Prologue
The sunlight shone through the trees onto top of a small waterfall, making it sparkle. Petals on roses and orchids shined beautifully with the morning dew still on them. Birds sang, and flew all around the forest. And just beyond it was a castle with statues of angels on the roofs. The entire castle had white brick walls and red tiling on the roofs. And a beautiful garden surrounded the castle with flowers of every kind.
Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle. And he had everything his to heart's desire. But the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him to not be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again...
The prince laughed at the old woman at her "gift" for shelter. He thought she was insane. A prince giving to an old, hideous beggar woman, shelter? How absurd. But when he turned away, a light shone behind him and the old beggar woman transformed into a friend who he thought died years ago.
"Maria?" he asked in awe. The woman floating in the air had long blonde hair down to her back and deep blue eyes. She wore a light blue dress with a blue belt around her waist, an ivory, shining see-through cape and black flats.
"Shadow," she said calmly, "you have loved me all my life. You were so caring. But ever since I died, you've been rude and hostile to everyone. If you don't learn to let me go, then you shall never know true love..."
...the beggar's form melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart anymore. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
The prince ripped the picture of himself hanging on the wall with his claws that he now can't retract. Everything around him was broken and ripped up, concealing him in his own destruction. The only thing standing in the middle of the room was a small, porcelain table with a rose, floating in the middle of a glass dome. Next to it, a mirror with the power to see anything he wanted in the village.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with his magic mirror; his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love...a beast...