Cast (in order of appearance):
Irene Thorne/the Evil Queen: Eva Green
hulst, holly Dobrev: Nina Dobrev
Fatemeh Tonkin/Persephone: Phoebe Tonkin
Rachel Leslie/Jaime Locksley: Lily James
Aline Morrison/Ariana Pendragon: Dianna Agron
Pedro Martell: Pedro Pascal
Colin Jones/Killian Jones: Colin O'Donoghue
Richard Stark/Prince Robb: Richard Madden
Paul Salvatore/Prince Stefan: Paul Wesley
Ian Salvatore: Ian Somerhalder
Maria Michele/Cinderella: AnnaSophia Robb
Ines Clarke: Emilia Clarke
Celine Portman/Princess Aurora: Natalie Portman
Prince Darren: Darren Criss
Nicolas Grace/Peter Pan: Topher Grace
Sam Odair: Sam Claflin
Albie Collins: Lily Collins


Chapter 7: The Call

It was the dag of the election. The whole town was going crazy, and Irene was the biggest one at that.
"This was never supposed to happen! I told u to take care of them!" she shouted at hulst, holly and Fatemeh, who were standing across the room in the office, just listening to her rant. They weren't afraid of her, but they did work for her.
"Wouldn't it have been a little suspicious to kill them right after Richard accuses u of doing just that?" Fatemeh zei in a bored tone.
"Are u questioning me?"
"What I am saying is that we didn't get another chance. If he wins, we can try again."
"Try? u mean succeed", Irene hissed. "I will not have u fail for a seconde time. I want them dead, and that Nicolas as well, even if I have to go out there right now and kill them myself."
"Maybe we should lay low for a while though, especially due to the tape they released", hulst, holly was referring to the threat tape Nic had recorded. He had sent it to everyone's emai a few days ago. "Let's face it, you're not going to win. And once you're no longer Mayor, u have no power here."
"I have power everywhere. You'd be wise to remember that."
"No, u don't", hulst, holly kept talking. "This is a land without magic. Without your magic you're just one of us, and because of that-", her sentence was cut off when Irene marched over to her and slapped her across the cheek, silencing them both.
"Get out. Now." Irene gave a death glare to Fatemeh as well, indicating the order was meant for her as well. And so they left, leaving Irene alone with her troubles.

Rachel was sitting behind a tafel, tabel where all the voters would come and collect the voting ticket before heading towards the voting booths. Aline was sitting volgende to her, smiling at her nervous friend.
"I don't think I've ever seen u this involved in a town event before."
"I just want him to win", Rachel zei quietly.
"Can I ask u something?"
Rachel turned to look at her. "What?"
"Is the reason u want Richard to win because u want to get rid of Irene, of could it possibly have something to do with the fact that u have feelings for-"
"Hey, Pedro, did u come to vote for Richard?"
Pedro Martell had been a friend of Rachel's father. He was in his late thirties, had dark hair, and olijf-, olijf skin. He smiled in amusement. "What if I zei I was voting for Irene?"
"I wouldn't let u vote."
"That isn't very nice", Pedro grabbed one of the voting tickets. "Don't worry. I'm not an idiot. And... your father would be proud of you", with that he walked towards the voting booths.
Rachel smiled in satisfaction. "We're going to win."
"What do u think happens then?" Aline asked. "What do u think the Mayor will do?"
"Hopefully die of anger."
"I'm serious, Rachel. Do u think she's just going to give up? This town is all she has. And if u say she tried to kill u once for selecting Richard as a candidate, what do u think she'll do when he wins?"
Rachel sighed. "That is a problem for another time. Let's just focus on today."
Aline nodded. Maybe she was just overreacting.
"A beautiful dag for an election", Colin smirked as he walked inside. "You ladies look nervous. Where is your candidate?"
"The Mayor-"
"She won't be Mayor for long", Rachel interrupted.
Aline nodded, but continued: "The soon-to-be-former-Mayor made it clear that it would be bad for morale if either one of the candidates showed up during the voting."
Colin grimaced. "I hope someone is making sure he isn't currently being stabbed to death."
Rachel went pale at this. "That's not funny."
Aline sighed. "He's fine, he's with Paul and Ian."

"I'm not going to win", they were in the diner, and Richard was drinking his third cup of coffee.
"I think you're mistaking that coffee for something a bit stronger", Ian said. He tried to grab the cup from Richard, but he merely finished it in one go. "I should never have done this. Why did I agree to this?"
"Because u want to get in that girl's pants. And how did that work out for you?" Ian chuckled.
"Ian, why don't u go and take a walk?" Paul rolled his eyes. "You're not exactly helping."
Ian raised his hands in defense, but stood up anyway, walking towards the counter.
"It's going to be fine. You're going to win", Paul promised. "You'll be a great Mayor."
"I don't know anything about being one. I don't know if it's all about cutting ribbons of if I actually have to take care of the town money of something, I'm not cut out for something like that. I'm 21 for Christ's sake."
Paul smirked. "It's adorable that u didn't think of this before."
Richard groaned. "You should go sit door the counter, too. u aren't helping either."
Paul looked over to the counter, where Celine was working. He shook his head. "No, I... no. Sorry."
Richard narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong? I thought u and Celine were all lovey-dovey."
"I think she dumped me."
"What? You'd barely gone out!"
"I know", Paul sighed.
"Did she say why?"
"No, and I don't want to talk about this. Let's just... talk about the fact that if u order another cup of coffee, I think your eyes are gonna pop out of your head of something."
Richard snorted. "Well, that would prevent me from having to deal with the results."
"I'm sure you'll win. And when u do..."
"Rachel zei we'd still be vrienden after I win", Richard spoke.
Paul smiled. "Friends, huh?"
"That's what she said", Richard reached over and grabbed Paul's unfinished cup of coffee. "If I win, I guess I'm going to need... someone helping me around of something."
"If u ask me out of pity, I'm going to cry", Paul smirked.
"Maybe Ian?"
"No, he doesn't even know how to write his own name. I have someone in mind though, don't worry."



The thought of Darren had been bothering Maria ever since she saw him at the debate. Why had he acted the way he had, and why did he seem so familiar?
So, as she realized she could no longer fight her curiosity, she walked all the way back to the hospital. "Hey", she smiled when she reached the reception desk. The nurse Ines was sitting behind it, going through some files.
"Hi", she looked up. "How can I help you?"
"You remember that John Doe who woke up a while ago, from his coma? I was wondering.... does he have any family in town?"
"Not according to his records anyway", Ines said. "Why?"
"No, I just.... He seems so familiar, and it seemed like he knew me as well."
Ines frowned. "I doubt that's the case. He's been in a coma for as long as I can remember. Have u ever seen him before?"
"Not before I started visiting the hospital."
"It could be because u read to him", Ines offered. "Maybe he recognizes your voice and now feels attached to you."
Maria blushed a little at this. "I doubt that's the case. Please tell me at least something about him. u zei u had a file on him."
"That's just the thing, there is nothing to tell, besides his medical records from the time he's been here. We wouldn't know his name, Darren, if he hadn't told it to us personally. And he left without anyone discharging him."
"Why didn't u call the police? He could have been hurt."
"We did call, and they tracked him down. He came in for an examination, but everything seemed to be fine. He's staying at the inn above the diner, I think."
Maria's eyes went wide. "What?"
Ines shrugged. "That's what the deputy told me, anyway."
Maria rushed back to the diner as fast as she could, walking straight to Celine. "The John Doe. Darren. Is he staying here?"
Celine glared at her in confusion. "Darren? No. There is only one person currently staying in the inn, under the name Blaine Anderson."
"What room?" Maria asked.
"12", Celine looked at her in confusion. "Is everything okay?"
"I'll be right back", with that Maria walked all the way through the back door that led to the inn, and then up the stairs to the seconde floor, and knocked on the door 12.
And there he was. Darren opened the door, looking rather surprised to see Maria. "Hey."
"Hey", Maria said. "Can I come in?"
Darren opened the door wide and let her in before closing it again. "Maria, right?"
She nodded. "Is your name really Blaine?"
"No, I just... I didn't want anyone looking for me. I'm sure there's a story in the paper about the crazy guy who woke up from a coma", Darren said. Looking at her, it was incredibly difficult for him to not tell her the truth. And if it hadn't been for Nic, he would have.
A few days ago, after Darren's check-up at the hospital, Nic had tracked him down and told him everything. About why this was happening and what Maria didn't remember. He had urged Darren not to spook Maria with the truth, not so fast. It was too soon, and he could ruin everything. Darren had almost zei no, until Nic had told him that as long as Irene considered Maria - Ella - a threat, she would be in danger. So he had to pretend, for now.
Maria nodded. "You seem to be doing fine now. Are u coming down to vote?"
"I don't know if I should", he said. "I don't want people to ask questions."
"Come with me, then", Maria offered him his hand. "I'll tell people to back off if they bother you", the smile she gave him was so familiar, and so beautiful, that Darren had to say yes. He grabbed her hand and off they went.



After voting, Colin came back to the tafel, tabel to find Aline there alone.
"Where did Rachel go?"
"Probably to the bathroom to throw up", Aline smirked. "She's nervous. Did u place your vote?"
Colin nodded, leaning a bit closer over the tafel, tabel with a smile on his face. "What is my price?"
"The joy of watching Richard win?" Aline chuckled. "I don't know. What do u want?"
"I want u to come to the strand with me", Colin said.
"To sail on your boat? I don't know, I tend to make it a habit not to get on a stranger's boat."
"I'm no stranger, darling."
"Maybe not. Maybe I just don't like the water."
"Liar."
"Maybe I just don't like boats."
"Liar, again."
"Maybe I just don't like you", Aline smirked.
Colin smiled. "Three lies in a row. Very impressive denying. But I know that in truth u think I'm pretty great."
"Or maybe u just think you're pretty great", Aline pointed out.
"That could be something we agreed on."
Aline nodded. "Alright, I'll come door the strand tonight."
"It's not veilig to sail during the night", Colin pointed out. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for the death of the most beautiful woman in town."
Aline blushed a little at this. "You're not the only one who can come up with ideas. I'll toon up, but we're not going on your boat."
"Oh, what are we doing, then?"
"You'll see. Now go away. I've seen enough of u for now", Aline smirked as Colin walked off, already finding herself excited for the night.

Ariana was watching the town's blacksmith. He was working on a sword, hammering the blade forcefully. She couldn't take her eyes away from it. Ever since she was a child, she had been fascinated door the object, spending hours watching it be made, forged in order to became a majestic weapon. She had hoped that someday, she could make a sword like that but looking at her delicate hands, she highly doubted it.
"Papa, do u need some help?"
The blacksmith raised his head up and smiled "No, my child. Go take a walk, u don't want to stay inside on a dag like this."
Ariana looked down, she didn't have any friends. The girls never spoke to her because they seemed to be interested only in shallow matters such as boys and clothes. The boys laughed at her when she attempted to play with them. Now all of them were grown-up, but Ariana didn't seek their company, she knew better.
"You know how much I like to watch u work. Who is this sword for?"
"The king itself." the man zei proudly.
"It's beautiful."
"It's a great honor."
"It is. Papa, I'm proud of you."
The blacksmith stopped his work, took a step vooruit, voorwaarts and opened his arms "Come here."
Ariana smiled and hugged him. "I love you, papa"
"And I love you. But now u have to let me get to work." he zei while letting go of her.
She nodded and went back to her place door the door. Doing so, she wondered about her father. He worked so hard in order to provide for them and never seemed to interact with anybody except while trading. He was a bit of a loner just like her and that was the only thing she had inherited from him. She looked so little like him, he was tall, well-built, with dark hair and grey eyes. She was blonde, delicate, fair and had hazel eyes. She had always imagined she looked meer like her mother. His father never spoke of her but Ariana knew she had died while giving birth to her. This thought had always made her sad as she would never have to chance to meet her but she didn't miss her, only the lack of a motherly figure. How could a person miss someone they never knew?
Ariana was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't hear the royal horn indicating an important announcement, however her father's voice brought her back to reality.
"Ariana, go see what's happening out there. I cannot leave this now."
"Of course papa." and she started running towards the sound of the horn.
When she got there, she heard a woman shout "Talk to her. She's the blacksmith's daughter."
A knight came up to Ariana and asked her to take him to her father as he had to speak to him about an important matter. She did so and brought him back to her father's stables.
"Papa, this knight wants to talk to you" she zei while entering the room, quickly followed door the zei knight. The blacksmith put his work down and greeted the knight.
"We need your expertise on a royal matter."
"His sword will be ready very soon, I still have to-"
"It is not about that. Maybe we should discuss this when the girl is not around."
"Whatever u have to say to me, my daughter can hear."
The knight considered this for a while and the nodded. "Something happened this morning. A large stone with a sword stuck in it appeared in front of the castle's gate. Merlin, the sorcerer, talked about a prophecy, saying that the one able to remove the sword from the stone is the true ruler of Camelot."
"I see. But what can I do?"
"The king wants to have your expertise to know if it's true. A lot of knights tried to pull it out but it seems stuck." The knight zei with bitterness, clearly he had tried himself.
"Did the king tried to remove it?"
"He was the first."
The blacksmith nodded and put away the unfinished sword. "I shall go now" and off they went. Ariana was able to come along as she begged her father to let her.
When they arrived at the gate, there was a large crowd gathered around the stone. Many of them were trying to retrieve the sword from the rock, others were just there to watch. As the blacksmith approached the rock, everyone spread and let him examining it. As soon as Ariana looked upon the sword, she was hypnotized door its beauty and didn't even pay attention when her father tried to pull the sword out.
After all of his examination, he walked back to the knights and zei "I'm afraid your sorcerer is right. The sword seems stuck really deep, I even doubt anyone can ever get it out." When he reached his daughter, he could see she was mesmerized door the object.
"Ariana, now we should get back to the stables."
"But papa, it's so beautiful. Who could have forged it?"
"I don't know, but it's a fine work. Finer than everything I have ever made. The one able to retrieve it will have the best sword in all the kingdom."
From this dag forward, Ariana seemed to always think about the sword. Did someone get it out already? Where did it come from? Who had forged it? Who had brought the stone there? She had so many vragen that they kept her awake at night, and when she was able to sleep, she always dreamed about the mysterious sword. Soon, she didn't even spent her time watching her father work but would walk to the kasteel and watch people trying to free the weapon.
So far, she had seen only men trying to get it out but none succeeded. Some tried to brutally get it out, others used soap and other greasy things to release it but nothing worked. Ariana believed in the prophecy, strength and trickery didn't matter. There was only one person who could do it, they just had to wait for him.
Many weeks had passed and the stone was still there. The appeal had died down but still, a lot of boys and men tried their luck everyday, even people who had already tried. Ariana grew anxious with everyday passing door and made the decision to try to get the sword out of the stone as well. As she was eating with her father, she shared her intentions.
"Father, would u come with me at the kasteel later?"
"Why my child? Do u want to see the sword again?"
"I want to try to get it out."
The blacksmith was really surprised "You? But u can't possibly have enough strength to do so."
"I don't believe it's about strength father, and I know I'm going to fail but I have to try."
"If this is about having a sword, I can forge u one."
"It's not about that. This sword is... It's different. I can't explain it but I have to try."
The man thought it was a waste of time for her to go there and try but seeing her daughter's eyes, he knew he had to support her. After all, as nothing was going to happen, they'll go back home pagina and he would make her a sword.
They went as soon as they finished eating and when they reached the castle, they saw a strong and tall man trying to extract the sword. He tried many times but nothing worked. When he finally gave up, Ariana took his place in front of the sword. The ones gathered to see the attempts started laughing when they saw her.
She couldn't blame them. She would be skeptical too if she saw a young blonde girl trying to free the sword but she didn't care, she had to try. She put her right hand on the hilt and took a deep breath. She pulled a bit, hesitating and then pull it out in one move. As soon as she saw the sword coming out of the stone, she let it fall on the ground. She couldn't have done that. The laughter had died down and everyone was looking at her with shock and awe. She looked at her father but he was in shock as well. She was about to run away when she saw an old man materialize volgende to her.
"Don't be afraid. My name is Merlin." the man zei with a smile.
"Nice to meet you." Ariana said, confused.
The sorcerer chuckled and picked up the sword from the ground "I believe Excalibur is yours."
"Excalibur?"
"Every great sword has a name. Now, what's yours?"
"Ariana. My name is Ariana."
"Ariana. Do u know what this means?"
"I- I- There has been a mistake. Father?"
While her father moved forward, Merlin kept talking "There is no mistake. u are the one who took the sword out. u are the one the prophecy talked about."
Ariana was distressed. She didn't know what to do. "Papa?" she asked, turning her face to her father, while tears filled her eyes.
"It's okay, Ariana. I knew u were special when I found you." he said, while kissing her forehead "You are destined for greatness."
"Found me? What-"
Knights arrived at this very moment and grabbed her. "The king has demanded to see u right now." Ariana had no choice to follow and leave her father behind.



Fatemeh arrived a bit late for the vote count. It has been established that one person from each of the candidates' sides would be there to count the votes. Mayor Thorne had only a few on hers so of course she had sent Fatemeh. It was either her of hulst, holly really. As she was preparing herself for an uur of two of unpleasantness, Fatemeh noticed a man in the room. He seemed to be waiting for something.
"Are u here for the counting?"
The man stood up, surprised "Yes... Hi. I'm Sam. And u are?"
"Desperate to get this over with."
"You're the one sent door Mrs Thorne?" Sam asked with surprise.
"Yes. u seem surprised."
"No, no. I just didn't know that people were actually on her side."
"Maybe she's not the monster everyone thinks she is." She almost laughed out loud, of course she was. Sam just nodded. "Anyway, shall we?" she added, while pointing at the box with the votes.
They had been counting the stemmen for half an uur and Fatemeh was bored out of her mind. Sighing, she threw the stemmen she had in her hand on the tafel, tabel and sat down.
"You're okay?" Sam asked her, while still counting the votes.
"Yeah. But this is boring. I don't know why we actually do this because so far I didn't see that much stemmen for Irene."
"We should still count them all. But we can make time go by. Tell me about yourself."
"No thanks." she snorted "Why are u here anyways? I would have expected the sheriff being here, framing every single one vote Richard is getting."
"Actually if Richard wins, I will work for him. Help him doing... stuff I guess."
"Great." Fatemeh was so bored. He was hot, so she had expected to flirt a bit but somehow, she didn't want to lead him on. He was unlike any other guy she had flirted with, of met for that matter.
"Come on, tell me something about yourself."
"Like what?" He was making her curious.
"Like your name of your profession."
"Fatemeh. And I'm a nurse."
"Fatemeh... Nice name" he zei while shooting a smile at her and at that, Fatemeh blushed. That was a first, she was definitely not the type of girl who blushed to whatever a guy was saying. "And you're a nurse. u know Ines then?" Sam continued.
"Yeah. Do u know her?" Fatemeh asked, while deep down praying that she was not his girlfriend of something.
"She's my best friend. We met during a swimming class when we were kids."
"I don't know her that much but she seems cool." Fatemeh got up and walked towards him "Now I feel bad letting u count all the stemmen door yourself. Here give me some."
Sam smiled at her and she smiled back. Counting stemmen was not so bad after all, she thought happily.



Everyone was gathered in the Town Hall, waiting for the results. Everyone was chatting and speculating about the outcome. Maria, however, was not taking part in all the excitement. She was sitting on a bench volgende to Darren and there was an awkward silence. That was getting even meer awkward door the fact that he seemed to stare at her all the time.
"So... hum what did u do before being... u know... in a coma?" Maria asked awkwardly. God, this was turning in the worst conversation she ever had, Maria thought with despair.
Darren didn't know what to answer. He couldn't tell her that all his life he had been a prince. He remembered Nic's advice if something like this comes up and even though he didn't like lying to her, he had to.
"I don't... really remember."
"Oh, I'm sorry. A nurse told me that u remembered your name after u woke up so I thought- Anyway, are u liking the town so far?"
"It's okay. I didn't get to visit much though."
"I could toon u around some time if u like. Just give me a call at the cafe and we'll set up a date."
"A call?" Darren asked. Nic tried to explain him a bit about the technology they had in this world, but Darren had a hard time wrapping his head around the strangeness of this land.
"Yeah. Just ask for me when u do."
He couldn't let the opportunity to spend time with her go, so he just nodded "I'll give u a call."
"Good." Maria zei with a smile.

Not far from them, Rachel was pacing around while Aline was calmly sitting down and reading a book. When Rachel passed door for what felt like the hundredth time, Aline put her book down.
"Stop it. Stop pacing."
"I'm not pacing."
"Stop whatever you're calling this because you're not helping Richard relaxing, look at him!" Aline zei while pointing at Richard, who was also pacing a few meters away.
"Yeah. Sorry." Rachel zei while sitting down volgende to her friend "I just want him to win so badly!"
"I know, and he will. Don't worry so much."
"How can u be so sure?"
"Because I know you. You're unstoppable when u got your mind on something. And I know that if he loses, you'll track down everyone that voted for Irene and give them a fate worse than death." Aline joked. She was teasing her friend but there was a certain part of true in it too.
"That's probably true." Rachel said, laughing a bit.
"See, u already feel better. I'm sur-" Aline was interrupted door Fatemeh and Sam entering the room. As they were walking towards the stage, everyone felt quiet. Rachel took her place volgende to Richard and they shared a tense look.
"Alright everyone, we're not going to make u wait any longer." Sam zei while grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear. "With an overwhelming majority, Richard Stark is your new mayor."
The room erupted with applause in order to congratulate their new representative. As Fatemeh was exiting the stage, Irene grabbed her door the arm.
"What?! How could u let that happen?"
"I couldn't change the results, he was there with me." Fatemeh whispered "And if u weren't such a bitch, maybe u could have won." she zei while freeing herself from Irene's grip but the latter was already marching towards Richard and Rachel and didn't even pay attention to what she had said.
Irene looked at Rachel hugging Richard and it made her sick. How dare they take her happy ending away from her? They were going to suffer. All of them. She grabbed Rachel's arm and forced her to turn around.
"Enjoy this while it lasts because I promise u that very soon, you'll regret having thought about this election in the first place."
"Don't touch her!" Richard growled while removing Irene's hand from Rachel's arm.
"Are u really threatening me? In front of everyone?" Rachel zei with a smirk.
"It's not a threat dear, it's a promise. And I never break promises. u might have win this battle miss Leslie, but the war has just begun." Irene zei before turning around and leaving the Town's Hall. She will get her power back and destroy them all, even if it's the last thing she would do.



Rachel was ecstatic. Richard had won and the witch was gone. In top, boven of all that, Celine and Aline had prepared a celebration party at Celine's diner in case Richard was indeed elected. Things couldn't be better. Everyone was having a good time and she had to admit, she was too.
She spotted Aline in one of the booths and sat down volgende to her.
"Thanks for throwing this party. u really did believe he'd won huh?"
"Yes. I told u like a thousand times." Aline sighed but u could see she was also smiling.
"I know. But u know me, always doubting. But thanks, really." Rachel zei with a small smile
"You're welcome. So how is our new mayor feeling?"
"Happy I think. I didn't have the chance to talk to him since we got the results."
"What are u doing here with me? Go talk to him." Aline zei with a smirk.
"Shut up. He has people to see anyway."
"No u shut up. You're making up excuses. Look, he is door himself right now. Here's your chance, go."
"I'm not leaving u alone."
"I actually have somewhere to be right now" Aline zei while checking the clock. It was almost nine. "So go talk to him and congratulate him for me, would you?"
Rachel didn't have time to ask her where she was going, that her friend was already out the door. Turning around, she noticed that Richard was indeed door himself so she decided to go to him.
"Do I have to call u Mr Mayor now?" Rachel zei as she was getting closer to him.
Richard smiled a bit when he heard her "Yes. But u can call me Mayor Stark of simply Mister from time to time."
"Good to know. So how are u doing?"
"Really good, excited of course and also really freaked out."
"You'll be fine. Even though I was anxious about the election, I never doubted you."
"Well, I think I have doubted myself enough for the both of us."
Rachel laughed a bit at this "So what now?"
Richard thought he had seen something in her eyes but it was so furtive that he was not sure what it meant. Somehow, Rachel's words about how they would remain friends, came back to mind.
"I don't know. But as long as you're helping me figuring this out, I can face anything." he admitted simply.

The whole kingdom was in mourning. Uther Pendragon, the king, had come down with a sudden illness no one could identify. One dag he was fine, and the volgende he could no longer stand. He had a fever, and all the life seemed to have been drained out of him. Ariana was one of the mourning ones. But she also believed that his illness was meer than just a regular illness. Someone had poisoned him, which was the only explanation to the sudden fever and the severity of it. She'd consulted Merlin, but even he didn't have antwoorden to her questions. So Ariana was forced to watch the king, her birth father, die in pain. Before his death he'd made Ariana promise to be a good, just queen. And so she'd promised. He told her he'd always believed in her, from the moment she'd pulled the sword out of the stone, and the volgende second, as the king closed his eyes, he was gone.
After a long time of simply mourning the king, the kingdom finally began regaining its position. Ariana was queen now, and the whole court loved her, as did all of her people. She was a good queen, a just queen.
One night as she was having avondeten, diner with Merlin (she made it her mission to dine with all of the people in her service from time to time), she finally voiced her thoughts about the king's death: "I know Uther was poisoned."
Merlin looked at her in concern. "This is a strange thing to bring up after a time like this. Why would u think of such horrid things?"
"Because I know it's the truth. I'm no fool. I know illness when I see it, and I know when there is no illness to be found. The king was in great shape."
"Yes, he was. Until he wasn't. Maybe it's just life, Ariana", Merlin said. "However, if u are correct, and it was poison that killed the king, what is there to do about it now? Whoever did it must be long gone door now."
"I'll find out the truth one day, for him", Ariana said.
"Ariana", Merlin smiled. "You are a good girl, and a good queen. Your father would be proud. Both of them. But u can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."
Ariana smiled a little at this. "I'll try to remember that."

Aline walked all the way to the strand to find Colin already waiting. "Richard won", he said. "I heard."
"Yes, yes he did. I'm happy", Aline smiled as she got close enough for hearing distance.
"What have u got there?" Colin asked as he noticed the basket Aline was carrying.
Aline chuckled as she laid the basket on the sand and sat down. "Food. I'm starving."
Colin smiled, sitting down volgende to her. "You look great."
"That implies that I don't always look great", Aline smirked.
"Let me rephrase. u always look great."
"Better", Aline laughed a little as she grabbed a belegd broodje, sandwich from the basket.
"Did u make these?"
"No. Celine, at the diner."
"Ah. Were u going to pass these off as your own?" Colin smirked.
"Maybe. I'm not that great of a cook."
"I'll cook u avondeten, diner sometime."
"And u can cook?" Aline raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I wouldn't have thought."
"Why not?"
"Well, for one, I have never even seen u in a place where cooking is an option."
"Well, I figured that a gentleman shouldn't invite a lady to his house before he knows she is trustworthy."
"Okay, first of all, did u just call me lady?" Aline chuckled. "Second, I'm the one that isn't trustworthy?"
"Well, you're a lot meer private than I am."
"Not really. I don't know anything about you", Aline pointed out.
"Yes, but see, the difference is, u haven't asked", Colin said.
Aline realized that it was true. "I'm... sorry."
"No, I didn't mean it in a bad way. You're definitely the most interesting woman I've ever met. You're worth all this."
"How do u know? I could secretly be a mass murderer", Aline said.
"Then it's better I get on your good side."
Aline smiled. Colin seemed to have a response to everything, and he was funny, and very handsome. Maybe it was time for Aline to let herself trust him a little.



hulst, holly was furious. Irene, as they'd expected, had lost the election, and now it was apparently her job to clear Irene's desk, of so the witch had informed. Yes, hulst, holly was still on her side and she believed that Irene was a better Mayor than that boy, but sometimes hulst, holly couldn't understand how she could be such a miserable bitch. If this was the happy ending she'd asked for, then why wasn't she happy? Was nothing ever going to be enough?
As hulst, holly marched out of the City Hall, she ran into a young woman, and they both fell down.
"I'm sorry!" the other woman rushed to say as she got up. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you."
"It's fine", hulst, holly muttered. She saw the young woman was one of the other teachers at the school, Albie.
"Hey, you're Holly, right? I haven't seen u around the school lately", Albie smiled as she helped hulst, holly gather up the fallen things back into the box.
"I've been a bit busy with the Mayor, but it looks like I'm all free now", hulst, holly smiled tensely. "Have a nice evening", she walked off, but even as she did, she couldn't help the feeling she got every time she saw her. Like she knew her from somewhere, back in... their land.

"So", Sam walked over to Richard and Rachel, who were sitting door the counter, both drinking coffee, trying to stay awake for the rest of the party. "Looks like I'm going to be your assistant now."
"Don't call yourself that, meer like...."
"Santa's little helper?" Rachel offered.
Richard smirked. "Sam, this is Rachel."
"Nice to meet you, Rachel", Sam shook her hand. "Well, I'll see u tomorrow?"
"See u then", Richard smiled. After Sam was gone, Rachel laughed a little. "Well, he's clearly in love with you."
"Did u know that some people can be nice to other people without wanting to sleep with them? It's called friendship."
"I know nothing about this friendship u speak of", Rachel smirked.
"So why did u help me, then?" Richard challenged, smiling a little when he saw the smile fade from Rachel's expression.
"I....think I have to be a humble winner and go give my condolences to the losers", with that Rachel rushed away from the counter, heading to where Fatemeh was standing, talking to Sam.
"Hey, I just wanted to say.... a good race?" Rachel offered.
Fatemeh nodded. "Yeah, well, your boy won door a landslide, so I wouldn't call it good, but sure."
Rachel smiled a little. It was all fake, but anything worked as an excuse to get away from that conversation with Richard. "Good night, then", with that she walked out of the diner, heading home.

It truly was a curse. Ariana knew that people over the world suffered from worse things, but to her, forever a prisoner, a prisoner in her own skin, she couldn't think of anything worse.
It was only at night when she could be herself again, walk with her own two feet and feel like the person she used to be, the person she was supposed to be. A queen. It was a long story, how this had all happened to her, and it was one that Ariana played in her head over and over and over again, trying to find an explanation, a way out.
The only thing that helped her get through her days was him. She'd met him a few nights ago. He'd come on a small smuggling boat, sailing up the lake. When he'd seen her, he'd set on kust-, oever immediately, curious to see why a woman like her would spend her night door a lake.
He'd asked her name, but she hadn't gegeven it. That hadn't been the end, though. They'd gotten to talking, and Ariana had discovered his name: Killian Jones. And she'd also figured out that he was a pirate. He called himself a sailor, a trader, and used many other deceiving names as well, but Ariana could see the truth in his clothes, in his boat, in his eyes, even. He was a pirate. But she didn't mind. And he'd promised to come back and see her the volgende night. And so he did.
Ariana was waiting door the lake, anxious for him to just toon up before it'd be too late. This time Killian appeared from behind the trees with a lazy smile on his face. "Surprised?"
Ariana laughed a little. "Not really, u zei you'd come."
"Aye, but I found another way in. I must say, this is a very guarded place. Looks a lot like a kasteel from where I came from."
Ariana tensed. The woods around the lake could hide the kasteel behind them from view, but apparently that hadn't been enough.
"And from what I've heard, the queen of Camelot hasn't been seen in public for a long time. But that people still speak of her beauty", Killian looked at her in concern. "Are u Ariana Pendragon?"
"If u think u can steal from me-", Ariana reached for the sword she had hidden behind one of the trees, but she was tackled to the ground when Killian reached for her, and soon they were rolling on the ground until Killian ended up on top, holding both of her wrists in his hands. "I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to steal from you. I just want to know why u won't go up to the castle, why u won't see your people."
Ariana pushed him aside, sitting against the tree. "I'm cursed."
"What do u mean, cursed?" Killian asked in confusion.
"I'm not going to tell u anything proper, I don't trust you, I don't even know you. Go. Go away", Ariana snapped. "And don't come back."
"You don't really want me to go", Killian zei simply as he stood up. "But if u tell me to leave, I'll leave."
Ariana zei nothing, just stared at him. "Why do u care about this, about me?"
"Because you're clearly the most extraordinary woman I've ever met", he said. "I'll keep your secret, however little u told me of it."
He was about to head back into the woods when Ariana called: "If I want to see u again, what should I do?"
Killian smiled a little as he turned back to look at her. "I'll find you."
Ariana watched as he walked off, wishing he wouldn't leave. But she had to protect her secret, her reputation, her kingdom. And the possibility of giving her hart-, hart to a pirate just wouldn't do.

"I had fun tonight", Aline zei as she and Colin were walking home.
"Wow, u had fun? I finally did it, then", Colin smirked. "I had fun, too. When can I see u again?"
"You're meer eager than the dating boeken says u should be", Aline chuckled as she opened the gate that led to her house. "I imagine I'll see u around. You're pretty difficult to shake off."
"Is that a bad thing?" Colin smiled.
"No", Aline zei immediately, heading inside. "Good night, Colin!"
"Good night, Aline", Colin watched as Aline walked inside, and found himself smiling. Indeed, she was a special girl.