Beauty and the Beast

Okay, before I begin this chapter, I would like to state, for the record, I am doing this based on the Disney version. I don't know if you found it 'kiddy' or anything, but I choose it simply because I think it brought forth the main theme (true beauty lies within) better than the original fairy-tale.

With that in mind, here we go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I make no profits from this.

Chapter 1

Dawn

You know what they say about dawn? It's life's very own reset button. A new day, a clean slate, a chance to start anew and not screw up this time.

Of course, once in a while…

The doors to the cottage swung open, and Sophitia strode out into the morning son, stretching lithely. She smiled as she felt the wind in her face, the song of the birds in the thickets, the smell of the flowers in full bloom in the garden.

Behind her, Cassandra stumbled along, rubbing bleary eyes, and proceeded to walk into the doorway. She was not what you would describe as a 'morning' person.

"Sophie…" She grumbled as she massaged her sore forehead. "Why do we always have to wake up so early? It's not like -yawn - the bakery will disappear if we don't get there before daybreak."

Sophitia shook her head and sighed. "Cass, you know that the bread has to be ready and baked by the time people come to buy it! Hurry up, sis, we're late as is!" With that, she broke into a run down the path, towards the sleep village down the hill.

Cassandra sighed, and took off after her sister. Where does she get all that energy? She asked herself as she finally slowed down, panting, near the bakery, where Sophitia had already begun to set up shop.

The next hour or so was spent largely in silence, the two sisters bustling about, kneading the dough, adding yeast, rolling the lumps into the oven.

Just another normal day in the life of the Alexandra sisters…

It had just been a couple of hours since they had officially opened shop that Rothion arrived. Cassandra, upon noticing him step through the doorway of their bakery, smiled a secret smile to herself, and turned to call Sophitia.

"Sis! Someone's here for you!"

"Yes? Who is- Oh!" Sophitia emerged from the kitchen area, drying her hands on a wet towel. Instantly, she flushed slightly (as did Rothion, Cassandra noted), and stammered slightly as she blurted out, "R-rothion! How are you? You, uh…" Noticing that her younger sister was staring at the spectacle with a slightly bemused look on her face, she turned to Cassandra. "Um, sis, I have to… uh, you know… go for a while. Can I leave the shop with you for few minutes?"

"Of course, dear sister. You just go and enjoy yourselves with your fiancée for as long as you want." Cassandra replied, a resigned smile on her face. This, naturally, caused Sophitia to shoot her sister a look that would have frozen Tartaros in an instant.

As the two of them strolled through the door (holding hands, Cassandra noticed), a trio of villagers walked in, baskets empty but purses full. With a tiny sigh, the young woman turned to the kitchen to grab the required amount of loaves. No words were necessary. Years in the village bakery had thought her who required how much, and whether or not they'd haggle and waste half an hour of her life.

Just another normal day, indeed…

Sophitia's 'few minutes' rapidly translated into the entire morning, and by noon, Cassandra herself consumed the last loaf of bread for lunch. Scribbling a note for her sister to know that she would come home later, she tacked it to the doorway and headed of to the favourite place in the town: The library.

It was a rather small establishment, but it was filled wall to wall with all manner of tomes. As she pushed open the doors into the musty area, the kindly librarian looked up from the records book he was scribbling in. "As, Cassandra! Perfect timing! I've finally managed to find that book you requested me to! Got buried somewhere in the periodicals section. How I don't know, but…" As he passed the heavy leather bound book to her, he glanced at the title and shook his head. "That makes three times you've borrowed this book already. And here I thought you were a fast reader, eh?" He chuckled.

She smiled in reply. "I have finished it! But it's my favourite book! It's got battles, enchantments, adventures to faraway places…" She brushed her fingers over the cover, looking wistfully at the gold lettering of the title. "A prince and a princess, so deeply in love…"

The old librarian watched her for a moment, hiding a tiny smile. Then he grinned and laughed. "Well, if you like it that much, it's yours!"

Cassandra glanced up, eyes wide. "Oh! Would you? Thank you so much!"

"Hahaha!" The librarian peered out from behind his pince-nez spectacles. "A smile like that more than makes up for any book that I give away. Run along now, child! Have a nice day"

"I will! Thanks!" Cassandra hurried out the door, already flipping through the dog-eared novel. "Oh…" She smiled. "Here's the best part. When she finally realizes that he's the one she's loved all along-"

The book suddenly vanished from the hands.

The cause for it's rapid disappearance was evident in the fact that not half a meter away from her stood Raphael, scowling down at the cover of the novel.

"Reading again, are we?" He questioned. "It's not healthy for someone of your beauty to have your nose always buried in books like these. After all, you could be focusing your attentions on far more important things. Me, for instance." With a contemptuous sneer, he dropped the book onto the muddy ground.

Cassandra grit her teeth. Be nice. She reminded herself. And if you can't do that, at least be civil. As she fought back the urge to sock the arrogant fool in the jaw, she crouched down and slowly lifted the novel from the mud. Some of its pages were soiled, but nothing irreparable.

"Raphael." She began curtly. "Good afternoon. I ask you do not do relieve me of my personal items without permission again." Her tone of voice was positively arctic.

The Frenchman, however, too absorbed in himself, hadn't noticed. Nor would he have cared, either. He was too busy admiring his reflection in a nearby puddle. Then, seemingly noticing Cassandra for the first time, he stepped closer. "What say you join me for a lovely stroll down the boulevard?" He asked. "I do believe it would greatly aid in knowing each other better."

Who wants to know you better, you stuck up, arrogant- "Maybe some other time. I have to go help my sister prepare lunch." This was a brazen lie, of course, but anything was fair play as far as getting rid of the smarmy, self-righteous Frenchman was concerned.

His oily smile merely grew wider. "What?" He queried in a mocking tone. "You mean that crazy sister of yours that hears oracles from God? Good idea, Cassandra. She needs all the help she can get!"

Her eyes flashed with anger. "You do not speak about my sister that way!" She yelled into Raphael's face, before stalking off, seething.

Raphael merely watched her go, a small smile etched onto his face. "Playing hard to get, are we?" He smirked.

"Oh, he said what about me?" Sophitia could barely contain her laughter. Cassandra, by contrast, was still seeing red.

"It's not funny, sis! You don't get oracles or anything like that! You're just religious!"

"Let him think what he wants, Cass. It doesn't change the truth." Sophitia replied gently. Cassandra stared at her for a few seconds, before exploding.

"Why are you so goddamn perfect?" She finally cried. "Everything you do, everything you say, you're a veritable goddess yourself! Every man in the village is smitten with you. Except that lousy Raphael," She added sourly. "Who for some inexplicable reason refuses to leave me alone."

"It's not that bad, then, right?" Sophitia laughed. "Shows you can still attract some people."

Cassandra shot her elder sister a look of abject disbelief. "If it's a choice of being single or choosing him, I'd take bachelorhood any day over being stuck with that boorish, brainless-"

"Okay, okay." Sophitia laughed. "You can't deny he looks good, right?"

"Looks is one thing. Personality is quite another."

"All he's really guilty of is an overweening pride."

"Sis, you really sound like you're trying to get me to like him. And that is not good."

Sophitia smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, Cass, I'm worried for you. At the age of twenty-one, never ever been seen with another man… you should try to get settled soon."

Cassandra rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair. "Oh, not that again. I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I'm waiting for the right guy, no matter how long it takes, okay?"

"Hmm…" Sophitia feigned a long, pondering glance at her sister. "And just what criteria would you use to find out who you consider to be the 'right' guy?"

"I dunno. Maybe someone who's the complete antithesis of Raphael. Seriously, Sophie, he's so fixated on himself insults simply don't register on him unless it's applied with a sledgehammer!"

"Complete antithesis? Hmmm… you'd prefer someone who's utterly hideous?" Her sister laughed.

"It'd be an improvement." Cassandra scowled.

Sophitia suddenly blinked, and glanced out the window. "Ah! Oh no! It's almost evening! I'm late!" Having said so, she proceeded to vanish into the kitchen, reappearing a couple of minutes later with a basket tucked under her arm.

"Cass, you know old mister Thomson, right? Lives at the other end of the woods? Right, so, he asked for a delivery of bread for today, and I forgot all about it until now. Good thing it's still warm. If I take too long, I'll spend the night there. Don't wait up for me!" With that, she promptly vanished out the front door, leaving her younger sister to lean back, shake her head, and laugh.

Several hours later…

"I should be there by now…" Sophitia murmured worriedly as the horse she was riding clopped steadily through the dense forest. "Did I mss a turning?"

Slowing for a moment, she pulled a map from her pack, and slowly unfurled it. However, before she could probably read it and figure out where she was, she heard a sound off to the right that chilled her.

Hissing.

Lizardmen. Behind her.

Instantly, Archimedes reared up on his hind legs, eyes wide with terror. Sophitia was hurled off, and crumpled to the ground. Pain shot up her leg. "No!" She cried. "Come back!" But it was useless. The horse had already bolted.

Clambering to her feet, she started out at a flat-out run. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. From behind, she could hear Archimedes neighing with terror – pain? - as he ran off into the dense forest.

She started running, sprinting as fast as her legs would take her. Crash, crash, crash. Trees swayed, twigs snapped, and bushes shook as the pack of hunting Lizardmen continued in close pursuit.

And then, just like that, she was past the trees, staring dumbstruck at a magnificent, somber castle in front of her.

Where-? She was quickly roused from her thoughts as the scaly predators just behind burst into view as well. Once more, she broke into an all-out sprint. The castle… the gates… I have to…

She was there! Grabbing frantically at the heavy steel bars, she tugged at them, praying to all the gods that it wasn't locked. And to her immeasurable relief, the rusty gate swung open.

Dashing through, she whirled; just in time to kick shut the gate as the first of the Lizardmen hurled itself at Sophitia. It slammed into the grille, then staggered back, dazed, as Sophitia set out bolting the heavy gate.

Drawing in a deep, gasping breath, she turned to, for the first time, regard the manor properly.

Towers of stone ringed the central structure, high spires reaching into the heavens. From a single lighted window, she thought she saw a shadow. Then it shifted and disappeared.

Slowly, nervously, she took her first few steps towards the castle.

Next chapter done! That was fast!

Please review this chapter! Thanks.