A Rapple fanfic because there isn't enough of these crazy kids, post Dragon Games, to the point it's a few nights before they graduate Ever After High. My first Ever After High fic so please be gentle… or not critiques help as a writer. Obviously I don't own the series yada yada yada, hope you like it
Apple walked into the dusty attic barely suppressing a shiver. She hadn't been up there in two years, not since she made the biggest mistake of her life. She had been a foolish, greedy girl who cared more about her destiny than those she loved. Lost in the obsession of being her mother, of being the perfect Snow White, she had released the Evil Queen and even worse, Apple had helped her rise in power. She had almost lost everything, her life, her friends, the love of her life, all for a destiny that some part of her always know she wouldn't have made her happy. Apple had done her best to make things right by helping Raven seal the Evil Queen back in the Mirror Realm and everything had worked out in the end, but that didn't mean she could just forget about what she had done. She promised to never be that selfish little girl again and now that she was two years older and a senior a week away from graduation she liked to think she had become a better princess.
After all, her story had been told and she was on her way to becoming the next Snow White. Yes, she didn't have the elements of the story completely right, instead of Daring playing the prince who woke her it was his sister Darling took his placing in awakening her, and the princess's sexuality. And instead of dear sweet beautiful Raven as her villain, her mother reprised her role of the villain while Raven got to be the hero. 'My hero,' the future queen liked to call her that last moment before she drifted off to sleep. Now all she needed was true love, which was also on its way since her junior year, but also why the future queen was in the drafty attic.
"Well well well," a mocking velvety voice rang through the chamber, "what do we have here? A naughty student outside of her dorm at this time, tisk tisk tisk, that's going to be a few demerits. And what's this Snow White's precious perfect princess breaking the rules. Sweet Apple what would your mother say?" The Evil Queen taunted pushing against the glass of her prison. She was still fuming over her defeat from two years ago. She could handle being blindsided by Baba Yaga and the Grimms, bumbling as they were. But the spawn of Snow White who turned Raven against her, that was too much for the witch's pride.
"This isn't about my mother," Apple said curtly, she wasn't the same little girl that was told stories about the Evil Queen to keep her in line to be the perfect princess. "I came to talk to you, not talk about her."
This intrigued the Evil Queen, "oh and what do we have to talk about dear Apple? Are you thinking about freeing me once more so I can give you your happily ever after?"
"While I'll never free you from your prison, not after what happened last time," Apple said suppressing a shiver, she couldn't afford to look weak in front of this woman. "Though it is about my happily ever after."
"Of course it is," the Evil Queen said mockingly as she rolled her eyes. She had been hoping this conversation was going to be interesting given that the daughter of her enemy was acting so out of character, but apparently she was just another boring little princess, just like Snow.
Ignoring the Queen's sarcasm, Apple continued, "two years ago we made a deal, I free you from the mirror and you help me achieve my happy ending."
"You've got to be kidding me," the Evil Queen's jaw dropped, she knew that the girl was as self-absorbed as her mother, but this was just pushing the limit of fairy tale nonsense and princess vanity.
"No I am not," Apple said with an air of false snootiness, she had grown up from the selfish princess, but the Evil Queen didn't know that. "I freed you and helped you try to turn Raven evil," the memory felt like rotten apple cider in her guts remembering how her obsession drove her to do things that hurt Raven so.
"Until you got cold feet and turned the page," the Evil Queen countered.
"Just because you took things too far and Raven and I put you back in your prison doesn't mean I didn't fulfill my end of the bargain," Apple shot back. "You owe me your help on making my happy ending come true."
"I poisoned you just like the fairy tale said, don't blame me if your prince's kiss doesn't do it for you. I personally always thought it was rather disgusting, kissing an unconscious girl and then if she wakes up assuming she would be your wife. And you people call me twisted," the Evil Queen said.
"Well our deal wasn't about my fairy tale," Apple said ignoring the queen's criticism of the story she had grown up wanting to become. "But that you would help me with my happily ever after
"They are the same thing," the Evil Queen argued.
"Really, was this your idea of happily ever after," Apple asked sarcastically opening her arms to the musty old attic they were in. "No, I want my happy ending, and you can help with it. It won't even been hard on your part," Apple promised.
"What are you up to Snowspawn," the Evil Queen asked narrowing her eyes.
"Just getting my happy ending like you promised," Apple said smugly knowing she got the villain's curiosity going.
"Well let's say that, hypothetically, I agreed to your ridiculous request. What would I have to do?"
"I don't want much," Apple said insincerely, "except for your blessing."
"Why would you want the blessing of the Evil Queen," the prisoner in the mirror asked.
"I don't want her blessing, I want the blessing of my future bride's mother," Apple said calmly for once glad her mother had forced her to go through all that strenuous diplomatic training. Who knew learning how to keep a smile on your pretty face was good practice for staying calm when asking your future mother-in-law for her daughter's hand in marriage.
It amused Apple to no end to hear the Evil Queens jaw drop so quickly and so powerfully that when it hit the glass she was worried she would free herself. "W-ha, howa, uh," the Evil Queen, the picture of malevolence and dry wit managed to squeak out.
Apple suppressed a giggle, the Evil Queen's face was the exact same as Raven's when she was surprised. Apple must admit she liked it better on her beloved's face than her mother's but she had spent so many hours observing Raven's face to not notice the similarities. Exploring every inch of Raven's gorgeous face, with her eyes, with her hands … with her lips, Apple reminisced as her cheeks heated.
While Apple let her mind drift to more pleasurable company, the Evil Queen gathered her wits that had been knocked loose by Apple's request. Gathering up all of her evil grace, "I don't know what plans you have for my daughter rattling around in that empty royal skull of yours," she said as her eyes caught fire even behind the glass. "But if you think for a second I'm just going to give my daughter to you, because you think you have the same illogical moral high ground as your mother, you're sadly mistake Little Apple."
To the Evil Queen's surprise the snow spawn actually broke the queenly mask she wore and smiled, "even though you're wrong about my intensions, I'm glad that you're so protective of my Raven."
"Your Raven," the witch mouthed as if trying to wrap her head around Apple watching Raven enough to claim ownership of her.
"I'm happy that you do care about Raven somewhere in that heart of yours," Apple said putting on the mask again. "But you're missing the point, I'm not asking for you to give me Raven, Raven is mine already because she chose me. She's mine and I'm hers," Apple said letting the heat of her passion warm her, it felt good to let the words out even if she had said them dozens of times before. "I am simply asking for the blessing of my future mother-in-law." As if it was an afterthought, she pulled out a little jewelry box, "I'll have you know that I am completely serious about this, do you want to see the ring," and without waiting for an answer she opened it to show the stunned queen.
The Evil Queen had to admit, though the Whites were terribly perfect in the eyes of Ever After and the whole world, they did have a sense of style that she had never seen matched. The ring just screamed Raven, a large amethyst that matched Raven's eyes for the stone and two small silver wings secured the sides.
Still, stylish ring or not, the spoiled princess's words sounded so sweet rolling out of the spoiled princess's mouth that the Evil Queen could practically see the flies swarming the little girl's mouth. Raven was… in love with the snow spawn, that couldn't be. Sure Raven might be full of teenage rebellion with her whole not wanting to be evil, but that would pass in a few years and she would see the error of her ways. Then her daughter would free her and they would rule Ever After and every realm as mother and daughter. That was what the Evil Queen always thought, no, always knew would happen, but marrying the daughter of her mother's arch enemy, that was far more than just youthful rebellion. That was casting the whole book onto the fire.
"I can't believe that Raven loves you," the Evil Queen spat, "why would she choose you of all of the creatures in Ever After?"
"Because she loves me," Apple said calmly with the manner of the queen she was destined to be, "and I love her more than anything in all the realms."
"Oh and what about your mother, I doubt that the perfect Snow White, our wonderful queen is happy to welcome my daughter of all princesses into her family," the Evil Queen said pounding on the glass that stopped her from tearing out Apple's throat.
That time the Evil Queen's barb made Apple visibly wince and her eye's fell to the ground. "My mother didn't the news of my relationship with Raven well. Around a year and a half ago Raven and I came out in with our relationship, s-she messaged me that night to tell me that she disapproved," Apple managed to squeak out. "She said that she didn't disapprove of my lifestyle and that if I my preferences earlier she had told her before she would have arranged changed my betrothal to a different princess or maiden. She suggested that I could marry Darling, Briar, Holly, and countless others, but I told her that I didn't want another princess, I wanted Raven."
"Mother, well like you said she wouldn't approve of a relationship with Raven and you're right," Apple said letting the tears fall down as she remembered the night. "She said that she loved me, but she couldn't accept me throwing my life away on a silly school girl crush on a witch. I love Raven every piece of her, her face, her body, her smile, her dry wit, her magic all of her so when she insulted Raven, well, I said some things. The feelings behind what I said were real even if I didn't mean what I said, and we've barely spoken since. A polite, if frosty, call on my birthday, and winter break, and that's all we've spoken since."
"I'm not sure if she would come to my wedding if Raven is going to be my bride, even if we invited her," Apple barely managed to get out. For once the Evil Queen felt a stab of sympathy for the snow spawn, even if she didn't want to. "Whatever, that's my mother's loss, but despite all you've put her through, put us through, I know Raven loves you even if it hurts her to admit it. So please if not for basic decency can you do it for her," Apple pleaded.
For a moment the Evil Queen side of the… Evil Queen, battle the motherly side that she kept buried. If the Snow Spawn was telling the truth, and White's while rotten to the core, were terrible liars, then Apple made Raven happy, as sick as it made her to admit. So what was more important, Raven's happiness or the little amount of damage she could do to the White family out of pettiness.
"You know…," Apple spoke up again snapping the Queen out of her mini civil war brewing in her head. "I'm just putting this out there, but … you don't really hate me." As soon as those words left her mouth and she saw the Evil Queen's face go from thoughtful to furious Apple immediately backtracked. "I mean I know you're not fond of me, but your distain for me mostly stems from being my mother's daughter, not because you hate me personally. Right?"
The Evil Queen only looked at her with a flat look, "Right," Apple said continuing, "well anyway, while I haven't spoken to my mother about the issue, but I'm sure she will disapprove of our union. Once I wed Raven I'm sure she'll come around, at least she'll realize that she has no choice but to accept us together. But still, imagine, if you were the one who approved of our union first. Even if you never leave that mirror again, even if mother rules her kingdom till she's old and grey, the fact that you carried out this once act of goodness and acceptance all in the name of love before it cracks through her stubborn skull."
Walking close to the mirror now and speaking barely more than a whisper, "you'd have this over her for the rest of Ever After, and she won't ever be able to forget it," the princess said before walking away from again with a confident strut.
That was what put the Evil Queen over the edge, the fact that she could finally hold one over Snow White after all this time. That and that Apple had demonstrated a surprising amount of deviousness in her way of thinking. She might be a worthy daughter-in-law after all, if she was willing to go against her sinfully perfect mother for Raven, well time would tell. "Very well Apple White," she said summoning up all the queenly regality she could muster, "I will give you my blessing to marry my daughter. Maybe you can make her happier than I ever could," she said looking down.
But she couldn't remain dour for long as Apple rushed over and in a surprising feat of strength lifted up the Queen's mirror prison and swung it around in as much of a hug as she could. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Apple shrieked out in pure unabashed joy. A moment later she realized what she was doing, and blushed as red as her namesake and put the mirror down. "I mean," she said once the Queen's prison was properly secure again with no danger of falling over, "I'm glad you came around. I'm going to do everything I can to make Raven the happiest woman in the world."
"I didn't do it for you so you can keep your thanks," the Evil Queen trying to come off as cold as she could. "I do love Raven, in my own way, if you of all creatures in Ever After make her happy, I won't stand in her way. Even then I am mostly doing this to spite your mother, I want to see her face when I prove to be the more moral choice, that will ruin her mood for years to come," she managed to cackle at the image of Snow's jaw dropping while their daughters walked down the aisle.
"I really don't care about the reasons why, dark as they are," Apple said, "all I care about is Raven saying yes now," she said taking a look at the ring with a dreamy look on her face.
"Good luck Apple White," the Evil Queen slumping down in her mirror prison, "make my daughter happy or I will make what I did to Wonderland look like a pleasant dream".
"I may be Apple White for now," Apple said with a huge grin on her face, "but maybe not for much longer. What do you like better Apple Queen White or Apple White Queen?"
"Apple White Queen… doesn't sound so badly," the witch admitted. She didn't like the idea of giving the White family the top billing, but it did sound better than putting Queen ahead of White.
"Yeah," Apple said her smile getting even dreamier as she thought of her and Raven together as wife and wife. "Well goodnight," Apple said giving the Queen a bit of a bow, "we might not be able to see each other again for a while, probably at the wedding if Raven says yes, so I hope you are well until then."
"Yes," the Evil Queen said stunned at the prospect of being able to attend her daughter's wedding, "perhaps we will."