(On Hold) The Tale Of Beauty And Her Beast (gxg)

Prologue

In a kingdom not so far from you or I, there was a princess, fierce and strong, preparing herself for the one task she was raised to fulfil; for when the time finally came, she would rule, bringing her kingdom into the most prosperous reign they had seen in eons!

At the age of 17, she was already by far the greatest swordsperson in the land, flawlessly evading blows, countering attacks and defeating every opponent she had been faced with. She had the features of a goddess: well defined hips; average sized, yet full breasts; luscious silky black locks of hair, framing her soft yet perfectly sculpted face, her skin clear of any blemishes; and the greenest eyes one could ever imagine with flecks of pure gold colouring making her more like royalty, as if it wasn’t already obvious! She was truly the fairest in the land and all who saw her fell to their knees in an instant, completely at her mercy, knowing what a powerful, yet benevolent queen she would grow to be.

Disregarding her physical prowess, she also surpassed many in the intellectual field, sitting at a level of comprehension and understanding that one could only hope to achieve, even after decades of research and inconclusive theories. Able to speak, read and write perfectly in 2 languages by the age of 5, she was sure to be the wisest queen they had ever seen, and most revered for her brilliance.

But this ideal soon came crumbling to the ground, becoming nothing more than dust in the wind, when the more primitive creatures in the surrounding mountains and forests stormed the city, slaughtering men, women and children alike on a jealous rampage of the prosperity the kingdom had yet to extend to those beyond the walls. In the assault, no matter how valiantly she fought, the numbers were still against their favour, being at least 3 to 1.

Ducking to the left, parrying blow after blow, she tried to fight her way back to the palace, in an attempt to protect her people and fight valiantly for her kingdom, alongside her father, the king, whom she loved dearly. As she burst into the throne room, she came just in time to witness the lead brute approach her distracted father from behind, plunging the sword through his right shoulder blade, coming out just under the ribs on the opposite side of his body.

Frozen in shock at the sight before her, she watched the arrogant creature as he turned to the body, viewing his work as if it was a newly created masterpiece. Chuckling darkly, he watched as the king dropped to his knees in agony, his sticky blood staining the cream marble floors at an alarming rate. Sputtering, as blood erupted from his mouth in violent bursts, he glanced over to see his daughter flushed red in anger on his behalf.

Secretly pleading with his eyes for her not to go down this path, he tried to convey how much he believed in her and loved her with all his heart, but it was all for naught as she lost all sense of her surroundings beyond the soon to be murderer, standing before her. Yelling a ferocious cry of sadness and grief, pouring her whole soul into her next few steps, she lunged forward in a rage propelled offence, sinking her own sword deep into the brute’s body, before he even had time to react, in a much similar fashion to what he had done just mere moments before.

While her logical side knew he should have been kept for questioning, her emotional side took charge, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. Stepping back, she stared down with little humanity, admiring her kill proudly, only then remembering her father, who grew colder by the second, as the life force within him slowly slipped back to mother nature’s firm grasp. Dropping to his side, she grabbed his pale, bloody hand with her warm, clammy one, pleading for him to fight death’s inevitable grasp for her, for the kingdom which he had spent so long perfecting, and for the life they could have had together, if only he lived past that day. As he took his dying breath, he warned her how hate only begets hate and to be careful walking down that twisted path of darkness, but most importantly that he loved her and would always live on in the hearts of those who knew him.

Held tight in her fierce grip, she felt as the last ounce of strength in his body ceased, and he was surely dead, leaving her to rule alone with her grief and pain undoubtedly clouding her judgement. Screaming in frustration, she cursed all the gods above for letting this happen, projecting all her hurt into the air around her, as the atmosphere turned thick, hung heavy with darkness and sorrow. While the creatures might have gone, so were their loved ones, bringing down any chance of prosperity as a part of all those who survived also died that day, directing them towards an age of shadows and loneliness, in the kingdom with a queen but no king.

As the years past, the crowned queen never truly got passed what happened on that terrible night, carrying the once prosperous kingdom, full of love into a time of shadows and coldness. By now, only her closest and most loyal subjects had stayed, the others all having left in hope of a better future for them and their families.
For that reason entirely, it was that they were soon forgotten in the books of history, time turning around them as if they were never even there at all. This is why, on one fateful night, when a ragged old woman turned up to the doorstep of the palace, looking for a place to seek refuge from the storm, she was sorely mistaken.

Rudely dismissed by the withdrawn and self-centred queen, who held no sympathy for her at all, she curses the queen, who knew no love, to be bound to this castle, in a form, surely so unlovable, that the curse would never break. With this decreed, the creature known as the beast was born, for it was said that, “The one bound to the path of hatred and darkness shall forever roam these walls unable to leave or die, forced into a physical embodiment of their inner darkness, until they have broken free of this cycle of misery and found true love once more.”

Having punished the beast for her selfishness the witch, disguised as a harmless old woman, departed making it so the castle was completely covered in the thickest, harshest thorns and vines, ensuring the palace would remain undetected for centuries more, until the time was right for things to finally change...