Our story begins one night with a small, circular gold and emerald music box on a table, with two small figurines dancing in a circle on it.
It then closed as the music in it finished. A 55-year-old woman with orange greying hair tied in a bun, while wearing reading glasses, and at the moment, a black necklace with broach, a blue coat, pink shirt, a navy coat, green capri pants and yellow boots picked up the music box and placed it in her bag. Her name was Linda Flynn-Fletcher Park, the Dowager Empress of Toonia. She went outside, with the snow falling, and walked up to a carriage, waiting for her. A footman helped her inside.
Footman: Your highness.
Once the door was closed, the coach began departing and heading to a royal palace, home of the royal family, known as the Parks.
Linda's Voice: There was a time, not very long ago, when we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties.
The carriage arrived to the palace, along with many other vehicles, parking outside. Once parked, Linda got out of her carriage, with aid from her footmen and soon she went up to the main entrance. She curtseyed before the crowds, who bowed to her as they let her pass.
Linda's Voice: The year was 1916 and my son in law, Gilbert Park, was the czar of Imperial Toonia.
She entered the palace and saw all the guests and royal family dancing happily, socializing in the middle of the grand ballroom. She sat in one of the chairs in front of all, while watching everyone dance and clap. She waved happily to everyone there, but mostly to one in particular.
Linda: Hello, darling!
Who she was waving to was a 10-year-old girl with pointy ears, short, neat dark navy blue hair with a few loose strands, and wearing round glasses and, at the moment, a white tiara, a necklace and an elegant pink and maroon Russian dress; her name was Willow Park, Linda's granddaughter. She made silly faces a bit just to be playful and she was dancing with a man, who also wore a pair of glasses, pointy ears and dark greenish tilted hair. and he wore a brown and white royal suit with black shoes. He was Gilbert Park, Willow's father and Linda's son.
Linda's Voice: Here We were celebrating the 300th anniversary of our family's rule and that night, no star burned brighter than that of our Willow, my granddaughter.
Willow laughed as her father picked her up and spun her around in a circle. Then she ran up to her grandmother. At a doorway behind them, a young boy with pointy ears (notch on his left ear) came around with an apple in his hand. He had ash blonde hair, a light brown shirt with black pants and brownlack shoes. He was Hunter, the boy who worked in the palace's kitchen. He watched as he ate his apple while Linda took out a familiar gift from her bag.
Linda's Voice: She begged me not to return to Toonris, so I had a very special gift made for her to make the separation easier for both of us.
Linda handed the box to the girl, as she gasped in awe.
Willow: For me? Is it a jewelery box?
A butler named Heathcliff came in from the doorway and shook his head upon seeing Hunter standing there, as he grabbed him, making him drop his apple.
Heathcliff: and WHAT are you doing here, Hunter? (drags him out of the room) You belong in the kitchen!
Linda then pulled out a necklace with a pendant that also doubled as a key, which she placed in the hole and turned thrice. It then opened and Willow heard the music, and saw the figurines dancing. She smiled, recognizing the tune playing.
Willow: (gasps) It plays our lullaby.
Linda: That's right, You can play it at night before you go to sleep and pretend it's me singing.
Then she began singing along to the tune.
Linda: (singing) On the wind
Cross the sea
Hear this song and remember
Willow then sang along.
Linda and Willow: (singing) Soon you'll be home with me
Once upon a December
They both giggled as the song finished.
Linda: (hands her the necklace) Read what it says.
Willow looked at the small writing on the pendant.
Willow: (read it out loud) "Together in Toonris."
She got excited, realizing that she'd be able to visit her grandma in Toonris whenever she liked.
Willow: Oh, Grandmama!
The two embraced in a tight hug. A little bit later, the music stopped and the lights had dimmed, to the crowd's concern. Everyone had gone quiet, with the crowd parting to other sides of the room, for a dark figure was walking towards the end of the room where the family were.
Linda's Voice: Sadly, we would never be together in Toonris, for a dark shadow had descended upon the house of the Parks.
A woman gasped at the sight of the stranger, making her accidentally drop her wine glass in fear, which broke. The figure in the black priest's cloak continued moving forward, stepping on the glass in the progress. A white seagull, was standing on his shoulder like a twisted parody of a parrot, before flying off. The gull's name was Scuttle, the sidekick/pet of the dark figure. The latter was a scary-looking man who, underneath his cloak, Had rugged, ash-blonde hair reaching past his shoulders with pointy ears, bright blue eyes, a black suit, pants, and boots. He also had some sort of glowing green reliquary with a skull on it. He was Emperor Belos.
Linda's Voice: His name was Emperor Belos. We thought he was a holy man, but he was a fraud, power mad and dangerous as he became Scruffier.
He grinned a terrifying grin as he removed his hood, and Gilbert stormed up to him.
Gilbert: (angrily) How dare you return to the palace?!
Belos: (stammers) But...I am your confidant!
Gilbert: Confidant? Ha! More Like a backstabbing traitor! Get out!
This had really upset the man in black.
Belos: (furiously) You think you can banish the great Emperor Belos?! (shows his reliquary) By the unholy powers vested in me, I hereby banish YOU with a curse!
The crowd gasped and murmured in fright, and Linda held the frightened Willow. Hunter, who had came back, was watching and his jaw dropped in shock at what the man had said.
Belos: (darkly) Mark my words, for you will die within the fortnight. I will not rest until I see the END OF THE PARK LINE FOREVER!
He then used the reliquary on the chandelier, blasting a bolt of lightning out at it and causing the chain to break, with the whole thing falling from the ceiling. Everyone scattered out of the way as it crashed onto the ground, smashing upon impact. When the lights had returned, he was gone.
A few days earlier before the night, in a lair of his, Emperor Belos threw some dust into a hole and then a burst of red energy came out, and a huge, shadowy figure appeared above him, and the man in black sludge, holding his hands up in supplication. A shadow, like smoke in a windstorm, leaves Emperor Belos and sucked toward the terrible figure, along with his soul and skin. He now appeared as a skeleton.
Linda's Voice: Consumed by his hatred for Gilbert and his family, Belos sold his soul for the power to destroy them.
Then the reliquary appeared in mid-air right before Emperor Belos's skeleton, who reached out, got a hold of it, and his form had returned.
A fortnight had passed, and Belos grinned, knowing it was time. He took out the glowing reliquary and spoke to something inside it.
Belos: (evilly) Go fulfill your dark purpose and seal the fate of the Tsar and his family once and for all!
Then some evil green smoke came from it and took the form of green demons which came soaring out and flew to the locked palace gates where an enormous angry mob of demonstrators gathered around with torches, guns and other weapons. The demons attack the chain holding the door shut, breaking it, and allowing the mob to pour into the palace grounds.
Linda's Voice: From that moment on, the spark of our unhappiness in our country was fanned into a flame that would soon destroy our lives forever.
A demonstrator had thrown a brick into a glass window of the palace, smashing it, and some other demonstrators used their ropes to pull down the statue of Gilbert, destroying it. Some mob members came storming in, shooting off rifles. Inside the palace, flames roared outside with the snow falling, and the Park family were fleeing for their lives. Willow, wearing a long sleeved yellowish tan dress with a blue tie and oval chartreuse gem, stuck by her grandma, who was now in a simple white night cap and night gown, along with a black coat.
Gilbert: Hurry, children!
Willow then stopped in her tracks as her family kept running.
Willow: My music box!
She ran back to her room, as Linda began chasing after her.
Linda: (calling out) Willow! Come back!
The dark navy blue-haired girl ran into her room, and took the music box from her dollhouse, with Linda rushing in.
Linda: Willow!
Gunshots are heard outside, and at this time, Hunter came out of an opening wall panel. Then, outside, a familiar seagull came flying at the window sill and hit it, grunting a bit, but then watched from outside the glass.
Linda: Please hurry!
Then Hunter ran out and started pushing them towards the small door.
Hunter: Not That Way! Out the servants' quarters and Quick!
A loud gunshot was heard along with footsteps, when Linda went in the secret doorway.
Linda: Hurry, Willow!
Scuttle: (alarmed) Belos, They're getting away!
The alarmed seagull watched as Hunter shoves Willow in behind Linda, accidentally knocking the music box out of her hand.
Willow: (comes back) Wait, my music box!
Hunter: No time, Go, go!
He pushed her through, as three angry revolutionaries burst in through the door, holding rifles, and the kitchen boy managed to close the secret doorway in time. Scuttle quickly flew off, looking for Belos.
Guard: Comrades, in here!
The three stormed in and approached Hunter.
Guard: Where are they, boy?!
Hunter: I'm not telling you Anything!
The boy grabbed a lantern and threw it at him, and the guard knocked him on the head with the rifle's rear, sending him to the floor unconscious.
With the burning palace behind them, Willow and Linda were running across the frozen lake. It is so cold, and they were not dressed for it, but they had to get away. They soon came under a bridge.
Willow: Grandma! Where's Dad!
Linda: I'm sure they got out but I must get you to Safety!
Unknown to the two, Emperor Belos was on top of the bridge, waiting for them, He leaped from the bridge down at Willow, like a jungle cat lunging at its prey, and grabbed her by the leg.
Belos: Yaaah!
She screamed as he began pulling her towards him, while he laid on his stomach, laughing evilly. Linda gasped and saw the evil holy man.
Linda: Emperor Belos!
She tried pulling Willow away from the monster.
Willow: Let me go, please!
Belos: (evilly) You'll never escape me, child! Never!
The ice began breaking beneath him, to his horror, as he panicked and Willow wrenched herself free, as she saw Belos thrashing through the water as he was going down. Willow and Linda closed their eyes as the evil holy man's hypnotic blue eyes glowed full of fury. The seagull came as his master called to him.
Belos: Scuttle!
Scuttle: Master!
Belos: Scuttle!
The Seagull tried grabbing his master had to pull him out, but ended up losing grip and Belos started going under, with his frantic hand clawing the ice before it went under as well. Emperor Belos had then drowned into the icy water below, leaving Scuttle with the reliquary. Willow and Linda then ran away as quickly as they could.
Far from the palace, Linda and her granddaughter had made it to a train station with mass confusion around as a people were shoving to get onto a train leaving for Toonris. Linda and Willow fought their way through the frightened crowd to get on.
Linda: Willow, hurry! Keep up with me!
Some passengers helped Linda get on board, but then she gasped upon seeing Willow falling behind.
Willow: Grandmama!
Linda: (extends out her hand) Here, grab my hand! Hold onto my hand!
Willow reached up and took her hand. She was desperate and frightened.
Linda: Don't let go!
The other passengers tried to help, but Willow's hand slipped out of Linda's grip.
Linda: W-Willow!
The girl screamed as she stumbled and hit her head on the floor hard, knocking her unconscious.
Linda: WILLOW!
She screamed as she tried to jump off and go back for her, but was held back by the other passengers. The only thing the grandmother could do was watch in despair as the train carried her further away from her granddaughter. The view of Willow began to disappear into the crowd of people remaining at the station. We now see the family portrait in a room of the palace.
Linda's Voice: That night, so many lives were destroyed, what had always been was now gone forever. And my Willow, my beloved grandchild, I never saw her again.