Week 2 Story: A Compassionate Beast

How did I get here? One moment I’m the Prince of the kingdom, following in my father’s footsteps; but now, I have turned into something unimaginable.

I look in the mirror and I see a face that is unrecognizable. My brow furrows as I lean forward and discover my new features. I see a sharp jaw line and cheekbones, my eyes are narrow, almost ferocious. Nothing like the gentle blue eyes I once had. My body has almost doubled in size forcing me to drape myself in a cloth.

What’s next? The sorcerer was a man that was in my father’s army. When my father passed, he demanded that I was not fit to reign as King, to which I banished him from the kingdom. “Have you no compassion?” he screamed at me as he was carried out of the castle. It was then I felt a strange pressure in my body and it felt as if the Earth stopped moving. The sorcerer reappeared and spoke to me. He told me that until I could learn compassion, I would remain as this creature.

All alone, I began to reflect. I felt that I was a fairly compassionate person. I never was discourteous to anyone, unless threatened. Which is exactly what the sorcerer did when he demanded a promotion. In his eyes I was evil, a person who could not empathize with anyone. I lay awake at night thinking about what I could do to prove I was a compassionate man. After three years, I gave up. I accepted my fate, rotting in my beautiful castle all alone.

One stormy night I was pacing in my quarters when I heard the hooves of a horse galloping on the cobblestone leading to the garden. When I came to the window, I saw a young, scared girl had fallen off her horse by the centuries old rose bush.  

I saw an opportunity here. I would never learn compassion like the sorcerer wanted me to all alone in my castle. I needed a companion to show him what I already possess. As I approached the girl, I could see the terror in her eyes and wondered what she could be so afraid of. I immediately remembered what I look like to outsiders. They don’t know the handsome Prince I once was. When I invited the girl inside she refused and immediately got defensive. I could not risk her leaving my castle, I needed her as much as she needed a shelter for the night. When her refusal persisted, I had no choice but to force her into the castle.

The next morning, I told her that each day I needed to wait on her hand and foot. She was not happy with this arrangement. She was one of those independent types. For the next five days, I did just that. Throughout this time, I found myself getting to know this girl and I began to regret forcing her into this situation. On the sixth day, I made the decision to release her, to allow to her to go home to her surely worried family. As I walked her down the corridor towards the door, she stopped and looked me in my eyes. What she said shocked me. She told me that while this was not an ideal situation, she could see that I was a good man. I insisted that she leave immediately, as this moment was too much for my emotions.

It was in that moment that I felt the Earth stop moving. This was a familiar feeling, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then suddenly, my world was back in motion and the girl stared at me in awe.

Confused, I ran to a nearby mirror where I didn’t recognize who I was looking at. I was myself again. In my excitement, I ran to her and picked her up spinning her around in circles. When we settled down, she revealed to me that she didn’t want to return home, that she wanted to spend the rest of our lives together in our beautiful castle.

Castle: Wikipedia

Author’s note: The original story “Beauty and the Basilisk” caught my eye. As I read the story I couldn’t help but think about what the Basilisk’s perspective was. My result was a similar story, but from the perspective of the creature.

Bibliography: The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922).