Disclaimer: I don't own these character's, and Marvel does. There so differnet here, I doubt Marvel will want them, but you never know. For the sake of the story, some of the characterization is a bit differnet then normal.
Once upon a time, a beautiful but tiny kingdom called Graymalkin stood in the center of a great forest. The city walls were tall and gray, and the city itself was rather…"quaint" is the only word to describe it. The streets were lined with pleasant houses made of wood and white wash. The streets themselves were only dirt, but still added to the picturesque town.
The rest of the kingdom was the rest of the forest, and the mountains to the east. This might not seem like a tiny place, and it really was not. But in comparison to the vast kingdom named Da Costa that boarded it to the south, so large that not even the king had seen it all, it was miniscule place.
Today, however, the king was not worried about the size of his domain. Today, King Remy Demoneyes and his fair wife Queen Emma were celebrating the birth of their first child. The child had her mother's clear blue eyes and her father's angel smile. They named their small daughter Tabitha Belle Amaranta.
On the day of the little princess's christening, there was a great celebration.
"Such a beautiful little thing!" One couturier leaned over and cooed at the small infant in her bed. The child kicked and giggled, reaching out one tiny hand toward the woman's necklace that swung just out of her reach.
"Thank you." Her mother, Queen Emma of Frost, answered. Frost was a kingdom in the far off north, where all the people were pale as milk. Emma was no exception, with her ice blue eyes that carried warmth and wealth of white blonde hair.
"With any luck, she'll be the exact image of her beautiful mother." The king, Remy Demoneyes, called from where he stood a few feet away.
Remy had earned the name Demoneyes in battle against the invading Acolytes, a neighboring kingdom to the west. During the battle, it was whispered, the king's eyes had glowed a blood red as he fought in unarmed combat with the Acolytes King Paris. Shortly after the evil monarch had been defeated, Remy married the pale Princess Emma, who was said to have tipped the scales in the last battle by thrusting a burning candle into Paris's eyes.
The assembled crowd slowly made their way forward, everyone eager to see their future queen. Through it all, the small princess giggled and cooed in her foreign baby tongue, shaking her tiny fist at each passer-by.
A sudden trumpeting called the crowd's attention from the tiny child. A sudden ray of light, a thousand times brighter then any candle, rained down upon the people. Slowly, the light faded and reveled three women with hair the color of deep rubies.
"Mon Dieu!" The king cried, leaping to his feet and bowing deeply. The rest of the people soon followed, all of them shocked, for these three women where the Ruby Fairies, creatures of light and power. For them to come to the mere christening of a princess was the highest of all honors.
"Arise, King Remy the Demoneyes. We come to see your fair daughter, and to bestow gifts upon her. Will you allow us to?" The first fairy asked, her voice ringing in the silent hall.
"Of course! Any gift you would give our daughter would be an honor." The King replied, standing.
"Then we will each give one." A second fairy promised.
The first fairy floated forward, and produced a wand from somewhere. "Little princess, I am Jean Firehair. I give to you the gift of beauty and fire. You will grow strong and beautiful, and full of fiery passion."
Then the second fairy drifted forward, also pulling her wand from thin air. "Wee princess, I am Theresa Thunderscream. I give you the gift of song. Your voice will make a thousand angels weep, and put the birds to shame."
Finally the smallest of the fairy stepped forward, her wand already in her hand. "Oh, wee child, I am Rahne Wolfsheart."
But before the small fairy could give the child her gift, a loud clap of thunder sounded, and the hall of suddenly filled with a sickly yellow and green light. When the light faded away, a young woman, also clad in yellow and green, stood before them. The woman would have been very beautiful, if her face wasn't twisted into to an evil grimace. A stripe of white ran through her auburn hair.
"Oh, mah…It seems Ah've interrupted a party." The woman said, her voice dripping with evil contempt.
"Leila!" Jean Firehair snarled, stepping in front of the baby's crib.
The king reached for his sword, while the queen threw herself over her baby. "You know this woman?" The king demanded.
"Yes. Her name is Leila. She was once one of us, but then she became a rogue." Jean spat.
"Rogue?" Emma cried, lifting her baby.
"An evil fairy." Theresa Thunderscream told the confused queen. Emma's eyes grew huge as she clutched her child to her bosom.
"What do you want here, Leila?" Jean cried.
"Ah want to give the child a gift. Is that so wrong?" Leila asked, a staff appearing in her hand.
"Why would you want to do that?" Theresa asked, her eyes large.
"To show mah good will toward this pathetic little kingdom of course." Leila's voice was sarcastic.
"What do you want to give my baby?" Emma asked, her voice shaking with fear.
"Only this…the day the child turns sixteen, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel, and die before the sun has set!" The rogue fairy shouted lifting her staff high and bringing it back down again with a sound like thunder.
Before anyone could move, the evil fairy disappeared in the same sickly yellow and green light she had appeared in.
"No!" Queen Emma cried, clutching her baby tightly.
"Guards!" The King shouted, racing to his wife's side.
The guards trooped out to begin searching every foot of the kingdom for some sign of the fairy. Even as they left, the king knew it was hopeless.
"What can we do? She cursed our daughter to die!" Queen Emma wept.
"Your majesties…Rahne has yet to give the child her gift." Jean reminded them.
"Can you help?" Remy cried.
"Can you break the spell?" Emma demanded.
"I'm sorry, ye majesties…I'm not that powerful. But…maybe I could help a little." Rahne whispered, stepping forward again.
"Wee princess…I can not undo this horrible curse. But I can change it just a little. You will not die when you prick your tiny finger, but instead fall into a deep slumber, only to be awaken by true loves sweet kiss." Rahne whispered, touching the tiny baby in the Queen's arms with her wand. A flair of soft white light lit the child for less than an instant, then died away.
"Thank you fairies, for all you have done." Remy whispered, coming to stand beside his wife.
"You're very welcome. Raise her well." Jean Firehair said as the three fairies disappeared in the light they had come in.
The princess grew as beautiful as the good fairy Jean Firehair had promised. Her hair was the color of sunlight and her eyes could put sapphires to shame. She never grew very tall, but she had a lovely figure, and fair complexion.
Her voice too, was that of an angel. She could sing a simple song, and the court would be in tears before the first chorus. Her voice truly could defy the birds.
The princess also grew to be as fiery as the fairy Jean had proclaimed. She was renowned for getting into verbal fights with her teachers, bodyguards, and even her parents. It was rumored that she too could make her eyes glow like flames.
The princess was also wild and as unpredictable as any storm. She had run away when she was twelve, and when brought back, she had simply said she wanted to see what it was like. Tabitha also had been found in the servants quarters, during one of their many parties. Her wild streak was also well known in the kingdom.
The tiny princess never knew of the curse upon her though. Every spinning wheel in the country had been burned, only days after the curse had been placed on her.
However, this did not stop her parents from worrying. They decided that it was best that she fall in love quickly, and be married before she turned sixteen.
"Late again, Princess?" The old guard asked as the petit princess ran up, her curly blonde hair flying about.
"As always. Any idea what this is all about?" Tabitha asked, smoothing her skirt down around her legs.
"Not a clue." The old guard shook his head, opening the door for the tiny girl.
The princess took a deep breath and walked through the doors to her father's study. Her parents and two men she had never seen before stood talking when she walked in. They stopped as soon as they saw her.
"You wanted to see me, Father?" Tabitha asked as sweetly as she could.
"Yes, I did. Tabitha, this is King Charles of Da Costa and his son Roberto. King Gideon, Prince Roberto, this is my daughter, Princess Tabitha Belle Amaranta of Graymalkin." King Remy introduced them.
Tabitha curtsied as she had been taught, and the two men bowed in return. The princess looked at the two men, who appeared to be inspecting her like a piece of meat at the market, and then looked to her father for an explanation.
Her father saw her glance, but seem to decide to ignore it. "Tabitha, why don't you show Roberto around our city?" He asked.
"Umm…alright." Tabitha agreed, after a sharp look from her mother. "Please come with me, prince Roberto."
As the two were leaving, Tabitha heard King Charles say to her father, "Well, she certainly is beautiful enough. How old did you say she was?"
"She'll be sixteen…tomorrow."
'Beautiful enough? Beautiful enough for WHAT?' The princess thought to herself. She was vaguely aware of the fact that the Prince was talking to her but as to what he was saying, she hadn't a clue.
"You know, Princess, you're very beautiful." Roberto complimented her.
"Thank you." Tabitha said, walking toward the stable. The prince hurried after her.
"And they say you sing like an angel." Prince Roberto continued.
"Who says?" Tabitha asked, picking up the pace.
"All the people of my court that have ever been here." Roberto told her.
"Oh, how nice." Tabitha forced a smile and walked still faster.
"I would like very much to hear you sing." Roberto asked.
"Why?" Tabitha asked, turning a corner, as close to running as she possibly could.
"Because I have a great appreciation of things of beauty. Take you for example." Roberto's voice practically oozed with admiration. Tabitha began to feel distinctly uncomfortable.
"Uh, thank you. Oh look, here we are at the stable." Tabitha cried as they reached the royal stable. Quickly she summoned a groom to help her with her horse, Mahogany.
"A beautiful creature." Roberto complimented.
"Thank you. My father gave her to me when I was ten." Tabitha smiled.
"I was not talking about the horse." Roberto whispered huskily stepping closer to her.
"Oh…really. Well, do you have a horse?" Tabitha asked, looking about for an exit as Roberto continued to walk closer to her.
"Yes I do. My groom will be bringing him shortly." Roberto stepped close to Tabitha, his eyes roaming over her body.
"Well, he might want to hurry up. We won't be able to see the city by sundown if we don't leave soon." Tabitha murmured, stepping back. Her back was pressed against Mahogany's side.
"Ah, but the most beautiful thing in the city is standing before me." The oozy tone was back, as Roberto eyed the Princess.
"My horse?" Tabitha asked, forcing an innocent smile.
"No, no, no…" Roberto laughed, stepping forward and grabbing Tabitha's arm. He moved to kiss her, tugging her closer as he did. Tabitha tried desperately to pull away, but the Prince held her tightly. His free hand grasped her bodice and pulled downward, ripping it to where it was nearly indecent. Tabitha screamed and struck at his face with fingers curved like claws, and racked her nails across his face. Weeping, the Princess turned and vaulted onto Mahogany's back and spurred her into a gallop.
Mahogany sprang forward and raced for the open door of the stable, her long black mane blowing in the wind. Tabitha clung to the horse for dear life; tears of fright slipped down her face. Mahogany raced out onto the crowed streets of the city surrounding the castle, her hoofs kicking up dust as she galloped down the main road. Dimly, Tabitha thought she could hear the Prince yelling after her. She clung to Mahogany's surging neck tighter.
The Prince Roberto stood watching as the Princess rode off at a gallop. Slowly, a cruel smile curved his lips and he called "Princess! Come back!"
The Princess did not listen to him, but kept driving her horse onward. The Prince smiled again, broader this time and turned…just in time to see the sickly green and yellow light that heralded the arrive of his lover.
"You did what Ah asked?" Leila asked, stepping toward him.
"Yes, my love." Roberto assured her.
"Good. I've already put a spell on your foolish parents…you and the Princess are know engaged to be married." The fairy told him.
"And tomorrow, you'll 'help' her prick her lovely finger on the spinning wheel…" Roberto started.
"And the Princess will be as good as dead! For how can true love's kiss wake her, if she has no true love?" Leila finished.
The evil fairy and her equally evil consort let loss with cruel laughter that rang through out the barn the stood in. Then, with a wave of a wand, they were gone.
The beautiful horse with the beautiful girl child on her back ran on for several more hours. The horse could easily run for a very long time, and she seemed to pick up the distress of her mistress. They quickly left the city and raced into the surrounding forest.
Mahogany finally stopped running when she reached a stream of cold mountain water and dipped her head to drink. Tabitha slipped from her back and collapsed next to a large oak tree, sobbing with fright and exhaustion. After a while, she fell asleep.
A man's voice singing was what roused her from her slumber. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up, startled to find a man filling a bucket up with water from the stream. He was the singer, his voice a fine tenor.
"Hello?" She called, trying to keep her voice from quaking.
The man jumped in surprise, and dropped the bucket he was holding. It's contents sloshed onto his well -used leather boots, soaking them a darker brown then they already were.
"Hello?" He called back.
Tabitha put her hand up to her eyes to block the glare of the setting sun. 'It's nearly sundown?' She thought. 'Mother and Father most be so worried!'
"Ma'am? Are you alright?" The man, boy really, he looked only a few years older then her fifteen years, asked.
"I…I'm…" The Princess of Graymalkin got out before she broke down and sobbed. The boy was beside her in a minute.
"Are you all right? What's wrong? Did somebody try to hurt you?" The boy asked, dropping to his knees and wrapping a strong sun-browned arm around her shoulders.
"He…he tried to…" Tabitha whimpered, burying her face in the stranger's well-worn shirt.
"Who tried to do what?" He asked, stroking her soft blonde hair with a well-callused hand. Princess Tabitha pulled away from him; her eyes still puffy and leaking tears. The stranger looked back at her in concern.
Tabitha gazed at his face for an instant, wondering if she had ever seen him before. He had light blond hair that hung in his face, and beautiful blue eyes that shone with worry for her. His face was well chiseled and handsome, and seemed to shine with some inner light.
"Who are you?" She asked, dashing the tears from her face.
"Ah'm Sam." He said simply. Tabitha looked at him in confusion. No titles, no fancy name? Just who was this young man?
Sam stood up and reached a hand to help her to her feet. Tabitha looked at him in confusion but allowed him to help her up.
"And you? Who are you?" Sam asked as soon as they were on their feet again.
"I'm…" Her true identity was on the tip of her tongue. But for some reason, she chose instead to say, "Tabitha."
"Tabitha? Were you named for our fair princess?" Sam asked, looking at her with piercing blue eyes.
"Uhh…yes. Yes, I was named after the princess." Tabitha nodded her head firmly.
"It's a lovely name." The young man agreed, nodding his head.
"Thank you. I like it." Tabitha nodded again.
Sam looked at her for a minute, then asked "Excuse me for asking, but where do you live? Ah've been all over this countryside, and no one lives anywhere near here."
Tabitha looked down at her hands and whispered, "I live in…the city. And I'm lost. Can you help me find my way back there?"
"Of course! But it will take nearly half a day." Sam explained, looking over at the setting sun.
"Oh." The small Princess said softly, reaching to wrap her arms around her body. That's when Sam noticed her torn dress.
"What happened?" The young man asked, indicating the tear. Tabitha looked down and began to shake again.
"He tried to…he was going…" Tabitha began to sob again, her tiny shaking with fear.
"Ah believe Ah'm beginning to get the picture." Sam whispered softly, reaching to wrap his long arms around her slight form. The Crowned Princess Tabitha Belle Amaranta buried her face in the young man's chest and wept again.
Sam hugged her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly. The frightened girl pulled back to look at him with huge blue eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. Without thinking, Sam reached up a large hand to brush them away. Tabitha looked up into his clear blue eyes with her own sapphire colored ones. For a moment, neither spoke, Sam's tan hand still resting gently on Tabitha's white cheek.
"Ma'am, have you got anywhere to stay for the night?" Sam asked softly.
Tabitha mutely shook her head 'no', her eyes still wide. Sam smiled reassuringly at her, his eyes shining.
"You could stay with me, if you like. Mah house is rather tiny, but quite comfortable." The young man offered, stretching out a hand to the girl. Hesitantly, she took it, biting her lip with fear.
Sam saw her expression and made haste to reassure her. "Ah won't hurt you, Ah swear by King Demoneyes."
Tabitha looked at him in shock and stuttered, "What? Why do you say that?"
"That Ah won't hurt you?" Sam asked, confused.
"No, why do you swear by King Demoneyes? His name is Re--King Remy." Tabitha corrected herself.
"Ma'am, exactly who is your family? No commoner can say the King's true name." Sam explained to her, looking at her strangely.
"That's ridiculous! Why?" Tabitha asked, snorting in a most unladylike manner.
"Its considered treason. It has been since the reign of Demoneyes's grandfather." Sam explained to her, looking at her in amazement. How could someone NOT know that?
"But he was insane." Tabitha pointed out, struggling to remember what she had been taught about her family.
Sam stared at her in shock and took a step backward. Tabitha looked at him in confusion, and put her hands on her hips.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded, her hands still on her hips.
"Don't you know that what you just said could have you killed!?" Sam cried, looking about him for someone that might have heard.
"Now, that is ridiculous! Why would somebody wanna kill me for having an opinion?" Tabitha asked, looking at him in amazement.
"Because, the common folk are not allowed to speak so of their betters." Sam told her, his voice sounding as though he was quoting from a book or something.
Princess Tabitha stared at him for a long moment. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"No ma'am, Ah am not." Sam shook his head, his eyes dark with some old pain.
"What?" Tabitha asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sam looked at her in surprise, then smiled sadly.
"Nothing, ma'am. We best be movin' o if we wanna reach mah house before dark." Sam said, waving a hand at the fast sinking sun.
Tabitha agreed and whistled to Mahogany. The brown mare trotted up from where she had been grazing and nickered at her mistress. Sam collected his half-forgotten water bucket and the two set off for Sam's home, Tabitha leading Mahogany.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Tabitha asked, "Why don't you ever call me by my real name? You always call me 'ma'am'."
"Ah suppose Ah was just tryin' to be polite, ma'am." Sam said, looking over at her.
"No, my name is not 'ma'am'. My name is Tabitha. Say it…'Tabitha'. It's not a hard name." Tabitha instructed, finally feed up with being ma'amed.
"Tabitha." Sam said, smiling shyly.
"Good." Tabitha said, nodding her head.
Again they walked on in silence; the steady clump of Mahogany's hoofs the only sound breaking the stillness.
Then, to Tabitha's great surprise, Sam began to sing. It was an old folksong that her nanny used to sing to her when she was a little girl. Sam's strong tenor made the words of the old song sound even more beautiful then when Moria had sung it. Tabitha watched Sam's handsome face as he sang quietly, his eyes dancing. For a second Tabitha could see into the soul of the man that had been so kindly helping her. And she found it beautiful. She could see, through his song, that he was kind, and noble, and loving. She could hear his strength in the words, could nearly touch his honor.
And in the second Princess Tabitha of Graymalkin could see into Sam's soul, she fell in love with him.
Sam looked up in surprise when Tabitha began to sing along with him. Never in all his life had he heard such a beautiful voice. It rang through the trees, and put the birds to shame. Even the sun seemed to stop setting to listen to the woman child's beautiful voice. In an instant, Sam could see the fiery passion, the unpredictability, and the true heart of the beautiful woman standing beside him.
In that instant, San fell in love with the innocent woman child that called herself Tabitha.
The two raised their voices in song, each the perfect counterpoint with the other, a song of beauty that danced over the trees and fields. A song of happiness flew over the lakes, streams and hills. A song of love soared in the dimming light of the twilight.
They sang the entire way to Sam's small cabin. The cabin was as small as he had said it was, but Tabitha didn't mind. It was still beautiful. Several trees where growing up around it, and patches of flowers grew here and there.
"It's beautiful." Tabitha said, smiling shyly at Sam.
"It's home." Sam shrugged, walking toward the door.
"Do you live alone?" Tabitha asked, walking after him.
"Yeah. Mah Ma and Pa are…dead." Sam said softly, shaking his head.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Tabitha whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and smiled softly.
"It's alright. It was a long time ago." Sam whispered sadly. "You can leave your tack tied over there. The horse can run free, if she'll stay around here. She should be fine."
Tabitha nodded, leading Mahogany over to the old tree that Sam had pointed at. She slipped the horse's dark black bridle of and then moved to take off the saddle. Sam had already beaten her to it, though.
"Oh…thank you." Tabitha said, hanging the bridle on one of the branches of the old oak tree.
"Don't mention it." Sam swung the saddle up onto the branch. Tabitha smiled at him, reaching to pat the horse before following Sam into the house.
The inside of Sam's home was neat and clean. All the dishes were put away, and all furniture was free of all dust. The walls were painted a cheerful blue, and there were even some flowers on the table. Tabitha grinned up at Sam.
"Are you sure you don't live with a woman?"
"Mah momma taught me how to keep a house, much to the disgust of mah daddy. He thought me how to swing a sword, but momma thought it be a good idea for me to know how to keep a house." Sam explained.
"Ahhh, it all make sense now." Tabitha nodded, grinning at the young man. He smiled back and looked over at the cabinet.
"Are you hungry?" He asked, walking toward it.
"No, not really." Tabitha shook her head. "I…had a big lunch."
"Oh." Sam said, nodding. "You mind if Ah get something?"
"No, not at all." Tabitha shook her head, looking around the small cottage.
Sam pulled out a loaf of bread, followed by a jar of butter. He sat down at the table and slowly began to saw off a chunk of the hard brown bread, and slathered it in yellow butter. He took a bite, then set down on the table, and took a sip from the jar that had been standing on the table.
Tabitha continued to poke around the house, confused by all the curious looking machines. She had never seen the vast majority of them. The thing that caught her attention most was the machine with the round wheel attached to it.
"What's that?" She asked Sam, pointing at it. He looked up from his dinner in surprise and looked where she was pointing.
"Oh that? It's mah Momma's old spinning wheel." Sam shrugged his shoulders, looking back at his bread.
"How did your parent's die?" Tabitha asked suddenly, turning to face the young man.
Sam looked down at his hands for a long second, then back up at her. "They were killed when a duke took a liking to mah Momma, and tried to…have his way with her, Ah guess you could say. Mah father caught him and attacked him with a pitchfork. He killed the duke, and then he took Momma and me out here to this cottage, where we stayed until the duke's son found us. He killed mah parents but didn't find me, cause Ah had gone into the forest to get some water. When Ah came home, mah Momma and Daddy were…lying in front of the house, dead." Sam began to cry softly, dropping his head into his hands.
Tabitha moved over to where he sat, and slowly wrapped her arms around his quaking shoulders. She bowed her head over his, surprised at how his pain tore at her soul. She sniffed slightly, brushing away a tear. Sam leaned his head against the small girl's shoulder, still shaking slightly.
The princess slowly pulled back until she could look into his clear blue eyes. She reached out to brush a few tears away, mirroring his action from just a short while ago. Her hand rested on his cheek for a long second, and then she slowly leaned forward. She stopped mere millimeters from Sam's mouth.
"Tabitha…" He whispered, his breath warm on her face. She then pressed her lips against his firmly, thrilled by the feeling that shot through her as their lips touched. Sam slowly wrapped his arms around her, and managed to rise to his feet without breaking the kiss.
"Sam…" Tabitha whispered as he pulled away from her, and leaned his forehead against hers.
"Who are you?" Sam asked in a whisper.
"I told you." Tabitha replied surprised.
"Ah mean really. Your dress is to fine for you to be a simple commoner. So who are you?" Sam asked, stepping back from her. Tabitha looked down at the floor, then meet his eye.
"My name is…Tabitha Belle Amaranta."
"You're…you're the princess?" Sam stuttered, shocked.
"I…well…yes." Tabitha reluctantly agreed. Sam's face went white and he collapsed into the chair he had been sitting in.
"Is there a problem?" Tabitha asked, concerned and slightly confused.
"Other than the fact that Ah'll probably be killed for any number of crimes, no." Sam said humorlessly.
"Why would you be killed?" Tabitha asked, her confusion intensifying.
"Don't you know it's illegal for a commoner to touch royalty like that?" Sam asked, sighing deeply. "No of course you don't."
"But I kissed you. Why would you be killed?" Tabitha pointed out.
"Ah just will be, because Ah have kissed you. It doesn't matter who kissed who." Sam told her gently.
"Then we just won't tell anybody." Tabitha decided, looking at the young man.
"Yes." Sam nodded, looking down at his hands.
"The I should probably go home." Tabitha decided, nodding her head softly.
"Yes." Sam agreed again, not looking up from his hands.
"Can you tell me how to get to a main road?" Tabitha asked him quietly.
Sam looked up, then out the window. "Ah'll show you. Come on."