Beauty and the Beast
Chapter One: The Cursed Prince
Summary: Adam and Belle thought that they were past the rebellious stage with their son Ben, but when he turned 11, he started to act just like his father had at his age, and was cursed the same way that his father had been. He has 10 years to find love and have that love be returned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Descendants. Nor the storyline of Beauty and the Beast.
King Adam and his wife, Queen Belle looked on as their young son, Prince Benjamin played about the grounds of their castle in Auradon, France. The following day was to be Benjamin's 11th birthday, and King Adam was nervous. When he had been his son's age, he had been arrogant and heartless, and he had paid the price for his actions. He had been cursed by an Enchantress and had been given an enchanted rose that would bloom until his 21st year. If he was able to find love in a woman, who would, in turn, love him, despite his beastly appearance, he would be given back his human appearance. It had taken 10 years for that to happen, but once Belle had come along, just in time, things had started to change. Adam had started to fall deeply in love with her, and it wasn't until just before the last petal fell that Belle admitted that she loved him too.
Now, after the curse had been broken, Adam and Belle hadn't gotten married right away. In fact, they had waited 7 years before they got married. Before he could actually be King and all of that, Adam had had to learn how to be human again, as well as make amends for all of the selfish things that he had done in his life. Over the seven years between when the curse was broken, and the time that the two had gotten married, Adam and Belle had ventured to every kingdom around and had united all of them. It did take the full 7 years for that to be successful, but it had happened eventually, and once all of the villains had been rounded up, and sent away, Adam had finally asked Belle to marry him.
Of course, with the kingdoms united, and Adam and Belle being crowned High King and Queen of the United States of Auradon, there was pressure on the couple to produce an heir. But for the first four years of their marriage, no heir was born. Adam was concerned that it might have been because of how long he had been selfish, and therefore, was being further punished for his actions as a child. But around their fourth anniversary, Belle gave birth to a baby boy. His Royal Highness, Prince Benjamin Florian Bête, High Prince of the United States of Auradon. Of course, Adam was thrilled that he had a son, but there was also lingering fear that Ben would turn out more like Adam then like Belle, and the King was not ready for that.
Then his fears came true. Ben was unruly. He was selfish, arrogant, condescending, and everything that Adam had been, only worse. Belle had tried to teach her son how to be caring and not so cruel, but it was to no avail. Nothing that Belle or even Adam did was enough to change Ben's ways. And now, here they were, the day before Ben's 11th birthday, and the couple feared that they would lose their son the following day. Adam knew from experience that it would not help Ben's behavior if he were to be cursed, only heighten it like it had form Adam himself, but what could they do? There was no way to truly bargain with the Enchantress. The last thoughts in their head before both fell asleep was that they would need to let the next day take its course, and see what happened to Ben at the end of it.
The following morning was a gloomy one. Adam and Belle voiced their concerns to Mrs. Potts, and she warned them that if there was a chance that the same thing that happened to Adam, could happen to Ben, that they King and Queen would have to leave the castle that day, or else they would be affected as well. Knowing that it was difficult the first time around for her husband being a Beast, and not knowing how another decade would change him, if it did, Belle knew that they had to leave. They would have to take residence in a different castle then their son, where they could watch him, yet also let his life go on the way that it needed to, without their interference. So the King and Queen left, without saying a word to their son.
When Ben found out that his parents had left him, he was angry. He snapped at anyone who dared to both him, and he wouldn't let anyone into his room until his party was supposed to start. Of course, with his unruly behavior, Ben didn't have any friends, so the only "guests" at his party were the servants. Of course, Mrs. Potts had informed the others as to the situation that could very well play out again, so the other servants were prepared to live another 10+ years as common household appliances. And then it happened. In the middle of the party, there was a knock on the castle doors.
"Who dares disturb my party?" Ben growled, causing the servants to step away from him as he headed towards the doors.
In the doorway stood the same old beggar woman who had disrupted Adam's 11th birthday party years ago, and the servants knew that they were indeed about to fall under the same curse as before.
"Go away old woman!" Ben exclaimed.
"Please sir, all I ask is shelter from the cold. I have only this rose to offer you in exchange for your hospitality." The old woman said in a raspy voice.
"I have no need for a stupid rose. Now leave me alone." Ben said and went to slam the doors, only for woman's disguise to fall away to reveal the Enchantress that was within.
The curse was instantaneous. Ben was turned into a Beast, just like his father before him had, and the servants were turned back into their cursed selves. And in Ben's new cursed state, he could not remember where he was. He could not remember much about who he had been. All he knew was that he was no longer a strapping young lad, but a horrendous looking Beast. No one would ever see him like this. He was never going to go outside his castle ever again.
Of course, the servants knew what to do from there. They had been through all of this before. They placed the rose under the bell jar in Ben's room, and placed the mirror on the table next to it. After that, all they could do was wait. They went about their chores around the castle and the grounds, and simply waited for girl that would eventually break Ben's spell to arrive.
A/N: Now, before you all berate me with reviews saying that Ben is out of character, I know that he is. That's the point. I wanted to write a story that exactly paralleled Adam and Belle's story to that of Ben and Mal's story. By the end of the story, Ben will surely be back in character.