All it Takes is Faith, Trust, and a Dream | A Stucky Disney AU

But Like All Dreams, I'm Afraid This Won't Last Forever

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"Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom; peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition." - Cinderella

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Once upon a time in the beginning of a sweltering spring, as the sun set the ground ablaze and water clings to the air, a young prince stands before a statue of a man and a mouse. And while the prince gazes upon this statue, lost in his thoughts and dreaming of meeting the men enshrined before him, three darling princesses gleefully dance around him. 

There's Rebecca, the oldest of the three, and the most daring princess in all the land. She teases and taunts the prince, giggling at the foolishness she speaks of and acting as if she were his mother, despite her young age. With her hair as warm as an oak tree and her skin kissed by the sun, she twirls before the prince in her sparkling blue dress.

And there's Rose, the shyest of the trio. Her raven hair and milky skin stood out amongst the other princesses, refusing to blend into the shadows despite how much the young princess pleaded to be hidden. She shields her face with delicate hands, hands no bigger than the mouse ears she wore atop her head, and tucks herself behind the prince, away from the warming welcome of the man and mouse.

Then there's Daisy, the sweetest and youngest of the royal family. She tugs at the prince's hand, looking up at him with the same wonder and awe that his own face brandished. Her eyes are as blue as the ocean on a stormy night and as big as a full moon and her cheeks, splattered with freckles and glitter, grew rosy under the sun's heated gaze.

And the prince, surrounded by the princesses, thinks to himself, "If this kingdom of magic and dreams can make these princesses so joyful, then it can do the same for me." For the prince himself was unhappy and had been for quite some time, far too long for a prince of his age to feel such a way. But that was not the prince's fault, because the prince had a curse placed upon his head many years ago.

Long before the royal family traveled to the Magic Kingdom, before the sadness filled the eyes of the young prince, when the royal family of six was only two, the newly crowned king and queen were visited by a mysterious woman. Cloaked in white, she entered their lives with a flourish of her cape and an expression made of steel. "I have a gift," she announced, tucking her hands behind her back.

"A gift?" the King asked, a single crease peeking above his bushy eyebrows.

"A gift of unimaginable worth," the woman said, "but with it comes consequences. If you  were to accept my gift, then you must accept the good and the bad that accompanies it. Or you could refuse the gift and return to ruling your kingdom."

The King turned to his betrothed.

The Queen, the daughter of a peasant and his wife, was thrilled at the idea of such a gift. She wanted nothing more than to welcome the mysterious woman into her life with open arms and cherish the gift she bestowed upon them.

But her husband grew weary for the kingdom was struggling to feed its people. The King knew that if they accepted this gift without precautions, they could risk the lives of their kingdom. 

Yet the mysterious woman persisted. "Take the gift," she said, "and reap the pleasures it may sow and burden yourself with the troubles it may bring. Or send me away and risk never experiencing true happiness."

"How can we accept a gift that we no nothing of?" the King asked.

"That's a question only you can answer," the woman replied.

And before the King could protest, for the sake of his kingdom, for his people, for his wife, the Queen spoke. "We'll accept your gift," she said in a voice made for only angels to hear, "and whatever it may bring to us."