A/N: Lately I've been feeling as though these past few parts have been shit, so here, have a decent one.

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Beast

There are things in this world, dark, distorted things that one would only encounter in the shadows of their own tormented conscience. Hatred bubbled and brewed into beasts far uglier then the goblins and ogres in a child's story book, men spilled blood as freely as they indulged themselves in the fruit of the vine and evil lurked in the hearts of so many. Since before time began, darkness had befallen upon man kind, from the moment Eve ate of the sacred tree, a deep, rumbling evil had seeped into the roots of all life. In a world once ment for light and peace, all had been tainted with the blood of sin.

Sin: just the word was bitter in and of itself. It tasted sour on the tongue and sounded like a foul curse on the lips, but the action itself struck the true disgust into each and every heart on earth. Greed, Lust, Anger, Envy- all set the gears of hatred in motion. It is in sin, that we find our story begins.

Long ago in the frozen lands of the East, there lived a young prince. He was known far and wide for his beauty, for he was truly the most handsome in all the land. The prince was young and strong, dashing and bold, but, in the depths of his heart, pride ceased him tightly. He was vein and selfish, thinking of all as below and none as above. The young prince was rude and vicious, and thought of no other but himself and his wonderous beauty.

It was a dark night long, long ago, when an old woman knocked upon the castle door. She was hideous, with boils and moles atop her wrinkled skin, and the prince sneer at the monstrosity he saw behind the door. She was old and trembling in the cold, and begged the prince to allow her shelter withing the walls of his grand castle. Repulsed by the disgusting creature before him, the vile prince rejected her, refusing to share his home with one so hideous as she.

Before the prince's eyes, the old, rugged woman glowed and glistened, transforming into a beautiful young enchantress before him. He begged and pleaded for forgiveness, having not known she truly was beautiful. But his pleas feel on deaf ears, for the enchantress had already decided his punishment for his lack of compassion to all he deemed ugly. She placed a curse on the young prince, and changed him from the beautiful man he was to a hideous beast. If he could not find someone to love, and gain their love in return, before the last petal of the enchanted rose fell, then the prince would forever remain in the hideous form of the beast.

"And the Beast still lives in that castle, scaring away all who come near him and his home! Some say he comes to the town at night, looking into the windows of young girls to see who he could take to break the curse!"

A laugh followed, filled with amusement and accompanied by the clacking of dishes as a young man cleared the dirtied breakfast plates from the table. The faint smell of eggs filled the light air of the small home, and the soft rays of the morning sun brought it to life with a cozy glow. Just outside the open window the sounds of the town could be heard: shoes on cobblestone, rolling of carts, and the laughter of children playing through the streets. It was a peaceful and calming morning, and had his father not chosen today to leave for his trip, Alfred may have enjoyed it.

"Papa," He started, cleaning off the dishes as his father stood from the table, licking his lips and rubbing his belly as he always did after a nice meal, "Are you telling me this to warn me? Is the Beast going to snatch you away? I doubt he'd mistake you for a pretty young girl."

His father took the quilt draped on the back of the seat, placing it over his head and flipping it over his shoulder as though they were shimmering locks of hair, "He may very well, I'd say I'm rather beautiful!"

They both laughed at that, and the blanket was refolded and put over the chair once again. When the dishes were cleared and put away in their places again, the two grabbed the bags and trucks by the door, hauling them out to the carriage just in front of their home. The Z-Wapper was hitched carefully to the back, and the tools were nustled in right beside it.

His father was to set out to the west and sell his latest invention, a machine that could cut logs, brew tea, and open letters all in a matter of moments. Alfred hadn't any idea why those things needed to be done at the same time, but when he saw the contraption work for the first time, he found he didn't much care. He had faith in his father, and looked up to him more then any other, despite the people of the town scolding the inventor for his oddity and strange creations. People tended to shun what they couldn't understand, but Alfred knew it would only be a matter of time before they realized his father's true greatness.

When his father was all saddled into the mare attached to the carriage, Alfred came to his side, handing him the satchel of food he'd prepared before breakfast. His father smiled that special smile reserved only for his son and took the pouch, ruffling Alfred's hair with a warm affection.

"Hurry back, Papa." Alfred said, smiling up to him, though his eyes held a faint sadness. His father was his world, his only reason to wake in the morning and sleep another night. Since his mother died, they had only eachother, but that was enough. The two were inseparable, and Alfred found his happiness in the loving arms of his dear father. He hated these times the most: when he'd have to go away. Despite his disliking for them, Alfred knew they were necessary to provide for themselves, and made sure not to complain too much.

His father fastened the satchel at his side and looked back down at Alfred, his lips quirked in a teasing manner, "Don't you worry Alfred, I'll be back soon enough. No beast is going to get you just yet!"

Alfred only laughed, stepping away as his father took the horse's reigns in his hands, "Believe me, Papa, there won't be any Beast wanting me anytime soon."

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