A.N:
I greatly apologize if you either did not see The Princess and the Frog, or you did not like the movie to begin with. Personally, I think movie is great and really cute (I say that because I'm a kid at heart). So if you do not want to read this, you don't have to.
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…
The year was 1912 in the city of Radiant Garden, where the mornings always left a calming serene atmosphere and the nighttime was clear almost every day of the year. Nighttime, of course, had made its way to the large town, and only a few stragglers wandered the streets on horse and buggies. Although quiet at night, Radiant Garden was said to be the "birthplace of jazz music." Every morning and afternoon, the upbeat sounds of trumpets, trombones, cellos, and other jazz instruments filled the air, bringing in crowds from all around, whether it was local citizens of the town or tourists coming to visit from other worlds to hear the wonderful sounds of jazz music filling the streets almost every minute of the day (or so it seemed due to the sun remaining in one spot whenever it was morning or the afternoon). However, since it was nighttime, the streets were quiet, save for the clippity-clop of horse hooves on the streets. That was how Radiant Garden was: Upbeat in the mornings, dead silent at night. But enough about the sights and sounds of the town for now. Let's move on with the real story, shall we?
A large estate on the far end of the town held only a single light on the third story floor. The place belonged to the richest and most popular man (and Nobody) in Radiant Garden named Luxord Beaudelaire, also known as "Poker Face Beaudelaire" due to his consistent poker game wins, and his only daughter (also a Nobody) Larxene Beadelaire. Both had everything they could ever ask for, especially Larxene. She was one of the most spoiled children in town along with a short temper, mainly because her father was a sucker for "daddy's little princess." However, it has been known Larxene had a soft side as well. Although it was rarely seen in the young child, it was true fact. Her own father knew about it, but also rarely saw it appear. The only person to ever seen Larxene's soft side was her closest friend, one she could tell any secret to no matter how embarrassing it was to say out loud to anyone else she was friends with. That person was Xeela, a kind, young Nobody girl whose dreams never reached the sky, but reached the stars above instead. Xeela had been good friends with Larxene for as long as she could remember, and they had been inseparable despite Larxene's short tempered attitude. She had been able to cope with it even at her age, knowing Larxene was good at heart. Of course, it was still confusing for people to understand why Xeela would choose Larxene as a best friend, but the young girl never questioned her unbroken friendship with her.
"And just in that moment," spoke the voice of a young seamstress named Trixa, the mother of Xeela and Nobody just like her, from a white colored room as she worked on yet another dress for the blond haired girl, "the ugly little frog looked up with his sad, round eyes and pleaded, 'Oh, please, dear princess! Only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell that was inflicted on me by a wicked witch!'" Larxene's face brightened as she listened with enthusiasm written across her face, hugging her pure white kitten in her arms, while the young Xeela sat silently next to her, listening to her mother as she read the story she had heard so many times before. Then, the young blond moved closer to her friend, her eyes never leaving Trixa.
"Here comes my favorite part," she whispered before hugging her cat, who simply meowed in response. Xeela simply smiled as her mother continued, turning the page in the book before returning to work on the bow she was making for Larxene's dress.
"And the beautiful princess," Trixa continued, emphasizing beautiful as she spoke, "was so moved by his desperate plea, that she stooped down, picked up the slippery creature, leaned forward,"-By now, Larxene's green eyes were brighter than ever, while Xeela's expression changed to one of discomfort-"raised him to her lips,"-Larxene nodded, Xeela shook her head-"and KISSED that little frog!"-Now, Larxene made a simple "Aww!" at Trixa's words, but Xeela's expression changed to disgust as she cringed. She never did like kissing animals, especially slimy frogs for that matter-"And then, the frog was transformed into,"-She turned the page-"a handsome prince! They were married, and they lived happily ever after! The end!"
"Yay," Larxene exclaimed, falling back onto the floor, but having trouble getting back up due to her oversized, ruby red dress. "Read it again! Read it again!" Trixa laughed as she helped Larxene to her feet, placing a bow around her waist to finish the dress.
"Sorry Larxene," she said. "It's time for us to be headin' home."-She looked at her navy blue haired daughter-"Say goodnight, Xeela."
"There is no way in this whole wide world," Xeela spoke, "I would ever, ever, ever, I mean NEVER kiss a FROG! Yuck!" Xeela spoke as a confident young girl for her age, sticking to her words like a fly on sticky paper. However, Larxene gave the lavender eyed girl a mischievous expression.
"Is that so?" She asked, earning a small nod from Xeela. Suddenly, she pulled out a little mask poor shaped like a frog and stuffed right on top of her kitten's head. It was too shocked to realize what she was up to before she brought the poor kitten to Xeela's face. "Well, here comes your Prince Charming, Xee-Xee! Come on, kiss it!"
"No!" Xeela exclaimed, trying to push away the kitten and her mischievous friend.
"Yes, yes!" Larxene responded back, still pushing the cat into her face.
"Stop it! I won't, I won't, I won't!" With that, Xeela successfully pushed her off of her, crossing her small arms over her chest. Larxene immediately got back up with a smile on her face.
"I would do it! I would kiss a frog!" She exclaimed before hugging her dazed kitten, "I would kiss A HUNDRED FROGS if I could marry a prince and be a princess!" Suddenly, while she was hugging the kitten, it leapt right out of her arms and dug its nails right into the ceiling above, making it hang upside down an shivering. The young girls laughed at the sudden action while Trixa simply sighed and walked over to where the kitten hung upside down in fear.
"You girls stop tormentin' that kitten," she told them as she took a hold of the kitten, declawed it from the ceiling, and placed it back on the ground before removing the little frog mask on its face. "Poor little thing…" She muttered as the creature crawled away out of fear. She shook her head at the kitten just before the door of Larxene's room opened. She glanced over to find a familiar face walk in.
"Evening, Trixa," said Luxord with his usual British accent hanging in his voice, a smile playing across his lips. She returned the smile, but before she could say a word to him, (1) Larxene leapt onto her feet and skipped over to her father happily.
"Daddy, Daddy," she exclaimed, "look at my new dress! Isn't it pretty?" Luxord's smile grew as she showed off the gown to her father.
"Hah, hah, look at you!" He responded, picking up is young daughter before turning his attention to Trixa. "Why, I'd expect nothing less from the finest seamstress in Radiant Garden!" Trixa smiled at his words as Larxene stared the still open book of The Frog Prince.
"Ooh! I want that one!" She said, pointing to the dress in the picture of the book, showing the beautiful princess standing next to the 'handsome prince.' Luxord followed her excited gaze, only for his face to fall slightly at the sight. He did not want to pressure the seamstress after her hard work on the dress she had all ready created for the young blonde, but she was his little girl, his little princess. He only wanted the best for her. However, he thought Trixa deserved a little time off from making dresses. Just for now.
"Oh no, sugar…" He told her, looking back his daughter. "Come on…"
"I want that one!" She complained with a hint of anger filling her voice. "Please, please, please, please!" Immediately, she began pulling on his mustache in an attempt to get what she wanted like many times before this moment, small sparks of electricity appearing in the tips of her hair. At that moment, Luxord looked over at the seamstress with a slight pained expression on his face from his daughter.
"Trixa," he said, pausing as Larxene tugged on his beard a second time. "You suppose you could whip up something like that…?" He asked. Trixa giggled at the sight before her.
"Anything for my best customer," she responded, glancing over the multitude of other dresses she had creature just for Larxene. The young blonde haired girl cheered happily, earning another giggle from the seamstress as she glanced over at her daughter. "Come on, Xeela," she said to her, taking the hand of her smiling child. "Your father should be home from work by now." With a nod, they began making their way out of the Beaudelaire household. Luxord returned his attention to his daughter, placing her on her bed.
"Aah, now princess," he spoke, "you're getting that dress and that's it. No more Mr. Pushover!"-A pause before he pulled a furry little black puppy from behind him-"Now who wants a puppy?"
"I do, I do!" Larxene exclaimed as the puppy barked happily. "He's so cute!"
The way back home was the same as Xeela had always seen it. She and Trixa would ride the cable car past all of the large estates much like the Beaudelaire's estate, but they were not as fabulous and majestic as the estate she knew so well. The two past the houses without a single care in the world; Xeela was looking out the window in pure amazement and Trixa simply watching her, watching as the estates changed into smaller, more cozy houses. Never in her days had Trixa seen someone as like Xeela. One thing was for sure: she was just like her husband Xigbar. She was filled with just as much imagination as well as determination as her father, and it surprised her greatly. (2) Xeela had always dreamed of opening her own restaurant along with her father. She practiced all the recipes in every book she saw, studying hard to get the recipe done right. Sometimes, her father would come in to help her out, but she refused it. Much to both Xigbar's and Trixa's surprise, Xeela was becoming a very independent little girl when it came to those recipes.
One of her favorite dishes she had learned was gumbo. The first day Xigbar made it for her, she fell in love with it. She could not resist all the irresistible ingredients made to serve all in one perfect harmony. In fact, she loved it so much, she asked Xigbar to help her make it. Over time, she gradually learned the steps in order to create to delectable stew for her, her family, and all her neighbors nearby. She even learned how to mince the necessary ingredients needed for the gumbo. Eventually, she decided to share the dream her father had and open their own restaurant. Trixa was proud to hear her daughter was interested in joining her father in his dream of opening a restaurant. It would be interesting to see, her husband and her daughter working together in one workplace.
'I would love to see that someday,' she once thought to herself.
"Mmm, gumbo smells great, Xeela," said Xigbar as he watched over his daughter stirring the stew with his golden eye. A smile was on her face as she looked up at her father, her lavender colored eyes filled with happiness.
"I think it's done, Father," she said to him, pulling out the wooden spoon from the pot. Xigbar glanced at her with a smirk.
"Yeah? You sure," He asked, earning a small "Mm-hmm" from his daughter before taking the spoon in his hand. "Absolutely positive?"
"Yes," she giggled.
"Okay," he started, "I'm about to put this spoon into my…" Just as he was about to put the stew in his mouth, an shocked expression ran across Xeela's face before taking the spoon away from Xigbar.
"Wait!" She exclaimed, earning a small chuckle from the older, eye-patched Nobody as she added a few more drops of Tabasco to the mix. After that, she took another sip of the stew, licking her lips a bit to make sure it was the right flavor. A smile formed on her face as she realized it was, in fact, the correct flavor she wanted. "Done," she said, taking another spoonful of the stew and giving it to her father, who gladly placed the food into his mouth. For a moment, he savored the flavor of the stew, his expression different from what Xeela had expected. Her face fell at the expression of her father, who had an expression that told her he did not like the food she made. "What," she asked, worry filling her voice. Xigbar crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, kiddo…" He started, "This is the…"-Suddenly, he scooped his young daughter into his arms with a bright smile on his face-"best gumbo I've ever tasted!" Happy to know she had finally gotten it right all on her own, she laughed happily and hugged her father. Xigbar looked over at his wife and motioned for her to join them. "Come here, Trix," he said as she walked over to the two. "Our little girl's got a gift!" Trixa giggled.
"I could have told you that," she said.
"A gift THIS special just gotta be shared," he exclaimed with a large smile on his face. At that moment, Xeela immediately leapt out of her father's arms and ran straight for the front door. She threw it open and looked out into the near dark streets of Radiant Garden. Only a few people were out and about, her neighbors, but that would not last long.
"Hey, everybody," she called out, "I made gumbo!" Within seconds, her neighbors were lining up in front of the porch, talking about how it smelled delicious from where they stood.
Within the half hour, all of the neighbors had a bowl of Xeela's gumbo, savoring the great taste of her incredible work. Xeela had returned to her father's arms, while her mother stood in the other, as they watched their neighbors eat up all of the food given to them. Each and every one of them wore large smiles on their faces as they conversed with one another. At that moment, Xeela knew the dream she shared with her father was actually true. There was not a single doubt in her mind about what she decided to do. She wanted to put a smile to everyone's faces as they took their first bite into her food. Well, hers and her father's food. She was learning from the best chef in Radiant Garden, and wanted to be just like him. Opening the restaurant would the biggest step to reaching her goal, and she knew, with her father's help, it would be the greatest restaurant ever to exist.
After a long time, everyone had returned home, their stomach's satisfied with the food given to them. Xeela, Xigbar, and Trixa returned to their house and cleaned up the leftovers of the gumbo, saving it for another time. By now, it was time for Xeela to go to bed. However, she always brought her parents with her to hear stories they tell her every night, excited to hear what the story was going to be. This night, it was her father's turn, but he did not exactly tell a story. It was more of a little speech to Xeela. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the company of her parents.
"You know the thing about good food," he asked her as she sat into between her parents. "It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right up and it puts little smiles on their faces."-A short pause as he showed her a picture of a fancy restaurant filled with smiling people dressed in fancy attire-"And when I open my own restaurant, I'll tell you, people are gonna be lined up for miles around, just to get a taste of my food."
"Our food," Xeela corrected him, earning a chuckle from her father.
"That's right, kiddo," he said, rubbing her hair lightly before taking a small crayon and writing something at the top of the page and handing it to her once more, "Our food." She looked down at the paper to find he had written "Xeela's Place." Her face shined brighter than all of the stars in the sky as she held the paper close to her chest. She could see it now; a large room with velvet carpeting, tables scattered about with snow white table clothes and candles lighting every table. A large crystal chandelier would hang about the ground, bringing light to all who entered the restaurant. Like her father said, people from all over the world just to get a taste of the best food in Radiant Garden. It would be filled with jazz music and bring a smile to everyone's face, including her friends and family.
Yes, she could see it all now.
After another moment, Xeela looked out the window and gasped, just before a smile appeared on her small face. "Daddy, look!" She exclaimed, crawling over to the open window with excitement.
"Where are you going," asked Xigbar as he watched the blue haired girl stare out the window. Trixa simply watched with a smile.
"Larxene's fairytale book said," she started, "if you make a wish on the evening star, it's sure to come true!" Both Trixa and Xigbar made their way over to their daughter with smiles on their faces.
"Well, you wish on that star, sweetheart," said Trixa, giving her daughter a small hug.
"Yes, you wish and you dream with all you little heart," Xigbar spoke. "But remember this: That old star can only take you part of the way. You gotta give some hard work of your own, and then…"-He placed a hand on Xeela's cheek-"you could do anything you set your mind to."-Trixa moved over to Xigbar's said and smile at him, one which he returned before looking back at Xeela-"Just promise your Father one thing? That you'll never, ever lose sight of what's important, okay?" Xeela smiled at his words and nodded, letting her father know she would listen to him.
After that, they both kissed her goodnight and left their little girl in bed, turning off the light and closing the door softly as to not wake her. However, she did not need the silent closing of the door to wake her up. Instead, she woke up all on her own, throwing the covers off of her before returning to look back out the window and up at the evening star. She stared at the star for a long moment, before looking down at the paper labeled "Xeela's Place." Determined her dream was going to come true, she placed the picture of the fancy restaurant to her chest and closed her eyes, all the while smiling as she thought long and hard about that single dream of hers.
"Please, please, please!" She whispered to herself before looking back up at the sky with a dreamy look. Suddenly, she felt the presence of something, something uncommon to her…as well as right next to her. Slowly and cautiously, she looked over in the direction in which she felt that presence. Much to her surprise, she had found a frog sitting on her window sill, eyes bugging and remaining silent as it sat there and watched her. She stared right back at it, waiting for it to do something. That was how it was for the next five seconds, but then the frog croaked loudly. Frightened by the sudden noise, Xeela screamed and fell out of her bed, sprinting to her door with haste and exiting her room, slamming it behind her.
Remember when she said she would never kiss frogs? It was true, but for what reason? It was because she hated frogs with a passion to begin with.
A.N:
I greatly apologize if the story resembles the movie too much. I tried to change as much of the ideas in the story as I could, but I had blank moments. Also, sorry if the characters aren't what you expected, like Larxene playing as Charlotte. Excluding the whole "being girly part," Larxene looks like the type to get what she wants when she asks for it (or demands it). And Luxord…he just looks like a freakin' millionaire. Also, I apologize for the story being so short.
1.) Larxene leapt onto her feet and skipped over to her father happily.
Again, as much as I know Larxene to be a badass Nobody, she's just a kid in this part of the story, and ONLY this part, so don't flame me for it please.
2.) Xeela had always dreamed of opening her own restaurant along with her father.
I couldn't think of anything by the time I started writing this, so I decided to leave it as is. Sorry if you expected something different. And same thing goes for anything else you expected differently.