a/n: It's my sister's birthday and this is my gift to her! I had this up for a while, but I hit writer's block for a while and could not come up with a part for the last scene, but I did, so here we are. I hope you like it!
extra notes: basically a Stardust AU where we jump between scenes and you'll find some ambiguity in between. look out for familiar characters from the show being woven in this story line. reviews are greatly appreciated!
disclaimer: obviously, i don't own OUAT or else it would've been totally different, nor do i own the wonderful story of Stardust or any other tale I've chosen to borrow from.

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act one

(ii. her kiss a deathly wish)

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the collision

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Dusk falls over the sky so swiftly and so quickly like velvet curtains dropping and draping over the stage at the end of a performance. The princess direly wishes she was home now, preparing for the festivities of her birth and attending to her royal duties. She's not used to being exposed to the outside world at all, but she's enjoyed the sights and the animals and the vast greenness that graces the forests during the day. The experience of it all is a lot more exciting than her favorite gardens at the palace. Unfortunately, her fixation on nature does not deter her from despising the night more than anything.

The night consists of her fears, of the darkness that will render her body frail and fragile. The thought of it clouding her home and washing away the light and sun of her kingdom dredges the dread and fear that looms over her existence. She's heard the prophecy many times. No matter how hard she wants to believe it to be untrue, or that there shall be a way to elude it, she can't shake the feeling that the wicked fairies shall find their way back to her.

Hearing a whoosh!, Princess Aurora tilts her head up with her vision positioned above skyward. She's frazzled at the sight of something glistening through the sky at such a rapid speed racing down towards her. The princess hastily changes her course of action, to move out of the way. She hears a clatter then, dropping down right before her. Standing straight up with the hilt standing on top, the brilliant glow of steel captures the attention of Aurora and her amazement. She rushes over to the saber and pulls it out of the grass, weighing it and balancing it in her arms.

Footsteps instantly follow, and she runs quietly to hide behind a tree, clutching the weapon she had just found to her chest. She watches as the figure scrambles around as if searching for something, and then he tiredly attempts to lean up against her tree. She takes this moment to seize the silhouette, afraid that he might harm her.

She slinks in front of the tree and wraps an arm around the stranger's neck. Her other arm follows suit and presses the blade up against his throat and the flat side of the metal props up his chin. She hears the man mutter something incoherently, but she's distracted by the red feather of his hat tickling her nose. The feather makes her want to sneeze. She tries to keep it in though. She tries to maneuver both of them towards the tree where she plans to tie him up and interrogate him.

However, the task is extremely difficult since the man is much larger than her in height and most definitely stronger. He's also quite stubborn too, for the man would not budge and stood his ground. She feels arms wrap around her waist, and before she can even react, the man throws her over and tackles her to the grass.

"Let go of me!" The princess exclaims, as she writhes beneath the stranger, trying to shake his hands off her wrists. "Please," she begs, "Let me go! Get off of me!"

The stranger does not listen to her at all. His dark eyes peer down at her, regarding her warily. "Who are you?" he questions.

She glares at him angrily, but the feather of his hat brushes her face again. She's momentarily distracted by a faint strange whirring noise, and then her attention is reverted back to the red feather where she feels a tickle form within her nose. Although she tries desperately to hold in her sneeze, it does not take, and a high-pitched achoo! is released from the little princess.

She watches as the man scrambles back at her expulsion, and she deems this circumstance as an opportune moment to escape. As she bounces up on to her feet, her eyes travel to the unfamiliar individual. She can not make out his form in the dark, though she sees that he is reunited with the sword. He carries the blade efficiently, much better than she did, obviously implying that the sword was his.

Her feet takes her away from the stranger, while her thoughts race around crazily, trying to reason with herself what the best course of action would be. Aurora realizes that running, unarmed, against a man is utterly useless. She can't outrun someone larger and stronger than her. And with a weapon in his hand, she's more than likely to die at his hands before the night is over. The princess racks her brain desperately for a solution. After constant scrutiny, an answer comes in the form of a silver chain, dangling from her dress.

Aurora stops a good distance away from the strange man. She frantically pulls the silver chain out from her lilac dress and wraps half of it around her arm, while swinging the other half around in the air. The princess watches and waits for the man to start coming after her, and when she sees him approaching, she aims the chain towards the unfamiliar individual. It whips out towards the stranger's ankle, sliding up towards his waist and slams him up against a tree with such intensity that she can hear a loud oof! sound against the bark.

The princess follows the chain to the tree and the man tied to it. She unwraps the remaining pieces of the chain from her wrist and wraps them around the stranger and the tree to make it much harder for the man to escape. He is currently slumped up against the tree trunk, unconscious. His sword rests a few feet beside him, and she hears the strange whirring sound return. Her mind is exhausted and overwhelmed, with part of her wanting to figure out what the peculiar noise is. Instead, she just settles herself into believing that she's become a bit demented to the hysterical affairs of the day.

Aurora feels horrible to what has happened to the stranger, but she justifies her actions through fear and paranoia on an attempt on her life.

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the fallen

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Wings ceased to flutter as the growing winds of death swept into the air. Most were lifeless, incinerating into dust when the essence of life escaped the small bodies of the fae, while some wings were retracted for the remaining fairies to hide amongst the elves and the common civilians. Many of those who still remained, grew bitter and angry and betrayed. They mourned for their kin and swore a cruel form of vengeance against the petty humans who pursued their ilk. More faerie blood was shed for the radical actions committed to threaten the kingdom.

And then there were three. Three sorrowful fairies, who have watched their kind been wronged and murdered for a misunderstood cause, felt the fury embedded in their skin grow stronger. Fury consumed everything, dictating every thought, every action, every emotion.

Suddenly plummeting out of the clear night sky fell their solution. A sparkly silver thing dropped from the cosmos and collided with the dreary maiden traversing the realms. She was the answer to all their problems. She, the dreary maiden with the stars twinkling out of her wavy hair and with the sunlight shimmering from her skin, casted a shadow of constellations in the form of hope and love and triumph and survival all glowing softly from her soul. She is the essence of dawn, of new beginnings, of the faint morning light peaking and living through the previous cruel darkness of the night.

The ends of the fae's mouth twitches up into smirk at the sight. Her feet is lifted up from the ground, floating excitedly with tendrils of fairy dust scattered around behind her. "Sisters!" She claps her hands together to wake them up.

Her fellow fairies stir slowly at the noise. "Flora, please—"

"No, no! Fauna, I have found her!" Flora, the elder fairy adorned in red exclaimed. She points at the glowing image floating near the window.

The mirage contained only vague shapes and colors outlining the persons' silhouettes. A bright starlight yellow outline circles a petite frame; the pure source for fairy Flora's excitement. The glimmering color shined against the dark of the night scenery in the mirage, drawing its attention towards the radiating energy pulsating from within the maiden. Her colors illuminate those who has been blessed with her proximity, shedding some color onto her acquainted silhouette.

Fauna picked up the ends of her shabby green dress and warily flew over towards the commotion. Merryweather followed too, gasping at the opportunity splayed at their fingertips.

"It—it's her! The lost princess of the suns and stars — the dawn." Merryweather identified through eyes full of awe. "She's our only hope..."

"Her sacrifice is our only hope," Fauna corrected, "to a new beginning." Her eyes were blazing with energy.

"And a sacrifice she shall get," Flora said solemnly. The three fairies peer out at the mirage, studying and deciding on how to approach the princess to achieve their means.

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the encounter

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Phillip woke up to the sound of the birds and the bees. An incessant noise of buzzing and chirping flowed around him, together with the blinding morning light. His body felt sore and tied up, barely able to recall the affairs from the previous night.

None of it mattered though. All that mattered was that Phillip kept going to complete his quest once and for all. His quest was bound to the kingdom, and to him, the fate of the kingdom was a top priority. Needless to say, it was hard to continue on the journey when he was unfortunately stuck to a tree.

The chain, previously wrapped loosely around his waist, had dropped down to his ankles when he stood up. Now, he couldn't get his foot free of the chain, as it kept his feet tied up to the tree. No matter how many times and how hard he tried to tug away from the metal string, it did not loosen. Therefore, he shrank down a bit, withdrawing his sword as he did so, and attempted to cut the chain loose. Yet, that approach failed as well.

The damned chain! Phillip cursed inwardly. It must be charmed or something, for it to resist his stainless finest steel.

A rustle from the east startled the young prince from his reverie, as his trained and sensitive ears grew alert, picking up on the small animal that appeared to stare in front of him. Phillip found his chance.

He stared at the little rabbit, while it stared back wide eyed at him. Phillip beckoned for the small furry creature to come forward, but it just glanced warily at him. He really did wish he had a nice juicy carrot to offer the rodent, but he was never that lucky. All he had was his wit, charm, and patience, which were quickly wearing thin on him.

The small rabbit took a tentative hop forward towards Phillip and Phillip felt triumph wash over him. The rabbit was a little curious, which definitely helped in his favor. He watched as the rabbit hopped over and tripped over the string, to which the string latched onto the rabbit's leg. The rabbit continued to move, suddenly feeling the tug on its foot. The small creature figured the only option to escape was to race around the tree to free its foot from the chain, but it unraveled and untied Phillip instead.

After the rabbit began to settle down, sadly anchored to the tree, the young princeling bent over and helped the poor creature. He picked up the chain and quickly wrapped it around his wrist, releasing the rabbit from the string and unbundling the string from the tree. Without anything holding it back, the rabbit rapidly bounced away.

Phillip picked up his sword and sheathed it. He began to roam the woods to determine where to go.

The melodic sound of singing filled the air, as he ventured deeper into the trees. The voice was so high and beautiful, serenading to life all around the light that graced the skies, and he could just feel himself entranced under the song.

Birds flew wildly in the direction of the wondrous noise, and Phillip followed them. He could see flowers blooming and animals rushing towards the creek. The melody was definitely clearer now, and the singer appeared as well, swaying to her song with the breeze flowing around her.

He could only see the maiden's back, and her singing softened and stopped to be replaced by a harmonious hum. She was graceful with every step she took, with her feet splashing in the water. As she turned around to return to land, everything ceased. The music, the grace, the animals, and the ease all dissipated at the sight of him.

The girl stood, frozen. She stared blankly at him, her eyes wide — as wide as the rabbit's were. Her mouth was slightly parted, and her cheeks were flushed. She opened and closed her mouth, looking for something to say, but all her thoughts came out empty.

"I'm so—" Phillip abruptly cleared his throat to strengthen his voice, "I'm so sorry if I have intruded! I am so sorry for interrupting you from your...well si— lovely singing." He could feel his insides churn at the sight of the pretty maiden.

She had flawless golden copper curls cascading down her back. She clutched her lilac shawl close to her chest, peering at him curiously. Her blue eyes narrowed then when she demanded, "Who are you?"

"I—" he was quick to respond but faltered altogether when he registered the harsh tone to her voice. "You're so derisive towards me. Is there a reason for such treatment?"

Her expression softened a bit, but certain features remained sharp and tense. "I don't know if you are to be trusted."

Phillip nodded in understanding. Her actions towards him acted out of mistrust is a very reasonable explanation. "I assure you, I can be trusted."

She nods and then turns away from him to trek back to the stream.

"Wait! I don't even know your name," he blurted out, eagerly. He feels slightly embarrassed, but he simply breaks into a grin and affirms, "You know, as a token of trust."

The girl stops, as if calculating on how to proceed. Her eyes blaze when her bright blue eyes turn to stare at him suddenly. "I t's Rose," she whispers at first, which grows louder and clearer once all the words fall from her lips. "Lady Rosalie of Avion," she reiterates confidently. After gauging his reaction, she arches an eyebrow in return, waiting for him to complete their little exchange.

He offers a warm smile, deciding how to proceed. Should he reveal who he truly is, or should he lie to protect his identity? His eyes skim over her again and he takes notice of her clothes for the first time, causing his eyebrows to draw together in confusion. For a common lady, the fabrics of Rosalie seemed too nice, and he's never seen any silk as exotic and fine like that aside from the dresses and robes of royal elites.

"Do those clothes actually belong to you?" Phillip questions, feeling albeit awkward for asking, but he really needed to know in order to make sure she wasn't hiding anything from him.

He noted her shoulders tense up suddenly. Fear flickered over her face briefly, he could've sworn, but within a blink of an eye, her face returned to that placid nonchalant demeanor. "Why do you ask?" she prodded, her gaze darting towards him again and then back to the ground.

"I–Well, the cloth...it looks expensive, you know? Like something the monarchs wear...?"

Her breath caught in her throat with fear, definitely fear, coating her irises. She drew in a deep breath and pleaded with him, "Please! Please don't kill me! Don't take me in. I–I just needed to run away because of the danger I'm in..." Sobs came in and tears streamed down her cheeks as her words became incoherent. "'e's gonna kill me, gonna kill me, please. I can't go, I just can't."

"Whoa," Phillip started, cautiously walking towards her, "I'm sorry. I'm sure there's a good reason why you've stolen these clothes, but who're you running from? What danger?"

"An arranged marriage," Rosalie explains hurriedly, "I was supposed to marry this man but I couldn't. I'm an only child and it's my duty to my family. But this man...he's bad. You can see it in his eyes. It was inevitable that he'll come after me, and I just–I just, I couldn't condemn myself to that fate." She stopped to breathe and rubbed her eyes, before she continued. "And then there was a delivery full of silk enroute to the kingdom, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to change and hide from him...and so I took what I needed without anyone else knowing."

"So...you're a thief?"

"That depends, are you going to turn me in?" she beckons, her head tilted sullenly yet curiously to the side.

His mind was racing as he grew torn. By law, the girl should be punished for stealing from the court, yet the reasons were completely understandable. He could relate to her, for he was to be wed to a mere stranger in the years following if he were to return from his quest. He's not sure if his fiancée was kind, pretty, or courteous, or if she would be vain, corrupted, and vile. And the royals were wealthy enough to get and replace whatever they should want, so missing stolen silks should not mean much to the noble.

"You have nothing to worry about, Rose," he assured her, "I told you I could be trusted."

He smiles when she looks up at him with watery hopeful eyes. "I'm Phillip, by the way, I am a traveler and the ward of Sir Henry from the kingdom of the King Hubert." He offers her a hand, and she takes it and shakes it.

Behind the pair, the ears of the animals perk up at the mechanical whirring of a compass, buried deep within the pockets of the princeling's trousers.

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the liar

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"Where are we going?" She asks the stranger. The princess looks around the forest and it's so large and vast, she's reminded of the guilt and fear swirling in her chest and the lie stuck in her throat. She's not sure how's she's going to pull it off. She was never trained in the art of deception even though it's an essential skill that every noble should have.

Despite her inexperience, Aurora was good at spotting lies. She had a sharp eye for tells and a strong memory when it came to details. Her parents were never able to fool her, nor has any other person. Her parents usually had her sit and listen to the people's needs so she could figure out who was truly sincere and in need of help and who was exaggerating for gold. She loved plays though because the actors were talented liars. They made everything feel so real. Maybe because it's purely for entertainment and her guard is down, she can't spot the truth and reality, but she's still the best at picking out frauds throughout the kingdom.

She waited for Phillip to answer. He was a strange man for lying. He was sincere and honest, yet the way he introduced himself gave him away. She knew for a fact he was not some ward of Sir Henry because the way he acted and carried himself spoke volumes. He was obviously of higher status, and she could tell that he was a part of the king's guard.

"We're heading North," he declares, pointing towards the sun.

She notes his vague reply but she follows him anyways. She trusts him even if he's lying to her since she knows his intentions are pure. Aurora contemplates on apologizing for tying him up against the tree, but she decides against it. What he doesn't know wouldn't kill him.

The trek north was a long one. It seems as if they would never leave the woods. She peers over at Phillip and curiously questions, "Don't you have a horse? I find it odd for a traveler to journey without one."

He turns to her and regards her with an amused expression. "Why? Tired already, my lady?"

She shrugs, waiting for an answer. He seems to pick up on this so his expression becomes more serious. "I got robbed," he sighs.

Aurora pities him. She's heard of ruthless bandits blocking routes and stealing money and property, so she feels horrible for complaining. She decides to comfort him, suddenly remembering the role she's portraying. "Rest assured, I may be a thief but I will not steal from you or anyone else. I promise," she solemnly swears, trying to keep the grin from forming on her face.

He chuckles in return, noting her not-so-serious expression. "No offense, my lady, but I don't think you can overpower me so easily."

Her expression darkens, expelling challenge from every fiber of her being. "Are you certain, sir? I can be very persuasive," she coos in his ear as she wanders past him.

She sways her hips to prove her point and she giggles demurely, knowing all too well that she's got his attention now. He'll know to be cautious of her, and that's exactly how she wants to rule when she's queen. She wants to be powerful, not weak or small as she's perceived now by being a princess or a lady. Back at the court, the princess had barely started her lessons in the art of seduction, but she's fairly certain she just excelled at it.

At the far end of the canopy of trees, she finds an entrance to a large village. She spins around and beckons Phillip to come over. He takes long strides towards her while she sprints to the village.

There's so much to see, and Aurora stares in awe. The town is packed with a lot of people and they are all working so hard yet they all work together, smiling as they do so. She's surprised, they look so lively and happy, unlike the vacancies of her castle. It's so lonely and boring in the castle, where here everything is exciting.

"You look surprised, Lady Rose! Is it your first time out of town?" Phillip asks softly beside her.

She shakes her head. "No, it actually reminds me of home," she lies. "But I'm tired and famished, I think we need to find a tavern to sit and rest."

He nods, agreeing. "Let's go." He offers her an arm, and she blankly stares at it. The notion is improper and scandalous, for the two of them who weren't wed to be touching one another so affectionately.

He notices her hesitance so he simply offers, "I know it's improper but I'm trying to protect you from other men and their indecencies...Not all of them are young, dashing, and kind like me."

She snorts, "I think I can handle myself, but thank you for the offer, Sir Phillip." She walks off to the tavern with her head high and her hips swaying still, and Phillip trails behind her.

Inside the tavern, people sing heartily and the liveliness and cheerfulness swells in Aurora's heart. She makes her way to an empty table and a barmaid meets them to take their order. The barmaid winks over at Phillip, and Aurora has to suppress an eye roll.

Phillip, completely oblivious, orders a roasted duck for the two of them to share and two mugs of mead. He glances over to Aurora to check for her approval and she nods. Anything sounds delicious about now, especially the duck. She prefers wine but she doesn't know what they regularly serve at a tavern, so she acquiesces to the mead.

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After the meal, the pair resumes on the journey. They walk out of the village to the main road. Aurora looks around and glances over at Phillip. "Do you know where we're going?"

Phillip pulls out a map from his bag and unfolds it. He squints at it and points in the direction to where she's standing, "We should be heading that way."

She stares back, puzzled, while he pulls something else from his bag. A compass with the glass cracked swirls rapidly around and confirms his thoughts. "Yep, that way."

Aurora furrows her eyebrows together. "Let me see," she demands.

Phillip is a bit reluctant, but Aurora snatches the compass from him. "No, wait," she argues. The compass points behind her. "The compass points this way," she corrects, jutting her thumb out behind her.

"What?" Phillip questions. She hands the compass back to him, and Aurora paces back and forth.

"That's weird..." He starts, then he looks over at her. "Can you stop moving, Rose?"

She stops and stares back at him. His eyes crinkles in deep concentration. After roughly ten minutes, she grows impatient. "So are we going anywhere?" she demands, walking up closer to him to look at the compass, but Phillip moves it away from her.

"I'm sorry, Lady Rose, but are you hiding something from me?"

She glances at him incredulously. "I beg your pardon?"

Phillip is distraught. He watches her every move as if she would act against him, and that offends her.

The princess could feel her ears flush red. "You think I'm a liar?" she accuses, her eyes wide and angry.

Phillip swallows. "Yes, perhaps."

She shakes her head, eagerly continuing, "On what proof?"

"This," he explains, holding up the compass. "The compass always points north, however with a star in its presence the compass points to the star instead of dutifully pointing up north because stars are from the skies above."

She's not quite following. "So what are you insinuating?"

"You," he jabs a finger at her, "You have lied to me about your identity. You're a star, and you're supposed to lead me to the end of my quest."

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tbc