Author's Note: Takes place between Spring Unsprung, and Way Too Wonderland. This is a story born of headcanons - of Darling's destiny (which I based around the Once Upon a Time short stories instead of her diary), of Sparrow's sexuality, and of fencing. Because I do love fencing. Reviews are welcome.
Darling Charming raised her rapier and took a slow, deep breath. She felt the nervous edge leak from her body; felt it tickle down her spine and pool in her feet before seeping into the ground below her. Felt the world slow down without a well-timed toss of her hair.
She lowered the rapier with a quick flick to her wrist and lunged for the suit of armour. A quick attack sent the helmet spinning to the ground. The lance between the armour's hands fell toward Darling. She danced backward – her bare feet skidding on smooth stone – and she parried the lance as it fell, sending it flicking off into a corner.
She jabbed and lunged, parried and twirled, and eventually the suit of armour was in its dozens of complex pieces on the ground around her. Darling took a deep breath, shaking the tension from her shoulders. Sweat clung to her face and neck. Her long, platinum blonde hair was frizzy with heat. Exertion had pushed it forward, sending it cascading down her face in limp, damp strands.
With a huff, Darling flicked her hair back into place, careful not to toss her hair in its magic inducing way. Her eyes flicked once more to the suit of armour strewn about her. She kicked one of the legs, scowling.
"Useless thing," she said.
From behind her, a deep laugh sounded. Darling spun, rapier already up for a parry, but it was only Sparrow Hood. He leaned against the entrance of the cave-like armoury, his arms folded across his chest and one leg bent to lay his foot flat against the wall.
"Did it put up a good fight at least?" he asked, his eyes flicking to the fallen pieces of armour. Darling forced herself not to growl. She kept her composure and lowered the rapier, stepping gracefully over the armour.
"I thought I was alone," she said, smiling with every ounce of sweetness she could muster.
Sparrow looked unimpressed. "Most people do," he said.
Darling scowled. "For someone so loud you certainly know how to be quiet."
"It comes with the destiny, Darling," said Sparrow. He drew out the word until she wasn't sure if it was her name or a demeaning pet name. Then he chuckled, a low sound that made his eyes darken in the shadows.
"And I thought you were a rebel," she replied, rolling the rapier over in one hand.
"I am," said Sparrow. His gaze flicked to the rapier, then to the armour. "Your technique needs work," he added.
Darling gave a choked off laugh. "And how would you know?" she asked incredulously.
Sparrow crossed the space between then and stepped around both her and the armour. From the armoury's wall, he plucked up another rapier. Sparrow stepped into a series of twists and flourishes that Darling could barely follow. He crossed the room to a second set of armour and darted around it lightning fast. It took less than three seconds before every piece of armour was crumbing to the ground, taken apart at the joints.
Sparrow twirled the rapier again and shifted into what Darling recognized as an 'en garde' position. He grinned at her.
"My father is Robin Hood, fencing was his main means of fighting," said Sparrow. He shifted from his attack position to something more neutral. Darling couldn't remember the words. The book sat in her bag on the floor, untouched since she'd picked up the rapier hours ago.
Darling's gaze flicked from her book to the boy in front of her. He was still grinning. Her scowl deepened. She set down the rapier on a wall bracket and folded her arms across her chest.
"What do you want, Sparrow?" she asked.
"Aren't princesses supposed to be sweet?" replied Sparrow.
Darling smiled. "I could sweetly punch you in the face."
"Fair point," said Sparrow, chuckling. He rolled the rapier over in his hands, his eyes following his own movements. After a moment, he spoke again. "Originally I was coming here to beg a favour, but I think now we can strike a deal."
"How do you figure?" asked Darling. Sparrow crossed the space between them – stepping over the armour without even looking. He darted behind Darling, winking as he did, and picked up the rapier she'd been using. With a quick flick of his wrist, he tossed the rapier to her. She caught it. Stared at it. Stared at Sparrow. Frowned.
"What…," she started.
Sparrow cut her off. "You want to learn how to use that properly? Be a hero or something?" She nodded. "Right, well, I need something too. And seeing as I'm the best fencer in Ever After, I figure we could strike a hexcellent deal."
Darling scowled again. "I don't want your help. I'm doing fine on my own." She turned and walked back to her bag. She pulled out the book and brushed off some of the armoury dust that had settled on it.
"Learning from books, without proper teachers, gives you fairy bad techniques," said Sparrow. "You'll hurt yourself, or worse, if you don't have someone to walk you through it."
"And you think that someone should be you," said Darling. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," said Sparrow. He sighed, pulled off his hat, scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "Look I get that you hate the whole 'heroes save damsels' thing, but I'm not a hero. I'm Robin Hood." He laughed. "I'm as far from the classical hero as you get." A short pause. "Headmaster Grimm is getting on to me about how Maid Marian can be 'any princess without a destiny' and that I should 'be on the lookout for her'." He scowled. Then, twisting, he jabbed at the armour stand behind him. It toppled over.
"What does that have to do with me?" asked Darling.
"Your destiny," said Sparrow, turning back toward her. "Is to be the damsel to a prince with a generic princess – a Princess Charming."
"And?" asked Darling.
"I'll teach you to fence – and steal, lie, sneak, whatever you want – if you pretend to be my Maid Marian."
Darling laughed. She laughed a loud, full-belly laugh that sent her rapier to the ground. She doubled over with laughter. Her body shook and shook until tears came to her eyes and even then she kept laughing.
"You can't be serious," she said, when she finally regained her composure.
Sparrow was silent.
Darling blinked. "Fairy tale, you are, aren't you?"
"I don't like girls," said Sparrow. His words seemed to echo in the armoury, a confession he didn't seem particularly bothered by. "I never have. I never will. Your twin is more my type than you are." His eyes gained a faraway expression for a second. He shook it off. "But Dexter likes Raven – and yeah I can see that, she's hexcellent." He shrugged. "But rebel or not, Grimm won't let off me until I have some Maid Marian on my arm. I don't want one and you don't want a prince. So if we work together, we could be like a band of thieves. Just hanging out. Learning stuff from each other." He kicked at the stones.
"You want me to help you lie to the headmaster?" asked Darling slowly. She was still trying to absorb all this.
"Yeah," said Sparrow. "I get that it's not your usual thing. But I can't stand this anymore, and Grimm won't let up no matter how many times I tell him I don't like girls." He laughed, bitter and dark. "He thinks it's a 'phase', the bastard." Darling started at the crass language.
Sparrow's gaze flickered to Darling, uncharacteristically gentle and vulnerable. "Please," he said quietly. "I'm sick of being told I'm a phase. I just need someone to shut them up." He stuffed his free hand in his pocket, kicked at a piece of armour. It went clanging away.
"You'll teach me how to fence?" asked Darling. "And anything else you know?"
"Anything," said Sparrow.
Darling thought about it for a several fairy long seconds. Then, she nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?" echoed Sparrow, his eyes going wide.
"Yeah, okay," said Darling. "But the moment you treat me like a damsel, I will end you, Sparrow Hood. Fairy tale or no fairy tale."
Sparrow saluted her. "Not a problem, Darling. You're in charge," he said. Darling grinned. She liked the sound of that. Her in charge. Her calling the shots. It was different. It was rebellious. It was perfect.
She shifted into the one ready stance she knew for fencing.
"So teach me," she said to Sparrow, raising her rapier.
Sparrow raised his as well. "En garde," he said. The clanging of metal on metal filled the armoury.