SpideyTorch Oneshot Collection

Black Magic, Love, and Other Unexplainable Sensations

Summary: Once upon a time, a handsome prince needed a fearsome warrior's help to save the entire kingdom. Peter Parker is not entirely sure how he fits into this.
Word Count: 21,089
by @gleesquid on archive of our own

PROLOGUE

Once upon a time, a family lived in a castle, and this family ruled the kingdom of Fantastica with kindness and grace.

There was King Reed, the wisest man in all the land. Leaders from every nation would seek counsel with the King, but Reed often preferred to use his talents by thinking of new ways to improve the lives of his subjects.

Queen Susan the Good was known throughout the world for her compassion. But while foreign powers attempted to use her kindness against her, they did not realize that with her with kindness came an unparalleled devotion to protecting her family – and her kingdom.

It was rumored that Duke Benjamin the Strong once lifted an entire cartload of lumber off of the beloved sculptor Alicia as she lay, trapped and pained, beneath it. What no one knew except for Benjamin, Alicia, and the cart driver, was that he had carried her for miles, through a snow storm, back to the castle where she could rest until she was well enough to journey home.

And then there was Prince Jonathan the Brave. Jonathan was worthy of his title, but the villagers often joked that he should be Prince Johnny the Foolish, for there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, a line Jonathan toed each day. But if King Reed the Wise trusted the Prince, the villagers knew they could too (and besides, more than one village girl dreamed of the day when the Prince might sweep her off her feet).

These were the four who ruled Fantastica and they were beloved . . . by most.

King Victor of Latveria had once been Fantastica's greatest ally, and King Reed's closest confidant. But jealousy and vengefulness drove Victor to the brink of madness. He swore that the ruling family would pay for the scars on his face, even as he carefully covered the scars on his heart. He vowed to the heavens, to his people, to himself that one day he would bring about the downfall of Fantastica.

And he did.

*************************

"Peter, come down from there. You're going to get hurt."

Peter looked down at Mary Jane. Her scarlet hair matched the pail of berries she carried and her brown skin was peppered with freckles that, today at least, she couldn't be bothered to conceal. She looked at him with a frown twisting her lips, even as her eyes seemed to sparkle with something undefinable.

The way the sun hit her through the canopy of leaves, she didn't look human. She looked like a phoenix that had taken the form of a girl.

"Won't you make me, Mary Jane?" Peter asked, climbing to the next branch.

For a moment, Peter didn't think MJ would take the dare. He thought she would take the berries she had gathered, and maybe the ones he had gathered too, turn on her heel, and march back to the village where she could actually get something done.

But he really should have known MJ better.

A smile stretched across her face, and then she was setting the pail on the ground and reaching up to grab a branch. Peter held out a hand for her and she took it, allowing him to hoist her further into the treetop. They climbed higher and higher, giggling like they were children again, loving the burn in their arms and the scratches on their palms. A riiiip tore through the forest as MJ lost the hem of her dress.