Somewhere past the tall writhing pillars of seaweed, Father rode his sea dragon to a cliff.

He discovered the cliff was a throne; for at its top sat a radiant palace of gold.

Drawn to its brilliant light, he swam ever so closely.

 

                

After curiosity led him through much discovery, none compared to the last of what he found.

Somewhere among the endless corridors and rooms, a single oyster shell sat by its lonesome.

Like lips drawn slightly apart, the shell invited him to a dazzling pearl sat at the tip of its tongue.

 

Father succumbed to its seduction and plucked the pearl.

However, a foreboding presence emerged behind him.

                

Confronted with a mouthful of teeth, father fled at once but not before hearing the Beast's demands.

When he arrived home, he tearfully told his daughters what happened.

As a consequence of his intrusion, he was to exchange one of his daughters in his place or die.

With shame, he clutched to the pearl at a loss of what to do. To his surprise, Beauty took it from his hand.

                

And so Beauty ventured to the palace.

 

When she arrived, she was faced with a horrible creature; one of which she could never have imagined.
She braced for the worst but much to her confusion, the Beast did not show any intent to kill as her father had described. Instead, the Beast bestowed luxurious gifts upon her, of which she was forced to accept.

                

What felt like eternity passed and the gifts never stopped.
Yet, no matter the generosity or kindness shown by the Beast, Beauty endlessly gazed into a mirror that allowed her to see home. While her father was alive and well, he was devastated with believing that his daughter sacrificed her own life. Seeing Beauty's anguish, Beast approached Beauty with a ring and a proposal.

 

With a heavy heart, he was willing to allow Beauty to visit her father.

However, Beauty must promise to return within a certain period of time.

                

Accepting Beast's proposal, the ring took Beauty home.
To her father's relief, his daughter was safe and sound. The Beast never harmed her!
It was a seemingly heartwarming family reunion.

 

Little did Beauty know that her sisters wished otherwise.

                

Knowing of Beauty's promise, the sisters planned on prolonging Beauty's stay.

If Beauty broke her promise, perhaps the Beast would be so infuriated that Beauty would be eaten.

 

Many nights go by until one night, Beauty finds herself in a peculiar dream which felt all too real.

In her dream, she discovered the Beast in terrible agony over her absence.

Alarmed at the vividness of her dream and remembering her promise, she returned to the palace at once.

 

There, she found the Beast close to death.

In her arms, the Beast's once monstrous exterior of ragged skin and pointed ribs melted away
into the pale face of a heartbroken prince.