Me," she went on, scattering feed as she went, "the wife of that...boorish..brainless..! Madame Gaston, can't you just see it? Madame Gaston, his little wife?
No sir! Not me! I guarantee it!
I want much more than this provincial life!"
Leaving the farm behind her, she ran up to the hill, which in the summer, was her favourite spot to sit and read and generally daydream. If only people could see...
"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned..."
She wondered what Ariel would make of all this.

"Ariel, you takin' too many risks, girl," Sebastian said as Ariel swam through her secret cavern, collecting her various treasures.
"Oh, he'll be sure to tell me how this works! And what that does! And I'll bet Belle knows all about this!"
"Ariel, are you listening to me?"
"Oh, Sebastian, relax! It'll be fine!"
"Hmph!" Sebastian followed her. "That's what you said about exploring the shark cave, mon!"

Hours later, in a strange room in a dark castle far away from everything she knew and was used to, Belle sobbed against the dusty sheets of the bed that, it seemed, was to be hers for the rest of her life. What a deal this had turned out to be! Her father's freedom for her own imprisonment. Only now did she realise what she had done. She had made the right decision, that much she was certain of; her father's health depended on his being free and not trapped in such a drafty place. But now she knew that there was so much she would miss; the farm, her father, walking to the bookstore, her millions of books; and Ariel! Ariel would be expecting her to come that evening to the beach just like they had arranged. And what was she going to think when Belle didn't turn up? She cried harder at that. If there was just some way that she could let Ariel know what had happened; that she was now the prisoner of a beast in a castle miles and miles away. What am I to do? she thought, what am I to do?

Description
Belle groaned as she put back the door-viewer. Her father had barely been gone a day and she was already being called upon by Gaston. She had been hoping to just spend a quiet day reading until it was time for her to feed for the chickens and goats and then herself before going to visit Ariel. But now if Gaston was here, there would be no time for that; even a closed door couldn't keep him away for long.
"Gaston," she said, feigning pleasantness as she backed away from him. He was unusually smartly-dressed today and seemed even more full of himself than usual, if such a thing was possible. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Isn't it, though?" he said, grinning at her. "I'm just full of surprises. You know Belle, there's not a girl in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes today. This is the day your dreams come true."
"Um," Belle backed around the table in an attempt to ward him off. "What could you possibly know about my dreams, Gaston?"
"Plenty," he replied, sitting in her chair and putting his feet on the table; kicking off his boots. "Picture this; a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting over the fire and my little wife massaging my feet whilst the little ones play on the floor with the dogs..."
Belle descreetly put a hand up to her nose. How dare this man stride into her house and put his feet on her furniture and his muddy boots on her book?
"Of course, we'll have six of seven," Gaston was saying, now on his feet.
"Dogs?" Belle asked, politely.
"No, Belle! Strapping boys, like me!"
"Imagine that!" Belle attempted a chuckle as she removed her book from the table and wiped the dustjacket with her apron.
"And do you know who that little wife will be?"
"Let me think." A sense of dread was filling her.
"You, Belle!"
Yes, she had been right. "Gaston!" she exclaimed, playing the helpless-girl role just to get him out of the house. "I'm...speechless. I just don't know what to say."
"Say you'll marry me," he said, pinning her to the door. Belle twisted her head to avoid him kissing her. Oh, good, there was the door handle. "I'm very sorry, Gaston," she said, "but I just don't deserve you!"
And, with that, she opened the door and Gaston fell through it, right into a muddy puddle outside. Belle threw his boots out after him and slammed the door. Leaning against it, she took a deep breath. That was a lucky escape. She waited until she was certain that he was gone before she opened the door again.
"Can you imagine?" she said to the chickens because there was no one else around. "He asked me to marry him! Me," she went on, scattering feed as she went, "the wife of that...boorish..brainless..! Madame Gaston, can't you just see it? Madame Gaston, his little wife?
No sir! Not me! I guarantee it!
I want much more than this provincial life!"
Leaving the farm behind her, she ran up to the hill, which in the summer, was her favourite spot to sit and read and generally daydream. If only people could see...
"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned..."
She wondered what Ariel would make of all this.

"Ariel, you takin' too many risks, girl," Sebastian said as Ariel swam through her secret cavern, collecting her various treasures.
"Oh, he'll be sure to tell me how this works! And what that does! And I'll bet Belle knows all about this!"
"Ariel, are you listening to me?"
"Oh, Sebastian, relax! It'll be fine!"
"Hmph!" Sebastian followed her. "That's what you said about exploring the shark cave, mon!"

Hours later, in a strange room in a dark castle far away from everything she knew and was used to, Belle sobbed against the dusty sheets of the bed that, it seemed, was to be hers for the rest of her life. What a deal this had turned out to be! Her father's freedom for her own imprisonment. Only now did she realise what she had done. She had made the right decision, that much she was certain of; her father's health depended on his being free and not trapped in such a drafty place. But now she knew that there was so much she would miss; the farm, her father, walking to the bookstore, her millions of books; and Ariel! Ariel would be expecting her to come that evening to the beach just like they had arranged. And what was she going to think when Belle didn't turn up? She cried harder at that. If there was just some way that she could let Ariel know what had happened; that she was now the prisoner of a beast in a castle miles and miles away. What am I to do? she thought, what am I to do?