Once Upon a Gundam
A Tale as Old as Time

Prologue: A Cold Winter Night

Deep in the woods there was a beautiful elegant castle. Sitting on a mountain top it was always bathed in light of the sun above. A single bridge stretched across a moat was the only entry way. Large metal gates were at the other end of this bridge, which lead into the forest. Within the walled courtyard there was an inner garden. Statues of angelic figures filled the outside and interior areas of the building. The castle itself had many different rooms, but none were as grand as the ballroom where a large throne stood.

The prince sat on his throne watching his many castle workers moving about the ballroom. Slouching back he rested his cheek on his fist. He didn't understand them, they all seemed to have found love among each other. Even his right hand seemed to have a girl he fancied.

"You ok Dearka?" his right hand asked as he walked up the young royal.

"I don't get it" He replied watching as the bluenet picked up a candle and guided a young blonde girl down an empty corridor, obviously to kiss her out of the sight of everyone.

"Huh? Get what?" The young man asked.

"She's a servant. You're a chamberlain… what appeal could she possible have to you?"

"Well Master the truth is-"

"I mean look at them all." He continued interrupting the other man "The grandmaster Athrun has fooling around with that dusting maid Cagalli. My cup-bearer…" He seemed to struggle trying to remember that particular servant's name.

"Kira" The chamberlain informed him.

Dearka snapped his fingers acknowledging the name "Ah yes Kira. He seems to have something going on with the minstrel Lacus and-"

"Yes Master Dearka all that is true… But may I ask why do you care? We all serve you. We have sworn our allegiance to you forever. So why?"

Dearka looked at his chamberlain raising an eyebrow. How dare he question him like that he thought. Brushing that off he decided to answer anyways "Yzak I consider you a friend, Athrun as well. So I'll tell you exactly why I care. A girl like Shiho will never be more than she is now. Her duty is to do the cooking, cleaning, laundering, and many other household chores. While you are a main officer of my court, a chamberlain. There is not much higher in authority that you can achieve and yet you waste all your spare time with her. She is beneath someone like you."

He looked at his prince. It was well known to all who lived in the castle exactly the kind of man he was. He had alway gotten everything he had ever desired. Because of this he grew up being spoiled, selfish and unkind. He seemed to be incapable of understanding love at all. He didn't understand that love was blind. It was what was inside that really counted. "There are somethings that just can't be explained." He started "Shiho… she may be just a servant but she is intelligent, brave, loyal and easy to talk to. I enjoy being with her. She understand me, she calms the anger inside me. I trust her, that's something I can't say about the noble woman I've met" He admitted

"But she is still a servant." He reiterated looking confused.

"She deserves to be so much more" he said sadly. Dearka was about to reply when there was a knock at the doors. He looked out confused. They were the doors that lead from the ballroom out to the gardens. Yzak reached in his jacket and pulled out his pocket watch to look at it. "Who the hell could that be at this hour"

Dearka stood up from his throne and began walking towards the doors. "Master Dearka, what are you doing?" The grandmaster Athrun asked coming back into the room, Cagalli following close behind. "A prince shouldn't be answering the door."

The prince stopped a few feet from the door. Motioning for Shiho to answer the door she set down the laundry she was carrying and obeyed. Slowly she opened the door snow began to blow in and a bitter cold filled the room. Suddenly a large wind blew forcing the doors open and causing the young maid to be toss onto her laundry pile. They all looked towards the door. There standing in the doorway was an old ugly beggar woman.

Dearka curled his nose up at the sight of her. Walking up to the doorway he wished to confront her and find out why she was at his castle. "What business do you have here hag?" He asked disgusted and repulsed.

She held up a amber colored rose as if she was offering it to him. "Please young lord, the night is cold. I've travelled a long way and my old bones are aching. In exchange for this rose please could I stay just one night"

He stared at the woman for a second before pushing the rose out of his face. "There's no room for the likes of you in this castle"

"Young lord don't be fooled by appearances." She warned but he didn't listen.

Turning around he ordered his servants to shut the doors. Before they could a bright light engulfed the room. The prince turned back to face the hag only to see the her ugliness begin to fade. Her dirty grey hair transformed into luscious blonde locks. Her grotesque hunch disappeared as her body became thin and slender. The wrinkles on her face melted away to reveal the young face of a teenage girl.

Dearka didn't know what to do. It was obvious this was no ordinary girl, she was an enchantress. "I-I" He managed to say as he watched her feet leave the ground. She floated midway in the doorway. All his subject looked at her surprised and scared. Finally he found the words he thought would save him. "I'm sorry, that is no way a beautiful woman sho-"

"Silence!" Her voice echoed throughout the room. His eyes opened wide in shock. "You are an ugly man Prince Dearka. Selfish. Spoiled. Arrogant. Unkind. You can't see past appearances and social standings. You choose to judge without knowing what is truly inside a person. And it is time you and all who loyally serve you paid the price!"

She raised her arm and a beam of light smashed into him sending him flying into the middle of the room. He fell to his knees, soon his hands began to feel strange. Holding them up in front of his face he watched in horror as his fingernails grew long and the palms of his hand changed into the pads of paws, like those of an animal. They seem to grow to almost ten times the size. He placed them on his head as felt his whole body growing. Blonde and light tan hair began to cover his entire body. "Ahhhhhh!" He screamed as his teeth became fangs and long bushy tail emerged. As he screamed it changed into a loud monstrous roar… he had become a beast.

"Wh-what the hell!" Shiho screamed in horror from her spot on top of the laundry. This only caught the attention of the enchantress who simply smiled at her. The servant wondered what she was smiling at until she felt her arm stiffening. She locked down horrified as her skin turned into a wood grain. "Oh my god! No!" She screamed. She started rubbing her arm quickly in a panic as if the wood would rub off, but it was no use. Her body began to force itself to a standing position. Her stomach turned into shelves and her arms the doors. The clothes that she had been sitting on entered her body folding itself neatly inside. She had become a wardrobe.

"Shiho!" Yzak yelled he could believe his eyes or what just happened to the woman he cared for. Without thinking he started to run towards her. He stopped when he saw his pocket watch floating in front of his face. "No" he whispered. The watch flung itself forward into his face. He could the hands of the clock spinning pass his eyes. Looking past that he noticed everything around him growing, it was then he realized he was actually shirking into a small standing clock.

"Cagalli we need to get out of here now!" Athrun yelled. He grabbed hold of her hand and started running. This proved futile when her hand disappeared from his. He looked back and watched as she became the very duster she used. "No! Cagalli!" He yelled. He reached down to grab hold of her but as his hand extended it became a lite candle causing his girlfriend to be burned slightly. He looked at himself quickly acknowledging that he was now a candlestick.

Realizing how hopeless the situation truly was Lacus and Kira simply closed their eyes and embraced one another, enjoying the last moments they had as humans before being ripped apart. They could feel their arms retracting into their bodies and disappearing. Their soft flesh became hard porcelain. When they finally opened their eyes to look at what each other had become they realized they were a tea set.

Dearka stood spinning around to watching as his subjects transforming. The ballroom was filled with horrified screams. It was like a poison spreading. Even his castle seemed to be infected. The once sun filled castle became dark and gloomy. The angelic figures became beast like and horrifically scary.

He looked back at the enchantress to see her smiling satisfied at the work she had done. It felt hard to breath, he didn't know why this was happening. Looking at him she threw the rose she had offered him to his feet. "Let this be a reminder of what has happened today. Like I said you are an ugly man Prince Dearka. Now that ugliness is reflected in your outer appearance. You will be stuck in this body, to never age or grow old. Trapped for all eternity…. But I am not an unreasonable woman. I will give one opportunity to break the spell."

"Please! What do I have to do!" He begged.

"It's simple. You must to learn to love another, and to earn their love in return."

"Like this?! Impossible"

"You need to get someone to see what you can't. To see past a hideous exterior and see the beautiful soul inside." Her glow began to fade and she landed on the ground. Walking over to him she picked up the rose and smelled in. "This rose is no ordinary rose." She confessed. "Think of it as an hourglass. You have until the last petal falls to break the spell, or else you'll be just as you are forever, as well as all who live here."

"How long do I have" he demanded.

"The rose will bloom until the spell's 21st year." She tossed yet another object towards him. It was a mirror. "Another gift, a magic mirror. With it you can peer into the outside world. Maybe looking into the lives of other will teach you how to change the horrible man you truly are." The glow returned around her growing brighter and brighter until the prince closed his eyes unable to keep them open. When he opened them she was gone. The only things remaining were the 'gifts' she had given him.

The story of this horrific event spread quickly to the outer villages. Many believed it to be a story concocted to scare traveling strangers, but late at night howls and scream could be heard from the castle echoing throughout the forest. As the years passed the young prince became depressed and angry, losing all hope. He couldn't help but think… who could ever learn to love a beast?

So it begins….

CASTLE CHARACTERS
Beast - Dearka
Cogsworth - Yzak
Lumière - Athrun
Featherduster - Cagalli
Mrs. Potts - Lacus
Chip - Kira (Not Lacus's son but her boyfriend)
Wardrobe - Shiho
Stove - Murdoch

TOWN CHARACTERS
Belle - Miriallia
Maurice - Mwu (brother instead of father)
New Character Maurice's Wife - Murrue
Gaston - Tolle
LeFou - Sai
Monsieur D'Arque - Monsieur Le Creuset
Felipe - Endymion (- Refers to a name Mwu is known by 'Hawk of Endymion')
Bimbettes - Flay, Meyrin and Lunamaria
Bookseller - Andrew
Baker - Uzumi
Baker's Wife - Erica

OTHER CHARACTERS
Enchantress - Stella