"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. But then, 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. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And 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 that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed 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 was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain 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?" Beauty And the Beast
No, she didn't want to do that. It was a moment of anger, that she didn't use her rationality. She was sorry that she used magic to try to change someone else. Yet somehow this was good, ending in "Happily Ever After."
Now she just wanted to disappear for a while, in her mind from one day to the next she went from being Circe, the sister of the three witches to becoming the Enchantress. Would that be her legacy? A witch?
For all, she would be remembered as the mysterious
figure who initiated the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.
For the time being it was good to be like this. For the time being, it was fine.
(...)
He was no longer a beast, he was now a man again, but not the one with the supreme ego. Adam walked around the castle happy that things were back on track. No more men as chandeliers or children as cups. Everything was normal.
"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
The future resident of the castle asked.
With a few days left before moving into the castle, Belle was used to breaking into her future husband's room and scaring him.
"No big deal." He chuckled half-heartedly at her. He knew he could tell Belle anything. "Just this here I received earlier. He explained it showed a letter. " It's from Phillip and Florian, they are kings of kingdoms near here.
"I get it, and what does it say?"
"Now that most of the kingdoms already know about the curse and the wedding is approaching, they want to see me, that's all."
"And a conversation with friends you haven't seen in years has left you like this?"
She knew him well enough now to know he was worried.
"It's not that, it's that it's not a conversation between friends. It's about a diplomatic meeting."
It could be a beast or a man. I knew that nothing was by coincidence.
(...)
"A union between kingdoms?"
Adam was at the scheduled meeting. It wasn't just Phillip and Florian; it was all the kings. Eric, Arthur, Frederic, and others he didn't even know existed. The subject shocked Adam. They wanted a new king and a new province that would rule all the others.
"The idea is that we will be linked kingdoms, through a single reign. We will take care of our states, but that government that will be responsible for the main problems."
Charmed said excitedly. However, the former Beast still didn't know if she liked that idea.
"I understand, why do you guys want me and Belle to be the rulers of this?"
"We thought that before the curse your kingdom was the most prosperous."
King Stefan clarified to them.
"Besides, here was the only place not affected by magic."
Frederic, Rapunzel's father clarified. Before Belle scoffed, since, Adam and the entire castle had been cursed, she reminded them that, there really were kingdoms that suffered greatly from the attack of evil fairies, witches, and things that were certainly far worse than spending time as a talking clock.
Belle and Adam looked at each other to see if they both agreed with that.
"Fine, but we will not be bossed around by you and neither will we do this to you. All decisions must be mutually agreed upon."
Belle said knowing her husband agreed
"We will create a council."
Someone said.
"Rules, which we will create together."
"All right, we agree. A new kingdom."
(...)
The wedding really was a great celebration. Exaggerated perhaps, but it seemed that he would be king of the future greatest kingdom, so extravagant parties were acceptable. What I'm sure neither he nor Belle liked was canceling the ill-fated moon to have to resolve pending matters that could surely wait, for fifteen days at the least.
"The council is formed." Eric started the conversation. "Initially we think it will be difficult to be here fully, so we will elect representatives from our kingdoms to be here." Ariel's husband handed him a list of all the representatives from the kingdoms.
"Okay, fine."
Adam agreed, still wondering if this couldn't have waited for a few days.
"Now, Adam we have to talk about something very important." Aurora has taken the floor. "Our kingdoms have been during affected. Maleficent has left traces in Auroria, which probably can't be solved with just a new castle. We want her to pay for that."
"But, isn't she dead?"
Belle asked her "friend"
"Yes, but I don't think that's enough to pay for everything that woman has done."
Merryweather said scaring Adam, who had not seen her there until then.
"And what do you suggest?"
"Resurrect them and make them pay for their crimes in life."
Fairy Godmother said, still doubtful whether that was really an adequate solution.
"Fine, but they are not normal criminals, as far as I know, most of them have magic."
Adam was feeling like a teenager thrown to the vultures.
"The best punishment, is to take their magic away." Snow White suggested. "They don't know how to live without it."
"Like a magical prison?"
Belle asked, wondering if it was really necessary to resurrect Gaston.
" Fairy Godmother suggested imprisoning them in a sort of dome that would prevent the use of magic."
Cinderella added.
"And where would that be?"
Belle questioned, fearful of the plan
"In Maleficent's old castle." Flora explained. " It is island-like there and it is away from us."
"Okay, if that's what they want." Adam and Belle would be a null vote, The best seemed to be to agree. "Make prison on an Island."
(...)
Two years later
Rebuilding a new kingdom was proving more difficult than at first imagined. A new and extensive rule book was created. Adam or any of his highnesses who came would be subject to it. Sometimes the king wondered if this was not just a strategy to control him.
A new capital was also made. Auradon. Fairy Godmother had more work than everyone else. Belle would say that she was the one who should rule.
There was only one thing that Adam and Belle had interfered with. They requested, that magic be controlled. In this new world, their only request was that magic be dispensable, they didn't want to depend on it again. Thinking rationally all the problems initially were caused by it, so why keep something that would inevitably create problems?
A museum, a library and a warehouse, all created to catalyze the magic of magical beings. However, not everyone agreed with this.
"Madam, you can't come in here like this."
Cogsworth tried to say, as a woman possessed by rage entered the palace and flew towards the king.
This angry creature was none other than Circe the Enchantress. After two years of rest, isolated from everyone, she was pleasantly surprised when she discovered everything that was currently going on. And the biggest reason for her anger was the extinction of magic.
She didn't mind if kingdoms united, and even though she thought it was too evil to lock people up on an island in the middle of the ocean, she didn't interfere, but wanting to take magic away from the beings that need it was too much for her. Her anger only worsened when she discovered that the man responsible for this was the same man, she had turned into a beast some years ago.
"Adam."
She said softly, slamming the bedroom doors as hard as she could.
"Circe."
When his eyes left some bureaucratic papers and went to the woman, he felt a terrible chill run down his spine.
The last time he had seen her he had spent twenty-one years locked up in a castle, and her face was currently not friendly.
"Are you king now?"
She asked. Circe was not a bad woman; however, it was difficult to keep calm in this world.
" Yes, any problems?"
He asked calmly, wishing very much he could call security.
"You arrested people who were already dead on an island in the middle of nowhere?"
"It wasn't my idea Circe, the council people already had that in mind."
Without her noticing he pressed the button next to the table, which called for guards.
"So, you deny that you didn't like seeing Gaston locked up and suffering?" Lying to a witch was not a smart choice. His face already gave away that he was not being sincere. "That's what I thought. Has all that time taught you nothing?" Before she could continue speaking two guards came toward her, grabbing her by the arm. "Are you going to arrest me? Really?"
"Get her out of here, preferably take her to Island."
He ordered the guards, while returning to sit at his desk and do his job.
Suddenly all the remaining patience he had in her ran out. She made the small handcuffs melt off her wrist. And like a flashback the king saw Enchantress glow her whole body and levitate in the air. She was going to play out another one of her prophecies.
Adam would regret it, because her words in one way or another always came true...