CHAPTER ONE- A NEW FUTURE

Jasmine strolled through the streets of Paris, finally free from the confinement of the Palace.

It was so captivating. Glistening bars of gold, pottery, sweet fruits, crisp vegetables, gorgeous jewelry, everything was on offer. How she wished she'd brought some of her riches along to finally put them to good use.

It was lively and bustling- just the way she liked it. Daunting music echoed through the air, and colorful dancers were performing on the sides of the street. She stopped for a moment to admire them. 

One dancer in particular caught her eye- a slender young woman with velvety black hair that fell in thick waves down her lithe back, and striking green eyes. She was the most skillful of them all- furrowing her sculpted eyebrows in concentration, her crimson lips breaking into a wide smile as she twisted her hips, cartwheeled, and performed all kinds of breath-taking athletic tricks to make her dance stand out. And it did- to Jasmine. 

The dancer noticed her too, and nodded flirtatiously. Jasmine smiled back shyly, clasping her hands together in a vain attempt to control the sudden rush of nerves.

Suddenly a shrill whistle sounded. Jasmine gasped, startled by the noise. She whirled around to see all of the other performers scattering quickly. Confused, she looked back to where the woman was dancing and soon realised why.

Two burly guards from the palace- Simon and Jay- she knew them both- were looming over her. Simon snatched her small bag of coins away from her firm grasp. 

"That's right, Gypsy. Hand it over," he sneered. 

The dancer growled angrily, quickly snatching it back. "No! I earned that money," she insisted. 

"Fiery, eh? That's how I like 'em. Makes my job so much more fun," Jay crooned, as he roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and kicked the back of her knees. Her eyes flashed with pain, but she didn't fall. 

Jasmine winced, clenching her teeth with anger. Without hesitance she pulled down her hood, revealing herself as not a wandering peasant girl, but indeed the Princess.

"Simon! Jay! Leave that young lady alone this instant- or else" she threatened authoritatively.   

The two looked around. 

"Princess," they gasped with shock. "Yes your highness, your command is my- I- I mean your wish is our command!" stuttered Jay, fumbling to let the woman go. Simon sank to his knees and bowed before the Princess, muttering an apology on behalf of them both. She smirked slightly, relishing in her power for once. 

The dancer, who had fled to the corner of the street for safety, bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, smiled gratefully at Jasmine, and darted away. Jasmine gazed after her, resisting the urge to follow her. 

Looking down at the soldiers on the ground before her, she rolled her eyes. 

"Get up, you idiots."

They slowly rose to their feet, shaking off dust from the cobblestone pavement. 

"If I ever see you mistreating an innocent young woman like that again, there will be severe consequences. Do I make myself clear?" 

They both nodded quietly. 

"I want an ATTENTIVE answer!" shouted the Princess angrily. 

"Yes, your highness," they said clearly, saluting her. Jasmine sighed and dismissed them. 

"Be gone, you hapless fools." 

As the two men scurried away, she sighed. No doubt that they would spill the details of her whereabouts to the Royal Visor, Claude Frollo, who would certainly take pleasure in ratting her out to her Mother, Queen Adrienne.

She quickly used her palm to wipe away the sudden wetness in her eyes as she realised that her freedom had lasted merely hours and not an eternity like she'd hoped. 

Jasmine simply couldn't face the suffocating captivity of the Palace once more, where her dreams and ambitions lay outside of the thick stony confinement, where her only pastime was swimming in riches and jewels, and yearning for friendship and freedom. Under her breath, filled with a new determination, she swore to not let herself be dragged back into that life. 

A new future awaited her.