Once Upon A Time

A brief, somewhat altered retelling of the season 3 episodes "Lucky" and "Penelope," set in fairy tale format. Garcia/Morgan, Garcia/Kevin. Sorta kinda spoilerish, and as G-rated as you can get. My first published effort, so be kind. Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue.

Once upon a time, there was a king. He fought hard to protect his kingdom from the evil villains plaguing his land. To help him, he employed the services of a handsome prince, who led the king's armies in battle against the villains. The prince was a bit of a rogue, flirting with all, close to none; but he had a good heart, and was strong, brave, and loyal. The king also employed a beautiful princess, who was kind, intelligent, and lively. She managed the king's vast network of spies, and could learn anything about anyone with astonishing speed.

One day, the princess met a wizard. He was charming and devilishly handsome, with golden hair and silver tongue, and he seduced the princess easily. The prince was concerned; he felt that something was wrong with the wizard, and he tried to warn the princess away from him. But he had underestimated how lonely the princess was. She became angry at him, and went out with the wizard anyway.

But the prince was right. The wizard was evil, and he cast a spell on the princess. The spell was intended to kill her, but the royal physician found her in time and altered the spell so that it made her fall into a deep sleep instead. The kingdom was thrown into turmoil as the king put all of his efforts and resources into catching the evil wizard and saving the princess.

Someone had to manage the king's network of spies, and with the princess indisposed, the job was delegated to the court jester. Through his efforts, they discovered that the wizard was masquerading was a soldier in the king's army. He was trying to make himself look like a hero, by destroying entire villages as a wizard so that he could ride in and save the villagers as a soldier. He had targeted the princess because her spies had been investigating some of the villages he destroyed, and he was afraid she was going to catch him.

The prince came up with a clever plot to trap the wizard. If the wizard wanted to be honored as a hero, then that's what they would do. They invited him to the castle to present him with an award for valor. The wizard went to the castle to receive the award, arrogantly secure in the belief that his disguise was unknown. But as soon as he arrived, he was quickly surrounded by the castle guards and killed by the prince's own furious hand.

With the wizard dead, the spell was broken and the princess woke up. The prince and princess reunited joyfully, and the king announced a celebration throughout the land. The princess reclaimed her duties from the jester, and the prince found himself thinking. The prince and princess loved each other and had for a long time, but they were so busy with their duties for the king that they had never had time to let their relationship evolve into anything other than deep friendship. But he had almost lost her, and that had shaken him badly. He meditated on their relationship for a while before deciding that friendship was no longer enough. The life of a handsome rogue was no longer enough. He wanted a family, and he wanted it with her.

But as he gathered his courage to reveal his decision to her, he realized that it was too late. The princess had fallen in love with the jester. The prince watched the jester closely, seeking any sign of deception or unworthiness, but to no avail. The jester was a good man, and would not hurt her. Though deeply disappointed, the prince respected the princess's decision and held his tongue, his newly discovered feelings unvoiced. She was happy, and that was all that mattered. He could live with that.

He would find a way to live with that.

The End