Bella : A retelling of Beauty and The Beast

 I need help choosing a name for Belle. I want a unique but beautiful -bella name. If you have any other ideas please comment. The country she lives in is very fond of exchanging certain "i" or "e" sounds for a "y".

Bellany

Ysabella
Arabella                     

Myrabella  (meer-ah-bella)

Evyrbella   (Ever-Bella) meaning ever beautiful, I thought that might go along with the whole rose idea quite nicely.

Prologue

          Bellany's small arms wrapped around her father's neck as he ran. Carrying her further away from the burning rubble of their small home. The attack had happened so suddenly. Many people swarmed the town's streets, frantically scrambling to escape the onslaught. The assailants were the rumored dark soldiers; said to be from the cursed castle of a broken prince with a forsaken title. Phantom soldiers of legend who were said to be so distant from human that they were the very spawn of evil themselves. Bellany buried her face into her fathers wool coat. Tears soaked through the thick fabric as she tried to force the terrible image from her mind.

          There was a small grove of twisted trees just past the modest gate of their home. Bellany's father set her down and pulled the knotted branches over her.

          "Stay here, Bellany! I must go back. The Greydons need my help. You must stay put, no matter what happens." He said, running his hands through her brown disheveled hair. "You must promise me Bella."

          "I promise father." She said, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "Will everything be alright?"

          "I don't know my darling." He replied, pulling her into his able arms. "I don't know." He reluctantly pulled away from her, kissing her forehead one last time. "I love you Bellany. Never forget that." He swiftly turned and ran back towards the smoldering village that was once their home.

          Bellany crouched in the thicket of mangled wood and laid her head against her knees. She worriedly thought of her best friend and playmate Ryan Austyn, the youngest son of Greydon Austyn. She wondered if she would ever see any of them again. Bellany leaned back against one of the larger trees wishing warmth to her young body during the crisp Autumn night. She couldn't rest. No matter how loud her body screamed at her to sleep. Neither could she escape the horrible image of the burning village as it crept its way into her mind. Despite her efforts she soon found herself falling into the dark abyss of uneasy rest.      

          Misshapen light from the morning sun peered through the branches above and warmed the dew on Bellany's damp clothes. She sat up, her mind whirling for an explanation of where she was. The scent of smoke and cold ashes awakened her to the reality of the previous night's escape. But as she looked around the copse, a chilling realization hit her. Her father had not returned.

Chapter One

          Vincent used to be a normal boy. His long days were filled with hunting, mastering his natural swordsmanship and endless hours of tutoring from a private teacher insisted upon by his mother. For when the time came, he would rule his father's kingdom. But all of it, his future and dreams, were shattered by one foolishly prideful act by his father. He remembered the story well. His mother told him often the talk of his curse before she died. It seemed that she wanted to put in his heart the burning hatred she had for the man who had cursed them both.

_._._._._

          Once upon a time, in a land far better than the one in which we live, there lived a young princess who had a love for all  people and knew her country well. A country that, sadly, she was never destined to rule.

          Although she loved all she met and they all loved her in return, there was a deep hatred that festered inside her for a single person. A man named Ryolan, betrothed to her at her birth, dooming her to a life where she could never truly love. He was a terribly vain and selfish man. He did not love her for her character or kindness. But he loved her out of pride, knowing he was to marry the most sought after, and most beautiful woman in the five kingdoms. He was a man of trickery and deceit. For he prospered in the  kingdom's riches; eating fine meats and wines, and filling his life with fleeting pleasures. He neglected his wife and young son. And his people slowly died of uncontrollable disease and starvation. 

          Then, one fateful night, as the king was practically drowned in spirits, having been feasting on the grape in it's many forms. A call came from beyond the main gate, which was answered by a sentry nearby. A single old woman with a cloak of rags and deep wrinkles in her skin, stood just beyond the door. She seemed to the sentry to be older than the kings entire stock of liqueur. And the voice which emitted from her lips was more weathered than the stones of the castle's great walls.

          "Please," She said, "might a poor woman find refuge from the biting winds on this winter's night?" The sentry was taken back by the woman's modest request.

          "Woman, can you not see to whose house you have stumbled upon?" He replied, "This is the castle of a great king..." But she held up her hand and said, 

          "I know the door at which I stand. And restate my humble request, permit me, if you would, to speak with your king. Could you not do me the simplest favor?" As she spoke these words, she held out a hand which held a single gold coin. Which she knew was more than the soldier had ever seen at one time in his life. He wasted no time in pocketing the money and guided her to the king's table. When the king saw who entered his vast dining hall he turned to the sentry with frustration in his eyes. 

          "What business do you have bringing this filth in while I'm trying to enjoy myself?" He questioned.

          "Sire,"The guard replied, bowing his head. "She requests a place to stay tonight." The king raised his eyebrows, then suddenly laughed heartily as if someone had mad a great joke.

          "A place for the night!" he chortled, "And what would the old hag have to offer in return for my gracious gesture?" He asked. At this the woman simply smiled and reached beneath her cloak. She met the king's eyes, which shined with the tears of drunkenness, and presented to him a single red rose.

          "This rose," She began, "is the only one of it's kind. It will never whither or die, but it shall bloom beautifully forever. I offer you this rose in return for a warm place to sleep for one night." After hearing the old woman's offer, the king's brow knit in a sharp scowl and he stood abruptly, scraping his heavy wooden chair on the cold stone floor.

          "How dare you enter my castle and insult me with such a worthless offer! Do you not realize that I can have anything I want?! Anything with one word or a flick of my wrist! And you have the gall to offer me a simple rose!" the king sat back down fuming and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "Take her from my sight."

          "I warn you,"Replied the old woman calmly. "do not be fooled by appearances. Many things are more than what they seem to be on the surface."

          "I said take her out of my sight or I'll..." But as the King turned to face her, the old woman's ugliness dissolved, revealing her to be a beautiful enchantress.

          "Ryolan I have seen that there is no love in your heart."She said, "You are foolish and think of only how to better yourself. I have experienced first hand how you treat others and you shall be given what you deserve. The king cowered in fear and fell at her feet, begging for a shred of forgiveness. But she turned from him and walked towards the doorway. Before she left she said, "I shall place a curse on this castle, that you may one day learn the error of you ways and see yourself for what you truly are, a beast."

          "No!" Ryolan shouted, "There must be another way!"

          "Look into your heart Ryolan." The enchantress replied."You are a monster. If you remain this way your son shall grow to be like you. Leave everything as it is, Ryolan, and you shall only bring sorrow to others. Stay here and love your son. No matter what shall befall you and your family. But the curse may be lifted if you teach your son to love, and someone can love him in return before the rose wilts on his twenty-first birthday." With that she tossed the flower to the cold stone floor and vanished, never to be seen again.

_._._._._

             Regretfully the king eventually forgot the warnings of the enchantress. He and his wife learned quickly of the curse set upon their small family. All through the night, as soon as the sun set, their boy Vincent would be just like any other child his age. But as soon as the sun would rise each morning he became a horrid, grisly creature. He grew up despising the form he would take at dawn, hiding himself from the rest of the world. Convinced that he would never break the curse set upon him because of his father's cold heart. King Ryolan soon died, never passing on his title to his son, and never having changed his heart.  Vincent cared for his aging mother who loved him very much despite the truth of his being. But she was also eventually taken by time. Soon the human part of him was overcome by the beast, so much that he did not change when the sun went down. So Vincent was doomed to live in his dark empty castle along with a handful of servants who had fallen under the enchantresses spell. A king without a formal title who ruled over a kingdom that no longer existed. He would grow old, and the rose would slowly wilt and die, having never found love. He seemed to have lost all hope. For who could learn to love a beast?

Chapter Two

          Beads of sweat fell down the bridge of her nose as -bella heaved the last bale of hay into the loft. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and rested the shaft against the hardwood walls of the barn. 
          "What are you doing out here Bella? You should be enjoying yourself today, not working." Bella turned around to greet the familiar voice of her guardian, Mauryce O'Connor.    
          "You should leave that for Nygel." Nygel Gallagher currently worked as a farmhand on the O'Connor Homestead. 
          "Don't worry about me Mauryce. I don't mind doing any more work, it's the last time I'll be able to be in here for a while at least. And Nygel told me he had some things to pick up in town so I thought I'd save him the time. I'm finished already anyway." Mauryce's old eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled.
          "Well then, come inside dear. Jenyce and I have made a surprise for you." He offered his arm and led Bella toward the farm house.