Birdie and the Beast

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince ruled a vast empire. Although he was "awesome" in every sense of the word, the prince was immature, arrogant, and narcissistic.

But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to his castle and offered him a cornflower in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Revolted by her unawesomeness, the prince scoffed at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty and power are found within.

When he laughed and dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress wielding a magical skillet. The prince quickly realized his mistake and tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that he had no love in his heart for anyone but himself. As punishment, she struck him with her skillet and transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.

The enchantress transported the castle far away and hid it in the midst of a dark forest. In the time to come, the prince's younger brother would rule the empire in his place.

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 cornflower she had offered was actually enchanted, and would bloom for many years. If he could learn to love another and be loved 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 something as unawesome as a beast?