divinetree | "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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gemstones, hmm? He'll keep that in mind for any future sweetening-the-pot needed.

"Well, how quaint. And certainly makes when it crashes and falls apart far less emotionally tragic, hmm?"

"Well, yeah, I guess..." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just not when you're barely getting by and need to buy more wood if the rods snap or even crack. The canvas is salvageable so long as I don't need to patch it up too much. Patches add weight, and a not-too-solid stitch could add drag."

"I wouldn't know about such a thing!" Alastor laughed, shrugging and canting his head, though the creepy neck of his crackled and twisted unnaturally. "Nor should you from here on. Such woes will get in the way of our grand entertainment."

With that, he looked at that heavy bag again. He didn't even need to go to the Fair anymore if payments would keep coming like that.

"Would... there be a way to get that home, at least? I'm not sure if the paths get weird in the other direction, and I don't want my daughter to assume the worst."

"I don't know for sure. But given that we have a Deal, the magic should now work in favor of fulfilling that. Best not to allow your daughter or wife in these woods without you directly guiding them, as I don't wager the same would apply."

Hmm. He supposed he could try after his first demonstration tomorrow. Then-

The hurt flickered past his eyes. It'd been nearly ten winters, but it all was still fresh in his mind. As the village outcast, it was one of his loneliest days, comforting his daughter the very best he could while juggling laying the love of his life to rest. She'd been so sick, and he'd never felt more helpless in his life.

"Ah, yeah. ...Right! I'll- I'll keep that in mind. Er, would you- ... want... to meet Charlie? She'd probably take all this way better than I did, funny enough."

Really now? You trust him that quickly? Goodness, this man is deranged and lonely, isn't he!

But that does at least bode well... perhaps he could break this little curse of his, if he can convince the daughter to adore him. Nothing saying he had to reciprocate, right? Hmmm...

"I'll make arrangements to assure her stay is quite pleasant!"

He blinked quickly. "Er... what now? She's not- she's not staying here, it's just-"

He hitched his shoulders. "...I can't hide things from her. Explaining all of this would just get messy, and she'd wonder where money like this came from. Last thing I need is to proclaim, 'Oh yeah, crimes. Got all this from all the crimes!'"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure I've made a deal with a beastly, cursed sorcerer will bode well~! Hoh hoh!"

Silly, silly little madman.

"Still! Bring her here, if her fair heart can take it, you silly man. Far be it from me to underestimate family loyalty."

"...Well, when you explain it in those exact words, yes!!"

He brought his hands together and started to pace.

"You're... an investor who is interested in seeing my project through, come Hell or high water! Probably wants to see me break my neck. Kinda hairy. Makes weird crackling noises."

"Oh yes indeed! Why, I'm even being quite economical- hiring an artist and a Jester all in one man!"

"...S'gonna be awkward when I pull it all off. You'll have to eat your own antlers, Your Highness."

"I have before, but they lack any of the pleasure of crunching on proper bones. No marrow, no joined flesh, just a messy velvet and hollow vessels."

H u h?

"...Wwwwhy did you unironically munch on your own antl- no. You know what? Please keep that mystery." He raised his hands in surrender.

Then he went to roll up his schematic again, keep it safe from any damage.

"I'm signing out on being your 'Jester' for now. I'm gonna go check on Gershwin, and then probably work on this a little while. Try and tire myself out for shut-eye."

"I'll go hunt, then, and bring something in for dinner that's more fresh. Have your fun with your work, Lucifer," the beast chuckled, dramatically taking a cape from an uneasy coatrack nearby and flinging the coat over his massive shoulders, barely hiding away his visage as he made for the front gate to disappear into the night.

He watched him go, and waited until he disappeared out the door to go on his hunt.

Lucifer's face flattened after. "...Gods, what a show-offy weirdo."

He cast his eyes around at the furniture. "Is he always like this??"

"Worse," the liquor hutch grumbled. "He usually eats the sorry sacks that get stuck in the woods."

"...Oh."

...

"Soooo, I should make sure this prototype can at least be up to snuff. I'm gonna... check... on that."

He'll go hustle on his plans. He didn't need to be a midnight snack.

"Crazy" Beauty and the "Hunter" Beast

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