Well this is it, the sequel to my Ever After High story. This story was requested by a few of my first story's reviews and by the help of them and Clover112796 it was made possible. I had crucial help to write this from Clover112796 in her reviews and from PM me. She was the brains behind almost all the story's aspects so I give her full credit for the story's existence. Thanks Clover112796! I would also like to thank dashandcrash for their kind review and their support. I would also like to thank everyone's reviews. They really helped me out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ever After High or it's characters. They all belong to Mattel. And just to be clear, I only own Raven White, Dove White, and Magpie/Madpie. I do not own the cover image either. Its called "Ever After High Dexten" by MandigaO. All rights go to them.
Enjoy the story!
Raven's POV
If anyone had told me that I would be released from my Mirror Prison a few years early just to meet my high school roommate's twin girls and have my best friend pop out of nowhere with her baby girl, I would have thought them to be crazy. But here I am, on a carriage to the Charming's castle, going to meet Dexter Charming and his siblings for the first time in a couple years. Apple has graciously loaned me her carriage to go visit the neighboring rulers, provided that she and her daughters come along on the trip. Maddie refused to come along, saying that she'll be there by some other way. Then she, her daughter Madpie/Magpie, and Earl Grey disappeared again with no trace whatsoever.
The carriage we are all traveling in is a large one, capable of fitting about six people, so there is plenty of room to stand up and stretch our legs if we need to. The outside of the round carriage is painted bright red, suiting its owner's tastes in fashion. The insides are white with golden seat cushions. Six white horses with brown bridles and harnesses pull us smoothly along the cobblestone path to our destination.
"Ooh, I wonder how the Charmings will react when they see you, Raven," Apple says across from me. She is holding her youngest twin daughter, Dove, in one hand and a milk bottle in the other. My eyes go downcast to my lap at her statement. They look upon Apple's eldest daughter, Raven, so named after me, who look back up at me with green eyes.
"Probably not very smoothly considering the daughter of the Evil Queen who poisoned Snow White has come to visit them," I reply, shaking a rattle in front of Raven, eliciting giggles from her.
"Maybe not, but once I tell them of how you selflessly poisoned me because I asked you to and you are now going to rewrite the rest of your destiny then they'll accept you for who you are," Apple says, holding the milk bottle so Dove can nurse. A few drops of milk dribble from the corners of Dove's mouth as she suckles. Apple wipes them away with her embroidered white and gold handkerchief.
"Maybe. I just hope they allow me to stay long enough so I can see Dexter again," I reply, thinking about the glasses wearing, windswept-haired, computer tech prince from our high school days. He and I were the best of friends, I at least hope if something goes wrong it can still stay that way. Apple oohs and points at me with her free hand.
"Ooh, so you do like him. That's so sweet. Raven and Dexter Charming," Apple coos, probably thinking of Dexter and me getting married. I blush at the thought of it.
"No, no, no. Dexter and I were just very good friends in high school. His feelings for me have probably changed since then," I insist, but I kinda wish what I'm saying isn't true.
"Yes, but this isn't high school anymore. He probably has that same high school crush he had on you then and now it's developed into more romantic feelings of love for you," Apple says, sighing at the thought. I feel my cheeks heat up and turn pink.
"Or maybe he's given those feelings of love to another. Or maybe his feelings to me haven't changed. What-ever-after, I'm just excited to see him again after all this time," I say, thinking of meeting Dexter again. I missed him a lot and thought of him often when I was still in Mirror Jail.
"Oh come on Raven. Dexter's totally in love with you. And what's not to love about him back. He's smart, cute, kind, timid, knows a lot about technology. And he's also a prince. Just perfect for a queen like you, Raven Queen," Apple says. I'm pretty sure my face could not be anymore red now. I am about to say something else when the carriage rumbles and comes to a complete halt. Apple holds on to Dove as we stop and I grab onto Raven as the wheels stop and the clacking of horse's hooves do to. Both baby girls giggle at the sudden change in movement and begin kicking and waving their arms and legs. Apple and I give each other sheepish looks.
The footmen come out and open our doors, offering our hands to get out. We both take their hands and the girls in our arms as we step out of the carriage and into the sun. We turn to see the great big, stone castle in front of us, home of the Charming's of course. I gulp at the sheer size and majesty of the castle's architecture. I feel someone touch my hand and I turn my head to see Apple smiling at me, holding my pale hand in hers. I grasp it and together we begin walking up the steps towards the gates of the castle grounds. A baggage man gets some of our luggage we brought, mainly it's Apple's stuff, in red suitcases and bags of course.
The guards at the entrance tense up and hold their spears harder as I approach, but Apple's reassuring smile and wave at them causes them to loosen up. They moved there spears away from the gate as it opened and we walked in. But I'm sure that I saw one of the guards look at me uncertainly and almost upset as I walked past. This is what I feared. People still think I'm going to do what my mother did. True I did poison Apple, but that was under her request and besides, its not like I'm going to go off script like my mother did and ruin everyone else's fairy tale ending.
We keep walking down the navy blue carpet laid out for us in the hallway. Gold and deep blue tapestries and ornaments adorn the sides and walls. These are the Charming's colors so it would make sense that they would be included while decorating. Several suits of armor, some holding flags while others hold swords and stuff, are spread out on either side of us. They almost appear to be looking straight at me, menacingly, as I walk by. I try to stick close to Apple. She's been in here before so trust her that she will lead me in the right direction.
We soon reach a wide, closed doorway. Apple reaches out for the golden, curved handles and pushes the door open, revealing the lightened throne room. I close my eyes for a second before the light clears and reveals the large throne room. White walls covered with gold tapestries fill the rooms sides. several, bright, stained-glass windows fill the walls, illuminating the room as the sunlight beams through the colored glass and causes sun spots to dance across the navy blue rug going up to the five thrones at the end of the room. Several people are seated there. I recognize them as Darling Charming, the youngest and only girl child of the Charmings, Daring Charming, the eldest son of the Charming's, his wife Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, Rosabella Beauty, daughter of Beauty and the Beast, and her husband, Humphrey Dumpty, son of Humpty Dumpty. They all notice us as we approach them. But when they look at me they gain a look of horror on their faces.
"Aah, it's Raven Queen," Rosabella screams.
"She's come back and now wants to curse us all," Darling screams.
"We're going to get scrambled," Humphrey says, turning paler than he already is.
"Do not worry, for I shall save us all," Daring says, striking a heroic pose and looking into mirror on the side of the throne room. Still the princess saving, mirror loving royal I knew from high school I see.
"Off with her head," Lizzie yells. Still as loud as ever I see. I feel a bit uncomfortable of all the racket going on and Raven White and Dove White both whimper from Apple's and my arms. Apple has had enough. She comes before me and the rest.
"That's enough everyone. Raven is not here to curse anyone or do anything evil. She is absolutely done with it," Apple explains, trying to calm the crowd. They all stop shouting, but still back away from me. Daring then speaks up.
"But Apple my dear. Raven was the one who poisoned you as the Evil Queen in the Snow White story. Why are you defending your enemy," he asks, pointing a finger accusingly at me.
"Raven is not my enemy, she is my friend. The only reason why she poisoned me in the first place is because I asked her to so I could get my fairy-tale happily ever after. Because of her I am queen, married to a handsome king and now the mother of twin girls," Apple explains, showing Dove to everyone while I show Raven White to everyone. They all gaze in awe at the baby girls in our arms. Darling actually walks up to me and Raven White and strokes the baby's cheek, causing her to babble and coo up at Darling. Darling 'awes' at the sight of her and I smile at the cute scene. The other four lose their fear and worry and come up to see Apple's girls.
"They are so precious. What are their names," Rosabella asks.
Apple smiles and happily replies "The one in my arms is my youngest and her name is Dove White. And the oldest one, in Raven's arms, is Raven White." The others gasp.
"Raven White. You're naming her after the Evil Queen's daughter," Humphrey asks. Apple nods. I then believe it's my turn to speak.
"And I'm not just the daughter of the Evil Queen you know. My father is actually the Good King, which means I can choose whether I can be good or evil and I choose to be good," I say proudly. Everyone looks unsure at me, but they seem more at ease now. Daring then decides to speak up now,
"Um, well good for you. Now, might I be so 'daring' to add to this conversation on why you two and the girls have traveled by carriage to visit us," he asks. The main point of the trip comes back to me.
"Uh, yes, in fact there is a reason why we came here. I, uh, I was kinda hoping to see Dexter again, to kinda, you know, see him again and catch up with him after all this time," I say sheepishly.
The group before us then gets a scared, almost worried look on their faces after I asked to see Dexter again. Finally Darling has the courage to come up and speak.
"Dexter? Well, um, I'm afraid you won't be able to see him at all," she mutters sadly.
"Why not? did something happen to him? Is he okay," I ask, concerned. Darling and the others just shake their heads no and stare at their shoes for a moment before answering.
"Well, you see, well after you went to Mirror Prison for your crimes against, um, Apple and all that, Dexter was heartbroken. He began to act strangely, shutting himself in his room, not speaking or interacting with anyone. We began to get worried," Darling explains. Then her older brother, Daring, spoke up.
"Then one night Darling and I sneaked into his room by picking the lock and tip toeing in. What we saw horrified us. Dexter's entire room was a mess. Torn clothes and furniture littered the room. Several claw marks, like ones made by a dragon, were on several of the items in the room and even on the floor and walls. The glass window door had been shattered and the claw marks lead down from it. Fearing something had snatched our brother, I- I mean we headed out to see what took him and to rescue him," Daring said, changing his 'I' to 'we' after Darling shot him a critical look. Daring smiled a frightened smile at her. Then Rosabella spoke up.
"So they rode out to see if they could find him and then they met Humphrey and me," she said, squeezing Humphrey's arm causing him to blush. His cheek were so pink it looked like he had dyed them.
"He helped me with my destiny as the next Beast in Beauty and the Beast, so he and I were married and we were out on a morning stroll when these two showed up. They told us of their missing brother and of what they had seen, so we agreed to go help find him. We followed the tracks until we came to your father and mother's castle Raven," Rosabella explains.
"We noticed the front gate was unlocked so we walked into the castle. It was dank and dark, no one has inhabited it for years," Humphrey says.
"We then heard a loud roar and a great beastly monster attacked us. It kinda looked like what my mother described dad had looked like before he turned human again," Rosabella describes.
"It roared at us and tried to get us away from the castle. I tried to use my sword and shield on it, but they were proven useless against the beast. We finally retreated when it was too hard to defeat," Daring admits.
"But are you sure the beast took Dexter," I ask, worried for my high school sweetheart.
"Yes, when we were in the castle we noticed a few of Dexter's things. His glasses, his Mirror pad, a few of his favorite books, and a couple of his scarfs," Darling says sadly.
My heart feels heavy in my chest as I hear all these things. My best guy friend and high school crush has been either kidnapped, held prisoner, or killed by this monstrous beast at my old home. I feel sadness at the loss of Dexter, confusion at why he was taken in the first place, and anger at some beast deciding to take him. I clench my fists and look down at my heeled shoes. I feel energy building up at my fingertips, but I will not release it as a spell. I will not cast magic just because I am upset. If I did that then something bad is bound to happen. I finally look up at my friends again. They all look sorrowful for what happened to Dexter.
"Has anyone you ever found out what happened to Dexter," I ask, but I think they don't know. They all merely just shake their heads.
"We never heard from him ever again. For all we know is that beast still roams your castle Raven," Lizzie spoke up.
I let my head fall down again. It's just not fair. Dexter was never the most athletic of the princes. He was more into technology than P.E. Why would he be the one to get kidnapped? I need to find out what happened to him. I need to know if he's still alive. And there probably only one way to find out that. I lift my head again and look at my friends directly in their eyes.
"If that's the case then I am going to my own castle to find out the truth of Dexter's disappearance."
To be continued...
First chapter of the sequel done. I hope you all enjoyed this. I like to give one more shout out to Clover112796 for inspiring me to write this and giving me the idea for the creation of this story. Thanks again Clover112796!
Please favorite, follow, and/or review. Ideas and constructive criticism is welcome. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Sincerely, v.t.7
