Abigail Blanc was nice, though Cole got the sneaking suspicion she was studying him. He chalked it up to a mother's hunch of seeing her daughter with a strange teenager after she ran away from home. Cole hadn't expected to stay for long, but Abigail was insistent on him at least having something to drink. She was right about one thing, the homemade apple cider was good.
"I know I'm not the best mother." She stated as they sat in a nicely decorated kitchen. "Being a divorcee and a mayor is tough to manage. I just never thought she would run away. It's so unlike her."
He shrugged, "Kids go through a rebellious phase. But she seems like a good kid, she'll grow out of it."
Suddenly, the front door swung open and a golden haired man wearing a sheriff's uniform and a gold sheriff badge stormed in. Cole made sure not to keep eye contact with him, he didn't have the greatest experience with the law. He looked out of breath and was sweating as if he ran here.
"I got your call, Abigail. Is Darlene really back home?" He asked.
"Yes, Daren. She's fine, she's not hurt." Abigail reassured him, "She's upstairs in her room, if you want to see her."
He nodded, turned around, only to see Cole who waved hesitantly.
"Who's he?"
"Cole here is the one who brought our daughter home. The person who did your job." She said that last line with a cold tone. Cole really didn't like the tension he was seeing between them or want to be anywhere near it.
"I'm Daren Prince, Sheriff Daren Prince." He extended out his hand, "Thank you for bringing Darlene back to us."
"Happy to help." The man's grip on Cole's hand was strong and tight. Cole was sure he could feel his own wimpy hand bones cracking.
"I should check up on her." Daren exited the room, walking up the staircase to the girl's room. Abigail's gaze followed him, giving him an icy cold glare from behind.
"So, he's Darlene's…"
"Darlene's father and my ex husband."
"Oh, sorry. That must suck." Cole wasn't really sure what else to say: sorry that your daughter thinks you're evil and that your husband is the town's sheriff?
"We both made our choices, I just didn't realize how much it would affect Darlene." She sighed then smiled, "I've kept you for far too long. I assume you'll want to get back to Boston soon, you have a job, right?"
Cole realized he was now unemployed after storming out of his last one. He was sure that no one would want to hire a foster kid who only had a high school diploma behind some crappy restaurants.
"Something like that." He nearly choked on his glass of apple cider, "Yeah, I should get going, thanks for the drink."
He placed the empty glass down and made his way out of the house. He felt someone staring at him and looked to see Darlene from her bedroom window. He waved in her direction, but she quickly pulled the curtains, blocking his view.
Cole felt a familiar emptiness around his heart as he ignited his car, as he drove them the streets of Grimmsbrooke. Then he noticed something in his passenger seat, it was Darlene's book.
He chuckled, "Sneaky brat."
CRACK! Just as he made his way to the "Welcome to Grimmsbrooke" sign, a lightning bolt struck the ground before his car. He was momentarily blinded, but he could hear the car's tires harshly shriek and felt the car swerving out of his control.
BANG! His car crashed into the welcome sign and Cole hit his head on the steering wheel. A blackness consumed his vision as he fell out of consciousness. The last thing he saw was Darlene's book flipped to a page with a monster in a prison and a royal looking couple standing on the other side of it.
{The Realm of Ever After, Past}
In a dark stoney cave a cloaked couple walked with several guards marching behind them.
"This isn't a good idea, Raven." Dexter cautioned, "He's imprisoned for a reason, who knows what tricks he'll try to break out."
"We are desperate, Dexter." Raven replied, "We don't know what Apple is capable of. We've run out of options, we need him."
"When we reach the cell, your highnesses." The head guard spoke up, "Best not to say your names, he will have power over it."
The duo nodded, both of them knew what kind of monster they were about to face. Whispers of his awful deeds reached far and wide the realm. He's had many names, many titles. He was a dealmaker, a tormenter, and a soul snatcher. His capture had only been recent, years ago, one of the few good things Milton Grimm with the assistance of Giles Grimm, Baba Yaga, and other magical users achieved before the time of Royals and Rebels. The cave reached an end, sharp staglites blocking it, resembling the bars of a prison cell.
"Devil!" The head guard shouted, getting the attention of the creature on the other side of the staglites. "You have visitors."
A pair of glowing yellow slitted eyes could be seen within the narrow openings of the prison.
"Visitors? You're not here to visit. You're here to make a deal~" A sing-songy voice came from the darkness. "Come closer, let me get a good look at both of you." A red claw emerged from one of the openings, beckoning them further. Raven and Dexter looked at each other, uncertain, but they stepped forward anyway.
"Ah. The Rebellious Queen, Raven." The eyes lingered on her for a little longer than what the queen was comfortable with, "And her Prince, or should I say, King Charming."
"Tell us what you know."
"What I know? I know a lot of things. I know about this realm, various creatures, destiny, magic, how you're going to die." He smiled, showing off rows of sharp, yellowish teeth "And I know about the former princess' threat."
"What do you know?" Dexter stepped forward, his tone serious and tense, holding his hand over his blade as a warning. Devil rolled his eyes, unphased by his attempt at a threat.
"I will tell you what you want to know…but I want something in return."
"What do you want?" Raven asked. She was curious, did he want his freedom? His power back? His destiny?
"I want…" His crimson hand lingered in the air until it gestured to the queen's visibly pregnant stomach, "The name of your unborn child."
What? Both Raven and Dexter glanced at each other, not sure what to say. What would he gain from having the name of their child? He was not a fairy, having their name would not benefit him. He was also trapped in a prison, one that seized his powers, leaving him as nothing more than a man with a name. But what if somehow he got out? What could he do with the name of the prince of a major kingdom, their child if he was ever free? They couldn't take that risk, yet what choice did thry have?
"No!" Dexter shouted, appalled by his request, "No wa-"
"Deal." Raven cut her husband off, "What do you know?"
"The Apple who fell far from the family tree has created a curse, a powerful curse. One where time will be your prison, our prison. Time will trap us in a horrible land, where everything we love and hold dear will be taken from us." Devil sighed, "We will suffer for all eternity while Apple White reigns victorious. It would mean the end for us all. No more happy endings."
"What can we do to stop it?"
Devil laughed, "We can't do anything! At least not the two of you!"
"Who can help us then?"
Devil reached a claw past the cave bars and gently touched Raven's stomach, "That little bundle of joy growing inside of you."
Dexter whipped out his blade and slapped the hand away, causing a yelp from Devil. "Try that again and I'll cut it off."
"I'm trying to help you. The infant is our only hope." Devil soothed his injured hand, "Get the child to safety, and on its nineteenth birthday, the child will return and find you. Then and only then will the final battle begin!" He let out an insane cackle, one of overwhelming excitement and exhilaration.
"We've heard enough, this was a waste of time." Dexter pulled his wife away from the raving lunatic. As they walked away, Devil stopped laughing and started angrily shouting.
"Hey! We had a deal!" Devil howled and grabbed at the bars, clawing at the open air with his red claws, "I want his name! I NEED HIS NAME! GIVE IT TO ME!"
"He? Maybe we're having a girl."
"No, no, no! I know I'm right." His wild, untamed gaze looked directly at Raven, "She knows, tell me, tell me! What's his name?"
"It's Cole, his name is Cole."
"Cole." Devil tested the name on his tongue, giving the couple a wicked grin before they were escorted out of the cave prison.
{Grimmsbrooke, Present}
Beep, beep, beep. Cole woke up with his head throbbing and the sound of a monitor sounding off his heartbeat. His vision returned slowly from the blurriness, he could see he was in a hospital.
His hand was also handcuffed to the bed.
"What the fuc-"
"You're awake!" A nurse noticed him stirring around, "I'll get the doctor."
"What happened?"
"That's what I would like to know, Mr. Corvin." If he could, Cole would've jumped out his bed at the sight of Sheriff Daren Prince in his room. He was sitting in one of the chairs, looking at Cole as if he just ran over his dog.
"Would you like to tell me why I found you unconscious at the wheel, your car crashed into a tree, and tire marks on the Grimmsbrooke sign?" He had the same tone of suspicion and doubt that TV police officers would have when interrogating a suspect.
"T-there was a lightning bolt, it blinded me and I…" He groaned, remembering bits and pieces,"I crashed into the sign."
"A lightning bolt. Right." He didn't look convinced.
"It's true. I-I don't know, just give me a minute." His head was throbbing in pain.
"There were no signs of a storm in the area nor any scorch marks on the road." He stated, "Do you want to start telling me the truth?"
"But I am!"
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, "So you weren't drunk?"
"Drunk? Why would I be-"
"I found these in the back of your car," He pulled out his phone and turned the screen towards the teenager, "Care to explain?"
Cole turned white, it was the back of his car and there were beer cans underneath the seats. He had gotten drunk while out with some coworkers and they had taken his car back. The beer cans were still there. The next morning he woke up with a pounding headache and puking out of a toilet. He swore off drinking and was always the designated driver for such events.
"That was months ago! I haven't drank since!" He objected.
"You do realize I'll have to take away your license either way."
"So if you already knew about the beer, why did you come here? To mock me? Make me confess?"
"I just wanted to know the whole story, that's all."
"Yeah, right." He scoffed, "Why should I believe you?"
"Because I am the sheriff."
"Your fancy little title means nothing to me, pig." He glared. Cole thought Daren's stone cold stare was bad enough, but the anger in his eyes now was even worse. The teenager just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
"No, but I do know the difference between right and wrong."
Daren walked out, leaving Cole to collect his thoughts. What had really happened? He knows the lightning bolt was real, it felt real enough…right?
After the doctor checked on his minor injuries, the hospital had discharged him and he found himself walking the streets of Grimmsbrooke. He had gotten back his wallet, his suitcase that he had stored in the trunk of his car, and also Darlene's book but his license was gone and his car had been towed. There was always the bus, every town had one, he just needed to get to the bus station.
"Cole! Cole Corvin!" He knew that voice, it was Abigail. He turned around to see Abigail in a panicked and almost furious state.
"What did you do with my daughter!? Where is she?!" Cole felt sharp red polished nails dig into his arm. The kind woman he met just last night was replaced with a furious banshee.
"How should I know? I just got out of the hospital since I drove from your house."
"She's missing! I went to check on her this morning and she was gone!" She shouted.
"Maybe she's with a friend."
"She doesn't have friends, she's…a loner."
"Every kid has friends." Except for him, he never got along with kids his age. "Look, I don't know where she is, but I can help you find her."
Her grip loosened and her gaze softened with his words. She nodded.
"Now where does Darlene go to school?"
The council of Ever After had come together to figure out a way to stop the curse. So far, there had been no good ideas.
"We can't keep stalling any longer!" The fist of Daring Charming slammed down on a wooden rounded table, "I say we fight!"
"That would be ill-advised, Daring." Cedar Wood, with her wooden limbs, creaked with every motion she made, "Nothing good would come out of it."
"We don't have much of a choice." Dexter remarked, "We must take out Apple before she can even complete her curse."
"Are we even sure we can trust Devil?" Briar Beauty questioned, her wife, Faybelle, nodded in agreement. "There is more than one reason, many in fact, for his imprisonment."
"I've sent my men to scout the realm." The leader of the royal huntsmen, Hunter Huntsman crossed his arms, "Everyone is on edge."
"And the animals are talking, they know something is coming and we won't be able to stop it." Ashlynn Ella stood by her husband, her soft voice barely heard by the others who were yelling.
"So we have lost." Raven spoke for the first time since the meeting started. The once outspoken, courageous woman had grown afraid and fretful since they visited Devil in his prison. If what he said was true, her child, her Cole, would be the one to save them. But would Cole even remember her? Remember his father? Who he truly was?
Dexter noticed his wife's hopeless state and held her hand tightly.
"It's going to be okay, if what Devil said is true, our son will come through, he is our savior." He reassured, "All of the realm knows how much our family likes to fight against fate."
BAM! The doors to the council room suddenly swung open and the oddest sight walked into the room.
"Friends, Fiends, and Feathers!" The mint green, dark magenta, and turquoise curls of Madeline Hatter bounced into the room, "I have arrived with a solution to our problems!" The grown up mad hatter wore a bizarre menagerie of clothing; a striped blazer with polka dot sleeves, and a top hat that was bigger than her head. Beside her was the Queen Elisabeth "Lizzie" Hearts who had some of her heart solder
"A tree?" Cerise Hood-Badwolf scowled from beneath her red cloak, "Can we go back to the fighting idea? I liked that one."
"This…" She wildly gestured to the tree, "Is a rare wonderland tree. It is known for being unaffected by any kind of magic, even curses."
"We can turn it into a vessel, a way for us to block out the curse." Dexter said with hope in his eyes. He turned to Cedar, "Could you build it?"
"My Everest and I can do it." She nodded, turning her gaze to the young wooden boy playing with toys.
"There is a catch…" Lizzie said with a sad expression, "The tree can only take one, I'm afraid."
Dexter and Raven looked at each other, knowing what the other was thinking. One of them would have to stay behind while the other would go into the tree.
"Ms. Crown? Rachel Crown?" A black haired woman turned to see Abigail, Daren, and Cole standing in her classroom.
"Yes, can I help you, Ms. Blanc?"
"Where is my daughter, Rachel?"
"I thought she was home sick today." Rachel stated as she continued to clean up the classroom.
"Well, she isn't home and she isn't here. So where is she?" Abigail said in an accusing tone.
"See, Ms. Crown." Cole pushed aside and pulled out a credit card from his pocket, "We found a credit card with your name and we think she used it to track me down."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Her attention turned to Cole.
"I'm-"
"He's no one. Answer the question." Abigail cut him off, which earned a grimace from both him and Daren. Abigail continued to barrage Rachel with questions who looked more and more annoyed at the blonde haired woman.
"Is this what you have to deal with on a daily basis?" Cole whispered to Daren.
"Unfortunately." He sighed, "She used to be nicer."
"Abigail, I don't know where Darlene is." Rachel explained, "And if I knew she went, I would've told you about it. Did she really run away? I should have never given her that book."
"You gave her that? Why?" Cole asked. He was generally curious as to why Darlene believed so firmly in a book of fairy tales.
"What book? I've bought all of her books."
"This one I gave to her, it's about fairy tales, stories." She explained, "Darlene is special; she's creative, very smart, but also lonely. I thought a book might help her escape, not literally of course."
"My daughter doesn't need her head filled with nonsense." Abigail snapped, "Especially if it came from you."
Abigail walked out with Daren trailing behind her, but Cole stayed behind.
"So a book, huh? I think you would have a better time with an Ipad than a dusty old story." He helped her with rearranging the chairs.
"It's not just a book, it's the classics. I thought that given her creative spirit, she could spin new tales out of old." She smiled, "I always thought that the same old fairy tales got boring. The prince saves the princess, the villain is slayed. I just thought Darlene might need that same insight."
"I guess." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a black and purple guitar resting on a pedestal, "Is this yours?"
"Yep." She gently grabbed it off the stand and said melancholy. "Before I became a music teacher, I had big dreams of making it on the big stage. Writing songs, doing concerts, I even won my high school's talent show by playing this very guitar…it feels almost like a dream from a lifetime ago."
"That's cool, where did you go to school?"
Rachel thought for a moment then frowned, "I don't remember…probably just slipped my mind."
"I should probably get going, I'm riding with the sheriff." He frowned thinking of sitting in the passenger seat in his cop car. "But if you think of anything at all, just the smallest thing."
"Try her castle, every princess has one."
Raven cried out in pain as she gave birth. She couldn't do this now, not when the tree wardrobe was so close to being finished and the curse looming over their heads like Damocles' sword.
"It's going to be okay, Raven." Dexter was by her side, trying his best to ignore her wails and focusing on the emerging crown of their son. "Just hold on."
Cedar scrambled into the room, "It's ready, it's finished."
"I'm afraid we can't move her, your highness." The doctor cautioned, "It's too late."
The sound of bells and shouting reverberated throughout the castle, bringing their worst fears to life.
The curse was coming, it was coming now, and the plan had gone off the rails. Everyone returned to the present as the wailing of an infant filled the room. Dexter and Raven's son had just been born and it was the worst birthday he would have in his life. He was cloaked in a lavender blanket
"Take him, Dexter." Raven groggily said, "Take Cole to the wardrobe, it's the only way."
"No, no, no." The fearful king croaked, "I won't leave you or him. W-we'll fight this together."
"It's too late. He'll save us, he'll find us, we must trust in destiny for once."
"I'll do it." The father turned his son, his blue eyes staring back into his own. He gently kissed Cole on the forehead.
With that, the king dashed out into the hall, carrying his child in one hand and his sword in the other. He witnesses chaos and ruin as palace guards attempt to subdue men in red armor, the emblem of an apple on their chests. He needed to run, he couldn't risk his son getting injured. It was futile as the knights chased after him. He tried to avoid their blades, to take them out quickly but…
"AHH!" One of their strikes went through his shoulder, staining his dark blue and silver clothing with blood. He couldn't stop, he couldn't fail now, not when his child's life was on the line. Even with the blood loss, he kicked open the door to Cedar's workshop. In the center of the room was the wardrobe fashioned from the wonderland tree. He crawled to the door, Cole still in his arms, sleeping and unaware of the chaos around him.
"Find us." He gave one last kiss to his son's forehead before placing him in the wardrobe. Click! The lock snapped shut behind him as Dexter stood up to face the two soldiers who had barged into the room. He tried to fight them off, he tried to hold them back, but he had suffered too much. The pain that erupted from his lower chest as a sword dug into it. He felt his vision become blurry and his body collapsed to the floor.
Yet, he smiled as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He watched as the soldiers opened the wardrobe, only to find nothing. It had worked, Cole was free from the curse.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice this in my car?" Cole placed the book in front of Darlene. The teenager had found the girl on the playground alone, swinging her legs off the edge.
"I thought if I brought you, this place would change." She mumbled, "That the final battle would begin, but it hasn't, nothing has changed."
"I'm not fighting any battles, kid." He leaned against the playground structure.
"Yes, you are. You're supposed to be the savior, you'll bring back the happily ever afters."
He sighed, "Can you cut it with that fairy tale crap? I'm no savior, I'm not a hero, nor do I belong in any book."
"But it's true." She smiled, "I know you're just pushing everyone away because you think you deserve it, but you don't. You can have a family, you already have one."
"I don't have a family, but you do." He looked at her with remorse, "Your mom is looking all over for you, she's worried about you."
"Please don't take me back there!" She objected, "Just stay for one week! Just one! That's all I ask!"
"No, I have to get you back to your mother."
"You don't know what my life is like with her! It sucks!"
"You know what sucks?!" His voice grew angry, annoyed at the blonde girl in front of him, "Being abandoned on the side of the road! My parents couldn't even be bothered to leave me at an orphanage, a hospital, or even a house! I ended up in foster care, bouncing from home to home, from family to family. But they always end up bringing me back!" Cole stopped when he saw the frightened look on her face, He recollected himself, to keep himself from bursting again, "Y-your mother is doing her best and it can be hard sometimes, but she does love you. I know it doesn't always seem like that all the time, but she means well."
"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the road. That's just where you came through."
"What?"
"It's because of the wardrobe. When you entered it, you appeared out on the side of the road, wrapped in a purple blanket. They were trying to save you from the curse."
His brain stopped working, then he pulled himself back to reality, "Sure yeah, let's get going."
As they walked, Cole realized something. How did Darlene know about the blanket? She never told that part of the story to him. He couldn't have known that, especially not the color. What was up with this girl?
Raven teleported into the ruined workshop, she struggled to stand as she was still recovering from her pregnancy. Then she saw Dexter on the floor, blood all around him.
"No, no, no!" She cried out, falling to her knees and crawling to him. "Please come back to me, please! I can't lose you…not now."
She kissed him, his blood stained lips, but nothing happened. Tears fell from her face to his as she sobbed, holding him close to her.
"Don't worry, Raven." Apple spoke in a mockingly gentle tone, "In just a few minutes, you won't remember any of this. You won't remember loving him, or even knowing him."
"Why? Why did you do this?" She choked out, "We used to be friends."
Apple frowned at the word, friends. "Because this is my happily ever after and you will not take it from me, not this time."
Two soldiers stood at attention, awaiting for their queen's orders.
"Where is the child?"
"Gone, your majesty. It was in the wardrobe and then it was gone. We searched the castle, but we could not find it."
"Where is he?" Apple glared down at Raven as she smiled.
"He's far away from you. You will lose, I know that. Good will triumph over evil."
Apple smirked as dark clouds began to gather around them, winds picked up as dark magic surrounded them. The windows shattered, only the glass never fell, instead they remained suspended in the air.
"We'll see about that." Apple's remake and Dexter's faint heartbeat were the last thing Raven heard before the dark magic consumed them.
"Do you love her?" Cole should've kept his mouth shut, instead of speaking his mind. He had dropped her back at the mayor's house. The girl begrudgingly walked back inside, giving Cole a side glance as she stepped into the house.
Apple had looked at him as if he lost his mind, "What kind of question is that? I'm her mother."
"That's not what I asked." He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Of course, I love her." She scoffed, "Shouldn't you be on a bus back to Boston by now?"
"Tried to, but the bus station is closed, something about a flat tire."
Her smile strained, "What a coincidence."
"I guess." He shrugged, "You know it's funny, yesterday was my birthday, I blew out a candle, and guess who shows up at my doo-
"That's lovely, but don't you mistake all of this as an invitation into my daughter's life."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm just saying, my daughter needs real friends, ones her age." The look in her eyes turned deadly and sharp, "She doesn't need a bad influence like you ruining her life."
"Listen miss mayor, I-"
"Shut up please." Her voice sounded friendly yet the words held a sharp twist, "You don't get to speak, in fact you don't get to do anything. I am Darlene's mother, her family, not you. So I suggest you get on the next bus out of Grimmsbrooke and never come back here. Because if you don't," She inched closer to him, getting way too close for his comfort. "I will destroy you if it's the last thing I do."
After that unnerving conversation, Cole decided to stay in the farthest hotel he could find from the crazy mayor's house. On his phone he had found Dark Woods Inn, a little bed and breakfast that had the quaint grandma's cottage feel to it. When he entered through the front door, he was met with loud fighting.
"Are you going out again!?" A brunette woman wearing red shouted at a younger girl who had a hoodie over her head. "This is the third time this week!"
"I knew I should've moved to Boston."
"Oh, yes, roaming the streets of Boston." The woman scoffed, "I'm sorry that my stroke cost you your ticket to freedom."
The girl growled before Cole cleared his throat loudly. Both turned their heads towards him in surprise.
"I would like a room, please." He hoped they wouldn't devour him like vultures to a carcass.
"O-of course, I'm Cerise Lupo." She quickly pulled out a ledger. "Would you like the square or the forest view?"
"Square view is fine."
"Can I get a name?"
"Corvin, Cole Corvin."
"Cole. What a lovely name." A honey-like voice had suddenly entered the conversation. Cole turned to see a man in a black suit, one meant for a businessman. His blonde hair shined like gold in the inn's artificial light and was slicked back. His tie was the only clothing of color, like his hair, it was also golden. However, his eyes were so dark, it was like looking into black pits of tar.
"Thanks." He stepped aside as the man stepped towards the counter. Both of the women seemed to cower under the man's gaze, the girl even turning tail back into the Inn as Cerise quickly handed him a roll of cash from the register.
"It's all here. I've counted, not a dollar out of place." The woman's voice wavered as if she was a mortal fearing the wrath of a god.
He didn't look at the roll, instead he placed it into his coat pocket and gave Cerise a smile, but it felt off, like a predator smiling at a prey, "Pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Lupo."
The man's gaze fell on Cole as he walked out, "Enjoy your stay here, Cole."
The young man shuddered as soon as the door closed behind the man. There was this uneasiness creeping up his spine, but faded as soon as he left. Was that guy some kind of small town mafia boss?
"Who was that?"
"That was Mr. Diavolo." The girl said from her hiding place, "He owns this place."
"The inn?"
"No, the entire town." Cerise turned her attention back to Cole, "So how long will you be staying with us?"
"Just a week."
"Okay." She handed him an old yet intricately designed golden key, "Welcome to Grimmsbrooke."
At the mayor's house, Darlene stared out her window, holding her stuffed toy knight close to her. It was felt yet looked as if it was wearing white armor with a little blue ribbon flowing at the end of the helmet. Attached to its hand was a small sword and a horse that resembled the chess piece more than the animal.
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong, White Knight." She groaned to the doll, "I brought him here, he's here, but nothing has happened. Did I make a mistake? Is he not the savior?"
The doll said nothing, causing Darlene to sign. Then she heard it.
Tick, tick, tick.
The blonde haired girl took out her binoculars and began spying around town before she found her target: the clock tower. She smiled, she had been right all along.
The clock arrows had moved, it was now 8:16.
In her excitement, she hadn't noticed the book was now missing.
A/N: In case you were wondering, Rumpelstiltskin isn't Rumpelstiltskin! Yes, I am aware there is a Rumpelstiltskin in the Ever After High universe, but he isn't much of a threat compared to OUAT's Mr. Gold. Instead we have Devil/Mr. Diavolo. There is also the change of the Enchanted Tree for the Wonderland Tree. I had it changed because while the Blue Fairy does have a major part to play in OUAT, the Blue Fairy in EAH actually disappeared! :O
So to keep with the canon, I rearranged for the wardrobe to be from Wonderland, since the Wonderlandians play a bigger part in EAH.
Let me know what you think so far! I appreciate it!