I was so excited to see that you've started a new story. Enjoying so far...
Update soon!

Oh, Xavier, you should have never made that vow...now Belle is DEFINITELY going to see you in you more hirsute form...grin And I do agree with your move to not have any servants running around. Also, by not having the servants around, if Xavier, well, actually WHEN Xavier messes up with Belle, its going to be all on him to fix it, which will, in my opinion, make the story that much more entertaining. bigger grin

I was also wondering if the servants would've been brought in, and it makes since that they aren't. I like how realistic you're making it. I look forward to see how Belle will take to being in a nearly abandoned castle.

So good! I am really enjoying this version, maybe even more than all the others ;)
Keep it up!

Absolutely wonderful again. This story deserves more reviews.

Basic chapter in summary: OMG, the villagers left this poor helpless young woman out in the snow! What an insensitive bunch of people. I guess I'll adopt her now and bring her to my castle which no one but me has lived in for several years. Oops. I forgot she's a peasant, so I should technically should have brought her to my servants' quarters. YOLO.

I hope Xavier will have a bit of sense to clean up the castle a bit while Belle's living there. If she's anything like me, the dust alone would make it impossible for me to sleep, I'd be sneezing constantly.

Great chapter I love that Xavier is alone. It does fit your story, that was something I wonder was how lumier, ms. potts would fit in, as well as how breaking the "spell" will work out too. I see he is more interested in the company. I can't wait to see how this plays out. SOOOO looking forward to next chapte.

I really like this chapter, especially that stirring of pity he felt when he first saw her. It shows that deep down there's goodness in him. This version is interesting because unlike the movie, or even the fairy tale, he's NOT using her to try to break a spell. He just felt sorry for her, plus he had the afterthought of thwarting the peasants' plan, plus (although I don't think he realizes it consciously), he's lonely and bored and Belle is something new and different. I like that his motivation for getting to know her is more..."instrinsic," if that makes sense, rather than a calculated attempt to break a spell. I also like his consideration in not wanting to scare her by letting her see him in his Beast form. Can't wait to see what happens when she wakes up!

Great chapter

Wow some heavy stuff here. Wow Gaston is such a douchebag. Lol Liking the French history stuff quite a bit.

I can't begin to explain just how fantastic your story is. A very fresh take on B&B. I look forward to updates! And i really appreciate just how much time you spend with this story. You're a brillaant writter and I'll be looking forward to reading more stories from you.

Btw i appreciate what you said at the end of chapter 8! Youre absolutley right.

Really enjoy this story hope you update soon! I'm looking forward to the next chapter

Great chapter
I feel like you've done a good job of showing a balance between religion and applying it to both protagonists and antagonists.
Looking forward to an update

Wow, that was an exciting and dramatic chapter! Definitely on the edge of my seat for the next one!

I especially like Belle immediately recalling stories and myths where maidens were sacrificed to monsters - just the way she's so well-read and has relevant literature and mythology right at her fingertips.

I totally agree with you on the Author's Note! There's a series called "Marked," about a girl who goes to vampire school or something like that, and I read the first few books because my daughter was reading them, but one of the many irritating things about it was that it bashed Christians as all being narrow-minded and hateful, while "loosely pagans" (very apt phrase by you, because the vampire religion in that book series was a vague mishmash of Wicca and Egyptian goddesses) were all to be admired.

I don't think religion causes people to be hateful, but rather the opposite: if someone is hateful (like Gaston in that story), they'll find a way to twist the interpretation of their religion to justify hurting other people.

There are different versions of Beauty and the Beast than the Disney version.