Once upon a time, there was a grand castle that housed a young prince. But despite having the grandest things he still demanded more. Then, one night, in the dead of winter, a traveling man had arrived in the castle asking for shelter from a snow storm. In exchange, the traveler offered a majestic staff to the prince. The prince was repulsed by the traveler's appearance. For he was mostly metal on the right side of his body. But the traveler warns him not to be deceived. For there is more to a person then what lies on the outside. The prince disregards his warnings and turns him away.
That is when the traveler sheds away his form to reveal a powerful enchanter. The prince begs for forgiveness but it was too late. The enchanter saw that there was no love or sympathy in the prince's heart. To punish him, the enchanter transformed the prince into a horrible beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle and everyone in it.
The enchanter then erased the memories of all the nearby villages so that they would forget about the prince and the castle's residence. He then casted a barrier around the castle to shield it from view. But left a hidden opening, should one want to enter or leave. But the prince couldn't bring himself to leave because of his appearance and so isolated himself in his castle. Using a magic lamp left by the enchanter to see what is going on in the outside world.
Then there was the majestic staff, which would shine for another five years. If the prince could learn to love another, and earn their love in return before the staff completely rusts, then the spell would break. If not, then he would be cursed as a beast forever.
Four of those years have past leaving the prince despaired and with no hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?