The Beast's Story

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 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 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 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?
10 years pass before a young woman enters the Beast's enchanted world, the beautiful girl Belle who agrees to give up her life to save her aging father who the Beast had imprisoned for trespassing. However, the Prince has grown so wrapped in hopelessness by this time, that he treats Belle in the only way he knows, beastly. It is not until the Beast fights a pack of wolves to save Belle's life and she in turn looks after his wounds that a spark lights between the two. Small at first, it nevertheless awakens a feeling inside the Beast he's never felt before, love. As time passes, The Beast learns through Belle to be gentle, to play, to read, and most importantly, to love. But, though he has her friendship, the Beast knows that he doesn't have Belle's heart... It lies at home with her beloved father. Making the hardest, most unselfish decision of his life, the Beast lets Belle go, even though he knows to do so is to condemn himself for all eternity. As she leaves, he roars his deep inner anguish over his domain from his balcony window.
When Belle's unwanted suitor, Gaston, learns of the Beast, he is determined to destroy this "monster" who he clearly sees as compition for Belle's affections. He leads a mob in an attack on the Beast's enchanted home where he finds the Beast in a state of depressed hopelessness. Gaston viciously attacks him, taunting him emotionally with every physical blow. Through it all, the Beast seems to not even care, he has no reason to live anymore. That is, until he hears the voice of his beloved Belle calling to him from far below. With renewed energy to live, the Beast fights back and soon overpowers Gaston, dangling him high from the castle parapets. But, Belle's lessons echo in his mind, and the Beast realizes the to kill Gaston would make him no better than his enemy. The treacherous Gaston manages to attack the Beast one last time, stabbing him violently before losing his balance and falling 100s of feet into the ravine below.
A grief stricken Belle whispers "I Love You" to the dying Beast just as the last rose petal falls and with those words the enchantment broken! The Beast is freed from his curse, becoming a human again, only a much kinder one, one who knows how to love. Together, he and Belle live happily ever after.