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A long time ago, a woman lived in a quaint little town. Living with only her son, for her husband had passed away from a disease, she had watched her baby boy grow and mature into a handsome young man. One day, the boy's mother left on her weekly shopping trip. On her way home, she took a different path and came upon a beautiful mansion.

The garden was filled with brilliant and beautiful roses, but the peculiar thing was the mansion seemed to be trapped in different season. One half was filled with the warmth and beauty of springtime, while the other half the harsh coldness of winter. Curiosity getting the better of the woman, she decided to pick a rose from each of the seasonal gardens. One white rose and one red rose, it would be an amazing story to tell her son when she got back and she figured the owner wouldn't mind.

"What are you doing!?" cried a harsh and powerful beastly voice.

There before the woman stood a cloaked figure. Large and grotesque fangs protruded from the hooded figure as it spoke. "What is the meaning of picking my roses! The cost for this treason is death!" stated the harsh female sounding beast.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't know! Please, I happened upon your place on accident. I beg you, let me keep these roses so I can show my son! I promise I'll never, ever come back again!" the woman replied cowering before the terrible monster.

"You have a son?" replied the beast. "Give me your son as my Husband and I'll let you live, and keep those roses. A trade, something precious of mine for yours." gruffed the beastly woman.

"B-But he is my only son! Surely there isn't something else you would want instead!?" coward the woman.

"NO! You stole my roses woman! Taking something precious of mine, how could I not ask for something precious in return! Now promise me or else you will die this day!"

The mother was so afraid of the hideous beast. She agreed to the proposal, and was given the roses. When she returned home she told her son all about the mansion and the roses, but left out the part of the beastly woman and her proposal. The woman never again walked home that way, and soon a month rolled by. She had forgotten her promise and never told her son that he was to be married to a beast.

Perhaps it was all but an illusion, but the colorful roses began to wilt and soon they would be visited when the last petal falls....

(If knowing minds recognize this, yes this is a take on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, only the roles are swapped. :3 where the beautiful princess/woman is the beast and the man is human. ^^ As always I'm the man. :3 )

Name: Tarana
Age: Unknown
Appearance: Most often seen wearing a deep hooded cloak... Her form isn't often seen otherwise...

He found himself looking upon a very large cloaked figure. The cloak was a deep blood red velvet, and it glimmered darkly in the moonlight like freshly split blood. The hood was so deep he could not see the person's face save for a pair of glowing green eyes and an... unnaturally wide smile, made of of quite a few very large, very white, and very sharp teeth. The cloak's clasp was a round disk pattern to look at the moon made of silver with a wolf howling up at it, and a cloud of bats flying past it.

I looked down at the young man who had answered the door. I tilted my hooded head, spotting her behind the young man. It was obvious who my gaze was fixed on. My grin somehow grew even wider.

Hello rose thief... Remember me? Came my quiet but raspy voice.

I looked from the hysterical harried woman to the nervous boy standing before me, putting up a valiant effort to try and protect his dear mother. I peered into the house, and I noticed the two wilted roses. Frankly, from the way she insisted that she have them, I was offended by their condition!

Have you not an ounce of honor in your body, woman? First you steal my roses... then you lie to your son about the promise to me that you made...you never intended to tell him, did you? And you even have the gall to let them wilt?!? I hissed with my raspy, harsh voice.

Make your choice, woman! Give me your son or your life!

I looked down at him.

At least you have some honor. I said gruffly.

I turned and lead him away from the small house, leading him to a large black Clydesdale horse; it had long white markings up it's legs, and it's mane and tail were a shining, glossy white. It's face had a white star upon it's forehead.

I clicked my tounge and the horse trotted up to me. I reached out and petted her muzzle. From the appearance of my sleeve and glove I was dressed in what must be incredible finery; My sleeve was long and poofy, shining like silk in the moonlight, while my glove was hard leather and was decorated by gold and jewels.

With a surprisingly fluid movement I stepped beside the large horse and was astride with a swish of my cloak. The cloak fell back from my shoulders, revealing that I had a large, voluptuous body dressed in finery that looked like it should belong to royalty. I reached down and offered a gloved hand to help James, his name was? onto the horse behind me.

There was silence save for my horse's clopping hooves on the near overgrown path. It was clear this trail was rarely used... it was barely wide enough for a human, though thanks to my horse's thick fur she wasn't hurt much by the prickly thorns that edged the path. I happened to be wearing long pants, so the thorns and branches didn't hurt me much either.

Eventually we reached the mansion. A wall was being constructed around the mansion's grounds. It looked nearly finished, as small trowels were laying down the last of some mortar and bricks were flying about on their own to allow to set and dry. Two cast iron gates, tall and spiky, opened at our approach.

Within was the gardens.

Indeed, one seemed to eternally springtime; Along the edges of the garden were tall thorny bushes bearing blackberries. A pond was in the center with a bridge painted a bright vibrant red over it, and one could see bright colorful fish in the water. A large weeping cherry tree stood over the pond, draping it's pink flowered blossoms over the bridge like a shelter. A stone path wove through the springtime garden, leading towards the bridge and from it. Along either sides of this path were rows of many flowers in all different colors and shades, like a kaleidoscopic vision of flowery beauty. Along the mansion walls was the red rose bush; possibly holding the most beautiful flowers out of all the garden. It wrapped around the edge of the building and vanished along it's side.

The winter garden was the springtime's mirror. There was the pond and the bridge, another weeping willow tree with it's branches draped over the bridge. The flowers and berry bushes were replaced by sturdy shrubs. Sprinkled over all of it was a thick layer of fresh sparkling snow that seemed to glow in the moonlight. The Rosebush here was too sprinkled with snow, and the white roses were covered in a very thin layer of frost that made them shimmer and sparkle like they were made of the most perfect crystal. It too stretched across and around the building and vanished behind it.

As we got closer, however, it was clear that something marred the beauty of both of these rosebushes. Both seemed to have a hole, or gap in the foliage. The gaps were as large as cauldrons, and the edges had leaves that were slowly turning brown. That hadn't been in her description of the place...

The horse stopped in front of the door, and I slid off. The horse there waited for James to dismount.

I looked up at him, my glowing green eyes upon him. Do not touch the rosebushes. Ever. I said coldly with my raspy voice.

The horse trotted away on it's own.

I looked at the rosebushes and sighed.

Feel free to explore the mansion. I said. The mansion pretty much cleans and takes care of itself, so as long as you don't destroy part of it you are pretty much fine. Stay away from the basement... And if you see any rooms marked with a symbol of what looks like a book and a vial, don't go in. I don't want you blowing anything up.

I waved my hand and a basket of what looked like gardening tools came to my hand. I walked away, towards the red rosebushes, to the sickly looking gap in the leaves.

I put the basket and pulled out a pair of small shears, about the side of a small pair of scissors. I then reached up and started pruning the sick leaves away...

He was too far away to see, but I was slowly starting to shake as I ever so carefully pruned away dead and sick leaves from the bush. My careful grooming of the bush continued until I snipped away the very last sick leaf.

I then turned and stumbled away from it. I fell to my knees in the grass, gasping and coughing and hacking. Gods, why did it have to hurt so much?!? Coughing hard into my palm, I waited for the hacking and sizing of my lungs to finally subside. When it did I sat there sadly for a second, looking at my now blood covered glove and sleeve. I sighed and shook my head.

One rose... all she had to do was take one rose... I groaned to myself. With the way the sickness is spreading in the bush I might not even have a year...

I looked over at the white rosebush.

And I'd probably be a huge raging beast when I die too... to add insult to injury...

I carefully stood and slid off my glove. It dripped blood slowly before floating away, inside. I then grabbed the basket and started slowly walking over to the winter garden...