A Rose for the Beast

Epilogue

BelleMontagne Castle remained hidden within the forest, though the inhabitants would regularly visit Maelynn. Even Rosalie had attended a couple of small festivals. The villagers had been suprisingly welcoming. With the hunters gone for the past few months, most of their ill will had seemed to disappear. They'd become more bearable company, though Rosalie preferred the solitude of the castle.

As Dutchess of BelleMontagne, she'd taken it upon herself to begin a few projects to develop Maelynn's dwellings. Several buildings had been renovated and they'd started construction on a new harbor and port by the sea to increase trade.

She stood on the beach and watched as laborers worked steadily on the main docks. Michel oversaw the project as he spoke to a few other men while referencing building plans on several sheets of paper. He finished up their conversation, then approached her, smirking in self-satisfaction.

"We're ahead of schedule. The dock may be finished by the end of the month."

"Oh?," she said skeptically as she eyed the unfinished job, "Sounds like wishful thinking to me."

He followed her gaze and nodded.

"When the materials arrive this week, it will be complete before the end of Spring. Most likely."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her protruding belly.

"I highly doubt it will be finished before she gets here."

Michel raised a dark brow and sneered at her teasingly, "She? That's a Duchesne male, through and through," he said as he rubbed her stomach lovingly.

"Mon Deui, I certainly hope not. One of you is more than enough," she teased.

He tossed his head back and laughed aloud, "My love, the same could be said for you."

She slapped his shoulder playfully, then let him wrap his arms around her. He placed a kiss on her forehead as one of the workers called out for him. Michel sighed in annoyance.

"Back to work, Monsieur Duchesne," she said with a smile.

"Right away, Madame Duchesne," he replied, planting a quick kiss against her lips before jogging off to assist with the docks.

Rosalie grinned as he helped lift timber and move large coils of rope with ease. He'd kept some of the strength from his time as the Beast and had no trouble putting it to use.

Something tugged on a fold of her dress and she turned to find a small group of children impatiently waiting for her.

"Very well. I suppose you're ready for reading time?," she asked as she led them back toward the village.

"Finally! Can you read us the one with the glass slipper?"

"No, I like the one with mermaids."

"What about the story with a lion, and...uh...a mouse? Can we read that one?"

They followed her into the newly renovated library owned by Pascal. There were more than a dozen shelves lined with books and an open sitting area where she would read to the village children once a week. She took a seat next to a stack of children's fairy tales and began skimming over the titles.

"Madame Rosalie, can we hear the story you told us last time? About the monster and the flowers," one child asked, followed by other shouts in agreement.

Rosalie peered down at them and laughed, "You've heard that story a thousand times."

"We wanna hear it again, please!," they begged.

She enjoyed their enthusiasm and was more than happy to tell them her story. She brushed her hand against her stomach, feeling a slight fluttering in response. One day, she'd tell her children and grandchildren about it as well.

The kids sat around her chair in anticipation. She loved telling the story just as much as they loved listening to it. She settled back into her seat and began the tale.

"This is the story of the Beauty and the Beast..."

The End