divinetree | "Crazy" Beauty and the "Hunter" Beast

"Crazy" Beauty and the "Hunter" Beast

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a cruel Prince lived in a shining castle surrounded by rich hunting lands.
Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was paranoid, selfish, and cruel.

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.

None know for sure what happened that night. Some say the Prince turned her away for her appearance, and others claim he attempted to harm her... the beggar-woman melted away her disguise to reveal a beautiful Enchantress.

As punishment for his loveless heart and vicious cruelty, the Enchantress 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 30th 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?

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"A strange little man with stranger ideas. Losing sweet Lily surely cracked his mind."

"I don't know what his late wife, gods rest her soul, ever saw in him."

"His daughter seems to be falling right in step with him. Don't they know there's no point in a young lady reading when she has better things to focus on??"

"What a strange, strange man. Not a week goes by before something explodes in that cellar. He'll cause the whole damned village to collapse one of these days."

Lucifer was not a very popular man. His adult daughter, so bright, funny and with the voice of an angel, always saw the bright side of things, but he just knew that he was likely dragging her down. The eligible bachelors and bachelorettes quietly side-eyed her when she thought she didn't notice- to take her hand meant being related to the village crackpot.

But Lucifer put on a smile, and finished loading the last of his newest contraption into the cart, alongside small toys and gadgets he knew he could sell for extra coin. He hugged his daughter, fussed over her, but bid her farewell. He would be gone for just a fortnight, peddling his wares and hopefully selling his newest idea to an investor. If he could sell the concept, his name would be restored. Just once, something Lucifer Morningstar made wouldn't be the pipe dream of some crazed idiot who kept blowing up his cellar and talking of dreams. I mean, flying machines, for one... why did he seek to defy the gods by letting humans take to the sky like birds?

"Let me bring you something back! Anything you like."

"Aw, Dad... but I don't want anything! Just come back home safe. That's what I want. Good luck, okay?"

One last hug, and Lucifer mounted trusty Gershwin, the big draft horse who dutifully pulled the cart each year, or helped in their modest fields. With the click of his tongue and a nudge, off they went. He waved farewell as he went on his way, until he was completely out of sight of the cottage, his small family, and the only home he'd known.

---

He'd taken this route for years. But this year, after a time, the twists just weren't twisting. The turns felt foreign. Something was... strange. Something was wrong. Even Gershwin's ears were swiveling, steps nervous.

"Yeah... sorry, buddy. I don't know where the road went, either." Sure, he was talking to his horse, but who else was there to speak with? And he loved his big buddy. When he spied a path that looked less like certain doom, Lucifer dismounted and seized the reins.

Gershwin planted his hooves and gave a short, unsure keen.

"Hey. Hey... it's alright. I'm right here with you. C'mon... have I ever steered you wrong?" He offered a smile and took it one step at a time. Slowly, the dutiful horse fell in step, relying solely on his handler for that security.

At least his horse was his friend.

They traveled for a time along the foggy road, Lucifer soothing poor Gershwin after every odd sound until they stepped at a massive gate.

"Huh. Someone lives out here...?" Yet he sighed. "Thank the gods. Maybe the master of the place lives here and can give us some directions."

He pushed open the gate and eased the horse and cart inside, passing through an unusually breathtaking, well-kept rose garden. It was... not the season for roses, was it? Yet these seemed to be thriving.

If the garden wasn't enough of an eye-grabber, the castle, oh... this beautiful castle. Lucifer gaped up at it, but he furrowed a brow. An entire castle was here, but... for how long? How had he never heard of this place. But he shook his head, and bid Gershwin to stay in the courtyard.

He hopped up the steps, light on his feet, and was about to bang on the door when he noticed it was a little loose, and it was dark within.

...

Maybe he was crazy. But he was also desperate. He used his shoulder to push open the heavy door and slip inside. It's fine- he just needed to ask something real fast, and he would be out of this person's hair.

If. ...If people still lived here, anyway.

"...Hello...?" He called. He shut the door behind him, not wanting to be rude.

"I... don't know castle etiquette, but... if anyone's home, I could use a little help."

The castle was uncomfortably cool inside, and dark. The halls were massively tall, but the floors looked swept and clean, and there were candlabras around and about, unlit...

Lucifer's voice echoed off of the massive stone walls, making the space feel even more lonesome and uncomfortably large.

A raspy voice spoke when the stranger wandered in deeper, seemingly from the bar.

"You'll turn around and get out of here if you know what's good for you," the raspy voice warned.

He jumped at the voice, gaze scattering as he fought to figure out who was talking to him. Everything about this place shrieked 'you should not be here'. It was vast, and it was... lonely.

Who could live in such a big building like this anyway? He'd go nuts from the emptiness.

"I'm sorry, but I'm lost. I don't even know where I'd go. The route, it... I don't know, it- it changed... if I could just get a bearing on where I am, then I can be on my way. I swear it."

The voice grumbled, and from behind the bar, the liquor hutch moved.

It twisted and stomped out, a face uncurling from the decorative knots in the wood - all to glower and scowl at the intruder.

"There's a path in and a path out, just don't get caught on a deer trail."

uuuUUUUHHHH that's a talking hutch. That's a TALKING HUTCH-

Lucifer leaped back, hands up defensively. Whatever advice he gave was definitely in one ear and out the other.

"Wh-what the Hell are you!?"

Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system. Husk kept clomping out from behind the bar, and more furniture slowly started shifting about.

Including, of course, a little feather duster scurrying to Lucifer's feet and fluttering up his legs. "A guess?? A new man?? Is he a baaaad boy??"

"Don't crawl on him, Niff."

The crawling made him flinch and he looked down, hollering as a feather duster or something was climbing him. NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME, GUYS!!

"AAAHH!! AAAHH!! Am I losing it!? Did I fall asleep!? This is a dream, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming-"

"Come on, panic towards the front door before--"

"Before what, my good man?"

The new voice reverberated off the walls like it was spoken in a concert hall. The feather duster seemed to scurry off of Lucifer, and the hutch just grumbled - all while lights suddenly illuminated the whole hall and revealed a dazzling and lovely hall... save for portraits slashed to ribbons by what looked like impossibly large claws.

"We have a guest, and you're shooing him out? For shame, Husker! Serve the man a drink," the voice chattered fondly, from whatever corner he was still hidden in.

He was left frazzled, short of breath and clutching his chest over his rapidly-beating heart as the duster scrambled off of him.

Now some new nightmare had decided to rear its head, voices coming from all around.

"Haunted... haunted castle dream... not real... not a real place..." Did he fall asleep on Gershwin, or nap in the cart? He was dreaming, surely. His eyes closed and he focused on breathing.

He'll wake up soon and find out where he was. He'll be back on the trail to the Fair... or wake up in his own bed...

"Why look so glum, pal?" That mysterious voice chuckled, cackled even, before it disappeared. Suddenly, a pair of clawed hands grasped Lucifer's shoulders, keeping him from turning.

"Life's far too short to have such a gruesome expression. Smile, friend! You're never fully dressed without one."

In another corner of the room, a group of various instruments started up, playing a charming tune and bringing a little more life to the space. Not that it did much about the massive clawed hands resting on Lucifer's tiny shoulders.

Was it possible to leap out of your skin more than once? Because this all felt real. Too real. Why was he here again? Where was...

Charlie... Gershwin... the... the Fair, it-

With how small he was, he slowly tipped his head back, enough to see who it was that had him by the shoulders.

His blood froze.

It was a massive creature behind him, dressed elegantly in shocking red tailored to MONSTROUS proportions. The tall creature was smirking inhumanly, sharp bear trap teeth contrasting red hart hair and antlers.

With a chuckle, a pair of claws pinched at Lucifer's cheeks before forcing a smile on his face.

"Hah! There we go, much better. Now, where did you come from, little fellow? How did you find the castle? Come to gawk at or slay the terrible beast?"

His cheeks were pinched and it seemed to bring him back to reality. The fight or flight filled Lucifer's heart as he sunk low and darted a few steps away, whirling to face the beast.

"I don't- I don't know...!" He slowly circled, moving toward the door but never letting his eyes leave the creature. Getting lost again was looking more and more like the better alternative than lingering here to be food or... or something.

"I got lost, the routes were... different... somehow. I found this place and thought to get directions but I clearly... ah... miscalculated..."

"Now now, as rude as Husker undoubtedly was--" the Beast shot a dangerous glare to the hutch before his expression fixed again, refocusing on Lucifer. Despite Lucifer backing up, Alastor stepped forward, massive cervine hooves clacking on marble floor with the same resonance as a boot heel.

And despite his hulking, terrifying visage, he leaned over and offered an outstretched hand, as if each finger wasn't tipped with a claw longer than a bear's.

"--I remember my manners. Come now, good man, why don't you come in? And tell me what's got you wandering in my hunting woods, what's brought you to me this evening."

He'd miscalculated again; in trying to keep some distance between himself and the creature, his back met a wall.

His eyes lay upon the wicked hooks that comprised those claws. They slowly trailed back to the beast's face.

"..."

Okay. Talking. Talk, and maybe it'll distract this guy enough to rethink possibly eating him. But weren't deer herbivores? What's a deer need with a hunting ground?

"My intention was never to disturb your hunting grounds. I also didn't wish to be a bother, but... the door was ajar, and I'm sorry for taking you from- from whatever it was you were doing up until now. I didn't mean to be loud, but... your, uh, feather duster climbed on me and your- your hutch started talking."

"Hohh! It's just a little curse, nothing contagious," the Beast chuckled, foppishly flopping his hand dismissively. "The sorceress that cast it is long dead, not to worry."

"Uhm... what?" Curses and sorceresses? That's insane. That's storybook stuff.

...

But he's facing off against a talking deer monster after being warned to flee by talking furniture, sooo-

"Wait... magic's... real, then?"

"Real as anything, real as Creation itself, good man," Alastor chuckled, looping an arm around Lucifer's shoulder to start walking the man further into the castle. "Now come along, let's have tea at least. Tell me the news, the gossip, what's going on in the world!"

He was hooked and led along. How about we not do anything to anger the smiling deer monster and wind up as lunch or kicked to pieces...?

"Tea? Tea's... fine. I'm afraid I won't be a wellspring of information on world happenings, though. I live out in the countryside. Remote."

"Why, even the goings-on of remote towns outside of these woods are news to me! Hahah!"

It's by the time the Beast has practically pushed Lucifer into an oversized lounging chair by a fireplace that the creature abruptly tuts himself.

"Where are my manners - I am Alastor, Prince of this castle. A pleasure to meet you," he greeted, smile growing ever more toothy as he somehow snapped those claws like fingers and the fireplace roared to life, deceptively cozy and inviting. More 'servants' arrived, tea kettle and set on a serving cart that hurriedly rolled to Lucifer's side, filled with a pleasantly brewed and aged tea with cream and sugar available to their guest's desire.

Once he was in the chair, he couldn't help curling up a little. The garden was nice, but the castle itself was so... chilly away from the fireplace. The fire was a great comfort.

Prince Alastor. Lucifer had never heard of him, and he'd devoured damn near every history book that ever existed. His trip to the castle had been so early in his usual journey's breadth toward town, he was shocked never to have seen such a great and grand castle before.

Like it'd appeared out of thin air.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the clattering of fine ceramic. Lucifer, not wishing to be rude, threw caution to the winds and fixed himself a cup of tea. "...Thank you. I'm Lucifer. ...Er, Your Highness."

He averted his gaze. "I'm an inventor. I was taking my latest project to the yearly Fair in town, along with some... toys that... nevermind..."

He drank. What did princes care about any of that, let alone 'cursed' ones?

"But that was the idea, anyway, before I lost my way. My horse, Gershwin, he's outside." Lucifer paused, winced a bit.

"...And is probably eating parts of your garden. Ssssssorry about that."

The lack of familiarity... yes, that made quite a bit of sense. Twisted into a terrible monster, left stranded and forgotten, his castle and hunting woods made into a prison to keep him away...

Alastor's thoughts ground to a halt at a certain word, ears perking up.

"An inventor? Now, do go on!"

His eyes widened. Did he hear that right? 'Do go on'? Not 'shut up, you crackpot'? 'Nobody asked'?

...

"...Well...!" He sat up straighter and shifted his legs for the ol' cross-cross-applesauce.

"I always felt like innovation is a big part of why we're put on this earth in the first place, and we should never be stagnant. So since I was rather small, I'd always watch how people did things and thought, 'How can this be done, but easier'? Or, 'what can be done about this annoying problem'? My first project was to build a means to spread seeds over a field using less back-breaking effort, which sold very well! I'd also made a great deal of mechanized toys for the kids, something you could pull a cord and watch it go, or wind it up and see what it'll do. I like to keep my hands busy."

...Enough that he was gesticulating a LOT as he talked.

"But lately I've thought, okay, handy is nice and something fun for future generations is nice, but can we dial it up a notch? Can we do something entirely new? And inspiration hit me while I was sitting under one of the trees in my orchard: I watched the sparrows twirling and dancing in the air and I thought, 'That's it. I'd like to fly. Who's to say I can't?' So I've been working on materials to make wings to wear, ways to slide short distances, and have been working on a smaller propulsion system you could attach to it that can give you that last little push and keep going if there's no wind. Because what's the point of having wings if all you can really do is just... sail to the ground from a high point? Gliding is nice, but I'd like to FLY. I want to throw myself at the ground and MISS!"

"HAH! Hahahaha!"

Alastor had listened out of curiosity - life got so dreadfully dull that a few new toys to tinker with would've been a good passtime after he'd killed and eaten this man.

But flying? Oh, what a madman! An intriguing, magnificent madman, and he had to see it for himself.

"FLYING! That's silly nonsense! Absolute absurdity! Hahahah!"

Alastor's cackling stopped, and the beast leaned on Lucifer's chair, a clawed hand resting weight on an arm and his free hand grasping the pretty little inventor's face between fingers.

"It's settled then. I'll fund this fancy of yours - I insist on seeing every prototype and every attempt, and in exchange, I will give you treasures and wealth to make it happen. And you won't forget to show me."

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