Prologue

In the heart of a dark castle, in the heart of a dark forest, in the heart of bright country, a young prince lived.

He had everything one could ask for, save for one thing. He had servants to weight on his every request. He had a vast castle to explore and enjoy, adorned with elegant tapestries and exquisite arts, and a library that seemed to go on forever. The windows opened to a wide, beautiful world full of color and splendor. He had riches that knew no depth, and never had to work for something for himself. He had anything material he could ever think of, and with a snap of his fingers, any of those things could be his.

But there was one thing that the young prince lacked. But he didn't miss it for a moment. He never thought he'd have a use for it, and never saw an occasion to feel it, so he spurned it and neglected it his entire life.

It was love that the young prince was missing.

But one fateful day, the young prince's fate became inextricably tied to this which he was missing.

Dark clouds had set in as the sun set, and snow began to descend from the skies. No souls ever visited the castle, and the addition of the poor weather made it impossible for any mortal to have found the castle that night.

And yet, as the prince sat down in a red velvet armchair in front of a roaring fire, a leather book in his hands and a tray of tea at his side, a knock sounded from the front doors of the castle.

Deciding it must have been a deception of the wind, he ignored the knock and opened his book.

But then he heard the knock again, more urgent this time.

Determined to remain in seclusion, he ignored the sound once more.

But there was a knock a third time, and this time it was loud and incessant.

The young prince decided that was enough. He would deal with this menace himself. Rising from his armchair, he made his way to the foyer of the castle. He pulled open the doors by their brass handles.

Standing in the gentle snow, illuminated by the lanterns at the gate, was an old beggar woman. Her spine was crooked and she held a tattered shawl around her shivering shoulders.

The prince grimaced in disgust, repelled by her appearance. Surely she was here to take his money or leech off of his prestige. He would do away with her. But before he could thrust her from his presence, she spoke.

She asked for shelter, of all things. And as payment, she held out a pure red rose, red as living blood and as full as the yellow moon above the clouds.

The prince laughed at her gift, appalled that she would think a simple flower would earn her a stay within his walls. But as he dismissed her and began to shut his door, the woman advised him in sharp voice to reconsider his decision.

The prince would not have it. This old hag had no place within his castle; there was nothing to reconsider. He dismissed her again.

But before he could shut the door, the old woman's form glowed and grew, until a beautiful enchantress stood in the snow before him.

Realizing he was at the hands of a magic-maker, the prince attempted to apologize with empty words. But the enchantress's deep eyes gave him no pity, for she knew his words were meaningless. She had seen that he knew nothing of love, but to love himself.

The prince cowered as the enchantress cast a spell over him as punishment for his empty heart. His handsome face disfigured as his body transformed. His skin became dark like midnight, and his face became gaunt like a jack-o-lantern's. Darkness seemed to course through his very veins, as if his blood had turned to ink. He shuddered as he fell into his new form on his hands and knees. The spell flew into his castle, overcoming all who lived there.

As the enchantress faded away, she dropped the rose she had offered into the snow. His transformation complete, the prince crawled forward and picked up the rose. As he did, the voice of the enchantress echoed across the empty courtyard.

It told him that the rose would bloom until his twenty-first birthday, and if he were able to learn to love another and earn their love in return, the spell would be broken. But if he could not, he and his castle would remain enchanted for all time, eternally cursed to wander alone in the darkness.

As the years went by and the pedals on the rose began to wilt one by one, until the prince lost all hope of ever knowing love. He fell into despair, an empty life and enchanted servants as his only companions. He knew he would spend eternity in this dark form, for he was sure that no one would be able to come to love him, if he could even love them.

And so, the prince wallowed as his twenty-first year approached, with nothing but emptiness…

"Bleh heh heh heh heh. Bleck!"

Ahoy mateys! So here I am with the start of a new story…I finished Super Paper Mario just a few days ago, and I've had this idea in my head for a little while since then. And you know what happens when I get a writing idea in my head…it doesn't leave me alone until I write it down! So here is the beginning of my Beauty and the Beast Blumiere/Timpani story. I'm so excited to be writing this. As far as I can tell, this hasn't been done on yet, so hopefully this story is fresh and interesting to you as well.

If you have read this, please review! Reviews are the lifeblood of my fanfiction. If I don't see that anyone is enjoying my writing, then I don't have a lot of motivation to continue. So if you want me to keep going, then review! Yep, that means you. Right there. In the chair.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Thank you for reading! Please review! See you next chapter!