Evermore: A "Thirty Days of Phantom" FanFiction Contest Entry
Written By: Child of Dreams

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not currently own the rights to any versions of Phantom of the Opera or Beauty and the Beast.
But oh, how I wish I did...
(sighs longingly)

Main Cast & Characters
Cate Blanchett = The Enchantress
Gerard Butler = Prince Erik
Anna O'Byrne = Christine Daaé
Claude Rains = Gustave Daaé
Jonathan Rhys Meyers = Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny
Miranda Richardson = Madame Giry
Isabelle Allen = Meg Giry
Simon Callow = André
Ciarán Hinds = Firmin
Tamzin Merchant = Fleurette
Sarah Brightman = La Esmeralda
Antonio Banderas = Maestro Reyer

A Message From The Authoress: Due to the fact that I have decided not to draw exclusively from the many (but, unfortunately, limited) actors and actresses who have starred in POTO and BATB, certain characters may not be immediately recognizable.
If anyone has any questions about where I found a particular cast member or what a character is supposed to look like, I would request that you either PM me or leave a review.
Oh, and no flames, please!
I am writing this story for my own enjoyment, on my own time.
The last thing I need is people telling me that my chapters are too short.
I write as much as I can, and if I can't think of anything else to write in one chapter, I end the chapter where it is and move on to the next one.
If you guys don't like it, then that's fine, you don't have to, but I definitely prefer it over not being able to write anything at all due to Writer's Block!
Now, let the story begin...

Chapter One: Prologue

Once upon a time, in a hidden part of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle.
Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind.

There was a knock on the door.
"Master? It's time," came a stern female voice with hidden maternal undertones.
Prince Erik sneered as a maid finished dusting his wig with powder before rising to find one of the servants' children admiring one of the many beautiful trinkets that graced his bedchamber.
What was her name again?
Marie? Elisabeth?
Ah, well, no matter.
"Leave it!" he snapped suddenly, causing the annoying child to squeak and place the small gilt and enamel music box back on its stand before scurrying away like the timid little mouse she was.

He taxed his kingdom to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects and his parties with the most beautiful people.

Erik sneered from where he sat, watching a group of eligible young maidens dancing gracefully in front of him, all of them similarly arrayed in white silk gowns with their hair elegantly teased up in the latest fashions, all of them vying for his attentions, all of them hoping to win his heart.
The people swirled, creating an endless sea of faces and colors, fabrics and lace.
Growing bored, he got up to mingle, maybe even dance with a maiden or two.
They were all the same to him, he wouldn't know this one from that one.
The music swelled and the dancing continued, the rush of the night filling the guests with a sense of breathless excitement and anticipation.
Then, there was a sudden banging on the ballroom doors...

One night, an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter storm.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erik demanded angrily, furious that this shrivelled old crone was ruining his ball.

As a gift, she offered the prince a single rose.

Scoffing at the pitiful token, Erik tossed it carelessly over his shoulder and onto the ballroom floor, ordering his guards to escort the unsightly creature out of his presence immediately.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince turned the woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances...for beauty is found within.

Erik threw back his head and laughed cruelly.
"Say what you will, old woman, but we all know what beauty looks like...and it is not you.
Now leave, or I will have you arrested!"

Turning, Erik moved to leave, but a gasp from his guests made him pause.
As he looked over his shoulder, his eyes widened in shock.
Something was happening to the old woman.

Her dirty cloak and hood seemed to engulf her in a cocoon of sorts until she had all but disappeared.
Then, all of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light and everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.
When they looked again, the old beggar woman was gone.
In her place was the most beautiful woman that Erik had ever seen, with long silvery-blonde tresses that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of silken moonlight and piercing violet eyes that were like hooks to the soul.

She was floating above him, emitting a soft silvery glow not unlike that of the stars.
Instantly, Erik realized exactly what she was, for he had read about such things in his childhood before his mother had died and his father had demanded that he change his interests to something more befitting a prince.
She was an enchantress, a woman of great magical power, who had come to put him to a test.
And Erik had failed.

The prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart.
As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous demon, and placed a powerful curse on the castle and all who lived there.

The guests had long since fled and the ballroom was now filled with the screams and wails of those transforming.
"Meg! Where is my little Meg? Has anyone seen my baby?" Madame Giry called out desperately even as her elder two daughters sobbed and writhed in agony on the ballroom floor.
As all of this went on, Erik could only stand there and watch, his eyes wide and filled with horror, his shattered mind unable to process what was happening around him.
He did not wish to see such horrors, but, strangely enough, found himself unable to look away.
Finally, he managed to tear his eyes away from the horrid sight before him and fled into the safety of his chambers, only to let out a horrified scream as he caught a glimpse of himself in a large mirror mounted on the wall...

As days bled into years, the prince and his servants were forgotten by the world, for the Enchantress had erased all memory of them from the minds of the people they loved.
But the rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose.
If the prince could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.
If not, he would be doomed to remain accursed for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a monster?

A/N: Please review to unlock Chapter Two...