Almost at once, Tom started to feel very strange. First came the feeling that his body was being stretched out of proportion, like a piece of rubber; he doubled over in pain as his limbs grew longer. Then he felt the painful sensation of dozens of tiny, white-hot needles being stuck into every square inch of his skin. The agony was so intense that he fell off his throne and curled up in a fetal position on the floor. He didn't lose consciousness; he could only keep on screaming. Through the pain, he was aware that his cries were starting to sound deeper every second--almost like a leonine roar...

Suddenly, it stopped. Breathing deeply, he tried to stand up, yet he found that his body was trapped in a rather hunched position. He opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone in the court, including his mother and father, was staring at him in stunned silence. The witch smirked at him in triumph.

"Um...could someone please help me?" Tom started to ask, but stopped in mid-sentence. His voice sounded odd to his own ears--it was deep, growling, and raspy.

For a split-second, the king and queen continued to look at him as though they had never seen him before in their lives. Then his father pointed an accusing finger at him, and yelled, "BEAST!"

His voice echoed throughout the court, and soon was echoed by everyone else in the room. "Beast!" a group of people cried out in unison. "Monster!"

"Monster?" Tom repeated in that same strange voice, looking around in a perplexed way. "Where?"

But no one heard him, for what happened next was pure pandemonium. Terrified screams rang out as everyone in the court tried to push their way towards the doors. Even the guards, whose main duties were to protect the royal monarchs, were making a run for it. The king and queen fled from their thrones. Still in a lot of pain, Tom crawled towards them, grabbing onto his father's robes. His father kicked him in the head and escaped from his son's grasp as he was clutching his head in pain.

In matter of seconds, the court was completely deserted, except for Tom and the witch.

Stumbling to his feet, Tom rounded on the witch. "What did you do to me?" he rasped.

The witch was staring at the doors, polishing her wand with her skirt in a self-satisfied manner. "Wow," she said. "I've never seen a court empty out so fast before. I'd thought they'd at least try to call the guards first."

"What did you do to me?" Tom repeated vehemently.

The witch glanced at him contemptuously. "Isn't it obvious? Here, let me show you..." She waved her wand, and a compact mirror appeared in her free hand. She opened it and held it up for Tom to see his own reflection.

The moment he peered into the mirror, Tom let out an anguished cry and jumped back from the witch. "YOU TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!"

"Well, I had to do something," the witch shrugged idly.

"But I didn't even do anything to you!" Tom shouted angrily.

"Of course you didn't," she snapped. "But I couldn't let them break the deal and get away with it. It's the Witches' Code of Honor: when royals interfere with a sacred promise between a witch and her client, they must be punished with a spell put on their first-born child. It's nothing personal; it's just part of the rules."

"Then undo it!" Tom demanded.

"I can't," the witch replied flatly. "Once a spell like this is cast, the only way to break it is true love."

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "Haven't you read this sort of thing in stories? When a prince or a princess is turned into a monster, he or she has to win the love of a human in order to be changed back to normal. Although," she added, peering out the window, "I think you'll find that rather difficult, since it looks like everyone has gone."

Tom rushed towards the window. To his despair and horror, the witch was right. For the first time in years, the streets were completely empty. Every shop and house had been completely deserted. There was no one left in the kingdom.

"I can't live the rest of my life like this!" he protested.

"Hey, you don't look that bad," she commented, handing him the mirror. "I could have given you scales."

Tom looked at his reflection. Shaggy black fur had grown all over his body and his teeth were now yellowish, pointy fangs. His head resembled one of a lion, with a cat-like nose and yellow eyes. His body was now very thick and had grown four times as tall as a normal person. He had to admit, once the initial shock had worn off, he didn't think he looked too terrible. In fact, he looked more or less like any other massive animal.

"See?" said the witch, watching his face change from horror to curiosity. "Even if you never get changed back, you'll get used to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better be off." She waved her wand once more, and smoke started to curl around her body.

"Wait!" Tom called out. "What am I going to do now?"

"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own," her voice replied through the smoke. By the time it had cleared away, she had vanished.

***

And so from that day on, Danin and its prince were abandoned. None of the residents ever dared to return. Tom was forced to spend his time alone in the castle with only his old storybook for comfort. Long after he finished every story for the millionth time, he would stare fixatedly at the last page of the book, which ended with the words, "And they all lived happily ever after."

He couldn't help wondering if he would ever have a happy ending too.

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