The Circles of Hate (Beauty & the Beast)

A Story by stardust X

Hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago, there was a land of fog and seaweed in a remote corner of Asia. The land was under the reign of a great Emperor; he ruled the ocean, he ruled the peoples, he used to yell at his slaves every dawn while the horizon was reflected in his fierce, almond-shaped eyes.

The Emperor kept a Beast in a prison in the middle of the ocean; the Beast was an awful, revolting thing, he could barely look at it, but still went every dusk to unload all his hate on it.

The Emperor was all made out of hatred.

He insulted it, he spat at it, he vomited on it and enjoyed watching how that mass of flesh, blood and filth was crying out in pain.

However, one day, there was a new season in the Universe and some chaotic things, like the anatomy of our Beast, went back to its order. The ugly claws turned into delicate hands, the rotten fangs turned into a cosmic smile; the disgusting mass became the most charming and beautiful princess ever seen in the seven seas.

The Emperor got a great shock when he found a fragile creature with pale skin and long, dark hair staring at the moon from the window of the prison. He broke into millions of pieces and wondered why he had hurt her so much for so long, but the princess soon forgave him since he was the only friend she had. From that day, the Emperor went there every day at twilight and loved to take his rare Beauty in his arms, kiss her and caress her endless black hair while she was smiling, looking at him with joyous eyes in an state between waking and sleeping. The hatred in him was dying. But one day it was him who fell asleep, and a river of lethal venom flowed from the Princess' mouth to his.

What was wrong with our innocent creature?

The Beast still lived inside.