A Royal on Skull Island Ch. 09
The students of Ever After marvel at the large gates before them. The height alone beats any castle they've seen.
Maddie holds up her MirrorPhone wanting a picture. "Aw!" she droops. "Still no service. Hey, Kitty!" the Hatter turns to the Cheshire who's being carried on a stretcher by two of the locals. "You have a camera or something?"
Kitty shrugs. "Afraid not. Checked your hat?"
At the suggestion, Maddie removes her teacup hat and shakes it. "I still can't," she sighs.
"It's a shame really," Dexter notes. "Blondie would have loved something to use for a story."
Apple shouts in the native's tongue and the doors open to let them in. At first the fairy tale kids had no idea why a wall would have such large gates. That is, until Kong walks in behind them and can see that they're just big enough for the massive Ape.
Daring leans in to whisper to the Snow White, "Is it wise to let that thing in?" as Kong walks past them and heads towards a large stone building near the other end of this place.
Apple turns to glare at the Charming. "Kong is not some thing. He's everything to this village," she gestures to the series of houses near some farming fields. "Without him, none of this would be here! I wouldn't be here," The princess gently brushes the scars on her cheek before turning to continue her trek.
The place was massive. Not as big as a city, but bigger than most towns the Ever After kids have been to. They watched on as some of the locals walk up to Apple and starts conversing with her. The most the students could make out is that they're asking the Snow White for some advice. After exchanging a few words, they leave the princess to her friends.
"Sorry, everyone," Apple bows to her friends. "I have some duties that I must tend to," she walks up to the Cheshire and gestures to the two carrying the stretcher. "These two will take you to the healer. Neera is the best on the island." With that, Kitty is carried off while glancing back at her friends.
Maddie steps up. "I'll go with her," and she follows her fellow Wonderlander.
"The rest of you," Apple turns back to the remaining students. "You're all guests here and are free to go wherever. Just be mindful of the temple," was the last thing the Snow White tells them before walking off.
The Ever Afterans split up to explore this village.
Hunter, Ashlynn, and Cerise followed the remaining hunting party.
"So, your mom," the Huntsman speaks up. "Red Riding Hood, married the Big Bad Wolf?"
"Eyup," Cerise answers as she pulls her hood over her head. Still insecure about their appearance.
Ashlynn then asks, "Then that means Ramona is…"
"Yeah," the Red Ridding Hood sighs. "She's my sister."
"Huh," left Hunter's mouth as he turns to his girlfriend. "That explains a lot."
"Hunter!" the Cinderella scolds and the Huntsman finds himself grabbed by his shirt.
"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Cerise growls as her eye glow.
Hunter can feel a bead of sweat running down his head. "It's just that, even though you guys are Fairy Tale Rivals, you and Ramona always seemed close. And, and it always seemed like Prof. Badwolf was fond of you, though he tries not to show it."
The hybrid wolf girl continues to glare at the boy before letting him go and she runs off.
.oOo.
Raven and Darling pass a hut just as a scream leaves it followed by a baby crying.
The voice Apple can be heard saying. "There she is, there she is!"
The two curiously peek into the hut to find Apple holding a baby, near an exhausted woman.
"She's beautiful," the blonde says as she gently wraps the baby in a cloth before passing it to the woman. The woman says something and the only thing the other two Ever Afterans were able to make out were Apple's name. "That's sweet. But you should pick one out of your own."
Apple gets up and turns to see both Raven and Darling. "Oh?"
"Sorry," Raven quickly says as she and Darling leave the hut. "We didn't mean to interrupt."
The blonde follows them. "That's alright. I did leave abruptly," they stopped as a man runs up to them. Apple smiles at him and lets him into the hut.
Darling steps up to her fellow princess. "Is that baby going to be named after you?"
"I hope not. There's already three Apple's besides myself here," the Royal shakes her head. "It was sweet at first. But now? I'm not going to know who anyone's talking about," she chuckles at the thought.
The three started walking away from the hut in silence. The only disturbance to that is the occasional villager greeting Apple.
"Apple," Raven eventually speaks up. "About what I said. Before you left. I—"
"You were right," the blonde says.
"Huh?"
"About me relying too much on what the story says is supposed to happen," the Snow White admits for the first time since Legacy Day. "I've just been so afraid of the unpredictable. I felt safe knowing what's supposed to come next. No one has to live out the destiny that was set out for them," the princess then faces her roommate. "But you were wrong as well. True, we could choose our destiny," she then looks over the village that she's been living in for over a year. "Sometimes, Destiny chooses you. I'm sorry for everything I've done to prevent you from living your life your way, Raven," the blonde then feels a set of arms wrap around her.
"You shouldn't have to apologies," Raven tells her. "You just wanted the same thing as me," the witchling breaks away and sees Apple smiling. She then glances to the side to see a nervous looking Darling. "I think there's something that Darling wants to tell you?" and she steps away and approaches Dexter who has been waiting for her.
Darling approaches Apple, unsure of what to do. "Apple, I…" the Charming feels insecure about this. "About what we talked about… Um," she suddenly feels a set of lips pressed against hers.
Apple pulls away. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," she tells the platinum haired girl whose face reddens.
"R-really?"
"Yeah," the Snow White takes Darling's hands. "I said I needed time to think and being stuck here gave me all the time in the world."
The two princesses just stare into each other's eyes.
.oOo.
Maddie sighs as she sits in a chair in the corner. "I mean, if I can't hear the author, is he even real? What about the narrators or even the readers?" the Hatter looks up to the ceiling. "Are they no longer there simply because I can no longer perceive them?" she turns back over to where a tribal woman is tending to Kitty's leg.
"You are a strange one," the woman tells her. "Even for an outsider," she then faces the Cheshire. "Now this remedy will sting for a moment, child, but it will ease the pain," the woman then smears some form of lotion where Kitty's pain was the worse.
Kitty lets out a hiss of pain but soon sighs as it fades. "Wow! That feels great. Thanks, Neera."
"You are most welcome, Kitty."
"You speak our language well," the Wonderlander notes. "Apple teach you?"
"You are not our first visitors," Neera explains. "Neither was our priestess. Many have come before and just as we expect many more in the future. And many of us descended from such visitors. I myself descended from one," while doing this, the Healer sets a new splinter around Kitty's leg. "I suggest you rest for a few days and keep weight off your leg as often as possible. But you shall be able to attend the Moonlight Feast. Where Lady Apple will be able to perform her duties as priestess and bride to our god."
Hearing this, the two Wonderlanders glance at one another in a questioning manner.
.oOo.
After his brother left to find his girlfriend, Daring wanders off in search of Rosabella. Ever since arriving on the island, the Beauty has been avoiding him for some reason.
The Charming finds her along with her cousin, Briar within a small garden. The daughter of Beauty and the Beast is dismantling some wooden pipes.
"What's going on here?" Daring asks and he does not miss the irritated look from his girlfriend.
Briar turns to the Prince. "Something's wrong with their irrigation system."
"For some reason, it's not distributing water as it should," Rosabella chimes in. "This is just like the same one that Apple and I built for a class project."
Daring hums. "Knowing Apple, she helped the locals here using what she learned from the project. And knowing you, it would have been perfect."
Rosabella briefly glares at him. "It was perfect," she manages to get a piece off and water pours from one of the ends that remain on the ground. "It must be clogged," the beauty puts the piece in her mouth and starts inhaling. As she stops to get a breather, Rosabella rants to Daring, "Not that you actually care," she repeats the process. "Because all you want is to be the hero," again. "You don't care who for as long as it's you. For Apple. For Raven. I'm willing to bet you'd do it for the Evil Queen!" she snaps.
The Beauty takes one last inhale and then her eyes widen. She removes the pipe from her mouth and starts coughing. Briar starts patting her on the back and before they knew it, Rosabella is spitting out a small, unusual mouse with a long fluffy tail and a single horn.
"Sorry," Rosabella says to the mouse as it raises its paw into a fist. The spectacled princess then sets the mouse back down to let it scamper off before putting the pipe back into place.
"You're right," Daring admits to his girlfriend. "I did want to be the hero. But you were wrong about for whom." Hearing this, Rosabella looks back up at her boyfriend. "Not for Apple, not Raven, nor for the Evil Queen," he turns his head away. "I did it for Darling."
Rosabella turns to see what the Prince was looking at. Darling and Apple can be seen walking down a path, hand in hand. The two princesses are laughing about something.
Daring continues. "Since Apple's disappearance, she had not been smiling. I wanted her to have that happiness again. It may have been selfish on my part, but I do not regret it," the Charming returns his gaze to the Beauty as he reaches a hand towards her.
Rosabella stares at him and soon smiles. "I'm sorry," she accepts the offer and is helped up. "I never should have doubted you, Daring."
At this, Daring shrugs. "Given my history, I honestly cannot blame you."
This causes Rosabella to giggle. The girl moves in to kiss her boyfriend.
"This is all your fault!" Faybelle can be heard shouting, followed by a crashing sound.
End
NOTE: Sorry for the delay in updating. I have too many projects and not enough time lately. I'll see about posting more of this one. It's actually supposed to be one of my shorter stories.