Beauty and the Damned

3 | As Old as Time

The day carried on. And what happened earlier was like a grain of sand amongst a handful of it. She didn't care where they put the man's body. He was alive. By the time he wakes up, he will remember what happened, feel miserable, and go back to his family. It was that easy for the Queen. It was as if she had done it numerous times that it didn't matter anymore. Or maybe she's simply too wicked to care.

The double doors opened and an old woman came. Everybody looked at her as there was something unusual to her. Even her Guards stared at the old man. She was walking the aisle ever so slowly. Only her frail steps could be heard in the throne room.

Ariadne stared at the strange woman. Searching for something. Searching for what the old woman might have for her.

The man before her was killed and yet the old woman didn't look scared. It was the absence of fear in her face that irked her. She's feared. And yet the old woman walked calmly down the aisle as if she's not about to face the Queen.

"Your Majesty," she greeted. Then she took out a rose from her coat. And it was strange that it wasn't crumpled. Her brows furrowed at the sight.

The old woman walked to the foot of the dais. The servants looked at her with wariness but she gave them all a small smile, assuring that she won't do any harm like how the man before her attempted to do. The woman set the rose on the foot of the dais carefully and bowed so low her forehead almost reached the floor.

"I own a small garden in front of our small shack in the mountains, Your Majesty. This flower is the best I could find amongst the ones I had."

"Only one?" she asked.

"I harvested plenty but I have to sell them to survive, Your Majesty. This one is the prettiest among all my flowers. Aside from that, I have nothing else to give," the old woman said and silence covered the whole throne room.

And then she laughed. Her laughed echoed inside the four walls of the throne room. She just couldn't believe the woman dared to bow in front of her and bring so little. And only a flower?

The old woman was still bowing on the floor, waiting for the dismissal. The surrounding was quiet and only Her laugh reverberated throughout the four walls of the throne laugh.

"What a stupid oaf," she muttered, and the old woman bowed lower. She then stood up and walked down until she reached the foot of the dais. There's just something about the old woman that is strange. And it is something she needed to find out. And when she's inches away from the old woman, she still couldn't point out what's strange about her. The old woman still bowed her head and she looked down on her. Why should she feel threatened by a frail woman?

The flower the old woman brought was just inches away from her feet. The jewels in her dress shone under the faint light, shining to the rose on the ground.

"A pretty flower, indeed," she said. "But the thing is, I've got plenty of it already. As you can see."

Then she picked the flower up, examining it carefully. It looked like an ordinary rose. Nothing extraordinary about it. 

"To bring me this single piece of a flower is such an insult. Are you insulting me, old lady?"

The old woman shook her head gently. Even her actions shout calmness. "No, Your Majesty. I would never insult you or anyone for that matter. I am simply bringing you all that I have. That single flower is all that I have."

She was silent for a moment but then she said, "Of course."

The old woman sighed as she turned to walk back to the dais but not before dropping the rose. And by the time it reached the ground, it was already ashes.

"Bring me another payment the next time you come. You are dismissed," she said and sat on her throne, looking at the old lady bowing in front of her. What was she thinking? The old woman is just an ordinary woman. But why does she feel like she has to be wary of her?

The old woman trembled as she watched the ashes in front of her. And then her sobs filled the quiet throne room. With trembling hands, she reached for the ashes and scooped them in her hands. Ariadne furrowed her brows as she watched the old woman.

"Why are you crying?" she asked but the old woman's eyes remained only to the ashes in her hands. The servants looked at each other uncomfortably before she repeated her question. But this time, her voice thundered in the throne room. She hates to repeat herself.

Then the old woman stood, not bothering to wipe her tears, and then she lifted her head and eyed her. Something she wasn't expecting. Everyone froze on their feet as they saw the old woman meeting her gaze.  And as if it wasn't surprising enough, the old woman glowed and everyone in the room covered their eyes. It only lasted for a few seconds but the moment they opened their eyes, they were greeted not by an old woman but by a very beautiful lady. She was holding a scepter with a rose on top. And when she hit the base of her scepter to the floor, the ground shook.

"Who are you?" the Queen demanded but the lady wasn't fazed by it. Instead, she faced the Queen and pointed the scepter at her.

"Queen Ariadne Roseinhart," she said. "You do not love your people and your people do not love you. You are wicked. You do not have the heart of a true Queen. You are abusive and you lack sympathy." Then the lady raised her hand and the ashes on the floor glowed until it became a rose again. The lady placed it gently to her scepter before she looked at her once again.

"The rose you burned was my daughter. And now you will receive my wrath."

"What is the meaning of this? Guards!" she called but it was no use. The Guards were completely charmed by the lady and they were unable to move.

"Ariadne Roseinhart, you have people who serve you but one day, they will leave your side one by one. You have your power as your weapon but you will be stripped away from them. And you have the most beautiful face but you will come to despise it every time night time comes. A curse for you, wicked Queen. Nothing shall break the curse except yourself. Unless you learn to love, the curse shall not be broken. Even if you have an eternity to live."

She couldn't understand what the old woman was saying.

"What—"

"You are cursed, wicked Queen. And that is your punishment." And then the lady disappeared into thin air.

Everyone was silent in the throne room. The sun was already setting. A few more minutes and it would be nighttime.

And then the room was filled with a scream. A scream from the Queen as she knelt on the ground, holding her face. Her dress was getting ripped as her arms grew bigger. The servants scuttled away as they saw the Queen's hands turned into claws. Her feet into talons.

And she kept screaming until she dropped to the foot of the dais with a loud thud. The servants and the guards couldn't move as they witnessed the most horrible thing they've ever seen.

Because right there at the foot of the dais lay the Queen with the face and body of a beast.

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