Prologue
It was a cold winter night. It was safe to assume that anyone that wasn't under shelter was either dead or wishing that they were. The master, a prince no more than fifteen years old, of the castle sat before a massive stone fire-place, staring at nothing deep within a daydream which performed only for him within his mind. A loud commotion from the entrance hall caused the boy to huff out in annoyance and leave the warm coziness of his large sofa chair by the fire.
"What's all this noise about!" The boy roared as he stormed into the entrance hall. A few of his servants – Ms. Potts, M. Lumiear, and M. Cogsworts to be exact – where standing around the open door which was letting the deadly cold in. As the young prince approached the door he saw the old hideous hag outside in the cold. The prince felt a shiver crawl down his spine, though he only thought it was from the deadly cold outside and not a promotion. With that assumption he ignored the feeling and looked down his aristocratic nose at the old hag.
"What are you doing on the doorstep of my castle?" The young prince sneered. His servants cowered away from the master as the tone they all dread had entered into his voice.
"Your Majesty, I was simply looking for shelter from the bitter cold. If your Majesty would be so kind to allow me to stay the night, I would be eternally grateful." The old hag asked. Though this was no ordinary old hag, this particular woman was an enchantress in disguise. She had heard that there was no kindness within the prince's heart and had come to the castle on this precise night to see if the stories that had been told were true. Unfortunately the prince did not recognize the old hag to be any more than what she appeared to be and sneered at the woman once more.
"And why would I want a hideous thing like you living underneath my roof for one night let alone one minute." The prince sneered. "No, leave now or you will know the consequences." And with that said the prince started to turn away. M. Limear started to close the door with a disdained look on his face. It may have been said that he pitied the old woman who looked like she was already close enough to her death.
"Do not be fooled by my appearance young prince." The old hag stated – there had been a change within her voice as if all her power had suddenly entered into her voice - but the prince ordered her to leave again. With the prince attempting to leave once more there was a flash of blinding light and there where the old woman had stood was now a beautiful enchantress floating five feet off of the ground. Her eyes were dead white and her voice was filled with all the majestic power that filled the beautiful being. At the sight of the beautiful woman the prince's jaw dropped and he collapsed onto his knees.
"Please forgive me I didn't know," The young prince wept. The enchantress showed no kindness towards the prince for he had showed her none.
"For refusing to shelter me against the deadly cold, I will place a curse upon you and your entire kingdom. You will become the monster that you are. Should you be able to love a young girl and she love you in return the curse will be broken but if this rose shall wilter before then you will remain a beast." Upon the enchantress' words, a curse fell upon the young prince, his servants and his entire kingdom. The prince transformed into the beast that he was and his servants became statues, so that the beast would forever be alone. His kingdom once beautiful from horizon to horizon, turned to dismay. The once rich green grass, turned to dust, the tall trees once luxurious and grand, became snarled and twisted. Even his grand castle, made of the finest white marble, became broken, the angel statues that guarded the castle, to gargoyles. Everything that he had own become as hideous as he. He roared to the moon - which even it shield its face from him – in dismay. For who could ever love a beast.
