Once upon a time on a cold winter's night, a young queen sat sewing by her window. As she did her needlework she accidentally pricked her finger and three drops of blood fell upon the snow on her window sil. When she saw how deep red the blood was and how pure white the snow was she said to herself.
"If only I could have a child with lips red as blood, hair dark as night, and skin white as snow then I would be the happiest woman on earth."
Sometime after that the queen gave birth to a daughter with lips red as blood, hair dark as night, and skin white as snow. She was named Marinette. Sadly however once the little princess was born her mother died. Seven years later her father the king remarried.
The new queen was very beautiful and very powerful but she was vain and evil. She was obsessed with her beauty, nothing meant more to her. Her room was filled with mirrors which she would gaze into every day. But out of all her mirrors, her most favorite was a magic mirror that always spoke the truth. Once a week she would ask her mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is fairest of them all?"
And the mirror would always answer.
"You Queen Lila are most fair, no one's beauty can compare."
(Let's say Lila is in her thirties in this)
With those words said she was happy and content. But as the years went by, little Marinette began to grow into a most beautiful young maiden. As her beauty grew so did her kind and generous heart.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is fairest of them all?" She asked one morning.
"Queen Lila your beauty is rare but I see maiden who is most fair."
"You lie!" She shouted. "There is no one who's beauty can surpass mine."
"My queen you know very well I do not lie, it is true says I."
"Who is she? Reveal her."
"Lips red as blood, hair dark as night, and skin white as snow."
"Marinette! That miserable little pest!" She screamed. "I want the royal huntsman! Bring him to me!"
A young man came in with a boy and arrow.
"Kim! I have a job for you."
"What is it your Majesty?"
"Take Marinette deep in the forest and kill her!"
"Kill her? But your Majesty, the little princess-"
"Silence! I am your queen! You will obey me! You are to take Marinette to apart of the woods where no one can hear her scream. Then you are to shoot her with an arrow and bring back her heart."
So Kim reluctantly took Marinette into the forest the very next day.
"Excuse me sir but why are we walking so far into the woods?" Marinette asked.
"Your father is planning a big dinner and he insisted that I hunt a big deer for the meal."
"Then why must I come?"
"I thought perhaps you could gather some wild flowers to decorate the table."
"Good idea. There's a patch of Bluebells and lillies down there."
The girl crouched down and began to pick a bouquet. While she was distracted, Kim raised his bow and arrow toward her. Marinette turned around, she dropped her flowers and screamed. She was too scared to run away, she just stood there petrified.
"I...I can't! I can't do it!" Kim said dropping his weapon and falling to his knees. "Forgive me! I beg your forgiveness your Highness!"
"What are you doing? Why would you want me dead?"
"Not me your Grace, your stepmother the queen. She's ordered me to kill you."
"Why?"
"I don't know but you can't ever go home again. Run away! Run far away!"
"What about the queen?"
"Don't worry I'll think of something. Go! Go!"
Marinette ran into the woods while Kim shot a pig and brought it's heart to the queen. Further and further the girl ran until she tripped on the forest floor and began to cry. Night began to fall she decided to dry her tears and begin walking again.
"Okay Marinette that's enough crying for one day." She said. "I might as well make the best of a difficult situation."
She walked until she saw a light in the distance. She followed it, it was a lantern that belonged to a small cottage. She knocked on the door, when no one answered she opened it. "Hello? Anyone home?"
She went inside and looked around. There was a fireplace, a sink, a cupboard, and a table with seven chairs, seven little chairs. On the table were seven little plates and seven little cups.
"How cute they're so tiny. I wonder who lives here. I hope they don't mind if I rest here." She took one of the cups and filled it with water which she drank. After that she went upstairs to a room with seven little beds. She was so tiered from running in the forest that she laid down on one of the beds and fell asleep instantly.
Little did she know that this cottage belonged to seven little kwamis. They worked at a local town as cooks, butchers, bakers, and cheese makers. After a long day of work they headed home. But they were not happy to find the door to their home wide open.
"Someone's in our house." A bee kwami said.
"Someone forgot to lock the door." A peacock kwami said.
"Who's turn was it to lock the door this time?" A moth kwami said.
"It was Plagg." A turtle kwami said.
"Plagg did you forget again?" A fox kwami asked a black cat kwami.
"Hey I was busy." Plagg said.
"Doing what? Eating Camembert?" The turtle kwami said. "Which FWI is cheese we're supposed to sell."
"Yeah it's for the customers not a greedy pig like you!" A moth kwami said.
"Alright everyone we can discuss that later." A ladybug kwami said. "Right now let's find out who or what is in our house."
The kwamis flew inside, there was no one in the living room or kitchen so they went upstairs to their bedrooms. They were at first terrified by the sleeping figure but as they got a closer look at it, they were relieved that it was only a young girl.
"Who's that?" The bee kwami asked.
"Don't know but isn't she pretty?" The ladybug kwami said.
Marinette awoke to high voices talking and her eyes went wide in wonder when she saw them.
"Hello there." She said.
"Who are you?" Plagg asked.
"My name is Marinette. What are your names?"
"My name is Tikki and I'm a ladybug kwami." She said. "The bee kwami is Bebe, the fox one is Trixx, the turtle one is Wayzz, the black cat one is Plagg, the peacock one is Duusu, and the moth one is Nooroo."
"Pleased to meet you." Nooroo said.
"Happy to make your acquaintance." Duusu said.
"It is an honor to meet you." Wayzz said.
"Enchante cheri." Plagg said.
"Hello." Bebe said.
"How do you do?" Trixx said.
"Very well thank you." Marinette said.
"So what are you doing here?" Tikki asked.
When the kwamis heard Marinette's story they felt sorry for her and decided to let her stay. To say thank you for their kindness, Marinette decided to cook and clean for her seven little friends who adored her and she loved them. But their charming life would soon be interuppted.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is fairest of them all?" Lila asked.
"My queen you are fair but Marinette's beauty is still more rare." The mirror answered.
"Impossible! My huntsman killed her! I ate her heart."
"No my queen, the heart you ate so fat and big, was merely the heart of a pig."
"The heart of a pig! I've been tricked! I'll deal with Marinette myself."
So the queen crafted an apple that appeared red and delicious on the outside but inside was a deadly poison. One bite and Marinette's soul would be lost forever unless she was kissed by a pure hearted man who would love her for eternity. Then Lila disguised herself as an old peddlar woman with sickly gray hair, a wrinkled face, and cloaked in a torn shawl. She went to the kwami's cottage and waited for them to leave. Then she knocked on the door.
"Hello?" Marinette called.
"I'm a poor old woman who's been traveling for days may I come in and rest?" Lila said as sweetly as possible.
"I don't mean to be rude but I can't let anyone in."
"But I'm so weary."
"I'm sorry but I promised the kwamis I wouldn't let anyone in."
"Very well, but could you be merciful enough to open the door a crack and give me a drink of water?"
"I...I suppose." She filled a cup with water, cracked the door, and handed her the cup.
"Thank you my child and for a reward take this apple."
"That's very kind of you but I really shouldn't."
"Oh but you must, it's so good, see for yourself."
She held up the apple. It was bright red and no bruises, it appeared almost perfect. It looked so delicious that as if she was under a spell that made her hunger for the fruit. She reached for it and took a bite of the apple. She then gasped and fell to the floor into a deep sleep. The old woman cackled and ran off into the woods.
When the kwamis returned they tried everything they could to revive Marinette but nothing worked. They were forced to assume the worst and yet they couldn't find it in their hearts to bury her in the dark earth so they decided to build a glass coffin which was placed in the middle of the forest. There she laid dressed in a gown of purest white with a crown of pink lillies on her head. Everyday the kwamis would visit her and they would pray to God for some miracle to bring her back.
One day a handsome prince called Adrien was riding through the forest. He saw the coffin and went to investigate. The young man was instantly smitten by the fair maiden inside.
"I have never seen anything more beautiful in all my life." He opened the coffin. "Who are you? Are you dead? I pray not."
"I'm afraid she is dead dear prince." Tikki said.
"She can't be, who is she?"
"Her name was Marinette."
"Marinette." He sighed her name as though it were a prayer. He cradled her in his arms. "Marinette, my princess, please tell me you are not dead, that you only sleep. If you were to live I would love you forever and longer."
He gently laid his lips on to hers and that small kiss was enough to break the spell. When Marinette's eyes opened the first thing she saw was Adrien's kind face.
"Where am I?" She asked.
"You're here with me." Adrien said.
"Who...Who are you?"
"Only a humble prince who loves you more than anything. Please come back with me and be my wife."
He lifted her out of the coffin and on to his horse that took them to his castle. Tikki rushed back to tell the other kwamis the news and they followed them. There a marvelous wedding was planned and everyone was invited even Lila.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is fairest of them all?"
"My queen you beam with beauty and pride but the fairest is Prince Adrien's bride."
Hearing this the queen went to the castle where the wedding was held and when she saw that the bride was Marinette. Dressed in an elegant wedding gown and slik veil, she was so overcome with anger and jealousy that she choked and died. Now Marinette was forever safe from her stepmother. She married Prince Adrien who true to his word would love her forever and longer.