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Chapter 3 [a Tale As Old As Time]

chapter 3 [a tale as old as time]

chapter 3: destiny calls

“barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly.” -mrs. potts

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you ran as fast as you could, occasionally glancing back in fears of seeing the beast trailing behind you. nothing but empty corridors and locked doors surrounded you, an echo of his menacing growl ricocheting off the crumbling walls. you had to keep running.

you turned left, right, left again. it was safe to say you were completely lost in the monstrous castle. had you already passed that shredded portrait, or was it simply one of thousands among the building? you couldn’t tell.

you were close to giving up, breath heavy as you finally spotted an open door among all the closed ones. you pushed yourself harder, sliding inside and slamming the door shut behind you. you heard distinct pounding on the door, and the infamous growl of the monster you were trying so desperately to escape.

you backed away from the door, freezing as you heard a soft voice echo. strangely enough, it didn’t sound like it was coming from anywhere around you. it sounded as though it was coming from inside your head, like your subconscious had developed a voice and began speaking to you.

“y/n..” it called once more, tearing your attention away from the door. your name was repeated over and over, gradually getting louder, and you darted your eyes around the room in a desperate attempt to find its source, evidently finding nothing.

the room was dark, the furniture hardly visible in the dim moonlight streaming in through the glass windows. your eyes finally fell on a small pedestal next to the balcony doors, squinting in an attempt to see it better. it was entrancing, and you felt drawn to it immediately.

your next moves were magnetic. the howls of the beast outside the door were drowned out, your focus set as you advanced towards the object. as you approached, you suddenly noted the glass case perched on the pedestal. inside stood a beautiful object, floating gracefully in its confined space. it looked completely out of place, much like yourself.

a single rose laid before you, but it was one unlike anything you’d ever seen. ruby red petals that sparkled and glowed sat before you, giving off a beautiful red hue that drowned the flower in an aura of importance.

what caught your eye, however, was the pile of lifeless, shriveled petals sitting on the platform. they shared the same ruby tint, but no glow was to be found. they looked like simple rose petals.

for some reason it left a sick feeling in your stomach.

“you can save them all.” the voice spoke suddenly. your gaze stayed trained on the glowing object in front of you, unable to tear yourself away. had someone walked in, they may have thought you were speaking to the flower itself. maybe subconsciously, you were.

“save who?” you whispered.

“lumiere, cogsworth, and plumette.. even technoblade. you can save them all. it is your destiny, my dear.”

“but how? my destiny? i’m just a prisoner-” you asked, far past the point of caring about where the voice came from. now, you wanted answers.

“only time will tell. and unfortunately, our time is up. i must go. do not forget what i’ve told you, child. you’re their only hope.”

“wait!” you called, panicked. “wait, what do i need to do?”

you gasped, shooting awake with a start. throwing a hand over your racing heart, you closed your eyes and tried to calm your breathing. “it was all just a dream.” you muttered, relieved.

“what was a dream, dear?” a familiar voice called, and you turned to see the wardrobe, making out a face of concern in her features. you screamed, quickly stopping once she placed her arms over the place her ears once were. “why are you screaming?!” she asked, frantically.

you sat frozen, mind running a mile a minute. finally your reality came crashing down on you: you were still a prisoner in the beast’s castle. you sighed, rubbing a hand over your face and brushing off your fear. “sorry, madame.” you muttered sheepishly.

“you’re their only hope.”

you glanced at madame, watching as she occupied herself with tossing clothes every which way. as much as you wanted to brush it off as a bad dream, something about it felt far too real.

indulging yourself momentarily, you wondered what that could possibly mean, for them and for you.

it hadn’t really occurred to you before, too in shock of being held captive and saving your father, but now curiosity had slipped its way into your mind. what had really happened here?

a part of you wanted to ask, but the door flew open, effectively cutting off your train of thought. you looked in shock, mouth parted and eyes wide as you saw lumiere and cogsworth standing in the door frame, out of breath and panicked.

“we heard a scream!” lumiere huffed, looking around in fear. when he deduced there was no threat, he turned to you, seeing you still in bed. if candelabras could blush, you were sure he’d have turned bright red. “oh! my apologies, uh, we’ll just go now!” he stumbled, shoving cogsworth and pulling the door closed behind him.

“how rude! i’ll have to tell plumette to have a word with him about knocking.” madam hummed, shaking her head in disapproval. “anyways, let’s get you dressed, shall we?”

“oh, you don’t have to do that-” you tried, but she tsked.

“you will not be wearing the same clothes as when you arrived. they’re filthy! please, i insist. plus, i haven’t had the chance to dress anyone in ages!” she pleaded. you sighed in defeat, moving from the warmth of the bed to standing in front of her. “how do you-” you started, but were quickly surprised as she flung open her drawers and began rummaging through, clothes being thrown every which way in the blink of an eye.

she held a variety of different clothes in front of you, testing them out before either putting them in a pile of ‘potential yes’ or a pile of ‘definitely no’s. you were told to try some on, and finally she had settled on an outfit probably an hour later.

by the end you were far too exhausted and starving to care what you were given. you wordlessly slipped on the clothes she offered, moving to glance at your appearance in the mirror.

you had to admit, she definitely knew a thing or two about style. had it not been for your messy hair and the dark bags under your eyes, you might’ve actually looked like you belonged in the castle.

your stomach growled, berating you for not feeding it and you sighed, making your way towards the door. “where are you going?” madame asked, curiously. you opened the door and peered out into the silent hallway.

“i’m hungry, and i don’t see anyone rushing to bring food up here, so i’d like to go get some.” you shrugged. she gave you a disapproving look, but gave in nonetheless.

“if you insist..” she sighed, proceeding to give detailed instructions. you listened intently. a shiver ran down your spine at the idea of getting lost in this huge castle. your mind flickered back to your dream, but you shook it off, not wanting to think into it any more.

“it is your destiny.”

as you descended the stairs, you caught the attention of your earlier intruders. “what- what are you doing out of your room?” cogsworth asked, voice laced with panic. you gave him a ludicrous look, rolling your eyes.

“stop worrying so much! i’m just going to get something to eat.” you replied sarcastically, hardly sparing them another glance as you followed directions as instructed.

“but you can’t! not now, especially!” lumiere chimed, their small figures desperately trying to keep up with your large strides.

“yeah? and why not?” you sassed, and before you could question further, a loud growl emitted from a few doors down. you tensed, noting how scarily accurate your dream really had been.

“i asked for a refill! where is it?” techno’s raging voice rang through the halls. “is it really that hard to fetch me a drink?” you heard further grumbling, probably him berating a staff member personally.

your mind ran blank and a wave of mixed emotions washed over you. disgust, anger and shock blended into a dangerous fury of overwhelm. your body moved faster than your mind, and before you knew it you were slamming open the doors to the dining hall.

techno’s head shot up in shock, quickly turning to anger at his interrupted meal. the sight of you only seemed to amplify that anger. he opened his mouth to berate you, but you were quicker, and debatably in that moment, you were angrier than he was.

“how dare you speak to your staff like that?” you screamed, effectively silencing technoblade. whatever he was expecting you to say, it was far from that. “do you have any idea how hard they work for you? they may not be human, but you could at least treat them like they are!”

he said nothing. as the adrenaline calmed and your body began to relax, warning sirens began to blare in your mind. you’d just yelled at a beast who held you captive in a cursed castle.

as you simply stared at his perfectly postured figure, unmoving and expressionless, you suddenly didn’t feel quite so heroic.

then he stood, his chair carelessly scraping against the polished wood flooring. you swallowed heavily as he approached you, until his frame was towering over your own. you kept the best brave face you could manage, though you really weren’t sure how convincing it was. through his skull mask, you made out blood red eyes boring into your own. your gaze never faltered.

finally he leaned back, a barely visible smirk tugging at his lips, hidden behind the tusks and bone mask. he seemed almost satisfied. his next question took you completely off guard. “how would you treat them, then?”

you blinked once, twice. you repeated his words in your head, as though it was a foreign language you were trying to decode. his tone was meant to be intimidating, you were sure, although it didn’t come off as so. it was almost.. curious.

“well?” he questioned, straightening his back and showing his true height. you cleared your throat. you felt small under his gaze, and not just because of the height difference.

“i’d start by saying please.” you mumbled, and his floppy ears perked, indicating he heard you. you felt heat rise to your cheeks, but stood your ground, straightening your back as he had.

“yeah?” he prompted, clearly amused. his sarcasm irked you, and a sudden spur of distaste rose up in you before you could stop it.

“yeah. you know, just because you look like a beast doesn’t mean you have to act like one!”

the room fell silent, all the workers halting their motions. you could hear a pin drop. you barely dared to breathe, much less leave the room, which realistically, is what you should’ve done.

you weren’t sure how long you stood there in the silence, likely a few minutes at most, but it felt like hours as you stood petrified, waiting for him to do something. anything.

“.. perhaps then you should show me how to treat my staff and to not ‘act like a beast’. you can show me at dinner, i'll see you then.” with that, he immediately left the room with a sweep of his cape, and the door slammed behind him.

the workers instantly began to light up, squealing excitedly about something you couldn’t quite understand. you could’ve sworn you heard the words ‘save us!’, but that could easily have been your mind playing tricks on you from the night prior. you weren’t really listening, anyways.

you were focused on the fact you weren’t just torn to shreds. and rather, that you were invited to dinner with the man - the monster - holding you captive. part of you was scared, but the other part.. simply wasn’t.

you were pulled from your state of shock by a gentle tugging on your clothes. you looked down to see a small teacup beaming up at you, jumping up and down excitedly.

“hi! i’m chip! can i get you something to eat? please?” he asked, smiling brightly. you noted how young he sounded, and fought the urge to frown. instead you smiled politely, nodding and allowing him to show you to a seat and for the staff to bring you a simple breakfast.

you ate quickly, desperate to get somewhere quiet to process everything without the commotion from the staff. they seemed extra willing to help you, as though they knew something you didn’t. you brushed it off as them being grateful for standing up for you.

you placed down your cutlery, thanking each of them and dismissing yourself, eager to finish and head back to your room.

in your frantic rush, you failed to notice a shriveled rose petal sitting idly next to technoblade’s abandoned plate.

a shriveled rose petal that happened to look exactly like the one from your dream.

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Chapter 3 [a Tale As Old As Time]

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