Disclaimer: I do not own Ever After High, or any of the associated characters.
Summary: After refusing to sign the Book of Fairytales on Legacy Day, Raven ponders what comes between signing the book and happily ever after, and doesn't take Apple's tantrum lying down.
What Comes Between
The mirrors displayed Raven Queen for all to see, so everyone saw when her expression changed from scared and uncertain, to fearless and determined.
"I am Raven Queen, and I am going to write my own destiny! My Happily Ever After starts now!"
Despite the terror that had coursed through her all day, Raven's voice sounded strong, proud and defiant, ironically like an evil Queen should. Half the hall erupted into cheers, not all of them future villains, either.
Hunter, madly in love with a girl from a different fairytale, Ashlynn, whose fairytale as the daughter of Cinderella would see them separated. Maddie, who needed no explanation. Cerise Hood, whose parents had defied the Book of Legends, but unlike Raven, had done so in secret. Those who didn't know what they wanted their destinies to be, only that they wanted to be something other than their parents.
Raven turned to look at Apple, who was utterly distraught, having been so steadfast in her belief that merely signing a book would make everything perfect. "How could you be so… so selfish?"
Raven Queen stared in disbelief at her long-time friend and room mate, completely astounded at Apple White's choice of words. Sure, it was common knowledge that Apple's personality made up for the deficit in common sense, but to call Raven selfish?
Apple was the one destined to share Raven's story, but Apple was also the half destined to get the fairytale happy ending. By signing the legacy book, Raven would lose her friends and what little family she had. Raven would be driven from her home, imprisoned if she was lucky, and die alone, wretched and abandoned.
Sparing herself from that fate, while possibly making Apple actually put effort into finding her True Love and becoming a Queen by merit, and possibly being happier for it, made Raven selfish?
Raven had grown up with a father who was never around, and a mother trapped in a magic mirror, who Raven only sought out when she was so desperate for another person to talk to that she would take listening to the Evil Queen recite her glory days over the lonely silence. Raven knew every detail of what her mother had put Apple's mother through, even before their fairytale had started.
She sometimes wondered how much Apple knew, and if her friend was really as prepared as she thought.
Apple's side of the room could sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) be a bit much, with all the sparkly ornaments and jewellery and knick-knacks. How would Apple cope with a room barely the size of her closet, a bed made of rags covered with a threadbare blanket and possibly a pillow?
Apple loved fashion and looking beautiful, but the fairytale told of the Evil Queen dressing Snow White in dirty rags. The ever-present crown, the bright colours and latest fashion magazines… all very much things of the past.
Apple freaked out when she broke a nail or couldn't find the shoes to match her dress, and she thrived on gossip and socialising! How would she survive scrubbing floors, cleaning fireplaces and living in a tiny cottage with nothing but housework to occupy her while the dwarves were at the mines dawn to dusk?
Raven didn't want to be the one who made her friend suffer, who nearly killed Apple, only to watch her best friend wake up and walk away, because some stupid book said so!
Raven wanted to be more than just the Evil Queen's daughter! Maybe she didn't know what that was yet, but that was ok. "I'm sorry, Apple, but I don't want anyone telling me who I can or can't be. We've been friends for years, and you know I don't want to be evil. Now I have the chance to be myself, and find out who Raven Queen really is! Can't you be at least a little pleased for me?"
Apple dashed the tears from her eyes. "I was going to be a good Queen, one of the best there ever was, and you've ruined my destiny! How could you?
Raven rarely lost her temper, but finally, everything boiled over. Her father's refusal to spend time with a daughter who was destined to turn evil, the comments in the hallways that she wasn't meant to overhear, the way that it never seemed to matter how nice she tried to be to people, the fact that all the friends she had made would have led the charge to see her banished… it was all too much. Purple light flashed in an illusion, making Apple see her beautiful dress as dirty rags, her soft hands becoming chapped and calloused. "Is that better?"
Apple's face, somehow, became even more horrified, but Raven didn't let her speak. "It's not just eating an apple and waking up in your True Love's arms, Apple! My mother told me what it was like when she ruled. Your mother suffered, horribly, and I will not put you through the same thing! Either find a replacement nemesis or think of another way to your True Love, but I'm done with other people telling me what to do with my life, and I don't exist purely for your pleasure."
Raven Queen swept off-stage, catching Dexter Charming's eye. The younger prince shot her a covert smile, and Raven returned it, hopeful that at least one friend was happy for her.
Far away, trapped in a magic mirror, the Evil Queen smiled proudly. Whether or not Raven's actions furthered her plans, her daughter was shaking the complacency of Ever After to its core, dragging other Legacies out of their comfort zone.
It wasn't Evil, as such, but it was an excellent start to a path of leadership.
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A/N: So, this has been lurking in my head for a while, and I finally got around to writing it down.
As you may have noticed, I enjoy writing Devils Advocate, especially for fairytales, and while I appreciate that Apple had the flying carpet yanked out from under her, I don't think she was really considering the situation from anyone else's point of view, which makes her a bit of a shitty 'best friend' to Raven, at least in that case.
Enjoy, and leave lots of lovely reviews!
Nat