Part One: The Poisoned Apple

Once upon a time in a land not so very far away, lived a young woman by the name of Charlotte LaBouff, of course her friends knew her as Lottie. On the day we meet our fair heroine she is readying herself for perhaps the most important and anticipated day in her life- her wedding.

The scene was set to perfection. A jazz band- led by her dear friend Naveen- stood ready to play on a small stage by the ceremony pavillion. Pink ribbons laced themselves around the white tea chairs placed in perfect lines across the aisle. The minister had agreed to crown them when he was finished marrying them- that was a special request Lottie had asked her father to give him. And, of course, her best friend Tiana had created the loveliest wedding cake in the entire world. Nothing was wrong; everything was s perfect that the guests who entered the small secluded garden where it would be held were awed by its complete glory.

However, wedding days never come without problems, and Lottie's happened to be a particularly dreadful problem…

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Lottie's scream filled the upstairs hallway of her father's perfect home.

"Lottie?" Tiana's cool voice came from the behind the locked door. "Lottie, hun, is everything alright?"

Lottie stood in front of the mirror looking at her luminous skin, her perfectly painted face and her buoyant blonde curls; she sniffed a little and balled her fists at her side then turned away from the mirror and shouted again.

"Lottie!? Darlin', is it the dress? I can get my mama-"

"It's not the gosh-darn dress, Tiana!" Lottie screamed opening the door, "It's this!" She shoved a piece of paper at her friend and stormed back into her room, refusing to look in the mirror again.

Tiana carefully unfolded the paper and began to read. Sadness filled her heart when she realized it was a note from the groom about why he'd decided he couldn't go through with the marriage. She set the note on the vanity and approached Lottie with caution.

"Oh sweetie; I never thought, in all my years, that a man could say no to you."

"Well he did!" Lottie burst turning and pacing her room like a freight train. "You know Tiana, I think it's high time I stop believing in crazy things like fairytales and princes and love! You found it, sure, but I've been waitin' all my life and you know what I got?"

Tiana waited in frightened anticipation for her answer. "I got this!" Lottie picked up the paper and began ripping it apart, then let out a scream so loud, the entirety of the guest list heard it in the garden.

Footsteps thundered down the hall and Lottie's father burst into the room. "What's wrong suga'? The dress fit wrong? You need more flowers?"

Tiana approached Mr. LaBouff and set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Lottie's intended left."

"Left?!" Mr. LaBouff roared. "Left for what?!"

Lottie plopped down on her bed and set her head in her hands "I don't know daddy!" she started sobbing, loud unyielding sobs, and crocodile tears slid down her face.

"Aw, Suga', now stop cryin', daddy's here, daddy's gonna fix this…" He turned his face toward Tiana with a helpless look. The truth was, Mr. LaBouff had no idea how to fix this. It was easy to please Lottie when all she wanted was a crown and new dress or a pair of shoes, but he'd never had to fix something so…unfixable. Tiana smiled and held up her finger telling him to wait just a second and flitted out of the room.

"Naveen!" She shouted, rushing to the stage.

"Yes, my flower?" He said turning with a dashing grin.

"Where exactly do your parents live again?"

"On an island just off of France, why do you ask?"

Tiana grinned and whispered her plan to him. Tiana and Naveen then raced up to Lottie's room and opened the door carefully, hearing Lottie's whimpers.

"Well?" Mr. LaBouff mouthed.

"Lottie?" She said coolly. Lottie looked up, her face stained with mascara, her eyes bloodshot from crying.

"What now?" She whimpered.

"It is nothing bad, Miss Lottie; in fact, my Tiana has come up with a plan to bring you great happiness!"

Lottie sat up a little straighter "I'm listening."

"Well," Tiana said glancing at Naveen for a moment, "What if, you went to spend some time with Naveen's family! They have a castle on an island right off of France; I can't imagine you not lovin' it."

Lottie stood and walked to the mirror blotting her face with a napkin. "Live in a Palace across the sea for a while…hmmm" She turned with a face so bright the whole room seemed to light up. "I think getting' married couldn't beat that offer!" She ran to Tiana and Naveen throwing her arms around them and giggling with delight, she gave them both kisses and ran toward her closet to pack.

And so the journey began. Charlotte headed off to an unknown land across the ocean from her comfortable little home in New Orleans, ready to explore what she'd never dared to explore before. She was more than ready to leave the events of her wedding day behind, and enthralled by the prospect of living like a true princess for as long as Naveen's parents would allow her to stay. Despite how prone she was to seasickness she was happy to start her voyage.

But she could have never planned on what was to come; for places unknown are much different that one might assume, and Lottie was certainly, very unassuming.

Part Two: The Big, Bad Wolf – Coming soon