Beauty and the Wicked
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single Palmira's flower 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 deceive by appearances, for beauty is found within and when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to revel a horrible dragon. The prince tried to defeat it but it was too strong, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment shebanished his family, disabled his arm, and transformed his servants into tupperware-brand kitchenware. Ashamed of his powerless arm and dismembered family, the wicked concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.
The flower she had offered was truly an enchanted flower which would bloom until his 25th year. If he could learn to love another and to earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken, his family and arm restored. If not, he would be doomed to remain wicked for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love the wicked?
Disclaimer: Bits taken from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' belong to Disney and were slightly altered to suit the characters and setting. Said Characters and setting are owned by Tri-Ace.
