Disclaimer: Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Tangled, all characters, places, and related terms are the sole property of Walt Disney Pictures.
Once Upon a Song
I.
The unanticipated sound of a female voice caused Prince Florian to lift his head. Singing banished the melancholic and almost menacing air that hung over the glistening palace. Curious, he rode his horse close to a low wall and peeked over it.
Immediately he spotted a servant girl drawing water from a well in the middle of a courtyard. She was dressed in rags, yet the youth did not notice. All he saw was her fair face. Her sweet singing washed over him like a gentle caress. An endless minute passed as he watched and listened. For the first time in days, he smiled.
Without trouble Florian climbed over the wall. He did not think of his purpose in coming, to woo the Princess Snow White. He did not think of the king, his father, and how furious he would be. Instead, hat in hand and heart beating fast, he shyly approached the well.
He prayed he was the answer to the girl's song.
II.
Countless hours he had spent here, the forest like an old friend. Today, out of the blue, a song unlike any he'd heard before floated through the air. The notes were high, thrilling, like crystal bells. Rather than intruding on the wooded haven, however, the melody fitted in perfectly as though it had come home. Phillip inhaled sharply.
Never had he been so annoyed with Samson in his life, the horse reluctant to be guided. The prince's impatience grew, desperate to follow the song. It called to him...sounded almost familiar. Though he couldn't explain why he needed to find that voice.
Later, Phillip secretly watched the dancing girl. Radiant as the dawn..., he mused, recognition rising in him. Here was his dream maiden come true!
Boldly, he left his hiding place and reached out for her hand.
III.
Eric was lost, surrounded by a sea of suffocating darkness. Drowning...
Then, similar to a light piercing the gloom, a lifeline reached him: the sound of singing slowly drew him to consciousness. Disoriented, he struggled to open his eyes. Who are you? The enchanting voice made him think of the ocean; soft and brimming with emotion, it warmed him from the inside out.
Finally, the young man succeeded in opening his eyes, and time stopped. He stared up at the smiling angel with wonder and longing. Stay with me, he tried to whisper his newfound wish. Suddenly she vanished, his feeble attempt to catch her not enough, too late. He collapsed back onto the beach, groaning from pain and heartache.
Wait for me. I will find you again! he willed the promise to follow his rescuer.
IV.
Flynn Rider's day had gone from good to bad quickly, his adventure terribly off kilter… And it was all her fault.
This slip of a girl who had developed an unfortunate habit of whacking him with a frying pan. With masses of golden hair that he seemed incapable of escaping. Whom was shockingly immune to his smolder and charms. Plus, she had hidden his satchel. So, the thief grudgingly agreed to the bargain: take her to see the sky lanterns tonight; she would give him the crown back.
And now his mood was border lining on exasperation, climbing down the tower while the girl lingered back at the top – this had been her idea after all. So, he naturally was unimpressed when, after she flew past him by sliding down her hair, she burst into excited song, taking in her new surroundings with delight. (Though, yes, she could sing.)
Nope, Flynn was not excited about his and Blondie's journey.
THE END