Beauty and the Beast (LDE's Retelling)
by LDEJRuff
Chapter 1 - The Merchant and the Castle
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, an old widowed merchant, Maurice, lived with his three daughters. All of his daughters were very beautiful, but the youngest of the three, Belle, was the most lovely. The eldest two, Anna and Lauren, were jealous of their younger sister.
Eventually, Maurice had lost all his wealth in a tempest, and he and his daughters were forced to live in a farmhouse, where they would work for a living.
"Now, girls," said Maurice, "I know that this new farmhouse isn't much, but at least it's where we'll be staying until we make enough money to move back to the city."
"I hope so, Papa," Belle replied.
Lauren, the eldest, scoffed at Belle's reply. "You hope so," she mocked.
"Now, Lauren," Maurice scolded, "be nice to your sister. After all, we're poor now. We mustn't want to spend our new lives lily gagging around. We have to work."
"But Daddy," Anna begged.
"When I ask to wash clothes, girls," Maurice began, "you should at least do it together. After all, no job's a one-woman job."
Belle silently giggled. "Guess we should get to work, dear sisters."
Lauren and Anna grumbled when all three began their work.
Some time had passed, and Maurice had gotten word that one of his trade ships had returned to port, escaping the destruction of its compatriots. This made the family very happy, and Maurice decided it was time to head to the city to find if it contained anything of value left.
"Before you go, Daddy," Lauren began, "I have something to request for me to buy. I would like a dress and some shoes to match."
"Me, too," Anna added.
"That's nice, girls," Maurice replied. "And you, Belle?"
"Oh, not much," Belle said. "I have seen that our farmhouse doesn't have any roses, so I would like a rose, please."
"I don't know if any roses grow around this part of the country," Maurice shrugged, "but I'll try."
And with that, Maurice left the farmhouse, hoping to fill his daughters' requests.
When he got to the port, however, Maurice had learned that all the ship's cargo had been seized. Dismayed, he decided to return without any money.
During his return, he and his horse, Phillipe,had gotten lost in a forest during a snowstorm.
"Don't worry, Phillipe," Maurice assured. "I'm sure we will think of something to get out of this dreadful storm."
Just then, Maurice spoke too soon. He had sighted a shining castle nearby. Approaching the castle, Maurice had noticed that the gates have opened by a shadowy figure inside.
"Come in," the figure said in a low voice. "You must be shivering from the bitter cold. Don't worry, sir," the figure assured. "If you seek shelter, then this castle must provide it."
"Thank you," Maurice replied.
"If you're hungry," the figure said, "there is food in the dining room for you."
On that, only the figure's eyes were seen while the rest remained hidden within the darkness of the shadows. They were blue.
When the dining room opened, Maurice had seen that the table had been prepared with a reserved seat for him, and a fine cuisine and drink was also prepared.
"You can spend the night here if you want," the figure said, "for it's supposed to be really cold for the rest of the night."
"Once again, thanks," Maurice repeated before he began eating his meal.
When morning came, Maurice saw that it was nice outside, and quickly eyed a rose garden.
"Hmmm, that reminds me," Maurice said.
Approaching the garden, Maurice was once again greeted by the figure, still hidden by the shadows.
"They are beautiful aren't they?" said the figure.
"Why, yes, they..." Maurice stopped short after turning around when he saw that the owner of the voice was a beast who had the head structure and horns of a bison, the jaws, teeth and mane of a lion, the brows of a gorilla, the tusks of a boar, the arms and torso of a bear, the hind legs and tail of a wolf, and brown fur. This beast also wore a blue cape, a white shirt and black pants. Maurice was horrified when he saw what the beast looked like, prompting the smile on the beast's face to give way to a confusing look.
"What's wrong?" the Beast asked.
"You're..." Maurice began. "You're a beast!"
"Oh," the Beast replied. "Well, yes, I am a beast. But I'm also kindhearted, no matter what I look like."
"Please, I..." Maurice said, "I'm an old merchant, and lost my wealth."
"I'm sorry about that," the Beast sighed. "I only did what was nice for a kind stranger, who's fulfilling his daughters' wishes."
"Wait," Maurice interrupted. "How do you know about my daughters?"
"Just a coincidence, sir," the Beast answered. "I can pick one of my beautiful roses for your daughter, if you can do one simple task for me."
"Anything," Maurice begged, "if it can make you happy."
"You must bring your daughter here in a week's time. You see, I've been sad and lonely for many years, and I'm in dire need of someone to share the castle with. If, after the week has passed, you don't bring your daughter here, I'll... It's a long story."
Maurice sighed. "Very well," he said. "I'll fulfill your wish as well."
The Beast smiled contently. "That's good to hear."
And with that, the Beast handed Maurice a treasure chest of money, some dresses, shoes, and the promised rose. And Maurice went home to tell his daughters the news.
Author's note: Yeah, unlike in most versions of the story, I want the Beast to be kindhearted from the beginning, instead of menacing to the merchant during the rose scene.