Beauty Is The Beast
Sofia, Madeline and Clover were playing Bewitching Bowling in the castle gardens.
"I may be small, but What I lack in size, I make up for in spin!" Clover declared. He made to throw his ball, but tripped, and the ball rolled past the pins.
"Good... try?" Sofia consoled him.
Clover marched back to the girls, annoyed.
"Alright, I'm up." Madeline declared.
Just before Madeline could throw her ball, both her and Sofia's amulets started glowing.
"Hey girls, your amulets are glowing!" Clover pointed out.
"He's right." Sofia nodded.
"Are you two trying to distract me?" Madeline smirked.
"I'm serious!" Clover urged. "They're glowing!"
"Look!" Sofia pointed.
"Oh." Madeline saw they were right.
"A Princess must be coming!" Clover realized. He looked around, only to see that the girls had vanished. "Sofia? Madeline? Where did you go?" He picked up the bowling ball. "Guess I win!"
Somewhere far from Enchancia, Sofia and Madeline appeared in a flash of light.
"Whoa." Sofia gasped. "What happened?"
"Where are we?" Madeline asked, as they looked around.
They heard someone crying.
"Hello?" Sofia called.
"Who's there?" A voice called from behind a bush.
"Are you okay?" Madeline asked.
"Who are you?" The voice asked.
"Who are you?" Sofia echoed.
"You are in my garden." The voice retorted. "I insist you tell me first."
"We're sorry." Madeline cringed.
"Don't get upset." Sofia added. "I'm Princess Sofia of Enchancia."
"And I'm Princess Madeline of Enchancia." Madeline smiled, kneeling down to glance at the bush. "And you are?"
"Princess Charlotte of Isleworth." The voice said... followed by a snort. "No! No, please, just go away!"
Sofia and Madeline heard Charlotte running behind the bushes.
"Wait, come back!" Sofia called, as they gave chase.
"We're not going to hurt you!" Madeline added.
The two passed through a gate, and found a person in a blue cloak sitting underneath an archway covered in ivy.
"Um, are you sure you're alright?" Sofia asked.
"No, I am not alright!" Charlotte's voice replied. "At all!" She snorted, then started crying.
"What's wrong?" Madeline frowned.
"I... I can't possibly tell you!" Charlotte walked behind another bush.
"Maybe we can help?" Sofia offered.
"No-one can help me!" Charlotte sniffed.
"Are you hiding from someone?" Madeline inquired.
"No, everyone!" Charlotte answered.
"Well, you don't have to hide from us." Sofia smiled.
"Sofia's right." Madeline nodded. "It's okay. Come on out."
"Promise you won't scream?" Charlotte asked.
"We promise." Sofia and Madeline said together.
Charlotte stepped out from behind the bush, hiding her face behind a fan.
"Alright, here I am." She moved the fan and lowered her hood, revealing an animal-like face underneath.
Sofia and Madeline were shocked for a moment.
"...Hello, Princess Charlotte." Sofia said awkwardly.
"Nice to meet you." Madeline said through an overly wide smile.
"I am sadly, horribly aware that I do look like a Princess." Charlotte sighed. "But I am one, I promise you! This morning, I turned into a beast. A big, hairy beast!"
"It just happened?" Sofia asked.
"Yes! A few hours ago!" Charlotte nodded. "There was a flash, then I started spinning, and then I started getting dizzy, and then, all of a sudden..." She snorted. "Beast!"
"It sounds like you were cursed." Madeline mused.
"I must have been!" Charlotte agreed. "But I have no idea why, no idea how, and no idea what to do, and I... I just want to be myself again, right away! Because on top of all this, there's a ball tonight, in my honor!"
"All I saw was its tail, your majesties." A woman lead a group of nobles nearby. "And it was huge! And hairy!"
"We'll find it, whatever it is!" A Guard declared.
"We have to hide!" Charlotte pulled Sofia and Madeline roughly over to behind a tree. "Sorry! I don't know my own strength anymore! My handmaiden spotted me like this, and now everyone's trying to hunt me down! They think I'm a beast, and I believe they're right! No-one will ever believe I'm a princess, and goodness knows what they'll do to me!"
Charlotte then noticed Sofia and Madeline's amulets.
"Wait." She frowned. "Your amulets. My sister and I used to have a pair just like them!"
"Of course you did!" Sofia gasped. "Now it all makes sense!"
"It does?" Charlotte asked.
"Really?" Madeline frowned.
"Don't you see, Maddie?" Sofia smiled. "These are the same amulets Charlotte and her sister had! They connect all the princesses who ever wore them."
"So that's why we're here." Madeline realized. "The amulets brought us to help Charlotte!"
"That's right, Maddie." Sofia nodded. "This time, it's our turn to help another princess!"
"So you can help me?" Charlotte smiled.
"Yes!" Madeline grinned, as she and Sofia walked with Charlotte. "I mean, I think so. Probably..."
"It's just... we're not sure how." Sofia admitted. "Yet."
"What's that?" The guard asked, as they drew near.
The girls and Charlotte crept away from the searchers.
"Don't worry." Madeline told Charlotte. "We can figure this out."
"Usually, when someone gets cursed, it's because they did something bad." Sofia muttered. "So, did you... do anything bad?"
"Of course not!" Charlotte gasped.
"Then... did anything unusual happen today?" Madeline asked.
"Well, there was something that was not exactly normal." Charlotte admitted.
"What was it?" Sofia asked.
"A Goblin came to the castle, and asked if he could be invited to the ball." Charlotte grimaced.
"So what did you say to him?" Madeline inquired.
"Well, no, of course!" Charlotte chuckled.
"That is a little bad..." Sofia pointed out.
"It's a royal ball, and he's a... a Goblin!" Charlotte scowled, as a cat watched from behind a bush. "Everyone knows they're just horrible beasts! I don't even know why a goblin would even care about a ball in the first place!"
"Maybe goblins like parties too?" Madeline suggested.
Charlotte gasped.
"Could the goblin have cursed me?" She asked.
The cat approached them, then turned into a woman.
"No, no, no." She declared. "His enchantress friend did."
"Vanessa?" Charlotte frowned. "You cursed me?"
"You know her?" Sofia asked.
"Everyone knows me." Vanessa smiled. "I'm the most famous enchantress in Isleworth. Yes, I cursed you."
"Why would you do this?" Charlotte asked. "I invited you to my ball!"
"I did it because you turned my Goblin friend away." Vanessa scowled.
"He's... a Goblin!" Charlotte retorted.
"Oh, you probably don't even think they have feelings, do you?" Vanessa sneered. "Well he does, and you hurt them."
"Then... I'm sorry." Charlotte declared. "Now turn me back to normal!"
"Sorry, can't do that." Vanessa scowled.
"What?! Why?" Charlotte asked.
"Don't you know anything about how curses work, dear?" Vanessa retorted.
"I think she means you have to break the curse yourself." Madeline pointed out.
"You are correct." Vanessa smiled. "Only Princess Charlotte can undo the curse."
"How?" Charlotte pleaded.
"You have to become friends with the goblin, of course." Vanessa replied.
"Me?!" Charlotte gasped. "I'm a Princess! Friends with a goblin?"
"Not just friends." Vanessa smirked. "True friends."
"How can I even find him?" Charlotte asked.
"Any guess?" Zinessa glanced at Sofia and Madeline.
"Go to his house?" Sofia offered.
"Ooh, they're good!" Vanessa smiled. "You should keep them."
"I have to go to a goblin's house?" Charlotte cringed. "In the woods?!"
"It's the one with the bright red door." Vanessa nodded. "You can't miss it. Good luck! Oh, and I mean that. I may have cursed you, but I'm still rooting for you!"
Vanessa turned back into a cat, and scampered away.
"This is the worst day I've ever had!" Charlotte groaned. "...Okay, it's the only bad day I've ever had. But it is horrible!"
"Hey, at least we know what to do." Madeline smiled.
"Make a friend." Sofia grinned.
"Alright, girls." Charlotte sighed. "Let's go."
They were forced to hide when Charlotte's parents approached the guards.
"Has anyone seen Charlotte?" The Queen asked. "Because if there is a beast on the loose, I want to make sure she's alright.
"Oh, Emily, dear." The King comforted her. "I'm sure she's fine. But to ease the Queen's mind, someone please check on the Princess."
The guards saluted, and rushed back into the castle.
A short while later, the girls were walking through the woods, when they spotted a tree house with a red door.
"Bright red door." Madeline smiled. "Looks like the one!"
Sofia and Madeline rushed over, Charlotte reluctantly following them.
"So, you should probably knock." Sofia told Charlotte.
Charlotte waved her fan in front of her face.
"Any time now..." Madeline urged.
"Oh, I'm afraid!" Charlotte trembled. "Goblins are beasts!"
"Well, at the moment, so are you." Sofia pointed out.
Sofia and Madeline pushed Charlotte towards the door, and urged her to knock. Charlotte took a deep breath, and knocked. They then heard whistling.
"Oh, sounds like he's home..." Charlotte hid behind the Girls.
The door opened, revealing the Goblin. When he saw Charlotte, he screamed.
"Beast! Ahhh!" He yelped.
"Ahh!" Charlotte screamed back.
The Goblin went back inside his house.
"Are you okay?" Madeline asked Charlotte.
"That Goblin was afraid of me, wasn't he?" Charlotte gasped.
"I think so." Sofia nodded.
"I am so beastly that a Goblin is afraid of me!" Charlotte moaned. "He shut the door right in my face! That felt terrible."
"I guess that's kind of how he felt when you turned him away this morning." Madeline declared.
"I was rude to him, he was rude to me... could that possibly mean we are even now?" Charlotte asked. "Because if we are, then maybe the curse will break!"
"Sorry, it's never that easy." Sofia shook her head.
"Then what am I going to do now?" Charlotte frowned. "How am I going to make friends with him if he's afraid of me?"
"Maybe we can do something he likes." Madeline suggested. "Do you know what Goblins like?"
"Absolutely no idea." Charlotte shrugged. "Well, this one likes royal balls, I suppose."
"Yes!" Sofia smiled. "He likes parties. That's great!"
"So let's invite him to one!" Madeline added.
"But I can't go to a party like this!" Charlotte protested.
"Just a little one." Sofia urged. "Only for the four of us. More like a picnic, really."
"A picnic with what, exactly?" Charlotte asked.
Sofia and Madeline looked around. Madeline spotted some fabrics drying on a washing line.
"Well, we can use this as a blanket." Madeline suggested.
"And we can pick some strawberries." Sofia added, picking some from a nearby bush. "There, instant party!"
"Hmm, parties must be different where you come from." Charlotte frowned.
"We'll go knock." Madeline declared.
"Good idea." Charlotte stepped back. "I'll wait here."
Sofia and Madeline walked over to the door. Charlotte tried to sit on a tree stump, but slipped off. Sofia knocked on the door.
"Go away!" The Goblin yelled. "We don't want any!"
"Wait!" Sofia called. "Don't be afraid!"
"We just want to invite you to a party!" Madeline added.
A hatch in the door opened, and the Goblin's eye looked out.
"A party?" He asked. "...Are you Princesses?"
"We are." Madeline curtsied.
The Goblin opened the door.
"So, this is a royal party, then?" He smiled.
"It sure is!" Sofia nodded.
"A small one, but a royal one!" Madeline added.
"Well, I love all things royal, big or small!" The Goblin lead them inside, where there were many items with royal crests. "Cup, tea towels, tiny spoons... these very items I hold were once used by the royal family of Westerberg! I got a great deal on 'em. True story."
"Wow!" Sofia gasped.
"I don't mean to brag, but I have the biggest collection of royal knick-knacks, baubles, and bric-a-brac in seven kingdoms, believe it or not" The Goblin declared.
"We believe it." Madeline grinned.
"It's kind of a big deal." The Goblin smiled. "I open it to the public every other Sunday, and on some holidays."
"It's very sweet of you to share all this." Sofia declared.
"Thank you, milady." The Goblin bowed. "So, what kingdom are you two from?"
"Enchancia." Madeline answered.
"Oh-oh-oh-oh! I happen to have a very nice replica of your flag!" The Goblin pointed out the framed replica.
"So, does this mean you would like to join us for a party?" Sofia asked.
"Any royal party is a party I can't miss!" The Goblin grinned. "Can I bring anything? Chrome napkin rings? Scented candles? Tiny silver spoons?"
"How about some tea?" Madeline offered.
"I was just brewing some more!" The Goblin declared, rushing to his kettle.
"Perfect!" Sofia grinned.
The Goblin returned with the tea.
"Right this way." Madeline indicated.
As they went outside, the Goblin spotted Charlotte.
"The beast!" He yelped. "You're with the beast?!"
The Goblin tried to rush back inside, but Sofia and Madeline stopped him.
"Wait!" Sofia urged.
"Don't be afraid!" Madeline added.
"I... just want to be friends!" Charlotte smiled.
"That beast... it wants to be friends?" The Goblin asked the girls.
"Yes!" Sofia nodded.
"Very badly!" Madeline smiled.
"You aren't going to hurt me, or eat me?" The Goblin asked Charlotte.
"Of course not!" Charlotte gasped.
"Well... it does look like a lovely little party." The Goblin reluctantly walked over.
Back at Charlotte's castle, her parents were getting worried.
"She's not here!" Emily fretted. "What if this beast took Charlotte?"
"Oh, let's not jump to conclusions, dear." The King declared.
"But we've looked everywhere." Emily frowned. "Where could she be?"
"You majesties, I see footprints." A guard noted.
"What kind of footprints?" Emily asked.
"Big ones." Another guard answered. "Ogre? No. Elephant troll? No... Goblin?"
"Goblin. A Goblin took the Princess!" The first guard declared.
"But the handmaiden said she saw a hairy beast with a tail." The second guard recalled. "And Goblins don't have tails... do they?"
"Maybe this one does." The first guard frowned.
"Send out a search party at once!" The King ordered.
"Yes, sire!" The guard saluted.
Meanwhile, Charlotte and the Goblin were sitting awkwardly at the stump.
"So... do you know that you both really like parties?" Sofia asked.
"And tea?" Madeline poured some.
"Ooh, I do love a nice Tea." The Goblin smiled.
"Me too." Charlotte agreed... before accidentally dropping her cup. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be. Happens to me all the time." The Goblin smiled. He pulled another cup out of his jacket, but dropped it "Oh! See?"
Charlotte and the Goblin both laughed. The Goblin gave Charlotte his cup.
"Thank you." Charlotte smiled.
"Wow, you guys have so much in common already!" Sofia poured more tea for Charlotte.
Charlotte drank the tea, then burped.
"Excuse me!" She cringed.
"You're quite excused." The Goblin smiled... before burping himself. "Oh. Excuse me!"
"You're quite excused." Charlotte chuckled.
"And I'll bet you have lots more things in common too." Madeline grinned. "Like... what's your favorite animals?"
"Peacock!" The Goblin and Charlotte said in unison. "Really? They're my favorite because-!" They both stopped and laughed.
"Okay, you first." Charlotte urged.
"Well, they're my favorite because they're in more royal zoos than any other animal." The Goblin smiled.
"They're my favorite because a group of peacocks is called a party!" Charlotte declared.
"This sure sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship to me." Sofia grinned.
"It sure does." Madeline agreed.
Sofia took Charlotte's hand, and Madeline took the goblin's, and they helped them up.
"You see..." They said in unison.
Sofia/Madeline You're just two people or folks
Not so different it turns out
With lots in common already
And that's what friendship's all about
So just keep talking to each other
And I think you'll soon discover
If you open up some more
You will find more to adore
Much more to adore
Charlotte: So here a secret but it's silly
Promise you won't laugh at me
Morris: You won't hear a chuckle or a chortle
That I can guarantee.
Charlotte: Well I like singing in my room
Alone when no one else can hear
Morris: I like singing in my garden
To just the chipmunks and the deer
Charlotte: I love to dance the waltz
But my partner is my pillow
Morris: That's just like me
When I play catch it's with that weeping willow
Sofia: Then you can learn from each other
Make the friendship really grow
Charlotte: Yes perhaps you could dance with me
Morris: And I could teach you how to throw
Morris and Charlotte: We're just two people or folks
Not so different it turns out
With lots in common already
And that's what's friendship's all about
Sofia: So just keep talking to each other and I think you'll soon discover
Morris and Charlotte: If we open up some more
All: We will find more to adore
Sofia: More to adore
Charlotte: More to adore
Morris: More to adore
All: Much, much, much, much, more
To adore
More to adore
"Thank you... I don't even know your name!" Charlotte realized.
"It's Morris." Morris bowed. "And you, milady?"
"It's, um... Charlotte." Charlotte sighed.
"Like the Princess?" Morris gasped.
"Yes, like the Princess." Charlotte nodded.
"Well, it's been lovely to meet you, Charlotte, like the Princess." Morris smiled.
"It's been lovely to meet you too... Morris" Charlotte curtsied, causing her tiara to fall into mud.
"Oh, let me clean that for you!" Morris picked up the tiara. "I'll be right back."
As Morris walked to his house, Charlotte turned to the girls.
"I think this is going really well!" She smiled.
"I know!" Sofia nodded.
"Me too!" Madeline agreed.
"Now that I'm getting to know him, he's quite charming." Charlotte admitted... before snorting again.
"Maybe just the two of you could spend some time together." Sofia suggested.
"Yeah, we um..." Madeline looked around. "We could use some more berries. I think I saw more berry bushes way off in that direction."
"I'll help you pick some." Sofia grinned.
Not far from Morris' home, the guards got off their coach.
"Look, footprints!" The first guard declared.
"Big footprints!" The second nodded.
"Looks like the same beastly prints we found back at the castle!" The first guard said, as they followed the prints to Morris' home.
Charlotte heard their voices.
"Oh no!" She whispered, quickly hiding behind a tree.
As the guards reached the tree, Morris emerging, carrying Charlotte's tiara.
"Um, visiting hours are only on Sundays." Morris said awkwardly. "...And sometimes on holidays?"
"That's the Princesses' tiara!" The first guard realized. "Seize him!"
"Seize me?!" Morris yelped, as the second guard put him in chains. "Why? Hey, what are you doing?"
"Where's the Princess?" The first guard demanded, grabbing the tiara while his partner checked inside.
"You mean Princess Sofia?" Morris asked. "Or Princess Madeline?"
"Are you trying to be a wise guy?" The first guard growled.
"I don't think so!" Morris spluttered.
The second guard returned.
"She's not in there." He announced.
"Let's take him in, then." The first guard glared. "If he won't talk to us, maybe he will when he has to face the King and Queen!"
"Help me, please!" Morris called out to Charlotte, who as still hiding as he was being dragged away. "I thought we were... friends!"
Charlotte looked on in horror. Sofia and Madeline returned at that moment.
"We heard yelling!" Sofia declared.
"What's going on?" Madeline asked.
"The royal guards captured Morris!" Charlotte revealed.
"Why?" Sofia asked.
"They think he took... Princess Charlotte." Charlotte sighed.
"Why didn't you tell them he didn't take you?" Madeline frowned. "That you're right here?"
"I was afraid!" Charlotte cringed. "They think I'm a beast, remember? They'd capture me too!"
"You don't know that for sure!" Sofia declared. "Maybe you can still go after them?"
"It's too late now." Charlotte despaired. "The way he looked at me, like... like he was so disappointed. It was awful." She sat down on the grass. "I let Morris get captured to save myself. And it doesn't even matter, because now he'll never be friends with me!" She buried her face in her hands. "So I let him down, and I'm probably going to be a beast forever either way."
"Charlotte, I know this seems hard." Madeline told her.
"It does to us, too." Sofia added. "But don't give up. You can make it up to him."
"I don't see how." Charlotte sighed.
"You're going back to the castle." Madeline smiled.
"No, we're going back." Sofia corrected her. "To save Morris."
"Okay, girls." Charlotte nodded.
The guards brought Morris to the castle, where the King, Queen, and Charlotte's sister Elisa were. Charlotte and the girls were watching from behind the gate.
"We found him, your majesties." The first guard declared. "The Goblin who took the Princess."
"I didn't take any Princesses!" Morris protested. "I didn't take anyone!"
"We caught him red-handed with the Princess's tiara." The other guard added.
"Poor Charlotte..." Elisa sniffed.
"Where is my daughter?" Emily demanded.
"I don't know!" Morris shrugged.
"We'll lock him up until he's ready to talk!" The first guard declared.
"Oh my goodness." Charlotte gasped. "They're going to put poor Morris in the dungeon. I've got to do something!"
"Wait, I have an idea." Sofia declared. "Follow me!"
"She has good ideas." Madeline told Charlotte, as they followed her away from the gate and behind a hedge.
"Look, we're hidden behind here." Sofia smiled. "You can call out to your parents just like you called out to us this morning."
"Without anyone seeing me." Charlotte smiled.
"Exactly." Sofia nodded.
"Good thinking, Sof." Madeline grinned.
"Okay." Charlotte declared. "Mom! Dad! Elisa! I'm here!"
"Charlotte darling, is that really you?" Emily turned.
"Yes, mother!" Charlotte called. "It's me. But don't come any closer! I... I..."
"You what?" Elisa asked.
"You don't want anyone to see your new gown before the ball." Madeline suggested.
"I don't want anyone to see my new gown before the ball!" Charlotte parroted, before snorting again. "But it's me! I'm not missing, and the goblin is innocent, by the way!"
"How do we know you're really the Princess?" The first guard asked. "This could be some kind of trick!"
"Maybe it's just another Goblin in cahoots with this one!" The second guard added. "I'm pretty sure I heard it grunt!"
"Show yourself, or we'll lock him up for good!" The first guard growled.
"Oh no!" Charlotte gasped. "What do I do, girls?"
"We can't make the choice for you." Sofia declared.
"But maybe you should think about how Morris is feeling right now." Madeline suggested. "That's what a true friend would do."
After a moment's hesitation, Charlotte walked into the courtyard. Her parents and sister gasped.
"Beast!" They yelled.
"You came for me!" Morris smiled.
"Of course." Charlotte smiled, then snorted.
"That is not our daughter." The King declared. "That is a beast!"
"It is a trick!" The first guard frowned.
"Throw it in the dungeon!" The second guard added.
Charlotte shrank back for a moment, then stood firm.
"Stop!" She yelled, causing everyone to stop. "I'm Charlotte, and I'm your daughter. You sister. And your Princess. Or I was your Princess."
"You're Charlotte, the Princess?" Morris gasped, then bowed.
Vanessa, in cat form, leapt out from behind a bush, then turned into a human.
"I was cursed, and turned into a beast." Charlotte explained. "Because I treated that Goblin... I treated Morris like he didn't have any feelings at all. Now I know what it's like to be treated that way too. It's awful! And Morris deserves so much better. He's sweet, and generous, and funny... and I hope one day he can forgive me, because I would truly be honored to be his friend."
"The honor would be all mine, Princess Charlotte." Morris smiled, taking her hand.
Suddenly, Charlotte started glowing. She floated up in the air, spinning around. Another flash of light, and She was human again. Everyone watched with amazement, including Sofia and Madeline, who were peeking through the fence.
"Thank you, Morris." Charlotte took his hands in hers.
"Thank you, Princess Charlotte." Morris beamed. "No-one has ever stood up for me like that."
"I would very much like you to be my guest at the summer ball." Charlotte bowed.
"Will there be a royal waltz?" Morris asked.
"Yes." Charlotte nodded. "It can be our first dance."
"Well done." Vanessa smiled, as she turned back into a cat.
"Excuse me." Charlotte requested. "There are a couple more people I need to invite."
Charlotte returned to Sofia and Madeline.
"Sofia, Madeline!" She hugged them both. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." Sofia smiled.
"Can you stay for the ball?" Charlotte asked.
Sofia and Madeline's amulets started glowing.
"We'd love to, but it looks like our amulets are about to send us home." Madeline noted.
"Goodbye, Princess Charlotte!" Sofia and Madeline said together as they vanished.
"Goodbye, girls." Charlotte beamed.
Sofia and Madeline returned to where they originally were before the amulets summoned them.
"Yo, girls!" Clover hopped over. "I've been looking' everywhere for you two! Where'd you go?"
"It's a long story." Sofia declared.
"I got nothing' else on my schedule." Clover grinned.
"Well, believe it or not, this time our amulets sent us to help another Princess!" Madeline revealed.
"Really, why?" Clover asked.
"She turned into a beast." Sofia told him.
"Ew!" Clover cringed.
"She was cursed." Madeline continued. "And to break the curse, she had to make friends with a Goblin."
"So did you help her?" Clover asked.
"We did." Sofia nodded. "I think we really did."
Back in Castle Isleworth, the ball was in full swing, as Charlotte and Morris were dancing the royal waltz together.