The Leopard's True Love

The Leapard's True Love

The family of four lived a rather ordinary life. A father who didn't understand his three daughters, three daughters who are each had their own dream. The eldest wished to marry the richest man in the world. The second wish to marry the strongest man in the world. The youngest, she wanted nothing more than true love.

One day an elderly woman came by and knocked on the door, out of the kindness of their hearts they let her in and fed her. She promised that any one wish, she would grant to each daughter. But at a price. They all revealed their dreams. And they all went off in search of a happy marriage.

The eldest daughter's wedding was magnificent, with gold and gems lining the walls and adorning her features. Soon enough she forgot the old lady. She forgot she had to pay the price for what she asked for. They lived happily and she bore twins. The twins were rambunctious and soon they grew. When the twins were each one the old woman came by for a visit. Their mother instantly paled she had heard the stories of witches and she feared the story of Rumpelstiltskin the most. The witch asked her for one thing and one thing only to give her either her son or her daughter. The mother wept. Desperate she asked if there was any way she could keep both her children. And the witch answered her, "Why you only must tell me my name."

"Rumpelstiltskin," she blurted out desperate for the fairytale to be true. The witch cackled and laughed and gave her a time limit, the same one from the fairytale, three days. And the mother never guessed her name correctly, so she gave up her daughter.

The second daughter married the strongest knight of the kingdom. She met him not long after her older sister's marriage. And yet she was unable to bear children, no matter her efforts there was never a child. She was grateful for that once she found out that her sister's daughter had been taken by the witch. She thought she was safe from paying the price. However, just as she finished her sigh of relief the witch knocked on her door. "Play with me a game and a prize I shall give, losing six swans will all you have left," the witch offered "Six years, six shirts. No words from your mouth and a child you'll bear, break the promise and a swan you shall be."

With a nod of her head the second daughter agreed, her marriage fell apart but all she did was sew. Six perfect shirts, six silent years. The witch came and congratulated her, now all she had to do was go to her husband, and after just one night she would be with a child. She wept with joy, she ran to her husband and explained everything and he took her in his arms and in one night, that night, they came to have a child.

The youngest sister watched the misery of her elders and wondered what price she would pay and why she never received her reward. Unlike her sisters who grew older and older, their children aging into adulthood, the youngest sister stayed as the day she met the witch. She cried tears of pain and sorrow as her father passed, then her first sister, and then the other sister. Accused of being a witch herself, she ran into the woods. She followed a path and came upon a rather odd-looking hut. Not fearing, for she cared not for her life, she went inside without a knock. There she saw a strange-looking animal, covered in irregular black spots its fur as white as snow and long as her fingers. She sat in the rocking chair beside the strange animal and began to regale a tale.

It was a tale of beauty and the beast, she simplified it making it more romantic than she had heard it. There were no jealous sisters and the beast never seemed to want to kill her nor her father at all. Instead, the beast had a rose, and every night with that rose he would propose to Beauty. Just like how the tale had been written the daughter told of Beauty's father falling ill and Beauty going to visit him, she stayed just three days late, and then Beauty returned to the Beast as he was ill and in need of her help. She agreed to marry him at long last and he turned into a beautiful prince. She cried after telling the story, not because she's been hoping for a fairytale ending like Beauty but because she always feared what would happen when she was put into marriage and she had to face her husbands dangerous or ugly side.

When the daughter had fallen asleep, in her tossing and turning she woke the beast upon the floor. It marveled at the defenseless girl sleeping in its chair. The beast was so fascinated that he went out to collect berries from the forest. Leaving them in a basket at her feet he returned to his sleeping position and continued his restful nap. The daughter was beyond happy with receiving the gift of berries. With purity in her heart, she thanked the gift of the berries and consumed them. As red as blood, they tasted as divine as anything she'd ever eaten. The coals in the fire had burned out no spark of yellow and white left to be seen. The room was black as night the moment the sun fell below the horizon.

The third daughter remained in the hut for many days, feeling no compulsion to leave when all the beast did was sleep at the foot of the hearth. The beast enjoyed the company that had been gifted to him, the loneliness he felt before having disappeared. One day for the first time the beast stayed up and waited for the girl to awaken. At the sight of his glowing yellow eyes, she screamed. She ran from the hut, afeared for her life, she dashed into the forest haphazardly. The beast followed, keeping a safe distance from her. He wards off any predators that might attack her and even redirected her away from the direction of the witch's house.

Eventually, they returned to the hut, and the girl sat in the chair and sobbed. Ever since that fateful day when they let the witch into their house, nothing had gone right. The beast slowly approached her and comforted her as best he could. Feeling the soft silk of his fur for the first time the girl calmed down.

"If only you had been my true love, my vain search of endless years could've ended and I could've been at peace," the girl mumbled.

Without skipping a beat the beast responded, "True love is maybe not what you think it is. Never have I been as happy as the days when you have spent your time in my home. Your companionship has brought me more happiness than I could've imagined."

The girl smiled, and looking past the exterior of the beast she saw the kindest eyes, "Yes, I think being here with you would be a peaceful way to spend my days."

The next morning the witch came knocking upon the door. "What price will you pay for your love my dear?" The girl was mortified, she had no children to give, and no children to want. Whatever could she pay the witch with? She mournfully let the witch inside and told the witch she had nothing to offer. She had already lost her family and she had already found despair in the years with no end in sight. Only now she had found companionship had she found something she needed and wanted.

"Clever girl, let's play a game, you marry that beast and a prince he will become, but another price you will pay."

The girl mournfully regretted letting the witch in once more. Eventually, she decided that she would allow the beast to decide their fate. The beast told her he was already happy enough and that he needed no more. With a smile, the girl agreed and sent the witch along on her way. The two lived out their days happily ever after.