Beauty and the Beast
Once upon a time, there was a lad whom lived in the city. The son of the wealthiest man in this land, he lived as a prince. However, living in such a spoiled life style, he began to be blinded by his own arrogance and self-obsession. His heart grew colder and colder with the passing winter's, and grew to be harder than stone. The prince thought nothing of it, basking in his popularity amongst his people, money, and possessions. However, the king would not always be there to save him, and no material gain would protect him from the evils that now grew in his soul. He certainly was not prepared for what would come of him.
One afternoon in the hallowed halls of his kingdom, a dark cladded woman with a circle swallowed star about her neck approached the prince. Her black lips spoke an ugly poison to his ears, her hair feathering in every direction hid a face that he imagined as repulsive. The hag requested of the prince that he attend a gala with her that eve to help aid those less fortunate than he. However, the prince scoffed in her face, stating that he would never be seen with so mangy a person in all his days, nor attend such a silly and borish event that would barely ever deserve the attention of one so royal as he. She tried to tell him that appearances could be deceiving, but the prince would not listen.
Bright and gorgeous blue eyes came out of hiding from behind black curtains of hair to send a piercing stare into the heart of the prince. A beautiful enchantress peered from behind the mane of hair, and the prince began to apologize profusely for saying such things to her. However, the witch would deny his request. She addressed the prince, telling him that such false charm would not deceive her, for true hideousness was the ugliness of his heart. Upon that night, she placed a terrible curse upon the prince, declaring that his outer appearance would match the repulsiveness of his heart. It was that midnight that the prince began to morph into a beast... His once lean body began to bloat and grow dark tufts of hair, his back hunched, his once smooth and flawless skin began to pimple and grease, and his once satin locks began to become a gross, messy mop. From his former glory, the prince had fallen. The people he once surrounded himself with began to abandoned and betrayed him, calling him a monster just as he had once called others.
The enchantress looked down upon the beast without a single trace of remorse. The fallen prince implored that she help him, apologizing for his cruelty to her in the past. However, she only looked away and said, "This is a curse you have brought upon yourself. The curse will be lifted from you when you love someone from your heart for theirs, and they for your own, regardless of your appearances. However, if this lesson can not be learned, you will forever be a Beast."
Victoria sighed, staring out the car window with eyes just as glassy whilst she dizzily daydreamed. A book sat obediently in the dainty girls lap beneath her piano hand.
Her father glanced back from the rear-view mirror, "How is my girl?"
The sound of her father's voice awoke her quickly, "I'm fine, dad. Hey- are you sure this the way to the investment building?" asked the young girl incredulously.
"Of course I am, pumpkin! We're just...uhhhh..." Victoria could clearly see he was fumbling with the map in his lap as they spoke.
"Dad...I think we're lost. We should probably stop and get directions..."
He chuckled lightly, "We're not LOST, Victoria! I know EXACTLY where we're going!"
"Dad," Victoria tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress a laugh, "do you even know what street we're on?"
"Of course! It's- ...uhhhh...it's-" the man registered his daughter's look, "Okay..." he pulled to the curb, "I'll pop on in here and ask for some directions."
He had pulled the car in front of a very ornate household. It was great in size with a vast stretching and decorated lawn with it's marvelous path of a driveway curving around to the home. Surely such a grand place would hold someone who could assist the pair in their navigations to where their treasure slept?
Her father, Wesley, drove the car up the driveway to park in front of the house beside a white marble fountain. Victoria took it all in, seeing this house as if it were a castle.
Wesley climbed from the car, "I'll be back in a bit, darlin'. You just wait in the car until I get back."
Victoria so desperately wanted to follow her father inside such a lovely and fantastical place, but she continued to play her part as his obedient daughter, "Yes, father."
He closed the car door and began to approach the looming building. Up close with it's vintage and almost surreal appearance, it seemed almost as if it would swallow one whole. Wesley grabbed the fading gold knocker and rapped upon the wooden door. Slowly, it creaked open, and Wesley crept inside, as if the slightest wrong move would disturb the sleepiness of the home itself.
He called out into the empty space, "Hello?" only his echo answered, "Is anyone here? Hello?" Wesley continued to wander through the corridors, lost and confused. His only answer was the sounds of water in the distance and the chirping of birds. He saw a light past a set of glass doors with flourishing plants calling behind them. The glass doors were slightly ajar, so Wesley made the assumption that someone, anyone, must be there...
Wesley pushed into the greenhouse area, filtered sunlight kissing his skin as he walked the winding garden path. Wesley did not happen upon any person, however, he happened upon a rose bush along side the pathway. The crimson flora peeked their faces to him as if begging to be plucked, instilling the though in Wesley's mind that these lovely flowers would be just the gift for Victoria... Gingerly, he plucked one of the roses from its keep, wrapping it's stem in a clean white hankerchief from his coat as he carried it along. Wesley barely took a step further before he heard the sound of heavy, putridly thick breath.
"Excuse me, sir, but I think you just took something that belongs to me..."