Charles hesitated for a long time before he knocked on Elsie's door. When she answered it, he held out the basket of apples to her, his eyes on the ground.

"I have brought you a gift, O Queen," he said. "It is a humble gift, but my heartfelt thanks go with it. You have proven your beauty and goodness today and I am grateful."

Elsie's smile faded. "Why call me queen? You know I am no queen."

"I know no such thing. I have seen you in every form imaginable today. I know not which is your true form, and if you are a queen, I must bow down."

"Look at me, Charlie. I tell you again, I am no queen."

Reluctantly, Charles looked up and was relieved to find her as he knew her best. She had a few wrinkles and a few gray hairs, but she was a pretty woman, with twinkling eyes and a musical voice. "If you are no queen, tell me who you really are."

"I am truly as you see me now - neither hag nor beauty. It was the curse given to me at birth. I can take any form for a short period of time, but I am neither ugly nor beautiful."

Charles smiled gently and reached out to touch her cheek. "What do you mean? You are beautiful."

"Not like the queen," she told him.

"She was not real. And even if she were, I would prefer you to her."

Elsie said nothing, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Do you not believe me?" he questioned her.

"I would like to believe you."

"I tell you, you are beautiful. Why would I lie?"

Elsie smiled and took his hand in hers. "You are always to be trusted, Charlie. You must be telling the truth."

"I will tell you again, if it is necessary."

She laughed. "No. I believe you. But do you trust me, Charlie?"

"I do."

"Then you will believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful."

Charles scoffed, his cheeks red. "A man is not beautiful."

Elsie squeezed his hand. "Not every man is. But you are."

"Well then." He stepped closer to her. "What does it mean?"

She looked thoughtful. "Well, if I am beautiful and you are beautiful-"

"Then we're a perfect match." Charles pulled Elsie into his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back. They drank tea and he asked her if she could and would marry him. She could and she would, so she did.

Epilogue

The cottage at the orchard soon had four new occupants. Charles and Elsie loved each other passionately and tenderly. William doted on Elsie's adopted children and they adored him, especially Thomas, who looked up to and tried to emulate his new older brother. Elsie used her magic for some of the heavy cleaning, but she still insisted that her children, including William, pick up after themselves. Someday, they would probably wish to marry and the chances of their finding spouses who had magical powers was very slight. For the sake of their future mates, she made sure that they knew how to keep their rooms clean.

Charles and his wife had several more children, which led to the need for a good deal of extra space in the cottage. Between Drewe, Blake, and Elsie, the new rooms were finished in record time. Hard work and benevolent magic are always a successful combination.

Elsie became known as both the witch at the orchard and the fairy godmother of Downton. She did the village good with her magic, but also with her smiles, her laughter, and her kindness.

The End.

Thank you all for your reviews and support. You have been wonderful!

Just for your edification, here is the full original prompt, from auideas via chelsiesouloftheabbey. I didn't want to give it at the beginning, because it would have given away some of the surprises of Charlie and Elsie's first meeting.

The Witch In The Woods AU: Character A lives in a town has been plagued by terrible luck - crops dying, animals being moody, milk going sour, etc. – and everybody is blaming Character B, the witch who lives in the woods outside of the town. Character A is sent out to confront, kill, or drive out Character B. Character B is a witch who lives in the woods and takes in orphaned children, and helps out lost, weary road travelers. When Character A arrives at their doorstep with a sword and a lot of angry words, Character B tries to settle the matter by inviting them in for tea.