Rosalie walked out of the bathroom in a soft blue shoulder less princess gown, with a blue bow attached to the side. Her auburn hair was placed in a bun on top of her head including a little silver crown, which displayed her mothers gold necklace around her neck. As she adjusted her dress she watched the children play with Cleo. The little green frog started to wiggle with excitement while Alex played fetch with her. Victoria looked at Rosalie and gasped "Rosalie! You look just like a princess!" P.J walked up to her with wide eyes and reached his paws to her. Rosalie picked up the little grey mouse and fixed his hair. Alex smiled "He thinks you are actually a princess."
Rosalie laughed as Ratigan entered the room "I wouldn't blame him." she smiled and noticed he was still in his regular attire, coral and purple cravat, cape, and best jacket with silk lapels.
"You're wearing that..when we go shooting?" Rosalie quirked an eyebrow
He adjusted his cravat "Well..your dressed like royalty, what is stopping me from-"
"Just asking, it's a very rigorous sport so I want you to be comfortable." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Victoria picked up Cleo and held her close "Rosalie, why can't Cleo come to the shooting contest?" she held the little frog to her face and mimicked her pout.
Rosalie sighed "Poor little thing..she gets jumpy at the sound of gunshots..and I don't think Samantha likes Cleo very much." Rosalie grabbed a leash of the table and tied it to the bed banister, then around Cleo's neck. She pointed to her, as if teaching her a new trick "Stay..Cleo..Stay." she rubbed the little frogs head and lead everyone out the door. Cleo started to whimper and ran to the door, but was pulled back by her leash.
Outside, young and old mice began to walk to the grassy area of the property. Rosalie clinging to Ratigan's arm. Ratigan looked over at Lorenzo and sent a cocky look, Samantha quickly walked up to Rosalie and grabbed her hand "Your highness! I'm so glad the dress fit..I mean I am smaller than you."
Rosalie sent an unsettling look to Samantha and smiled "Thanks…I guess?" Samantha grabbed her arm and lead her to the viewing area, Rosalie held Ratigan's hand "Have fun..win that kiss for me." she winked as she left. Lorenzo saw it as an opportunity to talk to Ratigan "So..feeling good today professor?"
Ratigan rolled his eyes "As good as you are Lorenzo." Lorenzo nudged him "Just hope that Rosalie won't change her mind after I win eh?" he laughed as Bill, Fidget, and Nicolas watched him grow tense "Just kidding professor! May the best man win!" he held out his hand and Ratigan took a deep breath in "I plan to." Lorenzo stopped walking as Ratigan's thugs caught up with him.
"Aw don't worry Boss, he has no idea how smart you are!" Bill smiled as Ratigan still remained silent. Fidget laughed awkwardly "Bills right! And plus Rosalie is marrying you, not him!" Ratigan smirked and grabbed the musket off the table "Remember boys..keep your friends close and your enemies closer.." he laughed and pointed the gun, pretending to aim.
Meanwhile, Mavis and Alex were walking around the garden area of the house, admiring the flowers in full bloom.
"So are you excited about your father getting married?" Alex asked.
Mavis sighed and tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear "Yeah..I am." She smiled and Alex quirked an eyebrow, she continued "Well… I am happy… but I just feel that he's just doing this for me." she adjusted the light blue strap on her dress "I never knew my mother, and to just have her replaced like an old horse..it doesn't seem right to me. I feel that Samantha is-" she stopped and sat on an old log "Never mind." Alex sat next to her and touched her shoulder "It's O.K." her brown eyes looked into his yellow ones "I feel she is just doing it to get money.." she laughed "It's just ridiculous I know, I don't even think I like her as a mother as much as I should." She covered her mouth "I've said to much."
Alex sat up "No! its fine." Mavis smiled at him "You've been the only person I could really talk to lately.. and you are so easy to talk to..thank you.." Alex smiled at her and she waved to him "So, what's your story? Are you happy to have Rosalie as another guardian?"
Alex sighed and picked up a rock, gently throwing it to the river "Well.. my uncle has delayed the marriage, I guess he's afraid." Mavis laughed "You're Uncle? Afraid?" knowing his large stature and confidence.
"I mean.." he thought the words through "Rosalie is the first person to really love him, she turned us into a family I guess.." he looked at her "Uncle James used to have a.." he thought of the right words "Troubled past.. and when we came along we really didn't make anything better." He picked up another stone "Then when Rosalie and him fell in love..she changed him.. and he's afraid to lose her. If she's gone he'll go back to where he was.." he laughed "My happiness was brief after my parents passed away, and without Victoria, P.J., Rosalie and Uncle James.. My fear is that I'll fall into darkness too. Alex looked at the clouds in the blue sky and felt Mavis's warm touch "I don't think you'll be turning to that darkness anytime soon." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, he instantly blushed at the warm touch of her lips and watched her starting to run "Bet I can beat you to the contest!"
"Game on Mavis!" he laughed and followed her, slowly and surely catching up.
"Now the rules are clear!" Big Daddy's voice boomed on the stage, Rosalie sat on the throne and watched all the young men, Ratigan standing next to Lorenzo, and Ginger standing proudly around the platform on the large property. "We will first start with the skeet shooting, and tally up those scores..then we will see who has the better eye at the target shooting! Whoever's bullet hits the gold bell across the yard will win! Good luck boys!" he tipped his hat to Ginger "And to you Ginger!"
Ginger winked at Basil, making him uncomfortable. He watched Nicolas turn sad as Basil set a hand on his shoulder "Don't worry..I will have her out of my hair and into your arms by eight o'clock tonight." Nicolas smiled and grabbed a musket, hoping to impress her, But Ginger's eyes were locked on Basil.
Rosalie walked out of her seat and out on the field, Lorenzo noticed her and smiled "Your highness, you shouldn't be out by yourself! you might get hurt!" he bowed and made her smirk "Ha, Ha, very funny.." she held a rifle up and started to aim, then the bullets poured out of the gun, onto the soft green grass. Rosalie giggled "Well, I always watched my father shoot one of these.. so I guessed it was just in my blood.."
Lorenzo's eyes lit up "Well.. let me help you." He pulled the gun up and held her arms up behind her. He was getting closer to her as he held his hands on top of hers. "See? You pull up the gun to the target, squint your eye.." his head reached next to hers as he touched her backside "Lorenzo!" she tried to pull away and he kept going "Aim for the target, and shoot at the best possible moment." While this was happening, Ratigan was watching with an intense glare. He looked away in anger, not watching the entire scene.
"Lorenzo!" Rosalie pulled away "I'm engaged.." she tossed the gun in his arms and stormed off, Lorenzo snapped his fingers in defeat "So close."
As the contest began, everyone began the skeet shooting. "Pull!" shouted Lorenzo, the assistant pulled out at least four different plates in different directions, Lorenzo smiled and shot all four plates! He pointed his gun back and forth hitting all the plates. He blew the smoke out of his gun and smiled at Ratigan, motioning him to take his place "Whenever your ready Professor.." The professor pushed him out of the way with his shoulder, pushing him to the floor and chuckling "Oh, so sorry Lorenzo." What Ratigan wasn't aware of was how strong the rifle was. "Pull!" he shouted, the four plates shot out as he aimed and shot, then was pushed to the floor. The gun's force was so powerful he skidded slightly on the dirt, Ratigan rubbed his temples and looked up at Lorenzo's smug face "Are you alright?" he laid out his hand as the professor got up by himself and dusted himself off.
The events of the day got worse, from Ratigan slipping in the mud, to him scratching his cape on a bush filled with horns before the final event. Rosalie watched him trudge along the field when she marched down the stairs of the podium to his side "You don't have to do this if you don't want to..its just a kiss." He turned away from her "It's more than that my dear." Rosalie sighed as she watched him walk away, then headed back to her seat.
Lorenzo stepped up in front of the entire crowd, and squinted his eyes at the small target miles away. The wooden post held a rusty gold bell, sparkling in the afternoon sun, beginning to get crowded by dark clouds. The rule of the last event was clear, hit the target.. but one loophole.. ONE BULLET ONLY. Big daddy yelled loudly "If Lorenzo hits this target, he wins everything!" Lorenzo smugly pulled up the gun, aiming for the target, He kept one eye closed and took one deep breath in. Rosalie rolled her eyes here it goes she thought to herself. As the clicking sound of the gun went off, Cleo jumped out of the grassy area, with her leash trailing behind her and leaped around the audience's seats. She bumped into the pole holding up the tent and it toppled over onto the crowd. Scared, she jumped on Lorenzo, knocking his gun up into the air as the single bullet was released into the blue sky.
That set Cleo off, she didn't know where to go. Rosalie ran out into the field and attempted to grab her "Cleo! Here girl! Its alright!" the frog whimpered and continued to scatter around the field. She ran and bumped into Ratigan, his gun flying in the air as well. As if the events happened in slow motion, everyone watched the gun fly and spin. Ratigan instantly grabbed Rosalie holding Cleo, and pulled her to the floor, covering her head. Nicolas grabbed Ginger and did the same thing "Nicolas what are you doing!"
"I'm saving your life!" the gun fell and shot towards the bell. Suddenly the chiming sound of the bell filled the silent air, the crowd, Big daddy, And the contestants watched as the bell rang back and forth. Big daddy marched down the stairs "What the cotton pickin world is going on?"
Ginger pushed Nicolas off her "I was supposed to win! You ruined everythin!" she dusted herself off and marched away in tears. Basil helped him up sighed "Next time you charm a woman Nicolas, don't push her to the ground." The detective walked over and noticed Cleo's leash "That's peculiar."
Rosalie held the shaking frog in her arms as Basil held the leash "Her leash has a deliberate cut.." he looked up at Rosalie "This was no accident."
"Who could have done this?" Rosalie said worriedly.
The crowd started to murmur amoung themselves when Big Daddy smiled nervously, trying to calm the crowd "Now everyone! We have a winner!"
Lorenzo shot up off the dirt like a toddler "But you said whoever hits the target Big Daddy!"
" I said whoever's bullet hits the bell.. And James's bullet hit the bell, Am I wrong Lorenzo?" he marched to Ratigan and lifted his arm "Three cheers to Professor P. James Ratigan! The luckiest son of a- well forgive the poor humor...gun that has ever won this contest!" the crowd clapped and Rosalie pulled his cravat to her face, he smiled and dipped her as they kissed passionately, like any couple in love would do. The crowd began to cheer and whistle at the sight. Lorenzo picked himself up off of the ground and noticed the charming gesture, his fists began to clench and in a jealous rage as he kicked a rock and walked back to the mansion. Suddenly the rain began to pour from the sky, trickling on the group "Now let's get out of this rain and have a stiff one at the mansion!" the main group began to walk back and Rosalie rested her head on Ratigan's shoulder "I knew you had it in you…" he smiled and kissed the top of her head, watching the children trail happily behind him.
"Things are starting to turn around for this trip.." he thought to himself.
THIS IS GETTING GOOD! WHOEVER IS NOT READING IS MISSING OUT.. ANYONE THERE? THIS IS GONNA GET REAL GOOD!
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PS. ROSALIE'S PRINCESS GOWN IS BASICALLY TIANA'S IN PRINCESS AND THE FROG.. THATS IT.