A/n: For the benefit of this story some things will diverge from the books and from the show, but mostly from the books (seeing as how at my age I can't justify having these books around my house, but my online research and the feedback from you guys has mostly helped me out with that) seeing as how there are just certain things that… don't make sense to me, or in the ever expanding, complicated world of Ever After, I just can't keep up with all the new stuff most of the time (shrugs). Well this is fanfiction so as long as my head-cannons continue to be interesting and I am able to do research, I think I might be able to pull these types of things off.
As for Duchess, her character by itself makes it a little difficult for me to identify with her, so I'm adding my own spin to her backstory that most likely does not completely coincide with the actual cannon character's backstory, but will make her more useful to the development of plot and conflicts.
XXX
"You think that your grandmother, the former Evil Queen, and the Headmaster used to go out back when they were in school?" Apple giggled into her hands.
"I'll have you know that I find the notion highly disturbing." Raven grumbled from her seat in the special padded chair that held her still as her blood was being filtered. And raven did find very idea of the headmaster being romantically involved with anybody, let alone her grandmother very disturbing.
At least the subject made Apple smile, something the princess hadn't done since last night when Raven had told her an edited version of what was going on (she left out the bit about the Evil Queen, and the fact that her grandmother, as it turned out, had been suffering from the same micro-talismans as Raven was) and the blonde's mood seemed to drop further still when she had shown up to keep Raven company while she was having her procedure (although Raven would admit that she wasn't exactly the prettiest of pictures while she was completely leaned back in the chair with her bodily fluids being circulated above her, the witch was rather surprised that the princess didn't faint).
"How are you feeling?" Apple asked sobering a little.
"A little disturbed, I would call my grandmother up to complain but I'm pretty sure that'll end up backfiring on me in the end." Raven grumbled, doing her best not to think about her grandmother and the Headmaster together (because ewww).
"I'm talking about your overall health Raven." Apple huffed amused.
"Oh." Raven stared up at the plastic tubing and the box over her head. "I'm guess I'm a little disturbed by the process, but I'm just… words can't describe how happy I am knowing that it wasn't my genetics that was making my magic evil and that these cursed talismans are being extracted out of me. It's like I'm regaining back my identity, a part of who I am."
Raven sees a flash of guilt cross Apple's face out of the corner of her eye (it was difficult to see the other's face while she was leaning back in the chair) but it was soon covered with the princess's signature smile, the one she reserved for public events, and when she tried to lecture a small group of Rebels every so often… Apple's fake smile.
"I'm glad that you're feeling that way." The princess said kindly, all emotion hidden under a Royal mask (the same mask most born into royalty knew how to wear) that Raven always had difficulty reading, making the witch wonder whether she was speaking to the side of the blonde that was her friend Apple or merely the personality manifestation of the perfect royal that Apple was training to be.
XXX
"What is up with you and this thing you've got going with Raven?" Duchess demanded as she stormed into the fairy's dorm without knocking.
"Hello to you too Duchess." Faybelle drawled, not even bothering to look up as she put her school supplies away. "Did I hear you right when you said that you suspect that I've got a thing with Raven Queen?"
"You haven't been snarling about the ruckus she caused with her actions over the weekend, you actually took the time to help her, hide her, you even went up against Apple White in a verbal smack down over her, what is going on?" The dancer demanded, Faybelle detecting a hint of worry under all the disgust and bravado.
"And due to my generous efforts I came away with all three prizes from the villain competition, the prize I won at that animal competition when Raven was my pet, elevated respect amongst my peers as a true evil villain, a very effective means to get under Apple White's skin, and… an unexpected ally in the form of one Raven Queen who now owes me personal favors." Faybelle listed nonchalantly as she took out her phone and tapped its screen.
Duchess startled when her phone rang, her eyebrows raised up high when she took it out to find that Faybelle had just sent her the picture she had taken of the perfect Apple White snarling like an enraged animal.
"All in all a fruitful weekend, don't you agree?" Faybelle asked her friend coyly. "I know that you'll appreciate the picture, do you not?"
"Is this a new thing for you?" Duchess asked slightly mollified. "You being… merciful towards Raven?"
"Yes." Faybelle did not hesitate to admit. "Don't get me wrong, I still don't approve of that Rebel cause of hers but… it has become clear to me that she is hardly a threat to my title or my family, and since she has proven to be so very useful to me on many levels I intend to tentatively begin to keep her close. Mark her as mine if you will, and in return for my mercy upon her she may very well help me achieve my goal to become the Evilest Fairy in history."
"Are you sure that going about it like this is really the right thing to do?" Duchess asked skeptically. "I mean, this is Raven Queen we're talking about here, she's… well aside from the whole Rebel thing she's basically Apple's little pet, and she allows Apple to treat her that way, surely there are other people who have more respect for themselves and who would make far more willing allies for you."
"Ah but she is useful, she's just about the one person in the world that can help my family get back at her mother for her crimes against us, and just as importantly she tends to side more to the school of logic over tradition. This is very useful to me because she is willing to help me in my endeavors as long as I use logic as my choice weapon to convince her, within goody-two-shoes reason, to take part in certain schemes that'll help make her appear more like a fair maiden and I the horrendous Evil Fairy… and, I'm certain that you cannot deny how this could benefit the both of us in the long run since it will be Apple White who will end up not only losing her desired villain but also… if we play our cards right, we might be able to make it so that you can benefit from this too." Faybelle sauntered behind her friend and took her by the shoulders.
"How?" Duchess asked scrunching up her nose and sounding incredibly dubious about the other's promise. "You aren't offering me gold painted stones now are you?" The dancer demanded, knowing that as a mischievous fairy by birth Faybelle was prone to offering deals that left one with all these expectations only to find out that everything was actually limited to the words offered in the deal or contract (which was why smart people were so thorough and clear when dealing with fairy contracts, one too many women in the old days asked for a child to magically be given to them, and when their demand was granted the child had turned out to be a changeling and those things never grew up past infant stage without the help of fairy magic and ceremonies. It was deceitful but the fairies had kept their word so no one could do anything about it).
"I know that it hurts you every time Apple white tries to make friends with you out of pity over your not having a good ending, or when she does something in those maiden classes that shows up your hard work." Faybelle began with genuine sympathy for the other, the fairy had been witness to one night too many where the swan-girl would sniffle over a picture of how her mother used to look before she got trapped in her swan form after her tale had finished, fearful that she too would have to suffer a similar or worse fate (especially since they all had a terrible scare last winter where a wild animal had tried to eat the Swan Princess, thankfully someone had happened by and realized that the swan was screaming and cursing in a standard humanoid manor and thus beat the beast off and took Duchess's mother to get her patched up).
"Why does she insist of forcing her pity on me?" Duchess hissed. "I don't want it, I hate it when she keeps speaking about my story like it's a terminal disease and that the only thing she can do is continue to laminate about how she hopes that it works out better for me, her with her perfect happy ending and her oh so perfect personality, the moment I try to make certain that things will be better for me by switching destinies with somebody else and she swoops in and goes on about my rebellious behavior! I am not a Rebel! I'm a princess who just wants a better life for myself, is that so difficult to understand? And her personality, it… it makes it difficult for me to be myself when I have to live in the shadow of her perfect example, she's so…"
"Suffocating?" Faybelle supplied giving her friend a half-hug.
"I'm from one of the few families that have suffered a lot from a fairytale, it didn't used to be that way, it used to be that once the story had finished the swans were able to move on, sometimes even find a prince for themselves to keep, but… both of my grandmother's parents ended up drowning in a freak accident, my grandfather ran out on my grandmother mid-story, and my mother can't transform back into her human form, my entire life she was unable to raise me… my family doesn't need pity, they need a new story!"
"And I'm pretty sure that Raven might be able to provide one for you from her numerous Rebel contacts." Faybelle suggested.
"What?" Duchess turned to the fairy. "But they're Rebels." The dancer stuck her tongue out in disgust.
"Rebels who don't want their stories anymore." Faybelle pointed out. "And Raven has a good standing with them, if she talks to them they may be willing to give you their story or switch out with you, it's certainly worth a try."
Duchess paused as she considered this bit of information.
"Well… I suppose that Raven isn't all that annoying to be around… and anything to get Apple to stop verbally focusing on about her perfect ending every single day and to get her off of my back about mine…" The dancer hesitated. "This isn't rebellious behavior is it?"
"Nah." Faybelle shook her head. "You're a princess Duchess, take away that whole drowning in a lake of tears thing and you are no different or no less a princess or a maiden than all the others, in the end that is the one aspect about your destiny that is the most important."
"We'll see…" Duchess narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, attempting to tamp down on a flicker of hope springing to life in her heart.
XXX
"Daring wants to know if it's alright if he, his brother, and Sparrow visit." Apple informed, laying another blanket over Raven's legs and tucking the fabric around her shoulders. "I have to go help out with the preparations with the dance and parade so it'll get pretty boring with you here all by yourself… and I would feel better knowing if there was someone here that would get in contact with me first thing if something happens…" The princess gave Raven a wide-eyed, pleading look.
Raven grimaced. "Do I really have a choice?"
"No, but since you aren't protesting right off the bat, you won't fight me or send them away as soon as I leave." Apple smiled apologetically, carefully kissing Raven's cheek.
"Why Sparrow though? I hardly think that he would want to be here of his own free will. And on that note; why would Daring come either?" Raven sighed, resigning herself to be presented to several more people in her current state, which by Apple's initial reaction… had probably been filed under "not Raven's most flattering moments" in the princess's brain. But the witch was lonely if there was no one around with her, Maddie would be busy helping Apple with organizing events, and Kitty was doing some covert snooping around Faybelle… and if Raven thought about the tubes filled with her blood too much she kind of felt like crying.
Someone knocked on the door to the room. "Miss Queen, you have more visitors." A young intern's head popped in.
"Thank you, please send them in." Raven asked politely.
"You probably don't want to know. Even though it'll become clear once they get here." Apple assured confidently while she gathered her things and walking out the open door. "Feel better alright?" She called over her shoulder.
Raven strained her ears for new incoming voices as she shifted uncomfortably, she grumbled in annoyance as her slight movements caused her blanket to fall off her shoulders.
"Come Sparrow surely you will find me more attractive if you see me attending to my unwell friend Raven!" A familiar jovial voice proclaimed just as, Raven guessed, Daring walked through the door (her back was to the door so she could see nothing but the holo-mirror-computer and the view of the east lawn gardens from floor to ceiling windows).
"For the last time I'm gay but I'm not attracted to your type so will you just drop it?" Sparrow's voice growled.
Raven rolled her eyes, realizing somewhat what was going on.
"Now, now, don't be so hasty." Daring teased flirtatiously, Raven could see him waggle his brows and bat his eyes as he walked into view.
When Daring turned to Raven his expression went from confident and flirtatious to… odd, certainly not anything that Raven had seen cross his face before. His smile fell down to an almost… gentle stretch of the lips, and his eyes widened out exposing a great deal of the whites of them, his eyebrows raised high atop his forehead.
And then he fainted dead away to the laminated floor.
"Do I really look that bad?" Raven mumbled sullenly.
"Daring?" Dexter rushed to his brother's side.
Sparrow stepped carefully past the two brothers, looking at Raven in surprise. "Well you do look a little paler than normal, but not horribly so, I think that it was the blood-filled tubing that got to him."
"Why are you in here anyway." The redheaded musician asked looking from Raven's form to the tubing leading up to a metal box above her head.
"Apple didn't tell you?" Raven asked curiously.
"All that anybody knows is that you're here because you've been cursed or something." Dexter grunted as he propped his unconscious brother up against the wall. "And that not even a prince's …or princess's kiss could cure you." The boy blushed, standing up and adjusting his glasses.
"Years ago…" Raven hesitated, if her mother really was watching her it wasn't like the woman wouldn't figure out that Raven was being cured of her curse from the little bits of information floating around already. "Someone injected my blood with microscopic cursed talismans, making it difficult for me to practice good magics, so it has to be filtered a few times to be rid of them all."
Sparrow swore quietly under his breath and Dexter's head whipped around to look at her so fast that his glasses came askew.
"I don't really want to dwell on it." Raven stated with a pointed look. "How's about you two tell me why Daring had decided to visit and drag the two of you along."
"I came because I've been tasked to inform you that you've been nominated for Thronecomming queen." Dexter told her brightly.
"O-oh?" Raven shifted guiltily. "I'm flattered, really I am but I won't be able to make it to the dance… I've got some family matters to deal with."
"That's perfectly fine." Said Dexter understandingly. "The committee can assign somebody to stand a picture of you in your place should you end up winning."
"Thank you… that's really nice of you guys." The witch smiled at her friend.
"And what about you?" Raven asked Sparrow. "Why are you here?"
"I told Daring he wasn't my type. He hasn't gotten over it yet." Sparrow directed a poisonous look towards the unconscious blond.
"For what it's worth he still hasn't gotten over the fact that before we headed out to that true hearts dance Cupid put together, I had turned down a love poem I had mistakenly thought he had written to me. I told him that I was a lesbian and that I don't find myself even a little bit attracted to him." Raven supplied sympathetically. "He's still trying to convince me that he's at least aesthetically handsome and tenderly charming."
Dexter winced. "Again, I'm sorry about the confusion." The brunet boy fidgeted awkwardly.
"You wrote her a love poem?" Sparrow squinted his eyes over at Dexter.
"It was for Charming practice." Raven lied, not wanting to see her glasses-wearing friend get teased at the moment. "Due to some miscommunication I had thought that Daring had wrote it trying to get me to become just another mark in a long line of flings."
Dexter sent Raven a grateful look before he pursed his lips. "I keep telling him that actively tying to become the school's most popular stud is going to end up biting him in the rear sooner or later. I'm sorry if he's causing you two trouble."
"It's more funny and annoying than trouble." Sparrow waved the boy's concern off.
"He's harmless." Raven rolled her eyes, a small, amused twitch lifting her lips slightly into a smile.
Daring hummed, beginning to come to.
The next several minutes was spent with Daring trying to brush off his fainting spell and attempting to put on a brave face in spite of the sight of Raven's blood being circulated in plain view.
"Do they know who has done this to you?" The blond charming prince asked in rare seriousness, stepping forward to help readjust Raven's medical gown which had fallen a little askew, and tuck her shivering form back up in the fallen blanket.
The prince paused when he came across a section of the gown that had become untied due to the witch's uncomfortable squirming, unable to help himself he placed two fingers over the spot where he could see the thin wisps of raised healed skin of old wounds curving around the witch's side.
"Just something to remind me of… some rambunctious stuff that happened as a kid." Raven coughed nervously not looking at the prince who was staring at her curiously. "You know how much trouble little ones can get into."
"Some more than others apparently." Daring commented lightly, his face unreadable as he retied the gown and tucked the witch in more thoroughly, mindful of the tubing connected to the witch's arm.
"So… I hear you guys are going to have a game on Friday." Raven smiled as innocently as she could, directing the topic of conversation elsewhere.
XXX
"Yes I contacted the Brotherhood of Shimmy Gaba… what did they tell me?" Milton snorted in half frustration, half amusement. The monk he had spoken to had no qualms with trying to "warn" Milton off of getting into contact with "that mean demon woman" (aka. Elenore) and begged him to not send over or have his terrifying head healer call them ever again before hanging up.
So Milton had called Healer Phalange (he was not going to step a foot in her territory- the medical floors- if he didn't have to) to ask why she had called the Brotherhood and when. Predictably she didn't say much, citing that it had to do with patient confidentiality, although she did give him the vague impression that the Brotherhood had somehow earned her wrath by being far too out of date when it came to their healing practices and their incompetence had endangered a student or staff's health.
Milton could not shake the uneasy feeling that there was more to it than that but he never was able to develop the eerily accurate intuitive instincts that Elenore had cultivated so he did not know where to go from there or which student or staff member to try asking.
"They, ah, said that they were officially closing their communications to the outside world for a while… I know you said earlier that you are not permitted to tell me Elenore Queen's location directly… Giles Grimm has the clearance to find out? Ah… no he's, not available… is there anything you can do? …No? Well thank you for trying." Milton sighed as he hung up.
The old man rubbed his tired face in his hands, well that didn't get him anywhere.
He glanced sadly over to a picture sitting innocently on a shelf in his Headmaster's study, it was of him and his little brother, Giles Grimm, when they were children, back in the times where things had been better.
It pained Milton that he had locked his brother up, down in the school archives, but in the end it was for his own good, every time somebody in Milton's life went against the script he would lose them, even though the whole myth about people disappearing if they did not fill their roles was indeed a myth… there was some truth behind it in regards to the people in Milton's life.
First his mother perished by trying to rescue an old woman from the hungry mouth of a kelpie, then he almost lost his little brother on a dare, lost Elenore when he attempted to elevate his status above that of a servant to the Book of Legends by getting ambitious and leaving her to attempt to find a human wife of noble blood (a disastrous misadventure that Milton hated himself for ever attempting), lost Elenore's daughter to herself when the girl decided to take her title literally, and so when Giles started going on about how the fairytales were doing more harm than good Milton felt that he had no choice but to save his brother from disappearing too.
And now Miss Raven Queen, Elenore's granddaughter, was…
It hurt him to hear the girl say such… saddening things earlier that day, it was obvious that unless there was some kind of proof that there would be an instant danger to everyone around her, that would happen without warning she… Miss Queen would rather suffer whatever consequences would befall her if she never signed than just simply assuming her birthright.
He may have lost all chances with her grandmother, and was perhaps partially to be blamed for her mother's insanity, but he would not lose Miss Queen as well, the last hope he had to at least give back what his blunders had taken from that family.
He had no choice, Milton told himself holding up a golden wishing well coin, tomorrow he would convince the girl to stop her dangerous campaign. It would not be easy for her, but she was as strong as her grandmother, with him helping as much as he could in the background he was certain that she could bring the Queen family back their honor and become an excellent Evil Queen, there was no other choice, this had to work.
XXX
"Wow, she is dead to the world." Briar whistled as she looked down to a very still Raven sleeping soundly on Apple's float while the blonde princess worked on it. "And coming from me that means a lot."
"It takes a lot out of her to have her blood filtered." Apple cooed sadly, stopping her work long enough to sit down and brush away some stray hair that had fallen into the witch's face and to adjust the blanket more firmly around Raven's shoulders. "The blood thinners they're giving her are making her more chilled than normal and her arms are so sore from having so many needles stuck into them."
"Sounds like this curse is really serious." Cupid observed, looking at her friend and current client worriedly. Recently Raven had gone to Cupid for consultation about her feelings over Apple, the witch admitting her attraction to her Royal princess counterpart had taken the winged girl completely by surprise (albeit Cupid had to admit she was a little relieved that Raven wasn't going to be any competition for herself and Dexter) but as a future love goddess and a friend Cupid was trying to aid Raven in her effort to get over the princess, they were actually supposed to meet after Raven had finished with her healer's visit but it was obvious now that the witch was far too exhausted to do much of anything, let alone talk.
"It is." Apple stated grimly, a piece of the puzzle of how growing up must have been like for Raven clicking into place, beginning to form a heartbreaking picture. "Whoever did that to her… I don't think I can find it in myself to ever forgive them."
"That's some serious words coming from you." Briar's eyebrows rose, since Apple had taken to try to be forgiving to everybody, like her ancestor had been depicted to have done.
"This is a special case." Apple murmured with frost in her words. "They had wanted Raven to suffer even more for the things her mother did, I… think that it helped Raven learn to only hate her birthright as the years passed, made her feel like a monster instead of someone who could bring respect back into her family name. It hurt to see her all hooked up with her blood-… I don't know how I can fix all this damage that had been done to her, how am I going to convince her that accepting her story isn't a bad thing if all she has known is the bad, and the things that want to hurt her because of her heritage?" She sniffled looking up to her closest friend and to Cupid for help; her body crouched over Raven protectively.
Briar gave Apple and equally lost look while Cupid heaved a heavy breath.
"Past emotional hurts are very difficult to heal properly." The winged-girl began. "They make people shy away from certain situations and are prone to flair up in pain every so often, the best thing that I can think for you to do is to keep an open mind and line of communication with her about things and make it clear that if she wants to talk, you will be there to listen without judgment… however… I'm sorry Apple but from what I have observed… so much has happened to her that… just don't get your hopes up that she will ever sign the Book. The past has made her far too heartbroken. At this point she's more concerned about salvaging what she has left of the wreckage and finding a way to move on, and to her the only option she thinks she has that won't end up hurting her more in the end is to… just walk away."
Cupid shrugged apologetically. "All I can say is that she cares too much about you to let you go on without your story… but most likely she will find a way to give you that without her being your villain."
"I can't let that happen." Apple sobbed quietly. "Raven is my villain, she's supposed to be apart of my story she-… she just has to." The blonde covered her face into her hands and cried.
No one noticed Raven flinch or the witch take a heavy sigh as she continued to pretend to be asleep.
Raven knew that Apple was going to be furious once she found out the deal she had struck with Faybelle, but despite the princess's desires Raven could not assume her inherited title, the witch hoped that one day, maybe, Apple would at least try to understand.
And who knew, she might actually prefer Faybelle as her story's villain over Raven, the fairy was more often than not the perfect example that Apple kept wanting Raven to be, and the cruel reality was that Raven was really nothing more than an insignificant person in Apple's future life (the witch doubted that the princess would want much to do with her after the fairytale) so… it could all work out.
…Maybe?