Disclaimer: I do not own anything already associated with any franchise in association with a told version of this story. Any relation to any characters/people alive or dead is completely coincidental.

A/N: This is a hobby, an idea that I've been ruminating for some time. A rewriting of another famous fairy tale by a famous author, among other things, inspired me to make a deeper dive into this story since it is one of my favorites. Most of it is still liquid mercury in my head, swirling around with no particular shape. I'm hoping that by beginning to write it down, it'll fall into place. Somehow. The story will be rated M for future content. This is, essentially, a dark story and I plan on making it so.

Prologue

There is a tale, commonly known, told of a man who was cursed for his arrogance, whose spell could only be undone if the true love of another was won. There happened a girl whose loyalty proved her virtue as a servant, a guest, she was made by the man and, though terrifying as he could be, his true nature was revealed through time and care. He found in her a love to break the casting, the masking of his true demeanor torn and when at last his time was up to find that true love, she found her barriers worn. And mourn she did as he lay dying at her feet, heart split, exposed, and bare; finally, courage she found for the love she could declare. And with her declaration, the casted spell's obliteration, and a heartfelt transformation for the pair, came a new resolution to live happily ever after from there.

But this is not that tale. The closer you look at an old portrait, the more cracks become apparent. To truly value the worth of a tale, it must be told from the very beginning. There must not be any cracks for the truths to fall through.