Elven Ruling Family

Queen Briseis (d)

(m) King Auberon II (d)

(child) King Auberon III

(m) Queen Marcia (d)

(child) Etain

CHAPTER 1

Excerpt from diary of King Leopold, Ruler of a Kingdom of Man, the Land of Fairytales, Year 1137 of Man

The Fairy King has finally put aside his grief to welcome his daughter into the kingdoms of man and mythical creatures. Where once there was nothing but mourning in the lands, they have been allowed celebrations. King Auberon's daughter, Etain, the first female child born to the royal line in several generations, is to be presented to the kingdoms of Fay and Man. My own daughter and I have been asked to attend the Presentation. We travel to the Kingdom of Fairy on the morrow to welcome the birth.

My heart is saddened for the new elven princess. To have her mother die in the birthing is a great tragedy indeed. Although they are a handful of years apart, I do hope my own daughter can find an ally in this new heir.

The Presentation, the Summer Solstice

Weeping willows littered the landscape. Snow White had only ever seen the low, swaying leaves in books, the drawings rough and vague. Their silver strands stood out starkly against the lush green grasses, swaying lazily in the scented breeze. Every possible color in the rainbow seemed present and dialed up brightly. Human eyes were not trained for such wonders, and King Leopold kept his eyes firmly within the carriage itself.

Snow pressed her face against the coach's window, her face almost splitting with her awe-struck smile. Winged fairies fluttered against the sides of the wagon, feathering their dust against the enameled wood. Unicorns whinnied and danced together in the distance. Winged men danced above the trees while centaurs crashed through them. Mythical creatures of every shape and size dotted the landscapes.

All roads within the Kingdom of Fay led to the ruling family's castle. It served as a stronghold against attack, as well as home to the King and his new heir. In years gone past, the Fay people had retreated to the castle in times of need and in time of celebration. On such a day as this, the roads were congested, brimming with life. The journey was slow, allowing Snow to take her time in staring at all the wonders around her.

Finally they came upon the Fay stronghold; impregnable and beautiful as it stood brightly against the diming dusk. The pebbled path took them up to the castle's ivory laden doors. A procession of elven and fairy warriors stood along the cobbled entryway. As the carriage passed, each warrior raised their swords, the metal glinting against their ornate armor.

The carriage came to a halt before a creature that could only be likened to a mountain. His horned head was massive, but his features were strangely delicate. The twisting horns were adorned with inlets of silver, curving high to meet the heavens. Dark, gray skin was equally decorated with tangled runes of mercury. Bare-chested and muscled, his chain mail skirt rustled softly against his booted legs.

The creature was nothing short of astonishing to the young princess. Wings ruffling as he bent down to greet the small human child as she exited the carriage; he cradled her hands in his giant clawed fingers, impossibly gentle.

"We welcome you to our kingdom small one. My name is Weyland, Protector and General to King Auberon's Winged Armies." Weyland smiled, his eyes crinkling merrily at the edges. "And it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Using just the tip of his index finger, he led the beautiful girl up the marbled stairs to the waiting assembly as King Leopold trailed quietly behind.

1-1-1

Each aristocratic family of Fay and Man were called forth to view the new elven child. Gifts were laid out before the gently rocking basinet as if the girl were some small demigod. Cora waited quietly with her husband and daughter, her cunning eyes taking in everything around them. She had ensured her daughter was flawless and beautifully presented for today. Royalty and wealth would be bursting from every corner of the room, and while Regina had yet to meet her twelfth year, she could still garner the attention of some child prince.

But the powerful witch had another reason for her eagerness. The Fay families grew fewer each year. War with Man and with each other had thinned the population of King Auberon's kingdom greatly. As such, more and more of the mythical creatures found love in the arms of mankind. True love was starting to cross many a boundary. If Cora could find the tiny heir's intended among the gentry of Man, she could bend the boy to her will through magic or her own daughter.

She ushered her husband and daughter into their appointed pew. Cora's grip on Regina was uncomfortably tight as steered the girl towards the center of the cushioned wooden bench. Regina had learned a long time ago not to wince, to keep her face placid and blank. Cora had imparted this skill cruelly, but effectively.

Their time would come soon enough. In the meantime, she would try her damnedest to be patient. Looking up, she watched as the Fairy King's Grand Marshall beckoned the assembled forward, the many guests starting to queue by title, race and lineage. Some didn't bother to rise, knowing they would be one of the last to view the new heir. Cora stayed firmly seated, grimly watching the growing procession.

Three Hours Later

Cora leaned over the Fay girl whose golden eyes tracked her curiously. Wisps of silvery hair dusted her smooth, pale brow. The child's face scrunched up happily at the aging aristocrat who stared down at her critically. Cora gently brushed aside the baby fine hair to peek at the child's sharply pointed ears. The old witch smiled cruelly as she felt Etain's power singe her long fingers. The heir would prove strong in the fay ways of earthen magic.

Leaning further down ever so slightly, she whispered her spell against the child's thrumming heart.

"Show me your heart's true love little one… show me your intended."

A weak beacon of light flowered against the girl's tiny chest. The light trickled down the side of the crib to snake along the marbled floor. It weaved lazily through the many wooden benches, whispering past the throngs of chatting aristocracy. Invisible, it still tickled the feet of those it brushed.

It started to slow as it approached the fourth row of pews… only to stop in front of Cora's own daughter, Regina. The light flared as it wound its way up the child's legs. The brunette's eyes turned curious at the phantom sensation as it swirled tightly before bursting into beautiful silvered sparks against the flustered girl's own heart. Blinking, Regina's hands rose to clutch her warm, joyful heart.

Cora had to bite the inside of her cheek sharply to keep from laughing in delight. Regina was destined to rule the Kingdoms of Fay. The witch's eyes gleamed with the very thought of it. To have her daughter rule such power, to rule it herself by proxy. A child of Cora, a Queen! She liked the idea; she liked the idea very, very much.

The seed had now been planted within Cora Mills. Her daughter would know royalty, or nothing at all.

Several long minutes passed before the final guests were escorted forward to meet the young Princess. King Leopold's hand tightened around his daughter's pale fingers as they glided closer to the bejeweled crib. Snow felt more than saw the magical barrier that protected the tiny child, and felt that same barrier give way to her and her father.

Snow White's tiny hands clutched at the side of the carved basinet whose protective runes shone duly. Sky blue eyes sparkled at the sight of the tiny, magical creature. The fay child squealed in delight as Snow made smiling, strange faces at the wiggling bundle. The human child whispered happily. "One day, you and I will be the best of friends, I promise."

With a formal nod to the seated Fay King, Leopold scooped up his happily yammering daughter. Snow was utterly charmed, her eyes still locked on the wooden rocker even as her father seated them amongst the other Kings of Men. The crowd had quieted to an overwhelmed hush.

Auberon looked on in tired, saddened awe at the tiny bundle fussing quietly in her cradle. He closed his eyes as trumpets blared, signaling the end of the procession. And not for the first time in the many months between his wife's passing and Etain's entrance into this world, he hoped his future would be brighter than his past.

Excerpt from diary of King Auberon, Year 1141 of Man

I have broken one of our highest laws. I have peered into my child's future, eager to see her life's journey. What father would not desire to know what lies in store for his child? What I have found…

I went to see the accursed imp my father banished from our lands in the time of Dragons and Songs. Rumpelstiltskin's power has always come from fulfilling the forbidden desires of those around him, and the price he forces upon them. Going to him was something I had agonized over, but I had to know. I have always been a man unable to wait for the solution to the puzzle that life brings. Marcia used to tease me relentlessly as I would flick through my father's books to read the endings first.

The imp showed me my beautiful daughter at a young age, running wild in the midst of the Hunt. Marcia's absence was clear as our child's prowess with the blade was well beyond that expected of a proper elven lady. It brought my heart joy to see it. I could not have a son, but my little girl appeared to be more adept at blade and Hunt than any male child could ever be. She was small, fierce and proud.

But as I moved through her many years of life, Etain's days grew darker. Adulthood presented a human lover, one that seemed to twist my child into a cruel, vicious woman eager for violence. War raged within the many kingdoms, a war my child took delight in.

I saw my daughter die on her knees, eager and filled with wanting, her blood infusing this woman with dark magic.

Revulsion filled me.

Rumpelstiltskin assured me that this woman is my child's true love. How can this be? Blood, shadow and pain beyond words are the only gifts this human woman seems to bring. I see my daughter bending to her will, being used in more ways than one. It tears at me.

How am I to change such a fate? I'd rather see my daughter dead than taken by such a monster. As we take our power from the very earth, Fay magic cannot work against the nature of the worlds, or what the fates have devised. True love cannot be rewritten; it is not within my gift to give, the saving of my daughter. Only the dark hand of Man can work such accursed twisting of the Fates. I must call upon the darkest of them, the cruelest.

Cora. She who has come to me before in my time of need, but I had refused her. I can smell the darkness within her. She makes my skin crawl. Her power is all consuming, and it has destroyed what little love she was capable of. But if dark magic is used for good, is it still so dark? Can she save my child still?

Year 1142 of Man, Small dwelling on the outskirts of Fay and Fairytales

The King's thick frame filled the doorway easily. War had hardened him in muscle, but also in mind. He was loath to come here, to lay himself low for nothing more than a common human woman. But desire to see his daughter saved brought him here to this wretched house of darkness.

With her back to the door, Cora Mills stood silently in front of the roaring fire that dominated the small cabin. She was tiny, shrunken almost. As the witch turned, the King saw nothing but emptiness in her face. He could smell the wrongness of her, the darkness that churned beneath the surface.

She smiled sweetly at him, the gesture a lie.

"And what brings your Majesty to my humble workshop?"

Auberon reached up to unconsciously grip the handle of his sword, the tiny woman made him so very nervous.

"I need you to take my daughter's true love from her."

Cora turned away from the King hiding her shock, her heart hammering. "And why would I do such a thing? What has your daughter done to deserve this my good King?"

Auberon shook his graying head, his crown catching the reddish firelight. He suddenly looked older, his already creased face frowning deeply.

"Etain will bring destruction to our kingdoms, in the presence of her true love. If I knew the identity of this girl, I would kill her myself. But in this future landscape, I cannot tell who this Queen may be. They will lay waste to each other and everything decent in this world. Their power…it will consume all of us."

Fear made her stomach curdle, sweet tasting bile tickling her throat. Cora had been twisting Regina to her will for years, grooming her for whatever the old matriarch needed. If the elf princess could corrupt her Regina, taking away the obedient little girl she had spent years grooming, and give her magic beyond words as well…

Cora shook her head, clucking her tongue sadly. "This cannot be. Your child is true and good. Surely, she can make this creature a better person?"

Tears stained his voice as he roared back at the conniving creature.

"It has been shown to me by the Dark One himself! Nothing but despair awaits our lands if this is allowed to come to pass." His large shoulders sagged in exhaustion as Auberon sat down heavily. Sleep had eluded him for days as hellish nightmares crept in uninvited. He stared at his hands in broken silence.

Cora's mind raced. Rumple would have shown the King only one of many possible futures, and would have been oddly silent on this fact. The Dark Imp relished carnage, gleefully displaying it to the Elf King. Cora felt the door closing on her daughter's future rule, but perhaps not all was lost. Calculating eyes stared at the King for a few short minutes, assessing, weighing. He had power without measure, power that could be easily transferred if the King was willing.

The witch smiled sweetly, hunching to appear still smaller. "My King, the price is a small one. This much dark magic will surely kill or cripple me. I cannot save your child at the expense of my own…who will care for my Regina if I were to die in the process?"

Auberon lifted his head, hope and fear warring for his expression. "I will care for your child as if she were my own. She will want for nothing for all her days."

The human kneeled before him, clasping his hands tightly between her cool fingers. "You know as well as I what happens to a girl without her mother. Regina will be lost, she will be set adrift in a world where she will have no love of her own." Cora's eyes filled with false tears. "I cannot take what true love my own child has in her life, to save yours."

His golden eyes closed tightly as realization came to him. Cora wanted more than just riches. Far more. "What must I do?"

"Kiss me." Distaste wrinkled the King's brow. Cora slid closer. "Kiss me and the deal is made."

His jaw tightened. "And what exactly is the price for your services witch?"

Cora's smile was dark and far too full of teeth. "The knowing will make the payment harder. But as in all things, there must be balance. Your future will be sacrificed for hers."

He slid his hands out from beneath hers, cupping her face gently. Leaning forward, King Auberon kissed her cold lips. His breath left him in a gasp, magic surging from him and into Cora's waiting lungs. Panting, her skin awash in fairy light, she leaned forward to cradle the suddenly weak King.

Cora sighed softly against the fairy's steel gray hair. "And now, I will make sure that Etain's love will never be returned."