Chapter Twelve: Realm D1991
It was late in the evening and most of the drinkers in
Gaston’s tavern went home to sleep off their drunkenness. Alone and sitting at
one corner of the tavern, Gaston and LeFou waited for Monsieur D’Arque, the
owner of the village’s local asylum, to strike a deal with him. Earlier that
wintery evening, Maurice stormed in to warn the villagers about a monstrous
“beast” that had Belle locked up in a castle. Of course, no one in the tavern
believed a word of it and threw Maurice out on Gaston’s word, but the incident
did give Gaston an idea. He would use the “beast story” as a way of pressuring
Belle into marrying him by threatening to throw her father into the asylum,
hence why he needed D’Arque to show up at the tavern late that evening.
(Narrative Note: The Marvelous World was the second straight story in the World of Disney series to feature scenes and characters from Beauty and the Beast into an original plot. Whereas the very first story showcased the opening number in the movie, this sequel centered on a scene much later from it.)
The deal would be made with only Gaston, LeFou, and
D’Arque present in the tavern, so that none of the other villagers would find
out and possibly wreck Gaston’s reputation as the town hero. The only thing
Gaston would tell them was how Maurice was insane – something most everyone
already knew from the time he spent secluded in his home, making inventions as
wacky as himself – and needed to be committed. It was such a genius plan that
Gaston and LeFou just had to celebrate it with a few rounds of beers as they
waited for D’Arque to come.
However, the two men waited for what seemed like an hour
longer than what it needed to be. Beer mugs littered the table – most of them
emptied by LeFou, who started to become drunk. “What is taking that old fool so
long? He should’ve been here minutes ago,” said an impatient Gaston, who
glanced over at the cuckoo clock that hung on the wall near him and LeFou.
“He’ll be here, Gaston.” LeFou assured through his
slurred speech. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried, you fool.” He angrily bonked LeFou on
the head for the statement. “I just want to get this dealt with as soon as
possible. The sooner we put our plan into action, the sooner I can have Belle
as my wife.”
“You wanna have a wife, my friend. You’ll have to try a
lot harder than blackmail.”
Gaston and LeFou looked to the adjacent corner, finding a
tall, slender mustachioed man with a top hat sitting at a table with his feet
rested upon it. “Tavern’s closed, stranger!” Gaston shouted. “Get out of here!”
(Narrative Note: Much like in World of Disney, a Disney character from a completely different film interacts with those in the world of Beauty and the Beast. In the first story, it was Buzz Lightyear that got involved with the story by accident; in the sequel, it is Doctor Facilier that purposely interferes.)
“You won’t want me to leave so soon after you hear my
proposition.” The man remarked.
“We already have a deal waiting with Monsieur D’Arque.”
Gaston said.
A devilish grin crept across the man’s face. “Monsieur
D’Arque won’t be joining us this evening…I personally
made sure of that.”
(Disney Note: Unlike Buzz Lightyear, Doctor Facilier would be well at home in the Beauty and the Beast version of France. Although he is the first black Disney Villain, he is the fourth to have French origins - the first of which is Gaston.)
Hearing this, Gaston grew suspicious of the visitor.
“What…What do you want?”
“It’s not what I
want, Gaston. It’s about what you
want.”
Gaston wondered how the stranger knew his name, but he
reminded himself that he was Gaston
after all – everyone in town knew his name. Then again, he had not seen this
man in town ever before, which only intensified his suspicions. “You can get me Belle, stranger?”
“The name’s Doctor Facilier. And I can get you more than
just one woman. I can get you everything beyond your wildest dreams.”
“I dunno. Gaston’s dreams are pretty wild.” LeFou said
with a chuckle, only to be bonked again by Gaston.
“I already have everything I want, stranger. The only
thing that I desire is Belle. And if you
can get her for me, then I’m willing to make whatever deals you see fit.”
Facilier smiled. “Y’all gonna love what I’m planning. First off, there’s one
important thing you should know – the old man, your woman’s father, wasn’t
lying about the beast. It’s real.”
LeFou immediately bellowed with drunken laughter. “Wow,
Gaston! You really snatched another loon! This guy’s as crazy as Maurice! Maybe
we should have him thrown into the
bin!”
Gaston didn’t find Facilier’s claim as amusing as LeFou;
he felt like he was being made a fool of, which did not sit well with him. Getting up from the table, he rushed himself
over to Facilier’s table and grabbed the bizarrely-dressed man by the collar.
He yanked the schemer close to his face with one fist raised high, readied to strike. “You’re going
to tell me what you did with D’Arque, or I’ll…”
Gaston stopped as soon as he felt the floor beneath him
quake; he heard bottles at the bar cling together and tables with wobbly legs
rattle. He could also hear LeFou start to take rapid breathes induced with
panic. Looking to him, Gaston could see his eyes widening with fear as he
looked to something that was away from him and Facilier. Gaston followed his
gaze and suddenly spotted the subject of LeFou’s panic. Standing well over
seven feet tall and shadowing both Gaston and Facilier was a hulking green man. He was shirtless,
exposing muscles that were far greater in mass than Gaston’s, and he was
shoeless, revealing his massive feet. The only article of clothing he bore was
a pair of beige pants that barely fit his large form, ripped at the knees and
waistline.
(Marvel Note: Another character would metaphorically fit in with Beauty and the Beast's world is the Hulk, who is just as much of a beast as the titular one.)
Gaston looked upon the towering green behemoth with his
mouth gaping open and eyes that were flooded with as much fear as LeFou. He was
in such shock that he barely heard Facilier tell him, “If ya know what’s good
for ya, you’ll listen to what I have to say, Monsieur Gaston. Otherwise, my ‘friend’ and I will turn your dreams
into nightmares. Understand?”
(UP NEXT: Restoration of youth!)
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