AN: Okay, so this is an idea I have had for a long time… Really a long time; ask any of my writing friends. If you've read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight then you know where this is from. If you haven't, then you don't have to have read it to understand, but this is an adaptation of that poem.
If you decide you want to read the original, I read the Brian Stone version and it's lovely because the dude tried (and succeeded) to keep it in the alliterative meter—sorry for geeking out, but I've written a paper on this poem and had to present it at a conference, so the Brian Stone one is the one I suggest… If you don't want to read, there is a version on youtube. It's a cartoon broken into 3 parts I think. It should be the first on the result list when you type it into the search, and (forewarning) doesn't look all that entertaining, but I was actually impressed—granted that was a viewing in class, so I was impressed with it in comparison to other videos I had to watch, haha. Also, I have Emma's person a little like Queen Elizabeth I. I will actually use a quote or two from the Cate Blanchett 1998 film version, some I've found on the Internet, and probably one from her Golden Age speech… I've tried to signify them with these:*. Though some are variations!
So, obviously this is very AU, and as I've said I have been planning this one for a while, and I know that I have 95 prompts on tumblr, but I wanted to write this one before my muse left me completely—and she just came to kick my ass a bit for not getting it done sooner.
WARNING: Regina won't make it until the next chapter.
Okay… Now that I've written the longest author's note ever, may I present Lady Emma and the Purple 'Knight':
Emma filed into the hall with the rest of the knights. She took her place next to Queen Snow. Her and everyone's Prince, no, King Charming had recently taken the throne, and were now expecting their first child. This Christmas feast was the first in their reign and it had to be the most memorable. Charming and Snow were the Arthur and Guinevere of their kingdom, the Enchanted Forest South, and everyone was ecstatic to have them on the throne. They were much more advantageous than King George. And they cared for their people.
She turned to the Queen, hearing her scoff as her husband walked down to the center of the room. He had to walk all the way around one side of the 'U' shaped tables to get to the center due to his rightful spot being the middle and head of the hall. Snow made sure to watch her husband with a look that told her how ridiculous she thought he was.
"Honestly." Snow turned to her favorite knight, "He can never sit and be merry; something always has to happen at a big gathering…"
Emma gave a small smile at her majesty before turning to watch the King settle the hall.
"Family, friends, honored guests," He looked around, "And many, many people whom I've not yet acquainted," He grinned as the crowd chuckled, "I feel as if something is missing. Something big needs to happen. A grand gesture of some kind—"
"Lady Emma could quit pretending to be a knight!" One of the higher class, male citizens called, well, interrupted from one of the far right end of the 'U'.
"Pretending?" King James queried.
"She's a woman, your majesty." The man, Sir Hugo replied.
Emma's temper flared, as it tended to when she was called out on her gender. She stood up before the king could defend her, "Excuse me, Sir." She clearly meant the formality an insult, but she was a knight and she abided her code of chivalry. She took a breath, "*I may be a woman, but if I choose I have the heart of a man!" She stared down her adversary, "I am my father's daughter. My father, you might recall was a knight himself; he saved the kingdom—he saved your life—from a rogue ogre singlehandedly." She let that fact sink into the man's head, "I am my father's daughter, and like him I fear nothing. You, Sir Hugo, are privileged for my services to their majesties the King and Queen of the Enchanted Forest South!"
Snow's brows raised and she turned from looking up at the standing knight to her husband, who was already looking at her then to Sir Hugo.
King James clapped his hands and with a winsome smile, he turned, hands still clasped, to the 'gentleman', "I think that covers that. Don't you, Sir Hugo?"
The disgruntled Sir, muttered to himself and settled in his seat.
Snow leaned over as Emma sat down, "You know you would still be sitting here even if your father was not killed and we didn't take you in?"
"Yes, my Queen." Emma was still eyeing Sir Hugo.
"You are a fine knight. You are indeed your father's daughter."
The blonde knight with golden locks that everyone swooned over turned to the queen, "Thank you, your majesty."
After making sure that the excitement was not going to be a fight between a royal and a knight, Charming looked around, "Does anyone have anything truly exciting? Not insulting, or…" he half-glanced to Sir Hugo, "Bigoted?"
"I believe I have something." The voice boomed and echoed throughout the hall.
Charming turned around to see a man twice his size on the biggest horse he'd ever seen stride into the hall. It took him until the knight got off his horse to realize that he was purple. Head to toe. Everything was purple. His armor, his skin—even his horse was purple. He instantly thought this a joke from Oz what with the different colored horse, but as the knight spoke, he knew that to be wrong because the thing that really caught Charming's attention was his axe. It was large and intricately decorated—and of course, it was purple.
"Your Majesty, it's so nice to see you on this Christmas feast."
Charming was hesitant as he stared at the intrusion. "What have you come here for?"
The knight seemed to float as he looked around, "I simply wanted to come and play a game. I know how much you like games." He looked back to Charming, "I myself, love a good game. Does anyone else like games?"
Lady Emma and the rest of the knights were all standing at this point, waiting for orders, hands on their swords. Everyone in the room was eyeing this knight.
"No one willing to answer such a simple question?" he chuckled deeply, "It's more a test than a game, but it will be fun."
"What do you want, Sir Knight?" Charming asked.
"I would like to challenge you and your knights." He said simply, "It's quite a simple game… Whoever is brave enough to come down here, I will let you give me a single axe blow…" Everyone knew something was coming, "To my neck." The gasp was mainly heard from the females in the room, including Queen Snow. "If I survive, then in a year and a day's time, I will get to bestow the same courtesy to my adversary."
Lady Emma's brows scrunched together as she watched with baited breath what the next move was going to be.
The Purple Knight looked around and even tried to rook a few knights into it, but no one volunteered, "Well, I must say your knights aren't chivalrous at all. They are quite cowardly aren't they, Charming?"
"You're asking them to lose their head!" He placed his hands on his waste.
"Only after I lose mine." The knight bent down to Charming's level, "Have you ever seen a talking head?" The knight laughed like it was a ridiculous notion, "It's a test of courage of course, which your so-called knights lack."
Saying a knight lacked courage was an insult of the highest degree.
Charming glared at the purple knight, "Alright, fine. I will take your stupid challenge." He turned, "Knights, please." He put his hands out telling them to sit.
Lady Emma sat, but her back was straight and she was on the edge of her seat. Something in her gut was telling her that Charming shouldn't be taking this challenge. She glanced to her queen's nervous, fearful face then back to her king as the knight bent over at the waist, moved his hair that dangled over the nape of his neck and waited for what Emma was sure to be a crushing blow. Just as she saw her king lift the axe, she stood, "STOP!"
Snow let out an audibly relieved breath.
"Your Majesty, I cannot let you do this."
"Why? You heard the knight. He won't survive."
"And if it's a trap?" Emma hopped the table with such grace that none of the table fixings were disturbed; even the wine in the grails seemed to lack a ripple. She walked forward, letting the thought sink in, "My King, please." She gestured to the axe, "Let me take your place. You should not have this job to begin with. You have the kingdom, the queen and the coming prince or princess all on your shoulders. Allow me to take his head off his." He gestured to the large purple being.
"Come on, Charming. Let your one chivalrous knight for his duty."
Charming looked to the purple knight, "Her duty."
"She's a woman?!" The knight stood straight with surprise.
"I am a knight." Lady Emma turned harshly and glared into the purple eyes.
The knight took his axe from Charming's hands and gave it to Emma, "Very well." He said, "The rules are the same. In a year and a day's time, if I live, I will get to return a blow." He looked at her, "Ready?"
Emma nodded.
Knight nodded as well and bent back over, "Remember you get one blow."
Emma pushed her king to the side and raised the axe.
The crowd watched with baited breath; everything seemed to slow. Emma knew as the axe was coming down that she'd cleanly sever the purple knight's head from his neck. And as the blade began to slice the purple skin, everything sped back up.
The purple knight's head rolled and after a moment, of stunned silence, the crowd stood and cheered.
"That's what I call excitement!" Charming said to his favorite knight, "Come." They started walking back to their places when Grumpy, one of the many knights yelled.
"LOOK!" he pointed, fear gracing his features as he stared at what he pointed.
"Dear gods…" Snow's voice was heard around the room as the headless purple knight stood up slowly. After getting its headless bearings, it carefully walked over to its head and tucked it under his arm like a helmet.
"That was fun, Lady Knight!" The head spoke causing a small scream from one of the ladies in the room.
Emma's jaw was dropped completely—so was everyone else's.
"In a year and a day's time we shall meet in the Enchanted Forest at the waterfall near the Purple Castle."
Emma blinked slowly, "Aye." She finally said with a nod, "I will find it."
She walked slowly to her seat aside the Queen. The King was waiting for her to sit before her clapped his hands and rubbed them jovially together, "Let's eat!" he exclaimed with an absurd cheerfulness.
Emma stared at her plate until it was pulled from its place. She looked to her left as the Queen began filling her plate for her, "You cannot fret until there is nothing we can do. There is almost a year's time before you should have that face, Lady Emma. We will figure something out."
Emma masked her features, "It's only shock my Queen. I've never seen anything stand and walk away after having its head cut off."
Snow set the food down, "It's alright to be scared."
"I fear nothing."
Snow considered the knight sitting beside her. She looked around at the other knights. It was true. Lady Emma always went further than any of their knights; she was also the most chivalrous and upstanding. She looked back to the blonde knight, "You truly are your father's daughter." She said for the second time that knight.
Emma gave a small smile before digging into her hearty meal.
AN: Read and Review please!