Tale As Old As Time

Prologue

        Once upon a time in a far away land 

   A young prince lived in a shining castle

                Although he had everything his heart desired

             The prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind.

      But then one winter's night,

         and old beggar woman came to the castle

         and offered him a single rose

                 in return for shelter from the bitter cold.

                   Repulsed by her haggard appearance, 

                the prince sneered at the gift 

                  and turned the old woman away.

  But she warned him

            not to be deceived by appearances, 

 for beauty is found within.

                And when he dismissed her again,

           the old woman's ugliness melted away 

 to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, 

for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, 

 and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast

and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.

 Ashamed of his monstrous form, 

  the Beast concealed himself inside his castle

 with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. 

The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose,

  which would bloom until his twenty-first year.

  If he could learn to love another 

 and earn her love in return

by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. 

  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?  

           Everyone know the story of how the curse was broken by Belle? Then there's the Beast he learned how to be kind and gentle and learned to love because of Belle? The old adage true love conquers all? Well here's what happened after happily ever after, specifically 17 years worth at least while everyone is enjoying happily ever after there was one person who wasn't and he well let's say he's get his just desserts and his part in the story happens 17 years later as he too will have to learn to love another and earn their love in return for the spell to be broken and if not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. A new take on Tale as Old as Time reaching further into the story and learning that one can't truly judge a book by it's cover. Alas this story speaks of a new beauty and a new beast but the beast in question he's a familiar character indeed....