A few days had passed since the events that had transpired on Legacy Day. Though the tension between the Royals and Rebels had initially reached its peak with a food fight in the castleteria and slowly fizzled out, things were still not as peaceful as they could have been at Ever After High. From what Wesley West could see as he peered a little ways into the future, it was still going to take some time before those on either side of the destiny conflict would start getting along more often.
However, that future wasn't what Wesley was concerned about. Hard as he tried, he wasn't able to scry but a few days into the future - and sometimes, he couldn't see what would happen on a particular day, just like Legady Day. He had no clue whether Raven Queen would sign the Storybook of Legends and seal her destiny as the next Evil Queen, or refuse to follow in her mother's footsteps and risk her fairytale ceasing to exist. The only thing he had to go on were visions of the secret library beneath the school, and the hint from the man that was sealed there, Giles Grimm, who claimed there was something wrong with the Storybook of Legends.
Thankfully, much to his relief, Raven had refused to sign, and, what was more, was that she was still around. She hadn't gone poof, nor had the next Snow White of her story, Apple White. That had given Wesley hope.
He lowered his palm from where he had it resting over his right eye, opening both of them as he did so. His reflection in the mirror greeted him, though he hardly paid it much heed. Instead, his focus was on the red marble pendant attatched to the necklace he always wore. He touched it gingerly with two fingers, heaving a quiet sigh. Memories of happier times flashed through his mind, of the one that had given him the necklace right before tragedy struck. A tragedy that still haunted him, forcing him to snap out of his thoughts.
He lifted his head, catching one last glimpse of himself in the mirror before he turned and proceeded to walk out of the boy's restroom.
Wesley took his usual seat once in General Villainy class. Though it was far from his worst subject, he secretly wished he didn't have to take it - or any of the other classes that those like him were forced to take just because they were supposed to be the next antagonists of their stories. Just like Raven Queen, he too didn't want to be like his mother - the Wicked Witch of the West.
However, unlike Raven, he didn't have the luxury of having his mother locked up in MirrorPrison. No, his mother was still roaming free back in the Land of Oz, which meant he also didn't have the luxury of openly siding himself with the Rebels. Otherwise, he risked his abusive mother showing up to force him to comply with his destiny - and knowing her, she'd have the most sadistic punishment in store for him, and he doubted Headmaster Grimm would even try to stop her.
Wesley looked down at his pendant again, this time clutching it in hand. Only one person at this school had been able to see past the act he put up out of a deep-conditioned fear.
Or, should he say, had sensed the good he was forced to hide away from the world.
That person was Isabella Gardens, the daughter of the Enchantress from the tale of Beauty and the Beast. She was a shy, quiet girl that Wesley had previously paid no mind to up until a few days ago. After his first unsuccessful visit to the Vault of Lost Tales, he peeked into the future, receiving a vision of Raven and her friend, Madeline Hatter, which told him they would be the keys to unlocking what Giles Grimm had been trying to tell him. However, he needed a way to convince the two to trust him since he'd built up a "wicked" reputation for himself at the school - and that was when he remembered Raven and another classmate, Chev Bogs, talking about Isabella. How she had the ability to sense if a person was truly evil or not. If anything, she had been his best shot at convincing the other two.
His gamble had paid off, as Isabella had come through with his instructions of meeting him in the library, and to bring Raven and the next Mad Hatter with her. What he hadn't been expecting was them being accompanied by Chev, who posed a bit of a problem. Wesley knew from all his scrying that the son of Chernabog harbored a crush on the next Enchantress, and had a streak of being rather protective of her - as proven by his uncharacteristic short temper that night.
Wesley had played it cool for the most part, and saw that Chev had relaxed a little when he finally revealled his desire to be good instead of evil. However, that hadn't lasted long, as Isabella had approached him after his confession, placing a protection spell on the pendant he still clutched in his hand. He had appreciated the kind gesture, as it was the first one he'd been shown in a long time, and he thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, an action that had resulted in Chev lunging at him.
It was that protection spell, combined with Raven not disappearing, and the dream that he had last night, that encouraged Wesley. Today, he was going to break free. Today, he was going to start writing his own story.
He looked up, and turned around in his seat. If he had the timing, in Blondie Lockes' words, just right, the two people he wanted to see would be entering the classrom right about...
"Queenie." Wesley spoke when Raven entered the room first, causing her to pause just before she passed his seat.
"What do you want, Wesley?" She asked.
"So rude. I just wanted a word with you, my pretty."
"Do you have to address all girls like that? It's kinda creepy."
"Well you are looking at the Wicked Wizard of the West."
"Will you just spill it already?"
"I'd love to, but there is one more person I'd like to speak with. If you could wait there for a moment."
Raven raised a brow, then glanced around. She came closer to where Wesley sat, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear when she leaned down a bit.
"Is something wrong?" She whisper-asked. She had been good in pretending that he was evil despite being one of the few that knew it was just a charade.
Wesley smirked, giving a chuckle, but didn't say anything. Raven frowned, standing up straight and looking around again. Her eyes darted from him to the rest of the class as if to ask if he was sure he wanted her to stick around him, as it would likely arouse suspicion. Wesley waved it off, a silent gesture that it would be alright, despite his heart beginning to race.
He clutched his pendant in hand just a little tighter.
Then the second person he wanted to speak with finally came in the classroom.
"There you are." Wesley spoke again. "What took you, Bogs?"
Chev paused just like Raven had done upon being addressed.
"Wouldn't you like to know, West." He responded cooly. He too had been keeping Wesley's secret, being a reasonable, easy-going guy whenever he was calm. He noticed Raven lingering near the table he sat at, proceeding to ask, "Something you want?"
"Yes, actually." Wesley said. "I want a word with both of you after school. Think you can manage that? Or do I have to approach the Enchantress again to get the two of you to listen?"
Chev's eyes, luminescent in the dim lighting of the classroom, flashed upon him mentioning his crush.
"Don't you even think of going near her." He told him.
"Especially after what you did the last time." Raven added.
"Do we have a deal then?" Welsey asked. "You two meet me in the Dark Forest after school, and I stay away from the Enchantress."
Chev and Raven exchanged glances before turning back to him and nodding.
"Deal." Raven said.
The Dark Forest lived up to its name, being, well, dark despite it being a sunny day outside. Wesley stood in a small clearing, pacing around once the school day was over with, waiting on Chev and Raven to arrive. He was clutching his pendant again.
The sound of a branch breaking caught his attention. He stopped pacing, turning to watch as the two people he had asked to see walked through a nearby brush.
"Alright, Wesley, what's the deal?" Raven asked while brushing off the leaves that had gotten on her clothes.
Wesley took in a deep breath at that. The time had come.
"I want to cease the charade." He replied, coming clean. "But - and don't you dare mock me - I'm ... afraid."
His confession, while good to finally get off his chest, was met with a small bout of silence.
"Of your mom?" Chev asked, guessing the reason behind his lingering fear.
Wesley could only nod.
"But she's all the way in Oz, right?" Raven queried.
"Just because she's in another world doesn't mean she won't come speeding all the way here on her broomstick to play her favorite game of torture-her-only-son-so-he-doesn't-step-out-of-line-again once word gets out about this." Wesley said, nervously looking up at the glimpse of sky through the thick branches overhead, half expecting his mother to come speeding down toward him at that very moment. "And like I said that night when I brought you to the Vault of Lost Tales, I doubt Headmaster Grimm will even try to intervene since I'd be going against my destiny."
When he looked back at Chev and Raven, he found that the two had stepped closer to him.
"If he doesn't, then we will." Raven said while placing a rather comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you let us, you'll have a whole mini army to help keep your mom off your back."
Wesley raised a brow.
"Mini army? What do you mean, Raven?" He asked.
Raven smiled then, and turned around, gesturing to the area where she and Chev had emerged from.
Out from the bushes and behind some of the trees, a few other students came into the clearing - all of them Rebels, with Isabella Gardens and Madeline Hatter amongst them.
"What-" Wesley was shocked at the sight. He recognized a few other faces, such as Chev's friends: Marnin Scrooge, Wally Wonka, and Aslan Lions II, along with Hunter Huntsman, Cerise Hood, and the girl that he heard was actually an Arthurian Legend rather than a fairytale - Kelsey Shield, if he remembered her name correctly.
"We had a feeling you were gonna say something pertaining to rewriting your destiny." Raven explained.
"And we remembered you mentioning your fear of your mother retaliating if you chose to do so." Chev patted his other shoulder with a smile of his own, giving a nod when Wesley looked at him. "So we figured we'd get everyone we knew on the Rebel side who could fight or help distract your mom should she show up."
"Why?" Wesley asked.
"So you can see that you're not alone, and you don't have to be afraid." Isabella spoke up, her soft voice reassuring.
Wesley stared out at the group in silence for a long minute. He recalled the dream he had the night prior, leading to him swallowing hard.
He then turned around, looking up at the sky again to keep from breaking down into tears.
"It's just as he said..." He murmured, trying to keep the sudden wave of emotion out of his voice as well.
"Just as who said?" Chev asked him.
Wesley took in a deep breath.
"My late father." He replied. He took another deep breath, clutching his pendant tighter. "I saw him in a dream I had last night. He ... told me the same thing that Isabella just said. That ... I ... ah, curses."
A few tears managed to fall from his eyes despite his efforts. He quickly wiped them away with his free hand, yet still kept his back to the group.
"That you...?" Raven pressed gently.
"That I'm not alone. That I don't have anything to fear." Wesley went on. "That I can finally stop pretending to be like my wicked mother, if I just opened up to someone I could trust." He took in yet another deep breath, through his mouth this time. "Funny, I thought he just meant opening up to you and Chev. I wasn't expecting the small army."
"Well I haven't seen any flying monkeys here in Ever After, so we're the next best thing." He heard Kelsey Shield speak up.
Wesley chuckled.
"Of that, I have no doubt." He said, but quickly frowned as he turned back around slowly. "But ... I feel that I should still warn you all."
"Warn us of what?" Isabella asked.
"The last person to stand up to my mother on my behalf was my father." Wesley informed her, casting a serious look at the rest of the small group as he spoke. "And she forced me to watch as she killed him."
As expected, everyone's expressions became that of shock, and Wesley could make out the distinct gleam of fear flash in some of their eyes.
However...
"And?" Aslan was the first to speak up, approaching Wesley. There was no trace of fear in his eyes, something that didn't really surprise him, considering whose son he was. "From the sound of it, your father did what a father should do for their child, even if it cost him his life. We are small in number, but still mighty, each with our own tricks up our sleeves. Should your mother show up, we'll be ready." He put a two large, strong hands on Wesley's shoulders, his touch warm and comforting along with the sound of his deep voice. "We are with you, my friend."
A part of Wesley almost completely broke down hearing those last two words, however, he managed to stay strong. He grabbed one Aslan's arms, finally letting go of the pendant he'd been clutching the whole time, giving a nod and a confident grin in reply.
"Thank you." He said, then looked to the rest of the group once Aslan moved aside, adding, "All of you."
The others all smiled back.
"And you needn't worry," Isabella spoke up again. "I've already put protection spells on everyone here, so no one should end up getting off'd by your mom."
"Yeah, if Lizzie was here, she'd say 'OFF WITH HER HEAD!'" Madeline added, imitating the future Queen of Hearts, following it up with one of her uncontrollable giggles.
Wesley let out a soft chuckle.
"There is still the matter of my roommate. When he finds out, he might try to turn me to stone, or team up with my mother if and when she shows up." He said. He hadn't forgotten about Judas Charm, who served as his roommate and was a Royal through and through despite being the son of White Witch of Narnia.
"Then put in a request for a new roommate. In the meantime, you can stay with Wally and I in our dorm until you're able to move, if you'd like." Marnin Scrooge suggested.
"Actually, it might be better if you stayed with me and Chev in our dorm. Judas tries not to let on to it, but he is scared of me." Aslan said, at first serious, then looked to Marnin and Wally with a playful smile, "Then again, you should be fine if you have a cat in your room."
"Wait, you're saying Judas is afraid of cats?" Isabella asked.
"Absolutely terrified." Aslan answered her with a nod.
"Oh-ho, am I gonna have fun with that piece of information..." Isabella rubbed her hands together with a mischievous grin.
"Isabella..." Raven put her hands on her hips.
"What? Not like I'm gonna go torment him. I just figure I'll turn myself into a cat the next time he tries coming around me."
Wesley chuckled again. His roommate had a habit of targeting quiet, shy girls like her and putting them under his spell for reasons unknown to him. Needless to say, Judas had taken a special interest in Isabella. Not even being told off by Aslan or the risk of getting roughed up by Chev would deter him.
"Well," He began, looking to Aslan and Chev, "I'll take you up on that offer, if you don't mind pets."
"Wait, what?" Chev sounded surprised.
Wesley simply patted the left side of his jacket. He felt movement in the inner pocket at the nudge, followed by his pet tamarin monkey peeking out cautiously.
"Awww, how cute~" Isabella gushed once his pet emerged from the pocket it usually stayed in, climbing up onto his shoulder when it glanced up at him for reassurance that it was safe to come out.
"I didn't know you had a pet, Wesley." Hunter said, coming closer.
"You didn't know I was actually good before today either." Wesley responded while gently petting the monkey's head.
"What's its name?" Cerise asked.
"Kiki."
"Kiki? So it's a girl?"
Wesley nodded.
"Can I hold her?" Isabella asked when she came up to him.
"That's up to Kiki, not me." Wesley said, looking at his pet monkey in question. "Like you, she's rather shy."
Kiki was staring at Isabella, then immediately hid in his long, unruly black hair when she held up her arms to her.
"Awww ... maybe she'd be more comfortable with a friend!" Madeline grabbed the teacup in her hair and held it out, her pet dormouse popping up out of it. "Earl Grey, meet Kiki. Kiki, Earl Grey."
The doormouse squeaked, taking off the tiny teapot-shaped hat it wore and bowing when Wesley felt Kiki peek out from her new hiding place. She ultimately remained where she was, retreating back out of sight without a sound. Earl Grey appeared to frown at that.
"Don't take it personally." Wesley said. "Like I said, she's quite shy."
Madeline lowered the teacup with Earl Grey in it, patting his head with her index finger before he once again disappeared from view.
"So, you don't mind if I keep her with me?" Wesley directed the question at Aslan and Chev.
"Did Judas know about her?" Chev responded with a question of his own.
"No."
"Well, there's your answer." Chev smiled.
Wesley gave a small chuckle.
"I'm in your debt." He said.
"Ah, don't sweat it. We know it had to take a lot for you to reach out to us today." Chev said. "So, you ready to head back to the school?"
Wesley hesitated a reply.
"It's okay," Raven put a hand on his shoulder again. "Like Isabella said, we're all here with you."
Wesley looked to her, then took a deep breath. He slowly let it out, holding Kiki in his arms when she came back out of her hiding spot and wrapped her arms around his neck - a habit she had whenever she wanted to comfort him. He stroked her back, letting out another deep breath.
"I'm ready." He finally replied. "Let's go."
The group that had gathered in the clearing smiled. They turned, beginning the treck back to the school, a few staying close to Wesley as they walked. Isabella was one of them, pausing to pick up a stone and a leaf as they walked along the path. After doing a bit of magic, she turned it into a small choker necklace, handing it to Wesley.
"That's for Kiki." She explained. "I put a protection spell on it. Have her wear it as often as possible. Best not take any chances of her getting hurt."
Wesley smiled. He thanked her, slipping the necklace onto Kiki, who looked at it curiously, then glanced at Isabella with a small head tilt. Isabella merely smiled back warmly at her before picking up her pace to join the forefront of the party.
Ever After High's sctructure became visible after a few minutes of walking. Kiki returned to her original hiding place in the inner pocket of Wesley's jacket, leaving him to look up at the building as it got ever closer, then at the sky once they were out of the forest.
For the first time in what felt like ages, a sense of ease and saftey washed over him. The warmth of the late afternoon sun touched his face, and as a peaceful breeze blew past, a part of him felt like it had been sent by his father as one last reassurance that he was doing the right thing.
And as he looked back at the group that had come to reassure him that he was no longer alone, it solidified his new purpose. He would no longer pretend to be wicked. From that point on, he would be who he wanted to be, and not let others tell him otherwise.
He was now officially a Rebel.
Author's Note: This is a sequel fic to a crossover story I did with Kingdom Hearts, kind of re-working/overhauling my original Ever After High fanfic series. If anyone'd like to check it out, it's titled "Rebel's Guiding Key" - or if anyone'd like to read about the whole fiasco that happened between Wesley, Isabella, Chev, Raven, and Maddie, check out Chapter 13 of that story. Also, I've posted EAH-style bios for my current OCs on my profile if anyone'd like to check that out as well.
And yes, for those who've read or are familiar with my older works, I did bring back three old OCs (Kelsey Shield, Marnin Scrooge, and Wally Wonka), and I re-worked my main OC, Isabella, to where she's the next Enchantress whereas in my older series, she was the daughter of Beauty and the Beast.
One last thing - kind of a nitpick, but I just feel the need to put it out there - my OC, Chev Bogs. His first name's pronounced sh-eh-v, and he's the son of the Disney villain Chernabog, as mentioned earlier in this fic.