Beau and the Beast

Chapter 7: Dying

Beau quickly put the ring on his bedside table. A cloud of swirling smoke surrounded him. The next instant, he vanished.

Beau was back in the garden. The Beast was lying under the rose bush, just as in his dream.

"Oh no! Beast?" whispered Beau, kneeling down beside her.
The Beast struggled to open her eyes. "Is that you Beau?" she asked. "I'm dying."

"No!" cried Beau, horrified. "Why? What happened?" He stroked her velvety face and kissed her. "You can't die! Please, Beast. I love you. Don't die."

There was a blinding flash and a deafening bang.
The Beast disappeared. A second later, there was another, brighter flash and an even louder bang.

Kneeling before him was a beautiful princess.
"You were in my dream... and in the painting!" cried Beau.

"Who are you? What happened to my Beast?" he asked. His mind was spinning.
The Princess smiled. "I am your Beast."

"Many years ago," she explained, "an angry fairy turned me into a Beast because I refused to marry him. Only the love of a handsome boy could make me human again."
"But why were you dying?" asked Beau.

"The fairy said if I loved a boy who did not love me, I would die of a broken heart," the Princess replied.
"You don't need to be afraid," said Beau. "I do love you."

Beau and the Princess were married the next day, in a church filled with roses.
Beau's brothers left early in bad tempers. "Why does he get to marry a princess? It's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair," said a tiny voice. It was the fairy who had cursed the princess.

"Your brother broke my spell," he said, "but at least I can give you exactly what you deserve."
"What?" yelped the brothers.
"As you have hearts of stone," the fairy declared, waving his wand, "that's what you'll be... forever!"

Then, feeling much better, he flew off to steal some wedding cake.

—The End—