Written for Mary as a very late birthday gift. OUAT AU!
I used fluff, romance, fairy tale AU!
The Ultimate Patronus Challenge :6. Fairy: Write a fairytale!AU
Jewelry Making: Write about someone being given a piece of handmade jewellery.
Genre:Fantasy
Word count: 1256
Betaed by Sam. Thank you.
Hermione felt tears pricking at her eyes. Her father was dead. How he had died no one knew. He had looked so healthy, and just to suddenly to become ill…
She felt her heart break all over again. And now she was queen, queen at sixteen. But she really was not. The real queen was her stepmother, the regent queen.
The queen should have comforted her, she should have mourned her father like she did, but she actually looked happy. Was there a time when they have been further apart? Hermione did not know what she had done wrong, what she did to deserve such a coldness from her mother, stepmother. She had thought that the queen loved her, but Hermione wasn't so sure anymore. Not after her behaviour. So cold...Like she hated her. But why? Hermione couldn't help but ask herself why? Over and over wonder if she ever would be happy again. If she would ever feel safe again like she had felt when her parents were alive. Or even when she had first met Regina, her lovely stepmother.
"Her majesty is waiting for you." a servant said, entering her chamber.
Hermione nodded. She wanted to see how Regina was now. Perhaps this was the way she handled her father's death. Perhaps she was grieving in her own way. She had never one to make assumptions, but ever since her father had died...
Regina was staring at the window, a look of sadness on her face.
"Enter Hermione." She turned around and smiled a sad smile.
"I know I have not treated you right, for which I apologise. You should be queen. Queen Snow White, now that you're father has died."
Hermione smiled too. That was her father's nickname for her and somehow had stuck as her name.
"I have called you here to warn you. About me. I will do things, unimaginable. So please forgive me."
Hermione looked confused at her stepmother. "I don't understand. You are not dead."
"Yes, I am. Let me tell you a story Snow. A story that you will be the only one to know. Because I want someone to remember me. Please sit."
Hermione nodded once again and seated herself at the table.
"My mother was a mere common girl who desperately wanted to be queen. She had seduced my father and had me. She was the ruler of our house. I was raised to be queen. Regardless, as you know, I have fallen in love with a mere stable boy."
"But he run away." Hermione said.
"I lied Snow. You were an extremely perceptive and bright girl, even back then. So I didn't believe that my mother could fool you to reveal her my secret. I hated you for this. She killed him."
Hermione was horrified. What she had done? Tears started to fall from her eyes.
"I am so sorry. I don't know why, why I did it. Now I understand why you seemed to hate me."
"I do not hate you. I did. But not anymore. You see, I could have had my own happy ending, but I was too blinded to care.
I do not have much time and you will find my life story eventually. I used a spell to make myself timetravel to younger self's body for few minutes. To warn you. Of who I am going to be. Who I am."
"Who?" asked Hermione, with fear in her eyes.
"I am the Evil Queen. Don't underestimate me. And never stop hoping, Hermione. Now please go. My time is up. Snow White."
Hermione couldn't breath. How could her world get more messed up? She got up and left. When she was almost out of the room, she turned around and whispered, "I forgive you."
The queen smiled.
Hermione run without looking back. She had suspected that this would come but for her, it was too soon. Still, she ran and ran, and never looked back.
The Huntsman had given her a chance to survive, defying the queen.
How was she going to live from now on?
"Be brave, Snow! I must not lose hope. One day I will find happiness again."
"Stay where you are!"
Hermione turned around. It was the prince she had stolen from earlier. He had found her. "You found me!"
"I told you I would. Now give me my ring back."
"I can't."
"Then," he said taking his sword out,"I will make you give it me," he paused, and then said, "Snow White."
Hermione froze.
"Isn't that your name? I've heard that the queen is searching for you. Put a warrant on your head."
Hermione gulped. "I don't have the ring anymore."
"Where is it?"
"At the troll bridge. Mum, I know this part of the story. I want to hear how dad found you. How you defeated the Evil Queen."
Draco laughs.
"So, my little princess wants to flash forward a bit on the story."
"Yes, I love when you say "'I found you.' It feels special."
Hermione smiles. "It is. It is our special saying. And now it's yours too. Don't ever doubt that we will always find you, my little girl."
"I will find you Snow."
"Not if you are locked up here. Go! Leave!"
"Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
"A friend of the Princess. The Queen has my heart and I cannot leave. But you can. And I trust Charming that you can find her."
Looking at the ring in his hands, Draco said…"
"...I will find her." jumps in Maria.
Draco chuckles.
"Yes, that's what I was going to say." He shakes his head at Hermione.
"We have something for you, sweetie."
"What?"
Hermione gets up and comes back with a box. "This is a my mother's necklace. It had been made by my grandfather. In all his life, he had made only three necklaces. One for mum, one for his wife and one for me. I don't have my own anymore, but I want you to have this. It is charmed so we will always know where you are, if you are in danger or safe."
"So you can always find me."
"Yes."
"Now, onto the story."
"Where is Snow?"
The dwarfs stepped back, allowing him to see her. She was as beautiful as ever, laying there cold and unmoved. He barely made it near her when his knees gave out, and he crashed next to her, tears in his eyes.
"Snow. My Hermione." he whispered, remembering her real name."I love you." And he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
A white light engulfed them and with a deep gasping breath, she awoke.
"You found me," were her first words.
"I will always find you, my love," he said and kissed her again.
"Now, let's go and take our kingdoms back."
Maria smiles. She never tires of hearing the story of her parents' life, no matter how many times she hears it. She knows there are many things that her parents aren't telling her, as how her grandmother had stopped being the Evil Queen or how she had traveled back in time. Every time she asked, her parents had always said, 'later, when you grow up.'
But now, clutching her necklace, the one she has received from her parents, the one her grandfather had made, she thinks that maybe she can start her own adventures, even though it's certain that they will find her if she gets in trouble.