Love, a Confession, and a Rite of Passage
Raven and Apple have only been asleep for a few hours when the first rays of sun break over the Enchanted Forest and color the room a cold fall orange. They're both in Apple's bed cuddled together under her quilt. Apple stirs with first light and rubs her naked legs on Raven's, loving the feel of her skin. She opens her eyes and stares down at Raven's naked torso, then absentmindedly writes her name on Raven's side with the tip of her finger. Apple always writes her name on things that are hers.
Their clothes are strewn about the room and colored with dawn. Apple peeks over Raven at their best dresses, crumpled and entangled on the floor, and sighs contentedly. She lays back down and stares up at the ceiling. her eyes grow wet and before she knows it, tears are streaming down her face and into her hair. For the first time in her life, Apple feels like an adult, and she loves it. Unfortunately, that makes what is coming next that much harder.
But oh, last night, last night, last night. What they did makes her feel like she can fight anything. She made the right choice when she chose Raven and now, nothing else really matters. Her mom may try to take Raven away, but Apple is stronger. She will fight, and she will win. But last night, Raven's lips and hands, last night showed her the wonderful truth. Raven is Apple's one true love.
Apple continues to cry quietly for a few minutes then gets up. She gives her lover a kiss as she crawls over her and earns a sleepy groan. This makes Apple smile as she begins her morning ritual. After cleaning up the room, she gets in the shower and reluctantly washes all of the nights pleasures off her skin. Once she is done she puts her robe on, and heads to her vanity. She slaps her cheeks lightly a few times and stares at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks are rosy. Apple can't believe that she is the woman staring back at her. She picks up her brush and starts running it through her long hair.
"One. Two. Three." She counts every stroke of the brush, her posture perfect on her stool. This process is repeated until she reaches one hundred. A proper princess brushes her hair one hundred strokes a day.
"I am the person you made me, mother. But now, I'm making myself." How does she know her mother is coming? She can feel it. She could feel it last night. It was the way Daring and Headmaster Grimm were acting. Neither of them would look at her. Everything is going to go down today. Apple is not scared, she is just sad that people are going to be hurt. But she has Raven. Sweet, beautiful, Raven. Anything is possible with Raven by her side.
The next step is to rewet her hair and put it up in curlers. Once this is done, she sits on the edge of her bed and shakes Raven lightly.
"Good morning, beautiful. We need to get up and get ourselves to school." Apple caresses Raven's cheek. Raven groans and tries to hide under the covers. Apple pulls the covers off, forgetting Raven's state of undress, and quickly covers her back up, blushing all the while. "Come on sweetie, we don't want to be late." Apple leans in and gives her girlfriend a kiss.
"Ew, Apple, no. I've got morning breath!" Raven sits up and rubs her eyes.
"I like your morning breath! Can I pick your clothes today?" Apple brings her hands together in pleading.
"Sure, I'm honestly too tired to care."
"Yay!" Apple jumps up and heads to her own wardrobe. A few seconds later clothes are flying out. Finally she finds what she is looking for, a light gray dress with a victorian pattern in black stitched into the cloth. She runs over to Raven's dresser, pulls out the necessary underclothes, and takes all of it to the bathroom. She grabs Raven's robe and brings it out to her. Raven reluctantly takes it, puts it on, and heads into the shower.
Apple finishes her hair while Raven showers, preparing herself mentally and physically for what is coming. Once Raven gets out of the shower she seems more awake. She stops in front of Apple's full length mirror and Checks out the dress Apple picked for her.
"I'll be honest, Apple, this is darker colors than the other things you've had me wear, and this just suits me better. This dress is wicked."
"It's true! I promise you I'm not trying to push you back into our story, I just really like how you look in dark colors!" Apple nods at her girlfriend appreciatively. Raven gives her a smile and sits down at Apple's vanity, something she has never done before, and rubs Apple's brush through her hair a few times.
"Let me do it." Apple picks up the brush and starts brushing Raven's hair. She quietly counts each stroke. After a few minutes she starts humming to herself. Raven's hair really is beautiful. It glides through her brush like silk and falls from her hands like water. Apple looks up and notices Raven is looking at her in the mirror, a smile on her lips and a streak of red across her cheeks and nose.
"Apple… I'm… so in love with you." Raven bites at her bottom lip and looks up at Apple in the mirror. Apple throws the brush on the vanity and drapes her arms over Raven's shoulders.
"I love you too, Raven. I've loved you since the moment I saw you." The two fairytale girls stare at each other for as long as they can before the embarrassment takes over, then they continue getting ready.
Once they are both ready they head for the door, but Apple holds back and stops Raven.
"Raven, I'm pretty sure my Mother is coming today. I'm positive she will try to take me out of school. I'm also positive that if we stick together, and remember we love each other, we can win this. But, I want you to remember, my mother is incredibly clever. She will use every trick in the book to separate us. She is a queen, so her number one tactic is how things look, not how they actually are, but how they look. She will use verbal trickery to make this look like something it is not. So, when everything goes down, try to remember how she fights." Apple puts her hand on Raven's cheek.
"Okay Apple. I'm scared, but we can beat this together." Raven leans in and gives Apple a kiss.
XXX
Raven is nervous all morning, waiting for the storm to come, but it isn't until che-myth-stry class that the announcement is made.
"Apple White and Raven Queen, please come to the Headmasters office at once.
Raven takes a deep breath, stands up and walks over to Apple. She takes Apple's hand in her own, trying to ignore all of her peers watching them wide-eyed, and the two walk out together.
The campus is beautiful. The trees are all showing off their brightest colors and the sun creates a golden halo around everything. The girls don't speak, both of them trapped in their own thoughts and fears. Apple is trying to prepare herself to do verbal battle with the hardest opponent possible, her mother, and Raven is wondering if this is the last time the two of them will be able to walk on campus, hand in hand like this. She wants to believe Apple when she says they can beat this, but part of her just can't accept it. How can they take on an entire kingdom and win? Raven keeps her fear under control until they are walking up the stairs to the Headmasters office.
"Raven, you are shaking like a leaf!" Apple stops and puts both her hands on Raven's cheeks.
"I'm pretty scared, Apple. I know I shouldn't be, and we have each other, but I can't help it. I'm scared." Raven's lip pushes out a little.
"I'm scared too, honestly, but we can do this. I've got you!" Apple gives Raven her best smile and Raven can feel the magic wash over her.
"Thanks Apple." The two turn to Headmaster Grimm's foreboding door, take deep breaths, and step inside.
Snow White is sitting behind Headmaster Grimm's desk with a group of Dwarves standing behind her. Headmaster Grimm is standing in the corner by the windows, his hands fretting. Snow White smiles brilliantly when the two girls walk in, holding hands.
"There's my Apple! And Raven, it is wonderful to see you both." Snow white does not move, just sits and radiates. Her magic hits Raven full force and she feels pulled towards the gravity of this charismatic queen. How could anything bad come about from the actions of this perfect woman. She seems calm and completely reasonable. Suddenly, Raven is not scared anymore. Every thing will be fine now that Queen Snow White is here!
Raven shakes her head to clear the magic and puts up the best mental shield she can muster. She can't imagine what it must've been like for Apple to have constantly been in the presence of such power, such charismatic magic. She can imagine Apple, as a baby, sucking in this comfort.
Snow White's brilliance, the thing that makes her so powerful, is not her awe inspiring leadership, it is her ability to have things her way without ever having to ask. She doesn't have to get angry, or forceful, her mere presence is enough to make anyone do as she wishes. Poor baby Apple would have no defenses. No wonder she was so naively obsessed with her own story. She was obsessed because her mother was obsessed, and whatever Snow White wants, Snow White gets! Suddenly, all of Apple's actions over the past few years make perfect sense to Raven. The calm, almost scary insistence that Raven follow her destiny, The odd belief that Raven would be just as happy to accept the negative outcomes of her destiny as Apple was to accept the positive outcomes of her own, all of it makes so much sense now that she's met Snow White. Raven squeezes Apples hand as a show of solidarity.
The two girls stand, defiant, hand in hand.
"The headmaster tells me that your story has gone a little off track as of late. Apple, honey, we've decided that it would be best if you came home for awhile, so you can clear your head a bit and we can make sure your story goes just as it should." Snow gives Apple a big smile. Raven is disgusted with how small Snow White is making this situation, as if their love, this love that burns white hot through her body, was just the story getting a little off the tracks. Raven can feel her magic, bubbling up inside of her, ready for release. It is Apple that squeezes Raven's hand this time.
The girls stand, Defiant, hand in hand.
"What do you think, honey. Why don't you come home for a little while?" Snow White doesn't seem perturbed at all by the silence she is confronted with, in fact she seems to just enjoy basking in her own presence. She waits.
"Why mother dear, I'm not sure what gave you the impression that anything is wrong with me whatsoever, I'm right as rain. In fact, I'm happier than I've ever been! There is no need to miss any school! I think I will just stay here and make sure my story goes exactly as it should." Raven turns to Apple, stunned. The same magic that Snow White is employing so brilliantly is oozing just as strongly from Apple White. Apple does not seem scared or angry, in fact, if Raven was looking at this from the outside it would seem like a lovely mother daughter chat. Apple is smiling and seems genuinely happy to see her mother. She stares back and forth between the two women, shocked by this strange, manipulative style of communication, but she can not see past either of their facades.
"Well Apple, it seems—"
"Enough!" Raven is shocked at her own voice coming out so unexpectedly. Not only that, her magic springs out, her entire body growing purple. "I love Apple White and I will do everything I can to protect her! No matter what!" Raven's voice is backed with a menacing tone. Apple squeezes her hand as hard as she can and smiles good-naturedly over at Raven.
"My dear Raven, what are you saying, and why are you threatening us with your magic? It seems you are taking this very seriously. Am I to understand you correctly? You would use magic against me if you considered me a threat?" Snow White's voice is sickly sweet.
Raven notices that one of the Dwarves is filming this back and forth and suddenly it all becomes clear. This is what Apple was warning her about. Snow White wants Raven to fly off the handle and threaten them with magic, perhaps even use it, so that she can show the world how evil Raven is. Raven takes a deep breath and reels her magic back in. Apple lets out her breath when she feels the magic retreating.
"I'm sorry your majesty. I would never ever do anything to harm you in any way. My emotion got the best of me." Raven tries to smile as sweetly as she can. For a split second she can see a cloud pass over Snow White's perfect face. A look of disappointment, only there for a few seconds. This small crack in her demeanor invigorates Raven. Perhaps Apple is right! Perhaps they can win! Raven stands a little taller, smiles a little brighter and squeezes Apple's hand in thanks.
"Well, I still think—" Snow White is interrupted by the door opening. All eyes turn towards the intrusion. Very meekly, Cupid and Cloe peek around the door. Snow White's dwarves close the circle around her, protecting their queen.
"Girls, now is not the time! What are you doing here?" Headmaster Grimm is so angry his face is turning red.
"I have something to say that pertains to this situation." Cupid looks ashamed and scared. Cloe is serene and regal.
Headmaster Grimm looks over to Snow White, a look of confusion plastered on his face. Snow White shrugs her shoulders.
"Come in girls, if you have something to say about this matter we would love to hear it." Snow White waves her Dwarves back. Cupid and Cloe both step into the room and sit down on the chairs in front of Headmaster Grimm's desk. Raven realizes the chairs were probably put there for her and Apple. Once they are seated the two girls stare at Queen Snow White in awe.
"Well…Spit it out!" Headmaster Grimm stares at the young goddesses.
"Oh! Right! Um… So I have done the two of you a wrong." Cupid looks over at Apple and Raven with fear and anguish on her features. Raven is struck with a wild desire to grab Apple and run out of the room, before Cupid can say anymore. "I'm so sorry you guys." Cupid turns back to Headmaster Grimm and Queen Snow White. "I have had a crush on Dexter Charming from the moment I first saw him. I wanted him so badly it became kind of an obsession. Unfortunately, Raven Queen was standing in my way. No matter how much I tried to get Dexter to notice me, he only had eyes for Raven, so, I used my magic inappropriately. I am the reason Apple and Raven are together. I… I wanted Dexter Charming to love me, so I used my power to get Raven out of the way so that he could be mine." Cupid is staring at the floor and sniffling. Her shoulders shake from trying to hold in her emotions
"You did what?" Headmaster Grimm yells. "Well, this explains everything! You hit Apple and Raven with your arrows and forced them to love each other!"
"Not exactly… I hit Raven with an arrow. I did not use my arrows on Apple White." Cupid stares at her shoes.
Cupid's words flow over Raven like poison, eating at her skin. That morning a few weeks ago, in the castleteria. She had been looking at Dexter, excited that he was getting up the courage to ask her out on another date, then she had looked at Apple and everything changed. That is when Cupid had shot her with the arrow. Looking back now it makes perfect sense. All of her friends had been so shocked when she told them about her feelings for Apple White, often telling her they'd never seen any signs that she was gay. There were no signs because she was never gay!
This love of hers. This love that has been consuming her for weeks. This love that sustains her. The reason she wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night. The greatest, most perfect love she has ever felt, is all fake. Raven is in shock. Every thing she has come to live for is a lie. She looks down at her own hand linked with Apple's and follows apple's arm up to her chest. The chest that last night she had… Oh gods… and all of it was fake. She follows Apple's neck up to her face.
"No no no no. Please Raven, no." Apple is shaking her head back and forth, her eyes pleading, as tears stream down her face. Raven stares into Apple's blue eyes and is shocked to see that she is gorgeous, even when she is crying. But even that thought is not her own! That thought only exists because Cupid has changed her feelings! Shame floods Raven's body and she does the only thing her shock filled mind will allow.
She drops Apple's hand.
Apple's quiet crying suddenly turns very loud and she puts out her arms and stumbles towards Raven. Raven pushes her away and is instantly reminded of her dream. This feeling of uncontrollable love for Apple White while simultaneously pushing her away every time she came close is exactly what she'd dreamt a few nights earlier. It seems that it was a prophetic dream. Here she is pushing Apple away while feeling nothing but love for her. But it isn't her love, it is a made up love.
"Please Raven, please." Apple tries to hug Raven again. But, Raven pushes her back.
Raven is in shock. The information has destroyed her and Apple. She can't bear the pain she is causing, but she can't touch Apple. Not with this new information. Finally Apple stops trying. She stares at Raven with eyes so wounded they make Raven's heart break. Then she turns and runs out of the room. Raven turns to Cupid, who has started crying. Snow White snaps her fingers and points. All of the dwarves in the room run out after Apple.
"Well it seems that there is a lot more to this than I thought, but it seems my business is done here, Headmaster Grimm. Apple will be taking a leave of absence from school for a while, please have all the paperwork sent to me and good luck with this… unfortunate situation." With that, Snow White stands up and leaves Headmaster Grimm's office.
Raven watches her go, then turns back to cupid, and lets her anger out. She explodes in purple magic, making Cupid jump back in her chair. Cloe slides quietly off her chair onto her knees, places her hand on the floor, and quietly speaks. The floor erupts in black flames. Headmaster Grimm is shocked by this new magic, but Cupid and Raven don't seem to notice.
"You are a monster! How could you do this to me. I just destroyed my best friend, no, my lover, as you very well know, because you made us that, and now I am being destroyed!" Raven tries to hold back her tears, but they spill onto her cheeks anyway. "You must have shot Dexter too, right? You think he will be happy being in love with you, even though it's a lie?"
"Raven, love is never a lie. And no, I did not shoot Dexter. You are the only person I used my powers on. Dexter came to me willingly. Raven, I am so sorry, please believe me." Cupid still can't look up.
"Well, your little mess up has cost me everything. I don't know how you sleep at night. I hope Dexter realizes how awful you are and you end up alone." Raven can't stand it anymore so she leaves the room. What is the point of being there anymore. What does it matter? Everything that she and Apple built was destroyed, and she'd hurt her poor, beautiful, Apple White so badly. The one thing Apple had asked at the beginning of their relationship was that Raven shouldn't ask her out if she wasn't sure that it was what she wanted. At the time Raven had been sure, she never realized that her feelings were not her own. On her way out, Raven uses her magic to slam the door so hard it cracks.
After Raven leaves those remaining sit in silence for a few moments. Cupid can't help her sobs. Nobody is really sure what to say. Finally, Headmaster Grimm breaks the silence.
"Cupid, this is a terrible thing you have done and I expect you to turn Raven back to normal immediately." He stares at Cupid, but she can't respond, she is crying too hard.
"If I might respond, Headmaster Grimm." Cloe raises her hand as she speaks.
"Go Ahead, Cloe."
"I have been sent to this school as a representative of the mythic world to help Cupid through this trying time in her life. We did not feel Cupid was equipped to deal with this situation all by herself. Especially in a foreign land." Cloe places both of her hands on the desk in front of her, her spiderweb tattoos barely showing under her long sleeves.
"You knew Cupid had done this when you were sent? That was weeks ago, why didn't you say anything?" Headmaster Grimm is shocked.
"It was not my place to say anything. The rules governing a God or Goddess' powers are incredibly strict. Making mistakes is kind of a right of passage for us. Almost every God or Goddess uses their powers for selfish reasons at some point in their youth, it is impossible to have powers and not use them that way at least once. The lessons learned from these mistakes are invaluable to our kind, so for us, this process is sacred. Now that Cupid has made the right choice and come forward, it is her sacred right to deal with this situation as she sees fit. So, unless it is her choice, she can not follow your orders pertaining to this situation." Cloe sits back in her chair, her eyes never leaving Headmaster Grimm.
"Well, this is my school and I will not have students dictating what I can and cannot—"
"I will undo what I have done to Raven," Cupid interrupts, "under one condition. I want Raven to ask me to undo it personally, and only after she has listened to a few things I have to say to her." Cupid is much calmer, but her breath still hitches intermittently.
"The insolence! This is my school and you will do as I tell you!" Headmaster Grimm's voice raises in anger.
"Headmaster Grimm, we really don't want this to become an international incident. I am your student and I respect that this is your institution, but this is not something that can be passed over lightly. If you cannot meet us in the middle on this, I will have to get my mother involved. Cupid is not asking for much. She has agreed to undo the magic she has cast upon Raven, with a few, small, conditions. Please, I beg of you, accept this compromise." Cloe bows her head to the Headmaster.
"Fine! I will let Raven know of Cupid's terms. However, and I thought this went with out saying, I don't want either of you casting anymore magic on your peers! Is that understood?" Headmaster Grimm waits until he gets a "yes sir" from both girls and then sends them out of his office. He sits back in his chair and lets out a sigh once they are gone. 'I'm getting too old for this job,' he thinks, 'tradition means nothing anymore!'