The rest of their journey was uneventful, by comparison to her adrenaline fueled second night of hiding anyway. Fiona spent the days delighted by the passing countryside where she could almost forget about her predicament. The nights were safely hidden away, thanks to her mismatched truce with Charming. Aside from a couple late night delivery of gifts, things went smoothly - the gifts were mostly food-based in nature, which allowed Fiona to revel in the taste of strawberries and chocolate once again. It wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her.

Their last stop before they entered the borders of her kingdom left the pair with a carriage and new clothes. Charming had set it up himself. Her dress was stark white, the back of the garment trailed on the ground a little behind her as she walked. The sleeves hung down the dress, almost touching the floor themselves. She had stared at herself in the mirror for some time. She looked like an angel, he told her so himself. She had first questioned if it was a wedding dress, he had only scoffed and laughed at her, "Heavens no, for a pauper perhaps. Your wedding dress will be magnificent."

He wore a deep blue tunic, the blue of her kingdom's flags. She noticed they matched; the golden pattern his tunic bore was the same as the blue pattern around the bottom hem of her dress. He had put a lot of thought into their return, she almost felt embarrassed that she hadn't. Except, she had, she just didn't think of the small things like what she was wearing. Only seeing her parents and kingdom again. Still, their differences in thinking brought together the bigger picture. In a way, that was perfect.

Back at the boutique, she had smiled at their reflection together. They did indeed look perfect too.

Charming's aesthetics didn't end there. The blue and golden colour scheme was extended to their carriage's shiny exterior. It was the most regal carriage she'd ever seen. She was sat upon velvet cushions that almost made her slip. She couldn't help but feel a strange mixture of emotions, from excitement that her dreams were being outdone in the most exquisite way possible, but also a little intimidated that she wouldn't live up to the beautiful dress and carriage. She was still cursed, after all. She didn't feel like the perfect princess that belonged in these things. She just felt like a girl who missed her parents and was seeing them for the first time since she was a child. It was all that mattered to her.

Her troubles were momentarily forgotten as they rolled through the kingdom. She found herself marvelling at all of the changes. So much was different and yet it was still the same. It was home. She couldn't help but try to suppress the grin that wanted to take over her face, especially as she finally caught sight of the castle. Charming was mostly watching her. He seemed pleased that she was happy. He pointed out various things, commenting on how lucky she was to have him as a tour guide. Fiona had smiled back at him, agreeing. She did. Surely it would have been awful to marry someone who didn't know her kingdom and expected her to remember, or worse, to have someone who wasn't interested in her kingdom at all.

The moments inside of the carriage were mostly interrupted though, as they were surrounded by cheering and chattering crowds. It was a sound she had grown very accustomed to as a child. It was exciting to hear it again outside of a dream, especially as they entered the palace courtyard. She eagerly stared out the window at the figures standing in front of the castle doors. The figures of her parents. Her heart was pounding in her chest. There was a stretch of red carpet from where the carriage stopped and her parents stood. From the distance she was watching them at, they seemed unchanged. It took all she had to not throw open the door and sprint at them.

Charming delicately took her hand, capturing her attention. "These are your people, Fiona, they've waited as long as you have for your return," he spoke, gesturing out the window to the crowds. "They've been told stories of this day, when they'd finally get to look at you."

She looked out to the people he was referring to again, the nerves swept over her as she realised the reality of the situation. There were lots of them and they were all there to see her. The uncomfortable stares she'd experienced over the past few days were nothing in comparison.

"I know," she forced sincerity into her voice. She had always known it was a part of the fairy tale, a part she was sure about – when the princess returned, the kingdom rejoiced. Her gaze then dropped and she looked down to how her dress tangled around her feet. Images of her falling out of the carriage in front of the rejoicing kingdom flashed over her mind.

"Don't be nervous, pumpkin," he spoke quietly as the carriage came to a stop. "We're perfect, how could we ever disappoint them?" He flashed her a smile.

She nodded meekly at him. It was true. They did look perfect. But the princess often struggled with being perfect because of the curse. The curse that still had her in its grasp. She took a deep breath in, subtly blowing the air back out.

Her heartbeat was loud in her ears as she heard the scroll unfolding next to the carriage door. Her grip on Charming's hand tightened.

"Announcing the long-awaited return of the beautiful Princess Fiona and her Prince Charming!"

Fiona felt the smile slowly spread over her face at the applause that ensued. Charming squeezed the hand he held, she turned to him. He was smiling at her, her worries melted away for a second, taken over by the brief spark of excitement. "This is it," she vocalised her emotions, he nodded in return.

Finally, the carriage door was opened. She eagerly lifted her skirt and stepped out. At first all she could see and hear was the flurry of doves that had been released in front of her. She couldn't help but gasp at their frantic wings beating so close to her. As the birds cleared, the crowd seemed to quieten around her. They were looking at her for the first time. She sucked in a breath, attention drawn away from her parents. The lapse only lasted a second before her people cheered louder than before. Admiring her beauty, she assumed. She could feel herself blushing. The applause only grew as Charming joined her on the red carpet. He waved at the crowd, smiling that dazzling smile. She was far too self-conscious to do anything of the sort. He offered her his arm, she gratefully took it. Setting a small smile on her face, she fixed her gaze on her parents. Even from this distance, she could tell they were beaming at her. She tried to tame her impatience.

The couple walked, Charming leading her. He was walking too slowly again. It was making her think too much about her stride, her dress, everything. Neither of them spoke, Charming continued to wave, renewing his smile for each new stretch of people. He was a natural. She only kept looking at her parents, they got closer and closer. They too began walking towards them, just as steadily to meet at the bottom of the stairs. It was all a part of the fairy tale.

"Fiona," her mother was the first to speak as they finally reached them. Lillian reached out, touching her face with both hands. Her mom's eyes seemed to search her features. "My darling, look at you."

Fiona couldn't help but smile at her, tears stinging her eyes. She fell into an embrace with her mom. The smell of home hit her, something she hadn't even realised she'd forgotten. She squeezed her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Her father tapped her arm, she grinned tearfully at him as he joined the hug. They held onto her tightly, almost as if they didn't want to let her go. She didn't want to let them go either. She held onto both of them, wishing the people watching would go away and leave them to their reunion. The cheers only strengthened.

"We're so happy to have you home, Fiona," her father spoke as they parted, ignoring the commotion surrounding them.

"It's been far too long," her mother added.

Both of their gazes seemed to be intently searching every inch of her face, drinking in the sight of her. She looked between them too. They were certainly older than when she left, though she felt silly in her shock. Of course they had changed. Her mother's features were creasing with age; she'd lost the youthful glint in her eyes from before. Her father had substantially less hair and she stood taller than him. Her height felt odd when she looked at the both of them. Though, she could only imagine they felt stranger looking at her.

"I missed you both so much," she gushed at them. She took a breath to continue telling them every detail about how she had missed them when Charming cleared his throat behind her. She turned, suddenly realising he'd been forgotten. Of course, he was a key part of the reunion. "Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Prince Charming, my rescuer."

Lillian's eyes widened, her eyebrows raising ever so slightly at the oddity of his name, though the surprise disappeared as quickly as it came. Her mother was ever the perfect queen. Her father only transferred his benevolent gaze to her prince; he had no reaction to register, much to Fiona's own surprise.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesties." Charming bowed at them.

Her father smiled at him, nodding his head. "The pleasure is all ours, my dear boy."

"Please, take our greatest thanks for rescuing our daughter." Her mother took her hand, caressing it. "Shall we go inside?"

Fiona nodded eagerly, desperate to take a tour of her home. She couldn't contain her happiness. She beamed at them. It was perfect.

The day continued on a very perfect theme. Charming had them back at the palace perfectly in time for lunch. The spread was nothing like Fiona had ever seen, or at least not in a long while. Fortunately for the princess, all the etiquette came flooding back to her. She knew exactly which fork to use and the exact right sized bites. The long lunch left plenty of time to talk as a family. Charming, again, relayed his journey and adventure in rescuing her. Her father spoke about the kingdom and how eagerly everyone had been awaiting. Her mother spoke about the festivities to come. It excited her.

They had been guided around the castle, reminding Fiona of her childhood and introducing her to new changes. She had been bursting with excitement as she looked around, barely able to keep it all contained. It seemed smiles had been frozen onto each of their faces. Their happiness had been contagious even to the staff they passed. They met with important people like personal guards and a new lady-in-waiting, introducing themselves. Finally spending the rest of the afternoon touring the bright gardens. It had mostly been everything the princess had dreamed of.

It didn't take long before the merriment ended, at least for Fiona. Charming had announced his departure, he had people to visit before coming back to her later on in the evening. Except, he wouldn't be coming back to her once the sun had set, only her closed door, as he had every night. That left her and her parents in the sitting room she so fondly remembered. They didn't pick up on her change of mood as her problem began to weigh heavily on her mind once again. She had to make up another excuse, this time for her parents. Except… perhaps she didn't. She watched them from her seat - they continued their smiles as they spoke about events and happenings that she'd missed, trying to fill her in on every little detail. Her parents had raised her in her cursed form as a child, they'd watched her grow and shown her love - it wasn't quite the same as in the daytime, but they understood. Surely they'd understand now too. Perhaps she wouldn't need to hide as much now that she was home, perhaps they could give her more clarity about her curse and confirm her theory about marriage. She drew her eyes to the window over and over again, just as everyone did many years ago. She rehearsed it again in her head: Mom, dad, I have a problem. I'm still an ogre at night. I'm not sure what to do and I need your help. Mom, dad, I have a problem. I'm still an ogre at night. I'm not sure what to do and I need your help. She looked to the window again. Mom, dad, I have a problem. I'm still an ogre at night. I'm not sure what to do and I need your help.

As much as she wanted to tell them, the reality of the situation felt like it was squashing her, the walls closing in further and further as the sun sunk in the sky.

"Mom, dad," she spoke shakily, interrupting whatever her father had been saying.

"Yes, dear?" her mother said as they both took on curious expressions.

"I…" she hesitated, taking a dizzying breath, "I have…" She paused, standing. She could feel herself trembling. She took a deep breath. I'm still an ogre at night. I need your help. "I have to go to bed."

She headed quickly for the doorway, not making eye contact with either of them.

"Darling, there's no need to go to bed this early anymore." Her mother reached out a hand to her.

"Yes, Fiona, spend the evening with us." Her father smiled at her.

She wanted to, she so wanted to. Tears blurred her vision, she frowned. "I-I just… I have a- a…" she stopped the words before the tears came. Her parents' faces turned from happy to concerned. "I'm just… overwhelmed." She sniffed, turning quickly. "I'll see you in the morning." She hurried from the room.

She didn't slow until she reached her bedroom and closed the door behind her. It wasn't her bedroom, she looked around the clinically perfect room. She longed to just run to her old bedroom, where she spent so many nights hiding from everyone. But when given the tour of the castle, Charming had chuckled at her childhood bedroom and asked where she'd be sleeping now. Her desire to sleep in her old bed felt silly, so she didn't say anything, instead commenting on how lovely the new room she had been given was.

Fiona walked over to the open window, watching the sun slip down behind the horizon. The familiar pain overcame her and she was left looking down at her green self. She sighed resoundingly. She was wrong. Hopelessly wrong. How could she have thought telling people was an option? They were so happy the curse was broken. They were so happy to have their daughter back, fully. She recalled earlier on in the day, her mother admitted to starting her own search for ways to get Fiona out of the tower herself. For a moment Fiona had been hopeful - her mother was willing to forget about her being an ogre just to have her back home. However, the story didn't end there: she retold looking for magical options to try and restore her humanity, so the wait wouldn't have been for nothing. She couldn't disappoint them. Well, perhaps she didn't have to, she could keep the secret all to herself until the wedding and just try to make them proud. The anxiety felt like a blanket smothering her. She leant against the window, a tear dropped from her cheek onto the windowsill. She sniffed loudly, but her crying was interrupted. Her ears perked up as she heard an odd twinkling sound. When she looked out the window, there were bubbles forming from nowhere. She backed uneasily away, allowing the darkness of her room to engulf her.

"Your fallen tears have called to me…"

Fiona jumped at the melodic voice that came drifting into her room, shuffling backward until her back hit the bedpost, halting her movement.

"So here comes my sweet remedy…"

Before she could think to hide, something caught her eye. She squinted at the spectacle, there was a woman inside one of the bubbles.

"I know what every princess needs…"

The tiny woman – fairy; Fiona could suddenly see the wings – who was now in her room seemed to be growing in her bubble. Fiona watched in mute horror.

"For her to live life happily."

The fairy popped the bubble, with a startled oh, and widened her eyes at the princess. "Look at you," a smile was planted on her face, an eyebrow slightly raised, "You're all-"

"No!" Fiona yelped, "You can't see me…" She backed away further, behind the bedpost, tugging at the bedsheet that was too firmly tucked for her frantic grip. "You're not supposed to see me…" The princess felt like she couldn't breathe. She wanted to wither away into a hole in the ground. But the fairy was staring straight at her, concern on her face.

"Oh… sweet pea," her voice wasn't shocked, nor scared; it was comforting. "I'm your Fairy Godmother," she smiled again, surely this time, "And I'm here to make this all better. With… just… a-"

"Is the curse stuck?" Fiona desperately grasped at the opportunity, interrupting her. If this was her own fairy godmother, perhaps she already knew about the curse. Though, much to the princess's disappointment, the fairy's brow crossed in confusion.

"What… what do you mean stuck? My dear, you have to kiss your handsome Prince Charming to break the curse." She smiled coyly. "Now tell me, what's making you wait?" She giggled at Fiona's frozen expression. "I know you princesses can be so modest sometimes but I think I can convince you, with… just… a-"

"We have kissed." Fiona felt the defeat wash over her again. "We've kissed so many times… I've tried kissing him in different ways, I've-"

"Wait…" the godmother waved a hand at Fiona, silencing her, "You kissed Prince Charming?" She raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, he rescued me," she spoke meekly.

"And the curse didn't break?"

"No." She gestured down at herself, before wrapping her arms over her middle. The crushing realisation hit her - perhaps her predictions about marriage had been wrong after all.

"Do you love him?" Her godmother's tone was odd. She asked a curious question, voice light and yet sharp at the same time.

"Of course… yes," Fiona found herself reassuring her guest, "He rescued me. He's my true love."

The fairy seemed to sigh in relief. "What did your dear prince have to say?" the comforting voice was back.

"He doesn't know, no one does, I hide every night at sundown," she explained herself.

The fairy lit up again, smiling. "Well you need to fetch your prince and show him. There can't be any secrets in a marriage," she chuckled.

Show him? She hadn't thought of that. She didn't want to think of that. Telling and showing were two incredibly different things. Fiona felt the unease creep up her spine. "I can't." She felt the tears welling in her eyes once more. "I can't fetch him even if I wanted to, not like this." The terrible memories of those terrible dreams of her rescuer seeing her at night flooded into her mind. "I'm a terrible princess," she spoke, hanging her head, "I can't even break a curse."

The fairy fluttered over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart, there's nothing wrong with you."

Fiona met her gaze, no one had said that to her before.

"Let me get him. I'll show you."

She sniffed, wiping her eyes, she nodded. It was nice to have someone who knew everything, to have someone on her side.

The fairy left the room quickly through the window. Fiona looked longingly after her. She couldn't help but take a moment to contemplate her fairy godmother. It seemed odd she'd show up now after she'd spent half her life in a completely isolated and miserable tower. The princess certainly could have used a fairy godmother then, or perhaps beforehand to convince her parents against the idea.

She shook her head, suddenly catching herself in the mirror. Panic soon spread over her, her previous ponderings forgotten. She liked her marriage theory far better than the truth. He was going to see her. She turned quickly away from the mirror, she didn't want to see what he would see. She didn't want to think about it. But-

What if she could look better? She turned back, edging closer to the mirror. What if her hair would look better down? What if she could suck in a little without looking silly? She quickly wiped at her tear-soaked cheeks, removing the signs of distress. But then she paused suddenly, maybe she should look distressed, as distressed as possible, even. He was about to find out she lied to him for days, he was about to find out that he didn't provide the true love's kiss that should have broken the spell. A terrible thought suddenly landed at the forefront of her mind-

"Fiona?"

His smooth voice startled her as he threw open her door. She turned to him quickly, wrapping her arms around her middle, she looked down, all thoughts lost to her.

He gasped as he laid eyes on her. "So it's true, the curse isn't broken."

"Well, it's… I don't…" she scrambled for words, but stopped herself. She shrugged, peering up at him. He was studying her, narrow eyed, frowning, as if she wasn't a person. "I'm sorry," she managed to speak through the knot in her throat.

"Now now, Prince Charming," the godmother piped up behind them, making her return known. "This is just a minor setback. Nothing to worry about, she's still your bride to be."

He moved a little closer to her. Fiona gulped, she avoided his gaze. "I didn't want you to see me like this," she explained. "What do I do?" Fiona said quietly.

"Oh sweetheart, this isn't your fault. You're doing great," her voice was sweet. "It's your prince who has to act here," she announced. Fiona suddenly looked up to him in response. They met each other's gaze.

His brow quickly crossed. "Me?" he protested, "I kissed her already, what else am I supposed to do?"

"This is a test of your love," she explained, "You must prove your love is true. Kiss her again." She raised her eyebrows at him.

Fiona had dreamt of many awful scenarios, but never could she have imagined this one.

"We've kissed many times m-"

"Now, Charming!" the godmother seemed to snap at him. Glancing self-consciously at Fiona she began to chuckle airily, "Prince Charming, hmm?"

"Now?" His lip curled as he ran his eyes over her body. "But she's disgusting!"

Fiona felt her breath catch in her throat, instinctively stepping away from him. She furiously blinked back the tears that threatened to make their presence very known. The sickness crept up her throat as she tried to keep the sobbing at bay. She was afraid her strength wasn't going to last very long.

"Do you not want to restore her beauty?" the question was posed.

"Well… yes…" he admitted. There was silence that followed. "Okay, fine."

Fiona dared peek at them. He smiled at her once again, the irritation from before all but vanished. "Come, my love. We have to endure this trial, but your beauty is worth every moment."

She took a breath, his tone change was jarring to her. Still, she was disgusting; he was right. It was why she scrubbed herself every morning just to get rid of as much of the smell as she could. She gulped, and now he had to get close to her and smell it even more. The princess almost backed away herself. Instead, she steadied her thoughts on what her fairy godmother had said; she was right, the curse hadn't broken, but she didn't need to hide until their wedding day. This kiss was going to fix it.

Charming stepped towards her, he was on eye level now she was taller. She didn't want to look at him; her eyes flickered downwards. She only looked up again as he drew closer. She hesitantly puckered her lips, and they kissed again. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the breaking of the curse. He pulled away, quicker than he'd ever done for any of their kisses before. She kept her eyes closed for a moment more than she normally would have done – waiting. Finally, she opened her eyes, blinking in confusion-

Then something hit her, hard. She staggered backwards, black spots dancing in her vision, ringing grew loud in her ears. She fell, barely acknowledging the pain it brought her.

"Mother!"

The word rang around in her mind as her vision blurred and her eyelids grew heavy. He had said it; Charming. She wasn't sure why. She could feel the ground, hard beneath her as she clung onto the last dregs of consciousness. Perhaps he said "Fiona" but her shock and fall distorted it in her mind. She could have certainly used her mother right now. She heard distant voices, panicked. She breathed out slowly, finally losing herself.

Fiona awoke, and immediately felt panicked as she was looking at everyone she knew. Or rather, they were all staring at her. She was laying in bed, everyone gathered around her. She blinked at them, her parents looked incredibly worried, but in contrast, Charming and her fairy godmother were smiling. The godmother looked so excited she could burst.

Her brow furrowed, though it immediately hurt her head. "What's going on?" She tried to recall exactly what happened. She sucked in a breath as the memories flooded back to her. She looked down at herself, eyes wide. Her parents couldn't find out- She released her breath. She was human. The relief was dizzying to her aching head.

"Fiona," Charming's smooth voice spoke, "Look."

He gestured to the window, her eyes followed. And she saw it. The perfectly dark night sky. The clear view of the moon and stars. The candles all lit around her room. The smiles that now hesitantly adorned her parents' faces. And finally, her small arms, her delicate fingers, her slender body.

She gasped. "It's gone!" A grin spread over her face. "I'm… I'm…"

"Beautiful," Charming finished her sentence, "Forever."

It worked.

She wanted to leap out of the bed into his arms and kiss him again. She suddenly felt silly for the distrust she held over what happened before. The hit she took and passing out was just the curse breaking, obviously, she chastised herself. She laughed, ignoring the pounding in her head and the aching she felt in her body. Of course, she had no need to doubt that everything would turn out perfectly in the end. Now she could truly enjoy her long-awaited happily ever after.

. . .

The end! Haha, kidding. Don't worry, it's absolutely not the end.