Alan Menken – Main Title: Prologue, Pt. 2
Then one night, an unexpected intruder arrived to the castle
Seeking shelter from the bitter storm
As a gift, she offered the prince a single rose
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
When he dismissed her again
The old woman’s outer appearance melted away
To reveal a beautiful enchantress
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 beast
And placed a powerful spell on the castle
And all who lived there
As day bled into years
The prince and his servants were forgotten by the world
For the enchantress has erased all memory of them
From the minds of the people they love
But the rose she has offered was truly
And enchanted rose
If he 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 he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time
As the years passed, he felt into despair
And lost all hope for who could ever learn to love a beast