I really need to stop reading the spoilers for season 2 of OUAT because they are breaking my Snowing loving heart. I may just have to move into this forum permanently and make fan fiction my new reality.
Thank you to everyone who continues to read my stories.
As always, I do not own these characters or their world.
Chapter 4
James sulked as they road across the river to King George's palace. He had only agreed to attend if Ella was allowed to accompany him. She sat across from them in the carriage enjoying the view.
"I love this road, so much nicer than the Troll road." She sighed.
The King smiled at her. He liked her and would not mind at all if his son made her his wife some day.
James let his mind wander. Since he killed the troll who had attacked Snow, he would probably have to renegotiate a new deal with the clan. No matter how angry he was with her, he could not let her be harmed. He still loved her, even if she wanted nothing to do with him. He would probably love her until the day he died.
He sighed heavily. It was going to be torture to be in the palace with her and know that they would never be together. It would be nearly intolerable to have to watch as King George announced her engagement to another man.
"James, stop sulking!" The King demanded.
"Why must you humiliate me by making me go somewhere that I am not wanted?" The prince answered back.
"Think of the years of humiliation I have suffered every time you have refused to accompany me to King George's Court!"
James ran his finger across the ring that was on the chain around his neck. This did not go unnoticed by his father.
"Is that the ring that belonged to your mother? I have not seen that in ages. I hope you have been keeping it in a safe place." He answered with sadness in his voice.
"I thought it was safe. I guess I was wrong." James folded his arms and continued to brood.
"I loved your mother dearly son. I hope that someday you too will find that kind of love." The king patted his son on the leg in encouragement and glanced at Ella again. She shook her head sadly at her friend who was so clearly aching for his perceived lost love.
They neared the palace and James' heart dropped into his stomach. He was anticipating the worst night of his life. He looked to Ella for sympathy, but she just rolled her eyes.
Snow White was having the worst night of her life. She stood in what seemed to her to be an endless receiving line as the royal court greeted guest after boring guest. Most of them were older nobles and the worst part was that she would be expected to engage them in conversation and dance with them later that night. William had snuck off somewhere, probably to spend quality time with his wife, so she did not even have him by her side to make fun of the dress of the noble women. To make things worse, she knew that James wasn't coming. He probably hated her and she had likely lost him forever.
The Page got ready to read the names of the next noble family. Snow did not even look up.
"Announcing King Leopold and his son and heir Prince James!" The young Page mumbled.
If it were possible to die of shock and joy, Princess Snow would have dropped dead on her feet. Her eyes locked with his and she felt her legs wobble. Dressed in his royal finery, he looked every bit like a Prince and she realized that he was incredibly handsome. She truly believed that she could get lost in the depths of his blue eyes.
When James saw her he literally could not breathe for what seemed like an eternity. She was a vision of pure beauty in a light blue strapless dress covered in fabric flowers and butterflies. Her hair was up off of her neck, but a few loose pieces framed her face. Her red lips made her skin seem even more pale than normal, it was almost translucent. He was reminded of that angel of pure splendor he a had gazed upon 12 years earlier when he had seen her lying seemingly lifeless in her bed chamber. He had fallen in love with her at that moment and now he would have thought it impossible, but he was falling deeper in love with her even more. He had to look away from her and cast his eyes down or he felt sure his heart would shatter into tiny pieces.
When Leopold and James reached her, they each kissed her on both cheeks as all of the other nobles had done. Snow was not sure it was wishful thinking, but she was sure that when James kissed her cheeks, he lingered a few seconds longer then decorum allowed. The warmth from those kisses spread through her body.
James felt his body tingle at being so close to her. She smelled like flowers and her cheek was so soft. He wanted to kiss her lips. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to kiss her neck and lovely exposed shoulders. He wanted to throw her on the floor in the middle of the grand chamber and do maddening things to her. Things that his imagination had not even perceived but that he was sure his mind would conjure up during the evening.
King Leo told her that she grew more beautiful every year and she thanked him kindly. She hoped James would say something. Little did she know that he could not find his breath to speak.
She would have less than a minute left in which to speak to him and she had to make every second count. He refused to meet her eyes with his own.
"In the forest, I did not know it was you. James, you have changed so much in 12 year I swear I did not recognize you." She pleaded with him to acknowledge her in some way.
He still refused to look her in the eyes. The crowd was threatening to push him on to the next person in the receiving line.
Snow leaned over and whispered in his ear the three most brazen words he had ever heard.
"I want you, Charming."
She did not tell him that she loved him or needed him. She did not even say she was sorry. She said those three heavily suggestive and charged words. Whatever affect she was hoping to achieve, happened. He flushed hot and blood rushed to places in his body that he had forgotten existed. By the time he recovered from the shock, the crowd had pushed him several places down the line away from the Princess. He looked back at her and from the look on her face, a mixture of lust and adoration; there was no doubt of her intentions. He gave her a warm smile to let her know that all was forgiven.
They both spent the rest of the evening in a daze. They were each placed as far away as possible form the other at the banquet table. As far as they were concerned, they might as well have been in different realms. Neither of them was able to eat more than a few bites of food and what they did eat, they did not taste. The wine was probably of the best vintage, but they might as well have been drinking water. They were both kept apart on the dance floor by the surging crowd. She was forced to dance with aging nobles. He spent the evening with one boring heiress after another. They were able to exchange small smiles and looks of longing. At one point he maneuvered his dance partner close to Snow and her partner. "You are stunning!" He told her and the smile he received in return almost made the meandering evening worthwhile.
As the evening wounded down a servant appeared to escort James and his Father to their respective rooms. James took one last look around the ballroom hoping to spot Snow White, but she had already been led to her bedchamber by her lady in waiting. Once they were settled in their rooms, James knew that there was a slight chance that he would be able to sneak out and see Snow. If only he could remember which room was hers. It had been 12 years and she might not even still have the same bedchamber as she had when she was 10. All he needed was to accidentally stumble into the room of some random noble woman. That would surely get him sent home.
Snow White was pacing in her room. She could not sleep and she could not stop thinking about James. How striking he looked and how she had wanted to be in his arms all night She has sent down to the kitchen for a cup of hot coco, which she often drank when she needed to calm herself. There was a knock on the door and a small blond entered the room carrying a cup.
"Your coco, you majesty." The girl curtsied.
Snow took the cup.
"I have not seen you before are you new?" Snow asked.
"I work at King Leopold's castle. The kitchen staff was very busy and so I volunteered to bring you your coco. My name is Ella."
Snow smiled as she sipped the hot drink.
"Thank you. It is a little unusual for guests to bring their own kitchen staff is the King afraid my father might be trying the poison him?"
Ella laughed, she always figured King Leopold was still alive because George needed him alive for some reason.
"This is good."
"It has cinnamon in it. That is how James prefers it." Ella watched her reaction. She had always told James that if a woman was willing to drink her hot chocolate the way he liked it, she was a keeper.
"Do you know James well?" Snow asked.
"We have been friends for some time." Ella replied.
"Is he spoken for?" Snow asked hastily and then regretted the question.
Ella forgot who she was talking to for a moment.
"Is he ever!" She rolled her eyes
Snow almost dropped the cup. She walked out on the balcony and looked up at the stars.
"I did not mean that he was engaged or anything." She tried to backtrack and decided that it would be best that she left.
"Do you need anything else?" Ella asked as she tried to back out of the room. James was going to kill her!
"What do you know about the stars?" Snow asked as she looked up at the night sky.
"Very little, you should ask James. He spends a great deal of time outside at night."
"The last time he was here he hated the outdoors." Snow gave her a puzzled look.
"Prince James has changed a lot in the last 12 years." Ella shrugged.
Snow wondered how this kitchen maid knew it had been 12 years since James had visited the Summer Palace.
The two of them gazed up at the stars.
As if on cue at the mention of his name, James rushed into the room, picked up two cloaks and threw them over the women.
"What do you think you are doing out there? Do you not know that the light attracts dragons?"
He forcefully pulled them both into the room.
"I think I should be getting back to the kitchen." Ella made a hasty retreat.
"Come back soon and we can talk more." Snow called after her.
James and Snow stood entranced for a few moments as if time had stopped and then they were instantly in each others arms. They did not know how it happened, one moment there was distance between them and then in the next second they were wrapped tightly in an embrace.
"Charming!" Snow called out urgently.
The kissed each other with a breath stealing passion, hanging on to each other tightly. They only broke the kiss when each of them could no longer feel their own lips.
"Charming." She repeated softer.
"That is my name. Don't wear it out." He gently teased as he kissed her bottom lip. These were no longer the kisses of a 10 and 12 year old. They were sweet and long and as they became more comfortable with each other, the kisses became more intimate. James stared by gently biting her lower lip and when she did not object he ran his tongue across her top lip teasingly, when she gasped with pleasure he became bolder and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Snow was convinced that if you could die of happiness, she would not mind dying in his arms at that moment.
She sighed with contentment," I am so sorry about what happened in the forest."
"Think nothing of it. What you said in the receiving line?" He gave her a serious look.
"I wanted to get your attention." She said slyly.
"You have my full attention." He kissed her again blissfully. They had their eyes shut tightly blocking out everything around them and concentrating only on each other.
She had removed the cloak that he had thrown over her and James was able to really take a good look at her. A gleeful smile crossed his face.
"You are beautiful, Snow White!"
"You are not so bad yourself Prince James!" She blushed.
They both laughed blissfully.
"Until this night I have never known what it means to be truly happy." He whispered into her hair.
She walked to the edge of the balcony, but did not go outside. She looked up longingly at the stars.
"Before she died my mother named a star for me. This is always the clearest night of the year. I always look for it on this night." Snow told him.
A look of realization crossed his face.
"Is that what you were doing outside with Ella?" He asked affectionately.
"Yes, only tonight I saw a shooting star and I wished on it instead." She gave him a tender smile.
Moonlight streamed into the room from the open balcony door and she glowed. He decided that she was even more beautiful than she had been a few hours earlier.
He took both her hands in his own and gazed deeply into her eyes.
"Is it proper for me to ask what you wished for?" He asked her with a hint of playfulness in his voice.
"I wished to be with you, always." She answered in a straightforward manner.
"Then I guess we both got our wish." He whispered as her kissed her neck and shoulders. She melted into his arms. He fully intended to do to her many of the things he had been dying to do to her all evening.
"Did you see the star and wish on it as well?" She asked with her voice full of hope.
"No. I did not have to. I have carried the wish to be with you in my heart for 12 years."
His words were filled with so much love and his voice held so much passion that it made her heart beat a little faster and her face flush with a warm glow.
He was holding on to her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. Yet she did not want him to let go.
"Snow, I love you with all of my heart!" he was shaking with fear because he was about to put his whole heart on the line and there was always the possibility that she might reject him. "Snow, I know your father plans to announce your engagement in the next few days." It nearly broke his heart to even say those words.
"James." She whispered softly. She ran her fingers across the back of his neck in a reassuring manner.
"Is it possible that we can still be together?" He pleaded.
She tilted her head to one side and gave him a puzzled look. How could he even think he needed to ask that question? Had she made it clear that she loved him, and yearned to be with him with every fiber of her being? She was about to answer but she never had the chance.
"Snow, what do you think you are doing?" The angry voice of King George pierced through the calm that had surrounded the room seconds before. "Your betrothed is waiting downstairs."
"This cannot be happening!" James groaned softly.
Snow gave him an apologetic look and whispered to him, "Wait for me!" As her father grabbed her by a wrist and forcibly dragged her out of the room. She mouthed something to James that resembled the words, "I love you." He could not be sure though.
The next chapter is almost half finished, so it should be up very soon. I almost posted everything that was written, but it would have been one very long chapter.