Beast's Castle

### Game(s)

Kingdom Hearts: Return of the KeybearerKingdom Hearts: The Keybearer's Revolutions
 Kingdom Hearts: The Keybearer's Last Crusade

### Assistants

Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Fifi (all games)Fife (KH:ReK)
 Webster, Chandeliera (KH:KR)

### Origin

Beauty and the Beast (1991)Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
 Belle's Magical World (1998)

### Battle Theme(s)

Dance of the Daring

The **Beast's Castle** is a gothic-style castle in a French-type world based on Disney's 1991 movie *Beauty and the Beast,* as well as its sequels, 1997's *Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas* and 1998's *Belle's Magical World.* Besides the castle itself, the forest and town from the movies are also seen in the games as well. Outsiders who enter this world tend to don fancy French-style outfits befitting the time period. The world's Keyhole is Beast's rose.

## Setting

The three main areas include the **Castle,** the **Forest** and the **Village.**

## Story

### *Kingdom Hearts: Return of the Keybearer* (As Long as There's Christmas)

#### First Visit

Akira, Skye and Harlynn land in the castle, wondering who lives in it and marveling at the Christmas decorations. Suddenly, they hear a roar, recognizing it as the Beast, who defends them from the Heartless advancing on them. Beast begrudgingly welcomes them to his castle, revealing that he is grumpy because of his confidant Maestro Forte and his control over the Heartless. He then accompanies his friends to free Belle and the other castle servants from the Dungeon so he can apologize to Belle for acting so selfish while she was trying to plan Christmas, revealing she was locked there for supposedly breaking their promise that she wouldn't leave the castle.

As they approach, Forte notices this and summons the Possessor to take care of them while the protagonists approach Armoire near the dungeon, who allows them to pass after they push her aside while sleeping. When they arrive in the basement, they fight the Possessor which can turn into the Thresholder when possessing the door, then free their friends and Belle, who sings a song with Angelique prior to coming out. The two make up for Beast's grinchy behavior and he releases her from the prison.

Lumière explains what happened to Beast on Christmas morning and how he became what he is today via a flashback. Beast then allows the trio to visit any rooms in the house...except for the West Wing (they need permission to go there), stay away from Forte's room, and that they are now in Belle's care for their stay here. Belle then tells them to get a good night's sleep before they start Christmas plans tomorrow. The trio is then shown their rooms and given luxurious robes in their signature colors by Fifi.

The next day, Belle wakes our heroes up to eat breakfast with her, and they start to make plans for Christmas festivities (of which she uploads the Holiday Recipes section of the cookbook onto their Gummiphones using her own Gummiphone). She gives them a list of the things they need for the celebration, which they gather and decorate the castle with as they sing about this. Meanwhile, Forte is furious of how much fun they are having and decides to bring the castle down. Beast, noticing his friends are in danger, leads them to Forte's room where they have a battle against the evil pipe organ. As he is defeated (and the party gains the Cure spell), Beast smashes his keyboard and removes him from the wall. It is then revealed that this world's Keyhole is Beast's rose, which Akira seals as they bid Belle and Beast goodbye for now.

#### Second Visit

Now that the castle is ready for Christmas, Akira, Skye and Harlynn return to find that Beast is in a bad mood because he is worried about Forte's Heartless haunting the castle. Belle then welcomes them back to the castle as she reveals it is now Christmas Eve, but mentions that she saw a mysterious figure with a red cape around Forte's room. Even worse, he seems to be planning to bring out Forte's Heartless so that he can put Beast under his control. Beast rejoins our heroes as they make their way to his room, where they find a magic mirror that can show them anything.

The mirror reveals that Koren is in the Courtyard along with the Possessor that appeared before as he instructs it to join him as they plot to kidnap Belle to lure Beast into the Black Forest so he can drown in the freezing lake. As the Possessor kidnaps Belle and takes her to the frozen lake as bait, our heroes free her from Koren's clutches and take her back to the castle. However, doing so allowed him to unleash Forte's Heartless in the ballroom, so they battle against the Shadow Stalker/Dark Thorn. As they destroy it (and Skye gains a new Attraction), Belle gives Akira, Skye and Harlynn their presents, which turn out to be the Rumbling Rose Keychain, new Christmas outfits and the Blossomga spell.

During the credits, Belle and Beast are dressed for Christmas as Beast reads from his present, a storybook about his adventures with his old friends. Lumière and Fifi kiss under the mistletoe, while Angelique swoons in delight.