Chapter 6
They were soon in the other library of the school which, unlike the other one upstairs was available to everyone though at the moment it was mainly empty and the few people that were there stared at the fairy tale teens suspiciously as they sat with Jared at a large table. Jared just looked at both of them with an uncomfortable look on his face, no doubt because of the way both groups were looking at each other.
"So… do you guys mind telling us about yourselves?" Jared asked, finally managing to break the tension.
"Why certainly! First, I was born on a Tuesday in Wonderland, which was destroyed by the Evil Queen but…" Maddie began to say fairly quickly.
"Not like that," Annika said, cutting her off, "I mean like… what's with the whole Royals and Rebels thing anyway?"
"Well…" Raven began.
"You see…" Apple continued before they all began to explain and talk at once, trying to get a word in over the other before Jared finally got sick of it.
"One at a time!" Jared told them, before Annika turned to ask Raven, "Raven, why don't you and your guys go first?"
"Why them?" Blondie questioned, insulted.
"Because we said so, now could you please be quiet?" Annika asked her with narrowed eyes.
"Fine…" The Royals all said.
"Thank you," Jared nodded before turning to Raven, "Raven?"
"Well… we are called Rebels because we believe the people of our world should be free to choose their own paths in life and not follow a path set by 'destiny'," Raven explained.
"We each joined because we don't exactly agree with what destiny wants us to be," Hunter added.
"Such as?" Jared inquired.
"Well, they want me to be the next Evil Queen and I just don't want that," Raven stated.
"You? The Evil Queen? But… you're nothing like her," Annika said.
"Nothing like her?" Briar proclaimed, incredulously.
"Shush it!" Annika and Jared barked.
Briar gasped, "You can't talk to me that way!"
"Actually… it turns out they can," Cedar pointed out. The Royals just glared at her.
"So… why do you guys want to defy destiny?" Jared asked the other rebels.
"Well… mine just doesn't fit with me… I like animals and hunting them is against my principles," Hunter stated.
"My destiny just confuses me… since I have a truth spell on me and it will only go away when my destiny commences, but I still don't know how to lie," Cedar stated.
"I personally don't have a problem with my destiny, but wherever Raven is, I will follow, like a magnet!" Maddie said.
"Ok…" Jared said before turning to Cerise, "And you?"
"Well… it complicated," she said, uncomfortably. Raven looked at her sympathetically.
"Complicated how?" Briar questioned, accusingly.
"It just is, ok?" Cerise said, angry.
"Easy, just try to calm down," Annika told her.
"Yeah, we don't want you to get angry… not here," Raven added. Cerise took a breath and nodded at her friend.
"What happens when she gets angry?" Jared asked Maddie.
"Beats me," Maddie shrugged.
"Great, you're a lot of help…" Jared said, sarcastically.
"You're welcome!" The daughter of the mad hatter said, cheerfully and not understanding the sarcasm.
"All in all, we want to choose our own destiny, something they don't want to happen," Raven stated, gesturing to the Royals.
"Ok, Royals, why don't you start explaining to us your story now?" Annika asked.
"About time!" Daring said.
"Don't push it, Princey boy," Jared warned him.
"Sorry about him, he's just a bit anxious, that's all," Ashlynn said.
"We're all anxious here," Blondie pointed out.
"But only because thanks to you, we're stuck here," Briar stated, making the young twins lower their heads sadly.
"Now, now, let's not be mean, these little kids wants to hear our story so we shall tell it, with grace and truth," Apple told the others.
Raven rolled her eyes, "Oh please…"
"Go on," Jared said.
"Well unlike these trouble making Rebels we want our destinies to be what they are and also be undisturbed and unchanged in anyway," Briar explained.
"In other words, we like our destinies and don't want them changed," Dexter said.
"So you want everyone to just follow their 'destiny' even if they don't like it," Annika questioned.
"Exactly," Daring stated.
"Except Raven here doesn't want to be the next Evil Queen and without her… my story won't be told!" Apple said, sounding sad.
"So despite how she feels… you want to give her a destiny she hates?" Annika inquired.
"Precisely!" Apple nodded.
"It's the only way to keep the path of destiny running smoothly…" Ashlynn said to him.
"That… is probably one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard," Jared told the Royals, making them gasp, "Believing in destiny? Thinking your life only has one path and one path only? It's just stupid. Everyone else in the room… is now dumber, for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your souls."
"Are you calling us… idiots?" Briar questioned.
"Yeah, pretty much," Jared said, bluntly as he folded his arms.
"Ooh!" Maddie said, looking surprised.
"Oh no, he didn't!" Hunter remarked.
"Oh yes he did," Cerise added.
"How dare you speak to us that way!" Blondie exclaimed, while Briar comforted a now crying Apple.
"Indeed, you may the most rudest peasant I have ever encountered!" Daring agreed.
"Calm down!" Ashlynn told them.
"Yeah, calm down, bro," Dexter agreed.
"Look, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings but it had to be said!" Jared said, "Your destiny should be what you make it, not what someone says it should be."
"But… but I like my destiny!" Apple told him.
"Then go pursue it, on your own terms, not someone else's!" Annika stated.
"Exactly!" Raven added.
"Don't agree with her!" Blondie said.
"Hey, she can do whatever she wants to do, it's her life," Annika countered, "That's the way things work around here, we have free will. We choose our own fate, for good or bad."
"Wow…" Maddie said, in awe.
"Doesn't sound like a way to live to me," Apple voiced.
"Why not?" Jared asked.
"Well… how do you know what you'll be good at? Or should be or should do?" Apple questioned.
"Oh please," Cerise rolled her eyes.
"Well that's just it; we don't," Jared responded, "We figured it out as we go along. You know what they say; not knowing is part of the fun."
"Doesn't sound that fun to me," Briar stated.
"That's only because you've never tried it before," Jared pointed out.
"Well it sounds nice to me," Hunter added.
"Yeah, a place where destiny doesn't decide everything? It's like a dream come true!" Raven said.
"More like a nightmare…" Apple said, sadly.
"Only to you people," Annika stated, "But relax, Jared and I will find a way to get you all home soon enough, I promise."
"Thanks," Dexter said, thankfully, "That means a lot."
"Yes, thank you very much," Ashlynn added, while Daring huffed arrogantly.
Raven then thought for a moment or two before finally saying something, "Wait! One question uh… what if we don't want to go home?" she asked. Everyone, mostly the Royals, gasped when she asked this.
"Uh… what are you saying exactly?" Jared asked, even though he knew what she was getting at.
"I'm saying… maybe we could stay here. Forever," Raven said.
"And ever after!" Maddie added.
"If that's alright with you…" Raven finished. Jared and Annika then gained a bit of a conflicted look on their faces after she asked this.