Okay, time for another Lukanette fairy tale! This time, let's put the Lukanette twist on "Beauty and the Beast," and I'm going to try riffing on the 1991 Disney film, some of the musical, and some of the 2017 remake if I can (including some of the songs from all three), all while trying to make sure everyone's IC (especially since one of the major characters in the story has made only one proper canon appearance as of yet. Not sure if there will be more from Season 4 onward).
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a young woman who lives in a small village with her parents. She lives a simple life designing clothes, spending time with her best friend, and helping her parents in the bakery, all while trying her best to move on from the passing of her fiancé Adrien Agreste... And ducking the much-unwanted affections of his cousin, Félix Graham de Vanily.
But when her father winds up getting stuck in the lair of a monstrous naga-like creature, it's up to Marinette to save him. But at what price?
There's a story without a conclusion in the land of France that has been fading from the memories of the people in the country for years. The story is that there is a snaky beast in a castle deep in the woods of the land.
The speculated reasons for this beast's residence in the dilapidated castle are many and varied, but one thing was for sure: very few people told the story out of fear, to the point that, over time, people started to forget the story.
The few who remember only know how it started: the snake monster was supposedly once a young prince who gently but firmly refused the affections of a young woman. But that girl turned out to be a cruel and sociopathic witch who, in spiteful retaliation, cursed him with the form of a humanoid snake monster.
The only way for him to regain human form was for him to win the love of a girl who could see beyond his hideous appearance.
Years passed, and the only way to see outside his estate was a magic hand mirror the witch left behind, to mock him for the state she put him in. But the young man held out hope that he would find true love... And that's where the story pauses.
But this story will be told right now. It will be brought back, continued, and finished by sheer happenstance, and with courage, open-mindedness, and most importantly, luck, the story with no conclusion will have an ending.
Not only will the story be revived, but the ending will answer an important question: who could ever learn to love a beast?
Our story begins with the life of a beautiful young woman named Marinette who had experienced the pain of a broken heart through grief, and how she learns to love again...
A small bakery-house was near the edge of the town it resided in. It was a humble place with a few windows that had many breads and pastries sitting in the case and the scent of fresh baked goods filled the air around the building.
"Mom! I'm heading out into town!" A voice of a young woman said.
"Have fun, honey!" An older woman's voice replied.
Out of the door came a young woman with dark hair in pigtails, bright blue eyes, and fair skin like cream. She was wearing a simple, dark gray dress with a white apron with a pink floral design on it, and she was wearing pink flats on her feet. She was carrying a small basket with a book in it and a few bundles of fabric in it.
She started walking to town, looking at her surroundings and smiling, albeit her eyes were a bit sad.
"Little town. It's a quiet village..." She sang while walking, soon making her way to the bridge. "Every day, like the one before. Little town, full of little people. Waking up to say..."
She paused in the middle of the bridge as she looked at the buildings around town.
"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!" The townsfolk sang as the woman walked into town.
"There goes my papa with his cart, like always." She sang as she caught sight of her dad.
He was a tall man with short brown hair, a mustache, and green eyes. He was wearing an apron and hat while pushing a large cart that had breads, rolls, and more goods on it. He'd just finished a transaction with a customer before moving on.
"His new breads will sell, I'll bet." She sang as one of the townsfolk waved a greeting to her. She nodded in reply.
Marinette continued walking through the town, singing, "Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came, to this poor, provincial town."
"Morning, Marinette!" Her father said as he stopped his cart, hugged his daughter, and raised her up.
"Morning, dad!" Marinette giggled.
"I'm nearly done with my rounds, and I'll be back at the house soon," Marinette's dad said. "So, where are you heading?"
"Just back to the dress shop," Marinette said as she took out a book that had a picture of a fancy dress on it. "I finished reading and taking notes from the book they lent me, so I'm going to return it."
"Haha! My daughter is learning new tricks for her designs! That's the way to do it!" He said as he pat Marinette on the back. But he nearly knocked her over. "Oops, sorry."
"It's okay, dad," Marinette said. "I'll see you back at home, okay?"
"Alright!" He said before pushing his cart away. Marinette started walking in the other direction.
"Look, there she goes. That girl is strange, no question. Dazed and distracted, quite clearly." A few older women sang as Marinette walked by them. She wasn't paying them any attention.
"Never part of any crowd." One woman sang. She was drinking some tea while sitting in front of a café sang.
"Cause her head's up on some cloud." An older man, a milliner, sang. He was working on some of his hats in his shop, but he was so distracted by watching Marinette that he wound up stitching the brim wrong.
"No denying she's a funny girl, Mari." The crowd sang.
Marinette continued walking through town, minding her own business. Two people were walking past each other, but they stopped to talk.
"Bonjour!" "Good day!" "How is your family?"
Marinette walked through the marketplace, passing by the produce stand. The proprietor was holding a giant pumpkin that he was ready to sell. A younger, very attractive woman came up to the stand.
"Bonjour!" "Good day." "How is your wife?"
The produce stand owner's wife was behind him and she whacked him on the head with her rolling pin as the customer walked away, giggling at his misfortune.
"I need six eggs!" A frantic woman said as she ran over to the chicken farmer. "That's too expensive!"
"There must be more than this provincial life!" Marinette sang as she came up to the door of the dress shop, and walked inside.
"Ah, Marinette." Audrey Bourgeois said. She was a tall woman with blonde hair in a bob cut, wearing a fancy hat and wearing a white dress.
"Morning," Marinette said. "I just came back to return the book I borrowed."
"You already finished your studying?" Audrey questioned.
"Yeah, I took so many notes and did so much practice yesterday," Marinette said as she put the book down on the counter. She then took out a shawl she made. "I used those notes to try my hand at making a shawl."
The shawl was pale pink with the same dark gray and white color scheme in a diamond pattern. The diamonds had intervals of the colors, each in different orders, and the shawl also had some fringes on the ends.
"Exceptional. Absolutely exceptional." Audrey said, nodding in approval with a smile.
Marinette giggled, then put her work back in the basket before looking around the store.
"Now that I've gotten patterns down, are there any other books?" Marinette asked with enthusiasm. She had big, glittering eyes.
"You've read and studied almost every single book in this shop," Audrey commented. "You certainly are meticulous about your passion."
"Well, I can't help it!" Marinette giggled as she scoured the store to look at all of the dresses and clothes Audrey made.
She soon found one particular how-to book that she had her eye on for a long time, and she picked it up.
"Aha! I found it!" Marinette said.
"That one? But that's the one with the most advanced skills in it." Audrey stated as she looked it over.
"Well, it's my favorite one in here!" Marinette said as she started flipping through the pages of the book. "All of these dresses are so beautiful, so elegant, and so complex!"
"That's the only book you haven't studied cover-to-cover," Audrey commented. "And since you're so eager to learn, why don't you take it?"
"But Mme.!" Marinette protested.
"I insist," Audrey said as Marinette made her way to the door. "And be sure to come by with some of your works."
"Thank you so much, Mme. Bourgeois! Thank you!" Marinette said as she left the shop and started skipping away.
A few men had been watching the whole thing and were secretly mocking her. Once she was a safe distance away, they started singing.
"Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar. Is her poor head on properly?" They sang.
"With that dreamy, far-off look." Some girls sang as they watched Marinette pass through.
"And her nose stuck in a book." Other men sang. Marinette was too focused on her book to listen to their rambling.
"What a puzzle to us all is that Mari." Everyone sang as Marinette sat on the edge of a fountain and folded her legs up.
"Oh... Isn't this amazing. It's my favorite part because... You'll see," Marinette sang as she looked over to some smaller girls who'd come up to watch her. "See the complicated sewing. But I won't see how it gets done 'till chapter three!"
She stood up, hugged the book to her chest, and started walking around again with a laugh. She immediately went back to walking around.
"No surprise that her name means "ladybug." She's creative and lucky." A woman said as she looked at some of the things Marinette was sketching - some of which she was wearing.
"But behind that sweet façade, I can tell she's rather odd. Very different from the rest of us." A man - the woman's husband - said, agreeing with his wife.
"She's nothing like the rest of us. Yes, different from the rest of us, Mari!" The crowd sang as Marinette kept walking, reading, and sketching her designs.
As she passed by a small suit shop, out of the door came a sharply-dressed young man with golden blonde hair that was neatly and fully combed back with peridot green eyes and was wearing a cold scowl on his face.
"You have wonderful taste, M. Graham de Vanily," The proprietor of the shop said. "You're one of the most handsome men in the whole world."
"Don't flatter me. It won't work." The young man said.
"But Félix, there's no girl alive who wouldn't swoon over you." The shopkeeper insisted.
"Not quite. There's one who hasn't fallen to my charms yet," Félix said, a smirk coming on to his face. He then gestured his hand over to Marinette. "Her."
"Whoa, the bakers' daughter?! Your late cousin's fiancé?!" The shopkeeper said, surprised at Félix's choice.
"She's the one," Félix confirmed. "Since Adrien didn't live long enough to be able to pledge his life to her, I'll do it. I'll prove to Marinette that I can be an even better husband than he ever could."
"But weren't you and your cousin close?" The shopkeeper asked.
"True... But when Marinette came along, that changed," Félix began before he started to sing, too. "Right from the moment when I met her, saw her, I thought, "she's gorgeous, so pretty." Here in town it's only she, who could tell apart Adrien and me. So I intend to one him up and wed Mari."
But he soon caught sight of Marinette leaving and he started to run to catch up to her.
A few girls were watching Félix, and they immediately started gushing over him.
"Look, there he goes! Isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Félix! Oh, he's so cute!" The trio of ladies sang. The young man ignored them as he continued to track Marinette down.
"Be still, my heart! I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall, bright, strong and handsome brute!" They sang before swooning to the ground.
Félix caught sight of Marinette in the crowd and began giving chase while trying to duck and dodge the pedestrians.
"Bonjour (Pardon)!" "Good day!" "Mais oui!" "You call this bacon?!" "What lovely grapes!"
Everyone in the market was running around, busier than bees and going about their business. Marinette was moving through the crowd, not without tripping or stumbling, but she kept getting back up and continuing to walk. Félix kept losing sight of her while trying to walk around everyone else, and he was using his manners to the best of his ability to get through and catch up.
"Some cheese!" "Ten yards!" "One pound!" "Excuse me!" "I'll get the knife!" "Please let me through!" "These figs!" "Those fish!" "They're pale!" "They smell!" "Madame's mistaken." "Well, maybe so..."
Marinette lowered her book before singing out loud, "There must be more than this provincial life!"
"Just watch, I'll make Marinette my wife!" Félix boasted in the crowd.
The people started to sing again, crooning, "Look, there she goes, that girl who's strange, but special! A most peculiar young lady!"
Félix decided to go around the group to catch up to Marinette.
"It's a pity and a sin. She doesn't quite fit in." The people sang.
Marinette was just minding her own business, reading her book and thinking about her designs.
"Cause she really is a funny girl." The townsfolk sang as Félix kept running behind nearby buildings to get ahead of Marinette and head her off.
"A beauty, but a funny girl. She really is a funny girl... Mari!" They sang. "Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!"
Marinette looked behind her and saw everyone going about their own business. She shook her head, then sighed before continuing on her way.
She was examining the pages in the book, when Félix came up next to her and said, "Bonjour, Marinette."
"Hi, Félix." Marinette said neutrally.
Félix, upset at being ignored, quickly got ahead of her and put his foot out.
Marinette tripped, flailed her arms, and then her book flew out of her hands. Félix swiftly caught Marinette by the waist with one arm while catching her book in one hand.
"I've got you." He said.
Marinette rolled her eyes and saw that Félix had her book in his hand.
"Um, thanks. Anyway, I was reading that." Marinette said as she reached for it.
"Of course you were." Félix said with a chuckle as began flipping through the pages.
"Could you please let go of me?" Marinette asked as took Félix's arm off her and stepped away from him.
"You can't possibly hope to replicate these designs. You don't have the skills or talent for it." Félix stated.
"I was only looking at those designs for inspiration for something original, Félix," Marinette said as she took the book away from him. "And besides, once I get more experience and learn some new things, I'll be able to remake those dresses easily."
"Come on, Marinette," Félix stated, trying to play nice with her. "Stop worrying about making dresses and start worrying about your future!"
"Dress making is my future!" Marinette insisted, crossing her arms.
"Not what I meant," Félix said. "I was talking about your marital status. Everyone in town is talking about it. Ever since my cousin passed on... You've been sad. It's palpable."
"Félix, stop," Marinette politely said. "Yes, I miss Adrien, but I won't let his passing run my life choices forever. You once said it yourself: there's plenty of fish in the sea, right?"
"Yeah," Félix said, unamused at his own words being used against him. "But there was only one Adrien."
Marinette gave a sad nod, agreeing.
"Changing the subject, I was wondering if you'd like to head over to the tavern to look at my trophies." Félix said as he took Marinette's shoulder and started leading her away.
"No thanks," Marinette said as she tried pulling away from him. "My parents need my help at the bakery."
"Your parents have held their own without you before," Félix spat, crossing his arms. "What's one day without your help?"
Marinette scowled at Félix and said, "Adrien would've at least asked my parents' consent before taking me anywhere when my parents needed me."
Félix grit his teeth and his mouth pressed into a firm line.
"Marinette!" A voice said.
Marinette turned around to see a girl her age with wavy, dark red hair, tan skin, hazel eyes framed by glasses, and wearing an orange dress. She was waving at Marinette.
'Dieu merci! Alya needs me!' Marinette thought, a smile on her face. She said, "Gotta go, Félix!"
Marinette started running towards Alya, and then the girls started walking together. Félix was just watching, his mouth turning up into a smirk.
"Thanks for the save, Alya." Marinette said as they made their way back to the bakery.
"No problem, girl," Alya replied with a laugh. "Now let's get you back home."
The girls opened the door to the bakery and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng? It's Alya! I brought Marinette home!"
"Hi there, Alya," Sabine, Marinette's mother said. She was a smaller, Asian woman with short black hair. "Thanks for bringing Marinette back."
"No problem." Alya said.
"So how was town today, Marinette?" Tom asked as he put some breads down for everyone to eat.
"I got another book from Mme. Bourgeois to study," Marinette said. "It's the most advanced one, so hopefully I can pick up some new tricks."
"Don't sell yourself short, girl," Alya said. "You've got talent."
"Thanks, Alya..." Marinette said as she sat down. "Mom, Dad, Alya... Do you think I'm weird?"
"Weird? You?" Alya asked. "Quirky, yes, but that's what makes you so much fun! Where'd you get that idea?"
"Well, ever since... you know... I've felt like there's really no reason for me to be in this town." Marinette admitted.
Everyone's faces fell.
Marinette was once engaged to Adrien Agreste, the heir to the Agreste family. A young green-eyed Adonis who's heart was as golden as his hair. They were madly in love, they were happy together, and they intended on getting married as soon as possible. Marinette was beloved by her betrothed, and his mother Emilie. She was also in good standing with his father, Gabriel, for her design talents.
Their relationship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. There were times where they argued, and there were misunderstandings they had to clear up. But a lot of that came from his cousin, Félix, trying to break them up. And it didn't hurt that Marinette was the only one who could tell Adrien and Félix apart because of their personalities, so whenever Félix tried to impersonate Adrien to hurt his relationship, she saw right through it. In fact, it was because of this that Marinette was able to win over most of Adrien's family for good.
But some time later, Adrien had contracted a fatal disease, and it wasn't long before the disease took him from Marinette. The poor girl, her parents, and his parents were grieving over his loss in the absolute worst ways.
"What about Félix?" Tom asked, a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face.
"Don't start!" Alya said, about to get angry. "He's a troublemaker!"
"And rude, and pushy..." Marinette agreed. "There's just no way."
"I can see that," Sabine spoke. "He's been hounding you for your hand in marriage ever since Adrien passed on."
"That guy doesn't know that Marinette doesn't like his company. Or he just chooses to ignore it." Alya said.
"So gross." Marinette agreed, shuddering.
"But that doesn't mean you don't have a reason to stay in this village," Sabine said. "You have Alya, and Mme. Bourgeois is a good mentor to you."
Marinette gave a nod and said, "I know..."
"Speaking of leaving the village, I need to head out of town for a few days," Tom said as Marinette took a bite of one of the crusty rolls. "There's a bakers' convention a few villages over and I plan on going to network with other bakers. Maybe get my hands on some new things to use in the bake shop."
"That's a great idea, dad!" Marinette said. "Mom and I can hold down the fort while you're gone."
"Okay, then!" Tom said as he smiled and got up. He ran into the kitchen and started gathering up breads of all varieties.
"This is gonna be a great chance, Marinette! The more business your dad gets, the more money they'll make and the more you'll be able to spend on making your designs! Then you can start selling them!" Alya said.
"That'd be great!" Marinette agreed as the two girls shared a high-five.
Tom hitched the carriage up to their horse, Levain, and he loaded up breads, rolls, and pastries of many kinds into their baskets and onto the carriage.
Tom got the saddle up on the horse, and then he mounted it. He said to his family, "I should be back in a few days. Take good care of the bakery and the home while I'm gone."
"We will, dad," Marinette said. "Just get back safely."
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Tom asked. "I never get to bring you souvenirs from my trips."
"It's not necessary, dad," Marinette insisted. "You've already given me everything I could ever want or need."
"Marinette, let your father get you something, at least. Maybe new fabric or sewing tools?" Sabine spoke.
"Okay..." Marinette said as she looked around and saw some of the flowers on the ground. "Well... I don't think I've ever seen any roses around here... Is it possible for you to get me a rose so I can start a small garden or something?"
"That's perfectly manageable." Tom laughed before cracking the reigns, turning Levain around and started driving the horse away.
"Goodbye, Tom! Good luck!" Sabine called.
"Goodbye, honey, Marinette! Take good care while I'm gone!" Tom said as he drove Levain down the road.
Tom was riding Levain a very long way. He drove his horse over a bridge that went over a small river, and he continued riding through the picturesque countryside, with all of the trees changing color and falling, the temperatures slowly dropping, etc. The ride was smooth, quiet, and uneventful.
The beautiful scenery was soon bathed in the darkness of the evening, and this gave the scenery a very dark, spooky vibe. Tom was now riding in the dark, carrying a lantern in one hand. The older man seemed to be going through an endless pathway in the woods. The look of the trees were unchanging, it looked like he was in the same place no matter how far the horse walked. And the end of the pathway had a small light that didn't seem to be getting any bigger.
A light at the end of a never-ending tunnel, if you will.
But after what seemed like a few hours, Tom found himself on the other end of the road, but he what saw in front of him was nothing short of breathtaking... And puzzling.
It was a beautiful and ornate mansion out in the middle of nowhere. The landscaping both inside and out of the gates was that of summer/spring weather while the immediate area around it was autumn, like everywhere else in that part of the world at the time.
"I... I must have been out longer than I thought." He murmured as the wind started picking up.
The wind chill made Tom feel like he was freezing, and he could have sworn he saw a few large snowflakes blowing around, too.
Rather than question the strange weather, he drove Levin towards the estate. Once he got to the gates, they opened, almost like they knew he was there and needed shelter for the night.
Again, Tom didn't question it - his exhaustion was getting to him. He saw a small stable with plenty of food and water. He dismounted Levain and brought the horse into the stable.
Tom immediately walked to the double doors at the top of the stairs. They opened to reveal that the interior was just as luxurious as the outside.
"Hello? Does anyone live here?" Tom asked loudly.
No answer.
The scent of freshly-cooked food filled the hall, tickling Tom's nose. His stomach growled. Tom followed his sense of smell through the castle.
"Great Scot!" He exclaimed as he came upon a large dining room with a table that could sit at least twenty people at once.
The table had a spread of foods. There was Chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce, herb-seasoned fire-cooked potatoes, a salad made with roasted brussels sprouts, some bacon, and apples. The meal also comprised of fresh-baked breads with a dish of butter, a giant bottle each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Blanc wines, a large cake, etc. The list went on and on. Tom swore he saw lamb chops with mint sauce, pheasant with truffle risotto, etc.
The sight of all of this food made Tom's stomach yowl for satisfaction.
"Oh, this all looks so good, but..." Tom began, but he saw that there was a table setting only for one person. He loudly said, "I thank you for your hospitality."
He sat at the table and he started eating some of the pheasant, potatoes, and bread. As soon as his teeth chiseled into the thin, crisp, mahogany crust and tore through the pillowy, chewy interior, the aroma of yeast and wheat perfumed Tom's sinuses and made his stomach sing a capella with satisfaction.
He kept eating, stuffing his stomach like a sack of potatoes that was getting more and more full. By the time he started on the cake, his belly was swelling. Once he put the plate down, he let out a big, loud, belch and he felt some of the gas coming out of his stomach, making him feel a little better.
Once he finished his meal, he stood up and stretched with a large yawn. He began walking through the halls to leave, but his eyes were starting to grow heavy. He passed by another door in the hallway, and it opened on its own.
Tom once again let his curiosity guide him. He stepped into the room, and saw a palatial, dark red, king-sized canopy bed with gold trim, there was a large wardrobe in the room and a large window that had a view to the garden outside. There were golden curtains framing it, too.
His fatigue hit him like a sack of flour, and he trudged over to the bed. He yawned, changed into a provided night robe, and he crawled into the bed.
The next morning, Tom woke up in the bed and he looked around. He saw that his clothes were cleaned and pressed. He smiled and got out of bed, then he saw something outside the window that he was in awe of.
He immediately ran through the the estate, then made his way out the front door to get a good look. Since it was covered by the dark of night, he couldn't see the beauty of the gardens. The plants included beautiful fruit trees in full bloom, some trees that didn't have flowers were fat and filled with leaves, branches, and some bird nests. The fountain in the garden was large and lush and it also doubled as a bird bath for the birds.
"This isn't anything like I've ever seen before. I wish Marinette could be here to see this." Tom said as he looked around.
What stood out to Tom was something of upmost importance to him.
He saw giant, full, beautiful rosebushes that had a variety of colors on the branches. Pink and red on one bush, white and yellow on another, and lavender all alone on one bush.
One particular rose - a full, pink one that was glittering in the sunlight - was basically calling out to him, "Pluck me! Pluck me!"
Tom smiled and walked over to the bush. He said, "I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble if I picked just one rose for Marinette. It's all she wants. And there's so many, and the host has been kind enough already."
He took out a small pocket knife and cut the stem from the flower before taking it into his hand.
"Excuse me?" A voice said from behind Tom.
A shadow came over the man and he turned around. At the sight of the... thing... in front of him, he screamed, and fainted from the shock of what he saw. The shadow came over him and clawed hands reached for the unconscious man.
Levain heard the commotion, broke free from the stable, and ran out of the estate gardens to get home.
Okay! Chapter 1 and DONE! Now, I'm sure you're all going to be upset that I chose Luka to be the beast in this scenario instead of Adrien, but I like putting the Lukanette twist on fairy tales. I already did it to Cinderella in my other story "Timbre," so I thought, "why not?" And besides, I think it's easier to make it that this whole thing started from a major misunderstanding.
As for why Félix is the villain here? Well, whenever I put Adrien and Luka in a story as rivals for Marinette's love, I'm always torn on an endgame and even when Lukanette IS the intended endgame for a story, I have a hard time putting Adrien in an antagonistic role that still keeps him IC. Then I always end up having a block and giving up. So, I thought, "why not make Adrien's prick of a cousin the villain instead?"
In the next chapter, Marinette once again has to get Félix off her back, but her mundane life takes a major turn when Levain comes back without her father.
So, let's set up a review goal before we see chapter two! I'd like to see about 4+ reviews, please?