Wicked Fairy Tales: Radiant Beauty

Authors note.

I would like to take the time to once again, thank all of the readers who take the time to read these stories.

Second, I would like to give special shout out to my former Editor Ishui, who was a great help to me. I hope things getter better for you doll, you will always have my gratitude.

I would also like to give a special shout out to dancingqueen27 she was the only one to make a recommendation into my next fairy tale project. I have to thank you for the suggestion, I learned a lot while doing research.

The subject of the enchanted bridegroom is an old one and stories of this archetype can be found practically in any nation. Most of us have grown up with the Disney Version of Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve Beauty and the Beast that was written in 1740. There are many other stories with enchanted Bridegrooms such as, the white bear king, East of the Sun West of the moon, Cupid and Psyche, even Hades and Persephone. So there was a lot of material to choose from, to be honest I had a hard time choosing which story to use as my base as each had something different to offer to the tale I had fun writing different scenarios for these characters, but I couldn't seem to settle on which to choose. It didn't help that at the time, I was reading Naomi Novak Version of the beauty and beast, In her book "Uprooted."

So for a while there were a bunch of false starts since I would start story then get another idea and start another. Eventually, I knew that I had enough material to last me for a while but I had to stop dicking around and pick one already. So in the end I went with Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve version as my base. I will also admit to borrowing a few things from the Disney.

Now this is where I have to apologize to you dear readers. I tried I really did I tried to cut the story short, several times after the story was finished went back and took something out only to add more than what I originally took out. In the end, this has to be one of my longest short stories. Ok that's not true, but the longest story that I have submitted here on this website. I apologize for the length but I hope I made up for it with a decent story, so if you are willing to stick it out and read through this whole thing, I thank you.

Last but not least,, I remind anyone reading this that any mistakes are mine, and mine alone. I am still working on improving my skills and sometimes something will slip by without my notice. I will still appreciate anytime you guys point out my mistakes to me. Just try not to be too harsh. In addition, I am once again on the hunt for an editor, if anyone can recommend someone or if someone would like a chance at this daunting task, please let me know.

Finally, now without further delay, I present Wicked Fairy Tales: Radiant Beauty.

*****

A gentle breeze blew through the warm autumn day, the leaves in the trees danced their shifting colors made it seem as though the canopy above the woman's head it undulated like the waves of the Sea. She inhaled the scent of the forest on the gentle wind enjoyed the sensations around her before her maudlin thoughts could make her melancholy, but then again the last few days had been overwrought with emotions.

The woman who was fighting to control her emotions was Lucinda moon. She was a woman of average height with cool colored skin, dark brown hair with hazel green eyes in a rounded face. She had strong body, that was made even stronger from housework but she still showed signs of a feminine shape. Though they were subtle and not as obvious to the eyes. However, a few called her a boy in order to insult her, for her lack femininity. Yet those who had an eye for quality knew the truth, they could read it in her bearing in the way she carried herself, in the way she kept her head held high and the way she smiled. When she smiled, it was only a hint of the beauty that she concealed. If she ever chose to truly, display her femininity others beauties would fall beneath her radiance.

The reason Lucy was trying to control her emotions was because she wished she had, had a chance to say goodbye to her brothers, her fathers, and though she did not get along with them her sisters as well. She was unable to do so because had her brothers or her father known what she planned they would have stopped her. They had already had that argument before. Her brothers where of a mind to ride forth and kill the beast that threatened her father, but doing so would only have ensured her father's demise along with that of her brothers. She told them that she would go to the beast it would be the only way to save their father. In fact, she was the only choice.

Lucy's father was a merchant who had fallen on hard times. Yet during this great upheaval to their lives, a letter came about one of his investments an investment in a merchant ship. Their father was optimistic for this investment and so went forth to claim his share and began making preparations to slowly regain all that they had lost. Lucy and her brothers had waited with anticipation for their fathers return. Yet upon returning from his journey with such riches to not only restore their fortune, but also enhance it, he walked around their home with an aura of melancholy. It had taken some time and some maneuvering by her as well as her brother's considerable drinking ability but they managed to get the sorted tale from their father.

Their father related to them that the merchant ship had suffered some misfortune and because of this misfortune and other legalities, they were to suffer more misfortune as well. So their father made his way home with nothing to show for his journey. On his returned home he was so downhearted that he did not pay proper attention to the weather and was soon caught out in a storm in the middle of the forest. Because of the storm, he became hopelessly lost. Seeing no other recourse he needed to find shelter and somehow stumbled onto a keep buried deep in the heart of the forest.

Seeing it as a turn of fortune, he sought refuge in the keep, he had thought that this must have been a summer home that had once belonged to some noble that had not been visited it in some time. Yet he father had found warm food waiting for him on the dining table and later a fire. He tried to find the person responsible for the simple kindnesses they were showing him but he found no one and found himself thanking the empty air. He slept through the storm and found more food awaiting him the next morning. He ate thanked the empty air once more collected their horse and made his way to leave.

It was as he was leaving that he saw a beautiful red rose in the garden, thinking he could fulfill at least one of his children's request, he picked it. Yet the moment the stem broke with a gentle snap a roar echoed forth from the keep, a roar so deep and so loud that her father froze like a deer that was suddenly caught in the light of a lamp. Before her father's fear could get him to run for his life, it proved to be too late. A large monstrous beast charged into him, knocking him off his feet. The beast's roared at him making him wet himself in sheer terror and had he not just released his bladder he would have definitely done so the next moment for the beast spoke to him.

The beast spoke about his ingratitude, after the beast had welcomed him in his home and feed him. That he would steal, one of his roses was an outrage, and the beast raised his hand to strike him down. Her father explained quickly that the rose was meant as a gift for one of his daughters. The beast halted his assault on her father and told him that he must be a loving father, so he wondered if his daughters would be just as loving. So he told her father that he would release him with the rose and deliver it as a gift along with the wagon full of the other treasures he had brought home.

Then he told her father to tell his daughters if one of them did not choose to take their fathers place and die for him he would have to return in three months time to die himself. He told her father that the daughter must choose to come of her own free will, and that if neither one showed up at the end of three months a calamity so great would fall on them, that there would be legends of their disaster. So their father returned home determined to live the little time he had left with his family before he returned to the Beasts lair.

Naturally, her brothers wanted to hunt down the beast and save their father from the creature. Lucy had to be the voice of reason telling them that going into the monsters lair would be suicide he would have all of the advantage. Luckily, for her, her eldest brother was training to become an officer in the military and saw the logic in her words.

When they had suffered the loss of their family fortunes all of her brothers signed up for the military as a way to supplement their father's meager income. She knew that the path that her brothers chose was a hardship for them but they didn't complain. In fact, the military seemed to help refine them into the men they were. Actually that's what happened to her entire family the loss of their fortune revealed who they truly were. She suffered from the loss by learning to do all of the things that they once had servants to do, at first, it was hard but she persevered. Her sisters on the other hand, the loss of their fortune revealed, how selfish, petty, and lazy they truly were.

It is for this reason that Lucy knew, that given the choice, her sisters would never choose to take their fathers place. So she made dinner one evening making sure to add something to help her family sleep. When everyone was asleep she slipped out of the house saddled the horse and went off to take her father's place.

Knowing her brothers, when they realize what she had done, they would come after her. so she left false trails for them to follow, it was lucky that only Abby the family horse knew the way to the castle this was something the else the beast had done. He had somehow enchanted the horse so when asked to return to the beast, she would know the way instinctually.

Lucy was pulled away from her thoughts when Abby nickered to get her attention, Lucy focused on her surroundings and found that the forest had backed away and that they now stood in the middle of a road. A road that lead straight to a large metal gate that stood before an even larger keep. Lucy felt her jaw drop slightly at the building because her father was wrong the building wasn't a keep or perhaps it had been in a past life. However, in its current form it was a mansion. The outer façade of the building was stone, there were many windows that reflected the days dying light since the curtains were closed and did not let one peek inside. Lucy's momentary shock at the beauty of the building faded, when she reminded herself of the reason she was there. After find a stable and taking care of her horses needs she made her way toward the Mansion.

Though the light was dim, Lucy could still see the luxury in the mansions interior. The splendor of this home was multitudes greater than anything her family had once possessed; this was perhaps on par with the wealth of royalty. Lucy couldn't help but gawk at the paints that hung along the hallways or study the details of the intricate statues that stood in the corners. She even took the time to admire some of the work done on the furniture of the house, what little she could see of it. She really wished she had a lamp, or candelabra; even a single candle would be of great benefit. In one room she attempted to open the curtain, hopefully to let in what was left of the evenings light. However, she soon found that the curtains had all been sown shut and somehow sealed along the windows frame.

Since there didn't seem to be any sources of light on hand, the place was starting to get darker, before long it became too dark to see anything. Lucy proceeded silently through mansion dreading the dark imagining finding the beast while she was blind and unable to see him. Perhaps it would be a blessing not to before her demise. She went from room to room searching for something to light her way. Due to the full dark, she only encountered furniture and walls.

Tired and afraid she blindly found the handles to a set of doors, opening them into an equally dark room. However, the smell of burnt wood reached her senses, so she followed her nose and found a fireplace. The prospect of light instantly brightened her mood. That was, until she felt the presence of something in the darkness with her. Lucy couldn't say how she knew but she did, it was instinctual perhaps because she felt her hair standing on end. She looked toward were, she believed the door was, there floating some feet off the ground were to small lights the size of marbles. The lights were gazing back at her.

A low rumbling sound vibrated her chest and had her heart doing its damnedest to escape from her chest. The rumbling sound continued as the lights moved toward her. From her father's description of the creature, she imagined that it would make some noise as its heavy footfalls carried it into the room. However, the creature was as silent as a cat-well aside from the growling- the beast didn't make a sound. She should have been screaming in terror and made a run for it. However, she found she couldn't move.

"Who are you," said a voice the sounded like gravel being shoveled, just the sound of it made her mouth dry and forced her mind to focus at the task before her.

"Well?" the voice snarled.

Lucy struggled to wet her lips before she answered the question. "My name is Lucinda Moon," She squeaked before she cleared her throat and spoke a bit more normally. "My father is the Merchant Jeremiah Moon, not too long ago he came to be in your care, during his stay he accidently offended you, I have come here to take his place and receive his punishment."

There is a long moment of silence before the sound of sniffing filled the air.

"I can smell him on you it's faint and old; tell me girl how much did the craven bastard pay you, to spout these lies?"

"What! No he"

"No lies Girl, or I swear what I will do to you will be greater than any threat he could possible manage."

"This isn't a lie my lord."

"My lord," the beast scoffed, "What kind of ninny are you, do I look like a lord you?"

Lucy's immediate retort would have been "well since we are standing in complete darkness it, is rather difficult to say what you look like, my lord." However, her mind was still reeling at the fact that he had just called her a ninny. Part of her wondered if she could find the fireplace poker in the dark and strike him across the head with it. Her anger was greatly assuaging her fear of the creature. However, she had remained silent for too long, so the beast continued to speak.

"I am simply, The Beast, girl nothing more and nothing else. Now go back home girl and tell that coward that I will see him soon."

She saw the twin lights turn away from her and manage to find her voice once again. "Wait please I am not lying to you, you sent my father away with a great bounty, I have one of the things you sent with him." she said as she began to dig into the bag that hung next to her hip.

"This would be easier if I had some light," she mumbled under her breath.

There was a loud snap and suddenly a fire roared into life within the fireplace. The burst of wind blew her hood off her head, while the sudden heat dried her eyes slightly. The sudden lighting of the fireplace made Lucy blink at the sudden light, when the after image of light faded from her eyes she found the beast standing before her.

Lucy found that she couldn't blame her father, for his reaction when he first encountered the beast. The simple truth was that the beast was indeed bigger than a bear wider too perhaps, then again she had never seen a bear up close so she really couldn't be sure. There was also the fact that she was a small woman barely an inch taller than five feet, so perhaps that also affected her perception of him. Still if his height wasn't intimidating it was his form the fact that he had a head similar to a wolf's but with a shorter snout much like those of a large predatory cat like a tiger. Despite the fact that his body was covered in fur, he had long dark hair that twisted and flowed around his face.

There were two things about this creature that Lucy found interesting. the first being that she first thought that his fur was black. However, she realized that it was the darkest shade of brown possible the fur visible to her was every shade of brown possible. There were patches of fur that where noticeable the area around his bright green eyes, it was covered with a light brown fur that it was nearly blonde. There were also a few silver and white hairs, the ones that really caught her interest were the red ones, that where only visible when the light struck them at the right angle. The second interesting thing was that it wore simple rough spun clothing. This made Lucy wonder if he actually needed clothing, from what she saw his body was covered in fur, surely the rest of his would be covered in fur. Perhaps his fur grew like that of a dogs with the thinnest fur growing on the around the belly and-

"Your proof girl, I don't have all night," he barked interrupting her train of thought.

Lucy resumed her search and thanks to the light spotted it rather quickly, she pulled out a wooden bird. The artist that created the bird had to be a master artisan because the bird was nearly identical to a real bird. However, the bird was painted with bright colors and patterns that would not be seen on a bird in nature. She held up the bird into the light so that the beast could see.

The Beast scrutinized the figure then turned his attention on her, before looking down on her once more. She saw him take a deep sniff of the air before he looked at her and said.

"Your scent is different than his; you take more after your mother than you do your father."

"Yes, everyone always made that distinction as well, although I didn't know that, that applied to scents as well." She said as she put away the bird.

"Did, he threaten to beat you if you didn't come in his stead."

"My father made no threats to me, in fact it was rather hard to gather the information from him but my brothers managed it. When we learned the truth, I knew that I was the only viable option. So I left home in the dead of night and made my way here."

The beast scrutinized her again looking to see if he could spot the lie, but she stood tall-well as tall as she could manage for her height- held her chin up and looked him square in the eye. Lucy really wished he would find what he was looking for because she couldn't hold her eyes open for much longer, she needed to blink.

Suddenly, the beast stepped back and bowed with a flourish. "Welcome to Black Hill manor, my lady."

Lucy could only blink owlishly at the change in his demeanor. Then she suddenly felt her skin tingle almost as if silk were sliding across her entire body. She shivered slightly at the sensation.

The beast rose to his full height once more. "You must have had a long journey would you be interested in having dinner, before I show you to your room."

Lucy was confused hadn't she come all this way for the Beast to kill her, she about to give voice to the question, when suddenly her stomach grumbled so loudly, that it even drowned out the crackling of the fire. Not only was the rumbling of her stomach loud but it lasted as long as one of her brothers extended belches after he had one too many beers. Lucy felt the blush that rose from the tips of her toes all the way up into her hairline. Lucy decided to look at her feet hoping to hide it but she had no doubt he would be able to see, since she felt how hot her face was.