#since Diana and the Princess are both heavily linked to change

[dakj1234]

Project: Eden’s Garden x Slay The Princess AU with Eva as the Long Quiet and Diana as the Princess

(Also, I didn’t draw it here, but I was thinking that Tozu could be the Narrator)

[fiefgoldenlake]

If you liked Tamora Pierce you might like...

Thought it might be fun to offer up some book recs, on the off-chance that anybody is looking for something new to read. Suggestions welcome, and thanks to @lisafer for her additions! Series links are to the first book on goodreads.

Sharon Shinn

Shinn writes high fantasy, with strong female characters. She's got a couple of different universes, but the ones I'd recommend are:

Twelve Houses - the most like the Tortall books, in my view. Follows a ragtag band of Breakfast Club-style oddballs - two mages, two shapeshifters, and two Riders (essentially the king's men) - as they investigate unrest in the kingdom. They shouldn't fit together, but they do.

Elemental Blessings - similar to Emelan in that mages are generally attuned towards one particular thing. In the first book (Troubled Waters), Zoe has been living with her father in exile, but after he passes, she gets dragged right back into court politics when the king chooses her for his fifth wife.

Leigh Bardugo

Bardugo has two series (third pending!) in the same universe. The Grisha Verse is mage-led and a dark romance. Six of Crows* is essentially a crime caper duology with fantastic characters, and I had the sense of 'I think they're going to pull this off... but how??' throughout. If you've ever wanted the Court of the Rogue to feature more heavily in Tammy's books, I recommend this.

Diana Wynne Jones

I must have been living under a rock because I only read Howl's Moving Castle last year. If some of you are in the same boat, this is a fairytale-esque story about a girl who gets on the wrong side of a witch, and winds up being transformed into an old lady. Hoping to break the spell, she goes in search of the wizard Howl, rumoured to steal and eat the hearts of girls.

Natasha Pulley

Sorry to anybody who also follows me on my personal journal since it’s all I’ve been talking about, but I just read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street*, and it's so charming I'm going to recommend it here too. Set in Victorian London (though with scenes in Japan), it features mystery, a gentle romance (if you're worried about liking the thing because you've been burned before, rest assured that it is okay to like the thing), and a clockwork octopus! Slow to start, but worth it.

Rainbow Rowell

Wrote a novel about a Fangirl (essentially a Drarry fanfic writer) who feels set adrift once she starts college, and then wrote the canon behind it, and I'm delighted that the sequel to Carry On* is called Wayward Son.

Kristin Cashore

The Graceling Realm is a trilogy featuring a non-chronological tale that starts with Katsa, who is born with the grace of killing. Select few are graced, and like others, she’s immediately placed in the service to her uncle, the king, who uses her to terrify his subjects.  Then Prince Po comes to court, looking for his kidnapped grandfather, and Katsa goes on a journey with him that will change their world forever.

Maggie Stiefvater

Assuming most of you have heard of the Raven Cycle*, but just in case - Gansey is in search of the ancient Welsh king, Glendower, and Blue knows Gansey is going to be dead within the year before she even meets him. Set in real world Virginia, with magic along the lines of clairvoyance and dreamscapes, plus the angriest dreamer you're likely to encounter (don't worry - internally, he's got the consistency of marshmallow).

Cinda Williams Chima

Seven Realms: Han Alister is a thief who will do anything for his family; he steals an amulet from a wizard, but it turns out to have belonged to a Demon King from a thousand years prior. Meanwhile, Raisa is a princess of two worlds who doesn’t want to be an ornament. She would rather be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. Things get interesting when Han and Raisa’s worlds collide. This is a longer series, and one where you get to see characters “level up” from people with limited abilities to near god-like power.

Connie Willis

Firmly on the sci-fi side of things, and I'm mostly including this because of how much my fellow TP friends love this series. The All Clear duology follows three historians who go back in time from Oxford 2060 to study history. They're supposed to observe a particular event and immerse themselves in the experience without affecting the past before going back to their present day. Things get messy.

D.M. Cornish

In a world of flintlock pistols and lamplighters, The Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy begins with the journey of Rossamund, an orphan boy taunted for his girlish name. He is about to begin a dangerous life in service to the emperor, and his simple journey gets complicated in a world of predatory monsters, chemical potions, and surgically altered people designed to keep the monsters at bay. Rossamund has to learn who to trust and who to fear, among both monsters and people.  This world is such delightfully dark steampunk, and it’s incredibly detailed.  Incidentally, Tamora Pierce gave the series a five-star rating on goodreads! 

* features LGBTQ foreground relationship - Fangirl is the only one I can think of with wlw, and unfortunately, she's more of a background character. Elemental Blessings does feature lgbtq content, but not with a main character.

[overlordofthelollipopguild]

Broken Souls Mend Hearts - Chapter 90

Here’s another chapter. 

I’m so glad that after four years of struggling with this fic, I’m on a hot streak.

Hope you guys enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you think!

Link to ff.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9905481/93/Broken-Souls-Mend-Hearts

Chapter 90: Didn’t See That Coming

Aurora felt miserable. For weeks now, Mulan had avoided her, and no matter how hard Aurora had tried to talk to her, Mulan had brushed her off.

Though for the past seven days, Mulan seemed cozy with Robin. They had been seen around the castle talking, laughing, practicing archery, sparring with swords.

Aurora hated seeing it. She couldn’t even deny that it wasn’t jealousy. Jealous was the only way to describe how she felt about Mulan and Robin’s new companionship. Every time she saw them a part of her heart cracked, while another part seeped in bitterness.

It felt like Mulan was flaunting Robin in her face.

Aurora knew that that was ridiculous. It’s not as thought Mulan and Robin were a couple as far as she knew. They hadn’t kissed or been overly affection. They really could be just friends.

Still, it was the fact that Mulan had a new friend that hurt. Aurora knew that it was her fault. She had been the one to kiss Mulan; she had been the one to ruin their friendship. To make it worse, Aurora hadn’t even known how she had felt about Mulan. No, she had. She had known that she had strong feelings for Mulan, but she’d been in denial. Since Aurora’s memory of the drunken kiss had returned, Aurora had thought long and hard about her feelings for Mulan.

Her conclusion was simple: she loved Mulan. At least, she felt that she could fall for Mulan. They had been so close before; Mulan had been her rock, a shoulder to lean on. Had Aurora taken advantage of that? Because she missed it now. She missed Mulan terribly.

There had to be something that she could do that fix this. Something that would allow for her friendship with Mulan to recover.

What could she do?

She had tried talking to Mulan before, but with Mulan’s constant brush offs, then that wasn’t the approach she needed to go.

First, she had to find Mulan, which was trying to do at that moment. She was determined to reach Mulan, to talk to her, to get their relationship back on track.

After asking around, she found out that Mulan had taken a walk to the river.

Aurora followed the path down to the river. She broke through the trees and froze.

Mulan was at the edge of the river, pulling on her leather pants. Her white linen shirt was untucked and loose, and her black hair was down and wet. It was clear that Mulan had just been bathing in the river.

Aurora swallowed, heat coiling in her gut. She licked her lips, rubbing her thighs together. Taking a few quiet breaths to steady herself, Aurora stepped forward.

Mulan’s head shot up, her eyes widened. “Aurora…”

It was as if she floated out of her body, because Aurora didn’t even think about moving, but she did. She was in front of Mulan in seconds, and her hand went up to Mulan’s neck, fingers tangling in Mulan’s damp hair, pulling the warrior forward.

Their lips met, and Aurora was sure that something exploded behind her closed eyelids.

She pulled Mulan closer, coaxing her lips with her own, until Mulan finally opened for her.

A hand tangled in Aurora’s auburn locks, and soon enough she and Mulan were pressed together so intimately that Aurora thought she could feel Mulan’s heartbeat.

They broke apart, panting heavily.

“Aurora…” Mulan’s wrecked tone has Aurora kissing her again.

Someone’s legs, hell maybe both of their legs, gave out and they tumbled down onto the bank.

Mulan was on top of Aurora, kissing her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered to her.

Aurora wrapped an arm around Mulan’s waist, pulling her closer.

They had to stop kissing again, because they couldn’t breathe.

Hell, Aurora was certain that she blacked out for a second.

Mulan looked down at her, uncertainty still in her eyes.

“Now that I have you here.” Aurora began breathlessly. “I can tell you what I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks now. I have feelings for you, now will you stop running?”

Mulan pushed herself off of Aurora, pulling the princess up with her. “You do?”

“Yes.” Aurora said. “I didn’t know for sure…I didn’t remember the kiss at first, but when I did, I realized that I had feelings for you. Then you kept pushing me away, and I thought that you didn’t feel the same way. I thought that I had ruined our friendship. It hurt me to think that I ruined this.”

“You didn’t ruin anything.” Mulan insisted. “I was pushing you away, because I have feelings for you. Aurora, you’re a princess, and a woman. This relationship will be frowned upon, because I’m a commoner and I certainly won’t be able to provide heirs.”

“We have Diana.” Aurora said.

Mulan’s heart fluttered at including Diana as hers. “That still doesn’t mean that it will be easy for us. People will have their issues with this.”

“So what?” Aurora said. “Even if you were a man, people would still have issues. People will always have issues with things that they don’t agree with. You went into the army, and I’m sure people had their problems with that.”

“I was pretending to be a man.” Mulan said. “They didn’t know I was a woman.”

“But they found out.” Aurora said.

“And I was nearly executed.” Mulan said.

“That’s not how things work here.” Aurora said. “I want to be with you, Mulan.”

“I want to be with you too.” Mulan said.

Aurora gave her a winning smile. “Good, now let’s go home.”

A happy giggle from Liam lifted Killian’s mood.

He leaned over his son, tickling his sides again.

Liam giggled again, his little legs kicking out, his arms flailing.

“Having fun?” Killian asked.

Liam gurgled.

“Yeah, me too.” Killian tickled him again.

Another fit of giggles filled the tent.

Killian let out a content sigh as he looked down at his happy son. It made him feel lighter that Liam was happy. That meant that he was doing something right. He was doing right by Liam so far.

At least, he was doing right by someone. Just like that, his good mood deflated. He was no where close to getting back to Emma and Henry.

Henry. It was Henry’s twelfth birthday today, and Killian was missing it. He was missing out on Henry’s life and Emma’s life. Killian sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of melancholy.

Liam frowned, noticing the mood change in his father.

“I know, I know.” Killian said. “I shouldn’t let it get too me, but it does.” Killian picked Liam up and set the baby in his lap, still supporting his son’s head. “I’ve told you this before, but your brother and mother are in another world.”

Liam looked up at him intently.

“They would’ve loved to see you.” Killian continued. “I know that they love you so much. It hurt them a lot to leave us. You know, they didn’t have a choice, right? They never wanted to leave us. They would be here if they could.” He pulled Liam closer. “But we’re going to be with them again. I promise.”

The tent flap opened and Tink stepped in.

It was clear on her face that she had been listening to his and Liam’s one sided conversation.

Tink went to Killian’s side and wrapped an arm around him to hug him. “You know, you can talk to us too.” She said softly.

Killian swallowed. “I just…I didn’t want to burden any of you.”

“Killian, we’re family.” Tink said. “Sharing our troubles is what family does.”

Killian hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure if he should. He spent three hundred years not having anyone to really talk to, and then Emma came into his life and changed that. Now without her, he felt that he had to be strong. If he wasn’t strong, he would crumble. “I just…I miss them. I made a promise to find them. I intend to keep that promise.”

“But?” Tink prompted.

“It’s just taking longer than I hoped.” Killian admitted. “I mean, I knew that I was promising the impossible, but…I hoped…”

“If there is anything that I’ve learned from you Joneses, it’s that you never give up.” Tink gave him a reassuring smile. “Insurmountable odds eventually get overcome. Killian, you’re a man of pure heart and determination. You will succeed.”

Killian smiled a little at that. It was nice to have someone believe in him and believe that he would eventually succeed. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Tink said. “As a former fairy, I know these things.”

Killian let out a small sigh of relief. Somehow, the burden that had been weighing him down had lightened just a little bit. He felt like he could breathe a little easier now. He worried about being a burden to his companions, but Tink’s reassurances eased his mind and some of the stress that had been making it’s way through him.

Perhaps he could share more of himself with them, but he still felt the instinctive need to keep things close to the vest. His talk with Tink was some progress, but he wasn’t quite ready to give anyone his total confidence.  

Still, it was a step in the right direction.

He thanked Tink for her words, and Tink left him, reminding him to talk to anyone of them if he needed it.

When he and Liam were alone again, Killian looked down, finding his son dozing off. “Ah, I see, were Auntie Tink and I boring you?”

Liam’s eyes blinked open, but then just as quickly they started to close.

Killian rocked his son and began to sing him to sleep.

As he sung, he sent out a silent “Happy Birthday” to Henry; he hoped all was well.

Snow paced her bedroom, full of nervous energy. She had asked Doc to send David up to the room, because Snow didn’t want to search him out and have this conversation become public and gossip fodder.

It needed to be a private matter for now.

She had no idea how David would react to the news of her pregnancy, but she hoped that it would be a good reaction. She wanted them both to want this; she wanted him to be as happy as she was.

The door opened and David walked in with a concerned look, even though there was a hint of a smile on his face. He shut the door behind him and walked over to her. “Doc said you wanted to see me.”

“Yes.” Snow nodded. She stood there, twiddling her fingers.

David looked at her expectantly. “Snow?”

“Right, uh, sit down.” She motioned towards their bed.

David complied, none too sure of where this conversation was headed.

Snow paced in front of him, trying to search for the right words. Should she just come out and say it? Rip the bandaid off, so to speak? Or should she ease into it? Maybe lay some groundwork?

If there was one thing that David knew, it was that a pacing Snow was never a good thing, so he stood up and stopped her, gently gripping her arms. “Snow, honey, just tell me what’s going on?”

The bandaid approach it was then. “I’m pregnant.”

David’s eyes widened and his mouth slackened, before he blinked and recovered. “Oh.”

“Oh?” That wasn’t exactly what Snow had expected him to say.

David grimaced. “I just meant…” David let go of Snow and stepped back; he was at a loss for words. He wanted to be happy about the news, but right now his body and mind hadn’t yet processed the news, and already he was wondering if this was even a good time to have a baby.

“Just meant what?” Snow crossed her arms over her chest. It stung to see David not happy about the news. A part of her had expected it, just as a part of her had hoped that he would be happy, but it still hurt her to see him hear the news and not be somewhat happy.

David swallowed. “It’s just…is this really a good time?”

Even though Snow had voiced the same concern to Ruby, hearing it from David only hurt her more. “It’s not ideal no.”

David winced at Snow’s sharp tone.

“I didn’t plan this, you know.” Snow continued, her anger building. “I want more kids, David, but I was surprised to find out. I know this isn’t the best timing, but it happened.”

“Obviously.” David said.

Snow glared at him harshly.

David winced again. He was digging a deeper hole. “It’s just…”

“You know what?” Snow cut him off. “Maybe you need to think about this alone. When you’re ready to talk, come and find me.” She left quickly, cursing her hormones as the tears came.

David cursed himself, wondering what the hell was wrong with him, but he didn’t go after Snow.

She was right.

He needed time to process this.

Emma bit back a groan of annoyance when she stepped out of the elevator only to find Walsh in the hallway. She had Henry’s present, professionally wrapped too, in one arm, and the store bought chocolate cake in the other arm.

Why the hell was Walsh loitering in the hallway?

“We have to stop meeting like this.” Walsh joked.

Emma ignored him and walked over to her door. She tucked the present under her opposite arm, easy to do as it was cylindrical, and fished out her keys.

Walsh leaned against the wall next to her door. “So, how’s the fiancé?”

“Still deployed.” Emma practically growled.

“I don’t know about that.” Walsh said. “I think you made him up.”

Emma turned to him, her eyes flashing. “Excuse me?” It was the truth of course, but Walsh was a stranger, and he had no right to call her on it.

“I think you just made him up so that you wouldn’t have to go out with me.” Walsh told her. He had this cocky smile on and Emma wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

“Why would I do that?” Emma hissed.

“I think you want to go out with me.” Walsh said. “I think you’re just afraid.”

Emma scoffed. She definitely did not want to go out with this sleaze ball, and she certainly wasn’t afraid of him. If she could get away with it, she’d show him just how unafraid she was, but she was a single mother and she didn’t need assault charges on her record. “I don’t want to go out with you because I’m engaged to someone else. Plus, and you might take offense, but I don’t care, you’re a creep. Women don’t want to date creeps whether they’re single or not.” She unlocked her door and stepped inside. “For your information, Killian is real, and you’re lucky he’s not here to kick your ass.”

She slammed the door in Walsh’s reddening face, throwing the bolt with more force than necessary.

Seriously, who did that guy think that he was? Why the hell would he think that she’d want to go out with him? Emma knew that she wasn’t sending mixed signals; no, she very clearly didn’t want anything to do with Walsh. She rolled her eyes. Men. Honestly.

Killian would never act like that.

Emma stopped mid-step. Where did that thought come from? Killian wasn’t real. He was just some guy that she made up to keep that creep away.

A little voice in her head doubted that conclusion.

Emma shook her head. That was crazy. She made Killian up.

She set the cake on the counter, and the present over on the kitchen table.

Henry wanted pizza from his favorite place and Emma’s famous mac and cheese for dinner, so Emma started on the mac and cheese all the while feeling on edge.

Was it just her interaction with Walsh that had her in this mood?

Or was there something more to it?

I think you just made him up. Walsh’s voice taunted her.

It was the truth; she did make Killian Jones up.

So why did that bother her so much?

Robin turned a corner, and bumped into someone.

Mulan looked up at him, smiling widely.

It shocked Robin, honestly. He and Mulan had formed a friendship, and he’d seen her smile, but every smile was controlled and minuscule. This one was wide and happy, as if for once in her life, Mulan didn’t care that her emotions were easy to read. For once, she wasn’t hiding them away from the world to be protected.

“Well, someone looks happy.” Robin smiled.

Mulan practically glowed. “I am.”

The realization hit him quickly then. “You talked to her then?”

“I did.” Mulan nodded. “Well, it was more that she found me and kissed me and then we talked.”

Robin laughed. “Good for you both then.”

“Thank you.” Mulan said. “It’s Aurora, by the way. The woman that I’m with.”

“Well, now.” Robin’s tone turned teasing. “This is a surprise. You’ve got yourself a princess.”

Mulan blushed. “Shut up.”

“Does that make you princess consort then?” He teased again. “Or are you a duchess now?”

“Please, I have no titles.” Mulan hit him lightly on the shoulder. “We’re just dating.”

Robin laughed again, and his tone turned from teasing to genuinely sincere. “That’s good then. I’m glad that you two found each other.”

“I am too.” Mulan admitted. “Thank you, too.”

“Oh?”

“I never would’ve had the courage to admit my feelings to her, to be with her, if you hadn’t talked to me about it.” Mulan said. “I was scared, but you helped me see that there was nothing to be scared of, so thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for.” Robin said.

Mulan brightened at the fact that Robin considered her to be a friend. “So, what about you?”

“What about me?” He asked.

“Well, there are plenty of woman roaming the castle while the village is being built.” Mulan said. “Even more over at Snow’s castle. Any future Mrs. Locksley on the mind?”

Robin blinked; he had never really thought about it before. After Marian had passed, Roland and his men were his only concern. He hadn’t actually ever thought about the fact that Roland needed a mother; that Robin himself needed companionship. No one had really stirred his interest.

That’s not true. A treacherous voice whispered. There was one.

Robin quickly pushed that thought aside. Sure, that woman was attractive, and there was something about her that pulled him in, but he would never, ever court her. She wasn’t someone who could be a wife or a mother. At least, not a mother to Roland.

Regina was very dangerous, and Robin needed to put his son first. The former Evil Queen wasn’t what either he or Roland needed. Besides, it was just physical attraction anyway. There was nothing else about Regina that he liked at all.

He ignored the voice in his head that doubted that, especially when it conjured the images of Regina that stuck with him the most: her lost look that night when he found her in the woods, her facing her victims with dignity, and most of all, her running from the stables when he made her cry.

He hated that he had made her cry. He hated that he hated that he made her cry. Why did Regina always make him feel like two different people? The sane part of him knew that she was the Evil Queen and knew of all her crimes, but then the other part, the one Robin liked to call the insane part, wanted to know more about Regina. The insane part of him wanted to go back to the castle and apologize to her and maybe become friends.

He needed to listen to the sane part of himself. For his own sake and for Roland’s.

There was no way in hell that he’d ever involve himself with Regina.

“Robin?”

Mulan’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

She looked bemused. “You looked like you were getting lost inside of your head.”

“Perhaps, I was.” Robin gave her a tight smile.

Mulan studied him. “Maybe you should go talk to her?”

“Who?” Robin canted his head in confusion.

“The woman that is plaguing your thoughts.” Mulan said. There was a sly look in her eyes.

Robin scoffed. “Oh no, I will never get involved with that particular woman. Trust me.” He clapped Mulan on the shoulder. “Truly, though, I am happy for you and Aurora. If you two ever need someone to watch Diana, so you can have alone time, I shall be of service.”

Mulan flushed again, embarrassed at the suggestion. “Oh, um, thanks.”

Robin smiled again and walked off, trying very hard to get Regina off his mind. Again.

Henry was digging into the pizza from his favorite pizza place.

Emma seriously wondered if she was a bad mother for indulging it, but the kid really loved his pizza.

Pizza made him happy, and his happiness was all Emma ever wanted for him. He was excited to spend time with her tonight eating pizza, mac and cheese, chocolate cake, and Ben and Jerry’s and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. He was excited for his second party on Saturday as well; even more so for the Star Wars theme.

Henry had also been ecstatic over his present. He loved the antique map of the world, and he didn’t even wait another second before he hung it up in his room. It now hung proudly over his desk.

All in all, Emma was doing a bang up job as a mom, and it pleased her endlessly.

Henry turned out to be such a great kid; Emma was probably the luckiest mother ever to get a kid so good.

They were halfway through Curse of the Black Pearl, when Henry spoke. “Can we go sailing?”

Emma started, her slice of pizza halfway to her mouth. “Um, I don’t know. I’ll have to look into it.”

Henry gave her an odd look, before accepting that answer.

Emma herself felt odd. She didn’t know how to sail, but something inside of her wanted to argue with that assessment, despite the fact that she had never been on a boat in her life. Emma shook her head; it was just another one of those things that apparently put her head and her heart at odds.

When they finished the first movie, Emma brought out the cake and told Henry to make a wish.

Henry studied the flickering flames of the number one and two candles.

I wish that Mom’s fairytale will come true.

Emma smiled as Henry blew out the candles. “Good wish, kid?”

“I think so.” Henry said.

“I hope it comes true.” Emma ruffled his hair before she cut into the cake.

Henry silently hoped that it would too, because his mom deserved to be happy. 

Zelena walked through the woods, needing some fresh air. She’d overheard someone cursing her monkeys for terrorizing the refugees. The guilt was surprising when it manifested and when it overwhelmed her, Zelena found that she needed to leave the castle.

Perhaps staying here had been a bad idea after all. She was still the Wicked Witch; she still had her plans that she needed to prepare for. Growing close to these people would only do more harm than good.

She looked up at the stars, uncertainty rolling through her. Zelena didn’t want to keep lying, especially not since everyone had treated her with such kindness, but in her heart she knew that if she revealed to them who she really was, everyone would turn on her. No one ever wanted the real Zelena. The real Zelena was wicked and worthless.

Lena, on the other hand, was wanted. Everyone liked Lena.

But her life as Lena was still a lie, and Zelena could never truly be herself. If she was herself, she’d lose everything. That was why she still had to go forward with her plans. If she time travelled, then she would gain everything. She would have nothing to lose. She would be wanted and loved just for herself.

She wouldn’t be something wicked that people cursed at and loathed.

“It’s late for a walk.” A chilling male voice had Zelena freezing in her tracks. She slowly turned around to face the intruder.

An older man stepped out of the shadows.

Zelena didn’t recognize him, but something about him made her uneasy. It was the same feeling she had often had around her adoptive father. Hating that feeling, Zelena glared at him. “I like moonlight strolls.”

“It’s very dangerous though.” The man smirked.

It gave Zelena goosebumps.

“Especially with those flying creatures around.” The man continued. “They could snatch you up before you could run away.”

“I’m not afraid of those things.” Zelena sounded haughty to her own ears, but she was feeling rather defensive in this man’s presence.

“Of course, not.” The man said. “I wouldn’t fear them either if I was the one ordering them about.”

Zelena’s blood chilled. She tried valiantly to hide her surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry.” He said. “I won’t rat you out, Wicked Witch. In fact, I have a proposal.”

Fear rose up in her, but Zelena squashed it back down. “I could just kill you.”

“I thought of that.” He chuckled but there was no mirth. “I have a partner, you see. I’ve told them about you. If I turn up dead or missing, then my partner will rat you out. Then what will you do?”

Zelena silently fumed, her fists clenched at her sides. “Who are you?”

“I am King George.” He said. “I’m here to offer my services as your ally. All I ask in return is that I be restored to power and that I can get my revenge on Prince Charming and his Snow White.”

Zelena has heard of him. She knew the stories, and she had heard of George’s cruelty. It made her nauseous to form an alliance with him, but right now, she didn’t have a choice. Her plans would be completed disrupted if it was revealed that she was the Wicked Witch. “Other than you keeping my secret, how does an alliance benefit me?”

George smiled coldly, obviously believing that he had Zelena right where he wanted her. “You’ll see.” He held out his hand. “To an alliance, then?”

Zelena stared at his hand for a moment before shaking it, regretting her decision already. She had a disturbing feeling that an alliance with George was a dangerous game and that she wouldn’t come out on top if she wasn’t careful.

What the hell did she just get herself into?

[ecotone99]

[RF] Thanksgiving with the royals and the Commoner

(Pre-Covid 19, Thanksgiving 2019).

The flight from Orlando to Panama City Beach had been non-eventful. Maxine Aldo- Bolton had flown under an assumed name. The flight arrived in Panama City Beach around 9:00 am. She had taken a taxi from Panama City Beach to Defuniak Springs. She had enough cash to pay the taxi and gave him a good tip. He didn't seem to know who she was or if he did, he left her alone.

After being dropped off, Maxine drove Aunt Clara to the Henderson Meats Store.

"My dad finally retired and a couple of months ago turned over the business to me." said Mark Henderson.

It had been about 6 months since Maxine had visited her aunt, so she and Mark talked briefly.

Aunt Clara bought an expensive Turkey that was hormone and drug free. She only bought her meats at this store and had for 60 years.

Maxine took her Aunt home and then went to a nearby Farmer's market to get the other trimmings for the Thanksgiving dinner.

It was around noon when Maxine took her Aunt to the Windsor Tea House in downtown Defuniak Springs. The servers at the restaurant were young and really didn't know who she was which was fine with her.

It had been a very long time since Maxine had been bothered by the paparazzi but she was always on the lookout for them. She was the ex-girlfriend of a Prince from Eastern Europe. Too common and wasn't suitable for him. Prince Sergi was a very kind person but the same couldn't be said for the rest of his family who despised her. She only visited the castle where his parent lived once and the 5 days she was there was just awful. She was treated like a servant (only one person was nice to her) and when she protested she was kicked out on Christmas Eve. Prince Sergi didn't come to her defense and wished her well. He broke up with her that night and had bowed to the pressure of his family. They had never let her forget that her father fought on the wrong side of the Hungarian uprising of 1968. The royal family wasn't Hungarian but had sided with the government.

By 10 pm she had packed all of her bags with one person helping her and was given a cart and walked out into the cold. It was also very dark out. She walked down a country road with suitcases in a luggage rack for about 10 minutes. She was crying, sobbing, and very cold.

Prince Sergi had told one of his servants to find Maxine and find her a place to stay for the next two days. She was picked up and went to a nearby village where she spend the night. She overheard the servant called the Prince once they had gotten home.

She spent Christmas day with the servant, his wife and four children. She gave them the Christmas gifts that she was going to give the Prince and his family. She also gave his wife who wore the same size as she some clothing as she wanted to lighten the load.

The servant took her to the airport the day after Christmas. He declined her offer of money.

Once she got back to the states, she found out that on Christmas Day, Prince Sergi had announced his engagement to Princess Alexandra. The Princess had helped her pack her bags. She didn't know the Princess and had only arrived at the house the day before and never was formally introduced to her. Now she knew why the Princess was so nice to her and probably was glad to see her go. She was the only royal who was nice to her.

It had been a very long time since Maxine had thought about this but some reason it popped into her head. She and her aunt had been home for a couple of hours. Tears came down her face. Thankfully she was alone as he aunt had taken a nap.

By 9:30 pm, both the aunt and Maxine were read for bed. At 11:30 pm Maxine was awaken to a large bang. She look outside the window and saw a car that had ran into a curb and the car wheel wouldn't move.

There was an older woman and one year women with two small children. The older woman was yelling at the younger woman. The argument was very heated.

They were talking in a Hungarian dialect that Maxine recognized. Her father was born in the US to Hungarian parents. In 1968 he went back to Hungry and fought in an uprising. He was killed about 2 months later.

She walked outside and asked them in the Hungarian dialect if they needed help. She recognized the older woman but the older woman didn't immediately recognize her. Soon her aunt joined her.

About an hour later, a tow truck came and took the car to the driveway of where Maxine's aunt lived.

The older woman slept downstairs and the 1 daughter and her two grandsons slept in the two guest rooms upstairs. Maxine slept in the basement.

Maxine got up and went upstairs. Princess Alexandra was up and was on her I-phone. It was about 7:30 pm.

"Yesterday was a total disaster. Mia and I decided to do a road trip in Florida. We rented a beach house in Panama City Beach and nearly burned the kitchen down, Mia put a chicken in the oven on low after we had breakfast and we forgot about it. Took a walk on the beach, went shopping and then we heard the fire trucks. The place was heavily damaged and so we had no place to go. It was later in the evening. The fire was a slow burning one. "

Pausing for a moment, Princess Alexandra went on. Maxine said nothing but listened.

I've never driven a stick shift nor has Mia and well we damaged and totaled the car. That's why people like me have servants and people who help us. "

"Grandma, good morning. "said one of the children.

The thanksgiving dinner preparation went smoothly and the dinner was very nice.

"I have two daughters and two grandsons. They are in Washington D.C. My husband died a couple of years ago and my mom died about ten years ago."

Princess Alexandra and Maxine were showing each other pictures of their families. There were also some pictures of Sergi with his 2 grandsons.

"I only had the one daughter. Couldn't have any more kids, had several miscarriages. Sergi will inherit the throne when my father in law dies, but it will skip my daughter and my oldest grandchild will be in line (he's actually 2nd in line). My daughters okay with that, Sergi will try to change it so if my grandson has a daughter, she will be heir to the throne. My ex-father in law is a difficult man. After I did that interview, he really hated me as he couldn't control me like he did Sergi. Sergi was furious with me for a long time. We mended our differences as time went on. My father in law as well but he has a very long memory.

Maxine couldn't sleep and had the window in the basement slight open. She could hear Princess Alexandra talking with her ex-husband. They seemed civil enough.

1994 Interview with Barbara Walters....

"I"m talking to Princess Alexandra who is the ex-wife of Prince Sergi. You told me that Maxine Aldo was treated like a servant when she visited the family during the Christmas Holiday. "

"I didn't know Maxine but before I met her I felt like she was a rival. I couldn't believe it when Sergi's father ordered her to be my personal assistant. Even she was shocked. Sergi said nothing in her defense. She ironed my clothing, made my bed, made sure that I had a bath when I requested it. She even had to take dinner in her room. Sergi was ordered to break up with her in a way that would humiliate her. I overheard my father in law and him talking about it. I mean who does this and then on Christmas Eve, my father in law orders her to leave. He never would do such a thing to me, he wouldn't dare as I'm a royal; Maxine was a commoner and he didn't have to worry about the consequences of doing such a thing. He had no backbone but I will say that he made sure she got lodging in a safe place. I don't know the details of it but she was safe."

Barbara Walters had said prior to the interview that she had Maxine Aldo had refused comment and refused to do an interview.

"I never had to worry about Maxine becoming Sergi's mistress. His family wouldn't have it and she told me she would never take him back and I don't blame her. The mistresses that he had looked like Maxine or had similar facial features. He never loved me and quite frankly I didn't love him but we were expected to marry each other. My ex-father-in-law has a nasty temper and my ex-mother-in law is a snob. My three sisters in law or ex-sisters in laws aren't any better. I would really have to say is that Maxine Aldo is a saint. She's never had a bad word to say about Sergi or his family, never wrote a tell-all book and I don't think she ever will. She wasn't given a parting gift, no she wasn't given nothing and she has class. She really does."

While the others slept, Maxine listened to the old interview that Barbara Walters did back in the day. She taped it and for some reason kept it. It was interesting that Maxine and Princess Diana became close friends because they didn't have much in common.

The next day a limo arrived and Princess Alexandra, her daughter and two grandsons left to go to the airport. They were going to Disney World.

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How Princes William and Harry will mark Diana's birthday with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

New Post has been published on http://harryandmeghan.xyz/how-princes-william-and-harry-will-mark-dianas-birthday-with-kate-middleton-and-meghan-markle/

How Princes William and Harry will mark Diana's birthday with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and his brother Prince William will mark their mother’s birthday on July 1. Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash on 31 August 1997 in Paris.

Last year, her sons marked her birthday and twenty years since she died by attending a re-dedication service at her grave

Kensington Palace said in a statement at the time: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will attend a private service to re-dedicate the grave of Diana, Princess of Wales at Althorp House on Saturday 1 July.

“The service, which will fall on what would have been The Princess’s birthday, will be conducted by The Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by her family.”

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It was an emotional day for Harry and William, and no doubt this year will be another meaningful day.

A lot has changed for the royals since last year. Prince William welcomed his third child with wife Kate Middleton.

Louis Arthur Charles was born at 11.01am on April 23, 2018 at the Lindo Wing in St Mary’s Hospital in Londo .

There was another major event for the brothers when Prince Harry married his love Meghan Markle.

The pair were dating at the time of Princess Diana’s 56th birthday in 2017, but their engagement was only announced to the public in November 2017.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (Image: Andy Commins)

Kensington Palace’s announcement read: “”The Prince of Wales has announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle.”

“Prince Harry and Ms Markle became engaged in London earlier this month.

“Prince Harry has informed The Queen and other close members of The Royal Family.”

This year, Meghan is expected to join her husband to Princess Diana’s grave.

The pair paid a special tribute to the late Princess of Wales at their Royal Wedding in May.

The royal couple did not forget about her absence and paid a touching tribute to Princess Diana as they left a chair open beside Prince William that would have been for the mother-of-the-groom.

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Royal Wedding

Throughout their lives, both Prince Harry and Prince William have remembered their mother.

William’s second child with Kate was born May 2, 2015 and was named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

She was named after both the Duke of Cambridge’s grandmother and, of course, his mother.

Prince Harry also remembers his mother in a very sweet way.

The pair were famously close and Harry has worn a black and gold bracelet for over 17 years in a touching tribute to Princess Diana.

On his wedding day at Windsor Castle to the newly titled Duchess of Sussex, the simple accessory made another appearance as the happy couple left for their reception.

Now, it appears the meaning behind the bracelet could have a strong connection to his late mother.

Prince Harry was first seen wearing the bracelet in public in June 2001 as he attended a game of polo with his brother Prince William and father Prince Charles, four years after the death of his mother.

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Following their mother’s death, the Prince of Wales took his two sons to Africa to get away from the mayhem in the UK.

In an interview earlier this year, Harry said of the trip: “I first came [to Africa] in 1997, straight after my mum died.

“My dad told my brother and me to pack our bags — we were going to Africa to get away from it all.”

Woman & Home report that it is believed during this trip Harry bought or was given the bracelet, and therefore links it as a tribute to his mother.

In a recent documentary, which charted the seven days following Diana’s shock death, William spoke of viewing the funeral procession through the “safety blanket” of a bowed head and his long fringe.

Harry, who was 12 at the time, also talked about deliberately trying to suppress any tears while the huge crowds around him wept openly.

William gushed about his mother, remembering her “crazy laugh where there was just pure happiness shown on her face.”

He continued: “The very last memory I have is a phone call from Balmoral. At the time Harry and I were running around, minding our own business, playing with our cousins and having a very good time.

Prince William arrives with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry for his first day at Eton College on September 16, 1995 in Windsor, England (Image: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

“Harry and I were in a desperate rush to say, ‘Goodbye, see you later, can I go off?’

“If I’d know what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have been quite so blasé about it.

“That phone call sticks in my mind quite heavily,” he added.

Harry also talked about his mother, and said it’s something he’s has to deal with for the rest of his life.

He said: “Looking back at it now – it’s incredibly hard. I have to deal with that for the rest of my life – not knowing that it was the last time I’d speak to my mum, how differently that conversation would have panned out if I’d had even the slightest inkling that her life was going to be taken that night.”