AN: In case you didn't realise I don't own Glee, or Ever After (the movie this fic is based on)
Ten years later.
It was 4 am, and although it was still pitch dark outside, the Royal Palace was abuzz with activity. The King and Queen were awake, which meant everyone else was awake…or almost everyone.
King Raymond Andreas Lopez stormed down one of the many stone hallways of the palace, flanked by two armed guards, his wife trotting at his side.
"I signed a marriage treaty with the King of Ohio, and by god that girl will obey my command or there will be hell to pay!" the King fumed, as he charged towards his only daughter's sleeping quarters.
"But, she doesn't love him!" The Queen, Maria Camila Lopez interjected, tailing her husband as he stormed on.
"It is not about love!" the King exclaimed outraged.
"Well maybe it should be…" his wife shot back, never missing a beat, "She cannot flourish into an excellent young woman and future Queen living in your shadow Raymond!" she continued.
"She is my daughter and she will do as I say, she has a duty to her Kingdom" the King replied hotly, as he reached the door to his daughter's bedroom, knocked once and flung it open.
"She will be sleeping!" the Queen tried again.
"If I cannot sleep then neither shall she!" the King bellowed, scanning the room, "Santana!" he called out, "Santana Maria Lopez!" he called, receiving no response he noticed the empty bed, and carefully knotted sheets thrown out of the window.
"Oh not again!" his wife groaned by his side, taking in the remains of what was her daughter's obvious escape.
"Find her!" the King commanded, sending guards off and running in all directions.
Down below, a few paces into the forest, a beautiful Latina sat astride a galloping white Arabian horse, her skirts and overcoat billowing behind her as she charged away from her home.
Knowing her father would learn of her escape any second, Princess Santana dropped her head, and digging in her heels, urged the horse forwards, away from the palace.
A cock crowed out in the grounds of Tubbington Manor, awakening Brittany from a restless sleep on an uncomfortable straw mattress by a slowly dying fire in the barn.
Stretching the blonde haired girl, noticed her favourite book 'Feline Diseases' laying open at the page she was reading when she fell into an exhausted sleep the night before, and closing it, she let her fingers trace the embossed gold letters, sparing a thought for her poor departed father.
As she hauled herself up, aching everywhere, and readied herself for another day of work, Brittany couldn't help but think how much things had changed since her father's death. Her stepmother the Marquis, seemed to take a strong dislike to Brittany, at first she would just look upon the girl with pity, and exclude her from the activities of the rest of the family.
Over time, Terry seemed to grow bitterer, as Lauren and in particular Jesse, grew more and more spoilt. In Lord Pierce's absence Tubbington Manor had spiralled downwards dramatically, and it was now a shell of the formerly glorious place it had once been. Almost the entire house staff had been sold, along with many of the Manor's grand possessions, to finance Terry's intense liking for outfitting herself and Jesse in the finest garments and jewels the town had to offer.
As the years had passed, Brittany was no longer allowed to attend classes, and began to be treated more and more like a servant. Now at 19 years of age, she was never introduced as part of the family, never allowed to dress appropriately for her class, and was merely passed off by the Marquis as another of her serving girls. Of course since her father's death many people had come to forget, or lose interest in his only daughter, and so her role was never questioned.
Brittany missed her old life, and of course her father, dearly, but her naturally sunny disposition, meant she accepted her fate without much complaint, glad of the small comforts, such as still having Emma and Molly around with her, and Lord Tubbington of course.
The tabby was now middle-aged, and the largest cat seen for miles around. For every part of Brittany's life that was wretched, she made sure that Tubby, as he was affectionately known, had everything he longed for, including an unending supply of food, usually from Brittany's own plate. Hence the cat was grossly obese, but alas, he was happy.
Scratching her companion behind the ears, as he slept curled in front of the fire, Brittany spared one last glance at her prized position, the last gift her father had given her before his untimely departure from the word, her book, then headed out to begin her chores.
Around noon, Brittany was out in the orchard, picking apples and humming contentedly to herself. Occasionally she would break from her picking, to twirl and weave around the trunks, creating her own seamless dance to the ever-present beat in her head.
Her dancing was interrupted by the sound of hoof-beats approaching rapidly. She almost dropped her apples in surprise as half of King Lopez's cavalry went riding by, galloping at a blistering pace, fully armoured and sporting the King's colours.
Shrugging to herself Brittany gathered up the apples, and headed back towards Tubbington Manor, conscious that she would soon be needed to help prepare food for her stepmother and step-siblings.
As she rounded a corner, and made her way across the final field separating her from the gardens, she heard a single set of hoof beats out to her left, and whirled around.
She could hardly believe her eyes, when she saw her father's horse, Coal, galloping towards her, being ridden hard by a figure wearing a long cloak and hood, who urged him forwards at a blistering pace, jumping one of Mr Figgin's hedges clear before continuing on towards the forest.
"Oh no you don't" Brittany muttered to herself under her breath, setting off at a sprint, her long legs eating up the ground, the basket of apples swinging wildly at her side.
Approaching the galloping horse, Brittany grabbed an apple, and taking aim, hurled it towards the figure in the saddle, connecting perfectly with the hooded head, and causing the person to lose balance, flip from astride Coal, and tumble backwards to the ground.
As the intruder tried to scramble to their feet, and fight their way out from their cloak, which was currently wrapped around them awkwardly, Brittany's uncharacteristic rage grew.
"Steal my father's horse will you?" she cried, pelting the thief with yet more apples, "How dare you?"
As one last apple hit the rider in the shoulder with a loud thwack, they finally tore the cloak from their face, and Brittany gasped in shock at what she saw.
The startled blonde felt all the anger from the previous moment drain out of her, as she was faced with a beautiful Latina standing before her. She barely had time to drink in the beauty of her chocolate brown eyes, soft olive skin and flowing raven locks, before she was on her knees, head bowed, begging for forgiveness.
She had seen enough pictures of the Royal family to realise whom it was that she'd just assaulted with fruit, and was instantly fearful.
"Forgive me your Highness" she cried, "I did not see you"
Though her eyes were still on the grass, which was tickling her nose as she knelt and bowed low, Brittany thought she heard a "Hmph."
"Your aim would suggest otherwise" Princess Santana retorted hotly, barely sparing the peasant a look as she remounted the horse.
"I am truly sorry your Highness, and I know that for this I must die" Brittany blurted out, trembling with fear.
From astride the big black horse, Santana did a double take, seeing nothing but a lithe body, bent double at the waist and a flurry of blonde hair splayed out as the girl bowed, she decided on a course of action. Death seemed like a heavy sentence, and although right the girl was, it would be the appropriate action, Santana was not her father, something she prided herself on.
"Well…Never speak of this again, and it shall go no further" she commanded, satisfied with her verdict.
The blonde head bobbed, in what she assumed was a nod of acknowledgement.
"Please your Highness" the girl spoke up, surprising the Princess, "We have other horses…much younger if you'd like."
"What I'd like is to be free from my obligations, from my gilded cage" Santana spat the words, without thinking.
When the servant made no move to reply, feeling a little bad, Santana removed her coin purse from her corset strings, and emptied it's contents beside the girl's head, "For your silence" she explained as she galloped away on the horse.
When the sound of hoof beats grew distant, Brittany finally lifted her head, her blue eyes full of tears as she watched Coal's black rump disappear into the trees. In that moment she felt a strange cocktail of emotion, sadness for the horse's loss, relief for the sparing of her life, and intrigue at the beautiful Princess whom she had just pelted with apples, then been so enchanted by.
Noticing the sun moving along in the sky, she gasped, and quickly gathered up the fallen apples, omitting the ones with the worst bruising, along with the coins, then hurried towards the house, anxious that her tardiness would cost her a punishment.
As Brittany hurried back to Tubbington Manor, lunch was already underway. The Marquis, Jesse and Lauren were seated in the grand dining room, and Jesse as usual was complaining.
"I asked for four minute eggs, not four one minute eggs" he berated Molly, his tone dripping with disdain, "Is that really so difficult?"
"No Sir" Molly replied keeping her eyes on the floor as she retreated, to right her mistake. With Cook sold, she was still getting the hang of kitchen duty.
"Hurry up!" Jesse shrieked at the woman's retreating form.
"Now, now darling" Terry chastised him, "What do I always tell you about tone of voice?"
Before he could answer Lauren piped up, taking a break from stuffing eggs into her mouth to answer, "A courtly gentleman should always speak boldly and clearly, but never raise his voice above an acceptable indoor volume."
The Marquis looked at her younger daughter with disinterest, and a roll of her eyes, "Yes thank you dear, and you Lauren, should not interrupt the silence unless you have something to add to it."
Lauren simply lowered her eyes and continued to eat her eggs.
"None of that matters now though, does it mother?" Jesse muttered bitterly, "I shall not be going to the Royal court, nor making Princess Santana my bride as we planned…all because of some pig from Ohio!" he finished with a huff.
"Now, now, Jesse, Sweetie" the Marquis soothed, "Nothing is for certain until your dead, things may go our way, but until the ring is on the princess's finger, we have as good of a chance as anyone."
Somewhat mollified Jesse continued to sulk and await his food.
"Where is the salt on this table?" Terry muttered to herself, "Brittany!" she called, "Brittany!"
Just as Brittany rounded the door and ran into the kitchen she heard her stepmother calling for her. Hastily she downed the apples.
"She'll be wanting the salt" Emma informed her, thrusting the condiment into her hands,
"Good day?" Molly questioned, barely looking up from her work on the eggs.
"The best!" Brittany replied, emptying out her apron pockets, and dumping the gold coins bestowed upon her by the princess on the counter.
"Oh child!" Emma exclaimed, "That's a small fortune, wherever did it come from?"
"A passing angel of mercy" Brittany replied cryptically.
"And whatever will you do with it?" Molly questioned, plating up Jesse's eggs and passing them too to Brittany.
"I think you know" Brittany smiled back at her.
"Oh Arnold?" Molly questioned, her hands flying to her face as tears filled her eyes.
Brittany nodded. "If my stepmother can sell Mr Figgins to pay her taxes, then I'm certain these coins here are enough to bring him back!" she replied victoriously.
Molly wiped at the tears streaming down her face, overjoyed at the thought of seeing her husband again.
"But he was sold to Caracas!" Emma interjected, her already large eyes growing wide with fear, "He's due to be shipped off to the Americas any day!" she cried.
"Then we'll have to act fast" Brittany promised, "He's part of Tubbington Manor and we're going to get him back" she reassured the two women before rushing off to serve the Marquis.
As she rushed into the dining room, Brittany was greeted by the unhappy face of her stepmother, "What took you so long?" she questioned, as the blonde set down the salt and Jesse's eggs.
"I…umm…I fell from a ladder in the orchard" Brittany quickly lied, "But I'm much better now" she added, though she was sure none of them cared.
"Been sleeping in the fire place again have you?" Jesse chided, taking in the soot and dirt smeared on Brittany's apron and cheeks.
"I fell asleep with my book by the fire" Brittany informed him with a smile.
"Books are for those who cannot think for themselves" Terry cut in quickly, causing the smile to leave Brittany's face. Jesse smirked.
"Why don't you just sleep with the pigs if you insist on smelling like one?" he goaded her some more. Brittany said nothing, just hung her head in shame.
The Marquis looked up from her dinner, and surveyed the girl. "Come here Child" she ordered, pinching a fold in Brittany's skirts between a finger and thumb as if it were diseased.
"You do look rather…crude, in your appearance" she decided, "What must I do to make you try?" she questioned, staring intently at her step-daughter.
"Nothing stepmother" Brittany insisted quickly, "I do try. Sometimes I sit alone for alone for long periods of time, thinking of ways in which I might please you" she added.
"Through these hard times Brittany, I've fed you, clothed you, all these years I've put a roof over your head, and all I've ever asked is that you help me around the Manor, is that so much to ask?" her tone was biting and Brittany dropped her eyes to the floor.
"No M'Lady" she admitted her voice soft.
The Marquis was just about to turn back to her meal, when the blonde surprised her by speaking up.
"Perhaps if you were to bring Mr Figgins back, I wouldn't be so dirty all of the time, if he was here to help me with the gardens perhaps" she trailed off.
"Firstly he is a servant, not a mister, so he is to be referred to as appropriate for his class, as Arnold" she hissed, suddenly angry, "And secondly, I am the owner of Tubbington Manner, and there will be no more talk of servants coming back, do you understand?"
"Yes M'Lady" Brittany replied, hanging her head as she left the room.
Later that day Santana galloped easily through the forest, the big black horse following her wishes without resistance. She breathed in the woodland air, enjoying the way the light filtered through the trees, and only the hoof beats of her borrowed horse counted out the passage of time.
The peace was soon disrupted as she heard banging and shouting coming from a clearing up ahead. Curious she pushed the horse forward to investigate. As she rounded a corner and pulled her mount to a halt, she momentarily panicked as she took in the scene before her.
A small camp was being raided by thieves and bandits, people fled everywhere as the robbers took their possessions and threatened them with swords. Just as the princess was deliberating what to do, a cry from one of the peasants broke her reverie, "It's the King's guard!" he shouted, pointing into the distance, "We are saved."
"Oh Drat" Santana muttered to herself, as she saw her father's men heading towards them, quickly she righted herself in the saddle, preparing to take off, when a middle aged man called out to her, "Please, M'Lady, he has my set list!" he exclaimed pointing to the back of a rapidly retreating thief.
"I cannot help you" Santana informed him, glancing behind her, to see her Father's men gaining ground, "But the Guard will assist you" she assured the man.
"But he's getting away, and that set list…is my life" the curly haired man called up to her.
Letting out an angry sigh, but unable to leave the man in need after such a bold declaration, Santana whirled her horse around and took off after the thief.
As she gained on the man, she sprang lightly from her horse, onto his back, grasping the tube he carried, assuming the beloved set list was inside. The motion sent them tumbling backwards.
Trying to scramble to her feet, the princess lost her footing, and tripping, found herself hurtling over a cliff, and plunging through mid air into the icy cold river below.
At Tubbington Manor, Brittany and Mike had gathered in one of the large empty guest rooms to put their plan to rescue Arnold Figgins into motion.
"You're crazy!" Mike insisted, when his friend finished informing him of the plan, "Do you have any idea what the punishment is for servants who dress above their class?" he enquired, scared for his friend's life.
"I will not be caught" Brittany reassured him.
"And where will the Marquis believe you to be whilst you are out pretending to be a lady and buying Mr Figgins back?" Mike asked, eager to work out any flaws in the plan before it cost them both, dearly.
"Out visiting the ducks at the lake" Brittany replied, "Besides she's far too busy flouncing around the market, buying Jesse expensive cufflinks and exotic cravats, while the Manor goes unattended. She's content pretending she has money to burn."
Knowing his friend was right, Mike said nothing, waiting eagerly for her to immerge from behind the screen she was using to change into one of Lauren's smallest dresses.
"Don't you dare laugh" Brittany announced as she stepped out.
"It's a little big" Mike observed, seeing his friend's face fall, he quickly added, "But it will do."
"Excellent" Brittany smiled happily, "I look just like a Lady, heading to town to buy back her beloved servant."
Mike nodded.
"The shoes were too big though" Brittany explained, gesturing to the work-boots still on her feet.
"No one will be looking at your shoes!" Mike assured her, taking her by the hand, "Come on, lets fix your hair then we can save Mr Figgins!"
AN: Let me know what you think so far? Still a little unsure of trying something so different to my usual style. Also Reviews = Updates :)
