Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2015, Found: 2018- Licia

The pair quietly slipped out of the tent not long after, fully dressed once more and clutching tight to the sheets. Everyone watched in silence as the pair carried the sheet between them, heading for the bonfire. Without a word, they tossed the sheet onto the flames; Raven giggled softly, before Mika pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The last offering to the Goddess had been made, which meant they could focus on enjoying the rest of the night with their guests, enjoying their reception. Once they pulled apart, he turned to the guests. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

From then on, it was simply a reception, a party to celebrate the marriage of the young Marberly queen to her prince. Food was eaten, toasts were given, cake cut and music started. At one point, Raven allowed Mika to pull her into his arms on the dance floor, and she laughed as he lifted her up, spinning her around before setting her back on her feet. He gently brushed a loose strand off her cheek, pulling her close and kissing her temple as they swayed softly to the music, his arms going around her waist, as she rested her head against his shoulder, her arms sliding around his neck.

Petlier had pulled Aada onto the dance floor, and Hunter and Ashlynn soon joined the other couples. Nicola was deep in conversation with Aqiztar and Darling, and Cedar had wandered off to chat with Mira. Briar was out on the dance floor with Petlier's brother, which left Cerise by herself, of which she was fine with. "You look about as thrilled to be here as Raven does when she's in meeting with her advisers."

The wolf-child turned, surprised to find Veryu making his way towards her, two glasses of champagne in his hands, one of which he held out to her. She accepted it after only a moment's hesitation. "I... don't do parties. Or weddings."

"Don't worry, you aren't the only one. Your secret's safe with me." She blushed, and he chuckled softly. They sat in silence for several minutes, gazes locked on Raven and Mika, who seemed to sharing an intimate conversation as they swayed back and forth on the dance floor. "They certainly make a beautiful couple." Cerise nodded, sipping her drink. "The children she bears will be the luckiest in all the Seven Kingdoms."

"Why?"

He met her gaze. "Because they'll have Ravenna and Mikalos as their parents." Cerise nodded once. "They're devoted to each other, and that devotion will carry over to their children."

"Oh." The young prince glanced at her, drinking in her profile. She'd done her best to cover her ears without putting the hood of her cloak up; it didn't help that Raven had taken her cloak away, insisting that she wasn't going to have one of her best friends hide behind fabric the entire night. It was her wedding, and she wanted her friends to enjoy the reception, no matter how they looked.

"Why do you hide them?" She stopped, mid-sip, turning to him. "Your ears. Why do you hide them?"

Slowly, she lowered the flute, licking her lips. "Because I'm a freak of nature." She whispered, the words that had been bouncing around in her head for years finally escaping through her mouth. The prince furrowed a brow, before he reached out, brushing her hair behind her ear, fingers gently trailing along the edge. She let her eyes close, as a soft sigh escaped her throat.

"You're not a freak of nature, Miss Hood. You're a normal girl; you simply have a few quirks that make you more unique than most."

Her eyes opened, and she met his gaze. "Cerise. My name is Cerise." He nodded, giving her a small smile.

"I'll make sure to remember that." They stood together, gazes locked, until a voice interrupted them.

"Cerise!" She turned, as Hunter and the girls rushed towards them. "Have you seen Raven and Mika?" A moment passed, before she pointed to the dance floor.

"Last I saw, they were-" It was evident now that the pair were no longer dancing; at some point, while no one was looking, they'd slipped away. The question was, where too?

"Crap. How are we going to give it to them now if we can't find them?" Briar asked, running a hand through her curls.

"Give what?"

"It... it's a gift. It took us the entire time during finals to get everything ready, but we finally managed-" The future Sleeping Beauty stopped, suddenly very aware that it wasn't Veryu who'd spoken, and she whipped around, to find Raven and Mika standing behind her, flutes of champagne in their hands. Mika's arm was wrapped loosely around Raven's waist, and she leaned into his side. A smile of relief crossed Briar's features. "We have something for you."

The couple shared a glance, confusion crossing their faces as they watched Briar dig around in the small handbag she held on her wrist. A moment passed before she finally pulled out a scroll; it was tied with a red ribbon, as though it'd been rolled up and tied just the hour before. She held it out to Raven, who glanced at her husband and then handed him her glass, taking the scroll. Slowly, the other royal children gathered around, curious as to the scene unfolding before them at the reception.

"What is it?" Raven shook her head at her husband's question as she gently tugged the ribbon off.

"I don't-" She unrolled it, feeling him pull her closer as he read silently over her shoulder. "It's a... petition?" A moment passed, before Raven's voice rang out loud and clear, silencing all in attendance, who turned to listen. "'By personal request, we, the student body of the boarding school of Ever After High, feel it is impertinent that one of our most beloved professors was removed from the school at the demand of a single student, that of Apple White. We believe that it is within our best interests, as well as the interests of the generations that come after us, and is therefore of the utmost importance, that Professor Mikalos, Prince of Palmarneae, be returned to the post that he had so graciously and humbly held for the last six years- being that of our Hero Training professor. The lessons Professor Mikalos teaches are more than just the proper ways to face an opponent in combat; they are how to accept a challenge with grace and humility, that to show weakness is to show the truest part of yourself, and that, no matter the station in life, everyone is deserving of the chance to follow their own path, and that they may do so with courage and the true strength of the strongest warrior. We thereby humbly request that Professor Mikalos be allowed to return to Ever After High, to return as our Hero Training instructor, and as a beloved member of the school faculty. So says we, the undersigned, students of the Ever After High boarding school.'"

Raven's gaze scanned down the list of signatures, many of whom she recognized. There had to be at least a thousand, if not more- "You did this?" Mika asked, meeting the students' gazes. "For me?"

They nodded. "Why?" Raven whispered, tearing her gaze from the signatures to meet her friends' eyes.

"Because Professor Mikalos belongs at Ever After High, almost as much as you do, Raven, if not more." Briar replied, as Cerise glanced at Veryu, and then turned back to her friend. "It's not fair that you get to finish out your year, and Professor Mikalos doesn't."

"Everyone on campus signed it- well, almost everyone. There may have been one or two holdouts." She admitted, and Raven had a feeling she knew who Cerise was referencing.

"Most of the teachers signed it, too." Nicola added, and Raven returned her gaze to the list, spotting Mr. Bad Wolf, Coach Gingerbreadman, and Madame Yaga among the names, as well as several other professors she recognized.

"We sent it to the school board on Friday, after finals got out. We should hear whether or not it was a success, next week." Hunter said, sliding a hand into Ashlynn's.

"You're our professor." Aada spoke up. "Even if we don't take class from you, you're still our professor."

"You being married to Raven doesn't change that." Cedar's soft voice added, as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"And it's not right, that Headmaster Grimm just dismissed you like that. Especially considering he did so on Apple White's orders." Darling grimaced. She'd always had a low opinion of Apple, but upon discovering what she'd done to Mika and Raven, that opinion had gone through the dirt and into the center of the planet, and not even the nicest of fairies could summon it back.

"You've done a lot of good for Ever After High, Professor Mikalos." Ashlynn informed them, squeezing Hunter's hand with a glance. "You and Raven taught us that destiny is not set in stone, that we can choose who we want to be, not who our parents want us to be. You taught us that we don't have to follow the pages out of some storybook. We can find our own happily-ever-afters, like you and Raven have."