"Welcome to Just Right, the only web series for the truth. I'm your host, Marigold Lockes." Marigold smiled in front of the camera. "Now we all know the disaster that happened that fateful day, but for those who have been living under a rock, here's the rundown. Ambrosia White, daughter of Snow White and future heir to the White kingdom, was the first of her class to pledge her destiny…but instead of her true destiny, the storybook of legends showed her as the future Evil Queen." She gasped, "Now a few days after canceled Legacy Day, Headmaster Grimm still has no answers and we still do not know why it showed her such a drastic twist in the story. I am here with Valiant Charming, Ambrosia White's fated Prince Charming, tell us what are your thoughts on the event in question?"
Valiant shrugged his shoulders. He had been reading in the library when Ashton "I haven't spoken to Ambrosia in a while, but she was devastated by it. She was born to be Snow White and it breaks many hearts in the school to see her so distraught over it."
"I'm not asking what she thinks, I'm asking what Valiant Charming thinks."
"Well, to me it means that the stories are changing, it's not going to be the same old song and dance we grew up believing and…maybe that's for the best."
The screen changed to Marigold trying to sneak up on an unaware Remus in the woods.
"Remus Badwolf, as one of the few twisted descendants of both the Big Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood, hero and villain, wh-"
"No comment." Okay so he wasn't as unaware as Marigold thought.
"But surely you could say some-"
"Unless you want to be chewed on like the toothpick you are, you will leave me out of your stupid video." His eyes glowed an eerie yellow and he bared his teeth at the two newscasters.
The next and more successful interview showed Estelle Goodfairy working on a fashion project in her dorm. Though it couldn't even be called that as it was just one of those dresses you could find at the general store with a large amount of glitter on it.
"If you ask me, something must be wrong with the book, because Ambrosia White is the nicest princess I have ever met and deserves to be the next Snow White."
The screen switched to Narcissa Thorn who scoffed.
"Ambrosia White got what she deserved, she was a brat and I know a whole lot of people who will back me up on that."
The screen turned over to Talon Queen, who looked nervous in the chair as the camera was focused on him. He had been caught in the library doing some research on the Storybook of Legends. He avoided direct eye contact even with Sunny Dumpty who filmed from the other side of the camera.
"As the prince who was once thought to be the next Evil King, how do you feel about Ambrosia White having your destiny?"
"Well…I-" He dashed off, taking off and leaving nothing but an empty chair behind.
"Hey!" The camera moved to follow him but he was already gone.
Finally the last interview was with Demure Charming, Marigold couldn't get Ambrosia since she refused to come out of her room or be interviewed, no one had seen her in days. The blonde haired girl had been reluctant to be interviewed as she wasn't the type to be on camera, it was more of her sister's thing. But after some convincing, she agreed for a few minutes.
"Demure Charming, your sister's destiny has put all of us into a shock, but how is the family taking it?"
"Well both my mom and dad went to Headmaster Grimm's office so that was more of a shock than the actual reveal."
"How so?"
"My dad is always traveling." She phrased her words carefully, just as her parents taught her "So for him to be in the same room as my mother in months, it was definitely unexpected."
"What are your thoughts about Legacy Day?"
"Honestly, I'm relieved." She smiled, but it was one she used for paparazzi and cameras, "All my life my sister was always treated like she was the best, like she was put on a pedestal high above everyone else because of her destiny, and this may be the wake up call she needs to get her life together. Who knows? Maybe she'll have the chance to be Snow White again."
Ambrosia White paused the video on her sister's face. The once poised and proper princess stared at the video, rewinding back until she got to a certain part. She stopped on Talon and she replayed his part several times. She remembered when her mother and father barged into Headmaster Grimm's office with her sobbing in tow.
"It's the Queen's fault!" Her mother had shouted, "If Raven had given birth to a real queen, then none of this would have happened!"
Her mother was right, she was always right. This wasn't her fault, there was nothing wrong with her, she was perfect-
No, she is the perfect Snow White.
It was Talon Queen's fault.
He was supposed to be the Evil Queen of her story, he was supposed to poison her and she would've lived happily ever after in her kingdom with Valiant Charming. But now? Everyone looked at her like she had the plague, her prince charming couldn't look her in the eye, and she still had no answers even when Headmaster Grimm was berated by her mother.
It was all his fault, not hers. Ambrosia was never wrong, she was perfect, the perfect fairy tale princess for all to love and adore.
With reclaimed confidence, she went over to her vanity, took out her make up kit, and found the red lipstick she always loved to wear.
Ambrosia popped her glossed lips together, "You are the fairest in all of Ever After and no evil queen is going to snatch that from you."
The smell of ash and burning corpses almost made Primrose vomit.
She couldn't see anything, her vision entirely black, as if she was being blindfolded. Primrose could feel someone holding her hand tightly as if they were afraid to let it go.
"We need to go now!" That was Narcissa's voice, the princess recognized it anywhere.
"What? Why?! What's going on?!"
"No time, just keep running!" She heard the sound of whizzing arrows and the thunk of hitting metal.
"Keep your heads down!" Another voice, one she couldn't recognize, not Narcissa, but a young man's voice.
"We're almost there!" This voice was muffled as if their mouth was being covered by something. Yet it sounded familiar, she just couldn't figure out where.
There was also the sound of crackling fire. Flame, burning and blistering as she inhaled the smoke and ashes. In the distance, she could hear roaring, like a large animal or beast.
"In here!" She heard footsteps as a door closed shut behind her.
Primrose winced as the scraping of furniture being moved went into her ears,"There now they won't be able to get in easily."
"I don't understand what happened?!" Primrose's body was shaking and she thought she was going to throw up.
"I know, you're scared, Primmy." She felt someone, most likely Narcissa, gently held her hands, "The plan went wrong, we were ambushed. It wasn't your fault."
"There has to be a spy among our ranks."
"The others should be okay. They've gotten worse scraps than this. We need to find the target, start searching fast."
"Everything seems stressful right now, but we can't forget why we are here." Narcissa hugged her. She breathed in the scent of oak, pine, and magic coming from her.
"Found it!"
"By order of the Queen, open this door right now!" Banging against the door started.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Now would be a good time, Talon!" Talon? As in the future evil king?
Bang! Bang! BAM!
Primrose felt a sharp tug on her elbow as she was taken from Narcissa. She winced as a sharp yet light pain crossed her neck. It was cold and sharp.
"Don't hurt her!"
"Talon, do it now!"
"—-, I wish…"
Before she could stop it, a deeper pain went across her neck and she could feel a liquid ooze down her neck. It was sticky and smelled like iron. Her voice was cut off, she tried to scream, shout, but all she could do was let out a gurgle.
Then it stuck her, it was blood, her blood.
"You bastard! Primrose!" She heard the anguished and furious cry of Narcissa. She had never heard the dark fairy so angry before.
"Prim! Primmy!" The young sleeping beauty heard the voice of the dark fairy calling out to her.
"Narcissa?" She fluttered her eyes open, "What happened?" She could feel something wet on her face, had she been crying? Narcissa never cried, not even when she bruised herself as a child.
She was still in her Legacy day dress, the light pink roses and black thorns made her look eternally beautiful. She wasn't in the ancestral bed of the sleeping beauties before her, instead she was in a simple hospital bed.
"Oh, thank the fates!" The fairy hugged her, "You fell asleep during legacy day and you hadn't woken up in days."
Days? That couldn't be right. She was supposed to sign, why hadn't anyone woke her up?
"What about legacy day? The signing? Did I miss it?"
At that, Narcissa frowned, "Something happened and Legacy Day had been postponed at least that's what the headmaster said."
"What happened? Does it have to do with our destinies?"
Narcissa shook her head, "It-it was Ambrosia. She's destined to be the evil Queen."
"What? You have to be kidding. Ambrosia could never be the evil Queen, she's far too kind. It must be a mistake."
Narcissa was about to say something snarky, but Prim would just object to it. Primrose was still Ambrosia's friend, even though she treated her poorly. Instead she shrugged, "Well, that's what the storybook said and the headmaster hasn't come out in days."
"But what about our stor-"
"Primrose!" Briar Beauty came running into the room and the girl was being suffocated into a bear hug by her mother. "Oh, honey I was so worried!"
"I'm okay, mom. It was just another nap, that's all." She waved it off, though in her mind, the princess was worried. Her sleeping spells were getting longer, becoming deeper.
She never had such a vivid dream before, she even clutched at her neck to make sure there was no blood.
Primrose looked in the mirror and saw a sight that made her eyes widened.
On her neck was a thin line, it was faint but she knew what it was.
It was similar to a scar that a dagger could make after slashing a throat.
"Oh, we're back?" Matcha Hatter-Cheshire-Hearts took a sip of his tea. "Took you awhile, Narrator."
"Yes, yes, it was getting quite boring without you here. It felt like months of boredom." Chamomile yawned as he used his tail to snatch a sandwich off the metal platter.
The narrator will neither confirm nor deny she was under a bad case of bad writer's block.
"Ignore them. I, for one, am glad for some sane company." Antionette gave a small smile as she typed on her phone.
"Yes, especially with your roommate going…" The cat eyed wonderlandian imitated a straitjacket strapped to him and made his neck go crooked with a crrk sound.
The Narrator assumed that Wonderland liked craziness, they celebrated in madness, surely this amuses them?
"There's wonderland crazy and then there's pulling out a knife crazy." Matcha stirred his teacup with a spoon. "You were lucky to get a roommate transfer as soon as possible, who knows what she would've done if you stayed any longer?"
And what of the Wonderlandians? What's their stance on this destiny debacle?
Matcha shrugged, "Stories change over time. They can be rewritten, crossed out, and even redrafted. The original author, the man with the mouse, then there is the dark and dreary director. Seasons change so do people. Wonderland never bought into this whole destiny nonsense."
The smiling boy rolled his eyes, "Good? Evil? It's all shades of color. Each has a part to play, sure, but forcing a person to go against their nature, that's true evil."
"Many roads divert across the land, some may end at the same destination while others pass onto alternative routes."
"Well said, sister." They clicked their cups together. "May what comes next lead us down drifting paths of madness and endless possibilities."
The triplets clicked their respective cups together in a cheer.
To whatever comes next, indeed.
Author's Note: *TV announcer voice* And we're back, folks! Another chapter of The Class of Future Tales is up by popular demand!
Between finishing up finals, getting a job for the summer, and regaining the energy to write, it has been a whirlwind of a few months. I hope all of you enjoy this latest chapter.
Favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated! They make my day!
Until next time,
FallenFairy20