AN: Three for this chapter

AN1: I am using certain data from the 2017 movie (Cogsworth's first name) but it is based on the 1991 movie

AN2: I am not trying to be historically accurate, there will be no French Revolution

AN3: There will be Adam/Belle flashbacks in future chapters

Son of A Beast

Chapter One

It had been thirteen years since the curse had been broken. Tonight it would actually be the thirteenth anniversary and it seemed unnatural. Each year on this day, Adam would take some time to reflect. His adolescent years had become painful memories but they had become the most important. How could he take that anger and use it as the motivating drive behind diplomacy? How could he turn his torture and use it to show others empathy and honesty. He was a snotty nosed brat who nobody paid much attention to. His parents, the king and queen, had been too busy in Paris to give him the kind of parenting he needed. He had felt forced to establish his independence and when he had made an error in judgement as a boy of eleven years of age, he had been cursed into becoming a monster.

Even now, he never used fur when he was wearing his royal clothes. The feeling of it made him shiver as if it were going to suddenly start covering his entire body and become part of him again. Adam flinched as he heard the rain splatter upon the window. It was a different castle, he was a different person. He wasn't just a prince anymore, he was the king and he had proven his worth when it came to being king. He would soon be entering into the seventh year of his reign. He had an amazing wife who loved helping others and was the smartest and most well-read person Adam had ever encountered as well as three children.

He and Belle had wanted to raise their children into caring and yet intelligent people. Adam felt that he was accomplishing this through their private tutoring lessons and an access to books, globes, telescopes. His family was somewhere he would spare no expense. Since the economy had picked up again there was more money to be spent and Adam cared about those who he loved and who loved him. Even though his status had been elevated, he gave the jobs to the ones who had known him during the period of his transformation, his family, they were more of a family than servants.

Adam shuddered as there was thunder heard above and he closed his eyes trying to calm himself. There was work that needed to be done tonight, work that couldn't be put off for tomorrow. He just had to remember that the previous twelve years nothing had happened. It was his birthday and yet he tried to forget about that. The kingdom might remember but he didn't want to ever celebrate a birthday again. It had been his own selfishness that had doomed him and Belle's selflessness which had saved him and set an example for him to copy.

"Your Majesty, might I suggest that you take a short break," Adam heard a familiar voice from behind him and he took a short breath out.

"Adam, please, just Adam," he replied, "You never have to address me in such formal terms, Henri," he said as he turned to face Cogsworth, the former clock. He bowed his head nervously as he could hear the storm clouds again. "It wasn't raining last year," he flinched again and Cogsworth studied him.

"No, it was fairly clear weather," Cogsworth replied and Adam nodded. Something didn't feel right about this. Something inside of him was telling him that something was wrong. There was a few bolts of lightning and Adam could see someone approaching the entrance of the front gate. "Your M-Adam? What are you doing?"

Adam turned around hastily and rushed out of the doorway, "Henri," he said quickly, his eyes widening as he tried to formulate a plan. "Send word that nobody but me is to open the front door," he said flying across the floor with the weight and speed of a beast. He had to do something. There was no way that this was happening again.

Rushing down the hallway, Adam stopped as he heard the sound of the door being opened by somebody. He wasn't quick enough to do it. As he collected himself and went to see who had opened the door he stopped as an icy cold shock went through him, making him feel weak and empty.

On one side of the door was someone who haunted Adam each day of his life, a beggar woman dressed in a green coat with a haggard appearance and on the other side, his eleven year old son, Riva. Riva looked a lot like his mother and was getting to be as smart as her as well. He was great at chess, loved reading and playing the piano, and had started inventing alongside Maurice. He had his hair though. He was the oldest of their three children, Bastien was six, and Marie was four. Bastien and even Marie looked more like him but with some of Belle's features, Riva however looked just like his mother.

Adam rushed forward, his eyes widened and he stood in front of Riva who stared at him shocked.

"Take whatever you want," Adam said with wide eyes. "Take it all. You want somewhere to stay for the night, then come in, you can even take my own bed," he said and Riva watched him. He had never seen his father act like this before. The thirty-four year old looked absolutely desperate. The hag pushed him to the side with just a sweep of her hand before turning to Riva who was looking horrified between his father who appeared to be fighting against some curse which had frozen him and the woman in front of him.

Adam looked up at his son, he felt something akin to ropes wrapped tightly around him, holding him down. He still had to try to fight against them. Riva didn't know how dangerous this woman was. she had Wanted to help him? Adam had often thought about that. The beautiful enchantress had cursed an eleven year old to remain a beast. His parents had abandoned him, told him that he was a demon and deserved to go to hell. He couldn't even leave the walls of the castle. He felt as if his jaw was frozen as well and he tried to fight against it.

"What are you doing to my father!?" Riva asked as he looked at the witch. He felt a chill in his bones as he looked between the woman and his father. Something was wrong, something felt wrong. "Let him go,"

Adam reached out a hand wanting to keep his son from saying these things, "Riva d-d-d-on't" he struggled before the hag pushed him against the wall again and Adam yelled with pain.

"Papa!?" the prince asked in alarm before turning to face the witch.

"I only come here to ask for shelter for the night," the woman said and Adam struggled to get up, his heart stopped as he heard the next words. "I offer you this single rose as payment."

"Payment!?" Riva coughed in disbelief, "I wouldn't let you in for a dozen red roses after what you're doing to my father." Adam tried to reach out to stop him. The truth was that they hadn't told any of their children the story of how they had first met or that he had been turned into a beast in the past. Riva hadn't needed to hear that but thirteen years later, on Adam's own birthday, she had appeared.

"You are turning me away even after a thing of such beauty has been offered," the witch said as she gestured to the rose she was holding.

"Beauty!?" Riva coughed, "You are torturing my papa, you are nothing but an ugly troll, get out of this castle right now," he said and Adam could almost see himself in his son's place but Riva was a much better person than he had ever been.

"You mustn't be fooled by appearances for true beauty is found on the inside," the hag told him and Riva paused, his mouth opened in disbelief.

"The outside doesn't matter," Riva told her confused and gestured to Adam, seeing the fear on his father's face. "You are ugly because you are doing this to m-"

Adam knew he needed to end this quickly. An enchantress was just like a human, right? They could be injured. Taking a deep breath in and dragging himself in agony, Adam grabbed to a sword from a suit of armor and lunged at her. He froze as he saw a white light and heard the sound of something breaking and then glitter. Adam stopped. She had fled, right? That's what had happened.

"You have only killed me once but for committing that unspeakable crime you will live with your own for the rest of your pathetic life." The enchantress's voice could be heard and Adam felt a very sharp shock throughout his body. He was pushed into the ground as if magnets had been slid underneath his skin. He looked to his arm which was growing bigger, his hand morphing into a paw. He tried to breathe through the agonizing pain and then felt a hand to his back.

"Papa," Riva said as he looked in complete shock and panic to see what was happening. "Papa, I'm right here. You'll be okay. Do you understand, Papa, you'll be okay?" Adam looked up at his son. Riva was still human, he was okay, he would be okay. Nothing else was important after that.

End of Chapter One

Thank you for reading, reviews are very much appreciated

Also, I'm writing this chapter at a Disneyland hotel, how cool is that