A/N: I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think.

Prologue

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a young prince who lived in a great, shining castle. Although he had everything he could ever need, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and seemingly unkind. But that all changed one winter's night, when an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance and nerve to come to the castle, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.

And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince stunned, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she 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 twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her 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?

Present Day

Tessa left the house after breakfast with a basket in her hand. She did the same thing every day, walking through the little town that was her home. It was a quiet village where every day was like the one before. A little town, filled with little people. The baker passed with his tray as usual with the same old bread and rolls to sell just like every morning since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town...

"Morning monsieur!" Tessa called to the Baker. He looked up just long enough to ask.

"Where are you off to?" Looking at Tessa basket.

"The bookshop! I just finished the most wonderful story, about a beanstalk and an ogre and..." She trailed off as the baker ignored her.

" That's nice...Marie, the baguettes! Hurry up!" He shouted.

Tessa knew the townsfolk thought her strange. She was never a part of any crowd, preferring to read her books in peace. Most people thought she had her head in the clouds. She just thought there must be more than this provincial life, some type of adventure out there, waiting for her. She entered the bookshop.

"Ah, Tessa!" Luke, the store owner, greeted her.

"Good morning. I've come to return the book I borrowed." She said with a smile handing him the book, then headed over to look at more books. Luke put her returned book away.

"Finished already?" He asked, giving her a knowing smile.

"Oh, I couldn't put it down! Have you got anything new?" She asked excitedly. He laughed.

"Not since yesterday." He answered.

"That's all right. I'll borrow... this one." She said grabbing a worn copy of 'A Tale of Two Cities' and handing it to him.

"That one? But you've read it twice!" He exclaimed.

"Well it's my favourite!" She replied as she swung off the slide ladder, rolling it down its tracks.

"Far off places, courage, love and its ultimate sacrifice!" She said excitedly.

"Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours!" Luke said with a smile and handed her the book.

"But Luke!" She started to protest.

"I insist!" He said firmly.

"Well thank you. Thank you very much!" She said softly before leaving the bookshop. Instead of going straight home she stopped and sat on the edge of the water fountain egger to get started on the book.

The sound of a gun fired and a bird fell from the sky. "Wow! You didn't miss a shot, Mortmain! You're the greatest hunter around!" Benedict said while trailing after him.

"I know!" Mortmain replied, his voice filled with arrogance. He truly believed there was no one better than him.

"Huh. No beast alive stands a chance against you...and no girl for that matter!" Benedict added, trying to stay on his good side.

"It's true, Benedict, and I've got my sights set on that one!" He said pointing at Tessa.

"What? You mean the drunk's sister?" He asked confused.

"She's the one! The lucky girl I'm going to marry." Mortmain answered confidently.

"But she's –" Benedict started, but was cut off.

"The most beautiful girl in town." Mortmain said, running his hand through his hair.

"I know –" He scowled as Mortmain cut him off again.

"And that makes her the best." Mortmain grabbed Benedict by the collar. "And don't I deserve the best?"

"Well of course, I mean you do, but I mean..." He struggled to say before Mortmain dropped him.

"Right from the moment when I met her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell. Here in the little town there's only she," Mortmain said as Tessa walked by him, "Who is beautiful as me so I'm making plans to woo and marry Tessa." He said determinedly.

"Look there he goes, isn't he dreamy." "Monsieur Mortmain, oh he's so cute." "Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing." "He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute." The girls gushed as he walked past.

"Just watch I'm going to make Tessa my wife!" He proclaims to the town as he rushes off to catch up with her. She was reading while walking. "Hello, Tessa."

"Bonjour Mortmain." She said as he grabbed the book out of her hands. "May I have my book, please?"

"How can you read this? There's no pictures!" He asked while flicking through the book.

"Well, some people use their imaginations." She crossed her arms, getting annoyed.

"Tessa, it's about time you got your head out of those books," he said as he threw the book on the ground, "and paid attention to more important things...like me! The whole town's talking about it." The girls look up and sigh. Tessa picked her book up and brushed the dirt away. "It's not right for a woman to read – soon she starts getting ideas...and thinking." Mortmain says with disgust.

"Mortmain, you are positively primeval." She said annoyed as Mortmain puts his arm around her shoulders.

"Why thank you, Tessa. Hey, whaddya say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and have a look at my hunting trophies." He says, confident she'll follow.

"Maybe some other time." She says with an eye roll, and walks away.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's crazy!"

"He's gorgeous!" The girls cry.

Mortmain grabs her arm. "Please, Mortmain. I can't. I have to get home and help my brother."

"Ha, ha, ha, that pathetic drunk, he needs all the help he can get!" Benedict said laughing, while Mortmain joined in.

"Don't you talk about my brother that way!" She yelled at them, even though she knows it is the truth.

"Yeah, don't talk about her brother that way!" Mortmain said and hit Benedict upside the head.

"My brother's not pathetic! He's a good man!" Mortmain and Benedict laughed as a loud crashing noise came from her house. She rushed home, leaving the two men behind.