The sun was beginning to set as Leon, who was relieved to be away from Amandine and the village for the day, approached his cottage and went to the animal pen to feed the chickens, sheep and goat, as well as brushing and grooming Sabine.

'What a day in the village, Sabine,' Leon sighed, as he brushed the horse down and she whinnied in agreement, 'First I get teased about the pig-kissing again and then Amandine, the most despicable and annoying woman I've ever met, leaps in front of me, goes through my private things, steals my book and calls it boring, says men shouldn't waste their time reading and now she wants to marry me!

Me! The husband of that selfish, abusive, manipulative, brainless harlot! The boys might be stupid enough to fall for her charms, but not me!' He sang a little tune, something that was based off an old song he once learned from one of his books, substituting some of the words.

Monsieur Amandine, can you just see it?

Madame Leon, my little wife

No way, not her! I guarantee it! I want so much more than this provincial life!

Sabine nickered in amusement, as Leon finished singing.

'You're on to it, girl,' said Leon, chuckling, as he finished brushing her and draped a blanket over her, nuzzled her goodnight and fed the animals. Of all the many things that added to Leon's desire to leave the village, Amandine, with her unwanted seduction and talk of marriage, was now top of the list, as he looked at the cottage, as the animals eagerly ate their food, while the goat was quite content to chew on a can he found.

The cottage, which was home to Leon and his mother, Madeleine ever since he was born and had remained living there even after the death of his father, was the very one that Belle and Maurice had lived in. Before Leon was born, his parents lived in a small farmhouse on the outskirts of the village, which had been horribly cramped, unsanitary and dilapidated, which was not the ideal place to bring up a baby, but was the only house that they could afford at the time.

Tired of living in unsanitary conditions and needing a cosy, spacious, clean place for their coming baby, Madeleine and Paul, Leon's father, by some act of fate, were able to buy the cottage from Maurice, who was happy to have sold it after two years of not having any occupants and was in a state of neglect, but the Duponts fixed it up, while adding their own things such as their own animals- Sabine, who occupied Phillipe's old stall, a few chickens, two sheep and a goat.

However, they had decided to keep the weather vane, water wheel and the binoculars near the door, the things that Maurice had invented when he lived there, in gratitude to the eccentric, but kind old man, the father and father-in-law of the king and queen, who gave them their home and to honour him when he disappeared along with his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

They were also honoured that their home was once where Queen Belle lived, but even though Madeleine had believed that it would make them more respected in the village, she had been sadly mistaken.

Like her son, Madeleine was also looked down and ridiculed due to her independent streak, individuality, slight quirkiness and working as a dressmaker at home rather than at the dress shop and encouraging Leon to read, as she had done when he was growing up, helping him when he was first learning, but Madeleine didn't really care, as long as she was happy and doing what she wanted, which she had taught Leon to do.

After finishing his chores and picking some herbs from the garden, Leon walked inside the cottage, eager to rest for the night after the long day he had, so he could get up early to do his studies with the new text-book and to continue reading his book.

'Is that you, Leon?' Madeleine called out, as he entered the kitchen and found her chopping up carrots for the vegetable soup she was making for dinner, which was bubbling away on the stove, which meant she had finished work for the day.

'Yes, Mama, it's me,' Leon replied, kissing her, noticing that she sounded irritated which he knew that she had a bad day and was going to let out her grievances in a rant, like she usually did, as she was not one to bottle up her emotions, letting them out like she was cleansing herself. She was also chopping up the carrots in a furious way, but was careful not to cut herself.

Madeleine was in her early forties, but looked ten years younger and still had a trim figure. She barely had any wrinkles visible and not a streak of grey was seen in her curly dark hair. She didn't take much notice of it, like Leon never took notice of his looks, putting it down to good genes, a healthy lifestyle and not wearing any lethal make up (like lead-based powder, for example) unlike most of the well-dressed women who did.

She had hazel eyes (Leon had inherited his light-brown hair and brown eyes from his father) and wore a deep blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the same way as Leon wore his, a sky blue knee-length skirt , white stockings and brown lace-up boots, which was unusual for a woman, let alone a dressmaker to wear with a knee-length skirt, but Madeleine was expressing her individuality, as she didn't like wearing dresses, flat shoes or heels. In her hair, she wore a blue headband which helped keep the hair off her face.

Madeleine preferred to work at home, as she liked to work independently and she didn't like the attitudes of the ladies in the dress shop, who in turn regarded her as being too good for them and shunned her, only talking to her when she came into the shop and even then, they put her down and sneered at her designs and dresses, as they, in their eyes, were better than theirs and were jealous of her.

She was also criticised for not remarrying after Paul's death and having a man by her side, but she had promised him that she wouldn't and was able to manage without a new husband and stressed to Leon enough that she could take care of herself, but he insisted on staying with her.

'How was your day, Mama?' Leon casually asked. Madeleine gave a click of her tongue and sighed. As much as she loved her job and the nice customers that came since they didn't listen to the negative hype about her, there were times that she lost her patience after dealing with rude customers, unfavourable opinions about what she made, in spite of her making wonderful, beautiful and well-received dresses, purely out of their jealousy.

They would find faults and nit-pick at even the littlest detail and it seemed that today had been one of these days and Leon, in anticipation of what was about to happen, was ready to listen to his mother, as she got her frustrations and whatever else was bothering her off her chest, like he did with her and Sabine.

'You wouldn't believe the day, I've had, Leon,' she said calmly, for she never raised her voice, ' I had the two rudest customers come in today for fittings- the Beaufort twins, Adelaide and what's-her-name, the one who wears the dark green dress, Anna, or Nastia, something like that,'

'Anais,' said Leon, screwing up his face, as he didn't like the twins as well, but they were angels compared to Amandine.

'Yes, that's it. Quite an odd name if you ask me. Anyway, anyway, those two spoiled brats whined and complained the whole time- they didn't like the material I used, they hated the tea I gave them and Adelaide called me a 'clumsy, useless cow!' when I accidently pricked her with a pin. And when I was done, they demanded that I use the most expensive, imported silk from China for their dresses!

Do they think that I have the money to buy imported silk? Well, I've got news for you, darlings, I don't! Not all of us live in the lap of luxury like you do, and don't you even realise that half your fortune disappeared with the royal family? Obviously not! Spoilt little pigs!' Madeleine ranted, while Leon listened, rather enjoying it.

'And then,' Madeleine continued, eager to air her grievances to whoever was listening, which was Leon, ' I go into the dress shop to show my face and my latest designs and they look at me like I've got the plague or something! Yes, they did look at my designs and the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head, as they said that my designs were 'so hideous that they wouldn't even be fit for the queen to wear!'

I then said, ' Well, they're ten times better than what you can come up with. Look at that lacy dress you made, Sandrine! It has more holes than Swiss cheese and the lace has the texture of a potato sack!'

Then, they got angry and said, 'Get out, Madeleine, we will not have you say such hurtful things about our dresses!' I said, 'This is the reason why I work at home, so I don't have to tolerate jealous, bitter, snobby, inadequate dressmakers like you bringing down successful ones like me! Good day to you,' and left. Sometimes, my customers and fellow dressmakers really test my patience!' Madeleine huffed.

'You always say that,' Leon reminded the grumpy woman.

'I know, but it just frustrates me! Aside from that, I do love my work and you've been very good at listening to me rant on about my problems,' said Madeleine, 'I just feel much better letting go of my frustrations rather than bottling them up,' while stirring the soup.

'I think that you make the most beautiful dresses, Mama. It doesn't matter what some snobby ladies think. They're your own unique and wonderful designs and they will take you far,' said Leon, while looking at the mannequins in the small living room, which had dresses in various stages of completion.

Dresses of all colours of the rainbow, deep royal colours, pastels and jewel colours, silk for the well-off people, cotton and velvet, decorated with lace and pearls all done by Madeleine without any help from her fellow dressmakers.

'You really believe that, Leon?' said Madeleine.

'I always have,' Leon said, hugging her.

'Ah, you're sweet for saying that,' Madeleine said, 'But enough about my woes, how was your day? Did you get your studies done? Did you have a nice time in town?'

'Yes, I did my mathematics and got the science text-book I wanted. Monsieur Livre said I could have it for nothing and he sends you his regards. I also got the royal family candles as well.' Leon said.

'What a nice man,' said Madeleine, 'and it's good you got those candles, I thought that they would be sold out! Light them up, but you might have to get rid of the wax on the plate though,' as Leon got the candles out of his bag and went over to the fire place, where they usually went on the plate, a souvenir from Belle and Adam's wedding, under the portrait of his father.

Seeing the gloopy, melted gold, blue and pink wax from previous candles stuck to the plate, he carefully pried it off, so as not to damage it, revealing the picture of the king and queen starting to fade. He then delicately arranged the candles on it, got an already lit candle and lit the three rose candles.

'Mama,' Leon said, while lighting the candles, 'Can I tell you something?'

'Leon, dear, you can tell me anything, you know that,' said Madeleine, seeing that something was bothering him and thought it would be better to get it off his chest. He let out a breath and said,

'Do you think I'm..odd? That what the villagers say about me is true?'

'Odd? My own son? Now why would you think that?' said Madeleine.

'Well, it's just that, I don't feel like I fit in, that I don't have anyone to talk to apart from Monsieur Livre, especially after what happened with Violette and me with the pig-kissing; even though I've lived here all my life, but I've never been one of them.' Leon said, in an almost sad tone.

'Still haven't let it go, huh?' Madeleine said, sympathetically,' Don't worry, eventually they'll get bored of it, if you don't let them see that it's getting to you and it's getting old anyway. And you haven't really done much to make yourself accessible to people,' she said the last sentence quietly, as she knew Leon had always been independent like her and kept to himself, never really interacting with the other children.

Not that he was unfriendly, far from it, but the other children always bullied him, hid his books, never let him join in their games, told the princess, when she visited and played with them not to play with him, bigger boys threw things at him, teased and made jokes about him and made him feel like an outcast.

Leon may have been lonely during his childhood and early adolescence, but he found comfort in his books and Sabine, where he could escape into another world and forget his problems.

'What about Jean-Luc? He's always been friendly to you,' said Madeleine.

'Only when he isn't around the Muscular Men, then he too joins in the bullying and teasing,' said Leon, even though deep down, he knew that Jean-Luc didn't really mean it and that he actually liked him.

'It is a shame that Jean-Luc had to get mixed up with those idiot boys, since he's such a nice boy and very friendly and a far better hunter than them. Why he is a Muscular Man, I don't know, but he doesn't seem happy being with them,' Madeleine said and Leon agreed.

'Well, what about that LeGume girl, Amandine? She's very beautiful and seems to be very taken by you,' Leon screwed up his face.

'Oh, she's beautiful alright and rude, arrogant, manipulative, selfish and cruel.. Oh, Mama, she's not for me. Just today, she tried to seduce me and talked about marriage! She wants to marry me and I know it isn't for love!'

'I see what you mean. Well, let me tell you something, Leon, there really is no hope for that silly girl.

She's the illegitimate child of that boorish, try-hard idiot Anton, yet gets lavished with gifts and attention just because she's the last LeGume, rules over her poor mother, Genevieve like a queen, makes the boys fall to their knees and do anything to please her.

And as for her father and that no-good uncle of hers, Gaston, they got what they deserved. The apple never falls far from the tree and that is certainly true with Amandine,' said Madeleine.

'Well, I definitely don't want to marry her, Mama. I only want to marry someone I truly love and who loves me as I am. And I don't want to leave you yet, I promised Papa that I would take care of you, should anything happen to him,' said Leon, looking at the picture of his father, as the candles flickered.

'I know you promised your father that and you never make promises you don't intend to keep, but you shouldn't let your life revolve around me, I can take care of myself. And one day, things will be very different. Your luck will change and the right girl will be waiting for you. You just have to find her, that's all.'

'When, when will my luck change and when will I find the girl for me?'

'Probably when you least expect it,' said Madeleine. Being the caring, loving and understanding mother she was, the subject was soon dropped and the two enjoyed a quiet meal of vegetable soup and bread in comfortable silence.

Retiring to bed for the evening, Leon sat in bed in his small room reading the science text-book to see the experiments he needed to do and if he had the materials to do so.

He saw on his desk his science kit, which was a few test tubes and some small chemicals, adequate enough and harmless so if he did cause an explosion (which thankfully was rare), so he decided that he would start his studies with science tomorrow morning, followed by history and some more mathematics.

He then picked up his book and read it, absorbed into a world where Amandine, the Muscular Men, Bimbette cousins, Beaufort twins, Stephane and Beauden did not exist and he could be who he wanted to be. If only that could happen in real life, he thought.

Looking out the singular window, Leon could see a shadowy silhouette of a castle and an unusual green star shining above it. Looking at it, he whispered, using the words from his book, which could well be exactly what he was wishing too-

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

I want it more than I can tell

And for once it might be grand

To have someone understand

I want so much more than they got planned

He then added what he had sung earlier in the day

You may think it's all a dream

But I can make it real

If I believe

In the life I want to lead

Tired out from the day he had, Leon blew out the candle on his bedside table and fell asleep, not knowing that the green star had heard his wish and was about to grant it in someway he could have never imagined.

As morning dawned the next day, Leon was woken up by the sounds of his mother clattering around the house and got out of bed, to find her outside wearing her traveller's cape and hitching up Sabine, obviously intending to go somewhere.

'Mama, where are you going?' he asked her, for Madeleine had never travelled anywhere by herself.

' I'm going to Molyneaux, as I have heard that they have imported Chinese silk which would be perfect for the Beaufort twins' dresses. I'll probably be gone for a couple of days at least.' Madeleine responded.

'By yourself? You've never done that before and it's dangerous and you might get lost. Are you sure you want to do this?' Leon said, concerned.

'Of course, how else am I going to get that silk? But don't worry about me, Leon, I'll be fine! There's a first time for everything and I'll be careful. I have a map with me and I'll stick to the paths. Besides, you'll get the house to yourself and you can read and do your studies in peace!' Madeleine said.

Although worried about his mother's intended journey, Leon had to agree as he could do his science experiments without endangering anyone should he cause an explosion (not that would happen, as he was very careful).

'Alright, Mama, just be careful, that's all,' Leon said.

'Thank you, dear,' said Madeleine gratefully, 'Take care of the place and animals, Leon and I'll see you in a couple of days. Love you lots!' as she and Sabine trotted off in the distance.

'Goodbye Mama!' Leon called out, watching the two figures become more and more distant from his sight.

'Please be safe,' he whispered, as he went back inside.

So Madeleine is heading off near the forest and you can only guess what is going to happen next.

Please read and review, as I give you the first chapter for 2015!