Bittersweet and Strange

The first petal fell on the tenth year to the date of his curse.Prince Henry "Monty" Montague was cursed, having been doomed to live forever at eighteen, to remain frozen right on the cusp of life. Shunned and forgotten by the villagers, he spent his days hidden away. The enchantress had warned that the only way for the spell to be broken was to learn to truly love another and earn their love in return, having until the last petal of his enchanted rose fell or he'd be damned as a beast for all time.He'd given up hope of being freed long ago, for nobody even knew that his castle was still standing, hidden deep in the decrepit woods, it’s only inhabitants being the wolves and their prey. The likelihood of anybody crossing it’s path and living to tell the tale was slim. The likelihood of anyone stumbling across Monty and looking past his monstrous figure to see the broken man inside was even slimmer.Who could ever learn to love a beast?