Royal Chastisement
The castle was buzzing with the clattering of utensils and clanging of goblets. Every corner was filled with laughter. Every human sight were wearing luxurious attires and shimmering jewelries. And Prince Reuven stands out among them all—the narcissistic, cruel prince who was enjoying the full attention of his visitors.
The lively chattering of people shutted down when the big entrance door opened with wild force. An old, ugly lady came in that was clothed with black tattered hoods.
"State your business, beggar!" the soldier exclaimed.
"I am here to give this red apple as a gift to the prince," the old lady falteringly said.
Prince Reuven, afraid to put a scratch on his royal reputation, he let the old lady scampered towards him.
"Your Highness." The old lady kneeled down before the throne. Prince Reuven walked down from his throne and stopped short when he was inches away from her. The old lady cheekily gave the apple to the prince.
"Taste it, Your Highness. Just one bite!" The young prince slowly took a bite of the red apple. And upon biting the fruit, the prince loosen his hold to it and it fell to the marbled floor, together with the body of Prince Reuven.
The people gasped.
The soldiers witnessed what happened to their young lord so they attacked the beggar but the crouched lady snapped her fingers and the soldiers remained suspended in their place.
Prince Reuven felt an unbearable pain in his whole body; He felt his bones snapping like it was being broken one by one and all he can see were red spots. His clothes turned into slits and rips because of his masculine body morphing into double size. His shoulders became broader and his chest popped out more, he became taller and bigger. His hands turned into elongated nails and his teeth turned into sharp canines. His ivory skin was enveloped with black furs. His guttural voice became animalistic growls. The ladies and gentlemen inside the castle were staring wide eyes at the prince with shock faces.
The old lady chuckled darkly while revealing her true identity as the most powerful and feared witch.
"Sorcerer!"
"A witch!" The people ran hysterically in the big entrance door. But they weren't able to get out.
"Just one bite and one prick, there will be blood and tears that will kiss awake the slumbering body from deep sleep," the witch chimed while she was slowly vanishing into the thin air leaving her echo and her sinister giggles. And leaving the castle deserted with nothing but statues of people wearing their luxurious ball attire and an unconscious beast that was before a prince.
There was a small village near the woods, the whole community was alive with the morning activities of the neighborhood. And then there was a lass who has an ethereal beauty and loving-kindness in her heart.
"Bella, are you going to pick roses again?" her grandmother inquired.
"Yes, grandma'," Bella affirmed. While she's fixing the red hood she was wearing which her grandmother knitted for her.
"Oh dear, please be careful. There might be big bad wolves lurking in the woods," her grandmother worriedly reminded her.
"Don't worry grandma', I will be careful!" Bella walked out from their cabin and passed by to their garth. A flower basket was swaying back and forth from her hold. Every morning, Bella goes to the garden of the abandoned castle to pick roses with variety of colors, careless about the rumors of the villagers that there was a monster lurking in the castle and responsible for the missing travelers who had a quests after the beast.
But Bella doesn't know that the rumored beast always stares at her from the castle tower, enchanted and captivated by her beauty.
Prince Reuven tried to do what the riddle conveys. But everything was a futile attempt. He shed the blood of the travelers with their tears watered the dried soil. But he never morph back to his normal form. He was very desperate, he was a bad man. But the curse was not helping him to be good.
Another snowy morning came but Bella felt that it seems different from the others when she went out to pick roses.
The prince extended his hands to the tower's window to catch snowflakes. He felt that something strange will soon stir.
Bella started picking roses, she went further in the garden. She traced her fingers to the dried fountain. Roses grew inside the circle, it was a very beautiful sight to behold but her eyes grew big upon seeing the blooming black rose in the middle among the white and red roses.
She went to it and touched its black petals. She was tempted to pick it, so she did. She held the stem and bended it with her uncovered hands. Finally, she was able to cut it, Bella brought it to her nose to smell its fragrance but a grunt escaped from her lips when her finger was pricked with the flower's thorn. She loosen her hold to the flower, it fell down with her crimson blood dropped to the snow. Suddenly, Bella felt an excruciating pain, from her wounded finger flowing to her veins. She collapsed to the icy floor. Her tears cascaded down mixing with her blood.
The beast saw what happened to the lass he admired. He ran ghastly to rescue the lass who's laying down on the snow. She looks majestic, with the roses surrounding her body, it's like she's laying on the bed of roses. The beast collected Bella's body, hugged her and touched her soft, heart face. But all of a sudden, his body convulsed. He started shaking and rolled to the ground, he felt his bones snapping. The furs all over his body fell on the white surface, revealing his ivory skin. His sharp canines and elongated nails painfully morphed back to its normal forms.
After such a long era, the curse was finally lifted up to him... in exchanged for another life—Bella's.
Was being cursed was better than seeing your only love dead in your arms? The prince forlornly inquired himself.
The prince, in his nude glory carried Bella inside the castle and took her all the way to the ballroom hall and laid her at the center.
He felt the rage swelling in his chest. Why all the people that turned into statues didn't go back to their normal selves? Why it's only him? Did the witch him? He couldn't understand!
The prince found clothes to cover himself up. And as the moments passed by, he stayed by the side of the sleeping Bella. Amazed and mesmerized of Bella's angelic face.
"Just one bite and one prick, there will be blood and tears that will kiss awake the slumbering body from deep sleep." Prince Reuven thought about the riddle again and connected the order of events like a dot from the very beginning up to the current situation. With wide eyes, finally, he realized the lesson to his chastisement.
In the center of the ballroom hall, under the prym of the moon. The prince gently leaned down at Bella, at the exact moment their lips touched, the stones that engulfed all the people cracked and slowly shattered down into pieces. The stones crashed down into the people's feet and when it landed on the floor, it turned into ashes and then swept away by the wind. Surprise gasps and cries filled the place. The prince couldn't believe it, the curse was finally lifted up to him and to his dear people! He felt genuinely happy for the first time. He wasn't aware that he was already crying with joy and sincerity. The people stopped celebrating upon seeing the prince and Bella. When the prince looked back at Bella, surprisingly her eyes gently fluttered open. Bella blinked her azure eyes and when her sight went clear, the most beautiful green orbs greeted her.
Prince Reuven guided Bella to her feet, both were captivated to each other's beauty. The huge castle clock strucked to 12 midnight. And as if on que, a magical power swirled around Bella and Prince Reuven, it danced them around while Bella's clothes changed into a gorgeous blue ball gown and a glass slipper replaced her sandals from her feet. Prince Reuven's attire from the ball party before the curse happened was now he's wearing again. Sweet and lively melody filled the air and the lonesome atmosphere has turned into a joyful and lively mood. There were no words uttered between Bella and Prince Reuven. There was only gestures of love and contentment.
Everything was magical.
Once upon a time, there was a prince who bit an apple and a lass who was pricked by a rose thorn, there was blood and tears that kiss awoke the slumbering beauty from deep sleep and lifted a curse from the whole castle.
Another history.
Another happy ending.
Another tale to be told.
