Immortal King Edmund AU
(aka the secret 10th option of the Dark Prince Eugene poll that I just thought of today.)
tl:dr. Edmund is the chill selfless immortal to foil with Gothel’s controlling selfish immortal. Eugene isn’t his son he’s his second cousin yada yada times removed.
He’s lived in his Castle for a long time, giving Rapunzel an opportunity to help someone like her. He’s loyal to his job like Cassandra is, which causes her to rethink her life choices. He’s actually responsible but also still has his quirks, which shows Lance that he doesn’t have to shy away from his obligations to live a happy life
you know. just overthinking things and mushing them into an emotional arc that could have worked in the show.
here’s a ficlet for an immortal who’s just “some guy.” under the cut. Never had a plan in his head or wanted to hurt nobody, just wanted to do his family proud.
The Moonstone can grant people immortality; making their aging stop, their skin as hard as the Black Rocks, and keep their minds clear as moonlight. Edmund’s father had discovered the Moonstone and shared it’s power with his entire village.
The immortal villagers build a Castle to live in together, to protect themselves and the Moonstone from those who would want to use it for evil.
But immortal doesn’t really mean unkillable. After some well-meaning and not well-meaning magic hunters, people who leave the light of the Moonstone, and just plain accidents, the Castle becomes silent, the mortal people having left to their own relatively safer villages.
The only ones that remain immortal are Edmund, Adira, Hector, and Quirin.
They decided to paint the Moonstone as a powerful artifact that’s too dangerous to use. They are still in contact with their mortal subjects, but in a few generations, the full truth is lost.
Edmund had a plan in place where in 50 or so years he would “die” and make Quirin the next King, then swap to someone else. That happened a few times, and Edmund even let himself be an “advisor” for a new bloodline for a few decades before faking his death and moving to a nearby village. Rinse and repeat if needed.
No one really recognizes him until someone finds the old paintings in the Castle. (to be fair, they don’t have instant cameras, just paintings that could take hours, if not days, filled with symbolism even and no one really comes to the Castle to look at the paintings, really!)
There’s a whole revolution to get “the rightful heir” back on the throne. It’s a comedy of errors almost. If he wasn’t concerned about people dying in the pointless fight, he’d find it very funny. (He’ll laugh about it one day. one day, in an empty Castle with only caws answering back.)
Edmund is back in the spotlight, with guards and people and the ever present knowledge that he won’t age like them. He caught the eye of some lovely women and thought about children, not for the first or last time in his long life.
But what legacy could he leave - if he doesn’t ever leave?
That’s what drove him to attack the Moonstone, to remove the blessing-curse-blessing. The truth, as always, was hidden from his advisors, hidden from the mortals with their short lives and vivid minds. The Moonstone is out of control - he would say.
Quirin called him out on his fears. Took the people he swore to protect away. Adira left after always leaving to go search here and there. Hector - he actually thinks Hector believes he died.
It doesn’t matter. The village - his home, it’s gone. It was buried underneath the Castle, the wood decayed a hundred times over. He can’t go back to a full Castle, or even a half-full one. It was just him.
(Despite how certain he was alone, he was wrong. People sent letters. He wrote back, when he didn’t feel like time was slipping through his fingers.)
The next 50 years were agonizing yet brief. Lonesomeness and grief and guilt swirled in his head. If he swears he writes it all down, maybe he can rest. (he barely rests.)
People break in for shelter. He attracts a village again. Gets a horse. Some people believe he's a ghost. (He lets them think it until they try to banish him.) He doesn't really talk to them. Doesn't reach out with the only hand he has left. There's a deluge of letters - a Princess of Corona and a merry band of friends. Requests to not attack.
(Of course he attacks, that’s half the fun!)
The one that stayed behind on the gondola was almost expected. A sacrifice play. Edmund paused, waiting for him to speak. People tend to fall into a few camps when pleading for their lives. He wondered what this - dashing rogue as he read about - would do.
“Oh, thank heavens you’re okay.” Sarcasm. Then. "What are you waiting for?"
Ah. Resignation. Contrition. Most aren't sorry to be searching for a powerful magical item, just sorry to be caught. He was good company for a Princess.
“Oh. You know. Fate. Destiny.” Edmund says. “You look familiar...oh!” he pulls out his reminder. An old, crinkled wanted poster with a teenager on it.
(Some villagers give him moral quandaries, like say a young boy who can’t survive without thieving. Keeps his mind sharp.)
“What. That’s the perfect poster!” the man cries.
And thus begins his relationship with a Eugene Fitzherbert.
He invites him inside, and gives his friends the whole tour. His speech that he’s given time and time again, tweaked for the ages. They stay, and when night falls and he settles his bedroll against the door to the Moonstone.
The Moonstone talks. whispers and says that her counterpart is here - that she’ll be leaving soon. Edmund gets up and does his rounds.
(he’s not sure, but the Stones hold onto words, things that others say.)
Eugene’s voice echoes.
“I’ve got an idea - the Minister said that his mind fades with the moon, right? His memories come and go. It’ll take two months, tops. I can get him and the Moonstone out of here.”
“two months?”
“He’s been here for over 300 years. that we know of. He’s not you, it’s not going to take 2 days and a lantern festival.” a sigh, “but I’m not going to do it if you don’t agree to it.”
Edmund gets context for what it is in the morning.
Eugene finds him looking up at the stained glass windows. “You know - meeting you, kind of feels like destiny brought me here.” and he spins a tale of orphan Eugene, with a charm from his world-traveling mother. Something he recognized, vaguely, as a graduation gift for his trainees. The supposition that - he, Edmund, was Eugene’s long lost father.
(there were no children born after the Moonstone was used. only people brought into the fold, adopted or married, bonds forged by familiarity, not blood. it - was acceptable. But he would never see a face like his father’s ever again.)
But fate must have intervened, because in that moment, Eugene did look much like his favorite cousin Levi.
So with Eugene reaching out - Edmund reached back. Gently prodded to come back into the world. They opened up to each other much like the Moonstone would open up to Rapunzel.
(then it was stolen, which - he supposed was a whole other kettle of fish. Cassandra - wanted to be a guard, right? Let her play, try on his clothes. She was mortal, he was not. He could wait until she was done.)
Traveling was as difficult and rewarding as he remembered. Corona was just as strange as he thought it was.
Unlike the Moonstone, the Sundrop Flower was embedded in the water cycle. It's magic passively infecting the land of Corona. The rivers - never poisoned or diseased. The animals - strangely intelligent. The people - content, pleasant and energetic even in old age. Quirin, who had been drinking it - suddenly sporting grey hairs and a new son. (He keeps calling the child Jordan despite his protests - it's not his fault that he shared a face of an uncle from centuries ago.)
Eugene - King of Corona in all but name - looks at him. "I talked to Quirin. You knew.” his face hardens. “Why are you here?”
"Feels like destiny brought me here." Edmund says wistfully.
“That was a horse you rode across an entire continent.” and his mouth curls into a smile. “Dad.”
7 notes
·
View notes