Bonjour! This is my own English translation/adaptation of my story '' Grandir ''. Try to keep in mind that my mother tongue is French: I did my best, but you will probably find mistakes.

The characters belong to Walt Disney. If you have comments (positive or negative), leave me a review!

Thank you for reading!

Blossom

At first, his self-loathing was a mere consequence of his extreme vanity. He was disgusted by his bestial body, he could not bear to look at himself, and that was enough to destroy all the pride he once possessed.

When she came to the castle, it was his ego that suffered the most. Those who had lived with him thus far had looked like objects for years and had always called him « master »: his dignity had remained sensibly whole in their presence. They were, after all, far below him. Belle, however, was an entirely different matter. Not only did she have the courage to refuse his demands – he still had not forgiven her for missing the supper he had nicely invited her to –, she was also breathtakingly beautiful and kind. In sum, she was everything he had once been and everything he had never been. The Beast was unhealthily jealous of a woman he could not help but desire and that was making him suffer more that he would have cared to admit.

Now that she was dancing with him in the gigantic ballroom, which was filled, for the first time in many years of overwhelming silence and emptiness, with life and music, he was seeing himself in a different light. His appearance did not please him more, though, but that was not his main concern anymore. Yes, he was ashamed of his gruesome looks and of his clumsy paws, but above everything else, he felt shame because he knew that his body was a spitting image of the man he was before. He hated that man, and he could not stand the fact that he had been such a monstrous, temperamental and cruel person. He knew that he had changed; otherwise, he would probably have never gained Belle's trust and precious friendship.

Belle was especially charming in her long yellow dress: as he looked at her, he thought of the stars, of the sun, of everything that shines and of everything that warms lonely souls. She was light, hope... and so close to him that he could barely contain all the love that was trying to escape from his heart. In any case and even though her beauty had always impressed him, that night, it was in no way responsible for his inner turmoil. He saw beyond her beauty, he saw her. When he looked at Belle, he remembered that she was stubborn and gentle, that every time he had thrown a tamper, she had been patient; he especially remembered how easily she had given up her freedom to save her father. She was so much stronger than him, and when he thought about how brave she was, he could only love her more.

He wished he could have kissed her between two waltzes or shared his feelings with her, but he was way too scared to do more than a few dance steps with her. Beside, with fangs as impressive as his, kissing her was nothing but a crazy dream, a fool's hope.

They were on the balcony, a roof of diamonds above their heads. He was speechless and his body was shaking: being close to her was both exhilarating and frightening. He finally found his voice and asked: « Belle, are you happy, here, with me? ». He was hoping for a positive answer, for one of her smiles that meant the world to him and she did not disappoint him. Unfortunately, a shadow passed and her face was soon filled with sadness. She missed her father terribly and was deeply worried to know that he was alone. Suddenly, the Beast realized that he could free Belle from her worries, and to be aware that he could help her brought great joy to his heart. Thanks to her, he had tasted the happiness harsh years of suffering had deprived him of, and finally he could grace her with a gift worthy of her kindness. Even if he had known that the mirror was going to cause her departure, he would have brought it to her without any hesitation, because he only wanted her to be happy, because he loved her.

He did not think she would come back, but that did not matter. Of course, the thought of losing her was beyond unbearable and pretending that it was not the case would have been a ridiculous lie. However, he put her needs before his own and it is only afterward that he thought about the consequences of letting her go. His servants, who had become devoted friends in the last few months, would forever be prisoner of the curse he had brought upon them all. He knew that he could never forgive himself for such a thing. When the enchantress' spell had transformed the inhabitants of the castle, he had been too selfish to care about anyone's pain but his own. Now, he believed that he and he only deserved this malediction. Lots of things had indeed changed since that awful day, and he would have consented to do everything in order to free them, everything but to keep Belle with him when she knew that her father was in danger.

He gave her the mirror. He truly believed that she would need it, but that choice was not completely selfless. He wanted Belle to remember him and to give him a place in her heart, no matter how small it would be.

He had thought he would be strong enough to watch her leave, but as soon as she got close to the castle's gate, his courage failed him and he howled like a wounded and furious animal. He had grown and found someone he loved more than himself: his life without her was an abyss from which he did not even want to go out. Without her, he was nothing but loneliness and regrets, a shell with lifeless eyes.

He feels like he has left this world when he hears her say three words that are worth billions of them. He slowly goes back to his body, to his place in the universe, and then, he feels himself moving and falling, slowly, like a leaf in autumn, before he touches the ground. When he opens his eyes, after what he believes to be a deep sleep, he sees hands, human hands. They are his. Then, he understands the meaning of his transformation and believes that he is having the most marvellous of all dreams. Belle loves him. He can't believe it at first, but when he notices that she is peaking at him, curiosity and doubt shining in her eyes, he knows that his fairy tale has nothing to do with an illusion.

« Belle, it's me », he says tenderly.

Seconds later, their lips find their way to each other. The sky brightens immediately and darkness disappears, weakened by nature's sudden growth and by the love of two beings brought together in adversity.

The Beast has vanished, the man is born.