An Ivy's Sun | Henry Mills

2 | Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time. 

There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.

Or think we know.

One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.

Our World.

***

The rhythmic sound of a horse's hooves galloping across land echoed across the long strip of a well worn path across the width of the lake. The man on the back of his trusty steed urged it to run faster as the sun got closer and closer to the mountains and the air became colder. Not once did he allow for his horse to pause or stutter in its route through brush and trees. Not even when the pure white snowflakes began to fall from white clouds.

He had to get there in time.

But he didn't.

It was obvious in the way the dwarfs' shoulders hunched over and their heads tilted down over a glass casket.

Prince Charming didn't waste a second pulling his horse to a hurried stop and sliding off its back.

"You're too late," Doc quietly said. He and those standing in the Prince's line of sight stepped away from the glass casket, revealing the unconscious, and dead, form of Snow White. Charming's face paled and his insides churned. He felt his heart break at the sight he always hoped he would never have to witness. He stumbled forward, his body moving without his conscious mind telling it to.

"No," The word is pulled from him. Pushed by a sob in his chest and choked on as it left his throat.

"No!" He repeated the word of denial once more, louder and clearer as his grief turned into anger. But it didn't stay for long. It left him once he gazed down at his Snow White's peaceful face through the glass. Tears stung his eyes.

"Open it" He whispered.

"I'm sorry. She's gone" Grumpy said. Charming's fingers grazed the glass lightly as if he was afraid it'd break if he was too harsh. His head fell forwards to hide the tears in his eyes from the dwarfs. He raised his head once he believes he has them controlled, but one lone tear ran down his cheek.

"At least let me say goodbye" He quietly pleaded. The dwarfs exchanged glances, but relented to the Prince and pulled back the top of the glass casket. Charming stared down at Snow White's face as the glass muffling her true beautiful appearance is lifted. A rush of air left him in meer seconds.

He was so overwhelmed by this feeling of despair that he didn't notice the dwarfs take a step back from him and the casket. He didn't notice anyone besides Snow White.

Prince Charming leaned down, placing his hands on the edge of the casket to steady the shakiness of limbs. His lips grazed against the still and cold ones of Snow White and everything felt right again.

A gust of magic was felt by everyone but Prince Charming.

Charming slowly pulled away from Snow White and the feeling and sound of Snow White taking a deep breath of air into her screaming lungs caused the color to rush back to his greying skin, a warmth to spread through him, and the stinging of tears in his eyes to lessen. Relieved laughter threatened to escape him as he reverently stared down at the beautiful blues eyes of his Snow.