ma colocataire | Glowfic Constellation

beheld_beauty

Charlie's not amused.

"Yes, Papa, he talks," sighs Belle. "He has, however, spent a very long time without company until recently."

"And you're going to get married."

"Yes."

"Normally I'd be consulted on that, Belle."

"Normally," Belle agrees neutrally.

deslandes

"Would you be happier if I were a marquis?"

beheld_beauty

Charlie weighs this question. "Frankly," he says after a delay, "yes."

deslandes

"Well, I know what I'm doing next, then."

beheld_beauty

"Do you suppose we'll wind up moving back into the castle?" Belle inquires. "I'll feel silly about having packed up the library in that case." Pause. "Oh, Papa, I've started studying enchanting myself. It's wonderfully useful."

deslandes

"We should magic a new one," he asserts.

beheld_beauty

"All right," Belle laughs.

"You're an enchantress," Charlie says blankly to his daughter.

"Yes," says Belle, all asmile. "Here, look." She takes the book bag from Beast and starts piling books on the hall table. Charlie watches the stack grow, becoming steadily more stunned.

deslandes

Beast grins fondly.

beheld_beauty

"You get the idea," says Belle, after the stack is clearly too large to have nonmagically fit into the bag.

"Yes," Charlie acknowledges. "How are you going to go about retrieving your title? Can you prove your identity if you can't remember your name?" he asks Beast.

deslandes

"I have," he says serenely, "no idea."

beheld_beauty

"And I suppose casting spells at the problem won't help, since I've an obvious motivation to wish you declared a marquis," Belle muses. "Oh well. The forest is largely unclaimed anyway. We can live in a castle and not be marquis and marquise, or at least not acknowledged as such by the Crown."

deslandes

"A fine plan," says the Beast.

beheld_beauty

"Papa, since the library is currently in this bag," Belle says, "and I don't know a spell for castle-building already, might we stay here a few days? Long enough to find the book I need. And be married, as there aren't any priests in the woods."

"...I suppose you may."

deslandes

"Thank you," says the Beast.

beheld_beauty

"Until we've booked the church of course you will have to stay in the spare room," Belle says apologetically to Beast.

Charlie looks vaguely suspicious about this phrasing.

deslandes

"I'll live," he says dryly.

beheld_beauty

"I should hope so," says Belle. "The church should probably be the next stop for all three of us."

Charlie nods, mouth a thinning line. "Sounds past time."

deslandes

The Beast looks amused.

Perhaps because he is.

beheld_beauty

"Everything's fine, Papa," soothes Belle.

"Is it, now."

"Yes," says Belle.

Charlie chews his lip, then settles his arm around Belle's shoulders and heads for the door.

deslandes

The Beast watches this with further amusement, then follows.

beheld_beauty

The church is a small affair, and the priest is in fact prepared to perform a wedding right then if they want to. Belle looks inquiringly at the Beast.

deslandes

He beams.

beheld_beauty

The wedding is fairly summary, with Beast's name given as Jean of no last name who'll be taking 'Cygne' as his surname, and Charlie and the priest are the only witnesses. Charlie cries and pretends not to. Belle looks fondly at her father, and then properly beams at Beast, and kisses him when the time is correct.

deslandes