@BELLE AND HER STUPID HORSE
Belle drew back and shook her head. She couldn’t believe the girl was still being hostile, when Belle was just trying to be kind. “It’s just common courtesy,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. She was trying incredibly hard not to get angry right now; she didn’t know Merida’s home life, and therefore she couldn’t jump to any conclusions…but right now that was becoming incredibly hard. “Really, it’s nothing to worry about,” she said quickly. She didn’t want to have bad energy with Merida; that was the last thing she wanted to do, to make enemies with a stranger. It was unlike her…she was normally friendly with everyone, really, unless they just so happened to cross her in a way that really got her goat. And Merida was slowly starting to broach the line to set her off.
“I think there’s room for improvement in just how spacious your mind may be,” Belle replied levelly, her eyes narrowed. “Maybe if you gave a trail ride or two a chance - instead of challenging every rider you met - you’d appreciate them,” she replied, titling her chin up. Softening a bit, she lamely muttered afterwards, “They’re just very calming, alright?” She was more annoyed than anything by Merida, but that annoyance would fuel her to win. She wanted to prove to Merida that she wasn’t just some girl who enjoyed “dull” or lazy trail rides. She had spirit, and she knew what she was doing here. Given, she didn’t know the other’s level of experience, but she had confidence in herself and her horse.
Once she and Phillipe were off, she glanced to the side to see her and Merida nearly precisely neck and neck. Gritting her teeth, she thrust her hands forward and clicked her teeth together several more times, giving off a signal to Phillipe that he should quicken his pace. The stride of his gallop extended and the horse took a deep breath, stretching his neck out to get as far ahead as he could. Belle felt a bit guilty, knowing she might have to push him a bit further than the old horse was used to, but she also knew he’d love to win. As she tried to maneuver around to get ahead, she ended up having to sidetrack around a snare of bushes, thus falling a bit behind. With a burst of determination, Phillipe practically leaped forward so that he was right beside Angus, nearly making Merida and Belle touch. Belle glanced to the side, caught the girl’s eye, and smirked when she noticed the surprise there. “Come on, boy,” she shouted, turning her gaze back ahead where the open field was slowly coming into view.
Merida furrowed her eyebrows and managed a grimace. “Me mind is spacious enough, tho’ I’m not entirely sure on how spacious yours is.” She grumbled, glaring at the woman opposite her. Belle’s defense on trail rides wasn’t happening her suddenly believe that trail rides were calming and not dull at all! If anything, it was making Merida even more against trail rides than ever before. Her next comment bothered her even more, and Merida narrowed her eyes. “I don’t exactly count ye as ‘every rider’, but perhaps I’d appreciate them more if ” A quick roll of her eyes came shortly afterwards, and Merida turned away from Belle in a huff. “If by calming, y’ mean boring, sure, I agree.” She mumbled while on Angus.
In the few moments after the race began, Merida glanced over, imagining that Belle and Phillipe would be far behind her. So, the fact that they were side-by-side was both unsettling and pleasantly surprising, in a way. Her opponent actually wasn’t as weak as she had expected, though she wasn’t exactly sure if that wasn’t good or bad. Those thoughts were immediately wiped away as soon as she noticed that Phillipe’s stride had sped up. Her lips pursed, and she leaned forward, squeezing Angus’s sides almost immediately after noticing. “C’mon, Angus.” She said, nearly shouting, encouragingly, in which he answered with as much energy. Noting Belle getting side-tracked, Merida did not try to slow down her gait, though didn’t try to increase it anymore than she had to, in fear of wearing down Angus. To be honest though, she would probably wear Angus down soon enough. Hopefully, that would be before the race ended and after they, again, hopefully, won. That thought was quickly lost when she saw Belle already besides her again, even after being caught in bushes. That smile of confidence turned into a frown of shock, and her focus returned to the race. The boulder became closer and closer, and Merida’s heart beat faster and faster. When she passed the boulder though, her heart slowed down. It didn’t help that Belle had passed it nearly the same time as she did. Whether it was before or after her, Merida wasn’t all that sure anymore.
Normally a calm, non-confrontational person, Belle was surprised to see how angered she was getting by Merida. She arched a brow at her words, balling her hands into fists. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands and lightly bit her tongue to keep from rolling her eyes and making a comment she’d regret later. “It’s my mind. Not me,” she corrected her simply, smiling sweetly. She brushed some hair off the lap of her skirt and shrugged her shoulders. “Merida, you can’t just judge things when you haven’t given them ample try. I understand we each have opinions, but there’s no use in you bashing mine,” she said calmly, though she grit at her teeth at the words. She couldn’t help but snort a laugh at Merida’s mumbled words, gripping Phillipe’s mane tightly as she mumbled to herself, “And my mind is the one that needs opening. Of course.”
Maybe it was the thought of competition that made Belle this way, but she found herself filled with more and more adrenaline by the second. She had already assumed that Merida would be a formidable opponent based on the fact that she seemed to yearn for speed and excitement, so she wasn’t surprised by the fact that they were nearly neck and neck. What did surprise her was how determined Phillipe seemed to be to beat their opponents. He was breathing more heavily than his rider, whose eyes were narrowed in determination. She squeezed his sides lightly when she heard Merida encourage her horse - Belle was so focused, so intent on winning, that she didn’t speak for fear of hearing her voice shake all over the place. “You can do it boy,” she whispered, just for Phillipe to ear. His ears pricked back to listen to her and he extended his stride. After rounding the boulder nearly the exact same time Merida did, a surge of panic jolted Belle. They were so close…she had to win. She heard Phillipe wheeze and her heart caught. She lightly squeezed the reins to allow him to slow down, knowing her horse’s safety was more important than winning some race. To her shock, Phillipe jerked his head forward and simply galloped faster.
With a laugh of excitement, Belle’s hair fell loose of it’s ribbon, whipping around her face. She didn’t even care how she placed here - her horse was riding faster than he ever had before. That alone was an accomplishment. Though she did notice that they were barely a mile from the “finish line.” And she and Merida were still neck and neck. Belle’s eyes slid to the side to notice the girl’s mouth set in a grim line of determination. She smiled a bit, hoping to loosen the other up - but she still wanted to win.
(via wantsfreedom-deactivated2012041)
30 Day Disney Challenge
Day #3: Your Favorite Disney Heroine
Belle: Belle is extremely kind and selfless. When her father is captured by the Beast, she offers to take his place because she loves him. And that’s not the only thing, she helps breaks the spell freeing the Beast and the castle with her love.
((ooc: Just a thing I noticed while I was making screen caps <3 I love these characters so much))
“Adam/Beast is my favorite prince simply because of his character change and how loveable he becomes during the film. I also admire Glen Keane’s work on making him seem real. I guess the thing I like most about him though is that he is hotter than Gaston will ever be.”
