Dexter was first to enter the throne room of his parents castle, his brother too afraid to make the first appearance.
Dexter was shaking a little, the darker side of his mind whirring out of control about Evilnomics, and Raven, and all that wonderlandiful stuff. He was busting to share with them how amazing his life had become but he knew it could never be.
His parents were sitting on their thrones, not having quite noticed him there yet. His father was reading a long scroll of parchment and his mother was tying off the loose ends of a small tapestry. They were such a perfect couple, and such great rulers. It was a lot to live up to.
He took a deep breath and then nodding to the servant beside him and his sister, they, with daring reluctantly in tow, advanced forward.
The servant spoke up, "Your royal majesties, your sons and daughter have returned!" He bowed and stepped back as the king and queen looked up, smiling at their children.
The king stood up and immediately was met with his daughters embrace, Darling having missed him the most.
"I have so much to tell you about this year!" She said, and then rushed to her mother, "But most of it I need to tell YOU about!" She continued, winking, and the queen responded with a chuckle and a wink back.
"Haha, is that so? Well, go on then ladies! Don't let us keep you waiting!" The king teased, as the women left the room, Darling excitedly reeling off about her encounters with princes and rivals and classes.
The room became stiffer after that with the presence of their cheerful sister gone. The king stood up straight and then folded his hands behind him, as he turned to face his sons, a more serious tone in his voice.
"And from what I hear, the two of you have a LOT to tell ME." He drawled out slowly.
Dexter felt his soul cripple as his father made eye contact with jot just Daring, but him too. Curses, Apple! She had told him what she knew...he was a fool to think it could truly remain a secret.
Daring was on the verge of passing out. His breath was already shallow and he had never sweated this much before in his life. No summer heat could compare. He actually had to take off his crown and wipe his forehead because it kept slipping.
He was chosen to speak with his father first, who motioned to him to follow. "We need to talk in private." He uttered with a hint of disgust in his voice. The thought of what his oldest child had done to disgrace their family name was so much that he was having difficulty maintaining a calm and rational facade.
Daring looked at his brother, who wished him luck mentally, and then shakily followed his father into the next room, far to the other side of where Dexter stood. It was clear that something terrible was about to happen, but knowing his parents, it would just be an elaborate verbal lashing and then some type of humiliating form of manual labor to follow.
He decided it was best to not eavesdrop. He was afraid to get a taste of what was in for him next.
XxXxXxX
Cerise took a deep and blissful breath as she entered her home for the first time in so long. Her dad was home, with his brother, the big bad wolf of the three little pigs story, and her cousins as well as a few more relatives that she could sense upstairs. Her mother was the first to see her, a large oven tray of sweets and meat pies all together in her hands.
She almost dropped the platter, and then excitedly grinned as her nieces and nephews padded excitedly from the other room to greet her.
"Cerise! You're home very early!" Red said, setting down the platter and taking off her ovenmits. "Not as early as Clawrence's kids. They've already eaten, and are upstairs." She motioned to the upper recreational room.
"But still, you can't have run all this way in such a short time, could you have?" She placed her hands on her hips.
Her dad walked him, his thundering laugh filling the air with a sinister and yet warm mood, "It's those impressive legs, sweetpie! She's been practicing all year, the pack tells me." He boasted, gripping her up in one swift motion, crushing her affectionately.
"Ah! Dad, I can't breathe!" Cerise muttered, but returned the embrace. "I missed you so much this term. Things have been really crazy back at school lately." She added.
He stood up and set her down, a stern look in his eye, as he began to huff an puff, "Those spoiled rich kids been bothering you?" He asked, "Oh, those little royal pests.. If I wasn't sick still, I'd-"
He took a look at the youngest of the pups in the room and then after a look from his wife he decided not to elaborate any further. His brother chortled as his expense, earning a growl.
Cerise shrugged and then whispered to him, "I'll talk to you about it later."
Red began to set the table and asked Cerise to help. The whole pack/family sat down and as they ate, the pups began to pester Cerise like fleas.
"Cerise, where did you get those fancy shoes from? They look like they're bad for running in!" One commented peeking at her custom made high heeled sneakers. Daring had actually paid for them, and specially designed for her. She had been very touched and amazed by the action, but remember to assure him that she wasn't in it for the money.
"A friend got them for me." She replied. Half truths were a good way to evade their lie detector noses.
"How fast can you run now? Do you wanna race me after dinner? Do you?" One blurted out, who then got into an argument with her brother about which one of them was faster.
Cerise rolled her eyes and then continued to eat, when suddenly one of her cousins asked, "Cerise, did you meet any cute boys when you were at school?"
The rest of her cousins stopped bickering and then looked at her intensely.
He felt as red as her cloak, and looked around suddenly. The eyes of the grown ups were also on her as she hesitated to reply.
Her dad folded his arms and began to huff and puff again, "Oh, in a school full of princes there are plenty of 'cute' ones, but Cerise is looking for someone with more of a backbone than those flower picking goody two-shoes noodles. Aren't you sweetie?" He asked her.
There was more silence and she still failed to respond. She hummed and the began to prod her meat pie into pieces as she contemplated breaking the news. Rebellion wasn't a big deal in her family, obviously, but still. How the heck was she supposed to tell them that she had more or less stolen the biggest, sissiest, pretty boy in all of ever after? It was too much.
Red placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, everybody let's just leave her alone on that one. We will just have to leave that for another time...?" She looked to her husband and then to Cerise.
Cerise nodded and then the family continued to eat, but she was full.
After dinner she tried to get away, hoping that they would all just miraculously forget when suddenly her cousin Clawdeen appeared behind her.
"You got some boy issues?" She asked quietly, "you can talk to me about it before your dad decides to blow somebody's house down, if you like..." She offered.
Cerise hummed and then grabbed her by the hand, and motioned to go upstairs. Clawdeen silently followed her up, and they reached their shared room. After closing the door and then letting out a huge breath of relief she began to speak again.
"Wow! Leave to Howleen to bring up boys and dating! Argh, trust me, that is the absolute last thing I wanted to talk about." She whispered.
She flopped down across her bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Something bad happen?" Clawdeen asked sitting down next to her, "I don't know much about you fairy tale characters, but I gotta say, if your HUMAN cousin, Sparrow, is any example.."
They both stuck their tongues out and made vomit noises, having equally high dislikes for their shared cousin of criminal(ly annoying) fame.
They both laughed and then cerise sat up, "No, don't worry, he's a really nice guy. He's...well, he's almost perfect...except for the fact that he's in love with himself almost half as much as he loves me, but that's typical a for a prince." She said before thinking. She covered her mouth and stared wide eyed at her cousin, whose jaw hung open.
"Wait, hold up a minute, did you just say 'prince'?" She asked, grinning widely, a hand on her hip.
Cerise nodded, and Clawdeen laughed, "Seriously, girl, the one thing your dad hates more than anything, and you're dating one?"
Cerise looked down and folded her hands, "Well, it's not like I can just control who I love! It doesn't work that way...and he's been put through hex just to be with me. I know dad will take one look at him and just be disappointed."
She flipped her hood over her head and curled up, "but I don't care if he's some..rich, spoiled pretty boy. He's proven himself in my books."
Clawdeen hummed, unsure, "Cerise, you know, you don't have to stay with a guy if its going to mess with your family."
Cerise groaned a little, "yeah, yeah, I know, but do you honestly think that my PARENTS thought that way when they had me?" She jabbed her thumb to her chest.
"Yeah, you've for a point there." She admitted.
"They're being total hypocrites. They're just scared that if anyone gets close to me that their secret will spill out all over the upper class and then our lives will be ruined." She growled.
"Oh, I think it's more than that, Cerise. They just are worried about your future. All good parents are pains in the tail when it comes to this...which is why I like to stay solo, personally.
"Daring is more than just some Prince Charming. He's like...made for me." She grasped at the air, trying to find another way to explain it and not sound so silly, but none would come.
Clawdeen smiled softly and the shrugged, wondering why people get so caught up in issues like this. "Well, on the other hand I suppose, people like you and, my brother, for example shouldn't be so worried about what others think. If he's good to you then you should enjoy it while it lasts."
"Wait, who's Clawd dating?" Cerise asked suddenly.
Clawdeen smirked, "oh, no one really... Just, A VAMPIRE, you know, the usual" she replied.
Cerise gaped.
"Yep, her name is Draculaura. You know, the daughter of Dracula? They've been going steady for years now."
Cerise grinned, "Wow, if something like a werewolf/vampire relationship can happen then why the heck am I worrying about dating a prince?" She cried silently.
Clawdeen laughed and then asked, "Speaking of princes and all that, I bet he's got some scary cool fashion connections! Tell me for REAL now, where did you get those SHOES?" She said, gushing over the unique design.
Feeling a whole lot more relieved, the two wolves spent the rest of the night talking fashion and school, and by the time she had to tell her parents the news, she was ready for anything that came afterwards.
XxXxXxX