Ok time now for another update in the aftermath series! This chapter's couple is darise and the only reason I mention this now is because I've decided for this story in regards to Daring I'm not going to follow the whole 'beast thing' mostly because been there done that! (See my stories for more info) so I also won't do the next special unless it really needs to be in my story! Now on to the story.
I still own nothing but the plot and my ocs which still doesn't include Rotbart
Revised 8/28/20
Daring Pov
Times were changing very quickly for the Prince known as Daring Charming. From spending most of his life thinking that he would be the prince in the next Snow White story. To realizing that it wasn't really the life he actually wanted himself because being Apple's prince was more so something everyone else seemed to have wanted for him. And now the person who had finally opened his eyes to the rest of the world was…well avoiding him.
It's not as if I had really wanted to try to wake up Apple! I was just the only prince around that would make the most sense! Even though I realized a long time ago that Apple and I are just only meant to be really good friends. I did feel a little guilty when my kiss didn't work but that was because I felt so relieved and now Cerise has been avoiding me ever since.
Daring sighed as he continued to walk down the halls of the school towards his next class, he could understand that Cerise was upset about him trying to wake Apple up. He knows that not everyone was use to the change; but he just couldn't understand why Cerise refused to speak with him. He had hexted her at least fifty times by now, and every time he tried to corner her somewhere she would take off. Why is it that she can run so fast anyway?
Later that day in the enchanted forest
This is it I'm going to get her to talk to me here and now or else I won't ever figure out what is wrong. Daring thinks to himself knowing that Cerise liked to have her lunch outside most days with Carmine this should be the right time to speak with her. Finally there she is!
"Cerise!" Daring shouted as he approaches her finally glad to have her cornered enough so that she couldn't just run away. "I've been trying to call and hext you for days now, why are you avoiding me?"
"What makes you think I'm avoiding you?" Cerise challenged with a brave face though deep down she was hiding her nervousness.
"Oh, well how about the fact that we've gone from hanging out almost every day to…YOU skipping out on bookball practices?! Which I know for a fact that you would never do!" Daring glares back forcefully but then lets out a sigh. "Look I know that kissing Apple has made things awkward but…I really like you Cerise and now that this whole destiny thing is all cleared up we can start working on us now…again I hoped?"
"Daring, I'm sorry but I don't think we can ever be together." Cerise tells him sadly turning away from him.
"But, why not? We know for sure now that I'm not Apple's prince and it's not like I'm going to be jumping to try and get into the next story!" Daring pleas with her grabbing hold of her arms so that she would look at him. "I really like you Cerise…I want to choose you."
"You don't understand Daring!" Cerise proclaims pulling away from him a bit more harshly than she meant to. "There are just some things about me that…it's just not that simple okay."
"Then explain it to me so that I can understand." Daring begs her. "Whatever it is I'm sure we'll get through it and be fine! We just have to work at it!"
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you what it is Daring, you're just going to have to believe me when I tell you that this won't work out." Cerise explains forcefully.
"How can you know that for sure when you're not even giving me the chance to find out this…BIG BAD SERCET?" Daring counters back harshly. "Just give me a reason, one good real reason why you're not willing to even talk about it!"
"Maybe…maybe I don't like you back at all!" Cerise yells at him only to regret her harsh words the minute they came out.
"You're lying?!" Daring nearly stammers back shaking his head at her. "You like me back I know you do, and when you're ready to tell me the truth you know how to reach me." And with that Daring walks back towards the school though a bit more shaken up then he would have thought he'd be. What's happening to us? Why is she trying to push me away like this?
Cerise Pov
Nothing in Cerise's life was ever easy, she always seemed to be going from one challenge to the next but this might have been the hardest…well maybe second hardest challenge she ever had to deal with. Oh Daring, you think you can handle the truth but if you really knew my big bad secret…you'd probably get your crown far away from me. Cerise thinks to herself as she sat back down to her picnic with her pet.
"What do you think Carmine; can Daring Charming really handled this big bad secret?" she asked her pet wolf, to which said wolf pup just shrugged not knowing the answer either. "If only there was a way to know for sure?"
"You could ask the resident counselor, this sounds like something up her alley hext it's why she's here in the first place." Ramona Badwolf suggest while entering the scene.
"Ramona? What are you doing here?" Cerise asked as she watched as her older sister sat down on the blanket.
"Oh you know how it is the café never seems to have enough meat for a hungry bad wolf and knowing that you'd be out here for lunch I figured I'd swing by and grab a turkey leg." Ramona answers opening her sister's basket to grab said leg only to receive a growl as her sister pulls it away from her.
"Oh no you don't Ramona this is mine get your own!" Cerise growls as she glares at her sister.
"Come on Hood, you know better than to fight a hungry wolf." Ramona growls back and the two sisters start fighting for control of the basket.
"I'm just as much of a wolf as you are Ramona so back off!" Cerise yells finally getting control of her basket again. "Just like you are as much of a Hood as me as well, even though no one can ever know about it." Cerise all but whispers the last part of her sentence.
"Wow this whole wolf in Hood's clothing is really gotten you down, you must really like this Prince huh?" Ramona asked for the first time in a while she was concerned for her younger sister.
"I do but, we could never be close to each other not with our family's secret becoming a problem! His family is almost as famous as the White's, which would only bring us attention that we don't need." Cerise explains with a sigh.
"I say go for it, for one our parents took the risk to be with each other; two this whole Royal vs Rebel thing is all but wrapped up anyway and three if any one of us is going to end up a princess it would be you since you're the slowest!" Ramona says with a shrug.
"I'm not the slowest!" Cerise argued.
"Then why do I have your turkey leg!" Ramona says confidently then taking off.
"Hey! Get back here Badwolf!" Cerise growls chasing after her sister.
Later that day
Too bad for Cerise since her sister had ran towards the school and even though she could have easily caught up to her; she couldn't be seen being as fast or faster than a wolf around the other students. Not to mention the fact that my sister is supposed to be my enemy. That was another thing Cerise disliked about her secret, most students could spend time with their siblings and not have any problems but the bad blood between the Hood's and Wolf's ran so deep everyone knew about it in some shape or form so she and her sister could never even be frenemies like Apple and Raven or Briar and Faybelle. No they had to be kept apart as much as possible least someone figure out that they were related never mind the fact that they looked like they are related whenever they were standing next to each other.
I really should come up with a way to figure this out maybe I should talk to Andrea like Ramona suggested. With that Cerise walks the halls towards where she knew the demi-goddess's office would be just in time to run into Apple.
"Apple hey everything alright?" Cerise asked shyly. Of course everything is not alright Apple just lost the only prince charming she has ever knew.
"Hey Cerise, I'm fine mostly but things could be better." Apple answers with a sigh.
"I guess you're still upset that Daring isn't your prince huh?" Cerise asked awkwardly she really didn't want to have this conversation but at the same time Apple was kind of her friend so she should at least be polite.
"No, no I'm not upset about him! I mean looking back on it now I should have realized that I never felt what I should have felt for Daring. I like him as a friend but we wouldn't have lived happily ever after…maybe we'd be able to fool ourselves for a little while but we wouldn't be happy, not like I hope me and Ro-anyway I got to go. Charm you later Cerise." Apple says shaking her head and walking away.
"Later Apple." Cerise calls after the princess. Hmm I wonder who she now wants to live happily ever after with?
Andrea Pov
This whole day I've been just dealing with the student's love life, like why can't they just go to C.A. about these things she is the daughter of Eros. Oh well I doubt Darkest would ever go to her for advice any ways hmm I wonder just how this 'wonderful' plan of his is going to blow up in his face. Oh look the office is changing into the dark forest I bet this is…
"Hey Andrea can I talk to you?" Cerise asked entering the room.
"Cerise I thought it was you what's up?" Andrea asked.
"Well it started like this…" Cerise began to explain.
Twenty minutes later Cerise had finished explaining to the demi-goddess about her issues with Daring while still avoiding mentioning anything about being part wolf.
"There still seems to be a bit of a gap of information here Cerise I mean there really should be no reason why you and Daring shouldn't be together." Andrea says once Cerise finished her story. "Unless of course he has a problem with you being part wolf or something?"
"How did you know that?" Cerise asked with a gasp shocked that Andrea knew her secret.
"Well, if you think about it all signs point to you being half wolf, you're really fast, like to eat meat more than anything else, you and Ramona look alike, you're a waterbender and they are strongest during a full moon…I could go on and on." Andrea proclaims with a shrug.
"I guess it would make sense that you would figure it out you're not from around here so you don't really know about the bad blood between the Hood's and Wolf's like everyone else." Cerise states with a sigh.
"Hmm, maybe but your dad is really hot, I mean if I was the red riding hood when he was the big bad wolf I-" Andrea begins to say only to be interrupted by Cerise.
"Ewww, Andrea please that's my dad come on!" Cerise cringes shaking her head at Andrea.
"Never mind that, just talk to Daring you'd be really surprise to find out how much he really likes you." Andrea tells the half-wolf girl.
"But what if he changes his mind about me?" Cerise asked still feeling unsure about saying anything to Daring.
"Trust me on this Cerise his heart might very well burn for you just give him a chance." Andrea reassured her.
Cerise Pov
Cerise decided to take Andrea's advice and asked Daring to meet her in the enchanted forest later that night so they could talk. Cerise would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that a huge part of herself was very much afraid of what might end up happening to her family if Daring reacted badly. I just got to remember what Ramona told me our parents did take the risk to be together themselves.
"Cerise." Daring announces as he walks towards the girl catching her by surprise she had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard him approach. "Are you ready to really explain yourself?" He might have said it a bit more hostile then he meant to be but he was still kind of upset.
"Yes, but before I begin you have to promise to never ever to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you?" Cerise said looking very serious causing a slight frown to fall on Daring's face.
"I give you my word as a Charming that this conversation stays between us." Daring tells her equally as serious though he was surprise by her tone not realizing that things could be that severe.
Cerise takes a deep breath and then begins her story. "The truth is Daring my secret isn't really just my secret it's my family's and if the wrong person finds out about it we might all be in great danger." She began to explain to him.
"Cerise, whatever it is I promise that I'll protect you and your family from any danger." Daring swear to her.
"You say that now Daring but when you find out the truth you'll-" Cerise begins to reason only to be interrupted by Daring.
"Just tell me what it is." Daring pleaded with her.
"Well you already know my mom is Little Red Riding Hood but what most people don't know is who my father is." Cerise paused for a second to take another deep breath. "My dad is actually the Big Bad Wolf."
"Really but I always thought the Hood's and Wolf's were enemies?!" Daring asked in shock. "How were you even supposed to follow your story I mean Ramona would have to be your sister right?"
"She is my sister, and don't even get me started about the whole following our stories thing. I mean we shouldn't even exist and even thinking about the future is just so tough." Cerise tells him while shaking her head.
"That explains why you're always wearing a hood, those ears at the tea party weren't fake right?" Daring asked after taking in everything that she just told him.
"No those were real, Daring I wasn't kidding when I said that you can't tell anyone about this! If anything were to happen to my family because of this I would never forgive myself." Cerise says forcefully. "I'm taking such a big risk by telling you about all this."
"Of course Cerise, I gave you my word as a Charming and a meant it." Daring proclaims. "So that was why you tried to push me away? There is nothing else we have to work out besides this right?"
"You mean you'd still want to be with me even though I'm half-wolf?" Cerise asked in disbelief. "I'd thought you'd have run off from hearing all this?"
"Of course not Cerise, I like you no matter what. Being half-wolf is part of who you are and I accept this just like I accept that you're a faster runner then me. Which I guess makes more sense now considering." Daring tells her with a shrug while grabbing a hold of her hands. "I wouldn't be very charming if I couldn't accept who you are you know?
"Guess you make a good point there." Cerise says happily. "Thanks, Daring you don't know how much this really means to me."
"Believe me Cerise you don't know how much you mean to me." Daring proclaims to her while lifting her chin up until his lips were inches away from her lips. "But you'll have plenty of time to find out." And with that he closed the gap between them bringing her in for a kiss.
Still not the best chapter but it should do for now! Next Chapter we'll get back to bending and even add some more characters and yes some will be benders so everyone guess what new benders we will have! I do have to warn you readers that I am now back in school trying to get a Psch degree so updates will be slower…even more so sorry! But I will still try to update anytime that I can! Please read and review.
