How Our Story Goes
Chapter 1: The Roommate Conundrum
You've got her pretty whipped, you know that right?
Apple froze, struck so deeply and fiercely by the comment that it left her immobile. She finished chewing what was in her mouth, lest she choke on it, but it still snagged on the lump forming in her throat as she muttered an indignant, "W-What?"
They were at Peter Pan-era for lunch, considering the weather was gorgeous enough to make the trek into Bookend and because Hagatha still had yet to learn how to cook anything aside from lumpy porridge. Briar had been the one to suggest it, and everyone else had been more than happy to agree, partly to explore the town afterward and partly to get off school-grounds for a while.
It had all started when Ashlynn showed up late, rushing through the front door in a whirlwind of speed and anger. Briar had left the window open yet again after using it to rappel down instead of taking the stairs "like a normal person", which wasn't really the problem. The problem was that some of the woodland creatures had wandered in and found Ashlynn's stash of granola bars and cleaned her out completely, leaving a giant mess in their wake.
Ashlynn was eventually mollified, Briar could probably care less, and conversations between the remaining girls switched to problems with their own roommates. Holly had nothing to say about her sister, only that Poppy kept leaving scissors lying around and that Barber wouldn't stop leaving them 'surprises'. Rosabella muttered something about Darling's exercise regime being a distraction, a small blush dusting her cheeks. Blondie complained about Cupid always leaving feathers around the room which Lizzie agreed to full-heartedly, saying she knew all too well about feathers littering the floor. Farrah only wished Meeshell would stop leaving fish in the bathtub.
"What 'bout you, Apple? Rooming with Raven can't be a walk through the pages?"
But Apple, always the polite and honest princess, could not find a fault with her roommate, Raven Queen. So she said as much; crediting Raven on her tidiness and how she respected Apple's wishes for a clean room at all times. Raven was considerate enough to practice her magic on their private balcony and Apple consented to let Nevermore sleep in the room when she and Gala appeared on occasion. And whenever they Hexflix marathoned, Raven always let Apple pick out what they watched. All in all, Raven was one of the best roommates Apple could have wished for.
And that's when Briar said it. She meant it jokingly, of course. By the way she smirked and how Blondie nearly snorted out her espresso, everyone else sharing similar grins and giggles, Apple knew it was supposed to be teasing, and yet…
Briar waved her hand flippantly, taking a bite of her sandwich wrap before saying, "I'm just saying, she's probably the 'perfect roommate' because you made her as such. She's essentially whipped."
"Raven is not whipped!" Apple said, a little too sharply and a little too loud. Everyone at the table went wide-eyed and conversations at the table next to theirs stopped. Heat rose to her cheeks and she stared down at her sandwich with sudden fascination. Or maybe she didn't want her friends to notice her blush and get mixed messages. That must be it.
"I-I mean to say, that I do not have Raven… whipped, so to speak." Apple nearly chugged her iced tea, hoping to cool off a little and to keep herself occupied from saying anything else.
But she all but spat it back out when Briar snorted out, "Please. You have that witch wrapped around your little finger, your highness."
Apple saw red, and it was not coming from the color in her dress. It was one thing to tease about Raven, but throwing her title into things was pushing it.
Being the heir to the kingdom of Ever After meant that, essentially, Apple was the princess above all princesses. Apple had never considered herself above anyone else and had never thought her title as the future Queen of Ever After meant as much until this past year, their final year at Ever after. It started during Welcoming Week, when some of the newer, First Year students saw her on the first day, obviously, since Apple had volunteered to show them around the campus. She hadn't even gotten out a proper "Welcome!" when a young prince stepped forward and bowed to her. "Your Highness, Miss Apple White, a great honor!" His voice was a few squeaks short of a mouse's, but it must have carried because the rest of the small band of first years all began to bow and shout, "Your Highness!"
Apple had been stunned by the display. Sure, people had bowed to her before; at royal gatherings where she wore her prettiest ball gowns and slapped on the prettiest of smiles, but this was at school, among her peers. Luckily, Raven, whom she had dragged along to help show the First Years around, was quick to step in and start the tour, Apple following numbly beside her.
When word had gotten around about the First Years' display towards their future queen, the entire school began to do it! Her friends, like Briar, thought it was funny and did it jokingly, but other students, the ones Apple wasn't as close to, were quite serious. And worse, when Apple had gone to Headmaster Grimm to have him put a stop to the bowing and titling, he outright refused. "As future queen of Ever After, it is about time you become accustomed to your superior station, your Highness."
Oddly enough, Apple found it all quite discomforting. She dare not say such a thing out loud, lest anyone think she were unfit to be a ruler, but she was chapters away from actually inheriting her mother's crown and throne. And having nearly an entire school see her as something she did not feel ready to be, was daunting. She only confided such fears in one person, the only person in the school who never called her by her royal title: Raven.
"You're still you, you know," Raven had said the night after the Welcoming fiasco, when they were cuddled up on Raven's bed and marathoning The 100 Chapters. "Royal title be damned. If you still want to be Apple White and not, Her Royal Highness Miss Apple White, then that's who you are." Hearing that had made Apple feel something tingly and warm deep in her chest and she smiled to herself. She made Raven swear never to use her title, even at the insistence of the Headmaster or from others, not even jokingly. Raven had smirked and gently kissed her temple, the action sending pleasant shivers down her spine and the warmth in her chest blossoming. "You'll always just be Apple to me."
"Regardless," Ashlynn said, snapping Apple out of her memory relapse. "Raven is still a pretty great roommate, sweetie."
"Only because she trained her to be, Ashes," Briar quipped and Ashlynn frowned.
"And how, pray tell, have I trained her?" Apple asked, desperately trying to keep her voice at bay and her anger in check. It was, after all, most unbecoming of a future monarch to throw a fit in the company of the public.
Briar set her sandwich aside and used her fingers to tally. "You've trained Raven to be as much of a neat freak as you are."
"Raven likes tidiness as much as I do."
"You make her practice her magic outside on your balcony."
"Raven understands the dangers of magic and the two of us agree that having the Fairy Fire Department knocking down our door because the smoke detector wouldn't stop going off whenever Raven brewed potions was totally unfairest."
"She carries your purse sometimes."
Apple opened her mouth but no rebuttal came. Yes, on occasion, whenever Apple asked Raven to hold her purse, the witch would consent to holding it for her, even though she often complained about holding something so girly and so heavy. "Seriously, what do you pack in here? Bricks? Planning on building fortitude against the Big Bad Wolf anytime soon?"
"I ask her nicely, but she always complains whenever she does," Apple said.
Briar tsked. "Nuance. She brings you Apple Cider from the Hocus Latte basically every morning."
"And I bring her Black Tea from the Haberdashery nearly just as much."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she randomly gave you gifts too." Apple blushed. Briar smirked and nodded at the silent admission.
Raven did like to surprise Apple with gifts sometimes. Nothing big or particularly special, but little trinkets here and there. One of her favorites was a little wooden, hand carved butterfly Raven had enchanted to flutter around the room from time to time. And usually, whenever Raven left a gift, she left a note attached. The notes varied from "for you," to "have a great day". Some were longer, "I noticed you weren't smiling like usual today, so I hope this helps," and others were quite poetic, "Happy is the night sky, with haste comes the moon, and bask they shall in eternity amongst the stars." Apple really liked the poems, even if she didn't properly understand them, and she dare not ask Raven what she meant, but every poem never ceased to bring a smile to her face and leave it there for a good long while.
Apple shook her head, bringing herself back to what Briar had said. "In any case, I fail to see how any of this is a display of Raven being whipped."
"Because if you asked her too, she'd do anything you say. I'd bet money that if you asked for the moon and the stars, she'd try and find a way to get them for you."
Apple thought her face was going to be stuck in a permanent shade of fairy fire engine red. That had hit a little too close to home, because Raven had given Apple the moon and the stars. Sort of. She had enchanted their ceiling to make it look like there was no ceiling all and instead you were just looking up at the sky. It even changed with the time of day: hues of blue and misty clouds during the day, black swirls and stars at night.
"I mean, seriously Apple. The girl is practically at your beck and call. Tell her to carry your books and she'd ask how many. Tell her to jump and she'd ask how high. Demand attention and she'd probably drop everything just for you. I'm surprised you haven't leashed her yet! Unless you have, then I'd pay good coin to seeeeeeEEEEE! SHIT! ASH!"
Thankfully, almost mercifully, Ashlynn had taken a few ice cubes from her drink and had promptly deposited them down the back of her best friend's shirt. Briar was out of her chair and shaking out her shirt faster than Cerise could sprint, curses spewing out of her mouth in a most unladylike manner.
Rosabella grabbed her cousin before the poor girl could make an even bigger scene, while the rest of the girls giggled between each other, and Ashlynn was left to calmly sip her iceless drink. But everyone stopped when Apple abruptly stood up, metal chair scrapping. She dug in her purse and threw down some money, enough to probably cover all their meals and the tip, and muttered a simple "see you 'round" before striding out the door, Briar calling, "Wait, Apple! Come on! I was just-"
The door cut off the rest of Briar's pleas and once outside Apple wasted no time in hurrying off.
Hey folks! This is my first story in EAH fandom and I'm a little nervous but excited at the same time. Comments, questions, concerns are welcome.