I never really understood the whole "who is more selfish" debate…
Raven has had to live with the stigma of having a genocidal mother and was pretty lonely for years before she decided to rebel…
And Apple has had to live with people questioning her birthright and making fun of her all because she doesn't fit the physical description of a Snow White.
And in the background, don't forget, that they've both have been repeatedly lied to about the realities of destinies.
Really didn't the both of them have at least a little bit of a right to be somewhat selfish?
I'm a little (a lot) disappointed that they didn't address this issue in the websodes, especially since this was such a main focus for so long. I mean it's not like kids wouldn't have some understanding about such issues… I identified immediately with Raven when I first saw this series because I had been treated like the demon spawn at my elementary school because, of all the stupid things to be ostracized for, I was proud of my mixed European heritage and was not ashamed that my grandparents had been immigrants.
It didn't matter that I was like, a seven-year-old kid, because all that did matter was that I wasn't like all of the rest of the kids whose families had been in the area for over two hundred years or more, I didn't have the exact same religion as everyone else, I was (gasp) a mixed breed (because apparently if you have an ancestry from several different countries that, is just sacrilegious), one of my parent's skin is darker (as in tan, they were getting bent out of shape over tan skin) than the other's, and most importantly of all; I wasn't rich. The school I went to was a small place where all the rich landowners sent their kids (why they let me in to this school in the first place I'll never know).
I had actually met quite a few Apple Whites at my old school, been friends with the few that didn't hate me, I couldn't believe the sheer amount of pressure a lot of them had been under to become the perfect model heirs, a lot of them had parents that were pushing them to make friends with kids that they didn't like so that they could arrange play dates and have an excuse to make alliances… or whatever it is that the upper crust of a secluded area do with each other. I'm basing this fic's Apple on an ex-friend of mine who had gone into a total freak out over trying to do right by his parents (it was very sad and ended badly).
Personally I can see both sides to Raven and Apple's personal dilemmas and while some may say that they are both totally selfish people… personally I can't fault either of them for trying to defend themselves in their own individual ways.
XXX
Apple took a deep breath when she spied Ashlynn late Sunday afternoon sitting alone on a bench and feeding a group of birds some bread, the princess stiffening considerably when Apple moves to stand to the side of the bench.
Apple's guilt triple-folds at the sight of tight pain crossing her old friend's features.
"I've come to apologize, not continue on bashing your life like an ignorant jerk." Apple assured sadly. "Is this seat taken?" She asks motioning to the large stretch of empty seating next to Ashlynn.
"Take it, it's a free world." Ashlynn shrugged not looking at Apple.
Apple sat down carefully, her entire body slumping in shame. "I've been pretty un-fairest these past few days, I should've stopped and reminded myself that both you and Raven have your own feelings and motivations on this matter and I… should have respected that more… respected you both more.
Apple took a deep breath, apologizing wasn't something that she was used to doing, mostly because she tried her best to be the perfect good girl and make everybody have the impression that she had a right to be Snow White even though she had blonde hair and wore glasses (to read only and when no one was looking).
"I… last night Briar gave me a talking to… it made me realize that ever since you've declared yourself a Rebel I-I haven't been treating you the same as before… I keep hurting you in the same way I hurt you back before that true hearts dance… when I told you that I wasn't at all supportive of your life decisions." Apple whispered swallowing a bitter taste in her mouth. "I'm sorry for that… I'm sorry for putting my personal problems first and our friendship last."
"She's not leading us into danger." Ashlynn finally spoke up. "I know that children of Evil Queens aren't supposed to be nice but… Raven is a really, really kind person. She doesn't let many people know what's going on inside her head, not that many people before Legacy Day were willing to get so close, but the ones she calls friends… she treats them like they're the salt of the earth for giving her the opportunity to prove that she is not her mother. Do you remember that perfume I got for my birthday? The one you kept borrowing because you loved the scent so much?"
Apple thought back. "Yeah, didn't Hunter get that for you along with a pair of new shoes?" The princess recalled (getting Ashlynn a gift was a pretty simple matter since the girl was utterly ecstatic about shoes).
"Well Hunter confessed to me that the bottle of perfume was actually a gift that Raven had made herself but she was so worried that because it wasn't poisoned or because it was from her I wouldn't like it, so she gave it to Hunter and asked him to take the credit." Ashlynn couldn't help but smile a little at the astonished look that crossed Apple's face.
"I thought that perfume smelled familiar." The blonde princess snapped her fingers. "Raven uses the same fragrance when she spritzes her ball gowns before going out to a dance or a formal function. She makes almost all of her own perfumes and soaps herself…" Apple looks away guiltily. "And… sometimes… I might use some of her shampoo and conditioner for my hair…"
"Oh my, a hair care product that you support? How rare. I should ask Raven if she'd be willing to make me some." Ashlynn teased. "You know… Holly and Poppy have been covertly trying to get me to tell them your secret of how you have recently been able to keep your hair so soft to the touch and yet not have any frizz."
"…How do they know what my hair feels like?" Apple asked a little weirded out.
"Ignorance is bliss honey… trust me." Ashlynn shrugged. "But my point is that you should really let up on demanding that Raven sign the Book, not when you don't know the reasons why she doesn't want to, while you're afraid that she'll disappear and that you won't be able to become the Snow White like your mother… you have to remember what Raven's mother did, and… remember back in the first two years here, and farther back in primary school, after the Evil Queen struck and before Raven was homeschooled for so long? I think that Maddie was her only friend and the people that came from Wonderland were the only ones who had treated Raven… well they weren't afraid of her, and they didn't throw things at her or try to get her to play her mother in a game of pretend…" Ashlynn sent Apple a pointed look.
Apple bit her lip and looked down, it hadn't occurred to her before that Raven had been that lonely.
Silence descended between the two.
"You don't want a kingdom… or a prince." Apple mused.
Ashlynn shook her head. "Nope."
"What's that like?" Apple asked a little desperately. "Not having to worry about what a court, or a prince, or what your parents think of you for… not being perfectly… up to snuff with tradition? Having no one- aside from me and I'm sorry about that- look down on you for being… different?"
"Pretty quiet for the most part." Ashlynn admitted. "I revel in the amount of privacy I've been blessed with, once… I took off my shoes and Hunter and I walked barefoot along a muddy creek bed… and to my surprise… no one we passed made one comment about the daughter of Cinderella walking barefoot. Not even one batted eye."
Apple's eyes widened. "What was that like?" She asked sounding jealous.
"Awesome." Ashlynn replied.
A confused murmur erupted from the crowd surrounding the temporary stage where the best villain contest was being held, distracting the two princesses.
"What's Faybelle doing holding up a… winged cat?" Ashlynn asked confused.
"Miss Thorn what are you doing?" The Headmaster asked appalled. "We're just about to award Miss Queen as the winner of this years contest."
Outraged cries and bitter grumbling met the man's words. Making the cat in Faybelle's arms wither and try to hide its head into the fairy's shoulder
"But I'm here to prove that Raven doesn't deserve those trophies." Faybelle countered calmly.
The Headmaster nervously adjusted his collar. "I'm sorry Miss Thorn but Miss Queen's actions have proven that she is indeed the evilest, who else would sign up for a competition and not attend?" The man tried to sound convincing.
Faybelle grinned holding the cat, which was now glaring spitefully at the Headmaster, up to the microphone.
"For the last time, I wasn't the one who put my name on that sign up sheet and I never wanted anything to do with this competition in the first place!" Raven's voice growled out from the cat's mouth, shocking the area into silence.
Apple's eyes widened. "What…?"
"She was looking for a way out of the competition, so desperate was she that she was willing to strike a deal with an evil fairy, so I made her my pet for the weekend." Faybelle declared smugly her eyes glowing menacingly as she scanned the crowd.
While Faybelle's fellow villains clapped approvingly the crowed below was a mix of disbelief (Royals mostly) and outrage (Rebels).
The Headmaster sputtered while Raven gave him one last hiss for good measure.
Apple raced to the stage.
XXX
"I can't believe her!" Apple growled furiously, protectively cradling Raven's tiny fuzzy form to her as she walked back to their dorm.
"Well I was a willing participant…" Raven admitted guiltily.
"She still shoudn't've turned you into her pet!" Apple argued holding Raven a little closer. "And then to forbid you from getting a hold of me… ooh she looked so smug when she told me she answered for you…"
"She didn't want to risk me telling you where I was." Raven told her. "And she let me approve the messages she did write to you so… don't be too mad ok?"
The princess looked down at Raven guiltily. "I am so sorry Raven, I wasn't thinking when I signed you up for that competition, here we could've been having a nice time enjoying the festivities together and I just had to go and try to make you do something you didn't want to… I'm so sorry."
Raven was silent for a moment. "You were scared right? That you wouldn't get your happy ending? It's ok to be scared about the future sometimes… but Apple, you have to understand that I'm not going to just leave you without a happy ending, I'm not going to become the Evil Queen, but I am going to help you have a happily ever after."
Apple was silent for a while, absently running her fingers over Raven's furry wings.
"But I want you to be apart of my story… my happily ever after." The princess confessed sounding small.
Raven winced looking down, the place where the lawn met the warm sidewalk blurring as they moved, in the distance the witch caught a glimpse of Cerise looking around, maybe she was looking for Briar, Raven made a mental note to find the time to sit down with her fellow Rebel and talk about how well Briar and the hooded girl's super secret sort-of relationship was going. "I'm sorry Apple but… even if I were to sign the Book… the reality is that my family's dishonor would eventually drive me into hiding, I'd never be able to see you again after your story was finished. I'd have to disappear and let some other family takeover my title the next time around."
Apple stopped in her tracks; Raven felt the warmth of the sun overpowering the cool breeze across her dark furred back.
"Why?" Apple asked sounding heartbroken. "You aren't your mother so why would this dishonor thing that everybody keeps mentioning make you give up everything?"
Raven was silent for a moment. "I sometimes forget that you were raised in a completely human kingdom." The witch sighed. "Though I shouldn't, especially since you keep voicing a lot of common misconceptions about storybook villains."
Apple furrowed her brow. "Misconceptions?" She asked.
"You have noticed how well Faybelle treats Briar with respect, how Ginger likes to spoil the Crumbs with sweets… haven't you?" The witch asks nervously.
Apple gives Raven an odd look as she lets them in to their dorm and walks to her bed. "Yeah… so?"
Raven moves her small chin to rest on Apple's chest, enabling her to look up at the princess. "Those small acts of fondness for our story counterparts are the manifestation of the kind of honor my family no longer has, the honor that all villain families need in order to get any kind of respect or recognition for their accomplishments after their story is done without it, like me, they are ostracized from their own society as well as a whole bunch of other race's societies… that whole business about people screaming and running away when I enter a room? Yeah that's not normal, especially since you are the only one who I would target and that is only for during your story, because traditionally all villains have a honor system that they must follow that involves protecting and caring for our counterparts, and not messing with other villains counter parts. The exact rules are different for every family but the main concepts stay the same."
Apple peered down at Raven, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Are you saying that if another villain tried to do anything evil to me you'd step in to defend me?" The princess asked a twinkle in her eye.
"Well… yeah, I mean even though I don't have any honor you're still my princess so-" Raven looked away embarrassed.
"Ooh that is so sweet of you." Apple cooed hugging Raven close and kissing the top of her head.
In a puff of smoke and a startled yelp Raven transformed back into her usual form causing the witch to fall backward onto the princess's bed and dragging Apple with her.
Before Raven could comprehend what had happened she found her arms suddenly full of a laughing, cheering princess who was proceeding to plant kisses on her forehead and cheeks.
"Your princess! I knew you cared about me more than you let on I knew it!" Apple giggled settling to rest between Raven's legs and laid her head on Raven's shoulder. "And it was a kiss from your princess that has turned you back from being a kitty!" Apple cheered snuggling further onto Raven.
The witch froze, her face flushing hot, while it was normal for Apple to hug her, hold her hand, and maybe provide the occasional chaste kiss to her hair or cheek… having the very object of your completely-unexpected-and-unwanted-because-it-is-highly-innapropriate-and-heartbreaking crush in her arms and wiggling around so much that it was impossible to ignore the fact that so much their bodies were actually touching and her heart was pounding against her rib cage so hard that there was a sharp ache that accompanied each beat or maybe it was because the organ was finally giving out from the strain she had put under it to try to quell this little bit too big of a crush on the princess and hey was it getting difficult to breathe or what…? Raven may or may not be blacking out- ok yeah the darkness covering her vision. Yeah she was about to faint.
How embarrassing.
"But that makes the other's behavior towards you even more not right because you have always treated me so kindly." The princess huffed into Raven's shirt. Feeling offended on the witch's behalf. "It's not right to hold you accountable for the things your mother did."
Silence greeted her.
"Raven?" Apple asked sitting up and checking over the unconscious witch.
The princess sighed. "I guess she was more tired out than she let on." Apple murmured, concluding that the witch had fallen asleep. Wearing the ugly ratty orange t-shirt and tattered black shorts that Apple swore she had thrown away at least three times by now (when clothes started to get onto their last legs and since both Raven and she could afford it, Apple was of the opinion that was when new clothes needed to be bought, even more so when they were that ugly to begin with).
As she appraised the return of the hideous casual wear, something caught Apple's eye, just where the shirt had ridden up high enough to expose Raven's bare belly.
It was a scar, gashing across the witch's midsection.
Hands working of their own accord Apple lifted the shirt up higher and higher, revealing more scars scattered in pale gashes all over Raven's torso as she continued up.
There were about ten gashing scars raging in size that she could see on Raven's front but that was with Raven's white and blue-stripped bra on and some of the marks curved around to Raven's back.
With a deep breath and a hard swallow Apple turned Raven over on her side, inhaling sharply at what she saw.
The princess had seen photographs of people from other lands whose scarred backs had been whipped, some were slaves, some torture victims, but most had been surprisingly self-inflicted for religious purposes.
Raven's back looked like that of a priest that she had read about for her foreign studies class, in his religion it was believed that if one suffered pain (preferably to a nine tailed hand whip) at least once a week then his gods would forgive his sins.
Last she checked Raven did not subscribe to any religions that would require her to have a back that looked like the crisscrossed raised hide of a thorny screaming eel.
Raven shivered in her sleep, no doubt feeling chilled by having so much of her skin exposed, the witch made a soft mewl indicating she was about to wake.
Hastily Apple pulled down the (ugly) shirt and started to gently shake Raven's shoulder.
"Raven? Raven?" Apple cooed trying to get her shaking voice to sound as normal as possible.
The witch's eyes popped open. "Wha…?" Raven put a hand to her head. "What?"
"You fell asleep." Apple explained brusquely. "Come on, you've had a long weekend, lets get you to bed."
After ridding them both of their shoes, with surprising strength the princess hefted a blushing Raven up and carried the witch to be tucked in her own bed before the princess went back and practically dove under her red bed sheets where Apple waited until she heard Raven's occasional deep-sleep murmurs, it was then that the princess turned over to lay on her back and stared at her canopy with hard eyes as unanswered questions swirled inside of her head.
XXX
Cerise blinked, halting mid-run and jogging back to where she had spied a certain princess lying unconscious on the ground by some bramble bushes, an overturned basket of barriers by her side.
The hooded girl looked down upon Briar and then up at the setting sun and rising moon, she knew that there had been a berry picking activity organized for the weekend but that had been hours ago.
"Oi Briar!" Cerise called shaking the unconscious girl's shoulder.
"Mmmm." Briar complained as she stirred, but then appeared to sink back into unconsciousness.
With a sigh Cerise hefted the girl up into her arms and with a quick glance around, to make sure no one was looking, placed a kiss onto the princess's lips.
Briar shot awake, stiffening for a split second before she comprehended who had kissed her and relaxed with a defeated sigh.
"How long was I out for this time?" Briar asked her sort-of girlfriend irritably as Cerise started to walk the two of them to the girl's dorm.
It was an unspoken rule between the two; she and Cerise didn't really voice what they were to each other… whatever it was they were feeling about one another, because of Briar's destiny and because neither one of them were at all certain about what the future looked like.
Briar wasn't certain when or how their relationship changed from just acquaintances to what they were now, she just knew that one day Cerise had obliged to carry her after she had passed out in the middle of the woods and when Briar woke up Cerise had offered to run her back to the dorms and that was when Briar had discovered how fun it was to be in Cerise's arms while she was running.
Over the next several weeks an… attraction developed between them, and it was so mutual that neither one of them had felt like they had to hide their growing feelings for one another, while it was never voiced they had begun to cautiously change their platonic behavior to something with distinct undertones of attraction; lingering looks that burned, holdings hands when they could, and even a few stolen kisses when they were alone.
But they never went further than that, never did anything official, because despite their feelings being known and reciprocated between them… neither one of them was very keen on getting too involved only for their hearts to be broken. So they stayed on the balanced edge between an actual relationship, and being defined by their alliances to the Rebel/Royal causes.
"Dinner started fifteen minutes ago, you weren't there so I went looking for you." The hooded girl explained gently.
Briar cursed, her surprisingly colorful words making Cerise raise an impressed brow.
The princess scrubbed her eyes with her hands. "What did I miss this time?" She complained with a slight snarl.
"I overheard Apple apologizing to Ashlynn and Faybelle was able to win that villain competition, turns out Raven had made a deal with her to let Faybelle turn her into a cat as an evil deed in exchange for letting Raven hide out in her dorm for a few days." Cerise snorted. "The Headmaster looked like he was ready to have kittens by the end of it all."
"What did Apple do to Faybelle?" Briar asked sounding like a concerned mother of a child prone to violent outbursts. "Seriously, under her usual princess glam, she's really not someone to be messed with and she's super protective of Raven." The princess insisted when Cerise gave her a disbelieving look.
Cerise shrugged. "She didn't do much aside from giving Faybelle a scolding, though Faybelle seemed to be enjoying that more than being afraid, mostly Apple seemed more concerned with snatching Raven away and running her back to their dorm. And I don't think that she's mad at Raven anymore given the way she had been fussing over her the whole way back to the girl's dorms."
Briar let out a relieved breath. "At least that's one crisis averted." The princess mumbled, laying her head on Cerise's shoulder. "I can't believe I slept through that, another important thing that I just…" Briar shook her head. "Is this how it's going to be for me for the rest of my time here? How much am I going to have to miss before I… before I have to leave everything and everyone I love behind?" The princess whispered heartbrokenly.
Cerise kissed Briar's temple, changing direction, no longer heading back to the school, but to an old secluded gazebo she had passed many times before.
"How do you do it?" Briar asked as Cerise set her down on the bench inside the gazebo. "How do you get passed all that uncertainty and choose to be a Rebel?"
Cerise sat down heavily beside Briar. "I have more to lose by accepting my destiny than to gain." She confessed, loosely clutching the edge of her hood uncertainly, not sure whether or not answering the other's question completely would make anything easier or if it would turn out badly.
Briar blinked. "So you're a Rebel for more reasons other than personal beliefs." The princess stated as if she had known this fact all along. "Is this reason why you always keep your hood up?"
"Yes." Cerise stated simply, lowering her hand and giving Briar an apologetic look. "I… well you see… It's complicated, I would tell you but I don't think that I'm ready yet. I trust you but…"
"Hey, it's fine." Briar assured wrapping her arms around Cerise's. "It's your secret, you can tell or not tell, either one is fine by me."
Cerise swallowed. "…Maybe once there's a clear winner for either the Rebels or Royals, I'll tell you then?" She asked, hoping that if the Rebels won out then Briar might join her (although no matter which side won Cerise was determined not to go through with her destiny, she knew the forest better than most and her pack was willing to hide both her and her mother if it came down to it, so one day if Cerise just happened not to be there at graduation and professor Big Bad Wolf just so happened to look more smug than outraged at her and her mother's mysterious disappearance… well there wasn't a lot that the Headmaster could do about it, especially if he hadn't a clue what was really going on), might accept who- what she was and maybe start a proper relationship… or if Briar decided to go through with her destiny (a day that Cerise tried not to think about often) then at least there would be no secrets between them, one last truth to be revealed at the last moment before Briar was taken away from her, a secret that Briar would keep guarded inside of her as she slept for a hundred years…
"Yeah." Briar said, snuggling closer. "I'd like that."
Cerise focused all of her senses to assure herself that Briar was there with her at the moment and tried to dispel those dark thoughts about the future. She was so far into her own thoughts that she nearly missed what had been said when Briar started speaking to her.
"Ah, could you repeat that?"
"I asked what you would do if you were made to stand before the Book of Legends? You didn't get a chance to on Legacy Day; I know that you wouldn't sign but I'm curious as to what you would do, would you run away?" Briar asked looking curious.
"Well…" Cerise hummed. "I would run away, but first I'd rip my page to pieces just to prove that whole disappearing crap is bull."
"Cerise!" Briar chastised clutching the spot where her heart was. "What if you're wrong? I don't want you to disappear while I still have the chance to be with you!"
Cerise just smirked, looking amused by Briar's reaction.
Briar scowled at the other's expression. "You jerk, don't tease me like that just to hear me say that I like you."
"I was actually telling the truth." Cerise chuckled. "But don't worry, I actually have it on good authority, as well as some proof, that I won't be going anywhere if I did that."
Briar blinked wide-eyed before squinting at the other suspiciously. "What proof?"
"Have you ever heard of the Tale of Two Sisters?" Cerise asked.
"Didn't they disappear?" Briar asked tilting her head to the side as she tried to recall the horror story her mother had told her. "I remember my mom talking about it when I had first learned of my destiny… one of her warnings that I should follow tradition." The princess's expression soured when she thought about her mother.
"I have some cousins in another dimension who assure me that they are alive and well." Cerise informed with a small placating smile. "Raven once told me and a bunch of other Rebels about this note that they had left behind in the library before they ran away, I had mentioned it to my mom and then she had mentioned it to the family and… well eventually word got around to my cousins who live in the same world that the sisters do. From what my cousins have told me the sisters are highly interested in the current Rebel cause and they want to know if I can arrange for them to meet Raven sometime."
Briar stilled, her eyes staring at Cerise with enough intensity that the hooded girl was certain that the other was looking into her very soul… it was a little unnerving.
"You… you have verified this right? There are no doubts that these sisters are who they say they are?" The princess asked carefully.
Cerise nodded, looking Briar in the eye, willing the other to believe her. "They've got photographs of themselves from Ever After High and they know things about this place that only a former student would know, like the fact that Professor Rumplestiltskin never seems to spin any straw into gold himself and ironically makes his students do it for him."
Briar was frozen for a while, which worried Cerise because she wasn't too sure that the other was breathing.
"Briar?" Cerise asked uncertainly.
"Hah…" Briar breathed slumping in her seat and clutching onto Cerise in a death grip.
"Briar?" Cerise asked in concern as she held the other up.
"We've been lied to." The princess shook, her eyes wild with a sort of anger that made Cerise want to back away from, but didn't because she was not the one who had earned the other's ire.
Briar looked up to meet Cerise's eyes. "We have been lied to." She growled her teeth bared and her hands digging into Cerise's arm and side (for a damsel Briar had a surprisingly strong grip. Ow). "All of this, the fear, the resignation, throwing our whole lives away… it's all a lie! One giant, useless, ignorant LIE!" She howled at the sky making the birds in the surrounding area spook and fly away.
"I didn't think that you'd ever get this angry if you believed me." Cerise confessed nervously.
"Of course I'm angry! And of course I believe you! I know you wouldn't have told me unless you had looked into this and made sure that it was all true!" Briar yelled burying herself into Cerise's arms. "You would never lie about something like this! A hundred years… oh gods a hundred years and it would all be for nothing!"
"But it doesn't have to happen if you don't want it." Cerise assured, gently rocking the princess in her arms. "Whatever path you choose I'll support you, no matter what I'll be there." She promised at a loss for anything else to say, she hadn't expected the princess to get so worked up, sure most Rebels would get peeved whenever a Royal made biting comments about the rebellion or certain individuals (Ginger and Raven chief among them), and there were some exasperated grumblings whenever the Headmaster started in about duty and tradition, but the worse that had ever happened was one food fight, no one she had come across before had gotten this angry. If she were completely honest with herself Cerise had thought that Briar would have simply shrugged away Cerise's proof, either choosing not to believe her or dutifully saying that she must adhere to tradition.
Not once had Cerise actually dared think that Briar might… not want to be Sleeping Beauty… that she might want a life outside of destiny, what with the way she went on about living a party life until her story started and her being Apple White's right hand girl…
But then again Briar was one of the ones who would lose the most with her story… and as for Cerise, she had been living with a lie for so long that she was beyond feeling riotously angry about it, she had known no other way of life other than hiding and deception about who- what she really was.
Cerise kicked herself for not telling the other sooner.
"Would you like for me to arrange you to talk to the sisters?" Cerise asked, feeling that since she was a little out of her depth with the other's reaction, maybe the princess would like to talk with the same people who indirectly helped Raven make her decision not to side with destiny.
"Yes." Briar nodded sounding grim and a little vulnerable. "But for right now could you… hold me for awhile?"
"That I can do." Cerise said as she nuzzled Briar's hair.
XXX
Faybelle sighed as she flopped down onto her bed for the night, her hard won trophy falling haphazardly to the side of her head.
"Five more days before I'm one step closer to becoming the evilest fairy in history." She sighed rolling over to lie on her stomach. "And five more days until Raven Queen becomes my bride… never would have seen that coming but, at least she's less annoying now that she's not a threat anymore…"
The fairy fell into silent contemplation, her mind swirling with nearly overwhelming thoughts on the past few days, the next few days, and most of all how she should go about dealing with Raven.
"I wonder if she'd be the kind of wife that can cook?"