Danny Wall

Inspired by the original fairy tale of La Belle et la Bête by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (1740) 

Written by Danny Wall

 

Once upon a time, a fair young lad lived in a small farm at the edge of a wide forest. The work on the farm made him lithe and strong, his love for his parents and sister made him kind and true, and the beauty of the sunset as it kissed the faraway hills made him thoughtful and wistful. His parents would often wonder about their son as he stood in the evening wind and marveled at the dusk, but he was merely caught up, time and again, at the simple beauty of it all-- the wondrous weaves of purple and gold, the crisp and deepening blues. Unable to understand, they would just shake their heads and return to their chores. 

 

It was no wonder that his name meant handsome, but Bellamy gave no thought to venture forth into the city nor to return the invitation to meet the young maidens of his faraway neighbors. No, his only concerns were to work the earth, to tend the fields, and to support his family. And it was enough. The family grew in contentment everyday. Still, there would be times when he would stare into the sky with the wind at his back, and think. 

 

One day, sister Rose went to collect flowers in the forest, but had not returned. Bellamy’s gaze into the sunset was interrupted by his parents’ pleas. With little time to spare, he forswore any provisions and mounted the horse to scour the forest in search of her. The minutes slipped into hours with no sign of his sister as he moved deeper and deeper into the forest, into corners he never realized were there. As the night swallowed the forest, Bellamy came upon a sudden turn, and the line of trees gave way to a wide clearing, an expanse so large that it seemed strange to have never known of its presence before. 

 

In the middle of the clearing, washed in the grey of moonlight, stood a massive estate, complete with rounded rooms rising like towers on either side, its very presence declaring itself to be a most stately manor indeed-- if it were not for its near-ruined state. The walls had paled, and the windows were crusted with earth and dust. In some places, there were more vines and tendrils latching onto the walls than were among the weeds and thorns on the ground. But there, just before the massive archway that led to an inner courtyard, lay Rose’s basket, overturned, with discarded wildflowers splattering the scene.              

 

Bellamy leapt off his horse and rushed inside, calling out his sister’s name! Here and there, again and again, his calls echoed through the aged manor in his frantic search. Finally, faintly, he heard her! Scrambling up the stairs in the faraway tower, Rose’s voice could be heard on the other side of a wide, thick oak door. It was locked! 

 

His sister’s cries of joy upon hearing her brother soon turned to fright and worry. She urged him to escape before the lord of the manor returned, before the Beast would come! And, sure enough, he did! 

 

His shadow fell upon Bellamy as he kneeled against the oak door. The young man peered through the gloom, but could not see any more than the cloaked silhouette of a hulking, massive figure. The man roared, declaring himself master here and that the girl was his to keep and to marry. His sister was forced to agree, through her tears. She explained that she had been set upon by wolves in the forest and fled to this strange house. The man had saved her and declared her self to be his to marry as recompense.  

 

Bellamy appealed to him, deeply and earnestly, to release his sister, but nothing could move the imposing figure. At last, defeated, Bellamy could only ask for mercy, so that his sister could have until the next full moon the opportunity to return home and make amends to family before returning. Bellamy would stay in her stead, to serve as manservant to the manor and to guarantee her sure return.       

 

After such an impassioned plea, the hooded figure remained standing, nearly unmoving, for several breathless seconds. His response came as he woke from his silent stare. He opened the giant oak door and declared that his sister would have until the next full moon to make good her farewells. In the meantime, Bellamy must remain in the manor instead. If she failed to return, then his life would be forfeit. The sister and brother held each other and cried, but Rose forced herself to flee, leaving Bellamy resigned to his fate. 

 

The next day, Bellamy woke to find the oak door open. He made his way to breakfast, sitting far from the lord of the manor. The meal before him was the simplest of fare, nevertheless, Bellamy refused to eat. The man responded gently, with a pleasant voice that seemed colored by genuine concern. Surprised at this unexpected demeanor and behaviour, Bellamy demanded the man remove his hood and cloak if there were to eat together. The man sighed and excused himself from the table. He informed Bellamy that the hood was not for his own benefit, but for that of Bellamy. In fact, the hood obscured his terrible face, a visage that was twisted into the likeness of some inhuman beast. Bowing, he took his leave, and Bellamy was left with his meal alone. 

 

As the days passed until the next full moon, Bellamy often encountered the hooded man while wandering the manor, and also often, conversation would begin, awkward at first but growing in comfort. Bellamy learned much from the man, about all the books in the great library, about the plants and flowers in the wide gardens, and about the game and hunting for their simple meals. For truly, the man had lived alone a good number of years and sent everyone away, taking care of the manor himself. 

 

One night, Bellamy sat to dinner early. The man arrived to the doorway and stopped. Slowly, gently, he removed his hood and cloak and placed them aside before sitting at the opposite end of the long table. His face, indeed, was that of some strange beast, of some wild and primal nature. A moment of silence passed between them, then they ate together. 

 

After the meal, Bellamy excused himself, but the Beast asked for just one moment. The next night would be the first full moon. He wondered if Rose would need more time to fulfill her life outside the manor before being locked into their agreement. This would mean, of course, that Bellamy would have to remain for another month. Bellamy turned away to think for several long moments, but agreed.     

 

The days passed much as they had before, although now the two greeted each other more readily, and conversation flowed more freely. Bellamy shared much of his knowledge from farm and forest. The manor gleamed and their meals grew in variety and flavour from Bellamy’s touch.  

 

It was on the eve of the next full moon that the Beast shared his story. As a young man and lord of the land, he was audience for many families who brought their maidens to him in hopes of arranging marriage, and yet he turned them all away. The last of such audiences had among them a powerful wizard, so when the lord refused the woman before him, the wizard laughed such a deep and rumbling laugh. He placed a powerful spell on the lord, transforming his face and proclaimed that he would be cursed to remain a “beast” until he could find someone to love and earn love in return. In despair, the young lord withdrew into his manor and began to dismiss all around him. Over the years, everyone had been sent away, and he realized he was truly alone. But how could he lift such a curse if he never allowed anyone inside? 

 

Bellamy took a moment then offered an idea. If the beast would allow Rose to return after yet another month, he would serve the beast as his steward, to transform the manor into a place worthy of audience once again, as well as his herald, to reach out to families far and wide. If a maiden could be found to stay as lady of the manor, then Rose could stay with her family. If not, then Bellamy would return to retrieve Rose to stay at the Beast’s side. The Beast asked only to make sure Bellamy wanted to stay for one more moon, but agreed.             

 

The following month was full of energy, lively conversation, and even smiles. There was much to do to reinvigorate both manor and lord as well as to prepare steward and herald. In fact, many, many days had passed before Bellamy ventured out of the manor as the herald for the Beast. He roamed far to find the first city, but as he made audience to the faraway court, he found it difficult to look in the face of anyone. Their plain human features now seemed strange and foreign, and he was unable to share what he had found at the Beast’s manor. And so it was again and again, each time he tried.

 

At last, the next day would be the full moon. Bellamy and the Beast sat side by side at the dinner table. The dining room was now resplendent in colour and light, with many courses arrayed before them. Nevertheless, they both found it difficult to try to eat. Bellamy apologized that he was not successful as his herald, but was happy that Rose could return to the manor to find it a brighter and fuller place than it was before. The Beast apologized as well and brought Bellamy immediately to a horse waiting outside the manor. The Beast was also happy that his manor was brighter and fuller than ever before, and happy that it was Bellamy who made that happen. Therefore, in gentle but sweeping gesture, the Beast let him go. He released Bellamy and his sister from their promises, and he returned inside, alone. 

 

Bellamy returned to the farm as the evening star was its brightest. His family rushed forth to greet the long-lost son and brother, and they marveled at his fine clothes and royal bearing. Life had returned to normal. 

 

Yet, Bellamy did not grow in contentment, as he had once did. More and more often he would stare into the sky with the wind at his back. More and more often he would sigh, and think. Yet another full moon approached, and Bellamy once more took his place to gaze at the sunset. This time, however, the clouds formed a strange sight. They gave a vision of the Beast, the man huddled in a heap beside his bed, and Bellamy knew at once his friend was hurt, sick, and dying. Bellamy thanked the clouds for showing him the truth, but otherwise wasted no time. He rode as fast as he could back to the manor, breathlessly reaching the clearing of the forest as the night stars gathered above. 

 

The grayness and thorns had already returned, but they gave way with each footfall, falling off in pieces to become colour and light again as Bellamy ran into the manor. He rushed to the bedside to find the Beast lying, unmoving, on the floor. His breath was soft as his spirit threatened to leave. Half of the curse was broken, as he had learned to love, but even more deadly was half a curse. With tears, Bellamy told him that, no, the curse was truly broken. He knelt down, and he kissed him. 

 

The room filled with wind and colour, of thunder and light, and the face of the Beast melted away to reveal the lord of manor as young and handsome as before. The young lad and the once-Beast embraced with all the power of the trueness of self, and they lived happily ever after.

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The End

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