Disclaimer: I don't own Arrow, the Flash, the Princess Bride or much of anything else really.

Once again, I can blame a fic that started as a half-serious idea, turned into a whole discussion, and then became an actual fic I have to write on the Lauriver Discord Server. I have to stop mentioning ideas I get there because then we end up making the idea sound so good it just has to be written.

I am basing this almost entirely on the movie version of the Princess Bride, with very little taken from the book (though the book is excellent and I encourage anyone who has watched the movie but not read the book to do so. Book reads as well as the movie watches), and as appropriate, I will be introducing which Arrowverse character is 'playing' which character from the movie. Obviously, in some cases, as the case with Olivia here, the genders and specific relations may not match up, but obviously Olivia is the 'Granddaughter', even though the character is titled 'The Grandson' in the original movie. Etc.

Olivia Queen, according to people who know the comics far better than me, is one continuity's name for a child of Green Arrow and Black Canary, which is why I went with it here.

Bits where Raisa is 'Narrating' will be in bold for the sake of clarity. Anyone who has seen the movie also know that there are going to be times when I'm cribbing from the movie directly - while I intend to keep an Arrowverse spin on everyone, rather than just recast the movie, some lines are either too central or too iconic to not use.

As is so often the case, thanks extended to the members of the Lauriver Discord server for being a sounding board. Though it is only fair, since it's their fault this fic is actually getting written.

The Canary Bride

By Kylia

Chapter 1: Auntie Raisa Tells A Story

Starring:

Olivia Queen as "The Grandson"

Thea Queen-Harper as "The Mother"

Raisa as "The Grandfather"

Olivia Moira Queen was staring at the screen of her TV, not even looking at the controller in her hands as she made her character move across the screen, leaping over obstacles, before drawing in closer to her enemy and drawing a bow and arrow, firing.

"Take that, bandits! That'll show you to steal from me!" Olivia muttered, taking them down one by one. Not that shooting a bow and arrow is as easy as this game makes it look. Her dad had finally started giving her archery lessons himself a few months ago, as her 13th birthday present, after several months of begging and pleading.

She paused the game at the sound of a knock on the door, then watched is opened and her Aunt Thea walked in. With her mom and dad out of town on 'work stuff' - aka doing missions for the Justice League (and she still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea that her parents were the Black Canary and Green Arrow, even though they told her shortly after she turned twelve) her Aunt Thea and Uncle Roy were 'babysitting' her.

"Hey Birdie," Her Aunt smiled as she half-closed the door behind her. "You must be feeling better if you can play video games." Thea reached up and felt her forehead. "Definitely feeling less warm, at least."

"I'm feeling a little better," Olivia admitted. Her head still hurt, and she'd been exhausted after just a few minutes of light exercise, not wanting to ruin her routine by being sick, but she did feel better than she had yesterday.

"Better enough to do your homework?" Aunt Thea teased, and Olivia shook her head, grabbing at her forehead. Anything but homework.

"Ow, ow, no, in fact, I think I might be getting worse." Olivia protested, and her Aunt laughed.

"I thought you might say that. Go ahead and save your game. You should be resting."

"But Aunt Theaaaa!" Olivia whined, "This doesn't take as much thinking as homework." she gestured to the TV and her Playstation 8.

"I was your age once, I know all the tricks," she countered. "Your Auntie Raisa said she'd tell you a story if you were good and finished all your soup." Her Aunt looked meaningfully at the half-finished bowl of soup on the side table. Olivia had been so caught up in her game she hadn't bothered to finish it.

"Wait, really?" Olivia hurriedly saved the game, then turned off the TV and PS8 with the remote. "I'll finish the soup!" Auntie Raisa always had the best stories. Olivia grabbed the bowl and started to spoon the contents into her mouth quickly. Even lukewarm, it was still tasty.

"Slowly, Birdie, slowly," Aunt Thea chuckled, patting her shoulder gently. "She's not coming up right this second, you have a bit of time." Olivia flushed a little, but slowed down as Aunt Thea fetched her another glass of water, and left her to finish her soup.

As promised, exactly thirty-three minutes later (Olivia watched the clock) her Auntie Raisa came into the room, moving as quickly as her cane would allow. She had taken care of her dad, and Aunt Thea, when they were kids, and though she was old now, like her grandpa Quentin, she still helped take care of her.

"Thea says you're better. And I see you finished your soup." Raisa pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed.

"I did!" Olivia said, excitedly. She didn't bounce around in the bed with excitement - she was too old for that - but she wanted to. "Are you going to tell me a story? Please, please, please, pleaaaaase?" She begged.

Auntie Raisa chuckled, and nodded. "I will. Do you have a preference?"

"I want a story with adventures, and monsters and fighting and - archery and -" Olivia flushed. "But any story you tell will be good. They always are."

Raisa considered for a moment, smiling, then nodded. "I have the perfect story for you, then. It has all those things you wanted and more. It will have fencing, fighting, torture. Revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. I call it 'The Canary Bride'."

Canary? As in - mom? Olivia knew Auntie Raisa never told true stories, but some of them had included her parents or some of her Aunts and Uncles as characters...

"It sounds good already," Olivia murmured, pulling the blankets up and leaning back against the headboard of her bed, getting cozy, but in a position where she was unlikely to fall asleep.

"I thought you'd like the sound of that, Olivia." Raisa chuckled.

TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB-TCB

Starring:

Oliver Queen as "Westley"

Dinah Laurel Lance as "Buttercup"

Our story begins in the Kingdom of Starling, where a young woman named Laurel lived on a farm. Her family was of modest means, but she was also widely known as the most beautiful woman in the region. Many vied for her hand, but Laurel had little interest in her suitors. Instead, she preferred to ride her horse and work to protect the other farmers from rapacious noblemen and bandits.

Of course, her favorite pastime, above all else, was giving orders to the farmhand that worked on the farm, Oliver.

Oliver looked up from cutting wood at the sound of Laurel's horse riding in towards the stables. She looked beautiful, as she always did, and she dismounted with the ease of someone who had been riding for her whole life.

"Oliver," she called out to him, and Oliver looked up, axehead on the ground, waiting for her instruction. "Polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning."

"Always and forever, pretty bird." Oliver told her, smiling softly. None of the many, many tasks Laurel gave him - or invented for him - were onerous, and it was no trouble to make her life easier, or help her while she dedicated herself to helping others. The nickname was a private one - around her parents he always called her Laurel.

As child, when Oliver had been first employed by Laurel's father as an orphan with no other options, Laurel had loved to climb trees, and watch the farm, or the village from the highest point she could reach. She'd always moved with speed and grace, up and down, like a bird. Though her parents had forced her to be more 'ladlylike' as she'd grown, the nickname had stuck.

That was always what he said to her - 'always and forever, pretty bird'. Any time she ordered him around, when it was just the two of them.

"Oliver, fill these with water," Laurel directed, bringing two buckets to him. He was cutting wood again - always a need of it, on these cold autumn days - and much to her delight, his sleeves were rolled up all the way to his shoulders, or nearly so, his hair mussed, some sticking to his forehead.

Oliver was a hard worker, and a good man, who never protested her many, many chores that she gave him. Most of which because she liked watching him work. But he was more than just physical labor - he was probably her closest friend, for all that her parents employed him. They'd known each other for years, and he knew her better than anyone else in her life. Her dreams, her desires, her secrets.

Oliver lowered his axe again, and looked at her, an intense expression, one she couldn't quite place, but left her feeling... odd.

"Please?" Laurel added, softer.

"Always and forever, pretty bird."

That day, she was amazed to discover that what he meant when he said 'always and forever, pretty bird' was 'I love you.' And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.

Her parents were in the village for the day, and while Laurel would rather be there as well, she was stuck at the farm. But she could at least put the time to good use. The laws of the Kingdom favored the nobility and the wealthy, but Laurel had found many ways to use them to help other farmers, less fortunate than her own family, keep their farms in the face of rents, loan payments and taxes that threatened to drive them out of their land.

"Oliver," she called him into the house, gesturing to the massive, heavy legal tomes she kept in a crate at the back. "Fetch me those books?" She could carry them herself, but it would be faster if Oliver did, and...

Oliver did so, bringing them back to the table she was standing in front of, and set them down, genty, standing very close to her.

"Always and forever, pretty bird," he said, in a soft tone barely above a whisper. Laurel swallowed softly, smiling.

Instead of spending the day reading and studying, Laurel spent that day with Oliver, talking, confessing her feelings, Oliver confessing his.

When her parents returned that night, Laurel was out in the fields, with Oliver, the setting sun silhouetting them. There were so many reasons this was unwise - that her father would have Oliver run off the farm, out of the village entirely, if they were caught being chief among them. But... she didn't care.

Holding hands with Oliver, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, softly and gently at first. But only at first.

Despite how much she loved Oliver, Laurel knew her father would never consent to their marriage. He had no money for a dowry, no means of supporting Laurel. Considering that she was heir to her parents' farm, the answer seemed clear to Laurel... but it would not be to her father.

And so, Oliver prepared to set forth to the land of Lian Yu, across the sea, to seek his fortune. It was a very emotional time for both of them.

Oliver held Laurel tight, standing as they were at the very edge of the farm. He wanted to stay here, and never let her go, but - there was no other choice. Not if he wanted to marry Laurel, with the acceptance of her family, of the village. Without hurting Laurel, staining her with his orphan status, his poverty.

Laurel didn't care, but he refused to let her become an outcast on his account.

"I fear I'll never see you again," Laurel murmured softly, head resting on his shoulder as he leaned forward, into her.

"You will." Oliver murmured back.

"But something could happen to you. And if it does-" Laurel's breath caught, a few tears trailing down her face. Oliver pulled back from the embrace and gently wiped the tears away from her face.

"I promise you, Laurel. I will come back for you. It will be the two of us, always and forever." Oliver knew it to be true, saying it with a deep certitude he felt down to his bones. There would be nothing that would keep him from Laurel.

"I wish I could be as sure as you," Laurel admitted. She couldn't help but think of all the things ahead on the journey to come, for Oliver. She'd faced bandits, and they were bad enough on land, but pirates were worse... and then storms, and disease -

"This true love. Do you think this happens every day?" Oliver pointed out. "I will come back, for you, because you are you. Because you are worth living for, through any danger I might face. As long as you're with me, in my heart."

"Then take this," She pulled out a knife, and cut a lock of her hair, "so part of me can always be with you." She handed it to him, and he accepted it, almost reverently. Once more, they kissed for a moment, and embraced, one last time, before he walked away, turning once to look at her as she watched him leave.

Oliver did not reach his destination. On the way to Lian Yu, his ship was attacked the murderous Dread Pirate Deathstroke, who never took captives, or let anyone live after he raided their ship. When Laurel got word that Oliver was murdered, she returned to her room and shut the door. For days, she neither slept nor ate.

Laurel had no more tears to cry, as she stared into the fireplace, empty of wood, only ash and cinders right now.

Her parents refused to or were unable to truly understand her grief, and as they had always done, urged her to accept one of the many suits for her hand.

But she would not. Could not.

"I will never love again," she swore. As long as she lived, her heart would always belong to Oliver.