Prologue

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 rose
In return for shelter from the bitter cold
Repulsed by her haggard appearance
The prince sneered the gift
And turned the old woman away
But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances
For beauty was found within
And when he dismissed her again
The old woman's ugliness melted away.

To reveal a beautiful enchantress
The prince tried to apologise 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 their 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?