"You slayed the dragon," King Midas says, smiling at prince James. He takes off his metal glove and touches the dragon's head that immediately turns into gold. "May that beast's head be a reminder to us of the valiant warrior who killed it, " he adds turning towards the prince. "The bravest, most noble knight I've ever met. You have earned my utmost respect! And now," he says lowering his voice, "I think I can trust you with a mission of a more sensitive nature. Please, King George, may I speak to your son in private?"
"By all means," the king beams at them. "I know that there is nothing my son cannot do..."
King Midas smiles and he pulls prince James to the side by an open window. "My daughter Abigail," the king says pointing to a beautiful blond woman in a blue gown that is walking in the royal garden. "Beyond gold, beyond anything I value her most," he says and he pauses to look at her. "I'm afraid that she is haunted by the most unusual affliction..."
Prince James doesn't reply. He looks at the princess who is cutting roses placing them in a basket. She seems fine, he thinks. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her.
"My daughter," king Midas continues. "She hasn't been herself lately. She goes to sleep every night, and in the morning, she wakes up and she looks exhausted, haunted. Normally I'd attribute this to bad dreams, she has been through a lot lately, she lost a childhood friend that meant a great deal to her, but it's not just dreams. Because the strangest thing happens. She wakes up and her dancing shoes are worn out, as if she spent the whole night dancing..." King Midas shakes his head. "I don't know what to think. She tries to convince me that she stays all night in her room, that there is nothing unusual going on. And I believe her. She has yet to lie to me or give me a reason not to trust her but still...as her father I worry. One day you will have a daughter on your own and you will understand," the king smiles.
"What would you like me to I do?" prince James asks. Because it doesn't seem like that is a problem he can solve.
"Well," Midas smiles, "I'm going to ask you to solve that riddle, but for now, won't you go down there and introduce yourself...she could use a new friend..."
James looks at the woman who is walking among the roses. "Alright," he replies. The truth is that he is ready to take off his cape and his nice clothes, his royal name, and his sword, he is ready to go back to his valley, back to his flock, he is ready to be David again. But those are thoughts he is not really allowed to share with the King or the king's daughter. As he walks down the stairs, looking to join the princess in the garden, he can't help but think that the dream of returning to his quiet life back at the farm might be nothing but just a dream. The more he gets entangled in the lives of royals, the harder it is going to be for him to walk away and get back to his old life.
The princess has almost filled her basket with flowers when he catches up to her.
"Hello..." he offers.
"Hello," she replies rather coldly. "And who might you be?"
"I'm James," he smiles relieved he didn't say David. That's the hardest part, remembering to say his brothers name when he introduces himself.
"James, right, the dragons slayer," Abigail replies. Her eyes are red. She' s obviously been crying. "My father keeps raving about you. Well? Did you kill the dragon?" she asks, her tone alternating from sarcastic to curious.
"I did," he replies.
"Really?" she raises her eyebrow.
"Yes,"
"Was it hard? And did my father order your statue placed in every square in all the land?"
He laughs. "I don't think so..."
"Well, dragon slayer James, unless you know how to trim roses, I'd thank you to move on. My father seems to have forgotten that I enjoy my quiet time in the garden, otherwise he wouldn't have sent you here..."
"Sorry to have disturbed you, princess," he replies. "You might want to have your gardener look at that, there are caterpillars on your rose bush..." he says and he turns to walk away.
"No there aren't!" she frowns.
"Right there," he points to the small green bug lurking underneath the leaf.
"You are right," she says, her eyes wide open. "How did I not see that?"
"It's easy to miss..." he shrugs. The fact that you are crying doesn't help, he wants to add but he knows better than to say that.
"I'm Abigail," she says offering her hand.
He hesitates. Is he supposed to shake her hand or kiss it? He really wishes king George had prepared him better before he pushed him among the royals. There are so many rules he doesn't know. In the end he brings her gloved hand to his lips and she doesn't act surprised, so hopefully it was the right thing to do.
"Nice to meet you," he replies.
"And how do you know so much about roses James?"
"My mother had a favorite rosebush," he says and then he kicks himself for his blunder, because Queen Helena, King George's beloved wife, his supposed mother passed away when he was two.
"Your mother?" Abigail looks at him inquisitively. "I thought your mother was no longer with us..."
"Yes," he replies, "but so often it feels like she is still here..."
Abigail is quick to agree. "True," she whispers. "So very true..." her eyes are welling up with tears. "They never go away do they?" she asks.
He offers a sympathetic smile.
"Alright," she whispers, "Just between you and me, what are you supposed to be doing here?"
"What do you mean?" he tries to feign innocence.
"I know my father sent you. I' d like to know why..."
He looks around uncomfortably. "Your father would like the ruined dance shoes mystery solved..." he explains.
"Oh, is that all?" she smiles sadly. "Come with me..."
Somewhere deep in the the forest there is the golden statue of a knight.
"This is where my beloved Frederick sacrificed his life..." she says placing all the roses she cut under the statue.
"I'm sorry. Did he die in battle?" he asks quietly.
Abigail shakes her head letting her tears run freely. "We were traveling with my father when our caravan was ambushed. Frederick bravely defended us and was cut down..."
"A fitting tribute. The craftsmanship is remarkable. I've never seen anything like it..."
"That's because this is actually Frederick," she says running her finger across the statues arm. "It's not a statue..."
Prince James look at the statue, his eyes opening wide.
"James meet Frederick, " Abigail says, her voice quivering, trying hard not to burst into tears.
James places his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "You mean...-"
"Frederick saw the attack when no one else did, and threw himself in front of my father. Because of my father's curse he was turned into gold instantly.."
"All curses can be broken..." he argues. "Have you tried true loves kiss?"
"Until my lips bled..." she says and the pain in her voice is palpable.
"The gold got in the way..." he muses. "There must be something else to do..."
Abigail shakes her head. "If there is I haven't found it yet. But I didn't bring you here to fix it James, I wanted you to see him so you will understand what happens tonight..."
"Tonight?"
"Yes. Tonight. Tonight, I want you to come with me. You can see where I go and than you can decide for yourself if you will tell my father about this or not..."
"Abigail..." he hesitates. He feels like he has intruded on sacred ground.
"It's alright," she offers a sad smile. "It might be good for me not to go there alone just this once..."
He offers his arm and they slowly walk back together to Midas' castle.
King Midas catches a glimpse of them from the window. 'What did I tell you?" he smiles at King George. "Your son needs a mission, a chance to rescue her. He needs a maiden in distress. And she really needs someone to help her move on. I'm telling you, this will work...'
"If you says so," King George frowns. "I usually prefer a more direct approach. I don't like leaving things to chance... "
"I know you don't but this will work. And better yet, they will think that this was their idea. Without us pesky kings interfering... Now tell me , don't they make a handsome couple?"
"That they do," chuckles King George. "If your plan works,we are going to have the most beautiful grandchildren..."
"Yes, yes we will." Midas smiles triumphantly. "And they will want for nothing..."
After dinner Abigail signals James to follow her.
"When the clock strikes midnight, come into my quarters," she whispers.
And when he looks at her concerned, she shakes her head.
"Don't worry," she explains. "I always dismiss the servants early. Nobody will see you...Bring your cape and wear comfortable shoes...it's often chilly where we are going..."
He nods. He really has no idea what to expect. He stays in his room. He puts on his black doublet, his gloves and as soon as the clock strikes midnight, he sneaks into Abigail's private quarters.
He is surprised to see her all dressed up. She is wearing a beautiful golden gown, her lips are red and her hair is pulled up except for a couple of stray curls framing her face. She is looking in the mirror when he walks in.
"How do I look?" she asks him.
"You look beautiful," he replies.
She nods. "It's silly I know, but I dress up every night. Are you ready?"
He looks around. He is not sure what he is ready for.
"Follow me," she says. She takes a few dancing steps, as if she is waltzing on her own and then the tiles on the floor shift and fold, there is a dark staircase that opens up. He take a step back. He's never seen anything like this.
"You are not going to balk are you James?" she teases. "You did kill a dragon today, didn't you?"
"Where are we going?"
"I'm not sure where it is. I'm not even sure that it is an actual place, or just a world inside my head. I call it Snow's realm. Honestly, I' don't even know if it's real or if its a dream. But if it's a dream James I don't want to wake up," she replies as she rushes down the circular stair case, going lower and lower into the ground. David follows her. His heart is pounding but it's mostly excitement. He is not afraid of the dark.
They arrive at an old mostly abandoned pier. Without any hesitation Abigail climbs on a boat. There is a snowflake carved on the side of it, a beautiful carving that looks oddly familiar. David runs his fingers through the intricate design.
"Would you untie the boat for me?" Abigail's voice brings him back to reality. He unties the rope and then he jumps in the boat. He is ready to row, but he doesn't need to, the boat takes off on its own, following a predetermined path. He can already see where the boat is going to go, because somewhere far away he can see lights on the coast. He tries to see more clearly.
"If you close your eyes, you can hear the music from here," Abigail whispers. He closes his eyes and she is right. He can here the most ethereal music, soft, beautiful, happy and heartbreaking all at once, music that makes you want to dance or weep. Music that makes him think of his mother and his sheep in the valley, of the sunshine burning his skin, music that sings of his heart's hope of marrying for love and starting a family. He turns to face Abigail. Her eyes are closed and there are tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Have you ever heard anything like this?" she asks.
He shakes his head. He looks down in the water. There are strange shapes in the water, beautiful women, swimming around the boat. Mermaids, he thinks. This, this is the strangest night of his life. He has no idea if this is a dream or if this is really happening. The lights on the coast seemed far away, but they arrive there faster than he expected.
The pier here is nothing like the dark pier they just left. It is well lit, from hundreds of lampposts and lanterns.
"Hello, Ella," Abigail smiles at the blond princess in the blue gown who is getting out of the boat next to theirs.
"Hello Abigail," Ella replies. Ella looks like she has been crying.
"Come on," Abigail turns to him. He rushes to catch up with her. They walk together on a beautiful cobblestone path, the rocks forming intricate designs of snowflakes and snowbells.
"What is this place?" he asks.
Abigail shrugs. "I don't know. I call it Snow's palace. Snow White is in charge here. Do you know Snow White?"
He shakes his head. There are very few royals he actually knows.
He looks up to see the most beautiful palace, complete with towers and balconies, stained glass windows, flower garlands and water fountains. There are no walls to protect the place from intruders. Whoever this Snow is, she is certainly not worried about enemies attacking her place.
There are beautiful princesses dancing with royals all across the courtyard and inside the palace.
He is about to turn around and ask Abigail more questions but he doesn't because a knight, fully dressed in gold armor rushes to her.
"Frederick!" she gasps. She kisses him through the armor and then she places both hands on his helmet. The helmet comes off. She then takes off his gloves and his breast plate, his chain shirt. Frederick is no longer a golden knight trapped in his armor, he is a real live man in a white shirt who picks up Abigail in his arms and holds her, laughing.
"You are back!" he says.
"Of course, I'm back..." she replies softly, tears streaming down her face, his surprise breaking her heart. "Didn't you know I was coming?"
He wipes her tears, then he cups her face kissing her.
Abigail looks so happy, so content. She's completely forgotten James' presence.
"Who is this?" Frederick asks quietly, bringing her back to reality.
"Oh, I'm sorry. This is James," she replies.
"Is this the dragon slaying prince? ..I see your father didn't waste any time..." Frederick notes, a sad smile on his face.
"Indeed he didn't," Abigail frowns. " He is always planning, always scheming, always thinking he knows better..." she says leaning her head on his shoulder, interlacing her fingers with his.
"Abby," he says lifting her chin with his thumb, forcing her to look in his eyes, "Abby if you need to move on, you know you have my most earnest blessing," he says and the softness in his voice makes her burst into tears.
"No, " she whispers placing her finger on his lips, "please, please, please don't say that, not yet..."
"I'm not saying that," he says placing a soft kiss on the tip of her finger, pulling her in closer, his forehead leaning on hers, his eyes closed. "I just want you to know that you are free..."
She shakes her head. "I don't want to be free..."
He nods, he looks like he might cry too. "Dance with me?" he says.
She nods smiling through her tears, and the next second, his hand is on her waist and he is leading her towards the main Ballroom in the palace.
David looks at them and he wipes his eyes. That was heartbreaking, he thinks. He feels incredibly naive. Midas is hoping that he and Abigail will get together. This is what this strange mission was about. Apparently everyone, even Frederick who is no longer around could read through Midas' actions. Everyone but him. He is not accustomed to scheming royals. Midas is hoping he will get together with Abigail. Midas is blind to the fact that his daughter is still grieving, she is not ready at all to let new love in her life. He walks towards the palace and he sees the Ella, the princess in the blue gown. She is talking to a prince dressed in white.
"There's something I didn't tell you, Thomas" she whispers and her voice is soft, pleading. "I made a deal with the Dark One, our little one belongs to him, and I know that what I did is unforgivable and you when you find out I will loose you, which is why I haven't told you yet..." she sobs and her kneels buckle. "Thomas, there is no way for me to tell you the truth!"
And then Ella freezes in place because Thomas' is kneeling next to her.
"How can you stand to be anywhere near me right now?" she whispers.
And he doesn't reply, he just holds her. "You are not going to loose me," he replies."Whatever deal you made with the Dark One I will pay it, you and the baby will be safe..."
She is so relieved, she sobs, her shoulders shaking, her whole body shivering, burying her face on his shoulder. "Are you sure?" she whispers. "Because I don't feel like I deserve that..."
He doesn't say anything at first, the he pulls back her hair.
"Don't cry, Ella, don't cry" he tries to comfort her. "Of course, I'm sure..."
David walks away. What exactly is this place, he wonders and then he sees the woman in the leather vest and the brown pants and his breath catches. Funny, every woman in this palace is dressed in beautiful elaborate gowns and he finds himself attracted to the only one that is not dressed up at all. Her hair is dark brown and long, her eyes are bright green, her lips are soft red and she is walking right towards him.
"This must be your first time here," she offers a welcoming smile. "I'm Sow White. Do you remember how you got here?"
"Yes," he smiles back. "I was brought here by princess Abigail..."
"Oh, you must be her new...-" there is a hint of sadness in her eyes, though her lips are still smiling.
"I'm not," he interrupts."I'm not her new anything, she is here to see Frederick and somehow I managed to tag along, I hope that's alright." He doesn't know why, but it's very important to him that she knows that he and Abigail are not together.
"You are not?" she looks at him surprised. "Do you know who you are here to meet?"
He shakes his head. "I don't think I'm supposed to meet anyone..."
"Are you here to make a wish come true then?"
"I don't think so..."
"Well, you might not know who you are supposed to meet yet, but you must be here because someone wished you here," she explains. "This is a wish realm. You can't come here unless there is some wishing involved. Come on, let me show you around...maybe you will find someone who looks familiar and you will understand why you are here..."
There are people dancing all around the palace, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. There ls a frozen lake next to the palace garden. A beautiful blond woman is ice skating along a redhead, snowflakes floating around them.
"Do you recognize either of them?" she asks.
"I might know the young one. Is that princess Anna?" he asks.
"Yes, that's Anna. Do you think she might have wished you here?"
He shakes his head. "I doubt it. She is engaged to an old friend of mine," he replies.
Just as he says that Anna recognizes him and waves, but she doesn't walk over to him, she is still ice skating with her sister.
"I see," Snow replies. "Elsa is here because her sister is dying to spend time with her, and Elsa is too afraid, because she hasn't mastered her powers yet...they are here every night. What they don't know is that both of them are having the same wish. Elsa is wishing Anna here and Anna is wishing Elsa here...one of these days I hope they will figure it out and take a chance, spend time together in real life" Snow says moving along.
"Couldn't you help them out? Tell them?"
Snow shakes her head. "This isn't how this works. I'm allowed to bring people together or block them form coming here, if I think that they will pose some danger, but I'm not really allowed to intervene..."
They keep walking.
A beautiful redhead is dancing with a prince in a Navy suit.
"Princess Ariel," she explains, "She comes here and confesses to prince Eric that she is a mermaid, every night, they spend half their night dancing, then they go swimming in the ocean and she shows him her tale," she explains. "One of these days she will get the courage to tell him in real life, then she won't need to come here anymore..."
"Who are they?" he asks.
There is a woman dressed in a red hood laying on the grass nest to a guy, looking at the stars.
"Oh that's a really sad story," she explains. "Ruby Red didn't know she had powers, she didn't know she turned into a wolf on full moon nights...she killed the man she loved. She is here every night, she begs him for forgiveness, then they spend the rest of the night looking at the stars..."
He looks at her. "How do you know everybody's story?" he asks.
"This is my wish realm," she explains. "I'm not sure exactly how, but I'm responsible for it. It's a safe place that would let women speak the truth, share their secret with their loved ones, get a chance to make amends one last time or get a chance to heal...I'm a guardian of sorts. Once you meet whoever it is you are here for, you won't remember me, you won't remember this conversation, which is why I'm letting you in everyone's secrets..." she smiles wistfully.
He looks at her carefully trying to memorize her face. He doesn't want to forget her.
"And if I do remember?" he asks.
"Then I suppose, I'll have to kill you!" she replies her lips curving up slightly.
He laughs. "Who are you again? I can't quite remember!" he teases.
"Good," she chuckles. It's so good to have someone to talk to. She hopes he won't meet whoever he is supposed to meet right away so she can hold on to him a little while longer.
"Look over there," she points. There is a beautiful woman dressed in a light blue dress. A man walks up to her and she wraps her arms around him and she cries. He pulls her on the dance floor and now he is twirling her around, she is dancing, laughing and crying at the same time...
"That's Queen Regina and Daniel," Snow explains, her voice now cracked. "Her mother was against their union, so they were going to elope, when a little girl blurted out the truth to her mother. Her mother was a witch. She ripped his heart out and made her daughter watch..." Snow doesn't continue the story, she just watches Regina and Daniel dancing together. "Look at them...They were meant to be together," she whispers.
Something in her expression lets him know that this is incredibly personal, incredibly painful for her. Something in this story affects her more than the rest. He places his hand on her back.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
She turns to look at him all surprised. "I'll be fine," she shrugs.
"What about them?" he makes an effort to change the subject. He points to the older woman who is sitting on the grass, a younger woman laying her head in her lap.
"Cora and Zelena," Snow whispers. "Mother and daughter. Cora gave her up when she was a baby, Zelena wishes to spend time with her mother every night so here they are..." Snow seems to be holding back tears.
David looks at her. He meant to change the subject, he mean to to make her feel better. He reads the quiet sadness in her face and his heart breaks. He has to hold himself back from pulling her in his arms.
"Do you see anybody that you recognize yet?" she asks.
He shakes his head.
"Wait. Did you tell me your name?" she asks looking at him carefully.
He sighs. Answering that question has gotten complicated. "Do you want my royal name or my real name?"
She raises her eyebrows. "You have a royal and a real name? How about you tell me both!" she replies.
"Real name is David. But, my twin brother was given to a childless king when he was a baby. And now, my brother is dead and I was asked to impersonate him..." he explains." Describing his story, even though he's lived it, it sounds so unlikely. It sounds made up. "So, my royal name is James..."
She looks at him, eyes wide open because what he is describing sounds horrifying. "Are you alright?" she asks quietly.
He has to think for a minute. The kindness in her voice makes his heart beat faster. They shoved him into this part and nobody asked how he was faring. She is the first.
"I don't even know," he replies quite honestly. "I'm just hoping it will all be over soon..."
And then she stares at him her eyes wide open. "Wait, I think I know why you are here...There is this woman that comes here once in a while, I thinks she's mentioned David and James!" she grabs his hand and she pulls him at the garden corner and he gasps.
Because, Ruth is there, in a beautiful green gown, a silver crown on her hair, looking younger, than he last saw her, and there is a man standing there, in front of her crying, a man he hasn't seen in years. His father. Ruth cups his father's face, and she wipes his eyes with her thumb.
David takes a step back.
Snow looks at him.
"How?" he stammers. "My mother died last year..."
Snow watches him. "Is that your father? Maybe he is wishing her here..." she whispers. "Is your father alive?" she whispers.
He shakes his head. "He died when I was six..."
"Strange," Snow mumbles. "I thought the only people that came here that were both dead were my parents..."
"What is my mother doing here," he whispers, "and why is she wearing a crown, she is not a princess..."
"No, she is not a princess. I thinks she is a Queen. How can she not be, when her sons are princes!" Snow smiles.
He turns around to look at her and he just looks so grateful. " I've never seen her look like that," he says and his voice sound hoarse.
And then they both get quiet because he wants to hear what his mother is saying.
"It wasn't your fault, Robert" Ruth whispers. "I watched our David grow and he reminded me of you so much, his voice and his smile... and every night I kept dreaming of getting a chance to tell you, that this wasn't your fault. We let go of James, and then all we had was David and I blamed you for it and I wasn't there for you like I should have been...It wasn't just your fault..."
And then his father stands up straighter, his shoulders no longer sloped and he look her in the eyes, not quite daring to believe her words. She places her hands on his arms and she leans her forehead on his shoulder. He rubs her back. And then they are holding each other swaying back and forth and they look like they are dancing.
"I missed you," she whispers. "Every time David smiled at me I thought of you...I missed you so much..."
David takes a step back looking at them, hardly believing what he sees.
"Is this who you are here for?" Snow whispers. "Will you talk to them?"
He shakes his head. "This is their unresolved business," he replies. "I'm not going to intrude..."
"I never talk to my parents either..." she whispers. And then she realizes that her hand is still holding his. So she pulls him along.
"This is tricky," she says pointing to the beautiful woman in the yellow dress who is reading a book sitting on the ground. "Her name is Belle," she whispers. She is in love with someone and she wishes to tell him every night, but I can't allow him to come in her, so she never gets her wish..."
"Why not?" he frowns.
"She is in love with the Dark One. I can't let him in here. I have no idea what will happen if he comes. He is so powerful, he will probably take over...however... Belle is really brave, one of the bravest souls I have ever met. I believe that she will tell him in real life. She will summon up the courage and talk to him, and then she won't need to come here anymore..I do feel bad though. She comes here every night and he is not here to ask her to dance with him..." she turns to look at him and then she gets an idea. "She never gets to dance...Would you ask her?"
He turns to look at her. Her eyes are so striking green. He'd much rather ask her to dance with him.
"Please?" Snow asks again.
"Of course," he smiles. He walks over to Belle, who seems very absorbed in her book.
"May I have this dance?" he asks.
Belle looks up. "I would love to dance!" she smiles brightly."I'm Belle!"
"Nice to meet you Belle. I'm David,"
He offers his hand and he helps her get up. She is incredibly cute as she straightens out her dress and then she looks around because she is not sure what to do with her hands and her book.
"Here," he offers. He places her book on a table nearby and then he places his hand on her waist. Snow watches them from afar as they dance together. Belle is looking lovely, smiling and talking. David is quite charming, he twirls her around and pulls her back in. They look good together, Snow thinks. Too bad that Belle's heart is stuck on the Dark One because Snow would love to set her up with somebody else, someone kind and less dark and complicated. Someone who won't likely break her heart over and over again.
Belle says something and David laughs. He dips her, once, twice and Snow watches their every move mesmerized, she cannot look away. She watches his hand on Belle's hand, his arm on her waist and somewhere inside her she knows exactly how it would feel for him to hold her, and her heart is beating faster just by thinking about that. This isn't what I'm here for, she thinks and she forces herself to walk away.
"I have a message for Snow White," Belle smiles at David. "Would you do me a favor and pass it along? Tell Snow White that I come here because I need a break. I come here to be alone. I come here exactly because I know she will not allow the Dark One in here. Tell her to not feel bad that he can't come in. I am counting on the fact that she will not let him in."
"I'll be glad to pass this along," he replies.
"Thank you for the dance," she smiles.
"You are very welcome."
"I enjoyed it very much, but I think it's time for me to go. And David, do you know who you are here to meet?" she asks and there is mischievousness hiding in her smile. David walks her back to the table where they left her book.
"I don't know. I'm just here because Abigail invited me to come along..."
"Well," Belle gives him a playful smile. "Since you are new here, and since you are not sure what you are doing here, perhaps I should tell you that nobody ever dances with Snow either...I bet she'd like to dance..."
David turns around to look for Snow but she is not where he left her. "Really? Will you excuse me..." he smiles at Belle and then he rushes off to look for Snow.
Belle laughs and then she walks back to her book. "You are welcome, Snow White," she mumbles.
He walks around the palace and the palace gardens. He doesn't see her right away but he keeps on looking. In the end he spots her sitting on a bench in the shadows, watching the pier.
"I was looking for you!" he says softly. She doesn't reply but she makes room for him to sit next to her.
She is watching intently at the man in the white jacket and the woman in the red gown who are arriving together at the pier. They are holding each other tight, they are not talking.
They walk together slowly towards the palace, she leans on his arm whispering something in his ear.
"King Leopold and Queen Eva..." she whispers wiping her eyes. "My parents. They are not really here. I'm pretty sure they are just a memory. I keep conjuring them form my mind..I don't know how to let them go..."
He wants to ask why, but he stays silent, waiting for her to continue.
"He loved her so much, but he was away when she died. She died then he married Regina, who didn't love him at all. And I keep thinking that he deserved better, he deserved someone who loved him like she did. And she deserved better, she deserved to have him be there when she died. And I'm trying to understand how two people who loved each other as much as they did ended up apart...How their love was not enough to keep them together... How maybe there are curses strong enough to defeat true love..." Snow whispers.
"Impossible," he argues. "You can't defeat love..."
"Are you sure?" Snow asks, her voice barely audible. "Then how do you explain what happened to them?"
"Was she completely alone when she died?" he asks looking at the beautiful woman in red who is smiling at her husband.
"I was there, but he wasn't..." she whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Of course he was," he whispers and then he turns to face her.
"What?"
"You don't think she saw her husband and all the love he had for her, when she looked in your eyes?"
Snow raises her hand to her mouth and lets out a soft sob.
"Do you really think so?" she says, trying hard to stop crying. And he is not quite sure why, but he feels his eyes welling up to. "I do," he replies softly."I really do. Love doesn't fail, it might change forms but it's still there..."
Her hand finds its way in his.
"Do you think that it was the same for him after she passed? Do you think my love for him was enough?"
He nods. "I bet he never doubted for a moment that he was loved. Are you going to go talk to them?" he asks.
Snow is crying softly. "They are not really here," she smiles through her tears. "But I think you are right," she whispers.
Snow looks at her parents dancing in the distance. She blinks a couple of times and they fade softly, they gently disappear. "Thank you," she whispers, then she turns to look at him. "Have you figured out who you are here for yet?"
I don't care who I'm here for, he thinks. I just want to spend time with you. But out loud he says "No. But, I came to tell you that Belle says she comes here exactly because you will not let the Dark One in, in fact she is counting on the fact that you won't..."
Snow laughs."Really?"
He nods. "Snow White..."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to dance?"
She looks at him a little stunned. It is the first time that he has seen her not being entirely self assured today. "I would," she replies and she glances at her clothes. "Wait, I'm not even wearing a dress" she mumbles and she twirls her finger around.
He is looking at her, holding his breath because in the next second she is wearing a beautiful white gown, the bodice is form fitting and the skirt is flowing, made of thousands of feathers. It looks almost like a wedding gown. If she was beautiful before, she is absolutely stunning now.
"You look incredible," he says then he looks down. When she switched her clothes she changed his clothes too. He is now wearing a red jacket with silver embellishments, a white shirt, a burgundy cape.
She looks at him all worried. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to change your clothes or imply that there was anything wrong with what you are wearing... This is my dream world. All I have to do is think of something or imagine it and it happens before I get a chance to stop it..." she stammers, her cheeks turning red.
"It's quite alright," he replies. "You don't need to apologize..."
"Are you sure? I can change your clothes back..." she mumbles.
He shakes his head. "I like it," he replies then he reaches for her hand and he pulls her up. "Dance with me," her whispers.
And she finds out she was right. She already knew exactly how it would feel to be pressed against him, to have her heart beat faster every time their eyes meet, to feel his breath against her cheek and to wish, oh to wish that this moment would last forever. And then she pauses.
"What's wrong?" he whispers.
She tightens her grip on his hand. Nothing is wrong. It's just that once the princesses in her realm start dancing, it is very soon that they feel the urge to go to the pier, get on the boat and go home. She is not ready to let go of him yet.
Around them Ella is dancing with Thomas, Ruby is dancing with Peter, Ariel with Eric, Abigail with Frederick, Cora is still holding Zelena, Elsa and Anna are dancing together, Regina is holding Daniel tight, barely moving. Ariel and Eric are the first to walk out of the Ball room and head to the pier, then Elsa and Anna. Abigail and Frederick go next.
"They are waking up," Snow whispers. "They are leaving...come with me..." She leads him outside the palace. She is walking up the path that leads to a hill. When they get on top she sits on the ground. He sits next to her. "I always end up here when they start to go home..."
He looks at her and doesn't reply. He has so many questions, but she looks breathtaking and he doesn't want to clutter the moment with too many words.
"Alright," she smiles, "tell me David what kind of constellations would you like to see tonight?"
"What?" he smiles.
"Constellations. Would you like the regular Enchanted Forest stars or entirely new fresh stars? And should the moon raise above the mountain or above the water?"
"You can do that?"
"It's my dream world. I'm in charge of the stars. Come on, choose!" she smiles.
"Both," he smirks, crossing his arms.
"Alright," she replies, and then the stars slide across the sky. There are the usual constellations he is used to seeing in Enchanted Forest along side hundreds of tiny smaller bright stars, giving the sky a dreamlike spectacular effect.
"Are you ready for the moons?" and then two bright full moons appear, one above the water, one above the mountains and their brightness makes the stars fade away.
He looks at them both and then he turns to her astonishment all over his face. "Amazing!" he exclaims.
"Anything else you'd like?" she laughs.
"Which way is the sun coming out?" he asks.
She shakes her head. "No sun. Ever. This is more of a dream world, It's always nighttime here..."
"You are always in the dark?"
"Sort of. If I hang four moons right in the middle, it's almost bright enough but that upsets the wolves..."
"There are wolves?" he frowns.
She nods. "Among other things...Speaking of which, I'm sorry we didn't figure out who you were here for, but it's time to get you home..."
As if on cue a creature lets out a blood curdling scream.
They both jump.
"What was that?" he asks.
"I'm not sure," she says. "It could be a chimera or another monster... Come on, we got to go!" She looks at her dress. She can't run wearing this. She waves her arms and now they are both dresses in their previous clothes.
"Come on," she says "I don't know how much time we have!" and she start running towards the palace.
He runs after her. Now there are wolves howling along with other monsters letting out terrifying growls. Snow runs inside the palace. She stands in the middle of the Main Hall and she moves her hands around. Big thick walls and gates slowly grow out of the ground. They cover up every door and window in the castle.
"Let's go," she says and she grabs his hand. She runs up the stairs, higher and higher until they are in the tallest tower. Snow shuts the heavy wooden door behind them. She blows out the candles. Then she sits on the floor. It is very dark in here, he can barely make out the outline of her face .
"Alright," she whispers. "We should be fine here unless the dragons decides to come..."
"There's a dragon?" he asks incredulously.
"I'm afraid so...several of them" she shrugs. "I'm sorry. I meant to send you home in time, I didn't want you stuck here for this..."
"Don't worry about me. Where do they come from?" he asks.
"Once the princesses leave, their fears and their guilt get left behind...sometimes they turn into monsters and wild angry things," she explains. "I'm not sure exactly. They don't show up when everyone else is here.."
"I don't understand. Everything is absolutely perfect, the women get to come to this dream realm, they get to practice saying things they do not dare say out loud to their loved ones, they get to spend time with loved ones that have passed on, and then they get back on their boats and leave..."
"Right," she nods.
"And then what? You are here on your own?"
"Yes!"
"And the monsters come out?"
"Sometimes."
"That hardly seems fair. Can you imagine them away?"
She shakes her head.
"Can you fight them?" he asks.
"I've tried. They are not real. They get hurt and then they attack again and again and again. So now I just hide..."
"The other princesses get to wake up and go home. How come you don't?"
"I can't wake up. I'm in a sleeping curse."
"What?"
"I'm asleep somewhere int the Enchanted Forest, my body is in a glass coffin...I can't wake up!"
"A coffin!" he exclaims and then he covers up his mouth. He didn't mean to get loud. "Where?"
"I'm not sure exactly..." she whispers.
Something is flying outside the window.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you in the middle of this...I should have sent you home already..."
"Send me home so you can do what? Face this alone? I'm not leaving!" he says.
She turns around to face him. She can't really see him, so she reaches for his hand in the dark. He pulls both her hands in his. Her hand is trembling. He thinks she is afraid.
"Don't be scared, Snow White, we 'll fight them if we need to...Can you conjure up some weapons?"
"I'm not scared, besides, those are fears. You can't just fight them with swords, you have to acknowledge them, recognize who they are" she says trying hard to make out his face in the darkness. What if... She shakes her head. She doesn't dare believe it. But what if he is here for her? What if he's here because she wished she wouldn't be alone?
"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to try," he argues. "I for one would feel a lot better if I were holding a sword in my hand..."
She waves her hand and now he has a sword strapped to his side. She is holding a bow and a quiver arrows.
"Good, " he says. He gets up and unsheathes his sword. "Do the other princesses know what their fears and guilt does to you?"
She shakes her head. "Nobody knows," she says, her voice all hoarse. "Nobody has stayed here this late before..."
"Snow!" he says and he pauses, trying to read her expression. "You should tell them, you shouldn't have to do this alone..."
She tries to reply but her voice won't come out.
And then a giant growl right at the window makes them both jump.
"They are here!" she cries out.
"Who ?" he asks.
"The dragons. I think those are my fears..."
"Alright," he says flourishing his sword. He is ready, ready to take on her fears and her dragons.
They can hear dragon's wings flapping right outside the towers window. And then the largest dragon blows a blast of fire right at the wall of the tower. The walls of the tower shake, cracks appear on the plaster.
"They are coming!" Snow yells. Her arrow is already knocked. She is waiting.
The dragon blows one more time and this time the wall crumbles. Brick and rocks and mortar, crumble and fall to the ground and now there are several dragons flying right outside, hovering, staring right at them.
Snow shoots arrow after arrow right at them but none of them find their mark. The dragons' scales are too thick. And then the largest dragon lands right in the tower, his claws tight on the crumbled wall.
David charges at the dragon and lands a blow right on the dragon's neck but it does nothing, the dragon is only growling louder, glaring at them. He yells and then he attacks again, bringing his sword down on the dragon's neck over and over again. It doesn't work.
"I can't kill it!" he yells. "Name your fears, Snow White. Who are those dragons?"
"I...I don't know. I'm afraid of the dark...I'm afraid of being alone, nightmares scare me..."
One by one the dragons look at her and fly away.
But the largest dragon is just standing there growling louder.
"Something else...what's your biggest fear?" David cries out, still coming hard at the dragon with his sword.
"I'm afraid that loving me is just too hard, it's not worth the trouble, I wont find love..." she tries again.
David slams his sword again on the dragon and this time his sword breaks in two...
And then the dragon takes a deep breath. He is getting ready to blast them with fire and there is nothing David can do now, his sword is broken.
"Snow, get down!" he yells. He runs and he shields her with his body, his body a last wall of defense between her and the dragon.
"I don't want to die alone!" she cries out.
"I'm pretty sure we are dying together," he mumbles and he closes his eyes, his body tensing, ready for the final fire blast. Only the final fire blast doesn't come. He holds her tighter and they are both holding their breath and nothing happens. They hear the wings of the dragon flying away and that's when he stirs, he pulls back and he looks. The dragon is gone.
"What just happened?" he frowns. He sits on the ground, panting.
"That was it," she says, her eyes wide open. "That's my biggest fear, I don't want to die alone..." she says. "Not like my mother..."
He looks at her and doesn't say a word.
She slowly waves and raises her hands and the tower wall builds itself up, brick by brick, stone by stone. Snow lights a candle and now she can see him better.
"That was close," she whispers.
"It was. Are you alright?" he asks, his hands now reaching for her.
"I'm fine, how about you?"
"I'm okay..."
"You saved me," she says softly.
"Not really, not yet, but I want to," he replies there's so much warmth I his eyes, her heart flutters. "Here is what I'm thinking. When the princesses come back tomorrow, and you are not alone, I get back to the Enchanted Forest. I'll go look for you. I'll look for the glass coffin. I'll wake you up...I'll find you..."
She looks at him, eyes open wide, almost surprised. "You would do that?" she asks.
"I think that's what I'm here for," he replies."I think I'm here to save you..."
"But I can't let you do that. If you wake me up then, Abigail will be alone, Ruby will not see Peter, Ella won't get to practice what to say to Philip..."
"What's your plan then, you are going to stay in that coffin forever?" he asks.
"I don't know," she admits. "I don't have a plan. Nobody has ever asked me this before...Nobody cares..."
"I'm asking" he says and his hands are caressing her back. "I care. I want to know. I'll wake you up. I can find you, I know I can..."
"Yes, but Regina and Daniel..."
"What about them?"
Snow looks away, tears streaming down her face. "She blames me for his death. I was the girl that betrayed her secret. She is the one who put me in a sleeping curse..."
"What? Regina cursed you and you are willing to stay cursed in order to let her in your dream world?" he asks. "Snow!"
She doesn't reply.
"Listen Snow," he tries to reason with her, "you are in this dream reality, where you can do and imagine whatever you wish. But so far you've managed to make everybody else's dreams come true, not yours...and then you are haunted by everybody's nightmares. That doesn't seem fair..."
"I'm not sure that it's supposed to be fair..." she whispers. "I think I'm supposed to be paying for ruining Regina's life..."
He holds his breath and now he is running his fingers through her hair.
"What do you wish for?" he asks. "What is your dream?"
She hesitates. I want someone who'd be willing to stay here with me, she thinks but she can't bring herself to say that out loud..
"We should get you to the pier," she says instead. "It's time for you to wake up!"
He shakes his head. "I'm not leaving..." he whispers.
"What?"
"I can't leave you alone," he replies. "Not when there is so much danger out there...I'll stay here..."
She looks at him eyes wide open, a soft smile playing on her lips. "You'll stay?"
He nods. "You are here taking care of everyone else, facing everybody's nightmares alone. I think someone ought to stay here and keep you safe...and if you ever decide what your dream might be, I can go back out there and figure out where your body is and how to wake you up..."
She squeezes his hand. "You'd do all that for me? Why?"
He looks at her and hesitates. "You asked me to walk around and figure out who I was here for?"
"Yes?" she whispers.
"Maybe you are the one I'm here for..." he whispers and her hands are already wrapped around his neck, her eyes full of longing.
"You are not real are you?" she smiles. "You are here because I conjured you... here because I dreamt you up..." she replies back moving even closer.
He smiles. "Does that feel real?" he asks. Her heart beating faster, her body is burning. She doesn't reply she just closes her eyes as his lips brush against hers, a soft whisper of a kiss. She moans and kisses him back harder, more desperate. Snow's realm shakes, bright lights flash around them and they are now standing up in the middle of the Enchanted Forest.
Snow holds him tighter. "I wish that story lasted a little longer, it was so nice..."
"At this point fighting several dragons feels like a definite improvement than some of the other stories we've been in..." he smirks.
Snow looks at him eyes filled with worry.
"I'm afraid that loving me is just too hard, it's not worth the trouble..." he remembers Snow confessing that as one of her fears.
"I'm not giving up," he replies, his finger caressing her cheek. "Not now, not ever, I don't care what the stories throw at us, as long as I have breath left in me, I will never stop fighting for you..."
And he knows that was the right thing to say, because her eyes are welling up.
"Until next time then Charming," she leans in to kiss his cheek but she disappears right before her lips reach him.
"Until next time, Snow White and the next and the next..." he promises, even though she is not around to hear him.
"It's just at for a dew days," David tries to reassure himself, and he looks around because he feels like the grand walls in the king's hall are closing in on him.
Two hours later when he is brought back to the king all dressed up in Prince James' clothes, the king smiles brightly.
"Incredible!" he says. "Absolutely incredible. You look just like James! Alright, let's see, we need a test, let's ask the queen to join us, see if she can tell the difference!"
Snow is looking at the mirror. Ruby has pulled half of it up, braided small pearls in it, curled the rest and now she is placing little flowers in her hair. The results are incredible. Not that the king is likely to notice.
"He won't be able to keep his eyes of you, my lady," Ruby smiles.
"Thank you," Snow snow replies. She appreciates all the effort Ruby puts into her appearance night after night. She makes a move to get up.
"My Lady, you are the fairest of them all," she replies. "You know you are... and I could throttle the king for not seeing that..."
Thank you for reading, thank you for taking the time to review! I appreciate it. When I was a child I found the twelve dancing princesses to be an incredibly fascinating fairytale. Do you have any fairytale ideas? Anyone? Help me out! I know there are some epic fairytales out there, but would they work with Snowing?
chapter 13 Dancing can't wait for next chapter
Yes, dancing :)
mry23 chapter 14 This was perfect. I loved the double layer of a twist with snow and charming's role in this. I also have a question, was this a bit of a nod to evil Snowing from S4 finale? But not as evil? I also liked the Siren nod with Snow seducing Charming. I'm a sucker for longing so that got me and I liked the realization Snow had that she took the potion. I can't wait the next one I'm already intrigued. Have a great Christmas!
Thank you! It was definitely an nod to Evil Charming from season 4 finale. I was going for dark David light Snow I already gave Snow two chapters where she is borderline evil, this was his turn. And then the story twisted and he wasn't dark after all. Which is a problem but maybe a good problem, with all the toxic masculine heroes out there, a hero that can be both tough and kind.
I'm a big fan of longing too. Even though I always end up yelling at the computer or at the book I'm reading at the time. I yell and I wail and I complain at whichever family member is unfortunate enough to be around me. "They are in love but they can't be together!" I yell and they come over to comfort me all concerned and when they figure out I am talking about a book or a fan-fic they shake their heads and back away slowly. :)
Austenphile chapter 13 What a cool twist! Loved it.
Thank you !
Guest chapter 13 Wow what a great chapter! the Alice story threw us for a real loop. There was so many twists and turns! I particularly loved how grumpy was a blind mouse. And that The white queen had seven mice in her royal council. It was an adventurous journey. I loved how after Snow ran away from him the first time she was like eh I better seduce him. I wished we could have gotten a little more play before she shrunk him. It's slightly more painful when you think that he knew who she was and followed his hearts desire while she didn't know who he was yet. I feel so bad for David and all the things he was forced to do under the Red queens rule. I was worried that David would have had to go through with the trial. But I'm glad that Snow came up with another plan even if it was risky it was worth it. Snows realization of how much she loves David was so beautiful and the proposal almost made me cry. I wonder what the next story is! The legend of Lancelot is a story you can include if you are searching for ideas.. Hope you've had a great Christmas! And that you'll have a continued good holiday.
Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it. It 's very hard to get more play when the moment they kiss the story changes...Unless you have a Snow Queen setting when one of them is absolutely certain they do not love the other so there shouldn't be any play to begin with!
Also thank you for the Lancelot idea. I was kind of stumped then I woke up, read your review and the ideas started coming...Thank you!
Bella1296 chapter 13 Great great story! I'm loving this.
Thanks Bella.
thescturn chapter 13 i love this story!
Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to review! :)
Guest chapter 13 Hope you've had a great Christmas and that you'll have a great last few days until the new year is here. Thank you for your amazing fics this year. Alice is one of favorite stories and I love that whole world, so I naturally loved this version too. Happy new year and thanks for the update!
Thank you so much. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Have a wonderful New Year friends!