CHAPTER ONE:

THE AVARICE OF VOLPINA

As night swept over the shifting sands of the desert kingdom of Agreste, a stout old man stood at the stony entrance to an underground temple, gazing up at the looming crescent moon.

"Agreste," he murmured with a smile, "city of mystery, of enchantment, of the finest camembert on this side of the River Jordan..."

"Master, what are you doing?" came a small but aged voice from behind him.

The old man blinked and turned his head towards the source of the voice. A tiny, green, turtle-like creature hovered at the man's eye-level. He had a head far too enormous for his body, and a pair of large green eyes that peered at the old man with wonderment.

"I am narrating, Wayzz," the old man replied with a confidant nod. "Every good story deserves an explanatory opening scene, don't you agree?"

Wayzz the kwami shook his head with a snort. "I think all these years as the Great Guardian of the Temple have dulled your mind a bit, Master Fu."

"Oh, come now, I haven't been Guardian for that long. I'm only one-hundred-and-eighty-six."

"Exactly my point."

Master Fu sighed, his eyes twinkling with humour. His kwami companion may carry the wisdom and knowledge of all things magical in this land, but Wayzz could be far too serious for his own good.

"Master," Wayzz said, "do you really believe the Chosen One will appear?"

"I don't believe, Wayzz, I know she will," Master Fu said firmly. "And I know whatever happens tonight will set the stage for her arrival."

A cold yet mesmerizing voice blew in like leaves on the wind: "Why wait?"

Master Fu didn't seem surprised when a girl dressed in orange and white robes appeared out of seemingly nowhere, scattering sand in her wake as she landed. She carried a long reed flute. Her long brown hair was tied together at the bottom, with a smaller tail on both sides of her head. An orange mask sat on her face, her lupine green eyes staring at Master Fu with a look he knew all too well: hunger – and not the kind one would usually feel.

Master Fu bowed low at the waist, his hands clasped together. The green bracelet on his right wrist shimmered in the moonlight. "Salaam and good evening to you, young traveller," he announced, his faint grin never leaving his face. "And who might you be?"

"I am the enchantress Volpina," the girl said proudly, swinging her flute over her shoulder. "I have come to claim what rightfully belongs to me: the treasure of this temple."

Master Fu appeared to be befuddled by her words. "Treasure? My dear, I assure you, there is no treasure here for you to claim."

"Don't play games with me, old man," Volpina spat. "As a master of illusion, I can see through all of your tricks." She waved a hand towards the stone archway in front of her. "I have spent the last few years searching for this place – the Miraculous Temple."

Again, Master Fu saw that familiar gleam of greed and desire in those alluring eyes. He could see it devouring her slowly from within, like a constant tide warring away a stone on the shore. He couldn't help but pity the girl.

Volpina continued, "Now that I've found it, nothing will stop me from acquiring the Miraculous earrings and finally fulfilling my greatest wish." Lightning fast, she flung her flute down and shoved the end into Master Fu's face. To her disappointment, he didn't flinch. "Not even you, Great Guardian. So I suggest you step aside and give me what is mine, or face the consequences."

"I sense much rage in you, child," Master Fu said calmly. "Why do you allow all these terrible emotions to fill you up? Perhaps," he suggested, "I could give you some meditation lessons. I also know a little yoga."

Wayzz flew up so that he hovered right in front of Volpina. "No good will ever come of your avarice, enchantress," he warned. "You will only bring down pain and suffering on those around you, as well as yourself."

"Oh, you're wrong," Volpina said with a sly smile that reminded Master Fu of a fox on the prowl. "Once I have the earrings, only those who defy me will suffer. My reign will be the dawning of a new age." Her voice then became a deep growl. "Now I don't like repeating myself – step aside."

Wayzz shivered at her menacing stance, but Master Fu merely shrugged. "Very well, if you would like to give it a try..."

He stepped to the right and beckoned towards the temple entrance. Not once did he let his smile falter.

Volpina's eyebrows scrunched together, but she lowered her flute all the same. Her voice purred with wicked admonition. "All I want is the earrings. Everything else in the Temple is yours, but the earrings are mine."

Master Fu simply watched as Volpina strode up to the stone archway. The darkness from within the temple hummed at her presence. The stones themselves pulsed with magic, the engraved runes thrumming to life with green energy.

Volpina grinned and took a step through the threshold...

...only to be sent flying back by a glowing green shield of compressed air!

Master Fu and Wayzz watched her soar over their heads screaming before she crashed onto the ground. Upon impact, she rolled onto her hands and feet, digging them into the ground to slow her projection. When she finally came to a stop, her face was red with frustration. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she breathed through gritted teeth.

"You!" she hissed at the old man. "What did you do?! I am the Chosen One – you cannot deny me!"

"Technically, he can," Wayzz pointed out.

"For a powerful enchantress," Master Fu stated flatly, "you seem to have overlooked basic magical runes. Didn't you read the inscription on the stones?"

Growling, Volpina glanced up at the stone archway. The runes burned hotter than before, as though her attempt to enter had angered them. But now it was much easier for Volpina to translate them:

Hair as dark as night and lustrous bluebell eyes,

She hides a heart of gold beneath her hapless guise.

For only one of inner worth shall pass beyond the gate

To claim the treasure for her love and change her dismal fate.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Volpina shouted. "Foolish old geezer, you think I can't solve one puny riddle?"

"Actually," Master Fu said grinning broadly, "I think this one should be easy for you. It practically tells you who the Chosen One is. You could say she is a... how does the saying go, Wayzz? Oh, yes – a diamond in the rough!"

The appalled look Volpina gave him was almost hilarious. "You mean to tell me... Someone else is destined to have the earrings?" She bore her teeth like a wild animal. "I did not come all this way to have my dream slip through my grasp!" She took a deep breath and stood up defiantly, her sly smile returning. "All right, Guardian, I'll play your little game. If I'm not the Chosen One, then I will find the person who is. And when I do, I will get that Miraculous!"

Lifting her flute to her lips, Volpina played a pretty little tune. A ball of orange light appeared at the tip of the instrument. The enchantress swung it at her feet, and a cloud of orange smoke exploded around her.

Master Fu watched the mist swirl like a twister, bringing sand and rocks with it. Then, with a clap of thunder, it dispersed and vanished into nothing.

Volpina was gone.

Wayzz stared at the empty spot where she had been, his mouth hanging open. "I can't believe it. You actually told her? Master, did it ever occur to you she might actually find the Chosen One and force her to obtain the Miraculous?!"

"Like I said before, Wayzz," Master Fu said, brushing bits of sand off his tunic. "Whatever happens tonight will set the stage for the Chosen One's arrival. Volpina doesn't know it yet," he gazed back up at the sparkling night sky, "but she is about to awaken something more powerful than anything she knows."

Volpina reappeared at the edge of the desert. Her raging power simmered the sand beneath her feet, turning the ground into a sea of glass.

The enchantress reached up and grasped the golden amulet at her neck, carved in the shape of a fox's tail. It glowed bright orange and in a flash of light, Volpina's mask and robes slithered away. All that was left behind was a young ordinary girl named Lila, who wore the uniform and scarves of one of noble rank.

But that was not all that was left behind. Once Lila's transformation ended, a tiny, orange, fox-like creature – a kwami like Wayzz, but with a long bushy tail and tuffs for ears – emerged from within the amulet. She gasped for breath, exhausted from the earlier ordeal.

Then the fox's face twisted into fury. "I can't believe it – I just don't believe it!" She shouted in a low, unfriendly squeak. "We're never gonna get a hold of those stupid earrings! Just forget it!" That's when the fox noticed the fur on her tail falling out, and her purple eyes widened. "Look at this, look at this – I'm so ticked off that I'm shedding!"

"Oh, get over it, Trixx," Lila hissed at the kwami. "The riddle was obviously just a minor setback that I... overlooked."

Trixx didn't seem to buy that. "Oh, there's a big surprise! That's incredible... I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from not surprise!" She hovered over to Lila's shoulder. "What are we going to do?! We've got a big problem here, a big –!"

Lila had enough of it, so she stuck her index finger at Trixx's tiny mouth. The kwami squeaked like a child's doll, but at least she shut up.

Lila sighed heavily and pulled her finger back. "You're right though," she murmured with cold softness. "Hair as dark as night... bluebell eyes... and a heart of gold. Clearly the Great Guardian is looking for a specific candidate to enter the temple." Her blood churned at the thought that she herself had not been deemed worthy enough.

Trixx rubbed her little nose and grumbled, "Any ideas?"

Lila's green eyes shifted along the dark dunes around her. "With a little magic – and a certain little help – I can find this 'Chosen One'... This diamond in the rough."

MB: This is my first FanFic ever and I want to say I am so glad I'm starting the new year with this. I had so much fun writing this story.

Just to clarify, this is a fanfiction with characters from the cartoon I don't own, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, set in the story of the Disney movie I also don't own, Aladdin. Additionally, it is a role-reversed/gender-swapped tale (i.e.: female lead, female villain, male love interest, etc.). I think the only character whose role and gender will remain the same is Gabriel.

Spoiler alert for Miraculous fans: there will be four main kiss scenes representing the four ships in the infamous Love Square (Marichat, Ladynoir, Ladrien and Adrienette). Be on the lookout!

New Update (May 2018): I changed the chapter titles so that there is no Prologue and Epilogue anymore. Now they're labeled as Chapters 1-30. The story remains the same, with a little spell and grammar checks here and there. Some noticeable changes are Emilie's (Adrien's mother's) name replacing "the Queen", and Trixx's appearance (orange fur and purple eyes instead of the red I previously imagined).