Once upon a time in a land called Andalasia, there lived a beautiful young woman. Her name was Eponine. Eponine had long brown hair and her eyes danced whenever she smiled. She lived in a small house in the middle of the forest with all of her animal friends. On this particular day, Eponine and her furry friends were making her prince charming. After finally getting everything in order for him, she stood back with her bird and squirrel buddies and looked at what was the perfect prince.
"Oh, no!" Eponine gasped. "What is it, Eponine?" her little chipmunk friend Pip asked. The brunette girl frowned and ran her fingers along the statue's face. "He doesn't have any lips."
"Does he really need to have lips, Eponine?" asked one of the younger birds. "Why, of course he does! When you meet someone who is meant for you; before two can become one, there is something you must do."
"Do you pull each other's tails?"
"Do you make each other sneeze?"
"No," Eponine giggled. "There is something sweeter everybody needs. I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss and a prince I'm hoping comes with this. That's what brings ever after-ings so happy. And that's the reason we need lips so much, for lips are the only thing that touch. So to spend a life of endless bliss, just find who you love through true love's kiss."
The animals all sighed happily before Eponine tapped her lip with her finger. "If we're going to find the perfect set of lips, we're going to need a lot more help." She smiled and ran to the window, singing out to the animals for help. They all came quickly to aide her in finding the perfect set of lips for her prince charming. She went through all of them before settling on a caterpillar. She smiled as the face was completed, but the smile turned into a frown as the caterpillar humphed and inched away. She shook off her sadness and sat on her statue's lap before singing, "So to spend a life of endless bliss, just find who you love through true love's kiss."
While Eponine was in her cottage building her ideal prince, the real prince was out hunting trolls. Prince Marius laughed heartily as he caught one of his trolls.
"Oh, brilliant, sire!" called out his trusted companion Thenardier. "That's the tenth troll you've caught this month!"Marius simply laughed and flipped his hair as he hopped off of the gigantic troll and walked to Thenardier.
"Trolls are great to pass the time, Thenardier. But my heart longs to be joined in song! I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss and a…"
"Prince I'm hoping comes with this," rang Eponine's voice through the woods.
"Do you hear that Thenardier?"
"No, no. I hear nothing," Thenardier said hurriedly, trying to distract Prince Marius.
"I must find the owner of that sweet voice!" With that, Marius hopped onto his horse and said, "Ride, Liberty!" And then the horse took off in the direction of the voice.
Thenardier was left alone with the giant troll and was pacing as he muttered, "Oh, the queen. She isn't going to like this." That was when he heard the troll singing the song that Marius and Eponine had just been singing. He turned menacingly to him and quickly unleashed him and told him to go and eat the girl. The troll happily obliged before running off.
He happened to get ahead of Prince Marius and the prince laughed. "You shall not prevail, troll! The fair maiden is mine!" Then he started off faster on his horse to reach Eponine.
Meanwhile, Eponine was sat in her window seat with her animal friends. Pip looked at her worriedly and asked, "Honey, do you think this guy is really out there?"
"Oh, Pip! He has to be. I just know it."
Then the animals all started saying, "Eye. Eye. Eye," and Eponine giggled. "I what?"
"I eat you now!" cried the troll. Eponine flew off of the seat and gasped as Pip shouted, "Everybody scatter!"
Eponine ran to the other window and climbed out, letting the troll grab her mannequin of her prince. She was holding on tightly to a tree branch when she heard the troll let out a confused grunt. He turned to see her and shouted, "Hey! That's cheating! I supposed to eat you!" Eponine screeched as she felt herself sliding down the branch of the tree. The troll followed her onto it, along with Pip. However, the troll was much too heavy to stay on the branch, and he flung off of it screaming.
The brunette girl was now barely hanging onto the branch and she cried out, "Pip!" Pip scurried over to where her hand was and held onto one of her fingers. "Don't worry, Eponine! I'll save you!"
With that, Eponine slid from the tree, screaming. She didn't open her eyes until she felt herself land on a horse. She opened her eyes and smiled when the human form of her mannequin smiled at her. "Oh my gosh. It's you."
"Yes, it's me," Marius laughed before raising an eyebrow curiously. "And you are?"
"Eponine."
"Oh, Eponine! We'll be married in the morning!" He smiled and then started singing, "You're the fairest maid I've ever met. You were made…"
"To finish your duet," Eponine finished for him, smiling her bright grin at him. And together they rode off into the sunset singing, "And in years to come we'll reminisce how we came to love and grew and grew love since first we knew love through true love's kiss."
Back at the castle in the heart of Andalasia, Queen Fantine was growing absolutely furious. Eponine was going to try and take her crown! Well, Fantine was just not going to let that happen. She was the rightful queen, and she would refuse to let this girl take her position.
The next morning, Eponine climbed out of her carriage in a beautiful white dress that her animal friends had made for her and quickly asked Thenardier, "Am I late?"
He simply shook his head and said, "Just in time." Eponine smiled and responded with, "Oh thank goodness!" She giggled as she ran towards the palace steps. Her furry friends followed close behind, tying a bow around her waist and the birds delivered a tiara to her head. She waved to them and said, "Thank you!"
She walked into the palace courtyards with Thenardier and smiled. "Can you believe it? In just a few moments, Marius and I… That he and me will be… That we… Oh my!"
An old hag looked up to Eponine and smiled a near toothless grin. "What a lovely bride," she said cooingly. "Thank you… But I really must get going."
The hag reached out and grabbed Eponine's arm and shook her head. "Granny's got a wedding present for you, dear." Eponine sighed softly and followed her reluctantly. She found herself standing in front of a beautiful fountain and she smiled as she looked back to the hag who had brought her to it.
"It's a wishing well, dear," the old woman prompted. The young girl looked back to her and said simply, "But all of my wishes are about to come true."
While this was happening, Pip was scurrying along the palace walls. "If I ever see that man again…" He heard the old woman and Eponine and he turned to see them. "Oh no. This isn't good."
"But a wish on your wedding day? That's the most magical thing of all. Just close your eyes and lean in… A little further. Are you wishing for something?"
Eponine smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am. And they all lived happily ever aft-AHHHH!"
The old hag had pushed the girl into the well and was now transforming back into Fantine as she laughed evilly. Thenardier came running up and looked down and asked, "Where did you send her, my queen?"
"Someplace where there are no happy ever afters."
After spending what felt like ages soaring through time and space, Eponine gasped as she felt herself hit the floor of something. She looked through little holes that appeared on this floor. She looked around and then pushed open the floor, which was really a sewer grate. She stood up in the hole and looked around. "What is this place?" she asked mystified. The place she was in she would later learn was New York City.