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Once upon a time in a land far far away...
Queen Maryse had been described as "evil". She didn't much like this. Sure, she lived in a black, gothic castle on a tall lonely hill with a moat full of thorns but she thought to be called "evil" based on this alone she thought was quite stereotypical.
Was it because she forced her son to work as one of the scullery staff? Some thought this was a good thing, teaching the boy values and being sure he didn't grow up another spoilt, bratty prince. However they didn't see how much she feared him. Everyday he grew bigger, stronger and more handsome and she hated him for it. He was a constant reminder that she was getting older and would one day wither and die. On the day she found a line on her forehead she smacked him round the face. On the day she found that her old dresses were getting snugger she kicked him as he was scrubbing the floors. On the day she found her first grey hair, she'd beaten him black and blue.
Of course, the nickname may have also arisen from her political policies, of which there were barely any that didn't revolve around financing her vanity. She would close any company that wasn't making enough profit she could siphon off. A prominent casualty of this policy were the mines. She had been cutting pay to miners to fund the ever enhancing of her appearance. She would rather her people starve than let herself be seen as anything other than the "fairest in the land".
Every day she strode into the throne room, black robes billowing behind her and announced, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
The Enchanted Mirror would stir to life, "Hair black as ebony, skin as white as snow, lips as red as the rose. Why, it is you, your Majesty, you are the fairest in all the land."
At least it had for the past 18 years.
Maryse adjusted her crown and sauntered into the throne room. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the
fairest one of all?"
The Mirror hesitated. "Hair black as ebony, skin as white as snow, lips as red as the rose... Alec is the fairest in all the land."
The Queen blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"You are no longer the fairest in all the land, Alec's beauty has surpassed yours."
Maryse took a deep breath in, shaking with anger. She held it for a moment before letting out a blood curdling scream and turning over all the furniture in the room, casting the tapestries down in her rage.
After she had thrown the last chair she turned back to the mirror. "What can I do to be more beautiful?
Do I have to discover the fountain of youth myself? Tell me Mirror!"
The Mirror sighed. "You are getting old my Queen, even if you do find the fountain of youth, Alec will always be more beautiful inside and out."
The Queen took another deep breath in, composing herself. "Then he will have to die."
***
Alec climbed down the steps of the castle into the courtyard carrying an empty bucket. His clothes were rags, filthy from the endless cleaning, even the patches over the knees were becoming thread bare. Still, it was nice to get out of the castle and away from his mother's disapproving gaze.
He set the bucket down next to the wishing well and took a moment to lean against it, soaking up the sun's rays on his face. A flock of white doves descended and settled all around him. Alec smiled, and stroked the doves with his fingers. "Shall I tell you a secret?" He whispered to the assorted company.
The doves appeared to nod as he continued, "This is a wishing well. I'm wishing to get away from this place. If my mother hates me so much why doesn't she just marry me off." His face turned forlorn for a moment before he shook his head and let his smile return. "Enough of that." He thought, as he fixed the bucket to the rope and lowered it into the well.
As Alec pulled the full bucket back up the well he started to sing. He had a sweet singing voice, but would only use it when out of earshot of his mother. The singing was not out of earshot, however, of a young prince riding his horse beyond the castle walls. He rode his horse up to the wall and climbed on top of it. Sitting on top of the wall he could see the source of the singing, the boy as beautiful as his voice. He jumped down and boldly joined in the song.
Alec jumped and went silent turning round suddenly to face the other Prince.
"Hello," Said the other Prince, smiling into Alec's startled expression. "I'm Magnus." Magnus bowed to him removing his hat and holding it in his graceful fingers. "And who are you?"
Alec swallowed. "Alexander."
"And what's a boy as pretty as you doing cleaning the yard?" Magnus said, raising his eyebrow.
Alec hesitated. "I... I..."
"He thinks there's jobs to do inside." Maryse announced, appearing on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, steely faced. "Don't you Alec."
Alec lowered his head and ran back into the castle without another word leaving Magnus speechless, staring longingly at the space he left.
***
"Your majesty, the huntsman has arrived."
"Send him in." Maryse barked, resuming her position sitting on the throne.
The door opened and a tall man with sandy blonde hair and hunting robes entered and bowed. "You called for me your majesty."
"Arise Starkweather, I have a task for you"
Hodge stood upright with his hands clasped behind his back. "Anything my Queen."
"I need you to kill Alexander." Maryse spoke calmly.
Hodge gulped. "I... You want me to kill the Prince?"
"Yes. He's outgrown his use." Maryse reached behind the throne and brought out a small golden casket. "I want you to kill him and bring me his heart in this box." She narrowed her eyes. "Do not fail me, Huntsman."
***
Hodge was leading Alec deeper into the forest, making sure they were well out of view of the castle. It was dusk and the cover of the trees was making the area darker, vegetation taking on a grey tone.
"Hodge, where are you taking me?" Alec asked. He was all dressed up in travelling clothes, a white shirt buckled up in blue waistcoat tucked into yellow breeches with a thick blue cloak wrapped round his shoulders. Hodge lead them into a clearing, Alec slightly ahead, taking a moment to observe their surroundings.
"What is this place?" Alec mumbled before turning around to face Hodge who was brandishing a long knife in his direction. He tried to scream but his voice got trapped in his throat rendering him speechless. "Hodge!” He whispered, voice raspy with terror. “What are you doing with that thing?"
Hodge thrust the knife in Alec's direction, hand trembling with the weight of his disloyalty. "Run, my Prince. Your mother wants you dead, run away and never return!"
Taking a shallow desperate breath in Alec turned and ran deeper into the forest, as far away from the Castle as he could get. After what felt like miles he collapsed to his knees, completely and utterly lost. As he curled up in his cape under the trees that night, he cried himself to sleep.
He woke with the sunrise the next morning, brushing the twigs and leaves off him as he stood. The forest looked different in the light, the colours had returned to it and the animals had all gathered to stare at their new neighbour. Alec held his finger out and a little blue tit landed on it, tilting it's head inquisitively. "Hello blue bird." Alec spoke, softly stroking it with his other fingers. "Can you tell me where I am?"
The bird tweeted once and flew off to the tree line. Alec's eyes followed it and saw it hover over a trail of smoke in the distance. "Thank you blue bird!" He waved it off and set off towards the smoke.
Soon enough he broke through the trees again into a clearing where a single, quaint little cottage stood, smoke ascending from the chimney. Brushing the remaining twigs off his clothes he approached the house and knocked once on the door. Unlocked it swung open slowly inwards, creaking as the light from outside illuminated the hall.
"Hello?" He said tentatively, taking a step inside. "Is anybody home?"
He took a few more steps in almost tripping over chairs left askew from the table. "Hello?" He called again, louder this time. "What a mess." He murmured to himself fully taking in the state of the cottage around him. The cottage was smaller than usual. Perhaps that's what cottages in the woods are all like, Alec thought. He wouldn't know having lived in a castle his whole life, even if he mostly only saw the kitchens. He did know however that cottages definitely weren't this filthy. The sink was overflowing with used pots and pans. The piles were covering all the clean surfaces and even spilling onto the floor, being sniffed at by mice. A layer of dust and cobwebs covered all the furniture and lined the corners of the ceiling.
"This won't do." Alec muttered. "They must have a mop somewhere." He searched cupboard after cupboard until he found what he was looking for, the mop too covered in dirt, and got to work. He hummed and whistled and sang as he worked, dusting all the surfaces, cleaning all the plates and clearing all the cobwebs.
Before long everything was clean and in place. Alec let out a deep, long breath placing his hands on his hips observing his work, the former hovvel now spotless. Exhausted, he climbed the little stairs and found seven little beds lying side by side. Since he was way too big to fit in just one bed he pushed them all together and lay across them, sleep taking him as soon as his head hit the little pillow.
***
"They're cutting our pay again." Luke said with a sigh, chopping another diamond out of the wall of the mine.
"When are they not cutting our pay?" Meliorn grumbled, continuing to chip away at the dirt.
"Oh cheer up, Meliorn." Izzy smiled. "At least we still have jobs. Where's Simon gone again?"
Izzy strained her eyes searching the dark mine. She stopped her search when they reached the jewel cart in the centre of the cave. Simon was fast asleep underneath the cart, clutching his axe like a teddy bear.
"Simon's asleep, must be time to go home." Izzy announced, throwing her diamonds into the truck and winking at Clary who caught her eye and blushed. The rest of the group did the same, throwing their
diamonds into the truck and packing up their axes heading up the mine shaft with Jace pulling the cart behind them.
"Right, are we all here?" Luke said as they emerged into the light.
"Here!" Izzy called, enthusiastically.
"Here." Clary whispered, turning red again.
"Here." Meliorn grumbled, crossing his arm over his chest.
"Here." Simon yawned.
"Here." Jace grinned, watching a bird flying overhead.
"AAACHOOO!" Maureen sneezed, making the group jump.
"Bless you." They responded monotonously as she mumbled a small thank you.
"To home then." Luke announced. "Hi-ho!"
The group marched away in a long line singing happily. The traversed deep into the woods, but came to an abrupt stop as Luke noticed wisps of smoke rising from their chimney. They slowed their march and hid behind Luke as he hesitantly opened their door. They all gasped to discover the place squeaky clean- no dirty pots, no dust, no cobwebs. They all tiptoed in quietly, Luke holding up a hand stopping everyone in their tracks as he heard a faint snoring sound coming from upstairs. Creeping up the stairs Luke led them through their bedroom door, all gasping with shock at the boy in their beds.
"It's a boy!" Jace shout-whispered, earning shushes from the rest of the group.
"What's it doing here?" Meliorn snapped, creeping round to his head.
"Perhaps he's the one that cleaned the cottage." Izzy offered, optimistically.
"Whatever we do, we mustn't wake him." Luke said.
"AAAACHOOO!" Maureen sneezed loudly, waking the boy who sat up with a screech.
"Who are you? Did the Queen send you?" He said, voice wavering, as he gathered the sheets around him like a protective shield.
"The Queen? You mean the woman continually cutting our pay leaving us almost destitute? We have no affiliation with her." Luke spoke. "We are the seven dwarves whose beds you are sleeping in!"
Alec dropped the sheets in front of him. "Oh. I'm sorry." He said, hanging his head.
"Nonsense." Izzy interrupted with a smile. "It is us that should be thanking you, you are the one that cleaned the cottage, yes?"
Alec nodded sheepishly, raising his head again.
"Well then we owe you our hospitality. I am Izzy," She said, bowing politely. "This is my family, Jace,"
She gestured her brother who gave a dopey grin. "Meliorn," Who crossed his arms as she pointed to him.
"Clary," Who blushed and hid behind Luke. "Maureen," Who sneezed again. "Simon," Who was lying in his bed, snoring softly. "And Luke, our leader."
Luke bowed politely leaning up to shake Alec's hand. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Although I do have to ask, who are you and how did you end up in our beds? We don't get many visitors this far into the woods."
"I'm Alec," He said, shaking Luke's hand. "Pleased to meet you." He added, shaking the hands of each of the dwarves.
All of a sudden Clary gasped from where she was hiding behind Luke, clutching his arm.
"What is it, Clary?" Luke asked softly, encouraging her out from her hiding place.
"That's the Prince." She whispered, wide eyed.
Everyone gasped at her comment, turning to look at Alec in a whole new light and falling to their knees.
"Your majesty." They chorused, bowing low.
Alec blushed, turning his head away from them. "Arise, please, I don't deserve to be bowed to, I'm barely a prince."
They all rose to their feet obeying his command as Luke spoke. "You are-”
"I'm not.” Alec interrupted. “For the past 18 years my mother has kept me as a slave in the kitchens, endlessly cleaning the castle. She's never held me, not even as a babe, she's kicked me more than held me." He choked back a sob. "I'm here because she tried to have me killed."
The dwarves gasped.
"I knew it." Meliorn announced. "We can't expect her to stop cutting our pay if she doesn't even love her own son! We should strike!"
The other dwarves hummed in agreement.
"We should." Luke spoke. "We'll start rallying the other miners tomorrow. Until then there's the small matter of our prince-"
"Please, just call me Alec." Alec interrupted.
"There's the small matter of Alec." Luke continued. "I assume you being here means you have nowhere to stay."
Alec nodded.
"I am sorry," Luke said. "But we are very poor and cannot afford another mouth to feed, especially if we're going on strike." Luke dipped his head apologetically, as did the rest of the dwarves.
"I can cook!" Alec said, desperately. "And clean for you. I promise, I don't need much food, I can forage for food in the forest too!"
Luke contemplated for a second, glancing at the other dwarves for their approval. As the others nodded, he said. "Well then, I suppose we could find you a place to stay here."
"Thank you thank you!" Alec said, throwing his arms around each dwarf, hugging them tightly. "I won't let you down."
***
The Queen was happy again. She sat on her throne smirking cruelly, clutching the golden casket that contained her son's heart.
"Finally I am free." She said to herself, grinning at the box again before placing it beside the throne and waltzing over to the magic mirror.
"Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
The mirror stirred into life. "Hair black as ebony, skin as white as snow, lips as red as the rose... Alec is the fairest in all the land."
"Alec... but he's dead." She spat, furrowing her brow in confusion. "DO NOT LIE TO ME MIRROR!" She yelled.
"I speak only the truth." The mirror spoke softly. "Alec is alive and living in a cottage with seven dwarves in the deepest darkest forest. He cooks and cleans for them in return for shelter."
"He's alive?" She snarled before screaming and stalking over to the gold casket, tearing it open and taking the heart in her hand, showing it to the mirror. "Then whose heart is this?"
The face in the mirror took a deep breath. "That is the heart of a pig. You have been fooled my Queen."
The Queen looked at the heart in her hand in a new light, horror contorting her features. She crushed the heart it in her fingers and flung it across the throne room, screaming again.
"I'll have Starkweather's head!" She shouted, before stomping out of the room and descending down the spiral staircase of her private tower, black robes billowing behind her. At the bottom of the staircase was the basement which doubled as her own private laboratory. Various devious potions bubbled in tubes all over the room as she lit the fire under her cauldron heating up the base potion.
"I'll just have to do it myself." She said to noone in particular flicking through her book of spells.
"Here, this is the one. I'll transform my beauty into ugliness, no one shall recognise me then."
Opening a jar, she threw the dust inside into the cauldron. "Mummy dust to make me old." She uncorked a bottle of pure black and poured some into the cauldron. "Black of night to shroud my clothes. She boiled a test tube, adding the vapour that arose from it. "To age my voice, an old hag's cackle." She siphoned off some liquid from a vat which turned to a white smoke when she added it to the mixture. "To whiten my hair, a scream of fright!"
As she stirred the potion the wind whipped up around her and lightning cracked outside the castle. She dipped a goblet into the cauldron and drank the contents down. Immediately the potion took effect. Her hands as they grew thin and twisted, her back bent in a permanent stoop and her hair turned white and straw-like.
She looked monstrous, she wasn't just an old hag, she looked as though every evil thought she had ever had was suddenly visible on her face.
"And now," The witch spoke, voice ragged. "A special sort of death for one so fair."
She took out her spellbook, resting it on her desk and rifling quickly through the pages.
"Ah, this will be perfect." She mused. "A poison apple... sleeping death."
***
"So, Alec," Izzy began as the others started to tune up their instruments. "You leave a girl behind back at your castle?"
"No," Alec shook his head finishing drying the dinner plates. "I've never even kissed anyone before."
"So no one special at all?" Izzy continued to pry, hanging up her tea towel.
"Well, the other morning I was in the yard singing by the wishing well." Alec started, a flash of joy lighting up his face at the memory.
"Go on." Izzy smiled wildly.
"And a Prince hopped over the wall and joined in my song." Alec continued, cheeks flushing red.
"A handsome Prince?" Simon jumped in, suddenly awoken by prospect of a good story.
Alec smiled, biting his lip.
"What was his name?" Simon probed, smiling along with Izzy.
Alec let out a deep breath. "Magnus."
"Prince Magnus?" Clary inquired, blushing at asking such a bold question for her.
"Yes." Alec nodded.
"What was he like?" Izzy asked as the rest of the dwarves blinked up at him, all eager now for his story.
"He was so beautiful," Alec began, smiling. "Warm chocolate brown eyes lined in kohl, skin the colour of honey, soft black hair arranged so neatly on his head and such clothes! Brightly coloured and adorned with glittering thread and jewels. Even his fingernails were brightly coloured!" His face fell as he remembered his life in the castle. "He was everything I'd ever dreamed of but would never have."
"You're free of her now," Luke insisted. "While you live with us we promise she'll never harm you."
"Thank you, you've all been too kind to me." He purred, stroking Jace's cheek softly with his fingers.
Jace chuckled and turned his face away, blushing the colour of Clary's permanently red cheeks.
"And you us." Luke said. "Come dance with us, tonight is a night of celebration."
Izzy pulled Alec to the centre of the room where the dining table had been pushed back as the music began, an upbeat jig playing through the cottage. As he started to sway to the tune Jace hopped up on Maureen's shoulders placing his foot under her nose to stop her from sneezing him straight off again!
Jace pulled on a full size coat and buttoned it up leaving only room for Maureen to see out again and prompted her to stroll up to Alec. Alec laughed at the sight of the pair and put his arms around Jace's and danced with him, Maureen closely watching his feet to make sure she didn't step on them as she controlled the jig.
It was then Alec realised that he was happy. It came as a foreign feeling to him- for years he'd wallowed in those kitchens living half a life and crying himself to sleep tonight. Before that day where he met Magnus he didn't know how long it had been since the last time he’d smiled. He let his mind wander thinking of the prince. Would they dance like this one day? Would they ever meet again? Although Alec thought it unlikely he'd ever see the other prince again the next day as he waved the dwarves off to the picket line he let his heart yearn for him.
***
The witch cackled as her poison came to the boil. She took a fresh apple from her fruit basket and held it between her thumb and forefinger.
"Let the sleeping death seep through." She cackled, dipping the apple into the poison brew.
The poison enveloped the apple and seemed to be sucked up by it, the entire contents of the cauldron being taken into the fruit. Slowly, she removed the apple, bringing it up in front of her ailing eyes. Its skin was black as night.
"Now turn red to tempt my son." the witch said, the apple turning a shining crimson in response. "He was always too distracted by pretty things."
Admiring her handiwork, a thought flashed through her mind. She rushed to her spellbook, flicking even faster through the pages. Finally she landed on the right page, recipie entitled 'Antidote to the Sleeping Death'.
"There is no way my plan can fail. The only antidote is love's first kiss! Ha!" She cackled as lightning struck outside her window.
"The dwarves will bury Alec and I shall be fairest in all the land!"
***
Alec had woken up early that morning to do extra chores around the cottage. He'd just given the dwarves their breakfast and waved them off with lunch in tow and was scrubbing the oven when a knock came at the door. He panicked. No one had ever knocked at the cottage door before and the dwarves had mentioned that they had no other friends.
"Who's there?" He called, trying to sound strong but with a tremor in his voice.
"Just a poor beggar woman selling her wares." Came the voice from outside.
"I have no money." Alec said truthfully.
"Ah but don't the dwarves have jewels?" The voice pried.
"They aren't mine to give away." Alec paused, silent in hopes the woman would go away.
"You would let a poor old lady starve?" Came the voice again, more insistent this time.
Alec let out a deep breath. He supposed he could not ignore a request like that, even if his mother wanted him dead he was still the prince after all. He raised himself to his feet and went to the door, opening it a crack. There stood a withered old woman with haggard features dressed in dark tattered clothes holding a basket of luscious looking fresh fruit.
"Don't be afraid my child." She smiled showing her crooked, yellowed teeth. "You must be hungry."
"Oh, I just ate." Alec lied as his stomach rumbled, giving him away.
The old woman smiled. "I knew you'd come around." She said, taking the brightest red apple out of the basket. "How about a sample."
"I couldn't." Alec said trying to close the door but the old woman slammed her foot in the way.
"Just one bite." She thrust the apple under Alec's nose.
Alec took a deep sniff, it smelt so good. Before he knew what he was doing he'd taken the apple from her and was taking a large bite, savouring the taste in his mouth. Suddenly, it felt as though all the air had been ripped out of him. He doubled over, gasping, the pain in his stomach searing throughout his body. He fell to the floor, his body limp.
The old woman cackled as he fell to the ground, laughing an evil, screeching laugh as she watched her son dying on the cold cottage floor. The apple had rolled just out of Alec's grip, the spell broken and the rancid smell of poison evident throughout it.
The old woman stood in the doorway, cackling ending and savouring her pleasure of watching her son's dying moments. "You should have just let Hodge kill you."
"Mother!" He gasped, breathing getting shallower.
"Goodbye Alec." She said as Alec coughed once, twice and collapsed, lifeless on the floor. She cackled loudly throwing her head back as she walked away, mission accomplished.
Little did she know she was being watched by the animals of the forest.
***
The dwarves shivered as they stood together in the rain with their colleagues on the picket line, the protest stretching into it's second week. After days of waiting and waiting for a reaction to the strike Luke noticed a herd of animals appearing from the trees and arriving in front of them, terrified looks on all their faces.
"What is it?" He asked the nearest deer, as rabbits pulled on the dwarves legs.
"I think they want us to go with them." Izzy suggested as birds pulled on her hair.
Luke nodded in agreement and led the dwarves after the animals. As they were running they started to recognise the way. They were on the way to the cottage! They all gasped and increased their pace as they came to the realisation that Alec might be in danger.
All their worst fears became true as they reached the cottage, door hanging open shining light on Alec, lying cold and unconscious on the floor.
"ALEC!" Izzy screamed, pushing past the other dwarves to kneel next to Alec, cradling his head. "He's so cold." She whispered, tears cascading down her cheeks.
Simon stepped forward. "Is he," He gulped. "Dead?" He said, voice reduced to a whisper.
Izzy leant down, hovering her cheek over Alec's lips. "He's not breathing."
The dwarves all stood by his body, removing their hats in respect.
"That's the culprit." Luke said, reaching down to pick up the now rotting apple with his gloved hand. "It's poison."
"He's dead?" Jace asked naively.
Izzy continued to sob as Clary, Maureen, Simon and Jace joined her in her tears.
Meliorn seethed with anger. "This is the work of the Queen." He said, throwing his hat to the floor in frustration.
Suddenly Maureen gasped pointing her hand out of the still open door. "There she is!" She shouted, noticing black robes disappearing into the forest.
"How dare she show her face here!" Luke raged, picking up a pitchfork from beside the door. "Let's get her!"
The dwarves roared in agreement and collected the rest of the pitchforks, lighting torches to light their way through the darkness of the storm. They chased her through the forest, trees turning into a blur as they kept close to her heels.
Suddenly they chased her up a slope, brandishing their pitchforks and torches, trying to set alight her billowing robes. Soon the slope ended, the hill plateauing out onto a tall cliff edge overlooking an even taller waterfall.
"You fools!" She screeched, holding her arms in the air as if to cast an awful spell. "You can never kill me! I am the fairest of them all!" She laughed maniacally, lightning striking a tree at the foot of the waterfall setting it on fire.
"You're nothing but a murdering hag!" Luke shouted in retaliation. "Alec was more beautiful inside and out than you'll ever be! I hope you die!"
The dwarves snarled creeping towards her, forcing the witch to creep a few steps back. A few steps closer to the edge.
"Lies!" Maryse shouted over the thunder. "I'll never die!"
Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the cliff between the dwarves and the witch, splitting the rock in two and crumbling under the witch's feet. She fell, robes blowing up around her.
"I am invincible!" She screamed, voice disappearing on the wind as she plummeted to her doom.
***
The dwarves wept as they returned to the cottage. Not for the fallen Queen but for her murdered son, still beautiful even in death. So beautiful, in fact, that they could not find it in their hearts to bury him. Instead, they fashioned a coffin out of glass and set him in a clearing near the cottage with an eternal vigil at his side.
As the dwarves laid bouquets of flowers by her side Clary gasped, blushing bright red. "It's Prince Magnus!" She pointed towards a tall man who matched Alec's description of the prince exactly, right down to his glittery tunic and painted nails.
The other dwarves gasped as the prince stepped up to the coffin, pressing his face against the glass to observe the man inside. His lip quivered and his breaths became shallow as he softly leaned his head against the coffin lid. A tear fell from his eyes, running down the glass. Taking a deep breath in and composing himself he stood up straight, turning to the dwarves who were still standing in shock.
"Where are my manners?" He said, choking back a sob. "I am Prince Magnus." He bowed low to them, tears still flowing from his eyes which he endeavoured to wipe away as he stood back up.
"We know." Izzy blurted out before Luke could strike up formalities. "Here." She said, offering the prince a handkerchief.
"Thank you." The prince muttered, taking the handkerchief and wiping his eyes, kohl smudged around them. "How do you know who I am? Your woods are not in my kingdom's lands."
"Alec told us about you." Luke said.
"He described you down to the last detail" Izzy added.
"And you fit his description perfectly." Meliorn rounded off.
"He told you of me?" Magnus furrowed his brow. "But we barely spoke."
Luke smiled, a single laugh breaking through his sadness. "He's barely stopped telling us of you."
Izzy also gave a melancholic smile. "Sometimes he'd just smile while he was cooking and we'd know it was your face he was thinking of.
Magnus took in a deep breath as the weight of Alec's devotion finally settled on him. "I know it's an odd request but may I open the coffin? I'd like to touch him one last time."
The dwarves all nodded together and helped to release the locks that kept the lid down, pushing it open on their tip toes.
Magnus leant into the casket and cupped Alec's jaw, running his thumb over his too pale cheek. "He's so cold." He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut to hold back the tears. Blinking open and closed his eyes again he leant his face into the coffin, brushing his lips over Alec's cold ones. Taking another shallow breath he pressed their lips together, softly planting a single kiss on the man he had fallen in love with at first sight.
As he pulled away he squeezed his eyes shut tight, tears falling as he allowed himself to finally sob openly, fingers tightly gripping the sides of the coffin.
The dwarves gasped as Alec blinked. Once. Twice. He opened his eyes and gazed back up at the man he had let himself fall in love with.
Hearing the dwarves gasp Magnus' eyes shot open and he looked down to see Alec awake and smiling up at him.
"Alexander!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around the young prince's body. Alec wrapped his arms around him too, holding him close and breathing in his scent. After a moment of quietly sobbing, this time with happiness, into Alec's shoulder Magnus pulled back slightly letting his hand linger on Alec's now warm cheek.
"Magnus, I thought I'd never see you again." Alec whispered, still catching his breath.
"As did I." Magnus sighed. "When I learnt of your death I was inconsolable."
Alec blinked in disbelief. "You-you were?"
Magnus nodded. "I've never met anyone like you Alexander. I think I love you."
Alec smiled even wider at the prince. "I think I love you too."
Magnus reached in for another hug, reaching under Alec's legs and waist, scooping him into his arms. Alec held onto his neck, giggling as Magnus kissed him again.
"Come, my fair prince, let me take you back to your castle." Magnus whispered. "We've got kingdoms to run."
The dwarves rejoiced following the Princes as Magnus carried Alec off into the sunset.
And they all lived happily ever after.