WIP: Dan/Casey Fairytale (Part 4)
Dec. 18th, 2003 03:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_therePrevious parts can be found here, here and here.
***
King Casey stuck his head out and then gestured to the others that it was safe. When Jeremy and Natalie climbed down, they saw that they were in one of the castle’s storerooms. The kitchen staff must have been too busy and had left the wagon here to unpack later. Looking around, they saw a pair of large wooden doors leading outside, and a small door that led inside the castle.
They pushed at the smaller door but it wouldn’t move. Peaking through the doorway, Natalie saw that the door was barred with a heavy beam of wood. Together, Jeremy and King Casey pried their swords through the gaps at either side of the door and heaved at the beam until it lifted and fell to the floor with a loud thump. Holding their swords firmly, they waited to see if anyone would come to investigate the noise, but no-one appeared.
They opened the door and the king led them up corridors and stairways, straight to Prince Charlie’s rooms. They burst in but the rooms were empty. Sitting down, the king tried to plan their next act. The castle was vast and full of guard, so it would be impossible to search it room by room. With the queen’s birthday celebrations in place, he wasn’t sure where she was or what Prince Charlie would be doing. In fact, Queen Lisa and Prince Charlie might not even be at the castle.
King Casey was about to declare it hopeless, and ask for his friends’ suggestions, when the sound of footsteps drew him out of his thoughts. He grabbed his friends and ran into the prince’s closet to hide.
There were two sets of footsteps steadily walking closer. They paused and the king recognised Queen Lisa’s silvery laugh. In the darkness, he glanced at the others, but realised from their curious, cautious expressions that they didn’t know who was in the room. He heard the low rumble of Sir Dan’s voice but the heavy closet door muffled his words. King Casey was still concentrating on what the knight had said when the closet door was suddenly opened.
Queen Lisa laughed as they stepped out, one hand on their swords. She mocked them and asked if they really though that such a powerful witch would not know what was happening in her own castle. Jeremy and Natalie stared at her with wide eyes as she told them that she had allowed them to escape with Lady Dana, only because it suited her.
King Casey stood firm, demanding that she return his friends and his son…
[“And this is where she realises that he’s a dashing hero and apologises?” Casey mumbled into Dan’s hair.
Dan twisted his neck and gave Casey a sharp look. “I can stop now. You don’t have to listen to the end of the story.”
“No,” Casey said, a little too vehemently. Dan cocked an eyebrow at him. “I want to hear the end,” he amended, but Dan kept watching him dubiously. “It’s not a fair comparison unless I listen to the end, right?”
Dan settled back with his head leaning on Casey’s shoulder and stared up at the ceiling. “Okay.”]
The queen smirked at him, saying that he should be happy to receive half of his request. She would leave him his friends, but she would make sure that he never saw his son again. He should be thankful for her generosity.
Needless to say, the king was infuriated by her words but saw the scheming expression on Jeremy’s face and tried to stall for time while Jeremy thought of a plan. Turning back to the queen, he told her that as long as Lady Dana remained asleep and Sir Dan remained here, he had neither his friends nor his son. If she expected him to leave, she needed to return Lady Dana to health.
Smiling spitefully, the queen agreed to reverse Lady Dana’s curse. She started reciting powerful words of magic and they watched each word burst into a bright flash of colour as she spoke. Natalie was awestruck, but her concern for Lady Dana forced her to speak. In a tremulous voice, she asked the queen how they could be sure that Lady Dana was healed. The queen replied by pointing at a large mirror on the wall. Staring at the glass, Natalie saw if form a picture of a figure in bed. Squinting at it, she realised it was Lady Dana, sitting up and stretching her arms as she yawned. As Lady Dana started to look around in confusion, the picture faded until Natalie could only see her own relieved reflection.
Looking over at Jeremy, the king saw that the young man was still lost in thought, so he spoke to keep the queen distracted and to play for time. He agreed that the queen had returned the Lady Dana to them, but asked what she would do about Sir Dan. The queen replied that she had only offered to return the king’s friends. It was the king who was assuming that Sir Dan was still his friend, or that he even wished to return.
Horrified at the queen’s knowing voice, the king turned to Sir Dan and asked him plainly if they were still friends. Sir Dan stood beside the queen and looked straight at King Casey. He spoke sincerely, and said that love was more important than friendship and that for love, you should sacrifice everything.
The king cringed, remembering saying those same words when Sir Dan warned him not to marry Queen Lisa. He declared to the knight that he was wrong. True love would not make you turn your back on people you cared about.
An ugly expression marred Sir Dan’s face as he sneered that King Casey only said that now because he was jealous. He taunted that because King Casey had lost Queen Lisa’s love, he was now trying to trick Sir Dan out of his own chance of happiness.
Aghast, the king denied it, but the more he denied it, the more convince Sir Dan became. The discussion turned into shouts, and in his temper, the king made the mistake of resting his hand upon the hilt of his sword. Sir Dan seized upon the subconscious threat and drew his own sword. The knight cried out that they would settle this as men and declared that they would fight to the death for the love the queen. Natalie and Jeremy begged for the knight to stop this foolishness, but the queen smiled at Sir Dan and encouraged him.
The king listened to the worried voices of his friends and realised the tragedy about to take place. Returning his sword to it’s scabbard, he pleaded with the knight to resolve this peacefully. Sir Dan shook his head and lunged at the king, forcing King Casey to draw his sword to defend himself.
Evenly matched, they lunged and parried, attacked and defended, while King Casey tried to make the knight see sense. He tried to make the knight see how foolish this was, to see that Queen Lisa would not encourage this if she actually loved him, but that just made the knight attack him brutally, snarling that the king lied.
Moving swiftly, King Casey circled out of Sir Dan’s reach and tried to remind him of their friendship. He reminisced about how they had met so may years ago, of the warm spring day when they had both gone hunting. Stepping backwards, the king tripped and fell, but Sir Dan’s swing paused and his face froze.
Scrambling to his feet, the king watched his friend’s face closely and saw those blank eyes briefly flare with an unnatural, magical light and then the murderous expression returned. Suddenly, the king understood Sir Dan’s abrupt change of heart. He hadn’t fallen in love with Queen Lisa, but had fallen under her spell.
Standing up, he attacked the knight boldly, punctuating each thrust with a memory of their friendship. He told the knight of swimming in lakes during summer and creeping through forests during fall. With each memory, the king took advantage of that moment of blank shock and pushed forwards. King Casey described learning to shoot arrows together, practicing their swordsmanship and the first time they got drunk. He told Sir Dan how the knight had always cared for him and protected him, how he had warned him about Queen Lisa and welcomed him back with open arms when he returned.
He recited the ways that the knight had cared for him since his return and the way that at times the only thing that stopped him from sinking into total despair was Sir Dan’s bright smile and sincere laugh. He was happiest when Sir Dan smiled at him, and felt safest when Sir Dan was watching over him. He told the knight that nothing made him feel more alive than the sound of Sir Dan’s voice and the warmth of the knight’s arm around his shoulders.
Forcing the sword from the knight’s hand, the king stilled, surprised by the depth of his own feelings. Sir Dan blinked at him emptily and then the malice burned bright in his eyes. He called King Casey a coward and taunted that he wasn’t brave enough to kill for the queen’s love.
King Casey shook his head. Knowing that in his cursed state Sir Dan would not understand, he took the knight by the shoulders and leaned forward. Softly, he said that he refused to leave without Sir Dan. It would be impossible to live knowing that he’d left behind the two people he loved most. Saying this, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to Sir Dan’s, knowing that he had no hope of defeating the queen, but couldn’t leave.
Pulling back, he closed his eyes and swallowed, preparing himself to tell Natalie and Jeremy to run to safety. But when he opened his eyes, Sir Dan stood there, smiling joyously at him, and when he turned, an old hag stood in the beautiful queen’s place. Bewildered, the king asked what had happened and Sir Dan replied that he had broken the Witch Queen’s spell.
King Casey was still confused and looked questioningly to his friends. Natalie looked just as confused as he felt, but Jeremy looked thoughtful. Slowly, Jeremy explained that there was only one thing more powerful that the strongest magic and that was a kiss of true love. By kissing the knight, the queen’s magic was overcome and her powers were lost.
The king looked to the old hag for confirmation and she nodded dejectedly. She told them it was true. She was now defenceless and could not stop him from taking her son away. The king told her that she could keep her kingdom, but she would be killed if she was found on his lands. He told her that the prince would come and live with him, but she looked so hopeless and so sad that King Casey took pity on her. He decreed that she could still see their son, and that he would come and visit her every second weekend. The queen gratefully agreed.
After saying this, the king and his friends went to find Prince Charlie and return to their home. Riding back to his castle, the King suddenly found himself very happy. He had a good home and was surrounded by close friends, who cared enough for his that they had risked their lives to help him. But even better than that, he had recovered his beloved son and had discovered something that had waited years for him, his true love.
[“The end,” Dan concluded. Grinning, he waited for Casey’s reaction. “Your verdict?”
Casey stretched his neck, looking thoughtful. “I see why Charlie prefers your bedtime stories.”
Dan beamed at him. “It’s a gift.”
“It certainly is,” Casey agreed, and kissed Dan soundly. Pulling back slightly, he said, “So. True love, huh?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Dan replied, nuzzling the side of Casey’s neck.
Casey gasped lightly and tilted his chin to give Dan easier access. “It’s a powerful force.”
“In the world of fairytales,” Dan said and his breath whispered across Casey’s damp skin. “It’s the most powerful force there is.”
“It’s a pretty powerful force here, too,” Casey said huskily and muffled Dan’s reply in a kiss.]
...And they lived happily ever after.
The End
***
King Casey stuck his head out and then gestured to the others that it was safe. When Jeremy and Natalie climbed down, they saw that they were in one of the castle’s storerooms. The kitchen staff must have been too busy and had left the wagon here to unpack later. Looking around, they saw a pair of large wooden doors leading outside, and a small door that led inside the castle.
They pushed at the smaller door but it wouldn’t move. Peaking through the doorway, Natalie saw that the door was barred with a heavy beam of wood. Together, Jeremy and King Casey pried their swords through the gaps at either side of the door and heaved at the beam until it lifted and fell to the floor with a loud thump. Holding their swords firmly, they waited to see if anyone would come to investigate the noise, but no-one appeared.
They opened the door and the king led them up corridors and stairways, straight to Prince Charlie’s rooms. They burst in but the rooms were empty. Sitting down, the king tried to plan their next act. The castle was vast and full of guard, so it would be impossible to search it room by room. With the queen’s birthday celebrations in place, he wasn’t sure where she was or what Prince Charlie would be doing. In fact, Queen Lisa and Prince Charlie might not even be at the castle.
King Casey was about to declare it hopeless, and ask for his friends’ suggestions, when the sound of footsteps drew him out of his thoughts. He grabbed his friends and ran into the prince’s closet to hide.
There were two sets of footsteps steadily walking closer. They paused and the king recognised Queen Lisa’s silvery laugh. In the darkness, he glanced at the others, but realised from their curious, cautious expressions that they didn’t know who was in the room. He heard the low rumble of Sir Dan’s voice but the heavy closet door muffled his words. King Casey was still concentrating on what the knight had said when the closet door was suddenly opened.
Queen Lisa laughed as they stepped out, one hand on their swords. She mocked them and asked if they really though that such a powerful witch would not know what was happening in her own castle. Jeremy and Natalie stared at her with wide eyes as she told them that she had allowed them to escape with Lady Dana, only because it suited her.
King Casey stood firm, demanding that she return his friends and his son…
[“And this is where she realises that he’s a dashing hero and apologises?” Casey mumbled into Dan’s hair.
Dan twisted his neck and gave Casey a sharp look. “I can stop now. You don’t have to listen to the end of the story.”
“No,” Casey said, a little too vehemently. Dan cocked an eyebrow at him. “I want to hear the end,” he amended, but Dan kept watching him dubiously. “It’s not a fair comparison unless I listen to the end, right?”
Dan settled back with his head leaning on Casey’s shoulder and stared up at the ceiling. “Okay.”]
The queen smirked at him, saying that he should be happy to receive half of his request. She would leave him his friends, but she would make sure that he never saw his son again. He should be thankful for her generosity.
Needless to say, the king was infuriated by her words but saw the scheming expression on Jeremy’s face and tried to stall for time while Jeremy thought of a plan. Turning back to the queen, he told her that as long as Lady Dana remained asleep and Sir Dan remained here, he had neither his friends nor his son. If she expected him to leave, she needed to return Lady Dana to health.
Smiling spitefully, the queen agreed to reverse Lady Dana’s curse. She started reciting powerful words of magic and they watched each word burst into a bright flash of colour as she spoke. Natalie was awestruck, but her concern for Lady Dana forced her to speak. In a tremulous voice, she asked the queen how they could be sure that Lady Dana was healed. The queen replied by pointing at a large mirror on the wall. Staring at the glass, Natalie saw if form a picture of a figure in bed. Squinting at it, she realised it was Lady Dana, sitting up and stretching her arms as she yawned. As Lady Dana started to look around in confusion, the picture faded until Natalie could only see her own relieved reflection.
Looking over at Jeremy, the king saw that the young man was still lost in thought, so he spoke to keep the queen distracted and to play for time. He agreed that the queen had returned the Lady Dana to them, but asked what she would do about Sir Dan. The queen replied that she had only offered to return the king’s friends. It was the king who was assuming that Sir Dan was still his friend, or that he even wished to return.
Horrified at the queen’s knowing voice, the king turned to Sir Dan and asked him plainly if they were still friends. Sir Dan stood beside the queen and looked straight at King Casey. He spoke sincerely, and said that love was more important than friendship and that for love, you should sacrifice everything.
The king cringed, remembering saying those same words when Sir Dan warned him not to marry Queen Lisa. He declared to the knight that he was wrong. True love would not make you turn your back on people you cared about.
An ugly expression marred Sir Dan’s face as he sneered that King Casey only said that now because he was jealous. He taunted that because King Casey had lost Queen Lisa’s love, he was now trying to trick Sir Dan out of his own chance of happiness.
Aghast, the king denied it, but the more he denied it, the more convince Sir Dan became. The discussion turned into shouts, and in his temper, the king made the mistake of resting his hand upon the hilt of his sword. Sir Dan seized upon the subconscious threat and drew his own sword. The knight cried out that they would settle this as men and declared that they would fight to the death for the love the queen. Natalie and Jeremy begged for the knight to stop this foolishness, but the queen smiled at Sir Dan and encouraged him.
The king listened to the worried voices of his friends and realised the tragedy about to take place. Returning his sword to it’s scabbard, he pleaded with the knight to resolve this peacefully. Sir Dan shook his head and lunged at the king, forcing King Casey to draw his sword to defend himself.
Evenly matched, they lunged and parried, attacked and defended, while King Casey tried to make the knight see sense. He tried to make the knight see how foolish this was, to see that Queen Lisa would not encourage this if she actually loved him, but that just made the knight attack him brutally, snarling that the king lied.
Moving swiftly, King Casey circled out of Sir Dan’s reach and tried to remind him of their friendship. He reminisced about how they had met so may years ago, of the warm spring day when they had both gone hunting. Stepping backwards, the king tripped and fell, but Sir Dan’s swing paused and his face froze.
Scrambling to his feet, the king watched his friend’s face closely and saw those blank eyes briefly flare with an unnatural, magical light and then the murderous expression returned. Suddenly, the king understood Sir Dan’s abrupt change of heart. He hadn’t fallen in love with Queen Lisa, but had fallen under her spell.
Standing up, he attacked the knight boldly, punctuating each thrust with a memory of their friendship. He told the knight of swimming in lakes during summer and creeping through forests during fall. With each memory, the king took advantage of that moment of blank shock and pushed forwards. King Casey described learning to shoot arrows together, practicing their swordsmanship and the first time they got drunk. He told Sir Dan how the knight had always cared for him and protected him, how he had warned him about Queen Lisa and welcomed him back with open arms when he returned.
He recited the ways that the knight had cared for him since his return and the way that at times the only thing that stopped him from sinking into total despair was Sir Dan’s bright smile and sincere laugh. He was happiest when Sir Dan smiled at him, and felt safest when Sir Dan was watching over him. He told the knight that nothing made him feel more alive than the sound of Sir Dan’s voice and the warmth of the knight’s arm around his shoulders.
Forcing the sword from the knight’s hand, the king stilled, surprised by the depth of his own feelings. Sir Dan blinked at him emptily and then the malice burned bright in his eyes. He called King Casey a coward and taunted that he wasn’t brave enough to kill for the queen’s love.
King Casey shook his head. Knowing that in his cursed state Sir Dan would not understand, he took the knight by the shoulders and leaned forward. Softly, he said that he refused to leave without Sir Dan. It would be impossible to live knowing that he’d left behind the two people he loved most. Saying this, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to Sir Dan’s, knowing that he had no hope of defeating the queen, but couldn’t leave.
Pulling back, he closed his eyes and swallowed, preparing himself to tell Natalie and Jeremy to run to safety. But when he opened his eyes, Sir Dan stood there, smiling joyously at him, and when he turned, an old hag stood in the beautiful queen’s place. Bewildered, the king asked what had happened and Sir Dan replied that he had broken the Witch Queen’s spell.
King Casey was still confused and looked questioningly to his friends. Natalie looked just as confused as he felt, but Jeremy looked thoughtful. Slowly, Jeremy explained that there was only one thing more powerful that the strongest magic and that was a kiss of true love. By kissing the knight, the queen’s magic was overcome and her powers were lost.
The king looked to the old hag for confirmation and she nodded dejectedly. She told them it was true. She was now defenceless and could not stop him from taking her son away. The king told her that she could keep her kingdom, but she would be killed if she was found on his lands. He told her that the prince would come and live with him, but she looked so hopeless and so sad that King Casey took pity on her. He decreed that she could still see their son, and that he would come and visit her every second weekend. The queen gratefully agreed.
After saying this, the king and his friends went to find Prince Charlie and return to their home. Riding back to his castle, the King suddenly found himself very happy. He had a good home and was surrounded by close friends, who cared enough for his that they had risked their lives to help him. But even better than that, he had recovered his beloved son and had discovered something that had waited years for him, his true love.
[“The end,” Dan concluded. Grinning, he waited for Casey’s reaction. “Your verdict?”
Casey stretched his neck, looking thoughtful. “I see why Charlie prefers your bedtime stories.”
Dan beamed at him. “It’s a gift.”
“It certainly is,” Casey agreed, and kissed Dan soundly. Pulling back slightly, he said, “So. True love, huh?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Dan replied, nuzzling the side of Casey’s neck.
Casey gasped lightly and tilted his chin to give Dan easier access. “It’s a powerful force.”
“In the world of fairytales,” Dan said and his breath whispered across Casey’s damp skin. “It’s the most powerful force there is.”
“It’s a pretty powerful force here, too,” Casey said huskily and muffled Dan’s reply in a kiss.]
...And they lived happily ever after.
The End
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no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 08:57 pm (UTC)*Eliza grins stupidly at her computer* Awww, that's the sweetest thing I've read all year. Yay! for brave Sir Dan and persistent King Casey, so benevolent in victory. And cheers to the resourceful Jeremy and Natalie. True love does conquer all things!
no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:04 pm (UTC)I wrote the darned thing and I'm still grinning at the utter sap.
Yay! for brave Sir Dan and persistent King Casey, so benevolent in victory.
Yep. You can't be a hero if you're not merciful. Says so in the handbook. *g*
And cheers to the resourceful Jeremy and Natalie.
Heh. They became Plucky Sidekicks, even though I didn't expect them to be. Everyone just wanted to get in on the fun... *g*
True love does conquer all things!
*nods* There's something a lot of fun about fairytales. They're so truly and simplistically optimistic. Good conquers evil, true love always overcomes and a person's true worth is more than their appearance.
Makes me think fondly on all those fairytales I read as a kid. Although I have to say that my fave wasn't exactly traditional, it was "The Paperbag Princess"... Thinking about it, that may explain some of my attitudes... *g*
no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:05 pm (UTC)I think we need more fics to end like that. *g*
no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:16 pm (UTC)*hugs you* Seriously, I may not stop smiling all night. You totally happied me out.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:23 pm (UTC)Yay! *grins like a loon*
There's something wonderful about reading fic that just gives you that pure shot of *happy*...
no subject
Date: 2003-12-24 05:06 am (UTC)G