I own nothing.
I present: Peau d'Âne with Spamano.
FRANCE IS NOT A CREEP! THIS IS JUST HOW THE STORY IS TOLD AND HOW IT WAS WRITTEN!
Once upon a time, there lived a king named Francis, his queen, their daughter Isabel, and their favorite donkey. King Francis loved his wife and daughter very much. When the queen became sick, she made her husband promise not to marry anyone else unless she was like herself.
Whether she meant beauty or personality or political views on the treatment of the peasants and equal rights, was lost in translation among the court and sparked a lot of debate.
She died not long after her dear Francis made the promise.
After the week for mourning passed, the court began pressuring King Francis to marry again.
With the promise in mind, they tried to think of eligible young ladies to become the new queen but the only one that they could think of that was similar to their dead queen was their princess, Francis's own daughter.
When the court brought this up to Francis, he was disgusted and tried to keep it from his daughter's ears, but with the nagging of the advisers and the law that there must be a queen, she was quickly informed.
Francis began to form a plan on how to get his daughter out of a marriage with him. All of them included sending Isabel to his cousin across the sea or to marry her off as quickly as possible and those he disliked as well.
Mean while, Isabel's fairy godmother came to help her.
"Godmother Alice, how can father and I escape from this marriage?" Her brown eyes watered.
If Alice wanted to keep her form crying, the plan better work. "Here is what you do: ask for three near impossible things. A dress made form stars, a dress made from moon light, and a dress as warm as the sun. Those things are very difficult to come by and if you say that you will not marry until you have these three things, you should be alright. At least, your father can form an arrangement with another kingdom and marry you off before then."
"Thank you Godmother!" The young girl threw her arms around the toga clad angel.
"You're welcome child." Alice stroked her hair until the princess fell asleep.
...
"We need a queen. The law demands it!"
"Do not make my daughter marry me! It is not right and I will not do it." Francis argued.
"I will marry my father."
"WHAT!?"
"YES! We shall have the wedding next week!"
"Wait! I will marry my father IF I can have these things: a dress made from the stars, a dress made from moonlight, and a dress as warm as the sun. Only when they are brought to me, will I marry my father."
"Child, have you gone mad?" Her father whispered to her.
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
She did not have a plan.
...
Francis and Isabel lasted about for about two months before the first of the three dresses was presented to them. Though they were amazed at the dress and how it was made with pure starlight, the anxiety began to build.
"It's just one dress! They don't really expect to find the others! Right?" Isabel paced.
"If they were able to make a dress form pure stars, they'll be able to make one form moon and sunlight! Don't you get it? If they find the other dresses, we'll be forced to marry!" Francis moaned. He could not marry his daughter.
"Don't worry, there is no way that they can find the other two."
...
It took three months before a dress of soft moonlight was presented.
And it took Francis and Isabel a while before they began to calm down.
"We need to come up with a plan. A plan to get you out of here or married before you have to marry me."
"They won't find the last dress!"
"That is what you have said about the other two dresses Isabel and they found ways to get them! Face it! We need to get you out of here before that happens or have an escape plan. Now I'm thinking we give you a sleeping drought and have the kingdom think you are dead and then have you go to Italia. Romulus will let you stay with his family. He owes me a favor."
"Father, let's just see if they actually find it before that."
Oh they found the dress.
And Francis and Isabel freaked out.
...
"Godmother Alice, what do I do now? I cannot marry my father!"
"Ask for the skin of the donkey. The court loves that donkey and they will have to choose between having a queen or that ass. But if things go south, I want you to put the three dresses in this chest."
She held out a small blue box.
"It's small. It will not fit all the dresses."
"Oh my dear Izzy, the box is bigger on the inside. Now, put the dresses in it and any valuables you have."
Isabel put the three dresses and her mother's necklace in the chest.
...
The next day, while the court was planning the wedding between the father and daughter, Isabel made her request for the donkey's skin known.
"You cannot be serious! That donkey is the best ass on the face of the earth."
"I beg to differ..." Isabel heard her father mutter.
"I want the donkey skin or the wedding will not happen."
By sundown, the donkey was skinned and a wedding was planed for the next day.
"I hope you know what you are doing Isabel." Her father whispered.
"So do I."
Isabel threw the donkey skin over her nightgown and fled the kingdom in the early hours of the morning to the Italian kingdom.
She was filthy by the time she reached the kitchen doors and barely convinced the head cook to give her a job.
She was a minor cook but her abilities were unmatched and quickly rose to be the head cook's assistant.
Just in time for Prince Romano to find a wife.
Once everyone was finished cooking the feast and had left, Isabel shed the donkeyskin and put on the dress made from the stars and her mother's necklace. The ring that her father gave her was still on her finger. Before she could second guess if this was a good idea, she walked out of her room near the kitchen and went to that party.
...
Romano hated this. He hated the fact that he was supposed to find a wife and that Feliciano could not rule instead. He also hated himself for not leaving when he could.
He also hated the thought that if he left early, then someone else could have snatched her attention away.
It was when the most beautiful woman, in Romano's opinion because Alfred or anyone else would say otherwise, walked in that Romano decided that he was going to ask this lady to dance out of spite.
His Grandfather wanted him to marry? He would marry on his terms. Preferably with her.
Those bitchy nobles believed that he would not be a good Emperor? Screw them. He would be the best damn emperor in the damn history of Italia.
His own grandfather doesn't believe that he would make a good father? Middle fingers to him. He would be a great father.
Romano temporarily lost his spite and hate towards the other nobles. He would deny it if you asked him but there was something about that smile she had and those sparkling green eyes. It was pure determination to not look like a disappointment that kept him from buckling at the knees.
He wanted to ask for her name, but he didn't want to sound like a fool.
This woman rendered him speechless while others made him want to jump off a balcony.
She was like pure starlight.
At the end, he bowed. Then she was gone.
Romano left to look for her but with a cloudy night, you cannot see the stars.
However, they are always there. Even when they are out of sight.
...
The next month, Romano had convinced his grandfather to host another ball to find that woman.
Romano was about to give up when the crowds parted and there she was: in a dress that was made from pure moonlight, almost like a wedding dress. She almost looked otherworldly. Good. When he finally asked her for her name and then for her hand, it would show those doubters that he could be happy.
Thoughts like that disappeared when she smiled at him.
How could she do that? What was her power?
The only possible explanation was that she was an angel but why would an angel want to dance with him and only him?
When the dance was over he kissed her hand. The very hand that held a silver ring.
Then she fled in the night.
Romano ran after her again, but there was no moon out that night.
...
This was the second ball that Romano's family had in two months in hopes of seeing the beautiful woman that had captured his heart.
As he waited, he thought about that ring. Was it from a lover? A parent? Potential suitor that he wanted to punch?
Romano waited by the back door near the courtyard. With an eye on the front where the guests entered like normal people, he didn't notice the vanishing girl in a dress as warm as the sun coming from the kitchens until she was close enough to hear her footsteps.
"Hello Miss." Good. He talked to her. That was a good start.
"Hello." She had a slight accent. From the East maybe? Oh dear God she has an adorable accent.
He held his hand out. "Would you like to dance with me?"
She raised her eyebrow in amusement. "Out here?"
"No one to bother us and we have the stars and the moon for light." But your smile is the sun and out shines them all. All the things that he wanted to say, he couldn't because she took his hand and his mind went blank because he had no experience with these things.
They danced and only saw each other. Everything was fine.
Then Romano opened his mouth and asked a question.
"Where are you from?"
She froze in his arms. Her eyes went wide and she seemed to have an inner turmoil about what to say.
"It's complicated."
"Can you at least tell me your name? Please at least give me that!" He begged. She had him begging!
"It's Is-I have to go!" She gathered her skirts and ran down the steps.
Is? Isabel? Isabella? Isolde? Isleen?
So stunned, he let her go.
...
Romano ate his dinner the next day to find a peculiar surprise.
His brothers and grandfather could not understand why he was overjoyed at the sight of a silver ring in his soup.
"Don't you understand?"
Grandpa Romulus, Feliciano, and Romeo just shook their heads with confusion.
"That means that she's here!" With that, he ran down to the kitchens leaving his confused family behind.
"What going on with Romano?" Romeo whispered to his brother.
"I have no idea."
There was no one in the main kitchen so that meant that they must have cleaned up already. There was no sign that there was anyone there but the light from a small room down the hall.
Thinking that there was a maid or someone who had known about the ring in his soup had seen the woman that ran from him. The door was open just a crack, but that was enough for Romano to see the woman he danced with asleep on the floor with a single candle and donkey hide to keep her warm.
Rather than do the sensible thing and just tell her that he loved her and wanted her to marry on the spot, he promptly went to his room and claimed that he was sick because this is a fairy tale and nothing makes sense.
Eventurally he was going to be found out and decided to proceed with his (very stupid) plan. 1) say that he would marry no one but the woman that the ring belonged to. 2) Order the woman he loved to make something from her home country to help his tummy feel better. 3) Ask her to participate in the challenge. 4) Marry that woman and make her Queen.
Steps 1 and 2 worked fine but the delivery person looked like an ass. It was some weird human-donkey hybrid.
"What is this?" It looked light and crisp.
"Churros. From my home."
Holy Orecchiette pasta itś the same accent!
"Are you the woman that I have fallen in love with?"
She was silent but she nodded her head. She pulled the donkey head back and her brown hair fell in slow motion.
"Why do you wear the donkey skin?"
"Because I thought that I would be recognized and sent back home."
"Please tell me your name."
"It's Isabel. My father is the King of France."
"Was there really going to be a wedding between you and your father?" Romano asked.
"There was but we came up with a plan for me to escape. You see, King is only a title in France. The real power lies in the court. If you don't have their support, you fail and it's ended in death before."
"Will you marry me? Together we can take back the Kingdom of France and rule it together."
"What about Italia?"
"My brother can have it. We can create a new monarchy."
"How can I refuse such an offer."
They kissed.
The day after the two married, the Italian Kingdom went to war with the French which resulted in a new country. A Kingdom by the name of Spain.
Next up is Little Mermaid with Fruk.
Do you want Disney version where they live happily ever after of Hans Christian Anderson version where she dies?
I also take request for stories and ships.