A/N: Fluffy Devie oneshot. I don't think I've really got a note for this one, only it's based off a conversation I've had with a friend, where I pretended I was a beautiful princess that had to stop the evil warlock (him) with my stunning looks. I don't think he's laughed so hard in a while. 0.o
Enjoy!
"There once was a beautiful princess named Eveline. She was stunning to the world and the people of the little land that she inhabited were in awe of her good looks. But many thought that's all she had. Her wicked mother had trained her to only be beautiful. It wasn't until a golden eagle carried her from her kingdom to another kingdom that she got to use her beauty for good." Evie was sat in a bed next to the golden haired child, ankles crossed, her expression animated.
"She had stopped fights in her home land with her beauty, one swish of her hair and men would become distracted at how pretty the princess was. But in this new land, she realised she would need more than her beauty to take on the evil princess that ruled over this kingdom. The evil princess Audrana was ruthless and kept all of her people under her thumb, she was a mean woman who set to stop our great heroine with a distraction. The Prince, Chase was working for the malicious Audrana and was set a task to stop Eveline from helping to save the kingdom. He was there to distract her, and then to make her think she had not even her beauty – which you know was all she ever relied on." Evie explained seriously to the little girl next to her, who nodded solemnly.
"But, what Chase didn't know was that Eveline had some help – she had her own dashing knight in shining armour, even if she didn't know that's what he was yet. You see Sir Dougal was hidden under jumper and bow ties and she didn't get to glimpse his shining armour until he saved her from Prince Chase. He made her realise that she was so much more than a pretty face, that she had a real spirit that was desperate to get out under the pretty shell. Eveline also realised she couldn't save this kingdom on her own, so she called about her friends, Mallie, Carl and Jason to save the dashing King Ben from the evil Audrana. Which they did. They lived happily ever after." Evie finished with a smile at which point the little girl looked shrewdly at her.
"How did they save the kingdom from Audrana? Where did Prince Chase go? Did Eveline end up with Dougal? Who's Carl, Jason and Mallie? My Dad's name is Ben, is he the King?" Grace stared up at her aunt, contemplating the latest bed time story, which she felt had a lot of unanswered questions.
"Well, I can tell you all of this in the morning. What we're going to do is discuss it tomorrow, you tell me the ending you think you want and I will tell you if it ends that way. Deal?" Evie uncrossed her legs and dropped a kiss on the blonde mass of curls. Grace was still staring up at her, trying to fathom if she was losing out here, but decided Aunt Evie was an adult, and Aunt Evie probably knew best.
"Deal… but I want answers to all those questions tomorrow morning." She frowned again.
"I can promise you answers." Evie whispered and did the usual tidying up of the bedroom. She no longer had to double check for monsters – after she had told Grace that monsters didn't dare come into the same house as her, and that they were all scared of her. Grace had accepted this faster than she had tonight's bed time story, but Evie didn't mind so much. She clicked the nightlight on in the corner that lit the ceiling with an astronomically correct star map and turned out the bedside light before smoothing down the bed covers.
"Night Aunt Evie." Grace whispered, already sleepy despite the questions circling her small head.
"Good night sweetheart, call me if you need me or Uncle Doug?" Evie slipped out of the door, straight into Doug that had one eyebrow raised, waiting for an explanation.
"What kind of bed time story do you call that?" He whispered as they slipped downstairs.
"The Chronicles of Princess Eveline. Duh." Evie smiled, flumping down on the sofa, cuddling into his side and sighing.
"The beautiful princess... is obviously you, the golden eagle would be the bridge I imagine. Audrana is obviously Audrey, Chase is Chad. Mal will be furious you called her Mallie in your story and Carl and Jason! Really V, I thought you were more imaginative than this." Doug sighed, kissing her forehead. "Oh and Dougal… really, you promised since the wedding we were not going to discuss Dougal again…" He leant back to stare at her, a scolding look in his gaze, a look that was met with a cheeky grin. "The only bit… stopping fights?"
"Back on the Isle, whenever Mal would get into a scrap, I'd just bat my eyelids a little and well Edward Hook's gang would always stop hassling us after that." She shrugged. "But the only pirate I ever need is you." She grinned, pulling herself up to plant a kiss squarely on his lips. "And in that case, it's an entirely different sort of bed time story." She winked and Doug groaned quietly.
"When does Grace go back to Mal and Ben's?" He whispered, cupping her jaw with his hand, thumb softly stroking the line of it.
"Tomorrow night, after I've finished the Chronicles of Princess Eveline." Evie murmured back, but their next kiss was interrupted by the creak of the upstairs floorboards and the hesitation just before the top step.
"I've got her." Doug left the sofa to greet Grace at the stairs, who loudly (in a Queen like fashion) that she need Evie to scare the monster in the cupboard away. Another bed time story soon, this time dashing Sir Dougal can be the vanquisher of the night monsters.