I do not own beauty and the beast. R&R welcome.
Chapter 1: The Fall
He smiled in his victory, ignoring the helpless screams of his fair prize. The monster was a fool for letting him go, then turning its back. He relished in his victory, picturing the beast's head on a mount as he aimed and fired a second round. He didn't even realise the bridge was crumbling until it was gone from beneath his boots.
It seemed so outrageously unfair, that the moment he had slain the disgusting creature would be his last. He cursed the damn beast to hell as he fell, up until when he impacted with the ground.
"Captain," The voice was unforgiving and cold, that of a ethereal woman.
He opened his eyes only to be blinded by light. He could not see the face of whatever thing was talking to him, nor where he was.
"You have committed many atrocities in your time. You have been held accountable for none until now."
"Who- what are you?" He demanded. The voice did not heed his question.
"You have preyed upon the weak and the outsiders to fuel your successes. You are void of all compassion or empathy."
"That's a lie!" He argued with the unseen force. "I risked my life to take Belle from that beast!"
"You have taken everything and earned nothing, but your power is no more. You have until the next harvest moon to truthfully care for someone more than yourself, or you will remain cursed for all eternity."
"What madness are you spewing? Who do you think you-"
The light faded to darkness in a flash, taking his consciousness with it.
He awoke slowly to a gentle scene, in the forest as he lay beside a calm pool of water. He felt strange as he lifted himself up, probably from the fall. Reaching to the pool to cool his dry throat, he sought his reflection, as he always did.
He locked eyes with himself for a moment before falling backward. He must have imagined it, what he saw. He looked once more, finding the same grotesque image meeting his gaze in horror.
His once beautiful, just breathtaking handsomeness had melted away. He had scars which covered half his face, ripping through his cheek, his lips, and leaving only a part of his chin intact. The remainder of his face had dulled, blotched and swollen. His teeth were broken and uneven. Even his hair was ruined, jagged patches of grey and black.
He ran his hands over his face in fear, only to see that those too were ravaged. The skin was burned in places and callous in others. Long, jagged fingers looked sickly and strange. He stood up at once, only to see the same was mirrored of his body. He was small and sickly thin. He could feel his ribs and his joints. He felt as weak as he appeared, out of breath from standing up at such a pace.
He yelled, his voice sounding as rough as he looked. He truly looked like a living corpse. Everything he had worked so hard for- gone! That disgusting witch cursed him, and he would make her fix it, then kill her for what she did. He resolved this as he looked out from the pond, seeing a clearing in the distance.
He could see smoke rising from afar, the signal of a village. He set off before it, the image of his old self driving his every step.