𝐀 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

'Once upon a time in the hidden heart of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind. He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects and his parties with the most beautiful people'
Leta, a poor young girl, lived in the nearby village. It seemed that by social
standards her beauty had invited her to one of the Royal parties held by the prince As she entered the castle, she was led to the ballroom. Once inside Leta looked around with no expression on her face. She didn't exactly want to be at the party, but her father told her to get out more.

Plumette, a maid in the castle, noticed the young girl standing around. She could see the discomfort in the girl's posture. Surely she could tell that the young girl must have been miserable not knowing what to do "Will you excuse me for a moment?" Plumette lightly asked her lover, Lumière "Of course my love" Lumière responded. Plumette then walked over to the girl. She tried not to make it obvious that she was
walking over to the girl and Plumette surely didn't want to scare her. Reaching her destination, Plumette stood beside the young "Are you alright my dear? You seem very uncomfortable" Plumette asked in a sweet and soft voice "I'm alright, thank you" Leta responded, but she continued "I'm just not used to
parties like this" "Is this your first time?" Plumette asked "Yes" Leta answered. There was a silence between the two, but Angelica seemed more comfortable with someone beside her "May I ask of your name?" Plumette turned towards the girl "Leta, my name is Leta" The brunette looked at the woman beside her "It is lovely to meet you Leta. My name is Plumette and I am a servant to the castle" Plumette told Leta "It is lovely to meet you as well" Leta smiled "We mustn't stand here any longer. Follow me" Plumette said, grabbing Leta's hand and slightly pulling her. Leta moved as fast as her feet could go in order not to fall. Plumette held a tight grip on the girl as the two maneuvered through the people. Reaching their destination, the music stopped. The two girls were now beside the rest of the staff. Everyone stood in silence as the prince entered the ballroom. Everyone bowed and curtsied, except for Leta. She seemed to take notice of everyone else and curtsied towards the prince. The prince noticed the girl. He had never seen her before. Her light brown hair made her white gown pop more. She was truly stunning in the prince's eye and wished he had seen her before. Leta noticed the man staring in front of her and lightly smiled. She could see the
lines of his face through the powder that was applied all over. Leta wished that she could see his true face rather than the one caked in powder and eye shadow. Everyone remained silent, surely seeing the quiet exchange of looks between the prince and Leta "Ehem. Sire, the party" Cogsworth reminded the young man. The prince snapped his attention from Leta, making note to find her later on in the evening. He then looked at all the people around him and motioned for the party to start. Leta stood beside Plumette and watched everyone dance. Sure her father taught her to dance, but she was never one to do it in public "Mademoiselle, are you not going to dance?" Lumière asked the girl he had seen Plumette talking to earlier "No thank you. I'm not one looking to embarrass myself" Leta told him. She was already made fun of in the village because she actually had a brain unlike the rest of them "You should go enjoy yourself. I noticed the prince kept his gaze on you for quite a while" Lumière told the girl "I say he was mesmerized and forgot everything that was going on around him. Go, dance" Plumette suggested "No. I mustn't. I will make a fool of myself" Leta insisted "If anyone is making a fool of themselves, it is those women searching for the prince's attention" Lumière added to the insisting that was going on "Please Leta. I did not just bring you over here to chat. We are simply boring, the party is out there" Plumette motioned to the numerous women dancing "One dance and that's it" Leta promised. Both Lumière and Plumette smiled as they watched Leta enter into the crowd "It
seems you have made friends with one hardheaded girl" Lumière joked "And you want to pit that fight with me on hardheaded friends" Plumette told him,
looking right at Cogsworth "You are not wrong" Lumière told her, embracing Plumette in a simple kiss. Meanwhile on the floor, Leta was rushed into the sea of people. Getting used to the rhythm, she danced along to Madame de Garderobe's beautiful opera voice. Leta could feel someone's eyes staring at her and she knew it was the prince.
As they switched partners, the prince made it his mission to reach Leta. Never before had he been so caught up by a woman. Once she was close enough, the prince reached Leta and danced with her "It seems you are a hard woman to catch" The prince told her "Does this beautiful princess have a name?" "She does. It's Leta and I am no princess. Does the prince have a
name?" Leta asked. The close proximity between the two was comfortable for the both of them "He does. Theseus" Prince Theseus told the girl "Well Theseus, I may say this is some party" Leta mentioned "It sure is. But I couldn't help but notice that you were with the staff. How could you possibly end up over there?" Theseus had nothing against his staff, but it was strange to see someone with them "Plumette brought me over. She's very nice. I guess I was uncomfortable at first, so she brought me over" Leta responded "And are you now comfortable?" Theseus smiled at Leta "Most definitely" Leta responded with the same smile.
'Then one night, an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter storm. As a gift, she offered the prince a single rose'
Everyone in the ballroom had stopped. In fear of what happened, Leta stood behind Theseus. She wrapped her hands tightly around him and hid her face in his back.
"Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince turned the woman away. But she warned him to not be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within'
"Please Theseus. Just let her stay and this can all be forgotten about. We can continue. Please just let her stay" Leta begged.
'When he dismissed her again, the old woman's outer appearance melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late. For she had seen there was no love in his heart'
Plumette ran over to her friend and dragged her away from the prince. She knew that whatever was going to become of Theseus would only frighten Leta more.
'As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful curse on the castle and all who lived there'
Running as fast as she could, Leta exited the castle. She couldn't believe here eyes. Never once had she believed in magic, but she always wished it was. Now knowing it was real, she wished it wasn't used for evil and harm. For Leta had a gentle soul that the villagers had never seen. They were too caught up in the fact that she was different from them.
'As days bled into years, the prince and his servants were forgotten by the world. For the enchantress had erased all memory of them from the minds of the people they loved'
Leta forgot everything. She had no memory of the castle, the
party, Plumette or Lumière. Not even a single memory of the prince.
'With the rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken'
When dancing with Leta at the party, he really wanted her to be the one. Ghe one that would change him for the better. She had the heart of an angel that could save him from the darkness. But not she was gone and he thought he would never see her again.
'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?'