Thanks to all those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. I was surprised by the amount of interest in a story about James. He's a character with a lot of potential, but so little has ever been revealed about him. Though he is portrayed to be a villainous sort of person in the show, I have wondered if that was simply because of George's influence. Nature versus nurture.
Chapter 1: Goliath Mission
Watching his twin (whose name was David) and his mother talk about what happened in the past made James angry. He wanted to rip that imp's life away from him. For denying him the chance to know his brother. James knew that he made some bad choices in his life; now that he was dead, the once-prince could see some of the mistakes he made. But, if he had known David – as he was supposed to – James wanted to believe that things could have been different. David would have made him a better person. James's life was good while living as a prince; but, under different circumstances, he could have grown up with David. It could have been so much better than it was.
"A twin brother? And you gave him to that man?" David accused.
David was acting just as James would. However, David seemed to show a certain amount of restraint. He was angry, yes; but, it did not appear as if he was ready to kill the demon that tore James away from his biological parents. Well, each brother had their own reasons to be angry. How they dealt with that anger was something based upon how each of them happened to be raised.
"We were poor – barely surviving – then, he came along with an offer. One of you for the farm," the woman explained. She looked at her son sadly. Was there a hint of regret in there? Did she feel bad for what was done all those years ago? Oh, James certainly hoped so. Though he would never get the chance to speak with his biological mother, James did not want to forgive her unless there was regret. The woman – and his biological father – gave him up so that their farm would survive. Only a few minutes before the demon appeared, she was suggesting that David marry the grain merchant's daughter so that her dowry could be used to save the family farm. The woman was doing what she did all those years ago, when James went off to become a prince.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" David asked.
Bio-mom shook her head sadly. "The deal forbade us from ever speaking of it. Your father regretted the decision the minute that man took your brother. He carried the guilt with him to his grave."
So, bio-dad regretted it. But, did she?
James never got an answer to his question. Instead, the demon decided to butt his way into the conversation. "Hate to interrupt this tender moment." James snorted. "Time is of the essence."
"Mother, wait in the house while I deal with this," David ordered; there was a dark timbre to his voice. The woman nodded and headed back inside their small house. "What do you want from me?"
James wished it could be that simple. But, it wasn't. It could never be that simple. Father had to make things more complicated. James wished he could communicate with the living; he wished he could warn David about what he was getting himself into by interacting with this strange demon. "Oh, not me, dear," the demon warned him. "The king. He needs a prince to slay a dragon."
"I'm not a dragon slayer," David objected.
No, his younger brother – he assumed that David was younger – was nothing more than a shepherd. It would be a large adjustment for David; of that, James was sure. And, it sounded as if the demon felt the same way. "No, but your brother was," the demon explained. This should not be happening right now. "This new found kinship will be your salvation. Simply play the part. The king's knights will take care of everything else. All you must do, is deliver the dragon's head to Midas."
"What's in it for you?" David demanded.
"What's in it for me is my business," he insisted. Not that James was ever going to believe that. "You should be asking yourself what's in it for you. You do this, your poor mother, well…the king is going to make sure she never wants for anything ever again. Your farm will be saved and you, should you survive, you shall come home the conquering hero. Now, don't tell me you don't want that?"
"I don't have a choice, do I?" David asked.
James winced. The demon offered up the perfect reason for David to take the deal. And, he would. It was obvious. "Oh, everyone has a choice, dearie. Just make sure it's the right one," he said.
He didn't want his brother to do this. David didn't deserve to go through this. It was meant to be his job to slay the dragon. But, he couldn't. James could only watch as David charged into this unprepared. There was no way that David could ever know what he was getting into. It was a dangerous thing to do.
There was a lot that went into being a prince, things that David would not know without having lived through it. Knowing that, James was afraid that his brother would make a mistake; that Midas would discover the ruse and back out on the promise he made to aid the kingdom. Father would not take it well if the ruse was discovered; he was counting on David's participation to ensure the survival of his kingdom. But, could he pull it off? Was it even possible?
James watched as his brother looked at his reflection through the shield he was holding. While he was admiring himself – how different he looked to the shepherd from before – Midas approached David. "There he is – our savior! The man who is going to tear the dragon limb from limb." The sword that Midas turned to gold (back when James was alive and preparing to slay the dragon) was pulled from its sheath. He seemed to be looking at it sadly. "You do this, and you'll be a legend."
To be honest, he'd be even more of a legend if Midas ever discovered that James was dead and that the dragon slayer would turn out to be nothing more than a simple shepherd. But, that was never going to happen. As far as he could tell, there would never be a moment in which Father would allow David to speak of his past as a shepherd, growing up on that small farm with his mother.
Midas wandered away, allowing one of the knights to approach David. "Here – let me," the knight said, observing how David put on his armor. "You fastened it wrong. Here – give me that."
"How will I fight? How will I protect myself?" David asked.
The knight sighed, shaking his head. "You won't. You will stay outside the cave while we kill the dragon," he said. It sounded as if this was one of the few knights aware of the switch; that David was masquerading about the kingdom as Prince James. That might keep David alive. It might be enough to keep Father from losing another heir due to this quest. "If you don't come out of this alive, Midas won't give our kingdom any gold. You might have the title of hero, but not the job."
The knight had a point. David had not been trained for this. He was a shepherd. The chances if his survival were slim; at least so far that, if he did it on his own, he was sure to die. Off in the distance, the dragon's roar could be heard and James grew afraid for the sake of the twin he never truly knew.
A good hour later, James found himself following his brother and the other knights up the mountain, where the dragon was lying in wait. It was a narrow mountain trail, which only served to make James even more nervous for the sake of his brother. Being here on this mountain made the whole thing real; there was an even greater chance of David dying, of him joining James on this spiritual plane. At least, that's what he assumed this place was. He wasn't really sure what was going on.
As much as James wanted to know how any of this was possible – how he was floating about the Enchanted Forest, watching events play out as nothing more than a silent observer – there was too much going on. His brother was in danger. That was more important than learning why he was unable to rest in peace as with other spirits. It was true that he was the only spirit dealing with this predicament – he had not seen any other spirits floating around – but, maybe he could do something.
In life, James was a horrible person, caring only for himself and what he wanted. He was a selfish and rotten prince. Maybe in death, the prince would be able to do something for the good of someone else. Like protecting David. Because he would be damned if he was unable to save his brother. The kingdom would not survive if it lost a second prince. Not so soon after James perished.
The group made their way to the entrance of the dragon's cave. One of the knights stopped David from going any further. "The dragon's lair is through there. You stay here. We'll be back," he stated.
"Thank god," James muttered.
It was good to see that the knights were willing to protect David. It didn't matter that he was nothing more than a substitute for James. What mattered was that David would not perish in this battle. Father forced David into this; he would not lead what amounted to his second chance to his death.
The group split up and only two knights were left in David's company. For some time, they were standing around waiting for the rest of their party. It was too quiet. But then, James was a spirit; it wasn't like he could talk to anyone these days. "Did you know him well?" David asked.
"Who?" the knight asked.
"My brother, the prince," David answered.
James winced. So he was not the only one who wanted to know about his brother. David's curiosity was inevitable. Why wouldn't he want to know what James was like during life?
"Yeah, we knew him. He's the bravest man I ever met," he nodded.
For a moment, the spirit thought that one of his knights would begin to speak ill of the dead. James would have understood the reason for what was said about him; he was not a good person and he accepted that. But, it sounded as if the knights had more honor than that. They would not speak ill of him, not in front of David. That was good. James did not want his brother to think ill of him.
Wondering what was happening to the other knights, James's spirit floated up to the cave. A torrent of flames could be seen, accompanied by the screams of the knights. They were dying. They were dying and there was nothing James could do to help them. David and the other two knights were the only ones who could; and the odds were not in their favor. Not after what happened to the others.
"They need our help!" David insisted.
His brother tried running towards the cave, only to be held back by the knights who stayed behind. "We stay here," the knight countered, giving David a warning look. "Our orders are clear."
"People are dying," David tried, struggling.
"Don't move! Hey, stay back!" the knight yelled.
To James's surprise, his brother was able to pull out of the knights' grip and run towards the cave. Following David, the prince could see that one of the knights was lying at the entrance of the cave. His legs were on fire. David dragged the knight away from the cave, away from the danger. It was almost foolhardy. The dragon made an appearance, flying out of the cave. A clunking sound could be heard.
"Where's your sword?" David demanded.
David never got an answer. The dragon interrupted by flying towards them, attacking them with a burst of flames. To avoid it, the pair ducked down behind a rock, escaping uninjured. Hoping to get another crack at the duo, the dragon circled overhead and tried to get rid of the people he thought were encroaching on his territory. "Stay here," David ordered the injured knight.
A protest died on the knight's lips as David emerged from behind the rock and grabbed the fallen sword of another knight. James, however, could see that it was still hot; hot enough to burn David's hands. He dropped the sword for a moment and was forced to dodge yet another attack was launched, one that David dodged, thankfully. David maneuvered himself to a nearby crevice and headed towards it, rescuing a sword on the way. The dragon followed, getting stuck on the way.
"You didn't see that coming, did you?" David asked.
James stared at his brother. He did it. He was able to slay the dragon. A shepherd. A simple shepherd was able to do what even the knights of the kingdom could not. He didn't know if it was luck or skill, but David was able to survive. And so, James watched as his brother cut the dragon's head off.
James still couldn't believe that David was able to slay the dragon. He didn't know how it was possible for his brother to do this, but a part of him didn't care either. David was alive. He was alive and a hero to Midas. Not that Midas knew it was anyone other than James, which was incredibly unfortunate.
There was a small group of people gathered around the dragon's head. Midas. Father. David. A handful of the guards. They all watched as Midas turned the dragon's head into gold. It was enough to save the kingdom, enough to save the kingdom. "He has done it," Father declared, speaking to both Midas and the guards. "Everything you asked for and more. My son battled the dragon and prevailed."
"Bring it to the palace. Put it between the chimera and the mapinguari," Midas said.
As that was being done, Father leaned over to speak with David. There was a conspiratorial look in the man's eye; one that James did not like seeing. "We did it. We pulled it off."
"Yes. Now how much longer before I can return home?" David asked.
"That's a discussion not for now," Father warned.
Midas eventually brought the focus back to him. "From this day forth, may that beast's head be a reminder to us of the valiant warrior who killed it. The bravest, most noble prince I have ever met," he said, grinning broadly in David's direction. "You have earned my utmost respect."
"We treasure that respect, King Midas. Just as we respect your treasure," Father said.
"Yes, yes," Midas nodded. "You were promised gold and gold you shall have. But, I did not get to where I am by thinking small. I stand before you now because I dared to dream big. I was not just looking for a dragon slayer. I was looking for the strongest warrior in the land. A hero. Someone who could unite the kingdoms. Someone I would be proud to call family. Bring her!"
A young blonde woman entered the room.
James knew where this was going.
"Gentlemen," Midas said. "May I present my daughter, Abigail. Beyond gold – beyond anything – I value her most. I promised her I would only give her hand in marriage when I could find a companion worthy of her. And now, I have." He gestured over to where David was standing. As James suspected, Midas was suggesting a political alliance between the two kingdoms.
"He killed the dragon?" Abigail asked. Midas nodded. "I guess he'll do."
"And so, Prince James, I offer you my daughter's hand in marriage," Midas said.
Based on the conversation David had with his mother before that demon, James was unsurprised by his brother's decision to decline the offer. Or, at least he tried to. "King Midas, I am humbled by your generous offer, but I cannot honestly say —" David began before Father stopped him.
"My son – always so humble," Father said. James snorted. Yeah, right. Humble was the last thing he was. Father went to hug David, whispering something in his ear. "If you say anything but yes, you will be responsible for the destruction of everyone and everything in our kingdom. You will marry this girl, or I will kill you. I will kill your mother. I will turn that farm to ash. Do you understand me? Now take your father's wisdom – follow it. I know you'll make the right decision."
"Yes…Father," David murmured.
"You were saying, Prince James," Midas prompted.
David paused for a moment, as if he was deciding how to proceed. James didn't like this, however; he did not like that Father was attempting to blackmail David into doing what he wanted. "I would be honored to marry your daughter, to unite our kingdoms with this union," David said.
"Excellent," Midas said. "Let us celebrate."
The celebration of David's (James, as far as Midas and Abigail appeared to be concerned) engagement to Princess Abigail lasted well into the night. David appeared to be pleased by what was happening, but James knew better. He could see behind the mask David wore while he was in the kingdom. So, James was unsurprised to see his brother saddle a horse and ride out to his mother's farm once he was left on his own. "Mother!" David called, dismounting the horse.
The woman emerged from the house. "Oh, you're back! You're alive!"
"Yes. I did it," David confirmed.
The woman hugged her son. "Are you hurt? I've been so worried."
"I'm fine, mother, really," David assured her.
She pulled away to look at him. "Oh, look at you! Look at you, you… You look like a… Like a… Oh, you look like a prince! Come inside – I'll make us some supper. You should see the house, the farm. The king is going to take care of us. He's already started." She started to head into the house, but Prince Charming did not follow her. David's mother turned to look at her son. "What? What's wrong?"
There was a sad look on the young man's face. David seemed resigned to what he was being asked to do. "Midas wants to unite the kingdoms," David explained. "By marrying me to his daughter."
"What?" his mother exclaimed.
"It makes the grain merchant's dowry look like sheep dung," David said.
James didn't like any of this. Father should not have been doing this to David. He should not be bribing or blackmailing David into doing as he wanted; all for the sake of saving the kingdom.
"No," the woman – what was her name – said. "You were right to turn down that offer, as you must this one, too. Every day you've been gone, has shown me it was shameful of me to ever encourage you otherwise. Your freedom to choose is more important than anything. I'll give up the farm."
"No," David insisted.
"They can't force you," she argued.
Unfortunately, his biological mother was wrong. She had no idea what was happening. "Yes, they can," David sighed. "Because of our ruse, Midas can never really know who I am, which…"
"We can't ever see each other again," she realized.
"Yes," David nodded.
As far as James was concerned, none of this was even remotely fair to David. He only agreed to help Father conceal that James was dead. To have to give up his own life, to continue the charade; it wasn't right. If there was a way for him to do so, James would give Father a piece of his mind.
"Then don't do it – run away," his mother pleaded.
"I can't. They will kill you," David argued.
"I lose you either way," she countered. "At least I'll know you'll be happy."
But, it was too late. David could not go back on his word. James knew that Midas would surely declare war if that happened. "I already accepted Midas' offer. I didn't come here for advice, mother. I came here to say goodbye. There was too much at stake. I couldn't let the kingdom suffer on my account. I couldn't let them hurt you. You know, you were right about one thing – can't have everything."
That was true enough. As David had been forced to learn during the last few days. It was why James would have surely sought out his brother (if he knew about his twin) so that they could switch places. For the sake of getting a chance to unwind, James would have switched places with him. He could have handled living on a farm. It might be a slight adjustment, but James could have lived with that. It would have been a welcome distraction to his normal princely duties.
In response to her son's decision, the woman removed a ring from her finger. "My boy," she murmured. "My sweet, sweet boy. Give this to your wife to be." She handed the ring over to her son.
As lovely a gesture as that was, it seemed as if David did not want to take it. "No, no I don't love her," he insisted. Yeah, he made that very clear. "I don't even know her. I…I can't take this."
She did not appear willing to accept that; just as stubborn as her son was. "Just because you don't know her, doesn't mean you won't grow to love her. True love follows this ring wherever it goes, my son. I had it with your father; I've had it as your mother, now you will have it. Take it."
"No, no," David said.
Mother – in his mind, he supposed it would be acceptable to call her that – forced the ring into David's hand. "Take it, and I'll know. Even if I never see you again, I'll know you'll find love. I'll know you'll be happy."
Watching as preparations were made for a trip to Midas's kingdom was the last thing that James wanted to see. He prepared to watch as his brother lived his own life; lived a life that made him happy. David took Abigail by the hand; and the two walked over to where Midas and Father were standing. Midas looked at the pair of them fondly. He seemed genuinely excited by this match. "Let this mark the beginning of a new era – of a new kingdom. United and strong," Midas said.
"An era of mutual prosperity," Father agreed.
"Abigail. James. As I stay to work out the particulars of our new land with King George, go to your new home at my palace," Midas said. "We'll be along shortly and the celebration will be beyond your dreams."
Probably bigger than the one that was held here.
"Thank you, daddy. I trust that you know best," Abigail said.
While Abigail was talking with Midas, Father took David aside to speak with him privately. It had James worried about what more was to be said; what Father would do to David in order to get his way. "I'm glad you made the right decision, son," he said, clapping David on the shoulder.
"Thank you…father," David said.
They shared a brief handshake – it was a very awkward handshake, to be sure – before Abigail walked over to them, pulling David over to the carriage. "Come – I'm tired of waiting," she said.
"Well then, our journey shall begin!" David exclaimed. He grimaced slightly, looking at the carriage that awaited to carry them to Midas's kingdom. There was no way that he could be happy about this. Not in the very least. After everything that was said to Mother before they were ripped away from one another by that accursed demon, James knew that David could not be happy with Abigail. There was something missing between them. A spark, he supposed. So, James was incredibly surprised to hear what David had to say next: "I'd thought we might take the scenic route."
The scenic route? Why spend more time with someone he didn't love?
"Smile, son. You're on the road to true love," Father told him.
The pair headed into the carriage and began their journey to Midas's kingdom. At one point, the carriage began traversing a dense forest. Although, James found it strange that there would be a dark-haired young woman standing in the trees. What in the world was she doing there?
Author's Note: I couldn't help but end the chapter with a cameo from Snow. She'll be around for a proper introduction in the next chapter, as I lead up to the curse and James's appearances during Emma's childhood.
