A/n: I've been watching a lot of anime lately; think that for this story Raven might exhibit some qualities of a Japanese wife sort-of ideal intertwined with her usual independence and rebellion beliefs.

XXX

For the fifth time that evening the Headmaster reread the written statement that he had sent out along with an official video announcement that he had made with the help of Miss Lockes and her student news crew concerning the fake Book of Legends. It was silent in his office as he sat alone in his chair.

Milton put down his mirror-pad and looked around, all of his paperwork was done, the announcements about the fake Book had been sent out, the forged Book of Legends carefully boxed up with protection spells and sent away to be properly disposed of, he had tried demanding that the Evil Queen tell him where she had put the real Book but… one look at the smug face he found that his voice had left him, her face had instantly turned confused when Milton found himself at a loss for words before storming out of the imprisoned woman's sight.

The woman who, according to Elenore's granddaughter, was in fact…

He was in no shape for a mind-clearing walk. It would be bad for him to be seen wandering around the school right now, in the emotional state he was in, especially with all the questions that people would have for him… he had nothing to distract him, nothing to push back the curiosity about those written words burning a hole in his coat pocket.

The man closed his eyes and asked himself whether it was really worth knowing, whether it was really worth dwelling so seriously about the potential paternity of the Evil Queen. He and Elenore had ceased to be decades ago, the Evil Queen was still a dangerous criminal, and Miss Raven Queen was dead set (quite literally much to Milton's horror) on rebelling against her birthright title! It was just too messy and far too late for any sane man to have to deal with the responsibilities of…

Him, a father… grandfather! The concept just didn't seem to fit right at all.

Why should he be so concerned about this? It hardly mattered anymore didn't it? After all it wasn't like it would change anything…

Milton smacked a hand over his face at the absurdity of those thoughts, taking the folded up note out of his jacket pocket as he did so, of course it very well mattered, it mattered a hell of a lot!

The larger piece of paper contained Elenore's written polite explanation as to why she was giving her granddaughter something and not the girl's mother, expressing her sympathy and apologizing for her daughter's behavior, an explanation as to the backstory about the wand and why she had decided to give it to Miss Queen (apparently Elenore believed that Miss Queen would become some sort of forest enchantress for a few years after she signed the Book and the whole Evil Queen business was finished with. Obviously this letter had been written long before the Rebellion) before continuing on to the matter Milton was most concerned about.

I do realize my beloved granddaughter that you had always been interested in your grandfather's identity, the man I have claimed in the past to have been the love of my life in the same breath I always cursed his existence. I know that parallel between love and old heartbreak often confused you, your father raised you well, raised you to the point where you knew from a very young age that my feelings towards your grandfather were as complicated as ever even after years of being apart, you were always such a polite little one who bit your tongue when it came to your grandfather so as to not cause me undue pain in remembering.

The fact is that I had buried that relationship long ago, under other circumstances I would have told you his identity the very first, and last, time you had asked, but you see child it is far from being that easy for me to have just simply told you, for your grandfather is, in fact, someone who will be close by to you for quite a while, and I do not want there to be any unnecessary feelings of loathing towards him from you for my sake, nor do I want you to be heartbroken if he turns out to have stayed the man I had cut things off with rather than going back to the man I once was in love with. It would be unfair to both you and for him due to the fact that he is still completely oblivious as to the fact that he is a father.

And forgive me beloved child but I'd like him to remain oblivious.

However you are by witch law an adult, and when you had asked me about the identity of your grandfather all those years ago I had promised to tell you when you were an adult. I always keep my promises and there is nothing different about that this time, I trust that should you choose to read the additional scrap of paper provided, you will most likely be attempting to forget that you ever found out about who my first love was, I find it amusing how no matter how long you are exposed to your other grandmother you still swear to every deity in existence that you will eventually invent a cleaning agent for your brain to clear you of the things about her private life that disturbs you, but I know that you will keep mum about all of this and hopefully find enough peace from the truth to move on, just as you have always had to do I'm afraid.

If you need to talk abut it you may call me and if I am well enough I might be able to pick up the phone myself to answer you.

Best of hopes my lovely grandchild I will always support and love you no matter what.

Milton blinked a few times to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. His past mistakes hinted about from the viewpoint of the one he had loved the most… the one he had given up before realizing his erroneous mistake and by then it had been too late… it hurt to know at least a little bit how much he had hurt her. Milton had never forgiven himself for pushing Elenore away; she had made him happy and the things that he had forsaken her to achieve had done nothing but made him positively miserable, if he had just realized that sooner instead of being so blasted-ly stubborn he could have been happy in those first years he had been Headmaster instead of becoming "grumpy Grimm", the mean Grimm brother that students used to avoid like a scary story and he used to avoid the students like the the plague.

And because he had been so ruthless towards his students to counteract his bitter heart two of his students had ran away to gods knew where and ancestors knew that Milton still woke up in a cold sweat at the fear of someday, somebody finding the picked clean bones of those two little girls… not that their mother would ever let him forget them, no, she sent him flowers every year on the day of their official disappearance just to make sure that he never forgot.

And then there was Elenore's daughter…

Giles had always felt like he had some blame in how she had turned out, and it was true that the two of them had pushed her hard, but it had been Milton who had pushed her to a breaking point, Milton who had looked down on her in distaste for no reason aside from the fact that she was Elenore's, Milton who had refused to protect the girl when she had asked him for help from those who bullied her, and it was Milton who had done what he could to make the girl stay when her mother tried to pull the girl out of the school.

The Evil Queen may have inherited her title from her mother but her behavior, her cruelty, hatred towards everything and everyone… that was something that she had learned from him and him alone.

It wasn't until after the poisoning of so many worlds and the reports of the Evil Queen's merciless conquering of anything in her way that it had finally hit Milton of the thing that he had helped create, formed under the force of his own pain directed at one little girl, turned vengeful woman, for practically no reason at all.

He was supposed to be the servant to the Book of Legends, the one who guided the future children of stories to their destinies with wisdom and a kind hand.

He went against the script, and now he was paying for it.

He had gleaned plenty of evidence from Miss Queen and the note to know who the Evil Queen's father was (and he was certain that a paternity test would back up his suspicions)… the question was whether or not Elenore deemed telling her granddaughter the truth at all necessary. Or whether she preferred that the younger witch never know that Elenore even knew Milton back then.

The man took the smaller folded piece of paper and detached it from the larger, finding himself curious as to why there seemed to be something of a stiffer texture hidden within it.

The photograph, he remembered, had been taken by Giles, just after a young Elenore had given a young Milton his first romantic kiss (he had been kissed chastely by Elenore before, and by a few maidens who had been put up to it by their parents so that they may win his father's good graces, but that kiss had been the first one he experienced that had passion and had him at such a loss for breath he nearly fainted) despite the black and white of the old photograph it was obvious that Milton's younger self was beat red which had seemed to please Elenore greatly if the smug look on her face were anything to go by.

Milton trailed a finger over Elenore's frame, he remembered this photograph… but he had thought it lost when he threw away everything that had reminded him of Elenore (which had been almost everything he had owned seeing as how the witch had been such a big part of his life).

Raven Queen was his granddaughter.

And she didn't have a clue and she didn't care to try to find out about him.

Milton covered his face in his hands and focused on breathing.

XXX

Duchess's eyes widened when she got a hext from Faybelle, Apparently Raven had pulled through with that whole "proving herself useful" thing.

Because next week the witch had arranged for the dancer to talk with other maidens who were interested in giving up their happy endings, to her.

She timidly let the flicker of hope inside her heart waver a little longer than usual.

XXX

Raven timidly knocked on Faybelle's dorm room door, fidgeting with the bag of overnight supplies as she did so, feeling nervous despite having been there before.

"Oh good, Kitty has kept her word." Faybelle stated first thing when she opened the door. "Come on in dearest, you look like you've had a rough day, care to unburden those woes to me, perhaps beginning with a certain book?"

Raven nodded as she walked in, dutifully beginning to speak about everything that had happened since she had departed from the fairy earlier that day.

"So you're hoping that this old man that has been locked under the school will help you find some answers." Faybelle asked curiously from her spot lounging on her bed, her head tilted to the side.

"It's worth a shot." Raven shrugged, twirling her fingers together as she stared at the other from beneath her lashes.

"I guess it is." The fairy finally relented, mentally admitting to being begrudgingly impressed by how quickly the witch was starting to try to figure out ways to seek out the real Book herself.

"Will you be willing to tell me where you might find the Book once you are finished with the old man tomorrow?" Faybelle asked in a way that sounded more like an order.

Raven nodded. "Sure, it's important that we at least try to find out what happened to it… you will end up signing for two rolls soon…"

"Come here." Faybelle motioned for Raven to sit beside her on the bed.

The witch cautiously did as she was told, giving Faybelle a questioning look.

"You're the one who wanted us to seek common ground for our marriage." Faybelle pointed out. "Things seemed to go well the last time you stayed here, I'm curious to see how well we can try to recreate that."

"We barely spoke while I was here last time." Raven furrowed her brows.

"Yes but we did not get on each other's nerves, and the times that we did talk we managed to have a civil conversation. That's progress in my book compared to how we used to interact." The fairy countered. "Let the silence be at least comfortable and as we go along through the night, I'm sure that we'll find little things to talk about, get to know each other through being in close proximity."

"You're really taking this seriously." Raven realized.

"As are you I'd like to point out." The fairy tipped the witch's chin up with a finger. "I'll admit I am pleased that I didn't end up finding out that you had spirited yourself and Ever After's favorite future royal couple into the night after you had found out that the Book was gone, perhaps currently in the hands of something nefarious."

"I will make those two emergency runaway kits, just incase." Raven grumbled. "I've seen Daring try to make his own fire by himself after a dare he had made with Hunter… it didn't end well…"

"I heard about that from Duchess, didn't a few people end up getting set afire?" Faybelle asked contemplatively, she knew that Duchess was miffed that her favorite scarf got chard; luckily the swan-girl was dancing on a lake at the time and had simply taken a plunge. She never forgave the prince once it had come out that he was the one who had started the pandemonium.

Which was a good riddance as far as Faybelle was concerned, she did not approve her friend coveting the dimwitted human, even if it was merely because Duchess thought that perhaps she could steal Apple White's story if she had snatched the prince for herself, and considering her friend's actual… preferences that would have turned out badly for Daring, though it wouldn't be the first time a girl had to manipulate a heart to get what she wanted.

"He got desperate and tried to cheat, so he brought out a mechanical lighter, Professor Jack B. Nimble came along, Daring startled when the man leaped over him, the lighter went flying, and that was one of the few times I was able to use my evil magic for good when I simply bent water out of the lake to drench everybody who was on fire." Raven sighed, she didn't even know how one little open flame could cause so much havoc to an area by a lake with wet grass all around and it was an even bigger mystery why only people were set on fire and not surrounding vegetation and why those people didn't simply stop, drop, and roll like people on fire are supposed to do to put out the flames.

"It was a good thing the lake was nearby." Faybelle hummed. "I'm guessing that the fair princess isn't much better."

"She's so good with animals, and she says that she likes walking in the woods but one splotch of mud on her shoes and she's heading back home." Raven grumbled. "Which makes it difficult to ask her to take a walk with me after it rains. She does end up going with me but she hates wearing the galoshes I got her where they'll get dirty."

"Has she not heard that galoshes are made for mud?" Faybelle asks with a raised brow, mentally taking notes for future reference in case the princess turned out to become something of a nuisance later on.

"They're white with red, yellow, and green apples on them." Raven explained. "She loves them don't get me wrong, but she prefers wearing them on the sidewalk and not in the dirt."

"I'm surprised that she wears them so proudly since you got them for her out of kindness." The fairy wondered, she was always confused whenever she overheard the princess reprimand the witch for doing nice for her, Briar was always damn grateful those incredibly rare times Faybelle deemed that she do something out of respect to the princess she would one day put to sleep and not ask for anything in return, and Faybelle never laid much of a malicious finger on her princess (an obligatory little deviousness towards her but not too much), that could wait until the story came about, and even then it was always necessary for an Evil Fairy to show respect towards the princess during the story, that was part of the Thorn clan's honor code.

"I've learned that if I don't announce that I've done something nice for her, like with the galoshes, I left them for her to find in her closet, she draws up her own conclusions and she appreciates those things more, most times she thinks that it was one of her friends who gave her those things but sometimes she finds out that I had given her gifts and because I didn't say a word about it she lets it slide." Raven shrugged as if it was just something to be expected.

Faybelle put an arm around the witch and took advantage of Raven's momentary shift in focus from her face to her arm draped around the witch's shoulders to give the ceiling a very pained eye roll because holy ancestors almighty did Apple White have such a (false) complex about what was proper for a villain, it was a good thing for the princess she had the witch so whipped and that Raven was so nice about it! If it had been Faybelle she would have made the idiot blonde cry long ago by making it absolutely-fucking-clear that she was going to do her own damn thing, in a way that was her own damn business, and the princess could just kiss her ass if she wanted to turn her into some sort of plaything, like she had done to Raven!

She was going to have to break the witch of her allowance of this, as well of these feelings that the witch had for the princess, they were causing Raven to allow degrading things to be done to her by Apple and as Faybelle's bride that will not stand! Perhaps Faybelle could get the witch to turn her attentions and gifts onto Faybelle, and Faybelle only, from what the fairy had heard so far that would be more proper behavior for a wife to adorn onto their spouse than it would to some preppy high and mighty who didn't have the brain capacity to appreciate the acts a single bit of it.

"I'm really flattered that she likes the shampoo and other body care products I make even though she had been stealing some from my shower kit for weeks before I found out she was the reason why I kept running so low, now I make double the batch each time I need more so that there will be enough for us both." Raven continued oblivious to Faybelle's silent fuming because the princess had dared to try to reprimand her that one time she caught Faybelle sneaking some extra sweets that Ginger had made (her old witch friend specifically made extra because Ginger knew Faybelle well enough to know that the fairy would be sneaking her sweets on general principal and old habit) for some bake sale, telling Ginger to stop making extra for Faybelle, and here the princess was swiping her roommate's stuff!

Preppy blonde hypocrite!

"Question; if you had decided to run away from Ever After High, would you tell me?" The Fairy asked trying to be smart by changing the subject before she was tempted to say unkind things as to how Raven was letting Apple treat her. So undignified for a villain, but then again since Raven wasn't going to be a villain for much longer so Faybelle was curious as to how she could direct the witch's strong loyalties to attach to her and not the princess, it would be very useful in the long run to have a doting, loyal wife to go home to.

"Well yeah, I mean it would be pretty hard to elope and everything if you didn't know where I was." Raven proclaimed as if it should have been obvious.

"It'd be better if you came to me anyway if you wanted to run away, as a malevolent fae I'd be the logical choice to help spirit you away… which I just might have to if people find out about our marriage too soon…"

"Let's hope that doesn't happen then." Raven pouted. "I've grown fond of this place, despite all the people who are trying to turn me into my mother…"

"If we successfully get through half of this ritual all rights to the Evil Queen title will be mine, if anybody gives you grief afterwards enough of the ritual will be completed that you can transfer to a witch academy as my wife and not the daughter of the Evil Queen." Faybelle bargained. "It'll be a change but I think that you could adapt to the different environment pretty well."

"Thank you." Raven said sounding properly grateful, which stroked Faybelle's pride slightly.

"Yes, yes, now onto another topic… I heard you say earlier in this conversation that you make your own bath supplies?" Faybelle asked curiously.

They continued their light small talk well into the night, both surprised that they had been able to find several something's that they could talk about without the air in the room growing too tense.

XXX

Apple sat at the edge of her bed early Thursday morning staring at Raven's empty bed, feeling partly hurt, partly irritated, and partly hungry (she hadn't had the stomach to eat much of her dinner) about the fact that the witch had spent the night somewhere else but could not tell Apple about it because apparently Apple wasn't apart of this special select few people that Raven trusted enough to talk about private things involving her life.

Apple was worried; Raven's words last afternoon were so ominous! Like a big change was about to happen and since Raven didn't trust Apple enough to tell her anything the princess wouldn't find out about it until it was too late to do anything if this mysterious business would become adverse to Raven!

Apple didn't know what to do…

XXX

What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like there was some sort of rulebook about this kind of situation, not a single proper form or etiquette mention in all that accursed training he had put himself though to become one with polite society…

Stalking up and down the hallway where Miss Queen- … his granddaughter's locker was located probably wasn't the best way to go about things, what was he to say to her? She had already made it clear that she did not care to know her grandfather's identity, and it wasn't like he knew himself whether or not her knowing would be for the best, that and her grandmother had been very specific in saying that she did not want him to know, did not want him apart of her family's life for anything aside from the strictly necessary.

And Elenore was not the type of person to be challenged when she made a decision. Not. Ever.

He highly doubted that the Evil Queen would be nearly as keen to know that he was her father; there was a very large possibility that she might despise him even more than she already currently hated him.

If Milton tried to gain the right to get to know his granddaughter… well for one thing he had no grounds to get parental rights in the first place, and for another there was probably no witch court in existence that would be at all sympathetic towards him, there was enough evidence lying around proving that he would make a very unfit father… hex Milton wouldn't be surprised if he lost his current job once certain fact about missing students, unlawful imprisonment of his brother, and mistreatment of his ex-lover's child came to light.

And all of that would not put him in any of Miss Queen's good graces that was for certain.

He could argue that he had some right to claim her as his granddaughter due to her being the heir as the next servant to the Book of Legends.

But he and Giles had already gotten around that by appointing that new guy in an elaborate ceremony to become their successor… what was his name again? Milton hardly remembered that night very well, between the realizations that Elenore had been the best that he was ever going to get as far as happy relationships went, and that the only thing that the human aristocracy wanted out of marrying their daughters off to him (many, to Milton's horror and heartbreak had either been practically dragged to him kicking and screaming by their parents or were so obviously scheming pretty little monsters who Milton could tell from a mile off were trying to get something out of him) was to gain access to the power that his family had for their own agendas and not the future benefit of fairytale characters (in fact several lords seemed to have ideas that would have harmed many students coming in from certain worlds), so one day when it had become clear that neither he nor his brother were going to reproduce, Giles handled all of the arrangements, gifted Milton with a flask of something strong to get him through the night and by the time Milton woke up the next morning the ceremony for a new successor had been completed and he had a bleary memory of the whole thing.

Actually Milton hadn't heard a peep from new guy in years… which was odd, Milton was getting up there in years and it would become necessary soon to start training a successor… maybe he should look into that…

"Are you alright Headmaster sir?" An all too familiar voice piped up from beside him.

"Pardon Miss Queen?" The Headmaster jumped a little as he looked down to the concerned face of Raven Queen.

"You're leaning against the wall and clutching your chest." The girl pointed out, her eyes filled with worry. "Have your limbs gone numb? Does your chest hurt? Do you-?"

"I'm not having a heart attack Miss Queen." The Headmaster shook his head with a small smile; the situation amused him for some reason. "I'm just…" he paused mid-lie, remembering that the girl could read faces. "I have been trying to sense out where the Book might be, as the servant to the Book, and coming from a long line of people with this duty… I am connected to the Book in ways that are bound by blood, some people in my family have the inborn ability to sense if the Book was nearby or taken off campus."

"You can?" Raven's eyes widened.

"When I was younger and when my father brought the Book off campus to have myself and my- to get me acquainted with it. I was able to sense it then, but Ever After High's natural ambient magic makes it difficult for me to do this, it… camouflages the signature I guess you could say.

"I think I know what you're talking about." Raven nodded in understanding. "When I was very tiny a family member took me along to witness the ceremony of the future Headmaster of this school being bound to the Book. I know that I had felt the presence of the Book because my family member told me that the room was specially purged of all magic, but there was a magical presence there, and it wasn't me, I remember that pretty clearly."

"You were there?" Milton asked with sudden interest, only the old families from non-fairytale backgrounds were allowed in on that ceremony.

"That family member was… and is hoping that I'll take over their position when I'm grown." The witch looked away shiftily. "That was why I was allowed in."

"I see." The Headmaster made a note to look up the list of those who had attended. "And how did this presence feel to you?" He asked kindly, knowing that as his granddaughter she had the inherent ability to sense the Book of Legends like he himself did.

The girl smiled like she was remembering a happy memory. "It was warm. I remember that it was warm like… a hug given to you by a family member that you adore, and sunshine!"

Well there was no doubt now that the witch was Milton's granddaughter.

The warning bell rang breaking the witch's focus.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Miss Queen asked him skeptically.

"I'm perfectly capable of calling for help if I do have heart attack symptoms Miss Queen, now go on to class before you're late." Milton felt a fond smile invade his face.

"Alright…" The girl gave him one last look over before leaving.

"Excuse us Headmaster." Miss Apple White and Mister Daring Charming followed Miss Queen as they walked by him, both giving him dirty looks before walking faster to catch up to the witch.

Milton sighed realizing that he had probably lost some respect from the future king and queen of Ever After… and that he probably didn't have that much respect to lose from Miss Queen in the first place and that was why she was being so nice to him.

The man grimaced wondering if Miss Queen had talked to her grandmother about yesterday's… misadventure. Wondering if the older witch would be ticked off or just irritated, either way she probably hated him too much to be really all that disappointed at this point.

For some reason that thought just made him feel more depressed than ashamed.