Once upon a time, just outside of a little town in France, there lived a temperamental enchantress. She was as impulsive as she was powerful, and the villagers knew to stay away. The nearby king, however, did not, and the two long held a quarrel. The king had a son, a young prince who was conceited and vain. The enchantress hated him for his nasty temper and horrid attitude. But she had promised the king she would leave the child alone, for he was but a mere child.
The eve of his 18th birthday approached, when the prince would no longer be a child. The enchantress had not seen him in many years, and thought perhaps the prince might have changed his ways. So she devised a test.
She arrived at the palace with her invitation to the party in hand, disguised as an old beggar woman. At the door, she met the butler, who informed her that only invited guests were allowed inside. She procured her invitation and insisted on seeing the prince. The butler warned her that the prince was very busy and did not like unbeautiful guests. But she assured him she would wait, so he closed the door and went to fetch the prince.
The prince took so long that it began to rain, a cold icy downpour. If she were a real beggar woman, the enchantress knew she would be sick by now. She became furious at the prince's entitlement, making her wait in the rain.
At last the prince opened the door. He looked merry, and warm, and it made the enchantress' envy flare.
"Who are you, strange woman? I do not know you," said the prince.
"You do not recognize me without my tokens of beauty?" The enchantress asked.
"No," confirmed the prince. "And even if I did, how dare you think you can come to my home on my birthday without tokens of beauty. It's disgusting."
"I have an invitation." She held it up weakly. He snatched it from her hand and regarded it.
"This must have been forged or stolen. Not only are you ugly, but you're a liar and a thief to boot. You're far from invited anywhere near my castle."
The enchantress was outraged, but she kept her cool. "Would you offer me shelter, at least? I am but a humble old woman, and I could not walk home in this rain."
"Well, unless you can magically make it stop, you'll have to give it a try."
"I can offer, in exchange for my shelter, this rose." She pulled the rose out from her cloak. It was a gorgeous red flower, casting a dim glow. It was strong and vigilant, able to survive the fiercest storms.
But the prince sneered. "A flower? Are you joking? That is hardly payment for hailing a strange, disgusting old woman. Your filth would rub off everywhere and ruin my castle. Leave my property at once and interfere with my life no more, you old hag."
Outraged, the enchantress released her disguise and transformed into her true form: a beautiful young maiden. Seeing her true beauty and power, the prince fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness. But it was too late. The enchantress had seen the selfishness and arrogance in his heart, as well as his short temper and frivolous extravagance.
She turned him into a hideous beast, with long sharp claws, ugly fangs, and matted fur. He looked to be an enormous wolf, with large canine teeth, massive paws, and hidden ears. Only his eyes remained untouched by the transformation, as the enchantress could change his body but not his soul.
The prince cried in agony, and the guests quickly fled in fear of their lives. The servants, enraged by the enchantress's cruelty to their lord, spoke out against her.
"Be kind to the young master!" cried a portly old woman. "He's had an awful 'ard life, he has!"
"Indeed," continued a stodgy old man, "The master may have been rude to you, but you were quite a stranger, and a peasant! Not to mention an intruder to our castle on his birthday!"
"If you are punishing him for his behavior, please reconsider," urged the butler. "He has had no proper role models in his life, and no one to turn to for advice. His father was a wicked man, and his mother died when he was very young. Perhaps you could find a curse that was not so harsh?"
The enchantress considered their words a moment. "You say he has had no role models, but you are all here aren't you? I'd say you all are responsible for turning him into the monster he is on the inside. All I did was make the appearance and the heart match. Perhaps I should do the same to you?"
She paused, surveying the servants with their wide eyes. The room was silent save for the prince's wails of agony. "Well, you're doing nothing but sitting around. You useless things, you! That's what you've done the prince's whole life, isn't it?" Collectively, the servants ducked their heads in shame. "Oh! That's it! I'll turn you all into antiques! Since all you seem to do is sit around collecting dust anyways."
With a wave of her wand, the entire castle was enchanted. Her work finished and justice served, the enchantress nodded in satisfaction. Behind her, she left the enchanted rose. She explained that if the prince could learn to love and be loved in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would remain a beast forever, and the servants trapped as objects.
The prince despaired, and locked himself deep inside the castle. He was without hope. For who could learn to love a beast?
