The Characterisation of Annabelle le Roux

Chapter One: Creation Myth

This is the story of Annabelle Le Roux, her rise, her fall, her destiny. Most importantly it focuses on all the people who loved and who hated her.

Most biographies begin with the protagonist in their formative years, and they tell of some incidents that show the character of their family, but I am going to go one further than that and begin with her conception.

Annabelle was conceived in a fit of love and of passion, but not in a bed or in the back of a car or any place that you may be thinking, but instead in the head of James Mitchell.

You see Annabelle le Roux wasn't real, but instead a projection of what he thought was needed to tell a certain story. So, in order to tell her story and where she eventually landed up, we will need to tell his story too.

The woman who loved him the most was undoubtedly Alicia Mitchell. James liked to mope about and make snide comments in her presence with an air of disdain. He said that she annoyed him more than she could possibly understand.

She for her part was oblivious, or at least very good at ignoring them. She saw the making of Annabelle le Roux. Back then Annabelle was not called Annabelle. In fact, Annabelle didn't have a name.

The first story that James told that featured Annabelle Le Roux went something like this:

There once was a brave prince who wanted to achieve fame and fortune in the land that he lived in. His father, the king was old and infirm and likely to die. He knew that in order to be accepted as the new king in the land he needed to show himself to be worthy of the title.

However, the land that he lived in was an incredibly well run and ordered place. He knew that there was nothing he could do, while remaining at home. Therefore, he decided to start reading the local newspapers.

He read that in a faraway land, there was a dragon, named Samir. Samir was a terror that would eat sheep, dogs and virgins.

Alicia would interrupt at this point.

"If everybody knows that the dragon has a liking for virgins, why didn't they just ensure that there are no virgins in the village. There's a simple solution for that you know."

The prince immediately set out for the distant village.

"Was the prince a virgin himself?" asked Alicia "If he were a virgin, wouldn't that be putting himself needlessly in danger. Did he take any precautions?

The journey was long and arduous and though there were many temptations to stop and rest or go another way, the prince continued. When he came to the village, he found only ashes and charred remains. There wasn't a green twig to be seen. The prince despaired because he feared that he arrived at the village too late.

He was going to turn around when a goblin-like creature came out into the street.

"Young man" he said "My daughter is locked up and will most surely die, if you don't go away and save her. I may be ugly and hobbled and you may not know whether I can be trusted, but my daughter is beautiful with raven black curly hair and honeyed skin. Her heart is pure."

"Well - that's a father's bias for you" said Alicia. "I would be sceptical if I was the prince. I bet it is a trap!"

The prince saw the tower where the girl was imprisoned, and he knew with a brimming heart that she was the love of his life."

"Have they had a conversation yet, how can he know how they will get along, let alone how can he know that he loves her? All he has is her father's description" commented Alicia.

He rode up to the tower, but there was no door. There was no way for a man to enter the fortress of the dragon. Samir flew overhead. The prince knew that somehow, he had to tempt the dragon to land.

"Didn't you say that the dragon has a liking for virgins. You haven't told me whether or not the prince is a virgin, but I very much suspect that he is, based on your avoidance of the subject."

The prince took out an arrow, lit the back portion of the arrow and shot it into the air. The dragon swayed his head from side to side confused by the flaming arrow – perhaps it thought that another dragon had come to this place as well, but eventually the dragon came down and attacked the prince.

The prince grabbed his sword in his hand and his shield in the other.

"How did the prince manage to carry a sword, a shield and a bow and arrow? Did he have a backpack? You know backpacks are kind of dorky" added Alicia.

The prince lunged for the dragon's heart; fire singed his beard. His sword went right into the dragon's body, but the dragon did not die, because the dragon had no heart.

"Oh, that's interesting, how do dragon's circulatory systems work? Are dragons giant insects? Wouldn't the weight of a giant exoskeleton crush the dragon? Is the best way to kill a dragon to step on it?"

So, the prince had to pull the sword out of the dragon's body to try again. A fly came across the prince's face and as he swatted the fly away from his eyes, he realised the dragon's weak point.

The prince directed the sword directly upwards, past the dragons mouth and nostrils and he went straight for the eyes. The prince was just tall enough to reach into the dragon's eyes.

"You see this is where class privilege plays into the story. I bet the prince was one of the tallest men in his kingdom and all this because he had a proper diet when he was growing up" said Alicia as though preparing her master point in a class essay.

The prince had to duck out of the way, as the dragon's large head fell to the ground. The prince then used the dragon's giant body to climb up the outside of the tower. When he got to the top, he saw the princess and the two kissed.

"What!? Didn't he ask her if it was okay to kiss her? I don't want strange men kissing me, so I don't know why she would be any different." Alicia was mortified.

He took her home as his queen. The people were impressed by his bravery in fighting the dragon and when they saw how beautiful and kind-hearted the Queen was, they immediately loved her. After the king died, the two ruled together peacefully for the rest of their lives.

"James!" cried Alicia in conclusion "That's the most romantic story that I have ever heard. You should write it down and get it published. I'm sure that all my friends would love it."