Captain Bernard slowly rode his horse down the path that once led him towards the city. He had considered not returning to Belle’s hamlet. Even the thought of her brought him pain.
They had shared something so wonderful and intimate together. But as quickly as their intimate encounter arose, Belle’s feelings seemed to wither. What was most painful of all was why things had changed. Belle had acted like she could love him forever until he had shared with her his greatest secret, that he had once loved another man.
Belle’s rejection was devastating for Captain Bernard. He couldn’t escape from it fast enough. Still holding out hope that he could ingratiate himself to Belle by finding her father, he had left for the city. But unable to find him in a week or even two, the Captain fell into a despondent state and couldn’t get himself to return.
It was only after the Captain thought about Belle’s well-being that he was able to summon the courage to again face the woman he loved. Certainly her father had to have returned from wherever he had gone by now. But if he hadn’t, it was about this time that the Captain imagined that she would be running out of food. Even if she couldn’t love him the way that he loved her, Captain Bernard wanted to make sure that she was safe and happy.
Slowly riding into town, the Captain kept his eyes peeled for Belle. Not seeing her, he stabled his horse and headed to her home. Walking the cobblestone streets, the village girls waved at him. The Captain smiled and nodded back. He considered how easy it would be to find himself a wife if that was all he wanted. The problem was that his heart wasn’t easily swayed and Belle had been the only one able to move him in years. Belle, it seemed, was the Captain’s curse.
Ascending the stairs in front of Belle’s home, the Captain straightened his jacket, lifted his chin and knocked confidently on the door. After a moment passed without a response, he knocked again.
“Belle?” He said listening for any sound within.
When the house remained silent, Captain Bernard turned around and scanned the village again. Perhaps she was out fishing or doing errands. As much as the Captain wanted to see her, he knew that he didn’t have to. The only thing he needed to know was that she was safe. There had to be someone around town who could tell him that.
Deciding that the tavern would be the first logical stop, the Captain headed there. It was approaching evening so it should have been starting to fill up.
“Captain Bernard?” A sturdy, round man yelled from the side of the room. The Captain turned and nodded at him.
As he made his way through the room, a number of the men patted him on the back and smiled. He knew that none of their reactions were because they liked or cared about him. Bernard was the Captain of the guard. In their eyes, he was a man of great power. Everyone wanted to be associated with a powerful man. Everyone, that is, except the one person who knew more about him than anyone else, Belle.
“Captain Bernard!” the bartender announced. “Welcome back. What can I get for you?”
“You can get me your finest ale.”
“Coming right up.”
The Captain took a seat at the bar and then looked around. The excitement that often surrounded him was on full display. He scanned their faces for that of Belle’s father. He wasn’t in there. That didn’t surprise the Captain considering Belle’s father wasn’t much of a drinker.
“One ale,” the bartender said sliding the pint glass in front of Bernard.
“Thank you,” the Captain said reaching for his purse.
“Oh no, Captain Bernard. You know your money is no good here,” the bartender told him.
The Captain offered him a smile. “Thank you for that. But I’m wondering if you can help me with something else.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
The Captain leaned forward drawing the bartender into a secret. “I’m wondering, have you, by any chance, seen Belle?”
The bartender stopped smiling and leaned back. Grabbing a dishrag and a wet glass, he began busying himself. This was always the response that the Captain got when he asked one of the married men about Belle. It wasn’t that they had a problem with her as much as their wives did and they had to go home to them.
“Now, Captain Bernard, you should know that I wouldn’t know nothing about that.”
“Come, my good man. All I’m asking you is if you have seen her. You know, around town. Perhaps you’ve seen her in one of the shops?”
“That, I have not,” the bartender said conclusively.
“Okay, then, what about her father. Has he been in? Have you seen him around?”
The bartender relaxed a little. “Now him, well, I don’t think I’ve seen him in weeks. It fact, it might have been months.”
“Months?”
“It was certainly before the last time that you were in town.”
“You haven’t seen him since then?” The Captain asked getting concerned.
The bartender thought about it again. “No. I can’t say that I have.”
“And you said that you haven’t seen Belle at all either?” He asked getting louder.
“I said I hadn’t, didn’t I?” The bartender retorted feeling defensive.
With mounting tension, the Captain whipped around facing the growing crowd. Standing, he yelled at the din. “Tell me, has anyone here seen Belle?”
The room quieted as if hushed by her name.
“Don’t just sit there looking like idiots,” the Captain insisted. “Tell me, has anyone here seen Belle?”
“I haven’t,” one of the boys said.
“I haven’t either,” said another.
“For how long?” The Captain yelled back at them.
The boys shrugged.
“Have you seen her since I left?”
“No,” they both answered.
The Captain’s lips tightened as he was overcome with concern for Belle’s safety. “So, no one has seen her for weeks and not one of you have thought to check to make sure that she is all right?”
The room remained silent as everyone stared at him guiltily.
“Unbelievable,” he said before racing out of the tavern.
Sprinting across town back to Belle’s house, the Captain ascended the stairs two at a time.
“Belle?” The Captain said banging on the door again. “Belle, if you’re in there answer me. Otherwise, I’m coming in.”
Listening at the door for a response and not getting one, the Captain gripped the knob ready to break it down. He didn’t have to. The door was unlocked. More than that, the place looked exactly the way it did the day he had left it. In fact, the dishes that held their breakfast still sat on the counter waiting to be cleaned.
The Captain’s greatest fear had come true. Something had happened to Belle. Bernard wouldn’t stop searching until he found out what.