Beauty and the Beast
A merchant's kind daughter, a single rose, and a Beast who only needed to be loved
Page 1
In a great harbour town long ago, there lived a rich merchant whose tall ships sailed to every corner of the world and came home laden with silk and spices and gold. He had three daughters, and though the two elder girls were proud and fond of fine things, the youngest was so good and so lovely in her ways that everyone simply called her Beauty. Then, in a single cruel season, the merchant's luck turned: storms sank his ships, his fortunes failed, and the proud family lost everything — the great house, the servants, the silks and jewels — and had to leave the busy town behind. Of all his children, only Beauty did not complain. She dried her sisters' tears, packed what little remained, and told her heartbroken father that as long as they had each other, they would be all right.
Page 2
The family settled far away in a small farm cottage, and life was very different now. There were no servants to wait on them, only hard work from dawn to dusk. The two elder sisters hated it — they lay abed late, grumbled at their rough hands, and sighed all day for the parties and silk dresses they had lost. But Beauty rose first every morning, lit the fire, swept the floors, cooked and sewed and tended the little garden, and in the evenings, when the work was done, she sat by the window with the one treasure she had kept: her books. One day word came that a single lost ship of their father's had come into a distant port after all, and the merchant made ready to travel and see what could be saved.
Page 3
The merchant's journey came to nothing — the ship and its cargo were already lost to debts — and he turned sadly for home with empty hands. But on the way a terrible storm caught him in a deep forest; the snow fell thick, his road vanished, and he wandered lost and freezing until he feared the worst. Then, through the whirling snow, he saw lights — and came upon the gates of a vast and splendid castle, standing all alone in the heart of the wood. The great doors swung open by themselves as if they had been expecting him. Too cold and weary to be afraid, the merchant led his tired horse into the warm courtyard, calling out his thanks to a host he could not see, grateful beyond words for shelter from the killing storm.
Page 4
Inside, the castle was warm and blazing with light, and the strangest wonders waited for the merchant. A great fire crackled in the hall, dry clothes lay ready, and in the dining room a table stood spread with a magnificent supper — yet not a single soul was to be seen. As he watched, amazed, the dishes served themselves: a chair drew itself out for him, a jug poured his wine, and soft music played from empty air. The castle, it seemed, was enchanted, and its unseen servants wished him only comfort. The merchant ate and warmed himself and slept in a soft bed, and in the morning he found breakfast laid the same way. He thought he had found the kindest magic in the world — until, on his way out, he passed through the garden, and made one small, fateful mistake.
Page 5
In the castle's beautiful garden, roses bloomed even in the snow, and the merchant remembered Beauty's one small wish. Surely, he thought, the kind master of such a place would not begrudge a single flower — so he reached up and plucked one perfect rose. At that very moment a great voice rang out, and from the garden path came striding the master of the castle at last: the Beast — huge and majestic, dressed like a lord, with sorrowful amber eyes. He was wounded, not by the theft, but by what the rose had cost him, and he told the frightened merchant the terms: a life had been taken from his garden, and a life must answer for it — unless one of the merchant's daughters would come, freely and willingly, to live in the castle in his place. Heartbroken, the merchant gave his word to return.
Page 6
When the merchant came home and told his sorrowful tale, Beauty did not hesitate for a moment. Whatever the cost, she would not let her father pay for a rose that had been plucked for her. So, though her father begged her not to and her sisters secretly thought her a fool, Beauty rode bravely through the winter forest to the enchanted castle and presented herself at its great gates, ready to keep her father's promise. She had expected a cruel monster — but the Beast who came to meet her bowed with grave courtesy, spoke to her gently, and seemed more sad than fierce. He gave her the finest rooms in all the castle, told her she was its mistress and not its prisoner, and asked only one thing of her: that she would dine with him each evening, and never be afraid.
Page 7
Day by day, Beauty's fear melted away. The Beast was no monster at heart: he was kind, and courteous, and wiser and gentler than anyone she had ever met, and the more they talked the more she came to enjoy his company. Best of all, he gave her the run of the castle's greatest treasure — a library so vast that its shelves rose storey upon storey to the painted ceiling, holding more books than Beauty had dreamed existed in all the world. She spent whole golden afternoons there, reading aloud to the Beast while the castle's unseen servants tended the fires and the lamps. Only one small sorrow remained between them: every single evening, after supper, the Beast would ask her gently if she would marry him — and every evening, as kindly as she could, Beauty would answer no.
Page 8
As the weeks turned to months, Beauty and the Beast walked together every evening through the castle's wonderful gardens, and a deep and gentle love grew quietly between them — though Beauty herself did not quite know it yet. Yet she had begun to miss her old father terribly, and to worry how he fared without her. One evening the Beast, who could deny her nothing, showed her a magic mirror in which she might see anyone she wished. In it she saw her father, grown grey and ill with grieving for her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she begged the Beast to let her go home, just for a little while, to comfort him. The Beast's heart nearly broke at the thought of losing her — but because he loved her, he said yes, asking only that she promise to return within the week, for without her he could not long survive.
Page 9
Beauty's homecoming filled the little cottage with joy, and her poor father's health mended the moment he held his daughter again. But her two sisters, who had married poorly and were more jealous than ever to see Beauty so fine and so loved, secretly schemed to keep her past the seven days she had promised, hoping the Beast would grow angry and devour her. Charmed by their false tears and pleading, kind Beauty let the days slip by. Then, on the eighth night, she took out the magic mirror to look upon the Beast — and cried out in horror. There in the glass she saw him lying still and broken-hearted in his garden, fading away for grief and longing, close to death. In that terrible moment Beauty understood what her own heart had known all along: that she loved him. Without another word she flew from the cottage toward the castle.
Page 10
Beauty raced through the night and the winter forest and found the Beast lying still in his garden, just as the mirror had shown. Weeping, she knelt beside him, took his great gentle head in her arms, and told him the truth at last: that she had come back, that she could not live without him either, and that she loved him with her whole heart and would gladly be his wife. And at those words — spoken freely, and out of true love — the long enchantment shattered like glass. The Beast's rough form melted away, and in his place rose a handsome young prince, for a cruel spell had bound him in that shape until someone should love him for his kindness alone. In the same moment the whole castle woke: its hidden servants became people once more, its windows blazed with light, and bells rang out. Beauty's father and all the court gathered to celebrate, and Beauty and her prince were married amid more joy than the old castle had ever known.
About this story
- Audience: kids (ages 6–12)
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