Beauty + The Bastard Prologue

~Prologue~

Roy Mustang lived in an enormous estate filled with many servants. He was rich and his mansion was decorated in only the finest of furniture. He made his money from alchemy, and a special form of it at that. Since long ago, the mysterious art of flame alchemy had been lost. Many alchemists and scientists alike came to his mansion, begging for him to share his secrets. However, he rudely turned them all away.
    
The young Mustang held many parties at his estate and his good looks brought him many admirers. With his ebony black hair, deep azure eyes, and fall and fit physique, women of all ages fawned over him. However, though he would treat them well for the night he was with them, or if he was in public with them,  if they were to come to his door the next morning or send him a messenger, he would cruelly turn them away, like he would the alchemists and scientists. Though his women escorts were beautiful and often came from rich families, they had not the intelligence, nor the brain capacity for such intelligence that young Mustang sought for in a companion.
    
One particularly cold and snowy winter night, a hunched-over figure appeared on Roy's step. The servant who answered hesitantly went and told his slumbering master that he had a visitor. Roy, who did not appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night, stormed to the entrance hall.
    
"What do you want?" Never before had anyone bothered him so late at night, it made him both wary and annoyed.
    
"Please, sir, will you tell me something?" Roy flinched at the woman's raspy voice, and narrowed his eyes.
    
"That would depend," came his curt reply.
    
The woman nodded and stood up straighter, taking down the hood of her cloak to reveal an old and rather ugly woman. Roy visibly cringed, now glaring at the woman, as she offered him a red rose.
    
"Will you tell me the secrets of your fire alchemy?" Roy snorted and rolled his eyes.
    
"Of course not!" He promptly slammed the door in the woman's face. However, her hand on the door stopped him. The strength from such an old woman confused Roy. Before he could blink, he was on his back, the door was thrown open, and he could only stare in horror at the woman.
    
Alchemically conducted electricity ran up and down her body and her grey hair was swirling around her head wildly. Her beady black eyes pierced into frightened blue.
    
At once Roy realized that the woman before him was the mysterious Dante. He had heard of her from an alchemist. She had been said to be searching for rare alchemy in every form possible. Also, it was rumored that she has been alive for decades beyond her time.
   
She slowly stalked toward him and Roy hurriedly tried to scramble back. He was stopped when she reached down and grabbed him by his nightshirt and hoisted him to his feet. Roy winced as he felt her musty breath ghost over his skin. The bloody red rose was held between their faces.
    
"I'll ask you once more," her voice was trying to be sweet, but it sounded sickly. "Will you tell me your secrets?"
    
Roy Mustang was stubborn, it ran in his family.
    
"No." Dante cackled madly, throwing Roy to the floor.
    
"Fine. You clearly won't share your precious information with me. Therefore," Dante clapped and smiled almost demonically at Roy, "until you can share your alchemy secrets and learn to truly love someone and earn their love in return, you and your household will be forever changed." As she spoke, the electricity that pulsed around her began to crawl along the floor of the large entryway before quickly spreading around the house and onto the people within it. "Once this enchanted rose wilts on your 30th birthday, you and your household will retain these forms forever."
    
Roy did his best to hold in his scream as white-hot pain lanced through him. The sight of Dante laughing at him and dropping the rose was the last thing he saw.

~

Roy awoke hours later on the cold marble of the entrance hall. He slowly sat up and shook his head. Looking around the dawn-lit hall, he found the rose from the previous night. Picking up the rose absentmindedly and staring at the large closed doors in front of him, he laughed. What a silly old woman! To truly fall in love within two years? Impossible!

He continued to laugh hysterically as he climbed the large set of stairs leading to the second floor. He could easily find a woman who would love him, and to love her? Well, he could always fake it. It wasn't as if the crazy old hag's enchantment actually wor-

Roy froze as he passed a hallway mirror and immediately backtracked. He stared into it for a long while before letting out a loud scream in a mix of shock and rage. The mirror shattered against his fist. Staring at his black, fur covered, clawed hand, Roy slumped to the ground.

Dante's words were true. But who would dare to look at him, let alone love him, when he looked like this?