If I Can't Love Him

Prologe

Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
A young Duke lived in a shining castle.
Although he had everything his heart desired,
The Duke was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.
But then, one winter's night,
A deformed beggar came to the castle
And offered him a single blue rose In return for shelter from the bitter cold.
Repulsed by his haggard appearance,
The Duke sneered at the gift,
And turned the strange Man away.
But he warned him not to be deceived by appearances,
For Beauty is found within.
And when he dismissed him again,
The man's ugliness melted away
To reveal a handsome sorcerer.
The Duke tried to apologize, but it was too late,
For he had seen that there was no love in his heart.
And as punishment,
He 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 he had offered,
Was truly an enchanted rose,
Which would bloom until his thirty-first year.
If he could learn to love another,
And earn his 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?