Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: So the opening scene of this story is... smut? Almost smut? Kind of smut? Sometimes I wonder what goes on in my sister-in-law's head, and then I remind myself that I don't really want to know. Written: 2015, Found: 2018- Licia
Mika leaned against the doorway, watching as Raven rushed down the steps towards the car as her friends got out. Mira, Raven's best friend and adviser, stood not far from the prince, hands folded behind her back, watching with a small smile as her best friend finally reached the car.
"Raven!"
Cerise was the first one she engulfed in a hug, letting out a squeal of excitement once her arms went around the wolf-girl's shoulders. "Oh, I'm so glad you finally made it!"
The others each were soon also engulfed in Raven's embrace, even Hunter, Ashlynn's boyfriend of two years. He accepted the hug; having grown quite fond of Raven during her semester at Ever After High, he had begun to count the young queen among his friends by the time finals rolled around. Eventually, she pulled away, taking each of them in in turn. Even though barely a week had passed since she'd last seen them, subtle changes had taken place among her friends-
Cerise's hair had gotten longer, her hearing becoming more finely tuned, similar to the Big Bad Wolf's; though not a real girl, the grains in Cedar's wood seemed to have smoothed out a little more, and Aada's smattering of freckles had slowly begun to vanish. Nicola seemed to have come out of her shell a bit more, and Briar seemed a little more subdued, while Darling was looking a little more toned and refined, as though she'd been practicing on her own. And Ashlynn and Hunter seemed happy, holding tight to each other's hands.
"Come on, I'll show you to your rooms." She caught Mika's gaze as she passed, Mira falling into step beside her.
Once the others were settled in their rooms and unpacking- for they were all staying until the last day of the first week of the new year- Raven and Mira headed to the sitting room. She felt Mika fall into step on her other side, in a common sight seen in the halls of Rednaria palace nowadays, what with Raven and Mika's wedding fast approaching.
"The others are all here, waiting to greet you two. Are you sure you wouldn't rather catch up in the North Wing sitting room? It's got much more space." Raven waved it away, wrinkling her nose, the amethyst stud she'd received on her eighteenth birthday winking in the light.
"The south wing is fine. It's where we receive most of-"
"And then there's the matter of your classmates-" Mira stated, and Raven rolled her eyes. "Aren't you concerned they'll feel out of place among the rest of the royal houses?"
"They come from Ever After, Mira." Mika spoke up, and the adviser rolled her eyes. As much as she loved Raven, and as much as she knew Raven loved Mika, there were times when the prince just flat-out irritated her- stating the obvious simply to get on her nerves, like he was doing now. She glared at him, and Mika returned it, prompting Raven to stop and blow in both their faces.
"The fact that I have to use a silencing charm on both of you is ridiculous. I said it the night of my birthday, and I'll say it again. The last thing I want to deal with is my best friend and my husband- pagan marriage or not- to spend the day bickering. I am not going to play referee. Now get along, please? For my sake." And without another word, she opened the door to the sitting room, slipping inside. The two shared glances before following.
Once the others were unpacked, they all headed down the hall, towards the sitting room, where Raven told them to meet her once they were settled. Hunter reached for the door and then stopped when it opened, and a young maid exited, carrying a tray. "Oh! You must be Miss Ravenna's friends from school." They nodded. "Go on in. She's expecting you."
Laughter met them on the other side of the door; the sitting room was huge, big enough to hold at least sixty or seventy people, with bookshelves and a fireplace that roared in the late afternoon. Scattered about were various people- that they all recognized from the ball for Raven's birthday the month before. The same maid returned, carrying a fresh tray of champagne, which she offered to the students. A moment passed, before Darling, ever the daring one, took a glass, whispering her thanks. Slowly, the others followed suit, before trickling to free spots to sit or stand, falling into conversation with the others in the room as they did so. Many of the younger royals remembered the teenagers from the ball and welcomed them with warm smiles and an occasional hug.
Raven and Mika were sitting on the sofa, Raven's legs draped over Mika's lap, one hand resting on her knee; the pair were engaged in deep conversation with Cleon, the twenty-year-old Crown Prince of Vispen. With his red hair and green eyes, he could have passed for Ashlynn's twin. Suddenly, all other conversation quieted down as Cleo- as Raven affectionately called him- spoke up.
"Frankly, Mikalos, I think you've settled yourself too soon."
Mika raised an eyebrow, taking a cracker from a plate on the table and taking a bite. "And how is that?" T
The younger prince shrugged. "Limiting yourself to one woman- no offense, Raven- no matter how phenomenal she is or how long you've known her- again, no offense, Raven- is like limiting yourself to one particular weapon to fight with. Wouldn't it be better to be well-rounded in all forms of weaponry before finding the one you want to use on the battlefield."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Did you just compare me to weaponry, Cleo?" The prince blushed, quickly sipping his drink.
"See, that's where you're wrong, Cleon. It's not possible to limit yourself to a single weapon, because you have to be well-schooled in all of them. And as for one woman," He glanced at Raven. "I couldn't be happier with only one. She's the best thing to ever happen to me, and I wouldn't trade her for all the apples in Ever After." A small smile tugged at Raven's lips, and she leaned forward, kissing him softly.
"I agree with Mikalos." Every head turned to Darling, who had taken a seat by the fire, her champagne glass in her hands. "In order to be a well-rounded fighter of any kind, one has to know every weapon out there, so that they can be prepared for anything." Mika raised his glass at the girl, who grinned, lifting her chin in pride.
"Here, here!"
"And since when is one woman a bad thing?" Hunter asked, now intrigued by the debate. "Men have settled for one woman for centuries, why change now?"
"You forgot Hunter, that Cleo here is going to be a perpetual bachelor for the rest of his life." Raven replied, sipping her champagne. Cleon made a face at her, and Raven returned it with a laugh.
"If we're to be honest with ourselves, then every dynasty here was started by one man and one woman." Petlier, the oldest of Andorilia's twin princes spoke up. Aada, who had seemed to develop a slight crush on the seventeen-year-old at the ball, blushed when he turned his grey gaze to her.
"So what about fairy tales?" Cerise asked, and the entire sitting room fell silent. She'd accepted a glass and then slunk off to the shadows to stand by Mira and observe, as she was used to doing at school- or, had been, until Raven came along. The redheaded adviser simply raised an eyebrow, before understanding and sipping her own champagne. She wasn't necessarily uncomfortable with these kind of functions, but she was so used to standing back and taking in every little detail, that it had become habit. She glanced at the young red-cloaked woman, furrowing a brow
It was evident that the children of the other royals houses believed as Raven and Mika did- that fairy tales were simply stories to be read to children. As she looked upon the teenage and young adult children of the Seven Kingdoms, she realized that none of them knew the proper thing to say, for they'd never faced such a question before- not even Raven. "If fairy tales are 'dynasties' as you call them, then what about a fairy tale that breaks the rules?"
"Where the heroine falls in love with the Big Bad Wolf, perhaps?" Raven asked, removing her legs from Mika's lap and curling into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Not possible. Fairy tales are just stories, for one. And for another, if that were to happen-" Aqiztar, the oldest of the children of Minlex stopped, her voice as soft as silk. She wasn't sure. Cerise glanced at Raven, setting her champagne glass down and reaching for the ends of her hood.
"Cerise, what are you doing?" Raven whispered, catching her friend's gaze.
Cerise slowly lowered her hood, releasing a nervous breath. "Seriously. You're all royal, all rulers or will be rulers some day. If, hypothetically speaking, fairy tales are 'dynasties', then what would happen if one broke the rules? Like Raven said, say it was Little Red Riding Hood, and she married the Big Bad Wolf?"