A/N: Hello! I wrote this quite a while back and had completely forgotten about it, and just recently stumbled upon it. So, I've decided to try to give it a go! I'm usually over on fictionpress, (under the same name), but I thought I would try my hand at a fanfiction (seeing that Beauty and the Beast is my favorite classic Disney princess movie, I thought I'd give it a shot!). :)
Let me know what you think!
P.S. Any resemblance to another's story is Purely by Coincidence as plagiarism is not nice! This is all from my own head. And please excuse any typos as well, as the "evil cow typos" have done it, not me. e_e
Warning: There are quite a few differences from the movie (age, setup etc..) as this is my own version, okay? :3
Disclaimer: Well, of course I don't own Beauty and the Beast, because if I did, well... That would just be the coolest. :)
Enjoy!
Once upon a time, in a land faraway, there were two small families joined together by death.
"I don't understand why you have to marry her," thirteen year old Prince Adam protested against his father.
"In order for us to continue to rule this village properly, we need to be a full family. How can you pull a cow if a link is broken?" his father, King Edward, asked his son. "Do you not like Marcella?"
Prince Adam sighed, "Its not that I don't like her, I just… Miss my mother and I don't like someone coming in and trying to take her place."
"No one is trying to take her place as your mother, my son. However, there does have to be a queen," King Edward said.
"Why?" Prince Adam asked, trying to understand, "We can rule this village by ourselves."
"Yes, we can rule this village just fine, but what about when I am away? Who will be here to make the decisions that I cannot from a distance?"
"Me?" Prince Adam asked hopeful, and King Edward chuckled,
"Of course you can, but not many people find it fitting for a thirteen year old prince to be making big decisions that we both know he can make." He smiled warmly, putting his arm around Prince Adam and squeezing him.
"Do you not want me happy, Adam?" he asked.
"Of course I do, father. I guess I just have to get used to the fact that my mother really is gone," Prince Adam said sadly, looking down towards the stone floor.
His father frowned, "I know son, but we have to stay strong and keep moving on. Your mother wouldn't want us to dwell on her death. She would want us to keep living on. You know that," he said kindly, staring down at his only son. Prince Adam nodded his head,
"I know she would. I just miss her so much," he said with sorrow in his voice. His father hugged him tighter, rubbing the upper part of his son's arm to try to comfort him.
"I miss her too son, very much."
And with that, King Edward married Marcella, taking in her and her only son, Gaston.
At first, Marcella and Gaston were rather timid; not quite being used to the royal family lifestyle. Queen Marcella would forget that she now had servants to do housework and run errands, while Gaston was shy and quiet. He didn't associate with Prince Adam right away, and in all honesty, Prince Adam liked it. He didn't want to jump into being a family just yet. He still wanted to mourn for the loss of his adoring mother.
However, as time passed, the two young boys became more comfortable with each other-A little too comfortable, in fact.
"Hey, stupid." Fifteen year old, dark-haired Gaston smiled, pushing past the golden-brown haired prince, whom was fifteen as well.
Though they had both equally grew into strong young men, Gaston was much broader, taller, and far more egotistical than Prince Adam.
"Don't call me stupid," he said, eating his breakfast.
"Why not? You are stupid," Gaston teased with a smirk.
"No, I'm not. Shut up," Prince Adam defended, not really in the mood for such teasing.
"Yes, you are." Gaston laughed, pushing Prince Adam.
Gaston believed that name calling and getting Prince Adam riled up was a sort of fun sport for him, but Prince Adam did not see the fun in it.
"Just leave me alone if you're going to be mean," Prince Adam sighed, not so much as giving him a glance.
"Hey, what's that?" Gaston suddenly sounded serious, pointing behind him.
"What?" Prince Adam asked, looking up and turning around to see what his stepbrother was pointing towards. Then, Gaston snatched his oatmeal and began eating it.
"Hey! That's mine!" Prince Adam shouted, trying to take his food back.
Gaston yanked his food out of reach while shoving Prince Adam away easily, for he was taller and stronger.
"Well if you weren't so stupid you'd still have it! It's mine now." he laughed and walked away, taking Prince Adam's food with him.
He contemplated on going after Gaston, but he knew he would surely lose, and instead remained in the kitchen, gripping the counter's edge in anger.
Poor Prince Adam tried to tell his father how cruel Gaston was to him, who then talked to Queen Marcella, and that only made matters worse for Prince Adam…
"Why are you such a cry baby?" Gaston sneered, leaning in the doorway of Prince Adam's bedroom; his arms crossed over his broad chest.
Prince Adam looked up from the book he was reading on his bed.
"I'm not a cry baby. You're just rude and vile, and you wouldn't stop when I asked you to," Prince Adam said with irritation.
"Yeah, right," Gaston scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "Why don't you try standing up for yourself every once in a while instead of running to daddy all the time?"
"I do not run to my father all the time. Why don't you try being nicer?" Prince Adam shot back angrily as he stood up from his bed.
"Because you can't rule a village if you're nice. You have to be rough, show them whose king," Gaston said, puffing out his chest as if this would prove his point.
"No, you don't. My father isn't mean and he's ruling the village just fine," Prince Adam defended.
Gaston scoffed again, "I could run this village better than your father."
"And how so?" Prince Adam asked as he crossed his arms, and suppressed the urge to laugh at Gaston's big head.
"First off, I'd remove all of the poor people from my streets so they quit begging and pestering my people who pay to live here. I would put every one of them to work to start building my town and my castle bigger. I'd make them build an arena, a statue of myself so everyone would know whose king, my own personal sauna strictly for me and any woman of my choosing, and my own personal gift shop all about me for the tourists to take back to their homes." He smirked as Prince Adam only watched his head grow bigger.
"Everyone would respect me, they would have to bow when they see me, and they would have to get me everything I ask for," Gaston said with a glint in his eye. Then, he thought for a moment, "I'd also make a rule where everyone on Christmas would have to get me a present, as well." he fantasized.
This time, Prince Adam rolled his eyes,
"Well then, it is a good thing You're not going to be king, because this place would be a disaster," he laughed.
However, this made Gaston angry,
"How?"
"Because there's more to being a king than just having everyone bow at you and get you anything you wanted. You would have to actually make smart decisions when it comes to trading, taxes, actually helping the community-"
Then, Gaston walked right up to Prince Adam and shoved him,
"Oh, and you think you could do better than me?" he questioned him angrily, "You're too nice. People would walk all over you. Even if you had the title as king, you wouldn't be running it. Someone else would have to make the decisions for you because you'd be too nice to tell them no." Gaston sneered in Prince Adam's face, who stared back angrily and watched as he stormed away.
Although Queen Marcella had a talk with Gaston, the bullying and the teasing continued, and any time Prince Adam would try to tell someone, Gaston would lie and make it look like it was Prince Adam's own imagination.
Gaston was good with his words and lies, and no one ever saw when he was mean to Prince Adam, he made sure of that. Anytime they were around others, he was like a best friend to Prince Adam; fooling everyone but him.
He was becoming tired of no one believing him. He was tired of always being accused of making up stories, and tired of Gaston being mean to him when they were alone. This put quite the temper in Prince Adam.
Then, another year had passed, and things started to change. Gaston, who would still be friendly to Prince Adam around others, continued being nice to him even when they were alone.
This confused Prince Adam. Had Gaston turned a new leaf? Grown out of his preadolescent teasing? Prince Adam didn't really care to know why or how it happened, he was just glad the constant mean, teasing, and lying Gaston was gone.
However, Gaston still tried to "toughen up" Prince Adam every once in a while by teasing him, or arguing with him, and Prince Adam began to stand up more to Gaston, even physically a few times. Little did Prince Adam know, that's exactly what Gaston wanted him to do.
"So, what are you going to do when you become king?" Gaston asked, sitting on the floor and poking at a log with the fire poker.
"I still have quite a bit of ways before ever thinking about that. I've only just turned sixteen." Prince Adam chuckled as he sat on the floor with his back against the couch and a book in his lap.
"I don't know, Adam. He's looking pretty old…" Gaston warned, referring to his father, King Edward.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Prince Adam asked, looking up at him with his eyebrows creased.
"Nothing," Gaston said worriedly, "All I'm saying is you should start thinking about when you're going to be king. The decisions you'll need to make, the laws you'll have to enforce… You never know what's going to happen…" Gaston said, keeping his eyes on the fire.
Prince Adam watched him for a moment, thinking.
"What?" Gaston asked when he noticed Prince Adam staring at him suspiciously out of the corner of his eye.
"Nothing," Prince Adam said, turning his eyes to the fire.
"Look," Gaston said, fully turning to him, "I'm not trying to worry you or anything but, what happens if something suddenly happens to your father and you become king? Will you be ready for that?" he asked. Prince Adam sat quiet for a moment as he thought this over.
"Do you think I'm ready for that?" he asked him in return, but Gaston made a face,
"You want my honest opinion?"
Prince Adam nodded, though he was sure he already knew Gaston's answer.
"No, I don't think you are."
"And why is that?" Prince Adam asked him, trying not to sound offended.
"Because," Gaston paused, trying to find the right words, "You still let people walk all over you, Adam." he said with a serious tone.
"I do not," Prince Adam said, slightly irritated. Gaston was always telling him that, but he didn't see it.
Yes, he was nicer to the people and the servants in the castle unlike Gaston was, who always ordered the servants around and treated the villagers like they were below him, but did he really let people walk all over him?
"Yes, you do Adam. I know you're being nice, but there is a line between being too nice and letting people walk over you. You let people get away with things too easily, and for that, they don't respect you." Gaston shook his head.
"How?" Prince Adam asked curiously, setting his book down and crossing his arms as his irritation rose.
"Well, like the people in the village. They're always coming up to you and trying to get in good with you just so they can use you. Telling you their petty problems like it's the most important thing in the world, asking you to tell your father to help them…"
"And..?" Prince Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. Wasn't a king supposed to listen to the needs of his people?
"They're using you!" Gaston said, sitting up more. "Don't you see it? They only want to get in good with you so they can move up higher in the society! They only whine and complain to you about their problems so you can personally tell your father like you're their personal messenger boy! That's what meetings are for. They don't respect you," Gaston said shook his head again. "Its quite pathetic."
This irritated Prince Adam greatly.
"They are not using me and they do respect me!" Prince Adam protested. There was no way; the village people didn't use him like that… Right? Sure, they did talk to him about their problems, and they did ask him to talk to his father about them all the time, but if he was going to be their future king, wouldn't he have to know these things anyway?
Gaston sighed,
"Fine. Take the servants here for example."
"What about them?" Prince Adam asked, his voice thick with irritation.
"They get away with a lot of things, and right in front of you!"
"No, they don't!" Prince Adam snapped, becoming angry. He was getting really tired of Gaston and his "walk all over you" speeches.
"Yes, they do! They're always taking the food, they never put everything back in their exact proper order, they're disrespectful, they say they're always too busy when you ask them for something, and that stupid blonde servant boy-!"
"They can eat the food here if they want, Gaston! They work for it! And they are busy helping my father with more important matters! They do treat me with respect around here, and Chip is not stupid, so quit calling him that!" Prince Adam raised his voice over him.
"Well, if he wasn't, then he wouldn't be getting into your room all the time like you told him not to, now would he?" Gaston shot back, and Prince Adam suddenly became silent.
He had told Chip before to stop playing in his room and making it a mess, but it wasn't like he did it all the time...
"See? You let people walk all over you, and you think you're just being nice! You'll never make it as king if you're just a pushover, Adam!" Gaston sneered.
This whole time, something in Prince Adam's chest was rising; burning in his chest. He was getting tired of Gaston telling him these things, even if he did make some points that seemed valid to a certain degree, but he was sick of hearing it nonetheless.
Finally, that something snapped.
Prince Adam clenched his jaw. This was the last straw. He was done with Gaston telling him he was being too nice. He wanted him to be mean? Fine. He was going to show him he could be mean to get him off of his back once and for all.
Suddenly, Prince Adam stood up, and began to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Gaston called out, watching him.
"You want me to show you that I am not a pushover? Then, shut up and follow me," Prince Adam said angrily, storming over to the East Wing where most of the servants stayed. He threw every door open with a bang, until he finally came to the room he was looking for. There, he found Chip alone with one of his favorite books that he knew he had gotten from his room, and this only angered him more. He snatched the book up away from Chip,
"Hey-" Chip started to protest.
"Did you ask if you could read this?" Prince Adam yelled, holding the book up. Chips eyes went wide and he looked scared.
"No…" he said fearfully.
"Did you ask me if you could even go into my room?" Prince Adam yelled again. Chip silently shook his head.
"I asked you a question!"
"N-No…" Chip said, looking like he was about ready to cry.
"Don't ever go into my room without my permission again!" Prince Adam yelled, and stormed off with Gaston following closely behind, the sound of Chips sniffling fading away.
He couldn't believe he had just yelled at poor Chip. He thought he would have felt some sort of relief, but it only made him feel even worse.
"See how good it feels to have people listen to you for once?" Gaston asked, keeping up with him.
"Shut up!" Prince Adam barked at him, and continued across the entrance hall. Then, he turned to the stairs to go to his room and cool down.
"Where are you going?" Gaston asked, stopping.
"To my room. I want to be alone." Prince Adam declared, setting his foot on the first stair.
"Wait!" Gaston said, stopping him.
"What?" Prince Adam snapped, turning to him. Gaston looked like he was anticipating something.
"Don't you want to go back to the main room?"
"Why?"
"So we can talk some more." Gaston smiled. Prince Adam didn't like the excited look on his face.
"I don't want to talk anymore," Prince Adam said irritated.
"Why not?" Gaston's eyebrows creased. Why did he want to talk to him so eagerly?
"Because I don't! You're irritating me," Prince Adam said, turning to the stairs again.
"Well, sorry for trying to make sure you won't get all mushy again, and feel bad and continue to let people walk all over you anymore!" Gaston then sneered.
Was he trying to get a rise out of him? If so, he was going to get it.
Prince Adam suddenly turned and dropped his book, grabbing the front of Gaston's shirt and pushing him into the wall,
"Why do you care so much if people walk all over me? What business is it of yours?" he nearly growled.
"Because I don't want to ruled by some pathetic, pushover of a king! I'm trying to help you!" Gaston spat.
"I don't need your help! I am not pathetic, and I am not a pushover! I do not let people walk all over me just because I'm nicer than you! But since you're too ignorant to know the difference between the two, I don't care what you think anymore! I yelled at a little boy and made him cry just to try to prove a point to you!" Prince Adam yelled in Gaston's face, shoving him back. Gaston stumbled back and fell, surprised.
He didn't care anymore. He didn't care if Gaston got up and retaliated. He was ready for him.
"What in God's name is going on out here?" One of the servants appeared around the corner, looking between the two boys.
Instead of attacking him however, Gaston just stood up and fixed his clothes, glaring at him.
Prince Adam picked up his book and turned towards the stairs. He was just about to climb up them when he stopped and glared at Gaston angrily,
"I hope you're happy," he said quietly, and stormed up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut.
A few weeks had passed and winter was slowly approaching. By now Gaston had apologized to Prince Adam, who accepted his apology, but ever since that night, Prince Adam's temper had shortened quite a bit. He became angry more easily now, and more demanding to the servants. Not even Chip would go near him anymore, and although he felt angry about it, he in no way apologized for what he had done. He was fed up.
He even became colder towards the village people, who once thought so highly of him, now rather feared and disliked him.
Prince Adam had decided to take a stroll through the town, with Gaston strutting alongside him, and a village boy by the name of LeFou, who followed Gaston around like a lost puppy.
Anyone who laid eyes upon Prince Adam would normally greet him with delight and engage him in conversation, but now as he passed the village people, they averted their eyes and kept their heads down low; for far too many times they had witnessed him yelling and nearly degrading anyone who approached him that he did not want to be bothered with.
"See? They respect you now. They won't be bothering you any longer." Gaston smirked with LeFou nodding in agreement, but Prince Adam ignored them.
As they continued to walk, a couple of the village girls walking toward them began giggling and batting their eyelashes. Gaston puffed out his chest and put on his best, charming smirk as LeFou tried to do the same, but the poor lad was short and chubby compared to the other two.
Prince Adam on the other hand, just merely smiled at them.
They giggled loudly as they passed by, and Prince Adam's eyes followed behind him, watching as they walked away.
Suddenly, he felt someone collide into him, and heard the sound of books falling to the ground. He quickly looked down to see a plain, but rather very beautiful brunette girl on the ground, looking up at him with angry hazel eyes, and books strewn all around her in the dirt.
She was wearing a simple blue dress with a white apron over, and her rich hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few loose strands framed around her face. She had soft rosy cheeks, and full lips which were formed into a frown.
She opened her mouth to say something, when Gaston suddenly spoke up.
"Watch where you are going!" he yelled at her, "Can't you see your future king is walking here?" he nearly spat at her, and her eyes became even more angry as she clenched her jaw.
"Well, if he would have been more cognizant of his surroundings like a "future king" should be of the village he is to preside over rather than gawking at the village girls, perhaps this situation would have been avoided!" she shot back, and this immediately shut Gaston up. She returned her eyes back to Prince Adam, waiting for him to retaliate.
However, Prince Adam said nothing, but simply stared at the girl curiously; his sky blue eyes piercing into her golden hazel ones while Gaston and LeFou huffed.
He would have become angry for such a villager to talk back like that, but the way she had shut Gaston up with her use of words, and the way she didn't seem to be afraid of them at all, intrigued him.
"Come on, Adam," Gaston scowled, grabbing his arm and quickly pulling him away from the girl, purposely stepping all over her books as Prince Adam tried to avoid them.
He looked back and watched as she looked down in angry sadness, picking up her now dirty and tattered books.
"Did you have to step on her books like that?" Prince Adam finally asked, rather annoyed as Gaston dragged him away.
"Serves her right for running into you," he smirked, but Prince Adam didn't agree, and felt angry with himself to just walk away like that. Was this the type of person he had become? When did he become so bitter and cruel?
He knew that most of the time his actions were rather out of line, but he just couldn't help it, and he feared it was due to Gaston and his influential poor attitude; constantly coaxing him in his ear.
During these times he greatly missed his mother and her gentle hand.
She was always kind; always wise with her words, but she was no longer here to guide him, and deep down it had always left him feeling angry. Why did she have to be taken from him? Why did she deserve such a terrible fate when she was such a kind woman?
That was something he would never fully understand; something he would never be able to wrap his head around, and he felt angry for it, but was he the type of person to just rudely knock a girl down, and not help or apologize for it?
He knew that would have been something his mother, were she still alive, would have frowned upon him for.
Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, yanking his arm from Gaston's grip, who stopped and turned around confused, but found Prince Adam walking back towards the girl.
"Where are you going?" Gaston called after him, but he ignored him.
Prince Adam finally approached the girl, and bent down to help pick up the last of her books.
She eyed him suspiciously as he handed her the last book, but he merely smiled.
"Prince Adam." He introduced himself as he stood up, and held his hand out to help her up.
However, she stood up on her own, ignoring Prince Adam's outstretched hand.
"I know who you are," she said, holding her books tightly to her chest as she continued to eye him.
Prince Adam suddenly felt nervous, and his mind drew a blank as he was unsure of what to say.
"I uhm… I'm sorry about Gaston. He can be rude sometimes-Well, most of the time," he chuckled, and the girl looked down in thought for a moment.
"Why do you partake in his actions then?" she asked him as she looked back up, and Prince Adam became confused.
"I'm sorry?"
"There is such kindness in your eyes, but lately your actions match those of his," she said with a slight frown, and Prince Adam was unsure of what to say. He had never actually been asked of this before.
Finally after a silent moment, she readjusted her books,
"It was nice to meet you, Prince Adam. Excuse me," she said with a nod, and he watched as she turned and walked away, feeling his curiosity for the girl only grow.
A few days had passed, and the early afternoon found Prince Adam and Gaston walking about the village again with LeFou in tow, for staying at the castle greatly bored the two as their parents and the servants were always seemingly busy.
As they walked through the food market, eyeing the pretty village girls once more as they passed, Prince Adam secretly hoped he would see the beautiful brunette again. Ever since the day he had run into her and talked to her, he couldn't get his mind off of her.
The way she stood up for herself rather than backed down, and her clever use of words fascinated Prince Adam-along with her natural beauty, and her bright, hazel eyes. He wanted to see those eyes again.
"My, my, there are quite a few lookers out today." Gaston smirked as he took a bite of an apple he had stolen from one of the fruit carts they had passed.
"Yeah! Which one do you like the most, Gaston?" LeFou asked excitedly, but Prince Adam no longer listened to them as he suddenly spotted the interesting brunette he had secretly been hoping to see down the way.
She was carrying a small basket, and examining a cart full of vegetables, but he noticed she also had a book tucked under her arm. He smiled gently to himself, for it seemed she liked reading just as much as he did. Most girls in the village never cared to pick up a book.
"See someone you like?" Gaston suddenly asked in Prince Adam's ear, quickly pulling him from his thoughts.
"Who is she?" he asked, nodding towards the girl.
Gaston and LeFou looked towards the direction he was pointing, and Gaston made a face.
"The one who ran into you the other day?" he asked, and Prince Adam nodded.
"Oh, that's Belle! She's the daughter of that nut job inventor. Crazy Old Maurice they call him," LeFou spoke up. "She's very nice and very smart." he added with a smile.
"Ah, yes. I've heard of them," Gaston nodded, remembering when he had once lived in the village before his mother married King Edward.
"She actually is quite the looker. A bit odd, and always has her nose buried in a stupid fairytale book," he rolled his eyes, "but with some makeup, proper clothes and manners, she could be the prettiest girl in the entire village," Gaston said with thought.
However, Prince Adam thought differently. She was already more beautiful than any of the other village girls he had seen, without all the fancy attire and makeup.
"Would you like me to go talk to her for you?" Gaston offered, but Prince Adam seemed uncertain.
"I wanted to apologize for being rude to her anyways," Gaston said, and Prince Adam finally considered it, for he felt too nervous to approach her again; especially after what had happened the other day.
"Yes. Yes, I would like you to." He nodded, and Gaston began to make his way toward her when Prince Adam quickly stopped him,
"Wait. Tell her I am sorry again for running into her. Please," he said, and Gaston nodded.
He and LeFou watched as Gaston made his way toward her, and soon, they began talking.
At first she seemed suspicious as she eyed Gaston, and this made Prince Adam nervous. Perhaps he should have talked to her himself, but the thought made his stomach tense. He was never confident in the least bit like Gaston was, and he had never tried talking to any of the girls before. Gaston was more of an expert in that area.
Then, he watched as her eyes darted over in his direction, and he forced himself to smile, but she did not smile in return and seemed rather unhappy. He was growing more anxious and nervous by the minute. Was she still very upset about the other day?
Suddenly, an angry look crossed her face, and she shook her head, quickly turning and storming away. Prince Adam felt his stomach drop as Gaston turned around and began to head back with an unpleasant look on his face.
"Well? What did she say?" Prince Adam asked anxiously as Gaston returned.
"Uhm," he sighed, seeming as if he wanted to avoid telling him.
"Gaston," Prince Adam pressed, raising his eyebrows.
"She said… She said you were the most ill-mannered and foul thing she has ever seen, and she would rather be locked away for an eternity than to speak to the likes of you," he said reluctantly.
This took Prince Adam by surprise. Did she really think of him this way, all because he accidentally ran into her? Even after he went back and helped her?
Suddenly, he became angry, which came quite easily these days. How could she think that of him, when he showed her an act of kindness? When he went back and helped her? He didn't understand!
"Don't worry about it, Adam, it's her loss. She may be pretty and book smart, but who is she to call you ill-mannered and foul? She is an idiot for turning away the future king," Gaston said acidly, and Prince Adam couldn't agree more. She didn't even get to try to know him first before making such judgments!
"Let's go. I don't want to be among these…peasants anymore." Prince Adam spat angrily, and turned away to head back to the castle.
As days passed, Prince Adam couldn't shake the thought from his head, and it constantly angered him. Is that what most people thought of him? Ill-mannered? Foul?
How dare they think of him like this! He was their future king! They should respect him and praise him!
From that moment on, Prince Adam refused to go into the village. He did not want to look at the people who thought ill of him, especially by Belle, and it infuriated him.
To make matters even worse, his father was constantly busy now, trying to make sure his people would have plenty of food and shelter to survive through the extremely harsh winter that was approaching. Prince Adam rarely ever saw him, and if he did, he was too busy for him.
However, word about King Edward's son becoming spoiled and nasty did not go passed his ears, and finally one evening, when he had no more matters to attend to, he tried to talk to his troublesome son.
"My son, why are you so angry all of the time?" King Edward asked Prince Adam, who was looking out of the window of the main room. He had tried reading, but his mind was too distracted, and it reminded him of Belle; someone he would rather not think about.
"I am not angry," Prince Adam said irritated, keeping his back to his father.
"Do not lie to me, Adam. What is bothering you so?" he asked.
"Nothing is bothering me, I am fine," Prince Adam said, becoming more irritated by the minute. Why was his father so interested to know now?
"Adam, I have been hearing talk of you being rude to the servants and the people. That is not how I raised you to be," King Edward said, sounding disappointed.
"Yeah? Well, it doesn't seem to matter. Leave me alone," Prince Adam nearly snapped, leaning on the window sill and clenching his jaw.
"It matters to me. You are my son and I want you to be happy," King Edward said in a serious tone. However, Prince Edward couldn't contain himself anymore.
"Why does it matter to you so much now? You don't care anymore!" he yelled, finally looking to his father with anger filled eyes.
"Of course I care, Adam. You know I have been busy-"
"Oh really? Is that why you go out dressed up with Marcella every other night, to go "run errands"? You're always too busy for me now! You never spend time with me!"
"Adam, that is not true-"
"You don't care about me anymore! All you're worried about is being everyone's king!" Prince Adam yelled loudly, turning back towards the window, gripping the edge. He waited for his father to yell back at him, to tell him he was wrong, but instead, it was quiet. This angered Prince Adam even more. Did he have nothing to say now?
Prince Adam turned around to accuse his father of it being true, when he noticed his father had an odd expression on his face. He looked like he was in deep pain, and almost as if he was surprised and bewildered by it. This confused Prince Adam greatly.
"Father…?" he questioned quietly as he watched his father's mouth open and then close.
His father reached up and put a hand on his chest, gripping it tightly, and suddenly, he fell to the ground, shaking and twitching.
"Father!" Prince Adam yelled worriedly, rushing to his father. He grabbed him,
"What's wrong? What is wrong, Father?" he tried to ask him, but his father was in too much pain to speak. Prince Adam had no idea what was going on.
"Help! Somebody help!" he yelled and soon, King Edward's closest servants, Lumiere and Cogsworth, came rushing in.
"What happened?" Cogsworth questioned frantically at the sight before him.
"I don't know! He just fell down!" Prince Adam said frightfully, "He's in pain!"
"What is going on?" Mrs. Potts, one of the kitchen maids, came rushing in.
"Get him out of here!" Lumiere ordered her, referring to Prince Adam as he tried to examine King Edward.
She rushed over and began to pull him up.
"Come on, dear. Let's go," she said, but Prince Adam shook her off.
"No! What's going on with him? Why is he doing that?" he asked frantically, but no one had an answer for him. More servants came rushing in to see what the commotion was about.
"I'm going to get the doctor. You stay here with him, and you get him out of here!" Cogsworth ordered the last part to Mrs. Potts and the other servants. Then, they all began pulling Prince Adam out of the room,
"No! No! Let me go! I want to stay!" he yelled as they dragged him out of the room.
"Father! Father!" he called out, struggling with them.
Then, with one last fearful look into his father's wide eyes, they finally pulled him completely out of the room, and shut the door.
That was the last time Prince Adam ever spoke to his father.
Sadness struck the castle and the town greatly when everyone learned that King Edward had died, but the one who took it the most was young Prince Adam.
He locked himself up in his room any chance he could, and refused to talk to anyone. Day and night, he went over his last conversation with his father, the harsh words he had spoken to him… And all his father had wanted was to know what was bothering his son.
Prince Adam would never forgive himself for that.
Over the next several days, Prince Adam had become bitter and very cold-hearted. Everyone tried to sympathize for the poor boy, but it was very difficult for his mood was sour and his temper was shorter than it had ever been. However, they did make an oath to serve him and his family, and they did exactly as he demanded.
Then, on the night of Christmas, as Prince Adam sat in his room reading one of his favorite books, which was his escape to another world where he actually felt…alright, he had no idea that this very night would be the night that would change his life forever.
Prince Adam sat on his bed with his book in his lap; deep within the story. All he seemed to be doing lately was reading.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Leave me alone," he said, not taking his eyes away from the book. However, they knocked again.
"I said leave me alone!" he yelled, but the door opened, and Gaston appeared through it.
"Adam-" he started, but Prince Adam cut him off.
"What part of "leave me alone" don't you understand?" he said angrily.
"I just came in here to ask if you would like to read in the main room for a change?" Gaston asked, annoyed. Prince Adam's face became confused,
"You came all the way up here… To ask me that?" he asked, astonished and annoyed.
"Yes," Gaston said with a serious face.
"That's a stupid question to ask. Why would I want to go read in the main room when I can read right here?" he spat.
"Because I thought it would be better for you since you used to read in there all the time, rather than staying locked up in here like a damsel in distress," Gaston shot at him. Prince Adam stood up from his bed.
"What did you call me?" he asked coldly, his temper rising.
"Listen, I didn't come here to fight. Just try reading in the main room for once," Gaston suggested gently this time. Prince Adam still didn't understand.
"Look, I'm taking my mother out to the town for a bit to try and cheer her up for Christmas, so we won't be around. Just try it." Gaston added.
"Why the hell should I?" Prince Adam nearly shouted. What was so important that he had to read in there?
"Because it might help you feel better!" Gaston yelled, "Listen, I understand it is hard to lose a father because in case you haven't noticed, I don't have one, but you need to overcome this and be strong! So quit asking questions and just try it!"
"Fine! If it is so goddamn important to you!" Prince Adam shouted, and grabbed his book off of the bed. He stormed out of the door, but not before slamming his shoulder into Gaston's on the way out.
Why was Gaston so eager for him to read in the main room? What was so damn important that he had to? Did he really care to try and make him feel better? Prince Adam wondered this as he stormed down the stairs.
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs, where he ran into Lumiere and Cogsworth, talking among themselves.
"Oh! Hello Monsieur, and Merry Christmas! What brings you down here?" Lumiere greeted with mild surprise, bowing excitedly. A little too excitedly for Prince Adam's liking.
"I'm going to read in the main room. Tell no one to disturb me for any reason unless it's an emergency, or they can find a new place to stay," he said coldly.
"Yes, sir," they nodded quickly, and he entered the main room.
He walked over to the arm chair he once so frequently sat, right in front of the fireplace where there was a fire already burning warmly, and sat down.
Prince Adam opened his book to the last page he had left off, marked by a thin silk ribbon, but instead of reading, he glanced around the dark and empty room.
Besides the sound of the blowing wind of Winter's cold, the main room was quiet and still; just like he liked it. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. He did miss reading in here.
He, his mother, and his father all used to sit in this room together by the fire, either reading or talking, or just sitting in comfortable silence, watching the flames dancing around. He missed it so much. He missed the simple company of his parents, and now, he was all alone.
He sighed and began to read, quickly getting into his book again; escaping to this wonderful world away from everyone and everything, and before he knew it, hours had passed. He was almost finished though, just one more chapter, his most favorite part…
Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door. Prince Adam looked up at the time; it was nearing nine o' clock. Who could be knocking at this time of night, in this weather?
Prince Adam opened his mouth to demand someone to go open the door when he remembered he had ordered everyone away. Maybe he could pretend that no one was home and they would go away?
He continued reading, but they knocked persistently on the door again. Prince Adam grumbled in irritation, and put his book down on the small table next to the chair. He got up and stormed over to the door, and pulled it open.
"What?" he snapped.
There, he saw a little, old woman dressed in a brown dirty cloak. Prince Adam couldn't see her face right away, because her hood covered most of it, but when she looked up, it was a disturbing sight to see.
She had a swollen eye that was uncovered, big warts and boils on her wrinkly old face, and dry lips that sunk into her mouth, for she had no teeth.
"Hello," she said in a quiet rough tone. "It is terribly cold out, and there are hungry wolves running about the grounds of the forest. Would you allow a poor, old woman to stay here for the night?" she asked.
Prince Adam's eyebrows creased. Who did she think she was, disturbing him from his favorite book, and asking him if she could just stay here in his castle? Not only was she a stranger, but she was repulsive.
"I'm sorry, but there is no room for the likes of you here. Go find another place to stay," Prince Adam said coldly, and shut the door. He was just about to turn and leave when there was another set of soft knocks on the door. He sighed and opened it again.
Of course, it was the same, little, old woman.
As he looked down at her, just about to tell her off, she pulled a beautiful, glowing rose out from inside her cloak.
"Please, I offer you this rose in exchange for a place to stay…" she said, holding it out. He simply looked at the rose.
Although it was beautiful, what kind of fool did she perceive him to be?
"What am I going to do with a rose? I told you, there's no room for you here!" he said angrily, and was about to slam the door when she suddenly stopped it with her wooden walking stick with surprising strength.
"Please, young man, do not be deceived by such appearances, for beauty, love, and kindness is found within," she warned in a low voice, but this only further angered Prince Adam.
"Is that a threat you old hag?" he questioned her with a sinister glare, but she did not cower in the least.
"I will not stand to be threatened by a petty, ugly beggar such as yourself!" he spat, and slammed the door shut. He turned around, and prepared to walk towards the stairs. He did not want to read anymore, for he was now in an unpleasant mood.
Suddenly, the castle started to vibrate violently.
What the..? Prince Adam thought worriedly as he looked at the stone floor, trying to keep his balance. Where they having some sort of an earthquake? Were they being attacked?
Then, a bright light suddenly beamed through the bottom of the castle doors, and he turned around to investigate when the doors blew open with a powerful gust of wind, knocking Prince Adam back and to the floor.
He raised his hand up to try to protect his eyes from the painfully bright light that was shining right where the old woman had been standing.
He looked around for anyone to help him, but he was all alone… Just like he wanted.
He turned back as the light slightly dimmed, and a beautiful woman in a green and gold dress appeared floating in the air.
She had long, beautiful, golden locks that framed perfectly around her heart-shaped face and spilled over her shoulders. She had powerful, piercing green eyes, smooth, porcelain-white skin, and perfectly shaped lips. She was an Enchantress.
"Adam," she said, and her voice echoed loudly, though it was soft and smooth like a harp. "You have disgraced me and for that, I place a curse on thee, and everyone that resides in this castle. You will become the cold-hearted beast that has been residing within you, for you have no love in your heart, and everyone within this castle will become as you perceive them to be," she echoed out.
Prince Adam was scared, he did not know it was an Enchantress!
"No, please! I'm sorry!" he began to beg, getting onto his knees before the Enchantress, but she merely looked down at him, her expression beautifully vacant. When she said nothing, he lowered his head down to the ground,
"Please do not do this, I am sorry! I will become better, I promise!" he pleaded, but she raised her wand and made a smooth, elegant swiping motion over Prince Adam, and he began to feel very strange…
"What is happening?" he questioned frantically, looking at his hands and arms as they began to grow thick, brown fur. They slowly grew in size, and black claws replaced his fingernails. He felt his teeth begin to painfully form into sharp fangs, two of them sprouting out far from his bottom teeth, well passed his top lip.
Then, he yelled in pain as it felt like his body was on fire. He began to transform into the beast the Enchantress had cursed upon him. His clothes ripped as his body grew in size, and the thick fur covered the rest of his body. Two horns pushed their way out from his forehead as a snout transformed from his nose, and a tail grew painfully from his spine.
Just when he felt like he couldn't take it anymore, it finally stopped, and he collapsed to the ground, panting and aching.
"Why?" the ugly beast that was once the charming and handsome Prince Adam, asked sadly with tears in his sky blue eyes.
The Enchantress held out her hand, and the same, beautiful, glowing rose the old woman had presented before appeared, hovering in the air.
"You know why I have done this. You no longer have the love you once held so deeply in your heart, and because of that it has led you to become a monster inside, which is now how you will be perceived," she said as a small, silver mirror appeared in her hand, and she placed it next to Prince Adam.
"This is a magical mirror, which will allow you to see anyone you wish outside of the castle," she said in her beautiful voice. "In order to be free of this curse, Adam, you must truly fall in love with someone, and they must truly love the beast that you are in return, before the last pedal falls on your twenty-sixth birthday, or you will remain as a beast forever."
Then, she began to fade away into the light as the beautiful rose slowly lowered to the ground, and hovered just inches above the cold, stone floor in front of Prince Adam.
"No…" he shook his head as she slowly began to disappear, "No! No, please! Come back!" he called to her with an outstretched, furry claw, but the light faded, and all was dark and silent again.
"Adam! Prince Adam!" Lumiere called out frantically. Something strange had happened.
One minute he was talking to Cogsworth in the library, and the next he was transformed into a candelabra! How could that be possible?
"Adam!" Cogsworth called out as well. He had also transformed into a clock; a living, walking clock!
"Lumiere! Cogsworth!" Mrs. Potts suddenly called out. They turned around not to find the elderly mother, but a beautiful teapot, followed by matching set teacups.
"Mrs. Potts?" Lumiere questioned.
"What is going on?" Mrs. Potts questioned hysterically.
"Momma, what happened? Why are we like this?" one little teacup questioned, whose voice matched that of Chip's.
"We don't know! We have to find Prince Adam!" Cogsworth said, heading down the hall as fast as his wood legs would carry him.
"Where is Gaston? Where is Queen Marcella?" Mrs. Potts asked as she followed.
"I don't think they have returned yet," Lumiere said as they began to make their way to the main room.
No one had any idea what was going on. As they quickly hurried down the halls, they ran into various objects brought to life, questioning them frantically, some just plain hysterical. They hoped Prince Adam would have some sort of explanation for this?
They finally made it to the main room, and all was still and quiet as it was before.
"Adam…?" Lumiere called out cautiously. There was an eerie silence that hung in the dark room.
They quietly made their way deeper into the room, sticking close together.
What had become of Prince Adam? Had he turned into a couch? Did he disappear?
Suddenly, a bright, pink light appeared from the entrance hall, catching their attention. They all cautiously made their way towards it.
As they rounded the corner, they found what looked like a massive heap of brown, thick fur. Next to it, was the source of the bright pink light. It was a rose, shining beautifully as it hovered an inch off of the stone floor. Had Prince Adam been transformed into a rose?
"Adam…?" Lumiere called out again.
The massive mound of fur unexpectedly moved, frightening everyone. They watched as the fur extended, and realized it was an animal. How did such a large animal get inside the castle?
It stood up very tall, with huge round shoulders, and large thick claws. Then, it turned around, and they all gasped as a beastly looking creature was staring right back at them, growling low.
As they all frighteningly stared at it, Mrs. Potts found something oddly recognizable. The creature's blue eyes.
Suddenly, it struck her.
"Is that you, young Adam?" she asked quietly, hopping forward.
The Beast stared at her for several moments, before closing its eyes and lowering its head.
"Prince Adam! What happened to you? What happened to us?" Lumiere suddenly blurted.
Prince Adam looked toward Lumiere angrily.
"We were cursed," he said in a low voice.
"But, why? By whom? What did we do?" Cogsworth asked, not able to contain himself.
"How should I know?" Prince Adam barked angrily, flashing his sharp teeth. He did not yet want to tell them that it was because of his inhospitality and selfishness.
"Well, what do we do? Do we call for help?" Lumiere asked with uncertainty, for who could help them?
"No one leaves the castle! No one enters the castle!" Prince Adam said in a deep growl. They all stayed quiet for a moment. Then, Chip suddenly spoke up.
"What's that?" he asked, indicating towards the beautiful, brightly colored rose. They all turned towards it, wondering the same thing. Was it the source of all of this?
Suddenly, Prince Adam snatched it up protectively.
"It is none of your business!" he growled, scaring Chip as he stowed the beautiful rose away.
"Gather everyone up into the ballroom," he ordered in a deep voice, and then turned and ascended up the stairs before anyone could ask another question.
They had gathered everyone they could find into the ballroom, and waited for Prince Adam, quickly whispering to each other.
Finally, he came down wearing a black cloak to conceal his monstrous body. Rather than looking upset however, this time he looked uncomfortable.
As soon as he stepped into the ballroom, a few of the furniture and objects lightly gasped, while the others began bombarding him with questions.
"Alright. Alright." he tried to calm everyone down, but they continued talking and frantically asking questions.
Suddenly, he became very angry.
"SHUT UP!" he growled louder than any human being, nearly making the castle walls shake.
Everyone instantly quieted down.
"Master," a wooden chest spoke up, "What has happened to us?"
Prince Adam stared at all of them for a minute, feeling the scared sadness and confusion heavy in the room. Then, he began to recall everything that had happened between him and the Enchantress; the curse, the rose, and how to break it.
"So, we were cursed as well, for Your selfishness and rudeness?" a wooden nightstand questioned angrily. Prince Adam didn't know what to say.
Suddenly, they all began talking loudly again, some of them crying, and some of them yelling angrily.
"What are we going to do?"
"What do we tell our families?"
"How can we live like this?" They yelled at him.
He tried to remain calm and talk to everyone, but he was becoming angry again.
"ENOUGH!" he roared, slamming his powerful clawed hand into the wall and cracking it. Once more, everyone instantly became silent.
"No one is leaving this castle! No one is to come into this castle! You will all stay here until I figure out a way to break this curse, and that is an order! NOW GO!" he roared, and everyone quickly began to filter out of the room with fear.
Prince Adam then ran up the stairs to his father's old room, which was located in the West Wing, farthest away from everyone, and slammed the door furiously.
Anger boiled in his veins, and he began to throw objects into the walls, breaking them and smashing the furniture that wasn't occupied by a soul. He practically tore, smashed, and knocked over everything in the room. He turned around and looked for more objects when he noticed a painted portrait of himself hanging on the wall. He stared at his face for a minute as he breathed heavily through his snout.
Why did this happen to him? Why did he have to turn into such an ugly beast? There were far worse people out there and yet, the Enchantress cursed him. It wasn't fair.
Suddenly, he raised a clawed hand, and swiped it across the portrait, tearing four lines across his once handsome human face, and then fell to his knees and broke down.
He stayed in his father's room for hours, sulking and staring at the beautiful rose that held his destiny. If he didn't find love until the last pedal fell, he would remain a beast forever.
Who could ever truly love such an ugly beast? He wondered this as he picked up a small, round table top he hadn't broken, and placed the rose hovering an inch above it. He looked around until he found a large, glass, candle snuffer still in one piece, and gently placed it over the rose to keep it safe.
Suddenly, there were a set of frantic knocks on the door.
"What?" Prince Adam growled, and the door opened.
"Monsieur, Prince Gaston and the Queen are coming back!" Lumiere said frantically.
"What?" Prince Adam gasped, and ran to the balcony. In the distance, he could see the faint light from the carriage they were riding in.
"What do we do, Monsieur?" Lumiere asked worriedly.
"Tell everyone to hide, and do not make one sound!" he ordered and Lumiere nodded, disappearing behind the door.
What was Prince Adam going to do? He couldn't tell them what had happened! He had to think of something and quick, but what? They would probably think he was just some wild beast that killed everyone!
That's it! Prince Adam thought quickly. He would scare them away, and make them never come back!
Prince Adam then grabbed the crown and sword that had once belonged to his father, and ran down the stairs towards the entrance hall where he remained hidden in the shadows, and waited for Gaston and Queen Marcella to show up.
Minutes later, Prince Adam could hear them approaching the doors. His heart began hammering in his chest.
"Why are all the lights out?" he heard Gaston asked.
"I don't know, son. Maybe they all went to bed? It is quite late," Queen Marcella suggested. Prince Adam heard Gaston scoff.
"Well then, they should have left the lights on, they knew we were coming back!" he sneered.
They finally approached the castle doors, which were slightly ajar.
"Why is the door open? Why is it so dark in here? Where is everyone?" Gaston asked loudly as he pushed them open. "Hello!" he called out, annoyed.
Suddenly, Queen Marcella gasped,
"Son, you don't think something terrible has happened to everyone, do you?" she asked worriedly. Before Gaston could answer however, Prince Adam growled deeply.
Queen Marcella gasped again as Gaston unsheathed his sword.
"Who's there?" Gaston asked, looking around. "What do you want?"
"I am an evil creature, and I have taken over this castle," Prince Adam growled from the shadows, pulling things from the top of his head, and hoping this would work.
"Where is everyone? What have you done with them?" Gaston demanded. Prince Adam moved swiftly in the shadows, catching their attention.
"I have killed and devoured them all, and you will have the same fate unless you leave this place," he growled.
Suddenly, Queen Marcella clasped her hands over her mouth; her eyes wide with fear.
"Show yourself!" Gaston barked, but Queen Marcella grabbed at her son's arm.
"Gaston! Let us leave! Now!" she whispered frantically, but Gaston stood his ground.
"I said show yourself you monster!" he yelled.
Suddenly, Prince Adam quickly jumped out snarling, and swiped at them. Though, he only knocked them down, and disappeared back into the shadows, for he did not want to give them the chance to recognize him.
Queen Marcella screamed as they fell to the floor, clutching onto Gaston as he tried to hold his sword out steady in front of them.
"Leave now and never come back, or you will surely be eaten!" Prince Adam growled in the shadows. "Do not send anyone here unless they wish death upon themselves!" he said, and he threw his late father's crown and sword towards them.
Gaston quickly snatched them up, realizing who the objects once belonged to.
Suddenly, Prince Adam roared as loud as he could, nearly making the castle walls shake.
Gaston and Queen Marcella quickly scrambled up off of the stone floor, and without another word they ran out of the castle.
Prince Adam ran over to the doors and slammed them shut, then listened as they got inside the carriage and took off. He quickly ran back up the stairs, to the library windows that faced the front of the castle, and watched them as they quickly descended down the pathway towards the village.
Remembering the magical mirror the Enchantress had given him, he picked it up, and suddenly, he could see a frightful Gaston and Queen Marcella racing back toward the village.
They did not tell any of the villagers right away, and instead took shelter for the night, for they were going to speak to them in the morning.
Prince Adam stayed up all night watching them, for he could not sleep, and when the morning finally came, he watched as they gathered all of the villagers in the town square.
"What is going on? Why have we been summoned?" one of the villagers questioned.
"People, listen." Gaston raised his voice, and the confused whispers stopped as they waited for him to speak.
"A terrible tragedy has occurred," he said, and whispers broke out again.
"A monstrous beast, unlike any I have ever encountered, had taken over the kingdom's castle late last night. Prince Adam is dead," he said with a hard face, and a few of the villagers gasped, clasping their hands over their mouths.
"You can't be serious?"
"What kind of monster? Did you see it?"
"What proof do you have?" one of the villagers called out, and Gaston pulled out the sword and the crown. Immediately, everyone recognized the objects as King Edward's, and gasped.
"Let's go up there and kill it!" The villagers began to call out, and a few of the shouted in agreement, but Queen Marcella raised her arms.
"No. Under my command is no one to go up there, for it is far too dangerous. Anyone who is foolish to try it shall stay up there, for you will not be allowed back into this village. This goes for everyone, even my son," she said with a glance over at Gaston, who looked rather annoyed.
"Well, what are we going to do? What if the beast comes down here?" one of the women asked worriedly.
"We are going to build a protective wall and lookout towers around the village, and we are going to tear down the old library and build a new castle there," Gaston announced.
Suddenly, Prince Adam could see the beautiful brunette, Belle, step forward from the crowd.
"What? No! You cannot tear down the library!" she frowned heavily.
"Yes, we can. It is the biggest building in this town, and is far too old anyway. It will provide the people with a castle closer into the village."
"But it is a part of our history! You cannot just tear it down!" she said angrily, and an old man that Prince Adam assumed to be her father, stepped forward, trying to quiet her down.
"The building is of no use to us. No one ever visits there anymore, Belle," Gaston shook his head in annoyance, and it seemed that a few of the others agreed.
"I still visit there!" she said angrily, her eyebrows creased.
Suddenly, anger flashed across Gaston's face, "Listen to yourself, you foolish girl! How can you be so selfish when there has been a tragedy that has befallen us? You would rather us keep an old, worn-down library for your own enjoyment rather than provide the people with protection and security? Are you that undeniably selfish?" he spat at her, and all of the villagers turned their eyes on her.
She opened her mouth, but closed it and became quiet as her cheeks became flushed. She finally stepped back with her father, and stared down hard at the ground.
"Anyone else?" Gaston questioned the rest of the villagers, but all was quiet.
"It is settled, then. No one is to go up to the castle, and we will tear down the old library to build a new one starting today," he announced. "Let today be known as the start of a new era, and let us bow our heads in respect for the deceased, and for our fallen future king, Prince Adam."
Finally, Prince Adam set the mirror down next to the protective glass that held the glowing, beautiful rose.
"…Now what do we do?" Lumiere asked him quietly as he stared out of the window.
"…Monsieur?"
"I…do not know," Prince Adam sighed as he looked down in defeat.
All in one night, the life he once knew, the life he had taken for granted…was gone.
Days had passed, and no one ever came back up to the castle under the Queen's command.
Soon, the days had turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months.
Once or twice, daring men had tried to prove their bravery by sneaking out and coming up towards the castle to see the beast, but if the pack of hungry wolves that had made a home in the forest just outside of the castle walls didn't stop them, then Prince Adam surely would.
As the days counted on, poor Prince Adam still hadn't found a way to break the curse. He became even more angry, bitter, and mean, and before they knew it, ten years had gone by.
Nearly all of the villagers had forgotten about the beast as Prince Adam never showed himself, and he even became a scary story for the village children.
Everyone inside the castle lost all hope as the years went by, and they accepted the fact that they were going to be stuck like this for the rest of their lives.
Now, they just counted down the months till Prince Adam's twenty-sixth birthday.