Decades passed and a merchant wandered onto the castle grounds lured by a rose. It was large and red, fitting his daughter's nickname Beauty so well that he had to pick it. Stooping down to pick it, he looked up as a shadow loomed over him. It was a hideous beast, demanding repayment for the rose. The merchant and the beast reached a deal in which the merchant would send Beauty to live with the beast to avoid lethal consequences for the merchant's family and the town.
The first meeting was disasterous. On and off for several months, the pair rarely spoke to each other and when they did, they shouted until the walls shook. Months passed and slowly they became civil towards each other and eventually became friends though neither of them spoke the word. It had been a year since Beauty had moved into the castle when she woke up finding the palace silent. Concerned, she hurried through the castle's halls calling out for the servants and the beast. Yet the chairs were ordinary chairs and the grandfather clock didn't smile when she passed it. She ran up a spiral staircase and at the topmost room she found the beast. He lay motionless on the floor, a rose nearby in a vase with only two petals clinging onto it. Hurrying over, she knelt by the beast. She shook him but he wouldn't move. Pleading, she bit her lip and whispered, "Please wake up. I love you."
Instantly a warm light seemed to fill the room. It wasn't bright but still Beauty shielded her eyes and when the light faded, the beast was gone. In his place was a handsome prince. Beauty cast him a dubious look. He looked a bit full of himself. Blinking, she saw his hand extended to her. Taking it, she gave him a smile as he helped her up. She knew that it would be all right.