"Disney: Total War"
Written by Jeff Snyder (Going the Distance)
…
…
Chapter 1
"Napoleon Bonaparte is No Prince Charming"
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.
If only that were the case.
This prince was no prince at all, but a common man born on an island called Corsica and who came to mainland France to be educated, but rather than pursue a decent profession, he had dreams, dreams that would ultimately lead to his ultimate conquest of all of Europe.
And so he rose through the ranks, conquering Toulon and later all of Italy. A wildfire was starting in Europe and there was no way to stop it. As the years passed, Napoleon grew more and more powerful and there would be no one to stand in his way…or so he thought.
…
Late 1804, Bretagne
The story began on a cold raining night in our kingdom of Bretagne. It had been nearly three years since the spell was broken and now, Adam and I were in our rightful places as rulers of Bretagne or at least he was. As we slept in our bed on that cold raining night, all we could do was think of our future together, the family we had planned to start, the kingdoms we had hoped to unite and learn from throughout France to one day hopefully put a king back on the throne.
Knock Knock.
Then, we heard the sounds of knocking at the door and it was a very frantic knocking sound. Adam was quick to react and turned to me as I continued to lie asleep, seemingly trying to ignore the sound of the knocking.
"Master! MASTER!" we heard a voice and I felt Adam hastily nudge me. "Master!"
"Belle! Belle!" he whispered in a harsh voice. "Go."
"Adam, what is it?"
"Go behind the screen! Now!"
Doing as I was told, I got out of bed, donned my bathrobe and retreated to the screen where I would dress behind or hide during important matters that couldn't wait until morning.
"Come in!" Adam called and in stepped our major domo, Cogsworth, clad in his night clothes. "Cogsworth, we talked about this: never interrupt me and Belle when…"
"It's Napoleon, sir," Cogsworth interrupted as a cloaked figure soaking wet with rain entered our bedchambers. "I tried to send him away, but he refused."
Taking off his hood, the figure revealed himself to be a messenger to Napoleon.
"Are you his royal highness, Adam, Prince of Bretagne?" he asked, reaching into his bag and pulling out a scroll, much to Adam's annoyance. Right away, he knew that he was going to be told something he didn't like.
"What does Napoleon want?"
Taking the scroll, the herald read what was on it.
"His highness, Napoleon, supreme ruler of France demand that you Adam, Prince of Bretagne command that every qualified man in your kingdom serve in the imperial French armies and that you swear your allegiance to Napoleon as your supreme ruler."
Putting the scroll back, the herald awaited Adam's response. Adam began to get a feeling of disgust on his face, a look I had already known so well.
"I may not have been human when Napoleon murdered the king," Adam said, walking back to his bed before turning around. "But, I know a false king when I see one. Napoleon is a madman, not an emperor."
"I advise you, sire, that refusal to comply will result in exile or death."
"Master, if I may…" Cogsworth started to say, only to be rebuked.
"SILENCE!" he ordered him sharply before turning back to the herald. "You will leave my presence, sir. Go back to Paris and inform Napoleon that I refuse to serve him and that one day, one day, the monarchy will return!"
The herald said nothing.
"Now get out," he demanded in a sharp tone, but the herald refused to move, causing Adam to yell louder, causing me to think back to that winter night in the west wing. "GET OUT!""
"My emperor will hear of this," the herald said as he left without Cogsworth escorting him out.
Once he was gone, I emerged from behind the screen as I saw Adam, his blue eyes looking sharply at Cogsworth. In fact, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Shall I…?" Cogsworth started to ask.
"Yes, Cogsworth. Inform the household that we may need to leave our kingdom temporarily."
Cogsworth wanted to respond to the words, but Adam was not one for arguments. What he said, went.
"Of course, master," Cogsworth said, bowing his head to Adam. He was just turning to leave when he suddenly turned back around to Adam. "Master, forgive me for asking, but how long will we be gone from our kingdom?"
"For as long as Napoleon is in power, Cogsworth. As for where we will go, we will decide in due course."
Sighing, Cogsworth left our chambers and Adam turned back around towards me. From the look on his face, I could see that the storm we would be going into would be a long one.
"Belle, I cannot stay here and be overseen by that madman," Adam said, rubbing his face through his hands. "I just won't. For 10 years, I was a monster and during that time, my homeland descended into tyranny. Tell me something, do you wish to serve someone as evil as Napoleon?"
Climbing into bed, I removed my robe and looked back at Adam, seeing the anxiety that he had in his eyes. I've always learned that the eyes were the windows of the soul and his soul was troubled.
"No, I don't."
"Your father served under the old king, Louis XVI, in his youth. He knows what has been happening to France, lately. Does he want to worship someone as false as Napoleon?"
Ever since we had married, my father had been living with us in the castle and little did either of us know that he had been listening to what was happening. He served his country and the last thing he wanted was to be forced to serve again, especially at his age.
"No, Adam. If we stay here, Papa will be forced to fight and I cannot let that happen. I want to protect him by leaving our kingdom, but I want him to die here, in France, not out of France."
But it wasn't just my father that I was worried about. I was also thinking about someone who would stop at nothing to take my hand in marriage. But it wasn't a natural feeling that he wanted me for my beauty, it was something else.
"You aren't thinking about the man who tried to assassinate me, aren't you?"
"I am."
As much as I detested Gaston, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for him. The egotistical nature, the obsession to want me just for my beauty, the one who would throw my father into an asylum to force me into marriage, it was all coming back to me that he was suffering, suffering from an illness that all who serve suffer from.
"Adam, he was ill. Gaston was ill from fighting in Sardinia, mentally ill. If anything, you aren't the monster, he's not the monster, Napoleon is. Napoleon made him into a monster for fighting in the army."
"He had no choice, Belle. You know that. France needs soldiers and we are the ones who can produce them."
Part of me felt that what Adam was saying was indeed true and that the scars of war made Gaston who he was. He wanted to have a wife and family, but it was all because of the scars of war.
"Now get some sleep. We will have a lot of decisions to make in the morning."
Being the Prince and Princess of Bretagne had its challenges and as we went back to sleep, I couldn't also help but wonder if we weren't going to be the only kingdom in France to defy Napoleon…
Who else would defy such a man as mad as he was?
…
…
Late 1804, Bordeaux
Being a princess had it's advantages. I was happily married, free from the abuse that I had endured at the hands of my stepmother and stepsisters. Now, I was married to Christopher, the Prince of my Dreams and each and every day was like that night we first met at the ball.
As I came down for breakfast that morning, I joined Chris and his father, King Maxmillian at the dining table. But, I noticed that something was off about them. They each had looks on their faces that sensed something was wrong.
"Um, did I miss anything?" I asked in a confused tone. "Don't tell me, the royal chef messed up again?"
But, I did little to lighten the mood.
"No, no, he didn't mess up, at least this time," chuckled Maxmillian as I sat down.
"If this is about when you want us to give grandchildren…you'll be sorry to know that it doesn't take one night to give you what you want."
"It isn't about that, Cinderella," said Christopher. "Something was posted on the gates this morning without our consent."
Now things were getting very interesting on account that someone would post a decree without Maxmiliian's consent or the consent of Christopher and myself.
"What did it say?" I asked taking a sip of tea.
"It's Napoleon," answered Christopher, looking over at me. "He's at it again."
"Napoleon?"
"Yes, Cinderella. He's forcing us to give him every man in our kingdom to his armed forces. If we refuse to comply, we are branded traitors and face either exile or death."
"But why would he do that? Doesn't he know what you experienced fighting in Italy?"
"He doesn't care, Cinderella!" Christopher cried out in a loud voice, slamming his fist down on the table, causing the silverware to rattle. "He doesn't care. That night we first met at the ball, that was the night I returned from Italy. 50 men from my brigade were slaughtered by the Sardinians. I was the only survivor. Napoleon forced me to go battle the Austrians at Milan, but I refused and…"
"We know son, we know."
"No you don't, father!" cried Christopher, his PTSD kicking in. "Rather than welcoming me with open arms, you force me to take part in a ball that was nothing more than an audition for me to marry a future queen!"
A hushed silence befell over the dining room. Clearly, this was taking a toll on Chris's mind and it was my job as princess and future queen to be there for him. Maximilian had a look on his face that showed he had never heard of this until now.
"Son…wha…why didn't you tell me you were suffering from this?" he asked, walking around the table and sitting next to his son. "This torment?"
"Because I couldn't bear myself to show you my weakness, father," Chris answered. "You always taught me to be strong and I couldn't be weak for something you wanted me to do. I had to go along with what you wanted me to do."
"The ball? Why if you had told me that you weren't up for the ball…?"
"I had to and I did, father!" Chris cried, before sulking at the table. "I never told you that I deserted Napoleon at Torino because I was afraid that I might never come back here alive. He knows that I deserted him and now he will kill me."
This caused both me and Maxmillian to give each other worried looks.
"Father, I cannot risk our subjects' safety on account of my actions," he said. "What can we do?"
"There might be one way," sighed Maxmillian, staring up into the ceiling. "But it would mean we would have to leave our kingdom until Napoleon is defeated."
It seemed inevitable that we had to consider leaving our kingdom. But Bordeaux was my home, it was our home. Both Chris and I have lived all of our lives here. Who would be wanting to take rulers of an independent French kingdom in?
…
…
Late 1804, Buckingham Palace, London, Several Days Later
…
"Your majesty," said a butler to George III and his family as they dined in the royal dining hall. "There is news from France that you might need to hear from."
The butler, who was standing in the doorway, anxiously awaited the king's response.
"Is it Napoleon? What does he want?"
"The rulers of Bretagne and Bordeaux are seeking asylum, sire."
Carefully listening, George III turned and faced the butler.
"Who told you this?"
"One of our spies who was in France, sir. He reported it to Parliament at sunrise, who then reported it to the Prime Minister and…"
…he is reporting it to me? Inform my secretary that I wish to speak with the Prime Minister on this matter at once."
"Yes, your majesty."
Once the butler was gone, George returned to his table and contemplated the possibility of bringing several independent French rulers to Great Britain. He knew of the capability of what Napoleon would bring to all of Europe and the possibility of a French Invasion of his country remained very much in doubt.
"By God, that man has no honor," he muttered to himself as he sat back in his chair, having every intention of securing our safety. "No honor at all."
"George?" asked his wife. "You don't think that Napoleon would harm these independent French kingdoms, don't you? The kingdoms of Bretagne and Bordeaux…they have always been loyal to the French monarchy. As do the kings of Provence and Toulouse."
George said nothing, but he was thinking that a military intervention of Napoleon needed to take place and he had just the man for the job. Turning over to another butler, he gave his command, gesturing to him to lean forward.
"Send for the Duke of Wellington at once," he said. "He has just returned from India."
…
…