C'est La Belle Et Le Bestial
Prologue: The story of the Cold Blue Eyed Beast
Once upon a time there was a very young boy who lost his right to lead a normal life. Sold by his peasant parents at a very tender age and treated like a piece of merchandise by the people who purchased him. The child became unapproachable sometimes even seeming inhuman in aggression; this scared the traveling band of entertainers who sought a place to put him in the act. It was then decided one dark night that he was to be kept inside of a dark cage for all to see him, like a freak on display. And as the days went by he was tortured and brutalized by the keeper. Sometimes starved whenever the man saw it fit as way to break his spirit. As a result the young lad's view became very skewed and twisted. He began to devise unholy thoughts in his juvenile mind. Sharpening his nails against abrasive stones, he waited till his captors decided to be a little careless. He lay in wait for five years.
One day his chance came, they let him out when the keeper wanted him to do tricks for the now gathered crowd. It was then that the hideous man let his guard down. The dirty wild boy was upon him and attacked with his now strong bare hands. He ripped out the man's left eye and donned the dagger the keeper always had at his side. With a cold countenance he plunged the dagger into the man's chest. After of which he had to flee, for the screams of the crowd had attracted unwanted attention. Staying off the roads he found himself lost in the shadowy forest. The creatures of the wild feared the young lad, and wanted no part of his company. Traveling for three days without rest and suffering from the malnourishment, the boy's life was quickly fading. It was then that the he encountered an old bungalow in the deepest part of the mysterious woodlands. He made his way toward it but collapsed on the small trail to the abode, his fatigue draining the last of his strength.
Little did he know inside the cottage lived an old Alchemist. Sensing a disturbance in the animals outside, the old wise man wandered outside. He saw the young man lying there lifeless. The old Alchemist felt pity and had always wished for a son. He took the lad into his home and set out to revive the boy. When the lad awoke the next morning he looked around and felt instantly apprehensive. The old man was drinking an odd smelling tea and regarded the lad's disposition. The boy glared at him with cobalt blue eyes and hissed like a serpent. Unfazed the old man smiled, confusing the lad. The older gentleman began to introduce himself as the Alchemist of the high court of briarwood castle. The boy cocked his head to the side at the friendliness and found it unwelcome, since kindness was something he was never used to receiving. The old man seeing this thought about what to say and when he finally spoke he said, "Beastly little lad. I see that you have suffered much for one so young. You have the experience of an adult trapped in the body of a child. I wish to only help you. In fact I know that you are destined to do both great and terrible things. As of now you are my son. The boy I always wanted, what say you?" The boy dropped the feral look in his eyes and finally used reason; he said but one word to set the tone for the next couple of years, "yes father…"
From then on he learned how to read and write while the man of Magick and Science set about to making something special for him. The man named the boy an ancient and powerful name, Heero; a name that the fey once respected, it was given to a powerful human warrior whom stood against the church. The lad took glee in reading military strategies, and about combat. He cared not for the old ways in which the gentleman had been accustomed. The old man realized this boy was a warrior not an Alchemist like him. So he brought the boy to the head of the castle sentry and requested that the lad be trained in all manner of combat. The commander was a bit skeptical at first, but he couldn't refuse one so close and favored at court. The young man rigorously trained for the next several years and became a powerful warrior. Gaining the eyes of the captain who wished for an outlet for the raw command the young man held over his training class of Lord's sons. It was now that the Alchemist had gotten along in age, and he summoned his son to him. The work he had set out to do was complete. His father had deemed it time to give him a present. He presented the now grown man with a large blue amulet, forged from the eyes of the keeper from oh so long ago.
The old man said, "Wear this amulet and you will be invincible my son. Alas my time is short and I will soon depart from this world. You will be all that is left of me and the old ways. Keep them and learn to love for your sake. Without the redeeming quality of love we are all beasts lost in body and mind. Heed my words." The now Grown man did, but he didn't understand the concept of love. Neither did he have time to contemplate it because almost immediately a great war stormed across the land. Invaders from the north wanted to raid the southern kingdoms.
The king decreed that all able bodied men needed to enlist. Many husbands left their wives, and son's left their families. The young man was no different and went again to the head of the guard. When the now older gentleman saw the now departed Alchemist's son, he grinned and said, "You know boy, and I knew you would come here, in training you were always the one to strike harsh and precise. You will unquestionably be good for something." The war raged on for many years. The young man began to rise in ranks using his wits and sword and soon he became a great and feared general. Almost like a fierce and beautiful blue eyed beast. It seemed that everywhere he went he broke lives and left most weeping in his wake. He singlehandedly won the war with less casualties than expected and became the hero of the land. The king took great pride that such a model citizen could come from his kingdom.
So much pride that in fact he wanted to reward the young man and began construction on a grand and wonderful estate that will house the Knight, upon completion the King had the general stand before him. In a rich tone he said, "Heero of the Yuy clan, you have shown ultimate loyalty to your crown and so I have decided to provide you with a reward. For your bravery I offer you a grand mansion to house your virtue and honor. May you live long and be my sworn brother forever." The Knight bowed his head and said, "I humbly accept your gift, great and happy King, may your reign be a long and glorious one."
With that he was dismissed and he left the court. He moved the books that belonged to his father to the library of the mansion, and added whatever weapons or spoils from his conquest of the strange northern lands, otherwise called the orient. Glad with how his life had turned out, he began to take precautions so as not to become sluggish. He trained the guard everyday, and demanded rigorous exercise and work. Sometimes he would beat a man to death to make an example to others of what he demanded was perfection. At night he bedded women almost sadistically and discarded them the next day. He had no time for the perfumed, soft ladies of the court. Many a Lord was agitated at seeing their daughters pregnant and fatherless because of the stubborn fierce gentleman. He always was set on warring mode and frequently left for conquests in the name of the crown. Kind of like the personification of the god of war himself, Mars. The Beast of war was a name the soldiers dubbed him. And yet he was called many names.
One day the Cardinal of the court, whom was from the church in Rome, entreated General Yuy to have an audience with him. "I have an unpleasant mission for you, but it is important to the crown that we do something and soon." The young general regarded the Cardinal's words and reflected before saying, "What will you have me do?" The much older gentleman smiled very sinister like and said, "I would like for you to kill a traveling group of gypsies that have found their way into the forest. Their heathen ways must be punished. They steal gold, prostitute their women, and demean your King." Heero stood up and bowed, accepting the mission. In his mind he wrote it off as a chance to use his resources and show off his hard work.
In the dead of night he took his best men and they began to lay Siege on the small camp. Women or children didn't matter in the slaughter. Their blades cut down whole families, it was then that Heero dismounted and began to fight the leader. A gentleman who was his own age, although he was inexpert he fought ferociously. He got close and cut Heero's pendant off. Leaving it alone the warrior continued, paying it no heed. But in the end the gypsy was felled by the expert hand of the general. "RENZO!" screamed an adolescent woman as she flung herself atop of her bleeding lover. Her reddish brown eyes met his cold blue ones. As he raised his sword to strike she pled to her heathen goddess for vengeance on the blue eyed devil. With one fell swoop he murdered the woman in cold blood.
And as soon as he did, the stars from the sky seemed to spin in a rapid circle. The earth shook with rage as the moon turned to the color of blood. Heero's men all died as the earth swallowed them but the general would stand and face whatever element. That is until he saw a tear from the gypsy woman's eye morph and expands to reveal Hekate herself, the goddess of the witches. Beautiful as the moon, she was surrounded by her fabled dogs. Her eyes showed a burning desire for vengeance as she made even him shrink at the sight. "Mortal Heero of the Ancient clan of Yuy, you have slain one of my own. What have you to say in your defense?"
He broke from his stupor and retorted coldly, "I do what a man with his wits about him would do. Going against an order is traitorous. If you want blood for this the Cardinal is responsible for this, not I!" The goddess's pale moonlighted features contorted as if she were stripping his soul assessing his past sins. "You are a monster, a beast that is the servant of the misguided leaders of this land. You don't even love your adoptive father, whom feared this day and gave you the means to prevent it. Alas the sisters of fate have deemed it important we meet; I have to take drastic measures to make a lesson out of you."
Extending her hand to cup just under her mouth she blew softly, and the wind began to violently wrack his body like a helpless paper doll. In the squall the full light of the moon shone upon him like a cold beacon, transforming him. The words of the beautiful goddess rang in his ears, "A beast is what you liken yourself to be then a beast you shall become. You will live out your days as an immortal in this hideous form and confined to this homeland. Your benefactors will perish leaving you alone to think about what you have done!"
In that very second the castle was seized. A hasty rebellion was going on the whole time. Heero would not be there to stop the Cardinal whom had orchestrated these events. Inside the castle there was chaos as his men couldn't hold their ground. Rebels broke through the barricade and it was like wildfire that the fight spread to the throne room. The crown fell. All was gone. In tears and in his beastly form he begged the goddess to spare him this fate. To let him show her that he could do better, but it was too late.
Making sport of his predicament she added, "I have a proposition for you. If you storm the castle in this form and kill the accursed Cardinal for me, I will lighten your sentence." At this his blue eyes widened. Bowing to Hekate he bounded off quickly, his speed matching that of a lone wolf. On all fours he covered ground aplenty until he saw the portcullis still open. The rebels stood around lethargically awaiting orders. The two men never saw him coming, with full rage and speed to his advantage. He lobbed off one head and crushed the other one's skull with brute force; vaguely reminding him of several years ago when he murdered the accursed keeper. Like lightning, he sped through the halls killing everyone in sight.
Finally he made it to the throne room where the Cardinal stood in the center cowering in fear. Heero ripped the man's jaw off and took it with him. He made it back to where the goddess stood in the waning hours of the twilight. "Here goddess, I brought the Cardinal's accursed tongue. Take it and be satisfied that you have blood for blood." Hekate looked upon the mere mortal and commanded, making herself seeming more ferocious, "You foolish mortal. Do you really think that I needed you for such a thing? Be silent, I have a gift for your loyalty just now."
Taking a lock of her own hair she made a brilliant rose of wonder. It would make every flower in the world cry in envy, for they could never hope to be either as fragrant or as lovely. "This rose is enchanted; it's my gift to you for doing as I asked however violently you accomplished it. This rose will wilt slowly ticking away your fleeting humanity. If you find a maiden whom of which you would give your love and you accomplish having her love in return you will return to your human form. As your father wanted, I will teach you how to love in the only way a goddess can to one such as you."Heero decided against making things difficult and angering Hekate. He accepted the rose and watched her slip back into the twilight. It was now dawn and the timer began. With a heavy burdensome heart, he bounded for the mansion. In time the forest became full of briars from the rose and the branches made the woodlands became a petrified labyrinth of which none could enter. The villagers kept out of the forest for it seemed as if it would come alive and push whosoever away. And the story of the handsome yet cold general was forgotten with the new town settlement, save for a few old families.
As the years went by four youthful men, whom were from different backgrounds, ventured into the forest of the beast. Yet they never returned. One was a merchant from the Middle East trading silk. Another gentleman was a nobleman's son. The third was a travelling warrior of the orient. And the last one was a young priest. Each had their reasons for venturing into the forest, for it was said that there dwelled a flower that promised eternal life and could heal the sick. Yet it was guarded by a feral creature of darkness. What may lay in those woods to this day, no one knows. Nor do they dare to venture in to discover. That is until one day, some brave maiden will brave the dangers for the promise of the Rose. But that has yet to happen.
"Maman, that is sad," said a pouting young girl with sky blue eyes and straw colored hair. The woman whom was identical to the little girl held her chuckling and remarked, "Why is that sad Relena?" Twiddling her little fingers she replied, "Poor Heero, he must have taken the four boys as friends maman. He must have always been lonely. I'm glad that daddy wants to make sure that no one has to fight like that anymore. I miss home sometimes. Pagan and daddy must be lonesome too, maman. " The Woman smiled and tucked her little one into bed. Kissing her on the forehead, she replied "You, Milliardo, and me must make the most of the life that grandpa has provided. We will all be able to return home soon little one. As soon as things become peaceful once again, it's important that you pray for daddy every night. Goodnight my darling, sleep well." Relena's mother went to the door of the small room. Turning off the oil lantern, the moonlight was the only thing illuminating the bed. Relena looked out into the briar forest and wondered if Heero would need anything.
Thinking like an innocent child would, she got her blanket and teddy bear. Climbing out the window she walked to the gnarled branches and saw a small opening. Deciding against venturing further, she folded the white and yellow blanket and set the bear atop of it. With a determined voice she spoke, "Heero of the Yuy clan, my name is Relena Peacecraft and I am five years old. The people here know me by my mother's maiden name, Darlian, because we have to hide from mean men. My daddy is a king and is trying to fix the world so that no one else would have to fight anymore, but some people don't seem to want peace. I hope that one day people like you wouldn't have to fight anymore. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Anyways here is my best friend and blanket. I would like to give it to you in friendship. Please take them and don't feel sad anymore ok?"
Peering into the darkness she thought she could see a flash of a moving shadow. Thinking fast she ran back to her window, climbed into her room, and hid under the bed sheet. Feeling both excited and tired she immediately let sleep claim her. In her dreams she dreamt of the mysterious forest and the wonderful rose. As the innocent child slept, she did not see a pair of clawed hands reach out and take her offering. The dark figure in briar watched her with cold cobalt blue eyes. It stared for a long time before rushing off in an unknown direction, being swallowed by the darkness.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.
AN: Nice prologue. The next chapter will go into detail but for now this part was written in an almost typical Fairy Tale format. Also I didn't have someone else look it over so please forgive some grammatical mishaps. If anyone is interested enough to impart some wisdom please send a message if you want to help edit this story. I have a good feeling about it. Hope you people like it and please review. It's this big popularity contest on FF dot net that has gotten out of hand… I want to be beautiful too! ^_^!
