A/N: Originally posted 8/11/2015. Beauty and the Beast AU for Naegami? How unoriginal can I get? I'm sorry this is so cliche I just... love cliches. The curse itself is paraphrased from the movie.

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a prince who was as vain as he was rich. At 16 his father passed, leaving marriage the only obstaclein between the prince and the crown. Once he wed the crown, the kingdom, and everything that came with it would be his. Naturally, people assumed that the prince would rush to find a bride; however, this was not the case. Years passed as the kingdom sat kingless and the realm suffered greatly.

On his 18th name day his advisors arranged a ball in his honor to help him find a bride. Thousands of women from across the kingdom attended in hopes of impressing the prince and winning his heart but none succeeded.

Thinking that she had a chance of melting the prince's icy heart, a plain looking woman with dark purple hair tied back approached him and curtsied, asking if he would possibly dance with her.

The prince scoffed, rolling his eyes, before not-quite politely declining her offer, commenting on her plain garb and unfortunate face. The woman's eye twitched slightly before the edge of her mouth curled into a polite smile, "I see. It was a pleasure meeting you, my liege," she said before rushing away.

The night grew darker and guests started to leave, realizing that the prince had not found a bride, nor did he show any interest in any of the women there. He had done nothing other than stand on the sidelines and watch, clearly bored.

Once the guests began clearing out the prince decided it was the right time to take his leave to his bedchamber. Before he was able to exit the ballroom he felt a tap on his shoulder and spun around, clearly annoyed. He was shocked to see the plain woman from before standing before him, asking for a moment of his time. He rudely refused her but before he could walk away she caught his hand. When he turned around he realized she looked different, madness swimming in her eyes. Everything about her, from her hair to her clothes, appeared to be disheveled. She glared at him accusingly as she placed her hands on her hips, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

He raised an eyebrow, clearly uninterested, "The prince. I know who I am. What I do not know is why you felt the need to return to me when I clearly turned you away the first time. I was not interested then and I am definitely not interested now."

"You crossed the wrong witch," she laughed maniacally, her hair whipping behind her, adding to the crazed look she had. "You are spoiled and rotten to the core- the entire kingdom waits for you to wed so they will have a king, but I know the truth. You will never find love because you will never be able to love someone. Not with a heart as ice-cold as yours."

"Are you done yet?" he crossed his arms, tapping his foot, "I have business to attend to."

"You have no love in your heart," the witch's voice echoed throughout the castle as she spoke, "and because of that your entire castle shall suffer. You have until your 21st name day to find someone you can truly love and earn their love in return. If you do not succeed, you will remain the beast you truly are forever."

As she rushed from the castle, laughing madly even throughout her heartbreak, everyone inside began to transform. While the prince watched his appearance morph in the mirror in front of him, nails growing to claws, coarse hair growing to cover his entire body, his face resembling that of an animal, his servants took the form of household objects.

He slammed the doors of the castle shut, informing his servants that no one was to enter or leave the castle again, despite all arguments that he would never break the curse that way. He knew he would never find someone who could love him, especially not in the form of a monster.

All hope seemed lost in the kingdom. Crime thrived as their ruler locked himself in his castle.

Rumors traveled, some claiming the prince was dead, others saying he was selfish and foresaw coming hardships, choosing to live in prosperity while his kingdom crumbled.

While life in the kingdom turned for the worst, one fact remained the same- the prince stayed in his castle and not a single soul saw him.