Jewels of the crown

Summary: Long ago, before the ogre wars, before Frederick was turned to gold, before Snow's stepmother planned on killing her… Princesses Abigail and Belle were friends.

A/N: Hello! So Skylie XD and I have decided to co-write a story! This first chapter was written by her and I edited it. It's planned to have a total of four chapters. I'll be writing the second, Skylie the third, and we will both be writing the last. Anyways, enjoy!

Part 1: Friends talk about boys

"Maurice, old friend of mine, welcome." said King Midas as King Maurice and his daughter Belle entered his castle. "And you, beautiful Belle, as lovely as ever I see."

Belle did a small curtsey before Midas as her father did an extravagant bow.

"Thank you Midas, it is always a pleasure," said Belle's father. Belle, at his side, smiled timidly at the King's compliment and whispered a polite thank you, barely heard by King Midas.

"Come to talk about the fish trade this season or to enjoy the jousting festival?"

"A little of both, but mostly the festival. My best knight, Gaston, is away slaying some unknown beast and one can become bored with the jousts in his kingdom when the strongest warrior is missing."

Midas laughed heartily. "Then you arrived at the right place, my friend! The summer jousting festival has just started and I would welcome a good companion to judge the knights. Feel free to indulge in my hospitality for as long as you need."

"I would love to, but first why don't we discuss the business with the fish trade so we can spend the better part of the evening at the tournament."

"Of course, Maurice, of course," King Midas replied, eager as ever to get back to the jousting competition. "I believe your lovely daughter would do to cheer Abigail's moods. She has been quite bored lately and the visit of a friend might be exactly what she needs."

"Is Princess Abigail home then?" asked Belle lighting up. Abigail enjoyed going to Midas' summer palace on the hotter months of the year. The fact she was still there was a lucky thing for Belle, who would have been forced to accompany King Midas and her father otherwise.

"I see Belle, too, is eager to see my daughter. Don't let me keep you then." Midas motioned to his guards all robed in golden chain mail. "Please escort Princess Belle to the swan pond. I believe my daughter is going for her evening stroll right now, she might enjoy the surprise."

"Yes sir." replied the guards. Belle, giving her father and King Midas one last curtsey, turned to follow them.

"They do grow up rather nicely don't you think Maurice? Just a few years ago, your daughter was no more than a little rosebud, tripping over her ball gown along with Abigail," said Midas "now look at her! A rather lovely young woman."

"The fairest rose in the garden!" Maurice agreed with pride "nobody could ask for a better child than my Belle! Of course, Abigail has grown up beautifully as well."

"Yes she most definitely has! Sometimes I feel so old; just yesterday my little Abby was toddling, and learning to speak… Now look at her! She's already grown; ready to be married!"

"I feel the same way! One day soon, we will have to let them go, have their families… I admit, I will never be truly happy with the idea, Belle will always be my little girl!"

"Not so little now is she? How old is she now… She looks younger than my daughter!"

"Belle just turned twenty two. Abigail and her were born just months apart, don't you remember why you couldn't come to her Christening?"

"Oh I remember! I did apologize with a rather large Christening gift though."

Maurice laughed "That you did my friend, that you did!"

With the subject of money arising, the Kings retreated to the business chamber to talk about the fish trade, leaving all thoughts of their daughters aside for the time being.

Belle spied Abigail sitting in the banks of the pond, flaked by various gold clad guards. One of them was holding a shading palm, another two had refreshments on trays held out just in Abigail's reach and some of them were simply fanning her with huge feather fans.

"I suppose this is what your father meant when he said you were bored!" laughed Belle as she approached King Midas's daughter.

The blonde Princess turned her head and smiled genuinely "Belle! Oh, thank father you are here, it's good to see you. The castle is so hot; I can't be inside in this weather!" The guards with the fans took this as their cue to fan her some more. "If I could then I would have been there to greet you!"

"Oh I think I can guess how hot it is, seeing as it is summer at the moment…" Her friend Belle rolled her eyes "and it doesn't matter if you greeted me or not, I'm just glad you're here and not in the summer castle! That would surely have been the death of me!"

"The summer castle is being renovated; Daddy wanted a new tower added for his own personal use. I don't think he cares that the sun is making me sweat. Honestly I don't know how he can stand it at all!" To some, Abigail might have sounded like a spoiled little rich girl, complaining about the sun when she had a whole entourage of guards armed with feather fans and shading palms, but Belle had long grown accustomed to her friend's "delicate" sensibilities. She knew that underneath the whole nag with bad attitude façade was a friend who really cared for her people, her friend knew Abigail wasn't the spoiled brat most kingdoms thought she was. She was actually quite nice, when one took the time to get to know her.

"I am sure you must be suffering like a martyr…" teased Belle, to which Abigail rolled her eyes.

As if remembering herself, Abigail extended her hands towards Belle. "Don't just stand there, Belle! Sit here with me under the shade; Lord knows you must be sweating too. Guards, can't you see she needs to sit?"

Almost immediately a second plush rug was laid by the guards at Abigail's side and filled with cushions for Belle who calmly settled herself mimicking her friend's position. She thanked the guards and turned towards Abigail to continue their talk.

"You know in my Kingdom the seasons are a little more volatile. One day there can be a raging storm then an awful heat wave! I am more used to the heat."

"Of course you are, you might look frail, but I know you Belle. Under that pretty face, there's a sturdy little person."

"Thank you." Belle smiled and sipped a cup of iced something one of the lackeys offered her "is that a new swan there?" she asked Abigail pointing to the far side of the pond "It's one of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen!"

Abigail laughed "oh yes he is. He appeared at our pond when spring was just starting. You should have seen the poor thing back then! he spent his time cowering from the people who came to see him, and was always in the corner, even when the rest of the flock tried to coax him to join them"

"That's strange for a swan… Did you do something about it? He looks quite happy now"

"I made Daddy bring an animal trainer to see what was wrong with him, and you would never believe what it was!"

"Was he sick?" wondered Belle "Tell me!"

"He thought he was ugly!" exclaimed Abigail shaking her head "Apparently the sweet thing was abused wherever it was he came from… The trainer found signs of beatings and scratches under his feathers!"

"That's awful, why would anybody harm a bird as nice as a swan?!" Belle was outraged, swans where generally very peaceful "he's very beautiful, why would he think he was ugly?"

"I don't know, but the animal trainer worked with him for a few days and then voila! He was coming to the banks to be petted and joining the royal flock as if nothing ever happened!"

"Good for him!" Belle exclaimed.

"Now enough with the frivolities what brings you and your father around here this time of the year? Your Kingdom's summer festivals are supposed to be the best ones."

"The rumor of a great champion who beheaded the three heads of a Chimera is enough for even the best of kings to be curious, isn't it?" Belle asked.

"Is my Frederick so famous then?" said Abigail enthusiastically.

"So he is your Frederick now is he? It is true!" cried Belle jumping up and catching herself before she tripped on her green dress, almost clapping her hands in glee. "He did ask for your hand when he defeated the chimera!"

"And Daddy agreed" replied Abigail, a broad smile spreading across her face. "You should have seen him Belle! Strolling into our courtyard with his armor stained with blood, the chimera's severed head in his arm, so brave, so strong! I don't think I have ever loved him more than when he went up to my father and asked to marry me, blood soaked armor and all!"

"I can't believe it, I was sure you of all people would never find the right man, Abby! Rejecting potential suitors was one of your favorite pastimes." laughed Belle.

"This is why I'm so bored now that I'm engaged to Frederick."

"Who knew you would miss the group of boot lickers who were always vying for you?" Belle tried to keep a straight face "you'll either reject Frederick to go back to the way things were or you'll get used to it" the grin broke petulantly across her face "eventually"

"Hush, don't even think about it, I would take ten thousand days of boredom than give him up" Abigail gave Belle a slight shove, Belle knew this meant she was offended "and I don't miss the so called boot lickers, I just miss the fun I had sending them away" sulked the princess.

"But truly Abigail, are you sure this is what you want?" asked Belle holding her friend's hand, her expression softening. All trace of mockery gone from her voice. "Are you happy?"

"I have never been happier in my life, I love him!" Abigail smiled at her friend, touched by her concern. "He is brave and intelligent, he makes me smile, and he makes me hope… Oh Belle, if only you were this happy!"

"That's highly unlikely, at least where Gaston is concerned." Abigail had never met Belle's fiancé but just looking at her face, the way it fell in disappointment told her maybe all was not right with her friend.

"Is he that awful then?" Abigail motioned for her lackeys to step back a bit to give them some privacy.

"No, no, at least I don't think so." exclaimed Belle with uncertainty. "I barely know him Abigail; he's amiable enough, and handsome."

"Then what is it then? Don't worry, I won't tell anybody if you tell me the truth." pressed Abigail.

Belle sent a suspicious look in her direction and then with a sigh admitted the truth. "The man has the intelligence and attention span of a baby. Not just a normal baby, I might add, but a very spoiled and tantrum prone baby giant! Really if you have heard about the giants in the lands of Queen Aurora, then you might imagine Gaston in one of his bad moments. Last time he lost a sword tournament, good heavens you should have seen him sulking!"

"So, he's a brute, no surprises there, half of the knight population usually are." Abigail says to her friend.

"So you don't think I'm horrible? He's my fiancé; it's just hard to love a person when we have nothing in common."

"You are not horrible, i don't think I've ever heard you speak ill of someone, but then again you are a princess, it's a given we don't speak ill of people. Now tell me, why do you think you have nothing in common?"

Belle narrowed her eyes and began to vent, only in her soft pleasant voice it sounded like a polite complaint "He doesn't like to read, ever. Actually, the only book he's ever read is "How to Win a Prize in Ten Steps" or so he told me. Then there's the way he can't listen to what I say for more than ten seconds, and how he is forever looking for something to drive his sword through! Oh lord I'm horrible!" gasped Belle putting her head in her hands before she had a chance of saying something more. "I'm horrible, how can i speak like that? Gaston is my fiancé; I'm going to marry him! I'm going to have his children one day! Oh lord…." Belle started to hyperventilate, her head full of conflicting thoughts. She wanted to accept her fate, to be a good Princess, but the thought of bearing Gaston's children was something she didn't dare imagine.

"Breathe Belle, Breathe!" Abigail bit her lip, trying to sound concerned, but it was very difficult considering that all the while Belle had been chastising herself, Abigail was trying to hide her silent fit of laughter, for a princess that wasn't too keen on laughter, conversations with Belle were the exception.

In Abigail's eyes, Belle was so naive most of the time that it invariably made her laugh, now here she was, listening to Belle tell herself how horrible she was, because the girl was being honest to a human being about how annoying her brute of fiancé really was, it was something so silly it made Abigail want to laugh more.

"You are so funny Belle!" she burst out finally. "Trust me you are far from horrible! Stop chastising yourself, it's making me want to swat you." Finally after mocking her friend for a while Abigail calmed herself "I apologize, but you are not a horrible person. The mere thought of it is as funny as a dragon breathing fairy dust! In fact, I think you are the least horrible person I know. You are just frustrated, it's normal to be so, facing a marriage to a man you can't relate to."

"It's not just that, I have been tied to him since birth, and still, I don't think I love him." Belle told her friend "that's it, I said it. I, Princess Belle of the Eastern shores, don't love my future husband." She felt proud of herself, to hear the first honest statement she'd ever made about Gaston to a royal at least "but it doesn't matter if I love him or not right?"

"He's the best among all who want your hand." Abigail shrugged, helpless. "He's noble, he's a knight, he's trained all his life to be king." she squeezed Belle's hand "I only wish we could both marry for love."

"Everybody wants to marry for love, but not everybody can be as lucky" the honesty in Belle's gaze took her friend aback, but then again Belle was like that, generous to a fault. "Not all can be you Abby; some of us don't even have a choice in the matter"

They were silent for a while, just watching the guards fan them, then Abigail smiled "hey, lighten up! Your fiancé may be a brute, but I'm sure that with the appropriate guidance from you, he can be a great King for your people. Perhaps when you marry him you can influence him." Of course the fact that the words "guidance" and "influence" were the unofficial royal code for manipulation and extortion wasn't lost on Belle.

But Abigail would never voice what she'd really meant; Belle was going to have to manipulate her King once she was Queen, like many other unhappy sharp witted Princesses had done before her. In fact, it was so usual; she might as well be following a tradition.

"Thank you Abigail" she smiled taking comfort on what Abigail had not said "I needed to hear that. Always looking at the bright side of things, you are always such a good friend. You deserve all the joy you have and will have with Frederick."

"Thank you, are you sure you can't find happiness with him though, maybe a little?"

"I suppose it's possible" was all Belle replied with a sigh "he does have good qualities, and he is nice enough to me, but we really have nothing in common, trying to find things we both enjoy, is exhausting" she tried to explain "he might feel the same way too, but then again, he is a knight. To them love and conversation are never really big priorities."

"Perhaps you will grow to love him with time. You said it yourself you barely know Gaston, maybe he will get better." Abigail tried to cheer her up, but it was the same pep talk Belle's father, and maids, liked to give her in the rare moments she voiced her disappointment with her future husband. After hearing the same thing so much, Belle was seriously starting to doubt Gaston would, ever get better, maybe Abigail could see it in her face too because she didn't press the issue.

"I hope so, but then again when it comes to my future with him, hope is all I have" Belle joked halfheartedly. "But enough of me, tell me about you! How are you faring now that you are officially engaged? Tell me about him."

And then just as her friend hoped Abigail launched in a big extensive tale of one of Frederick's many adventures.

"He's so very kind. He goes to the less wealthy villages and likes to give the orphan children part of the wages he earns from my father, and he's considerate too. My Frederick defended an old master swordsman, who the captain of the guard thought too old to be teaching others how to spar." Abigail continued her face lighting up like a candle as she spoke of her beloved, and Belle listened with pleasure, after all, she always loved a good story. Later though, they began exchanging stories about their respective kingdoms, which proved to be more entertaining for both as they constantly tried to outdo one another.

It was talking animatedly like that that both kings found their daughters that late afternoon "I see Abigail is no longer bored." commented King Midas as they approached the side of the pond.

"I see Belle entertained also, it seems the settlement works for both of us." chuckled King Maurice. "there they are, the jewels of the kingdom" his voice boomed across the gardens, the two Princesses happily smiled up at their fathers and went to greet them.

"Good evening Daddy. Is the tournament done for the day?" asked Abigail, giving them her most warm smile, a smile she would not lose until years later when her beloved would turn into a gold statue.

"Yes my dear, did you have a pleasant evening with your friend then?" King Midas asked in the voice of an ever doting father. Abigail nodded and wrapped her arm around her father's elbow.

"Oh yes, Belle was telling me about this incident they had on her courtyard last spring, I can only imagine." began Midas's daughter, her father smiling indulgently.

"And you Belle, I trust you had a good time with Abigail too?" asked her father offering her his arm, Belle's smile was warm and affectionate.

"Yes papa, I had a very enjoyable evening" replied his daughter, quite content.

"I'm glad my love" king Maurice smiled fondly at Belle "now, we have come to escort you young ladies to dinner, allow these old men the pleasure." winked Belle's father in Midas and Abigail's direction. This earned some chuckles from them.

It was easy for the two Princesses to love their fathers, to laugh with them and believe all that bliss would last forever, because at the time, not much unhappiness had ever encroached itself in their worlds. Both Belle and Abigail hadn't known great joy in their lives but neither had they seen great sadness.

It was bliss to live in a seemingly unchanging world, where war never touched their people and prosperity was always on their side; just like being unhappy was so difficult it wasn't possible to ignore, being happy was so easy it was taken for granted, like air, nobody knew how precious it was until it was gone, so the Princesses looked after their people and waved and smiled, sleeping without nightmares every night.

The bliss of not knowing, how magic would change both their lives one day.