Evermore [The Beast/The Prince x Reader]

prologue

Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France, a handsome Prince lived in a beautiful castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind.

"Master, it's time."

He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects -

"Oui, maître."

- and his parties with the most beautiful people.

A young French woman entered the ballroom. An old friend of the Prince, and an admired woman of the castle. She had polished and beautiful figure, and a face that shamed every rose in existence. She walked with an elegance that belonged only to a princess, yet she had no such title.

She hoisted her cream colored gown up to her ankles as she lifted herself onto the step that her friend stood upon. Her feathery ballgown brushed across the floor as she smoothed down the skirt.

"Good evening, Prince."

"Bonjour, ____. You look lovely."

"As do you. Of course, I could go years without saying so, and you would still believe it."

"But of course!" he said playfully, and more obvious, a tad flirtatiously.

She rolled her eyes at her friend. He smirked and proudly adjusted his well tailored, blue suit jacket on his shoulders. He admired the dancers with a gleam of pride in his sapphire eyes.

"Plan on joining the ladies, mademoiselle?"

"Perhaps," she replied. "I do think it is fair to give these girls a chance, don't you? I put them to utter shame."

The Prince chuckled. "Oh... you are mischievous," he remarked. His eyes crinkled with laughter. Dust from his blue makeup fluttered on the shoulders of his suit. "Go on, my dear. Join them."

"I will," she said.

She lifted her skirt again. With an elegance all her own, she spun to face the Prince and gave him a smirk that mirrored his own. She stepped backwards into the mix of dancing women and spun herself into their movements immediately.

"Oh, how divine,

Glamor, music, and magic combine,

See the maidens anxious to shine,

Look for a sign that enhances, chances

She'll be his special one-"

She felt his eyes on hers, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of looking back. She smiled to herself as her wrist touched the gloved hand of a blonde woman.

He moved about to find her, his crystal eyes eager to see her limbs gracefully moving, her waist perfectly turning, her face beautifully flushed with scarlet. He walked around his beautiful dancers. While they were gorgeous, they were not her.

"What a display!

What a breathtaking, thrilling array,

Every prince, every dog has his day,

And I'll sing with passion, gusto, fit to bust,

Oh, not a care in the world!"

At long last, his eyes fell on her. His mouth nearly gasped as he watched her skip in time with the song. Her feet were light and her eyes shut, and she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

She opened her eyes and saw him, too. She gave him a wink. He pushed his way through the girls, still giving each one his attention with his hands as he spun them to their next partner. He was coming towards her.

As he held out a white gloved hand, she pulled back. He growled under his breath as she placed one pearlescent slipper out of the arrangement of dancers. She slipped out with a giggle, and began to leave the ballroom at once.

He watched her in disbelief. She turned her head and waved him, as if to say, follow me. He began to. He would follow her anywhere.

Then one night, an unexpected intruder arrived to 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 appearances... For beauty is found within. 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 that there was no love in his heart.

As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.​

As day 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.​

However, one girl remained. She had been untouched by the spell, having escaped to the beautiful gardens of the castle, where she waited for her prince to meet her by the blooming rose bushes. As she waited, she saw the rain turn to snow and the sky grow bleak. There was a thudding across the castle grounds, and then the color of the castle seemed to fade into a dark grey.

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 remain a beast for all time.​

As the years passed, he felt into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?