There was, a long time ago, a Tiny Kingdom by the name of Roisin. A King and his Queen ruled their people justly and fairly, and were able to create an abundance of resources for their people.
They had one son, of whom they were very proud of, both in the way he treated others, and how he studied to prepare for his own time to rule. When he was not studying, the young prince kept a beautiful and intricate garden. Prince Adam was especially fond of his Rose bushes, which he had planted in honor of what his country was named for. There were so many colors, not only red but yellow, pink, white, orange--any color he could find to bloom, and each was treated so delicately, there were none that withered. Roses in other parts of the country were said to be jealous of those in the palace under the prince's eye.
It was while he tended to his garden one afternoon when his parents told him of a tragedy in another kingdom. The kingdom of Helmi, nextdoor to their own, had lost their king, leaving his queen and daughter alone. His funeral was to be held within the coming week, and the royals of all neighboring kingdoms were asked to come and attend. And so, the family of three from Roisin left for the kingdom of Helmi.
Helmi was small, like Roisin, but a formidable country in her own right, with a great amount of wealth thanks to the abundance of gemstone mines. As the royals of each country arrived to the castle, they were led through the gates to an ornate couryard, and then to the back the castle, where their cemetary laid. Prince Adam, too small at this time to be able to see over the adults, stood by the back of the services. As he listened to the preist speak of life after death, he heard another sound that caught his attention; someone was crying.
It wasn't very loud--it could have easiliy been mistaken for birdsong--and someone crying wasn't at all a strange occurance at a funeral. But he could tell this was a child. Adam glanced behind him, where he heard the sound coming from; standing behind a tree was indeed a small girl, covering her face and, it seemed, trying not to make any noise.
Adam watched her a moment. She wore a dress patched poorly with rags, shoes that were torn and frayed, and a plain white ribbon tying her hair behind her in a braid. Her little shoulders shook only slightly as she cried.
Adam had brought, from his garden, a rose to put on the casket of the king, but the thought occured to him now, as he watched this girl overcome with greif, that she needed it, much more than the king would. He approached her with quiet steps, and then lightly tapped her shoulder. When he did, she started as though she had been struck, and began to say "I'm so sorry--" but she stoped when she saw it was only a boy, just her age. "Oh!" She wiped her face quickly, again saying "I'm so sorry for crying."
"Don't be!" Adam said quickly, "I'm not upset, I just wanted..." and then he looked at her closely; was this the princess?
Her hair was the darkest black he had every seen, with skin so white it could almost be a swan's feather--or snow, he thought. But, her clothes...what princess wore rags?
Regardless of who she was, she was clearly deeply hurting. Adam held out the rose, "I wanted to give you this," he said. Her eyes, a light, almost golden brown, widened, and Adam continued, "I think you need to have it."
She hesitated, and seemed to look around before taking in carefully in her hand. "Its a beautiful red rose," she said quietly. She looked a moment longer, then tried to hand it back to him, "You should give this to the Queen; its far to pretty for me."
Adam didn't know how she could say that, when she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, even in rags, and he shook his head. "I gave it to you. Its yours."
She delicately touched a petal, feeling its silk, then brought it to her nose and smelled it. Tears formed in her eyes again, and she whispered without opening her eyes "Thank you."
Adam looked back towards the people; the preist had finished speaking and people were beginning to walk away. The girl with the rose said, "You should find your family."
He nodded, and walked towards where he saw his father last. He was speaking to a woman with a crown on her head, the queen of Helmi, so he stood by his fathers side without saying anything. He looked up at the queen; people often spoke of her beauty, but in person he could see that there was a sharpness to her gaze that seemed like it could really cut someone; her chin angled up as she spoke to his father, as though she looked down on him. Her lips, though she smile, were as red as blood.
Adam turned one last time to see the girl he had spoken to, but she was nowhere to be found; however, the rose lay on the side of a well.
It had been months since the funeral, Adam had just turned 10 when his parents came to him and spoke of a voyage that they needed to take.
"What kind of voyage?" He said, "Where will we be going?"
"No, Adam," his father said, "You won't be coming with us." To his son's confusion, he added, "Your mother and I won't be gone for long, but there is something...urgent, that we need to see to."
Adam was not given much more information than that, and within the week his parents had left to sail across the sea. They hugged their son tightly before they left, and his mother had said, "Be careful while we're gone. Cogsworth will look after you, but you must promise not to wander from the castle."
"I promise."
His father added, "If strangers come knocking on the door..." Adam didn't notice the look his mother shot his father at this statement, but he continued, "Just...don't accept any visitors."
"I promise."
And those were the last words Adam spoke to his parents.
Weeks turned into months as he waited for them, or at least for some kind of word from them; a letter, a servant, anything. But there was nothing sent, not even news that they had been hurt. As time passed, he worried over this constantly; no matter how much he tried to ask Cogsworth, the man would say nothing about what he knew, if he knew anything at all.
There came a storm, more fierce than anything Adam had experienced before. He covered his roses to protect them from the wind, though he himself was soaked to the bone. Upon reentering his castle from the garden, Lumiere approached him and said quickly, "My Prince, there is someone at the door."
Adam's heart sped, "Who is it? Have they brought word of my parents?"
"It is only an old woman," Lumiere said, "She is seeking shelter in the storm."
Before Adam could respond, Cogsworth approached quickly, "Your Highness, we must send her away! We do not know this woman and--"
"Oh, Cogsworth, I am disappointed in you!" Lumiere shook his head, "As I said it is only an old woman--"
"And when the orders from our King say not to open the door to anyone, Lumiere I do believe that includes her!"
They began to argue, nothing that Adam wasn't used to after knowing them both for so long. He ignored them, and walked himself to the door, and opened it to find, just as Lumiere had described, an old peddler woman. In her hand, she held a rose.
Her face brightened when she saw the prince, "Prince Adam," Her voice sounded grainy, "I come seeking shelter, only for the night. I bring you a simple rose, for I hear you love them and care for them."
The rose she offered was colored pink. Even in the darkness, there seemed to be a sort of glow around its petals, though it could have been a trick of the candle light. It was beautiful, rivaling his own roses. He dared not to even touch it.
He looked into the woman's eyes, and in an instant his father's warning returned to his mind. There was something about this woman's eyes that unnerved Adam.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, "My castle can't give you any shelter tonight. There is a town just beyond the forest, I can have one of my men take you."
Her face hardened, "Please, your highness. I am only a poor old woman, I may not make it to town. I know I am a hag in appearance, but, you must know that beauty is found within."
"I cannot let you inside."
He turned to call for Cogsworth to get a guide for the hag, but she shouted: "NO!"
She pushed herself through the castle doors, knocking Adam to the ground, and she stood in the entryway and held the rose aloft. "A prince who turns away those in need, he is not a worthy prince of the people he leads!"
The rose's glow intensified, there was an oppresive heat that came from its glow, and Adam only could sheild his eyes from its brightness.
"You see me as a hag without seeing the beauty within me; you are nothing more than a beast!"
No, Adam thought, That isn't why!
But there was suddenly pain in his body; it started in his chest and spanned out across his whole body, to his arms, legs, and head.
"There is no beauty in you!" The hag continued, though her form was changing now; her wrinkles were disappearing, dress became made of silk; Adam could hardly focus on it all due to his pain. She continued in a voice that was now youthful, but full of hate "While this rose withers, until there is beauty to be found in you, until someone can love you despite your ugly appearance, and until you can show love to others, you will remain a beast forever!"
With the last word from her, she disappeared. The glowing, beautiful rose, fell to the ground. The pain in Adam's body stopped, and he reached for the rose, horrified to discover that the hand that reached for it was not his own, but that of a monster's. Hairy, with claws. As delicately as possibly, he picked up the rose in the monster's claws--no, they really were his, weren't they?
A/N: Thank you for reading!! This idea came to me kind of suddenly so I hope it isn't too rushed. I'll update with chapter two soon, please let me know what you think!