Cherry in Beauty and the Beast

chapter 32: Alone at Lunch

What a big day for everyone in the castle. Belle and Cherry were nursing the bird instead of preparing for lunch with the Beast. They didn't even notice the time so they weren't concerned about what he might have been thinking. Belle sliced apples as she got the bird ready for his own lunch.

"Belle, how long have we been in the castle?" Cherry wondered.

Belle paused as she sliced the apples to think about it. "We were here for Christmas.... It must be the New Year... I don't know, Cerise," Belle wondered herself. "Feels like we've been here a while, doesn't it?"

"I feel like we've been here for at least seven years!" Cherry exclaimed.

"Cerise, don't be silly, it's been long, but I don't think it's been that long." Belle giggled as she put a bowl in front of the bird filled with yummy apple slices.

The bird chirped at the girls once he got his food.

"Your welcome." Cherry smiled.

"We have been here for an awfully long time, haven't we, Cerise?" Belle asked as the bird ate his lunch.

"Well, we did promise to stay here forever." Cherry sighed sadly. "I just didn't think forever would take such a long time."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, everyone around here, well, almost everyone, is quite friendly." Belle said as she made up a little bed for the bird.

"I suppose." Cherry said, feeling calm.

After a while, the bird finished his food, and Belle decided to let him get some rest for his wing. She put a tiny blanket over the bird as he got in the basket.

"Rest is what you need." Belle smiled at the bird.

"What's keeping you?" the Beast snarled, slamming the doors open.

"Oh, yes," Belle stammered as Cherry stood with her hands in her pockets. "I-I forgot all about you."

"You forgot?" the Beast sounded angered and disappointed at the same time.

"Well, I.... You see..." Belle stammered, unsure what to tell him.

"S-She was helping me with my homework!" Cherry lied, nervously.

"You don't have homework, you're not in school anymore!" the Beast growled at her.

"No, the truth is..." Belle gave in, despite the silent protests of Madame Armoire and Mrs. Potts. "I found a bird today, and-"

"You found a WHAT!?"

Belle felt scared, then she got fiesty. "It's a bird," she rose her voice to him. "He was wounded."

"That makes no difference!" the Beast snapped. "There are no such creatures allowed in my castle. You will get rid of it immediately."

"I'll do nothing of the sort!"

"You'll!...Well, of course you-"

"He needs me! I'm taking care of him! Cerise and I bathed him, bandaged him, fed him, and-"

"You were supposed to eat with me!" the Beast yelled, but he looked hurt inside.

"He's had a serious injury," Belle coaxed. "He needs my attention."

The Beast looked broken, then returned his fiery demeanor. "I want that bird out of my castle now!"

"But!"

"NO!" Cherry stood in front of the bird as the Beast stormed over.

"Move it, Cerise!" the Beast striked Cherry out-of-the-way.

That was when the bird fearfully chirped and ran away without flying as the Beast chased him.

"Come back here!" the Beast roared like a hungry predator. "Somebody catch that thing!"

"Yes, of course, sir, catching, sir!" Cogsworth stammered in assistance. "Excuse me, sir, excuse me. I-I'm getting it! No, to your left! No, no, no, no, move away!"

The Beast swooped down like a football player catching the ball. He then growled as he saw he caught Cogsworth instead of the bird. Out of fear, the bird ran out, and the Beast chased him. Cogsworth ran too and Cherry caught up to try to stop this mess. First the bird hopped down the steps, then the Beast after him with Cogsworth, and Cherry slid down the bannister and held out her hands to catch the bird in her hands.

"Come to Aunty Cherry, come to Aunty Cherry!" the 10-year-old girl said, ready to capture him to safety.

"Leave him alone!" Belle demanded.

Luckily, the bird got away in time as the Beast tripped over Cogsworth and they both fell down the stairs as the bird hopped away safely. Belle rushed to the Beast and lifted his paw, worried about him.

"Is he alright?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"Is he still alive?" Cherry added.

"I think so," Belle replied and stroked the Beast's forehead. "Please, please wake up."

"Let's not gather to-" Cogsworth turned in alarm to see the Beast knocked out from today. "Master!"

The Beast woke up as the bird chirped. The bird had been on top of one of the castle gargoyles. The noise woke the Beast up instantly.

"That's beautiful..." the Beast said, quietly.

"I was trying to tell you." Belle said, warmly.

"Such a wonderful sound." the Beast continued.

"Not when you're trying to sleep in on a Sunday morning before back to school." Cherry joked.

The Beast stood up and rubbed his head. "The bird must never leave the castle!" he demanded. He then went up the stairs and allowed the bird to rest on his clawed finger. The bird was surprised by his generosity and latched himself on. "I'll keep him in a cage in the parlor."

"But he'll be well soon." Belle considered.

"He's no longer your concern." the Beast said coldly to her.

"You can't keep him in a cage!" Belle protested.

"He needs to be free!" Cherry added.

"He is free," the Beast replied. "To sing for me."

"We won't let you!" Belle protested again.

"It's neither of your places to talk that way to me," the Beast huffed, then stormed upstairs. "The bird is mine. I've spoken, and there's no more to be said. I'll be taking lunch in the parlor."

Belle sighed and sat on the steps. "He can't do this." she then opened her arms as Cherry crawled to her and they shared a hug.

"Don't lose hope, luvs," Mrs. Potts told the girls. "Once you've lost that, you've lost everything."

After that, the girls had to reschedule lunch. Cherry was still excluded, but Mrs. Potts and Chef Le Bouche made her a lunch of a honey ham sandwich with some fries and a glass of water. Cherry was hungry since she skipped lunch and now Belle and the Beast would eat together at 1:00. Cogsworth was in the foyer telling the others, or at least trying, rumor had it that he had lost control in his staff. Mrs. Potts coached him on how to stand up for himself.