The Many Adventures of the Avengers and Friends

💛✨Tale as Old as Time (Part 1)

A/N

Based on the 1991 version :3

***

Once upon a time, in a faraway 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, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single blue 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 prince concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic cube as his only window to the outside world. The blue rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st 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?

***

It was early morning with the sun just having risen in the sky. From the little cottage on the near outskirts of the village, a young woman emerged from the front door. She wore a blue dress with a white apron on top with her reddish-brown hair tied up in a ponytail out of her face. She carried a small basket on her arm with a smile on her face as she crossed the small bridge that separated her home from the town.

"Little town, it’s a quiet village. Every day, like the one before. Little town, full of little people waking up to say…" the young woman, Olivia was her name, thought aloud.

"Bonjour!" One woman said, poking her head out from the window.

"Bonjour!" Another person greeted, followed by more and more people greeting the day with sunny dispositions.

"Bonjour!"

"Bonjour"

"Bonjour!"

"There goes the baker with his tray like always. The same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town."

"Good morning, Olivia!" The baker greeted from the front of his shop.

"Morning, monsieur!" Olivia greeted.

"Where are you off to?"

"The bookshop! I just finished the most wonderful story, about a beanstalk and an ogre and…"

"That's nice." The baker cut her off, not really interested in the details. Olivia shrugged it off an continued on her way. "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"

"Look there she goes, that girl is strange, no question. Dazed and distracted, can’t you tell?" The people seemed to whisper as Olivia went about her day.

"Never part of any crowd."

"Because her head's up on some cloud."

"No denying she's a funny girl, that Olivia."