Chapter One: Welcome To Rosas

Chapter One: Welcome to Rosas

We begin our story with Disney’s 100th anniversary logo.

It fades to black, before panning across a study and zooming onto a book sitting on a desk. The book has no title, instead having a large star on the cover.

The book flips open and shows a page depicting a night sky, filled with glowing people where the stars should be. A castle rests in the middle on a bed of clouds. A man begins to narrate.

Once upon a time, there was a realm far far away, known as the Celestial Realm. There lived stars, beings who possessed great magical power and could do amazing things.

The page flips showing some stars on one side of the page, while humans are on the other. One of each is in the middle of the page, shaking hands.

For a long time, the stars traveled between their realm and our realm, helping us achieve many great things and granting people their hearts desires.

We pan to the next page, showing the humans and stars again, but this time the humans look more like evil creatures, with black silhouettes that only show two green eyes and a mouth like a jack-o-lantern. The stars meanwhile are cowering away from the humans.

But it did not last. The humans became more and more greedy, and demanded more from the stars. Some even tried to take the magic of the stars for themselves

The page flips, showing the stars high in the sky and looking down at a city below. The humans look distraught, praying and begging to the stars. In the middle of the stars is a tall figure with a glowing dress and a wand.

The stars fled back to their realm and stayed there, using their magic to watch over the humans. The people below were of course upset, and begged the stars to come back. Their queen came down for the final time and told them “Listen well. Only when you have proven yourselves to be brave, true, and unselfish creatures will we come back to your aid.” And since that day, the stars remained in the sky, watching and waiting.

We fade to black, where a title appears: “Upon a Star”. •◌•◌•★•◌•◌•

We fade back in, panning across the city of Rosas.

The camera focuses in on a young woman dressed like a musketeer sitting on a rooftop. On one side of her there’s a large empty sack, and on the other a genet nibbles a berry. “Look at that Valentino. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and all is calm. The perfect day to steal stuff, wouldn’t you agree?” The girl asks the genet, who chitters and licks his paws. I’m glad.” She grabs the sack and slides down the roof, Valentino following her.

(via unknown) We cut to a different location, now at the docks. A young man paces, rubbing his temples. He has shoulder-length dark brown hair. His clothes are plain, apart from his dark blue tunic and cape.

“I can’t believe he put me on tour duty again! Just because I was a few minutes late to one of his lessons…” He sighs. “Let’s just get this over with.” He stops and straightens up as he see’s three adults, a couple teenagers, and a child disembarking a ship. He clears his throat and waves to them. “Ah, Hello! Hola, Shalom, Salam! Welcome to Rosas, where your all wishes can come true! I’m Flazino, and I’ll be your guide!”

🎵 Welcome to Rosas 🎵

Flazino

Group

Citizens

Welcome to Rosas Come along, come this way Where the greatest creations are all on display There's no other place as full of surprise Where your dreams and your reality can collide

(Flazino guides the group through the city gates, making grand gestures around the city. They pass by a man operating a large machine similar to the one Belle’s father had in Beauty and the Beast, and stare in awe.)

You wanna touch the sky? Or to feel more spry? Make your dreams come true? Well, hey, do we have good news for you

(They pass by a man on stilts, then an older woman dancing with the grace and ease of someone much younger. More citizens start to appear as Flazino gives the group a wink. The stock characters other citizens start to dance)

'Cause here in the city of Rosas You can turn all your wanting to wishing No what-ifs and no wonders Oh, here in the city of Rosas It's unlikely that you'll be unhappy With so much to discover

(Flazino dances in the center of it all as he sings. The group watch with delight, a couple even joining in. Flazino twirls the little girl, who giggles.)

A home for me (me) For you (you) And all of us (us) The city of Rosas

(Flazino points to people in the group and leads them over to a puppet show similar to the one in the movie)

So like, we have this king name Manuel And years ago he saved us with a spell

(A puppet that looks like the king holds up a scepter, warding off several evil-looking puppets.)

With lightning for hands and eyes that can glow No, no, no, I'm totally kidding! But he is powerful He’s just like us with a twist So much power, so much to list!

(He holds up his hands creepily at the little girl, who gasps in fear. He quickly stops and ruffles her hair playfully.)

A magic swish And there you have it, poof, there's your wish! Ooh and, hey did I mention when you turn eighteen? You get to give your wish in a ceremony And he keeps them safe, every wish he acquires And once a month he grants someone's greatest desire It could be you someday, or you, or even you Ooh, who could wait?

(A citizen puppet gives puppet Manuel a blue ball, then jumps around happily. Flazino points to three of the citizens on “you”. A couple glance at each other with doubt.)

(A man) Does it hurt? (The child) Do you cry? Oh, no, and you won't even miss it when you say "goodbye"

(Flazino looks a little hesitant at first as they ask, but brushes it off with a little wave and smile.)

'Cause here in the city of Rosas You can turn all your wanting to wishing No what-ifs and no wonders Oh, here in the city of Rosas It's unlikely that you'll be unhappy With so much to discover

(The group, looking a little more reassured and confident, join in on the singing and dancing. Flazino looks relieved.)

A home for me (me) For you (you) And all of us (us) The city of Rosas

(Everyone dances until the end of the song, where Flazino and several citizens strike a pose on the steps outside the courtyard of the castle, similarly to the movie.)

The citizens clap and cheer, chatting amongst themselves with delight. Flazino is used to it by now. He’s seen it all before, the sheer delight before the inevitable happens. His smile falters a little as he overhears some of the group.

“Wow, this place is amazing!”

“I wonder if the king would grant my wish?”

“This is such a magical place to live!”

The little girl smile and tugs at presumably her mother’s sleeve. “I can’t wait to give my wish to the king someday!” Flazino fakes a chuckle at this comment.

A loud commotion comes from a ways down the road, though it’s hard to see what’s going on through the crowd. The tour group perks up at this with alarm. “What was that?” One woman asks.

Flazino waves a hand dismissively. “Probably just a spooked horse or something. Why don’t we go see the artisan district?” He quickly ushers the group away to a different part of the city.

We cut back to the girl from earlier, who’s running across a roof and holding a small sack. She stops a the edge of the roof and turns around, where we see several guards stalking toward her. “Stop right their Alondra!”

The girl, who's name is really Asha, crosses her arms and chuckles. “Ah, hey there O’Donohue. Good to see you again, you look great. Is that a new helmet?”

“Your sweet-talking won’t save you now. You have committed crimes against Rosas and her people. Pay for your crimes or suffer the consequences.” The guard grumbles.

“Or I could do this.” Asha quickly grabs a clothesline and cuts it, swinging down to the street below. She lands seamlessly on her feet and looks up. “You won’t get away that easily, thief!” The guard shouts from above. “Ha, I already have!” Asha calls back before quickly running down the street. After a minute she stops and looks around, clutching the bag.

A couple other women are standing by washing clothes. One looks up at Asha and chuckles. “Getting into trouble a little early, aren’t we Alondra?”

Asha puts her hand to her chest in pretend shock. “Who, me? I would never.” There’s more shouting from up ahead, and we see around ten guards now barreling towards Asha. She clears her throat and draws a rapier from its hilt. “Excuse me ladies.”

Asha tucks the bag into her belt and rushes at the guards. The guards draw their swords as well. Asha takes on one guard at a time, dispatching each with ease. She parries their blows and sends one into a wall. Another trips and fall so into a wheelbarrow that Asha kicks away. Yet another is knocked down by a barrel Asha rolls at him. She smugly smiles as she faces the sixth guard in her path. Another grabs her. “I got her Simon! I’ll-“ he’s cut short as Valentino lands on his head, spinning his helmet.

“Good timing, Val.” Asha says, wriggling free. Valentino chitters and jumps onto her shoulder as they run off again. The remaining four guards pursue. Residents watch from the sides of the street or from their windows as Asha looks around for a quick escape. She notices a cart filled with bags of gold outside a wealthy-looking house. She bolts to it and tips it over, letting gold spill into the middle of the street.

Immediately citizens rush over to the gold, grabbing whatever they can. The guards try and push through, but once they make it to the front, Asha is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, her voice comes from above, on a rooftop. “Good citizens, accept this gift from the Alondra of Rosas!” She waves her hat and bows before making her escape. Valentino waves as well before following. The citizens cheer and clap. “I’ll get you one day, Alondra! I’ll get you if it’s the last thing I do!” The first guard, O’Donohue, calls.

We cut back to Asha, a little later in the day now. She’s in an abandoned house, carefully placing clothing and food in the large bag from earlier. “That should do it. Now, why don’t we watch a little show before we take this home?” She asks Valentino. He nods happily and skitters up a flight of stairs onto a balcony. Asha follows and leans against the railing, looking down at the courtyard of the castle below. The entire kingdom is gathered, talking quietly amongst themselves as the sun begins to set. The trumpets begin to play. There’s a huge flash of light and the crowd cheers loudly. King Manuel himself jumps out to the front of the stage.

“HELLOOOO ROSAS!”

The crowd whoops and hollers, though it sounds somewhat dry. Nevertheless, they continue to clap and cheer. Queen Amaya and steps out from the main door, making short curtsy’s before seating herself near the back of the stage. She looks perfectly content and even a little bored. We cut back briefly to Asha, who sneers and rolls her eyes at the king.

Manuel smiles, drinking in the attention, beaming and twirling his staff. “Thank you, thank you. You’re too kind.” He waves his hand for silence. The crowd immediately goes quiet. “Now, first things first, we have two new residents ready to give their wishes.” Two people from the earlier tour walk up the steps. “Elena and Stefan, welcome to Rosas. You’ll love it here.” Manuel holds his hands out. “Now make your wishes.” The two close their eyes right, and a glowing emanates from their chests. They take a deep breath and two wish bubbles appear. The new residents blink, suddenly looking deeply saddened, though they try to hide with smiles. “Don’t worry. They’ll be perfectly safe.” Manuel says. He waves his staff and sends the wishes up to his tower. The two nod and slowly walk back down the steps. “Forget without regret!” The crowd chants.

We cut again to Asha, who watches the king with a mixture of disgust and sadness. “Now, who is ready to have their wish granted?” Manuel shouts. The crowd cheers again with more sincerity. “Now, I have thought very hard about who’s wish will be granted tonight, and I have decided on someone who has waited long enough.” Murmurs ripple through he crowd. “So it is with great pleasure, that I announce Anya Ivanov will have her wish granted tonight.”

The crowd applauds, and Anya gasps. “Did- did I hear that correctly? I- Oh my goodness!” She bounds up the steps, her face filled with relief and joy.

Manuel chuckles. He waves his staff again. “Anya, it if my great pleasure to grant your wish to sow the most beautiful dresses in all the land.” A pair of scissors magically appears in front of Anya. She smiles and holds the scissors gently. She looks happy but also somewhat…underwhelmed. As though she hadn’t expected her wish to be that simple.

The crowd cheers for Anya as she leaves the stage. Manuel waves and twirls his staff one more time, sending more sparks out across the courtyard. “Thank you all for coming. Get home safely and have a good evening.”

Asha stretches. “Well, that’s our cue buddy.” Valentino hops onto her shoulders and the two make their way back down the stairs, grabbing the sack of goods. We cut to the edge of the kingdom, where Asha is loading the sack up onto a black horse. It snorts and paws the ground. “Oh, don’t be like that Maximus. If you behave this time, I might let you have an extra scoop of oats, or even a special treat.” The horse’s ears swivel at this and it straightens up. “That’s what I thought.” Asha chuckles. She climbs onto Maximus’s back and rides off into the woods.

Author’s Notes

I looked up. So much sword terminology. Only to use two or three specific words. The life of a writer can be quite a tedious one, I must say.

But anyways, it’s finally here! I hope you all enjoyed this first glimpse into Rosas. My main goal with this chapter was to mainly set up some characters, setting, and lore. As well as hint at later themes. I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out. Except for the action scene. It’s not my strong suit, and I think I bit off a little more then I could chew for the first chapter. But I’m relatively okay with it.

I originally planned to rewrite “Dream a Little Harder” from Twisted and use it as the opening song. Ultimately however, I wasn’t sure how to fit in all of the information needed, so I just stuck with a Welcome to Rosas rewrite. If anyone wants to use that idea for their rewrite however, I would really encourage it. Especially since Twisted is a parody musical of Aladdin (and a lot better then that movie in my opinion but I digress).

I had a lot of fun figuring out Flazino and Asha’s personalities. I can tell Asha is going to be fun to write. She does have that “cool guy” persona, but there’s still a glimpse at empathy for others that might emerge more. As for Flazino, he’s kind of just some guy, but that’s why I like him. He’s someone who obviously wants to do the right thing, but doesn’t know how or even if he could. He’s actually inspired a bit by Phineas Thatch from the podcast Midst, with less of a temper.

As for the king and queen…I’ll talk about them more when the time comes. Speaking of them though, with the wishing ceremony I wanted to give a feeling of unease. Everyone is putting up a front, the people who give up their wish are saddened by it, and the lady who gets her wish is underwhelmed. It makes the audience suspicious of Manuel’s intentions and brace themselves for him to be revealed as the villain. Though that’s a story for…two or three chapters from now.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter One: Welcome To Rosas

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