Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. One winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. She warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. When he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and raised a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.
The rose she had offered him was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for eight years. If he could love to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to be a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?
***The sun's warmth spilled through the window and landed on Volla's face. It was a beautiful day in the Asgardian village she lived in, and a full day of errands lay ahead. Jumping out of bed and stretching, she sighed happily. Life was good.
Strolling through the town a short time later, Volla nodded to people bustling about the streets. Mothers pulled their screaming children in tow and young boys chased each other about. They were all commoners, and they all loved it. A fat baker with a tray of loaves of bread wandered through the crowd, peddling his baked goods.
"Good morning," Volla said in a sing-song voice.
"Volla, good morning! Where are you off to?" the baker replied, handing her a small roll.
She bit into it and nodded. "How good! I'm off to the apothecary. I've run out of an ingredient that's been helping with my neighbor's headaches, and,"
"That's nice," the baker cut her off. "Come, Wife, the pastries. Let's go."
Volla shrugged and continued on her way. The townspeople talked behind their hands as she passed by and elbowed one another, but she hardly noticed. She was eying a chariot on its way by. As it passed, Volla hopped on and waved to children squealing at her. Their mothers quickly pulled them away and whispered frantically to each other, throwing her rude glares.
Frowning to herself, Volla made a note to never become like these people. There had to be more to life than gossiping about each other. She spied the apothecary just ahead and jumped from the chariot.
The shopkeeper beamed as Volla walked through the door. "Good morning, Volla!" He leaned on the counter.
"Good morning," Volla replied. "I've come for more of the mint sprigs."
"You've used the entire bunch I gave you this week?" the shopkeeper looked shocked, and he knew better than to be shocked at anything the girl asked for.
"I loved it! It was perfect for so many things," Volla replied. "Have you got any more?"
The shopkeeper chuckled. "Not yet this week, my girl. Next week we'll have plenty more for you. I'll set some aside." He reached behind the counter and pulled something out. On the counter he set a beautiful crystal bowl. "You've been mixing so many things and are my best customer, I want you to have this! I saw it and got it for you."
"But sir," Volla gasped.
"I insist," the shopkeeper said, shaking his head. "No argument!"
"Well thank you," Volla said, cradling the beautiful bowl in her hands. "Thank you very much!" She took the package and made her way back home, facing the same whispers and stares as she had on the way into town.
The clanging of steel on steel caught her attention. A loud laugh boomed from the courtyard, where a pair of men was sparring. A large blonde man with more muscles than seemed possible knocked his opponent to the ground and gave him a kick. The crowd watching roared with laughter, much to the warrior's delight.
"Oh, Thor, you're the best warrior in the nine realms!" a man who was average in every way exclaimed as he hustled out to his friend. "You didn't even break a sweat!"
"I know," the man called Thor replied.
"No man on Asgard or beyond stands a chance against you," the sidekick continued gushing. "And no maiden, for that matter!"
"It's true, Hogun," Thor agreed. "I've got my sights set on that one!" He pointed across the courtyard to Volla, who was admiring a flowering tree.
"The magician's daughter?" Hogun exclaimed in disgust.
"She's the one," Thor replied, admiring the girl. He liked the look of her very much.
"Oh, certainly, but she's-"
"The most beautiful girl in all of Asgard," Thor finished.
"I know," Hogun replied, "but,"
Thor cut him off again. "That makes her the most suited to marry the future king of Asgard!"
"Well, of course a queen should be beautiful, but," Hogun said, more exasperation creeping into his voice with every syllable.
"I tell you truly, Hogun, from the moment that girl crossed my path, I vowed to wed her and see that the realm falls in love with her beauty. My heirs will be handsome, indeed!" Thor laughed and put his hands on his waist. "A fine plan."
Girls in the crowd sighed and pouted at Thor's announcement.
"Where has she gone?" Thor boomed. "Where has the magician's daughter gone?" He pushed through people and in the direction of Volla's house.
"Hello, Thor," an old woman said.
He pushed past her. "Pardon me, ma'am."
"Prince Thor!" a young boy called. "I've always dreamed to meet you. What brings you to town?"
"That girl! Move!" Thor shoved the boy aside.
Ahead, Volla was easily weaving through the crowd, taking care to hold her new prize close. The crystal bowl was beautiful and she appreciated the gift immensely. A woman bumped into her and scowled. "Watch where you're going, witch."
Volla frowned, but said nothing in return. She sighed and carried on, looking forward to getting home.
"There!" Thor cried. "There she goes, the future queen!" A group of children ran in front of him and he cried out in frustration before finally hurdling them. He caught up with Volla and quickly looped around so that he was walking toward her. "Oh, Volla!" he exclaimed, bumping into her on purpose.
The bowl tumbled out of Volla's hands and shattered on the cobblestone. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "My bowl!" Her lip quivered.
"Just a trinket," Thor said. "It can be replaced. Where did it come from? I'll have another made."
"It was a gift," Volla sighed, "from the apothecary keeper."
"Still dabbling in those potions?" Thor asked, frowning. "Come, Volla, it's time to get your head out of that black magic. The entire village is talking about it."
"About what?" Volla asked, picking up the shards of glass and tossing them into a garbage bin nearby.
"About this," Thor scowled, "magic. It's not right for a woman to learn these spells and potions." He shuddered.
"What does it matter?" Volla replied. "There are plenty of great magicians in your court, aren't there?"
Thor shook his head. "That's besides the point!" He dropped his arm over her shoulder. "Say, would you like to take a few days and come back to the palace? There's a sparring tournament coming up and I'd love for you to see me defeat everyone!"
"Oh," Volla said, trying her best to keep from grimacing. "No, thank you, Thor. Maybe I'll make it to the next one."
"I insist," Thor said, his face turning red. Who dared to deny the prince what he wanted?"I can't," Volla tried. "I've got to get back home and help father. He's perfecting an enchantment."
Hogun, who had finally caught up, burst out in laughter. "That crazy old magician? Wasn't he banned from the court for that incident?"
Volla frowned and bowed her head. "There's no need to bring that up."
"Yeah," Thor jumped in, smacking Hogun upside the back of the head. "How dare you! What a dishonorable thing to do."
"Father is a genius," Volla insisted. "One bad spell shouldn't ruin a man's entire reputation!" She sighed.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded from somewhere down the lane. Volla grimaced. The only thing down that road was her house.
Thor and Hogun burst out laughing once more as Volla took off sprinting towards home.
