Work Text:
"I thought that I might find you out there."
Red Riding Hood turned her head at the sound of the voice and a smile instantly made its way across her face as she watched that familiar, tall and somewhat gangly figure making his way out into the royal gardens. Dressed rather simply in a tunic and loose trousers, shaggy red hair mussed by the wind, no one would have ever believed that this was the great and mighty King Ambrose that was now spoken of for miles and kingdoms around. He carried himself with a simple, humble gate, hands clasped behind his back, and a warm smile on his face as he approached her.
"Just thought I'd come out and enjoy the night air for awhile," she replied, smiling as she inched her way over on the decorative swing that she sat on. A dainty hand reached out and motioned to the space next to her. "Care to join me?"
"I would like that," he murmured, those eyes of his peeking out at her behind wind-swept locks of hair in a manner that always made her heart give a little flutter.
The swing swayed abruptly back and forth as he settled himself onto it, close enough that his arm brushed against her own. Long legs outstretched themselves in front of him as he set his heels against the ground, beginning to idly push them back and forth in an easy rhythm.
"I wanted to thank you for your help today," he murmured, and that voice of his never failed to strike her as peaceful – somehow, regal - even when he was nothing more than a mere janitor. "With bringing in the new refugees and getting them settled. I could tell that some of them were still very scared…but your presence alone seemed enough to put them at their ease."
Red blushed shyly and gave a little laugh. "Well, why should they be scared? They're here now – in the Haven. The Adversary can't touch them. They're safe."
Ambrose made a quiet sound. "I wish that were true. Though we might have taken out a considerable threat, I fear that there are still dangers left out there that we have yet to face. We can't allow ourselves to become too confident or too settled. We must always be at our guard, no matter what. I won't risk another potential threat to my kingdom and my people. There has been too much violence and bloodshed and fear already."
"Well, I think they have reason to feel safe now," Red spoke gently, reaching out one hand to rest against her beloved companion's arm while she turned to smile up at him reassuringly. "They deserve their rest and their peace. They have a good home now…and a good king."
That little quirk of a smile was so very beautiful upon those freckled features and Ambrose ducked his head in a humble fashion – like he once did when he wished to disappear behind his mop and broom.
"Thank you, Ride," he breathed – sincerity and gratitude within his voice and she felt her breath give a little catch inside of her when he reached out his own hand to cover hers. Her eyes turned down towards their hands and she slowly interlaced their fingers together – marveling at how well they seemed to fit. Like those long fingers of his were made to just the right size and spacing to fit between the gaps of her own.
Giving him another sweet smile, Red shifted herself some to draw her legs upward onto the swing and lean her head against his thin shoulder in a companionable manner. He continued to rock them easily back and forth with movements of his legs and the soft breeze cooled the night air and carried with it the scent of the flowers around them. Overhead, a beautiful moon hung in all of its radiant glory and the stars flickered down upon them like a sea of diamonds cast across murky waters.
They remained thus for several minutes – simply enjoying the evening and the presence of the other. Red allowed for her eyes to drift closed and she released a soft sigh when she felt the pad of Ambrose' thumb begin to trace its way idly across the back of her hand. Moving across the knuckles tenderly, dipping in and out of each groove in a manner that caused her stomach to twist.
"Ride," he spoke after awhile, breaking the silence between them, and she lifted her head to glance up at him – surprised to find him looking towards her with what seemed to be concern in his gaze. His hand remained holding to her own. "Are you…happy here?"
She blinked, startled by the question and the uncertainty with which it was spoken. "What… Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"
"You don't ever think about going back? You know – to Fabletown? With the rest of the Fables?"
Red shook her head quickly, her hand tightening in its grasp around his. "No. No, not at all! I love it here in the Haven. I mean, sure, you know, it was nice in Fabletown and the people were so kind and friendly there but…it's not here…" She pursed her lips. "And they're not you."
Green eyes watched the man carefully as he looked down and she felt something settling deep within her stomach. A kind of cloying fear. He wasn't going to try to send her back, was he? Surely he wasn't about to ask her to leave the Haven! Of course not! That was foolish – why would he? He'd seemed nothing but happy since the moment she'd gotten here. It was incredibly rare that anyone ever saw them when they weren't somewhere around each other. Did he think that she'd be safer back in Fabletown? Was that what it was? What could possibly be safer than the Haven?
Thoughts and fears were racing round and about in her head and Ride squeezed his hand, feeling rather overwhelmed. She knew she was just letting her insecurities get to her but…why wouldn't he even look at her?
"Ambrose?" she asked softly, concern lacing her words. "Is…something wrong? Have I done something to upset you?"
Quickly his head was lifting, eyes wide and his mouth agape. "What? Oh, no! No, no, no, Ride – not at all!" His hands shifted quickly to capture both of her own in their large grip, squeezing her fingertips in a reassuring manner. "No, I assure you, you have done nothing wrong."
"Then…what is it? Do you not want me to be here?"
Those beautiful eyes of his softened and she could see what actually looked like pain at the mere idea of what she said. He shook his head slowly, his words softening now to their usual, gentle and soothing tone.
"Nothing could be any further from the truth," he murmured, glancing back down at their hands once more before lifting his eyes towards her. "I simply…did not wish for you to be unhappy. To feel some sense of obligation to being here. You know. With me."
Those last words were said so small and so soft that Red half-expected him to suddenly shift into a frog right before her very eyes at that moment. But he remained in his handsome form, pressing his lips and swallowing back nerves and shyly averting his eyes away.
And she wondered if it were possible for her to fall any deeper in love with this strong, kind and caring man.
"Ambrose," she spoke his name, and this time he didn't look back up towards her. One of her hands slid gently from his grasp and she reached up, drawing her touch across the side of his face, brushing little wisps of unruly red hair back as she did so. "There is no place in the world that I would rather be…than right here with you." He drew in a slow breath and his eyes glanced up towards her – causing her to give him a smile. "I don't care where it is. Whether it's the Haven or Fabletown or the Farm or the Adversary's Domain itself…I don't care. Just so long as it's with you. That's all I ask. Just let me stay with you – and I'll go anywhere you ask of me."
Ambrose released that breath that he'd taken in a shaky little sound. His head dropped forward, and she found it leaning closer in towards her palm. Beneath her fingertips she could feel him swallow again and she gently ran her fingers soothingly through his hair.
"Ride," he began – and there was an odd tremor in his voice that she'd never before heard. He paused and she watched him as he drew the hand that he held in towards him. Pressing it tenderly against his chest. Both of his large hands encompassing her smaller one…and her heart leapt inside of her suddenly when he dropped his head just enough to press a kiss against the curve of her knuckles. Then he was looking up at her again, and that look in his eyes stole her very breath away.
"Since the moment we first met, you have…shaken me - to my very core. Your beauty and your friendliness and your light. Your goodness. You were always so kind to me – even when I was nothing more than a mere janitor. I could never quite understand what someone such as you would see in someone like me but…I thanked the gods every day that you did." He drew another breath, seeming to grow in confidence as he drew himself to sit more upright, looking down into Red Riding Hood's eyes now while his thumb smoothed along the back of her hand that he held.
"You were there for me in my darkest hour. You gave me meaning and hope and reason back into my life again. Without your strength and your compassion, I would have died. Alone and bitter and a coward. But you took me and you…inspired me to greatness! This kingdom, this land, this war – it is yours, Ride. Everything about it is yours. You pushed me to become the man that I needed to be. The man that I was always destined to be. Because of you I am here today and the Haven is here to serve as our sanctuary and our home."
Red was overcome and she could feel her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She laughed sheepishly when one escaped and she started to move her hand to catch it, but his beat her to it. He touched her face with gentleness and his thumb eased away the tear so very tenderly as he looked down into her eyes.
"Don't cry," he soothed softly. "It is said that every great man has an even greater woman standing behind him. You have been that great woman, Ride. You have been my muse…my goddess." She started to duck her head, unused to such high praise, but he quickly caught at her chin and drew it back upward again – only speaking when her eyes finally rose to meet his own once more. "Ride – when we first met, I was nothing. I was a scared young man that was clinging to a past he lacked closure upon. It was with your strength and your compassion that I managed to find that closure. I finally put all those ghosts and those nightmares to rest. I honored the memory of my wife and my children and I avenged their restless spirits so that now they may be at peace. So that now we might begin a life anew here in the Haven."
Shifting forward, he drew Red Riding Hood to her feet with a pull on both her hands. She followed after him, her eyes locked within his own and unable to look away from the starlight that glinted so beautifully against them.
"I came to this kingdom a broken man – but it is by you that I have been made whole. I now wish to honor that faith and that confidence that you placed in me. I wish to become the King that you saw when I was nothing more than a servant. I desire so very much to become that man for you." And Red Riding Hood couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her when King Ambrose lowered himself down gracefully onto one knee before her – humbling himself as no great King ever had. He released one of her hands to reach into the tunic he wore and remove from it a small, delicate ring.
"Red Riding Hood," he spoke her name, looking back up at her with such hope and such longing and such undeniable love that she trembled. "Would you do me the honor…of becoming my Queen?" And so saying, he slipped the ring carefully about her finger.
The tears that had been in her eyes before now completely spilled over as Red brought her free hand up to cover her mouth. Ambrose remained knelt before her, waiting and anxious and barely breathing…until finally, Red dropped her hand away from the large smile upon her face and nodded.
"Yes," she breathed, the word broken by a little sob but then, laughing, speaking more solidly. "Yes…yes! A thousand times yes."
The grin that flashed across Ambrose face was as radiant as the sun itself as he quickly rose to his feet and caught the woman up tightly in his arms. Red found herself laughing as he lifted her off her feet, twirling her round and about happily in the garden before finally setting her back down again. Her laughter dissolved away into giggles as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist even as he held her in against him. She drew her hand upward to look at the ring and her heart melted to see the simplistic design. A small, beautiful diamond in the center - with an emerald and a ruby set on either side of it.
"It's...perfect," she whispered, looking up at him with a few more tears of joy and happiness that couldn't be contained.
He smiled down at her, grabbing up her hand once again to press a heated kiss against the back of her knuckles.
But that…wasn't quite enough.
The smile falling slowly from his face, he reached out his hand to settle against the back of her neck even as she reached up to grasp tight hold against the front of his tunic. Leaning his head down towards her, he pressed his lips solidly against her own and into that kiss he gave a low, rich moan. Red Riding Hood's hands pulled him closer still and he felt her mouth parting beneath his own, inviting him in and the taste of her...God, it was so much better than anything he could have ever imagined. So much more real. He kissed her deep and long and slow, his hand moving to run through her hair while his other rested at the base of her back, pressing her in tight against his body. It had been centuries since he'd known the warmth of a woman's touch or her kiss (well, save for the unresponsive lips of Briar Rose) and he found it difficult to break away from her when at last he grew short on breath.
His forehead was rested gently against her own as he breathed in and out, slow and deep, looking down at her in wonder.
"Come," he finally murmured, drawing her hand once more to his lips. "Let us go inside. We have much to prepare and plan for, my queen." And, with one last kiss to her temple, he drew her under the secure embrace of his arm as the two of them made their way up the garden path and back towards their home.
Not since the legendary Arthur and Guinevere of Camelot had their been such a union that would change the course of Fable history forever.
It was the beginning of a new era.