Step into a timeless tale of love, sacrifice, and transformation. This enchanting story – The Beauty and the Beast – follows a kind-hearted young woman named Beauty, her encounter with a fearsome Beast, and the unexpected bond that changes both their lives forever. Discover how true love has the power to break even the strongest curses and unlock the beauty within.
The Beauty and the Beast
Once upon a time, there was a wealthy merchant who lived with his three daughters. The eldest two were as vain as they were fussy. They were never satisfied with what they had, always demanding fancy new dresses, sparkling jewelry, and enough perfume to make a skunk faint.
But the youngest daughter, who everyone called Beauty, was the opposite. Beauty didn’t need jewels or fine clothes to be happy. Give her a good book and a sunny spot to read, and she was in heaven.
The merchant adored all his daughters, but secretly, Beauty was his favorite. She was kind, hardworking, and never complained—unlike her sisters, who thought chores were some kind of punishment invented to ruin their lives.
One day, the merchant got some terrible news. His ships, loaded with the valuable goods he was to sell, had sunk in a storm. He’d lost everything.
The family had to sell their fancy house in town and move to a little cottage in the countryside. But Beauty didn’t mind. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work tending the garden and milking the goats. Her sisters, on the other hand, spent most of their time whining and staring at themselves in the mirror.
Months passed, and just as the family began to get used to their situation, the merchant got a letter. One of his ships had survived!
“I must go to the city and see if I can sell the cargo,” the merchant told his daughters. “Perhaps we can return to our old life.”
The sisters immediately started listing all the things they wanted: silk dresses, diamond rings, and fancy hats. Beauty simply said, “Bring me a single rose, Father. That’s all I want.”
On his way home from the city, the merchant was caught in a terrible storm and had no choice but to shelter in an ominous-looking castle, covered in spiked turrets and gargoyles.
This castle was strange, to say the least. The looming wooden doors creaked open as if by magic at his approach, and the table inside was set with a magnificent feast—though no matter how much he called out, no one seemed to be around.
“Hello?” the merchant called again and again.
Silence.
Shrugging, he decided not to waste a good meal. He ate, rested, and prepared to leave the next morning.
At sunrise, the merchant snuck back out of the castle, and on his way out, he walked through a rose garden. In the center, on a small bush, he saw the most perfect rose that had ever existed. Remembering Beauty’s request, he reached out and plucked it from the bush.
A fearsome roar boomed through the garden. Thundering from the castle on clawed feet appeared a beast—a massive, fur-covered creature with piercing blue eyes.
“How dare you steal from me!” the Beast growled.
The merchant dropped the rose, trembling. “I—I’m sorry! I meant no harm. It was for my daughter…”
The Beast glared at him. “Then she will take your place.”
The merchant begged and pleaded, saying he would stay and there was no need for Beauty to come to this terrible place. But the Beast would not budge.
In the end, the merchant had no choice, because Beauty was so desperately worried about her father that she went out looking for him. She too was caught in a storm and took shelter in the castle.
Beauty expected the Beast to be, well, terrifying. But he surprised her. He certainly looked very scary, with his sharp teeth and growly voice, but he didn’t harm her. Instead, he gave her her own room, a wardrobe full of lovely clothes, and a library so big it made her gasp.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” the Beast said that evening, his voice softer than she’d expected.
“Thank you,” Beauty replied, still wary.
Over time, Beauty started to see past the Beast’s frightening appearance. He was kind, thoughtful, and even funny in a gruff, awkward sort of way. She noticed how warm he was with his staff in the castle and how much they appeared to love him, despite his sometimes grizzly demeanor.
Every evening, they dined together, and every evening, the Beast would ask, “Beauty, will you marry me?”
And every evening, Beauty would smile politely and say, “I’m sorry, Beast. I can’t.”
The Beast never got angry. He would just nod sadly and say, “I understand.”
One day, Beauty found the Beast looking gloomier than usual.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I can see you miss your family terribly,” he said. “You should visit them. Take this magic ring. It will bring you back here when you’re ready.”
Beauty was amazed. She never thought she would see them again, and she certainly didn’t think the Beast would trust her enough to go home and then come back again!
She thanked the Beast and used the ring to return home, despite a niggling feeling in her chest that pulled tighter and tighter the further she journeyed from the Beast.
When she returned home, her family was overjoyed to see her—though her sisters were more interested in her fancy clothes than anything else.
“How did you escape the Beast?” one sister asked.
“It’s not like that,” Beauty said, not sure why she was so keen to defend the Beast. “He’s not as bad as you think.”
The sisters exchanged a look. “She’s really lost it,” the other whispered.
Days turned into weeks, and the tightness in Beauty’s chest only grew. She finally realized that she desperately missed the Beast. One night, she dreamed of the Beast, that he was terribly ill—lying in the rose garden. Weak. He looked as though he were dying.
Beauty woke with a start.
She jumped to her feet and packed her bag. “I have to go back!” she declared and rushed from the cottage.
Using the magic ring, Beauty returned to the castle as fast as she could. Sure enough, she found the Beast collapsed in the garden, barely breathing.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried, kneeling beside him and stroking the fur on his face. “I should have come back sooner.”
The Beast opened his eyes. “I thought you didn’t care,” he whispered. Beauty felt like her heart would burst. How could he think such a thing?
“I do care!” Beauty said, tears streaming down her face. “I love you!”
The moment she said those words, a bright light surrounded the Beast. Beauty shielded her eyes, and when the light faded, the Beast was gone.
In his place, a handsome prince was now laying in her arms.
“What… what happened? Who are you?” Beauty stammered.
The prince smiled. “You broke the curse. A wicked fairy turned me into a beast, and only true love could set me free.”
Beauty blinked. “Wait—you were the Beast?!”
“It’s still me,” he said gently, and Beauty looked deep into his blue eyes and saw it truly was her Beast… Now her Prince!
“Well,” she said with a small smile, “I guess you clean up pretty well.”
The prince asked Beauty to marry him one last time, and this time, she said yes.
The merchant and Beauty’s sisters moved to the castle, and rather than staying spoiled and bossy, they rose to the challenge of becoming royals and found that they could behave with grace and decorum after all. And it certainly helped that their brother-in-law, the Prince, somehow retained his deep rumbling growl…
And they all lived happily ever after.
Also read: Puss in Boots
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