Second Time's the Charm
Chapter Four: Normative Influence

KING GEORGE'S CASTLE, GALAFORD, SOME WEEKS AFTER JAMES' TRIP TO THE DWARVES' COTTAGE
It was easy to fall in love with Snow White when he was with her, so James had decided to take some time away from her to see if he could judge that his feelings were present even when she was not. But soon enough, he had found that the old adage was true: absence did make the heart grow fonder.

Although, to be fair, she wasn't quite absent. She wasn't there physically, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from her. He found himself thinking of her when he was having tea with Abigail, and it was hard to keep from laughing, while she was complaining about one thing or another (not that he ever listened as well as he should have), when he remembered Snow referring to her as the "nag with the bad attitude." (Only five seconds with her, and Snow had already determined this.)

He struggled to stay focused on preparations for the wedding, because it was impossible to think of what seemed right for a wedding that he increasingly did not want to happen. He could no longer picture himself sliding his mother's ring onto Abigail's finger when he said her vows, not after seeing how perfect it looked on Snow's (despite her denial), not when he knew he could only sincerely say those vows to Snow.

It seemed like, even out of his control, Snow kept coming up in conversation. Abigail immediately noticed the bruised and swollen area of his temple. It wasn't like he could tell her that it was from Snow's dwarf-guardian trying to ward him off because he'd been tracking her. He had lied and said it was from a tree branch while riding in the wood. That, of course, had induced her to prohibit him (as if she had such authority!) from riding out anymore.

And then there was the incessant questioning from his father if he knew of Snow White's whereabouts. Queen Grimhelde was quite serious about locating her, since she was a murderer and all. Of course this made James all the more curious to find out the truth of the story, and in order to do that, he had to speak to her again. This meant she had to actually be not imprisoned.

All of this avoidance of her when other people brought her up in conversations made him all the more anxious to see her again. He became edgy, and it was difficult for him to lie to his "father's" or his fiancé's face, so he became more distant from them. When they wanted to see him, he gave the excuse of having to work on wedding plans. This was not entirely a lie, as he was thinking about a wedding; just not one to Abigail.

It seemed like the natural thing to do, if you loved them, to marry them. That was not to say that all marriages had to be built on love, because it could be the sort of thing that grew with time, if you did not already love someone else. But it was too late for that now. He belonged entirely to Snow White.

Perhaps marriage was entirely out of the question, because even if he proposed, he very much doubted she would say yes. He had no reason to think that she harbored any kind of affection for him, even though he'd tried to point it out to tease her (and possibly prove it). She had saved his life from the trolls because she couldn't let him die, but that didn't imply that she placed any more value on his life than she would on any human's, even though he was a prince. For a bandit, she certainly had a moral compass.

Being a prince (albeit an adopted one), and a handsome – yes, even charming – one at that, he knew he could have married any woman he wanted. But he didn't want just any woman; he wanted Snow. And she wasn't going to marry him just because she was impressed by his status.

She wasn't impressed. She was a princess, and that meant that she basically had to marry a prince, or at least a nobleman, anyone who might have pursued her wasn't exactly jumping at the chance now that she had been deemed a thief and murderer. Even so, none of those things were what drew her to him.

He wanted her to love him.

Knowing that, he couldn't go on living the way he was, with his fiancé residing in a wing of his father's castle until the wedding. There could be no wedding to her. He wanted to marry someone he loved; he had told his mother as much, and it was a promise he intended to keep. He had for a long time now been waiting for some kind of loophole, deep down hoping that he would be able to get out of it. He still doesn't have an excuse his father will accept, but it's certainly enough for James.

By this point, with the wedding only weeks away (because royal weddings do take some time to plan), King George did not really care whether his son maintained an honorable relationship with Abigail. They were to be married, and an heir to be produced eventually. James' "father" only required that formalities were abided by in public, if not in private. He involved himself in the relationship only as far as fathers normally interfere in arrangements, while still giving them time alone, perhaps in the hope of encouraging affection between them.

If he had so chosen, James could have taken advantage of Abigail, but he had no desire for her – she's whiny and frosty, and it's quite impossible for him to imagine having that sort of relation with her. There was never any physical contact between them; he sat on the other side of the carriage, or the opposite side of the table, and their comings and goings were marked with bowing and curtsying rather than embraces and kisses. The extent of his touch was on her elbow when escorting her to dinner, or her hand when helping her out of the carriage.

In spite of everyone's best efforts, the engagement was nothing more than the period necessary to make agreements – treaties between the involved countries, negotiation on the dowry, and such things. Since the decision to marry Abigail had not entirely been his own, James knew that the decision not to do so would already affect other parties who had to be consulted.

He was relieved when he found his father alone in his study in a rare moment of solitude, and was glad that he did not have to be judged by a dozen attendants.

"Your Majesty," he began, pausing long enough to wait for the king to look up from the petitions he was looking over, to be certain that he had his attention. "I wish to break off my engagement to Princess Abigail."

The king's brows knit together in suspicion. "You know the reason why that is not a wise decision, James. I strongly advise you to reconsider it before you act in haste."

"I have been considering it," "James" insisted. "You know I can be trusted in my intentions."

"And I suppose you will expect me to speak to Midas and take the fall for it," George sighed, introspective. "Such is the life of a king, taking all the blame."

"Or all the credit," his son reminded him. "I know there would be many advantages to an alliance with Roxbury, but are there not other kingdoms with which to make an advantageous match? Akanesley is a large kingdom rich with resources, for example."

George shook his head, putting up a hand. "Do not speak to me of that traitorous girl!"

"Snow White," James corrects.

"It doesn't matter what her name is. She has been missing for some time now, with more of Grimhelde's men gone missing looking for her."

James was silent – he was the reason those men were missing, because they had found Snow White, and when they were about to kill her, he had killed them.

"And even if she could be found, her crimes are unpardonable! Even if she was not killed, a marriage to her would bring a scandal, not favor. If you do not marry well, our country will be ruined, your brother left without prospects. Do not be so selfish. Abigail is not so terrible. What gave you such an idea in the first place?"

Already James had thought of all things; some of them he had determined to be avoidable, and the other things he had decided were worth suffering. But at the final question, he could say nothing.

Understanding dawns on the king's expression. "You've found her, haven't you?"

"Why would I tell you if I had? You would have Grimhelde's forces arrest her!"

"You have found her!" George groans and places his face in his hands. "I should not have had you taught tracking. Now I am in a dilemma. If I am questioned about whether I know the whereabouts of someone who has information about the fugitive princess, what am I to do?"

James looked at his father in disgusted belief. "If it's so difficult for you to do the right thing, then let me make the decision for you," he growled, slamming the door on the way out.

ENCHANTED FOREST, AN HOUR LATER
Maybe it was cowardly of James to run away from his father, knowing that he couldn't come back, because if he did he would have to go back to a wedding. He was cowardly to run away from Abigail. It was possible that his father was right and being married to Abigail wasn't that horrible, because in an arranged marriage, a husband and wife weren't expected to be together any longer than the time it took to make public appearances and conceive an heir.

But he would have liked to think that it was brave of him for standing up for what he believed in. Or at least for what he loved.

Still, there was a thin line between bravery and stupidity. He had no idea if Snow White would return his feelings. It did not matter though, because he was still going to get out of marrying someone that he didn't love, he was still going to protect Snow White from getting captured by Grimhelde's forces with his father's help, because he wasn't going to tell his father what he wanted to know.

It was understandable, he supposed, for his father to want Snow White captured, if he considered her a threat and he wanted to gain Grimhelde's favor. But from what he knew of Grimhelde, she didn't give her favor to anyone, cared only for herself, and lied about the nature Snow White's crimes, even if Snow believed she really had ruined the queen's life. And he doubted that his father was motivated by morality as much as practicality.

However, it was difficult to stay angry at his father when they were essentially acting on the same principles of love – his father for love of his kingdom, and James for love of Snow White. Even if he wasn't angry, he was still resolute.

Even if he had left for good reasons, though, perhaps he had done so a bit too impulsively. He hadn't thought to bring along any food, for one thing, and his horse had lost a shoe while cantering through the forest. James also realized, about halfway to the dwarves' cottage, that if someone chose to follow his tracks, he would lead them right to Snow White's cottage.

But even if they did follow him and find Snow White, that might not mean the end of her. While he was riding at breakneck speed through the forest because he was angry at his father and just needed to escape, he had not been entirely foolish; he had been formulating a plan in his head of how he might try to get Snow pardoned. That would require him talking to her to gather evidence, of course, by talking to her.

And that was what he intended to do. Glancing around to make sure that no one was watching him, he knocked lightly on the door to the dwarves' cottage. He frowned when there was no answer.

Once more, his hand went to his sword hilt. Maybe this was some kind of trap – set up by Grimhelde or by Grumpy, he couldn't be sure.

He tested the doorknob and the door swung open. He glanced around the place and found it totally empty, with no sign of a reason why. He sank down into a chair in disappointment and increasing anxiety as images flashed through his head of brutal arrests. Something awful must have happened.

Snow White was gone.

AN: Since I haven't done one of these so far, this is gonna be a long one!

Hi everyone who is reading, and thank you for those of you who have reviewed! I'm glad there's been a positive response to the story so far. You guys make my day.

Also, I ought to have explained the titles of the chapters. "Tabula rasa" means blank slate in Latin and supports the "nurture" side of the nature vs. nurture debate that babies are born with empty minds that are formed by the world around them, not determined by their genetics. A lucid dream (Chapter 2) is being awake or aware while you're dreaming. "Terra incognita" means unknown land, which is kinda eerie because I wrote it before 1x05 and I believe that's almost exactly how David Nolan described it. And "normative influence" is the effect of acting like everyone else in the group, like King George might due under Grimhelde's manipulation.

I decided to use the traditional name for the Evil Queen because I didn't know what else to use, and I took the liberty of naming the kingdom where George (James' father), James, and Thomas (George's brother, who will be Cinderella's husband) live "Galaford," the kingdom where Grimhelde and Snow White live "Akanesley", and the kingdom where Abigail lives "Roxbury." Gala, Roxbury, and Akane are all names of apples.

Sorry this chapter was kinda boring (and sorry for the author's note), but let me know what you think.

To be continued!