Flowerbell's Love Triangle/Part 4

Papa Smurf and Flowerbell both walked out of the Imaginarium together talking with each other. "So how's the lucky couple of Woody and Laconia doing since the day they were married?" she asked.

"I haven't smurfed any complaints from them so far, so they must be happy with each other," Papa Smurf answered.

"It's so nice that two people can settle down and have a happy life together instead of having to always find love in the wrong places," Flowerbell said with a deep sigh.

"You don't seem happy with the freedom that you now have away from being a captive of Lord Balthazar," Papa Smurf noted.

"Believe me, I am happier now than I was when I was his prisoner, Pops," Flowerbell said. "But every day that I'm on my own, I just wish there was someone in my life that I can share my freedom with."

"The forest is a real big place for a woodnymph like you, Flowerbell," Papa Smurf said. "There has to be someone besides this imp who's bothering you that will care for you just as much as I do."

"That's nice to say, but somehow I just don't feel complete without you in my life," Flowerbell said sincerely.

"Well, hello there, sweet stuff," a familiar voice broke in. They both watched as Avarice appeared suddenly before them, with the imp's arms stretched open wide and his face with an expression of unbridled joy.

"Avarice, what are you doing here?" Flowerbell asked, already sounding annoyed at his presence.

"Why, I've come to take you back home, my little pudding pie," Avarice answered. "I don't know why you've decided to just run off without me, but now I've come for you and we're going to be happy together."

"We were happy together once, Avarice," Flowerbell said. "But I know where your heart truly lies...it's that Treasure of the Ancient Trolls you want the most."

"Well, once we're married, my dear, that treasure will also belong to you," Avarice said. "Don't you want to be known as the wealthiest woodnymph that's ever lived in this forest?"

"Not if that means I have to live with you for the rest of my life," Flowerbell answered, repulsed at the thought.

"So it's you who's after Flowerbell," Papa Smurf said as he addressed Avarice. "I should have known from our last encounter together that you wouldn't give up smurfing after the Treasure of the Ancient Trolls. Why are you after her and not Smurfette this time?"

"Oh, Papa Smurf, can't you see what this precious jewel has done for me? She has shown me true love by coming to my rescue after you had me dancing around for years wearing those magical dancing shoes," Avarice answered.

"If I knew what you were really after, I would have left you dancing in those shoes until your feet got sore, Avarice," Flowerbell said.

"So you're telling me that you're in love with Flowerbell, all because she smurfed you out of the spell that I cast on you?" Papa Smurf said, sounding incredulous. "And I'm supposed to believe that you're truly a changed person because of that?"

"Believe what you what, but my little honeysuckle has been a godsend, and I would give everything I have just to have her as my one true love, Papa Smurf," Avarice said. "And I'm not going to leave here until she admits that I'm the one that she truly loves with all her heart and soul, and when she does, you Smurfs are going to marry us."

"Admit that I truly love you? Fat chance, Avarice," Flowerbell snapped. "I wouldn't be surprised if Papa Smurf cast those magic dancing shoes back on your feet just to get you away from me forever."

"But he can't, now that I have a protective spell on me that prevents him from doing just that, my little cutie," Avarice said. "You Smurfs are going to be seeing lots of me around the village, annoying the heck out of you, until you give me just what I want: my own darling Flowerbell as my wife." And with that, Avarice disappeared again.

Hefty, Smurfette, Empath, and Polaris approached Papa Smurf and Flowerbell just after Avarice disappeared. "Papa Smurf, you wouldn't believe who we smurfed into in the forest when we were smurfing in the berries we collected," Hefty said.

"It's that horrible creep Avarice, Papa Smurf," Smurfette said. "And I think he's after Flowerbell."

"I know, my little Smurfs, I know," Papa Smurf said. "We were just smurfed a visit by him to let us know that he's going to be harrassing us until we give him Flowerbell to be his wife."

"Surely you're not going to give in to this Avarice's demands and let Flowerbell be married to him, Papa Smurf?" Polaris asked.

"No, I won't, Polaris," Papa Smurf said. "But right now I'm not sure what else I can do. It's either we marry Flowerbell to him or else he'll just keep hassling us until we smurf in."

"There's got to be some other way that the two of you can keep Avarice from having his way with Flowerbell, Papa Smurf," Empath said. "But this smurf isn't sure if the two of you would be comfortable with that other way that you both may be thinking of right now."

"Of marrying each other?" Papa Smurf said, realizing that for himself. "Empath, I want only what's best for Flowerbell, but the idea of marrying her just to smurf her away from Avarice wanting to marry her is...well, it just feels so unsmurfy."

"Then I guess you don't really love me, Pops," Flowerbell said with a heavy sigh. "I thought that you would be the one who would come to my rescue, but I guess that I was wrong about you."

Papa Smurf saw her slowly walk away, as if her heart had been broken. "Flowerbell, that's not how I feel for you at all," Papa Smurf tried to say.

"Poor Flowerbell," Smurfette sighed, feeling her heart going out to her at that moment. "I just wish I was the one married to that imp instead of her."

"You really want to take Flowerbell's place as the one married to Avarice if that means all you get is being chained to someone whose heart is not fully set on you, Smurfette?" Empath asked.

"What would you want me to smurf, Empath...just let that imp continue to bother everyone else until he smurfs what he wants?" Smurfette replied, sounding a bit angry. "Flowerbell doesn't deserve what's being smurfed on her."

"Neither do we deserve that imp harrassing us if we don't turn Flowerbell over to him, Smurfette," Hefty said.

"Papa Smurf, we have to find some peaceable solution to resolve this situation if we're going to have any peace among ourselves," Polaris said.

Papa Smurf sighed heavily. "I'm going to smurf some time alone to think about this, my little Smurfs. Empath, you're in charge of the village for now until I smurf to a decision."

"This smurf understands and acknowledges, Papa Smurf," Empath said, nodding with agreement.

To be expanded on.