Should We Meet Again, I Will Not Recognise Your Name
Title: Should We Meet Again, I Will Not Recognise Your Name
Characters: Charming, Charming's birth mother Ruth, King George.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers mainly for The Shepherd.
Author's note: Title, cut tag and quotes in italics are from the musical Blood Brothers, where Mickey and Eddie's story's similarities to Charming's backstory inspired this fic.
Summary: As Charming prepares to send Emma through the wardrobe, knowing that when they next meet he won't know who she is, he reflects on his birth mother's and King George's feelings on the loss of James. Ruth and King George also tell their sides of the story.
Ain’t no point in clutching at your rosary
You’re always gonna know what was done
Even when you shut your eyes, you’ll still see
That you sold a son, and you can’t tell anyone
You know the devil’s got your number
You know he’s gonna find you, you know he’s right behind you
He’s standing on your step and he’s knocking at your door
Ruth and her husband had regretted it almost from the moment that they handed over their baby to that awful man. She’d wondered whether there was another way that they could have kept both twins. And sometimes she wondered whether it would have been better to have handed both twins over to King George, because that way, they would have grown up together as they should have. And both of them could have had the better life that Ruth knew she could never give them.
She would never have voiced that thought to her husband, of course. She knew how much he had always regretted giving James away. She also knew how he had never entirely forgiven her for being the one to first agree to accepting Rumpelstiltskin’s offer, and how he had tried to deal with his guilt by turning to drink, unable to forgive either of them. He had squandered all of King George’s money on the drink, leaving them no better off than they had been before handing over their son, and ultimately leading to his early death due to drink.
Their son didn’t know the truth about this, of course. He had been too young to understand at the time and had accepted Ruth’s explanation of an illness without question. Ruth had been determined that he should never know how his father really died, and also that he should never know that once he had had a brother. But she had never been able to stop wondering herself what had become of him once he had been handed over to the king and queen, and whether he was happy. She accepted that she would never be able to see him again, because she knew that he could have a much better life with King George.
Her husband had never forgiven her. And she had also never forgiven herself. “All magic comes with a price”, Rumpelstiltskin had said the day that they had made the deal, and now Ruth understood what he had meant. She had not known when she agreed to hand over her son that it would also mean that she would lose her husband, still less that it would also eventually lead to her losing her other son.
Ruth has accepted now that it is unlikely she will see her son again. But she had been proud of him when she had heard that he had decided not to marry Princess Abigail, but to marry Queen Regina’s stepdaughter Snow White for love instead. Her son had chosen his own path, he had proved them all wrong. It was enough for Ruth to know that he would be happy.
Only mine until the time comes round to pay the bill
Then I’m afraid what can’t be paid must be returned
You never ever learn that nothing’s yours on easy terms
He couldn’t even mourn his son in the way that he had deserved.
King George would never admit that sometimes he had doubts about whether he had done the right thing in covering up the death of his son in order to claim the riches promised to him by King Midas. “All magic comes with a price”, that vile imp had scoffed the day they had made the deal, and King George had taken no notice of his words. Why should he? What price could he possibly have to pay for having the child that he and Queen Isabella had so longed for?
Of course he could not have foreseen that the gift would be taken from him, James cut down in his prime before he was able to slay the dragon that was so troubling King Midas. But if he ever had imagined that his son would predecease him, King George would have been determined to have honoured him with the finest funeral possible. Instead, James was buried in a pauper’s grave, without a stone to mark the name of the man who lay there. And King George had been forced to conceal his death, to swear all those who had been present at the time to secrecy in order that Midas never found out. And for what? For gold that he was now never going to get, since that oaf who was masquerading as James had broken his agreement to marry Princess Abigail. King Midas had not cared that he was not honouring the deal. Frederick was back, he and Abigail were to get married as planned, what did Midas care whether or not King George received the gold he had been promised?
And every time King George saw the man with his son’s face, he was reminded of what could have been. As they made the plans for the wedding, King George could not help but think of how things would have been for his son’s wedding. (James, of course, would have married the girl without question). And he was reminded all over again of the things that his son would never experience. This was not the same person he had raised from babyhood; this man may wear his face but he was not Prince James, nor could he ever replace him.
King George had thought all that mattered was getting his gold from King Midas, and he hated this man for having deprived him of it. But he hated him even more now for not being Prince James.
He was not his son. The man was dead to him.
Why didn’t you give me away, Mam? I could’ve - I could’ve been him!
He’d never admit it to anyone that he’s wondered, wondered a lot of things since he found out the truth. He’s wondered what his life would have been like if he and his twin brother had grown up together, whether they would have been close. And he would never admit this to Ruth, but he has also wondered what his life would have been like if he had been the twin raised by King George, whilst his brother remained with his birth parents.
But when he’s thought about it at all, he’s felt that he was better off being brought up by his birth mother. The taste he’s had of Prince James’s life has been enough for him to know that it is not a life he would have wanted for himself. On paper, it may have looked like Prince James may have had all the advantages, but it was now clear that his life would not have been his own. Had it been Prince James who had slain the dragon, he too would have been forced into the marriage with Princess Abigail. What advantages were there in being totally under the control of King George?
Sometimes, he’s wondered if Prince James ever knew that he wasn’t King George’s son, and if he had, whether he had ever wondered about the birth family he had never known. It was easier, he thought, to believe that he hadn’t known; he didn’t like to think that his twin had known all along that his birth family had been out there and he hadn’t wanted to know them.
Over time, he thought about it less frequently. Building his future with Snow became more important than his past, then had come the news of Queen Regina’s curse. But as it became clear that there was no way he could escape, he remembered all of this all over again as his daughter Emma was born, as she was placed in the magical wardrobe in the full knowledge that she was going to be saved from the curse, but he and her mother would not, that when he next saw Emma, he would not recognise her name, nor she his. He understood now, as he had never understood before, how his mother must have felt as she handed her son over to King George, and how she must have felt as she learned that he too must go to live with him and never see her again. And he even understood a little of what King George must have felt as he watched the man he’d raised as his son die in front of him, knowing he would never see him again anyway. In that moment, his dislike of King George was gone as he finally understood the man.
If he ever saw either of them again, he would tell them so.
But now, all hope lay with his daughter to save them from the curse.
Characters: Charming, Charming's birth mother Ruth, King George.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers mainly for The Shepherd.
Author's note: Title, cut tag and quotes in italics are from the musical Blood Brothers, where Mickey and Eddie's story's similarities to Charming's backstory inspired this fic.
Summary: As Charming prepares to send Emma through the wardrobe, knowing that when they next meet he won't know who she is, he reflects on his birth mother's and King George's feelings on the loss of James. Ruth and King George also tell their sides of the story.
Ain’t no point in clutching at your rosary
You’re always gonna know what was done
Even when you shut your eyes, you’ll still see
That you sold a son, and you can’t tell anyone
You know the devil’s got your number
You know he’s gonna find you, you know he’s right behind you
He’s standing on your step and he’s knocking at your door
Ruth and her husband had regretted it almost from the moment that they handed over their baby to that awful man. She’d wondered whether there was another way that they could have kept both twins. And sometimes she wondered whether it would have been better to have handed both twins over to King George, because that way, they would have grown up together as they should have. And both of them could have had the better life that Ruth knew she could never give them.
She would never have voiced that thought to her husband, of course. She knew how much he had always regretted giving James away. She also knew how he had never entirely forgiven her for being the one to first agree to accepting Rumpelstiltskin’s offer, and how he had tried to deal with his guilt by turning to drink, unable to forgive either of them. He had squandered all of King George’s money on the drink, leaving them no better off than they had been before handing over their son, and ultimately leading to his early death due to drink.
Their son didn’t know the truth about this, of course. He had been too young to understand at the time and had accepted Ruth’s explanation of an illness without question. Ruth had been determined that he should never know how his father really died, and also that he should never know that once he had had a brother. But she had never been able to stop wondering herself what had become of him once he had been handed over to the king and queen, and whether he was happy. She accepted that she would never be able to see him again, because she knew that he could have a much better life with King George.
Her husband had never forgiven her. And she had also never forgiven herself. “All magic comes with a price”, Rumpelstiltskin had said the day that they had made the deal, and now Ruth understood what he had meant. She had not known when she agreed to hand over her son that it would also mean that she would lose her husband, still less that it would also eventually lead to her losing her other son.
Ruth has accepted now that it is unlikely she will see her son again. But she had been proud of him when she had heard that he had decided not to marry Princess Abigail, but to marry Queen Regina’s stepdaughter Snow White for love instead. Her son had chosen his own path, he had proved them all wrong. It was enough for Ruth to know that he would be happy.
Only mine until the time comes round to pay the bill
Then I’m afraid what can’t be paid must be returned
You never ever learn that nothing’s yours on easy terms
He couldn’t even mourn his son in the way that he had deserved.
King George would never admit that sometimes he had doubts about whether he had done the right thing in covering up the death of his son in order to claim the riches promised to him by King Midas. “All magic comes with a price”, that vile imp had scoffed the day they had made the deal, and King George had taken no notice of his words. Why should he? What price could he possibly have to pay for having the child that he and Queen Isabella had so longed for?
Of course he could not have foreseen that the gift would be taken from him, James cut down in his prime before he was able to slay the dragon that was so troubling King Midas. But if he ever had imagined that his son would predecease him, King George would have been determined to have honoured him with the finest funeral possible. Instead, James was buried in a pauper’s grave, without a stone to mark the name of the man who lay there. And King George had been forced to conceal his death, to swear all those who had been present at the time to secrecy in order that Midas never found out. And for what? For gold that he was now never going to get, since that oaf who was masquerading as James had broken his agreement to marry Princess Abigail. King Midas had not cared that he was not honouring the deal. Frederick was back, he and Abigail were to get married as planned, what did Midas care whether or not King George received the gold he had been promised?
And every time King George saw the man with his son’s face, he was reminded of what could have been. As they made the plans for the wedding, King George could not help but think of how things would have been for his son’s wedding. (James, of course, would have married the girl without question). And he was reminded all over again of the things that his son would never experience. This was not the same person he had raised from babyhood; this man may wear his face but he was not Prince James, nor could he ever replace him.
King George had thought all that mattered was getting his gold from King Midas, and he hated this man for having deprived him of it. But he hated him even more now for not being Prince James.
He was not his son. The man was dead to him.
Why didn’t you give me away, Mam? I could’ve - I could’ve been him!
He’d never admit it to anyone that he’s wondered, wondered a lot of things since he found out the truth. He’s wondered what his life would have been like if he and his twin brother had grown up together, whether they would have been close. And he would never admit this to Ruth, but he has also wondered what his life would have been like if he had been the twin raised by King George, whilst his brother remained with his birth parents.
But when he’s thought about it at all, he’s felt that he was better off being brought up by his birth mother. The taste he’s had of Prince James’s life has been enough for him to know that it is not a life he would have wanted for himself. On paper, it may have looked like Prince James may have had all the advantages, but it was now clear that his life would not have been his own. Had it been Prince James who had slain the dragon, he too would have been forced into the marriage with Princess Abigail. What advantages were there in being totally under the control of King George?
Sometimes, he’s wondered if Prince James ever knew that he wasn’t King George’s son, and if he had, whether he had ever wondered about the birth family he had never known. It was easier, he thought, to believe that he hadn’t known; he didn’t like to think that his twin had known all along that his birth family had been out there and he hadn’t wanted to know them.
Over time, he thought about it less frequently. Building his future with Snow became more important than his past, then had come the news of Queen Regina’s curse. But as it became clear that there was no way he could escape, he remembered all of this all over again as his daughter Emma was born, as she was placed in the magical wardrobe in the full knowledge that she was going to be saved from the curse, but he and her mother would not, that when he next saw Emma, he would not recognise her name, nor she his. He understood now, as he had never understood before, how his mother must have felt as she handed her son over to King George, and how she must have felt as she learned that he too must go to live with him and never see her again. And he even understood a little of what King George must have felt as he watched the man he’d raised as his son die in front of him, knowing he would never see him again anyway. In that moment, his dislike of King George was gone as he finally understood the man.
If he ever saw either of them again, he would tell them so.
But now, all hope lay with his daughter to save them from the curse.