Sherlock Fic Rec: Enchanted

[martasfic]

Next up in the Sherlock fanfic recommendation:
Enchanted by cutglasscaress

Right, so this one was entirely more fun than any fic has any right to be. High praise, I know, but I honestly think it's worth it. I have a soft spot for fairy-tales of all stripes, and also for art that turns expectations on its head. This story is at the intersection of those two bits, so perhaps it's not surprising it succeeded so well for me.

A sample, and a better summary than I could manage:

"The prince is frightfully clever." – And there was definitely a flinch as the ghost of past memories flitted by – "He can deduce people's lives and motives with just a quick glance, and that would be a great asset if he chose to report these findings privately to his brother King Mycroft. He does not so choose. He is very vocal and public about it. Only the king's consummate skills as a diplomat have helped to avoid serious incidents. But he couldn't let matters continue as they were, so he approached a very reputable witch..."

"I'm sorry... witch?"

"Oh, rest assured Lady Hudson is very well thought of in our circle. Indeed any circle. She cast a sleep spell on the prince, so that only his perfect match can wake him."

"Hang on, that's quite specific. You are telling me that the prince can be, well, a bit difficult, so how likely is that his perfect match will be kissing him any time soon? He could end up sleeping his whole life!"

"Oh, lord no. We'd never allow that! After a few months we'd give him the antidote."

"What? You have an antidote?"

Lestrade looked somewhat shocked. "You don't think we would spell cast our prince without one, do you?"

John foregoes to mention that spell casting your prince just to keep him out of the way is just a wee bit morally questionable.

So basically you have a consulting detective and his blogger prince charming and the damsel-in-distress who actually turns out to be a charmed prince, both of whom have little patience for fairytale tropes, stuck in a fairy-tale. With Sherlock so inconveniently rude he must be charmed into silence lest he ruin a tenuous diplomatic negotiation. Sherlock is every bit as put out as you'd expect, and there is happily ever after that both is precisely what the fairy-tale demands and simultaneously the most un-fairy-tale-ish spin on said happily ever after I've ever come across. Because, you know, this is John and Sherlock.

Really, it's wonderful. The author is a clever writer with a wicked sense of humor, and it had me smiling from beginning to end. Do give it a read.

Comments

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

Awww! That was adorable. Thanks for sharing.

[dioscureantwins.livejournal.com]

That fic is indeed delightful and she's a wonderful writer.