Beast's Beloved Belle

Lore
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Acquisition
Added on June 21, 2015 as a part of Grab Bag 12 Card Pack featuring classic fairy tales characters.

Name origin
Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional fairy tale written by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and published in 1756. A wealthy widowed merchant lives in a mansion with his three daughters. All are equal in beauty, but the youngest, Belle, is kind and pure of heart; while the two elders, in contrast, are wicked, selfish, vain and secretly taunt and treat Belle more like a servant than a sister. The merchant eventually loses all of his wealth in a tempest at sea, and they are consequently forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living. After some years, the merchant hears that one of the trade ships has arrived back in port. Before leaving, he asks his daughters if they wish for him to bring any gifts back for them; the oldest two ask for clothing, jewels and the finest dresses possible while Belle is satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grow in their part of the country.

The merchant, to his dismay, finds that his ship's cargo has been seized to pay his debts, and on his way back he lost in a forest, seeking shelter, he enters a dazzling palace with tables laden with food and drink, which seem to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. He spends the night there and the next morning upon leaving sees a rose garden. He picked the loveliest rose but is confronted by a hideous "Beast" which tells him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begs to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift. The Beast agrees to let him give the rose to Belle, but only if the merchant will return. He is upset, but accepts this condition. The Beast sends him on his way, with jewels and fine clothes for his daughters. At home the merchant tries to hide the secret from Belle, but she pries it from him and willingly goes to the Beast's castle.

The Beast receives her graciously and informs her that she is now mistress of the castle, and he is her servant. He gives her lavish clothing and food and carries on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asks Belle to marry him, only to be refused each time. For several months, Belle lives a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, but eventually she becomes homesick and begs the Beast to allow her to go see her family. He allows it on the condition that she returns exactly a week later. He gave her an enchanted mirror and ring: the mirror allows to see what is going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allows to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around the finger.

Her older sisters are surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery, they are envious and beg her to stay another day, hoping that the Beast will be angry with Belle for breaking her promise and eat her alive. Belle's heart is moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agrees to stay. Belle begins to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and uses the mirror to see him back at the castle. She is horrified to discover that the Beast is lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father had stolen from and she immediately uses the ring to return to the Beast.

Belle weeps over the Beast, saying that she loves him. When her tears strike him, the Beast is transformed into the handsome prince from Belle's dreams. The Prince informs her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Belle are married and they live happily ever after together.