Chapter One

"I win," Gaston said smugly, showing a flash of his pearly white teeth. The triplets, Henrietta, Harriet and Holly crowded around him, singing his praise; letting compliments shower over him.

"Not so fast," Li Shang said, and in a flash, had moved his bishop. "Checkmate."

"Great," Gaston muttered.

"Look, it's just battle tactics- knowing where to place your soldiers," Li Shang explained. "How about we go out, before I leave?"

"Yeah, um sure." Gaston murmured. "Let's do that. I'm gonna do that. Yep, I'm doing it..."

For five minutes, all Gaston could think of the multiple times Li Shang had beaten him. Chess? Wrestling? Karate? Even shooting and archery, which was an art only Gaston obsessed, had been done better by Shang. Of course, he knew that he was a hunter and Shang was a soldier- but was there that much difference? A hunter killed animals, a soldier killed humans.

Then of course, there was his father's last plea. To become great, and powerful. How could he do that if a man who was at least three inches smaller than him beat him in everything except spitting.

Suddenly he felt a tug at his arm. Shang was making wild gestures to a hooded figure.

"Go away, beggar," Gaston snapped, feeling angry at himself and Li Shang but taking it out on the hooded figure. "We don't give food."

"That's a shame," a melodious voice answered, and Gaston swivelled round to see if one of the triplets had followed him and Shang. Holly, perhaps She had never spoken when Gaston was present. But only three people remained in the street.

Gaston's head turned to Shang's, who immediately looked furious at being silently accused. So both of their gazes were focused on the figure.

"Take off your hood," ordered Shang. Despite the darkness, Gaston was sure he saw the person's lip curl ever so slightly.

The hood was dropped, and Gaston and Shang caught a vision of a most beautiful enchantress standing before them. Her hair was a waterfall of sunshine, her eyes as green as emeralds, her dress the colour of moss. In her right hand she clutched a staff, a silver sceptre with vines creeping upwards and connecting at the top, enclosing a diamond in a natural cage.

"You're not the first person I've met who's judged me on my appearance," the Enchantress smiled. Before she could continue, Shang cut in.

"Maybe, but you were under your hood. We couldn't see who you were, right Gaston?"

"Yes, but you still decide I was a beggar, before you had seen me properly. I suppose I should be used to it by now. But I set out to make the world a better place, and trying to make people better when I'm pretty means they don't get any better."

"What do you mean?" demanded Gaston.

The Enchantress smiled.

"On this day you will find that you can conquer your father's plea, to become great. But as your life moves on, your ego will rise, so powerful that nobody will want you. To end the spell, you must find someone you truly love, and who loves you in return."