Chapter 3-A Different Kind of Princess
Author's note:
I decided not to make this a crossover fic so it would hopefully reach more people. However the basic plot is from the movie Brave, and the characters and setting are from the show Once Upon A Time. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer:
Although I wish that I owned either the movie Brave, or any character on Once Upon A Time, I don't. Although some of the ideas are mine, the movie and show hold the rights to most of the ideas and the characters.
Dedications:
1) SnowandJames4eva: You helped me grow so much as a writer, and definetly helped me come up with a lot of amazing ideas for all these stories. I draw a lot of my inspiration and creativity from your amazing fics, so I wanted to thank you for that. I hope we stay friends, love you girl!
2) OncerSwarekJateBlaze22: You've been reviewing, reading and chatting with me tirelessly, and I can never thank you enough for all the help you've given me. I love each and every one of your fics, and I hope we remain friends :)
3) Other readers: I also wanted to thank so many other writers who have reviewed or read, or just simply looked at my stories. It means a lot to me that you would do that, and I wanted to thank you.
Other random things:
I think Taylor Swift says it all in the quote below. Fearless is not about not having fears, but having a lot of them and just believing and hoping. I hope that all the readers remain as Fearless as they are now, and that you never stop writing if you love it enough, or if you just do it for fun. Also this is my first time using a movie (Brave) and writing in first person.
Chapter 3: SnowandJames4eva deserves an award for being such an amazing friend and writer, but also for coming up with some ideas in this chapter. Love ya girl!
Written while listening to: Come Home by: OneRepublic ft. Sara Bareilles, You Could Be Happy by: Snow Patrol, We All Need Saving by: Jon McLaughlin and Landslide by: Brianna Carpenter. (Listen to some while you read if you want, might help capture the emotions better!)
I'm upping the ante a bit, with a higher rating for some depressing scenes and hopefully intense moments later on, and possibly some minor swearing here and there. Hope you like it and reviews=awesome!
Chapter 3-A Different Kind Of Princess
The sun beat down on the valley, stretching out to encompass everything. I sat under a shaded area upon a plush throne, beside my father and mother, waiting for the archery contest. I sighed, visibly bored as the men practiced over and over, their arrows making pleasant smacking sounds against the wooden targets. Graham looked over at me and smiled, then with a look of fierce determination, shot an arrow right into the center ring. I beamed and he smiled the crooked smile that I loved, causing my cheeks to flush pink. My father hit me on the shoulder and laughed at my expression. "Seems like you've got an admirer," he said, tilting his chin towards Graham. I smiled to myself, looking over at my father's toothy grin and laughing. Suddenly my mother raised her hand, signaling that it was time for the contest.
"Each man will have one shot towards a wooden target. The one with the arrow closest to the center will win," her words were short and clipped, clear authority dripping from them. August was brought forward, and he looked confused down at his arrow. He attempted to bring his arm back in a straight line, and I found myself holding my breath as his arrow made its way toward the target. I blew out the breath as the arrow landed near the fourth ring, clearly out of contention. A feeling of guilt washed over me, as the King yelled at his son, embarrassed by his lack of archery skills. I smiled over at August's face in reassurance, but he merely turned away from me and looked down at the ground.
Ember pushed his way through the crowd, and smiled arrogantly towards me. I felt myself sigh deeply again, bored by his ego. Ember drew back his arm, focused solely on the target ahead of him. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow, as he let the arrow fly. I felt my mouth drop open when I saw where it had landed: directly in the center. Ember's face lit up with a smile, and he was picked up by his fellow kingdom's men. They cheered, but I was still taken aback at his perfect shot. Ember blew a kiss to me, and it took effort not to roll my eyes at him. My father laughed deeply, and I found my face lighting up again.
Graham walked with slight hesitation forward, barely even looking at his bow as he flashed me his crooked smile. He lined up his arrow, drawing the string back as he let out a single breath. I could barely breathe as I opened my eyes to see where the arrow had landed. My shoulders slumped as I saw that the arrow had landed merely an inch away from Ember's. Graham dropped his head in practical shame and turned on his heel towards his men, the entire crowd silent for a moment. Ember's men burst into cheers at the obvious winner, hoisting him high above his competitor's. Gepetto and Albert 's deep frown lines showed their disdain at their own son's lack of archery skills. I saw Graham try to move towards the platform, but he was instantly grabbed by the shoulder by Albert who began speaking in hush, tense tones.
My mother began making her way towards the front of the platform, smiling widely at Ember. Before she could speak a word, I picked up my father's bow and set of arrows and ran across the field, the wind whipping through my hair. I drew back my arm and fired an arrow at the first target, an easy bullseye. I repeated the action twice more, my anger growing with each sound of the arrow hitting the target. As I came to the final target, my eyes darted across the crowd and to the platform. The men looked to be in total shock, Ember's eyes were alight with rage. Graham grinned at me, and I smiled back until I saw my mother's face. Her expression was a mix of pain, anger and frustration, and her eyes gleamed with tears. I felt terrible for betraying her like this, but I would not stand by while my fate was decided by anyone but me.
I held my bow up with purpose, as the wind blew through my hair. The arrow easily fit onto the string and I pulled it back, my eyes locked on Ember's arrow. I let the arrow fly, and watched as it made it's way towards Ember's. The sound of wood splitting pierced the air as my arrow broke through Ember's, the wood spilling onto the grass. My arrow now replaced Ember's, the clear winner in the center. I felt tears spill from my eyes as I realized what I had done. The challenge had now been ruined, and it was all my fault. I looked to the platform where my parents were both standing, arguing. My mother gestured wildly, and using quiet but clearly angry tones. My father was attempting to grab her and reassure her, but she began making her way towards me, eyes wild.
I began running, not bothering to look back as I threw my bow to the ground. There was no point of fighting, when they could just let me decide my own fate. I wanted to be free of responsibility, the decision, and my parents for awhile. I ran to my father's horse and hoisted myself on before galloping away. I turned just in time to see my father stop running after me, and across his face was written one emotion: hurt. I wiped this from my mind as the horse picked up speed, bringing me to the place I always went when I was upset, the old troll bridge.
Though the trolls were now gone, I would never forget my father's tales of how he met my mother, battling the trolls to get back his mother's ring, and winning much more then a simple battle. They had won each other's hearts. Tears ran faster down my face as I stood next to one rock wall, looking into the black abyss. I thought of how disappointed my father had looked, and how angry my mother had been.
Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. Although it pained me, I climbed up onto the top of the small wall, clutching onto a wooden beam for support. I thought of all the things I had done wrong, how angry my mother and father were, and how I could not choose my own future. The hurt would never end, and I knew this sadness would envelope me for much longer then I could endure. The last thing I thought of before I prepared myself to jump was Graham. I had fallen for him as a mere child, but I knew there was much more then childish feelings between us. The kiss had been my one and only, and I would not have wanted it any other way.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed my own, and I tried to wrench it free, sobbing hard as I turned around to look into the face of my father. His face portrayed immense sadness, as he lifted me down to the bridge ground.
"Oh, Emma," he began, but I did not want to hear another word as I buried myself into his chest, letting all my tears find his red, velvet jacket. "Dad, I c-can't do it, I can't let someone else decide my fate. It's not," I continued to cry as I gripped onto his back, never wanting to let go. "Emma, look at me," my father said, tilting my chin up with his hand.
"I love you so much. You should never feel like you have to measure up to what your mother expects or what I expect. I don't have expectations for you Emma, because you are already the most perfect little girl I could have ever asked for. I know you feel like we are controlling your fate, but I want you to follow your heart as much as you can, because you deserve true love Emma," my father's eyes teared up as he spoke, hugging me harder.
"Dad, I'm so sorry. I never should have even thought to jump, it just seemed easier. Easier then having this responsibility and rules and Mother always thinking I'm not good enough. I don't understand why she became so different, she's changed so much, and she just doesn't understand me anymore." I looked up at my father, but continued to stay in his embrace, finding safety there.
"Emma, I feel like you should know this now. You know better then anyone that your mother has clearly not been the same lately. There are honestly more then one reasons why, but you must remember that it is not your fault." My father cleared his throat, and I pulled away slightly, holding his hands as I waited eagerly for his explanation on why my mother was now so different.
"I can't tell you the day when your mother began acting differently. I used to bring her flowers every morning, and then one day, I looked her right in the eyes as I walked up to her. The light was gone Emma, that light that had shone so brightly with love and happiness was just gone. She had been with a child at the time, Doc told us that day that she had had a miscarriage. I had found her on the bathroom floor, and I knew when she lifted her head from the lid of the toilet, the tears streaking down her face. So I just held her and told her everything was going to be okay, even though I had tears falling into her hair as I said it. That was one of the hardest things your mother ever went through, and all I could do was try to be there for her. You were so young, and Henry had not been born yet, so we could not tell you. I remember you came bounding into our room later in the day, smiling breathlessly because you had been running around with Graham. Your mother tried and stayed strong and told you everything was fine, so we went along with this lie for a long time, knowing we could not hurt you. Something changed in Snow that day, it was as if she blamed herself for the loss of our child, but we had Henry and a bit of the light came back but the problems continued to stack themselves onto each other. Our kingdom was making its way towards poverty, her father's money almost run out. This continues to this day, and I keep trying to repay it by finding other kingdoms to help. Regina has also been threatening us more then usual, ranging from her taking me away to killing you and Henry. I will never let that happen, but Snow can't stop blaming herself for letting it happen. I try to remind her how much I love her, and how we can overcome it but she can't stop blaming herself for any little problem that we're faced with. Snow didn't think we were going to have another chance with a child, so you were our biggest concern. For some reason, I think Snow expects you to be the perfect daughter, because you were our first child and she didn't think another child would come along until Henry. But she loves you Emma, you must never forget that. And I want you to know that at the end of this bethroval, I want you to pick a man who you know you are in love with, your true love, and not someone your mother wants, or I want, or anyone other then you. " My father was rather breathless after his confessions, and I found my mind racing. I had no idea how much my mother had gone through, and a mix of emotions went through me as I held my father's hand. He stroked his thumb across my cheeks, catching the last of my tears.
Suddenly, I was hoisted into the air, and my father laughed as he threw me onto his back. I laughed and linked my hands around his neck, happy to have one person who would always be there for me, no matter what would come. But I knew in this moment I would try my hardest to forgive my mother, and make her understand that I still loved her and that I needed to make my own decisions.
"You're a different kind of princess there Princess" my father chuckled as I hit him on the head, laughing as we walked into the forest towards our castle. The same path that my parents had parted ways on, so many years before. I felt like I was parting ways with my old self, and becoming a new and hopefully better daughter and person.
My father let me down outside his room, and pushed the door open. My mother sat at the balcony, gazing at the stars. She rose when she heard us walk in, and slammed the door to the balcony shut as her voice broke through the silence: "Where the hell have you been?"
"We were at the bridge, I'm really sorry Mother I shouldn't have left," I began to feel tears forming in my eyes, but tried to stay strong through what I knew would be a long confrontation.
"You're right you shouldn't have, so why, after everything in the contest did you just go? And James why did you let her go?" my mother stood near us, eyes alight with pain as my father tried to speak.
""Snow, I" my father was cut off by my mother's harsh glare as she stared at the both of us.
"This fight is not with you James," my mother concluded, and I could feel her eyes baring into me.
"Mother, why should we even be fighting? My choice on who to marry should be my own, not influenced by anyone. Why can't you understand that? And I know" I crossed my arms defiantly, knowing I should be trying to stop the fight. But the anger in me kept building, as I strode towards my mother. I stopped short a few feet from her, being able to read every emotion that flickered across her face.
At first, the words did not seem to register, but my mother's eyes quickly filled, and her face fell. "You know what?" she asked anyway, and I felt myself snap before launching into a tirade of angry words.
"I know about everything. Regina, the kingdom, your miscarriage. Dad told me, right when I was about to jump off the troll bridge." I stopped short to catch my breath, seeing the immense hurt that crossed my mother's face as she registered my near death. I kept up with the words, pouring my heart out and feeling my voice rise with each passing moment.
"That's right, I was going to end my life because I could not deal with your constant need for me to be perfect, or the sadness that was weighing me down each day, or not being able to decide my fate. I know you want me to be perfect, and I try. I will always try to please you because you're my mother, and I have to. But Dad convinced me not to jump, and I'm glad I didn't. Because now I can come in front of you and say that you will not decide my fate for me. No one decides my fate but me. I will choose who I want, and I don't care about fame or riches or power, I care about love and light. The light that you used to have in your eyes Mother so long ago, it's gone. You don't smile as much, and I know you have been through a lot but you cannot blame me for all your problems. I can't be perfect and I can't be the woman you want me to be. And you know what? I hate you. I hate you because you don't see that I will NEVER be the person you want me to be, I'm just me as I am. I hate you because despite all of Dad's attempts to bring you closer to our family, you push him away. If you just let people in again, you would be much happier, and maybe you could be the person you used to be. But I think she may be gone forever, and this new person you've become? I hate her." I felt lighter to have taken the weight off my heart, but terrible for the things I had said. And even more terrible because I meant every word. My mother's face was a range of emotions, but hurt played the biggest part, quickly replaced however, by anger.
I did not see the hand coming as Snow slapped me across the face. I gasped and clutched my now stinging face. She looked ready to burst into tears but instead used her authorative voice to say: "Young lady, I have heard enough. You will do as you are asked because you have a duty, to these people, your kingdom and your family. I will decide your fate because I know better then you the consequences of your decision. You will continue with this bethroval, and I will see to it that you marry the man I want you to, if it is the last thing I do."
I ran at these words, seeing my father consoling my mother and again looking to me with hurt and a hint of pride in his eyes. I knew he still respected me, but my words had broken my mother, and I. I collapsed on my bed, unable to believe that despite everything, my mother would still decide my fate. I felt my eyes closing at the exhaustion from the emotions from the day, and the last thing I thought of before I shut my eyes was the single tear that had slipped down my mother's cheek when I had finished my speech, a tear that was shed as she realized that she may never be the same person as before.
Ta da! Now I know it was a tad depressing, but hear me out. I wanted to show how much Emma's character is developing, and how anybody can fall on hardships it's just in getting through the tough times may make you stronger and a better person. I hope you liked the explanation of why Snow is so strict now, and the little father daughter talk that was had. Ember's date is first, so hope you stick around for the next chapter! Will Snow ever be the same again? Is Ember really as bad as Emma thinks? Will Charming be able to break down his wife's wall? Please review, and thanks for reading!
