A/N: Hello all! I've never written a fanfic before, so I thought I would give it a shot. Growing up I was obsessed with Labyrinth and Beauty and the Beast, so I thought I would try and write a story combining two of my childhood favorites. This is just the prologue and I'm not sure how I feel about it, so please let me know what you think. Right now it's titled "The Lost and the Lonely", but that could possibly change as well.

Although I wish otherwise, I do not own any of the characters that will be used in this story.

The Lost and the Lonely

Prologue

Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young king lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the king was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.

But one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle, and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the king sneered at her gift, and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by outward appearances, for beauty is found within. When he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The king tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell over the castle and his subjects, transforming them into grotesque, goblin-like creatures, mere shadows of their former selves.

"From now until the end of your days, you will be known as the Goblin King," the enchantress proclaimed. "You will be charged with watching over children who have been wished away from their homes to your lands, and facing any challenger who comes to retrieve those children. You will be granted powers to protect your new realm and your subjects. Regardless if you break this spell, your followers will be forever remain goblins to serve as a reminder that there is more to the eye than outward appearances."

Ashamed of his monstrous form and his mistakes, the best concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. It would bloom until a challenger arrived who's courage and pureness of heart would make her his equal. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, then he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

The Goblin King used his new powers to create a vast labyrinth for challengers who came after the wished away children, and to protect his lands and his people. As the years passed, the king failed to find his equal amongst the challengers. Eventually, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?