(Author's Note)
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or Beauty and the Beast.
Delphigirl689: Being a normally quiet member of the Miraculous Ladybug Fandom, I think it's time I actually contributed something.
I've seen a lot of fairy tale AU but one I've had in my head the past two weeks is a Beauty and the Beast one, with Marinette as Belle and Adrien as the Beast. I saw someone do a mini-comic where the enchantress curses Adrien because of his bad puns, and that's great for a laugh, but I was thinking about how Hawkmoth could fit into the story with the role of the enchantress. It would go something like this:
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Though he had everything his heart desired, the prince was far from spoiled, selfish, or unkind. In fact, many people thought he was kind to a fault. The prince was raised to be a kind and just ruler, one the people could rely on. Even after the death of his mother, he remained true to the lessons he learned. His father, the king, was often called away on business with the neighboring countries, leaving the kingdom in the capable hands of his son, but the prince never felt alone, for the castle servants, many with whom he grew up, were the greatest friends anyone could have. And there was even a little black cat that he took in, ignoring the superstition the servants warned him about. Several years of seeing his father in passing went by and all was still well in the kingdom. But that all changed one cold winter's night.
"Merry Christmas, Adrien!" the servants wished in unison as Nino, the prince's attendant, handed him his Christmas present. Adrien's eyes lit up with joy when he took the gift and said, "Thank you, everyone!" He eagerly opened it up and gasped in surprise, "It's a new storybook! Oh, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen!" "Your father will be very pleased that you enjoy it so much." the majordomo, Max, replied. Adrien was taken aback for a moment, "Wait, this is a gift from my father?" "Yes, your majesty," Natalie the head maid added, "The messenger arrived with it only a few hours ago." The prince thought for a moment, then announced, "Then for tonight's feast, set a place at the table for him! And arrange for him to stay in a comfortable room!" "As you wish, sire, but may I ask why?" Max questioned, to which Adrien answered, "The messenger has traveled many miles in unforgiving weather to bring this present here. It is only suitable that he be allowed to rest adequately before he returns to my father, and besides, it's Christmas!" The majordomo didn't question any further and set out to fulfill his duties.
After the feast, Adrien was asked by the servant children to read from his new book, which he happily agreed to do, but before he could begin, there was a knock at the door. "Who could be out there at this time of night?" Nino wondered aloud. Max added, "And in this dreadful weather?" "I'll go see. It might be someone in trouble." the noble prince said before heading for the door.
When the door opened, there was an old man shivering in his ragged clothes, who begged, "P-Please, kind sir, would you allow this old wretch shelter from this bitter cold?" Adrien didn't hesitate, "Of course, come in sir!" he said, aiding the old man into the castle. He helped him to the sitting room and offered, "Here, sir, you can have my chair." Then he told Natalie to bring the man some tea and Nino to get him a blanket. They did so quickly and the prince asked him, "Are you comfortable, sir?" " Oh, yes, very much so, young man. " the old man replied, " This is very kind of you. " " 'Kindness is not something to be taken lightly. It is the power to change the world for the better one person at a time.' That's what I was taught." Adrien stated. "Indeed it is, but there are those who would take advantage of one as kind as you." the old man warned him. Adrien simply said, "Even so, I'd rather be taken advantage of than regret not helping when I can. I just want to do the right thing."
"Ah, that is a shame." the old man stated. Suddenly, a cold wind entered the castle, dowsing the fireplace with any icy blast. An eerie glow enveloped the old man and the prince backed away in caution. The haggard man cackled as Adrien and the servants watched him transforms into a malicious sorcerer. "This almost makes me regret what I'm about to do to you." he said with a wicked smile on his face.
"Who are you?" Adrien questioned.
The dark warlock answered, "I am Hawkmoth, former advisor to the king. Until he banished me." Distain was written on his face as he explained.
Adrien said, "My father wouldn't banish anyone without a good reason." "King Gabriel did have a good reason, your highness." Natalie explained, "Hawkmoth was planning to take over the kingdom!"
"And thanks to that meddlesome queen, I never did! But, no matter. Now I'm here for revenge!"
"I'm afraid my father is away on business," the prince bravely told him, "So, you have come here for nothing."
Hawkmoth shook his head in amusement, "Oh, no your majesty, I think I came at just the right time. You see, when your father banished me, he had a good wizard cast a protective spell on the castle. He wanted to make sure both I and my magic couldn't touch any who dwell here and the only way I could was if one of royal blood welcomed me in." Adrien gasped in realization, and the warlock continued, "And now you will start to regret being so kind." Hawkmoth raised his staff to the ceiling, gathered dark magic.
The children hid behind the older servants and they trembled in fear. "Hear me! All who dwell here shall become as mere objects to serve the son of King Gabriel!" he bellowed. "No! Leave them alone!" the prince begged, "Curse only me instead!" Hawkmoth shook his head, "But that would be doing you a kindness. I have something far better in store for you."
Directing the staff at the prince himself, he declared, "As handsome as you are known to be, you believe that appearance isn't more important than a person's inner self. I shall put that to the test! Prince Adrien, from this day forth, you shall be a monster, a creature so unlovable that even your father will fear you! The gruesome harbinger of misfortune; Chat Noir!" As the warlock spoke, the prince transformed into a cat-like monster with pitch-black fur and fearsome green eyes. The servants were also changed into ordinary household objects, yet were still alive and mobile.
When all had been changed, Hawkmoth looked down upon the prince, who had collapsed from exhaustion, with false pity on his face and said, "Take heart, young prince. I'll not leave you like this without some hope." he paused and conjured up a single black rose that glowed a comforting soft purple light, then continued, "This rose shall bloom until the end of the coming year. You have until the last petal falls to find someone beyond your castle and family who can see past your new form and truly love you. If you can, the spell I've cast on you all will be broken. But if not, you will all remain this way for the rest of your lives." The once handsome prince looked at Hawkmoth with shock as the warlock vanished; his wicked cackling echoed even after he departed.
Nino, Max and Natalie(now a candelabra, clock, and teapot, respectively) came up to him. "Your highness, are you alright?" Natalie asked. The creature remorsefully replied, "No, this is all my fault. If I hadn't let that old man in, none of this would have happened." Max, trying to comfort him, reminded, "But, sire, there is still hope! We have a little over a year to find someone to break the spell!" Nino agreed, "That's right! And besides, you were being true to yourself. It's that Hawkmoth guy who deserves the blame." "Still, have the messenger tell Father to stay away from the castle. I don't want to risk that warlock attacking him too." the prince commanded. "Yes, at once, Adrien!" "And don't call me that! I'm Chat Noir now!" The servants were worried about the prince's sudden name change. The next day, the messenger went back to the king to deliver the awful news. When the king hadn't returned as scheduled, the prince sighed in relief.
But as the months passed, his hope began to dwindled. Even after discovering the black cat he'd welcomed in was a magical creature called a kwami, who went by the name of Plagg, and offered him a wish in return for his kindness, when he learned that what he wanted most couldn't be granted thanks to Hawkmoth's deadline, the hope he had shrank even more. Plagg did give him an enchanted mirror to see what went on outside the castle. Yet, all of the servants reassurance seemed to have no effect on him, and with every passing day, he became more monstrous on the inside rather than just in appearance. Chat Noir felt that it would be better to accept his fate than even think of defying it. For who could ever love a beast.
Delphigirl689: Not a bad start, eh? Just read and review and I'll see about updating somewhat regularly.