In a land of myth and a time of magic a handsome prince was cursed to live as a hideous beast when an old woman knocked on the large wooden doors of his castle. She asked for shelter, just to stay in the castle until the rainstorm passed and she promised she would be on her way. She offered him a single rose of the deepest red as a gift. The prince, disgusted by the appearance of the old woman and her meager gift, swiftly and with a voice full of power told her that he would never allow her to stay and to seek shelter elsewhere. The old woman then told the young prince not to be deceived by appearances, as beauty is discovered within. At this moment, a golden glow surrounded the old woman and when it faded away a beautiful enchantress took her place. Although the prince tried to apologize, the enchantress was already placing a curse on the prince and all who lived there; she knew his heart was cloaked in shadow. He had only a handheld mirror as a window to the world outside, and the rose the enchantress had offered him was of magic, blooming to his 21st year. If he could learn to love another and have another love him by the time the final petal fell, the curse would be broken. If not, the prince would be doomed to remain in the form of a beast forever.
As the months went by he fell into despair and lost any hope he had had.
For who could ever manage to shed light on his dark heart and love a beast?
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The Boy and the Beast: A Merthur Beauty and the Beast AU
FanfictionThis story combines Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the romantic relationship between Merlin and Arthur from the BBC series Merlin. What if Arthur was the prince who was cursed to be a beast? And what if Merlin, the average, "small village" boy, w...
