Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a beautiful young princess lived in a shining castle. Although she had everything her heart desired, the princess was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. Then, one cold winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle, offering a single red rose in return for shelter. But the princess, repulsed by the woman's appearance, turned her away.
She warned the princess not to be fooled by appearances, but when she dismissed her again, the woman's ugliness melted away, revealing her to be a beautiful enchantress. The princess tried to apologize to the enchantress but it was too late, as she had seen no trace of love in the princess's cold heart.
As punishment, the enchantress transformed her into a monster, with black hair and eyes, and horrible-looking veins spreading across her face, then placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived in it. Ashamed of her hideous appearance Regina concealed herself from inside the castle, a magic mirror acting as her only window to the outside world.
The rose offered by the enchantress was really an enchanted rose, which would bloom until Regina’s eighteenth birthday. If she could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, she would remain ugly forever. As the years passed, she lost all hope... For who could ever learn to love a monster?