Lo, she returns!

[jade_sabre]

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiith...fanfic.

Don't worry, an account of my escapades over the past week (maybe even with pictures!) is forthcoming[ish], but for now, I present you with the sole bit of writing I managed to do over break.

This was originally posted a fanfiction.net, and so here's a link if you want to read the story without some of my babblings about what bothered me about Enchanted.

For the rest of you suckers...

Title:  "Each to Each"
Author:  Jade Sabre
Rating:  K/G/Q for Quite Harmless
Summary:  In which Edward has a minute to make a decision.
Notes:  So I'll spare you for now, but I have a whole analysis of Enchanted as a tale of artifice and sexual awakening.  Also it parodied Sleeping Beauty, which is kind of criminal.  But mostly I felt like Giselle lost her spark, and Edward lost his true love (which leads to an interesting discussion of destiny--for example, if Giselle hadn't fallen through the well, would Edward have been her true love?  Or was Robert always her true love because she was always going to fall through the well?), and I loved Edward and was lukewarm towards Patrick Dempsey Robert, and I just felt like (hey, even Edward loses some of his innocence) Edward needed his moment told.  And so, here it is.

Disclaimer:  Enchanted and all its characters and settings are the property of Disney and not of myself; if I were in charge, Giselle would never have lost her innocence.

 

 

Do I dare

Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

 

            “True love’s kiss,” the stranger (Robert?  Robert maybe.  Or Ronald.  Ronald?  No, not Ronald, must be Robert) said, gesturing at the sleeping (oh he hoped she was only sleeping oh please oh please only be sleeping) girl on the couch.

            Ah yes!  Of course!  True love’s kiss!  Why hadn’t he thought of that?  Probably because he was too busy panicking because his beloved (his true love) was motionless on a couch after having sampled a poisoned apple that seemed to have come from a mysterious hag or something and oh no poison not poison—but Edward was certain that the stranger Robert was correct, and that true love’s kiss would break whatever horrid spell was cast over his beautiful, beautiful Giselle.

            Anxiously he knelt at her side.  He hadn’t been kidding about that “dreaming of my true love’s kiss” thing—he’d been anticipating this moment for a full forty-eight hours now, possibly the longest he’d ever had to wait for anything (aside from inheriting his dead father’s throne and finding the whereabouts of his true love oh what a happy day that had been) and even though she was sleeping and he hadn’t had a chance to chew garlic like his stepmother had suggested as the perfect way to impress her, he was certain that this moment would still be as special as he had imagined.

            Oh Giselle!  Oh poor, sleeping, beautiful, lovely Giselle!  She lay so helplessly on the couch, and he was going to rescue her.  Oh bliss, oh rapture!  He carefully leaned over her, trying to prepare himself for the happiest moment of his life so far—

            His lips touched hers and ah it was just as wonderful as he had thought it was going to be for her lips were as soft as the loving words that fell from them even though they were a bit cold because she might be dying oh Giselle! but soon her lips would be rosy and warm again and everything would be—

            would be—

            She hadn’t moved.  Her lips were not turning rosy but were—he pressed his lips to hers again, not as gentle as before but more urgently, assuring her of his love through his kiss, kissing her promises of many duets and dances to come—

            It occurred to Edward that something was wrong.

            He stared down at her placid face.   What could possibly be going wrong?  He had kissed her, and yet there she lay, looking exactly as she had before the most blissful moment of his life so far, as if it hadn’t been the most blissful moment of her life so far, as if she somehow, impossibly, was not with him, smiling and bubbling with warmth and joy and beauty, but that was ridiculous for she was his true love—they had sung together, he had rescued her, they were going to be married, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, she was—

            she was—

            Still not moving.

            Edward wondered if—

            He saw her as he had first seen her, falling out of a tree and into his arms as if she had been made to fit there, so tiny and so alive all at once, and how everything seemed to brighten the moment he first heard her voice calling through the woods.  How they had been dreaming of the same thing forever and always, how their voices blended so prettily together, how she smiled at him, how that cute little strand of hair hung over her nose (though truthfully he didn’t know how she could put up with it, that would drive him crazy to have his hair so out of place, but on her it was just right).  How he had never wanted anything more in his life because he had never realized that there was something more, something so much more than trolls or Nathaniel’s lectures, how he had sung of true love but never really known it until she had called to him without knowing it (and yet had their hearts not been calling them together all the days of their life?).

            He saw her saying goodbye to the little girl (Morgan?  Madeline?  No, shorter than Madeline, must be Morgan) and to Robert before their date (which had been a very strange experience, he couldn’t imagine putting off being married to your true love for the sake of eating a hot dog which had nothing to do with dogs but was in fact very tasty), sad and hopeful all at once.  He saw her as she had been moments ago, saying she was fine but not wanting to leave, some spark missing from her face and he had thought it was just the cold (her dress was ridiculously flimsy although it graced her frame as if she born to wear it, just as all her dresses did; she dressed as a princess, able to turn the least garment into something woven from threads of pure gold) but maybe it wasn’t the cold maybe it was the fact that she was no longer waltzing.  He saw her waltzing but not waltzing, simply dancing and spinning with sheer joy, and Edward wondered if—

            if—

            And Edward looked at her, and then he turned away, and he looked, and he knew; and he pointed at the stranger, and he said, “You.”

Comments

[appellations.livejournal.com]

ts eliot LOVE.

it's a very interesting take on that scene :)

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I KNOW.

thanks :-)

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

I liked Edward more than Robert, too, and was also confuzzled by the whole true love thing. If Giselle and Edward did have true love in Andalasia (Edward/Giselle FTW!), and if true love is true love (or at least my idea of it--greatly helped along by Disney), then why did that true love change, for both of them?

About the fic: ME LOVE. Edward is definitely in-character--just the right combination of naivete, narcissism, dimwittedness, exuberance, and total adoration of Giselle--and we are very much inside his head. You described that brief moment, drew it out and made it full of thoughts and emotions, perfectly. Wonderful wonderful job!

Did you watch Persuasion? I did! *loves on Captain Wentworth* I need to read that book one day.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Can true love change? Was it ever true love between them, or did they just think it was? THESE THINGS TROUBLE ME.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I'm so glad you like it! (it was lots of fun to write, but also infinitely sad.)

I did too! It was a wretched adaptation at the end, but the ending itself was so beautiful. And Wentworth was beautiful. :-D

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

For me, the idea of true love goes hand in hand with the idea of soulmates--can you have more than one soulmate? I DON'T KNOW. But it had to be true love...right? *wants it to be* Disney has officially confused me with their contradictory messages.

Hee, I was thinking that you probably had fun writing a slightly OCD character. But it does also make you feel incredibly sorry for Edward. ♥

How is the book different? But yes, the ending was very beautiful. That he was! :3

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

Exactly! But that's also the kind of question you have to ask when people get remarried and such after their spouse dies. But I do think Edward and Giselle were true love types.

OCD? Edward? Never. :-b

I don't quite remember, but I feel like it was less rushed in the end. And apparently he wrote the letter that she received WHILE SHE WAS IN THE ROOM. But I don't remember. D:

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

Yep--just how many true loves can you have? I think they were too. I mean, the whole "True Love's Kiss" song? Um...yeah, had to be. ^^

I got the rushed feeling, too, and her running around trying to find him didn't help. Did he really? Wow. I need to read that book.

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Suppose you have, somewhere out there, several POTENTIAL true loves. Then it depends on circumstances and the way you grow which one(s) you meet and love.

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

That is a definite a possibility--and I think it really comes down to what we each think is the definition of true love. :D

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

I just read this fic again, and--beautiful beautiful Giselle and the garlic and She lay so helplessly on the couch and he was going to rescue her. Oh bliss, oh rapture! and kissing her promises of many duets and she was his true love—they had sung together, he had rescued her, they were going to be married, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and both He saw her... paragraphs and the end--I just wanted to let you know (again) how completely and utterly you nailed Edward's character. It's PERFECT. *gushes*

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I don't quite know how to describe it, because I kinda wrote it thinking "this is how Edward works" and so the fact that you say it's PERFECT makes me go OH YAY SOMEONE ELSE THINKS SO and well of course I did all at once. I just--I mean, you don't just take the knowledge that the girl you think is your one true love--and not just some kind of abstract, one-true-love thing, but real love, and being a simplistic kind of person you only love with all your being the best way you know how which is, admittedly, for him somewhat juvenile and not completely understanding, but is still loving with all his heart--you don't take finding out that someone else is her true love lightly. I mean that's like taking a huge chunk out of you. And it just pained me to see it so lightly treated. And it really was an epiphany for him as well--you know how afterwards he's able to understand what Pip is saying, because he sees the world differently. but he's not the main character, and so he gets tossed off and smushed together with someone else instead.

er, /rant.

[beautyinsleep.livejournal.com]

It should have taken a huge chunk out of him, and it is incredibly sad that the writers went, "Oh, it's just Edward, he'll understand that things have changed and we'll just hook him up with Robert's ex-fiance now that she's free, too, and not delve into what he would really be feeling after this--completely heartbroken."

Yet nothing can to nothing fall,
Nor any place be empty quite;
Therefore I think my breast hath all
Those pieces still, though they be not unite;
And now, as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My rags of heart can like, wish, and adore,
But after one such love, can love no more.
~John Donne, "The Broken Heart"

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

exactly. CURSE YOU SEXUAL AWAKENING STORIES.

...I do love me some John Donne. :-)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Haha, Jade, I haven't seen the movie so have no opinions or even any idea where this fits, but it made me think of "Agony! Much more painful than yours! When you know she would go with you, if there only were doors." Which I'm assuming you will recognize...

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

did not recognize, so googled and discovered was from INTO THE WOODS WHICH I STILL HAVE NOT SEEN/HEARD ALL THE MUSIC TOO but I found someone who has the stage show on DVD, so that grievous gap in my Sondheim love will soon be corrected.

but yes, it's a similar sentiment, I think. XD *steals the quote for future use*

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

The princes are possibly my favorite characters in that show. How they love their agony!

[styromgalleries.livejournal.com]

I feel bad for poor Edward. I was kinda sad that he just ran off and got with Patrick Dempsey's girlfriend at the end. I, too, wish Giselle hadn't lost her innocence. She would have been perfectly happy in Andalasia, right? RIGHT?!?!?! *agony*

Anyway, this was a very sweet, cute ficlet. I think you did a wonderful job of getting into Edward's head. ♥

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I knoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. I knoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. It's strange how a movie can make me so gleeful and so unhappy all at once.

thanks! :-)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

Oh, ack, Jade, this is a nitpick, but one you might want to fix. "Prone" means face-down, and I can't see her lying on her stomach -- very un-princesslike.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedited away...thanks for pointing it out! (so I take it that means "prone" can't mean "really really still." um what's another word for that?)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

*consults Roget*

inert? immobile?