Apple White was about to curse so loudly the the whole land of Ever After would hear. And they better did, because today she lost the last bit of patience she had.
The daughter of Snow White found herself in the middle of a wild chase through the Enchanted Forest, running as hard as she could in almost complete darkness and torrential rain after an upset Raven Queen. Her dress was soaked and heavy, her once perfect mass of bouncy curls were drenched and had leaves and branches tangled in it, and her face was stained with blurry mascara, but she did not care one bit.
What was left of sunlight illuminated the forest idly, but it was enough for Apple to see ahead of her. The mud, however, wasn't collaborating and made the Princess' sprint some more difficult. But again, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered to Apple except finding her girlfriend.
"Damn!" Apple roared, remembering the reason why she was currently in this situation:
Apple was looking for Raven when she spotted a crew of minor fairytales cornering said girl against the lockers. She recognized some of her Royal followers and guessed the remaining few were villains. They looked smug and way too satisfied for her liking, so she approached with building anger and the deepest of scowls.
Once she got within earshot she heard a male voice say "I don't know why anyone would like you, you're nothing but a shame to our world."
Raven was used to being called names by the occasional group of extremist Royals or future villains and not really caring. But what she heard was different. This time it didn't have to do with destiny, the Book of Legends, or her mom. It was aimed to the witch herself, to what made her worth a chance.
Apple felt her blood boiling at this point. She was done with all the destiny stubbornness when she realized her true feelings for the witch, when she knew there was no going back, when it came impossible for either of them to picture harming each other.
The blonde heard rapid footsteps along with some yelling and turned her head to see Hunter, Ashlynn, Maddie, Cerise and even Briar approaching rapidly with menacing expressions, much like her own. The future Snow White paced even quicker, but the panicking lavender-eyed teen had yet another magical outburst, making her halt and shield herself with her arms.
The second she cleared her field of view, she noticed Raven speed walking past her with both fists and claw clenched tightly, clearly upset. It seemed she notice her presence. Apple eyed her worriedly and turned around briefly, mildly smirking at the recently unfolded scene before her.
All the bullies were trapped against the lockers, right in the post where Raven was moments prior, with some very angry individuals towering them.
The sunshine-haired girl turned again, only to see her half sprinting down the corridor towards the exit. Immediately, Apple took off after her, tossing her apple-shaped purse to an unsuspecting Blondie who was just turning around the corner and who released a small shriek of surprise but didn't drop a thing.
Apple ran, forgetting all rules, and exited the building, feeling a sprinkle of water on her skin, probably because of Raven's outburst. She spotted long locks of distinct shades of purple getting lost among the trees of the Enchanted Forestn, setting off all the alarms inside her head.
Now she was here, running after her beloved.
Apple let out a certain hum, and her preferred owl (one that kept her and Raven company during their walks) came flying by her side with some trouble due to the combination of large quantities of water pouring down and the trees she avoided much easier than the bird. "Please go forward and tell me if you spot Raven!" she commanded.
The bird did as requested, leaving it's mistress behind and taking height while Apple maintained her pace with a minimum effort despite her sky-high heels. Those extra exercises with Darling, Cerise and Daring pay off, she admitted gratefully. She liked to keep her good shape and health, but when things get weird around here it was better to go a little further.
Soon the owl returned, emitting a particular secuence of hoots that told Apple what she wanted to hear. The Princess thanked the animal and made a light turn to the left, going to Raven's favorite clearing. How didn't she think of that in the first place?
In a matter of what she calculated were seconds Apple reached the clearing and immediately spotted her Queen, standing in the centre, frame shaken by sobs.
The blonde made her way to the crying girl, "Raven…" she called softly, as to not startle her.
Raven jumped, however, but let her shoulders fall when she realized who her company was. The purple-haired girl witch turned and faced her girlfriend with a hurt expression.
Apple enveloped her lover into a strong embrace, "You are so much more worthy than they could ever after be. Don't listen to them, Raven. We all love you and care for you. Those idiots don't know what it means to let go, even after their leader changed her mind. But you taught me that, to let go. It took some time and some unkind things of my own and I'm sorry for that, but thanks to you we are all better. Except them. They're still assholes."
Raven tightened her grip on her and giggled, "You know… You would make a hexcellent counselor." She joked. She always felt so much better when her Princess hugged her like this.
It was like her sanctuary, a safe place where nothing or no one could hurt her. Raven lost count of how many times they've hugged, kissed or just held hands, but it never came old or boring. She knew it was the same for Apple, but this time she was the one needing shelter.
The blonde giggled as well, "And you know who loves you most amongst all?" she separated her body enough to at Raven's beautiful, yearning violet eyes.
"You?" the purple clad girl's smile was warm.
"Me." Apple answered, giving the plum-colored lips of her lover a gentle kiss that lasted a few seconds for the rest of the world, but an eternity for the couple. The rain ceased and the skies slowly cleared.
The lovers parted and began walking back to the school building, taking it slow. It was not like they were in a hurry, "I think it'd be better if we call Briar to help us sneak back to our room. Our make ups probably make us look like a nightmare come true." Raven commented, noticing the blotches of mascara running down Apple's wet face, while snatching the girl's hand and lacing their fingers.
Snow White's daughter only chuckled, remembering where she left her BFFA. "Oh… I don't think that's possible." She paused, having an idea, "Blondie might help us, though. She's the expert in sneaking… Also, she has my purse."
Raven didn't ask. Instead, she shook her head good naturedly. "Good thing I bought that waterproof case for my MirrorPhone. I'll call her when we get there…"
And so they went back, earning astonished gasps from Blondie and Cupid, as well as hugs from everybody who knew what happened, mainly the "Raven-defender" squad.
A/N: Hello! This is just an idea I wanted to get out ASAP so I can finish my other projects without distractions. Soon I hope I'll deliver you, my readers, that Brise story I promised.
Reviews are great, so let me know whether you liked it or not!
Xoxo!