She had been human once, that much she remembered. Other memories were harder, far more distant, the years wearing away at them until they crumbled like dust and was no more, she couldn't say when or where she had been born, the faces of her parents long gone, how old she had been on her last birthday. Those memories had gone first, others taking their time, slowly slipping away and then only much later she realised she had forgotten them, her favourite colour, what it felt like to dance and sing, what the warmth of the sun had felt like on her skin.
She didn't feel anything anymore.
Loosing these memories had troubled her more, her humanity falling away until she had no real idea who she had been, she had her name still, she clung to it desperately.
"Agathe, my name is Agathe" she would say to herself, to people she met in the street who would walk away from her quickly, not wanting to be near the strange homeless woman, not right in the head, they would call her.
She could remember him though, he was burned into her mind, until he was all she could think of, the memory consuming her. It seemed so greatly unfair, that she could remember him but not the people she had loved, she could recall every single person in that castle but she didn't know if the sibling she had spent her childhood with had been a brother or a sister, who she was?
She remembered the rose.
It had been a warm day in June, she had recently taken a position as a maid in a fine castle and so far it was going pleasingly well, the room she was given was pleasant and warm, the work was hard but she managed well, the other staff members were easy enough to get along with. She walked out into the garden, minding her skirts as she made her way down the steps and balancing a tray in her grasp.
The housekeeper, Mrs Potts, had asked her to run the master's drink out to him, the higher ranking servants who usually came face to face with their Prince currently either already occupied or just not there. "Bloody Lumière" the housekeeper had muttered to herself while handing over the tray, "If he's with Plumette again I'll box his ears"
"Master" she nodded, her eyes respectfully cast downward as she offered the glass of chilled lemonade. She had never spoken to him before, she was a mere maid and was expected to not be around when he was in the room.
He placed the book he had been reading down beside him on the bench where he sat, taking the offered drink and taking a sip before turning to her "You're new here?"
"Yes my lord, I started work just last week" she curtseyed, her voice well mannered and quiet.
He eyed her curiously, his stunning blue eyes looking her up and down. "Do you like it here?"
"Ah, I am most honoured to serve you"
He smiled dazzlingly, taking a rose from the plants around him and breaking its stem, he offered it to her. "For you"
She was taken aback, her eyes snapping up to his face confused. "Sire, I'm not sure-"
He cut off her worries "Please, it suits you, a beautiful flower for a beautiful lady"
"Thank you..." she whispered as she took the gift, her cheeks bright red.
She had worn the flower in her hair, each time she caught sight of it with her reflection making her smile. At supper time in the kitchen she caught glimpses of the other servants looking at it, she had thought at the time perhaps it was jealously, she had been given a gift from their prince after all, it was such an honour, while they had worked here far much longer than she and probably never received such kindness. Looking back she knew they had seen this pattern before, this act and they were bothered by it, but none of them ever said anything.
The following days was filled very much with the same, the master would compliment her, praise her, ask for her to clean his library and chambers while he watched, giving her the nicer work. The other servants had warned her what unpleasant man their Prince was but she saw nothing of the sort, he perhaps could be stern but he was so charming, perhaps they were all just terrible at their work? She was obviously doing better than them to receive such positivity.
He charmed her right into his bed, where he thoroughly fucked her. Afterwards he had sent her from his room with the excuse that it would be improper for her to stay the night and that they must hide their forbidden love from judgemental eyes. She had passed Plumette as she walked from his rooms, still trying to adjust her clothes properly and bite marks littering her neck, the other maid had taken a double glance, her eyes wide before she shook her head and hurried along with a scoff. She had frowned a little troubled that someone knew, however the silly girl hadn't need look so offended, it was not like her and the Footman behaved any better.
A few days later she watched as the Prince walked arm in arm with a visiting noble lady, a rose decorating the woman's hair. He only had eyes for her until she had visited his bed chamber then she was packed off and he was after the next beautiful creature that caught his gaze.
It hurt far more than she cared to admit, she'd spent nights crying into her pillows at how foolish she had been. She tried to move on, put it behind her and pretend that it simply didn't happen, the Prince now bored of her treated her with the same malice that he did to all the household staff, and she began to see him for what he really was. As much as she had wanted to pretend it never happened, the reality of it wasn't so kind, her belly growing large and round until she could no longer pretend,
She was pregnant, she tried to hide it for as long as she could, until half way through when it was becoming obvious and then she tried to approach the Prince about it.
"You're dismissed" he uttered so simply it was beyond cruel.
"... But! But it's your child!" she begged, tears beginning to trickle down her face and her hands clutching protectively at her bump.
"I do not want it here, I do not want you here, dismissed without references"
She'd run crying down to the kitchen to the others, where she mostly found a wall of silence.
Apart from Cogsworth, who had thoroughly berated her "Just as well she's leaving, we do not want repugnant whores here!" he had hollerred as he stormed out.
Mrs Potts had handed her a cup of tea, awkwardly pat her on the back and suggested she could go back to live with her family, but they didn't understand, her family lived in England and she had spent all of her money coming here to make a new life for herself, she did not have the funds to return home, or even rent herself a room somewhere. The Housekeeper had talked Cogsworth round to letting her stay for one more week, enough time to try to find somewhere else to live. She quickly had written letters, sending them out to anyone she vaguely knew in hopes of finding a place to stay, even to the nearest workhouse if she could go there, she'd handed the letters to Lumière as he headed off to deliver post from the master.
For the next week she waited, letters with unfortunate replies or none at all coming back, the workhouse was sadly full and was not taking in anymore people at this current time. The others all seemed to purposely keep their distance from her, conversations ceasing when she entered a room and all eyes on her, the other maids hissing out insults as they passed her in the hallways. She gave up and mostly kept to her room, trying to enjoy a warm bed while she still had one.
The day finally came when she officially had to leave, wearing the clothes she had arrived in and clutching a small bag of possessions with her, not even a cloak over her shoulders as she head out into the chilled morning.
"Agathe!" Lumière called, coming up behind her to stand with her at the door, she turned to him desperately, had they changed their minds? Had the master forgiven her? "Here" he pressed some coins into her hand, she glanced at them, this was barely enough to buy food for a week!
"Lumière!" the Prince's scream echoed throughout the entrance hall.
"... I have to go, sorry" he mumbled before he dashed off.
She numbly walked out and down the steps alone, glaring at the rose garden with tears burning in her eyes.
She tried the nearby village but had no luck there, the tavern was full even if she had been able to afford a room, she ate her meal there and bought some bread and cheese from the market before wandering off again.
The next week or so was spent at a little camp site she had managed to scrounge together in the woods, stretching out her coins to be able to afford a little food here and there, but it was getting so much colder, winter fully setting in and she had neither a roof over her head nor thick enough clothing. She sat in front of her small fire violently shivering as the wind blew at her and the snow began to fall, frozen crystals caking her eyelashes, her toes and fingers long since numb. She didn't notice when she stopped shivering as she laid curled up as tightly as she could right beside the fire, it gave her no comfort at all. It was too cold, she sobbed as she tried to get a little sleep, if she slept at least the sunrise would be a little warmer.
She drifted off, the cold biting at her until she wasn't cold anymore.
She wasn't anything anymore.
She numbly looked around at all that had been hers in the morning light, she supposed she ought to feel something more looking at her frozen over corpse on the ground, the pathetic thing curled up like a dead rat but she had nothing inside of her, no fear, no sorrow, happiness a long forgotten memory.
However there was one thing left in the unholy thing she had become, anger. She once again glared at the roses she passed as she made her way silently through the castles garden, the coachmen waiting outside never seeing her, music and laughter coming from inside. A thought came to her pausing by the rosebush and snapped a bloom off, its thorns dug into her skin but there was no blood, there was nothing in her veins but the wind now, her heart silent. The flower glowed in her hand as she glared at it, the image of the one he had given her burnt into her memory. She had magic now, powers she didn't understand but oh the things she could do, she'd make them pay. She blew open the windows and crept inside, using the illusion of an old hag to hide her appearance she offered the rose to the Prince and asked for shelter from the storm outside, shelter that he should have given her while her heart still beat in her chest.
He had laughed at her and she had expected as much, watching as he turned to the crowd of beautiful women as if it was the best joke he'd ever seen. She warned him and offered one last time, although she didn't want him to take it, she'd have her revenge either way.
He threw her rose on the floor and she revealed herself.
Her powers enveloped him, she'd show them, she wanted everyone to see what he truly was inside, a monster.
The cursed prince lay in a pile at her feet and she turned her attention to the servants cowering together across the room, her eyes empty and cold. She had needed them to protect her, to help her but they'd cast her away into the snow, they hurt her so now she would hurt them. Let them all suffer as much as she had. If they wanted to be useless people who acted as unfeeling objects, let them.
She watched as they screamed, their bodies changes and breaking.
She'd show them, this was her revenge.