*AN: Sorry once again for any confusion anyone has had... hope yall understand the story now, if not just ask and I'll answer our question right away!! ^_^   Okay expect the next chapter to be out pretty soon!

  Snow gulped down a slight lump in her throat, she was nervous, what was she thinking? She looked at the large doors, her father was behind there. She nearly turned to walk away but the door swung open.

  "Snow?" Her father asked, he was about to yell for someone but when he saw his daughter he quickly changed his mind. "What is my dear?" he asked. Why ever would she be here at his chambers, was something wrong?

  "It's about Charming, Papa," Snow said looking down at her hands. Bradford's face lit up at the sound of the boy's name. He would make such a good husband for his beautiful daughter. Snow saw this look of happiness and decided now was not perhaps not the best time.

  "Wonderful lad isn't he?"

  Snow nodded and smiled. She kissed her papa on the cheek and walked back through the castle towards the large outer garden. There were of course several gardens in this castle, and she liked the small hidden rose garden the best, but today she went to the largest gardens instead.

***

  "Beautiful day isn't it?" Snow turned around to see Adele, her best friend, behind her.

  "I thought you and your family were already gone." Snow said in apology. "I would have come and got you."

  "Its okay, we aren't leaving till tomorrow. Not with your soon to be husband?" Adele looked around for Charming, knowing that he had not left yet either.

  "Not now," Snow said looking around also in fear that the arrogant prince was around.

  "Where is he? Oh, I see him, look on the balcony. No not there, to your left, do you see?"

  Snow nodded when she saw him. He was too far away to make out too much detail, but Snow could see he was wearing black pants and a white shirt. She didn't truly care though. 

  "Hope he is about to jump." Snow said in dry humor. Adele stared at her for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Snow smiled at her friend and they stood and walked off into the deeper parts of the gardens.

***

  Charming watched Snow and Tomas's younger sister, Adele, walk off to do whatever it was princesses do. He sighed, marrying her? It really couldn't be that bad, it wasn't like that. It was the fact that he didn't know her, didn't care about her in any way.

  "Problems?" Charming didn't have to turn around; he knew Angel's voice by now.

  "Of course not," Charming said turning and smiling at his older friend. "Why ever would you think that?" Angel smiled at him and leaned on the balcony beside him.

  "Your fitting for your name, Charming. That smile probably works on the women," the blonde man leaned closer, "but I am no woman."

  "What do you think is essential for marriage?" Charming asked giving up on the smile and looking out over the garden, he could no longer make out Snow or Adele.

  "What I think is that you should follow whatever your instincts tell you."

  "Said by a true knight." Charming said and smiled.

  "What do you find wrong with her? She is beautiful." Said the knight as he turned and looked over the gardens as well.

  "She is beautiful, and rich, and pleasant to talk to, and smart, and would do anything 'Papa' says." Charming looked over at his friend. "That is dangerous you know? You heard the rumors about the man, Angel! He isn't stable, he isn't right!"

  "Women die giving childbirth, Charming," Angel said in a quiet voice. "Don't believe everything you hear."

  "Snow isn't even a 'real princess'. Everyone knows her true parentage." Charming shook his head, "The pain that girl would feel if she ever actually heard the words, taken a good look in the mirror and realized the truth. Damn I hope that never happens to her."

  Angel stood quiet and stood straight, holding tightly to the bars of the railing. "It wouldn't kill her." He said it too quietly. Charming looked at him oddly for a moment, Angel looked over at him and smiled slightly then turned and walked away.

  Charming watched him go and then looked back over at the gardens. His parents knew of her true heritage, her father was actually a servant, that was a story everyone knew. His parents only worry was that the word would become more then a whisper, more then a rumor, and would destroy the girl. His parents didn't believe in the rumors that Queen Winter was killed by her husband, they said it was ridiculous, but Snow was raised as a princess and how stable would she be if she found out her entire life was a lie? Not that his parents cared about Snow, oh not a chance in all the nine hells! No it was the money, the wealth, the beauty, the fame, the uniting of kingdoms that they cared about. It was only the benefits the girl would bring them, and of course Charming, when they were married.

  She has everything a 'Perfect Princess' should, except for the fact she isn't a princess. Charming humored dryly as he too pulled himself away from the balcony and walked off away from the views of the garden.

  "Snow?" Adele asked as they walked through the deepest parts of the endless gardens, no one ever really came out here anymore and the sights of it began to look aged and mysterious. "What do you want in life?"

  Snow looked at Adele for a long moment. "Why?"

  "Just a question, Charming had asked me that once, I lied to him." Adele looked down at her hands at the confession.

  "He asked me the same thing, I said 'Happiness'. What do you want?"

  "Adventure!" Adele proclaimed with out stretched arms, as if adventure would simply lean forward and snatch her awaiting form. "But I thought he would laugh at me so I told him 'love'."

  Snow smiled slightly. "Love?"

  "Oh, c'mon Snow, you know what Love is!" Adele put her hands on her hips and stared at Snow's white caste down face. "...happily ever after?"

  "Love comes after marriage, Adele, everyone knows that!"

  "Says who? Your father?" Adele looked at her seriously.

  "Well sometimes people fall in love, I know, I really am not that stupid, but with royalty you marry who gives you the best 'benefits' and learn to love them."

  Adele put a gentle hand on Snow's shoulder and shook her head slowly. "Thank whatever it was, be it the heaves or the nine hells, that I was not only born ugly, but also born second!"

  Snow was about to object but knew that it would do little good for her chubby friend.

  "I envy you." She said, laying a white hand on top of her friend's sun kissed one.

  Adele let her hand drop.

  "Look at you!" she proclaimed with laughter. "With hair as black as a ravens wing and skin as white as snow! Snow White should have been your name!"

  Snow giggled at the comment and playfully shoved her friend. Adele reached down and picked up a stick and held it in front of her like a sword. "Beware you helpless princess, for I am-" she lifted sword arm into the air mockingly –"Adele, the..." she looked up at her up stretched hand for a moment then looked back down at Snow in all seriousness. "The wannabe adventuress who is actually nothing more then a mere princess."

  Snow burst out into laughter. She also picked up a stick and held it up.

  "Well that doesn't sound too terribly intimidating! You're on!" The two princesses attacked with their mock swords and gentle hits, doing actually skillful maneuvers. Adele proved to be the better of the two and defeated Snow rather easily. 

  "You ladies shouldn't be doing that kind of thing." The girls turned and looked at Tomas, Charming and Angel, watching and laughing at the girls. Snow saw something in Charming's cold gray eyes, but it was gone within moments. All the boys wore smiles and were shaking their heads.

  "Your right," Adele challenged holding her sword up once again. "We should be trained properly by you fine gentlemen.

  Charming stepped forward and pulled out a real sword from the sheath at his belt. Angel and Tomas, seeing the cue, also pulled out their swords. Adele, realizing that she only held a twig compared to their sharpened metal reached over and grabbed at Tomas's blade.

  "Give that to me," Tomas did, knowing full well that his sister knew how to weld a sword and let her have it. "Let's go, only one at a time though please, I am a lady after all." Charming laughed once more and shook his head.

  "I don't know, Angel," he said jokingly. "I think a true knight should take care of this-" he looked back towards Adele- "she looks rather dangerous over there."

  Adele lifted her chin and held her sword up to Angel. Angel smiled and shook his head before stepping forward and was actually going to spar with her.

  "Are you sure about this, Adele?" he asked softly so that only Adele could hear his worry. She smiled at him and nodded attacking quickly and the sound of steal against steal clashing together filled the outskirts of the garden.

  Snow sat down on the side of the old, dried up fountain and watched her friend fare well against the blonde knight. Charming and Tomas moved to sit next to her, Charming directly beside her and Tomas beside him.

  "Do you know anything about sword fighting?" Charming asked looked towards his bride to be. She looked back at him, her head slightly dipped to one side.

  "Only the basics, the things they teach a princess, not like Adele, and most definitely not like you." She said looking back in time to see Angel defeat Adele with a sword laid gently on her crouched form, her shoulder to be exact.

   Adele crouched next to her sword, her hand as well as Angel's foot was on it. The look on Adele's face made Snow feel sad for her. Adele tried so hard. Snow also realized that she had missed the entire fight; it hadn't lasted long at all!

  "You did great, Adele!" Tomas said standing and taking his sword back from his sister, he looked between both Angel and Adele, who were still staring into each others' eyes. Adele looked away and back at her brother. "We best get going, Father will not be pleased if we are out here too much longer, he had sent me to come and find you." Adele looked at him a little surprised.

  "Why didn't you tell me that before I fought? I can't go to see Mother and Father like this!" she looked down at her sweaty form and then back at her brother, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "Never mind, where are they?"

***

  Charming smiled at her. Snow looked over at him and glared. She was holding the sword the way he had said. She was standing, slightly crouched the way he had said. She was moving the blade the way he had said. What was he smiling like that about? It bothered her, so she asked. 

  "You," he said as his smile changed to humorous to soft and thoughtful. His gray eyes danced with a sudden flare that made Snow's lower belly rumble. She breathed out a nervous breath and looked straight ahead of her.

  "Well am I doing this right?" she asked.

  "Yes, yeah you are," he said.

   He stepped forward and took her through a few of the movements. They weren't anything she had never done before and she mastered them easily, it wasn't until he got into the more difficult things that she felt the true weight of the blade. It was beginning to hurt her arms and wetness grew on her pale skin.

  Charming stood behind her, his body pressed against hers as he helped her do the more difficult maneuvers. He saw her arms sway downwards and put his large hands beneath her elbows, feeling the stress he took the sword from her hands and sheathed it.

  "No," she protested, not turning. "I wish to still learn!" Charming breathed a hissed laugh, it being in her ear she heard it.

  She turned on him then, realizing only then how close they had been; body against body. A pink blush touched her white skin. She didn't dare take a step back, afraid he would notice.

  "What are you laughing at?" she asked. His arms were still outstretched slightly and hovered the air around her hips. Her hands hung loosely at her sides.

  "You," he said still smiling. She looked up at him and saw the way he was staring at her, a strange look in his pale gray eyes.

  "And what are you staring at?" she asked devilishly.

  "You," it was only a whisper, but it rang in Snow's ears loud and clear. She tilted her head back slightly, closed her eyes and breathed in the sent of him.

  Charming bent down, his lips almost covering hers, but he pulled back quickly. Snow looked up at him and saw something different in his eyes now. He backed away a few steps before stopping, collecting himself, and walking away.

  He didn't want her; he wanted a 'perfect princess' who was actually a princess! She was a servant's daughter! This meant she was a servant herself! She is nothing more then her parents, that is just how things are in this age! He breathed a breath to control himself; she had captivated him. The marriage wasn't to happen for another two years and Charming vowed to find a way to remove himself from it... but the thought stayed with him: Do I really want out of it?

With hair as black as a ravens wing,

And skin as white as snow,

Why do this to yourself, Charming?

Her parentage will soon through show

Please review... oh I forgot... *Reaches to hand everyone a cookie but realized that the future ruler of the world (a.k.a. Squirrel) stole all the cookies! Promises that you will get your cookies NEXT time.*  
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