Steel Roses

~Epilogue~ An Uncollected Tale of Beauty and The Beast

Beldon sat on one of the benches in the rose garden, roses and snow surrounding him. He wasn't wearing a cloak and his shirt was thin, but he didn't feel any cold. Beside him sat a woman, her entire body a shining golden light, silhouetting her. A wind that Beldon could not feel tugged at her flowing hair and dress and slips of light were pulled loose from the ends and drawn away, fading into rose petals that blew into the distance.

"Isn't he foolish?" The Southern Wind asked, her tone revealing an easy smile. She was looking ahead and Beldon looked in the same direction.

A figure stood with his back to them, just out of earshot, a cloak around his shoulders, his silver-blonde hair blowing in the same unfelt winds.

"He was cursed because he did not understand the meaning of love. All that mattered to him was the face of his partner - one just needed to be pretty to look at for the night. He thinks of course that he was cursed for the rejection of my daughter and, while that did enrage my husband, that is not the main reason for his curse." The Southern Wind laughed. "The North Wind can be quite the romantic really - and love is precious and rare."

"When you gave him the chance to reverse the curse, did you intend for Beauty to be a woman?" Beldon asked, looking at the goddess he sat beside.

"Oh no," she replied, "Not at all. While it is true that it could have been a woman - love is blind after all - I knew it would not be. Luka does not possess the ability to love a woman in that way - much as yourself. No, all he had to do was fall in love and be loved in return... I may not have mentioned that fact however, so he was tormented for decades believing he could only change by loving the gender he had jilted - imagine the agony he felt when you arrived and he fell in love at first sight."

Beldon looked back to the figure as he carefully pulled a rose free and was quite for a moment.

"What about the mirror?" he asked, "That mirror always showed him Rosalia."

They both looked at the mirror that appeared beside them, intact again.

"It shows both truth and desire," The Southern Wind said softly, touching the mirror. The blue shattered and revealed an image of Rosalia. "It showed what he desired - what he believed he needed to break the curse - it showed him a woman - one who looked as close as possible to what he really wished for."

The image shifted to show that painting of Beldon in his riding gear.

"And it also showed him the truth, it showed him Beauty. It was right there but he confused truth and desire. Did you not notice that whenever Rosalia appeared, your image was also there in some respect?"

Beldon looked at the reflection for a moment, then almost laughed. "So simple, and yet not."

"Ah but that is the way of fairytales," The Southern Wind said softly, watching the mirror as it slowly faded away.

They sat in silence for a long moment, watching as snow started to fall.

"Beldon, you have understood our agreement, yes?"

"I have, as I have told you before," Beldon said, looking at her. "In exchange for the life of The Beast, I am now yours."

"You needn't make it sound so dramatic, my dear. However, as you are well aware, the life you have chosen means your life will ne'er be normal. There will always be struggle; you will have you live by the rules of Tales and be my eyes and ears and voice and hands when it is necessary."

"I do understand," Beldon said, "I'm not afraid of a life that is not normal. I do not fear serving you in return for a life with him. As payment, it seems small."