1 withered roses

" — slowly we fall."

In Beauty and the Beast, the rose left behind by the Enchantress is a curse embodied in a beautiful flower. She cursed the Prince for his vanity and arrogance, then left the rose to serve as a reminder to his foolishness. If he would not love another, he will remain a Beast forever. But yet, for years as the rose withered petal by petal, the Beast did not welcome any other into his castle and remained by himself beside the servants who suffered the curse with him.

—

"Are you going with him again this year, Aki?" The excitement in her voice could not be concealed, present in the bounce of her steps and the way her head tilted slightly to the side, letting long hair fall over one shoulder. "Mind if I join you two this year?"

Caught unawares by the sudden question from the other girl, Aki fell silent, wishing she could outrightly display her feelings on her face. She lingers momentarily over the girl's use of her nickname, Aki, but does not comment on it. There was no time for her to think up another suitable response before the 'he' in question came over, slinging an arm around the girl.

"Come with us then, I'm sure Aki wouldn't mind, right?" He interrupts, flashing a wide grin at her. In the face of such a smile, how could she refuse?

Aki gave the girl a weary smile." It'd be great if you could join us, Shuen." Instantly, the girl's eyes — like crystals allowing the golden glow of the Sun to refract through them — lit up with happiness. Aki shifted her eyes away from the girl.

—

One day, a young damsel stumbled upon the castle and by a chance of fate, she met the Beast. In exchange for her father's freedom, the Beauty willingly took his place in the castle and for the other occupants of the castle, a glimmer of hope had arisen within the walls of their desolate castle.

—

Shuen, Kamimura Shuen was beautiful.

In the way her eyes became crescent moons when she smiled, in the way her mouth opened slightly whenever she was about to greet someone. The slight flare as her hair fanned out when she turned around to greet someone too fast.

She was beautiful, and a part of it is what differentiates the both of them.

At the end of the day, the boy grabs her arm in an affectionate gesture and lays soft eyes upon her. If it were anyone else, such an action would not go unnoticed but the two have stuck together since elementary school. Her deskmate, Chihara waves and motions for the both of them to text as she walks off.

"Aki."

Her voice catches in her throat. She knows what he will say, able to discern his thoughts from a glance. The two grew up together after all, they had no secrets.

"Aki, I like Shuen." As if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders the moment the words left his mouth, Haru straightened his back and laughed. "Damn, didn't know why I felt like that was weighing on my conscience until I told you."

—

When the Beauty is willing to die for the Beast, the depths of their hearts are bared to one another. The Beast who loved but didn't have a name to place to the affection he felt for the Beauty magically transformed back into his self as a Prince and courteously led his new Princess in a dance.

—

It takes her everything to muster a smile and wave as he runs off to catch up with his friends, letting her walk home alone today. Somehow, this was better. Other than the stray cats loitering around the streets, there was no one to see the lone figure walking by.

The tears come slowly; first a cloudy mist at her eyes before they roll down her cheeks. The silent sobs that soon wreck her shoulders are met with silence.

How many years can a friendship last if truly put to the test of time? There is nothing that remains eternal, like the rose encased in the Beasts' castle, slowly everything will wither.

And so as the sky diverges into a palette of reds and oranges, Aki asks herself, what role is she in the fairytale of Beauty and the Beast? If she is the Beauty, then has she lost her Prince's favour or is she the Beast who has never received the love from another?

Through her tears, Aki manages another smile.

She cannot find an answer...because there was no role for her to play in this fairytale of theirs.