It had been 4 years after the battle that ended Alva and Rump. The kids were out for summer now, with school starting back up again in 2 months. It was a quiet morning for the Cobblers, Anna was at FTRS and the other children were in daycare meanwhile Gilly was upstairs getting ready for work. Having your workshop be literally downstairs from where you sleep has its perks.
Gilly put on her plain black dress and apron with her usual ponytail and boots. She worked in the shop with her father and mother, laughing as her mother spilt more shoe polish. "My goodness, we are so fortunate that it's cheap," her father laughed. "Oh come now, it was merely an accident" her mother scolded.
Gilly loved hearing her parents laugh together, thinking about how their love worked through thick and thin. "Oh dear I forgot the sponges upstairs" Eva said. "I'll go with you to get them, Gilly watch the shop" Hal instructed. Gilly was counting up the receipts from the past week's purchases and then heard the door chime jingle.
"Welcome to Cobbler's Shoes, how may I help you?" Gilly said, sounding a little too hyper. "I was wondering if you've seen a girl, a little short and with a lot of attitude" the boy answered. Gilly turned around to look at this kid and jumped up when she saw him.
"Jax?!" She ran into his arms and held tight. "How have you been?" She said with excitement. "Pretty good, I'm just wondering if you wanted to come hang out with me, I'm in town all day" Jax smirked. Gilly turned to see her parents, who had just gotten downstairs and were now a little confused as to why Gilly was clutching her best friend so tightly.
"Good morning, your highness" her father said. "Good morning, sir, I was wondering if I may take Gilly on a walk around town today" Jax asked Hal. "I don't see why not," Eva responded. "Perfect I'll go change" Gilly went upstairs with Jax right behind her, Gilly's parents a bit confused as to why he had to follow her.
Jax had been in Gilly's room before, now that she had her own room, and had gotten quite used to just sitting while she got ready. He always sat in her dorm room while she got ready at FTRS so he didn't consider it a problem, he was respectful and never looked.
"I can't wait to go to town, I've been in this boot for an entire week" "Me too, the castle is not fun when you're the only kid not going to RA." Gilly changed into a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a dark blue skirt that went to her knees, and brown boots. She took down her ponytail and tied back some pieces with a dark blue bow.
"I'm ready to go" she announced and Jax was swift to get back up and go downstairs. "Alright I'm leaving now, bye mom bye dad" Gilly departed with Jax and once they closed the door she took his arm. "Where should we go first? Pinocchio's Theatre, Fairy Cove, Combing the sea?!" "How about we go for breakfast first, thief?" Jax laughed at her excitement.
"How's Ollie doing? I haven't heard from him much" "He's doing quite well but is at sea". There goes another crew member busy for the summer. Kayla, AG, and Maxine were visiting their hometowns, Jocelyn was on a trip with Harlow, and Jack was in Cloud City. Being a crew on summer break was rough but at least Jax and Gilly had each other.
"We can go to Humpty Dumpty's House of Breakfast" Gilly proposed. "Why would he serve eggs if he's one himself?" They both laughed and made their way to the HOB. As they entered, Gilly leaned across the counter and Jax stood right behind her, waiting for Gilly to give their order.
"Hello, what can we getcha?" An ogre with a raspy voice appeared and was in a hurrying mood. "Hi, can we get the egg splatter and the all the kings horses meal? With two medium hot chocolates?" Gilly ordered and Jax took out his card to pay. The orge's eyes widen at the sight, shocked to see the infamous card that only royals had.
Gilly giggled seeing Jax's uncomfort and led him to a table outside and in the corner. "Grimm, I hate when people get so surprised by my card" Jax lamented. "Enjoy it, Atleast you have money" Gilly rolled her eyes and watched in glee as the food came in. She took big bites of the food meanwhile Jax was very mannerly with how he ate.
"You know you could actually enjoy your food?" Gilly jested. "Easy to enjoy food when you didn't have to pay for it" Jax teased. "Being the closest friend to a prince in line to inherit a kingdom has its perks" She added and grabbed a bite from his plate. "Don't make me cut you off my card" Jax threatened with a smirk.
Gilly rolled her eyes remembering how Jax had added her as an authorized user a year ago. She never used it but Jax wouldn't know until he actually tried looking into how much she spends, which he never did, not caring about Gilly's purchases.
It was a big gesture, especially from a friend. Their friendship grew to be too close at times, with Jax often treating Gilly more special than the others. The knowledge that Jax had had a crush on her was not lost but Jax never brought it up and told her they were just friends.
They laughed and chatted more while eating and then the ogre came and took their plates. "Let's go to Pinocchio's theater, it's only 12pm" Jax suggested. "Perfect, I've been dying to see the stupid puppet dance that my siblings have been talking about" Gilly smiled. He grabbed her hand and took her to the Theater. When they arrived, Jax went up to the receptionist. "Two tickets to your current show" "Sorry, all out" The employee rolled her eyes.
Gilly knew for a fact that the theater was almost never packed midday on a Thursday. She gave the employee a stank eye and was about to go off on her when Jax cut her off. "How about two seats in the Royal Box, book it under Jaxon Porter" Jax glared at the employee and she handed him the two tickets.
"Pfft, you guys have a royal box" Gilly laughed and Jax gave a small chuckle. "Yeah we may not always come but in case we do it's good to have a set place to sit". They took their seats and watched the show. It was fun for the most part, with the dancing puppets acting out one of the infamous Fairytales, The Frog Prince, with some added humor.
Gilly laughed at almost everything and seeing her laugh so hard made Jax laugh hard too. As they walked out, Jax stopped at the gift shop. He bought a little Pinocchio keychain and handed it to Gilly. "Here, put it on your bag or whatever you carry around." Gilly took it and smiled, placing it into her pocket.
They headed to the plaza area and went into different shops. Jax offered to buy Gilly a lot of things but she declined, not wanting him to spend anymore money. By the end, it was already 6pm and Jax was hungry again. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "Ehh I could eat a little" Gilly responded.
"I'm always so shocked by how you barely get hungry" Jax laughed and was a little shocked when she just shrugged. "I went days without food growing up, missing a meal is nothing." Jax stopped in his tracks and turned to her in surprise. "How have I never known this?!" "Calm down, it was in the past" Jax could never get over how screwed Gilly's life was.
He realized soon after the war how little he knew about Gilly's previous life, really the main reason why he worked so hard to keep her happy. He led her to the Goldilocks Diner. He went in and they led them to a table outside. Jax pulled her seat out for her and the waiter came with their menus. "I don't know what to try, I've never been here before" Gilly shuffled her feet. "It's ok, I'd suggest trying their spaghetti, the porridge is good but not the best" Jax said.
"I'll try it, thank you" Gilly took out her mini scroll for the first time since they went out for the day and sure enough, her and Jax's adventures were plastered everywhere. It was honestly getting boring. The same old dating rumors with no actual evidence, just a few close encounters. She always laughed about it but deep down knew something was up.
They had grown so close, even from their first encounter when Gilly lied for Jax. "What's wrong?" Jax asked, noting how Gilly was sitting in silence. "Nothing, it's just been awhile since I've been out with someone else that wasn't family."Jax smiled and was about to respond when the waiter came.
"Hello, what delectable meals can I get for you two?" His chipper attitude made Gilly want to laugh but seeing Jax's friendly expression made her realize this was not the time. "I'll have the beary delicious steak with a side of mashed potatoes and a water" Jax was so confident but Gilly felt uneasy. "I'll have the Golden spaghetti with meatballs and a water too" She handed her menu to the waiter and sunk back into her chair.
"Man, I was so excited to be out for the first time in a while but I am already tired" "Are you feeling ok?" "Yeah, I'm just a little weary from the walking." Jax gave her the look but she waved him off. She put her head down and Jax held her hand while they waited. He was checking his mini scroll for any messages from the Royal Court when the food came. He shook Gilly and handed her a napkin.
She ate her meal but kept stopping to look at the forest nearby. After they finished, Jax paid but Gilly took out her cash to help cover her meal. "It's fine" Jax insisted but Gilly wasn't having it. He paid but pocketed her cash, knowing she'd want it back later. They left and the walk home was quiet.
Jax turned a different corner and lead her down a different path. "Where are we going?" "Just one last stop" "Jaxon of Enchantasia, I swear to Grimm-" "Trust me,sticky fingers" Gilly rolled her eyes and soon found herself over a cobblestone bridge. They walked deep into the forest until they found a clearing. She was in awe. The trees that surrounded them were lit up with fireflies and the stars above were so bright.
"Oh wow" Those were the only words Gilly could get out from her pure shock. Jax put his coat down on the ground, laid down, and patted the spot next to him. Gilly laid beside him. "So what's up" "I already told you, I'm just tired" "Don't lie to me, you know how I feel about that." Gilly turned to face him and took a deep breath.
"I guess I'm just bored, I mean I love my life and that my family has money finally, the kingdom loves me, but..." She looked up at the sky. "I miss going on adventures, getting into trouble. Being a hero isn't fun when everyone expects you to be a goody two shoes." "It's like my fate has been decided for me. I'm supposed to be perfect, I have to save everyone, but what everyone forgets is that I was only 12 when I defeated Rump and Alva. I was just a kid and yet I can never be one."
"I'll spend every day hoping that I wake up with a fun new task to go on, but if I do one thing wrong, the whole kingdom shakes" "I just want to go somewhere, do something, without having the stress of an entire kingdom on me."
Jax made eye contact with her and grabbed her hand. "Then I'll go with you" "No, you'd get into so much trouble with the Royal Court" Gilly reminded him. "Gilly, do you honestly think that I care about what the Royal Court has to say about me ?" Jax laughed.
"I hear everything they say, how I'm a traitor to them because I go to FTRS. I'm a screw up for always getting into trouble. I'm always with you and not with some princess" Gilly winced at the last part. "But Gilly, I am willing to do what it takes to make you happy." "But then when you get into trouble, I'd feel bad for screwing up your life!" Gilly pleaded.
"I'd give up all of my titles, if it meant you were happy!" Jax said with tears brimming in his eyes. "Because that's how much I genuinely care about you. You trusted me when others didn't, you kept all of my secrets, you've always been by my side!" Gilly started crying and put her arms around Jax.
"I just want you to be happy" he said calmly and Gilly rested her head on his shoulder and he rubbed her back. "Just tell me what trouble and I'll be here for you" "Really, Jax?" Gilly said softly. "Always." They stayed hugging for awhile until Gilly finished crying. They pulled apart and held hands. "Alright now breathe in" Gilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, "Now breathe out." She breathed it out and looked back to Jax. "Thank you" "Of course, Thief."
"Let's go." Jax and Gilly walked back to the bridge but instead of going over it, they went under. "What are we doing?" "Just trust me, thief" Jax took off his shoes, coat, vest, and belt. "Ready for your first adventure?" He grinned and dived into the river water. "Are you crazy?!" Gilly screamed. "Come on in" Jax laughed back at her.
Gilly took off her boots and cannonballed in. Jax laughed as she splashed water on him. "Oh so that's how you wanna play?" "Come and get me, Prince" Gilly started to swim away but Jax pulled her into him. They laughed as Gilly tried kicking away and Jax had his arms wrapped around her. " You're the worst" She giggled. "Aww but you love me" Jax smiled, dunking her in.
"You jerk!" Gilly hopped on his back and dunked him in. "Oh you're so dead" Jax started to chase her but she ran out of the water. "You can't go that far, Gilly!" He ran after her but she turned around, dived in between his legs, and jumped back into the water. He jumped back in with her and the river was alive with the sound of their laughter.
It was dark now and the village had gone to sleep so no one was around to witness this moment of friendship. Until, a loud voice boomed in. "And what are you kids doing?!" Gilly and Jax didn't want to turn around towards the voice. "Show yourself, you thugs" Gilly groaned, she knew that voice anywhere. "Hi, Pete" She turned to look at him but his giant flashlight was pointing to her face.
She squinted at him. "Ahh, causing more trouble again, Ms. Cobbler, who's the unlucky boy?" Pete laughed. Jax turned around to see the dwarf and Pete went into shock. "Well, well, well Mr. Prince, your sister has been looking all over the village for you" Jax winced at the mention. "She says you were supposed to leave two hours ago, man, she's going to be so pleased to hear how you've been spending your night. And who you've been spending it with."
Gilly and Jax looked at each other nervously and picked up their stuff. Pete walked them down to the station and as soon as they walked in, they saw Raz sitting in a chair, fuming. "I found your little scoundrel, and with a friend" Pete roared. "These two were reckless, swimming in a river at night, causing so much noise!" "Calm down Pete, I'll deal with them" Raz said sweetly. "Good, I have more criminals to deal with" He spat at Gilly and Jax. When he was out of sight and it was only Raz, Jax, and Gilly, she turned to them and dropped her act.
"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!" She went off. "SWIMMING IN A RIVER AT NIGHT?! IN THE COLD?! NO CHAPERONES?! DISTURBING NEIGHBORS?!" Raz thundered, Jax and Gilly gave each other a fearful expression. "You guys are so lucky nobody saw you two or else we'd be in a world of trouble"She hissed. "Jax, we'll talk about your punishment when we get home, and you, Gilly, you owe me for convincing Pete to leave you alone" "I know, Raz" Gilly hung her head.
"Hey sis, can I use the bathroom before we go? I need to dry off" Jax pleaded. "Sure go, you might as well look presentable when I tell dad." When Jax left, Raz stared down Gilly. "You owe me so I'll make this easy for you" Gilly listened. "We have a ball this weekend, Royals only, so Jax will not have any of his current friends there and therefore doesn't want to go" Gilly raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't he go to like, a gazillion royal only events?" "Yes but he's thinking of giving up attending all events because of it" Raz grabbed Gilly by the shoulders. "I'm inviting you to go as my guest, to keep him happy and entertained." "And how will this work?" "He'll see that Royal stuff can be fun and continue going."
"Why don't you invite one of our other friends?" Gilly asked. "1. You owe me 2. You're a hero so no one will think it suspicious you're going, and 3. I think you're the best person to keep Jax on the job" Raz explained with a smirk. "Why keep him on the job?" "Gilly, I have lots to deal with as is, having to do double because Jax doesn't want to be royal is not what I want. I have plans for my future."
Gilly never considered that Raz may have struggled with a lot too. But she was also 22 and unmarried, Raz had a ways to go. "Is this about you getting married to some prince?" "I- maybe. But he's not some prince" Raz blushed. "So he's not a prince?" Gilly pressed her for more answers but Raz ignored her question and Jax came back. "I'm ready to go" "Perfect, we have to take Gilly home" Raz pushed all of them into the carriage and handed Gilly a cloak.
"We better keep you warm or else your parents will be more mad at you than I am" Raz told her. Raz sat on one side and Jax and Gilly sat on the other. She eyed them suspiciously and watched them avoid eye contact with each other. But she could see Jax's arm around Gilly's shoulder. "Sooo, what's with the late night activities?" Raz smirked.
"It was my idea" Jax admitted. "Well you better not make this a habit ,Jax, and you better not make me an aunt before I'm married" "Raz!" Jax said shocked meanwhile Gilly's face turned pink. "I'm just saying, anyways, we're here, Gilly" Raz walked Gilly up to her door.
"Remember what you agreed to, I'll give you more details on the ball tomorrow" Gilly nodded. Her parents opened the door and pulled Gilly into a hug. "Oh my dear, we were so worried!" Her mother cried. "What happened?!" Her father asked.
"Gilly and Jax were up a little late but I made sure to bring them home" Raz said with a smile. "Well thank you, your highness" Hal bowed. "Of course. I better be off, goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Cobbler, and goodnight Gilly." The door closed and Gilly headed to the bathroom to shower. She was not ready for this weekend but she guessed every new adventure started somewhere.
(Thank you for reading, this was in my Google Docs for like two weeks so I'm happy with how it turned out. Stay tuned for the next part)