Cherry in Beauty and the Beast

chapter 15: Tree Hunting

Belle and Cherry were in their room. Belle was on the bed, crying her eyes out while Cherry was sitting beside her to comfort her. She felt guilty for what she had been doing for the past while with Maestro Forte. They were both equally sad, then they heard a familiar child teacup call to them.

"Hiya, girls. You two should see the ball room!" Chip squealed with excitement. "It's all decorated, pretty and there's garlands everywhere! I think the Master's going to be really excited when he finds out about Christmas!"

"Well Chip, he already knows..." Belle walked toward the window as she told him sadly.

"Really?" Chip asked with glimmer in his eye. "Was he excited?"

"Actually Chip, he's forbidden it." Cherry told him as she walked with Belle.

"But... I thought he couldn't forbid Christmas!" Chip pouted with big blue puppy eyes.

"You know what, guys?" Belle looked out the window to the snow-covered grounds and trees, looking back at her friends. "He can't! We'll have Christmas with or without him."

"Hooray!" Chip jumped up with joy. "Can we get a tree now, Belle? It's the only thing we're missing."

"Alright then, let's go get a tree." Belle smiled and grabbed her present. "But first..." Belle went to the Beast's room to leave the present. While there, she noticed the Beast's bell jar and Cherry grabbed her arm.

"Remember what happened last time?" Cherry whispered loudly.

"Belle! The Master! Hurry!" Chip warned.

Belle placed hers and Cherry's present for the beast by the enchanted rose and they were on their way out with Mr. Feuerwerker to chop a tree down. Cherry put her hands in her pockets, she had never done this as Christmas tradition before. Her family always used a fake tree they kept stored in the closet once a year. The Beast's dog, Sultan was with them.

"What about this one?" Belle asked as she observed a small tree.

"Looks like it was grown by Charlie Brown." Cherry commented.

Chip looked at it as Cherry said that and imagined a red ornament hanging from it and "dying" in the snow. "Nah," Chip shook his head. "Too skinny." They then moved on and Cherry got cold as she heard Forte's music.

"Umm.. Guys? I have a lesson to get to..." Cherry said shyly.

"I'm sure the court composer won't mind if you miss a lesson for a little while, it's Christmas after all." Belle told her. "I haven't met him, but I'm sure he can't be as bad as the Beast."

"Sure he can." Cherry shuddered, looking back at the music room window anxiously.

"Come on!" Chip led the girls to another tree as the Beast watched them from out his window.

"How's this one?" Cherry pointed to a tree that looked shrunken.

"Looks like it shrunk in the dryer." Chip answered.

"That one?" Belle pointed to a crooked tree.

"Looks a little crooked." Cherry observed.

"A little? You could put that in my mouth and pass it for a dentist's tool!" Chip cringed.

"What about this one?" Belle walked to a wiggly tree with Chip. She then turned back to Cherry leaving.

"I'm late enough as it is." Cherry shrugged.

"Okay, we'll see you soon, we'll be back with the most ultra stupendous, mega colossal Christmas tree, it'll be the greatest Christmas tree in the history of Christmas trees!" Chip squealed.

"I don't know if it'll be that impressive, Chip." Belle giggled.

Cherry went into the music room as Forte played demented, suspenseful music. Cherry then stared out the music room window to keep a close eye on Belle, Chip and Sultan as they walked around the castle grounds for a tree.

"CERISE!" Forte blared and slammed his keys, making a little earth quake inside the room and Cherry fell flat on the floor with shivers all around her body, let alone her spine. Cherry got up, shivering and her teeth chattering. "Pay attention, I need you and Fife to pace while I think." he demanded to her.

"Will do!" Cherry paced nervously and bit her nails as Forte plotted before her.

Fife saluted and did the same, and whimpered as he did.

"Your friend is evil I tell you, she pulls him from my grasp. She keeps filling his head with dreams of love, and hope, and Christmas!" Forte told Cherry in specific.

"What can you do about it?" Cherry shrugged her shoulders.

"You can't stop Christmas." Fife added.

"No," Forte smirked evilly down at her, then out the window. "But I can stop the girl..."

"Oh boy..." Cherry shivered slightly.

"Oh hush up now, I was always told children were meant to be seen and not heard." Forte rolled his eyes at her. "Heh, I got the perfect melody for this..."

"What's that?" Cherry asked. Her question was answered once Forte played a spine-tinglingly slow and creepy tune from his pipes. It made Cherry develop shivers and chills all around her body and her teeth even chattered.

"Frightened, are we?" Forte chuckled as he continued to play his keys.

"It's terrifyingly delightful..." Cherry shivered.

"Thank you..." Forte purposely played a haunting note to make Cherry freak out.

Cherry looked outside the window and around frantically as she looked like this was her worst nightmare and there was no way out of it. Why is it that she feared Maestro Forte?

"And now..." Forte drawled thickly and looked down at the piccolo boy. "For a little Fife!"

Fife took a deep breath and blew a high-pitched note, knowing that Sultan was out there and he could hear the note very well. They all then heard barking and yelping and Forte was engrossed in his playing, so he made it a bit darker to bait Belle with.