Growth, Love, and Betrayal

Gertrude requested her mother teach her some magic. The tool that she learned to be harmless if you used it right. Her mother was regularly slipping the potion to make her father listen now a days, as he wished to push the wedding sooner and sooner. Though as the days passed the closer to being ready Gertrude was. Her and Horatio had began to develop a strong friendship.

He allowed her to be her strong spirited self. Together they played with Snow White and helped her learn the ways of a princess while also keeping her childish innocence intact. She teased him regularly. However, they always knew to act formally around her father. Her seventeenth birthday was just around the corner and her father wanted to announce the wedding at it and was pressing for a day, he was thinking a two weeks from the birthday ball to give time to prepare.

Naturally, Gertrude had no say. Horatio however did have some say. Gertrude however, did not feel comfortable asking him to delay their wedding at this point.

Gertrude went to her mom to talk that evening. She practiced some spells and talked about many things. Mainly Horatio and the coming wedding. They discussed when they thought she'd be ready. They agreed that another year would be good. Wait till after her 18th birthday, at that point she truly would be a woman, not a child.

After that her mother mentioned what she called "matrimonial magic" it was a type of magic that binded. She cautioned Gertrude from using it. She believed Horatio cared enough for Gertrude that it was unnecessary. When she was young, she feared that Gertrude's father was going to get ride of her because she hadn't had a child after 3 years of marriage, because she played with binding magic, her fate and Gertrude's father's would be forever intertwined. Gertrude didn't know what that meant. She didn't feel like she should ask.

The next day, Gertrude enjoyed her birthday ball. She loved to dance. Snow White was permitted to come, and Gertrude spent more time than pleased her father dancing with the young girl. Often Horatio would cut in on either of them. Gertrude was happy. She believed she might even be in love.

That evening, Queen Elinor whipped up some extra potion to help convince the king to postpone his chosen date for the wedding. She was worried it wouldn't work, it only made him more open to suggestion. Lost in her worried she stumbled and dropped glass vials on the ground. At that moment Horatio was walking by her room. Concerned for his future mother-in-law at the sound of the braking glass he entered the room.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine, get out!" Elinor called out, which was out of character to shout.

Horatio exited but not without noticinig what was going on first. This was definately witchcraft. Horatio knew that was illegal. How could the queen participate in such vial practices? He was puzzled as to what to do. He decided to tell the king, almost in a trance.

That night Gertrude heard a commotion and looked out her door, to see Horatio standing with her father, as her father's guards dragged her mother away in hand cuffs.