#waiting for his prince charming to come rescue him from the evil curse

[betasuppe]

I wonder if when Rinzler was left in a moment of pure silence all alone before a disc battle that his thoughts might've wandered out far beyond the reaches of his reality, missing something or someone he didn't even know existed.

[searchingforplanes]

Lay, lady, lay

WC: 1.6k

Notes: Ancient fluffy-ish blurb from my google docs. Just a simple Sunday morning crumb.

TW: typos, curse words?, mention of pills?, me being repetitive and using song lyrics as endings and titles because I don't own one single ounce of creativity nor talent

‘Matty, can you grab my meds for me, please?’

You scrunch your nose at the sound of your groggy morning voice, cursing the pollen that’s been filling the newly warm spring air and, consequently, blocking your sinuses and keeping you awake all night. 

Fucking allergies. 

Your boyfriend just hums in response on the other side of the bed, eyes glued to his phone while he numbly scrolls away, barely registering that you’re talking to him. You turn your head to take a better look at him: sleepy eyes, messy ringlets, pouty lips, long sideburns and, dulcis in fundo, his slightly hairy chest peeking out from the duvet. 

If your relationship was happening in a fairytale, despite gender stereotypes, right now you would be the evil ogre and him the princess in distress kept captive in your tower, guarded by dragons and whatnot. You don’t even need a mirror to confirm your theory, sleeping beauty by your side looking like a proper snack at eight in the morning while you feel like a truck just ran you over. Prince charming, in this case, must be the sun: the same soft rays that are burning your retinas seem to only caress him in a shower of light, gently tracing the slope of his nose and making his glossy curls glimmer.

You grunt, turning to lay on your tummy and firmly planting your face on your pillow, praying for it to swallow you and keep you there, in the valley of soft feathers and comforters or wherever pillows come from.

The fact that you're thinking about fantasy worlds for the second time in a row since you’ve woken up it’s a clear indicator of how bad of a few hours of sleep you got and how you have a whole lot of creative dreaming to catch up on. You need meds.

Matty’s weak attention span has already faded when you try to gently nudge his leg with your feet, startling him. He turns to finally look at you, putting his phone on the nightstand.

‘Are you trying to suffocate yourself?’ The smirk he’s so obviously sporting makes you want to slap him right across the face. You raise your head just slightly to try and set him on fire with your glance, but the result is poor: Matty full on laugh at the sight of your tired eyes, failing at your attempt to appear threatening. You let your head fall back on the pillow in defeat, mumbling about how bad of a boyfriend he is. 

‘Aw baby, don’t be mad at me, it’s not my fault you’re just adorable with that red nose of yours. Did you escape from Santa Claus’ barn? ’

That was the ultimate dick move. Realising you’re not in the mood for jokes he tries to apologise, scooting towards your side of the bed to envelope you, but you keep your distance, sliding blindly to the edge of the mattress, as far away from him as possible. 

Until you feel nothing underneath you. 

You land on the floor with a thud almost as loud as to grant you a knock on the door from your angry neighbours, but the sound of your failure is soon replaced by the grunts of your boyfriend who’s apparently trying really hard to stop himself from laughing at you. 

Dickhead.

While you wait for him to come and rescue you, because of course he has to laugh in your face just for a moment longer, you start plotting your revenge. Maybe you should just grab one of his ankles and sweep him off his feet, but then again, who’s gonna pick you up with his dead weight upon you? The plan is unviable.

He crouches beside your limp body before you can even attempt to find a plan B, looking down at you with a faint smile until he decides that the time for pity has finally come. He circles your torso with his arms, raising you from the ground until you’re flush against him and your hands are gripping his neck. He then pats the sides of your thighs, inviting you to place them on his hips and you oblige, defeated, the pain in your back overpowering the need to ignore him. For now, at least. 

Comfortable in his arms, you decide to nuzzle against his neck, ignoring the destination of this little walk until the cold marble of the kitchen counter bites the naked skin of your legs. He has strategically placed you between the kettle and the fridge, you notice, the perfect spot to smooch you in between the steps of preparing breakfast. He does this often, especially when in trouble and desperate for your forgiveness. The bastard knows how to make you soft.

You accept the first sweet kiss to your nose with a grunt, involuntarily starting to warm up to him. He then starts the little routine of his, walking between the two appliances an unnecessary amount of times, purposefully avoiding multitasking to kiss you over and over.

He fills up the kettle, smooch. He takes the butter out of the fridge, smooch. He reaches for two mugs in the cupboard above the steaming appliance, smooch. He goes back to retrieve the milk, smooch.

And then his absolute favourite: toast. He grins like a kid walking back to you with the slices of bread in his hands and you roll his eyes, but you let him have his moment.

‘May I?’

You barely nod, his arms reaching behind your back to place the slices inside the toaster, which is conveniently located behind your back. His torso leans over you in the action, one hand, now empty, coming to your waist while the other turns the lever to the highest setting, just to make sure he has time to get his way with you before having to return to chef duty. 

He smirks before crushing his lips on yours, forceful and bold, his other hand coming around and gripping the thin material of your shirt over your ribcage. He tries to deepen the kiss, his tongue coming out to graze at your lower lip but you physically have to push him off you. Before Matty can even ask what’s wrong you break into a fit of coughs, and it’s like a lightbulb switches on over his head. He places his hands on the counter on either side of your legs and looks at you sweetly. 

‘You out of breath already? Did the allergies get to you?’ 

You mumble in affirmation, your throat too sore to try and speak and curse him out for his lack of attention before. The toaster goes off, triggering Matty to finish his little routine, buttering the toast and tossing the teabags before placing the meal on the kitchen island. 

‘Go eat, I’ll take your pills’ 

You oblige, watching your boyfriend’s boxer-cladded rear make his way to the master bedroom. You munch on breakfast while listening to the screeching sound of the bathroom drawers being opened and almost certainly getting messed up with Matty’s frantic research. 

He returns a couple minutes later with a triumphant look on his face, swinging the blister pack in the air like a trophy. 

‘Open up’

You stick your tongue out and he places the medicine on your tongue, letting it dissolve until the bitter taste fills up your mouth. You take the glass of water Matty slides over to you, raising the corners of your lips in an appreciative smile. He smiles right back and as best as he can, considering he’s stuffed his mouth like a squirrel to catch up with you on his toast. 

‘Can we go back to bed after this? I don’t think I can manage my eyelids being open for much more’  

He grins at this, swallowing hard and reaching for his tea to down it as fast as possible, the prospect of spending the cosy sunday morning under the duvet with you much more appealing than any other plan. So much so that he almost burns his tongue with the hot liquid, eager to answer you. 

‘I’m all yours, darling’

And he is. A perfect Adonis draped on the pillows, still half naked, with burning hot skin that smells like sandalwood, all yours, trapped under the weight of your head on his bare chest. Your ear is pressed against his ribcage, listening to the rhythm of his heart, a deep, constant beat that sounds like it was pulled out from one of his songs. 

‘I’m sorry for earlier, I was kind of a douche’ Matty whispers mere centimetres from your ear.

‘You were, but you can make up for it’ 

He wiggles a bit under the covers, impatient to hear your request.

‘Stay still and sing me to sleep, will you?’ You stifle a yawn right after and you flutter your eyelids close. Finally, your breathing evens out.

‘Sure thing, princess. Any requests?’’ 

‘Blue sunday’ You answer. It’s an unintelligible mumble, but he knows you too well to not expect it. 

So he begins to card his fingers in your hair, alternating scratching at your scalp with tracings of your neck. His voice breaks the silence in the sweetest melody: 

I found my own true love was 

On a blue Sunday

She looked at me and told me

I was the only 

One in the world

Now I have found my girl

My girl awaits for me in tender time

My girl is mine

She is the world

She is my girl

His arms tighten around you as the lyrics reach the end. Content floods your body, you can finally sleep peacefully.

[cfv-legend-rank]

Three Prompts/ Day; you may select any one of the three provided!

20th

1. Sleeping Beauty - a princess whose parents are told by a wicked fairy that their daughter will die when she pricks her finger on a particular item. The parents rid the kingdom of these items in the hopes of protecting their daughter, but the prophecy is fulfilled regardless. Instead of dying, as was foretold, the princess falls into a deep sleep. After some time, she is found by a prince and is awakened.

2. Beauty And The Beast - a village girl whose father gets lost in the forest and steals a rose from the beast whose castle he chanced upon and sheltered in. In order to repay her father’s debt, she goes to live with the Beast, whom is under a mysterious curse, and eventually ends up marrying him.

3. Pinocchio - Toymaker Gepetto creates a wooden puppet toy named Pinocchio and wishes on a star that he would be a real boy. A kindly Blue Fairy appears and grants his wish thus making Pinocchio come alive. Pinocchio learns that he must prove himself worthy in order to make his father's wish come true.

21th

4. Jasmine - Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine's kingdom.

5. Snow White - Snow White is a princess who lives with her stepmother, who is a witch. The witch uses an enchanted mirror to tell her who is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. When the mirror answers ‘Snow White’, her stepmother has her taken into the forest to be killed. The huntsman charged with the task takes pity on the girl, and sets Snow White free. She comes across a little house where seven dwarfs live, and makes her home with them. Her stepmother tries various ways to kill her when she realizes her huntsman’s betrayal, but the princess is saved from death by the kiss of a prince.

6. Hansel and Gretel - this story is about the siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a gingerbread, cake, and candy house. The evil witch plans to fatten the children before eating them, but Gretel outwits her and kills her.

22th

7. The Goose Girl - A widowed queen sends her daughter to a faraway land to marry. Accompanying the princess are her magical horse Falada, who can speak, and a waiting maid. The queen gives the princess a special charm that will protect her as long as she wears it. Backstabbed by her maid, the princess becomes a goose girl but is saved by the curiosity of a fellow servant boy and the king.

8. The Six Swans - a princess comes to the rescue of her brothers who have been turned into six swans. A vow of silence leaves her unable to defend herself against the most terrible injustice. She has to contend with not only a wicked stepmother, but a wicked mother-in-law too - which is surely less than fair, even by the standards of fairy tales.

9. The Frog Prince - In the tale, a spoiled princess reluctantly befriends the Frog Prince, whom she met after dropping a golden ball into a pond under a linden tree, and he retrieves it for her in exchange for her friendship. The Frog Prince, who is under a wicked fairy’s spell, magically back into a handsome prince. In the original Grimm version of the story, the frog's spell was broken when the princess threw the frog against the wall, at which he transformed back into a prince, while in modern versions the transformation is triggered by the princess kissing the frog.

23rd

10. Jack And The Beanstalk - Jack, a poor country boy, trades the family cow for a handful of magic beans, which grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching up into the clouds. Jack climbs the beanstalk and finds himself in the castle of an unfriendly giant. The giant senses Jack's presence and cries, “Fee, fie, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman!” Outwitting the giant, Jack is able to retrieve many goods once stolen from his family, including an enchanted goose that lays golden eggs. Jack then escapes by chopping down the beanstalk. The giant, who is pursuing him, falls to his death, and Jack and his family prosper.

11. Little Red Riding Hood -  a tale of a young girl who comes across a cunning wolf on the way to her grandmother's home. The wolf deceives both her and her grandmother and eats them, a grim ending for the protagonist of the story. 

12. Ariel - a rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter.

24th

13. Rumpelstiltskin - a mysterious gnomelike man who spins straw into gold for the benefit of a beautiful miller's daughter, in exchange for her future firstborn child. The little man reappears to demand his payment when the young woman, now the queen, bears her first child.

14. Thumbelina - a tiny girl and her adventures with marriage-minded toads, moles, and cockchafers. She successfully avoids their intentions before falling in love with a flower-fairy prince just her size.

15. Snow Queen -��This story is about love between friends. A little girl named Gerda was getting ready to find her friend Kai who disappeared. She crossed forests, mountains and hills to come to the Snow Kingdom and bring her friend back home. She confronts Snow Queen and shows that friendship can be permanent and last forever. You should also cherish your friends because they are the ones who are here in times of need.

25th

16. Puss In Boots - an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.

17. Princess And The Pea - A prince insists on marrying a real princess. When a woman comes to his door maintaining that she is a real princess, the prince's mother tests her by burying a pea under a huge stack of mattresses and then ordering the woman to sleep on the mattresses.

18. Chang’E - Chang'e and her husband Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to scorch. Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. Houyi, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the sons, but spared one son to be the sun. The Jade Emperor was obviously not pleased with Houyi's solution to save the earth: nine of his sons were dead. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished Houyi and Chang'e to live as mere mortals on earth.

26th (2 prompts)

19. Cinderella - Sweet, beautiful Cinderella, cruelly mistreated by her evil stepmother and stepsisters, is helped by her magical fairy godmother, who sends her off to win the heart of a handsome prince and live happily ever after.

20. Mulan - Mulan takes her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man. After prolonged and distinguished military service against nomadic hordes beyond the northern frontier, Mulan is honored by the emperor but declines a position of high office.

27th; FREE!!!!

[jaskierswolf]

Hi Wolfie! Can I please request Prince!Dandelion who meets and flirts/falls in love with Knight!Priscilla (who’s actually a princess in disguise) please? Thank you!! 😘

The Prince in the Tower

Ship: Dandelion/Priscilla Rating: T Summary: After Dandelion is trapped by Stregobor, he waits until his knight in shining armour comes to rescue him.

On AO3

_

When he'd been a child, Dandelion had carried all sorts of dreams for what his future would bring, but Destiny had other ideas. For you see, Dandelion had been born under the Black Sun, and thus, according to certain mages, was cursed. He'd slipped away unnoticed for a while. The mage in charge of the hunts was focussed on girls, and no one had looked at Dandelion. But when his music and his unconventional behaviour had started making waves, society started to pay attention to the young Prince of Lettenhove. 

It was a new kingdom. After years of famine and tyranny from the Ruler of Redania, Dandelion's father had broken free. Lettenhove rose up against their oppressors and Dandelion had gone from being a backwater Viscount to a bloody prince. Whilst his dreams of becoming a bard had died, he still loved music and he loved to compose. 

The castle of Lettenhove was never quiet, and he often accompanied his father on Royal missions to other kingdoms, singing and flirting and charming his way through the courts until peace treaties and alliances were formed. It turned out his skill set as a budding troubadour served him well as a prince. Dandelion became known as "The Siren" for no one could quite understand how he held so much power without ever wielding a sword. But in truth, there wasn't a magical bone in his body. Not that he knew of at least. But that was when the mages started paying attention.

That was when Stregobor started to look.

The circumstances of his birth became known to the wizard, and Dandelion's charm and charisma was now apparently some side effect from a curse. Lettenhove's whole reputation as a fledgling kingdom was put at risk, and Dandelion was sent away for his own good.

But as he brushed his hair for the umpteenth time that day, he couldn't help but think it was all a load of hogwash. He hadn't done anything wrong! All he wanted to do was sing and fall in love. How could anyone see evil in that? But Stregobor was convinced he was some sort of agent of Lillit, and no one cared what the poor prince thought. Dandelion was trapped. The tower kept him away from everyone and everything he'd ever loved. He'd not even been allowed to keep his lute. 

The whoresons.

So Dandelion had spent the last two years of his life singing without his beloved instrument, scribbling on parchment and reading every book under the damn sun. 

He. Was. Bored. 

There was so much to see on the Continent, people and places and monsters... even monster slayers! And yet here he was stuck in a bloody tower, a single circular room. The carpets were already worn thin, and Dandelion wasn't sure how much more he could take of it. Was he supposed to stay here for the rest of his life?? If the rumours about his mother and her affairs were to be believed, Dandelion could very well be alive for far longer than fucking Stregobor had planned for.

"I'm sure the tower isn't that tall..." Dandelion pondered as he peered out the window, the brush still in his hand. The ground seemed like a long way away, but it could just be an illusion. He probably wasn't even a foot off the ground. "Maybe I'll just break an ankle or something. Lettenhove isn't too far from here. I could hobble home. I'm sure my father would be happy to see me again." 

And that is how Dandelion found himself teetering on the edge of the windowsill. His knuckles were white as he gripped onto the wall. No matter how many times he told himself that it wouldn't be that far too fall, his brain just wouldn't listen. It wouldn't let him jump.

"Just a step and you'll be free," Dandelion muttered with a click of his tongue. "Oooh, oh but I don't want to die."

He closed his eyes and took one last deep breath, his legs shaking beneath his as he began to take his step. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" a voice called back to him. 

Dandelion's eyes snapped open and he nearly fell back into his room. When he looked down, he saw a young maiden, long luscious blonde locks, not unlike his own. She was dressed in a dull red and blue armour, leather perhaps, maybe padded... it was hard to tell with the distance between them. There was a bow and quiver on her back, and a sword strapped to her waist, and she had a cloak pulled up over her head. 

"Ummm..." Dandelion replied most eloquently. 

"Unless of course, you want to fall to your death, then please, be my guest." Her sparkling melodic laughter rang out in the air and Dandelion felt his eyes go wide as his cheeks burned hot. 

Oh no, he thought, She's hot.

Naturally, that was when Dandelion's legs gave out and he found himself tumbling from the top of the tower. On the way down, he couldn't help but notice that it was, in fact, not an illusion and he was probably going to die. The world spun in slow motion, time ceasing to exist, and a scream tore from Dandelion's throat. He'd earned his freedom, but at what cost? Death loomed as the ground approached. 

He closed his eyes. 

Waiting. 

Praying.

"Ooft!" The wind knocked from his lungs and he heard a pained cry from beneath him. 

Not dead then. 

"Get off me you big lump!" the girl's voice grumbled. She'd saved his life. 

Dandelion rolled over and pulled them both to their feet, wincing slightly as his ankle gave way. And by the gods, she was more beautiful in person. All the bruises and broken ribs were worth it just for the few moments he'd spent in her arms. 

"My knight in shining armour," he simpered, taking her hand and kissing it as he bowed. "How can I ever thank you, my lady?" 

"Just don't get stuck in any more towers, elf," she answered with a wink. Dandelion decided not to correct her assumption. "What are you, a lost princess?" 

"Prince, actually. Of Lettenhove." The knight's eyes went wide, and she stumbled backwards. "You're Julian Pankratz? But- but they told me you'd died." 

Dandelion frowned. It had only been two years, and he'd not given up hope that his father would try and rescue him... but apparently he'd been mistaken. "Not yet. Just a little stuck. I owe you, my lady. Please, let me repay my debt." The words were punctuated with a wink, but the knight seemed not to care. 

Instead, she kept moving away from Dandelion as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Why did it have to be you?" she stammered and then she was gone, fleeing into the woods and leaving Dandelion alone to fend for himself. 

It took him nearly a week to crawl back to Lettenhove. His injuries from the fall had been worse than he'd realised and progress was slow. But eventually, he tumbled through the doors, hungry, thirsty and desperate for a warm meal and soft bed. 

"Father?" he called as the servants flurried around him. 

Only it wasn't his father that greeted Dandelion but his knight from the tower. Except she wasn't a knight at all. Her long hair was pinned up and bejewelled. The armour was gone, replaced by one of the finest gowns this side of Toussaint. But most importantly, she had a broach pinned to her bodice... the royal crest of Redania. 

She was a princess. 

"You!" Dandelion gasped, pointing at his rescuer. She smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Princess Priscilla of Redania. Once upon a time I was-" 

"My betrothed!" Dandelion cried. He couldn't believe it. All the stories his father had told him about the young princess were nearly forgotten, but now she was here, in his home. His knight, his betrothed. They were one and the same. "What were you doing in the forest?"

"I like to go there to get away from it all. I never wanted to be a royal. It's an awfully dull life, so many rules and restrictions. So I don a disguise and I escape. Sometimes with my bow and my sword, sometimes with my lute. Depends what part I wish to play." 

A burst of laughter escaped Dandelion and he rushed to his princesses side. "You have a lute?" 

"Elven made, a truly magnificent instrument," Priscilla sighed wistfully, her fingers flexing at her side. 

Hoping his own lute was in one piece in his bedroom, Dandelion flashed Priscilla a smile. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" he teased.

Perhaps Destiny wasn't quite as cruel as he'd once thought.

[herbgerblin]

Concept: Blupjeans Shrek but with liches instead of ogres?

Gonna mix some shrek and shrek 2 elements together and say that. Barry just wants to live by himself and do somewhat sketchy science things in peace. but suddenly someone comes banging on his door and yelling about freeing a princess from a dragon. it’s prince!taako of the kingdom of far away away! and he’s all like, “I need help and I heard you are powerful necromancer or something”

Barry says or something.

Taako says I need you to help me free my sister from a giant fuck off dragon. 

Barry is at first like no, because he wants to do dark science and not fight a dragon. taako points out that dark science is actually illegal in the kingdom and is punishable by death. but he will let it slide if Barry agrees to help. Barry is like :/ but he agrees.

Along the way Taako explains that his sister had to be locked away in a tower because two evil fairies (cough cough edward and lydia) cursed her so that at night, she turns into a corrupted lich that can’t control her powers and ends up causing unspeakable destruction. And only True Love’s Kiss can break the spell.

"If True Love’s Kiss breaks the spell, why am I needed?” Barry asks.

“She wasn’t in love with anyone when she was cursed homie,” Taako says. “Gotta to go with option number two: fucked up and evil magic.”

“Ah,” Barry replies.

Along the way they run into Magnus and Merle who are also just generally down to hang. Together, The Squad go to that castle to save lup.

They do not need to save Lup. She has already kicked ass and taken names and is in fact halfway out of the tower when they come to rescue her. Barry is like :O when he sees her use her powers to scare off the dragon. But they have to wait until daybreak for her to change back into her normal self so they can try to break the spell.

Normal Lup: y’all took forever to get here and didn’t even bring me fantasy mcdonalds?

Tres Horny Boys: >:/

Barry: ........................................................................... <3

Barry doesn’t see her incredible power as a curse and instead offers to help her find something to anchor it to so that she is in control of it. Lup is like :0 rad!

But before they can do that, a rival prince swoops in and takes Lup away to be wed, swearing to marry her and break the spell via True Love and all that jazz. Barry is momentarily disheartened because what can he compare to some Prince Charming?

Taako (encouraging voice): Yes, admittedly that prince is Hot™ as Fuck™ but I literally prefer you being with my sister over him, so we are going to that wedding and raising hell until we get her back do you understand me

Barry: :0

They all go back to the castle and there’s a boss fight between them and the fairies. In the midst of it, the evil twins are poofed! and their control over the Prince Kravitz is broken. Freed from the spell they had over him, Kravitz admits he does not actually wish to marry Lup, which everyone involved is glad about. Though he is a little put out over going through a whole wedding ceremony with no betrothed to speak of.

Taako says..........well I am available if you’re interested...... :>

Kravitz is very interested.

Lup is happy for Taako but she is also Sad because she still can’t control her lich powers. Barry says you don’t have to carry the weight of it alone if we share. Lup is like :D. They have their own ceremony at Barry’s home, where they both become liches. Their shared power can now be controlled at will and can be used for good and not evil!

Lup and Barry are very glad with this arrangement. They kiss of course :3!

[discoveringsandra]

Characters I project my transness on: Shrek's Fiona

GENERAL SPOILER ALERT FOR THE SHREK MOVIE FRANCHISE

A subversion af the damsel in distress trope, Fiona isn't an ordinary princess. She burps, kicks ass and is generally disappointed by actual princes.

In the first movie, she transformed into an ogre by night. She saw this as a curse until she learned to love both another ogre and this side of herself. Even if she hasn't always looked like an ogre, she ends up renouncing to normative beauty and living as one.

Then, she spends the second film trying to convince her parents to love both her husband and her identity, while his father tries to get her to fit into the fairy tale princess role she was meant to have. It turns out her father was just preventing her from risking his own position as human-looking king, since marrying her with a prince was part of the deal he made with a fairy when he was a toad (I can't blame him for wanting to make Julie Andrews his queen, though).

This film has many queer experience parallels, with both Fiona's parents and Far Far Away's elitist society being outraged by her life choices, as well as the father projecting his own anxieties about fitting in this society on to his daughter. I would say that there are a couple of kind of queerphobic jokes, one about the Big Bad Wolf being gender-confused (which is more or less okay since it comes from the main villain) and a really weird one on pinocchio wearing women's underwear (which is not okay since he is a child and they are mockingly confronting him on this to use his elongated nose).

Going back to our favourite ogre princess, the plot of the third movie has her staying back home while Shrek goes to find a heir for the kingdom's throne and overcome his parenthood anxiety. However, the Charming Prince she was supposed to marry on the second movie comes back and takes the kingdom during her baby shower. We get to see her starting a princesses' escape and fight evil goons while being pregnant, but I think se was kind of separated from the main plot so Shrek could come to her rescue again at the end, which is why this is the least interesting movie in the franchise.

The fourth movie does the "Its a Wonderful Life" thing where an unsatisfied Shrek goes to an alternate reality in which he has never been born. The version of Fiona we see there is a warrior, the leader of the ogre resistance to Rumpelstilskin tyrannical rule. She rescued herself from the tower she was locked in in the first film and it's implied she still becomes human by day and does some reconnaisance, but she is fully accepted among the ogres. Although she's got her own revolution going on, her whole arc is learning to trust Shrek so he can learn to not give her for granted once he comes back to his reality, which kind of undermines the whole revolutionary leader thing.

Still, drawing my own transgender parallel, the difference between this two realities in how ogres are treated can be seen as the difference in how real world countries treat the LGBTQ+ community. Main timeline Shrek and Fiona are more or less respected because they had a chance to fight for their rights as well as the privilege given to Fiona for being a princess. Resistance leader Fiona never had a chance to convince her powerful parents to respect her identity as an ogre because they lost their kingdom to Rumpelstilskin, who then started hunting down ogres, forcing them into hiding away from the rest of society. That's the present many queer people around the world have to live, the past those who live free can't forget and the possible future we'll never stop fearing.

This took a pretty dark turn so let's ask ourselves "what if Fiona was actually trans?" Well, if Fiona was a transgender male ogre, the plot would be essentially the same except the pregnancy in the third movie would be replaced by an adoption waiting list and the transformation in the second movie would be a metaphor for detransitioning out of family pressure. Also, male ogre Fiona (Finn?) would wear lumberjack shirts and his alternate reality version would cosplay Braveheart.

If Fiona was a transgender female ogre, though, the plot would be radically different. I think she would still dress as a princess when she was in human male form and there would be jokes similars to those on the Ugly Stepsister (oh, I forgot about her and her deep voice, she's "ugly" because she's got masculine traits, so funny 😒) but with some sort of catharsis once she becomes permanently an ogress. I guess Farquad would be extra rude to her but she would still think she had to marry him to break the curse, then Shrek confesses her love, enter the dragon and I'm a believer. I guess Prince Charming would still try to marry a remasculinized Fiona in the second film (come on, he's a queer coded villain) and, for sure, the king would still try to fool her to do it. The third and fourth movie wouldn't change much, as Fiona's past human form is irrelevant in the third and she never appears in human form in the fourth. Maybe her daylight human male form would be a more obvious parallel of how trans women have to go on boymode to survive.

To finish this already too long tirade, I just want to add that the idea of Fiona's true form seems to be fluid. Had the hero of the story been a human peasant, she would probably still stay a pretty normative princess, even if he accepted her as an ogre, like a gender reversed Beauty and the Beast. I love that they didn't go for that ending.

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Stacy’s Favorite Completed Captain Swan AU Fics

I have mentioned before that reading Captain Swan fics has kept me going through this pandemic and has lightened my mood through the election.  I thought I would take a moment to mention some of my favorite completed AU fics.  

I have to really thank all the lovely fic writers on this list for continuing to write about this beautiful couple long after the show has left the air. As a former Glee Fanfiction writer, I know the struggle of getting in the chapters, waiting for comments, and hoping with that sick feeling in your gut that people will like it. These writers are very lovely and have created great stories that I have loved reading!

I will work on my WIP list later on but wanted to start with my favorites that are completed stories!

Completed Modern AU

These Nights Never Seem To Go To Plan

Author: stophookingatmeswan

Summary: When Emma Swan meets Killian Jones, he's a mix of sass, sex and hot mess. As their lives start to intertwine professionally, they're drawn together personally but their pasts keep getting in the way. A Captain Swan Police AU.

Completed: 2016-12-089

Chapters: 21

An Inconceivable Secret

Author: itssarahndipity

Summary: Ten years after giving away her illegitimate son, Emma Swan feels unexpectedly ready to be a mother. Little does she know she’ll soon meet her chosen sperm donor and quite possibly fall in love with him. Of course, why bother telling him she’s pregnant with his child? That would complicate things, surely…

Completed: 2018-10-03

Chapters: 21

your case or mine

Author: miamoretti

Summary: Detective Emma Swan is one of Boston Homicide's finest. Killian Jones is head of the FBI team who swoops in to take jurisdiction when multiple homicides sharing similarities with her current case pop up out of state. But they'll have to learn to work together to lure out their killer when they're required to go undercover. As a married couple. CS Cops/Undercover/Fake Marriage AU.

Completed: 2020-08-15

Chapters: 30

your wonder under summer skies

Author: LetItRaines

 Summary: Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

Completed: 2020-06-04

Chapters: 18

The Naked Truth

Author: brooke2broch

Summary: Captain Swan AU. Emma Swan, investigative reporter for the Globe, has arrived in Storybrooke, Maine, in the middle of a heat wave to do an undercover exposé on small town political corruption. The temperature gets even hotter when she meets the dashing mayor — and subject of her story — Killian Jones. When his political rival Regina Mills sets Emma to the task of finding the truth, she unwittingly puts her in the path of something darker and more dangerous than anyone ever expected. Although Emma has been in sticky situations before, something about this town, her newfound friends, and the confounding mayor have her edgy. Because for once in her life, Emma may have found something worth staying for.

Completed: 2020-11-27

Chapters: 23

With You I Have Everything

Author: OnceuponaSwan

Summary: Emma Swan is looking to start over with her son Henry. Boston seemed as good of a place as any to escape her ex-boyfriend. After receiving an officer job at the Boston PD, she feels drawn to the police chief, Killian Jones. Both too stubborn and broken, they embark on a romance that can only get trickier as the secret gets out.

Completed: 2017-09-18

Chapters: 17

The Convenient Groom

Author: searchingwardrobes

Summary: Killian Jones just happens to be there when Emma Swan gets the phone call that changes everything: her fiance is leaving her at the altar. The thing is, it also could mean the end of her career. Convenient that Killian has nothing better to do that day. Convenient that he’s secretly in love with her. Not that Emma has to know that.

Completed: 2020-01-18

Chapters: 14

Dark Gray

Author: colormyheartred

Summary: Killian Jones operates a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, preferring a life of isolation, until one day a woman and a baby wash up on his little island and change his life forever.

Completed: 2020-10-01

Chapters: 18

Devastation and Healing

Author: Jrob64

Summary: Sergeant Killian Jones has had more than his share of tragedy in his life. When he’s injured in an IED explosion, he’s assigned to a physical therapist named Emma Swan. While she tries to help him heal physically, can they help each other heal emotionally?

Completed: 2020-08-28

Chapters: 24

Catch Me If You Can

Author: LetItRaines

Summary: 298 days. That’s how long Killian Jones was away from a baseball field. It’s less than a year, only part of a season for him, but it might as well have lasted a decade as he alternated between physical therapy and spending an excessive amount of time sitting on his couch.

But then he came back and won the World Series.

It’s something no one saw coming, and it’s certainly not something anyone who knows about his arm would predict. Now it’s a new season with new possibilities, and anything could happen. On-field reporter Emma Swan will be there to cover it all even if she is not his biggest fan right now.

Asking her out live on-air will do that.

Completed: 2020-01-29

Chapters: 40

Completed AU

A change in the wind

Author:

nowforruin

Summary: As Emma’s twenty-eighth birthday approaches and Henry becomes more and more distant, Regina decides trusting in her wicked abilities will no longer do – Emma Swan must be stopped from ever reaching Storybrooke. Lucky for her, a certain pirate would do just about anything for revenge. AU, Captain Swan.

Completed: 2015-04-12

Chapters: 24

Strangeness and Charm

Author: bluestoplights

Summary: Killian Jones is a pirate captain down on his luck after a falling out with the Evil Queen. Emma Swan just found out she is the Savior. Their shared goals bring them on an epic quest to liberate the kingdom once and for all. It's a lot easier said than done.

Completed: 2016-07-28

Chapters: 24

The Princess and the Pirate

Author: riddler42

Summary: When the notorious Captain Hook returns to the seas of Misthaven, Emma Swan - personal bounty hunter of Queen Snow and Prince Charming - takes it upon herself to hunt him down. She soon discovers, however, that she's not the only one. They must work together to escape their mutual enemies, but can they learn to trust one another before it's too late?

Completed: 2015-06-28

Chapters: 22

Their Way By Moonlight

Author: profdanglais

Summary: A new curse has fallen on Storybrooke and this time Emma is trapped inside it, deliberately separated from Henry and anyone else who might help her break it. But what no one knows –including her own cursed self– is that she and Killian have the ability to share their dreams, and are working together in secret to find a way to break the curse and rescue the town from a new and dangerous foe.

Completed: 2019-02-05

Chapters: 20

Walk With Me (I Think We'll Find A Way)

Author: Elizabeethan

Summary: Killian Jones travels across realms to find Emma and Henry in New York after receiving an anonymous message about a new curse. When he finally tracks her down, he makes a bold move and greets her at her front door, but before he can even attempt to convince her to come back to Storybrooke with him, he’s met with a surprise that will change his life.

Completed: 2020-11-07

Chapters: 9

Stacy’s Recommended Fics and Stuff

You are all amazing!!! Thank you!

[killiansprincss]

Never Forget You Ch. 11

Summary: Season 6A Canon Divergence.Emma is happy. Finally happy with her parents, son and boyfriend. But this happiness is taken away from her when the Evil Queen curses her and turns her into a toddler.

Heartbroken and angry, Killian and Henry run away to Neverland to wait for Emma to break her curse. But when she does break it and comes looking for them 25 years later, she soon realises this Neverland is very different now it is no longer under Pans rule. Will she be able to save Henry and Killian in time, or will this new ruler of Neverland keep them hostage forever?

Also on A03

I have not updates this fic in ages I’m sorry to anyone who actually reads this lol. This fic is my baby, it’s the first multi chapter fic I have written in a very long time and It also will be the very first mc I ever finish as I’ve almost written it all which kinda makes me sad as I’ve so enjoyed writing it, but 2021 is my year to write and I have a lot more planned so check out my other stuff on A03, (not the stuff posted in 2016 I promise it’s not worth it!) ❤️❤️❤️

The Jolly Roger was a safe haven for Killian. It was more than a ship, it was his home. Killian had never had a home, he and Liam never had a proper home; it was just moving from ship to ship, their father trying to escape his debt.

But the Jolly became his home. When Liam became Captain, the Jewel of the Realm-as she was called back then-served as a home for them. Then she became the Jolly Roger when a crew of pirates were born, and she became his only home. The only place that had any remnants of Liam. For 300 years, it was home. It was small, it wasn’t perfect, but it was still home.

And then he met Emma. Never before had he loved someone so much he would give up his ship. Not even Milah. But he knew he had to do whatever it took to get her and Henry back to Storybrooke. He never mentioned it to her either until she asked. He didn’t do it to score points against Bae, he did it because it was the right thing to do. Even if she didn’t feel the way he felt, he wanted-needed to get her back to her family.

By some miracle, thank the gods, she shared his feelings, even if it took a while to admit. And they planned their future and moved in together. Even if it was only for a couple of weeks before the incident. But for that short time, for the first time, home became a building with four walls and a white picket fence as Emma called it. But it was more than that. It wasn’t even that it had four walks and was on land. Emma. It was Emma. Home wasn’t so much a place, it was her. His happy ending. His true love.

And then he lost all of it in a matter of seconds. And because fate is cruel, the Jolly Roger became his home once again. He was foolish to think a villain such as himself, could truly get a happy ending.

It was also a safe haven on Neverland this time around because the fairies were not able to enter the ship without an invitation. It was an old unwritten fairy and pirate rule, which Killian was grateful for. When he gave the wrong advice to the young lost boy, he did not leave the Jolly for a while, it could’ve been a week, it could’ve been a year, he gave up trying to keep track of the days in Neverland a long time ago.

It was also a safe space because the Captains Quarters contained reminders of his past life. Of Liam and his pre pirate days, and of Milah. And now he had reminders of Emma. He didn’t want anyone to see them, it was his burden to bear, not anyone else.

____

“Henry. I really need to talk to you. Just,you.” Killian said, it was unexpected seeing the entire Charming family appear when he needed to talk to Henry most. He had angered Emma and ruined any chance of her forgiving him for all the horrors he put up with in neverland.

Henry looks to his grandmother who just nods, Snow knows Killian must be hurting and Henry is the only one Killian has been around for 25 years.

The two go down the ladder by the back entrance, away from where Emma and David were.                                

“I fear Cecelia knows of Emma's presence.” Killian tells him, nervous of his reaction.    

Henry doesn’t answer for a few seconds, “Oh no.This is bad.Very bad.”

“Aye. I thought you may have some ideas on how to stop her?” Henry always had good ideas, and Killian was sure he would know how to defeat the fairies.

“I do, but I’m not sure if it’ll work considering she’s a Neverland fairy.” Henry says nervously, he wants to defeat the fairies but he needs to be sure before he can let anyone in on his plan. “But as for getting out of here I have no clue, I was hoping Mr. Gold would’ve given mom an extra bean or something.”

“I have a feeling we are thinking of the same thing. We need to remember that Emma is far more powerful now than she was before, along with the young prince, who is not so young anymore. I’m sure they have a way.” Killian says with pride in his voice at how amazing his Emma is. He always believed she was powerful and incredible, he was glad to know she had finally learnt control of her powers.

Henry looks at Killian. “Whatever it is you and my mom were arguing about, it’ll be okay. She loves you. You’ll work it out and we will be back in Storybrooke soon enough.”

“You truly think she will still love me after all I’ve done on this Island? Who I’ve become?” He asks, even though he knows Henry would only ever be positive.

“Of course she will.” Henry states, “why wouldn’t she? I mean you were a pretty bad guy when you first met and she forgives you and knows that’s not who you are anymore. She knows this place is where you spent most of your days as a villain and that it can bring back bad memories. You just need hope.”

“I-I wanted to apologise lad. I haven’t been as friendly as I was.” Killian stammers, he made a silent vow to protect the boy, to make sure Neverland's tricks would not play on his mind. But he fears he failed. “But now that everybody is here-“

Henry cuts him off before he can continue. “It’s okay. I know this place isn’t Storybrooke, so it’s easier to fall into the darkness. It did hurt at first when you wouldn’t be around me, but I get it, and we’re going to get off this Island together.”

____

____

“Neverland”

Both Killian and Henry say as they walk through the portal Mr. Gold created for them. They look back and see the door to Storybrooke is gone. No going back now. They have to wait for Emma to come and rescue them in 25 years.

“Welcome back lad.” Killian says to Henry who looks uneasy. It’s a rough island filled with bad memories for both of them.

“What now?” Henry asks, still looking around at the Island where he almost died.

Killian reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny sized Jolly Roger. Rumplestilskin had allowed him to bring his ship with them to Neverland by using magic to shrink it down to pocket size, and when placed in water it would grow back to full size. They walk over to the water and Killian throws the tiny ship into the sea. In a matter of seconds, it had grown to the full pirate ship that he called home.

“Welcome aboard. You are welcome to stay on this ship while we reside on this damned Island.” Killian says with a smile as they walk onto the main deck.

“What do you think lives here now Pan is gone?” Henry asks, curious as ever.

“To be honest lad I have no clue. It could be another Pan type, or it could be something else entirely.” Killian admits, he’s nervous to think what could be roaming the Island, if there was even anything roaming the Island anymore.

“Gold said my blood can make us immortal here right?”

Damn. Killian thought. the Crocodile did say that.

“We do not have to do anything like that just yet.” He reassures Henry, ”It’s like you said, we aren’t sure what roams this Island. We do not have to do anything with your blood just yet.”

Henry gave a tentative smile,”Thanks. That makes me feel better.”

Waning to take his mind off the subject Killian suggests giving Henry more sailing lessons.

“Show me what you know already.”

And so that’s what they do. For hours. It takes Henry’s mind off Neverland, off of his mother and all that matters is he’s with Killian, having fun. It also makes him feel closer to his father. Killian would tell him stories of him, seeing as Henry was now the age Baelfire was when he met Killian.

Killian also felt that with Henry, he was getting the second chance. With Bae, he failed, he messed up and he regretted it. Now he had a second chance with Bae’s son. Obviously it was not ideal circumstances, but he would make sure he looked after Henry and he would care for him. And not just for Emma’s sake.

__

It had been 2 days of hiding out on the ship, and they had yet to see any danger in Neverland. They decided it was time to explore the Island, and restore the magic using Henry’s blood.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Just a few drops of blood. I will be there right next to you.”

Dark Hollow, the source of Neverland’s magic. The magic in the hourglass had disappeared and it had a small crack near the top.

Killian hands Henry a small blade and he walks over to the spot where Pan took his heart a few years ago. Henry takes the blade and makes a tiny slice in the palm of his hand.and he allows a tiny drop of blood to fall. A few seconds pass and nothing happens, nothing feels any different. So Henry lets a few more drops of blood fall.

“Why isn’t it working?” Henry asks frustrated as he;s letting all the blood from the cut drip down after nothing happens.

“More. We need more.” A sinister voice whispers in Henry’s ear. He makes another cut in his palm and let’s the blood drip, drip, drip.

Killian is conflicted, he wants to save Henry and make sure he’s not giving too much blood. Bloody crocodile and his lies. But he doesn’t want to stop him and then something bad happens.

He makes up his mind pretty quickly when Henry falls to the ground.

“Henry!” Killian rushes over to him, his hand still dripping with blood. He rips off a piece of his shirt and ties it round Henry’s hand tightly so no more blood can escape.

Henry is on the ground not quite aware of what’s going on. “It’ll be okay. You’re gonna be fine.” Killian tells him over and over until a white light flashes before them.

The hourglass suddenly fills up again and the cracks are slowly being restored. Magic is slowly returning back to the island.

“Killian?” Henry says in a brittle voice, not quite sure what is happening as he slips in and out of consciousness.

“It’s okay lad. It’s okay” he says quietly.

“Is it here?  Magic? Did I do it?” Henry asks as he regains his consciousness.

Killian looks over to the hourglass that’s now pretty much full. “I think so lad.”

With Killians assistance, Henry slowly gets up and looks up at the hourglass now filled with tiny golden magic beads. He looks down at his bandaged hand, “what happened why did it take so much blood from me?”

Killian shakes his head, “I wish I knew the answer. My guess is this place has been void of magic for a few years now and the blood of the truest believer is powerful stuff, you gave it a little but it was greedy and wanted more. But let’s get you back to the ship, we can fix up your hand properly there.”

The two head back to the shore, taking note of where the dreamshade is and making a mental note to try and destroy it if they’re going to be here for a while.

“Hook?”

The pirate and his almost step son turn around to see where the voice was coming from. A beautiful female with ebony skin and red hair, purple wings and pointed ears. A fairy.

“Cecelia.” Hook recognised the beautiful fairy. He’d encountered her many times when he lived in Neverland the first time. She was a fairy native to Neverland which meant she was powerful, far more powerful than the Blue Fairy native only to the Enchanted Forest.

“Well well well Captain. Long time no see.” She says in a seductive tone.

Clearing his throat to ease the tension and to not give off any wrong signals, Killian simply says. “The woman I love has been cursed. Henry and I are here to wait until she can rescue us.”

Not taking any notice of the ‘woman I love’ comment, Cecelia steps closer. “I take it  you were the ones responsible for the restoration of magic? My sisters and I have woken up from what seems like a hundred year slumber.”

“My boy Henry here holds the heart of the Truest Believer. His blood is powerful.” Killain says proudly.

Henry smiles at the ‘my boy’ comment, he always looked up to Hook even if he wasn’t the best role model at first. He was a great sailing and sword fighting teacher, and was the only father figure he had that stuck around, even before he and his mother got together.

Cecelia just smirks, “well I’m glad to be awake when Captain Hook returns home.”

No. Neverland was not his home. It can’t be. He won’t allow it to be.

But over the years, without Emma, it was hard to not call the place he lived for 300 years, home once again.

[lilacmoon83]

Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 222: Reverberations

Once the fireworks ended, people began to disperse and leave for their homes for the evening. The clean up crew was already deployed and the band was packing up. Leo and Elsa were preparing to depart for a short honeymoon aboard Pegasus. They had accepted Glinda's offer to stay at one of Emerald City's luxurious resorts for a couple days and were going there soon. But not before they sat down as a family to hear about James and Aphrodite's experience in the Underworld.

"Wow...so you were actually Anchises?" Leo asked.

"I was...and before you ask, no, Eros is not related to you by blood. Zeus explained that I'm only related to David in this life as James," James replied. Leo let out a small breath of relief at that.

"And the curse on you both...it's finally broken?" Snow asked. They nodded.

"Once George placed my mother's enchanted charm in my hand, it restored my memories. Or at least my real memories of this life and how we were in love," James replied.

"The man I was...after I lost her wasn't the real me, it turns out. After George stripped me of my memories of Aphrodite, he found a way to warp my mind and mold me into what he wanted me to be," James explained.

"My memories of James were erased too, by Blue and Hera," Aphrodite added.

"It wasn't much longer after that, maybe a year at most that I was killed. But this time, Zeus decided that he was tired of seeing her be hurt and bargained with Hades to deny my revival," he explained.

"But then Athena convinced him to allow James to be revived after he met the two of you in the Underworld. She said that, as my champions, you two could indirectly bring our curse to an end," Aphrodite said. Snow and David exchanged a glance.

"I...I don't think we did that," Snow said.

"Yes you did...Blue was exposed for what she is because of you. It led to all of this," Aphrodite replied. They smiled.

"We're just glad that you've broken the curse and you'll never lose each other again," Snow gushed, as she rested her head against David's arm.

"Yeah...but how did the Horned King know about the curse? Did you ever find out?" David asked. They nodded.

"We did...it was because James is the one that banished him," Aphrodite said.

"It's how we met in this life, but you and Hermes helped me banish him," he reminded her.

"But you saved me from him, just like you saved me as Anchises and Adonis," she gushed.

"Wait...who else did he save you from?" Emma asked curiously.

"Well...as Anchises, he found me near his home after a bad encounter with Clayton's ancestor. He, with the help of Blue and Hera, tried to trick me into thinking he and his consort were true love to get the chalice," Aphrodite revealed. Snow gasped.

"So that's how he knew about the chalice…" she realized. Aphrodite nodded.

"The knowledge of exactly what the chalice is and what it could do was passed through his family. Later on, Adonis rescued me from Clayton's grandfather, who tried to force me to...be with him," she said, with a shudder.

"Yeah...then Clayton tried to do the same. He wanted her to bear his heir and planned to take her to Atlantis so he could have control of the chalice," James added.

"Oh my God…" Snow said in outrage.

"That explains his obsession with you and the Chalice...and us," David replied.

"You have no idea...he told us himself. His plan was to replace you after Snow was forced to crush your heart. His last ditch effort to have a Divine heir was Snow," James explained.

"Of course it didn't happen, nor did he factor in that you wouldn't be able to have children after Bobby," Aphrodite added.

"Bastard...please tell me he's burning in hell," David said.

"Apparently worse than that. Nyx decided that Tartarus was even too good for him. She sent him somewhere called Gehenna, which apparently only the absolute worst scourges are sent," James said.

"Trust me...Tartarus is a picnic compared to Gehenna," Aphrodite confirmed.

"Good...that's the best news I've heard in awhile," Eva agreed.

"Yeah...now if we could just get rid of Creepyl so Nyx could send him there too," Leo said.

"And we will…" David assured, as he squeezed Snow's hip and she smiled at him.

"We will...and the power rests in your family," Aphrodite said.

"How?" Snow asked.

"Now that I have all my memories...I remember how to utilize the chalice and your star gems to their full extent," Aphrodite replied.

"Then let's do it," David said and she winced.

"The problem is...he'll see it coming a mile away," Aphrodite said.

"Then we have to find a way to take him by surprise," Emma said.

"And we will," Aphrodite promised.

"I guess Clayton is about to get his wish though," Natalie mentioned.

"Hey...no, this baby will be a Charming and his son isn't getting anywhere near him or her," David assured her.

"He's right…" James confirmed, as he looked at his father.

"Did you know about her? Did you walk out on her too?" he asked, a bit sternly.

"He didn't know," Natalie confirmed.

"I didn't...and I wouldn't have walked out if I did. I regretted that with David, as much as I regretted having to give you up," Xander answered. James seemed to accept that answer with less resistance than David did and for the moment, any other questions were quelled for the evening, for the hour grew late.

With that, they saw Leo and Elsa off and everyone else dispersed for the evening after a lovely celebration, despite the brief, rude and unwelcome interruption.

~*~

Jekyll stormed into his lab, with his partners in crime trailing behind him.

"I was so close…" he growled, as he angrily tossed one of the lab tables against the wall, shattering the contents and sending debris everywhere.

"Yes...that backfired quickly," Grimm agreed.

"It's those brats, as usual," Drizella said.

"Particularly the young one, it seems. He did have a significant hand in defeating Seth, after all," Grimm replied.

"What is your point!?" Jekyll snapped.

"My point is...those magical children will always block our path to victory," Grimm said.

"They will block my path to gaining the authorship and they will block hers to the Prince, just as they will block yours to Snow White," he continued.

"This device you created to keep him from touching her was ingenious, but the boy will always circumvent it," Grimm said.

"I still fail to see what your obvious statements contribute toward our success," Jekyll growled.

"I thought it was obvious...we have to isolate Snow and Charming from anyone else that can help them. Then you must be able to overcome the power of their chalice," Grimm reiterated.

"Neither of those is an easy task...but perhaps not impossible," Jekyll mused.

"What...what is this on my arm?" Drizella asked, as she noticed there was a large patch of grayed skin.

"I told you there may be side effects from the injection...it's probably wearing off," Jekyll replied.

"But I need magic if I'm to be the new Evil Queen! Can't you improve the serum?!" she demanded to know.

"I will make some adjustments, but none of this does us any good if we cannot thwart our enemies more completely," Jekyll said.

"Then we have work to do," Grimm replied.

~*~

He was trying not to, but he knew he was brooding again. He stood out on the balcony in the cool night air, only in his sleep pants. Snow was getting changed out of her dress and ready for bed, while he attempted to quell his feelings of anger and failure over Jekyll's latest strike and near victory again. He loved their children and was constantly in awe of their power. But he didn't want them fighting these battles for him. He wanted to take on and defeat Jekyll himself, once and for all. But with his demonic powers combined with his scientific ability to invent seemingly anything, he knew the odds were stacked against him. The image of that monster's hands on his beautiful Snow was seared into his brain and he seethed with barely restrained rage. He felt it start to ebb away though, as he felt her presence behind him. It was their mystical connection and irrevocable love that kept him grounded. She could banish his anger in an instant and the heat of her body behind him beckoned. He turned to her, finding her in a slinky white negligee and emerald eyes that pierced through him. Her eyes spoke to him and he cupped her face in his hands. Whatever fear remained in her slowly ebbed away in that moment at his touch. Their lips met in a smoldering kiss and her arms went around his neck. When their lips finally parted, they were breathless and gasping in ragged impassioned breaths. Her knees nearly gave out, as he kissed her throat and she pressed herself flush against him.

"I need you…" she pleaded.

"I need your hands on me," she begged. Jekyll had starved her of his touch for only moments, but it felt like a lifetime. Perhaps because he had meant to make it a lifetime. They needed each other like air and he had found a way to keep them from the simple act of touching one another, not to mention holding or kissing and it nearly broke them. Just the thought of not feeling his hands on her or his lips pressing against hers was enough to drive her mad and him as well. Never one to deny her anything, he swept her into his arms like she weighed nothing and carried her the short distance to their bed with purpose. David kissed her deeply and pinned her beneath his hard body.

"Charming…" she whimpered, as her body writhed beneath him and ached to be touched. She clawed at his waistband and managed to push his pants down his legs.

~*~

Their lips crashed together again and she moaned, as he gripped her thighs and parted them. She raised her arms and arched toward him, as he pushed her negligee over her head. She mewled, as his hands slid up her sides and to her breasts, cupping her firmly and his lips trailed down her neck.

"Charming…" she cried out again, as he raised up and sat back on his haunches. He pulled her up, straddling her in his lap, as he slid her onto his thick, pulsing cock. She hooked her arms around his neck and he began to pump in and out of her at a rapid pace. He rode her hard, taking her to a place of pure ecstasy, as they made love. As he took her, she hummed in pleasure and she slid her hands into his hair, gently running her fingers through it. They stared into each other's eyes and their shared heart pounded in sync. No words were spoken, but their eyes and heart spoke volumes. For them, this went far beyond physical and always had. They had always been so in tune with each other; a love that had always been on another level than most. Being one in heart and mind already made their connection awe-inspiring. So when they became one in body too, it was nothing short of purely magical and almost ethereal.

He shifted their positions and gently lay her on her back, as his pace became slow and languid, as he now glided deeply into her with each thrust. She lay writhing beneath his undulating body, legs splayed around him. With every thrust, he hit her sweet spot and slowly pushed her to the edge. As she neared her climax, her mewls grew in volume and she raked her nails along his naked back, as her entire body trembled beneath him. He had her right at the edge and her cries became whimpers, as her body begged to come. She was beside herself, her mind clouded in the ecstasy that was him taking her. His slow lovemaking was expertly extending her pleasure in a way only he could do for her. If there was one thing Charming was an absolute expert in, it was all things Snow. They could make love and fuck each other for eternity and it would never be enough for either of them. And she was determined to have him for eternity, despite another looming threat from Jekyll and many other adversaries. He watched her come apart and marveled at the sight. Snow...beautiful Snow, emerald eyes dark with love and lust for him, only for him. Red lips parted, as short pants of air were inhaled and exhaled. Her body writhing and glistening with perspiration, her back arching and her aching for his touch. Her round, full breasts bobbing between them and the moan she made when he put his hands or lips on them was one he wanted to hear forever. The feeling of thrusting inside her was pure heaven and he'd never tire of making love to her. When he was inside her like this, he could hardly form coherent thought and he liked it that way. He liked that it was him that made her dripping wet and cry out wantonly. Gliding into her slickness with slow pumps and feeling her tightness clenching around his cock, quivering and begging for release, was a feeling he wanted to feel for forever.

"Baby…" she whimpered, as she writhed and bucked in the wake of a powerful climax; one that only he could give her. He was close to his own and increased his pace, as the whole bed rocked with them.

"Snow…" he cried out, as he finally came inside her and they trembled together in the wake of their purely magical coupling. He collapsed beside her finally and they cuddled together, as their ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.

"We'll beat him, Snow...because he is never taking you from me. I'll find a way," he promised, as he kissed her forehead.

"I know...I have never doubted you, nor will I. You're the hero in my story, my love...my hero," she gushed, as he kissed her tenderly and they finally drifted off to sleep, thoroughly entwined together...

~*~

Three Days Later

"And Good Morning United Realms!" Le Fou announced, as the morning news show began once again.

"Welcome fellow United Realmers on our first day back from hiatus," Goldilocks said.

"As usual, there's no shortage of news. Just days ago, Prince Leo married Queen Elsa of Arendelle in the celebration of the year," Le Fou reported.

"But since this is Storybrooke we're talking about, it didn't quite go off without a hitch. After the happy couple exchanged nuptials, their reception was interrupted by a dastardly trio," Goldilocks said dramatically.

"Yes...Drizella Tremaine declared herself as the new Evil Queen, a mysterious man named Grimm seemed to issue a challenge to our favorite author, and once again the raging psychopath, Dr. Jekyll made another play for the fair and beautiful Snow White," Le Fou said.

"Yes...and this time, the United Realms' embattled pair had to be saved by their youngest son,"

"They are insufferable...seriously how do they still have jobs?" Paul asked, as he finally turned off the television, while Eva poured coffee into their travel mugs.

"Well...they're mildly entertaining I suppose, though I wish they would find things other than my parents to gossip about," Eva replied.

"Yeah, they definitely need to stop calling them news," he countered and she chuckled.

"Yeah...news, they definitely fail at that. But you know that gossip sells far better than news," Eva said, as she handed him his mug and kissed his cheek. He smiled and pecked her on the lips. Today, they were not headed to the hospital right away, but rather to her parents castle for a meeting. In the infamous war room.

It had been a very long time since her parents had called an actual formal council meeting at the table in the war room and never yet in her lifetime. But with the worldwide undertaking they were about to embark on with the Major, they had decided to convene it to discuss the operations they were about to embark on.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and they joined hands, before leaving their loft for the day.

~*~

Snow giggled, as they cuddled in bed together that morning.

"We really have to get up," she cooed, as he kissed her neck and his hands roamed in the wake of a bout of morning lovemaking.

"Remind me why we scheduled this thing so early?" he asked.

"We didn't baby...we scheduled it for eleven and it's almost ten," she reminded him.

"Really?" he asked. They had been awake for hours, but very busy since.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, you know what they say...time flies when you're having fun," he said and she giggled, as he kissed her again.

"These last three days have been amazing," Snow said, as he spooned her against him.

"Mmm...yeah, but definitely not long enough," he replied, as he kissed her again.

Since Leo's wedding, they fortunately heard nothing from the wedding crashers and their most nefarious adversary. Instead, they had been allowed three blissful days to spend with each other and their family.

They had family picnics with their kids and grandkids, complete with horseback riding and campfires. They had taken romantic walks on the beach, family dinners at Granny's, and then the last day, they had spent alone together. And they hadn't left their bedroom much on that day.

"We should have pushed this back another day," he murmured against her skin.

"You know we can't...not if we want to take the first two cabal members down," she reminded him.

"Well…Italy is supposed to be romantic so I guess there's that," he agreed, as he slipped out of bed.

"Care to join me in the shower?" he asked, with a sly look.

"Oh, that is an offer I'd never refuse," she replied, as she took his hand and they hurried off to the bathroom.

~*~

Mephisto arrived in Milan and made his way into the luxury hotel where that evening's event was set to take place.

"So...you're here," a man said, as he met him in the lobby with a woman.

"Mr. Landers, I presume?" Mephisto asked.

"Yes Stefan Landers...and this is Ms. Erin Mercer," he replied.

"Perhaps we can go somewhere a little less public," Mephisto suggested. Stefan nodded and led them to the freight elevator, which descended below the hotel.

When they arrived, several levels below ground, the elevator door opened and he observed young women in cages, as well as empty cages ready to snatch unsuspecting young women from the modeling pool.

"So...this is your operation," Mephisto observed.

"Yes...and from what we've been told, you believe that they are coming for us," Erin said. Mephisto smirked.

"Oh, I'm certain of it," Mephisto replied.

"They will come tonight...and we will be ready for them," he added.

"And these two...they will give us the power you said?" they asked. He smirked.

"With these two...we'll have a first class golden ticket to the United Realms and all its power and treasure," he promised...

~*~

It had been a long time since they had held a meeting in the war room and the last time they did, many of the people in this room hadn't been born yet and the one person they used to combat was now one of their best friends and confidantes. How times had changed and evolved, only to come full circle to this moment.

The last time he had led a war room meeting, he had been dressed in his formal royal clothing or battle wear. But today, he wore a simple button down shirt and jeans, common clothing of this realm. But the casual clothing did not mean this was just a casual meeting. They were about to embark on a series of missions outside the comfort of the United Realms borders and taking on some very dangerous people that wouldn't bat an eye at slitting one of their throats. But they would be potentially saving many by taking down this network of corrupted people that purportedly were the people that really ran the world. So, as they always did, Snow and David would begin this new undertaking, despite the looming threat of Jekyll, who they still had to neutralize once and for all.

"Thank you to everyone for coming," David said, as he began the meeting.

"As you know, Snow and I are about to embark on a series of missions with the Major, outside our borders, to dismantle an evil underground network that poses a threat to us and potentially the entire world," David began, as he looked at her. She nodded.

"We've decided that the best way to approach each mission is to assemble a small team to go with us and rotate the team members for each mission," Snow said.

"For this mission, we're going to Italy and attending a high end fashion show. Supposedly, our first two targets are there and they reportedly run a very large global trafficking ring there," David added.

"David is right...and once we take down these two, it will put the others on alert. I will be honest, these missions will be dangerous, each one more so," the Major said.

"And we're supposed to be okay with you putting our parents in the line of fire to fight your battles?" Emma interjected.

"Yeah...I have to agree with Emma. Give me one good reason that we shouldn't wall off the United Realms and let your world deal with its own problems," Regina said.

"Ninety-eight percent of the population doesn't even know these people exist or that their lives are controlled by them," Patricia said.

"The same ninety-eight percent that doesn't believe in magic," Leo chimed in.

"True...but that doesn't mean they don't deserve saving," Patricia countered.

"She's right," Snow agreed.

"Mom...we love you and we love that you and Dad always want to help everyone, but this is so risky," Emma said.

"We know honey, but you know we can't turn our backs on this. Clayton is gone, but this network that he helped create is still doing his evil bidding," Snow replied.

"She's right...we need to take them out, because we know that there is no guarantee that even a barrier will keep these people out of the United Realms forever," David added. Emma sighed, but didn't argue that, because she knew he was right.

"Okay...well since you two are a walking target for mayhem, I volunteer for this first mission," Regina offered.

"We're not…" David started to say.

"Yes you are," all five of his children echoed before he could finish. He rolled his eyes and Snow smiled with a wince.

"We kind of are," she said.

"Fine," he relented.

"Elsa and I are going too," Leo announced.

"You two are still on your honeymoon," David protested. He shrugged.

"And Italy sounds like a great place for an extended honeymoon," he said, as they shared a smile.

"Besides...I think we may enjoy the danger and adventure just as much as the two of you," Elsa replied, as she and Snow smiled at each other.

"Okay, with the Major, that's a team of six," David said.

"You and Mom are going to hate it, but I probably should go on every mission with you," Bobby chimed in.

"You're right...I hate that," Snow said.

"Mom...my magic was the only one that defeated Jekyll's stupid crazy bastard sciencey invention," he reminded her.

"Language," she scolded and he sighed.

"The point is...you're probably going to run into Mephisto out there. You need me if you do," he said. David sighed.

"He's not wrong," he muttered and Snow huffed in annoyance.

"Don't worry Mom...he's got a lot of other magic surrounding him. You know Aunt Regina would blast the crap out of anyone that comes near him," Leo said.

"He's not wrong either," Rumple agreed.

"Fine...then I guess we have our team of seven. That's a good number," Snow said. David nodded in agreement.

"Then we should pack and leave soon," David said.

"How are we getting there? Using a bean isn't a great idea. We'll just freak out a bunch of people and Milan isn't exactly a harbor city," Leo mentioned.

"He's right, though I loathe the idea of a commercial airline and all the staring," Regina said.

"Can we even get on a commercial airline?" Bobby asked.

"There is too much red tape for that, not to mention that none of you have passports and the United States government doesn't even consider any of you citizens," Patricia said.

"That sounds like it could be trouble...especially since you've been fired," David replied.

"It may be...but you do have protections on the borders watching for a breach, right?" she asked.

"My men regularly patrol the outside borders," Fandral chimed in.

"Now that I'm back, I'll be reinforcing our magical protections," Aphrodite said.

"Aye...and if any unrecognized ships enter the Harbor, they'll call me immediately," Killan added.

"Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about for now. If they thought they could invade without it being a bloodbath, they would have done it already. But they have seen what magic can do," Patricia replied.

"So no Jolly Roger or plane. It has to be a portal, but how do we do that without freaking people out?" Leo asked.

"There is plenty of countryside just outside the city. You'd be fairly safe portalling there. I can give you coordinates if you can will the chalice to open in a specific location," Natalie replied. Snow nodded.

"We usually have no trouble willing the Chalice to do what we need," she said.

"Then it's settled. The team leaving Milan needs to meet back here in an hour," David replied. They nodded and dispersed, as Aphrodite approached them.

"Is it true that Blue is locked up?" she asked. Snow nodded.

"Fandral was able to capture her," she replied.

"Yes...she was foolish enough to come after Rose to try and keep her from reading your real story," Fandral said. Rose nodded and presented a book to her.

"You mean...it was in your library all along?" Aphrodite asked. Rose nodded.

"Yes...but it was cloaked and only appeared after you left. Aesop informed us that he was commissioned by Zeus to record the real thing and then it was hidden in our library by Hermes," Rose replied.

"When you left to learn the truth, it appeared," Fandral added.

"I'm sure Athena is responsible for that," James deduced, as the blonde leafed through the book.

"It's all here…" she said gratefully, as he put his arm around her waist.

"And Blue is where she belongs. She'll remain there until her Royal Tribunal that will decide her ultimate fate," David replied. James looked at his twin brother with scrutiny.

"You're really going to try her?" he asked. David nodded.

"But Royal Tribunal usually has one outcome. The death penalty," James reminded him.

"We know...and it's not something we will likely ever be comfortable with, but Blue's crimes are too devastating. She is too dangerous and a threat to the safety of everyone, as well as the sovereignty of every Kingdom," Snow said.

"She's right...she's more than earned this fate and if found guilty, then she'll be executed," David replied.

"We will never regret showing mercy, even to our enemies, but we've learned that not all of them deserve it. She's one that doesn't, especially since she has been trying to destroy true love for so long," Snow added.

"Between James and myself, as well as Zorro, I'd say we'll be able to keep an eye on things around here," Fandral said. David nodded.

"Yeah...we'll be on psychopath watch with Dr. Creepyl, but I think we should find out more about this Grimm guy," James said.

"Oh Fandral and I can talk to Aesop. He started to tell us a bit, but seemed reluctant to talk about his past," Rose replied.

"Perhaps in light of these recent events, he'll be more willing to tell us what he knows," Fandral said.

"Then I guess everyone has their assignments. Once this mission is over and we locate the next, we'll rotate a new team in," David replied, as they dispersed. Snow slid her arms around his waist and he kissed her tenderly.

"You were amazing, as usual," she gushed.

"If I am...it's only because of you, my darling. I...I just wish we had a clear, concise plan to take out Jekyll," he said.

"And we will...I'm fine," she assured him.

"I know...it just haunts me at how close he came this time. I couldn't touch you...it was torture. He knew it would be," David said.

"He's sick and evil...he gets off on tormenting me and pursuing you. He's the one evil we can't seem to shake," he added.

"But we will...there is nothing our love cannot overcome. He caught us off guard at the wedding, but there is no doubt in my mind that we would have found a way to defeat his device, even if Bobby hadn't intervened," Snow said, as she caressed his cheek.

"Have faith...our love has never let us down," she added. He smiled and kissed her again.

"You're right...it never has and it never will," he said, with renewed confidence.

"Now...let's pack. We may be going on a mission, but this is Italy and the prospect of going to such a romantic city with my husband is exciting," she replied. He joined hands with her and they returned to their room to pack.

~*~

The black sport utility vehicle drove along the winding roads of Maine and General Mendoza sat in the back, looking over the Nolan files he had seized from Major Donovan's office. He was in complete control of her operation now and had everything, except an item for entrance into the United Realms. But that wasn't going to stop him from exploring the rumored location of this mystical place.

He thumbed through David Nolan's file with great interest. He found it very intriguing how he had been found on a rural Maine road, bleeding from his side, with an infant in his arms. He had then spent ten years in a coma, only to awaken upon his daughter finding her way to him. She had only done so after having run away from a group home and he wondered how she had even obtained his location or even knew about him in the first place.

Even more interesting was Xander Nolan and his shadowy presence in this world for nearly as long as his son's. As an operative to the Collector, Xander had moved around the world in the shadows, doing the Collector's bidding, and evading law enforcement with ease. He had little on him, but that wasn't surprising. Clayton was a part of the Underground cabal that his own family was a part of, even if he ended up screwing them all over in the end.

In 1993, David Nolan awakened and disappeared into thin air with his daughter and only re-emerged more than thirty-years later in Seattle, not having aged a day. With him, his wife and five children came with him. Then after the supernatural events in Seattle, they disappeared again until two years ago when they popped up in Boston again. Major Donovan had a detailed explanation of everything, but he was still having trouble wrapping his head around such fantastical stuff, even after they saw it during the battle only weeks ago. He knew about his ancestor's travels and quests, but he had never put much stock in the more fringe nature of the story. Now he was realizing that it was all true. Traveling to far off realms, lost worlds, mystical warriors like the Dragon King and his betrayal of him...it was all true and thus he had a duty to continue his family's mission.

"Stop the car," he said, as his driver obeyed and he got out. These were the coordinates, but all he could see was woods. But that would not remain for long. He was determined to find a way in and for that, he made a deal with the Devil. He only hoped he came through soon. With that, he got back into the car and instructed his driver to take them to the nearest town. He was a patient man and he would find a way in.

~*~

On the other side of the invisible barrier, Zorro watched the man, as he looked around with scrutiny. He didn't know who this man was, but he clearly was clued in on their location, that was obvious.

"Keep patrolling. I'll be doubling our men," Zorro said, as he mounted his horse.

"I must inform Fandral of this development," he said, as he headed for Andresia.

~*~

Agent Green winced, as she finished getting dressed. Her stay in the hospital was thankfully at an end and she looked at the young doctor, who was writing on her chart

"You've healed nicely, but I have to insist you take it easy for a few days," Eva said, as she watched the agent look at her phone.

"Well, if I stick with Major Donovan, I won't have a job anyway," she replied.

"Then you know about her being fired," Eva said.

"Yeah...agent Harding texted me and gave me the rundown," Tessa replied.

"What do you plan to do?" Eva asked.

"Relax…I'm not going to work against your parents or anything. Agent Harding is going to need help on the inside of this thing," Tessa said.

"I thought you hated us and this whole thing," Eva replied.

"I do...but you did save me and I do not like the idea that I've been working for such corrupted people," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Eva replied.

"Did...did you happen to recover Agent Brooks' body?" Tessa asked.

"Yes...he's at the morgue and we were waiting to ask you if he had family," Eva replied.

"No…I'm afraid not. It was just him and he has no wife or kids. His parents are also dead," Tessa said, with a sigh.

"As his partner, I guess it's up to me," she added.

"We'll help you do whatever you need," Eva replied.

"If you can tell them to cremate him...then I can scatter his ashes in the ocean. He...he would have liked that," she replied. Eva nodded.

"I'll tell Doc and he'll take care of everything," she said.

"Doc?" Tessa asked.

"He's our medical examiner and Bashful is our forensic analyst," Eva replied. Tessa shook her head.

"This place is wild," she commented. Eva smiled.

"It can be," she agreed.

"Anyway...thank you for saving me," Tessa said. Eva smiled again.

"Paul and I can take you to Granny's to get a room for the night and then we'll help you find your way back to Boston after Agent Brooks' remains are taken care of," Eva said. Tessa nodded and followed her out.

~*~

The sparkling orange portal opened in the Italian countryside and the seven of them stepped through. Thankfully, there was no one around and Regina poofed a sport utility vehicle into existence for them to use.

"It will be a tight squeeze, but it will get us there," Regina said. Snow looked at her husband and he smirked.

"Or we could follow you in something else," he said, as the chalice glowed between them and materialized a motorcycle.

"Fine, ride the death trap," Regina commented.

"Relax...it's enchanted. We'll be fine," David said, as they willed the chalice into their rings to conceal it. They put helmets on, while David got on the bike and Snow got on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. The others got into the car and they headed for the city.

~*~

James put the car in park and looked over at his wife. After spending the morning with their babies, they had dropped them off with Granny for an hour to come to the prison.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Yes...and I can't wait for her tribunal. I want to see her behind bars," Aphrodite replied. He sighed.

"Okay...then we'll go," he said, as they got out and joined hands. They were allowed entrance and they took the elevator to the top level. Sneers and calls from some of the worst, high level criminals were ignored, as they made their way to the end and peered into the cell.

"Well, well...you're back from your little adventure," Blue said. She looked horrible. Her hair was matted and her makeup, what was left of it, was smudged. Apparently, she wasn't using the time allotted to her to clean up or even try to maintain her appearance.

"Yes...we are and your failure is complete, because we have broken the curse you placed on us," James hissed. She began to slow clap dramatically.

"Oh congratulations...now you get to live happily ever after with your bimbo and your brats," she growled. James advanced on her cell and wrapped his hand around her neck.

"And you...you'll face justice in your royal tribunal. The Goddess Nyx will then be waiting for you and has promised you a very unpleasant afterlife," he growled back. Aphrodite put her hand on his arm and he calmed down, releasing her and stepping back.

"And still...my only regret is that I didn't succeed in destroying her," Blue said, looking to Aphrodite with pure hatred in her eyes.

"I never did anything to you...except be born. Was the power of the Chalice so important to you that it warrants this hatred of me?" Aphrodite asked. Blue rolled her eyes.

"It was never really about you. Power is everything and when Rhea created the Chalice she gifted to your mother, I knew that it was the key to ruling all the realms. I also knew how foolish it would be to place it in mortal hands. That's why Hera and I knew we had to rid ourselves of your idiotic mother," Blue replied. Aphrodite glared at her.

"Once Hera married Zeus...it was supposed to be her Chalice. We would have still had to place it in mortal hands, but that's why we chose Clayton's bloodline. We knew their ambitious quest for power and control would serve us well," she continued.

"Imagine...all the realms under his control and thus ours. It would have been an ordered world," she said.

"You mean an enslaved world, void of hope and love," Aphrodite corrected. Blue snorted.

"Love...it causes only pain. Look at his brother and Snow White. They may have a blissful true love, but look at all the problems that come with it," she said.

"Love is worth any of the strife or problems," Aphrodite refuted. James smirked.

"Yeah...because love always wins. That's why you're there and we're here. And that's why anyone that tries to defeat love is either already dead or will meet that same fate as the Clayton family you seem to champion," James said smugly.

"Yeah...you definitely backed the wrong family," Aphrodite agreed, as they joined hands.

"Enjoy hell, you blue flea," she said, as they walked away, satisfied that the woman that had cursed them and caused so much pain was imprisoned. They had all their memories and their family was whole again, because love would always win out in the end.

~*~

Once they arrived at the hotel where the event was taking place, they arrived in their suite and proceeded to get ready for the evening. David wore a tux again and was stunned when his wife emerged dressed in a gorgeous white evening gown. It shimmered in the light and the bodice hugged her curves perfectly. The straps were very thin and the collar dipped in a low v. The dress was long, but had two daring slits up the sides and she sauntered toward him.

"Wow…" he said, as she slipped her arms around his neck.

"Wow yourself, handsome," she purred, as she kissed him passionately.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded.

"I know we have no idea what we might be walking into, but I do know that we're going to face it together and eliminate two really bad people," she replied. He nodded.

"Together," he agreed, as they shared another kiss. He offered his arm to her and she hooked her hand on his elbow, as they stepped out of their room and prepared to embark on the mission ahead...

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One:  The Dark Curse

Chapter 150:  How the New Story Begins

Trouble, trouble, trouble. He hoped that all this trouble wasn't an indication of life once the Savior finally came into his own; naturally, not by some fluke of magic.

He'd given them a simple task; one simple task. Go into the castle, dance the night away, be sure that Snow White stole the ring, that David knew it was her, and the timeline was back on track. How they'd managed to screw it up as immensely as they had was remarkable. And yet-not.

Not when he remembered that he'd trusted Hook to it all. He'd watched the entire thing, sometimes in sound through one of the mirrors and other times within his crystal ball, and sometimes he'd needed to use the cauldron as well! But he still couldn't figure out how they'd gotten it so wrong and yet…so right. Or at least close to right. Probably because the parts that were right they'd barely had a hand in.

The pair went to the ball, just as they were supposed to. They danced, they watched Prince Charming, and all the while he'd watched Snow White climb the walls of the towers in his cauldron at the same time.

She'd found the ring, stolen it just in time for the False Prince to enter his chambers and find her stealing it. They'd had a brief interaction in which he'd seen her face, and he was certain that was all there was too it. He'd almost thought to stop watching and summon the pair to him right then and there…until Abigail had entered the chamber and began crying out. Regina, who attended the ball appropriately enough, had gotten word, so had Hook and the Swan who stupidly rushed off to help the Princess that he was certain didn't need help. She'd been well on her way to escape when the pair had intervened unnecessarily. The Savior had been captured. But not before she realized that in the chaos of the heist, Snow White had dropped the ring.

He could have cried out in anger and beat his head against a wall because he knew that he could have done a better job in half the time and not ended up in Regina's dungeon. For a moment he did consider helping the Savior, but something told him it was best to let the girl go, to not intervene, and let her save herself. His mother's wand was powerful, very powerful indeed. While he was waiting for something to happen over the next day or so he'd done some more researching on his mother's wand, making sure that he could use it to get the pair back to their own time. After all, they'd caused enough trouble, as soon as this was over, it was best for everyone involved if they got back to where they belonged. But in his investigation, he'd stumbled upon something that he hadn't planned on. According to legend, it could recreate magic, but only magic that had been used by the welder. He'd never traveled back in time before; he'd never experienced the portal that the Swan and the Captain had, ergo, he could not open the portal to get them home. But they could.

Or rather, she could.

She was strong enough, he could sense that easily enough, and all his digging into the magic on True Love told him that if she was who she said she was, then she would have all the magic required to open the portal that had brought her here and get herself and the pirate back to where they belonged. There was only one problem, he hadn't seen her do a single bit of magic since she'd been in the Enchanted Forest. In fact, she seemed downright put off by any situation that involved it. Magical, but refusing to use it? Or incapable?

He had the thought that being in such a precarious position with Regina might help him answer that. True, his glamour spell would have taken away her magic, but if she was the Savior, the Product of True Love, then her magic was a unique thing. There might not be anything that could stop it. Regina wasn't one to fool with these days. For helping Snow White escape, the Evil Queen wouldn't care if she did claim she was a princess, she'd be executed. And if she had read that book that she'd claimed once held the past she would be well aware of that. He'd hoped that would push the Swan to do what she could with her power. He'd been wrong. He watched throughout the night as she shared a morsel with another prisoner, then settled against a cell wall, twirling and twirling and twirling the ring that should have been with Snow White by now, around her finger, staring into nothing. She'd been removed from her fine clothes, put back into a thin peasant's dress and blue cloak that didn't appear to hold in heat. But the Savior wasn't where the story was. That was back in Midas' land.

Unaware of the weight of what had happened, he watched as David spent the night out, tracking and plotting in the unfamiliar forest, searching for something in a way he might search for a lost sheep. And the pirate was always there, one step behind him, watching safely in the distance, out of the way. And one step ahead of David…the Princess Snow White.

It was a shame she hadn't gotten away with his ring, for it appeared he had caught a bug for the woman. If she hadn't dropped the ring on the way out, this meeting would have been all they needed, and he could have summoned the Savior and Hook back to leave. Instead, he watched as David tracked Snow White down, one step behind until he suddenly veered off track and set up a trap in the woods so obvious he was certain that she'd never fall for it…until she stepped right inside of it. And that was the moment Hook chose to reveal himself.

He cursed himself for not sending Pirithous out, in fact, he cursed himself for it all day as the trio exchanged words, Snow White fell to the ground with a slice of David's sword, and Hook bought two horses and a cart with money that was once the Prince James'. The trio traveled together all day into the Queen's territory, and he could see David and Snow talking. Oh, how he longed to summon Pirithous and find out why! But after watching David before the bird was already suspicious. He didn't need him asking more questions, he didn't need to make more memory potion for him as well, and he didn't need for him to know so much of David's life or anything of the future.

Once they arrived and the castle was in their sights but still far enough away to be outside the guard of the Evil Queen, Snow left the pair, and David and Hook sat in the woods together, talking and making a fire. He didn't need Pirithous to know what was being said. In a way, he didn't need to know. Wanted to know, certainly, but need? All he needed was to see the Swan freed, he needed her to use her magic, and get back to this place so he could get them home and take a memory potion.

But that night, so many things happened all at once; it was difficult to keep track of them. Snow fetched Red. Red went to find Hook and David in the woods. She transformed into a wolf to help them get past Regina's guard and into the castle. Their plan seemed simple enough to follow visually only. The wolf would appear. The guard would become distracted, fearing for his safety in her presence. And that was when David would appear and knock the guard off his feet into unconsciousness before the alarm could be raised.

He supposed their plan was to go all the way in and rescue the Swan, but it would never come to pass. There was no need. The Swan was busy rescuing herself, much to his displeasure, without magic. It would have taken a witch or wizard five seconds to break free of the lock that Regina had placed on the door. It had taken her an entire day, but only because it had taken her so long to figure out she could use some spare bit of wire to pick the lock. And much to his disappointment, she brought a friend. One that he recognized.

'Twas Maid Marian. Robin Hood's wife, who he had last seen very, heavily pregnant. Apparently, she'd had the baby, and counting the months from the time he'd last seen her, she'd soon after become prisoner of none other than Regina. It almost made him laugh. He couldn't wait for Regina to explain that to the man that the Seer called "her heart" in the future. But that was a laugh for another time, once the present was sorted out and the future back on track. For now, he continued his vigil.

By the time the two groups ran into one another, his head was already spinning. When he finally found Snow White, he thought he was going to be sick. She had sent Red back to the boys for a reason, for as they made their great escape, she was sneaking into the castle, walking halls she hadn't graced in years not since her father died. There was a confrontation, one in which the Princess attempted to use unmistakable Black Fairy dust against his pupil. Regina's magic prevailed where the princesses didn't. Between the cauldron and the mirror, he watched as Snow was led away to her execution. A pyre was built.

He summoned his magic as she was led to the pike and tied to it, preparing to fix this, to summon the Princess away should it be necessary. The Prince and the Princess had met, if he saved her, then it might be enough for them to meet again. There didn't need to be a ring involved. But just as Regina threw a fireball at her feet, which exploded, he watched as the girl opened her hands and an unmistakable shimmer interrupted the fire for a brief second. A moment later, he saw a spark that had nothing to do with the fire pitch itself out of the flames. More black fairy dust. She'd saved herself by becoming a bug and then flown away.

There was still hope. He had a cure for Black Fairy dust around somewhere if she needed it. He could arrange for it to be used easily enough. As the rescuers, still shocked from thinking they'd just witnessed their mother, friend, and would be True Love perish in flame, left the building with the help of Hook and Marian, he prepared to be summoned. He prepared to take the cure and bring it to them and hunt her down himself to set it all right. But again, the need was not necessary. He tracked Snow White, just as he tracked the others back out into the forest where they made a fire and sat down to mourn, some of them unaware what they were really upset for. It was when the other three left the fire to unload something or other from the cart they'd ridden in on, and Hook and the Swan were alone, that it happened. They put it together before she found them, the look on the Savior's face just before she crept up on them told him that. But eventually, a ladybug rested upon her shoulder. In the next second, the other three had joined them. David was the next one to put it together, to cradle the precious bug in his hands, all before a familiar blue light came upon them. He would never be ecstatic to see the Blue Fairy, but leave it to a Blue Bug to make a red one human again.

As the unknowing family and new friends hunkered down for the night, he collapsed into a chair himself. Watching, leaving a job that should have been his to someone else was more than stressful. He'd barely moved all day, but he felt like he'd lived through it all right there with them. It wasn't nearly as simple as he would have done it, but it was done. David and Snow had met. He crossed his fingers that it was enough to set things straight.

[sockpansy]

Why are you guys sleeping on Cinderella?

Alright, so a few days ago, i watched all 3 Cinderella movies and just...

This girl

Is amazing!

In her first movie, she has to do all the chore and be a maid to her stepfamily, but she still works hard, but she doesnt take everything so easily. This girl has attitude every small chance she gets! She axts nice when she is getting in trouble for something that isnt her fault, but she still triws to defend herself. Even thoughout the movie she tries to speak for herself and has snide comments when she can.

Dispite the hatred of her stepfamily, she is still kind to others! She even manages to convince her stepmother to let her keep a dog, so long as he doesnt cause trouble. She dresses, saves, and feeds the mice, just because she can. She is always looking out for others, even if it ia a small thing. And all her help got her repaid when the mice made her dress for her, although they did (technically) steal- causing the dresses destruction.

She wasnt after the prince actually. It seemed that the prince was far from her mind. She just wanted a magical night of fun, to go to the ball, and she worked so hard to get all her chores done so that she could...she aaid she wouldn't go when her dress wasnt finished, but quickly ran down in the new dress the mice made in excitement.

Then it gets ruins, and she runs iut to the garden. Cinderella had put so much effort into just having one fun night....so much work just to have it ripped from her last minute. It is perfectly understandable that she would break down crying after all that. Then fair godmother shows up, and cinderella doesnt stop thanking her.

Plus! She didnt know it was the prince she met st the ball. Althought we dont know whag they talked about, it is shown thst cinderella and prince charming spent all night together - and she disnt even know he was the prince! She says it when she runs away.

Then the rest of the story unfolds. The prince has the grand duke search for her, she geta locked in her room, the mice come to her rescue, and after the glass slipper breaks, she shows thst she has the other slipper, and gets to marry the prince.

In the first movie, she was her own person, who wantwd a night to have fun, and got a lifetime of happiness after all her hard work, and help from others when it was needed!

But movie two shows a bit more if herself.

Movie two has three stories in it, and I love that they made Anastasia redeemable! She became my favorite. But this is not about her (yet).

Cinderella spends the firdt story, trying to be the best princess she can be, by doing jt by the book. She puts forth a lot od effort, not for the man she loves, because she wants to. In the end. She decides that doing it by the book isn't her, and she changes it up, but doesn't shoot her teacher down. She is still friendly ans inviting to her, she never says that her way was dumb, she just wantws to plan things in a new way. She opens the curtains, has dun with colors, music, and dances, and she incites the commoners into the castle. In the end, she has the most slpendid party, and the king and prince approve.

The second story is mostly about jakjak wanting to her cinderelly more, but we do see how cinderella is always finding ways to help people.

The third story is about Anastasia finding love, amoung a common baker. Cinderella finds her, but instead of laughinf st her or ingoring her, she offers her help. She teaches Anastasia how to be beautiful as she is, and helps her find a way to end up with the baker, and speak up for herself. Agian, cinderella was more of a background character here, but she was more active in thsi one.

Now Cinderella three.

This movie takes the cake.

Now, the secibs movie is completely ignored. Anastasia isnt with the baker, and instead, end sup stealing fairy godmother wand, which the evil step mother uses to turn time back to the moening after the dance. She makes Anastasia fit the shoe, and Cinderella misses her chance to show the prince loves her. Now this movie has character developement for EVERYONEA. Cinderella, Anastasia, the prince, and his dad! Cinderella is threatened to never go near the palace, but she knows that her night st the ball wasnt a dream. She sings the most bomb aong ever, and like, why is 'a dream is a wish your heart makes' her song? Like...this one is so much better (in my,personal opinion). She sets oht for the castle, where she sneaks in as a servant, lies about being the royal mouse catcher, hunts down the prince (who was spelled to not remember her) tried to get him to remember, and yeah, she give a up a bit, until the mice tell her that the prince was cursed. Then she is back tenfold! She works to steal the wand, and almost manages to save the prince, before the gaurda catch her. She end sup on a boat, out of the kingdom, and she actually gices up here, which is understandable. But the prince chases after her, and it is a bwautiful scene, go atach the movie, please, the boat scene is adorable. After that, when Anastasia is turned into her, she is asking if it will make anastasia happy, and when she is in a runaway pumpkin carriage of doom, she keeps the mice as safe as possible, while fighting an evil cat. She then crashes her own wedding, and stepped in front of anastasia to protect her from the spell that the stepmother was going to cast. She was headstrong and determined, and she always gave it her all, for even a silver of hope. She only gave up when there was nothing she could do anymore, and it is wasnt given back to her.

Anastasia found out thag she wanted to love someone who would love her back, and (kinda) turned agianst her mother, she refused to msrry the prince, and stayed by Cinderella side, but she still loved her mother, never telling her off. I found it kinda nice, they didn't turn her around to hate her mother suddenly. Anastasia had always worked for her mothers praise, and im sure it hurt to be called a 'spoiled ' child, but she did what was right, for everyone, and her heart as well.

The prince was given moee than a few lines, and was a key part in the story. Not jsut a driving force. He was shown as talented in many things, like a prince would be, but had humor to himself too, he saw anastasia the firdt time, and flat out asked if he was in the wrong room. He believed talking mice when they told him he had the wrong girl, and he JUMPS OUT A WINDOW for her. He also calls her cinderelly, which was a nice little laugh. He uses his sword to hit thw final magic spell to the stepmother, and spwnt the entire movie just looking for the love of his life.

The king was a good laugh, and wss more than just a shott tempted dad aho wants grandkids. He had some logic to him flst out saying "you csnt pick a girl all because of her shoes" and he took anastasia aside to give her a shell that means the world to him, because it was a symbol of the loce between him and his wife. He was still shorttemped, but was showing more of the dad side of him.

Overall, Cinderella herself, as a princess, is more than someone who waited aeound for help. She was always working for a happier life, and when she got the chance, would give it all she got until she couldnt anymore. In conclusion

We stan

[eirian-houpe]

The Library Beneath the Clock Tower - Chapter 24

Fandom: Once Upon a Time (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle/Gaston (Once Upon a Time)

Characters: Belle (Once Upon a Time), Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Widow Lucas | Granny, Grumpy | Leroy, Maurice | Moe French, Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Merida (Once Upon a Time), Jiminy Cricket | Archie Hopper, Gaston (Once Upon a Time), Le Fou, Mad Hatter | Jefferson, Prince Charming | David Nolan, Gus | Billy

Additional Tags: Bookshop On the Corner, slightly AU, Cursed Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time), Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed (Once Upon a Time), Eventual Smut

Summary: Storybrooke has no library, and neither does Belle, not since the library where she worked in Boston discovered her past as an inpatient at a mental hospital. Taking her future into her own hands, Belle travels to Storybrooke where her intention is to open up the town library, but all does not go according to her plan. Obstacles and false starts, and diversion along very wrong pathways interrupt her journey toward fulfilling her dream, as well as taking her rightful place and becoming a part of the Storybrooke community.

Read previous chapters on AO3

Chapter 24 - Librarian

In spite of the excitement of the previous evening, Belle rose early, and rather than wake Ruby - who was dead to the world on the couch - she decided to head to Granny’s for an early morning cup of tea, and perhaps something to eat.  She could bring something back for Ruby to have when she woke up.

She chuckled as she descended the stairs, remembering the way that Ruby practically had to be prized from Gus’ lap in the back of Jefferson’s car when they got back to the library. They had behaved as though they had been trying to eat one another.

The thought made her blush, especially as hard on the heels of it she decided it was probably good that Mister Gold seemed to have found his own way home from the ball. She didn’t even know when he had left, only that after the ending of the Carole - and the thought of that made her blush strengthen - she had not seen him again.

She pushed open the door to Granny’s, and smiled as Granny bustled in from the kitchen, the scowl falling from her face as she saw who it was.

“Belle,” she said, “this is a nice surprise.”

Belle smiled in return. “Thank you,” she said. “I thought I’d treat myself today.”

“What can I get you?” Granny asked.

“I’d like a pot of your hot tea, please,” Belle said, and then as almost an afterthought added, “And could I get some toast and jelly?”

“Toast and Jelly?” Granny echoed as though she thought Belle was going out of her mind. “You call that treating yourself?”

“Well,” Belle hedged, “It’s all so good.”

“Flattery will get your everywhere, my dear,” Granny said with a chuckle, and Belle warmed with fondness.

“It was good to see you enjoying yourself last night, Granny,” she said.

“When you get to be my age,” Granny began bustling around behind the counter, gathering the tea things to put on a tray, “you don’t pass up the opportunities presented to you. Besides,” she said as the doorbell tinkled behind Belle, “I’m not the only one to have had a good time.” Granny nodded upwards, pointing with her chin toward the doorway, and Belle turned her head to see Mister Gold, making his way toward the counter. He was limping heavily, and leaning rather more than usual on his cane.

She turned to face him then, and greeted him with a concerned frown on her face. “Mister Gold, Good morning.”

“Miss Marchland,” he said. “I trust that that Jefferson saw you safely home after the Mayor’s Ball.”

She smiled. “He did, thank you for asking.” Then, with a gesture toward him asked, “Are you all right?”

He smiled tightly, a wry expression on his face as he answered, “Alas, the price of my self indulgence last evening.”

“Oh,” she said, distress coloring her voice as she felt responsible for that, “I’m sorry, I—”

“Please,” Mister Gold said, and held up a hand, “Don’t be. It was quite worth today’s difficulties.”

Belle thought to ask about the other man that he’d been speaking with, but in the end thought better of it, and instead asked, “I’m about to have tea. Would you care to join me?”

“I should be delighted,” he told her, but a look of regret settled over his face as he continued, “Unfortunately, however, I have business to attend to this morning that can’t wait.”

“Oh,” said Belle, unable to keep the disappointment from sounding in her voice, and blushing slight at the thought of it, wondering where her sudden desire to spend time with her landlord had come from, given that she hadn’t really changed her opinion of him as being annoying, rude and bad tempered. Exactly the opposite of the way he was behaving that morning.

Granny chose that moment to interrupt their awkwardness, by placing a ‘to go’ cup and a brown paper bag on the counter nearby to Mister Gold.

“There you go, Gold,” she said. “The usual.”

He placed a bill onto the counter, and briefly gestured in a roundabout kind of way, which evidently Granny understood, because she nodded and tucked the money away into the register without providing Gold with any change.

“Another time, perhaps.”

It took Belle a moment to realize that Mister Gold was talking to her, referring to their taking tea together, and she smiled, and nodded her thanks, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from blushing again.  What was it about the man that he could do that to her all the time.

Mister Gold smiled in return, then nodded respectfully to first Belle and then to Granny. “Good day, Miss Marchland; Missus Lucas,” he said, then picked up his things, and headed for the exit.

Belle watched him go, shaking her head, just slightly.

“Conundrum, isn’t he?” Granny observed. “Complete gentleman one minute, then total tool the next.”  She gestured to one of the comfortable booths against the window. “Go and have a seat. I’ll bring you your breakfast.”

Courtesy of Mister Gold, Belle realized then, and couldn’t help but blush.

**

Belle, with Ruby’s help, worked around the clock to ensure that she would meet her own self imposed deadline for getting the library open. She dressed carefully that first day, wanting to make a good impression; wanting to be the right mix of approachable, but professional. In the end she decided on a salmon pink, flared skirt, a sleeveless blue sweater top with red checks and a ruffled neckline, and high heeled black and nude shoes.

She was nervous, she realized, as she went downstairs and turned on the library lights, checking one more time to be certain that the circulation desk was ready, the members cards of those who had already registered were waiting to be given to their owners, and that all the books were in place. Then, before she changed her mind she unlocked the library doors, and since it was a rare, but nice day - if a little chilly - propped open the doors, and stood waiting, smiling behind the circulation desk.

For a while, no one came, and she started to worry, and then to feel a little disappointed, but as more people began to be around, one by one, they made their way into the library.

Mary Margaret, Storybrooke’s school teacher flitted in as though she were in a hurry, and fluttered around all of the bookshelves, looking but not touching, maneuvering back and forth between the stacks. Belle left her to her investigations for some time before she approached her, asking softly, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Glancing at the shelves, Belle saw there were in the stacks for 598, the section on birds and started running through her knowledge of which books she had that a school teacher might find interesting… but not just any school teacher, but one with an affinity for living things.

“Around this time of year I teach my children about caring for the birds, make them a project to build their own little bird house.  I was looking for something to read for myself, that might… help me to tell stories to engage them,” Mary Margaret said. “So that they don’t just think of it as something that they have to do, but what other people like to do.”

“I know just the thing,” Belle said, beaming brightly, and she searched along the shelf until she found what she was looking for. She took the book and carefully handed it to the woman in the snow white jacket, who took it carefully, running her eyes over the beautiful picture on the cover: a close up of a purple headed hummingbird with a long black beak and gray breast feathers.

“Fastest Things On Wings,” Mary Margaret read the title aloud.

Belle nodded. “The author rescues and rehabilitates hummingbirds, and that’s what her book is about,” She nodded at the book. “All of her experiences doing that.  I think you’ll like it.”

Mary Margaret smiled broadly, and hugged the book to her chest. “I think it will be perfect.”

“Well, take your time,” Belle said, “Look around. I’ll be at the desk when you are ready to check out.”

She moved away then, leaving the school teacher to her browsing. When Mary Margaret came to the desk a short time later, she was still clutching the book to her chest. Belle gave her a smile as she checked out the book.

A steady stream of people came in and out of the library, most of them knowing what section of the library they wanted, some even which books, and there were still some others that were only browsing. After a while though, Belle saw a young man hovering around the section of the library where the few books the library contained about pregnancy and childbirth were shelved. He looked worried, and a little guilty.

She approached him slowly, not wanting to scare him off, because a part of him looked like a man who needed help. In the end, when he saw her, he was the one to speak first.

“She… she’s pregnant, my girlfriend. Well she was my girlfriend, but my father says I shouldn’t have anything to do with her,” he explained, “but I don’t think that’s right… and I… I want to know, you know?”

Belle smiled, managing to piece together the fragments of his tale to fit together into a more cohesive story in her mind. It wasn’t her place to give advice to the young man, or tell him to go against his father’s wishes, but it was clear to her - as clear as the light coming in through the windows - that he really wanted to be involved but was perhaps too afraid to try.

“I think,” she said slowly, “That it’s great that you’re interested in what’s going on with your girlfriend, but would you trust me to make a suggestion?”

“Anything,” he said. “I’m really confused right now.”

“And really unhappy, it looks like,” she remarked. “Come with me.”

She led him out of the medical section and into the psychology section of the library, where she searched for a moment for the book she wanted to give him. Diary Of An Unborn Child, was somewhat alternative in its thinking, but she’d heard that many people of both sexes enjoyed reading the book and it somehow helped them to enjoy the time leading up to their child’s birth.

“Here,” she handed the book to him. “Try this. It might help you make up your mind about what you want to do.”

He looked from the book, to Belle and back again, and then smiled. “Thank you,” he said quietly.  She gave his arm a squeeze, and left him to find a place, where he sat, and began to read the first few pages of the book.

The afternoon was even busier than the morning had been, and Belle was practically rushed off her feet, helping people to find things to read, picking up the books that had been browsed then left on the tables in the library and setting them aside for later re-shelving, registering new readers, and checking out the books that they had chosen.

As evening rolled around, she managed a moment to herself and pulled one of the chairs from the table in the back of the library up to the side of the circulation desk and sat for a moment to rest her feet.  As she sat, she noticed a girl of around nine or ten years old, hovering nearby to the door of the library. She had obviously not yet been home from school, as she still wore her school coat, and a backpack on her back, and on her head, against the chill she wore a gray woolen hat, with a pink and white scarf around her neck which didn’t at all match anything else.  She couldn’t help but wonder who the girl was.

Belle stood again, and approached the doors, calling out a soft greeting to the girl, and then frowned when the child looked as if she were about to bolt.

“Hey it’s all right,” she said quietly, “It’s all right. You can come in if you want. The library is for everyone.”

The girl looked hesitant for a moment, indecisive, and then she said, “Thank you, but it’s okay. I should be going now. Thank you…” and then turned and with her head down, hurried away, leaving Belle frowning in a mix of worry and confusion, but there was little she could do - for now at least - except to keep an eye out for the girl, and maybe to ask around to see if anyone could tell her who she was.

It wasn’t until around nine-thirty in the evening that Belle began to realize that the one person she had hoped would show up on the library’s opening day was the one person who had been - if not instrumental - then at the very least important to it happening at all. Mister Gold had been conspicuous by his absence. It took every ounce of self control for her not to go out of the library and cross the street to see if the light was on in his shop, but she decided that he was truly an obstinate man, and she wasn’t about to go chasing around after him.

She nodded to herself, and began the process of packing up for the night, picking up books to shelve them ready for the next day, when one of the books caught her eye, and she slipped it back onto the circulation desk rather than the cart for re-shelving. She had wanted to return the favor and share some of her favorite poems with Hunter, and decided that John Ashbery’s Rivers and Mountains was a good place to start. She would just have to take it out to the tree where she had left the first book for him.

It was a nice evening, and the moon would be quite bright outside of town, so she supposed a late evening walk wouldn’t hurt, but by the time she got upstairs to where Ruby was lounging on the couch with a large glass of wine in one hand - and another on the table for Belle, of which she gratefully took a long drink - and a plate with a slice of chocolate cake in the other hand, she realized just how tired she was.

“Hey,” Ruby said, “I didn’t think you were ever coming up.”

“Sorry,” Belle said, “I should have told you the library hours.” She flopped down onto the sofa beside Ruby, somehow managing not to spill the wine from her glass and reached out to steal a morsel of chocolate cake from her friend’s platter. Then, she rested her head against the side of Ruby’s shoulder. “Gods, my feet are killing me… actually, I ache all over.”

Ruby chuckled. “Why don’t you go take a nice bubble bath,” she suggested, “And when you come out, you can have a piece of cake all to yourself.”

“Hmmm,” Belle made a sound of appreciation. “That’s very good, by the way.”

“Why, thank you,” Ruby gave a half seated little bow, somehow, dislodging Belle from her shoulder.

“As tempting as it is though, I was going to go and take a walk… leave another book for Hunter, by the tree, you know…?”

“Belle!” Ruby’s playfulness evaporated in an instant, as she turned sideways on the couch to look at her. “Seriously, is that what you really want?  Is he really?”

Belle sighed, and shrugged, torn between the romance of the poetry and Hunter’s easy going attentiveness, and the aloof, prickliness and courtly stiffness of the still-mysterious Mister Gold.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she huffed at last. “It was just… an idea.”

Ruby reached out, and plucked the wine glass from her hand just as she was about to take a sip and set it down on the coffee table, before pushing Belle up off the couch.

“Well, girlfriend,” she said. “You go soak yourself in that lovely claw-foot tub your landlord furnished your bathroom with. Then see where your ideas take you.”

[snowbellewells]

Self Promo Sunday: “Scaling the Walls”

Originally, I started this one before the season four finale actually aired, though the idea and set-up were based on the promos, and I didn’t finish it until that episode had shown. Still, this is more my own idea of how the “Emma being trapped in a tower and needing a rescue” plot could have played out. I revisited it the other day and thought that someone else might also enjoy it on Self-Promo Sunday!

"Scaling the Walls”

By: @snowbellewells

Wave upon wave of pain racks her body, radiating through unendingly, nearly rocking Emma Swan off her feet. The only thing keeping her from falling to the floor in an unconscious heap are the chains binding her hand and foot to the stone wall of her tower prison. Her eyes slam shut, and she tries fruitlessly to press her hands to her brow, only to have the motion arrested halfway through by the shortness of her bonds. It feels as if her head may split in two if she cannot exert some pressure to keep her senses together, but all her efforts are for naught. She is trapped and will remain so, no end to her agony in sight.

A strangled scream rises from her throat, pouring past her lips out the window into the trackless woods surrounding her cell and reverberating off its walls. She feels her heart wrenching and shattering as this psychotically unrecognizable version of Snow White plunges her hand once more into Emma's chest and grasps, squeezing and trying to pull out her own daughter's heart. The fact that this is her mother, made bloodthirsty and malicious by some wretched curse, only makes the torture worse, as the face whose kindness Emma has always treasured grins wickedly and Snow throws back her head with an evil laugh. "Oh darling! If you think you will ever defeat me, you're living in a dream world. You as the uprising’s pathetic hope?!? Their promised Savior?" The words are hissed right in Emma's face as the clawed fingers squeeze her pounding organ tighter and jerk at it again, "It’s almost laughable. I am the Queen, and you will rot in this tower, unless you relinquish your lovely heart, and your magic, and submit to my control."

Emma is practically trembling with pain and exertion, sweat running down her forehead and stinging in her eyes, fists clenched at the effort it takes merely to retain awareness through this newest onslaught, petrified by what might happen to her if she slips away. She bites almost through her lower lip, trying not to scream or cry anymore – knowing it only brings this twisted version of Snow pleasure. She has also long since ceased trying to remind her mother of the truth, as it also brought only pain at previous attempts. It hardly bears mentioning that her magic is either not working or no longer accessible to her. She is certain that this Snow won't take that for an answer. Still, can't the other woman see that if Emma had control of her powers she wouldn't stay here at their mercy? Tears fall from Emma's eyes silently at the cruel, unknowing stare focused on her, but she holds back any sound.

The new Evil Queen twists her hand within Emma's chest, and Emma is sure she must be dying. A howl of agony tears from her throat against her will and echoes in horrible crescendo. The sounds of abject despair and torment go winging out the lone window of the tower to be heard for miles around by those who ignore the cries of a rumored hero supposedly suffering at the Queen's hand.

The heartless slave version of Prince Charming steps forward from where he waits in the shadows, hand outstretched in supplication as he urges his Queen. "Your Majesty!" he pleads fervently. "Stop, please! You'll kill her at this rate and never harness her magic for yourself!"

His dark haired mistress darts a dangerous, crackling, narrow-eyed look over her shoulder at him against the far wall, pausing only an instant before her hand shoots out and throws him against the solid stone, where he falls incapacitated. "Silence!" Snow White orders needlessly as he seems completely stunned into submission.

Her shuttered, emotionless eyes, venomous and sharp as any serpent's, flick back to her prisoner and gleam with cold intent. "You're going nowhere, Princess," she purrs, the title cruel and mocking with the inflection she gives it. "You'll die a prisoner either way. But how much more you suffer before I can gain your heart and your power is entirely up to you. Tell me now how I can accomplish this, and put yourself out of your misery."

Emma trembles helplessly where she stands; her abused, aching muscles stretched beyond endurance but unable to gain relief. She wants to cry out to Snow that she is not this monster; they need to fight together to escape whatever alternate reality Gold and the Author have plunged them into - despite knowing her plea will do no good. Though she senses she will need her magic before all is said and done, though she knows she must hang onto what strength and sanity she has left, Emma thinks that in this awful moment, if she knew how to give up her powers, she would allow the Queen to have them. She doesn't know where Killian or Henry, or any of the other people she has come to know and care about, are – if they have been brought along in this nightmare as well, if they know themselves, or if they have been changed. All she has seen is the inside of these stone walls and these horrific mockeries that should never be called her parents.

However, Snow White seems to take her quiet helplessness as defiance and she shrieks in wild rage. "Have it your way!" she yells. An almost electric pulse of energy erupts from the other woman's palm, and Emma feels it crawling through her veins, burning and scorching unbearably.

Her howls of helpless agony as she quivers in her restraints overlap on each other in desperate, unending climax, until she finally slumps, boneless and insensate in her chains, lost to the world.

~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~~

Killian Jones does not know how he got himself roped into such a ridiculous venture. He shakes his head in disbelief once more as he looks behind him to the skinny, bedraggled youth with brown hair flopping in his eyes who follows him through the thick undergrowth at the forest's edge – 'more a fool's errand than a hero's journey' his mind insinuates as he recalls the words of the boy on his heels as he had looked up at Killian with a wide open expression of hope.

What had he been thinking, letting his sense of duty move him to follow this child off his ship, away from the harbor, and on this – what had the lad called it? Operation? Yes, that was it…Operation Swan's Rescue. He had thought himself long past dreams of being a dashing hero and undertaking courageous missions for the good of his people. That was all burned away in the ashes of a Pegasus sail and sunk to the depths with Liam's body long ago, when he was another man. Yet, he has never claimed to be wise or cautious, to do what makes reasonable sense, and he was not able to resist this ragamuffin's precocious grin or the somehow familiar twinkle in his big, trusting eyes, and so here they were, quite possibly chasing a mirage, a dream: a princess in a tower needing a champion to save her.

The lad certainly weaves a compelling tale, Killian thinks to himself as he pushes further into the trees and bracken, keeping well off the beaten path. Of course, he has heard the stories; everyone in this section of the kingdom – where the tower is supposed to reside – has heard of the Savior, the lovely being of hope and light magic, somehow born to the Evil Queen and her favorite plaything, then imprisoned by said mother in fear of her daughter's magical power someday overthrowing her reign of terror. Killian himself had always thought them mere fables – fireside tales to charm and entertain. However, this boy seems so sincere, and so desperate, that he finds himself believing the youth's words.

Beyond that hunch, the sense of trust, his mind cannot help but whisper, 'What if?" If there is truly a Savior, a being of Light and Good, who could restore this land to what it once was, to the beautiful, peaceful kingdom of his youth where he remembers running wild in the fields with Liam chasing him laughingly, where he wove daisy chains to take home to his mother and he could still bask in the love of her pleased, quiet smile. If the Evil Queen's rule can be brought to an end, doesn't he owe it to his people, his country, and Liam's memory, to explore every possibility? Isn't it only good form for one in his post to venture forth and make sure? Not only that, but if such a pure innocent is being held captive, if everyone knows and merely leaves her to such a fate…it twists knots of tension in his gut, not letting his mind rest. A fool he may be. He may be walking directly to his death, but his conscience will let him pursue no other course.

They have come to a stop at a running brook – refilling their canteens, slaking their thirst, catching their breaths – when a wretched wail of agony rings out in the air, silencing the birds and echoing off the trees in harsh, violent waves. Killian's eyes meet the lad Henry's, and they both freeze, horrified by the sound of such suffering. The anguish he hears in that cry lets Killian know for certain he was right to follow this quest. He must stop whatever is being done to this prisoner.

They take off at a run, unheeding of their safety or what they may find. Crashing through thorn bushes and grasping vines, panting with exertion, they both nearly go tumbling headlong to the ground when Killian skids to a sudden halt and Henry plows right into his back.

They have dashed into a deserted clearing, and there before them, rising dark and foreboding into the clouds, stands the tower. The grey stones are cracked and jutting, looking as dark and unwelcoming as must have been intended, and though his eyes search frantically along the base, Killian can see no way in.

Both pirate and youth stand frozen in uncertainty for a long stretch, until abruptly the cries of suffering halt, all goes silent, and Killian finds himself desperately jolted forward. He does not know if this will work, but he simply must take action. The imprisoned woman – according to Henry, their last chance – cannot be dead. They cannot be too late. Grasping at the rugged wall as best he can with his one working hand, he wedges his hook into a crack between stones. With one last glance to make sure his young compatriot is still with him, Killian begins to climb the tower.

~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~888~~~

Awareness trickles back to Emma with the scrabbling, scratching sounds of metal scraping along stone. Blinking her eyes blearily and raising her head from where it had slumped awkwardly on her chest, she vaguely determines that the strange scuffling is coming from just outside her prison's single window.

Emma scrunches her brow in confusion, trying to determine what new threat could be coming for her now. She knows that the tower is high, high enough that no fully sane person would attempt to scale its walls. For the few fleeting instants she has been free of her chains in the years it seems she has been held captive here, she was able to see out over the entire forest, well over the tops of the tallest trees.

Just as she is looking fruitlessly around the barren room for something she can defend herself with against this intruder, a metal hook and strong forearm fling themselves in the window and clutch tightly, soon pulling a messily wind-ruffled head of black hair and a belovedly familiar face over with them. Her pirate, whom she had begun to fear herself lost from forever, practically hauls himself though the opening, flopping onto the stone floor, chest heaving with exertion.

"Killian!" she cries out plaintively, so glad to see him that she doesn't even care how girlish and helpless it might make her sound. "You found me!" She begins to run to him, momentarily forgetting her bonds, until the chains jerk her back.

His head shoots up at the sound of her voice, startled blue eyes meeting her gaze. He looks unsure, as if he doesn't know what to make of her awe-filled greeting. Turning quickly in the next moment to stand and return to the window again, he surprises her once more by reaching out his hand to pull someone else up and into the window after him.

Emma's heart swells at the sight of Henry. Both her son and the man she loves are here at last, safe and sound and come to rescue her. Henry doesn't seem to suffer the same confusion that Killian does. Once the man has stopped brushing him off, asking if he is okay, and lets him go, Henry rushes to her with a joyfully relieved shout of "Mom!" and wraps his arms around her – literally bringing warmth and hope back into her cold, lonely false existence.

"You found me," she repeats, a dazed whisper this time, overwhelmed by the belief and determination her son has shown to get here, and the bravery he has exhibited in climbing a tower guarded by the Evil Queen's men, at the risk of his own life – for her sake. She squeezes him tighter, wishing more than she has in all the rest of her time here to be free of the chains so that she can really take her little boy – well, young man now – fully in her arms.

She can only chuckle and shake her head when he grins at her and says exactly what she should have been expecting, "Did you really doubt we would?"

Emma's gaze flicks to Killian again, where he stands back awkwardly watching the reunion. He scratches the spot behind his ear uncertainly, but then he meets her curious, searching glance. She is frozen when their eyes make contact, breath catching with emotion. Not only is he here helping Henry, but he came to her aid even without remembering who she is or what they mean to each other. She wants so badly for him to hold her, for the sort of passionate kiss they have only recently begun to allow themselves to set everything back to rights.

Surprisingly, as the moment stretches on, Emma can see something come over Killian's face. She holds her breath, hoping against hope that somehow what they have, the connection between them, has survived this reboot of their history and who they are in this fictional reality. As she has suffered here alone, afraid she would never see his face, hear his beautiful, lilting voice, or feel his gentle but inflaming touch again, she had come to realize the truth. She loves him with a depth that scares her. She has for a long time, but could never find the words to say it aloud.

Killian tilts his head to the side, beautiful ocean eyes squinting in concentration as he studies her face, almost seeming to look beneath her skin, into her soul. Taking a tentative step forward, he reaches out, taking her hand in his one, gently rubbing soothing fingers over her skin reddened from the heavy shackle. Reaching out with his hook, he smoothes her wild, tangled hair back from her face and over her shoulder; a familiar, intimate gesture he has made several times, whether he realizes it or not. "I know you, Lass. Do I not?" he finally murmurs, eyes searching hers for an answer.

It is as though he has stolen the very breath from her lungs and the words right off her lips. All Emma can do is stare at him, amazed by his unbelievable, inexplicable faith, and nod in affirmation. She can still see wonder and adoration shining from his face, directed at her, even if he isn't sure why. Can he still somehow see what he means to her in her face? Still feel what they have – or echoes of it – despite everything that has been altered? Emma finds herself willing to hope as never before.

Unfortunately, at that moment they are interrupted by the sound of several pairs of booted feet pounding up the steps to her cell, harsh voices calling about intruders and securing the 'mad princess'. All three of them whirl to stare at the heavy door of Emma's cell in alarm, knowing the pirate and young prince can climb back out, but that they have no way to release her from her chains. She can't escape with them.

"Go!" she urges desperately, trying to spur both Henry and Killian on. She cannot bear to think what may happen to them if they are discovered here trying to free her. The guards are getting closer all the time and her heartbeat is pulsing in her throat at the danger to her two most precious loves. "You can't be found here! Please!"

Henry's eyes show understanding beyond his years as he nods his assent. Clasping her hand tightly for a split second, he vows, "We'll be back for you, Mom," before he moves toward the window, swinging one leg over the ledge and preparing to go.

Killian's face shows no such resignation. His look is desperate, frantic to save her. "What happens to you when we go, Love? I cannot leave you to them!"

"You have to, Killian…for now…I'll be alright." She gives him a brave, if tremulous, smile, needing him to be safe, even if she is not.

"No," he breathes, shaking his head and not moving an inch, even when Emma hears the running footsteps halt and instead the dreadful sound of a key turning in the ancient, rusty lock.

Whirling to face the door as it swings open, Emma prays that somehow Killian will slip out the window after Henry in the nick of time, or that some echo of the magic she possesses in their real world will shield him from their malevolent foes. Of course, as they have been ever since she opened her eyes in this parallel universe, her wishes are ignored, and with cries of attack four of the Queen's armed black guards charge forward.

Killian steps in front of Emma swiftly, easily shielding her in a single movement. He pulls the cutlass from his belt and strikes down the first assailant with deadly grace; the movement a slash as quick and sharp as a jagged finger of lightning. The second opponent meets his hook and falls motionless at their feet.

For several tense moments, Emma's breath is stolen watching the lethal accuracy Killian employs, protecting them both flawlessly and without hesitation. He ducks the third attacker's strike, and the guard overshoots, running past them, stumbling and falling just in time for the pirate to parry a fourth henchman's blow. They engage for only the briefest flurry of sword passes before Killian has bested this one as well and kicked the unconscious man away. He turns sharply, on guard with the knowledge that one last aggressor is still waiting.

Emma wants to call out to warn him, spare him the shocked pain she sees flare in his eyes when he finds his last foe, but she can't – not with the guard's hand gripping her throat, cutting off her air and her voice. She shakes her head at her sailor, knowing he won't protect his own safety but merely lunge forward to save her. She puts out a hand in an effort to wave him back, urging him to think for a moment, fight as smart as he has been, but somehow Killian misconstrues her motion and lets his eyes follow her gesture. Perhaps he thought she was reaching out for him in fear, but he is distracted one second too long.

The guard stabs forward, arm pushing stealthily from under Emma's outstretched one. He catches Killian in the side, under his ribs, and then drags the sword blade across and up, slicing a long path through leather and flesh with sickening depth.

Those fathomless blue eyes snap wide in shock and pain and a gasp flies from his lips as Killian's forward stride draws up short. Having achieved his goal, the final guard releases his grip on Emma and flings her away. Emma registers that she is screaming, crying out for Killian, but he doesn't answer, falling to his knees and bringing his hands up disbelievingly to the blood flowing from his side.

"Let that be a lesson to you before considering future attempts at escape," the guard growls roughly. "I'll leave him with you, to be sure you understand the price of crossing our Queen."

The heavy door slams shut again behind him, and Emma stumbles forward, clanking chains and all, to fall beside her pirate, sobbing out his name and pulling his head into her lap, cradling him protectively the best she can with her limited movement, tears falling from her eyes to his cheeks as she bends her head over him, fearing he is already gone, the wound is so bad. "Please…Killian…I'm so sorry…" she murmurs frantically, brushing his dark hair off his forehead, trying to ease his pain and keep him with her.

It isn't long before she feels smaller hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a hug from behind, trying to offer comfort before crouching next to her and attempting to staunch the blood still pouring from Killian's wound.

"Henry?" she questions blearily, confused.

He shrugs, "I just held onto the outside wall right below the window. Luckily they didn't check for anyone else. When the fighting stopped, I crawled back in."

She shakes her head at his daring, but her eyes quickly fly back to her pirate. To her shock, he is also chuckling at her son, though the sound is rough and choking. "There's a lad," he manages teasingly to Henry, before a horrible wracking cough interrupts and she sees blood at the corners of his mouth when he pulls his hand away afterwards.

Emma's tears still fall and she begins whispering apologies in his ear once more. He only shakes his head, "No, Lass…don't….be sorry. You are worth it. You and Henry….will find… a way out…I'm…glad I was…part of it…" His eyes flutter closed and his chest heaves mightily to keep moving up and down.

"Killian?...No!" she cries out when his eyes fail to reopen.

"Mom!" Henry breaks into her panic, his hand on her upper arm pulling her back to her senses. "Mom, you have to kiss him. True Love's Kiss! It'll save him. It has to!"

It seems so farfetched that she hardly dares to hope, but Emma is out of options and desperate not to have Killian slip away in front of her. Tracing a hand along his jaw, she lets her eyes slide shut and leans even closer to his mouth. Just before she presses her lips to his, she whispers as she did once before, "Killian, come back to me."

A disconcerting pull in her stomach and a spinning feeling makes it seem for a minute as if the world has turned upside down and the floor has dropped from under her. Blinking her eyes to look around once the whirling sensation eases, Emma is stunned to find them back in Storybrooke, sprawled inelegantly on the pavement in the middle of Main Street. Her fingers are somehow miraculously twined with Killian's as he sits up beside her, whole and unharmed from the sword wound still fresh in her memory, and her other arm is wrapped tightly around Henry. The chains and her tower prison are gone, and she gapes like a newborn baby at her surroundings. Killian turns to her, a rakish grin on his face, and she knows both realities are in his mind too. "It would appear you saved me, Swan," he teases lightly, but real affection brims in his eyes.

"What would I do without you, Pirate?" she whispers, holding on tighter and trying to keep the quaver from her voice as she burrows into his embrace. It is long past time he heard the words, and suddenly so simple for her to add in a whisper against his heart, "I love you."

Tagging a few who might enjoy: @kmomof4 @hollyethecurious @searchingwardrobes @therooksshiningknight @spartanguard @jennjenn615 @bmbbcs4evr @resident-of-storybrooke @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @laschatzi @ilovemesomekillianjones @gingerchangeling @blackwidownat2814

[icequeenoriginal]

The Sarcastic Bros First Adventure (Logicality Fanfic)

(This is a fanfic for @sugarglider9603 Sander Sides Mario AU. I highly recommend checking it out.)

Pairing: Logicality

Warning: kidnapping and fighting (It’s a Mario AU)

Here we go again.  

As the platform rose towards the top of the tower, the past few days flashed before Logan’s eyes. How did he get into his situation? He closed his eyes to think it through.

It started like any normal day. He woke up, made breakfast and forced his brother Virgil to wake up. They ate in silence, Virgil wasn’t a morning person, and they got ready for their day of work. Logan didn’t mind being a plumber, it paid the bills. It was just he didn’t get a say in his life. His parents instructed him and his brother that they were leaving the Mushroom Kingdom and it was up to the two of them to run the family business. That was five years ago. Since then, he’s been fixing towels, eating, watching the stars at night, and sleeping. In that order.

He just wished some exciting would happen.

Boy, did he get it.

A Talyn frantically banged on the brother’s door. Groaning, Logan slowly got up. He wasn’t ready to fix yet another towel THIS quickly. The Talyn was so relieved to see him that Logan became concerned.

“Mr. Logan! I need your help!”

“Of course. Is it your toilet or sink?”

“What?” The Talyn was confused before they shook their head “No! No! I need you to save Prince Patton.”

Logan stared at the Talyn in disbelief. Vigil got up from his chair and joined Logan at the door. Virgil was amused, Logan was confused. The Talyn became more and more frustrated.

“Why are you just standing here?! Go save Patton! You are Logan “Jumpman” Sanders, right?!”

That sentence made Virgil laugh and Logan groaned.

Jumpman, his hated nickname. Logan had an extraordinary ability to jump. WIthout any help, he could jump five feet in the air. Once, while he was fixing up a Talyn’s bathroom, a young Thomas got stuck in a tree. Without really thinking it through, Logan exited the house and jumped up, getting the Thomas down safely. The Talyn was so grateful that they made dinner for Virgil and him. He didn’t think much of it until it seemed like every other day he was helping to get someone or something down.

Virgil could jump just as high, maybe even higher, but he was too nervous to do it. He didn’t like all the attention Logan got. It wasn’t for him.

Logan looked at the Talyn. They weren’t going to take no for an answer. He sighed “Alright, tell me everything that happened.”

~

Prince Patton had just finished making a batch of cookies when HE arrived. A Talyn told Patton that a man who claimed to a King was here to see him. Patton, after handing the cookies over to them, walked up to him and smiled kindly.

“Greetings! I am Prince Patton.” Patton bowed and so did the mysterious man. “How may I assist you?”

The man smirked, a snake-like tongue exited his mouth. The Talyns and Thomases present hide behind Patton, terrified of this snake-man. “My, you are lovelier than I heard.”

Patton smiled but he was clearly distressed. Whenever his people were scared, he was scared. “Oh. Thank you. And you are…?”

“Oh, how rude of me. My name is King Bowceit. I have come for your hand.”

“My hand?”

“Yes, your hand in marriage.”

“O-Oh that’s very kind of you, b-but I’m not really looking for a husband right now…” It was a lie. Patton wanted a significant other more than anything. But Patton was a hopeless romantic, he wanted that spark, that zing. He didn’t feel it with this Bowciet guy.

Bowceit smirk dropped. “Did you say no?”

“I did. I’m sorry for making you come all this way--”

“I’m sorry your highness but, I’m not leaving here without you.”

“Excuse me?!” Patton wasn’t one to get angry but this guy was scaring his people and be exceptionally rude. Patton walked over to the door and held it open “Good day sir!”

Bowciet slowly turned to him, his smile dripped with evil and lust, a smile that terrified Patton to no end. He grabbed Patton’s arm and threw him over his shoulder. “I said I’m marrying you, one way or another,” Patton screamed and struggled against his grip. Bowceit was unaffected by his struggles and simply jumped back onto his ship.

The Thomases and Talyns ran after them but were stopped by Goombas and Koopas blocking their path. The rounded up all the Thomases and Talyns, with the exception of the one who is currently speaking to Logan and Virgil. It was madness.

~

This Talyn was brought to tears from recounting the events. Virgil was in complete shock, Logan became angry. He didn’t personally know the Prince but no one should be forced to deal with that.

He placed his hand on the Talyn’s head. “We’ll get your prince back.”

Virgil whipped his head towards him. “We?!”

“Oh thank you so much, Mr. Logan!” The Talyn ran off and told their friends about the two heroes who were going to save the Prince. Logan went back inside the house and put his boots on. Virgil ran in front of him panicked. “Y-You’re kidding, right? We’re not actually going to do this, right?!”

“He needs our help, Virgil, they all do.” Logan picked up his hat off the hanger and placed it on his head. He grabbed Virgil’s and tossed it to him.

“B-But we’re not heroes! We’re plumbers!”

“You always said you wanted a career change”

“You know this isn’t what I meant! Besides, you heard what that Talyn said! This guy kidnapped the Prince! He’s probably very dangerous! We could die!”

“Well then stay here, I told that Talyn that I was going to save the Prince so that’s what I’m going to do.” Logan began to walk out the door. “So are you going to help me or not?”

Logan waited a few moments before heading out of the Mushroom Kingdom and towards the unknown. Virgil gripped his hat before cursing to himself and putting it on. He ran after Logan.

“This better not bite me in the ass!”

~

Patton shook as Bowciet put him down. He kept quiet as Bowciet tied up his wrists but he leaned back to keep a distance between them. Bowciet smiled, his tongue almost touching Patton’s nose. “I’m sorry for my forwardness but I couldn’t lose you.”

“That wasn’t very nice of you.” “I just apologized.”

“Well, that doesn’t change my answer. I will not marry you!”

“Hate to break it to you sweetheart but you don’t have a choice. There is no way to escape and no one will be able to save you.” Patton bit the inside of his cheek, he really didn’t want to marry this guy but Bowciet was right.

A Koopa ran in, suddenly becoming nervous when he became face to face with Bowciet. “S-Sir…”

“Yes, what is it?! I’m in the middle of something!” He motioned to an annoyed Patton. “...”

“Out with it!” He snarled.

“T-Two mysterious heroes are on their way to save the prince. They’ve already made it through through the Desert Zone.” Patton smiled, he didn’t have to lose hope.

“What were you saying before?”

Bowciet growls “QUIET! Take him to the tower and make sure there is no way for him to get out.” Bowciet forced Patton to stand up and dragged him over to the Koopa “Don’t get your hopes up doll, I’ll crush them before they can make it to the Ice Zone.” Patton responded by puffing his chest up and following the Koopa. He had no doubt in his mind that these heroes would say him. He began to blush as he pictured what his hero could possibly look like. He already knew he was brave and caring, most likely handsome and strong.

When they got the room, the Koopa undid the ropes on Patton’s wrist and locked the door. Patton sat at the window and waited. He put all his faith in his hero.

~

Logan could not believe how paranoid this Bowciet guy was. It seems like every step he took, another enemy wanted to kill him. Logan was slowly being sent into madness by every Talyn taking him for rescuing them and advising him that the prince is another castle.

Virgil’s anxiety was through the roof. Nothing about this made any sense to him. He ate a mushroom and got taller. His brother touched a flower and could now throw flames out of his hands. Oh, why didn’t he just stay home?! He could be in his bed, reading a book, sipping tea--

“Virgil look out!” Virgil snapped out of his daze and just barely jumped out of the way of a shell that was rolling towards him. He landed on it, pick it up and tossed it at a bunch of Gombas. He couldn’t help but smile at his handiwork.

He admired how strong his brother was, nothing seemed to bother him or scare him like Virgil.

What Virgil didn’t know was Logan was beyond petrified. He was in no way prepared for this task that he decided to undertake. He cursed his need to help people. But he couldn’t turn back. Patton needed him. He didn’t know why he needed to help Patton, he just did. He knew this was something only he and his brother could do. He didn’t know why. He hadn’t felt this absence of knowledge since the day his parents had abandoned him and his brother. Then it hit him. That was why he wanted to help Patton. Patton was alone. He didn’t get a choice in what happened to him. Just like Logan didn’t.

He and Patton were connected and he had to help them.

~

Logan knew they had made it to the right castle. Eighth times a charm. Plus, the flames and the size of the castle seemed to only support his hypothesis. He and Virgil snuck past the guards and walked toward the throne room. Virgil inspected the other doors in the room, hoping they would find the Prince before Bowciet found them.

He wasn’t so lucky.

Bowciet pressed a button, causing the room to split in half, separating the brothers. Virgil gripped onto the back wall in fear. A river of lava kept him from helping his brother. He was ready to pass out.

Logan growled at the man in front of him. He had on a spiked leather jacket and wore a malicious smirk. Logan got into a defensive position and stared down his opponent.

Bowciet placed the remote in his pocket and began to clap. “So you’re the hero who’s trying to ruin my plan. Or should I say, heroes?” Virgil shook his head. He suddenly retired from his new career as a hero.

Logan wasn’t easily shaken. “Where is Prince Patton?”

“Sorry, I’m not telling~!”

Logan had enough. It has been a very long day, and Patton has been waiting for him for a while. He jumped up and punched Bowciet in the face. Bowciet was clearly stunned by this for it took him a moment before he began to use his flame breath against Logan.

Virgil watched horrified as his brother went toe to toe with this dragon-snake man. Logan kick, punch, anything to stop Bowciet.

The remote that Bowciet used to separate the room went flying out of his pocket. It landed in front of Virgil, the lava only separating it from him. Virgil didn’t know what to do? Should he try to grab it? What if he couldn’t jump that far?! What if he landed on it?! What if?! What if?!

His mind was made up when he heard his brother scream. Bowciet was pushing Logan’s face closer and closer to the lava. That was it!

Virgil ran towards the back of the room, ran as quickly as he could towards the lava. He successfully jumped over it and grabbed the remote.

“HEY!” Both Logan and Bowciet turned to look at him. Logan used this distraction to kick Bowciet off of him. Virgil pressed the button and the room slid back together, Bowciet ran towards Virgil, ready to attack. Logan grabbed him by his tail and threw him into a wall. Bowciet hit it head on and didn’t get back up. Logan kicked him once more before running out of the room to find Patton.

~

Logan ran up the stairs to the tower. Virgil followed him, praying to get to the top as soon as possible. In front of them was a door with two Hammer Bros blocking it. Logan, still on his adrenaline high from fighting Bowciet, easily dodged their hammers and threw them out the window.

Patton jumped at the sudden noise outside his door. He got up from the bed and stood behind the door.

“Prince Patton?”

“Yes? I’m here!”

Logan sighed of relief, he had finally found the Prince. “We’re here to rescue you. Please back away from the door.”

“Oh! Of course!” Patton backed up as the door as Logan kicked it open.

Patton saw the man before him. He was in overalls, sweaty and looked very tired. He was perfect.  

Patton embraced him. “Thank you for saving me!”

Logan was stunned silent. The man currently hugging him was beautiful and his voice made Logan want to melt. Patton asked for his name but his voice had left him. Virgil chuckled at his brother and shook his head. “This is my brother Logan. I’m Virgil.”

Patton pulled away from Logan and smiled at Virgil. “Thank you for rescuing me!”

“Don’t thank me, Logan did most of the work. He’s the one who defeated Bowciet!”

Logan began to blush madly. “He did? Then I must reward him!” Patton kissed Logan’s cheek, turning his face redder than any mushroom in all the land. Patton found himself blushing, he had only known this man for a few moments but he knew he felt that zing when they first locked eyes.

Virgil leaned against a wall, watching Patton and Logan flirt. His arm hit a torch and the castle started to rumble. The three of them went pale.

“We need to get out of here or we’re ALL GOING TO DIE!”

“Start looking for an exit Virgil, I got the Prince!” Virgil nodded and ran out of the room. Logan turned to Patton.

“I’ve got you, your majesty. I-If that’s alright.” Patton smiled and nodded. Logan quickly scooped up Patton and they ran out of the castle. Patton began to blushed, he liked being in Logan’s arms.

Bowciet began to regain his consciousness. He forced himself to get up and stumbled in front of Logan and Patton. Patton gripped onto Logan tightly, Logan narrowed his eyes at him.

“T-This isn’t over…”

“It probably isn’t. You don’t seem like someone who can be reasoned with.” Bowciet stared at him before stumbling towards the back door. He stop when he was right next to Logan.

“I’m going to get a King, I will not stop until I do.”

“And I will defeat you every time.” With that, Logan ran out of the castle. Bowciet barely made it to his airship before the castle completely collapsed.

Virgil jumped at the sound of the castle falling apart. Logan held Patton close in an effort to calm him down. Patton smiled and hugged him, a sentiment that made Logan swoon.

Logan carried Patton the entire way back, despite how tired he was. Patton did not mind it one bit.

The Talyns and Thomases rejoiced when they saw that their prince had returned. They gathered around the trio, cheering and crying in pure joy.

Logan gently put Patton down, kissed his hand and smiled “Be safe your majesty.” He turned and began to walk back to his life as a plumber.

Patton awoke out of the daze he didn’t realize he was in and turned to his people, smiling widely. “Everyone! I want you to meet the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom! Logan and Virgil Sanders!” The crowd cheered once more. Patton motioned for the brothers to follow him. He brought in and bake them cookies. He offered them rooms in the castle.

“Your very kind your majesty.” Patton giggled and blushed at Logan. Logan couldn’t help but blush too. They were falling in love by the second, neither wanting their conversation to end.

“So, tell me about yourself hero.”

“Well, Virgil and I--” Logan turned to motion to his brother but Virgil was already halfway out the door.

Virgil looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I’m going to go walk around, you two should keep talking. I’ll come back later.”

Patton and Logan talked for hours on end, getting to know each other. They didn’t need to, it was like two longtime friends meeting once again. It was a beautiful site.

Logan swore to Patton to always protect him from Bowceit or whoever tried to hurt him ever again. If it meant Logan would be at his side always, Patton didn’t care if someone came after him every day.

~

For the next week, Logan continually went to the castle, just to check on Patton he would tell Virgil. They fell into a pattern. Patton would jump off the balcony and fall into Logan’s arms then they would just spend time together. They would bake, they would go on walks, anything that required the two of them to be alone together.

One afternoon, they invited Virgil to join them for lunch at the castle. Patton had just put the food down when an out of breath Talyn ran into the room. They nearly passed out. Patton went over to them and help them to a chair.

“Rest, please. Tell me what happened. Slowly now dear.”

“Bow...Bowcieit...he...he took...Ro…” They fainted before they could finish their sentence. Logan walked over to a clearly distressed Patton and put his hand on Patton’s shoulder.

“What happened Pat?” Logan stopped saying “Your Majesty” by the second day of getting to know Patton. Patton adored the nicknames.

He turned to Logan and took his hands “Prince Roman, my best friend and the Prince of the Sarasaland, he was taken by Bowciet. Please help him.”

Logan looked into Patton’s pleading eyes, how could he say no to him? “Of course we will”

Here we go again.

@thatsthat24

[swanqueeneverafter]

What Dreams May Come, Pt.32

Dream World. Location As Yet Unknown. (Emma's eyes snap open, knowing immediately that something is very wrong. Turning in a slow circle, she sees herself surrounded by forest. Only upon almost losing her balance, does Emma finally realise what's happened.) Emma: (Clutching her pregnant stomach:) "No. It can be... she didn't-" Robin: (Cautiously approaching:) "Aunt Regina?" Emma: "Regina? No... this can't be happening. (Looks to Zelena who stands several paces away:) You knew about this?" Zelena: "Yes, I knew." Emma: "We have to go back. We have to stop her." Zelena: "We can't go back, we're stuck here now. Anyway, Regina went through the portal before us, remember?" Emma: "I went through the portal first! At least that was the plan. How could you let her do this?" Robin: "Wait a minute. Aunt Emma?" Emma: "Yeah. Thanks to your mom. (To Zelena:) How could you do this to me?" Zelena: "I didn't. Regina enlisted Tinker Bell for the job. I just went along with it." Emma: "But why?" Zelena: "Because my sister loves you. She couldn't bear the thought of you reliving your trauma, so Regina made sure you wouldn't." Emma: "We have to get her out of there, we have to save her." Zelena: "And we will, but first we have to figure out where we are. (Looking around:) This place was meant for Regina, so who knows what challenges lie ahead." Emma: "If anything happens to Regina, I swear I'll-" Zelena: "Ah ah. Careful Emz, (Pulls a pouch from her pocket and holds it up:) this is fairy dust. It's the only thing that will change you two back into your own bodies again, so if I were you, I'd keep that in mind." Robin: "Mom's right, Emma. The best thing we can do for Regina is work together to find out where we are." Emma: "We don't need to know where we are. I know where Regina is and I have this." (Holds up a magic bean.) Zelena: "Oh, brilliant plan. Follow Regina and then we'll all be stuck with our curse memories, only this time you'll be playing the role of Roni the drunken, pregnant bar maid." (Emma growls in frustration and then suddenly, feels the baby kick.) Robin: (When Emma gasps:) "What? Is it the baby?" Emma: "Yeah. (Smiling:) Quick, gimme your hand." (Emma grabs Robin's hand and places it on Regina's stomach.) Robin: "Oh my gosh!" Emma: (Notices Zelena hovering awkwardly and rolls her eyes:) "Come on." (Emma grabs Zelena's hand and places it on the baby bump as well.) Zelena: (Smiles:) "Seems my niece is ready for an adventure." Emma: "Yeah. (They stand like that for a long moment until the baby settles down. Calmer:) All right, let's go find out where we are." (The trio turn and walk down the forest path together, prepared to do whatever it takes to save both Henry and Regina.)

Henry's Dreamscape. Night. (Tiana and Ella continue their talk.) Ella: "You're from another realm?" Tiana: "Yes. Several realms, actually. It's complicated. I came here along with my friends, comrades and several armies to battle Lord Morpheus and save a young prince. Perhaps you've heard of him, his name is Henry Swan-Mills?" Ella: "Henry? You're from Henry's realm? (Tiana nods:) H-how do you know he needs saving? The last I heard, he was off seeking an adventure." Tiana: "Morpheus came to our world and told us he was keeping Henry captive. He wants us all to fight this huge battle against him. If Morpheus wins, he'll rule over all of us, but it is the only chance we have to save Henry and ourselves." Ella: (Walks away to ponder all this:) "I thought Henry left me for a chance at glory. I should've known he would have come for me if he could." Tiana: "So, will you help us?" Ella: (Walking back to her:) "I’ve been searching for an army so that I may save my people. You have brought an army so that you may save your prince. The same man who has stolen my heart. Of course I'll help you." (Tiana smiles, slightly confused by this statement, but happy to have found an ally.) Dream World. Wish Realm. (Walking through the forest, Emma, Robin & Zelena come upon two people laying a wreath at the foot of a statue. Emma groans when she recognises the statue of her parents.) Emma: "I know where we are. We're in the Wish Realm the Evil Queen banished me to." Zelena: "So what's the problem?" Emma: "The problem is that Regina killed Snow White and Prince Charming in this realm. She... I am an outlaw here." Zelena: "Well we know a few things about outlaws, don't we Robin? Hang back, (Conjures a fireball into her hand:) Robin and I can handle this." Emma: "No! We don't need to cause an incident. (Conjures a red cloak around herself:) I'll just go talk to them. You two stay here. (Leaving Robin and Zelena behind, Emma approaches the two people stood by the statue:) Excuse me, I'm wondering if you could help. My friends and I- (The people turn to face her:) Grumpy? Blue?"

Grumpy: "Lady, I don't know how you know our names, but I think you're gonna have more problems than you bargained for." Granny: (Stepping out from behind a tree, crossbow raised:) "You're gonna be sorry you stopped for help." Emma: "Granny. (As Granny joins the other two:) What the hell is going on here?" Blue Fairy: "Oh, stop asking questions and put your hands up! You could be a good score for us." Emma: "Wait, are you three robbing me?" Granny: "Of course not, we're going to hold you for ransom." Grumpy: “No doubt your husband will pay a lot of money to get his pregnant wife back.” Emma: "Okay, enough of this. (Lowers her hood:) Robin!" Grumpy: (Seeing her face clearly for the first time:) "Oh great, it's the Evil Queen!" Robin: (From several feet away:) "No. (When the trio turn to face her:) That's my Aunt. (Drawing back her bow, looks at Granny:) Payback's a bitch, old woman." (Robin fires three arrows in quick succession, landing at each would-be robber's feet. Thinking better of things, Granny, Grumpy and Blue run for cover.) Emma: (When Robin and Zelena catch her up:) "Nice intensity. What was that about?" Robin: "Oh, I owed Granny one. She chased Alice and I half across Storybrooke when we asked for her help." Zelena: "In her defense, poppet, Granny was still fighting the effects of your girlfriend's anger cloud, or whatever that was." Emma: "Well whatever the reason, thanks for having my back." Robin: "Of course, that's what family does. Now let's go find the rest of ours."

Henry's Dreamscape. Kingdom Of Valencia. (Madelena is in her chambers when there is a knock at the door.) Gareth: (Entering:) “There you are. I've been looking all over for ya.” Queen Madelena: “I'm packing for war.” Gareth: “Yeah, well, after that, maybe, I thought we'd go and address the troops. Uh, why don't I put my stuff in there with yours? I mean, I don't have a lot, and, uh, well, basically, I wear this every day.” Queen Madelena: “Share a trunk? I don't want your stuff touching mine.” Gareth: “Is everything okay?” Morpheus: “Knock, knock! Gentle reminder... uh, I've had a crow from the vicar. He'd love you to set a date for the wedding soon, because he fills up in August. Inquisition season.” Queen Madelena: (Stalks towards him:) “Go! Shoo! (Slams the door on Morpheus:) For a supposed God, he's just so... Ugh! (Laughs:) You know?” Gareth: “Well, actually, he has got a point. I mean, it's a bit confusing, you know, the king and queen not actually being married, and... It was really nice when you said that you loved me.” Queen Madelena: “Look, Gareth, let's not... (Gareth kneels down:) Oh, my God! What are you doing?!” (Madelena kicks him in the face and runs from the room.) Gareth: (Recovering:) “I wasn't proposing! I was doing me boots up! (Chases after her:) Oi!” Emma's Dreamscape. Under The Black Fairy's Curse. (Having swapped bodies with Emma, Regina finds herself setting the table, in preparation for a quiet meal for two.) Emma: (To herself:) "I hope this works." Regina: "Hope what works? Wait a minute, what's going on here? Something's not right." Killian: (Entering the cabin:) "What's going on?" Regina: “I knew I smelled a rat.” Emma: “Oh, Killian. I wanted to surprise you.” (Giggles.) Regina: “Did Emma just giggle?” Emma: (Continues:) “I know this has all been really confusing and I have not made it any easier. I wanted to apologize for overreacting last time. I know you were just trying to help. So, I thought... We could just talk and have lunch, like old times.” Regina: “I don’t believe this. She’s trying to win him back? Why can’t I stop her?” Killian: “I'd like nothing more. But this is hardly like old times.” (Killian sits down at the table, which is adorned with a checkered table cloth. Catching a glimpse of her in the mirror, Regina sees that Emma is wearing the pink dress from Killian and Emma’s ‘date’ during the curse, with her blonde hair in a pony tail.) Emma: “Come on. This is my way of saying I’m sorry. You know you can trust me.” Regina: “This is sickening. PUNCH HIM IN HIS SMUG FACE, EMMA! Ugh, why can’t I make her hear me? (Realises something:) Oh my god. This is it. This is how Morpheus was going to torture Emma. By trapping her inside her own body and forcing her to watch her life as this simpering, lifeless doormat. And now I’m having to watch it instead! (Scoffs:) Well, I’ve got to admit, I thought I was evil, but Morpheus is on a whole other level.”

Wish Realm. (Now wearing the clothes Regina wore during her first visit to the Wish Realm, Emma takes a few deep breaths while standing outside a tavern.) Zelena: "I'm sorry, are we going horse-riding after this?" Emma: "These are the clothes Regina wore when she came to rescue me from this place last time. Being separated from her and suddenly finding myself carrying our baby is a lot to get used to, so back off, all right?" Zelena: "All right, I was only teasing. (Watching Emma's anxiousness displayed on Regina's face:) We will find a way, Emma." Emma: (Smiles briefly:) "Things must be bad if the Wicked Witch is giving me a hope speech." Zelena: (Smirks:) "That's more like it. Come on, let's go inside." (Emma nods and the three of them enter the tavern.) Tavern. Interior. (Once inside, it takes mere moments before they’re noticed.) Man: "The Evil Queen! The Evil Queen!" (The patrons of the tavern scatter, some through windows, others through doors, all fleeing from the infamous woman stood before them.) Emma: (Rolling her eyes:) "That is getting really old. I haven't even been Regina for a day and... how can she stand it?" Zelena: (Scoffs:) "People fleeing in terror at the sight of her? Trust me, Regina loves it." Emma: "This was clearly a mistake, let's go." Robin: "Wait." (Robin walks further into the tavern, towards the sole remaining patron sitting at a table.) Emma: "Is that...?" Zelena: "I believe it is." Robin: (To the man:) "May I?" Robin Hood: "Please. (As she takes a seat:) To what do I owe the pleasure?" Robin: "Well, that's... a long story. (Quickly changing the subject:) I heard that you once fought in the king's army?" Robin Hood: "That I did, young woman. Although it was a long time ago." Robin: "What would you say if I asked you to fight one more battle?" Robin Hood: "I'd say my days as a soldier are over. However, for the right price, my services could be bought." Robin: "I have no money to offer. Only the chance to fight for what's right. To fight for love, family and freedom." Robin Hood: (Smiles, intrigued:) "All very noble causes indeed. Who would we be fighting against?" Robin: "Only one of the most cruel, power hungry tyrants man has ever faced." Robin Hood: (Considers her for a long moment:) "Well, what man could say no to that? (Pours her a drink:) Tell me more, milady."

Emma's Dreamscape. (Emma and Killian continue to talk while Regina watches on, powerless to stop them.) Killian: "I have questions." Emma: "You want to know if I'm still the same Emma." Regina: (Scoffs:) “I’d settle for a semi recognisable version of Emma.” Killian: “I imagine that's not a simple answer, so let's start easy. What’s changed? The last time we spoke, you left me laying on the floor.” Regina: “Woo! Now that’s more like it!” (Emma stares at Killian, unsure of what to say.) Killian: “You know I want to trust you, Emma. Why don't you help me?” Emma: (Taking his hand:) “A girl can change her mind, can’t she?” Regina: “Ugh.” Killian: “Well, you've answered my first question. You're not the same Emma. She didn't play games.” Regina: “I know a fun game. It’s called ‘Let’s see how much blood the pirate can lose before he finally dies.’” Emma: (Clears throat:) “Yes. I'm different. I'm better.” Regina: (Scoffs:) “THIS is better?!” Emma: “I used to be scarred and judgmental and closed off. And now I... I see things clearly. I'm not scared anymore. Honestly, I'm an open book, if you're willing to take that trust step.” Killian: “Are you really suggesting that we move forward in a real relationship?” Regina: “I’d suggest you DO take that first step... into a volcano!” (Emma says nothing, merely pouring Killian a glass of wine.) Regina: “Ooh, poison would work just as well, good thinking, Emma.” Killian: “No answer, just more games. Enough, Swan! (Stands, moves to leave:) All I wanted was your honesty. But I'm done humoring you. Answer me. And start by why you brought me here. It wasn't because this is what we used to do, because that you isn't here. You need something. Tell me what it is.” Regina: “I need you to die screaming, you bastard.” Emma: “All I need is your trust. I promise.” Killian: “I liked you the way you were. I liked your walls. I liked being the one to break them down.” Emma: “The person you found inside is still me.” Killian: “No, you’ve changed, and I don’t like it.” Regina: “Good. Then leave.” Killian: “However, there is but one way you can prove your love for me.” Emma: “Yes! Anything. Name it.” Regina: “No, Emma, this is exactly what he wants!” Killian: “Marry me.” Regina: “You son of a bitch!” (Emma stands staring at him for a moment, before the slightest hint of a smile touches her lips.) Emma: “Of- Of course I’ll marry you.” Regina: “Noooo!”

Henry’s Dreamscape. Kingdom Of Valencia. (Madelena oversees the loading of her luggage.) Queen Madelena: (To servant:) “Scratch that trunk, and you'll be in pieces in the next trunk.” (Turning to walk away, she bumps into Gareth.) Gareth: “Listen... We should talk about this whole wedding thing.” Queen Madelena: “What? Talk? Since when do we talk?” Morpheus: (From below:) “Your Highness... Your troops are ready for review.” Queen Madelena: “Oh, thank God. Look, Gareth, I can't talk about these kinds of things. I'm sorry. Let's drop it.” Castle Grounds. (The soldiers stand ready for instruction.) Gareth: (Chasing after Madelena:) “Come on, Queenie. When we started this, we said we'd never go to war angry.” Queen Madelena: “I'm not angry. I just don't want to discuss it with you.” Gareth: “Okay, then. We'll discuss it with someone else. Soldiers of Valencia! (The troops stand at attention:) I love you! There it is! It's out in the open! I said it for the first time in my life! What do you think about that?” Soldiers: “We love you, too, sir.” Queen Madelena: “And I appreciate that... Soldiers. And, yes, I too am starting to feel the same way. But this is all new to me, you know? I've never felt this way before, and now there's this pressure to move forward, forward, forward!” (The soldiers take three steps forward.) Gareth: “It's important that you feel comfortable, soldiers. So maybe we should slow down a bit. We got something special, and I don't want to ruin it.” Queen Madelena: (Relieved:) “That's good to hear. At least, I imagine it is. For the soldiers.” Gareth: “Who wants to go to war?! (The soldiers cheer loudly and Madelena takes his hand in solidarity:) Yeah!” Morpheus: (Watching from the balcony:) “Hmm, whoop-de-do. It's party time.”

[suzysbookshelf-blog]

Washed In Blood (Heaven's Guardians MC Book 1) by Ashley Lane

Book Review. Fabulous 5 star read

"No. NO! This isn’t how it was supposed to end… She’s my reward dammit. SHE’S MY REWARD!" ----------------------------------- Washed in Blood, (Heaven's Guardians MC,#1) Debut Novel by Ashley Lane Kindle Edition. Purchased, Amazon UK LENGTH OF BOOK 353 PAGES. MC ROMANCE. released 27th June 2019 ----------------- Blinded by anger, the man who had sworn to protect me, shot me in a fit of rage when I was only sixteen years old. He thought he killed me. But my job wasn’t finished yet. My days are spent as President of the Heavens Guardians MC. Nights are spent searching for the scum of the earth. Rapists, Murderers, Paedophiles. They all answer to me. I thought I’d seen it all. Thought my heart couldn’t be any darker. Thought I knew exactly how far I was willing to go. Then a battered and broken woman was found behind our clubhouse, and I realised, I’ve never had a clue about the monster that lurks within. They may call me Priest, but I’d sell my soul to the devil before I let anything take her away from me.

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW, WHAT A DEBUT, I have had my guts ripped out, I have shed tears, I have cursed and cringed, I have been on an emotional Journey of epic proportions reading this. I loved it, can not express enough how much I loved it. Willow the female lead, that poor girl, what a life, Priest aka (KING) again a life so sad. I like books who take me through a range of emotions, It is an 'Inst- love' romance, but with a big difference, Some might think it's corny, I didn't, Just the opening few chapters had me hooked, It has taken me 3 hours to read this, I haven't moved from my chair. ----------------- Willow’s haunted blue eyes come to me, her voice toneless and robotic when she speaks. “I belong to him. He is Master of my body, and I am his to control. He gave me life and he shall also take it. The beat of my heart rests in his hands.” ---------------------------------------------

I do believe in God its a personal faith not necessary to go to church to express my faith, but in the same frame to believe in one must also mean you believe in the other, which I do. I won't go too much into the plot as this is a relatively new release, my advice just get it, you won't regret it, It does go into some pretty heavy material, abuse, trafficking, drug abuse, There are scenes that will make you cringe. Not to bad, I have read worse, but best be warned if you have triggers. With this MC You are pulled through a mire of emotions and it is totally different to anything I have read, These bikers are tough f***ers !! They are Hero's in Leather, all have a story to tell, and you just know that they are going to mangle what's left of your feelings, but if this is the start of this writers career, I can not wait for more. Demon, Angel, Bullet and Patch I can not wait to meet them. They take out the bad guys, vigilantes I suppose, but they take out people who don't deserve to live, are you judge, jury and executioner, could you be if you had too, or would you WANT TO be. To right the wrongs. To take the sinner and make them pay. Life is precious, you get one shot, so the evil among us need stopping. Final thoughts on this book, PHENOMENAL, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 5 STAR READ. ------------- “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood…Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood…” I drop my head and let the tears flow into her hair. “Nothing but her blood.” ------------------------ Sex trafficking is nothing like it can be portrayed to be in the movies. Big wigs in Hollywood like to put a spin on the evil things in the world, making them seem desirable. They show girls being bid on by rich men in expensive suits with forbidden tastes. Lies of them being sold into lives of luxury where they’ll be lavished with the world’s finest things.Real life isn’t so fucking peachy. These girls aren’t being rescued from their drab lives, and they sure as hell aren’t being sold to their very own prince charming.