She walks into the Grand Hall wearing her sheer nightgown, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and plops herself on the oversized armchair situated directly across from the statue of the prince. The happy prince, if she is going to be more accurate but she hasn't called him that in years. When Geppetto unveiled the statue that is exactly what he called him. But that didn't sit right. Because the prince standing across from her looks strong, looks brave, looks valiant, looks charming, looks decisive like he is waiting for the signal to march into battle. But he doesn't look particularly happy. If anything he looks thoughtful or sad, so in her mind she always calls him the warrior prince or the brave prince, or the charming prince, depending on what he looks like at the moment. Because he is so lifelike he looks like he would turn around and say calm, ordinary, beautiful things like 'I'll be right there,' or 'hold on,' or 'wait for me'... things that a friend or a lover would say, a friend that would be ready to stand by her when she faces the Queen and the Queen looks at her like she is not making any sense. She'd like to think that he'd come along and say 'I agree with Snow, I think she is right, thinks Snow is making sense...' He wouldn't have to say anything spectacular or amazing. Just support her every now and then. And maybe once in a while when she is sad he could ask 'why are you crying Snow White?' Because she does, she cries a lot and it would be nice if he would ask...
She looks at him and shakes her head.
"It's rough waters ahead, charming Prince," she says, because that is what he looks like today, he looks charming. "Regina got the royal council on her side, they disagreed with every single thing I suggested. They think I am asking them to take too many risks. That I'm being too careless with the kingdom's coffers. I told them that there is a war coming ahead, we have an army to prepare, we need to make sure our people are trained and ready for battle. But they do not want to take any risks. They insist that the war is not imminent. They think that the Southern kingdom can handle the ogres on its own...I don't understand how they can be so shortsighted. Sometimes I just want to kick them all out and just ran the kingdom by myself...Unfortunately there are laws about this..." She pauses and she looks at him. "You look ready for battle," she mumbles. "Maybe you could come and show them how it's done..."
She gets more comfortable on the chair and looks back at him. The statue looks on, both hands on his sword, focused, ready for battle.
In the beginning she couldn't explain her fascination with the statue. Geppetto had unveiled it, a modest smile on his face. All the royals in the palace had clapped their hands but she had stood there stunned, feet rooted on the ground, holding her breath because somewhere inside she knew the man the statue portrayed was her answer. An answer to what question, she often wondered. She'd looked at the statue of the prince from every possible angle and then she had followed Geppetto out of the castle to ask him who his model was. He refused to say at first, then he claimed that he didn't have an actual model. But when she insisted that the statue looked very familiar he finally admitted that he was inspired by a shepherd he met once. Snow very much doubted that explanation. Mainly because the statue was so lifelike. He looked like he would climb down from his pedestal at any moment and start talking. There was no way he got such vivid detail from the memory of a shepherd he met once. After seeing the happy prince, royals in every neighboring kingdom commissioned similar sculptures for their castles. Geppetto produced several statues, all of them battle ready warriors, all of them exquisite in detail, looking like they could come alive and talk to you any minute. Some of them looked scared or ducking in fear, a couple of them were squinting trying to run away from of them moved Snow White in the way that the happy prince did. In her effort to figure put the truth she had visited Geppetto on his workshop and had noticed that there were no molds or any signs of metal work anywhere. There was just woodworking tools. So she very much doubted his story. She still doubts that the sculptor made any of them at all. To this day she doesn't know what to think. She thinks that maybe the happy prince was a real man who got frozen into statue form under unusual magical circumstances. She spent the first months trying to use magical words to wake him up, she looked up spells from ancient books left to Regina from Cora, her mother. Nothing worked, the prince just stood there looking ahead, ready for battle. Snow didn't know what else to try so she started spending part of her nights talking to him. She figured if he was an actual prince trapped in this bronze form the least she could do would be to keep him company. On the nights where the burdens of the kingdom weigh heavily on her shoulders and she cannot sleep she walks into the Grand Hall and sits across from him. Something about the statue's quiet presence makes her feel better.
Snow White is dozing off in her armchair when she sees him, the moonlight shines right on the statue and the charming prince turns his head and looks at her.
She jumps up. He came alive. He did, he came alive! She opens her eyes and looks at him. He is standing there perfectly still looking straight ahead. Snow shakes her head and tries not to cry, because she does that, she does that every time. She gets so excited that he came to life, she jumps and wakes up from her dream. And just once she wishes she could stay asleep to see what he will do next...
"Just a dream," she tells herself over and over. "Just a strange dream..." She should get back to bed. She wraps her blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Are you real?" she asks the statue walking closer to him. "Have you ever been real?" She waits for a response looking at him carefully just like she has done countless of times in the past. He is a solid bronze statue, tall and broad shouldered, his eyes are bright blue sapphires and his heart is a large red ruby encased in his chest. The sword in his hands is made of solid gold. Strikingly handsome, she thinks."If you were real, would you tell me, charming prince?" she asks again and she can't help but think that tonight the statue looks sad. " Because it would be so nice..." she doesn't finish her thought she just sighs shaking her head. She must make quite a sight, standing in front of the statue, begging him to be real..."Goodnight," she says hurriedly and she walks out of the Grand Hall.
He stands there frozen in time and space watching Snow White walk away in a hurry. When he first became a bronze statue he tried so hard to yell and scream and move. He fought and he fought, he railed and screamed and yelled. But it was no use. Princess Snow tried to wake him up, she tried spells and magical words to no avail. There are no words for how much he loves her for trying. She is the only one who looks at him and see something more, something more than precious metals and precious stones, something more than an impressive work of art. She is constantly trying to reach him, trying to get him to talk back but he can't. The only way to ever reach her is in her dreams, and still, when she wakes up she doubts that any of it was real. She thinks that her mind is playing tricks on her that she is making stuff up. And there is nothing, nothing he can do to tell her that she is right, nothing he can do but hope that she won't give up.
Snow is trying to convince the council that they need to allow the dwarves to dig deeper into the mountain. The kingdom is in desperate need for funds.
"We are sort on gold. We do not have enough money to arm more soldiers..." she tries to explain.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? Every time I look at you I get distracted by your hairstyle. I'll never understand why you cut your hair... It certainly looks different..." Regina smiles at Snow.
Snow runs her fingers through her hair that falls short off her shoulders.
"You look beautiful, Snow White," Grumpy is quick to add. As much as Regina claims to love Snow she can be really mean at times.
"I was saying," Snow tries to get back to her point, "that we need more money. We need to arm more soldiers!"
"What do we need more soldiers for?" Regina frowns. "We have plenty of Black knights!"
"The ogres are still coming," she says and they all look at her as if she's lost her mind.
"Snow, the ogres have been stopped by the Dark One," Maleficent offers.
"The ogres have been temporarily stopped by magic, yes. We don't know how long that will hold them. I hear of rumors of skirmish at the border of the Southern kingdom. The Dark One stopped them once, there is no guarantee he will do it again... We need to be ready..." she argues.
"Yes, dear, but asking the dwarves to dig deeper into the mountain requires funds and is too dangerous. I couldn't ask them to volunteer their time, not without getting properly compensated...and we are stretched thin as it is..." Regina replies.
"Let's sell some jewels then," Snow suggests. "Some of our treasures. We need to do something!"
"What is there to sell?" Regina asks.
Snow looks at the large ruby hanging from the Queen's neck.
"You are not suggesting that I sell the heirlooms that were left to me by your dearly departed father?"
"Yes Regina! I am. I wouldn't ask if it wan't that important, but please, we need to be able to defend our people. We need more soldiers, we need wages for them, we need more weapons, we are just not ready!"
"How could you ask me such a thing!" Regina asks looking at Snow White shocked. "How could you ask me that, when it is all I have to remember him by!"
Snow looks down, hesitating then she raises her eyes. "You have a whole kingdom to remember him by. I am asking that you take steps to protect his people!" she says and her voice catches. "Our people Regina, please!"
"Let's put this matter to a vote then, shall we?" the magic mirror asks. "All those heartless enough in favor of Regina selling royal heirlooms imparted to her by her dearly beloved and so tragically taken way from her husband, say "Yea'!"
Snow sighs at the very biased wording of the proposal.
"Yea" say Grumpy, Doc and Snow White.
"All those against this plan say 'Nay'!"
"Nay!" says Maleficent, Regina, the Huntsman and the Mirror.
"Well,"Regina flashes a big triumphant smile. "That's settled. I was thinking of hosting a royal ball. For our dear Snow. It has been a while since we invited people here and we wouldn't want her to be lonely..."
Snow looks down and tries hard not to cry. Whenever Snow opposes Regina in council, Regina is quick to suggest a ball or a meeting with eligible royals from around the kingdom. She knows that Snow is not interested in marriage so she seems to hold that over her head, the fact that Snow needs to look at the royals around her and choose somebody wealthy to be her husband. Snow closes her eyes and doesn't reply.
"All those in favor of a ball in Snow's honor..." she vaguely hears the mirror offering the matter to a vote. Everyone except Grumpy and Doc is in favor of course so the there will be a Ball in two weeks. She doesn't know why but as she sits there looking down she has a strange vision of the prince looking back at her. She shakes her head. Her mind is playing tricks on her again. What does that even mean, she wonders.
It is late at night and Snow is tossing and turning in her bed. She cant sleep so she gets up, puts on her housecoat and heads outside of her room.
She walks strait to the Main Hall and stands across from the brave prince, because that is what he looks like today, today he looks brave.
"Hello, brave prince, " she smiles. She takes a deep breath. "I think Regina allows me and my people into the council just to toy with me. I don't have enough people to ever get a majority vote and I think maybe she enjoys that. She lets me say my piece and then she puts it to a vote and then her people just vote no. I get a feeling that my stepmother doesn't love me as much as she claims she does..."
The statue of the prince is standing there looking at her intently like he is trying to say something.
"Do you think she hates me?" Snow whispers.
The prince just looks on.
Snow takes a step closer to him. "But why?" she asks. She shakes her head. She needs to stop this before anybody sees her. She sits on the chair across from her statue.
"What would you do if you were in my shoes?" she asks.
The statue doesn't reply so she sits on the chair across form him. She yawns and soon she is asleep. That's when she sees him. The brave prince doesn't say anything he just kneels and hands her his sword. Snow jumps up.
"What does that even mean?" she mumbles and she steps closer to him. She looks at the sword the prince is holding. The sword is made of solid gold. She could use this to pay the dwarves and ask them to start digging in the mountain without anyone finding out.
"Is that what you are trying to tell me?" she asks. She places both hands on the sword. There is no way she will be able to get it out of the statue's firm grip, not without some serious help from Grumpy but there's a breeze along with starlight coming through the window and next thing she knows that sword is in her hand. It is rather heavy but she does her best to pull it along with her. She is going to give it to Grumpy first thing in the morning.
She turns around to look at the prince on her way out.
He looks even braver now, like he is going to storm into battle with nothing more than his bare hands.
"But how are you going to fight without your sword?" she mumbles."Maybe you shouldn't be in such a great hurry to storm into battle...Thank you brave prince," she whispers and she walks out of the Main Hall.
He stands there frozen in time and space and yet he can't help but feel a sense of triumph. He managed to communicate with the princess. He managed to help her. And even thought it is'not much, he stands there tall, strong, with an intense sense of relief in his heart because she listened.
Grumpy is looking for Snow in the castle. He finds her in the archery range. He looks around making sure that nobody is listening.
"Alright your Highness I have good news. We have hit a vein of gold. Also we also found some diamonds. What would you have us do?"
"You found gold?" Snow smiles. "That's great. We can't assemble people and form additional army units yet, not without Regina finding out I went directly against her. So maybe order some weapons from blacksmiths you can trust. Do not tell them who they are for. And keep digging Grumpy," she says. "We are going to need more..."
"Yes, Snow," he smiles. "What do you want me to do with the diamonds?"
"You have a fairy connection," she winks at him. "You know what to do..."
Grumpy looks down trying to stifle his smile.
"Of course," he mumbles and he gets ready to walk away.
"Wait, Grumpy, I'd like your opinion about something," she stops him.
"What is it?" he asks.
"Do you think the Regina secretly hates me?"
Grumpy scratches his head. "Now that you mention it..." he says. "She always seems to be working against you doesn't she?"
Snow nods. "But why? Do you thinks she worries that I want her throne? I feel like she always lets me get close to what I want and then she always manages to have things snatched away from me..." Snow is holding back tears. "Did I do something to her? Did I hurt her somehow? What did I do?"
"I don't know," Grumpy replies offering her a hug. "I'm so sorry Snow White...I wish I knew more, I wish I could offer you assistance..."
She shakes her head. "You are already doing too much," she replies.
"Are you getting ready for the ball?" he asks.
The ball. With all the excitement about digging in deeper in the mines and finding gold she completely forgot about the ball.
"I'm not," she shrugs.
"Why not?" he asks. "Won't it be great to meet someone, maybe fall in love..."
And the moment that Grumpy says the word love the picture of the prince pops in her mind.
"I don't think so," she says. Then she reaches in her quiver grabs an arrow and aims carefully. The arrow hits the mark perfectly.
"Would you look at that," Grumpy laughs. "Maybe we don't need additional men to join our knights in the battlefield! Good job, your Highness," he says and he walks away.
Snow reaches for another arrow. Why does that happen, she wonders. How come anytime anyone brings up the issue of love she keeps thinking of the sad Prince, because that is what he is looked like when she passed by him this morning. He looked sad.
Snow is wearing her beautiful white shimmering gown and is on her way to the Grand Ballroom. Her hair now shoulder length is falling to her shoulders in soft curls. She walks by the main hall. It is full of royals and nobles dressed in their finest clothes on their way to the ballroom. Snow walks by the statue of the quiet prince. Because that is what he looks like today, quiet. She stands there wondering if he'd dance with her, if he'd twirl her around and lift her up and dip her, if he'd dance all night with her and leave her breathless, when she hears a voice behind her.
"Princess Snow!" a handsome royal bows in front of her.
"Hello," she hesitates."I don't believe we've met..."
"I'm Gaston," he says.
"Nice to finally meet you prince Gaston. I believe that you are engaged to a dear friend of mine, princess Belle?"
The man's face gets quite serious. "Actually no," he says without offering any more details.
Snow looks at him all surprised. She is pretty sure she heard an official announcement a few months ago. "I'm sorry," she says.
"It's all part of life, right?" he shrugs. " You are looking beautiful today princess Snow. May I escort you to the Ballroom ?"
Snow smiles and then she glances at the statue. It feels strange, having this conversation here, right in front of the quiet prince who can't move, who can't leave his post.
"Please," she replies,"I'd thank you to go on without me. There is something I must do first..."
"Of course, Princess," Gaston the very picture of royal grace bows and walks away from her.
Snow waits until everyone has walked into the Ballroom and the Main Hall is empty. She walks closer to the statue of the quiet prince.
"Dance with me!" she says and she waits. He doesn't move, he doesn't blink. "Please," she says, "just this once, can't you step down and dance with me?"
The quiet prince stands there and Snow wipes a tear away. One of these days she thinks, one of these days she will say the right word, or do the right thing and the prince will step down... she shakes her head. She needs to stop this right now. She needs to be calm and rational, she needs to walk away from the statue and go to the Ballroom where everyone is expecting her to make her grand entrance. But she can't help herself. "Please?" she tries one last time. "If you change your mind, you know where I'll be..." she mumbles, then she turns around and walks out of the Main Hall.
He stands there frozen in time and space and he struggles so hard to move, even just a little bit. He can't just let her walk away, sad, thinking that he'd rather stand there than dance with her, he can't have her leaving, thinking he doesn't care...If only there was a way to show her just how much he cares, he thinks looking at the stars and the moonlight, coming through the window.
Later that night when all the royals are gone, when the servants and the handmaidens have finally gone to bed, Snow walks back to the Main Hall. She is still wearing her white simmering gown. She bows in front of the statue of the quiet prince. She sits on the chair across from him and closes her eyes. The moonlight comes in through the window along with a gentle breeze and then he is standing in front of her offering his hand. She smiles and joins him on the dance floor, and now they are moving together and she is searching his eyes for answers because he doesn't say a word.
"Are you real?" she asks. "How do I set you free?" and he doesn't reply, he just twirls her around. "Tell me," she whispers and he lets her step away then he pulls her back in and she feels like her whole life she has been practicing for this one moment, this one dance. Her eyes are streaming tears but she doesn't wipe them, she doesn't blink, she just looks at his face, trying to read answers, because she knows this is a dream, she know she will wake up and he will just be standing there and she will be on the large armchair alone, a princess trying to save her kingdom, a woman seeing things that nobody else is willing to look at. She sees a man trapped in statue form. She sees the threat of ogres coming. She sees a kingdom broken, a Queen whose sole intent is to watch her struggle and oppose her every step of the way. She sees her days stretching ahead full of struggles and fights she cannot win, days full of pointless courtly intrigue, and nights empty and long, she sees herself laying in bed alone, night after night. "I don't want to wake up, please, I don't want to wake up" she whispers and he nods, he looks just as sad and broken as she is feeling. He wraps his arm around her waist and he lifts her off the ground and in that perfect moment, when she is in his arms and her feet are off the floor, right before she wakes up and the doubts creep back into her mind, she knows, she knows that he is real and he has been listening to her all along.
"Snow White was right," Doc says slamming his hand on the table. "The ogres are coming..."
"Yes, they are coming and we do not have enough men or weapons to stand up against them," Regina says and Snow can't help but think that she looks triumphant rather than concerned, like pieces of her plan are falling into place.
"Actually," Snow smiles and points to Grumpy.
Grumpy hesitates. "Your Majesty, we went ahead and opened a new tunnel in the mines. We've discovered a large vein of gold and diamonds, the kind pf diamonds that can be turned to pixie dust. The fairies are willing to trade gold for them. We have money your Majesty."
Regina glares at him."You disobeyed my orders?" she asks softly.
"I took a chance," Grumpy says willing to shoulder the blame, in order to keep Snow out of this.
"We'll talk about this later," the Queen replies.
"No, we won't," Snow says standing up. "I ordered him to do it. If you are going to talk to someone that someone will be me..."
"Very well," Regina waves her hand in a surprisingly reconcialliatory tone, "let's not argue. Even if we have enough money Snow, we do not have the time to hire and train men so I have another plan in mind..."
"Excuse me your majesty," Doc interrupts, " even though there is no time to hire and train men to join our forces, we can hire men form the Eastern kingdom. Their fighting skills are legendary and they will come for the right price."
"The men of the Eastern kingdom?" Regina's eyes open wide. "They will demand a very high price. How much gold did you find exactly?"
"Enough to hire the Eastern Warriors twice and then some!" Grumpy smiles brightly.
"Alright then. I propose that we make the necessary arrangements. We hire the Eastern fighters," Regina nods.
"All those in favor of my Queen's wisest proposition say Yea!" the Magic Mirror is quick to put the matter to a vote.
The vote is unanimous.
And then Regina turns to Snow.
"Hiring the Eastern fighters is a great idea, Snow, as was digging further in the tunnel so we can afford to pay them. You've shown incredible foresight," Regina smiles and Snow has this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling like things are about to go horribly wrong. "But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I had another proposition for an alliance that will give us an edge on the ogre war."
"What is it?" Maleficent asks.
"It concerns our Snow," Regina casts a smile in Snow's direction. "Prince Gaston is offering his armies if she will consent to accept his hand in marriage..."
"What? Why?" Snow asks her heart beating fast.
"What do you mean why?" Regina asks.
"Why do I have to marry prince Gaston to secure his help? The ogres are a danger to everyone in the Enchanted Forest. Can't we have an alliance without a marriage?"
"No, I'm afraid not. He was adamant about that point. Apparently your friend, princess Belle broke his heart recently and he knows the best way to heal heartbreak is by falling in love again and he has chosen you..."
"But I'm not choosing him!" Snow says shaking her head. "Healing a heartbreak by proposing marriage to a princess you just met is a terrible idea..."
"Is it?" Regina says, a contemplating look on her face. "Isn't that what your dearly departed father did? Didn't he try to heal the devastating loss of your mother by proposing to me on the very first day he met me?"
"I suppose," Snow frowns. "But why isn't he asking me...we only danced twice, we barely talked..."
"I believe your father asked my mother for my hand and then he exchanged but two words with me before he proposed...so it seems to me that this is the natural course of events. This is common practice..."
Snow's face is pale. She is looking at Regina shaking her head. It had never occurred to her that her father had done something wrong, when he asked Regina to marry him. "Why did your mother agree to it then?" she asks quietly.
"Because she knew that that was what was best for me. She knew better. Just like I know better now. As your stepmother you have to trust me to choose what is best for you..."
Snow doesn't reply, she just stares.
"Shall we put the matter to a vote then dear?" Regina smiles.
"A vote?" Snow gasps. "This isn't a state matter Regina, it is my life you are deciding on..."
"I beg to differ. You are a princess. Your life affects the whole kingdom. You cannot be selfish about this, Snow, the ogres are coming!"
"Alright," the magic mirror smiles."All those in favor of the Queen's wise proposal of princess Snow accepting Prince's Gaston hand and alliance say Yea!"
"What! Wait!" Snow cries out but Regina and her people aren't listening.
Regina and the Mirror say "Yea" right away. The Huntsman and Maleficent hesitate but after a strict glare from Regina they fall in line and agree.
"All those against please say "Nay'" the Mirror continues completely untroubled by the terrified look on Snow's face.
"We are not voting on this!" Snow says sternly. "This is not up to a vote!"
"Very well," the Mirror nods, "all those who believe that Snow is wrong and the matter of Snow's marriage can be decided by the vote of this council please say 'Yea!'"
"Yea!" says Regina, echoed by Maleficent, the Mirror and the Huntsman.
Snow looks at Grumpy and Doc eyes wide open. This is pointless. The matter was already decided before Snow even walked into the council room this morning. She waits quietly until the rest of the day's matters are voted on. The council members walk away. Snow waits until Regina herself steps out. She rushes after her. They are in the Main Hall now, beside the statue of the Happy Prince.
"I don't want to marry him Regina, you can't force me..." Snow pleads.
"Why not? He is charming enough, what's wrong with him?" Regina frowns.
Snow shakes her head."I don't even know him, I don't love him..."
"What does love have to do anything? You are a royal, you know how that works..." Regina's voice is firm.
"Please..."
"Please, what?"
"Please don't make me. I think I'm in love someone else..."
"Someone else? Who?"
Snow looks down and doesn't reply.
"What's the matter Snow White? Are you in love with a statue?"
Snow looks up a Regina all surprised.
"What, you thought I didn't know about your little infatuation with the Happy Prince?" Regina laughs glancing at the statue.
Snow feels the warmth creep up her cheeks.
"Don't worry, I didn't tell anyone. Its important that the people feel confidence in their princess so your secret is safe with me. If they knew how unhinged you were they certainly wouldn't let you be a part of my council so I kept your little secret... You will marry whichever prince I select for you and that will be it. It is for your own good. You have been keeping men at bay for years, while you are secretly in love with a statue!" Regina replies incredulously.
"Why? Why do you hate me so much?" Snow asks tears streaming down her cheeks. "What did I ever do to you?"
Regina glares at her and doesn't reply.
"Regina, whatever I did to you, I am so, so sorry..."
"You think an apology will make this right? If you were to crawl on your hands and knees over hot coals and beg for my forgiveness, it still would never be enough..."
Snow looks at Regina through her tears. "I don't understand..."
"This isn't about you understanding Snow White. This is about you suffering, exactly like I did. I want you to know exactly what it is like to have a man place his hands all over your skin and his lips over every inch of your body when your heart belongs to somebody else..."
Snow is breathing fast shaking her head and then her eyes open wide. "You didn't love my father at all, did you?" she whispers.
Regina shakes her head.
"Who did you love?" Snow asks.
"I loved Daniel," Regina replies, raising her head high. She looks like she is holding back tears.
"Who is Daniel?" Snow frowns.
"It doesn't matter," Regina replies shaking her head."Daniel isn't actually a part of this fairytale..."
"This a fairytale to you?" Snow asks. "Because it is real for me... Regina this isn't making any sense..."
"It doesn't have to make sense, Snow. You just have to loose..."
Snow doesn't understand what Regina means but there is one thing that is perfectly clear. "You blame me for loosing your true love?" she asks quietly. "So this whole 'I care for you Snow, I want your opinion Snow, I need you in my council Snow' was all an act, to what...get your revenge?"
Regina looks at Snow and doesn't reply.
Snow turns around and walks out of the Great Hall, and in her rush to get away from Regina she doesn't look at the statue of the prince. She doesn't notice that the statue of the prince is crying.
It is late at night and Snow is actually sitting at the pedestal of the statue of the prince plotting her escape.
"I'm going to need to bribe every guard from here to the stables to the bridge and then if I head o the nearest port town, I'm going to need safe passage...a pirate ship could work..." she is calculating costs over and over coming up short. "I don't have enough money to run away," she whispers shaking her head. She handed all her jewels along with the golden sword to Grumpy in order to pay the dwarves to start the new tunnel in the mines. She has a handful of golden coins and that is all. "This is a nightmare...I'm going to have to hide in the forest and find a way to make money..."
She ends up sitting on the ground leaning her back on the statue's pedestal. She dozes off and that's when she sees the prince opening his hand and there are two blue sapphires in it. Snow takes the sapphires and she looks up at the prince to thank him, and she gasps because there are two holes now where his eyes should be. Snow jumps, her whole body shaking.
"Just a scary dream," she tells herself, "just a scary dream." She pushes against the ground getting up and she feels something like a sharp rock in the palm of her hand. She can't tell what it is, so she walks to the window and looks at her hands int the moonlight. There are two blue sapphires in her hands. Snow runs back to the statue. The eyes of the statue are gone, it is his eyes that she is holding in her hands.
"No!" she cries out."No! How did you even do this? I can't take your eyes!" she says ready to cry and then she looks up. Funny how the prince looks even braver, even stronger now.
'Yes you can' she hears a voice inside her mind. Impossible, she thinks. The moonlight is messing with her mind again.
She is so confused about what is real and what is a dream. What did Regina say? Daniel isn't part of this fairytale? She looks up at the statue then she looks at the blue sapphires in her hands. "You are saving my life, " she whispers, "I will never forget you..."
Snow rushes up to her bedchambers, she puts on her leather pants, her dark green cape. She climbs out her window, in order to avoid bribing all the guards from her room to the stables. She hands three golden coins to the stable boy and five minutes later she is galloping away in the kingdom's fastest mare.
He stands there frozen in space and time except now he is standing in the dark because she is running away with his eyes. As he tries to come to terms with what it is like to exist in infinite darkness, he has no regrets. He'd give her his eyes again and again, why he'd give her his heart if he had to. When he heard Regina's cruel words and watched Snow cry and beg, he knew there was nothing he wouldn't do to set her free from Regina's clutches. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to prevent her from having to marry someone she doesn't want to. So now he stands waiting, trying to decipher the sounds and the voices around him, hoping that she is already far and away, wishing her safe, trying not to dwell on the fact that Snow will not be coming back to him to talk or vent or cry because she is running away, so from now on he is on his own in the dark.
Snow rides upstream for a while to make tracking her more difficult then walks to the nearest town and sells her horse. Now she has a few more coins. She walks to the nearest tavern.
"I'm looking to get as far away from here as I possibly can," she says to the barkeep who points her to a man in corner who is drinking rum with a beautiful blond on his lap.
"Captain Hook is your man," the he replies.
Snow walks over just as the blond touches the hook that is attached to the man's arm.
"What happened to your arm?" she asks.
"Would you believe it that I can't remember?" the pirate replies. "The injury remains from story to story even though the reason for it is no longer there..." the pirate smiles mischievously.
"What does that even mean?" the woman asks Hook all confused.
"Beats me," he laughs. "I went to the Dark One to inquire about procuring another hand and that was his answer word for word. I don''t know what that means at all...Regardless, though unable to get my hand back, I have never gotten any complaints. You should see what I can do with this!" he says placing his hook at the tip of her chin.
The woman giggles and brushes her lips across his neck.
The pirate looks at Snow who is standing there.
"Can I help you, love?" he asks.
"I am told that you are the man to talk to if I want to get away..."
"Perhaps," he replies."Give us a minute love," he says and the blond woman walks away pouting. "Let's see it. Where is your treasure?"
Snow pulls out and hands him one blue sapphire.
"Yes, that will get you very far indeed," the man replies, "but not far enough."
"Excuse me?"
"A blue sapphire is valuable and rare, so it will buy you safe passage all the way to the Seven Isles if you wish, but it won't buy my discretion, princess Snow White. For that you have to pay more, perhaps pay me the other blue sapphire, twin to this one..."
"How do you know about that?" she asks, all surprised.
"Did you really think that you would show me the eye of the happy prince and I wouldn't recognize it?" he asks.
Snow frowns.
"I'm a pirate love, treasure is my business. I know about every rare jewel in the land, now hand the other rock over."
Snow opens her small leather pouch and pulls out the other blue sapphire.
"Now we are in business," the pirate smiles. "You don't happen to have the heart as well, do you?" he asks. "The red ruby encased in the prince's chest?"
"I don't" she whispers.
"No worries love. Meet me at the port in a few hours, we sail away right after my cargo is unloaded...I captain the Jolly Roger..."
Snow nods and walks away. Her pouch feels lighter without the blue sapphires, and her heart feels heavier, like she just said goodbye to part of a loved one that can never be replaced.
She has nowhere else to go, so she slowly makes her way to the docks hiding in the shadows.
A man named Smitty is overseeing four men large as trolls who are unloading something bulky from the Jolly Roger. She can't see what it is, it is a strange shape covered by a tarp.
"This is a heavy one," the man on the left says, his voice deep and terrifying. Snow's heart beats faster. Those aren't men at all, they are trolls, she realizes.
The second troll laughs. "He really thought he could beat Medusa with all this extra weight around his waist?" the troll laughs.
"Where does Geppetto wants us to take this one?"
"A royal at the Southern kingdom commissioned it."
Geppetto, Snow thinks, her heart beating faster. Geppetto is the maker of the Happy Prince...Something terrible is going on here, but she can't understand exactly what.
"Excuse me," Snow says, stepping out of the shadows, her heart beating wildly "I'll pay you good money if you explain to me what is under this tarp..."
"How much money are we talking?" the first troll asks.
The second trolls shakes his head violently. "It's a trap. She is a royal. Don't trust her..."
Snow empties the contents of her leather pouch in her hand. There are ten golden coins shining in the moonlight.
"I don't know," the first troll scratches his head.
The second troll is completely captivated by the sight of the coins in her hand shining in the moonlight. "Just tell her..."
"We are transporting Geppetto's statues," the troll offers.
"Transporting them from where?"
"From Medusa's lair of course..." the troll laughs.
"What does that even mean?" Snow frowns more confused than ever.
"Geppetto got famous for his lifelike statues. He has sold one to almost every royal in the Enchanted forest...only they are not statues," the troll lowers his voice. "They were men. Midas sends them to battle Medusa. The king is obsessed with slaying her. He sends fighters to her lair all the time. The moment they look into her eyes they turn into statues.. Geppetto send us to collect them when Medusa is asleep. He holds onto them for a few months so that no one will be able to remember or recognize them. And depending on who they are...some of them are made of copper, nothing special, nothing too valuable. But some of them, the ones that were true heroes, they turn into more. Have you heard if the statue of the happy prince?"
Snow's heart is beating wildly, her hands are shaking. "I might have heard of it," she whispers.
"His eyes were sapphires, his heart was a large ruby, his sword turned to solid gold. He must have been truly special..."
"The happy prince used to be alive, he used to be real?" Snow rasps, her whole body shaking.
"Didn't I just explain that?" the troll replies impatiently.
"If Medusa turns someone into a statue, how can they go back to being themselves?" she asks.
"I wouldn't know," the troll shrugs.
"By defeating Medusa maybe?" the second troll responds.
"Where is Medusa exactly?"
"At the border of Regina's and Midas' kingdom..."
Snow is standing perfectly still. She can hear what the trolls are saying but she struggles to understand. The happy prince is a man frozen in statue form. He is a man trapped. She spent years trying to determine whether he was real, hoping he'd come alive and maybe offer her some support...This, this is so much more than she wished for. She didn't expect this. Not only is he real but he gave her his eyes so she could get away. He cared for her enough to give up his eyes to set her free...There are tears streaming down her cheeks as she finally comes to terms with what happened, what the prince sacrificed to help her. She took his eyes and she gave away his sword and just left him there alone, defenseless in the dark. There is no excuse for what she did. Was standing up to Regina so impossibly terrifying that she agreed to run away with his eyes? She is breathing fast trying to figure out what to do next. She needs to fix this, she needs to make this right. First she needs to retrieve his eyes, then she needs to find and defeat Medusa. It is a lot to take on, but she doesn't have a choice. She runs back to the tavern. She finds the pirate asleep, sprawled on the table. She shakes him awake and pulls out her knife.
"Give me back my sapphires," she says once the pirate opens his eyes.
The pirate squints, trying hard to remember what she is talking about. "The sapphires," he mumbles. "Right, now, you already paid, love, why do you want them back? Having cold feet about leaving your kingdom?"
"I'm not going to board with you. Give me back my sapphires..." she says placing her knife on his neck.
"I would, if I could princess," he says using his finger to push her knife away, "fair is fair, except for a tiny little complication," he hesitates.
"What kind of complication?" she asks.
"I might have been gambling last night..."
"Gambling?" she gasps.
The pirate nods.
"You gambled his eyes away?" she cries out.
"Whose eyes?"
"The happy prince's, of course," she replies impatiently.
"He is just a statue princess, he is not real," the pirate replies.
Snow shakes her head. "Who did you loose the sapphires to?" she asks.
"Wait," the pirate replies, "it's all a little fuzzy but it will come back to me, oh yeah, I see him clear as day, it was a redhead, with large bosoms, no, not, that's not right, it was a tall man, with a very imposing mustache...no, it was two dwarves..."
Snow's eyes are streaming with tears. "He is not a statue, he is a man. Did you know that?"
"What?" the pirate blinks a couple of times trying to follow along."Who?"
"He is a man. And you lost his eyes. How did you not know that?" she yells.
"Who?" Hook is looking at her all confused.
"The happy prince is a man. He used to be a man. How did you not know that? Geppetto uses your vessel to transport his statues..."
"Let me stop you right there, princess. A good way to stay out of trouble is by never asking the people I transport what they are carrying or who they are running from. I didn't ask you who you were running from now did I? If someone used my vessel to transfer something dubious I certainly didn't want to know about it..."
Snow shakes her head and walks towards the barkeep. "Did you see who he was gambling with?" she asks.
The man shakes his head. "Didn't see anyone," he replies.
"He was sitting right there!"
"The barkeep shakes his head. "He left with a woman, he came back later. I didn't see any gambling..."
"What woman?" she asks."The blond?"
"Some woman with dark hair...I've never seen her before. She must be passing through..."
Snow is doing her best not to burst into tears. She's lost the prince's eyes.
The border between Midas' kingdom and Regina's is a very thin strip of land, right next to the summer palace, her favorite place when she was a child. She has a vague idea of where Medusa might be hiding. It takes her two days to reach the summer palace. She hasn't been here in so many years. But there is no time to reminisce, no time to waste. The happy prince is a man, frozen and she will set him free She will defeat Medusa to set him free and then she will look for a way to get his eyes back, whatever it takes. She will make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin if she has to. She will fix this, she will make this right. Snow arms herself with a sword that she finds in a trunk in the summer palace, then she heads out, looking around. She vaguely remembers the servants talking of a monster living in the ruins of an ancient underground temple nearby. It takes her a few hours but she finally finds it. She walks inside the temple timidly, she has no idea how she can kill a monster she is not allowed to look at. She walks inside the temple, her sword extended, her mind on the prince and how he is missing his eyes. And then she stands perfectly still. What if that's her answer? What if the prince already gave her the answer, what if she has to fight Medusa without the use of her eyes?
Snow hears an angry blood curdling scream and she leans against the wall. There are weapons on the ground, swords and shields and arrows, undoubtedly left behind by the fighters Midas sent. Snow picks up a shiny shield. If she is going to fight Medusa with her eyes closed, she is going to need more than just a sword. She shuts her eyes as tight as she can, even though fighting with her eyes closed goes against all her instincts, then she stands her ground as the screeching Medusa approaches. Snow screams back and raises her sword, but actually striking the monster is a lot harder than she thought. Impossible really.
"I only have to hit you once," she mumbles, trying to convince herself that this is a battle she can actually win. Medusa screeches again and gets poised to strike. Snow swings her sword and she misses. She lifts up her shield, covering her face and her shoulders in anticipation of Medusa's blow and then there is silence in the underground temple.
Snow listens, waiting for Medusa to strike, she sits perfectly still. She swings her sword again and she is surprised because it sounds like her sword hit metal. Medusa must be wearing armor Snow thinks so she strikes again and again but still there is no response, other than her sword hitting metal over and over. Medusa is silent. Snow opens here eyes slowly, looking down at first and she is shocked to see that Medusa is perfectly still because she has been turned into a bronze statue herself. Her face frozen in silent horror, the snakelike hair perfectly still. Snow feels really confused. She walks around Medusa several times trying to understand what happened. And then she sees it. The shield she held up, is shiny, like a cheap mirror. Medusa looked at herself and turned herself into a statue. Snow drops her shield on the ground and leans against the wall. She won. She can't believe she actually won. Snow picks up a few of the discarded swords she finds on the ground and she walks into the nearby town, she sells the swords at the nearest blacksmith. He gives her a few copper coins.
"Don't tell anyone I gave you this," he whispers.
"What? Why?"
"The Queen is getting ready to battle the ogres. Apparently there is a shortage of bronze in the kingdom. She has ordered that we melt whatever copper or bronze we can get our hands on and forge more swords.
"I won't tell anyone," she says and then she gasps. Because the statue of the Happy Prince is solid bronze. What if the Queen already ordered the statue to be melted before Snow defeated Medusa? Snow runs to the town market, she buys the fastest horse she can afford, then she gallops towards the Queens' castle. Her horse is exhausted, but she doesn't stop. She dismounts into the courtyard and runs inside the Main Hall.
"Snow!" Grumpy yells."Where have you been? I was worried sick!"
Snow stifles a sob when she sees the empty pedestal of the Happy Prince now pushed against the corner. "Where is he?" she practically screams. "Where is the Happy Prince?"
"What? What are you talking about? Do you mean the statue?" Grumpy frowns.
"Yes!" she cries out, placing both hands on Grumpy's shoulders. "Where is he?"
"He is made of bronze," Grumpy shrugs. "There are three blacksmiths in town melting bronze as fast as they can, forging swords, they have been working non stop..." and before he gets to finish his sentence Snow has already run out of the room.
She runs back to the courtyard, she climbs back on her horse and she gallops away to the blacksmith that is the closest.
"Did you melt the statue of the happy prince?" she yells the moment she steps in his workshop.
"What? No princess, I didn't melt any statues..."
"Did you melt the statue of the happy prince?" she yells at the second blacksmith.
"No princess," he replies. " I haven't seen the statue..."
Snow walks out of the third blacksmith's workshop, tears streaming down her face.
"Did you melt the statue of the happy prince?" she asks.
"The statue was brought to me yesterday," the blacksmith replies. "I didn't want to melt it. It was exquisite. It looked like he'd turn around and talk to you. I didn't melt it, but I don't see it around. One of my boys must have done it. We've been working non stop, all through the night..." the man says but Snow is no longer listening.
She stumbles out of the workshop in a daze, her tears blinding her. "I lost him," she sobs. "I don't know where he is..." as she turns around to walk away she bumps into a man who is leaning against the wall.
"Excuse me," she mumbles through her tears and she keeps moving forward.
"Why are you crying Snow White?" she hears a voice behind her. She turns around and looks at the man leaning against the wall. He is tall, strong, his hair is blond, his eyes closed, his right hand extended towards her, reaching for her. She gasps, because it's him, it's the prince, and he is looking brave and charming, valiant and strong, he is looking sad and quiet and hopeful. He is breathing faster waiting for her response, so much hope written on his face. She sobs harder because his eyes are closed. She lost his eyes. She walks towards him and she places both her hand in his.
"It's you," she whispers. "It's you! You are real!"
He pulls her in closer. She is here. She is here.
"You found me," he says quietly. He pauses for a brief second, because he can hardly believe that she is back. "May I?" he whispers, then his hands roam up slowly, tentatively, because he has no other way of looking at her. He feels her hands shaking, she is still crying but her body has gone perfectly still to his touch. His fingers are at her cheeks now.
She closes her eyes and sobs "I lost your eyes..."
He shakes his head. He feels her tears hot running on his fingers.
"I found out about Medusa turning men into statues, but it was too late, I had already traded your eyes for safe passage and I had no way of getting them back..." she explains.
"You know about Medusa?" he asks. " It was you wasn't it?" he asks. "You found a way to defeat her?"
She nods and then she cries harder because she realizes he can't see her nodding. "Yes," she replies.
"You saved me," he says softly.
"But I took your eyes and lost them..." she still sobs.
He places a finger on her lips.
"I gave you my eyes," he replies. "Snow, when the Queen threatened you...there was nothing I wouldn't have given up to save you...I would have given you my heart if you needed it..."
Snow is trying to hold back her sobs. She spent years hoping he'd come awake and be her friend, she'd imagine he'd wake up and say ordinary beautiful things. She couldn't have imagined he would wake up and say extraordinary things, she couldn't have imagined that he would wake up and love her like this. He is so much more than she'd even dare dream. "I don't even know your name," she mumbles.
He smiles. "I kind of liked all the names you gave me..."
"Hello, sweet charming prince," she whispers. Because that is what he looks like right now. He looks charming.
"Hello Snow White!" he replies, smiling, because for the first time he can actually reply to her.
And it's absolutely overwhelming having him stand there, alive, smiling back at her. There are no words to describe what she is feeling. There are now words good enough to describe how much she loves him, so she cups his face with her hands and kisses him instead.
Her lips are on his and he smiles, he doesn't believe how everything changed. The one minute he was leaning against the wall, blind, confused, trying to remember how to breathe and the next Snow is in his arms, loving him. He is alive again, he is real, the world is shaking, everything is changing, he feels his heart overflowing with love and he holds on to her tighter, leaning his forehead on hers.
The earth shakes around them, the ground quivers, the light flashes and Snow is holding David, and now she is sobbing because even though the story is over David's eyes are still closed. She lost his eyes.
"David, I am so, so sorry," she manages to mumble through her sobs and he shakes his head.
"Snow!" is all he says, breathing faster, trying to come to terms with how much this new development will change things. She is absolutely devastated. He doesn't want to say anything to add to her anguish. But waking up to this new reality, that this is who he is now, is overwhelming. It is this strange sort of feeling, a loss, a vital part of him missing. He keeps thinking he needs to open his eyes, not quite used to the strange sensation of darkness surrounding him. Snow holds back her tears.
"Does it hurt?" she asks, running her fingers across his face.
He shakes his head. She watches him struggle, she watches him try to stay brave and strong and she wants to tell him that he doesn't have to do this, she knows he is terrified, but there is no time to explain. She only has a few seconds left. She pulls him in closer and she is kissing his face and his eyelids up until the very moment she vanishes. David's shoulders slope. Snow is gone. This, this is all new. This new sort of darkness. Just when he thought that things couldn't get any worse. As if being cursed wasn't bad enough, now he can't even see. How is he going to find her now, how is he going to survive the next story, without the use of his eyes?
There's a loud knock on the door.
She opens the door wide. "Can I help you?" she asks, a cruel smile on her face. "Are you lost?"
"Alright witch, where are my children? What did you do to them?" he asks. He is holding a cane with his left hand, being led by his dog, who is actually wagging his tail at the witch. He moves to step in her house.
"Not so fast," she blocks his path. "I don't recall inviting you in!" she states firmly.
"What have you done with my children?" he asks.
"Maybe I ate them," she laughs but her laughter sounds quite unconvincing.
Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing...
baratta jennifer chapter 10 Great chapter
Thank you Jennifer.
Austenphile chapter 10 Loved it! Another great use of canon Snowing plus a known fairy tale.
Thanks Austenphile!
BooksinMyDreams chapter 10 What an incredible chapter. They are so good at True Love kisses.
Yes they are...except for the part that they lose each other whenever they do that... :(
mry23 chapter 10 Such a fun chapter. I liked seeing more of when David took over for James. It was fun to see how it could've played out. And I loved the Snowing twist with them. The ending was so sad and their love is just too good. Ok so I'm stuck on the next one hmm? Can't wait!
Thanks! Well, nobody guessed. Either the clue was too vague...or the fairytale was about 70 yrs younger than the rest of them and not Disney related so you guys didn't think of it...
Guest chapter 10 What an adventurous and intriguing chapter this was! I really liked the twists and turns that were presented because it was so different compared to the other chapters and their dynamic was different too but in a good interesting way. Overall I think you did a really great job writing this Snowing version of Mulan. I liked how you included the elements from Davids story in it and that the mission was still to kill the dragon. I was really happy to see Richard appear. How everyone fully trusted 'White' in the beginning I don't get because wasn't it kinda suspicious that a guy named White joined their team the same time as a bandit called Snow White is running around. I loved Davids and 'White's friendship before David knew who 'White' was and how thoughtful and kind 'White' was towards David especially when he was struggling with everything. I knew the other shoe had to drop at some point but did it have to drop so hard? It went from 3 to a solid 17 on the sadness scale so fast. George is the worst, no surprise there. And the mention of Grumpy waiting for Stealthy was so sad. The last meeting was so heartbreaking and the curse almost got to them. I don't know how they can make a plan but they'll have to think fast.. maybe write on a paper and put it in their mouths or something? I have no clue who the next chapter is about. Is lady and the tramp a fairytale or just a Disney story? There's also Peter Pan.. and Alice in wonderland.
Thank you. And you are right of course. I probably should have changed the name, but I didn't want to. I'm already going from Mulan to Snow, I don't want to add third layer, things are complicated enough.
The shoe dropped just as hard as it did in the original episode. George went from "my son the hero," to "I will burn your farm and kill your mother "within seconds...
I hadn't even thought of Lady and the Tramp as an option. I think that I am definitely not doing that, I'm also not doing the Aristocats or Lion king-though the Lion king is technically Hamlet and that could work...to be or not to be...
Bella1296 chapter 10 Loved mulan! also really great chapter.
Thanks Bella1296!
Bwayrox chapter 10 This tale created a great opportunity to see them fighting alongside each other, always saving each other. Those are some of my favorite Snowing moments from OUAT. How I wished when the knights were discussing which Snow they would prefer to bed she could have pulled off her disguise and showed them they weren't worthy of either! Then there was that amazing scene at the farmhouse where he gave her the ring. Not as a marriage proposal, but as a symbol of an even deeper love. My heart may never recover. Oh how I want this curse to end...yet I don't!
Aww thank you Bwayrox! Yeah, I kind of feel the same way, not ready to break yet, (assuming that it is even breakable...)
Guest chapter 10 Another Saturday another review! What an amazing story. I'm weak for the from friends to lovers trope and you did it justice. It stayed true to it's Disney roots while bringing in the painful and heartbreaking element of Snowing loving yet losing the other all at once.. Thanks for the update!
Thank you! Friends to lovers is my favorite trope too...
