Author's note: See? I promise an epilogue to tie things up, I update often, I don't leave you hanging…who's your friend? Come on now; say it – who's your friend? ^_* 'Kay, anyways, here's the epilogue, hope you enjoy it…
Rosethorn: *laughs* So…my evil secret is out – Mercedes Lackey influences me. Okay, well, perhaps just a bit – I guess you can't avoid them slightly resembling one another if you're going to have the hero and heroine facing off against the bad guy together. But I am a big fan of the Fire Rose and Mercedes Lackey, so… Hehehe – I can definitely see Gavin having a problem with the cat. You remember his reaction to the weyre wolf in Wings of the Heart? Point proven. But, you know, whatever it takes… (And PS, about the scary monster: have you seen the Fellowship of the Ring movie? Okay, if you have, remember the Balrog? Think that when you imagine the Beast in that last scene.)
Chien: I'm glad you liked the end of the last chapter there, and now I suppose no one can ever doubt that I'll leave my main characters to unhappy, dismal endings. I'm just predictable like that. ^_* As for Saruptal: I realized that I left his fate kind of up in the air, but I hope that in this chapter I've cleared that up a bit. And I am very pleased to know that you think this would make a good book. I'm working on getting it (and Wings of the Heart) published, but it's taking its own precious time…
LadyElf: A cat named Aragorn and a cousin named Pippin? Sweet! As for me, I'm probably the biggest Tolkien fan in my family, and everybody seems to know it… And thank you for the lovely review, once again!
Cori: Hehehe, a partnership between Kates and Disney. 'Twould seem a good way for Kates to pay her way through college, I daresay. Umm…anything else of my stuff? Well, I suppose if you're a big fantasy person, then the story that came before this in the series (Wings of the Heart) would be something you might like. Anything else…check out the list on my profile. ^_^
Chibi Hime: Thank you as well for your nice review, and I'm glad that you like Orlando. He may be a bit of a brat at first, but in the end, you really have to love him. And I'm also glad that you found his appearance to your liking – the other, furry versions are nice, but I thought it might be more interesting to change things up a bit! That, and I love dragons too. I love your version of Jackie Chan meets BatB as well – didn't get around to reviewing right at the moment, but I liked it a lot!
Disclaimer/claimer: I'm not writing it again. Go read the one in the last chapter if you really want a disclaimer and claimer – I'm done with those right now, so here's the story. ^_^
– Epilogue –
Beauty and her Prince
" '…A wicked fairy had condemned me to remain under that shape until a beautiful maiden should consent to marry me. The fairy likewise enjoined me to conceal my understanding. There was only you in the world generous enough to be won by the goodness of my temper, and in offering you my crown I can't discharge the obligations I have to you.'
Beauty, agreeably surprised, gave the prince her hand to rise; they went together into the castle, and Beauty was overjoyed to find, in the great hall, her father and his whole family, whom the beautiful lady, that appeared to her in her dream, had conveyed thither.
'Beauty,' said this lady, 'come and receive the reward of your judicious choice; you have preferred virtue before either wit or beauty, and deserve to find a person in whom all these qualifications are united. You are going to be a great queen. I hope the throne will not lessen your virtue, or make you forget yourself. As to you, ladies,' said the fairy to Beauty's two sisters, 'I know your hearts, and all the malice they contain. Become two statues, but, under this transformation, still retain your reason. You shall stand before your sister's palace gate, and be it your punishment to behold her happiness; and it will not be in your power to return to your former state, until you own your faults, but I am very much afraid that you will always remain statues. Pride, anger, gluttony, and idleness are sometimes conquered, but the conversion of a malicious and envious mind is a kind of miracle.'
Immediately the fairy gave a stroke with her wand, and in a moment all that were in the hall were transported into the prince's dominions. His subjects received him with joy. He married Beauty, and lived with her many years, and their happiness – as it was founded on virtue – was complete."
Well.
A rather interesting way to tell such a story, don't you think?
Only Beauty herself could be so giving.
And what makes you say that, my prince?
Hmm. That impish little sparkle in your lovely blue eyes tells me that you have more than somewhat of an idea about what made me say that, but I think you're going to make me tell you anyway.
Hmm indeed.
Ah.
Well?
All right – they're getting several things very wrong.
Tell me.
Promise me something if I do.
Promise you something? Promise you what?
…A kiss.
You are impossible, Prince Orlando!
Impossible? Yes. But I love you.
…I love you too… Fine then: the terms of our…agreement, are decided. A kiss, for your words.
All right. First off – I rather pity the mortals. They will tell this story for centuries to come, and they will most likely never know the truth behind it all. They will probably never know that Beauty's jealous sisters were really her stepmother and stepsister…who got turned into white rabbits for seven years as punishment for their unkindness and evil, a courtesy done to the world by the faery High Council of the White Realm, at the hand of Lord Orandor himself.
Poor Nelisia – poor Tizirra. I wish…I wish it hadn't had to be that way.
As do I…but then again, my love, we all wish that evil didn't have to be in our world, yet it is. We can only live our lives and be thankful that we are allowed an existence: destiny is destiny.
True. …No one else in the mortal world will ever know that the Beast was really a powerful enchanter either…
And they'll come up with goodness-knows-what appearance for him – who would expect that he looked like a dragon?
A rather attractive dragon…
Oh really now? You know, I think we ought to go on before I am tempted to collect on my payment before I've completed my duty.
La! So honourable, milord! Go on then.
Well…the Beast's nightly proposals of marriage were an interesting touch, and certainly romantic, but no one would ever guess that he didn't know anything about how his spell was supposed to be broken, let alone that making her fall in love with him would be the way. They also wouldn't anticipate an adventure with a giant and a group of erstwhile animal performers, a run-in with one of the prince's old friends: enchanted to be a goose, a masque ball, and a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save the entire faery world from a traitorous wizard who wound up blown into a thousand tiny bits of magic after a battle with the pair.
And that the only reason why their magic destroyed him was because it was magnified with the power of the other faeries, who knew of the wizard's treachery and had sent their magical aid to the scene of the battle? …No, I suppose they really wouldn't.
What are you laughing about now, my sweet Rosebud?
Only the fact that there is indeed quite a lot more to this story of Beauty and the Beast than anyone would ever think, especially after reading this rendition of it…but…it is a lovely story though: truly beautiful, in many, many ways.
Just like us?
Mmm…just like us…
…
You know though…they did get one thing absolutely right.
And what is that?
'He married Beauty, and lived with her many years, and their happiness – as it was founded on virtue – was complete'. To paraphrase then, my love…
And they lived happily ever after.
The End
Cast (just for fun – and because I like to have faces that I know on my characters!)
Orlando/Beast: Jude Law
Arielle Laclarien: Alicia Silverstone
Griffith: John Hannah
Saruptal: I don't really have an actor for him…suggestions, anyone?
Doran Laclarien: Sam Neill (hey, what can't a good makeup artist do?)
Nelisia Argonté-Laclarien: Stockard Channing
Tizirra Argonté-Laclarien: Courtnee Draper
Elladine, Queen of Lærelin: Natalie Portman
Arin, King of Lærelin: Orlando Bloom as Legolas from Lord of the Rings
Gavin, Prince of the White Realm: Jensen Ackles
Ingor the Giant: He is all from my own imagination…and yours. ^_*
Voice of Elenette the Spryte: Annabelle Lanyon (Oona, from Legend)
The Golden Genie: I don't really have a face for him yet – any ideas…?
And if I've missed anyone else in the 'cast': your pardon, please…
Author's note: *sniff* That's it…I've finished another one. Officially completed on Monday, December 30th of 2002, the second installment of my Travelers of Enchantment series – My Beauty, My Beast – is now a full-length novel in its own right, just like its predecessor, Wings of the Heart.
So now what do I do? I go off to write another story: the third part of the Travelers of Enchantment Series, a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, untitled as of yet. And I'll give you a bit of a teaser about it (although this isn't a movie…) – we will all be introduced to a race of people not too unlike the faeries…people with pointy ears.
However, until then, I hope that you have enjoyed this as much as I have enjoyed writing it, and thank you to all of the wonderful people who have reviewed. (And I never mind lengthy reviews; I like them, so don't worry! By the way, what were your favorite parts? I'm just curious and thought I would take a consensus from my readers…) Thank you to all of the people who reviewed while I was posting this *takes a deep breath*: Chibi Hime, gypsy*princess, KittenGirl555, Cori, LadyElf, Rosethorn, Fae Queen, Chien, CapturedHeart, snowylove-angel, Bil, Melusine, Artic, Lexi, Fumblepaws, storychick, and Lis. And also to those who may have yet to review. ^_*
Until next time then…
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