A/N: This story is partly inspired by "Into the Woods" a WONDERFUL Stephen Sondheim musical. I borrowed the idea that Rapunzel and Cinderella's princes are brothers AND the idea of combining fairy tales. I also use quotes from Sondheim's brilliant music at the beginning of each chapter. ENJOY! :)

Justifies the Beans

By angellwings

CHAPTER ONE

"This is ridiculous. What am I doing here? I'm in the wrong story!"

–Into the Woods, Act II, "Moments in the Woods"

Macy popped her knuckles and yawned. She tried to pay attention to the movie. She really did, but it was just so boring. She was a girl, sure. And she liked romantic things, but epic love stories with only drama and tears were not her thing. She preferred action, adventure, and one liners with lots of romantic tension thrown in.

But Stella had picked this.

And, worse still, the guys let her.

She had no doubt they regretted it now. Stella seemed to be enjoying it. Macy didn't know if she was completely focused on it though. She seemed distracted. Macy popped another knuckle.

"All right!" Stella yelled suddenly as she paused the movie. "I get it. You hate this movie."

Macy stared down at her hands and winced. "Oops. I'm sorry, Stella, but…this girl's been sobbing for the past hour and a half. Look, I'll just go into the other room and—"

"It's not just you Macy," Stella said with a small smile before she glared at the Lucas brothers. "Kevin's not even pretending to pay attention anymore. He's been doing a crossword puzzle for the last hour. Nick's been writing songs. And Joe," Stella said as she elbowed him. "Is asleep!"

"Ow!" Joe cried as he suddenly sat back up. "Is the movie over?"

Macy looked around the room and chuckled when she realized Stella was right.

"What's a 7 letter title for an insanely boring love story?" Kevin asked the group. Macy laughed before tossing Stella an apologetic glance.

"The good news is, I think I've almost finished this song," Nick told them as he glanced at the sheet music. "The bad news is…it's as sappy and depressing as this movie."

Stella rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Fine, pick out something else."

Joe, Kevin, and Nick rushed their collection of DVDs all at once. Stella laughed lightly and shook her head. She was surprised they'd let her make it that far into that movie. Kevin emerged victoriously first.

"Got it!"

"What is it?" Macy asked.

"The Brothers Grimm."

"Oh yeah," Joe said with a nod. "The non-girly fairy tale movie. I can work with that."

"Works for me," Nick shrugged.

Kevin put in the movie and then came back to sit beside of Macy on the couch. Not long into the movie Macy felt her eyelids droop. No! She was not going to fall asleep. This movie actually seemed interesting. There was action and fairy tales! But she kept dozing off. She blamed Stella's movie for making her feel lethargic and bored. As she fell asleep she was vaguely aware that her head landed on something solid.

"Macy!" A voice called from another room.

Macy's eyes snapped open and she glanced around her cottage. She frantically stood and dressed. Today she was supposed to be working in the garden so she'd worn her work dress. The one with fraying around the collar and sleeves and patches on the skirt. She pulled her hair up into a scarf to keep it off of her neck. The last thing she needed while she worked outside was a sticky neck. She hated it when the sweat made her hair stick to her neck.

She made it to the main room just as her mother was about to call for her again.

"Oh! There you are!" Macy's mother said brightly. "I need you to take Ellie to the market today."

"Th-the market? But you can't mean—we're selling her?" Macy asked in outrage. "But mother—"

"Macy, she's not giving us any milk. And she's severely underfed. If we don't sell her now she won't be worth anything to anyone," Mrs. Misa told her gently. "I know you like Ellie, but she's an old cow and it's time that we say goodbye. Now, please, go fetch her and head into town. I've packed you a basket with lunch in it to take with you."

Macy slowly trekked out to their tiny poorly constructed barn. She fixed the rope around the milky white cow's neck, and spoke gently to her as she led her back toward the house.

"I'm sorry, Ellie," Macy said as she paused to pet the cow. "If it were up to me, I'd keep you with us for as long as I could, but it's not. And Mother is right. We need the money, and we can't really afford to keep you fed with out getting any milk from you. It's practical. You know what, Ellie? One day, very soon, I'll be rich. I'll have lots of land, and a huge barn, and a garden the size of old Mr. Tabor's. And when that happens, I'll find you and buy you back."

If you're still alive, Macy thought. Hopefully she would strike it rich before someone turned Ellie into steak. Macy stopped by the house to tell her mother she was leaving and grab her lunch basket.

"Good luck, dear!" Mrs. Misa called as she watched her daughter go. To herself she said, "Be practical. You have to grow up sometime, Macy."

Mrs. Misa was very proud of her daughter. She was a hard worker, and very brave. But she lived in a world of day dreams. She had goals that crossed the boundaries of her station in life, and Mrs. Misa often worried that her daughter would never be truly happy.

"Where are you going?" Joe asked his brothers as they all headed down the castle stairs.

"I'm getting out of here," Kevin told him. "All these ball preparations are driving me insane. We've never had this many visiting royals staying at the palace before and I can't take it. Don't you get tired of princesses throwing themselves at you?"

Joe laughed. "No, should I?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "I do. All these girls are the same. They're beautiful but not very complicated. There's got to be someone out there who's both interesting and attractive."

"You both can't leave!" Joe yelled. "Then I'll be stuck here."

Kevin quirked an eyebrow at his brother. "Stuck? I was under the impression you loved it here with all these girls begging for your attention?"

Joe sighed. "Okay, fine. It's a little boring. Just once I'd like to have to work to get a girl."

"How are we going to get out of here again?" Nick asked his oldest brother. "The guards know we're not supposed to leave unless it's on official festival business."

Kevin shook his head. "No, they know the princes aren't supposed to leave, but we're not leaving as princes."

"I'm going to be stuck here covering for you two, aren't I?" Joe asked knowingly. He was used to covering for Kevin, but not Nick. "What are you two going to be doing all day anyway?"

"Exploring," Nick told him. "We'll be Kevin's advisors someday, right? How can I advise him to govern a land that I've never truly seen?"

"You're just going to be wandering around the countryside. Alone?"

"I'll be fine, Joe. We've been trained in every form of combat known to man, remember?" Nick told him.

"And what about you?" Joe asked as he turned to Kevin. "Where will you be?"

"I will be mingling with my people. If I'm going to be their king someday I need to know what they're like. Their wants, their struggles, their needs."

"Wow, you've both thought up practical and rational reasons for ditching the ball preperations. I'm impressed," Joe said with a shake of his head. "Well, have fun. And remember, you both owe me. A lot."

Kevin grinned and patted Joe's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be back in time for the ball."

Nick agreed. "Say hello to Stella for us."

Joe slammed the door behind him as he muttered angrily to himself. Stella looked up from the queen's dress and smirked at him.

"Well, hello to you too, Joe."

He paused his pacing and stopped to give her a small smile. "Hello."

"Something wrong?"

"My brothers ran off and left me to cover for them with our parents."

Stella's hand stopped stitching across the fabric. "Are they coming back?"

"They said they'd be back before the ball, but the last time Kevin went out into the village he was gone for two days. He worked. Outside. He came back with a tan and dirt under his nails," Joe ranted. Stella held back a chuckle at how ridiculous Joe made that sound. "He said he ran into a couple of farmers who lost all of their crops and needed to completely replant their entire field, and that he couldn't refuse to help them. So who knows when he'll be back. And Nick? Nick's never been in the village without a member of the guard with him. Never. I should have stopped them. I should have put my foot down, but no. I couldn't do that. Why am I such a coward?"

Stella smiled softly at him. "You're not a coward. You just want your brothers to be happy. That's a good thing."

"My parents won't see it that way."

"They just worry, that's all. You're not a normal family, you know. You're royals. Meaning there are lots of people who would like to get their hands on you. For their own gain. Your parents just want to protect you from that," Stella told him. "Please tell me they at least went out in normal clothes?"

"Kevin knows not to go out alone in royal garb," Joe told her. "The whole point of him going out was to get away from being royal."

"Good. It's muddy out today, and the last thing I want to do this week is to try and work mud out of velvet," Stella told him as she returned to her dress.

"That's all that you're worried about? Getting mud out of velvet?" Joe asked with a grin. "You're not worried about my brothers, say, staying alive?"

"Joe, you may be royals, but you're not helpless. You're more trained than most of the knights in your father's court. They'll be fine," Stella assured him.

"I guess you're right," He sighed. He finally sat down in the chair next to her. "Are you coming to the ball tonight?"

"I can't," She told him with a sigh. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

"Why not? It's open to the entire village."

"My aunt doesn't think it's a good idea."

Joe's brow furrowed. "Why does it matter what your aunt thinks?"

"Because she gives me free room and board. That's why."

"Free room and board? I thought the court seamstress lived here in the castle?"

"The court seamstress used to live in the castle. I got passed over for the court accountant," Stella told him with a sigh.

"The court accountant? That's ridiculous! You're here more than he is! I'm going to have to talk to Father about this. You should have that room."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Really, Joe. It's not important. Don't make such a fuss—"

"It is important! If you lived here, you could come to the ball and then I wouldn't be impossibly bored all night long," he huffed.

"Bored? With all the pretty court girls that are going to be giggling and batting their eyelashes at you? How can you be bored?" Stella asked with a smirk.

"Because that's all they do. Giggle and blink. Giggle and blink. I'm glad they think I'm attractive, but what good are they if they can't even carry on a conversation?" Joe told her in frustration. "I'd much rather have you there than any of the members of court."

Stella tried her best to stop her blush. A wave of relief washed over her. He preferred her to the girls at court. That was quite possibly the sweetest—

"When you're there it's like talking to one of my brothers."

She instantly deflated. One of his brothers? Did she look like a boy to him?

"Gee, thanks," Stella said sarcastically with a sigh.

"What?" He asked when heard her tone. "What did I say? I know I said something because you've got that look."

She stood from her chair and put the dress away. "I'm not one of your brothers, Joe. I'm a girl. You know, a female? I wear dresses and enjoy fashion a little too much. Not to mention I worry that my cheeks aren't rosey enough constantly and I hate how tan I am. And finally, I think men, specifically royal men, know absolutely nothing about how to talk to a woman."

He stared at her with wide eyes.

"Does that sound like one of your brothers to you? Does it?"

"N-no, I guess not."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, your Highness, your youngest brother is on his way here for his fitting right now, and I need to get to work."

He reached out and grabbed her hand to keep her from turning away from him. "Stella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just—I wish more people could talk to me the way you do. That's all."

The doors to the wardrobe room opened suddenly.

"Oh, gross. Mushy stuff."

Joe immediately dropped Stella's hand at the sound of his little brother's voice. Stella sighed and turned to the youngest prince.

"I know the queen taught you how to knock."

"I'm a prince, I don't need to knock."

Joe laughed. "I'd like to you hear you say that to Mother."

Magic. The man had said they were magic. He said they would grow faster than anything she would ever plant in her life. That would mean food. Lots of food. Her garden would be the most interesting one in the village. So Macy had traded him Ellie for the beans. She thought she'd made a good deal.

But her mother wasn't impressed.

Macy had never been yelled at. She'd been scolded, sure. Most of the time for climbing too high in a tree or for scaling the castle walls in an attempt to get a look at their breathtaking garden, but she'd never been yelled at. Until tonight.

She'd never seen her mother so angry. Macy felt very stupid.

Magic? Why had she believed that? There was no such thing as magic. She'd snuck out of the house after her mother had sent her to bed. Staying in that house just reminded her of her stupidity.

She'd grabbed the beans and headed back out to the marketplace. Maybe she could find the man who gave her the beans and make him give her back Ellie.

The marketplace was closed when she got there. Apparently there was a royal festival happening this week, and tonight was the first of three balls to be held at the castle. Everyone had packed up early to attend. She kicked a nearby booth and instantly regretted it.

"Ow!" She exclaimed as she hopped on her foot and turned to sit on the booth. "So stupid!"

"Miss, are you all right?"

Macy jumped at the sound of the voice and hopped down from her seat. "I-I'm fine."

She intended on going on her way because she'd been taught never to talk to a strange man. But he kept talking to her.

"Are you sure? You kicked that booth very hard."

"I'm fine, really." She said as she looked up at the source of the voice. Her eyes widened and she swallowed thickly. This stranger was very handsome. She felt the sudden urge to tell him everything about herself, but she fought it. He smiled at her and his kind eyes met hers. And she realized that he didn't feel like such a stranger. There was something vaguely familiar about him like she'd met him before.

"You look upset, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Unless you can turn these beans into 'magic' beans then no, you can't help," She told him as she thrust the small handful of beans into his face.

"Magic beans?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes, magic beans. I'm a very stupid girl who traded her favorite cow for 'magic' beans."

"You traded a cow…for beans?"

She glared at the man in front of her. He looked amused. She desperately wanted to smack that grin off of his face. "Forget it, I can see you're not going to be any help."

"No, wait," He said as he put himself between her and the trail. "I didn't mean to insult you. It's just…those are such odd things to trade."

"Well, as you can tell I'm a very odd girl," Macy sighed. "Every one says so."

He smiled brightly at her. "Being odd isn't a bad thing. Actually, it's kind of…refreshing."

"Uh huh," She said with a quirked eyebrow. "Then people must think you're odd too. Only people who are odd say things like that."

He chuckled. "You're the first person other than my brothers to call me odd."

"Then should I say it again? You, whoever you are, are one odd duck."

He smiled again and Macy felt her throat tighten. "Kevin."

"What?" Macy asked.

"My name is Kevin."

"Oh, that's nice."

He gave her another amused look. He appeared to be waiting on something. "Well?"

"Well, what?" She asked.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

"No, I don't know you."

"But I told you my name."

"That doesn't mean I know you."

"Okay then what do I have to do to learn your name?" Kevin asked brightly.

"Find the man who made me think these beans were magic," she told him with a sigh. "Or find a way to really make them magic beans."

"Either one of those things might take a while."

"That's the point."

"So you're not ever going to tell me your name?"

"Did I say that?" She asked him with a grin. Yes, she was enjoying this. But she'd never had someone be so eager to know her name.

"All right, then if I'm going to find a way to make these beans truly magic then I think I'd better take a look at them," The man said as he stretched out his palm toward her.

She glared suspiciously at him. If he took off with her beans then she'd have no chance of getting Ellie back.

"I'm not going to steal them. I just want to have a look," He assured her.

She sighed and gave in. "Fine, but just one."

She placed a single bean in his hand. He studied it carefully and then tossed it from one hand to the next only he didn't catch it. Macy's eyes widened.

"Oh no! The bean! Find it! I have to have that bean if I'm going to get my cow back!" Macy said desperately as she sunk down into the mud to search for it. Kevin winced and cursed himself as he joined her.

Suddenly the ground below them began to shake and a little green leaf sprouted from the mud. Kevin pulled Macy back as the little green leaf grew, and grew, and grew until it wasn't so little anymore. It was a towering beanstalk.

"Um, I don't think that man lied to you," Kevin said as he and Macy stared up the length of the beanstalk.

"Wow," Macy said breathlessly. "Where do you think it goes?"

"Up?" Kevin suggested.

Macy laughed lightly and smiled at him. "I was right. You are odd."