Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Princess and the Frog, High School Musical, and all if their songs, characters, plots, and so on belong to Disney.
And now our feature presentation.
The evening star is shining bright
So make a wish and hold on tight
There's magic in the air tonight
And anything can happen
This isn't your typical love story that starts with 'once upon a time'. It's not about a peasant girl who gets swept off her feet by a prince or takes place in a far away land some long, long time ago. This may not be the fairy tale everyone expects it to be but it does start with the humblest of beginnings. It all started in New Orleans, Louisiana with a young girl.
"And then sad little frog looked up with his big brown eyes and said, 'oh please dear princess, only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell that was inflicted on me.'"
Two young girls listened very intently to the fascinating story of the Frog Prince. In New Orleans many people were famous for producing products such as sugar and cotton and were quit rich for it. No different was the life of Sharpay, whose older brother had taken over their cotton empire after their parents' passing. They lived in perhaps one of the biggest mansions New Orleans had ever seen. Not only was their family so well known and respected for the work and treatment of all their employees, but sometimes Sharpay's brother would just live life as though he were a normal person and not a wealthy man. Sharpay was the one who always tried to get everything she wanted and could always be seen anywhere in pink and with her pale complexion and bright blond hair even at such a young age it was almost questionable if anyone could surpass the young heiress' beauty. But that's not who our story focuses on.
Taylor had grown up with Sharpay; they'd known each other since they were babies and now, even at the age of nine and of completely different races in an otherwise sensitive south, they were the best of friends. Taylor's look completely contrasted Sharpay's; her skin was a deep cocoa and matched her slight curly brown hair and her attire was always simple and plain that would otherwise be accessorized with a little paper tiara for a princess story. Taylor's older sister Gabriella had worked for the Evans' family, and was especially known for making princess dresses for Sharpay. And while her friend lived life as though she really were a princess, Taylor was the more level headed one. She knew what she wanted to do when she got bigger and she knew what was just outside of the mansions.
"Here comes my favorite part." Sharpay whispered to Taylor excitedly, gripping her fuzzy white cat even tighter.
As Gabriella continued reading, she went about putting the final touches on Sharpay's dress which was nothing more than perfecting a big pink ribbon. "And the beautiful princess was so moved by his desperate plea that she sat down, picked up the slippery creature…leaned forward…raised him to her lips…" She took a dramatic pause watching the looks on the girls' faces – Sharpay's grin growing by the second and Taylor shaking her head in disgust with a fact to match – before turning the page. "…and kissed that little frog!"
"AW!" Sharpay cooed, hugging her little kitten even tighter in her arms.
"Yuck!" Taylor gasped, almost ready to gag at the mere thought.
"Then the frog was transformed into a handsome prince. They were married and hey both lived happily ever after. The end." Gabriella finished with a smile as she cut the last bit of Sharpay's new ribbon.
"YAY!" Sharpay cheered, falling over in her overly poufy dress. Clapping her hands and giggling like a school girl she begged, "Read it again! Read it again!"
Even though Sharpay was such a spoiled little girlie girl, she was nothing short of a hopeless romantic. Every time Gabriella or anyone else read that story, Sharpay was insistent that one day she would meet a prince, get married to him, and live happily ever after in a castle. And if that wouldn't happen there was no doubt her brother would pay someone to do it.
"Sorry Sharpay, but it's about time Tay and I headed home." Gabriella giggled as she helped Sharpay up and tied the new ribbon around her hot pink party dress. "Say good night, Taylor." She added as she gathered her things.
Taylor folded her arms and shook her head. "There is no way in this whole wide world I would ever, ever, ever, ever, ever and I mean never kiss a frog!"
"Is that right?" Sharpay smirked, putting her hands behind her back. She eyed the kitten who was contently grooming itself, then grabbed a little sewed frog costume from behind her back and put it right on the cat, taking him by surprise, and scooping him up, holding him to Taylor's face. "Well here's your Prince Charming! Go ahead, pucker up and kiss him!"
"No!" Taylor laughed, trying to push the cat off.
"Do it!"
"No!"
"You know you wanna, he's a prince!"
"I'm not kissing any frogs! Kiss him yourself!"
Sharpay giggled as she fell to the ground and sat back up. "I would do it!"
Taylor raised an eyebrow. "You would? But frogs are so…ech."
"I don't care, I'd still do it! I would kiss a hundred frogs if I could meet and marry a prince and be a princess!" she exclaimed. Sighing dreamily thinking about it, the blonde then planted a big smooch on the cat's cheek. Then, being taken by surprise, the cat yelped and jumped out of Sharpay's arms and onto the ceiling, its claws digging deep as to not be pulled down and deal with such torture. But the girls didn't find it as such; they just collapsed back down and started laughing uncontrollably.
"That was some kiss alright, Shar!" Taylor laughed.
Gabriella shook her head and moved a chair over to get the cat. "You two stop tormenting that poor kitty." She climbed onto the chair and pulled the cat down from the ceiling and removed the frog costume, only to see the frightened cat crawl as fast out of the room as he possible could.
Moments later, Sharpay's bedroom door opened only to reveal her brother Ryan. He wasn't too much older, just around the same age as Gabriella. Although still quite young he was very responsible for his age, albeit easily getting distracted and sometimes thinking more about food or dance than work. But that didn't mean he couldn't put on an act and be all business when he needed to; after all, good acting did run in their family. And luckily with this family, Ryan never needed to be all business which he was much thankful for. He removed his flashy white hat, revealing short hair just as blond as Sharpay's, and with his white and pink attire it was no doubt that the two of them were brother and sister. "Hey there everyone." He greeted with a bright smile on his face.
"Ryan, check out my new dress!" Sharpay smiled, running to her brother. "Isn't it pretty?"
"Of course it is." Ryan chuckled. He nodded to Gabriella, "Nothing but the best from the best seamstress in New Orleans."
"It's only a living." Gabriella shrugged her shoulders modestly.
Sharpay's eyes lit up as she looked at the last page on the book with the princess and prince; the princess' dress was the longest, prettiest, pinkest one she had ever seen in her whole life. "Ry! Ry! I want that dress!" she exclaimed, pointing to it.
"Shar, I really don't think…" Ryan started.
"I want that one!" she repeated.
"But I thought it was my turn to get a new hat. They have one shaped like a melon now and…" Ryan tried.
Sharpay tugged hard on his jacket, "I want it! I want that dress! Please, please, please, please, please!"
"Gabriella…" Ryan squeaked as he tried hard to keep his balance against his much stronger younger sister, "…is it possible…you could maybe possible…do something about that…before she kills me?" No later did he finish that question did Sharpay knock him down right to the ground.
Gabriella giggled and nodded before eyeing the room full of dresses that Gabriella had made for Sharpay in the past year. "Anything for my best customer."
"Yay!" Sharpay cheered again, almost as though it was the only word she knew.
Gabriella signaled for Taylor to follow her. "Let's go, Tay. I think Dad should be home from work by now."
Ryan shook his head and sat up. "Alright Shar, so it looks like you'll get another new dress. But that's all I can give you now alright? No more for a while." He watched his sister's look fade away before he pulled out a puppy from almost out of nowhere, "Now who wants a puppy?"
"I do, I do!" Sharpay squealed over the little barking animal.
Taylor looked behind her as she and Gabriella headed out of the mansion. She could hear almost everything they were saying, even as their voices faded as they walked out and got on the bus to go home. It wasn't that Taylor felt like she had so much less compared to her friend, or that she was so unfortunate. But even as a child, Taylor could tell how easily things got handed to Sharpay. Anything she wanted, Sharpay got it. Watching her father and sister work so much, Taylor was observant enough to know that if she would want something, she would have to work for it. Perhaps it would be far more satisfying to earn something instead of just getting it on a silver platter. Sitting at the window seat in the back of the bus, Taylor watched as they drove by each house. In Sharpay's neck of the woods the homes were all big and fancy, even almost castle-like to a nine year old. And as the bus ride grew longer and they got to a more desolate part of the neighborhood, the houses were much smaller and closer together. The homes must have only been able to fit two or three people and yet some of the families had so many more. People would be sitting outside or have their lights off as though they were waiting for something. And even as an intuitive little girl, Taylor knew exactly what they were waiting for – a better life. But to Taylor it didn't matter where they lived or what life brought them. As long as she had her family and goals to accomplish, everything would be alright.
"That gumbo sure smells good, Taylor."
Taylor looked up at her father as she continued stirring the gumbo she was currently making. Taylor's father James was the one who taught her everything she knew about cooking. Every one of his recipes, every one of his secrets, Taylor knew and was planning on mastering them. James was such a great chef and had always dreamed of opening his own restaurant. But times were tough and sometimes it could be difficult for anyone to get a job, no matter what their race. But James, he worked so much more than anyone else. Though he never showed it, he could work as many shifts as three in one day. James was a tall man, though a bit out of shape, with hair the same shade as Gabriella's and Taylor's big brown eyes. Although James may have looked like the perfect combination of Taylor and Gabriella, the sisters looked almost nothing alike. Gabriella's skin tone was much lighter and her hair was a little lighter and wavier. James had met his first wife, Gabriella's mother, some years ago. When Gabriella was only a few years old her mother left, leaving James to raise Gabriella on his own for most of her life. It was shortly after that, that James had met Taylor's mother; but she hadn't been able to stick around either, because she had died shortly after Taylor was born. And although Gabriella was just in her early teens and spent most of her time working as a seamstress, she didn't mind it at all. It was a way to help make a living for her family and especially working so well with Ryan and Sharpay, her chances of getting a better job in the future would be much greater.
"I think it's done, Daddy." Taylor responded.
"Are you sure?" James asked with a smile.
"Yes." Taylor nodded proudly.
"Absolutely positive?" he inquired.
"Uh-huh." She smiled.
James grinned and picked up the spoonful of gumbo. "Alright then, if you're sure. I'm just gonna go ahead and put this in my…"
"Wait!" Taylor gasped just before the spoon could touch his lips. She snatched the spoon and added a little tobacco into the mix and stirred it for a few seconds, then took a slurp of it herself. She smiled and nodded after letting the taste settle. "Ok, it's done now." She took a fresh spoonful and let her father taste it. She watched as he got a serious thinking look on his face. Taylor became concerned, wondering if her cooking wasn't good enough. "How it is?"
"Well sweetheart, I don't know how to tell you this…" James said, rubbing his chin. He then smiled and picked her up. "But this is just about the best gumbo I ever tasted!"
"Is it really?" Gabriella asked, leaving her sewing machine and going over.
"Gabs, you have got to try this." James smiled. "I sweat I think I've got the two most gifted daughters in the world. Smart and creative, and smart and a natural born chef."
Gabriella giggled. "Well if there's one thing I know about gifts, they have to be shared. Bring them out to the neighbors; we can all have some gumbo."
Taylor smiled and took the pan; she ran out the door and stood on the front porch, barely even have to yell to get anyone's attention. "Hey everyone, I made gumbo!" With those words and the scent of such a delectable meal, everyone came gathering around and had all the gumbo they could eat. Watching everyone enjoy her gumbo so much, it was obvious that Taylor knew she wanted to bring that kind of joy to the world. Even her father could see that as he put her to bed a couple of hours later.
"You know, the thing about food is that it brings people together." James explained, sitting at her bedside. "It warms them right up and puts bright smiles on their faces. It's that kind of joy that every artist – painter, writer, chef, anyone really – looks for on peoples' faces. That's all anybody wants to do with their lives, because they don't need any fame, fortune, or material possessions to find happiness. Seeing the smiles and warm feeling on everyone's faces is all anyone needs to be happy. And when I finally open my own restaurant, people are gonna come around from miles, cities, all over the world just to get a taste of my food." He showed a magazine clipping to Taylor, just a faint idea of what he wanted his restaurant to look like. James may have known his chances of accomplishing that dream were slim, but they couldn't stop him from dreaming. He could see it all now – bright colors, chandeliers, smiling faces. He wanted his restaurant to bring the warm feeling that his food would bring and the same warm feeling he would get from watching people enjoy it.
Taylor smiled and looked up at her dad. "Our food." She corrected.
James chuckled and nodded. Of course it was their food; he had taught Taylor everything she knew about cooking, and even added some of her own things to a couple of his recipes. No, it was no longer James' food; from the moment he watched Taylor master his first recipe only some years back, it became their food. "That's right, baby girl. Our food." He smiled. And picking up a pen, he wrote in big capital letters at the top corner of the clipping, 'Taylor's Palace'. With all the confidence he had in his daughter, it couldn't just be any place; the name would need a big word to attract attention and show everyone just with words how great their food was.
Taylor hugged the clipping close to her with a big smile on her face. She looked towards the window and crawled over to it. "Hey, look at that star out there!" she pointed. "Sharpay's fairy tale book says that if you wish on a star your dreams will come true."
Gabriella climbed over and looked up at the star. "You should wish on that star. I know I do every night I see one."
James couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Gabriella you're such a hopeless romantic."
"Oh Dad, I know I am. And I know I work hard every day, but there's nothing wrong with dreaming. Besides if I do enough good then something good will happen in return." She said.
"If a star can really do all that, I'm definitely gonna make a wish on that." Taylor replied.
"And you should. Both of you should follow your dreams and wish on these stars with all your little hearts." Their father encouraged. "But you just gotta remember one important thing. That little star can only take you part of the way. It can't do all the work on its own, you gotta do some of it, too. As long as you put in a lot of hard work and keep your dreams in mind, then you can accomplish just about anything." He sat between his two girls and wrapped his arms around them. "You two understand?"
"I do, Dad." Gabriella nodded. "If it's for my dreams, I'll work as hard as I can. For me and for everyone I care about."
"I think I understand." Taylor said. "If I wish on the star and keep practicing and work hard, I can help open the restaurant for all of us."
"Of course you can." James nodded. "But you both just gotta promise your daddy one thing. That you will never, ever lose sight of what's really important."
Gabriella smiled and hugged her father. "Of course, Dad. I'll never forget."
Taylor nodded as well; but as smart as she was for her age, that didn't mean she understood everything. And even at such a tender age she couldn't have been expected to know what was really important.
"Alright then, it's just about time you went to bed." James told Taylor as he got off her bed. "You too, Gabriella."
"Ok." Gabriella nodded. She hugged Taylor and kissed her dad's cheek. "Good night."
"Good night, Gabs." James then tucked Taylor in and turned out her light, kissing her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Taylor."
Taylor closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep as her father and sister left her room. But as soon as she heard the door close, her eyes shot opened and she crawled back over to the window. She looked up at the star shining so brightly in the night sky, then at the magazine clipping, then back at the star. Hugging it close to her once again, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Please, please, please, please…" She took a deep breath and then looked up at the star, as though in her childish fantasy she was expecting something to happen. But something did happen. A little frog hopped onto her window sill and just stared at her. Taylor flinched at the frog's sudden appearance, but it didn't do anything. She stared at the creature, watching it intently look at her with big, buggy, yellow eyes. And all of a sudden, it ribbitted loudly, causing Taylor to scream and run out of her room and, in response, the frog to hop away. One thing was for sure, after that night, there was no way for sure that Taylor would ever kiss a frog.
And at long last, after typing what I would put at the bottom here and am now reforced to type because of 'this page cannot be displayed', chapter one is completed! Sorry as usual it toko me so long to get this up. One of the reasons is the same as usual which is my being lazy/distracted. The other reason is because for the last two weeks there were a couple of family emergencies but there's nothing to worry about now, everything is all good, no one died, and we're all still in one piece. So that's a relief. And more good news, I'm officially done with school until late August/early September (with awesome grades for the semester, by the way. BOO-YEAH!). So unless I have absolutely no luck finding a job for the summer my time will be going to starting (or thinking of) my idea for my senior thesis for graphic design, roleplaying, friends, and if I'm smart enough, fanfictions. And in an effort to babble less than I did when I originally typed and lost this bottom a/n, time to use a few sentences to talk about the story. Obviously, James is taken from the James in Princess and the Frog. I mean, why not name the father after the one in the movie? It's simple and non time consuming. I decided to make Ryan Big Daddy instead of his and Sharpay's dad Vance Evans. I mean, c'mon can anyone see him as big daddy? I kinda couldn't. Besides, Ryan is more fun to write. XD And I'm sure you all saw Sharpay as Charolette coming, so no explanation needed there. As for Gabriella, I went with making her Taylor's older sister instead of creating a mom character. I wasn't all too sure what to do with Gabriella at first and they are practically like sisters any way and...I forgot what else I wrote about that. Oops. And yes, I know everyone is a few years apart. But if they can be fish, crabs, or mice in other stories then they can be a couple of years apart here, too. XD And now that only leaves on issue left. Drum roll, please. -Drum Roll- The name of Prince Chad's kingdom! Ok, I know you all knew Chad was the prince here. Now I'm pretty sure I can't steal Maldonia from Disney and uite frankly I kinda don't want to. So that leaves me in kind of a writer's block for coming up with a kingdom name. So I want to know what you guys think of a name. Any ideas you have would be awesome. The one thing that I do know about it, is that it should be Italian sounding or have something to do with Italy...cause, last I checked I'm pretty sure Corbin's part Italian so in that way it kinda makes sense. And the name of the kingdom will be announced in chapter three...chapter three? Is that what I wrote down in my notebook while planning out the story in its entirety? I think so. Chapter three will be when the name of the kingdom will be mentioned! So, review as you please and thank you for being so patient with waiting for my story that you probably all didn't have the patience for to begin with. XD So until chapter two, which should hopefully be within the week, happy summer and good night everyone! (=