Tale as Old as Time

Prologue

 Once upon a time, there lived a little boy who would one day grow up to rule a kingdom. He was selfish beyond compare, and arrogant as can be, never moving a finger to aid his people from the devastating famine that was spreading like wildfire across the land. But the people blamed his poor attitude on his father, an ignorant and deceitful man, and they loved the boy despite his many flaws.

As time passed the King and his wife went with it, and the young Prince counted down the days until his eighteenth birthday, the day he could claim his position on the throne. This new beginning gave the townspeople a hope that they had never known before, the Prince surely wasn't as awful as the passed King! He was conceited, yes, and maybe even a little ill-mannered, but the banquets he held for the people were surely all acts of benevolence, right?

For years the Prince had worked to change his greedy ways, and earned the love and affection his people had shown him. But as the days grew darker and the people became hungrier, the Prince's heart had begun to turn as cold as ice.

There was no escape from the terrible fate his father had set upon him.

And so as the clock struck midnight on his eighteenth name day, an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter storm.

As a gift, she offered the Prince a single rose.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince turned the woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearance, for beauty is found within.

When he dismissed her again, the old woman's outward appearance melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The Prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she cursed him into transforming into a hideous beast as night rolled around, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.

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.

But, 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. If not, he would be doomed to the curse for all of time.

Years passed, and loneliness set in. The Prince fell into despair and lost all hope... for who could ever learn to love a beast? 

Short intro but oh well. I'm really excited about this fanfic, it'll be similar to the original Beauty and the Beast story, but you'll notice a lot of things that are different, as I want this to be as unique as possible without straying from the actual story. Anyways, i hope you enjoy and are excited for the next chapter, which will hopefully be up within the next week or so. 

As always, please vote and leave a comment, would love to know what you think and your hopes for this story!