A Royal Wedding
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time
I have noticed that two OUAT stories this past week have featured Abigail and Fredrick. I am one of the few people who ship them, so this is very exciting for me. Therefore, I declare this "Abirick appreciation week." (Most of the other ships have appreciation weeks, so I think this one should, too.) Of course, I had to write a story that involved them to celebrate.
However, I'm also pretty sure that the Abirick ship has only one member in it: Yours truly. So I've written this from Snowing's POV, and it has a far amount of Snowing in it as well. This way, people will actually be interested in it. I always love to write about Snowing anyway, so it's not like it's a problem for me to include them.
Oh, and for those of you who read "Thicker than Water Part II" this is AU from that story, although it is canon to the show. (Although it follows "Snow Falls," not "Snow Drifts.") Because I made it clear in that story that Snow and Charming did not attend Abigail and Fredrick's wedding.
And as for all of my stories
OOOOOOO means time change
XXXXXXX means POV change
OOOOOO
XXXXXX means POV and time change
"It's a nice day for a trip, isn't it?" Charming asked Snow as they rode in their carriage to Princess Abigail's wedding.
Snow smiled. It was nice of him to try to take her mind of her worries. She wasn't exactly…looking forward to seeing her husband's ex – fiancée, although he repeatedly told her Abigail wasn't a bad person. "Yeah. The view is nice." She wasn't sure which view she liked better: the forest out the window or the handsome prince in front of her.
"I'm glad you think this view is nice," Charming commented in a joking manner. She wondered what he meant by that. "I think the view from here is wonderful, too." He was looking straight at Snow when he said that. Snow smiled at him and caressed his arm in thanks. "Did you know this is the same road I took with Abigail, before?" he asked her.
Snow shook her head and gave Charming a look. She didn't really like to think about Abigail. He was supposed to be taking her mind off that woman!
But he gave her his most charming grin. "I was just mentioning it because Abigail was so disagreeable when I was riding with her back then. She didn't like the view. I was pretty miserable, until my ring was stolen."
Snow looked down at her hand to look at said ring for a moment, and then looked outside the carriage for a second. Then she smiled at him, full of love. "You're right. This is the road where we met, isn't it?" She hadn't recognized it right away, because she was so preoccupied about Abigail.
"One of the best days of my life," he told her sincerely, taking her hand and squeezing it. "And it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been in the carriage with Abigail that day. So I owe her my thanks, despite our miserable engagement."
Snow squeezed his hand back. She hadn't thought about it that way. But it was true. If Charming hadn't been engaged to the "nag with the bad attitude," he would have had no reason to be traveling on this road. And if he hadn't been traveling on this road she would have no reason to try to steal the most precious of jewels. "I guess I owe her my thanks, too then," she told him. "Because it was one of the best days of my life, too."
He leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. "I love you Snow. Only you," he promised her.
She smiled back at him. She knew that, but it was nice to have reassurance, especially today. "I love you too," she told him as she pecked his lips back.
They spent the rest of the carriage ride in companionable silence.
OOOOOOOOOOO
When they arrived at the golden castle, they were greeted by Abigail herself, in a green gown. "Prince James!" she exclaimed, giving Charming a hug. Snow had to remind herself she had no reason to be jealous of a woman who was happily marrying someone else today. Besides, as they had already discussed, ultimately, they owed her their thanks.
"I still can't believe how much I owe you," she continued. "My father and I sent so many knights to Lake Nostos, but they all drowned. We gave up hope. I thought my Fredrick was gone forever. And then…you came along, and I'm marrying Fredrick today!"
Charming nodded. "Well, I was thinking earlier about how much I owe you," he replied. "If we hadn't been on the road that day I wouldn't have met Snow." He looked straight at Snow when he said that.
Abigail nodded and held her hand out to Snow. "Welcome, Snow White." She took Abigail's hand and shook it.
"Abigail!" Someone shouted from inside the palace. "You need to get ready!"
Abigail sighed. "Yes, I know. I just had to come out and greet the person responsible for my wedding!" She giggled a little. "Can you find your way into the Grand Ballroom? It seems I'm supposed to be occupied."
Snow and Charming nodded. "Of course."
"Abigail!" they heard again from inside the palace again.
XXXXXXXXXXX
OOOOOOOO
A few hours later, Snow and David sat in the Golden Castle's Grand Ballroom, waiting for the wedding to begin. Suddenly, harps began to play and everyone stood up. From a distance, they could see Abigail coming forward, holding onto her father's arm. David smiled at that. To think, there was a time when he thought Midas only cared about gold and power. Now the man was glowing with happiness that his daughter was able to marry the man she loved, even if he wasn't royalty.
Then David turned to see Snow, looking a little upset. It occurred to him that Snow would be a little upset that her father was never allowed to give her away at their wedding. Just one more thing Regina had taken from them. He sighed and wrapped his arm around her, trying to comfort her with his presence.
Eventually, Abigail and her father reached the platform and Fredrick. Midas smiled at them as he stepped down and Abigail and Fredrick smiled at each other as only two people in love would. "We are gathered here today to witness this union between these two people," the clergyman began. He went on to explain the importance of marriage and of taking the marriage vows seriously. It was a sentiment David agreed with whole – heartedly.
Finally, the couple began their vows. "Do you, Sir Fredrick, Chief of the Guards, take this woman, Princess Abigail, to be your wife, to support her and love her in everything she does, until death do you part?" the clergyman asked.
"I do," Fredrick replied firmly, looking straight at Abigail.
"And do you Princess Abigail, take this man to be your husband, to support her and love her in everything she does, until death do you part," the clergyman asked her.
"I do," Abigail replied confidently, looking straight back at Fredrick.
David thought to himself that it was too bad Fredrick's armor had prevented True Love's Kiss from working for them. If it had, Abigail and Fredrick would have received the benefit that he and Snow had: eternal love. Still, Abigail and Fredrick didn't seem to be upset that they were only allowed a lifetime of love. They just looked happy that they were able to marry.
What was nice about this wedding is that Regina never interrupted it. There was nothing to stop the joy of the celebration for Abigail and Fredrick, or the rest of the audience.
When the ceremony ended, the ball and feasting began. "I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome my former Chief of the Guard into my family," Midas announced, holding up a wine goblet to toast. "You will now be known as not Sir Fredrick, but Prince Fredrick."
At that everyone took a drink of wine and clapped for the new prince.
"Thank you Father," Abigail smiled at him. "For accepting Fredrick as the man I love, even though he wasn't a prince before. Thank you Fredrick, for being the wonderful man I love. And thank you to Prince James for giving my Fredrick back to me." Abigail raised her wine goblet as well. "To all three of these wonderful men."
Everyone took another drink and clapped again.
Fredrick raised his glass next. "I'd like to thank King Midas for accepting me into his family as well. And for Abigail for seeing me as the man made for her, not just a knight. And I'd also like to thank Prince James for being brave enough to take on the siren and rescue me."
Everyone took another drink and clapped.
People around the ballroom all turned to look at David, trying to get a look at the person that Abigail and Fredrick claimed was responsible for bringing them back together. "You really did that?" One man asked. "For someone else?"
"We should make a statue in this man's honor!" commented one of the other guards.
"I agree," Midas commented. "We should take measurements for it while he's here."
David sighed and regretfully walked off with the men. He'd much rather spend time with Snow than bother with this. He didn't rescue Fredrick so he could have glory, after all. He'd done it because he knew what it was like to lose love and he didn't think Abigail deserved it. As far as he was concerned, seeing Abigail and Fredrick happy was all the thanks he needed. Besides, if he hadn't confronted the siren, he might not have decided to find Snow again, after all. Where would he be then? Where would she be? Still these people insisted on doing it anyway, and if he turned them down, he would hurt their feelings. He didn't want to do that to Midas and Abigail, who he considered friends.
Eventually they finished taking measurements for the statue and he was allowed to return to Snow. "Sorry about that," he told her. "I didn't really want to bother, but they insisted, and I didn't want to offend people I consider friends."
Snow smiled at him and rubbed his arms. "You have to be the most modest man I've ever met. Most people would be eating up all of this praise."
David shrugged. "Yeah, well, as far as I'm concerned, I owe them thanks for confronting the siren. If I hadn't, I may not have gone back for you. Then where would we be?"
Snow shrugged. "It doesn't matter, we're here now."
"Dance with me, Snow?"
"Of course," he replied as he led her onto the dance floor.
I believe the reason why True Love's Kiss didn't work on Fredrick was because he was dressed in armor, so Abigail wouldn't have been able to kiss his lips.
I also know that I changed the vows from the other Enchanted Forest wedding that we've seen. (Snow and Charming's of course.) This was on purpose, as I had David reflect on. I know some people think "Do you take (insert name), for all eternity" were standard vows for that world, but I don't agree. If nothing else, there is no way Leopold would have been able to marry Regina after Eva died if his vows were to love Eva for eternity.
So I think that "eternal love" (as in the couple will be together forever as opposed to a lifetime) is a perk that couples get when they use True Love's Kiss. Aurora and Phillip have also used True Love's Kiss, and they mentioned they were supposed to have "eternity" together as well, so the idea makes sense with the show. In order to use True Love's Kiss, you have to have True Love, but you also have to be cursed first and be able to break the curse with a kiss. (Which Abigail and Fredrick could not do.) I believe Abirick has just as much love as Snowing does, they just weren't given the opportunity to use True Love's Kiss. I tried to show that with this fic.