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razieltwelve · 5 years

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Prodigy (Final Rose AU Snippet)

Ruby did her best to tune out the whispers. Having one prodigy in the family was remarkable enough. Having two was downright ridiculous. Her lips twitched. If only people knew. Her other siblings were every bit as talented as her and Averia, but her parents had always been content to let them progress at their own rate. It was why they had agreed to let Diana be accelerated through Beacon whereas Jessica was likely to adopt a more normal pace.

It wasn’t about talent. Jessica was more than good enough to be accelerated to. However, Jessica’s friends - her future teammates - weren’t ready to be accelerated, and their parents weren’t going to force her to leave them behind. Teammates were family in all but blood. Breaking up great teams before they could really even form would not turn out well for anybody.

“You’re getting your own team too, you know,” Averia murmured as they made their way toward the hall for the welcoming ceremony.

“Did Diana tell you that?” Ruby asked. “Or is that another prediction from Saviour?”

“Diana helps our Aunt Vanille run team compatibility simulations.” Averia lowered her voice. “She may also have hacked the database to find out what the teams are.”

“Doesn’t Aunt Vanille do security for that database though?” Ruby’s brows furrowed. Diana was phenomenal, but their Aunt Vanille was one of the few people who could potentially keep her out of a system she wanted to get into.

“Diana got in through Atlas’s database. Beacon is locked up tight, but Atlas handles its own cyber-security.”

“But Uncle Hope is no slouch,” Ruby countered. “He should be able to keep that database secure.”

“You can thank internal Atlas politics for Uncle Hope not being in charge of that. Diana found out, which is why she was confident of getting in.” Averia’s lips twitched. “So… do you want to know who you’ve got?”

“No.” Ruby grinned. “I want it to be a surprise.” She paused. “Unless my team is awful. Please, tell me they’re not awful.”

“Oh… I think you’ll find your team interesting, and you’ll have at least one familiar face to help you get started.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “Is it Claire? Or maybe’s it’s Trajan. How about -”

“I thought you wanted it to be a surprise?” Averia ruffled Ruby’s hair. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll like your team.” She paused. “And you might want to buy some tuna before you meet them.”

“Tuna?”

Averia shrugged. “I don’t know why you’d need tuna, but Diana was pretty firm on it being a good idea.”

“Hmm… I wonder why she didn’t tell me about this,” Ruby mused.

“Probably because she finds the idea of me advising you to buy tuna amusing.”

“Probably.”

X X X

Ruby tried not to stare at the very, very pretty heiress. “Uh… hi.”

“Good morning.” Weiss extended her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. I am Weiss Schnee.”

“I know.” Ruby’s brain finally caught up to her mouth. “I mean… it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Weiss.” She shook the heiress’s hand and took careful note of what she observed. As Tifa Mom was so fond of saying, people’s hands always told a story. Weiss might have delicate-looking hands, but there was a wiry strength to them that spoke of experience in handling a weapon, and the calluses on her hands could only have come from many, many hours of practice. “It’s good to have you on the team.”

“I must say, I was a little disappointed to not be leading my own team, but in light of the circumstances, I can understand why you were chosen.” Weiss chuckled. “As impressive as my pedigree might be, I think you have the edge since your parents are certainly quite prominent.”

Ruby scratched the back of her head. “Yeah. They’re pretty famous.” That was a massive, massive understatement. Tifa Mom was probably the least famous of her parents, and she was still super famous. Summer Mom, Lightning Mom, and Fang Mom were all like… super mega famous. “But I’m kind of hoping they didn’t just pick me because of my family, you know.”

“Ah, relax.” Yang threw one arm around Ruby and pulled her into an impromptu headlock, and Ruby tried very hard not to think about how her face was being pressed into Yang’s chest. And it was a really, really nice chest. “Ruby here got the second highest score on the tactics and strategy portion of the exam.”

“Oh? Who else was in the top three?” Weiss asked.

Yang let go of Ruby and then lifted her up like a trophy. Ruby’s eye twitched. She might not be as short as Diana, but it was kind of galling to be waved around like a trophy although Yang somehow had a way of making the whole experienced pleasant. The blonde was just so warm and affectionate. “First place was Averia. No surprise there. Pyrrha Nikos came in third. Ruby had her beat by half a point.”

“And Averia was ten points ahead of me,” Ruby countered, squirming free and doing her best to channel Averia’s glare. To her dismay, Yang just smirked back. They both knew that Ruby was awful at intimidation unless she was truly angry, and she couldn’t really remember the last time she’d gotten truly angry at Yang. “So I’ve still got a long way to go.”

Weiss smiled and extended her hand to Yang as well. “It would be remiss of me not to formally greet you as well, Yang Xiao Long - gah!”

“Forget the handshake,” Yang said, tugging Weiss into a headlock. “We’re teammates now.”

Ruby bit back a laugh as Weiss struggled briefly before realising the futility of it. Yang might not be as fast as Ruby, but Dust she was strong. Weiss had also seemingly realised that being in a headlock put her right next to Yang’s bust. “Don’t worry, Weiss. You’ll get used to it. Yang is just, well, Yang.”

“Yep.” Yang let go of Weiss. “By the way… has anyone seen our fourth member? We were supposed to meet at this training ground, but she hasn’t shown up yet.”

“Hmm…” Weiss’s brows furrowed. “Could she have gotten lost? Beacon Senior Academy does have a lot of training grounds, and this is the first day of school.”

“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “But I brought tuna.”

Yang tilted her head to one side. “Why would you need tuna?”

Ruby shrugged. “Diana told Averia to tell me to bring tuna.” She made a face. “It’s Diana. She says a lot of crazy stuff, but she’s basically always right.”

“But tuna?” Weiss pressed. “What does tuna have to do with anything?” “Like I said, I don’t know.” Ruby took out the can of tuna and put it on the ground. “Hmm… nothing’s happening.”

“Maybe you should open it,” Yang said.

“Sure, why not?” Ruby laughed. “Maybe opening it will magically summon our teammate somehow.” She opened the can of tuna, and barely five seconds passed before someone hopped out of the tree next to them. In an instant, she and Yang had already moved to intercept them. Ruby had never worked with Weiss before but given the Schnee family’s reputation for doing extremely extravagant things involving Dust and Glyphs, it was probably safe to guess the other girl was a heavy hitter who could drop the hammer while Ruby and Yang covered her.

However, Ruby screeched to a halt as she took in the appearance of the person who had dropped out of the tree. Her first impression was to try not to gawk. Did Beacon have like some kind of attractiveness criteria because so far all the girls she’d seen had been gorgeous? If Yang was more the tall and busty type and Weiss was the elegant and petite type, the dark-haired girl in front of them was somewhere in between, athletic and graceful but not nearly as delicate in appearance as Weiss.

“Is that tuna?” the girl asked.

Ruby blinked. “Yes. Yes, it is.”

“And you just opened the can and put it on the ground?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Why?”

“I don’t actually know,” Ruby said. “But… are you our teammate?”

The dark-haired girl’s lips twitched, and she sketched them a rough bow. “Blake Belladonna.” Her eyes drifted over them. “And you would be Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, and Weiss Schnee.”

“Technically, my full name would be Oerba Yun Ruby Rose-Lockhart-Farron but, yeah, Ruby Rose is kind of easier to say.”

"That’s quite a mouthful,” Blake drawled. “I can see why you just go by Ruby Rose.”

Ruby giggled. “When I was younger I tried to change it to Ruby Awesome, but my parents said no.”

“Ruby Awesome?” Weiss asked. “Really?”

“Yeah… because I was awesome,” Ruby replied. “I… see.” Weiss evidently couldn’t if her tone of voice was anything to go by. She glanced at Blake and then extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Blake.”

It took a moment for Blake to shake Weiss’s hand. Ruby took note of it. Was Blake just not big on physical contact or was there something else there? She couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn Blake’s expression had tightened ever so slightly when she’d seen Weiss.

“Am I going to shake your hand too?” Blake asked Yang.

“Nope.” Blake was promptly introduced to the greatness that was a Yang headlock. “Handshakes are boring.”

“So… we’re team RWBY, huh?” Blake looked at each of them, and Ruby had the distinct feeling Blake was taking their measure. Hopefully, she measured up.

“Yep.” Ruby smiled. “And we’re going to be the best team ever!”

X X X

“So…” Vanille murmured. “Are you spying on your sisters again?”

Diana glanced away from the holographic display. “Mostly Ruby. Averia should be fine. She’s got Elsa, Claire, and Jahne. She’s known Elsa and Jahne for years, and Claire is our cousin. Ruby’s got Yang, but she’s not really familiar with Blake or Weiss. At the least the tuna trick worked.”

“Like mother like daughter,” Vanille said. “Have you got eyes on Team JNPR?”

“Yeah. I think Jaune is doing his best to not throw up in panic about being made leader. He’s managed to succeed so far.”

“Good for him. Pyrrha took it well though.”

“She did, but everything I’ve been able to find out about her suggests that she really is just super nice, sweet, and kind despite being almost as much of a killer robot as Averia.”

“Meh. Maybe she’s got better software installed.”

“Maybe.”

X X X

Author’s Notes

This is another snippet set in the Summer/Lightning/Fang/Tifa AU. Probably the biggest change for Ruby in this AU is that everyone - absolutely everyone - will know who she is since not only is Summer still alive but she also never gets crippled by the Grimm in this AU. Given how much Ruby looks like Summer, her fellow students are going to put two and two together. There will be a huge amount of pressure on her to live up to her parents’ standards, just like there is for Averia, but Ruby is two years younger.

On the other hand, it does make some things easier. Weiss would normally be more aggravated about not being leader, but she knows who Ruby is, so she can’t exactly get upset by that. If anything, she’s pleased because being on a team with Ruby is a very, very favourable outcome for her. From a purely pragmatic point of view, being on the same team as Ruby is fantastic since teammates generally becomes close friends and allies (or possibly even more).

Ruby’s response to Yang is also very different than in canon because they aren’t sisters. Moreover, although they get along great and consider themselves close friends, Yang was raised in Patch whereas Ruby was raised in Vale. As a result, Ruby is not oblivious to the fact that Yang is a very attractive person in more ways than one.

And then there’s Blake.

In this AU, the White Fang is generally more peaceful because the last time they stepped out of line, they got smacked down so hard they never forgot about it. This is largely due to one of the establishments the more militant White Fang attacking in the past being a hotel owned by Tifa. She took exception to their attack on the hotel, and Lightning, Summer, and Fang were similarly unimpressed. Things after that did not get well for the White Fang.

As a result, this Blake is less filled with regret over being a former terrorist and although wary of Weiss is less hostile to begin with. She has, however, left home in a bid to carve out her own identity, so she doesn’t have to live in the shadows of her parents who rule over Menagerie. Yes, she basically is a princess, so both Ruby and Averia have got one on their teams. Of course, Elsa also doubles as an air conditioner, but Blake can make clones, so it’s not a total loss.

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon.

Definitely check out my Amazon stuff if you enjoy my sense of humour.

#final rose #fanfiction #averia yun-farron #ruby rose #yang xiao long #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #diana yun-farron #oerba dia vanille

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 189: Once Upon a Dream

Snow and Ariel shared a hug, as they prepared to leave for their next destination. They had a wonderful family day at the beach, followed by dinner that evening, before getting a good night's sleep in order to move on to the next Kingdom that morning.

"It was so good to see you and I'm so happy that it won't be so long until we see each other again this time," Ariel gushed. Snow smiled.

"Me too...I can't wait until we're all in the same place," Snow agreed, as their husbands shook hands.

"Ready?" David asked them and they nodded.

"Where are we going next, Daddy?" Summer asked. He smiled and took Snow's hand.

"To a Kingdom ruled by King Phillip and Queen Aurora," David told them.

"And if we know them, Mulan and your Aunt Red are probably still living there," Snow added, as their kids eyes lit up that.

"I can't wait to see Aunt Red," Bobby said.

"Yeah...I miss her a lot," Summer agreed.

"And we'll need to discuss Mulan's Kingdom with her. She's probably the only way we'll get an audience with the Emperor so we can present our proposal," David said, as they waved to their friends and he used another bean to make a portal. With a final wave, they stepped through the portal en route to their next destination

~*~

Arendelle

"That is quite an undertaking, but seems promising if it's really possible," one nobleman said, as Queen Elsa finished explaining the concept of the good curse to her court and allies.

"Is it really possible though?" a woman questioned.

"Queen Snow assures that it is and that it will be cast with light magic, rather than dark," Elsa confirmed.

"And you have been to this land, Your Majesty?" another man questioned.

"We have," Elsa confirmed.

"And there are many advantages in this new land. It is a very promising opportunity for our Kingdom," she responded.

"Feh...so you say. But how do we know this isn't just your ploy to bring our Kingdom to the same land as your boyfriend's? How do we know your personal reasons for wanting his aren't outweighing the supposed benefits to the Kingdom?" the Duke of Wesselton interjected.

"You have just seen the proposal that Queen Snow sent," Elsa said sternly, as she motioned to the enchanted disc a device that Snow had given her. She said that it was created by Mr. Hyde and was actually a form a science rather than magic. Snow had called it a hologram. It offered her court a presentation, showing them Storybrooke, the medical and scientific advantages, the reserve, and a number of other things that it had to offer. They were all very impressed, especially with the educational and medical opportunities that had been presented. But as usual, the Duke of Wesselton, was her most outspoken critic.

"And it was a very nice, flashy barrage of images, but we do not know this Queen Snow. It sounds to me like she's trying to get all these Kingdoms in one place and under her rule. How do we know she's not setting Arendelle up for hostile takeover!" the Duke ranted.

"Because that is not the kind of woman my mother is," a male voice interjected and a smile eclipsed Elsa's face, as she saw Leo leaning against a pillar near the entrance to her Throne room, having quietly slipped in, likely with magic.

"This court recognizes Prince Leo of Misthaven and Storybrooke," Elsa addressed him formally, as he made his way toward her Throne. He had a healthy glare for the Duke of Wesselton, as he passed him and he enjoyed watching him squirm.

"P...prince Leo…" the Duke squeaked nervously, as he bowed to him.

"I can assure anyone with any doubts that my mother's goal in uniting the Kingdoms is to bring prosperity and innovation to all. According to legend, the Kingdoms were all one at one time. They were torn apart by a darkness and as the champions of light, my parents want to reunite what was once broken," Leo announced to her court.

"Your Mother and Father are well known here in Arendelle and their love is something of legend as well. Arendelle looks forward to venturing into this new era," a more gracious member of her court announced.

"I concur completely, which adjourns this meeting. Unless you have anything else to add, Duke?" Elsa questioned, as she looked to the short, white haired man. He stumbled back away from Leo and hurriedly made his way toward the exit

"Uh...no, this Storybrooke sounds lovely!" he stammered, as he left with his two lackey guards. Kristoff chuckled and started looking at the floor, which puzzled Elsa.

"What is he doing?" she asked her sister, but Leo answered.

"He's looking for wet spots," he answered.

"Gross," Anna exclaimed.

"We got one!" Kristoff announced.

"Damn...you know I didn't really think I was that scary. My parents and my Aunt Regina are way scarier than me when they want to be. If he's wetting himself now, then he should really invest in some adult underwear," Leo joked.

"That's disgusting and you can use your magic to clean up his mess now," Elsa said, with a disgusted look. He chuckled and waved his hand, before turning to her. She smiled and kissed him finally, now that her court had dispersed.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you for a while, but I'm glad you're here," she mentioned. He shrugged.

"I missed you and Storybrooke is pretty quiet right now. And I brought this," he said, as he waved his hand and a basket appeared.

"From Joe and Frankie?" she asked. He nodded.

"I was hoping we could have dinner...just the two of us?" he asked. Anna smiled and started dragging her husband out.

"We'll leave you two alone," she announced. Elsa rolled her eyes, as her sister made a spectacle, but then used her magic to poof them a table with candlelight. In his hand appeared, not a bottle of wine, but rather a thermos of hot chocolate, Elsa's favorite.

"This is for later, but Frankie threw in sodas to go with the fried chicken. Dining at its finest," he joked. She smiled.

"Sounds amazing to me. I prefer such over all that fancy food, actually," she replied. He smiled.

"Me too," he replied, as they opened their sodas and gently tapped their cans together.

"Mmm...that is so good," Elsa praised, as they started eating the chicken with Frankie's famous mac and cheese.

"Then after we eat...we can go out to the ice rink with our hot cocoa," he suggested. She smiled.

"Sounds like the perfect evening," she agreed. He smiled. It would be when he proposed to her on the ice beneath a blanket of stars…

~*~

Fandral had finished getting ready and donned his familiar gold and green cape. He felt Rose come up behind him and help him straighten it, before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"You're nervous," she mentioned knowingly. He sighed.

"I am...I just don't know how my people are going to react," he replied. Her brow furrowed.

"Are you worried that they might shun you, because you didn't return to them?" she asked.

"A bit perhaps...but I will never regret that decision. Besides, to them it hasn't been long at all. To me...it's been years. I think I will like when time is passing the same for all our realms in Storybrooke," he replied.

"Me too...it will be much less confusing," she agreed, as she kissed him tenderly.

"Are you ready?" she asked. He nodded.

"As I'll ever be," he responded, as he sheathed his sword and joined hands with her. They gathered their teenage daughter and their precocious twins, before heading to the library where they would meet Hermes.

She appeared to them, as they gathered and smiled at her charges and their children.

"Are you ready for travel?" she asked. Rose smiled at her husband and he nodded.

"We're ready," he confirmed. Hermes waved her hand and encased them in one of her bubbles, before they disappeared to Oceanus.

~*~

The portal opened and deposited the Charming family in the woods. David took a moment to assess where the sun was and determined approximately where they were.

"Phillip's castle should be about five miles south of here," he said, as they started walking through the woods. David slipped his hand into Snow's and she smiled at him.

"This brings back memories...us in the woods," she mentioned playfully, as she nudged him. He grinned at her and slung his arm around her waist, before pressing a kiss to her hair.

"Did you and Daddy ever visit King Phillip's Kingdom before the curse?" Summer asked curiously.

"We did once, but he was still Prince Phillip then and Princess Aurora was under a sleeping curse like I was at one time," Snow explained.

"Yes, we met with him and a few of the other Kingdom heads. Your mother was about six months pregnant and that was just before we journeyed to Bald Mountain," David added.

~*~

Flashback

"They call it Chernabog. It is said that if this Titan is ever released, it can summon with it a hoard of demons and terrible creatures. It would be like hell on earth," Philip replied.

"That's preposterous! You summon us here to regale us with some tall tale of monsters and demons?!" the King Francis bellowed.

"This is no tall tale! King Stefan's rage has consumed him. He means not only to release this creature...but to control it as well. Dragons are not so easily killed, especially one which is also a powerful sorceress. But there is an object he seeks that can control the Chernabog," Philip said.

"And I take it he has found this object?" Charming asked. Philip nodded.

"The rumors coming from his troops say that he has acquired this object from a powerful witch in another Kingdom. I'm not sure what he gave her in return, but I believe he means to finally release the creature so he can destroy Maleficent and then rule all the Kingdoms," Philip said.

"After he gets rid of the rest of us," Charming deduced. Philip nodded.

"Do you know where the Chernabog is sealed away?" Snow asked.

"If the Dark One is to be believed, the creature is imprisoned in the fiery volcanic pit of Bald Mountain, east of the Enchanted Forest," Philip replied.

"I thought Bald Mountain was an old myth. I remember hearing the stories of such a mountain in Maritime lore. A mountain haunted by demons, imps, and satyrs," Eric said.

"Unfortunately...I believe it is real and that's where Stefan is headed," Philip replied.

"Then we need to stop him," Snow decided.

~*~

"That was when King Stefan tried to sacrifice Mom to the Chernabog, right?" Bobby recalled. They nodded.

"Yeah...it was a scary day. Fortunately though, your father saved me," she said, as she looked at her husband fondly.

~*~

"Tie her up," Stefan ordered.

"No!" Charming cried, as two soldiers took his struggling wife to the edge of the platform.

"Please...please don't do this. My baby…" Snow cried.

"Stop this now...I won't let you kill my wife and child!" Charming screamed, as he pulled at his robes, ignoring the rope burns he was inflicting on himself in effort to get free.

"Take heart, Prince James. Your wife and child are about to be a part of greatness," Stefan ranted madly.

"You must not do this. Think of Aurora! What would she think of what you have become!" Phillip cried.

"Aurora is dead...like her mother. And this witch will pay for it," Stefan growled to Maleficent, as Snow was tied by a rope and she screamed, as she was shoved off the platform, now dangling by the rope.

"Lower her in," Stefan ordered, as the hat glowed brightly and the mass of black matter began to boil.

"Charming!" Snow cried, as hot tears streamed down her beautiful face.

"Snow!" he cried out, as he knocked his captors away, one of them unfortunately falling into the boiling vat and was consumed immediately. He felt an arrow bury itself in his shoulder and he collapsed, but kept crawling to the edge. The mountain trembled and Phillip took advantage of it, knocking his captors off balance, sending four more soldiers into the vat and to their deaths. He grabbed a sword and cut Eric free, as he did the same for Philip. They cut Charming free next and Philip examined the wound in the back of his shoulder.

"I think it's just a flesh wound. This is going to hurt," he warned.

"Just pull it out," Charming growled. As swiftly as possible, he extracted the arrow and Charming got to his feet, as they grabbed the rope and the three of them pulled Snow up. Charming untied her and she collapsed against his chest, crying in relief.

"I've got you...it's okay, my darling," he whispered.

~*~

"That's when everyone except Mom still thought you were James, right?" Summer asked, as she recalled the other royals in that story were still referring to him as James.

"Yep...it wasn't until years later in Storybrooke that people learned I was actually not raised as a royal. It was one of the first things George did after everyone regained their memories, thanks to your sister. He thought it would undermine our leadership," David explained. Snow smiled at him.

"But it didn't work, because most people knew what an amazing man your father is, just like me. They trusted him and even identified with him, since he knew what it was like to grow up in poverty and rose above hardship," she said, as she kissed his cheek.

Their recollection of the story had made the five miles seem like nothing and soon, the view of Phillip and Aurora's castle came into view in the near distance.

"Wow...look at it!" Bobby called, as he hurried on ahead.

"Bobby...wait!" Snow called. Summer rolled her eyes.

"I'll get him," Summer said, as she hurried ahead. David chuckled, as he and Snow followed.

"Hey...slow down, kid," Summer called, as they came to a halt near the castle gates. But strangely, they didn't really see any guards.

"I wonder why there are no guards?" Summer asked, as they heard something behind them. Her eyes widened, as she saw a large wolf sniffing her brother. But instead of screaming, she started grinning.

"Aunt Red...is that really you?" Summer asked, as the wolf phased into a human, revealing their Aunt Red.

"Oh my God...look at how big you two are!" she exclaimed, as they tackled her with hugs.

"Red?" Snow called, as she and David caught up. Their oldest friend tackled them both with hugs too, as they shared a happy reunion.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, we're actually hoping for an audience with Aurora and Phillip. We have something important to discuss with them and you as well," David said.

"And we're hoping to ask for a favor from Mulan," Snow added.

"Is that so?" another voice said, as Mulan emerged from the brush, though she wore a smile. They smiled back.

"It's good to see you again, Mulan," Snow said. She nodded curtly in return.

"I'm sure Phillip and Aurora will be eager to welcome you and hear why you have come, as will we. Follow us," Mulan requested, as she and Red led the Charming family through the castle gates.

~*~

Leo and Elsa held hands, as the idly skated along the rink within the palace gates. They stopped on the fountain, which was frozen this time of year and they shared the thermos full of cocoa.

"I almost forgot how beautiful it is here," Leo mentioned, as he gazed up at the cold night sky.

"It's still surreal to me that it has been two years for you since you were last here," she replied, as he nodded in agreement.

"To be fair, the two years was a kind of a monotone blur for me. Stuff didn't really start to happen until Bobby escaped Clayton and found my Dad. That's when Jack decided that he'd really twist the knife and I think my curse persona was so lonely that I let him into my life way too easily," Leo mentioned.

"I mean...I met him at a bar and he confessed to me on the first night that he didn't like animals after I told him I worked at a zoo and how passionate about animals I was," Leo chided himself.

"You know you can't blame yourself for things your curse persona did or didn't do, right?" She asked. He nodded.

"I do...Archie really helped me finally accept what happened to me and that I was a victim. Again," he said, muttering the last word and Elsa put her arms around him.

"You were vulnerable and he took advantage of you. He's lucky he expired before your family or me got their hands on him. I mean, can you imagine what state he would have been in if your mother got her hands on him?" She asked, bringing a smile to his face.

"He probably would have begged you to make a Popsicle out of him," he joked.

"In all seriousness though, I really did have a break through with Archie and I realized that I don't want to let what he did rule my life and I'm not going to. I'm going to move forward," he stated. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"That sounds very good and very healthy," she agreed.

"Archie told me that saying you're going to move forward and actually doing it are two different things though. He suggested that I really look at my life and then pursue what I want for my future. So...that's exactly what I'm going to do," he said, as he stood up briefly, which confused her for a moment, until he got down on one knee, which made her gasp.

"You've been in my head since the moment I met you and even when I was with other people, I always compared them to you," he said.

"And none of them measured up," he added, as tears came to her eyes.

"People aren't easy for me sometimes and not many people have ever really understood me, aside from my family. Being around others is hard for me sometimes, but it's never been hard with you," he continued.

"We're kindred spirits, I think. We both know what it is to be both frustrated and blessed by our powers and I know that I never have to worry about you fearing my abilities or not understanding them. And you must know that you never have to worry about me fearing yours," he said, as he opened the ring box and she sniffed.

"I know you have probably thought you'd never find someone to spend your life with, romantically and I thought the same thing there for a while. But then I realized that while I was looking for the person I was supposed to be with, I had already found her," he said.

"Queen Elsa...will you marry me?" He asked. She nodded tearfully.

"Yes…" she answered. He grinned and slipped the ring on her finger, before she tackled him and they went tumbling to the ice, laughing.

"Oh my...Anna is going to flip when she sees this," Elsa warned.

"Ha, that's nothing. I can handle your sister. It's my Mom that we should worry about. She'll want to throw some big engagement party and then the wedding is going to be insane," he warned back.

"I love your Mom and she's not that bad," Elsa chided.

"I love her too, but do I need to remind you about Emma's wedding and the choreographed singing? Or Henry's graduation carnival? Oh...and my favorite. Eva and Paul's wedding where she threw a full on Enchanted Forest wedding ball, complete with synchronized dance numbers," he rattled off, making her chuckle.

"Oh Gods...that means our wedding is going to have singing and ballroom dancing," he joked.

"Oh, I don't know, singing with you doesn't sound so bad and to be fair, I think your Mom just likes to hear your Dad sing," she teased. He rolled his eyes

"Don't remind me...I see too much of my parent's PDA as it is," he deadpanned.

"Well, look at it this way, with Anna involved in the planning, at least there will be A LOT of chocolate," she reminded.

"Mmm...that is a plus," he agreed, as he kissed her tenderly. She cuddled against him and they gazed up at the stars, as they dreamed about their future together.

~*~

The bubble appeared out of thin air and they were slowly lowered to the ground. In the near distance, Fandral observed a welcome sign that read New Asgard and he looked over the landscape of the surviving Asgardian's new home. It was humble and peaceful, which was a relief to Fandral after all his people had endured.

"I will let you make yourself known and you need but call me when you wish to return home, though Thor does have access to the bi-frost now," Hermes informed them.

"Thank you, Hermes, for everything," Rose said, as the Goddess disappeared in one of her bubbles. Fandral's eyes scanned the landscape and he felt his wife squeeze his hand. He looked at her and the encouraging faces of their children.

"We're with you every step of the way, my love," she assured, as he grasped her hand and they slowly made their way into the village of New Asgard.

"Stop...New Asgard is not permitting curious tourists right now," a woman said, as Fandral regarded her.

"I'm no tourist...I'm Asgardian and this is my family," he responded.

"That's impossible, because all survivors are accounted for," she refuted.

"You're a Valkyrie, aren't you? I wasn't aware that any of them survived," he countered.

"And you wear the insignia of an Asgardian warrior, but that doesn't make you one of us. For all I know, that insignia was stolen," she challenged.

"It was not stolen," Rose refuted, defending her husband, but he squeezed her hand.

"It's all right, my love...she's guarded because of everything our people have been through and I respect that," he said, as he turned his attention back to the other woman.

"I am not counted among the survivors, because I am slated as a casualty in Ragnarok. But things aren't what they seem. My name is…" he said, but another female voice interrupted.

"Fandral?" Sif asked in disbelief and her face was ashen, like she was seeing a ghost.

"Sif...you've alive," he responded, as she hurried over to him with a hug.

"I'm alive...you're the one thought to be dead!" she exclaimed.

"It's a very long story…" he said, as Sif noticed the woman and children with him.

"I see...though I am a bit confused. It's only been a few months since Asgard collapsed," she replied.

"Here in this realm it has, but where I have been...it's been more than twenty-years for me," he said. Her face was in shock at that.

"How is that possible?" Sif questioned.

"It's a tale that we will gladly tell, but I need to see Thor and tell him as well," Fandral answered.

"Do you know any of what has transpired in your absence?" Sif inquired.

"Actually...we do. In my new homeland, we guard what is known as the library of all the realms. It houses all stories from every realm in existence. The only reason I deemed it safe to come with my family in tow was because we read that the monster responsible for the utter devastation in this realm is dead now," Fandral explained.

"He is, but the damage is done. Thor is refusing to come out of his house and barely speaks to anyone," Sif responded.

"Don't you think I might be an exception? I know he has a long road ahead to healing, but I'd at least like to try and help with that," Fandral said. Sif nodded.

"I agree that he should know about you, but I warn you...it's not pretty. He's in a very sad state and drunk most of the time," she warned. He nodded.

"We understand," Fandral said, as Sif and Valkyrie led them into the village.

~*~

Phillip's most trusted guards burst into the Throne room, dragging two perpetrators before him. They tossed them down and Phillip raised an eyebrow at his Knights. The one man, a thin, willowy man coward before him and the other actually wore a crown, which was actually too big for his head and kept slipping down in his eyes. He seemed to have a royal cloak as well, but it was tattered and dirty.

"Sire…" the thin man addressed the other with a lisp.

"This is your fault, Hiss! You had one job and you couldn't even do that," the other man complained.

"And what job, pray tell, was that?" Phillip questioned, but the two seemed too busy arguing to notice him. Aurora shared a glance with her husband, before his Knights took their ignorance of the King as disrespect and manhandled the two.

"You are before King Phillip and Queen Aurora! Show some respect!" one Knight bellowed.

"I am a King too!" the man wearing the ill fitting crown claimed.

"Silence worm!" another Knight growled, but Phillip put up his hand and stepped forward.

"From what Kingdom do you hail, Sir?" he questioned.

"A Kingdom not of this realm...I was banished here by my horrible niece and her brute of a husband when they stole my Throne!" he claimed.

"We found him in the rifling through the treasure room and this one was stealing food from the kitchen," one of the Knights reported, as Hiss coward beneath his menacing stare.

"If you are royal, why not come to us and plead your case?" Aurora questioned.

"Because...we uh, we...urm…" John stammered.

"Because he is the great King John and he has been so terribly tormented by other royals that he does not trust them now!" Hiss claimed.

"Yes...yes that's it!" John agreed. Phillip looked at his wife, clearly not buying a word of this.

"Perhaps you can elaborate on your situation, Your Highness," Phillip stated, as he saw Mulan and Red enter the Throne room and was surprised to see two more royals that he had not seen in a very long time.

"Snow? James?" Phillip asked in surprise.

"It's David...remember?" Aurora told him. He nodded.

"Right, of course...Aurora tells me that your real name is David," he recalled, as they shook hands, while Aurora and Snow shared a hug.

"It's so good to see you both...this is such a surprise," Aurora gushed, as she noticed the girl beside Snow.

"Oh my...this can't be Summer!" she exclaimed. Snow smiled and nodded.

"Believe it or not, it is...and this is our youngest, Bobby," she said, introducing them.

"What brings you here from the Land Without Magic?" Phillip asked.

"Ah, well...it's a bit of a story and an important matter that we were hoping to discuss with you both," David answered.

"Of course...you'll join us for dinner then?" Phillip asked.

"We'd love to," Snow responded.

"Sire...what do you want me to do with this filth?" one of his Knights questioned.

"How dare you?! I am a King!" John exclaimed, even as Hiss tried to calm him so that Snow and David wouldn't notice them and really blow it for them.

"Oh look who it is…" David said with amusement in his tone.

"You know them?" Phillip asked.

"We sort of had a run in with them a few years ago, though I thought they went back to their own realm," Snow said, recalling that Emma had told them they ran into them on the way to Rose and Fandral's castle.

"We did...but my horrible niece's husband chased us out again!" John said, as he stomped around, on the verge of a tantrum. David shook his head.

"Maybe you're not as cowardly as I thought, because going anywhere near Fandral is either stupid or brave," he said.

"That Asgardian brute doesn't scare me and neither do you, pretty boy!" John shouted childishly. David simply put a hand on the hilt of his sword and took a mere two steps forward. John cried out at that and hid behind Hiss, who was quaking in his own boots. David chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah...you're not scared at all," he joked.

"So we should lock them up?" Aurora questioned.

"If you want to...they have ill intentions and are terrible, but there's barely a brain between them. Honestly, I'm surprised they can lace their boots so I'm not sure I would consider them a danger," Snow replied.

"Why you little…" John snapped, but David gave him his best glare.

"Think really hard about finishing that sentence," he warned, which made the disgraced King shrink away.

"Toss them out...they seem rather harmless and a bit pathetic. Steal again and you'll find yourselves in the dungeon," Phillip warned, as the Knights dragged them away, even as John threw a fit and Hiss quivered in fright.

"Wow…" Bobby said in amazement.

"And you thought Emma was exaggerating about those two," Summer said, as they shared a laugh. Phillip motioned to them.

"Come...I believe this calls from a good meal and a bottle of our finest wine, plus some sparkling cider for the young ones," he said, as Aurora and Phillip led them to the dining hall.

~*~

The Queen looked around the room, as Mim led her into her chamber. There were tall shelves, which had a modest collection of books on magic. An impressive set of beakers and tubing was situated on a table. It was surprisingly modern for this setting and then there was a touch of old school in the form of a large cauldron in the center of the room. Mim opened a cabinet and revealed a plethora of potions, concoctions and ingredients.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Mim boasted. The Queen shrugged.

"It will do," the Queen responded non nonchalantly, as she started searching for ingredients they would need for the dark curse.

"The only reason I haven't vaporized you for your disrespect is because we need you for this curse to get us out of this place," Mim warned. The Queen smirked.

"Or perhaps you're worried that you couldn't get that job done," she challenged.

"I was doing magic thousands of years before you were even a twinkle in your father's eye," Mim warned.

"Which just makes you old and you know what they say. Out with the old and in with the Queen, though I'm paraphrasing, of course," the Queen snarked. Mim raised her hand and a fireball appeared.

"Easy Mim...turning on each other will get us no where," Seth warned, as the Sorceress let the fireball dissipate.

"Do we have the necessary ingredients needed in addition to a drop of your blood for the dark curse?" he questioned.

"Yes...it appears that we have everything we need. But I think a few modifications might be wise," the Queen answered.

"You are not in charge! We may need you for this curse...but Lord Seth is our supreme leader!" Mim hissed, but the ancient Titan held up his hand to silence his minion.

"I would like to hear what she means, Mim," he requested, which infuriated the ancient Sorceress. Seth had always favored her and relied on her for tricky magic, but he seemed far too intrigued by this newcomer and her unique magic. And Mim didn't like it one bit.

"Casting the Dark Curse to take us away from here will be easy enough, but I've learned the hard way that the truest loves, especially this pair, cannot be underestimated," the Queen explained. Mim scoffed.

"A pair of lovers and their magical cup cannot stand against the all powerful might of Seth...God of destruction," Mim boasted.

"Patience Mim...if I have learned one thing in my exile: it's that revenge requires patience," he instructed, as he nodded for the Queen to continue.

"If they see the dark cloud coming, they will instantly know that it means trouble and they will prepare for battle. But if we truly want revenge, I think the element of surprise and quiet infiltration is the answer," she stated.

"You mean you want to conceal the curse?" he questioned.

"Yes...and our realm from their sight, at least until the time for our big reveal is right," she advised.

"Destruction from within, perhaps," Seth surmised. The Queen smirked.

"Exactly...but a concealment spell that big would require, well...I'm not even sure, but I know that we don't have it," she replied.

"No...but I perhaps have something that will help us do what we need," Seth said and the Queen listened eagerly for him to reveal what he meant.

~*~

The Major closed the book and looked at Cecily. She had managed to read through all of it the night before and on the flight to New Orleans. Though she would never admit it, she found it enthralling, but only because she had realized the reality in it all. She was still unclear what her ultimate objective would be, but she knew one thing: the kind of power that was in play here, despite its fantastical nature, had real world applications. With this kind of power, it could end warring between nations, be the answer to things like poverty and world hunger, and any number of noble causes. But if she was being honest, this kind of power wouldn't be used for such. That was too naive. No, her superiors would solve those problems, but in a controlled way. Undoubtedly, those ways would be construed as oppression and stealing of freedoms. But in the long run, with this kind of power, they could truly remake the world. Regardless of any of that, she knew they couldn't allow such unchecked power to remain in the hands of two people that insisted on concealing themselves and their people away from the world. A world that now knew they existed.

"Fascinating stuff, isn't it?" Cecily commented, as their plane touched down.

"I've never been one for fairy tales, especially Snow White, but at least I know the real thing is more than some singing ditz. Though I didn't expect her to be in control of such power," the Major commented.

"Yes...she and her Prince have quite the corner on magic and managed to pop out five magical babies while they were at it. Infiltrating Storybrooke won't be easy with all that, but if you're willing to play the long game, we may have a shot," Cecily replied.

"And what exactly do you mean by long game?" the Major questioned.

"The Snow and Charming that disappeared through that portal back in Seattle aren't the ones from this year. They were from the future," Cecily revealed.

"How the hell do you figure that?" the Major questioned.

"Because I'm from that future. I came with the curse and that curse that brought us to Hyperion Heights brought us to this world's past, five years in the past to be exact. That's why Snow and Charming couldn't call on Storybrooke for help," Cecily answered.

"And you didn't think to mention any of this before?!" the Major shouted at her. Cecily shrugged.

"Oops...but this can still work. We just have to wait five years and with my father's submarine, that will be easy to do. We have things we need to gather from other realms and I assure you that we can pull this off, if you can be patient," she stated.

"And what is stopping us from using this submarine to go to Storybrooke now?" the Major questioned. Cecily snorted derisively.

"Going to Storybrooke now could change the future and there is no telling what the consequences of that could be. But I know that it likely wouldn't bode well for us," she responded.

"Trust me, time travel isn't to be messed with. Snow and Charming didn't actually intend to break that law of magic. Gothel and Samdi were ultimately responsible for toying with time and she's dust now," Cecily warned.

"Five years…" the Major spat in annoyance. It was a setback that she didn't anticipate or like one bit. But...for the kind of power they were talking about, five years was really nothing in the grand scheme of things.

"Fine," she relented.

"After all, I've had other missions last longer, so I guess this will be no different. But make no mistake, any hint of betrayal on your part and you will be eliminated. If you think I can't figure out how to navigate all of this on my own, then you will find that you are sadly mistaken," the Major warned. Cecily smirked.

"Fair enough," Cecily agreed, knowing that the payoff ahead would ultimately be worth it...

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