Okay! So, I won't give you all my little rambling over how I got the idea and everything. I'm just gonna say that it had to be done. Had to. And I hope I do a justice to it.

Summary: Beauty & the Beast theme. DenNor pairing. NOT a carbon copy of the movie, so if that's what you want be prepared to deal with disappointment. I'm going to try to incorporate elements from the original fairy tale as well. I realise, also, that a lot of this, especially in the beginning, will be very similar to the movie and that is because I'm using the movie's storyline as a sort of backbone to my fic and I love the characterisations in the movie. But again this WILL NOT be a carbon copy of the movie; I am going to try to make it as original as I possibly can. If you think I am straying too close to the movie's script, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me. I do not want that to happen.

Notes: I use human names for Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. They are: Søren, Aksel, and Nils. If you've read any of my other Nordic stories, you probably know that I typically use the name Haldor for Norway, but I decided to try a new one this time. Haldor never quite fit the best, but I did have a reason for wanting to use it. I liked Aksel and it is a Scandinavian name, so I figured why not? Also, I love the name Björk and the name Søren.

Word count: 1283

"Once upon a time, in a castle in the far north, there lived a—"

"Why do fairy tales always start with 'Once Upon a Time?'?"

"Because every great story starts with 'Once Upon a Time'. Now listen.

"There lived a handsome prince. He had everything his heart desired, yet he was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. One stormy night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered a single rose in return for shelter for the night."

"Was she really ugly?"

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Yes…"

"Then get quiet and listen. Now, when the prince saw the woman's haggard appearance, he turned her away into the cold. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances. When he refused her once more, she could see that there was no kindness in his heart. Her ugliness faded to reveal that she was truly a beautiful enchantress. The prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late. She transformed the prince into a hideous Beast and placed a powerful spell upon the entire castle.

"The rose she had offered was an enchanted rose that would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn love in return before then, the spell would be broken. If not, then he would be doomed to remain a beast forever."

Aksel was an unusual individual for his village. In the little town of Thor's Cliff, in the country of Nordland, there were many that found his reclusive ways, stoic expression, and dreamy ambitions to be downright bizarre. They were petty, simple people, the villagers. They, however, respected Aksel for his eloquence, poise, and physical beauty. In addition, his brother, Nils, was the town's local alchemist and inventor. Because of the brothers' nobility, the townspeople, whom often also thought of the younger brother as simply crazy, kept their whispers of the brothers' oddities quiet.

"Brother, I'm going into town." Aksel's light tenor called down into the basement of their humble cottage that served as his brother's workshop. Without waiting for a reply, he left, starting the short walk into the village.

As was usual, the appearance of the flaxen-haired youth garnered many "Hellos" and "Good mornings". Aksel was used to the attention he got and responded to the baker and the chimney sweep and the tailor and fish trader with the same polite replies of "hello" or "good morning". He sighed, as he went through the motions of everyday life in his village. The only escape he got was in the bookstore. The bookshoppe owner was nice enough to let him borrow books on an almost daily basis, hence his frequent trips into town.

"God dag, Berwald," Aksel greeted as he entered the shoppe.

"G'd m'rgon, Aksel. H'w're ya t'day?"

"Just fine, thanks. Here's the book I borrowed yesterday," he said, handing the novel back to its owner.

"Finished already?" Berwald's lips twitched in amusement at his most frequent visitor.

"It was a very good read," Aksel said simply, by way of explanation. "Anything new?"

"Not y't."

The youth shrugged and scoured the shelves. "Well then… I'll just borrow this one," he said, holding the book out.

"That one? Y've read sev'ral times 'lready. Y'sure?"

"It's my favourite…" he said with a fond smile directed at the cover.

"Th'en y'should keep it," Berwald urged.

Aksel frowned. "I couldn't…"

"I insist," the tall man replied, pushing the book into Aksel's arms.

With the newly acquired novel to read, the blond youth wandered around town, engrossed in his story. He could feel the eyes watching as he avoided obstacles deftly, stopping only for a moment to sit at the fountain in the village square.

The crack of a gunshot into the sky rang at the edge of Thor's Cliff village. A built man, with pale skin and paler hair, stood triumphantly, admiring his rifle. A slightly taller, tanned man with a clueless, happy expression ran up to his pale companion, proudly handing him the fallen goose he had retrieved.

"Wow, great shot, Gilbert!" The tan man exclaimed.

"I know, Toni," said the other, letting out a dark, hissing chuckle.

"Yeah, no animal stands a chance against you," Toni said. "And no girl, for that matter!"

"It's true, Antonio! Girls will fall to their knees for me! And that—" Gilbert threw an arm around his friend's shoulders and leaned in conspiratorially. "—is precisely why I've got my sights set on that one!" He pointed dramatically toward a certain youth passing by, flaxen-haired and his nose stuck in a book.

"Aksel? The inventor's brother? But he's a b—"

"The second most beautiful person in town! And therefore, he's the best. I deserve only the best, don't I?" Gilbert growled.

"Well, sure but—"

"Exactly! Now, here he comes." The albino man made certain stand directly in Aksel's path.

"Hello, Aksel," he greeted with a menacing, charming grin. Cobalt blue eyes glance up from the withered pages in acknowledgment.

"Good day, Gilbert," he said curtly.

"Y'know Aksel, the whole town—not me of course, I only hold you in the highest respect—is talking about you and your brother. I mean, all you ever do is read these dull books!" At this, he snatched the novel out of the young blond's hands and flipped through the pages.

"How can you even read these? There are no pictures!"

Aksel rolled his eyes. "Some people use their imaginations."

"It's about time you got your head out of the clouds," Gilbert said, haphazardly tossing the book on the ground. " And paid attention to more important things: like my awesomeness!"

The blond merely wiped off his book and responded with forced courtesy. "Look, Gilbert, I'm sorry, but I have to get home and help Brother with his experiment."

Both Gilbert and Antonio scoffed and the latter exclaimed. "But your brother is… crazy!"

"He is not. Do not speak of him that way," Aksel threatened.

"Yeah, don't speak of him like that!" Gilbert agreed, punching Antonio in the arm.

In the distance, an explosion could be heard and Aksel hurriedly left the company of the two men.

With the boy gone, the albino scowled and turned to the tanned man beside him, " Make no mistake. Aksel will be mine."

The older brother sat on a bench as his sibling worked. While he never held much regard for the haughty albino's opinions, Gilbert's words had sunk into his mind. "Am I really that odd?" was the question that ran through his head over and over. His faint sigh caught the snowy-haired teen's attention.

"Something the matter, Aksel?" He muttered, pouring an oddly amber-coloured liquid from one flask into another filled with something silvery.

"No… just that—well, I go into the village more often than you so you don't really get this but—I get a lot of attention yet I don't really fit in," Aksel explained.

"Hm…" A pause.

"Am I odd?" At this, Nils looked up at his sibling.

"You? No. It's all the rest of them that are odd. What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know. I can't really talk to anyone—besides you, of course."

The teen continued to work and speak. "That Beilschmidt guy seems to like you quiet a bit—though I admit he's somewhat… arrogant."

"Arrogant is right. Arrogant, rude, and utterly full of himself."

"Aha! Brother, look," Nils said vigorously. "I've done it. I turned ale into liquid gold." The flask in his hand was filled with a substance that shone brightly even in the dim workshop. Aksel gave his brother a small but proud smile.

"Help me get this equipment into the wagon and hitch up Björk," Nils demanded. "I'm off to the exhibition."

So, how'd I do? Questions, comments, concerns? Reviews are loved, critiques are welcome, and flames will be used to burn the witch.

Don't even ask about the whole "ale into gold" thing. Please. I don't even know.