At the bottom of the well was what appeared to be water. Y/n and Gislaine fell through, floating in mid-air, just far enough to where they could not reach each other. A sparkle appeared on Y/n's chest; she touched it, confused. "What is this?" Others came onto her face and shoulders, as well as Gislaine's, both crying out. When they were covered, they turned into sparks that flew around, circling.

-

They landed on their hands at what appeared to be the bottom of a well, but much shorter.

"Are you alright?" Gislaine asked, pushing his hair back.

"Oh, I think so." Y/n looked through the plug beneath her, seeing that light was peering through. She waved her hand around it, noticing that it looked thicker. When she looked at Gislaine, she nearly screamed.

"What?!" But then he got a look at her, yelling, as well. She was still beautiful, but looked...uncanny.

"What happened to you?!"

"Me?! What happened to you?!"

"I...I don't know." She put her eye up to one of the holes, peeking through to a rainy night. "It was daytime when we left..."

Gislaine crawled over and took her place, removing the plug so that he could climb out, somehow ending up going up instead of down. When he was out, he reached down to help Y/n up, her dress getting stuck in the gutter. Gislaine took her by the waist and pulled, the skirts flying into his face until he set her down. They looked around at the bright lights on billboards, sirens piercing through the air, until a car stopped short in front of them, honking. "Oh!"

"Get outta the street!"

She picked up her dress and ran, Gislaine in front of the multitude of cars that nearly hit them to protect her. One nearly hit her, Y/n stopping to scream with her hands up, the car stopping short and being rammed by a taxi, shattering the headlights. Gislaine pulled her away before a car could hit her.

Not seeing where she was going, Y/n tripped over her dress and fell into a vendor's stand, knocking it over. "Whoa! Lady, are you crazy?! Now you have to pay for all this!"

"I'm sorry!" Gislaine helped her up before the man could hurt her, the crowd pulling them both away. "Excuse me!" she called. "Could one of you please point us in the direction of the castle?! Oh!" A tiny person had gone under her dress, pushing it away.

Gislaine pulled him back quite harshly. "Sir, that's not a place for you!"

But Y/n looked relieved to see him, her hands clasped to her chest. "Grumpy!"

He brushed off his suit, looking at her confused and a little offended. "Jeez, lady, are you for real?"

"Um..." She looked at her hands again, not sure how to answer. "I think so?" But the man was already walking away and they were being pulled in the opposite direction, getting separated in the process. "Wait, please, we just need to get to the castle! We're you be wedded and - oh!" she cried again, being pushed down a set of stairs. "Gislaine!"

"I'm here, my love!" He rushed through the crowd, knocking people over and reaching out, grabbing her hand just as they were put on a subway.

-

The street that they got to was a lot less crowded. They held onto the railings and each other's arms. Once they got up, Y/n looked around helplessly, weakly calling out, "Edward...? Oh..."

"Perhaps there's a map." Gislaine looked around, then gave her arm a tight squeeze. "Stay here, my love. I'm going to see the quickest route back to the castle."

"Wait, Gislaine!" She grabbed his arm, tears standing in her eyes. "Oh, please don't leave me here! I'm so frightened! I...I don't want to be alone!"

He tried to reassure her with a soft pat and smile. "Just a minute, love. That's all it'll take. We must get home quickly." He ran off, leaving her by the stairs, where she sat hopelessly, her head in her hands as she began to weep.

"Oh, Edward..."

-

"No way you're getting him, Ethan."

"You want him because I want him."

"I'm not letting you have him!"

"Forget it. Hank is coming with me."

Robert Philip rubbed his jaw as he listened to the argument between the soon-to-be divorcés while the opposing lawyer sat in front of him, going over legal documents. Finally, he spoke up."Wait a minute, guys, I'm getting confused. Who is Hank?"

They glanced at him, unbelieving that he did not know who they were referring to. "Hank Aaron? Milwaukee Braves? His 1954 rookie card."

Robert blinked and shook his head a little. "A baseball card? That's what this gets down to is a baseball card?"

But they were both back at it.

"You never loved Hank like me!"

"You've never love me like Hank!"

"How did I make you so angry?!"

Robert's secretary looked in through the door, smiling sympathetically. "Robert?"

"Yes?"

"It's time."

"Ask what you didn't do! It's a longer list!"

"I have to pick up my daughter," he interrupted, beginning to stand. "Can we do around nine?"

The other lawyer looked up from the documents and nodded. "Nine sounds good."

"Great. I'll see you then." He tried to get his client's attention to let her know that he was leaving. "Phoebe, I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"You're just afraid I don't need you!"

-

"I need a vacation," Robert mumbled as his secretary got his coat. "Thank you."

She helped him put it on, his arms sliding comfortably through the sleeves. "After a whole day of that, you still want to get engaged?"

"Those people got married on a crazy romantic whim. It's not like that with Nancy and I."

"Right. None of that crazy romantic stuff for you, huh?" she teased.

"Oh, come on. I mean, we're rational. We've taken the time to know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

"Sounds like you're building a bridge." She took a moment, contemplating, before asking, "Have you told your daughter yet?"

"No..." he admitted. "I haven't. Not yet. I'm going to tonight. That's the tricky part, I got a present to ease her into it."

"With news like this, I hope you got her a Shetland pony."

"No. Something much better than that."

-

Morgan opened the small present in the taxi, finding a hardcover with women pictured in it. She gazed on it, unsure, then looked at her father in slight surprise. "A book?"

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that look. I know it's not that fairy tale book you wanted, but this is better." He opened the book, pointing at a few of the women on the two pages. "Look at this. See? Rosa Parks. Madame Curie. She was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to research. Until she...died from...radiation poisoning..." he finished, trailing off as he watched his daughter's eyes widen.

"She...died?"

He was saved by his phone ringing. Taking it out of his pocket, he answered, greeting, "Yeah, hi. ...Tomorrow morning would be great. Seven-thirty? ...With her now. ...Let me call you later. ...Okay. Bye-bye." He shut it off, putting it back into his pocket. "That was Nancy." He added as an afterthought, "She's a lot like the women in your book." When he received no answer, he dropped his voice. "Sweetie? I'm going to ask her to marry me."

That made her look up from the book in shock. "What?"

"Yeah. You like her, don't you? We all get along."

She avoided the question, instead asking, "Where is she going to live?"

"She's going to live with us."

"Do I have to give up my bedroom?" she asked sadly.

"No, you don't have to give up your bedroom. No. Come on, it's going to be great. I promise. It's not like she's gonna try and be your mother."

"You mean stepmother," she replied with an unamused tone.

"She's gonna be a nice stepmother. She's gonna take you to school tomorrow, just you and her, for some grown-up girl-bonding time."

"But I'm only six," Morgan reminded him.

But Robert gazed on her lovingly, a little nostalgically. "You won't always be."

-

"Y/n!"

Gislaine ran back to her as she looked up, tears mixing with the rain on her cheeks, but her eyes red.

"Marvelous news!" But he halted when he saw that she had been crying and sat beside her, taking her hand in his. "You really were frightened, weren't you? I'm sorry, my dear, I just didn't want you to get hurt."

"Oh, Gislaine..." She threw herself forward into his chest, Gislaine's arms around her ass he pressed her closely to his chest. He took a hand off her to take a handkerchief from his pocket and dab at her eyes.

"It's alright. No harm will come to you," he promised, holding her close once more and kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Yes...dearest? You said you come bearing news?"

"Indeed." He took her hand and helped her up. "A castle! Perhaps not yours, but they must be the royal family of the neighboring kingdom. Perhaps they can help us."

"Oh? Lead me there, my love!"

He took her away, across another street a few blocks down, and to a giant billboard with a pink castle on it. He got on a car and took a ladder up, pulling the princess up with him, and knocked on the door. "Hello? Your Majesties? My name is Gislaine! I come with the Princess of Andalasia!" He knocked again on the wooden door. "Hello?! Hello?! Is that anybody home?"

"Oh, do open the door!" Y/n tried next to knock. "Hello? Do you know my step-brother Edward? Prince Edward? Hello?"

"Please open the door. It's very cold out here."

-

The taxi stopped at a light, Morgan looking out the window to see Y/n and Gislaine knocking on the billboard. "Daddy, why is there a princess with her prince on the castle billboard?"

He glanced up from his papers dismissively. "It's an advertisement. They're mannequins."

"They're really there!"

"No, they're not."

But she was already opening the door, running across the road.

"Morgan! Stop!" Robert jumped out after her, sprinting at protective-parent speed to her.

"Hey!" she yelled up to them. "Princess! Prince!"

"Morgan!" Robert jerked her to face him, bending down. "Don't you ever do that again."

She paid no mind, turning back and pointing up. "Look! Look!"

He looked up, seeing both of them knocking on the fake door.

"Is anybody there?"

"Please, do you know my Edward?"

"Hey!" Robert yelled to them, getting their attention.

"Oh, hello, sir!" Y/n called down, still gently. "Could you perhaps tell me where - oh!" She began to fall off, holding onto the platform.

"Y/n, darling!" Gislaine tried to pull her off, accidentally prying her fingers off.

"Whoa!" Robert held his arms out, realizing that he would not be able to catch her in such an elaborate gown and at the speed she was about to drop. "Hold on!"

"Oh!"

"Don't let go! Wait! Hang on!"

"Catch her, Daddy!" Morgan cried as she dropped down, landing directly on top of Robert.

Gislaine climbed nimbly down the ladder as quickly as he could. "Y/n, my darling! Are you alright, dear?!"

"Y - yes."

They got up, Robert instinctively checking her for bruises. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"What were you doing up there?" Morgan asked as Gislaine's feet hit the cement.

"We were looking for some help," he explained. "You see, we've been wandering very far and long tonight and I'm afraid nobody's been very nice to us."

"Yeah, well, welcome to New York," Robert chuckled, looking up at the skyscrapers.

Y/n gave him a surprised, grateful look. "Thank you."

Confused, he glanced at her, then at Gislaine, wondering why the heck they were in some fairytale wedding getup. "Okay, you sure you're alright?"

"Oh, yes."

"You need me to call somebody for you? Some wedding party?"

The princess clapped lightly with a big smile. "Yes, that would be lovely. But I don't think the guests could hear you from here."

"What?" Robert blinked and shook his head, trying to decipher if Gislaine seemed a bit more sane.

-

"And then the old hag told us to look into the well and wish for our heart's desire."

Y/n tugged at her gown through the narrow hallway of the apartment. "Yes, but we must have looked very far because we fell through. But now we're here with you, so it's all going to be okay!"

Dismissively, Robert went through his keychain for the house key. "Is this a big habit of yours? Falling off of stuff?"

"Oh...well, usually, someone catches me." She put her hand on Gislaine's chest and leaned her head against it. "That's how I found my Gislaine."

He raised a skeptical brow, but went back to looking for the key.

"But I know that Edward will come for us."

Gislaine reached for her hand and held it up in agreement. "He'll take us home and the two of us can share in true love's kiss."

Robert glanced up in mild disgust. "True love's kiss?"

The princess nodded in agreement. "Mhm! It's the most powerful thing in the world! Oh, besides memories!"

"...right."

Gislaine let go of her hand, running out through his hair. "Now, if only we could find a place to rest our heads for the night."

"What kind of place?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a nearby meadow or a hollow tree."

"Or a cottage!" Y/n added. "With dwarves! Oh, I hear from Snow White that they're just lovely landlords!"

He found the key at last, giving him another chance to glance at what his daughter called the princess and her prince. "Like I said, all I can do is let you in for a minute. Dry off, use the phone if you want to." He unlocked the door, letting Y/n in first. "We have our own bedtime to stick to. Let's go."

"That's very kind of you." She took off the outer layer of her skirts managed too squeeze though. Robert went to follow until Gislaine put his arm up in front of his chest.

"Ladies first." He gave Morgan a nod and she went in, watching Gislaine skeptically, but ultimately focusing her attention back on Y/n.

"I like your dress," she said, a little shyly.

"Oh? Why, thank you, I made it myself. Well, besides the mics and rabbits. And of course, the silkworms provided the silk."

"They're good. And so are you." Impressed, she looked it up and down. "I wish I had one."

"Oh, I'll make you one!"

Robert ran in-between them before Morgan could get excited, insisting, "Why don't we see about getting you a car."

They got settled on the couch as Robert picked up his cellphone, dialing for a rental. Morgan stood in front of them, Gislaine already asleep, quietly asking Y/n, "Are you really a princess?"

"Yes. And Gislaine will be...my prince..." She fell asleep on his chest, her hands folded underneath her ear.

Morgan gave her shoulder a pat, surprised that anyone could fall asleep that fast, then joined her father in his bedroom. "Wow, Dad. They're really sleepy."

He looked out of the door and saw them sleeping on the couch, immediately going to wake them. "Oh, no. That's not acceptable."

Morgan stepped in front of him, eyes pleading up to him. "You're not really going to make them go, are you, Daddy?"

"I want you to go to bed," he said instead.

"But I think she might be a real princess..."

"Morgan." He bent to her eye-level. "Just because she has on a funny dress, doesn't mean she's a princess. They are seriously confused people suffering from mass hallucination and they just happened to fallen into our laps."

"So we're not gonna let them stay?"

"No." He chuckled her cheek with a fist and stood. "Put on your nightgown and go to sleep. Goodnight, okay?"

Morgan sighed, but obeyed by going to her room, shutting the door. Robert took his phone back out and dialed the number, watching the couple sleep. "Hi, I need a car at 116th and Riverside, please."

"Hold, please."

"Thank you."

His eyes stayed on them as the elevator music played, sighing through closed lips, not hearing when the line connected. "Hello, sir. Destination, please."

He began to lower the phone.

"Sir?"

He shut and off and, after waiting a few minutes, opened Morgan's door, finding her holding one of her dolls. "Morgan."

She looked back at him. "What?"

"I want you to sleep in my room tonight."

"Why?"

"Just come on."

She put the doll down with a sign and followed him out, glancing at Y/n one more time.

-

Back at Andalasia, Edward jumped down the well, his sword clasped tightly. "Fear not, Y/n! I will rescue you!"

Pip followed after him, flailing as he fell. "Yeah, but who's gonna rescue ME -?!"