Archive of Our Own ^beta

"A dragon! A dragon! The dragon is... fixing the broken bridge? Huh, I did not see that coming," The peasant Han's screams faded into puzzled mumbling as he beheld the sight playing out before him.

The lacy metal bridge swayed in the storm, slowly splitting down the middle as the gale winds pulled it first one direction, and then another. Travelers clung to the twisting handrails, dangling from their fingertips as a gaping hole opened beneath their feet. Their grips slowly gave away from the slippery metal, sliding off one finger at a time until they tumbled screaming down into the rocky abyss.

The dragon swooped down, her blue scales glistening like sapphires, to catch the falling humans down the length of her back. She gripped the two split bridge pieces between her claws and forced them together by sheer muscle power. As metal touched metal, she spat an enormous stream of fire, superheating the fragments until they melted back together. The storm blew all the harder as if in rage at being foiled in causing death and destruction, but the bridge stood firm. The great dragon shrugged her wings in indifference, and flew to the other side of the abyss to let her passengers slide down her tail onto solid ground.

The next day, the townsfolk all gathered to celebrate the safe return of their loved ones, and to gossip about the miraculous behaviour of the mythical beast.

"It was a blue dragon that saved me. It looked the very same as the one on the Queen's standard." A peasant girl Elsie announced, proudly showing off the dark glitter the dragon's scales left on her dress.

"The Queen's dragon! How did you think of taming such a vicious beast to solve the problem, especially on such short notice?" Her mother called up to the castle, where her royal majesty and her stepson watched the commoners' proceedings from a balcony.

"Yes, well, when I saw the Lon Don Bridge was falling down, I naturally sought the best person for the job," Queen Narissa gave a regal shrug. Such things were no challenge to such a steadfast ruler. A bit of shed scale fell off her shoulder onto the ground, but she covered it with her foot before anyone noticed.

"Three cheers for Queen Narissa!" young Prince Edward declared, to the delight of the throng.

"Hip-hip-horray! Hip-hip-horray! Hip-hip-horray!" They joined him in shouting, while their good saviour and Queen smiled down at them graciously.

XXXXXXXXXX

"As you know, my Queen, the farms of Andalasia have always been fertile. But as you also know, the people are... even more fertile. What I mean to say is, our needs are outstripping our production. We need to grow more crops if we're to keep everyone fed."

"So grow more crops. Is that so hard?" Queen Narissa asked.

"No, my Queen. It's just that the farms already go all the way up to the edge of the forest. The trees grow so large and so thick it will take a hundred years to clear the Dark Woods, and a famine will have taken us by then."

"A good Queen never lets her people starve. Come back tomorrow. I'll sleep on it, and I'm sure I'll have a solution in the morning."

The next day Queen Narissa charged out of her bed chamber and directly to the window of the highest tower. From there she had an unhindered view of the entire kingdom, and from there she was the first to see the devastation headed toward them all. Black smoke roiled up into the sky, belched up from the vicious red jaws of flame devouring the Dark Woods.

"The forest is on fire! Everyone, gather your families, your friends, your pets. Townfolks, open your homes to your fleeing neighbours. Singers, open your throats! The innocent beasts of the wood must be called to safety." Queen Narissa bellowed a warning to her unsuspecting people. Curiously enough, though dawn was barely breaking, she was perfectly done up in full regalia, as if she had expected to make an appearance at this very moment.

Under the Queen's guidance messengers were dispatched to find the peasants living on the edge of the forest, and to guide them to the castle to wait out the danger. The fire raged like a living thing, but by nightfall it snuffed itself out as if by magic. While the forest still stretched on for many leagues, a huge stretch of ground lay bare of every tree, and a coating of rich black ash waited to fertilize new seed.

Prince Edward came back from personally surveying the damage to give a incredulous report. "It is the most amazing circumstance. The fire cleared enough land to make room for the fields we need, yet didn't touch a single home. And thanks to the Queen's warnings and organizational skills, everyone made it out unharmed, even the wild animals. The animals who lost their homes in the forest all say they'd be more than happy to join the farmers in their labours in return for a place to stay and a share in the crops. With their help, we're sure to have more than enough food in no time. Queen Narissa saved us all! We could be burned to a crisp, but instead we're safely gathered here together. I propose a feast in her honour."

"To Queen Narissa! A feast to Queen Narissa!" The peasants shouted in an outpouring of relief, no longer huddled together in fear but joined together in joy.

"Love live the Queen! May Queen Narissa reign for many days to come!" Nathaniel joined.

Queen Narissa gave a little laugh. "Oh really, do go on. Yes, may I reign long indeed."

XXXXXXXXXX

Edward stood on the castle balcony, looking down at the town below, ready to start his life as King, with his Queen Nancy at his side. Even the horrible death of his stepmother hadn't marred the beauty of their wedding.

"It was always my dearest wish to find a princess who could make as fine a queen as my step-mother," King Edward told Nancy, gripping her hands as he turned to stare deep into her eyes. "While she turned out to be an evil queen and not the good one we all thought her to be, somehow I find it remains my wish to ensure we run the kingdom of Andalasia as well as she did. Please, tell me you understand."

"I'll admit my first impression of my mother-in-law wasn't the best... nor was my last impression of her for that matter..." Newly crowned Queen Nancy trailed off, before picking up with what she really wanted to say. "Anyway, when it comes down to it, sometimes we can't help loving the person who raised us. And, judging by the amount of gold and silver and jewels in this place, I will allow that she must have been crazy good with finances. That, and when you take into account how she single-handedly ran a kingdom all those years, she must have had at least some sort of talent in upper management. So, setting the evil queen stuff aside, it seems she was a woman who was strong and successful, and who raised a perfect son at the same time. That is the kind of woman I always wanted to be."

"Oh, so you do understand. My wonderful Nancy, to hear you speak is to hear my own desires reflected back at me."

King Edward swept her into his arms to cradle her against his chest, and to give her a kiss that was at once passionate and tender, in a way she always secretly desired to be kissed. She clung to him in turn, hanging on to every part of her childhood dream come true. She really could have it all, a handsome husband, a beautiful home, and a high level career. She could be everything she ever wanted in this fairytale land. She could even be a good queen.