Chapter 1: The Offer
In a small village surrounded by thick woods and dark tales, lived two step-sisters - Bela, the one people called "ugly," with sunken eyes and rough skin, and Seraphina, the beauty of the town. Men came from far and wide to ask for Seraphina's hand, bringing gifts and promises. No one looked at Bela twice, except with pity or disgust.
Their stepmother, Madame Rhea, doted on Seraphina and treated Bela like a servant. Bela, though quiet, had a heart full of questions and dreams that she hid under her silence.
One day, a strange man in black arrived at their door. His eyes were hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, and he smelled of lake water and old smoke. "My master," he said, "lives in a place called the Dark Swan, and he wishes to marry the girl with the quiet heart."
Madame Rhea laughed until she cried. "You must mean Seraphina."
"No," the man said, pointing to Bela. "Her."
The man offered a chest of gold, saying the marriage would take place that very night. Madame Rhea, always hungry for wealth, handed Bela over without a second thought.
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Chapter 2: Beneath the Swan
The man led Bela to the Dark Swan, a shimmering lake that pulsed with an eerie glow. A swan-shaped boat waited. As soon as Bela stepped in, it pulled her under the surface. She struggled, clawing for air, but the more she fought, the deeper she sank.
Giving up, her body floated limp - and then she opened her eyes in a shadowy palace beneath the lake. Around her were corpses of brides, girls in faded wedding dresses, faces frozen in fear.
She screamed - until a Beast with glowing red eyes emerged from the darkness. Huge, twisted, and terrifying. It moved toward her, jaw wide.
But when it tried to bite her - it stopped. Its eyes softened.
"You?" it whispered. "You are not like the others."
The Beast touched her cheek - and suddenly, her skin glowed. The ugliness peeled away, revealing radiant beauty beneath. Her dress turned to gold. But still, the Beast could not eat her.
"Leave," it growled, flinging her out of the swan. "Go. Never return. The hunger is not gone."
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Chapter 3: The Secret of the Swan
Bela emerged on the shore, golden, glowing, beautiful, and wealthy beyond belief. Word spread, and soon, men came again - not for Seraphina this time, but for Bela. Furious, Seraphina sent mercenaries to capture or kill her.
But as they approached Bela, a monstrous shape rose behind her - the Beast, protecting her.
"Leave this place," it snarled, and the men fled in terror.
The Beast vanished again, but Bela couldn't forget him. Why had he spared her? Why was he cursed to hunger for brides? She took her gold and traveled far, asking wise ones for answers.
Finally, she found a seer, Old Mother Vana, hidden in the hills.
"You should not be alive," Vana said, "yet here you are. Beautiful and rich. Why seek answers?"
Bela told her everything.
Vana told her the truth: the Swan was once a haven, ruled by a magical guardian named Thorne - the same Beast who had saved her. One day, a shadow-creature appeared and tricked Thorne. It cursed him, chaining him to the Swan. To survive, the curse forced the Swan to devour one bride a year. If it did not, Thorne would die forever.
"He saved you because your heart is not like theirs. But now he suffers."
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Chapter 4: The Curse Breaker
Bela returned to the Swan.
Thorne had turned to stone, his magic nearly gone. The Swan-Beast, weakened and dying, begged her:
"Feed me? just one more? and I will free him."
"I will feed you," she said. "Take me."
But again, the Swan-Beast recoiled. "I cannot? You are not greedy? You do not belong to me."
Suddenly, Seraphina appeared, shouting, "Why should you be beautiful? Why should you have gold? That was meant for me!"
Bela turned and looked into her stepsister's burning eyes. Greed. Envy. Rage.
Now she understood.
Without hesitation, Bela shoved Seraphina into the Swan.
The Swan-Beast devoured her instantly.
And then, true to its word, it roared in pain and vanished into the mist. Thorne's stone body cracked - and he stood whole again, no longer a beast, but a man of deep magic and sorrowful eyes.
The Swan Palace crumbled - but the lake sparkled again, no longer dark.
Thorne turned to Bela. "You were never ugly. Just unseen."
They left the Swan behind and built a new life - one of magic, peace, and justice.
And they lived happily ever after.
