Chapter nine:
The next morning when Raven woke, she realised it was quite a bit later in the morning than when she would usually wake up. She put this fact down to finding it hard for her to get to sleep last night, because of her mind being stuck on her floral admirer for quite some time. The blue and white feathers had lent more towards her thoughts that it might be Darling wooing her and it had taken Raven a while to get herself calm enough to sleep after that thought. Even as Raven thought about the fact it might be Darling for only a moment, she could feel herself filling with excitement and trepidation right away.
On one had she couldn't wait to see who her floral admirer was and on the other feared it may not be who she longed for it to be. Raven had never felt such a riotous confusion in her emotions before, and decided all she could do was hope that Darling turned out to be the one sending her these messages.
Raven decided that it was time to tell Apple who was the one she had been in love with all this time, it was after all, only the fair thing to do after all the help which Apple had given her and because she also knew that it hurt Apple's feelings not knowing who it was while Maddie did.
As she thought some more, Raven decided there was another flower she wanted to get alongside the Jacob's ladder today. A flower she would only use if Darling was the one behind these messages and that was a Bupleurum, which she knew from looking in her own book of flowers meant your love is returned.
At the same time Raven decided to keep wanting to get this flower as well as Jacob's ladder to herself until she reached the flower shop, she didn't want to answer to many questions from others about that bloom, as the idea of answering the questions it might bring made Raven blush and feel very nervous.
With all of this now decided Raven rose from bed, she got herself read for the day ahead, then settled on her bed with her book again and started to read while she waited for Apple to wake up. Raven was also reading the book in order to distract her from all the different thoughts whirling around her head.
Slowly Apple woke up, she smiled softly to herself, she really couldn't wait to help Raven find Jacob's Ladder. As she lay in bed for a few moments just looking up at the canopy of her bed Apple wondered if she should tell Raven that she thought she knew who had been sending the flowers to her.
Eventually Apple came to the conclusion that it would be wrong to say something to Raven, when she might be incorrect about her suspicions. After all the only reasons Apple was suspicious was because of one thing the other girl had said to her not long ago, the colours of the feathers and seeing her purchase flowers once…Still all three of these could just be a coincidence, so for now Apple would say nothing to Raven. Apple reasoned to herself that after all, they would both soon know who this floral admirer was.
When Apple sat up in bed, she instantly became aware of Raven sitting in the bed opposite her and reading a book. It was moments like this which had helped Apple come to realise that Raven was her own person, with her own hopes and dreams, not just some vessel to carry on the role of the Evil Queen.
Apple allowed herself a few moments to watch her roommate, there was no denying that she had feelings for Raven and had hoped that maybe Raven could return those feelings, however when this wooing had begun, Apple recognised she was far too late to do anything about her feelings for Raven, she was also being outclassed by the floral admirer and Raven was in love with someone else, someone still on the list and whom Raven hopped would be the one behind the floral admirer.
Instead of allowing herself to feel envy, Apple tried her best to feel happy for Raven, after all know Apple knew how hard it was to live as Raven, she couldn't help but feel that Raven deserved happiness and to be loved by someone who loved her completely and was not afraid of Raven's mother. If that person was the floral admirer, then Apple was willing to accept it, however if they turned out to be trying to hurt or mock Raven in some way then she would not hesitate to tear them apart and steal Raven for herself.
"Good morning Raven." Apple said with a smile for her roommate.
Startled slightly by hearing Apple's voice, Raven looked up from her book quickly, she blushed slightly and then returned the greeting. "Morning Apple, sorry I was lost in my book."
"That's okay. I knew you would be. Did you sleep well?" Apple asked, as amusement bubbled through her from Raven's apology, they had been living together long enough now, that Apple was very aware of the fact that when Raven started to read, she would lose all track of the outside world. Raven would even set alarms on her mirror phone to remind her to stop reading, because otherwise she would get so lost in her book that she would be late to all her classes and meals.
"I slept very well thank you for asking." Raven told her, as she politely marked the page in her book and placed it on the bedside table, in order to focus on the conversation at hand.
Apple got out of the bed saying to Raven as she did so. "I'm really looking forwards to heling you find some Jacob's ladder today."
"I'm looking forwards to it to!" Raven assured her with a happy smile making its way across her face.
"I'll get ready, we'll have some breakfast and then go into town, how does that sound?" Apple asked Raven politely.
Raven nodded to her in agreement and said to her in response. "That sounds like a perfect plan."
"Great!" Apple enthused before heading to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day ahead.
Knowing that Apple always took quite a while to get ready for the day, Raven once more picked up her book and absorbed herself with the story she had been reading.
Some while later, Apple sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched one of Raven's knees. Instantly Raven gave a start of surprise and looked up from the book. "Oh, you're ready." She said to Apple, blushing slightly.
A chuckle left Apple when Raven said this and then she spoke to her. "Yes, I am ready. Shall we head down to breakfast?"
Raven shook her head at Apple and then said to her. "Before we go down to breakfast, I want to tell you something." After she said this Raven put the bookmark into the book, she then placed the book onto the bedside table.
"Oh?" Apple asked her curiously.
Raven gave her a nod and then addressed Apple in a voice which was edged in trepidation. "Yes…It's not easy for me to trust you with this, but I want to tell you who it is I have loved for so long. I'm in love with Darling Charming."
"Darling…I'll admit that I'm very surprised…But I can see the two of you making a lovely couple…I think you'd suite her well as her…princess? Lady?" Apple asked with a confused expression on her face as she tried to work out what title might suite Raven best.
"Maddie and I settled on lady princess." Raven told her in a soft voice.
Apple nodded in agreement to this suggestion and said. "Yes, lady princess and then lady Queen…Yes… That sounds right and both titles would suite you perfectly…That would make Darling, you're Charming lady knight and then Charming lady King. Oh, that sounds so wonderful! lady Queen Raven Queen and Charming lady King Darling Charming!"
Raven smiled at the sight of her friends with her hands clasped and stars in her eyes. "It does sound wonderful, but I don't want to get to far ahead of myself…After all it may not be Darling who is behind this wooing."
"I really hope it is Raven." Apple said earnestly to her friend and then laying her hand onto one of Raven's arms in a comforting gesture.
"Thank you Apple…I'm so very happy you approve of the prospect of Darling and I being a couple." Raven said with a happy sigh, before she got to her feet and addressed Apple again. "Shall we get that breakfast now?"
With a nod of agreement for her roommate Apple also stood up, then side by side the two of them left the dorm room and made their way down to the castletearia in order to have breakfast. After they had picked up their trays and selected breakfast, Raven and Apple went over to the table were Kitty and Maddie were sitting together side by side eating and shooting each other loving looks.
As they sat down opposite Maddie and Kitty, Raven looked the clearly loving couple with a soft, happy smile on her face and joy in her eyes. Apple found herself admiring this look on Raven's face, it made her want to kiss the witch, but through sheer determination she managed to resist this temptation.
After a while Kitty and Maddie looked over at Apple and Raven and smiled at the pair. "Good wakings!" Maddie declared to them cheerfully.
"Yes, I slept well thank you Maddie and good wakings to you two lovey Doves!" Raven told them in return.
Raven and Maddie blushed a little and then shared a loving smile, before turning back to Apple and Raven. Kitty asked them both. "What are your plans for the day?"
"Oh, Apple and I are going into town to find a flower for me." Raven told them both.
They instantly gave Raven an intrigued look and Maddie asked her in a quiet voice. "Is it for the floral one?"
Raven nodded to them and then Kitty asked her in a soft but curious voice. "What flower is it that you plan to get?"
"We are going in search of some Jacob's Ladder." Raven told her in a quiet voice.
Kitty nodded to her and then asked in an interested tone of voice. "If you don't want to answer this part, you don't have to, but what does that flower mean?"
"It means come to me…My admirer has said if I show them this flower then they will come to me…And I truly hope that will be the case." Raven said still keeping her voice soft so as not to alert others around them as to what they were talking about.
"Good luck in your search." Kitty said earnestly to Raven.
"Thank you very much." Raven replied before she dug into her breakfast.
When Raven finished eating, Raven turned to Apple and asked her politely. "Are you ready to head off to town now?"
Apple quickly finished her apple juice and nodded to Raven. "I am now."
Together they took their trays over to the area where they were returned, and placed them there, before making their way out of the castletearia.
Side by side Apple and Raven made their way out of the school and into Book end to see if they could find Jacob's Ladder in any of the florists there.
They entered the first shop they saw on the hight street, the bell over the door rang and quickly the shop assistant came over to them. "May I help you?" She asked them both politely, while at the same time some how managing to aim this question more at Apple than Raven.
Apple glared at the female shop assistant, she didn't like the way she was behaving towards Raven at all and was about to say something to her about her lack of manors when Raven, clearly used to this treatment spoke up. "We are looking for some Jacob's Ladder and Bupleurum, do you have any?"
As Apple shot Raven a questioning glance as she asked for this extra flower. The shop assistant slowly looked nervously at Raven and asked cautiously. "Are they for potion making?"
Quickly Raven shook her head. "If it were for that I would get it dried not fresh." She then quickly gave the shop assistant a simple, but easy to believe lie, as the reason she wanted the flowers. "I simply wish to have a bunch of Jacob's Ladder and a sperate one of Bupleurum because I have been told they are very lovely flowers."
"Oh, I see." She said a clear note of relief to her voice, before addressing Raven for the second time. "Yes, we have some, how large a bunch would you like?"
"Hm…A medium bunch of each please." Raven told her with a decisive nod.
"Would you like them wrapped or tied?" The shop assistant asked, clearly going into her usual sales routine.
Without the slightest hesitation Raven answered her. "I'd like them tied please, with a purple ribbon if you have that colour."
"Of course." She assured Raven gathering up some of the beautiful lavender shaded blooms, as well as the yellow and tied them together with purple ribbon.
Once the shop assistant had run the sale up, she held the flowers out towards Raven and Apple and asked them politely, but with a touch of fear to her voice. "Is there anything else I can help you both with today?"
"No thank you." Raven assured her, before carefully using her magic to claim the flowers from the shop assistants grasp, while at the same time she paid for the flowers and left the shop with Apple at her side.
The moment they were a respectable distance from the store, Apple did something which was not like her usually when it came to the witch and blew up in furry. "I can't believe how she just behaved! She tried to act like you were there but not there!"
"I hate to tell you this Apple, but that happens quite a lot. I told you before there are a lot of people who fear me simply because of who my mother is…I'm used to that kind of behaviour. It hurts sometimes, but for the most part I simply ignore it and carry on as though it never happened." Raven told her in a gentle voice. She could see that Apple was angry for her and in an odd way it pleased Raven that Apple was actually starting to see the way she was treated by other's as bad, rather than as her lot in life simply because she was supposed to be the next Evil Queen.
"What were the Bupleurum for?" Apple asked with clear curiously.
Blushing slightly Raven answered the question. "I brought them because I am hopeful still that this will be Darling and if it is I shall present her with Bupleurum, it means your love is returned." Trying to turn things onto a more a different track and stop Apple from asking any more embarrassing questions Raven spoke to Apple again. "Do you think I will have more flowers by the time we get back?"
Apple instantly brightened and answered this question. "I hope so. We did get up rather late this morning…We've also been gone a little while now, so that would have given her more time to leave you another bunch of flowers…"
"Unless they are a late riser like us! Then we still might have beaten them to it!" Raven said playfully to Apple, causing the other princess to giggle.
Sure, enough when they arrived back to their room there was another bunch of flowers waiting for Raven. As her magic was occupied holding the Jacob's ladder and Bupleurum, and she didn't want to damage them Raven turned to Apple and asked politely. "Would you mind getting the flowers for me? My, magic is a little tied up with holding these flowers at the moment and I would want to run the risk of damaging ether bunch of flowers."
"Of course!" Apple assured her, before dashing across the room and lifting the flowers carefully from the floor, she moved across the room to were the vases stood and placed them into a vase. Apple cautiously retrieved the note and feathers from the bouquet, she placed the feathers on Raven's desk and then sat on Raven's bed to wait for Raven to be finished with what she was doing with the other flowers.
At the same time as Apple was doing this Raven had walked over to the window, she worked carefully on enchanting the Jacobs Ladder not to wilt and then set them floating in the window just above the window sill so they could be seen clearly from the ground. Once she was happy with her work Raven brought the other flowers across the room, she carefully placed them onto her desk, once more enchanting them to stay fresh. With this also done to her satisfaction Raven went over to where Apple was sitting on her bed and sat down beside her.
Wordlessly Apple presented Raven with the note, Raven accepted the note from her with hands that shook slightly. Gently Apple cupped Raven cupped her hands with her own and said softly, but reassuringly and encouragingly to Raven. "It's going to be fine. Go on."
Raven took a deep breath, nodded to her, Apple withdrew her hands, carefully Raven opened the note and then read it out to Apple. "Iris means hope, forget-me-not represent true love, Anthurium stands for boldness, Ixia means I carry a torch for you, Red rose I am sure you know mean I love you, Mistletoe means I will surmount all obstacles, Bachelor's buttons represent hope in love and Fennel means strength. My Raven. Each time I pass by your room I look up to your window, where I both hope and fear seeing a Jacobs ladder waiting for me. Will you want me and will you love me? I do not know…Yet I hope you shall and I find strength in that hope. I trust my boldness in my last message did not upset you in any way. I cannot seem to help myself when it comes to you, as I find that I carry a torch for you inside me which burns with an intense heat. It tells me to have hope in my love of you, that I love you with all my heart, and as well as this I know that I love you truly. I know this is a strong claim to make within our story book lives, but I make it without fear and alongside it I make another claim, that I will surmount all obstacles in order to see you safe and happy, I will be your hero, even if it means what you live your life not at my side. With all the love in my heart your floral admirer"
There was a short silence after this, before Raven fell back onto her bed, she was blushing brightly, but somehow, she managed to say softly but disjointedly. "True love…My hero…"
"They are right about bold claims…Still it's beautiful and romantic. I can't wait to see who it is…I hope you never need them to rescue you." Apple told Raven earnestly.
"I hope not to." Raven said softly, but uncertainly as she was well aware that her crazy mother could cause issues for her at any time.
The two sat quietly in the room together neither sure what to say now. The message had been deep and profound, there was no denying now that not only did this person want to publicly claim Raven as part of their destiny, they also felt they held true love for her. All of this carried a lot of power and weight in their world and Raven's acceptance or denial of the one behind these words, could make or break not only a destiny and a new story but someone's heart.
