The most beautiful girl in the village was forced to marry the beast. What happened will shock you
Each night, he would visit. And each night, he would ask the same question, “Will you stay with me forever?” And each night, If would reply, “No.” But something began to change. If noticed the sadness in the beast. The loneliness. The way he avoided mirrors. The way his voice softened when he spoke to her. Curiosity replaced fear.
“Who are you?” she asked one evening. The beast hesitated. “I was once a man.” “Then what happened?” “A curse,” he said bitterly. “A punishment for a heart that knew no kindness.” If’s heart stirred. As days turned into weeks, If began to see beyond the beast’s appearance. He listened to her. Protected her. Even brought her books, music, and stories from distant lands.
And slowly, she smiled again. One evening, as they walked in the garden, If laughed. A pure, bright sound. The beast froze. “Why do you laugh?” he asked softly. “Because I am happy.” The words struck him like lightning. Happy? In his cursed world? But happiness is never without a price. One night, If dreamed of her father, sick, weak, calling her name.
She woke up in tears. “I must go to him,” she cried. The beast’s face darkened. “If you leave, you may never return.” “I promise I will come back.” The beast turned away. Promises, he had heard them before. Broken. Forgotten. Still, he could not deny her. “Go,” he said quietly. “But return before the seventh day, or I will die.
” If returned home. Her father was indeed ill, but recovered quickly upon seeing her. Her sisters, however, were filled with jealousy. They saw the fine clothes she wore, the glow in her skin. “You must stay longer,” they insisted. And so, they tricked her. Days passed. Six, seven. If suddenly remembered. The beast.
Her heart sank. “No, no, no.” She ran. Faster than she had ever run. Through the forest. Ignoring the thorns, the darkness, the fear. When she reached the palace, it was silent. Too silent. She found him in the garden. Lying still. Weak. Dying. “You came back,” he whispered. Tears streamed down If’s face. “I’m sorry.
Please don’t leave me.” The beast looked at her one last time. “I loved you, even when you could not love me.” Something inside If broke. “No, that’s not true. I do love you.” The moment the words left her lips, the wind roared. Light exploded across the garden. The beast’s body lifted and transformed. Before her stood a man.
Tall. Noble. Human. The curse broken. The prince looked at If, his eyes no longer filled with pain, but with hope. “Your love saved me.” If smiled through her tears. “No, you saved me first.” And so, in the great Benin Kingdom, the story spread. Of a maiden who saw beyond appearance. And a beast who learned to love.
A story whispered through generations. A warning. And a promise. That sometimes, the most beautiful hearts are hidden behind the most terrifying faces. The celebration lasted for seven days. Drums echoed across the land. Dancers filled the palace courtyard. The people of the Benin Kingdom rejoiced, for their lost prince had returned, and the mysterious maiden who broke the ancient curse was now to become their queen.
But, on the seventh night, when the drums stopped, when the laughter faded, when even the moon hid behind heavy clouds, something evil stirred again. If woke up with a sharp gasp. Her body was drenched in sweat. Her heart raced like a hunted animal. She looked around the royal chamber. Everything was calm. The prince, now fully restored, slept beside her peacefully.
But, the dream No, it was not a dream. It felt like a warning. In it, she had seen the forest again. The forbidden forest. But, this time, it was burning. And from within the flames, a voice whispered, “You broke what was not yours to break.” Morning came, but If could not shake the fear. The prince, now known once again as Prince Obanosa, noticed her silence.
“What troubles you?” he asked gently. If hesitated. “Do you remember the one who cursed you?” The prince’s face darkened immediately. “I remember only shadows, pain, and a voice I could never forget.” “Was it a man?” she pressed. “No,” he said slowly. “It was something older.” That same day, a stranger entered the kingdom.
No one saw where she came from. No guard stopped her. Yet, somehow, she walked straight into the palace. An old woman, bent, silent, wrapped in dark cloth, her eyes hidden. But, wherever she passed, the air grew cold. She stood before the palace gates and spoke in a voice that sounded like dry leaves scraping the ground.
“Tell your king the debt is not yet paid.” Inside the palace, chaos erupted. The guards dragged her in. The court gathered. And when If saw her, her blood turned to ice. It was the same presence from her dream. The old woman slowly lifted her head, her eyes glowing faintly. “You,” she said, pointing at If. “You dare to love what I cursed.
” Prince Obanosa stepped forward, furious. “Leave this kingdom before I have you executed.” The woman laughed, a hollow, terrifying sound. “You think the curse is broken?” She leaned closer. “It has only begun again.” Before anyone could react, she vanished, like smoke. Gone. That night, the prince began to change.
At first, it was small. A flicker of anger, a shadow in his eyes. But, then, his voice deepened again. His temper became unpredictable. And worst of all, he avoided If. One evening, If found him staring into a mirror, but not at his face, at his reflection, which flickered. For a moment, she saw it. The beast, still there, still alive inside him.
“You see it, too, don’t you?” he said quietly. If stepped closer. “We broke the curse.” “No,” he replied. “You broke part of it.” The truth began to unfold. Long before If was born, Prince Obanosa had been known for his pride, his cruelty, his refusal to show mercy. One day, an old woman came to him begging for help.
He rejected her, mocked her, humiliated her. That woman was no ordinary human. She was a powerful forest spirit, an ancient being tied to the very land of Benin. And in her rage, she cursed him. But, the curse was not simple. It had layers. “Until you learn love, you will remain a beast.” But, there was more. “If love finds you, the beast will sleep, but never die.
” If’s chest tightened. “So, the curse is still alive?” The prince nodded slowly. “And now, she has returned to finish what she started.” Strange things began happening across the kingdom. Livestock died mysteriously. Children spoke of shadows watching them at night. The forest began creeping closer, as if alive.
And worst of all, people began to whisper, “That woman, she brought the curse back.” They were talking about If. One night, a group of villagers gathered outside the palace, angry, afraid. “She is the cause!” one shouted. “Since she came, darkness has returned.” If stood at the balcony, her heart breaking. The same people who once praised her, now feared her.
Inside, the prince struggled. The beast within him grew stronger. Some nights, he would disappear and return at dawn with no memory of where he had been. But, If knew. The claw marks on the palace walls, the distant screams from the forest. One night, she followed him. Through the forest, deep into the place where it all began.
There, in a clearing surrounded by ancient trees, she saw him. The beast, fully transformed, roaring into the sky, fighting something unseen. And then, the old woman appeared again, floating, watching, smiling. “You cannot escape me,” she said. If stepped forward, shaking. “Stop this. What do you want?” The woman’s eyes burned.
“Balance. You showed him love before he paid his full price.” “What price?” If cried. The woman pointed at the prince. “His soul.” Silence fell, heavy, terrifying. “The curse demands a choice,” the woman continued. “Either he becomes the beast forever, or” Her gaze shifted to If. “You take his place.” The words seemed to stop.
If’s breath caught. “What?” The prince, now half human, half beast, roared, “No!” The old woman smiled wider. “Love always comes with sacrifice, does it not?” If looked at the prince, the man who had changed, who had learned love, who had saved her in ways no one else could. Tears filled her eyes. “If I choose him, he will be free.
” “Yes,” the woman said. “Forever.” “And I?” “You will become what he once was.” The forest went silent again, just like the first night. If closed her eyes. Her heart pounded. Fear gripped her soul. But, beneath the fear, was something stronger. Love. She opened her eyes. “I accept.” “No!” the prince roared, trying to reach her.
But, invisible forces held him back. The old woman raised her hands. The wind howled. The ground shook. And as the curse began to transfer, If screamed. Her body lifted into the air. Light and darkness twisted around her. The prince fell to his knees. “Please, stop! Take me instead.” But, the old woman did not listen.
The sky darkened as if the heavens themselves refused to watch what was about to happen. If’s scream echoed through the ancient forest as the curse took hold of her body. Her skin burned. Her bones twisted. >> [screaming] >> Her voice changed. And then, silence. Where If once stood, a creature now breathed, tall, terrifying, wrapped in shadows.
The new beast had been born. Prince Obanosa collapsed to the ground, his hands trembling. “No, no, this is not how it ends.” His voice broke. The woman, the ancient spirit, watched with satisfaction. “Balance has been restored,” she said coldly. “The debt is paid.” But, even as she spoke, something was wrong. The forest did not rejoice.
The wind did not move. The earth remained still. The prince slowly lifted his head. Tears filled his eyes, but beneath them, was something stronger. Determination. “You are wrong,” he said quietly. The woman frowned. “Love does not end like this.” The beast, If, let out a low growl. But, it was not a growl of rage.
It was pain, confusion, a soul trapped inside darkness. The prince stood up slowly, step by step. He walked toward her. The ground trembled with each movement she made. “Stay back,” the spirit warned. “She is no longer the woman you loved.” But, the prince did not stop. “If!” he called. The beast froze. “Do you remember the village?” he continued softly.
No response. But her breathing changed. “The way you laughed in the garden.” a step closer. “The way you chose me when you had every reason to run.” The beast let out a loud roar and struck the ground violently. Trees shook. Birds scattered. The spirit smiled slightly. “You see?” “She is gone.” But the prince shook his head.
“No.” He stepped closer, closer than any man would dare. Now standing right before her towering form. Her glowing eyes locked onto him. One strike. That was all it would take. But instead, he did something unexpected. He knelt. “I was once the beast.” he said. “I know what it feels like to be lost inside darkness.
” His voice cracked. “But you, you found me.” The forest grew quiet again. Watching. Waiting. “So now.” he whispered, “Let me find you.” The beast trembled. Her claws dug into the earth. Her breath became uneven. Inside her, something was fighting. Memories. Fragments. His voice. Her father. The village. Love. “If.
” he shouted now, “Come back to me.” The beast let out a deafening cry, but this time, it was not anger. It was pain. Deep. Human. The ancient spirit’s smile faded. “No, this is not possible.” The soft glow began to form around the beast. Faint at first, then stronger. If’s voice, weak, broken, echoed from within the creature.
Obanosa, the prince’s eyes widened. “Yes.” “I’m here.” The beast staggered. Light burst through cracks in its dark form. The spirit screamed, “Stop this.” “The curse cannot be broken twice.” But the prince stood firm. “Love does not break once, it endures.” He reached out his hand. Without fear. Without hesitation. “Come back to me.
” For a moment, everything stopped. Then, the beast slowly lifted its massive hand and placed it in his. Boom. A blinding light exploded across the forest. The ground shook. The trees bent. The sky split with thunder. The curse was breaking. Not by sacrifice this time, but by something stronger. Mutual love. The beast let out one final cry and collapsed.
Silence. The prince fell to his knees beside her. “If.” Slowly. Gently. A hand moved. Human. If opened her eyes. She was herself again. The prince pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if the world might take her again. “You came back.” he whispered. If smiled weakly, tears falling. “You didn’t give up on me.
” But the story was not yet over. The ancient spirit screamed in fury. “This is impossible.” “The curse, my curse.” Her voice cracked. Her form flickered. The forest began to reject her. “You twisted love into punishment.” a deep voice echoed, ancient, powerful. The very spirit of the land had awakened. “You have broken the balance you claim to protect.
” The woman’s eyes widened in fear for the first time. “No, no.” “I am the balance.” But the earth beneath her began to open. Roots rose. Wind howled. “Your time is over.” With one final scream, she was pulled into the depths of the forest. Gone. Forever. Peace returned. The sky cleared. The sun broke through the clouds.
And for the first time since the curse began, the forest breathed again. Back in the kingdom, the people gathered once more. But this time, not in fear. In awe. They had witnessed something greater than magic. Greater than power. Love. If and Prince Obanosa stood before them, not as victims of a curse, but as survivors.
As proof that even the darkest fate can be written. And from that day on, their story was told across the lands of Benin. Not just as a tale of beauty and a beast, but as a truth that love is not proven by sacrifice alone, but by the courage to fight for each other even in the darkest moments. The end.
