A Rose for the Beast

Dealing With The Aftermath

"Will you tell me about the queen causing all of this chaos?," she asked Monsieur Dubois as she shut the door behind her.

The tortoise and rabbit stood outside Ms. Plume's room with Rosalie, allowing the stork to rest for a bit.

"I don't think that would be a wise decision, Madame. I should consult the master about it when he returns."

Rosalie admired Mr. Dubois' certainty, but worried for Michel's safety. She knew sitting around drowning in concern wouldn't help anything. Deciding to take action rather than wallow in self-pity, she made her way out of the staff's quarters and back to the dining room.

Various broken dishes and wasted food covered the floor. Glass littered every inch of the area. The broken chandelier crumbled against the table with candles scattered around. The elegant breakfast had turned into a disaster zone.

After going upstairs to change into a plain dress, she scoured the castle for cleaning supplies. She found a broom and dustpan, a soft bristled brush, and an apron in the kitchen. The bears looked on, intrigued by Rosalie's purposeful actions.

She returned to the dining area and began a thorough cleaning spree. She hadn't gotten far when Mr. Dubois ambled into the room in a huff. He seemed to have been in a hurry to stop her.

"Mon Dieu! Madame, you are our guest. Please, let us handle that."

As if on cue, several gorillas filed into the room. She glanced at each of them before staring down at the turtle.

"I'm cleaning this room. Whether you help me or not is up to you."

Rosalie turned and continued sweeping debris onto the dustpan. After a brief moment, one of the gorillas placed a wastebasket beside her and began picking up the larger pieces of food. She couldn't hide her grin when the rest of the apes began cleaning various parts of the room with Mr.Dubois stammering in protest.

In less time than she had expected, the room became as luxurious as it had been that morning. She heard a bell ringing just as two of the bears from the kitchen came in. They carried a couple of platters to the table and set them at the end. One of them bowed and graciously offered her a seat.

She smiled and accepted, removing her apron and setting it on the back of the chair. The bears glanced at each other, but said nothing. She sat and reached for the lid of the platter. One of the bears rushed over and lifted it for her. Rosalie gasped at the delectable food. The plate was filled with alfredo pasta, buttered bread, and grilled chicken. When the bear removed the lids from the other platters, she frowned.

One contained a bottle of wine and a glass pitcher filled with water. The other held the cutlery and cloth napkins. She gazed up at the bears, pointing to the food.

"Shouldn't there be more food? Are you not eating?"

Their eyes widened and they looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Then, Mr. Dubois cleared his throat, drawing her attention to the floor.

"Servants do not eat in this area," he said proudly.

"Why not?"

She saw a baffled look appear on the tortoise's face as he huffed angrily.

"It simply isn't proper!," he replied.

Rosalie looked down at the long, empty table, eyes landing on the seat opposite hers. Michel had sat on the other end of the table at breakfast, in his handsome attire...waiting for her. How many nights had he spent eating at the table by himself? And all because it was the 'proper standard' to keep household staff out of sight and out of mind.

"I think we should have a banquet for the servants tomorrow."

Her words made Mr. Dubois' mouth drop to the floor. She nodded toward the bears, ignoring the tortoise's stupified look.

"Go ahead and start preparing a meal to feed everyone. All of the staff and servants are welcome to join if they want. We'll hold the festivities at noon."

"You can't!," the tortoise interjected, "Master will be displeased when he returns."

She considered it for a moment, trying to hold onto the hope that he would come back. Waiting seemed like a great idea, but she needed to get home before her father returned. Or worse, before Bastien sought retribution against her. For now, she clung to the belief that Michel would come back before she said farewell.

"I'm sure Michel wouldn't mind us using the dining room, as long as we clean it again. Besides, I'm your guest and this is a request to the master's majordomo. I assumed I would need your permission, since you're an integral part of Michel's staff."

She needed this; a small celebration before the end of her adventure. She couldn't stay in the forest with the magical talking animals forever, no matter how much she wanted to. Her responsibilities as a daughter came first.

When the tortoise's green cheeks deepened in color, she knew she had appealed to his ego. He let out a frustratingly long sigh, before finally giving her an answer.

"I suppose a small party wouldn't be so bad."