A Kingdom Won
Summary: "Let's take back the kingdom." Snow, Charming and the fight for their happy ending...a fairytale land tale.
A/N: When I first was bitten by the OUAT bug, this was the story idea which prompted me to start writing again...the absolute need I had to know how Snow and Charming managed to end up apparently running King George's kingdom. And since it seems we have to wait til next season to find out, I decided to write my own version. It's taken me awhile to sort out enough of the details in my head to feel confident enough to start posting, but here it finally is. Feedback would be much appreciated and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have as long as they don't give away any salient plot points ;) I'm aiming at updating at least once a week, my real life responsibilities permitting.
So saddle those horses, this is going to be one epic, bumpy ride...I hope!
Disclaimer: OUAT and all of its characters plus any recognisable dialogue and/or scenes belong to ABC...all I own are their mini versions living in my head, clamouring for their unknown stories to be told...
Preface
"No!"
The despairing cry echoed across the throne room, torn from her throat with violent force. The whole world seemed to still as weakened fingers let the sword slip from their grasp, the weapon crashing forgotten to the ground. Its owner followed seconds later, body sliding down in ungainly fashion, a crimson puddle spreading unchecked beneath them.
She raced across the short expanse, heart frozen in her chest, breath held in horror. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening, this wasn't happening! She stumbled on the now blood-slickened tiles, knees colliding with the floor next to his broken form. Pale trembling hands reached out uncertainly, not knowing where to go, what to do. As fingertips reached out for the arch of his neck, desperately seeking the small rhythm of life beneath his skin, a shadow fell across her.
Raising her head, she looked at the perpetrator with tear-soaked eyes, waiting for them to deal the final blow...
Chapter One – A Curse Broken
Three Months Earlier
Please let her be alright, please let me be there in time...
The mantra repeated over and over in James' head as he raced across the realm; through forests and lakes, never slowing down for even an instant, unheeding of the fatigue settling into his bones. The sky grew ever darker, gentle flakes of snow beginning to fall from the heavens as the ring he held tightly upon the smallest finger of his left hand paradoxically grew ever brighter. As his steed thundered toward the location of his beloved Snow, James found himself replaying their history in his mind, trying desperately not to allow the thought that his memories may be all he would ever have invade his consciousness. Focusing as hard as he was on fixing the image of his Snow's gentle smile in his mind, he almost missed the final brilliant flash from the ring as the forest ahead thinned and a gathering of people came into view. No, not people...dwarves. The strangeness of seeing a group of them standing with heads bowed around an object he could not yet see threw him for a moment, but he discarded that feeling as another, more powerful one washed over him...a sense of belonging he only felt whenever he was close to the woman who owned his heart completely.
Bringing his horse to a sudden halt, James threw himself out of the saddle and took hurried steps forward as a few of the dwarves turned towards him. The closest, with a wiry white beard and kind eyes hidden beneath a pair of glasses perched upon the end of his nose looked at him for a long moment, recognition flashing across his expression.
"You're too late," he said solemnly, turning around once more as his brethren parted to bring the hidden object into view. A large glass coffin, carved into the remnants of a fallen log sat before him, the glass shimmering in the weakened light filtering through the forest canopy. It was exquisitely built but it was not the workmanship which caused James' heart to stop, his breath catching in his throat. For within the coffin laid his Snow, hands crossed peacefully upon her lace-clad chest, her beautiful black hair fanned out beneath her.
"No," he breathed out, disbelief and sorrow colouring the word in equal measure, his feet carrying him forward of their own accord.
"No!" His voice was stronger now, as if the force of his denial would be enough to awaken him from this living nightmare, the vision of his love lying cold and still before him. James stopped at the head of the coffin, eyes fixed upon Snow's face. Her expression was peaceful, her lips still tinged with a healthy pink and he could almost imagine she was merely sleeping...if not for the utter stillness of her chest, the complete lack of any minute movement which would prove there was still life in her veins.
It could not end this way...she could not be de...
His mind rebelled at the thought of the word, even as his heart began to crumble into dust within his chest. His hands rested gently upon the glass, but it was not close enough...he needed to feel her skin beneath his, to know for sure her skin was devoid of the warmth of life, he needed...
"Open it," he commanded, needing to cling to that one small flicker of hope that perhaps all was not as it seemed, that perhaps she was not truly...
"I'm sorry, she's gone," the dark-bearded dwarf replied, grief lacing through his words.
That one small hope shattered into a thousand shards within his heart, each and every piece piercing through him, bringing sheer agony to every part of his being. His hand slipped down on the glass as his body sagged with the weight of his anguish, a tidal wave of sorrow which was too much for any one man to bear.
This was not meant to be their life...he had told her to have faith, that they would be together. He had envisioned a simple life, one away from the dangers and intrigues of their families' kingdoms...a life filled with small moments and happiness, of friends and family, of love...of children with their mother's eyes and smile. Now that was all gone, stolen by a woman with nothing but vengeance in her heart and with it, any chance he had of ever grasping happiness. He thought about that last conversation, of his plea with her to have faith, of the ache he had felt to hold her in his arms and not just be palm-to-palm against the mirror. Once more glass separated them, but this time he would not let it be...if this was to be his last moments with her, he would spend them with the feel of her skin beneath his touch, a small consolation to carry with him for the rest of his now meaningless existence.
With tears glistening within his eyes, James found the strength to raise his head and speak.
"At least let me say goodbye."
A moment of indecision passed before, in unison, the dwarves carefully lifted away the glass lid encasing his Snow. James' view of his love was now unobstructed and his heart wept at the sight, her beauty now tainted by the knowledge that his most favourite feature, her vivid soulful green eyes, would never again open to look upon him with love.
Dropping to one knee, hands resting on the edge of the coffin, James leaned forward to place a single tender kiss upon Snow's lips. In that one gesture he poured all of his love, his hopes, his dreams, knowing that he would never truly live again after this moment...that his soul would take flight with hers away from this realm and that all that would be left was an empty shell of a man waiting for absolution. But as his lips pressed against hers, he felt something...something powerful and pure ripple outwards, filling his veins with warmth. A small voice in the back of his mind started to whisper words said, words heard...Behold the most powerful magic of all, true love...the only magic powerful enough to break any curse...all curses can be broken, have you tried true love's kiss?...so that's it then, true love's kiss will awaken her...
Hope sprung anew in his shattered heart and he slowly pulled back, every fibre of his being wishing for a miracle...
Please, please, please come back to me
...one that was granted as he had only retreated mere inches away from Snow's lips when her eyes flew open and her breath expelled in a surprised gasp. Joy overtook him, washing through every corner of his soul and banishing completely any trace of sorrow in its wake. The grin which spread across his features was one of relief and happiness, the tears in his eyes falling for a completely different reason than they had been mere moments before. Below, Snow took in her surroundings with curious eyes, her gaze alighting on James' face.
"You," she whispered, memories and feelings flooding back, the darkness she had resided in receding in the face of the overwhelming love she felt for the man smiling down upon her, her Charming.
She lifted a hand to caress his stubbled cheek, the feeling of his skin convincing her this was no dream, no further torment created by her own mind. For his part, James could scarcely breathe with the emotions flying through him, the abrupt change in their tone throwing his equilibrium into turmoil...but it was a turmoil he welcomed as he gazed into Snow's beautiful green eyes.
"You found me," she continued, thumb still stroking across his cheek. His hand came up to gently run along her arm, reassuring himself with every touch of his fingers that she was truly alive before him.
"Did you ever doubt I would?"
The words were tinged with relief as he helped her to sit, hands supporting her still weakened form. A slightly mischievous glint entered her eye, her smile blinding in its sincerity.
"Truthfully?" she questioned, raising her hand to once again cup his face within it, "The glass coffin gave me pause."
His head shook slightly with silent laughter as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, knowing that his Snow was truly alright if she could find the humour in their current situation.
"Well you never have to worry, I will always find you," James vowed, silently promising himself that it was a vow he would never break.
Snow's heart skipped a beat at the absolute sincerity in her Charming's eyes, her skin tingling as his hand continued to stroke along the soft wave of her hair.
"Do you promise?"
"With all that I am," he responded, preparing to lean down and seal his vow with a kiss when a gruff voice interrupted, amusement lurking beneath its roughened tones.
"Aren't you two forgetting something?"
Both of their heads snapped up to find they had a captive audience, with expressions ranging from embarrassment to happiness displayed upon the assembled dwarves faces.
"Grumpy!" Snow exclaimed with delight, extricating herself from James's embrace and the coffin to wrap her arms around her friend in a tight hug. The dwarf in question froze for a moment before giving up his pretence of aloofness and hugged Snow back with equal force.
The other dwarves took that as a signal, as all of them piled around, forming one strange looking group hug which had James shaking his head in disbelief. They were all speaking at once, only small snippets making it coherently out of the cacophony of their voices.
"...missed you..."
"...thought you were dead..."
"...check to make sure that..."
"...we love *achoo* you..."
"...never do that to us again..."
"I promise, I promise," Snow laughed as they finally stepped back, happiness at her friends' show of affection etched into her face. She was so glad to be standing here amongst them, those she loved most. The dark visions she'd suffered through in her cursed sleep slipping from her memory like grains of sand through fingers. She should have known though...as long as she had her friends and her love, the Queen would never win.
"Are you going to introduce us?"
James was standing with his arms crossed and brow raised, questioning amusement sparkling in his eyes.
"Oh," she exclaimed as she realised they he had not yet truly met her new-found companions. Reaching out to link her hand with his, needing the familiarity of his touch to keep her grounded in the knowledge that she was truly awake, she gestured warmly towards the dwarves.
"Charming, I'd like you to meet Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy and Doc," Snow introduced, each dwarf acknowledging their name with a smile, nod or a tip of their hat, "They're the ones who took me in after I left you and they helped me in my rescue attempt, however unsuccessful it turned out to be."
Her voice trailed off slightly with her last comment and James squeezed her hand in reassurance, before untangling their hands so he could pull her closely to his side, wrapping his arm around her slim shoulders.
"Then I believe I owe all of you my gratitude, not just for attempting to save me but for looking out for Snow when I could not," James smiled, ignoring the small joking punch Snow aimed at his arm for the implication that she needed anyone to look out for her.
"It was our pleasure, we'd do *achoo* anything for Snow," replied Sneezy, rubbing his nose ruefully.
"And guys, this is James," she started, tilting her head upwards to look at him with a loving grin, "My Prince Charming."
She became lost in his eyes once more, the utter love she could see within their depths captivating her soul. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to remain pinned under that gaze for the rest of her life, held safe within the circle of his arms.
"Would the two of you like some privacy?" Grumpy gruffly interjected again, ignoring the look Happy sent his way.
Snow blushed lightly as she finally drew her gaze away from James' hypnotic eyes, the selfish part of her wanting to shout yes as she stepped out of his embrace.
"Perhaps we should give you a few moments," Doc offered backed up by Dopey's manic nodding, "We could take a short walk."
"Thank you for the offer," James acknowledged, "But perhaps it would be better if Snow and I were the ones to take our leave for awhile."
He held out his arm, bent at the elbow, in her direction.
"Would you care to take a walk with me?"
"I would love too," Snow replied, linking her arm through his, her head coming to rest against the soft velvet of his cloak.
They turned to set off, when a voice called them back.
"Wait!"
Behind them, Bashful was pulling something out of the bottom of the coffin...a beautifully embroidered white cloak, littered with tiny flowers which caught the sunlight. Taking a few steps, he offered it Snow with a shy smile.
"It's cold out here," he said softly, cheeks flushing as Snow took the cloak and placed a kiss on the side of his face in gratitude.
"Thank you."
With the cloak now settled around her form, the couple set off once more. They did not have a direction in mind, just content to walk, drinking in each other's presence. They had not truly had a chance to simply be in all the time they had known each other and they took the chance now to revel in the fact that they were together without any immediate threats looming over their shoulders.
James looked periodically down at his beloved, still marvelling that she was with him, living and breathing and so beautiful it made his heart ache. He never again wanted to be parted from her side; he wanted to be able to see her every single day for the rest of his life...and he knew exactly how to ensure that. His mother's ring still sat upon his left hand, its slight weight becoming heavier with every step he took, anticipation of the moment he had been dreaming of since the first moment he'd seen Snow as something more than a thief (albeit the most beautiful one he had ever laid eyes on).
The forest soon gave way to the rock-strewn shores of the lake which housed King George's palace, the imposing structure rising majestically in the distance...far enough away that James did not give it a second thought, content to keep his focus on the woman tucked against his side.
"How did you do it?"
Snow's quiet question interrupted the silence between them, and James seized the chance to enact that which his heart desperately desired.
"With this," he announced, pulling the ring of his finger and lifting it up into Snow's line of sight, gauging her reaction, "My mother's ring... It led me back to you."
She looked at in curiosity. It shone brilliantly in the sunlight and she remembered the first time she had seen it, at the ache she had felt at the knowledge that it would soon grace another's finger and not her own. For all of its splendour however, she wondered how it could have possibly led her Charming to her. She was about to ask that exact question when he pulled away from her, turning so that he blocked her path, her feet coming to a confused halt.
"And now...I never want it off your finger."
With a swish of his cloak, James dropped to one knee before her in one smooth movement, his eyes never leaving her own. The dawning realisation of what he intended to do flooded through her, excitement and shock and love creating a maelstrom of emotions in her suddenly rapidly beating heart.
For his part, James tried to suppress the nervousness which threatened to make his hands tremble. Though he knew Snow's love for him was true, there was still that small flicker of doubt as to what her answer would be...but there could be no answer without a question and James gathered all of the confidence and love within himself and let it fly free in one simple question.
"Will you marry me?"
He held up the ring in supplication, his entire body held on a knife's edge before he saw Snow's pale hand lift from her side with fingers stretched in invitation. He carefully slipped the ring onto her finger, his hand placing lingering touches upon her palm. She raised her hand slowly; delight sweeping through her as she admired the sparkling gem, sitting upon her finger as though it was always meant to belong there.
With a heartfelt smile she turned her attention back to James, still kneeling in anticipation upon the rocky ground.
"What do you think?"
A relieved yet ecstatic grin spread across his features at her words. He had barely begun to lift himself from the ground when her hands stretched out to pull him up the rest of the way to her waiting lips, sealing her answer with a loving kiss.
His wife! She was going to be his wife, her, not Abigail...Abigail...King George...
Reality intruded upon the bliss which had marked the last few minutes, thoughts streaming into her mind about the thousand obstacles they still faced. Yes they were together, but there were so many people around them who had seemingly made it their life's work to ensure that wasn't so.
She pulled back from the kiss, concern replacing the joy which had been etched into her features. James noticed the change in her expression instantly, worry spreading through him.
"What is it?" he asked quietly, hoping that her sudden change in mood had nothing to do with any doubts about the answer she had just given him.
"There's the little matter of your father and my step-mother," she explained and James nodded his head in realisation, inwardly relieved that her concern was about outside forces and not them.
"Ah, that," he acknowledged, mind racing with all of the implications their current situation created, implications he had pushed to one side in favour of revelling in his reunion with Snow. As he was thinking, so was she...thinking about the life she had led up to this moment, of the kingdom she had been forced to flee, the kingdom which was rightfully hers... and of James' kingdom, under the control of a King willing to kill his own son in order to ensure its future. They would never truly be free as long as the Queen and King George remained in a position to hunt them to the ends of every realm; they only way they could have their happy ending would be...
"I'm open to suggestions."
"Here's one," Snow started, hands resting against James' chest as she turned her head to gaze at the palace sitting imposingly in the middle of the lake, "Let's take back the kingdom."
He followed her gaze, eyes coming to rest on the place he had briefly called his home. A part of him wanted nothing more to do with that wretched place or with any remotely related to the position he had been forced to assume. But another part, the part which had actually enjoyed interacting with the populace, of being able to make a small difference in people's lives during the small time he'd carried the duties of Crown Prince, that part wanted to wrest the kingdom from the King's hands. He was not sure he would ever truly be fit to lead, but with Snow at his side he was sure he could at least rule with a kindness and understanding that the King would never be able to wield. And with that though firmly in his mind, he countered her suggestion with one question.
"How?"
"Like we shall do everything," Snow replied without hesitation, her attention once again directed towards him, "Together."
It was something she truly believed...perhaps the only thing she truly believed in; that together, she and James could overcome any obstacle in their path. After all, they had the most powerful force in all the realms on their side...true love.
James believed that too, but he also knew before he agreed there was something his betrothed (and oh, how glad he was that he could now apply that word to Snow) needed to know.
"Snow," he started, voice suddenly serious in a way that made her heart still in her chest, "I never want there to be secrets between us and in that spirit, there is something I need to tell you...something that might change your mind about reclaiming the kingdom...about me."
She remained silent, but her expression was encouraging, her hands lightly stroking against his chest in a gesture of comfort at his obvious distress.
"I'm not...I'm not who you think I am," he explained haltingly, before taking in a deep breath and unveiling the secret he'd kept from her since the moment they'd met.
"I'm not Prince James."
