Characters: Snow White, Prince Charming
Description: AU set during and after 1x10. Snow White makes a deal with a different devil for a chance to salvage her happy ending.
Alternate Description: A fanfic writer re-watches 7:15am and throws a tantrum demanding her fairy tale happy ending NOW. So she writes one.
One for the Heart of it All
Chapter Seven
Snow White had seen armies before, marching together in ceremonial uniform in honor of her father. She had seen men preparing for battle. But never had she been a part of a force the size of the one King George had assembled as it was undergoing preparations for war.
It was order amidst chaos. Five thousand men had been stationed at the border prior to the wedding, and they had brought an amount equal to that with them in the days that followed. Word had come that Midas would be sending several thousand of his own knights within a week, and Prince Thomas – who had stayed at the castle following the wedding – had offered aid on behalf of his father as well. Within days their numbers would double, and that didn't include the rest of King George's men who had been called from other parts of the realm and were on their way to join them.
Their numbers frightened her. Her father in-law and his generals spoke of their plan as an invasion of the queen's kingdom. But that had never been a part of her plan. It had never been Regina's kingdom to begin with. This was supposed to be a liberation. These were her people they were planning how best to kill!
Snow turned into the wind and walked to the edge of the escarpment that formed a natural border between the two kingdoms. Watch posts had been set up along its length but none of her step-mother's knights had been spotted. The most recent intelligence suggested that the Queen's army had been split into several different factions, some loyal to Regina, some to her and her father, and others supporting a local nobleman who was trying to claim the crown for himself.
The confusion was supposed to be good for their war. But it was what came after that worried her more. How would she be able to know who to trust? What damage had her step-mother's thirst for vengeance done to the kingdom? Would she be able to put the past to rest for good?
There was only one thing she was certain of: a larger army meant more destruction for the people and the land. She would wait no longer to begin her return home and the restoration of her father's kingdom.
"Your highness!"
Kevyn's voice caught her by surprise and she took a step back from the edge of the cliff to be safe, only to have her foot slip on a loose rock.
"Careful your highness!" he reached out and gripped her arm to steady her.
Snow held on for a moment then stepped back and collected herself. "Did your mother never warn you not to startle someone standing on the edge of a cliff?" she chided, smiling at him with a sigh of relief.
"My apologies your highness, I was worried you would not be able to hear me over the wind. Prince James is looking for you; an envoy from King Midas is expected shortly."
She nodded and straightened out the long white riding coat she was wearing. When she looked up Kevyn still had an arm stretched out towards her in case she should lose her footing again. For the first time she noticed the burns on his left hand and realized that he had always been wearing gloves before now.
Without thinking she reached out and covered the scars between her two palms. "Kevyn, what happened to cause these burns?"
He pulled away and clenched the hand into a fist at his side. "We were fighting a dragon. I was lucky."
Snow frowned. "The dragon King Midas hired James to slay?"
"The rest of the knights died inside the cave. The prince dragged me to safety and then killed the dragon himself."
She stared at him. If he had been there for the dragon-slaying, did that mean that he knew the truth behind her husband's identity?
He turned and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. "You are needed back at the camp your highness."
Snow White made a mental note to ask James about the matter that evening. Straightening out her coat once more she brought herself up to regal bearing. "I will need you to call a war council to assemble as soon as James and I have met with the envoy. I intend to move ahead without further delay."
"Yes, your highness." He gave a slight bow and she walked past him, making her way back along the trail that led to the camp. As had become custom, the knight followed behind.
It had become a habit for him to walk through the camp each night. Since Snow's announcement a week ago that she intended them to cross the border without waiting for further troops he had been stuck in the saddle for hours each day. They had encountered little resistance. Each day Snow sent her bluebirds out to gather intelligence and each day they returned with the same news – the Queens army was scattered, and no large force was to be found.
To cover ground more quickly the decision had been made to split the army of ten thousand into two. King George took half the men to meet up with King Midas' force and secure the Summer Palace while James and Snow pushed forward towards the realm's capitol. At each village they came to Snow would make a speech and they left behind fifty or so soldiers to ensure its safety and security.
Snow was confident in the daily messages from her bluebirds, but he knew he would feel better once they met up with Prince Thomas' men in a few days time. Their slowly diminishing numbers and the lack of resistance they had found were beginning to make him wary. At least they would have a stronger force by the time they arrived at the castle, should they find any Regina loyalists there.
His wife talking with Red at the edge of camp drew his attention and he swore under his breath. It didn't seem to matter how many times he pleaded with her to stay in the center of camp where it was safer, she enjoyed being out in the open. All it would take was one archer with one arrow…
Grunting, he headed towards them.
"It's not safe for you with so many people around, Red."
"I know that!" the brunette hissed. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't… itch. I should never have come. I knew how long this would take."
Snow put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It will pass. Just keep the hood on and it will pass."
"What will pass?"
Red snapped her mouth shut, cutting off any reply as they both turned towards him.
Snow rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Red is feeling unwell, that's all."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Is it something serious? Perhaps Doc has some remedy that might help."
Up above, the full moon came out from behind a cloud and a wolf howled far off in the distance. Red shut her eyes as though in pain. "There's nothing that will help." Drawing the hood of her cloak up she nodded to Snow. "I'm going to try and get some rest."
Just as she turned away there was a shout and a flaming arrow shot into the earth between them. Snow gasped and he pulled her into him, trying to shield her. More arrows followed, and one of the tents closest to them caught fire.
James gripped his wife by the shoulders. "Take Red and get to the pavilion tent. You'll be safer there."
"Charming you can't go out there, you have no armor!" she protested.
"I'll be fine. Now go and stay safe, both of you. Go!"
Snow White stared at him until Red pulled her away. The camp had sprung to life as more arrows came raining down. All about them was shouting. Men grabbed for the nearest weapon and set of armor as they packed together to respond to the ambush. Others were beating back the flames and trying to salvage supplies from the burning tents.
As Red pulled her along towards the center of the camp, she caught sight of one of the dwarves – Sleepy, she was fairly certain – stumbling around in a confused daze. She tried to call out to him but smoke caught in her throat and set off a coughing fit. When she recovered Sleepy had stumbled into a group of armed soldiers in black armor and was being hauled off away from the camp.
Snow grabbed two crossbows from the nearest weapon rack and gave one to Red, signaling for her to follow her. It wasn't long before the camp was behind them and though the woods were dark it was clear the men had made no effort to hide their tracks.
Red sniffed the air. "Up ahead. Six of them and a dwarf."
"If we stay quiet we should have the element of surprise."
The sounds of the fighting at camp were dimmer now, and Red looked over her shoulder at the fires. "We should head back and get help."
"We might lose them if we do," Snow hissed.
"Nobody knows we're out here. An ambush like this isn't staged to kidnap a dwarf."
She shook her head. "We won't go much farther. I promise."
Red threw an arm against her chest to block her, "Listen." She tried, but Red was already on the move again and Snow could only do her best to keep up with her friend's animal instincts.
They came upon a small clearing in the trees. Sleepy had been hastily bound to a tree on the far side and six of her step-mother's men stood in a semi-circle on either side of him, swords at the ready.
"So much for the element of surprise," Red muttered as each of them let loose a bolt from their crossbow.
Snow yelled as she re-loaded and shot again but the knights had almost closed the distance between them and she had to reach down to pull the long dagger from her boot, ducking a sword blow in the process. Swinging in a low circle she made a quick strike to the back of her opponent's knee then incapacitated him as he sank down to the cold ground.
The crossbow was still clutched in her left hand and she threw it up as a shield as the sword of a second knight swung dangerously close. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Red firing off another shot. Between the two of them they had dispatched half of the knights and Snow felt a rush of adrenaline as she stabbed the knight attacking her through the soft spot in his armor. They could do this. If they thought she would be so easy to take down they had sorely underestimated her. Abandoning the bow, she dropped to the ground as a sword whizzed past her ear and rolled over to pick up a discarded shield. Snow continued blocking and parrying back towards Sleepy. If she could free the dwarf they wouldn't even be outnumbered anymore.
"Snow! There's more coming!"
"Princess!"
She stepped out of the way of another blow and her foe's blade slammed into the tree, cutting the ropes that held Sleepy. She knocked him out as he struggled to free his weapon and grabbed the dwarf by the shoulders. "Run back to the camp Sleepy, I'll be right behind you. Go!"
The dwarf took off as fast as his legs could carry him and Snow fought her way over towards Red. "We have to get out of here!" she shouted over the din of steel on steel.
Her friend glanced up at the moon overhead. "I'll give you a head start."
James fought his way through the last of the battle in an effort to reach the royal pavilion. Pushing back the heavy canvas he rushed inside. "Snow! Snow are you alright?"
It was only when he had reached the center of the large tent and turned around in a full circle, his breath loud in his ears, did he realize it. She wasn't there. She was gone.
In his rush to find her he nearly crashed into Grumpy who was coming in at the same time he was leaving the royal lodgings.
"Princess!"
"She's not there. I don't know where she is."
"What do you mean she ain't there?"
"What do you think I mean?"
The dwarf frowned and hefted his pickaxe over his shoulder. "We can't find Sleepy either, and there's been no sight of Red. Maybe they all found someplace safer."
"Let's hope." Even as he spoke he knew that wasn't the case. Every instinct he had told him that something had happened. He had to find her.
"Your highness! Your highness!"
James turned to find Sleepy running towards them, his arms waving frantically. He stopped in front of them and panted until it turned into a yawn.
Grumpy shook his brother by the shoulders. "Sleepy! Are you alright? Have you seen Snow?"
The other dwarf nodded. "In a clearing just that way! She and Red saved me. She said she would be right behind me but there was fighting and–"
James didn't wait for the rest of the story. Sword drawn, he ran off in the direction the dwarf had indicated. Behind him he could hear that Grumpy was also following but he couldn't make himself slow his pace to allow the dwarf to catch up.
A howl pierced the air as they followed the tracks through the woods. James could hear his heart hammering in his chest. Finally, he reached the clearing Sleepy had mentioned but what he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.
Bodies littered the ground, a dozen or more at least. Some had arrows in them, others had met with the sharp end of a blade. Most, however, looked to have been attacked by a vicious beast. And then there was Snow. She was circling a wolf – the size of which he'd never seen in all his days of herding sheep. Her crossbow was aimed at it and ready to fire, even as she clutched Red's cloak with the fingers of her right hand.
The monstrous animal bared its teeth when it heard him approach. A quick survey of the bodies showed no sign of his wife's best friend. Whatever had happened ultimately had come down to just Snow and the wolf.
Motioning for Grumpy to make his way to the other side of the clearing, James gripped his weapon and whistled sharply to get the beast's attention.
Snow's head whipped around at the sound and she let out a string of curses. Before he could move or say anything to stop her she had positioned herself firmly in between he and the wolf.
"Snow, get behind me. I'll take care of this beast."
"Not a chance Charming." Her attention was focused back on the wolf and she didn't so much as turn her head again to look at him. As he inched his way closer to her with a mind of pulling her behind him, he realized that she was talking to it.
"Don't make me bring you down. We've done this before, remember? Remember Peter? Remember Quinn and Anita? It's all done now, it's over."
He reached out to her. "Snow –"
She shushed him and kept talking to the wolf in a low, soothing tone. James spotted Grumpy on the other side of the clearing and signaled for the dwarf to hold off on an attack. Something about Snow's words, or perhaps just her manner, seemed to be affecting the wolf. It no longer seemed on the verge of lunging at them. He remembered Snow telling him about the huntsman who had spared her life and wondered if this wolf had been that man's companion.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Snow gently coaxing the wolf, it lay down in the snow and put its head between its massive paws. His wife wasted no time. Before he could pull her behind him she had dashed to its side and thrown Red's cloak over top of it. The air shimmered, and the beast gave a great shudder followed by a cough.
"Snow?"
She laughed in relief and threw and her arms around Red, who to his stunned surprise had sat up from underneath the cloak where once the wolf had been. A werewolf, he realized. He caught Grumpy's eye across the clearing but could only offer a shrug. Still somewhat cautious, he made his way towards them.
Red looked around at the human devastation. "We got them, didn't we?" she asked.
Snow gave a firm nod. "Every last one."
Grumpy cleared his throat loudly as he came up behind them and both women turned to look at him. The dwarf opened his mouth to say something but stopped. "You've uh, got someone on your chin."
Red's eyes widened and she immediately wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "I didn't mean for anyone to find out like this. I'm sorry."
His wife immediately gripped her friends shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry for Red. It's who you are."
"I doubt everyone in the army will see it that way, even if I can control it."
Snow stood and opened her mouth to protest but Grumpy shook his head. "She has a point princess."
Red pulled the cloak a little tighter to her. "There're two nights left before wolf's time is over. By then, you'll be at the castle."
James offered her a hand up. "Will you return home?"
"I'm not sure."
"Red, I need to speak with you about this alone."
The brunette shook her head. "I've made my decision Snow. I'll return for the coronation, but it would be dangerous for me to stay."
She frowned, but surrendered with a sigh. "If you insist on leaving, I know someplace where you can go."
I just want to thank everyone who stumbled across and enjoyed the story in the long time since the last chapter went up. The occasional story alerts I received gave me the push I needed to continue the story - even though I had left off at a totally satisfying spot (*nudge nudge* *wink wink*). I hadn't planned on the break between chapters being so long – I took the summer off writing because my laptop gets unbearably hot and I have no air conditioning, but then I got blocked once cooler weather came. I fully intend to finish this story, but I've had to abandon any sort of plan for regular updates. Holidays are coming up and I'm starting a publishing certificate program in January so I don't know what my time will be like. So thanks to those who are still interested in reading this little A/U. There are about three more chapters to go. I have to see if I can find a place for Lancelot, but either way there's an old favorite coming in the next chapter!