PROLOGUE

Tale as old as time…

Song as old as rhyme…

Beauty and the Beast…

*From Beauty and the Beast*

YEAR = 1450

Near the border of Wallachia and Moldavia

There was a time when this world was a very different place. It was full of magic and strange creatures. In the beginning – when there weren't that many humans – these mystical, magical beings were revered and feared – given God-like status by the few humans that were around at the time. But as the human population bloomed and spread across the four corners of the world, these strange creatures felt compelled to retreat to the shadows and isolate themselves from most of mankind.

Despite the various legends and stories, the truth was there were three types of vampires that belonged to this hidden world – Moroi, Dhampir and Strigoi.

Moroi

Were sensitive to sunlight, needed at least one meal of blood (human or animal) per day for sustenance, had heightened senses, were fast and had the ability to command one of the five elements. Because of this, they were lithe and mostly docile. It was within this sub-class of vampires that the thirteen 'royal' families, that governed the vampiric nation, came from – including the elected High King or Queen. If you weren't born into one of these thirteen families, you ended up living a life of a serf – either farming, trading or sailing in servitude to the governing 'king' or 'queen' of your region. The type of blood Moroi consumed depended on their status – poor serfs could only afford animal blood, while the royal families were not only able to keep and maintain regular 'human feeders', they could also indulge in the occasional Dhampir/Moroi subject.

Dhampir

If the Moroi were the 'brains' the Dhampir were the 'brawn' of the vampire world. Each royal Moroi family had their own 'Dhampir army' and these armies were made up of the offspring of either a Moroi/Dhampir or a Moroi/Human union. It was very rare for Dhampir/Dhampir or Dhampir/Human relations to produce an offspring, though it had happened once or twice. Since these creatures were only half vampires they didn't need to consume blood on a regular basis – though some did before a big battle to boost their strength and heighten their senses. They also had no issue with sunlight. These half vampires were strong and fast, which was why they were perfect as the 'warriors and protectors' of the vampiric nation. Most Dhampir's had no command of magic, but some (usually the product of a Moroi and Dhampir coupling) discovered latent abilities to magic that would burst forth when the 'right' environmental factors came into play.

Strigoi

The vampiric nation viewed Moroi vampires as being 'alive' and therefore classified Strigoi as the 'undead' because they could only function on blood and couldn't handle sunlight, as it turned them to ash. Strigoi were exceptionally strong and fast, but due to the nature of their existence they were very pale and had blood red irises. There were two ways to become Strigoi – (1) a Moroi would fully drain the blood of a person (doesn't matter what 'species' they were) and in the process be seen as consuming the 'soul' of their victim; (2) a Strigoi kills a 'living' being (again doesn't matter if they are vampire or human) and replaces their blood with its own which awakens them to a Strigoi state. The first method was responsible for creating Strigoi 'clan leaders', where an originator parent would be responsible for a 'Strigoi lineage'. The second method created Strigoi 'children' because they were sired by a Strigoi. Naturally all Strigoi clans could be traced back to a Moroi that got greedy & drank too much or coveted power & purposefully drained a being in cold blood. Some hypothesised that if an 'originator parent' of a lineage was killed then the entire clan would also perish but since no one had achieved this, most believed it to be a myth.

Interaction with humans over the years became more restricted and less frequent until it fell into one of two categories – Bloodwhore/Feeder or Alchemist. In the end they were either willingly providing blood/Dhampir offspring to the Moroi or they were part of a guild that worked with the various mystical creatures to keep the rest of mankind oblivious of this hidden world.

Of the thirteen royal Moroi families, twelve were very active and prominent members of the vampiric nation. The one family that wasn't, the Belikovs, chose to live in a secluded kingdom and preferred to shun the outside world.

Our story focuses on this family.

King Randall Belikov and Queen Olena Belikova were conservative Moroi – they didn't believe in the notion of using their powers to fight alongside the Dhampirs. Even though they were fair and just rulers, they were elitists which was why they isolated themselves and their subjects from the broader world – in their eyes no one else was good enough to associate with. They were blessed with four children – one son (Dimitri) and three daughters (Karolina, Sonja and Viktoria).

Being the only son and heir to the Belikov throne, Dimitri Belikov had it all – power, money and women. It helped that he was rugged, tall and handsome and even though he was a Moroi, he was anything but lithe and docile. He could easily beat the best of the Royal Guard and had the stamina and strength that was rarely seen in Moroi men. And even though he had a good command of the fire element, he preferred to use his muscles and weapons to 'fight' his opponents. Unfortunately, his unique abilities & talents made him arrogant, while his birth right made him self-centred. He considered anyone not part of his family 'beneath' him and treated them just as disdainfully. The older he got, the more spoilt and entitled he became.

Overall, the Belikovs were content in their own little 'bubble' which unfortunately lead to their doom.

On the night of his 21st birthday, a grand ball was held in Dimitri's honour. The eligible ladies of the kingdom were invited to debut to the prince so that he could look at finally finding someone to settle down with. But the prince was in no hurry to tie himself down to one maiden and spent most of the ball drinking and shamelessly debauching the fair and beautiful ladies around him. Meanwhile, outside the Belikov Court, the magical wards – which normally kept out the Strigoi – were being broken by a group of humans who were under the command of a powerful Strigoi. Galina, a once fierce Dhampir General, led this group and knew of the Belikovs and their isolation. Her sire had plans for the kingdom plus she found the prince to her liking.

The Belikov family and their guests were unprepared for the attack.

Countless died or were abducted – to be either fed on later or awakened. Amongst the dead were the King and Queen and two of their daughters – Viktoria and Sonja. The Royal Guard and the Belikov army fought hard and after much struggle – since they had to fight on their own as the Moroi amongst them refused to fight which included a very drunk Prince Dimitri – they finally pushed back the enemy. They knew a part of the reason for the Strigoi withdrawal had been because sunrise was mere moments away and they didn't want to be caught in the sunlight.

As the people mourned and tried to make sense of the chaos around them, the selfish prince, consumed with his own needs, allowed his bloodlust to take control. It had been a while since he had last fed, having spent much of the previous day and night drinking and playing with women. As he staggered around the palace gardens, hiding from the carnage within, he came across an injured Dhampir he didn't recognise. Instead of helping the poor man he decided to indulge in some Dhampir blood and satiate his hunger.

He was in the middle of his feeding when the Dhampir's wife, Sonya – an Alchemist who had been called on to help with the clean-up – found him and it was her despair & anger that fuelled what happened next.

Some Alchemists were blessed with magic, though it wasn't the same kind as the Moroi. For one thing, they could command all five elements and that is exactly what Sonya did as a dark, harsh curse left her lips and attached itself to the prince & a single rose that was nearby.

"A Prince with a black heart…

A Warrior with a cold heart…

Their souls will search for each other across time and space.

She holds the key to his salvation...

But only when he saves her from the darkness.

Like 2 facets of a coin, they will be both Beauty and the Beast…

The curse will be irreversible if they don't find each other before the last petal falls…

Or if the Prince gives in to his bloodlust."

As she uttered the powerful words, the sky darkened with heavy clouds – blocking the sun. By the end of her curse, Prince Dimitri had changed into a Strigoi. Her magic had transformed him, his family and all those who had sworn fealty to the Belikovs. However, as their Strigoism was curse induced and not the usual way, it made them different. For starters they still had their souls – unless they gave in to their bloodlust and took a life. Their change was also not permanent – she gave the prince the chance to redeem himself and his people if he could find the Warrior that would be their salvation.

Before she left with her half-conscious husband, Sonya created a glamour around the Belikov kingdom – the people within could leave and return, but no one from the outside world would ever find them on their own.

As far as the world was concerned, the entire Belikov kingdom was killed in the Strigoi massacre and there were no survivors.

A/N This is based in a VA universe of sorts, but some of the 'characteristics' are different, which is why I explained the three types upfront. Naturally the VA characters belong to Richelle Mead but the plot is mine (even if inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast).

Before I start getting 'hateful' comments about Dimitri being OOC, please note the following:

*This is a retelling of a Disney story with VA characters, so the characters won't be like their VA counterparts.

*If you haven't figured it out, Dimitri is the Beast, which is why he appears to be a jerk at the start.

*Finally, if you know me and my stories, this will be a Romitri story, but you will need to be patient as this is not a one-shot piece and I don't want to rush the story.