A/N

Hey guys! I'm back, just with a new fanfic. Should I really be starting another story? No, probably not. Am I going to anyway? Yeah…

Oh well. Enjoy and R&R!

Disclaimer: I do not own the general plot, the characters, Beauty and the Beast, or HON!

~Smiley

Prologue

Long ago, in a castle, far, far away, there lived a handsome and beloved king and his beautiful, sweet, and loving queen. The king and the queen lived happily with their sons, Rephaim, Nisroc, and Asija. Their kingdom flourished and all was well.

However, the beloved queen fell ill, and she died soon afterward. The king fell into despair and rage, and he struck out and abused his sons, especially his favored and oldest son, Rephaim. He expected Rephaim to be perfect and selfish and heartless, just like the once-loving king was now. The prince always strived to please his father, but whenever he fell short of those high expectations, he was punished severely.

Eventually, the prince was broken. His once headstrong, loving, gentle nature was replaced with that of a cold, heartless beast, or so he told himself. Rephaim, although he accepted the fact that he must become what his father expected him to be, could never bring himself to hurt anyone, especially not his brothers or his friends, who just so happened to also be his servants. However, this peaceful attitude towards those around him soon changed once his father expected him to be short-tempered and cruel. And although Rephaim tried to remain unchanged when his father wasn't around (even though he was around almost all of the time), he had been forced to form new habits, which then became old habits, and, as we all know, old habits die hard.

Was it really a surprise that when an old beggar woman came to the castle of the dying kingdom, offering a magically wondrous rose for a place to stay for a night, Rephaim turned her away? His father, although he was ill, had been standing behind the door, with him because he was drilling evil habits into his son's head with his dying breaths. Although it pained what was not yet frozen of Rephaim's heart, he knew that you cannot deny a man his dying wishes, especially when that man was his father.

The rest of Rephaim's heart had frozen and shattered into a million pieces. It could never be put back together.

Kalona died; his mission was complete.

Then the hideous woman transformed into a beautiful goddess, and, because she saw no love in his heart (or rather, no heart at all), she cursed him—condemned him to be a beast forever, unless he could find love in his heart and give it away, and find someone to give him their love in return.

Rephaim didn't try to beg or plead for her not to do this to him. He didn't bother because he knew in all the pieces of his broken heart that he deserved it. However, he did beg and plead for her not to punish the rest of the castle and those who lived there. They didn't deserve it.

The goddess casted the powerful spell anyway, and Rephaim fell into despair. But the goddess did have love in her heart, and promised that if he found love before he turned twenty-one, the spell would be broken, and the kingdom would flourish forever.

As the spell settled over all the castle's inhabitants, they all heard a beautiful voice they all knew and missed so much whisper a prayer, a promise, a prophecy:

Your savior may not save

Heated ice may not melt

His heart may never learn

And love may turn to hate

It is her choice to make.

Rephaim didn't hear this. Instead, he heard the same voice whisper a blessing:

When you find your heart

And pick up all the pieces

You have found yourself...

My son…

Then the goddess left, and the weight of the spell hit him with such force that it drove the prince to his knees and, eventually, to unconciousness.

The rose truly was enchanted, and it would bloom until the day he turned twenty-one. However, as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to years, and the years turned into tears of despair, Rephaim locked himself in the castle, for he had lost all hope. His only window to the outside world was a magic mirror, which had been his mother's wedding gift from the goddess.

Along with its prince, the castle and kingdom were lost to the outside world, and thus the people who lived there despaired as well.

They knew all too well that their savior would not come. Even if a girl did find the lost castle, no one could ever learn to love a monster.

A/N

R&R please!

~Smiley