A VERY AU continuation of The Princess Bride. Just for a little backstory: this takes place during and following the wedding ceremony. Humperdinck has a child, whom the story centers on, and this follows her adventure as she struggles with hating Humperdinck's wickedness but loving him as her father. She eventually will meet up with Inigo and Fezzik as the pair search for Westley and Buttercup, missing since their escape the day of the wedding. This is following the basic canon of the movie, but with extra info from the book mixed around.

*I own nothing from The Princess Bride*

Scene breaks indicated by (...)

Warnings for this chapter: mentions of corporal punishment

***CHAPTER ONE***

"And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva," said the impressive clergyman, looming magnificently over the prince and his soon-to-be bride.

The prince wore an expression of impatience, and his eyes were rolling in annoyance as the ceremony dragged on. The bride stared fervently at the heavy robes the clergyman wore, her thoughts far away from the hall in which she was standing.

To the prince's right were the king and queen, the king smiling and looking about the room and the queen glancing nervously at her son as the ceremony dragged on. Behind her stood the young princess, a girl whose expression changed every so often from one of boredom to one of anxiety and eventually back to boredom again. She kept tugging at her dress, hating that she was wearing such heavy clothing. Her preferred clothes were leggings and a shirt, which her father strangely had no qualms over despite their similarity to peasant attire. He certainly enjoyed orchestrating every other aspect of her life. Still, his strict parenting always overlooked her clothing choices and enjoyment of learning what many might think of as masculine activities.

"Tiernan, do stop sighing so deeply," murmured the queen, her hand brushing lightly over her granddaughter's.

Tiernan, not even aware that she had been sighing, stiffened and fixed her posture for the fourth time since the wedding had begun. She looked over at her father and realized the prince was just as bored as she was. He seemed to sense her gaze and glanced over, giving her a heavy glare that spoke volumes. Pay attention and don't cause any trouble. She quickly fixed her eyes back on the clergyman, trying to appear attentive and obedient, though she would have done anything in her power to stop the wedding if she thought she could.

It's not that the young princess didn't want a mother. The opposite was true. Ever since her mother had passed away a mere seven months after marrying the prince, Princess Tiernan of Florin had practically found herself ignored and forgotten. Her father, Prince Humperdinck, was very controlling but only participated in the areas of discipline and instruction when it came to his daughter. The queen loved her granddaughter but rarely spent time with the girl and only saw Tiernan as an asset to the future of the family lineage. The king had gone quite mad a few years before, and he very rarely even recognized the princess, though his jolly nature made him a favorite of his granddaughter's. The hours they spent together were some of the happiest of Tiernan's life. The dream of having a mother to love her and care for her was welcome to Tiernan, but not if the lady was to be Buttercup. Not Buttercup for Buttercup's own sake.

A rustle at the back of the room tempted Tiernan to turn around, but she knew better than to disobey the apparent orders to stay still given in her father's piercing eyes just moments before. She sighed, forgetting her grandmother's instruction, thinking about how lonely the bride looked. The lovely peasant girl, Buttercup, had brought a craved ray of sunshine into Tiernan's life. The two got along fabulously, and Tiernan wanted nothing more than to call this woman her mother. But the princess knew that Buttercup did not love Humperdinck and was very much in love with another man who had left Florin many years before. The man had reportedly perished at the hand of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Humperdinck was forcing Buttercup to marry him, and Tiernan knew why. Her father planned to kill Buttercup and frame the kingdom of Guilder for the new princess's death, therefore giving him just cause to declare war. Tiernan was reasonably confident the prince knew that she knew, but she never let on. It was a sort of mutual understanding between father and daughter. Tiernan knew that Humperdinck was evil, and Humperdinck knew that Tiernan was good to her very core, but they trusted each other to do what needed doing to maintain their relationship. It was an odd relationship, but the only one Tiernan really had that held any depth.

The rustle at the back of the room grew louder, and suddenly a shout rang out over the crowd. "You have my bride, Humperdinck!"

Tiernan didn't have to worry about turning, as everyone in the room did so. A man dressed in black stood at the back of the great hall, sword in hand and an expression of pure confidence on his face.

"And who might you be?" called back Humperdinck, his manner caught off guard but far from scared.

"Westley!" gasped Buttercup. She tore free from Humperdinck and started down the aisle, but he caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Arrest that man!" he shouted. "That is the Dread Pirate Roberts!"

Tiernan wasn't thinking. Well, not very well, anyway. All she could see in her mind's eye was Buttercup's eyes when she told Tiernan about Westley. Those beautiful blue eyes had seemed so distant as if she were with Westley at that very moment. They were indeed in love and deserved to be together. Tiernan shuffled around her grandparents, unnoticed under the confusion and muttering rippling through the room. A few people broke free from the crowd and stumbled into the aisle, approaching Westley. Humperdinck's right-hand man and best friend, Tyrone Rugen, had not made a move to order soldiers after the intruder. Rather, they gathered around the prince as if protecting him from the single man and his sword across the hall.

Under the blanket of the noise and tension, Tiernan leaned over and grabbed the heavy candle stand holding dozens of lit candles and gave it a hard shove. It hit the ground with a loud thud, and the carpet instantly caught fire. Hysteria broke out, and in the frenzy, Buttercup pulled free and raced down the hall to Westley.

Tiernan didn't know how it happened, but the couple escaped. Westley and Buttercup broke free of the crowd and disappeared. Tiernan melted into the people, trying to stay shy of her father's eyes. Humperdinck took Rugen and several soldiers and followed at a fast pace.

"Lovely wedding," said the king, appearing rather suddenly at his granddaughter's side and patting her shoulder.

"Yes, sire," she nodded, her heart cheering Westley and Buttercup on. She watched a few of the soldiers beating the remaining flames into ash and clutched her grandfather's hand tightly. "Run, Buttercup," she whispered. "Far away from here."

...

Tiernan had paced her rooms for hours after the tracking party departed. Her father was the best tracker that most people would ever meet, and he was intent on finding Buttercup that very day. Tiernan had immediately shed her extravagant clothing in exchange for trousers and a tunic, but alone in the quiet of her quarters, she found the waiting to be practically unbearable. The fear that someone had seen what she had done was gnawing at her stomach, and she could only imagine what her father would do when he found out.

Humperdinck and Tiernan. Father and daughter. Prince and princess. In public, they were perfect. Humperdinck would wear his finest clothes, though it was rare that he did not, and ride on his finest horse through the streets, smiling and nodding to the subjects. Tiernan would ride behind him, dressed in her finest clothes, which she hated, and would smile and wave, trying to convey the genuine care she held for the people. They would stop at a random platform that Humperdinck had probably ordered built for the occasion and stand side by side as Humperdinck addressed the people. He would spout all manner of lies and honey-smothered promises that he had no intention of fulfilling, all the while caressing his daughter's hair and landing occasional kisses on her forehead. The people would sigh and clutch their hearts as they saw their beloved prince and princess and would exclaim to each other over the love the father showed his child.

Once back in the cover of the castle, Humperdinck would disappear with Rugen, and Tiernan would find herself once again alone. She saw her father inside the castle quite often but never on good terms. The best teachers in the kingdom tutored Tiernan. Humperdinck was obsessed with power and fully intended to extend his reign through his descendants. As he had no son, the prince intended his daughter to have the best education he could provide her with so she would be prepared to rule Florin one day. It was highly unusual for a girl to have such training, but Humperdinck had decided that Tiernan would be an educated, powerful ruler since day one. He had even named her Tiernan, a name meaning regal, to tell the world just who she was from the first meeting.

The queen had forced Humperdinck to marry Tiernan's mother - a servant girl with whom he had slept - after the girl discovered her pregnancy. When Tiernan was born, the poor servant girl had hard and strenuous labor and barely made it through alive. She died mere moments after holding her child for the first time. Humperdinck had been relieved. He had fathered an heir and was free of a wife.

Tiernan's schooling began when she was only three years old, and from the very start, if she gave her teachers any trouble, she was marched straight to her father and given a stern lecture or, after she was a bit older, a sound thrashing. No one ever knew the prince whipped his daughter, as such a thing was unheard of in royalty. Whipping boys served for just such purposes, but Humperdinck found them useless. How was his child to learn her place if another received punishment for her? He would dismiss all the servants and thrash her soundly, with only Rugen aware of the discipline.

The queen had recently become insistent in finding a prince to betroth to Tiernan. The princess was, after all, thirteen and old enough to be matched with a fine young man. There was a Spanish prince that the queen had her eye on, but Humperdinck gave no sense of interest in finding a spouse for his child. He cared not who the girl wed, only that her allegiance remained faithful to the bettering and expansion of Florin. Tiernan knew her grandmother's intentions perfectly well, and she was very grateful to her father for finding it unimportant. It was one of the only things for which she had gratefulness in her heart toward him.

The princess very quickly learned to be obedient and follow every order her father gave. It seemed everywhere Tiernan turned, Rugen was there to see that she was behaving. The only time she was at ease was when she went on rides through the forest, an activity that had come to include Buttercup in the recent weeks.

Tiernan stopped her pacing and glanced out the window. The moon was high, and she knew her father would not be returning tonight. If they had found Buttercup, they would make camp and ride home at first light. If they had not, the search party would continue in the morning. The door opened, and several servants slipped in to prepare the princess for bed. Tiernan allowed them to undress her and slip her nightdress over her head, barely giving her usual argument for dressing herself.

After tucking Tiernan into bed and tidying the room, the servants slipped away, leaving the princess and her lady-in-waiting, Evelyn. Evelyn tucked the blankets about her mistress and smiled kindly, "Don't worry, princess. Your father is the finest tracker in the kingdom. He will find Miss Buttercup."

That only worried Tiernan even more. She didn't fall asleep until far into the wee hours of the morning, her stomach flipping and turning as she imagined her father killing Westley and dragging Buttercup back to be his bride. She fought the urge to saddle her horse and ride after them, but that would only anger her father beyond reason. It was best to wait for news, even if it was tedious.

...

Pacing back and forth was the only thing Tiernan had done besides her lessons for two whole days. Evelyn told her she was going to wear a path through the west halls. Tiernan did feel like she had memorized the exact pattern of the stones below her feet. Deciding a change of scenery would be nice, Tiernan had wandered back towards the chapel and leaned against the doors, staring into the grand hall. It was hard to believe that people had filled the room several days before, and the prince had almost become a husband for the second time. Now, empty and seeming somehow smaller than it had during the wedding, the silence was almost audible, and Tiernan closed her eyes, absorbing the heavy quiet of the moment.

"Princess," came a sudden voice, and strong hands grabbed the girl, pushing her fully into the chapel. The doors slammed shut behind them.

Tiernan cried out, grabbing her assailant's wrists, but when she looked up, she found herself in the grasp of Count Rugen. "Oh, sir," she whispered, wriggling slightly in his grip. She cleared her throat, "You're…back."

"Yes, we're back," said Rugen, loosening his grip and stepping back, though he didn't remove his hands from the neckline of Tiernan's tunic. "Your father was unsuccessful in recovering Buttercup. Ah, I see from your eyes you are glad. And why is that? Could it have anything to do with the fire you started on the prince's wedding day?" The sheer terror that flooded Tiernan's eyes made Rugen smile. He chuckled and moved his grip from her shirt to her chin, his six-fingered hand grasping her tightly so he could pierce her eyes with his sharp gaze. "Yes, I saw you push over the candle stand. You started that fire deliberately to cause a distraction. I know you know of your father's plan to murder Buttercup on their wedding night. Is that why you did it?"

Tiernan whimpered and tried to step back, but Rugen used his left hand to grab her arm, pulling her closer. She winced and blinked back a tear, "I…I liked her."

"Mm, I know," nodded Rugen, studying Tiernan's eyes. He scared her. He always had. There was something so dead and so horrible about him. "You didn't want him to kill her, so you helped her escape. I suppose it was honorable, but your father will be outraged. My word, child, you look exhausted. Have you slept at all while we were gone?"

"I didn't mean to," said Tiernan, losing her battle against the tears as a few slipped free. "I mean, I wanted Buttercup to escape, but I didn't want to ruin his plans. I mean – I don't know. What will he do? Where is he now?"

"In his rooms resting," replied Rugen, finally relaxing his tight grip on her jaw. He stepped back and leaned against a column, crossing his arms. "And how do you plan to explain to your father what it is you have done?"

Tiernan closed her eyes, trying to battle back the empty feeling barreling through her chest that she always felt when terrified. It was as if a flash of white light was filling her soul and exploding in her ears. She hated this feeling. It made her emotional, sleepy, and anxious all at once.

"Princess?" prodded Rugen. "I've asked you a question, girl."

No one else would dare call her 'girl,' but Rugen was not only Humperdinck's right-hand man but also the prince's best friend. He had almost the same privileges as Humperdinck with the princess.

Tiernan took a step back and looked down at her boots, scuffing them against the floor. She had inadvertently been biting her lower lip and winced sharply when the taste of blood filled her mouth. Running her tongue over the cut, she closed her eyes, trying to wish away everything that was happening.

"Very well, I will tell him," said Rugen, turning to leave.

"No, please!" cried Tiernan, jumping forward. "He'd want to hear it from me. How – how do I – how should I…?"

"Tell him?" finished Rugen. "Make it easy for him. You know what will happen. You'll tell him what you did, and he will bellow and rage and then ask me to fetch the strap. Bring the strap with you and act as sorry as you can. Tell him how much you've missed him while he was gone. Beg him to treat you gently and assure him again of your sorrow."

"Beast!" cried Tiernan, clenching her fists and stepping forward. "You know him as well as I! None of that will do a thing to change his anger! You just want to see me grovel and cry while he beats me. You are sick. You love to see people in pain!"

"Of course I do," agreed Rugen. "Why do you think I built The Machine?"

"You have the soldiers to see to, I imagine?" asked Tiernan, crossing her arms.

"Yes," said Rugen.

"Then I'll go to him now," said Tiernan. "I see no reason for you to take pleasure in my punishment."

"The soldiers can wait," smirked Rugen. "I'll escort you personally to your father and make sure you fetch the strap on your way. Ever since your thirteenth birthday, you have accepted the thrashings differently, and it is fascinating. There is a sense of – shall I say defiance? No, it isn't that. Acceptance. Yes, a sense of acceptance when you submit to your discipline. Not even six months ago, you would shout and cry and kick, but now, you are so grown up. Thirteen years old and already so grown up. Your mother would be proud."

Tiernan snapped. She didn't even feel her hand clench into a fist, but the next thing she knew, Rugen was stumbling backward, and her knuckles were stinging from the connection to the count's jaw. Rugen was shocked and sincerely caught off guard, but he recovered quickly and stared Tiernan down with his almost lifeless eyes.

Neither moved for a moment.

"Well," said Rugen, "not only grown-up but the older you get, the more of your father's ruthlessness shows itself through you."

Tiernan paled, and her eyes grew wide as the realization of what Rugen had said set in, but she barely had time to process it before he grabbed her by the ear and dragged her from the room.

...

Rugen lounged almost casually against the hearth of the great fireplace, and for some reason, that bothered Tiernan almost more than her father staring angrily at the wall. The room was silent. Tiernan shifted slightly from one foot to the other, wishing her father would turn around and look at her. His posture was tight and rigid, and the staggered heaving of his shoulders suggested he was trying to calm his anger with deep breaths.

"May I ask why you decided to commit such treachery?" Humperdinck bellowed, spinning rather suddenly on his heel and glaring across the room at his daughter.

His sudden movement surprised her momentarily, and she stepped back. "I – well," Tiernan stuttered. "Buttercup was – I didn't mean…."

"Silence!" roared Humperdinck.

Tiernan squinted and inhaled sharply. First, he demanded an answer, and then he demanded silence. The prince was impossible to please.

"Tiernan, tell your father what you told me when you were fetching the strap," came Rugen's calm voice. He would have to bring up the strap, which Tiernan was clutching in her fist behind her back.

"Tell me what?" asked Humperdinck, stepping forward.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Tiernan, her voice quiet, "it's just that I was thinking. You intended to kill Buttercup after you married her so that you could start a war with Guilder. Well, couldn't you say that men of Guilder had kidnaped her? No one knows who Westley is. You could easily tell the people that Guilder abducted her. This way, Buttercup and Westley can be together far away from here, you don't have to kill her, and you can still go to war with Guilder." Going to war with Guilder was certainly not something Tiernan thought necessary, and she was very unsupportive of this lifelong goal of her father's to rule both kingdoms. But, if it would stop him from tracking down Buttercup and perhaps reduce his anger, she was willing to give it a try.

Humperdinck was still a moment, then crossed his arms and drew back, his head tilted in a regal manner. "It isn't the worst idea," he said. "I'm quite sure you didn't think of it before pushing over the candelabra, hm?"

"No, sir," said Tiernan, dropping her eyes to her boots.

"I didn't think so," said Humperdinck, beginning to pace back and forth. Tiernan was slightly relieved to see the tension seemed to be gone from his shoulders, and his voice sounded like it usually did. "But, just because we have a solution to the problem, you are not free of punishment. We have no time to waste. Tyrone," he turned to Rugen, dropping his arms to his side and sighing, "go and ready the troops. I will declare war on Guilder as soon as I have finished thrashing my daughter. We ride at dawn."

Rugen looked a little taken back at the order to leave the room but nodded and smiled, "Of course, sire." Anyone could see he was disappointed to miss what was sure to be a thorough beating. That somehow made the situation a little easier for Tiernan to accept. She shot Rugen a look of victory, and he glared back as he made his way out of the room. The second the door shut behind the count, Humperdinck approached his daughter, hand extended.

"The strap," he ordered.

Tiernan, her arm shaking ever so slightly, pulled her arm from behind her back and slowly settled the wrapped handle into her father's palm. "Sir," she whispered in acknowledgment.

Humperdinck secured a nearby chair and placed it before his daughter, patting the back and nodding. "Over the back. Grab the seat," he said. Tiernan obeyed, letting her waist rest against the carved wood and gripping the seat firmly. She wished it had more of a ledge to wrap her fingers around. The temptation to reach back was always strong, and Tiernan greatly appreciated something to grasp during a whipping. Humperdinck snapped the leather and furrowed his brow, "I haven't thrashed you in some time, have I? Not a real thrashing, anyway. I had you over my knee several days ago, but that was nothing compared to what I shall give you today. Are you ready, my dear?"

Tiernan's throat was dry, and she could feel her heart thudding wildly in her chest. It wasn't that she was scared. She had learned a long time ago that being scared of a whipping did nothing to help. This feeling was more like great anxiety, wishing that he would land the first stripe and cease the wait. She swallowed hard and tightened her grip one last time. "Yes, sir."

Humperdinck spoke no more. He allowed the strap to do all the work. And work it did.

"You may stand," said the prince, tossing the strap nonchalantly onto his desk.

Stand. The task seemed impossible. Tiernan pushed on the seat of the chair, trying to force her body to rise. Sobs shook her frame, and she knew that sitting would be nearly impossible for at least the next few days. The princess stumbled slightly as she turned to face her father, and she was surprised when his strong hands slid under her arms to support her.

"Easy, my dear," he said, letting her weight rest against his strength. "You're alright." He pulled her forward, gently nestling her against his chest as she cried. "There, there, darling, it's all over. No need to cry."

Why did he always say that? Tiernan pondered the ridiculous statement as she let herself melt into her father's embrace. There was every need to cry, and it was because she was in a lot of pain from the beating he had just administered. Still, she couldn't resist wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling herself closer. There was something special about when he held her. Tiernan knew that Humperdinck was a heartless man in most cases, but when it came to his daughter, he had proved that she was important to him on more than one occasion. He had saved her life several times and even risked his own to be sure of her safety, something he had never done for another soul. Humperdinck himself couldn't explain it, but he loved the princess. The prince often found it hard to focus on anyone apart from himself, but when Tiernan was around, he took joy in her presence and wanted to hold her and lavish her with affection. It was true he had no problem thrashing her on a moment's notice, but he indeed found her the only person he held in proper regard. It hadn't always been that way. When the princess was born, Humperdinck had found satisfaction in nothing more than that he had an heir. But as Tiernan grew older and he would hear her little voice call out to him, Humperdinck found he could not stop his heart from beating a little faster and his smile from becoming a little more natural.

Tiernan also could not explain the love she had for her father. He whipped her almost weekly, and every scheme and plot he devised was foreign and evil to Tiernan's gentle heart. But when she would pass him in the hall and feel his hand tenderly pat her head as he continued conversing with whatever count or duke he was walking with, she would smile and raise her hand to clasp his for a split second before he passed from her reach and carried on. Tiernan loved her father, and Humperdinck loved her in return, and that was simply the way it was.

"Alright, are you finished with this silly crying?" asked Humperdinck, patting Tiernan's back as she seemed to calm down. "I do have a war to arrange, you know. People to kill, places to be."

Tiernan nodded, taking a shaky breath and relishing the last few seconds in her father's arms.

"Very well," said the prince, pulling free and striding to his desk. "Off to bed with you, then. You may stop and bid goodnight to the king and queen if you wish."

Tiernan stepped forward but hesitated, unsure if he wished for her to approach him again. He sensed her question and nodded to her, allowing her to come near. The princess limped forward, trying to hide her grimace, and put her hands on Humperdinck's shoulders. "Goodnight, Papa," she said, her voice soft and low. "I'm – I'm sorry I was – I'm sorry." Humperdinck seemed to accept the apology and bent down slightly, meeting her kiss.

"To bed now," he said in the gentlest tone he had used all evening. "Goodnight, my dear." Their eyes locked, and Tiernan swore she saw a hint of compassion gleaming in Humperdinck's gaze. It changed quickly, though, to graveness, and he turned away to begin his work. She knew she would get no more out of him tonight.

...

Thank you for reading!